Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position Research Paper

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position you aspire to hold (medical supervisor) - Research Paper Example The typical methodology geared to dealing with performance appraisal systems relies on using a generalized approach where one performance appraisal system is used for a number of different hierarchical positions in an organization (Cascio, 2013). However, it would only make sense to design a performance appraisal system that is attuned to the needs of a particular position being appraised. This paper attempts to design an optimal performance appraisal system for the position of a medical supervisor based on current research findings. Description of Position The performance appraisal system under design is for the position of a medical supervisor. Essentially the position requires a large amount of daily interaction with patients as well as members of staff and occasionally contact with members of regulatory agencies. Additionally, the medical supervisor represents a senior position at any medical institution and is responsible for overseeing the training and skill development of his subordinates. The medical supervisor needs to keep tabs on the budgeting of resources and scheduling of staff members to ensure uninterrupted medical service to patients. The multifaceted nature of the job of a medical supervisor means that the incumbent medical supervisor needs to be ready on all fronts to deliver in order to be relevant to the organization’s overall objectives. Proposed Optimal Appraisal Performance System The proposed appraisal performance system for the position of a medical supervisor is divided into sections based on the major responsibilities for the position. The responsibilities are segregated through broad overviews since the current paper is not intended to dissect all of the responsibilities in complete detail. The primary responsibility of a medical supervisor is to the patients under treatment. Patients can be seen as the customers for any medical system so delivering to the customers is of the utmost importance. The medical supervisor is suppor ted by his staff at various levels and positions in order to service the patients so dealing with staff is a secondary responsibility to ensure satisfactory service provision at least. Moreover, the medical supervisor is responsible to his immediate superiors and members of regulatory agencies such as the American Medical Association (AMA) who require consistent feedback for continuous performance assessment. Performance Appraisal for Patients The basic contention behind performance appraisals is to provide employees with feedback regarding their performance (Broady-Preston & Steel, 2002). In the case of medical institutions, the customers are patients under treatment. Performance appraisal needs to emanate from patients and their relatives who judge the quality of services being delivered by a medical supervisor. Essentially such a grass roots level performance appraisal system bases itself on the 360 degrees appraisal system proposed by Milliman (1994). The idea behind such an app raisal system is to ensure that all people interacting with an employee especially customers provide their effective feedback in relation to the employee’s attitude and behavior (Cascio, 2013). This provides the medical supervisor with a more goal oriented performance appraisal system that encourages a quantitative method to evaluate job

Monday, October 28, 2019

I will Design and Carry Out my PEP on the Basis of me Being a Football Player Essay Example for Free

I will Design and Carry Out my PEP on the Basis of me Being a Football Player Essay I will design and carry out my PEP on the basis of me being a football player. I am 14 years and 6 months old and have been playing football since about the age of 5. I enjoy the game and I am quite good at it. Although I am quite good I would like to train to become better at the sport and increase my overall fitness level. I am generally fit but there is definitely room for improvement and I will look to do so. When I leave school I plan to join the British Army so I would like to become fit so that I can fulfil my plans. Over the 6 weeks that I carry out the training regime I will give it 100% and really try to improve my fitness and footballing skills. I want to make the best of my ability at football so I can enjoy what I do and hopefully it will benefit the Sunday league club that I play for. I play for Aspull Juniors. I have done so for 5 years now and enjoy playing for the team. I play in the centre of midfield and play in more of a defensive role. This position allows me to put a lot of effort in and influence the game. I am a good tackler of the ball and can pass good as well. For the job that I do on the football pitch I need to have a good stamina (so I can cope with the demands of the football math), good flexibility (so I dont stretch my muscles when making tackles), good balance (to pass the ball and make vital tackles), strength (to out muscle opponents and kick the ball far), speed (to get to the ball quicker than the opponent), and good reaction time (this is so I can react to the ball quicker than an opponent.) My PEP should help me to improve all of these skills and as a result I will become a better football player. I have never suffered any long-term injuries of any kind and have no recurring injuries. Other sports that I enjoy to do are fishing, golf, tennis and table tennis. Although I do none of these sports competitively I am interested in them and have done for fun. PEP For my PEP I will use a pyramid session to gradually increase my fitness during the 6 weeks. I will use a badminton court as my guide and say that double the length of the court is equal to one length. I will increase the lengths as the program progresses to create an overload required to increase my fitness. I chose a pyramid session because I feel it is the most reliable way of increasing my fitness. Also I know that it will be easier to create an overload in either the amount of lengths or exercises that I do if I use a pyramid session. From when I have used this session in the past I have found that it always gives me a good workout and can be used to good effect. I will start and progress my PEP over the weeks using the FITT principal. I will increase the frequency by doing more exercises and by doing more running more often. I will increase the intensity by increasing the amount of exercise that will be done. I will do this by adding more lengths onto my pyramid session and more exercise in between. I will increase the time by putting more time into the exercises in between runs. The type will also be changed. I will change the fitness test that I will do after the pyramid sessions each week. The PEP that I have designed is one that I think will improve my overall fitness the most and also improve the skills that I need as a football player. It will start with a 5 minute jog. This jog will warm up my muscles so that they are not too stiff to stretch otherwise I will increase the chances of a ripped or torn muscle. After the jog I will move on to my stretches. They will be thoroughly carried out so not to allow any muscle injury whatsoever can occur. The stretches are one of the most important parts of the PEP and must be done with care and thought. If these are not done correctly than I will run the chance of pulling or tearing a muscle. The Pyramid Session starts by running the maximum amount of lengths you are wishing to do and then gradually working your way down until there are no more lengths to complete. In between lengths you are required to do exercises. For example, if I was planning to do 16 lengths I would do 16 lengths then a chosen exercise. After the exercise you then do 15 lengths then the exercise, then 14 lengths then a exercise and so on until there are no more lengths to complete. This Pyramid Session will progress throughout the 6 weeks of the PEP. Week 1 I will be doing 10 lengths, Week 2 and 3 I will be doing 12 lengths, Week 4 and 5 I will do 14 lengths and for the final week I will do 16 lengths. As the weeks progress an overload is created which will help me improve my fitness. The Warm Up For my warm up I will be doing a 5 minute jog around the All Weather pitch. The warm up is to warm the muscles up before stretching so I do not pull a muscle. I will time myself and be sure not to strain myself as this too could result in a pulled muscle if not careful. The Leg Exercises Squats, Burpees, Switch Overs, Star Jumps These exercises will build up my leg muscles and allow me to put more power into a shot or long pass. These exercises will build up the strength and power in my legs and will allow me to hit a ball further and this will improve my skill as a football player. I have done more leg exercises than arm and body exercises because I feel that my legs are needed more on a football pitch. The Body Exercises Sit Ups, Crunches The body exercises that I will do will allow me to build up my middle body muscles and will help me to become stronger and flexible in that area. This will help me when I play football because I will be able to adjust the middle part of my body easier and this will help me when I am playing. The Arm Exercises Bench Press, Press Ups By doing these arm exercises it will improve my upper body strength and this will make it easier to shrug off opponents when challenging for a ball in a game. The exercises will build up the muscles in my arms and this can help when taking a throw-in. The Cool Down For the cool down I will do a light jog and then stretch. The cool down is to prevent lactic acid from settling in the muscles and producing cramps. This is just as important as the warm up and is needed to prevent injury after the PEP. Stretches Hamstring- I would sit on the ground then bend over front wards and touch the top of my shin, I would hold this for 10 seconds. Then I would sit up rest and then bend over front wards again only this time touching the toes rather than the shin. Quads- I would stand and balance myself against a wall with one arm then I would grab the left leg bend it backwards so the foot is touching my bum and hold for 10 seconds. Then I would stop rest and change legs. Groin Stretch- I would sit on the ground and put the soles of each foot together in a yoga sort of position. Then slowly put pressure on the inside of each leg to stretch the groin. Upper Arm- Place one arm in front of me and place the other arm underneath the arm that is held out and grab the shoulder. After this swap arms and do exactly the same. Hold each stretch for 10 seconds. Week 1 The warm up and the stretches went well and I then began my Pyramid Session. I had planned to do 10 lengths this week. I found that the Pyramid Session worked well. I completed the 10 lengths with ease but the exercises were quite challenging. At the end of all the lengths and exercises I found myself out of breath but I was pleased with the work I had done. I then went out onto the all weather pitch to do a 50 metre sprint. I did the sprint in 8.12 seconds which was a personal best. After the sprint I did a 5 minute jog and then stretched for 5 minutes. Evaluation I was very pleased with what I did this week but thought that I could handle more lengths than what I had done. The exercises that I did were quite demanding but I thought they would be easier to handle next week and was looking forward to the challenge. I was extremely pleased with the speed that I achieved in the 50 metre sprint and although it wasnt a huge amount of time I did beat my personal best. Week 2 This week I had set myself 12 lengths to do but I wasnt particularly worried about the task ahead. I started off with the 5 minute jog and a thorough stretch and then I began my Pyramid Session. The session went well again this week. Similar to last week I found that the exercises were again quite tough and challenging but the lengths were completed without much difficulty. After the Pyramid Session this week, I had set my self the throw/catch ball test. This was not physically challenging but I had to concentrate to get the 35 score that I got. This was not the best score I had ever had but I was pleased with the result. Evaluation I was again pleased with this week. The increase in lengths never really affected my performance this week. They were more challenging than the previous week but never caused a major problem throughout the session. The throw/catch ball test that I did was more about finding a rhythm and concentrating rather than a physical test. Week 3 After the initial warm up and stretch I moved onto another week of the 12 length Pyramid Session. This week it again never caused a huge problem but I was still tired towards the end of the session. The exercises still caused similar problems as they did in the first week and were tiring. It was this week when I began to feel an improvement in my fitness. After I completed the Pyramid Session I then went and did the muscular endurance test in the hotel foyer. My previous best at this test was 100 seconds but this week I nearly doubled that score with 190 seconds. I was extremely pleased with this result. At the end of the session I did a 10 minute cool down. Evaluation I found that the 12 lengths didnt pose too much of a problem for me this week and I was looking forward to the challenge of 14 lengths next week. I think that the exercises again provided a challenge for me and I began to feel the improvement in my fitness. I was extremely pleased with the score I achieved in the muscular endurance test. I think that I did well this week and was looking forward to the next few weeks ahead. Week 4 Due to a Dentist appointment I was unable to complete the regime at school. As a result I set up a training course on a football field behind my house and carried out my session to the best of my ability taking the environment and lack of equipment into condition. I worked hard for 1 hour and was pleased with the workout I had. Week 5 This week was my first attempt in school of attempting the 14 lengths I had set. Firstly, I did the warm up and stretches then got started with the Pyramid Session. It began like the others had but towards the end I found that this session was a lot more tiring than the previous weeks. At the end my legs were aching and I was really tired. I had created the overload and felt the affect. Although I was tired I was pleased with the task I had done and was looking to the week ahead. The test this week was a standing broad jump. I managed to get a score of 1 metre 52 centimetres. I was quite pleased with the score although it was not a personal best. After the test I went outside where I did a 5 minute jog and stretched off to avoid cramped muscles. Evaluation I was pleased with the effort that I put in today and could feel a definite improvement in my fitness. I thought that 14 lengths were very challenging and along with the leg, arm and middle body exercises produced a Pyramid Session which would challenge me. The standing broad jump that I did was not spectacular but I was pleased with the result. Week 6 For this week I was supposed to do 16 lengths, but because I missed week 4 I decided that I would carry on with 14 lengths. I went outside and did the warm up followed by the stretches then went inside to carry out the Pyramid Session. The 14 lengths were challenging but I felt an improvement in my fitness and they were easier to complete than the lengths last week. The test for my final week was a repeat of the throw/catch ball test. I carried it out in the Sports Hall and beat the score I had gotten previously. I got a score of 33, beating the score of week 2 and equalling my personal best. Evaluation I was pleased with the work that I had done in my final week. I found that the 14 lengths in the Pyramid Session were easier to complete than the previous week. I was pleased with the level of my fitness and was pleased with the score I achieved in the throw/catch ball test. Final Evaluation Throughout my PEP I have seen my overall fitness gradually increase from week to week. I would definitely say the regime has been a success and recommend it to people wishing to improve their fitness. The Pyramid Session provides a challenge from week to week and the exercises between the lengths make it a very demanding regime. I was pleased with the work that the exercises did and at the end of the 6 week program saw an improvement in my leg muscles, middle and upper body strength. I am extremely pleased with the improvement and success that the PEP has had.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay --

These lyrics are from an 80’s rock band by the name of Toto. These words might have accurately described the feelings of those people living at the time of the birth of Jesus –people who were wondering and hoping for a change, people who were hoping to receive a gift greater than what they could give of themselves. It was only about three weeks when we celebrated the birth of Jesus in this world on the 25th of December. Along with worship, we opportunities to exchange a bunch of gifts, eating a great deal of good food, sharing conversation, potentially loading up the car and traveling from one house to another, only to reach those last days of December and beginning days of January with our tongues hanging out and sprawled out on the couch from exhaustion, and for some of us, eating too much food and/or chocolate. There may be times when we might wonder why all this needs to be done, and we begin to consider that we are really living out the Spirit of Christmas giving and sharing gifts and time with others in a very hurried way. This could be the only time we get to visit with other family, if the family is spread out over a great distance. †¦ This is the time of year when we have the opportunities to share material gifts, as well as the gift of love and care. Do we ever stop, however, to wonder about the gift of hope? Where did we leave it in the midst of our packing and preparing in those stress-filled hours before the Christmas celebration? How did we manage to overlook that precious gift of hope as we struggled through the parking lots and mobs of other shoppers at the mall? Do we feel it within ourselves as we attempt to find something to say on the 100th Christmas card, or mail the umpteenth email or facebook mess... ...before us? Our faith may waver from time to time, but we always fall back on hope – even for the most pessimistic of us – hope is what brought the Magi to the stable in Bethlehem and it also brings us to the stable, kneeling before the Christ child in our hearts and minds. Are we still willing to humble ourselves this Christmas season before this child that brought nations in conflict to their knees? Are we still willing to experience hope and not be confused and deceived by the materialism that seems to control the holiday? Just as our 80’s rock song suggests, we need to believe in the things that we need to survive. During this Christmas season, let us take the time to reflect on gives us hope each and everyday – it is truly the gift that keeps giving and giving to us – regardless of where we are on our faith journeys and our proximity to our epiphanies.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Mixed Member Proportional Government for Canada

Canada's government system was drafted at the Quebec conference by the so-called â€Å"Fathers of Confederation.† In this system, the Queen of Great Britain has the formal executive power. This in effect made the Canadian government system loosely based on the system being used by the United Kingdom (One Stop Canada, n.d.). Up to now, the Queen is still the head of the state, but just like any other parliamentary democracy, her powers are extremely limited. It is still the Parliament that drafts and approves the country's laws, and then the Queen would give the final approval, so to speak, known as the â€Å"Royal Assent.† Whenever the Queen is not in Canada, the Governor General acts as her representative and performs all her ceremonial and administrative duties. The Governor General is always chosen by the Queen by virtue of the Prime Minister's recommendation. The Governor General normally stays in office for 5 years (One Stop Canada, n.d.). The seat of power lies in the House of Parliament, but specifically, in the House of Commons. It is them who make laws for â€Å"make laws for the peace, order and good government of Canada†, and this includes defence, international policies, criminal law, immigration, border control and customs. They are being elected every 5 years. The present system in the Canada is the single member representation, commonly known also as first past the post or plurality system, wherein the whole country is divided into constituencies (total of 308) and during elections, whoever gets the most number of votes in any particular constituency represents the constituency, and take a single seat in the Parliament (One Stop Canada, n.d.). This system is now being challenged by many because of the presumed â€Å"lack of real representation† of this system. Challenges on the current system and call for a change Statistics from last year's election show that in British Columbia, the Liberal Party gained 77 of the 79 seats for that province with only 58% of the votes, compared to the former ruling Democratic Party who only gained 2 seats despite getting 22% of the vote. (The Democratic Party held 52 seats during the elections before last year, with only 39.5% of the vote.) The Green Party, although they have won 12.5% of the total votes, got no seats at all. This recent election has proven to many that there is a need for a change in their electoral system. Adriane Carr, the British Columbia Green Party leader, leads the initiative to change the existing first-past-the-post system of Canada. Carr launched this initiative to encourage the government to consider her drafted legislation on the mixed member proportional government (Caron, 1999; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2002). In this proposed system, the benefits both electoral schemes will be combined. A voter will choose a candidate that he or she likes, and at the same time, vote for a party also. In this way, all constituencies will be represented, and at the same time, a proportionate number of seats will also be given to parties receiving a certain percentage of votes, thus, ensuring the representation on the interest or cause that it represents. It was also argued that this new system will maximize voter turnout as all votes will be taken into consideration, unlike the case of a first-past-the-post system where only the winning votes, so to speak, are represented in the parliament. This means that in this system, it would not only mean that the leading party would have seats in the Parliament, but also the minority party or parties, depending on the percentage of votes that they have won (Caron, 1999). This scheme is also said to increase the representation of women in the Parliament. In many countries in the Europe, proportional representation increased women representation by more than 10% (Caron, 1999). Such condition is something being advocated by parties like the Democratic Party in Canada. If proportional representation will be adopted by the Canadian political system, it is forecasted to increase the voter turnout from all levels of election, and at the same time, also increase the representation of other interests in the Parliament. Theoretically, this scheme will make all votes count. The ultimate question: Will this work in Canada? Many advocates of first-past-the-post system believe that if the system is not broken, then, do not fix it. But it appears that while it is not broken, there is a better way of doing it. Even cynics do not disagree with having a need for electoral reform. The current system of electoral process in Canada is based on a winner-take-all principle, which means that the only representation happening is the winning vote, i.e., the popular partisan viewpoint. This also means that the other vote, the losing view, lose their right to political representation. This system has produced a government with a winning party winning majority of seats, without really wining majority of the votes (Gordon, 2003). Canadians have only enjoyed true majority governments, elected by a majority of voters, four times since World War I (Gordon, 2003). The recent election show how â€Å"unrepresented† the voters are. And with the idea that they really have not attained a true majority government yet, still, they are using the first-past-the-post system despite the theoretically good outcome of a proportional representation system, or at least, the mixed member proportion. In all aspects of the theory, from the idea of being truly representative, to the idea of increasing voters' turnout, we know that this mixed member proportion will work. Since World War 1, only four times have the Canadian people attained a true representative majority, which means for only four times have the people been truly represented. This new system will in almost all certainty, reduce the control of the reigning party in the parliament. The system has worked or is still showing potential benefits in all countries which have tried this. Canada will not be an exemption. So, more than just asking if this system will work in Canada, the ultimate question is: Will the existing government give this a chance to work? Works cited: Caron, Jean-Franà §ois. â€Å"The end of the first-past-the post electoral system?† Canadian Parliamentary Review, 22.3 (Autumn 1999): 19-22. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2002. Rod Donald exports MMP to Canada. Press release (28th March 2002). Gordon, Larry. â€Å"It’s time for fair voting in Canada.† Economics at About.com (15 October 2003). One Stop Canada, n.d. Canadian Political System. http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/canadian_political_system.html

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Peer Event Management

Peer Events Management Head: Saadaan Peerzada Brief Introduction: A leading event management company of Pakistan, Peer Events Management has promoted the products of numerous top Multi-National Companies through non-media communication across Pakistan. Peer Events Management's creative approach is complemented by the largest inventory of sound and light equipment and trained personnel.We have solid experience in organizing diverse commercial events like product launches and re-launches, branded activities in schools, clubs, restaurants, road shows and in-house company programs. We at the Peer Events Management are confident of our capacity to create the extravaganza. We have the credentials to manage all aspects of creative conceptualization along with efficient execution and organization on mass-scale. Peer Events Management can offer you, the client, one project management team, one cohesive focus.We are unique in the industry since we can provide full event management services thr ough our extensive in-house capabilities and our proven network of strategic partners. From the development of initial logistical and creative requirements, through the actual production and management of events, we are the only partner you will need Peer Event Management utilizes state-of-the art equipment and techniques and its professionally staffed.Peer Events Management is Pakistan’s leader in specialist state, set, fabrication, product launches, road shows, concerts, fashion shows, annual conferences, Peer Event Management and creativity and innovation, deliver the talent and take care of the full production, from high tech sound and lighting systems to cleanup and gives a special blend of experience, technical expertise and creative energy. History: With over 25 years of experience in the art of science of building sets for touring road shows, cinema , television, music videos, mega events all over Pakistan.Our reputation as been earned by turning some of the most adve nturous stage set concepts into practical and economical realities. The diverse list of nation wide clients proves that there is an ever increasing motion control technology. Members: Salmaan Peerzada: Salmaan Peerzada studied History, Economics and Philosophy at the University of the Punjab and also appeared in some highly successful productions of the Government College Dramatic club. He directed plays and gained much distinction for his work which included â€Å"A Midsummer Nights Dream†, â€Å"Blood Wedding†, â€Å"Biography† and â€Å"Picnic†.He entered the film industry as a Camera Assistant, but then turned to acting. He went to England in 1964 and throughout the sixties and seventies he played a number of prominent roles in UK Films and television series and plays. Most notable amongst these were the popular TV series â€Å"Emergency Ward 10† and â€Å"Twisted Nerves†, a Boulting Brothers film in which he co-starred with Hailey Mills and â€Å"A Private Enterprise†, a highly successful feature film directed by Peter Smith in which Salmaan played the lead. On the death of his father he returned to Pakistan and founded the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in his memory.He directed several highly successful productions for the workshop including plays of Rafi Peer. He played the lead role in â€Å"Blood of Hussain† winner of the Prize of the Nations at Taormina, and shortly afterwards wrote and directed â€Å"Maila† for channel 4 television UK. He has just finished a major international feature film â€Å"Zargul† which he wrote and directed and which is now on international release. Producer Usmaan Peerzada: Executive ProducerUsmaan was a Student at Government College Lahore 1967 – 74, Secretary, Government College Dramatic Society, Master in English Literature.Awarded best actor of the year 1971 at the Najam-ud-Din Drama Festival, Kinnaird College, Lahore. Organized and acted in the U SIS Repertory Theatre Company, 1974. During the 1975-76, he played the lead in the 1st Pakistani English language film produced and directed by Senator Javaid Jabbar â€Å"Beyond the Last Mountain†. Starred in the 1st Pakistani co-production with Sri Lanka 1976-77 â€Å"Sazish†. Starred in a Sri Lanka/Italian/French co- production â€Å"Seeta Devi†, an international film and shot on location in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Australia.During the period 1977-79, he worked in Pakistan Film Industry as an actor. Usmaan is one of the top billing stars on Pakistan TV and is also a documentary filmmaker. He also worked on UNICEF projects in advisory capacity as a film journalist. In 1985, 1st Peer Films film â€Å"Nazdikian† was produced. â€Å" Nazdikian† was a new concept of low budget film in Pakistan. Film bagged over 17 awards and 4 national film awards including the Best Film of the year 1986. In 1989, he wrote, directed and produced a mega star Punjabi f ilm called â€Å"Gori Dyan Jhanjran† which did remarkable business on box office. Gori Dyan Jhanjaran† won 6 national awards given by the Government of Pakistan including the Best Film of the year 1990, which is an all time record in the history of the National Awards. Since 1990, he has been involved in creating a modern video/film studio with latest technology. He wrote, produced, directed and acted in one of the most commercially successful Tele-drama 13 part serial â€Å"SOFIA† for TV. In 1997 he directed â€Å"QARZ† which got 14 nominations for national film award. He is also involved in producing and directing 90 minute Tele-films. Imraan Peerzada:Imraan Peerzada is a graduate of the Punjab University and has studied design at National College of the Arts for 2 years. He was studied fashion and product photography at Parsons Schools of Art, New York (U. S. A). Imraan is presently doing his Masters in Cinematography and Video from U. C. L. A. , Califo rnia, U. S. A. He has also been very active on stage and produced, directed and acted in many plays during the period 1981-88. He has contributed as a writer by writing 25 plays for children which have been staged and also produced as television serials.Produced 25 audio cassettes of folk tales for children and has written columns for different newspapers on various subjects and also worked as photo journalist. Photographed covers and major fashion spreads for all leading Karachi magazines (1985-90). He is an Associate Member of the Multiracial Theatre in Washington D. C. He has worked extensively as an actor for televison, radio and stage and acted as the leading star in â€Å"ZARGUL† a Peer Films feature film. Imraan Peerzada is presently working on various stage projects and 90 minutes independent televison dramas.Saadaan Peerzada: Producer Puppeteer, Mime Artist, Producer, Executive Director of Peer Group, chairman of the International Puppet Festival Pakistan, Strategist in various Departments of the company i. e. Finance Management, Administration, Strategic Marketing and Human Resource Management Saadaan is the master-mind providing the structure on which dreams are woven. Currently he is involved in creating a private production of puppet programs for television. Other than his artistic prowess, Saadaan Peerzada is the driving force behind Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop.The success of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop is to a large extent due to the business acumen, energy and foresight of Saadaan Peerzada who is its Executive Director. Saadaan Peerzada is also the founder/creator of the Puppet Theatre Division of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, which today has the distinction of being not only among the first but also the best of the puppet theatre groups in Pakistan. As a puppet manipulator par excellence and with much sensitivity Saadaan has played several dozen characters on stage with Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. His main experience is in art developing pr ojects.Right from inception, he designs, organizes and structures. He has prepared several outstanding concepts and conducted them very successfully. He designed and performed in a solo Clown and Magic Show and toured with puppets all over Pakistan. This was over a period of several years and the show was very successful with more than two thousand productions. Faizaan Peerzada: Producer and director Born in Lahore, Pakistan, The son of Pakistan’s foremost playwright Rafi Peer, Faizaan began his career at Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in 1977, which he now heads as its Artistic Director.He has experience in organizing cross-cultural events that the company has arranged with over a thousand different programs for children as well as adults all over the country. Some of these shows are pioneering efforts in the upcoming history of the performing arts in Pakistan. Faizaan Peerzada has worked with dedication for several years designing programs to develop children's minds by making them aware of the visual arts, as well as providing opportunities for them to participate in the performing arts.These programs include child art festivals, art workshops, and live art demonstrations with children. He specially designed programs to celebrate the International Year of the Child in 1979 spread over the entire year, including three major art festivals in which at least 35,000 children participated in a span of six months. Faizaan Peerzada is a puppeteer with distinction and has been awarded the President’s medal for the Pride of Performance. He has performed regularly in all the major towns of Pakistan and in many cities abroad.The puppets have also given a sense of achievement to Faizaan as an artist both for stage and television. He has created more than 2500 puppets for an assortment of puppet plays, and has produced over one hundred TV puppet shows as a director as well as the stage and puppet designer. He has also traveled internationally on over 7 major in ternational tours and festivals with various productions. Another major step in the development of the puppetry art form is the setting of the museum of puppets in Lahore, of which Faizaan is the Project Director. This museum will be the first of its kind across South Asia.Faizaan has been the integral driving force in creating fifteen International Festivals of Puppets, Theatre, Music, and Dance beginning in 1992. These Festivals have had participation from 56 countries, with over 3000 artists representing over 300 groups. The Fourth International Puppet Festival 1998 held in Lahore was declared internationally as the biggest international puppet festival in the world. He now heads The World Performing Arts Festival Pakistan with its latest session planned for October 2003. Faizaan has also been a founding member for UNIMA Pakistan.He is presently the president of UNIMA in Pakistan, which was setup on the 15th February, 1993 in PakistanIn 1976 he held his first painting exhibition at the American Cultural Centre, Karachi and then followed that with approximately forty painting exhibitions in Pakistan, and twenty six solo art exhibitions in the United States and Europe. He is a modern expressionistic painter who is presently dedicated to working with puppets and large faces. Faizaan’s fascination for lights over the last two decades has now given him the status of a household name as a lighting designer.He has designed stages and lights for several programs in Pakistan including festivals and several instillations for events abroad. Visual media has always fascinated Faizaan and this has resulted in ‘Laatoo’, his first documentary with co-director Alix Phillippon. The documentary covers all aspects and problems faced by dancers in Pakistan. It also looks at the popular forms of dance which are officially permitted by the Government; the Vulgar Dances in the movies, the Heera Mandi influence, and the commercial stage.In addition, it looks at how the true dance form has suffered and how the cheep commercial dance has mushroomed, eventually twisting the place of dance in our culture giving it its dire image and taboo status . It finally looks at the hypocrisy that has been forcefully imposed on the dancers and the public, making everyone lose. Film has now given Faizaan a new dimension to express himself and he intends to continue in it. Currently he is filming a project delineated into three major documentaries on the Sufi Shrines of Pakistan.The project takes an in depth look at, and analyzes, over 800 diverse shrines all across the country, while the individual films are separated into studies focusing on the Architectural, Spiritual, and the Poetic elements of the Shrines. Tasneem Peerzada: Executive Director Tasneem Peerzada has had a varied and diverse professional career –it spans the entire spectrum from beginning as a primary and secondary school teacher, to a journalist, a playwright, a lyricist, a press and public relations coordinator, and last, but not least, a poet.After her professional origins in the educational establishment, Tasneem moved onto a more potent public forum by joining â€Å"The Daily Jung† as a journalist. At this leading Urdu language newspaper she worked in both the capacities of an editor and a featured columnist, incorporating all forms of current social and political issues in her writing. She covered Television, Film, Theatre, and political personalities under human interest, reported on social and political dilemmas for awareness, and also covered fashion for the front pages of the media and entertainment sections.Tasneem later wove all these fundamental elements into a singular vocational focus when she joined the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop as a company director. Here she wrote scripts for TV shows, awareness productions (whether on anti-narcotics or children’s education), theatre skits, as well as lyrics and songs for product anthems, cor porate launches, and Television jingles. She also became an ardent media and press coordinator for the Peer Group and its sister companies as well as a director in the companies numerous internationally acclaimed national and international performing arts festivals.Currently Tasneem Peerzada is working on her first novel and a poetry publication slated to be published soon. The services: Peer event management utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and techniques and it’s professionally staffed. Peer events management is Pakistan’s leader in specialist state, set, fabrication, product launched, road shows, concerts, fashion show, annual conferences, Peer Event Management and creativity and innovation, deliver the talent and take care of the full production, from high tech sound and lighting systems to cleanup and gives a special blend of experience, technical expertise and creative energy.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Erin Brockovich essays

Erin Brockovich essays How Is Erin Brockovich The Personification Of The American Dream? The American dream is the ideology that if we work hard we will do well and be successful in life. Erin Brockovich brings this idea to life as she works hard to become the successful woman that she wants to be. This idea is emphasised by the fact that she is a single mother, poor and without much of an education behind her and so has to defy all the odds to achieve the things she wants. The idea is also further extended as not only does she work hard to gain success but helps people in the process, implying that the american dream can help others aswell as ourselves and that our dreams do not have to help only ourselves. The film Erin Brockovich is not entirely truthful as it promotes the American dream through the Erin Brockovich story yet only shows the positive side, missing out the more serious negative sides to the after effects of what actually happened. The film deals with the concept of the american dream by looking into the many modern day issues that stood in between the title character and achieving the dream. Erin Brockovich is a single mother, trying to make enough money to support her children. After a car accident which wasnt her fault she persuades the lawyer who represented her in court to give her a job. Whilst doing this job she comes across some medical records in with the real estate files, and curious, decides to investi gate. She finds out about a cover-up in a local community. The local water supply is contaminated causing devastating illnesses to the current and some previous residents. After further investigation and with the help of a major law firm Erin and her boss fight against the company responsible, PG $333 million. Winning the case earns Erin more money and respect than she has eve...

Monday, October 21, 2019

EPS accuracy 4 Essay

EPS accuracy 4 Essay EPS accuracy 4 Essay Role: Controller A. Adjust Reserve for Losses As the controller of the company I would adjust the reserve for losses based on the historical flexibility allowed in this line item. Management has been responsible for setting the reserve balance and if adjustments are justifiable and reasonable the corrections should be made. If this balance was historically adjusted to adapt to the new operating environment, the reserve should continue to be adjusted as the firm continues to operate Use of Longer Depreciable Lives Extending the life of the depreciated asset would be beneficial to the financial statements and would provide better information to investors. Providing more accurate deprecation rates to account for the economic useful life of the asset is more important that decreasing net income for the tax benefits. It is more ethical to accurately portray the deprecation of the asset to match the revenue generating portion of the assets life. Adoption of Straight-Line Depreciation While this may be a change from historical accounting practices for the firm, it may be one of the costs of going public. When the competition has predictable stable depreciation rates, it makes it easier for analysts to understand and project financial statements on a forward looking basis. This would provide Hutchins Clothiers Inc. the opportunity to be compared with industry peers on a standardized basis and without the accounting bias that may have deflated the earnings numbers for Hutchins. However, it would be of importance to the investors to have the accounting change disclosed. Increase Expected Return on Pension Plan Assets I would not increase the eps based on earnings projections on accretion of pension plan assets. This is not a part of the daily operations of the company and to have such a large increase in EPS based on expected returns is a violation of management’s commitment to provide accurate information. This would falsely portray the firm to have a better quarter without any true numbers to facilitate sustainable growth. It would also force management to continue with the projected returns for years to come otherwise forcing a drop in EPS in subsequent quarters. Deferral of Maintenance The deferral of maintenance would be an action that I support in the move to going public. This maintenance cost does not drastically change the operations of the company as it is part of it. While the maintenance was originally scheduled for Q4 of 2013, the majority of the benefits from maintenance would most likely be enjoyed throughout the operating period of 2014. Additionally, if the deferral of 1 month of maintenance does not have a material effect on the operating ability of the company there is no reason why we would not be able to wait until 2014. It is important to match the expenses to the period where the benefits are to be derived Deferral of Advertising The delay in advertising coincides with very similar mentality of differing the maintenance costs. The majority of the benefits are to be derived in 2014 and through the matching principle, expenses should be tied to the period in which revenues are generated. This provides an accurate depiction of the margins as well as providing accurate and improved EPS for 2013. However, this advertising campaign should be mentioned in the notes to financial statements or in the management’s discussion and analysis. This is

Sunday, October 20, 2019

25 Favorite Family History Quotes

25 Favorite Family History Quotes Are you looking for a quote related to genealogy and family history, for a family history photo or scrapbook, your Facebook or Twitter page, or a family genealogy website? These famous quotes include humorous quotes, inspirational quotes and other quotations related to our interest in the past. Why waste your money looking up your family tree? Just go into politics and your opponents will do it for you. -   Mark TwainIn all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness. -   Alex Haley, RootsIf you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten; Either write things worthy of reading, or do things worthy of writing. -   Benjamin Franklin, May 1738There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children - one is roots, and the other, wings. -   Hodding S. CarterWhen a society or a civilization perishes, one condition can always be found. They forgot where they came from. -   Carle SandburgI dont know who my grandfather was, I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. -   Abraham LincolnYou live as long as you are remembered. -   Russian proverb Those who forget their past are destined to repeat it. -   Robert A. HeinleinWe are the children of many sires, and every drop of blood in us in its turn ... betrays its ancestor. -   Ralph Waldo EmersonEvery man  is a quotation from all his ancestors.  -   Ralph Waldo EmersonPeople will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors. -   Edmund BurkeEveryone has ancestors and it is only a question of going back far enough to find a good one. -   Howard Kenneth NixonIt is a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors. -   PlutarchAnybody can make history, only a great man can write it. -   He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning. -   Old English proverbIf you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance. -   George Bernard ShawThere is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his. -   Helen KellerFamily faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future. -   Gail Lumet Buckley Genealogy Tracing yourself back to people better than you are. -   John Garland PollardI dont have to look up my family tree because I know that Im the sap. -   Fred AllenIf you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. - Michael CrichtonWe inherit from  our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. - Edward SellnerWeve uncovered some embarrassing ancestors in the not-too-distant past. Some horse thieves, and some people killed on Saturday nights. One of my relatives, unfortunately, was even in the newspaper business. -   Jimmy CarterA man who thinks too much about his ancestors is like a potato- the best part of him is underground - Henry S.F. CooperSoutherners are so devoted to genealogy that we see a family tree under every bush. -   Florence King

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Whole Food Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whole Food Market - Essay Example Whole Food Market has developed an innovation strategy of its kind that would suit its organic business model. Firstly, they integrated the differentiation strategy whereby they provide their customers services they cannot find anywhere else so as to maintain a loyal customer basis. On the contrary, the supermarket was the first to dump use of plastic bags so as to conserve the environment. Furthermore, its social dimension towards its value proposal in engaging in wind energy practices; an environmental friendly approach is part of its innovation strategy. Moreover, in order to satisfy their organic goal, they have also expanded their business to developing their own line of sea food and an animal welfare system and more so boosting new and creative animal production practices. Therefore, putting these factors in mind, it is clear that the organization has justified its organic practices.The environment that Whole Food Market operates in is full of potential. The external threats ar e competition from fast food companies as well as other green companies. However, its differentiation strategy has worked out in terms of beating rival companies. On the other hand, the supermarket realizes the environmental challenges, hence its approach to renewable energy and elimination of plastic. Such corporate responsibilities have enhanced favor to the supermarket from its green customers. Another environemental principle is always being ahead producing high quality products as well as realizing and utilizing opportunities.

Identify the spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation evident in Essay

Identify the spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation evident in the ending of Frankenstein & its significance in the work as a whole - Essay Example I sickened as I read. ‘Hateful day when I received life’†! (126) Monster is the creation of human arrogance. A scientist, with his discovery, interferes in the work of God. He doesn’t realize how weak the human shoulders are to own this heavy responsibility. When humankind begins to utilize the freedom of thought and action graced by God improperly, tragic consequences are bound to happen. The scientist wishes to escape the responsibility to nurse the monster and it has no option but to turn destructive. Monster’s obsession is fully realized in the last chapter. Upon the death of Frankenstein, the monster exclaims, â€Å"That is also my victim! In his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close† (211). The cycle or revenge and death have merged into eternity. The monster is now in a position to act as per its free will, even in choosing death. It has gained freedom of action. By birth, the monster is as innocent as any child. The moral dilemma in the story is on two counts. After i nterfering in the function of God, by creating the monster, Victor walks away from his responsibility of looking after it. Once the monster stands alive in front of him, insecurity seizes him and he runs for his life. Not caring for one’s offspring is a serious moral lapse. The encounters of the monster with the humankind end in chaos and frustration. Having denied love by its creator, it looks for solace elsewhere, only to be disappointed at every stage. This un-fructified love proves to be twice-cursed! By evading the monster and running to save his own life, Frankenstein ruins his life as well as that of the monster. The uncared for and neglected monster seeks revenge. This is the moral issue. The nature of the Gothic novel is, there should be a transgressor, and in the end, one should pay for the act of transgression. Victor pays for his

Friday, October 18, 2019

The ticking time bomb Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The ticking time bomb - Term Paper Example The human race is a distinct species; this is with regards to envisaging its future actions. As such, it will be engaging in conjectures without content if this paper states that good will always persist. With the aim of producing an unbiased paper, these baseless conceptions shall not be propagated within the confines of this paper. In some situations, it is requisite to entertain evil deeds for the benefit of the greater good. This entails willfully inflicting pain on certain individuals, terrorism suspects, so as to maintain peace and harmony of the greater society. However, a problem arises when an attempt is made on what greater good justifies the use of evil or bad deeds on a fellow human being. One such deed is the use of torture on fellow human beings so as to benefit the greater human race. This paper endeavors to expound on whether torture can be justified in situations exemplified by a ticking time bomb. A variety of literal works have been put forward that embark on eithe r support or oppose the notion that torture can in some situations be justified. This paper will analyze the understandings of one proponent of torture, Professor Alan Dershowitz. Additionally, the conclusions of the Landau commission will also be explicated. Analysis In Professor Alan Dershowitz’s article in the Darmer text, he goes to great lengths to expound on why terrorism has been successful thus far (Darmer et al, p. 188-89) .He proceeds to give remedies to this escalating situation. However, he insists that there be a well defined line between matters regarding national security and civil liberties. The relevant authorities should no be so preoccupied by their desire to maintain national security to the extent that they impinge on the civil liberties of the suspected terrorist. Professor Dershowitz explicates on the vitality of torture with regards to sustenance of the human race, more precisely, the society. He contends that the society, in regards to terrorism, cann ot be expected to have its cake and eat it too. In between the lines, Dershowitz raises an assortment of questions, both in the legal and moral context, as to how effective the society will be able to deter random acts of terrorism while, still judiciously perpetuating essential values relating to both the liberty and privacy of man (Darmer et al, p. 192-94). Professor Dershowitz is of the opinion that the route adopted by the police, in combating perpetrators of terrorism is inappropriate. This is because these individuals are most often rational thinkers who engage in these heinous acts so as to draw attention towards them. Therefore, the police are basically aiding them to achieve their life’s goals.Per se, a different itinerary should be espoused by the police if terrorism is to be effectively combated. In this context, professor Dershowitz is offering the understanding that punishing these perpetrators will ultimately deter a significant number of terrorism events. As su ch, this provides an alternative action to be employed in similar situations, as it also upholds the civil liberties of all persons; as should be the case in every democratic society. This juncture culminates into one of the most controversial proposals attributed to Dershowitz. This is the use of torture that has been judicially sanctioned. However, he substantiates the specific instances that this mechanism can be employed on a suspect. He gives a caution that torture is not an act that is applied to just any suspect, but rather on a

Research Strategy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Research Strategy Paper - Essay Example This would mean that I remain glued to the tasks and actions, and thus devise ways and means through which I remain committed to the cause of managing my time domains. I can learn to manage time well on my hands because this is something that can be acquired through proper research and understanding. If I make an effort to follow the small tasks in small time zones, I believe I can take a giant leap forward. This will be a positive change that will bring in success as I have envisaged for myself in the past and even in the present times. Also I need to determine the extent to which I am ready to adhere to a strict timeline for my own self, as this would require strict vigilance and control, and ask of me to give my very best when it comes to the completion of tasks and adherence to the time zones that I have thus created. It should be noted here that the information for time management can be gathered through Internet and library as well. I can seek the same through different websites and by visiting libraries and accessing books, journals and magazines. I can find out a whole deal of information by visiting these places which are a source of abundant information and detail which is relevant to the domains of time management in essence. I will analyze the validity of my claims as to whether or not I will be doing what I have thought about and how closely I will be following the principle of adhering to the timelines for my own self. This is a very important premise and my perspectives should be very clear because I need to achieve a lot in a short period of time. This is something that comes in an automated fashion but in the beginning shall pose as a point of deterrence because I have to learn how to manage time before actually doing this all on my own. I have been known to collect good information and research on a number of different subjects and topics and hence the reason that I believe success will dawn upon me as I

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Buddhist Discourses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buddhist Discourses - Essay Example Firstly the conversation centers upon external and internal anxieties experienced by a person. Buddha says that the anxiety about something non-existent externally can be overcome by the realization that the possession of things is impermanent (Early Discourses, 110). What mine was before is not certainly mine now. If a person understands this truth, he will have no external anxiety. Also a person who thinks he will become a permanent thing and remain so for eternity after death becomes anxious if he is exposed to the dhamma as taught by the tathagata or his disciple. The teaching eliminates all standpoints of speculative views which involve obstinacy, favoritism, and possessiveness, produces an effect of calming of all dispositions to actions, forsakes all attachments, and destroys craving (Early Discourses, 110). The teaching is for nibbana, the complete freedom from suffering. This internal anxiety could be overcome if the person does not think he will be permanent and then expose himself to the teaching. At the end of this part of the conversation, the disciples do not seem to continue their quest for solution to the anxiety. Buddha simply starts asking questions about permanency of things. It was not clear how the internal anxiety could be overcome, meaning the process of removal of the anxiety.

Justice as a larger loyalty and theory of recognition Essay

Justice as a larger loyalty and theory of recognition - Essay Example Richard Rorty is an American philosopher having graduated from the University of Chicago. He is a man well known in contemporary analytic of philosophy work as well as history of philosophy. In his research and writings towards justice and democracy, Rorty suggested that democracy can only be recognized world wide as moral legitimacy forms of government. From the mere observations, Rorty suggested that democracy establishment and preservation varies from one culture to another hence; democracy is affected by three major problems in general. Justice and democracy depends on the perspective ways of presentation, theoretical point of view and practical form. However, the author in his writings demonstrated distortion of democratic decision making which is brought by disparities in wealth, capitalist economies and reconciliation of democratic values are some of the major problems that democracy and justice meets. In his regards towards justice as a larger loyalty, Rorty believed that mos t of what passes for philosophy facet is puzzled, useless, solving, as well as clever towards culture and real life of people within a given community. The author suggested an aspect of pragmatists towards nature and gave an inquiry that one should simply make on what he or she see happening. In his writing however, the philosopher initiated other fellow to try some new ways of thinking and see the result as suggested.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Buddhist Discourses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buddhist Discourses - Essay Example Firstly the conversation centers upon external and internal anxieties experienced by a person. Buddha says that the anxiety about something non-existent externally can be overcome by the realization that the possession of things is impermanent (Early Discourses, 110). What mine was before is not certainly mine now. If a person understands this truth, he will have no external anxiety. Also a person who thinks he will become a permanent thing and remain so for eternity after death becomes anxious if he is exposed to the dhamma as taught by the tathagata or his disciple. The teaching eliminates all standpoints of speculative views which involve obstinacy, favoritism, and possessiveness, produces an effect of calming of all dispositions to actions, forsakes all attachments, and destroys craving (Early Discourses, 110). The teaching is for nibbana, the complete freedom from suffering. This internal anxiety could be overcome if the person does not think he will be permanent and then expose himself to the teaching. At the end of this part of the conversation, the disciples do not seem to continue their quest for solution to the anxiety. Buddha simply starts asking questions about permanency of things. It was not clear how the internal anxiety could be overcome, meaning the process of removal of the anxiety.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Reflective Clinical Journal Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Reflective Clinical Journal - Personal Statement Example My Background: I am a mother with children and my journey into homeopathy practice started about 14 years ago when I gave birth to my first son. Due to the complications of the pregnancy, I was asked to visit a homeopath and my subsequent treatment and interactions with the doctor, formed a new perspective about homeopathy. Since then, I have been fascinated and curious about the subject, and then decided to join a college, and make a career as a homeopathic doctor. I hope to use this opportunity to increase my knowledge about the subject, treat patients, and help them to lead a better life, free from excessively powerful drugs. I like to help people, share my experiences, and knowledge with someone who will benefit from them, and it is the best gift for me. I believe in being honest and sincere with myself this very important about my experiences. Through this reflective statement, I want, through my practice, to show to people I come across with, how important it is, and simple it is, be honest with you. Our school uses video clinics where the patient is examined in a separate room with a camera. The camera transmits the entire treatment process to another room where we students sit and watch the proceedings on a large, flat TV screen. The camera is placed in such a manner, that it captures all the questions asked by the student doctor and the questions posed by the doctor in attendance. The sessions are very interesting since we can see the manner in which patients interact with the patient, their initial inhibition at opening up and while some people are hesitant to speak about their illness, others are voluble and it is difficult to actually get them to quieten down. I had a chance to sit in as an observer in the clinic with one of the students who was already quiet advanced, and she was very confident in what she was doing. Our patient was an old woman suffering from leukaemia, and she was looking for a help to go though

Monday, October 14, 2019

The weaknesses of the Ontological argument give support to Atheism. Discuss this statement Essay Example for Free

The weaknesses of the Ontological argument give support to Atheism. Discuss this statement Essay Anselm’s ontological argument described in part (a), was refuted in his own lifetime, by Gaunilo, who demonstrated in a reduction ad absurdum of his own, that if the logic of the argument were applied to things other than God, it led to invalid conclusions. Gaunilo didn’t identify any specific fault with the argument, but argued that something must be wrong with it, because if there wasn’t anything wrong, then we can use its logic to prove anything, which we may have no reason to believe to be true. For instance, Gaunilo argued that it’s possible to construct an argument in the exact same form as the ontological argument, that claims to prove the existence of the perfect island: this island must exist for if it did not then it would be possible to conceive of an island greater than that island than which no greater can be conceived, which is absurd. Therefore, if the ontological argument works, then the argument for the existence of the perfect island must work too. They are both logically similar, so they stand, or fall together. However, the argument for the island is clearly spurious, as we have no reason for this ‘perfect island’ to exist. Unless a theist can point to some relevant difference between his argument for the existence of God, and Gaunilo’s argument for the existence of the perfect island, the theist will have to abandon the ontological argument for the existence of God, as well as Gaunilo’s, because if one fails, then they both do, as they are so similar. This weakness of the ontological argument adds fuel to the fire for atheists through Gaunilo putting forward his argument for the existence of the perfect island as an objection to the ontological argument. He knew that they would both fall, which shows that neither argument works which further supports atheists. Another weakness of the ontological argument which gives support to atheists is Immanuel Kant’s objection to it: Existence is not a Predicate. Fundamental to both Anselm’s and Descartes’ form of the ontological argument is that existence is a predicate, an attribute or a quality that can be possessed or lacked. These qualities for example, may or may not belong to a thing or being and their presence or absence is part of our understanding and apprehension of it. Kant observed however, that existence isn’t associated with the definition of something, since it didn’t add to our understanding of that thing. This supports atheism as existence is merely something that we can have or not have, and it is absurd to say what something is like without it existing. It also supports atheism as an atheist would say that we can’t ascribe existence a priori to a definition of a perfect being. Bertrand Russell furthered Kant’s observations, proposing that ‘existence’ was not a predicate, but a term used to solely indicate the instance of something in the ‘spatio temporal’ world. To say something exists only tells us that that thing occupies a space on the earth. For example saying ‘Cows are brown, and exist’ tells us only one thing: they are brown. The ‘and exist’ shows that they are on the earth, however it’s a tautology since to say they are brown, effectively suggests that they exist and aren’t imaginary. Thomas Aquinas had already questioned this aspect of the ontological argument, claiming that Anselm was guilty of making ‘transitional error’ – moving from the definition of God to the existence of Him. He observed that Anselm also was guilty of making an assumption about the definition of God that was not necessarily shared by all believers. This supports atheism because not all believers believed in Anselm’s definition of God, which poses the question, if people have different views on the right or wrong definition of God, what’s to say that they could ALL be wrong, and atheism is the truth in it all? Furthermore, Aquinas said that understanding the term ‘God’ means that God exists in the understanding, not in reality. God’s existence in reality must be demonstrated a posteriori, with evidence or experience. Atheism is supported in this way, as atheists could argue that anyone can believe what they like in their minds, but something has to be evident in material form in reality to be actually real. Overall, the weaknesses generally give support to atheism as they show alternatives and flaws in the ontological argument. The ways in which atheists interpret the critic’s objections leads to further belief that God does not exist. Atheists are supported primarily by the fact that the ontological argument is a priori, so does not rely on empirical evidence, therefore if there was empirical evidence for God’s existence, they might be swayed slightly in their beliefs.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Handmaid’s Tale Essay -- Literature

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, like so many other dystopias before it, seeks to warn of disaster to come through the lens of its author’s society. In the breadth of its dystopian brethren, Huxley’s Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale reflects not a society destroyed, but a society reorganized to disastrous effect. The reorganization of Offred’s world is not one of simple misogyny, corruption, or political ideas, instead, as in 1984; the focus of this new world order lies in the destruction of the individual and with that, all concepts of personal gain, satisfaction, and desire. In its place, the new world order thrusts a quasi-communist idea of community. Personal sacrifice is instilled in the populace as the greatest good, and the death or misery of one individual is negligible when compared to the decided ‘good’ of the community. In a true echo of communism, the handmaids bear children fo r those who cannot, truly in the stead of â€Å"from each according to their ability, to each according to their need† (Marx). In this Americanized distortion of communism, the community is placed on a pedestal above all else, and through this emphasis the cross-class destruction of individuality is assured. By echoing the most prominent issue of the time, communism, and detailing it with unique aspects of American society, Atwood creates a realistic nightmare that warns not of the dangers of a particular political ideology, but of the loss of individual identity and the concept of self. The first people to have their individuality stripped away are, perhaps surprisingly, not the women of Offred’s world, but the low ranking men. This destruction of masculine individuality begins long before the events of the book... ...as A Handmaid’s Tale’s most potent warning. With Gilead, the dangers of deifying society at the cost of its people are shown to be damning, dooming the society to eventual collapse and obscurity. In this, Atwood argues against excessive ideas community and for individualism and a reasonable amount of selfishness, as Ayn rand puts it, â€Å"man’s right to exist for his own rational self-interest† (Rand 42). By creating a world of such individual belittlement, Atwood provides a powerful example of the dangers something much like communism, the destruction of the self. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret Eleanor. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Ballantine, 1985. Print. Marx, Karl Heinrich. Critique of the Gotha Program. Moscow: Progress, 1970. N. pag. Print. Rand, Ayn. The Virtue of Selfishness. New York: Signet, 1970. WorldCat. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Influence of the FLN on De Gaulle and Algerias Independence Essay

The Influence of the FLN on De Gaulle and Algeria's Independence In 1957, French Forces were able to militarily defeat and temporarily subdue FLN. However, to the surprise of the whole world, French President Charles De Gaulle opted for a political solution and announced independence for the Algerians in 1962. To what extent did the activities of FLN influence De Gaulle and what other factors can be identified which led to his surprising decision to grant independence to Algeria? Introduction 1. The Algerian War of Independence (1954–62) was a period of guerrilla strikes, maquis fighting, terrorism against civilians on both sides, and riots between the French army and colonists in Algeria and the FLN (Front de Libà ©ration Nationale) and other pro-independence Algerians. Although the French government of the time considered all Algerian violence, including violence against the French military, to be crimes or terrorism, some French people, such as former anti-Nazi guerrilla and lawyer(Jacques Verges) have compared French resistance to Nazi German occupation to Algerian resistance to French occupation. 2. The struggle was touched off by the FLN in 1954, only two years before France was forced to give up its control over Tunisia and Morocco. The FLN's main Algerian rival — with the same goal of Algerian independence — was the later National Algerian Movement (Mouvement National Algà ©rien, MNA) whose main supporters were Algerian workers in France. The FLN and MNA fought against each other in France, and sometimes in Algeria, for nearly the full duration of the conflict. 3. Algeria was the greatest and in many ways the archetype of all anti-colonial wars. In the 19th century the Europeans won colonial wars because the indigenous peoples had lost the will to resist. In the 20th century the roles were reversed, and it was Europe which lost the will to hang on to its gains. Algeria was a classic case of this reversal. 4. In 1830 Algeria became a French territory and in 1848 was made a dà ©partement attached to France . During this period political and economic power were held mainly by the minority of white settlers, and the indigenous Moslem minority did not have equal rights. Moslems were killed before independence was declared on July 5, 1962. Later that year the Algerian provisional government transferred authority to the Poli... ...ely compelled French authorities to announce independence for the Algerian people. This war of independence passed through many ups and downs and millions of innocent people suffered badly but the ultimate will of the people found its way to the final success. Movement of such nature should always remain a source of inspiration and motivation for the deprived and suppressed people of the world. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Books Alistair Horne; A Savage War Of Peace, Algeria 1954 – 1962, Macmillan London Limited, London. Tania Matthews; War in Algeria: Background for Crisis, Fordham University Press. Dorothy Pickles; Algeria and France: From Colonialism to Cooperation, Methuen and co.ltd. 2. Internet a. www.crimesofwar.org/thebook/algeria.html b. encarta.msn.com/Algerian_War_of_Independence.html c. www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/webberm/algeria d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_War e. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/A/Al/ Algerian_War_of_Independence.htm f. www.free-definition.com/Algerian-War-of-Independence.html g. www.country-studies.com/algeria/political-movements.html h. http://www.sahara-overland.com/routes

Friday, October 11, 2019

Different Aspects of Management Essay

Two of the most important person in every company is managers and leaders. Although both are important in every company and may have the same traits in order to be effective in their own field, there are also some differences in being a manager and being a leader. Thus, being a manager is not equal to being a leader and vice versa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management refers to the activities that are often participated by a group of people. This people in the management are involved in the four general functions. The management functions involved planning, organizing, leading and coordinating of the resources. Planning includes knowing and identifying goals, objectives, methods as well as the resources needed to carry out this methods, responsibilities and dates of completion of the task. In organizing resources, it is important to achieve the goals in the best possible and the most favorable manner and approach. Leading or setting direction, creating vision and mission which is so important in knowing where the company are and where should they go in the future run. Controlling or coordinating the organizations system that includes monitoring and adjustments to reach the companies define goals and objectives. These four functions are highly integrated all through the companies or organizations. The managers are believed to be the brains of the business. They are the one who created rules and operating procedures, recognized and established the system and put this into place. Management is about the people but it is a fact to be considered that people are important as a way to run the company and to make the work done. The company or the organization has the greatest chance to be successful when all of its people, employees, leaders or manager work together to achieve their goals. Leadership involves the practice and exercising the influence of one to the other. Leading is different from managing because leading is more on influencing people while managing is more focused on the resources in addition to the people. Leading is the business heart. The heart and the real meaning of leadership is that it inspires and recognize that people in the company are likely to resist making major changes for a variety of reasons, including fear of the unknown, inadequacy to deal with the change and whether the change will result in an adverse effect on their jobs.   People need to feel that their concerns are being heard.   Leaders must widely communicate the need for the change and how the change can be accomplished successfully.   Leaders must listen to the employees – people need to feel that the approach to change will include their strong contribution and ongoing involvement. They want to feel respected enough by leaders to be involved and to work toward a vision that is realistic, yet promising in the long run.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The similarities between leadership and management are that both the heart and the brain are important in bringing out the best for the company and in achieving the success. Having operating procedures as well as rules and having clearly defined goals and objectives mission and vision or preparation for the future provide a direction and meaning to everyday activities of the company, and this is the same as having a successful leaders and managers. Whether they called a leader or a manager they have to learn to do just the same thing for both of them is accountable for the whole performance of their group. Manager or a leader it does not matter because manager or leader they still have to give the people their help, manager or leader they are expected to held their hands, to reach their people and to make it become a contributing part of the team, something bigger than who they really are. Managers or leaders have to coach, counsel, correct, encourage, and set goals and vision for having a vision is one of the most powerful components to achieve change and future success. A leader and manager with a clear vision were believed to be a good and effective. All successful managers and leaders have visions of what would they want to see in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A manager may serve as a motivator and a coach when he or she is acting as the leader of a team. Such actions may involve encouraging the workers in performing their job well. Managers may also establish benefits and other things that may help the company in gaining the trust, respect and loyalty of the workers. In this way, the manager serves as a motivator for the workers in doing their job well.   Managers are may also be referred to as leader of leaders since they are the one who are responsible in several aspects regarding the company’s actions and must therefore give orders and instructions to other personnel. In this way, a manager serves as a coach in handling different personnel of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All managers must be good leaders but not the other way around. There many good leaders in their own field but are not managers. Thus, although both are important in for the company, a greater responsibility is in the hands of the manager. Still, the every company needs good leaders who are able to maximize the potential of every worker. References Bock, W. (2007). Does it matter whether we call something management or leadership?. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2007/12/10/does-it-matter-whether-we-call-something-management-or-leadership.aspx McNamara, C. (2007). Introduction to management. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.managementhelp.org/mng_thry/mng_thry.htm Robins, S. (2008). The difference between managing and leading. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/leadership/article57304.html Young, D. (2008). A study of similarities and differences between leadership and management: implications for assessment centres. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.assessmentcenters.org/2006/con_Similarities_Differences.asp

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Al- Qaeda, Homeland Security, and US Patriot Act

Terrorism was viewed in the early days as an act of violence against a limited group of individuals. The acts then were consisted of bombing, kidnapping, killing prominent public officials, and others. The purpose of staging the terrorist act was to catch the government’s attention with the hope that the government may give in to the terrorists’ demands. The demands may be considered political, economical, or ideological. However, no matter the purpose is, the government usually do not heed the terrorist groups for they have been considered as a mere nuisance of the society that can easily be eradicated through military force.Additionally, terrorist groups were likened to a group of rebels operating as a group of limited members. The terrorist groups were not considered as a major threat to the nation’s security. But then, the horrifying 9/11 terrorist attack have drastically and clearly changed the world’s perception about terrorism. America, on the other hand, has greatly changed in its dealing with terrorism and terror groups. The International Community also realized that terrorism is a real threat to the world’s security. The remarkable 9/11 has indeed revealed the true face of terrorism.In response to the terrorism, America hunted all those responsible for the bombing by declaring an all out war against terrorism. Concomitant to the war is the enactment of all that would justify the government’s acts against terrorism. The government has enacted the U. S. Patriot Act and the Homeland Security. The president has rapidly heightened all measures to ensure security and to pursue all those responsible for the 9/11 and those who are connected with terrorism. Despite criticisms on the effect of the legislations to civil liberties, the government has been adamant on its stand to battle terrorism.The vengeance has eventually resulted to the war in Iraq and bombardment of Afghanistan. Likewise, the head of terrorism, Osama bin Laden and Sadam Hussein were apprehended and punished accordingly. Despite the declared death of the prominent architects of terrorism, the fight against terrorism still continues because of the belief that terrorism is still alive. The laws are also controlling within the nation. In line with this, the study will explore the organization of Al-Qaeda and at the same time present an evaluation of the counterterrorism laws. BodyThe name Al-Qaeda started to reverberate at the very onset of the 9/11 terrorist attack. The horrifying bombing of the very symbol of economic and military prowess of America, the World Trade Center, was rapidly linked to the Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Right after the attack, the government of the United States and foreign allies has united to condemn the unjustified act of terrorism. Al-Qaeda was believed to have been established in 1988. The Al-Qaeda was the by-product of the Muslims’ retaliation against the Soviet Union that occupied Afghanista n in 1979 through 1989 (Katzman).During the war against the Soviet Union, group of Muslims have started to recruit jihadis to fight against the Soviet Union. The recruiting and funding of the jihadis or fighters were initiated by Abdullah Azzam and his former student, Osama bin Laden, by founding the Maktab al-Khidamat which means Services Office (Katzman). This was also known as or Al Khifah. Notably, the Maktab al-Khidamat was believed to be the forerunner of Al-Qaeda. After the war with the Soviet Union, bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam established the Al-Qaeda in 1984 (Katzman). Al-Qaeda is an Arabic word which means â€Å"the base† (Katzman).Purposely, Al-Qaeda was established as a â€Å"rapid reaction force available to intervene wherever Muslim were perceived to be threatened† (Katzman). Al-Qaeda is also defined as â€Å"a secret, almost virtual organization, one that denies its own existence in order to remain in the shadows† (Atkins, 2004). The Al-Qaeda whi ch was jointly founded was eventually controlled by Osama bin Laden as a result of Abdullah Azzam’s assassination. Meanwhile, the assassination of Azzam was linked to Osama bin Laden. Remarkably, Al-Qaeda came to be known worldwide right after the 9/11 attack.The firmness of the organization of Al-Qaeda was believed to have been founded on ideology. There has been several controlling ideology of Al-Qaeda. Aside from being a religious duty, the Holy War has been viewed as necessary for the salvation of one’s soul and a means of defending the Muslim nation (Martin, 2006). Second, peace with the West is impossible and the only course of action in defending Islam is through violence (Martin, 2006). Third, the Al-Qaeda considers Muslim government as apostasies and is violently overthrown when they cooperate with the West (Martin, 2006).Fourth, the Al-Qaeda believes that only two sides exist and that no apocalyptic conflict between Islam and forces of evil exist (Martin, 200 6). From the time Al-Qaeda was founded in 1989, several terrorist activities were perpetuated in some other parts of the globe. In October 1993, the World Trade Center was attempted to be blown by Ramzi Ahmed Yusef (Katzman). In June 25, 1996, US Servicemen were killed while hundreds were wounded when a bomb exploded outside the Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (Martin, 2006).Then in August 7, 1998, a bombing was also planned n the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania that caused almost 200 innocent people. The USS Cole was also damaged by suicide bombing in October 12, 2000 where 17 sailors were killed (Martin, 2006). The most damaging terrorist activity was the terrifying 9/11 attack. The 9/11 terrorist attack has totally crashed the World Trade Center in New York. The third plane was directed Pentagon killing hundreds of people and the fourth plane crashed in the Pennsylvania field (Martin, 2006). The 9/11 terrorist attack has drastically changed the world’s p erception on terrorism.Likewise, the attack has changed the world’s perception about Osama bin Laden. Primarily, the target of Al-Qaeda is the US government and the American people. America has been considered as the enemy of the Muslim nation because of the wars perpetrated against them. The economic embargo and the control over the world’s economy have been highly criticized by the Muslim nation. Eventually, the perception that the West is the enemy to Muslim nations has been shaped. Since the West is considered as the enemy, the Al-Qaeda’s target has been the American people.It is noteworthy that all the attacks have been perpetrated against US embassies and US nationals. Aside from the Americans, the terrorist also targeted citizens of Europe, Israel, Russia and other allies of America. Likewise, the 9/11 is a clear message or expression of hatred of terrorist against the Americans. In order to send a clear and strong message, the terrorist has implemented h igh-profile target. In addition, they adopted the suicide bombing as a means of carrying out their designs because it is simplified and a means of eliminating last minute flexibility (Mannes, 2004).In addition, they targeted high officials and use the media in order for the government not to undermine the target. Al-Qaeda also adopted the unconventional means of acquiring information through an extensive research and contacts of professionals. Internet has been essential for Al-Qaeda in penetrating the security, intelligence, and military organizations of other countries. Notably, the information the Al-Qaeda has gathered were used in planning their attacks in several countries. Additionally, Al-Qaeda’s primary goal was to obtain nuclear weapon (Mannes, 2004).The Al-Qaeda has successfully created their own bomb through the documents they have captured. Besides, professionals were also recruited and being turned into a radical in order to obtain materials from the outside. Int erestingly, the group was able to create a biological weapon through the extensive research done by Ayman Zawahari, a medical doctor (Mannes, 2004). The group also studied in order to create their own weapons. Another tactic of the Al-Qaeda in carrying out their mission is to at least impair the economy of other country.This has been done by terrifying tourists through kidnapping of foreign nationals visiting a particular nation. Furthermore, bombing of public places has also threatened tourists from visiting places occupied by terrorist groups. In assessing the Al-Qaeda organization, it can be observed that the group has been patient and enduring in order to succeed in their plans. The tactics and strategies adopted by the group can be considered to have been brilliantly drafted and carried out. However, the group was molded and blinded by extremism. On the part of the American government, the 9/11 attack cannot just be disregarded.Right after the attack, the administration of Bush formed the 9/11 Commission. Primarily, the Commission was directed to conduct an investigation on the bombing. Thereafter, the name of Al-Qaeda appeared. In response to the 9/11 attack, Bush administration has created a new federal office of Homeland Security nine days after the attack (Andryszewski, 2004). Pres. Bush also signed into law the U. S. Patriot Act, 45 days after the 9/11/. In addition, then President Bush also signed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 in November 22, 2002 (Andryszewski, 2004).All these were the result of the fear of another terrorist attack. Furthermore, these laws have essentially changed the essence of security in the country. Meanwhile, in order to identify the targets of the laws, the government found the need to define terrorism. Terrorism has been defined by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as â€Å"the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (Sauter and Carafano, 2005, p. 65).From the definition, it is clear that terrorism has been recognized to exist within the country targeting the citizens and outside the country targeting Americans. Hence, the counterterrorism laws have been designed to deal with terrorism within and outside America. One of the weapons of America in fighting terrorism is the Homeland Security which has been referred to; â€Å"consists of all military activities aimed at preparing for, protecting against, or managing the consequences of attacks on American soil, including the CONUS and U. S. territories and possessions.It includes all actions to safeguard the populace and its property, critical infrastructure, the government, and the military, its installations, and deploying forces† (Larson, et. al. , 2000). As to the military function of the Homeland Security, it has five major key areas of focus. One is the WMD domestic prepar edness and civil support (Larson, et. al). Second is continuity of government to ensure or restore civil authority (Larson, et. al. , 2000). Third is border and coastal defense which includes management of large-scale refugee flow and revention of WMD smuggling that may potentially create threat to security (Larson, et.al, 2000). Fourth is the continuation of military operation (Larson, et. al. , 2000). And, last is the national missile defense (Larson, et. al. , 2000). In domestic preparedness, the FBI and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can request from the Department of Defense the cooperation of the federal Army (Larson, et. al, 2000). Likewise, the National Guard can also participate in maintaining civil authorities. Interestingly, military has an essential role in all areas of Homeland Security.In a broader scope, the Homeland Security is defined as â€Å"a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within United Sates, reduce America’s vulnerabi lity to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur† (Bolt, Colleta, and Shacklford, 2005, p. 433). In order to effectively fight terrorism, the administration of Bush has formed the Department of Homeland Security. The Department is composed of 22 federal departments, agencies, and bureaus from Central Intelligence Agency, FBI, DOD, and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Andryszewski, 2004).These different agencies have been divided into Directorates with unique duties and jurisdiction. The first is the Border and Transportation Security Directorate which is responsible for ensuring the borders of America from terrorists coming from the outside of the country (Homeland Security, 2009). Aside from that, the Directorate ensures safety of land, sea, and air transportations. Immigration laws are also attached to the responsibility of the Directorate. The second is the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate which is tasked to coordina te with federal government in case of attack (Homeland Security, 2009).The third is Science and Technology Directorate responsible for biological, radiological, and chemical attacks, and nuclear weapons (Homeland Security, 2009). The last is the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate tasked to gather intelligence and information in detecting terrorist activities (Homeland Security, 2009). Furthermore, it is also mandated to identify infrastructures which may be vulnerable to terrorism. An Undersecretary is assigned to administer each Directorate. The Undersecretary has been assigned a task toâ€Å"access, receive, and analyze law enforcement information from agencies of the Federal Government, State and local government agencies, and private sector entities, and to integrate such information to identify and assess the nature and scope of terrorist threat to the homeland; detect and identify threats of terrorism against United States; and understand such thre at in light of actual and potential vulnerabilities of the homeland† (Bolt, Colleta, and Shackelford, 2005, p. 433). Looking back into the definition, Homeland Security has three major concerns.First, prevent terrorist attacks in America (Fisher and Green, 2003). Second, reduce the vulnerability to terrorism of America (Fisher and Green, 2003). Third, minimize damages and recovery in case of attack (Fisher and Green, 2003). In preventing terrorist attack, the Department of Homeland Security has enhanced its intelligence and warning devices capable of tracking terrorist activities (Sauter and Carafano, 2005). In addition, national laws have been enacted to deal with domestic terrorism. Security within borders has also been intensified.Furthermore, transportation has been highly monitored to detect travelling terrorists. In the second duty of the Homeland Security, the Department is tasked to minimize vulnerability by curbing any possibility of bringing any weapon of mass destru ction into the country. This way, critical infrastructure and catastrophic terrorism are prevented (Sauter and Carafano, 2005). These kinds of terrorism involve attack through computer. Finally, the third duty is fulfilled by improving the capability of the Department in responding to a terrorist attack.Response may not only involve military defense but rather, it entails preparedness in rescuing lives of the victims and in containing the place attack to limit the number of victims. Another prevalent counterterrorism law of the government is the U. S. Patriot Act. Since the Act was abruptly enacted into law as it was signed 45 days after the 9/11 attack, the Act was perceived to be an effective means of curbing terrorism. Primarily, the U. S. Patriot Act was enacted to prevent terrorism but has effectively expanded the power of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies in carrying out their duties with regard to terrorism.There are basically four ways in carrying out the respons ibilities of the Act. First, the Act applies to fighting terrorism through the use of investigative tools previously available in fighting other forms of organized crime (Katzman). Second, the Act has eradicated any kind of barriers that hinders the free flow of information between and among law enforcement (Katzman). Third, the act validated the use of new technology and identifying new threats (Katzman). Last, the Act has created new terrorism-related crimes and increased penalties of crimes (Katzman).Under the first way, the tool that has been accepted or authorized includes electronic surveillances to detect terrorism in full-range and roving wiretaps to be authorized by a federal judge (Katzman). Through the roving wiretaps, the authorities are allowed to use electronic surveillance in response to â€Å"time-sensitive criminals or terrorist activities† (Purpura, 2007, p. 176). In addition, federal agents can also conduct investigations secretly under the authority of a v alid warrant obtained also secretly. The person being investigated is not also informed about the warrant.Through this, the federal agents would be able to identify agents, eliminate immediate threats, and coordinate the arrest of suspected individuals (Katzman). Furthermore, business records of individuals linked to terrorism can be examined through the order sought from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Katzman). The information held by one federal agency can also be shared to other agency in order to effectively fight terrorism. Traditionally, each agency kept information confidential from other agencies in adherence to the agency’s independence.However, through the Patriot Act, the confidentiality of information or record is no longer controlling. In order to fully empower the federal agents in eradicating terrorism, jurisdiction as to warrant has been made general. Warrants can be obtained in any district and may be executed at any place being investigated for terrorist activities. Interestingly, cyber hacking has also been allowed in order to trace communications related to terrorism and at the same time tract hackers (Katzman).Furthermore, in order to fully prevent any terrorist activities and ensure the punishment of terrorists, the Act has increased penalties and added crimes that are categorized as terrorism. Among the crimes includes harboring any person linked to terrorism. Likewise, conspiracy crimes and offenses have been redefined and penalties of such have been increased. There has also been a specific penalty for mass transit attack and attacks using biological weapons. Finally, some terrorist crimes have no statute of limitation while some crimes have a lengthy.It is noteworthy that the Patriot Act has been criticized because of some acts that are obviously interfering with the rights of the citizens. Through the Act, the security in airports has been intensified and the law enforcers are even authorized to detain immigrants or suspected terrorist within the authorized time of detaining a person for questioning. Profiling has also been prevalent because Arabs, Muslims, and Asians were treated separately. Visas and passport of these people were also subjected to strict scrutiny. In addition, library records have been authorized by the Act to be reviewed by the federal agents.Furthermore, Emails can also be tracked by the federal agents on the mere basis of suspicion. More importantly, bank transactions suspected of funding a terrorist activity can be legally tracked by the federal agents. This has in fact changed the law on money laundering. Since the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and U. S. Patriot Act, terrorism has been effectively deterred. The enhancement of security measures within borders and ports have hindered terrorist from pursuing their evil designs. In addition, several crimes such as smuggling have been prosecuted through the implementation of the counterterrorism law s.Several terrorist suspects have also been arrested through the active fulfillment of the federal agent of their duties. In line with this, suspects were thoroughly investigated due to the expansion of the court’s jurisdiction in trying and hearing terrorism cases. Remarkably, the laws have effectively brought back security within the nation. The fear of another terrorist attack has finally been eradicated. Despite criticisms, the effort of the government in curtailing terrorism has bear fruit. Notably, the people behind the 9/11 attack and other terrorist attacks have been prosecuted and punished accordingly.The very seat of terrorism has also been bombarded and paralyzed in order to prevent the rise of any sign of terrorism. The measures taken by the U. S. in fighting terrorism has also been adopted by other countries in their own fight to terrorism. The application of the counterterrorism laws has also reached policies of other countries. One of which is the Money Launder ing Law which has affected the bank transactions that passes through countries. Meanwhile, financial supports from suspicious donor have contributed to the success of terrorist activities.In order to avoid the free flow of the funds to support suspicious organizations, the government has strictly monitored bank transactions involving suspicious depositors and suspicious funds through the Patriot Act. Terrorist acts have also been effectively deterred at the very port of entry. The security equipments have been intensified and upgraded to detect any weapon that may be used to perpetrate a terrorist activity. Such equipments include scanners, surveillance cameras, and x-ray machines. The use of such equipments has been legally justified by the counterterrorism laws.Remarkably, all these measures have been effective in pacifying the nation from the threat of terrorism. Conclusion Traditionally, security can be acquired through the walls erected around houses. Terrorism, on the other ha nd, was considered as a petty problem yet a crime capable of being curtailed. More importantly, any act of terrorism can be disregarded by the government and responded through defensive military attack. However, the essence of security and terrorism has drastically changed after the 9/11 attack. Terrorism has become real and the injury it causes is unimaginable. Terrorism has also become the main enemy of the whole world.It also united the international community in curtailing and in eradicating any sign of it. Likewise, the 9/11 has angered America. The architecture of the attack also proved that Al-Qaeda can penetrate and destroy the security of America. The world’s perception of security has also drastically changed. America, on the other hand, has been quite paranoid about its security. However, it cannot be blamed because of the damaged caused by the 9/11 attack. The America viewed threat to have existed within and outside its territory. More importantly, the reality abo ut Al-Qaeda has finally been revealed through the bombing of twin towers.Al-Qaeda has indeed existed for a very long period. It has been living as a shadow that its existence was doubted by security forces. The organization has also been intelligent in carrying out its mission by extensively and safely planning the attacks. Likewise, the measures it has adopted in implementing the plans are sure yet deadly. But such cannot be considered difficult because of the ideology that has been instilled among the members. On the part of the victim of the attack, the countermeasures that have been adopted are the Homeland Security and U. S. Patriot Act.The Homeland Security was established as a means of centralizing the effort of the government in curbing terrorism. The Patriot Act, on the other hand, has enhanced the power of the federal agents in carrying their responsibilities with regard to terrorism. Any means that may be effective in tracking any sign of terrorism has been adopted and ap plied all throughout the country. Above all, the intelligence and security capabilities of the federal government have been heightened to effectively and efficiently eradicate terrorism. Both laws have been directed against terrorism.Upon the implementation of the counterterrorism laws, several changes have transpired. The enhancement of security has ensured the safety of America and American people. Several terrorist has also been arrested and punished accordingly. More importantly, the fear that has been instilled by the 9/11 attack among the people has been pacified. Peace and security has also been restored. Above all, no terrorist attacked against America followed. Hence, the measures adopted and implemented by the government has been effective and responded to the international problem. References Andryszewski, T. (2004). Terrorism in America.New York: Twenty-First Century Books Atkins, S. (2004). Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups New York: Green wood Publishing Group. Bolt, P. J. , Coletta, D. V. , and Shackelford, C. G. (2005). American defense policy. Johns Hopkins University Press Homeland Security. (2009). Department Components. Retrieved March 9, 2009, from http://www. dhs. gov/xabout/structure/ Katzman, K. (17 August 2005). Congressional Research Service. Al Qaeda: Profile and Threat Assessment. Retrieved March 9, 2009, from http://fas. org/sgp/crs/terror/RL33038. pdf Larson, E. V. , Peters, J. E. , Arroyo Center, and Rand Corporation.(2000). Preparing the U. S. Army for Homeland Security: Concepts, Issues, and Options. New York: Rand Corporation. Mannes, A. (2004). Profiles in terror: the guide to Middle East terrorist organizations. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Martin, G. (2006). Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues. New York: Sage Publications. Purpura, P. P. (2007). Terrorism and Homeland Security: An Introduction with Applications New York: Butterworth-Heinemann. Sauter, M. , and Caraf ano, J. J. (2005) Homeland Security: A Complete Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Surviving Terrorism. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.