How to Put Together a Desktop Computer Tower

As a teenager I was always fond of computer. I built my first desktop computer in 2009 when I was able to afford purchasing all the components myself. In March of 2012 my desktop had a power surge and short-circuited the motherboard, rendering the rest of the components useless. I tore apart the desktop tower and inspected all my components to see what would be reusable. The power supply, video card, CD optical drive, and hard drive could all be salvaged. I placed all the salvaged components in an anti-static bag and stored them in a dry and relatively cool area in my closet.Once I knew what components and new hardware I would need I began researching all the new products in the market. I realized my once top of the line components were outdated but, being poor I had to make due with my salvaged parts. The list of components needed was concise, but rather expensive. I needed a new motherboard, central processing unit, processor cooler, and a new desktop computer tower case. I had to wait and save another paycheck to buy all the necessary components. As soon as all my components arrived I cleared approximately a five by five foot flat surface in my living room and laid all my components down in their boxes.I first unboxed my tower case and read the manual of its capabilities and how its fans are set up. I then opened all the rest of the boxes and laid out each component. Inspection of each component is a must at this point. If you’re able to find damage before you put your computer together it’ll save you the time of disassembling your computer once you’ve found out something has malfunctioned. If you’re lucky like I was you will not have any damaged parts and you can continue to assemble your computer rig. The first step to assembling the computer is to install your central processing unit.In my case, I had to install both the central processing unit and the processor cooler on the motherboard before mounting it in the tower case. On ce that was installed I proceeded to installation of the video card. On the motherboard there is a specific PCI-express x16 slot made for fast reading components such as the video card. Some video cards require two slots for the supplied cooling fan, as the more graphically demanding the software you run on your computer will be, the hotter your video card will run. After the video card was installed I then installed the random access memory sticks into their respective slots on the motherboard.The last major component of the build is the power supply. This connects directly to each of the separate components to supply electricity. Learning to build computers by myself was very easy. The key to success with computers is to stay calm and remain calm. I self-taught myself how to build a computer was as easy as reading the manual. All the supplied manuals I received with my components were very clear and accurate. They explain how to route wires, where to plug-in each component, and to make sure each part in seated properly.

Pedro Paterno Essay

Pedro Paterno was born in Manila on February 27, 1857. Pedro Paterno was a Filipino statesman as well as a poet and writer. He was the author of Pacto de Biyak-na-Bato (Pact of Biyak-na-Bato), first published in 1910. He studied at Ateneo de Manila and afterwards at the University of Salamanca. He likewise enrolled at the Central University of Madrid where he completed his law degree. Paterno joined the Propaganda Movement. His greatest contribution to the country was his role as a mediator in the peace agreement between the Spaniards and the Filipinos. Read more: How did the constitution guard against tyranny mini q essay Pedro Paterno contributed a lot in Philippine literature too. His writings showed how much he loved his country. He had also given the Filipinos a sense of pride through the honors and achievements he had contributed to our culture and literature. His work El Cristianismo en la Antigua Civilization Tagalog, was one work that achieved so much admiration and recognition. Paterno was one of the representatives in the National Assembly on April 1899. He did not agree in the planned annexation of the Philippines to the United States. He believed that the Filipinos would rather choose to govern their own country than have it ruled by the Americans. Because of his refusal, other Filipinos followed suit. This refusal stirred their emotions to fight against the Americans later on. Paterno died on March 27, 1911 at the age of 53. Early life As the son of Maximo Molo Paterno and Carmen de Vera Ignacio, he belonged to a wealthy family. His first education was under Florentino Flores, and he later enrolled at Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he graduated in 1871. He went to Spain and studied at the University of Salamanca, then transferred to the Central University of Madrid where he took his law doctorate in 1880. Patriot Paterno helped in the negotiations of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato on December 15, 1897 and later wrote a book about it. While in Spain, he joined the Propaganda Movement. He wrote one of the first Filipino novels, entitled Ninay, which was published before Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere. He also  wrote Sampaguita y Poesias, a collection of Filipino poems in Spanish that was published in Madrid in 1880. In the 1890s, Paterno became the Prime Minister of the first Philippine Republic, a cabinet member and an assemblyman. During the American invasion of the Philippines, he was one of the Filipinos who favored the coming of the Americans and advocated the incorporation of both countries. Balimbing Reputation The reputation has its origins in Pedro Paterno’s role in the negotiation of the 1897 Pact of Biyak-na-Bato between the Philippine revolutionaries and the Spanish. Paterno agreed to abandon his fellow revolutionaries struggle and collaborate with the colonial administration. Then when the USA in 1898 declared war on Spain, Paterno urged the revolutionaries to defend Spanish rule against the Americans, and he continued to urge resistance to the USA during the Philippine-American war. When captured, he swore allegiance to the USA, and was subsequently appointed President of the Consultative Assembly. He has long been an easy target for nationalist historians. Perhaps because as an author of a considerable number of works of history, historians place him as an ilustrado who compromised with both colonialism and nationalism, with loyalties split between Spain and the Philippines. For historians Paterno’s â€Å"The Pact of Biyak-na-Bato† is a primary source on the top ic, but some historians (particularly Ambeth Ocampo) interpret this supposed historical writing as fiction. Here are some passages that draw the question of whether Paterno’s writings are fact or fiction: â€Å"A lady, a beautiful lass of seventeen years came to me one night panting, trembling, with her long hair spread out on her shoulders down to her back like a dark night. Her sweet lips were rosy and quivering, with her eyes filled with tears and her chest palpitating. I asked her, ‘What do you want?’ And I came to learn that all she wanted was for me to take her along. She told me between sobs and tears that she was very unfortunate, having fallen prey to a revolutionary chief whom she hated. My soul was tearing me to pieces because of this enchanting lady. But what could I do?† Another describes his wife on her deathbed. He wants to be with his wife, but then duty calls and he must forge peace in the Philippines between the revolutionists led by Emilio Aguinaldo and the enemy led by the Spanish governor-general. This is how Paterno resolves this delicate problem: â€Å"I reflected. Finally, I hit the  nail on its head. With money everything could be done. I gave her a respectable sum of money so she could run away. The poor girl made her escape and left nothing but a great longing and a rosary of sampaguita flowers that she gave me in return. I kept it among my unredeemed receipts and old documents which were being eaten by years of disillusion.† Paterno died of cholera at the age of 53. Pedro Paterno’s Proclamation of War June 2, 1899 To the Filipino people: No one is ignorant of the fact that since we took the direction of the Ship of State we have sacrificed ourselves to the services of the government of our republic, offering ourselves as victims for the sake of peace without abandoning the sacred idea of liberty and independence which fires our country; but the North Americans refuse to suspend hostilities, asked for by us so that we may consult the National Assembly, seat of free popular sovereignty. The Commissioners returning from Manila so declare. Since it is their desire, may the responsibility of the war and its consequences fall on the great nation of the United States of America. We have done our duty as patriots and human beings, showing the great powers of the world that the present cabinet has the diplomacy necessary to protect our casue as well as the arms required to defend our rights. The Council of Government, deciding to preserve our republican institutions, national independence, and the presidency of Don Emilio Agu inaldo, in spite of the Americans, who intended to construct upon our ruins the edifice of tyranny, has concluded to continue the war, preserving unhurt in their spirit and letter our constitution and laws, which we have conqured with so much blood and such sacrifices. To war, then, beloved brothers, to war! In order that the people be free it is necessary that they be brave. Rich and poor, learned and ignorant, beloved Filipinos, hasten to unite to save our native land from insult and ignominy, from punishments and scaffollds, from the sad and fatal inheritance of enslaved generations. The God of War, in whom we have put our faith and hoppe, will help us. Confusion, internal and  international dissensions and conflicts, rend the invading army; its volunteers, being aware that we are in the right, fight without enthusiasm and only in compliance with their forced military duty. Within the American nation itself, a great political party asks for the recognition of our rights, and the Divine Providence watches over the justice of our case. Forward, Filipinos, and the sun of vistory will shine upon us. Long live the Filipino sovereign people !! Long live national independence !! Long live the liberating army !! Long live Don Emilio Aguinaldo, President of the Republic !! Pedro Alejandro Paterno (February 27, 1858 – March 11, 1911) was a Filipino politician, as well as a poet and novelist.[1] His intervention on behalf of the Spanish led to the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato on December 14, 1897, an account of which he published in 1910. Among his other works include the first novel written by a native Filipino, Ninay (1885), and the first Filipino collection of poems in Spanish, Sampaguitas y poesà ­as (Jasmines and Poems), published in Madrid in 1880.[2] Biak-na-Bato At the trial of Josà © Rizal in 1896, it was suggested that Paterno, along with Rizal, had incited the Katipunan because they had both written about the ancient Tagalog civilization. As evidence for their complicity, the Spanish prosecution cited Paterno’s earlier work â€Å"Antigua Civilizacià ³n† as promoting ideas which had â€Å"consequences both erroneous and injurious to Spanish sovereignty.† Nobody moved against Paterno, however, because he was close to a significant number of Spanish officials – both military and civilian – who could vouch for him. Thus, Paterno, like many others of the Manila elite, distanced himself from the events of the Katipunan revolution.[1] In 1897 the Philippine revolutionary forces led by Emilio Aguinaldo had been driven out of Cavite and retreated northwards from town to town until they finally settled in Biak-na-Bato, in the town of San Miguel de Mayumo in Bulacan. Here, they established what became known as th e Republic of Biak-na-Bato.[3] In late July, 1897, Paterno voluntarily presented himself to Governor  General Fernando Primo de Rivera, whom he had known while living in Spain, and offered his services as a mediator.[1] Because many highly-placed Spaniards of the time thought Paterno held great sway over the natives, Primo de Rivera accepted Paterno’s offer. He called for a truce, explaining his decision to the Cortes Generales: â€Å"I can take Biak-na-Bato, any military man can take it, but I can not answer that I could crush the rebellion.†[3] Paterno left Manila on August 4, 1897 and found Aguinaldo five days later. This began a three-month-long series of talks which saw Paterno constantly shuffling between Manila, Biyak-na-bato, and some areas in Southern Luzon where a number of revolutionary chiefs held sway. During the negotiations, Paterno’s wife Luisa died on November 27, 1897.[1] In ceremonies on December 14-15 that year, Aguinaldo signed the Pact of Biak-na-bato. He proclaimed the official end of the Philippine revolution on Christmas Day, and on left for Hong Kong via the port of Dagupan on December 27.[3] He returned to Manila on January 11 amidst great celebration, but was spurned by Primo de Rivera and other authorities when he asked to be recompensed by being granted a dukedom, a seat on the Spanish Senate, and payment for his services in Mexican Dollars.[1] The Filipino negotiators for the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Seated from left to right: Paterno and Emilio Aguinaldo with five companions Prime minister He served as prime minister of the first Philippine republic in the middle of 1899, and served as head of the country’s assembly, and the cabinet. American Colonial Period  With the Philippine-American War after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898, he was among the most prominent Filipinos who joined the American side and advocated the incorporation of the Philippines into the United States. Death He died of cholera on March 11, 1911. His literary work was not appreciated until several decades after his death. Legacy Pedro Paterno Despite Paterno’s prominence in the many upheavals that defined the birth of the Philippine nation during his lifetime, Paterno’s legacy is largely  infamous among Philippine historians and nationalists. Philippine historian Resil Mojares notes that: History has not been kind to Pedro Paterno. A century ago, he was one of the country’s premier intellectuals, blazing trails in Philippine letters. Today he is ignored in many of the fields in which he once held forth with much eminence, real and imagined. No full length biography or extended review of his corpus of writings has been written, and no one reads him today.[1] Much of this is attributed to Paterno’s penchant for turncoatism, as described by historian Ambeth Ocampo, who sums up his career thus: Remember, Paterno was one of the greatest â€Å"balimbing† [turncoats] in history (perhaps he was the original balimbing in Philippine political history). He was first on the Spanish side, then when the declaration of independence was made in 1898, he wormed his way to power and became president of the Malolos Congress in 1899, then sensing the change in political winds after the establishment of the American colonial government, he became a member of the First Philippine Assembly.[2] Title Ninay Original author Paterno, Pedro Original date of document 1908 Original place of publication Limbagan Nang La Republika Kiotan Bilang 30, 1908. Publisher Limbagan Ng La Republika Kiotan Bilang 30 Place of Publication Limbagan Nang La Republika Kiotan Bilang 30, 1908. Period American Occupation Category Culture Society Language Filipino Textual Physical Form Book Physical description 262p. Ninay is considered the first Philippine and Tagalog novel. Written by Pedro Paterno and published in 1908, it portrayed the richness of the Philippine environment and culture through intertwined narratives and descriptions of the countries sights and rituals. It served to disprove the Spanish assertion that the Philippines did not have a distinct culture. Contents[hide] * 1 Synopsis * 2 External Links * 3 References * 4 Citation| [edit] Synopsis The novel uses the local tradition of pasiyam or nine-day novena as a frame to two narratives of unrequited and ill-fated love. The pasiyam is being held for Ninay. The first narrative is that of Ninay and her lover Carlos Mabagsic who is wrongly accused of leading an insurrection by a Portuguese businessman, Federico Silveyro. Carlos leaves for a colorful journey abroad, but when he comes back, Ninay has entered the convent. He acquires and dies of cholera and soon after, Ninay is struck and killed by the same disease. The second narrative is that of Loleng and Berto. Don Juan Silveyro’s evil schemes prevent the lovers from being together. Loleng dies and Berto turns into an outlaw to take revenge on Don Juan. Berto also unwittingly avenges Ninay and Carlos by ending Federico’s wickedness as well. The novel has ten chapters: an introduction followed by one chapter for every night of the pasiyam.

Emily Dickinson Poetry Essay Essay

There is a lot more to poetry than just the words themselves. â€Å"What William Shakespeare called, â€Å"the mind’s eye† also plays a role† (Borus34). What that means is that your experiences and thoughts will add to your understanding. Dickinson had an active mind and a style so unique and unusual with her writing. Something that was very unusual about her writing was that she never put a title to her poems. Just like many poets, she used a wide assortment of literary devices such as, metaphor, simile, alliteration, and symbolism. Unlike many writers of her time, Dickinson did not use conventional rhyme, capitalization, or punctuation† (Borus36). For example, she would put dashes not just at the end of a line, but also within the lines. Dickinson’s writing deals with all different aspects of life; love and death, time and eternity, and war. She treats these themes in a matter of her own, often with humor and playfulness, but most often than not, she is writing with seriousness and sensitivity. Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830, in the town on Amherst, Massachusetts. Amherst, 50 miles outside of Boston was becoming well known as a centre for education. â€Å"In 1830, was the time when railroads were beginning to crisscross the country, connecting places that were formerly unreachable; people thought of train travel the way we think of traveling to other planets† (Borus9). During this, the economy was based on agriculture, and most people were working as farmers. Emily, however, came from a family of scholars and lawyers. Her values and priorities were very high, due to the high expectations she was given by her grandfather Samuel Fowler Dickinson, a very religious, hard and steady worker she looked up to. The Dickinson family might not have been too well off and wealthy, but they were very well-known. Emily spent most of her earlier years enclosed in her house; it was very unlikely to see girls playing outside. In the 1800’s, there were many deadly diseases going around such as scarlet fever and whooping cough. There were many children dying from just minor cuts and scratches that were becoming infected. Just these simple things that don’t seem life or death today were defiantly deadly back then. Being the strong minded observer that Dickinson was, she would most often write about her feels with the things that were going on around her. Dickinson was very dedicated to her work in writing poetry, she took it very seriously; she strived in exploring to find poetry in every aspect of her day-to-day life. â€Å"The themes of life: love, spirituality, or the belief in something outside the physical world, and jealousy and despair, repeat themselves throughout her work† (Borus46). Dickinson was not always consistent in her views; her viewpoint seemed to change from poem to poem. There are always different beliefs or thoughts that people have on death; there might be fear or anxiety that people experience in thinking what afterlife might hold. In 1863, Emily Dickinson wrote the poem â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz – when I died-,† starting off the poem with this, gives the reader a rare glimpse of dying from the viewpoint of someone who is already dead† (Borus51). No matter what one thinks about life, death is always in the future. But, according to Emily, there is a continuing of life after death. This poem is written in the past tense about someone who has already died. â€Å"Emily Dickinson uses past and present tense words together, which indicate a transition between life and death† (Borus57). The poem is ironic and unique in the way that there is such a boring and eventless matter such as a buzzing fly at such a final moment of life, â€Å"And breaths were gathering firm†. An annoying buzzing fly in not the importance in ones last moments of death. Death is supposed to come across as a serious time in life. Dickinson first sets the scene in the third and fourth stanza, â€Å"The Stillness in the Air-/Between the Haves of Storm†. In the room, there was a silence. â€Å"The Eyes around- had wrung them dry-† (5). To who is suffering, the family is anxiously waiting for the news to come. For that last Onset-when the King/ Be witnessed-in the Room-† (7-8), â€Å"In the first part of this line, the author uses an oxymoron by stating â€Å"that last Onset†. Last means an â€Å"end,† while the definition of onset is a â€Å"beginning. â€Å"† (Borus57). Dickinson’s poems use a lot of symbols, things that represent other thi ngs. When the speaker describes â€Å"Onset- when the King Be witnessed- in the Room-,†(7-8). I feel like the king is being targeted as a symbol of God and death. This is showing connection that the narrator must have a strong belief in religion. This poem is full of sadness, with the narrator stating, â€Å"I Willed my Keepsakes† (9). â€Å"Making a will is the last and final way of ensuring the narrator’s previously-owned possessions staying with loved ones after death† (Borus62). Most people fear death, the tone of the narrator is merely one of sad acceptance† (Borus62). At the moment of the revealing of the narrators will, â€Å"There interposed a Fly-,† This is telling us that the fly is again interrupting (12). The fly seems to come across as a noisy fly. Why is it representing as a noisy fly? Why did the fly appear at the end of someone’s life and at their last breathe? The description of the fly changes in stanza thirteen as the narrator states, â€Å"With Blue- uncertain stumbling Buzz-,† thus explaining the fly is no ordinary house fly but a metaphorical figure representing death† (Johnson173). The blue buzz in being compared with noise, but a noise can’t be a color. I think that the narrator is interpreting in this comparison is that the sky is blue and it symbolizes the heavens. â€Å"Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz- when I died† is told by a narrator who uses past tense to describe the final moments of their life† (Johnson178). This poem was written to give the reader the inside looks to the final moments of life, but from the perspective of someone who has already had experience of death. The fly is very symbolic; it is representing the oncoming of death. Dickinson filled this poem up with a variety of metaphors and similes, such as the king being represented as god and death. Those whom going about living life without hope, carry a huge about of stress and worry for sure. Hope surely is the light in the opening of a dark tunnel. It is true that many people all over the world are in extremely hard situations, leading to horrifying conditions. When people are put into these situations and have to live with them, is hope the thing that things can change? When reading â€Å"Hope is a thing with feathers† by Emily Dickinson, this was a thought that came in mind. The content and idea that comes out of this poem is far from being simple, the idea of hope in â€Å"extremity†, and hope being â€Å"the chilliest land-, and on the strangest sea-,† (8-10) is an interesting way in viewing the world. It is very clear that Dickinson wrote this poem to create the mind to think outside the box and get a lot more out of it than just a simple piece of verse. The message that was obvious to me that Dickinson was trying to get across was that â€Å"whatever life throws at the individual, there is always the drove-like gleam of hope that sits within all of us that is stronger than us as a person that its voice can still be heard in the â€Å"gale† of the stormy times† (Borus42). Everyone goes through rough times in their life, and might hit a bump in the road every once in a while. But, no matter whom you are on earth, or where you come from, even if that might be from the â€Å"strangest sea†, yet you might abide, but there is no room for despair. In â€Å"Hope is a thing with feathers†, Dickinson describes that pain and hope come to all of us, â€Å"And sore must be the storm† (6). Hope is what keeps all human nature stubborn and keeps us fighting the things that life throws at us. A bird that â€Å"perches in the soul-,† (2) is a metaphor that Dickinson is using to show us that regardless of who you are, your gender, or where you come from, your race, there is always a soul within you, and everyone has a soul that is â€Å"keeping them warm† against the challenges that the storm in life is hitting them with. This poem is telling us that our soul â€Å"never stops-at all-,† (4). â€Å"It is something that is present within us that we take for granted and usually think little of, until that is we come across poetry like this to capture our attention† (Johnson92). This poem is very clear in telling that whatever life might bring us, and all the battles that we may face, hope will always win in the end.

To what extend does Mozi's philosophy conflicts with the Confucianism Essay

To what extend does Mozi's philosophy conflicts with the Confucianism - Essay Example The spread of Mohism began taking place when the traditional Chinese priest craft was challenged by the emerging technical intelligence. Mozi is believed to have been drawn to prominence by the rising demand of scholars during the era of the Warring States. There are other accounts that depict him as a fortifications officer in the military while the numerous criticisms demonstrate that he was conversant with the Confucian priesthood (Hansen, 2009). Although there is very few literature that talks about Mozi, majority of them depict him as having been against Confucianism. One of Mozi’s greatest critics was Mencius (371-289 BC) who claimed that the writings of Mozi were all over the social media and for that reason, most people were influenced to believe in his distorted view of Confucianism. Mozi is believed to have been a strong advocate of utilitarianism and equal concern for each individual. The Mohist movement, which had begun with Mozi in later stages led to a much newer fashion of Daoism and Confucianism. The central Mohist literature has an intended argumentative style. It utilizes an unprejudiced symmetry of expression and repetition that makes it easy to memorize as well as in passing along the message. Symmetry and repetition are commonly used stylistic devices for classical Chinese and it is mostly in analytical form (Mei, 2008). Various books document the life of Mozi and his works. Nearly all of the available works explain Mozi’s story in the light of the â€Å"craft theory† since it helps in explaining the unique personality of well-organized logical thought in China that had its roots in Mozi. These pieces of literature mostly dwell on moral debates but mostly focus on the entire Mohist system to which they credit Mozi as having been the founder. Mozi, according to the available literature believed that the moral standards should be in a measurable form, e.g., in the manner of a carpenter with a plumb line or

Enterobacter Aerogenes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enterobacter Aerogenes - Essay Example In the meantime it becomes imperative for physicians and surgeons to be vary of selecting the right antibiotic to combat these rogue organisms which play tantrums with them, at times, to the detriment of the patients. One of the most notorious groups of organisms is the Gram -ve bacteria, the most prominent among them being the Enterobacteriaceae. Enterobacter is a gram-negative bacillus that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Other members of this family include Klebsiella, Escherichia, Citrobacter, Serratia, Salmonella, and Shigella species, among many others. Enterobacteriaceae are the most common bacterial isolates recovered from clinical specimens. Enterobacter aerogenes is a species found in water, soil, sewage, dairy products, and the faeces of man and other animals. Organisms previously identified as motile strains of Aerobacter aerogenes are now placed in this species. They also have a synonym as Klebsiella mobilis. As part of the Enterobacteriaceae family, Enterobacter aerogenes is related to E. coli and salmonella. In terms of size, E. aerogenes is smaller than many of its microbial cousins, but its occurrence in hospitals and resistance to antibiotics have made it of particular importance. As E. aerogenes continues to evolve new strains, it will continue to pose challenges to the biomedical community. As a facultative anaerobe, it thrives in environments with little or no oxygen, such as soil, sewage and feces. Enterobacter aerogenes is a Gram negative rod-shaped bacterium in the same family as Esherichia coli. It can grow on many of the same selective media as Esherichia coli, including: MacConkey Agar, EMB agar and Lauryl-Tryptose broth. E. aerogenes ferments lactose, producing acid and gas like Esherichia coli and is classified as an example of coliform bacteria. E. aerogenes grows better at temperatures between 34 - 40 degrees C. E. aerogenes carries out 2,3-butanediol fermentation and thus give a positive test in the Voges-Proskauer test while E. coli is negative. E.coli is positive for the indole test while E. aerogenes is negative, this is a very reliable test. 5 E. aerogenes can grow on Simmon's citrate agar while E. coli does not. There are a lot of similarities between Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumonia. The urease test is one of the few tests that distinguishes E. aerogenes from K. pneumonia. . Klebsiella is positive for urease production while Enterobacter is negative. In the microbiology laboratory, colonies of Enterobacteriaceae appear large, dull-gray, and dry or mucoid on sheep blood agar. All Enterobacteriaceae ferment glucose and, consequently, are able to grow in aerobic and anaerobic atmospheres. MacConkey agar is a lactose-containing medium that is selective for nonfastidious gram-negative bacilli such as Enterobacteriaceae. Using the enzymes beta-galactosidase and beta-galactoside permeases, the most frequently encountered species of Enterobacter strains

Discharge planning of a patient using a patient profile Essay

Discharge planning of a patient using a patient profile - Essay Example These readmissions crop up as a result of mistakes resulting from lack of proper care for the patients after discharge, or discontinuation of medication (DOH, 2005). Low health literacy being in high rates gives rise to increased rates of re-hospitalisation, especially, in urban patients, who earn low income. Lack of coordination between the in-patient and out-patient process, boosts the risk of readmission in hospitals, together with gaps in social care and supports. Primary care physicians find it hard to understand the complex process of hospitalisation, since the inpatient care is provided in the hospitals (Bortwick et al., 2009). A discharge plan is the key tool used by the primary care- providers so as to go on with the care of the patient. Therefore, a safe and comprehensive discharge plan is essential when discharging a patient, in order to aid the primary care providers and social workers in their duties. A discharge plan Discharge is a vital component of care management in any aspect. It makes sure that social care and health systems remain proactive when supporting patients, their families and carers, when there is the need to go home, or move to a different setting (SPLG, 2010). Mr. Sharma, 87 years old man has been hospitalized and, due to the considerable progress he has made in recovery, he will be discharged after ten days. A safe and comprehensive discharge plan needs to be developed which will suit him, and which will ensure his recovery without re-hospitalisation. Mr. Sharma’s discharge plan is supposed to prepare the home for him, to meet all his needs, reduce the probability of readmission, as well as saving on social care services (SPLG, 2010). Putting in mind that Mr. Sharma has multiple conditions, an open wound, he is taking many drugs, and that he is an old man, the following discharge plan will best suit him. A discharge plan will help his carers after he is discharged, to coo rdinate services and care (Katikireddi and Cloud, 2009). This paper will address the probable problems, the interventions, and the rationale behind the decisions made. Problem The patient is an old man aged 87 years old. Outcome Being an old person, the patient requires careful and extra care since he is exceptionally delicate. Close supervision should be done always to ensure all the medical requirements are done (Lindenberg, 2010). Intervention 1. Meet with the family members and the carers of the patient, in order to discover who takes care of the patient most time, prior to discharge (Roberts, 2002). 2. Explain the need to have a person close to Mr. Sharma always, and close supervision. 3. Ensure that the patient will be kept busy and occupied. This can be through the provision of a television set or even constant company, to avoid boredom. 4. Discover if there is polypharmacy. Rationale The patient is an elderly person and hence the need to meet with the family members and the carers to enlighten them on the complications faced by old people after discharge, and the factors that can lead to readmission. According to the National Service Frame work for older people, old people are likely to suffer multiple complications, unlike, young people. They can have different conditions requiring different and specific treatment (DOH, 2001). The need to meet with the family members and carers of the patient is to make them understand how to care for the old person to reduce the case of readmission. The elderly patient needs a person close to him to monitor

Juvenile Delinquency and Justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Juvenile Delinquency and Justice - Assignment Example Some of the defining movements and legislation in the 20th century were aptly presented in the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) online published report that enumerated the following: firm conformity of the Parens Patriae which claimed that â€Å"the State has both a right and a responsibility to intervene in family life and assume the task of rearing a child if the family is unable to do so. It has roots in English Poor Laws, which empowered the State to separate poor children from their families and place them in apprenticeships†; Parental Delinquency Laws which holds parents liable for apparently being significantly contributory to the delinquency of their children; institution of Due Process; and conditions and stipulations explicitly outlining Exceptions to Due Process. Likewise, also during the 20th century was the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act (JDPCA) of 1968 instituted to propose handling on non-criminal juvenile cases out of courts; while the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 was designed to deinstitutionalize â€Å"status offenders and nonoffenders as well as the separation of juvenile delinquents from adult offenders''. Likewise, there was the need to create the dependency court to ensure that juveniles are protected from being maltreated. It was likewise emphasized that â€Å"as juvenile court legislation was transformed in the delinquency context to provide procedures to satisfy the Gault requirements, the dependency court was left to continue its parens patriae jurisdiction over children and families†.

Budgeting Memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Budgeting Memo - Assignment Example Upon questioning, I learned that people in charge of budgeting and procurement have to spend all of their budgets for fear of losing it the next year. Perhaps you got that idea from government spending which has a totally different setting with a non-government agency such as ours. It is widely known that most government agencies are under pressure to fully expend budgets that are set to expire (Boris Angelov, 2014) I am not happy with this situation because you have the wrong notion of budgeting. The rush of spending at the end of the fiscal year is only costing the organization unnecessary expenditures and wasteful. Budget is supposed to be an allocation to ensure that there are enough resources to accomplish set of goals. It is defined as an estimation of revenue and expenses over a period of specified time (Investopedia). For instance, if you have budgeted, $30,000 for training of personnel, and at close of the fiscal year, you have spent only $20,000 for the actual training; this does not mean you have to think of ways to spend the balance of the budget. Necessarily, it should be treated as a savings and be returned to the Treasury. An approved budget does not mean that you have to spend it to zero. We should form the practice of returning balances because as you contribute to our fund balances, you are adding to the health of our company. From now on, the practice of spend all will not be tolerated. Each manager has to explain why there are balances/deficits from the budgeted amount, and if there is a balance, the need to spend it should be rightly justified. Please be informed that I will not approve expenses not tied up with our goals but will commend managers who are efficient in their surpluses. If you fear of losing your budget for next year, I will propose to our Board of Directors to use Zero budgeting wherein every expenditure is justified, or each spending starts with an assumed value of 0 (Accounting Tools, 2014).

Going Green Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Going Green - Essay Example As a result, temperatures within the atmosphere rise, albeit gradually, to cause global warming. The United States Environmental protection agency has listed five gases as composing the greenhouse gases. These are Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, February 2012). Although carbon dioxide is also produced naturally, it (and the other gases) is primarily produced through human activities, especially ‘†¦ through the burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), solid waste, trees and wood products, and also as a result of other chemical reactions’ (Environmental Protection Agency, February 2012). This is where automobile manufacture becomes relevant. Green house gases are emitted, not only during the production of cars, but also during their use; i.e. while on the road. This calls for safer methods of production as well as designing ‘green cars’-those that emit less harmful gases or n one at all. Such are solar-powered or electric cars. 2. Reality Check Greenhouse emissions have been on the rise in the last couple of decades thanks to increased industrialization. They have risen â€Å"†¦ by 15 percent since 1990, reaching over 7000 metric tons in 2006.† (CQ Researcher, Feb. 29 2008, Pg 200). ... To curb the effects of global warming, governments, business organizations, activist groups as well as individuals have come out to advocate for more initiative and responsibility-more specifically in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save the planet. The car industry is squarely on the spotlight over taking responsibility over greenhouse gases emissions, since it is arguably the chief consumer of fossil fuel products. 3. The Great Controversy Green products are not costly; neither do they hurt the economy, as some people may have claimed. The problem with such an argument is that the proponents are looking at short term profits and benefits, which may not be immediately realized in the green market. They look at the rate of input versus output; and it looks like a losing game, at least from face value. For instance, relying on solar energy in car production means that we can only reap benefits during the day only- and closing shop at sun set. This means that a 24 hour eco nomy is not possible, and therefore profits may reduce by half. However, this may be the only [greatest] disadvantage with solar energy. On the other hand, we may benefit from a 24-hour economy driven by coal and gas, but we will begin counting our losses sometime soon down the road. Green house effects may be slow, but they are certain. They cause ripple effects that result to consequences that eventually cost more money to mitigate. For instance, more toxic gases are emitted to the atmosphere through industrial wastes; the mean global temperatures rise over time; more ice melts causing dams, rivers and lakes to swell and burst; floods sweep over businesses, animals and humans; more money is required to rebuild the dams, compensate the affected

Analysis of Hp Financial Statement Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Hp Financial Statement Essay Kenneth Lay formed Enron in 1985, when InterNorth acquired Houston Natural Gas. It was once the seventh largest company the United States of America. Enron branched into many non-energy-related fields over the next several years, including such areas as Internet bandwidth, risk management, and weather derivatives (a type of weather insurance for seasonal businesses). Although their core business remained in the transmission and distribution of power, their phenomenal growth was occurring through their other interests. Fortune Magazine selected Enron as Americas most innovative company for six straight years from 1996 to 2001. Then came the investigations into their complex network of offshore partnerships and accounting practices. The Enron scandal was revealed in October 2001 that eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation and the de facto dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. In addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time, Enron was attributed as the biggest audit failure. Several years after it inception when, in 1992, Jeffrey Skilling was hired as the President of the company, he developed a staff of executives that, by the use of accounting loopholes, special purpose entities, and poor financial reporting, were able to hide billions of dollars in debt from failed deals and projects. Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow and other executives not only misled Enrons board of directors and audit committee on high-risk accounting practices, but also pressured Andersen to ignore the issues. From the early 1990s until 1998, the stock prices of Enron rose by 311%, only slightly higher than the rate of growth in the Standard Poor’s 500. But, after which the stocks shot up. They increased by 56% in 1999 and another 87% in 2000, compared to a 20 percent increase and a 10 percent decline for the index during the same years. As on December 31, 2000, Enron’s stock was priced at $83.13, with market capitalization exceeded $60 billion, that was 70 times earnings and six times book value, an indication of the stock market’s high expectations about its future prospects. Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in Fortune magazine’s survey of Most Admired Companies. Despite of which within a year, Enron’s image was in tatters and its stock price had tanked nearly to zero. The Enron Scandal was a legend of document shredding, restatements of earnings, regulatory investigations, an unsuccessful merger and Enron filling for bankruptcy. Notwithstanding an elaborate corporate governance network, Enron was able to magnetize large sums of capital to source a moot business model, masking its actual performance through a series of accounting and financing ploys, and increasing its stock prices to unmaintainable levels. Shareholders lost nearly $11 billion when Enrons stock price plummeted to less than $1 per share, by the end of November 2001, from a high of US$90 per share during mid-2000. As the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) initiated an investigation, rival Houston competitor Dynegy bid to purchase the company at a very low price. The deal failed, and on December 2, 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy, with $63.4 billion in assets made it the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history. How it happened? Enron had a rather complicated business model, stretching across many products, incorporating physical assets and trading operations, and crossing national borders. This element stretched the limits of accounting. Enron took full advantage of accounting limitations in managing its earnings and balance sheet to portray a rosy picture of its performance. The trading business of Enron involved complex long-term contracts. The accounting rules then, used the present value framework to record these transactions, requiring management to make forecasts of future earnings. This approach, known as mark-to-market accounting, was significant to Enron’s income recognition and resulted in its management making forecasts of energy prices and interest rates well into the future. Enron relied expansively on structured finance transactions that involved setting up special purpose entities. These transactions shared ownership of specific cash flows and risks with outside investors and lenders. Traditional accounting that focuses on arms-length transactions between independent entities faces challenges in dealing with such transactions. Unconscious resolutions were used to record these transactions, creating a discrepancy between economic realities and accounting numbers. (Healy Palepu, 2003) Financial Reporting Issues Trading Business and Mark to Marketing Definitions: * A measure of the fair value of accounts that can change over time, such as assets and liabilities. Mark to market aims to provide a realistic appraisal of an institutions or companys current financial situation. (Investopedia) * The accounting act of recording the price or value of a security, portfolio or account to reflect its current market value rather than its book value. (Investopedia) In Enron’s original natural gas business, the accounting had been fairly straightforward: in each time period, the company listed actual costs of supplying the gas and actual revenues received from selling it. However, Enron’s trading business adopted mark-to-market accounting, which meant that once a long-term contract was signed, the present value of the stream of future in flows under the contract was recognized as revenues and the present value of the expected costs of fulfilling the contract were expensed. Unrealized gains and losses in the market value of long-term contracts (that were not hedged) were then required to be reported later as part of annual earnings when they occurred. Enron’s primary challenge in using mark-to-market accounting was estimating the market value of the contracts, which in some cases ran as long as 20 years. Income was estimated as the present value of net future cash flows, even though in some cases there were serious questions about the viability of these contracts and their associated costs. â€Å"Mark to market† was a plan that Jeffrey Skilling and Andrew Fastow proposed to pump the stock price, cover the loss and attract more investment. But it is impossible to gain in a long-term operation in this way, and so it is clearly immoral and illegal. However, it was reported that the then US Security and Exchange Commission allowed them to use â€Å"mark to market† accounting method. The ignorance of the drawbacks of this accounting method by SEC also caused the final scandal. Thus, an accounting system, which can disclose more financial information, should be created as soon as possible. Reporting Issues for Special Purpose Entities The accounting rule, then, allowed a company to exclude a special purpose entity (SPE) from its own financial statements if an independent party has control of the SPE, and if this independent party owns at least 3% of the SPE. Enron need to find a way to hide the debt since high debt levels would lower the investment grade and trigger banks to recall money. Using the Enron’s stock as collateral, the SPE, which was headed by the CFO, Fastow, borrowed large sums of money. And this money was used to balance Enron’s overvalued contracts. Thus, the SPE enable the Enron to convert loans and assets burdened with debt obligations into income. In addition, the taking over by the SPE made Enron transferred more stock to SPE. However, the debt and assets purchased by the SPE, which was actually burdened with large amount of debts, were not reported on Enron’s financial report. The shareholders were then misled that debt was not increasing and the revenue was even increasing. (Li, 2010) Enron had used hundreds of special purpose entities by 2001. Many of these were used to fund the purchase of forward contracts with gas producers to supply gas to utilities under long-term fixed contracts. Other Accounting Problems Enron’s accounting problems in late 2001 were compounded by its recognition that several new businesses were not performing as well as expected. In October 2001, the company announced a series of asset write-downs, including after tax charges of $287 million for Azurix, the water business acquired in 1998, $180 million for broadband investments and $544 million for other investments. Enron’s gas trading idea was probably a reasonable response to the opportunities arising out of deregulation. Conversely, extensions of this idea into other markets and international expansion were unsuccessful. Accounting games allowed the company to hide this reality for several years. The capital markets largely ignored red flags associated with Enron’s spectacular reported performance and aided the company’s pursuit of a flawed expansion strategy by providing capital at a remarkably low cost. Investors seemed willing to assume that Enron’s reported growth and profitability would be sustained far into future, despite little economic basis for such a projection. Governance and Intermediation Failures at Enron Most of the blame for failing to recognize Enron’s problems has been assigned to the firm’s auditors, Arthur Andersen, and to the analysts who work for brokerage, investment banking and research firms, and sell or make their research available to retail and professional investors. Role of Top Management Compensation As in most other U.S. companies, Enron’s management was heavily compensated using stock options. Heavy use of stock option awards linked to short-term stock price may explain the focus of Enron’s management on creating expectations of rapid growth and its efforts to puff up reported earnings to meet Wall Street’s expectations. Role of Audit Committees Corporate audit committees usually meet just a few times during the year, and their members typically have only a modest background in accounting and finance. As outside directors, they rely extensively on information from management as well as internal and external auditors. If management is fraudulent or the auditors fail, the audit committee probably won’t be able to detect the problem fast enough. Enron’s audit committee had more expertise than many. But Enron’s audit committee seemed to share the common pattern of a few short meetings that covered huge amounts of ground. Enron’s Audit Committee was in no position to second-guess the auditors on technical accounting questions related to the special purpose entities. Nor was it in a position to second-guess the validity of top management representations. However, the Audit Committee did not challenge several important transactions that were primarily motivated by accounting goals, was not skeptical about potential conflicts in related party transactions and did not require full disclosure of these transactions. (Healy Palepu, 2003) Role of External Auditors Enron’s auditor, Arthur Andersen, had been accused of applying lax standards in their audits because of a conflict of interest over the significant consulting fees generated by Enron. In 2000, Arthur Andersen earned $25 million in audit fees and $27 million in consulting fees. It is difficult to determine whether Andersen’s audit problems at Enron arose from the financial incentives to retain the company as a consulting client, as an audit client or both. However, the size of the audit fee alone is likely to have had an important impact on local partners in their negotiations with Enron’s management. Enron’s audit fees accounted for roughly 27% of the audit fees of public clients for Arthur Andersen’s Houston office. When the credit risks at the special purpose entities became clear, the auditors apparently succumbed to pressure from Enron’s management and permitted the company to defer recognizing the charges. Two major changes in the 1970s in the legal system, created substantial pressure for audit firms to cut costs and seek alternative revenue sources. In response to the changes, the audit firms lobbied for mechanical accounting and auditing standards and developed standard operating procedures to reduce the variability in audits. This approach reduced the cost of audits and provided a defense in the case of litigation. But it also meant that auditors were more likely to view their job narrowly, rather than as matters of broader business judgment. Furthermore, while mechanical standards make auditing easier, they do not necessarily increase corporate transparency. Role of Fund Managers Investment fund managers failed to recognize or act on Enron’s risks because they had only modest incentives to demand and act on high-quality, long-term company analysis. These managers are typically rewarded on the basis of their relative performance. Flows into and out of a fund each quarter are driven by its performance relative to comparable funds or indices. If the manager reduces the fund’s holdings of Enron and the stock falls in the next quarter, the fund will show superior relative portfolio performance and will attract new capital. However, if Enron continues to perform well in the next few quarters, the fund manager will underperform the benchmark and capital will flow to other funds. In contrast, a risk-averse manager who simply follows the crowd will not be rewarded for foreseeing the problems at Enron, but neither will this manager be blamed for a poor investment decision when the stock ultimately crashes, since other funds made the same mistake. Role of Accounting Regulations Many U.S. accounting standards tend to be mechanical and in flexible. Clear-cut rules have some advantages, but the downside is that this approach motivates financial engineering designed specifically to circumvent these knife-edge rules, as is well understood in the tax literature. In accounting for some of its special purpose entities, Enron was able to design transactions that satisfied the letter of the law, but violated its intent such that the company’s balance sheet did not reflect its financial risks. The Sarbanes Oxley Act In 2002, President Bush passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act into law to re-establish investor confidence in the integrity of corporate disclosures and financial reporting. The act was brought in as a result of the large number of corporate financial fraud cases (such as those of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia, AOL, and others) and by the end of the boom years for the stock market. The Act requires all public companies to submit both quarterly and annual assessments of the effectiveness of their internal financial auditing controls to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each companys external auditors must also audit and report on the internal control reports of management and any other areas that may affect internal controls. The companys principal executive officer and principal financial officer must personally certify that the financial reports are true and that everything has been disclosed. Many of the Acts provisions apply to all companies, United States and foreign. However, some provisions apply only to companies that have equity securities listed on an exchange or NASDAQ. While refocusing public company management on shareholder interests was the central purpose of the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance reform law, years later there are sharp disagreements on both sides as to whether the effort has been a success. Did it help? Considering foreign firms that listed on either New York or London exchanges in addition to their home markets between 1990 and 2006, the researchers found that those firms were six percent less likely to choose New York over London after Sarbanes-Oxley was implemented. This suggests that foreign executives, accustomed to laxer regulatory environments at home, were convinced that the act’s deterrents against self-dealing and fraudulent accounting were serious. Those who criticize the Act claim that the Act is unnecessary and too expensive to implement. The most ardent criticizers of the bill claim that not only has Sarbanes – Oxley failed in its mission to ensure honest financial recordkeeping and disclosure but that it has also stifled new business development in the United States. Some criticizers point to the Madoff scandal as an example of the failure of the Sarbanes – Oxley Act. Yet, not all analysts share in this type of criticism. Many analysts believe that more precise financial statements are now being prepared for public companies and that shareholders have greater confidence in their investments as a result of Sarbanes – Oxley. In order for these benefits to be realized, however, the S.E.C. must ensure that all of the requirements of the Act are carefully and universally followed and that exceptions, such as those for certain accounting firms, are not permitted. Bibliography * Wikipedia. (2012, December 18). Enron Scandal. Retrieved December 26, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal * Obringer, L. A. (n.d.). How cooking the books works? Retrieved December 26, 2012, from How Stuff Works?: http://money.howstuffworks.com/cooking-books7.htm * Healy, P. M., Palepu, K. G. (2003). The Fall Of Enron. Journal Of Economic Persepectives , 9. * Investopedia. (n.d.). Mark to Market MTM. Retrieved December 26, 2012, from Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marktomarket.asp#axzz2G9qt6COE * Li, Y. (2010). The Case Analysis of the Scandal of Enron. International Journal of Business and Management , 37-41.

The Purpose of Internal Controls

The Purpose of Internal Controls Internal controls are a relevant part of any business. In order for an organization to meet its obligations and be a success it is imperative that it implements controls in an attempt to safeguard its assets, its employee and its continual existence. This paper explains the reasons why internal controls needs to be implemented, present a framework which describes its components and identify entities which foresees that procedures are followed and maintained. Controlling What Happens Robins defend territories as pairs during the breeding season and as individuals during the winter. When dogs find bones, they bury it in a safe place and constantly make sure they are safe at all times. What these animal have in common is their desire to protect their assets and possessions. One of the most important acts a manager can do is to safeguard assets. The main purpose of internal controls is to help the organization to achieve its objectives and to make sure that the business operates as efficiently and as professionally as possible. In order to understand internal controls, it is imperative that one knows what they are, the definition of internal controls, the categories, the components of internal controls as well as the entities that foresee that internal control procedures are followed and maintained. According to â€Å"SEC Proposes Rules on Internal Controls, Ethics Codes and Financial Experts on Audit Committees,† the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants defines internal controls as â€Å"controls that pertain to the preparation of financial statements for external purposes that are fairly presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as addressed by the Codification of Auditing Standards Section 319 or any superseding definition or other literature that is issued or adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board† ( Haynes and Boone, LLP, 2002). They play a vital role and cannot be omitted from a business. This is because they ensure that employees as well as employers are providing reasonable assertions. In other words, they check the employees and employers actions and thoughts in a way which are meant to promote and better the business by preventing them from doing things their own way, or from robbing the business . They are established by management and they must make sure it is effective. According to R. L. Hurt, the significance of controls cannot be stressed enough, â€Å"In the importance of internal controls managers, stockholders, employees, and other organizational stakeholders want a company to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, to have financial statements that are reliable, and to make sure their assets are safe† (Hurt, 2008, p.53). They are basically a plan of organization within a business which co-ordinates with all the methods used in the business to safeguard its assets. It further promotes productivity and aids management to hold on to rules and policies of the organization. Internal controls can be classified into two; preventive and detective. The main purpose of preventive controls is to detect errors within or dampen the chances of fraud. According to â€Å"Internal Control Concept and Framework,† preventive control activities â€Å"aim to deter the instance of errors or fraud† (University Of Washington, 2009). This is the most effective control because it checks against fraud, scams and errors before they occur. It is important to note that before it can become effective, it will be necessary to have a strong risk detection system within the organization. Detective controls identify errors or fraudulent activities after they take place. In other words, â€Å"Detective control activities identify undesirable occurrences after the fact† (University Of Washington, 2009). This method can cause problems if the after effect was significant, such as Enron and WorldCom. In such occasions, the most common detective control is reconciliat ion. In an attempt to help businesses and organization improve their internal control systems, the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commissions, otherwise known as COSO was formed. COSO is a voluntary private-sector organization and was established in 1985 and consists of a select committee which includes the American Accounting Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Financial Executives International, Institute of Management Accountants and The Institute of Internal Auditors (The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commissions). The main purpose of COSO is to identify actions or activities which influence fraudulent practices in businesses and to identify way of minimizing their occurrences. According to the American Accounting Association, â€Å"COSOs Mission is to provide thought leadership on enterprise risk management, internal control and fraud deterrence designed to improve organizational performance and governance and to reduce the extent of fraud in organizations†(American Accounting Association, 2008, p. 3). In 1992, COSO established an internal control framework which consists of five components and are meant to be integrated within the management process to ensure success. These components consist of control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication and finally monitoring. Control Environment deals with the controllers and leaders of the business or company. In other words, this component talks mainly with management. The whole purpose is to make managers aware that internal controls begin in top management and thus cannot be effective without them playing an integral role in it. According to Lightle, Castellano and Cutting in their article, â€Å"Assessing the Control Environment,† they state that, â€Å"Of the five, the control environment may be the most critical, as well as the most difficult to manage and evaluate effectively† (Lightle, Castellano, Cutting, 2007, p. 52). They further state that â€Å"An effective control environment supports and strengthens the other control elements whereas a weak control environment undermines the other elements, rendering them useless† (p. 51). This environment emphasizes that if controls are not taken seriously by management, employees will also not take it serious. This is the reason why control environment is the backbone of the rest of the controls and without it, implementing ethical values and integrity in employees will be difficult. Risk assessment deals with the processes used to identifying organizational risks and threats within an organization and finding cost effective controls to deal with them. According to AICPA, risk assessment is â€Å"the identification and analysis of relevant risks to achieve the objectives that form the basis to determine how risks should be managed† (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 2005). An effective way to make this work is to consider both internal and external aspect of the business before it can be successful to its highest capacity. According to Sarbanes-Oxley, an â€Å"effective risk assessment requires; definition of the objectives, determination of the compatibility of the objectives, identification of risks to achieving the objectives, determination of risks associated with change, judgment as to which risks are critical and determination of actions to mitigate risks starting with the critical ones† (Walz, 2008). The third internal control framework of COSO is control activities. This component deals with the actions or actual controls executed in response to the information acquired from an effective risk assessment. They are the actual policies and procedures such as authorizations and approvals which aid management in making sure that organizational objectives are achievable. Information and communication is another important part of business which cannot be overlooked. This is because the process and what information is passed on can cause a lot of problems within the organization. It is imperative that the information flows is as accurate in the organization as possible in a way that ensures the right message is sent to the right person with the right encoding and the receiver has no problem in deciphering it. Effective information and communication helps in minimizing control risks and is directed mainly to employees to be responsible and careful in how they deal with sending and receiving information. In summary, the information and communication component aims in improving or maintaining quality and efficiency in communication within the organization. Unfortunately, some businesses are too big to accommodate any significant control process. According to â€Å"Effective Internal Control Systems Are Key to Ensuring Compliance†, â€Å"Informatio n and communication are the identification, capture, and exchange of information in a form and time frame that enable people to carry out their responsibilities† (Gundling, 2003). Monitoring is the final component of the COSO framework. It deals mainly with the evaluation and assessment of the organizations system of controls. It basically looks as the operations of an organization over a period of time to evaluate whether their objectives are being accomplished. So in effect, it is imperative that management assesses their internal control system to make sure that they are acquiescent to the organizations standard of controlling risks. According to â€Å"COSO Document Covers Internal Control Monitoring†, â€Å"COSO Document Covers Internal Control Monitoring,† he states that effective monitoring occurs by â€Å"establishing a foundation for monitoring, designing and executing monitoring procedures that are prioritized based on risk and reporting the results of monitoring to the appropriate level† (McCollum, 2008). A good way to ensure monitoring is used in its most effective way is to ensure that there are people who are qualified or have gone through training in that field and can ensure that the process it taken the tight way. This is because if management does not fully comprehend its importance the whole process could fall apart. One important aspect of monitoring is that the process should be taken serious and that risks discovered during that period should be directed to the relevant staff for corrective measures. Because of the extreme impact of the scandals that Enron and WoldCom brought into the business field, there have been entities which have been placed into the business field to prevent these fraudulent activities from occurring, one of these is the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. According to† Making compliance effective,† the act â€Å"was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in large part because of the spectacular failures of Enron, WorldCom and other public companies† (Engle, 2009). Understanding the importance of internal controls can be difficult to comprehend. However the consequences of not adhering them are tougher to deal with. This can be seen by the utter chaos Enron and WorldCom have caused. Without controls goals and assets will be lost and operations will be terminated prematurely. Without internal controls, soon there will be no business. References Haynes and Boone, LLP, (2002). SEC Proposes Rules on Internal Controls, Ethics Codes and Financial Experts on Audit Committees. World Services Group, Retrieved from http://www.hg.org/articles/article_201.html Hurt, R. L. (2008). Accounting Information Systems: Basic Concepts Current Issues. New York: McGraw-Hill. University Of Washington, (2009, July 16). Internal Control Concept and Framework. Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/admin/finacct/office/internalcontrol/frame.html The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commissions, Initials. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.coso.org/aboutus.htm American Accounting Association, (2008, April, 1). Mission and operating policies. Committee of Sponsoring Organizations, Retrieved 09/07/2009, from http://aaahq.org/newsarc/COSOChairPosition.pdf Lightle, S., Castellano, J., Cutting, B. (2007, December). Assessing the control environment. Internal Auditor, 64(6), 51-56. Retrieved 09/07/2009, from Business Source Complete database. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bthAN=28323854site=ehost-livescope=site American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2005). Internal control: a tool for the audit committee. Retrieved 09/07/2009, from American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Web site: http://www.aicpa.org/audcommctr/toolkitsnpo/Internal_Control.htm Walz, John (2008, April 11). Retrieved 09/07/2009, from Table Comparing COSO and ISO 9001 Web site: http://www4.asq.org/blogs/sarbanes-oxley/2008/04/table_comparing_coso_and_iso_9.html Gundling, Richard L. (2003, October). Effective internal control systems are key to ensuring compliance. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 2, Retrieved 09/07/2009, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bthAN=11291132site=bsi-live McCollum, T (2008, August). COSO Document Covers Internal Control Monitoring. Internal Auditor, [65(4)], [13-14, 2]. Engle, Paul. (2009). Making compliance effective. Industrial Engineer: IE, 41(8), Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=43346883site=ehost-livescope=site

Summative Statement Essay -- Personal Experience

Summative Statement I did not set out to be a teacher nor did I set out to be a leader but today I am both a teacher and a leader in educational technology. Through my studies in the Educational Technology program at the University of Alaska Southeast I have created a solid foundation for that leadership role. My portfolio shows what I have learned in educational technology and my growth as a technology leader. Each artifact was chosen to emphasize what I believe is most important in education for me. They show my commitment to professional growth, my dedication in supporting student learning, and my belief in the strength of collaboration. Early on in my career as a teacher I learned the value of professional growth for myself. This took the form of professional development that I gained from conferences I attended and grants I was awarded. I also knew that I could share what I learned with others within my school and presenting at conferences. As an educational technology leader I use the knowledge and skills gained from my university classes in providing professional develop...

Tragic Heroines: Medea and Clytemnestra Essay -- Aristotle, Greek trage

Aristotle (384-322 B.C. believed that tragedy, as an imitation or mimesis of life as it could be, held more importance than history, which simply records the past. He considered that performance of a tragedy provided the perfect cathartic experience for an audience, leaving them spiritually purified and inspired. He felt spectators seeing and experiencing great hardship befall the play’s hero or heroine would achieve this emotional state and benefit from it. The tragic hero, according to Aristotle, must be essentially good and be of high or noble birth. The misfortune that precedes their downfall must evoke compassion and pity. The tragic hero must experience a peripeteia. Two of the most famous Greek tragic heroes (heroines) were Medea and Clytemnestra. They share characteristics Aristotle deemed essential for the heroic character in a tragedy. They are both of high rank. Medea is a princess and a sorceress, and Clytemnestra was the de facto ruler of Argos in Agamemnon’s absence. Their tales initially evoked sympathy, but hamartia and hubris were instrumental in each woman's downfall. Both suffer significant peripety as victims of their overly passionate natures. Clytemnestra is obsessed by the desire for vengeance over the death of her daughter at the hands of her husband, Agamemnon. While Clytemnestra's passion is for vengeance, Medea's is her unreasonable love for Jason, which turns into seething hatred. Clytemnestra’s peripeteia begins the moment Agamemnon sacrifices their daughter, Iphigenia. Heartbroken and grieving, Clytemnestra schemes, plotting vengeance for her daughter’s death. She obsessively plans her husband’s murder for so many years that it becomes a fait accompli. Clytemnestra greets his return with fa... ...s got to be done, -- do it without flinching. Whatever I do, my life will be unhappy. I’ll armor my heart with callousness, and take the sword in my hand...try to forget that they are my children and that I love them. I only need forget for a short time. And then I can remember all my life.† (Medea, pg. 343, 344). Revenge is at the core of the Greek tragedies Agamemnon, the first play in the trilogy Oresteia (Aeschylus (525 - 455 BC), and Medea (Euripides (431 – 480 B.C.). The protagonists in each play are women who carry out horrifying acts of revenge on their husbands. Both characters – Clytemnestra and Medea – are at once heroines, villainesses and victims. Works Cited Corrigan, Robert W. Classical Tragedy, Greek and Roman: 8 Plays in Authoritative Modern Translations Accompanied by Critical Essays. New York, NY: Applause Theatre Book, 1990. Print.

The Challenge of Good Advice :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The Challenge of Good Advice Good advice is in the eye of the beholder. Advice needs to be relative to the situation. If something is missing from advice the whole topic may be dismissed. If there is too much some info may be missed because some is forgotten or attention diverted. For advice to be good options should present themselves. I won't want to be told there is only one way to do something. No straight forward answer should ultimately clinch it for me. I'd want insight from a variety of sources. Such as verbal and non-verbal, sentences and actions. Cautioning against something too much may have the reverse effect, every once in a while I've been known to see what will happen, even if guided to do otherwise. The same advice given to two different people may trigger different actions. My mother has said this to me "Save your money for something you really want" when I was young, like age 9, I ignored this advice because I wasn't ready for it and I "wanted" candy. My age, 18, allows me to listen better save it for college or to buy a car. The older I got the more willing I was to accept advice. It all depended on what I was thinking and feeling at a particular time or age. Or 18 year olds, like some of my friends could disregard the advice as well and just "want" to party. To me good advice comes from someone I respect or even want to be like. However, if that person is on the wrong track with advice then they could lead me astray. Their so-called good advice may be the worst advice I could ever receive. Taking advice has to be a judgment call as well as a learning process. If I were to choose the wrong path it would be no one's fault but my own. I usually want drawn out examples of situations in order to choose what advice is good for me and what is not. Yet my brother wants advice straight to the point and easy to refer back to. Then sometimes I want a little of both. To me the somewhat drawn out examples help me to choose the path to go. With more examples I'm bound to remember at least one if not more. The short, but not always sweet, explanations may leave room for interpretation which occasionally have led me to the eve of destruction.

Catcher in the Rye Essay

Author’s Background: J. D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919, in New York City, New York. Jerome David Salinger was born to Sol Salinger and his wife Miriam (J. D. Salinger). Though he was a bright young man, when he attended McBurney School, he ended up flunking out and was soon after sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania (J. D. Salinger). After graduating Valley Forge, a couple years later, Salinger finally found the right school, Columbia University, where he met Whit Burnett, who helped him take off in his writing career (J. D. Salinger). After returning to New York, his writings were published in the New Yorker magazine and other publishers. He continued to push forward with his writing career and finally, in 1951, the Catcher in the Rye was published and instantly went worldwide after World War II (American Literature). Though some critics were harsh in their reviews on the novel, it still grew more successful and vaulted Salinger into literary fame. The fame did not suit Salinger, so he remained secluded from the public. His only other published work while he was still alive was a short story called the â€Å"Hapworth. † He later died on January 27, 2010, in Cornish (J. D. Salinger). Impact of Work: Salinger’s work has had an impact on many Americans of the 20th century and today. Their are many opinions on his novel and whether or not it is considered conventional and well-written. Many agree that it is not a well-written novel, while some argue that it is very well-written and easy to connect with because his character, Holden Caulfield, points out much of the negative truth about society. His book was also considered to negatively impact society due to the fact that the man who shot John Lennon considered him to be â€Å"phony,† yet it was controversial. There was and still is an argument whether or not school’s should allow the continuation of reading this novel. Some accept this book and others don’t, but still this piece of literary work is still and will for a long time be both appreciated and neglected by some, it’s just a matter of opinion. Significance of Title: The significance of the title is easily found within he book. It is most obvious when Holden is having a conversation with his sister, Phoebe, and he tells her what he wants to do, which is to become a catcher in the rye. By this he means that in order to protect innocent children from falling over a cliff into the corruptness of the adult or â€Å"phony† world, he must catch them and save them from this stained fate. This idea that he has is crazy, and until this conversation, he did not realize the ridiculousness of his â€Å"plan. It is not until later in the book does he realize that this ambition that he has chased for so long is impossible to reach and that it’s inevitable to protect the youth from being introduced to impurity from society. Theme: One of the main themes that is found in the book is that by using introversion, one can protect oneself, yet can also hurt themselves in the process. Throughout the entire novel, Holden exemplifies this theme because even while trying to be social, Holden seems to shy away from becoming to close to any one person, including his family members. For example, at one point in the book, Phoebe hugged Holden, and he complained that she shows her affection too much. Even from the beginning of the book, it began with Holden’s alienation: while everyone else was at the football game, Holden was alone. Though the reader can see that this is the main reason for the cause of most of Holden’s internal problems, he nor anyone who does in fact associate with him, tries to correct this behavior. Other examples from the book are when he tries to call someone, and he could not even simply do that because his isolation has drove him to feel unwanted and neglected in some sort of way. He sees and criticizes so many of the corrupt people in the world that it drives him to become overwhelmed to simply speak to those he wants to connect with, such as Sally. Though he may not see that his introversion causes his mental and social decay, the reader can see that it may be the one cause for why he is so obsessed with the superficiality of society. Literary Devices: One of the literary devices that Salinger uses quite often is the use of symbolism. One of the symbols that are found in the novel are the ducks that he asks the taxi driver about. The ducks and Holden’s curiosity of them reveals his innocence, but the ducks could possibly represent the fact that there is change in the world, and though Holden does not like change, it can be noted that his curiosity would then lead to discoveries of the world, and some discoveries are likely to be negative and corrupt, while others can be innocent. Another symbol found in the book is the museum displays because they are unchanging and remain the same every time he visits the museum. These play a key role in highlighting the change that Holden goes through because he points out in the book that whenever he visits the displays, even though they have remained the same, Holden is the one that has been changing, and that creates a timidity in him when embracing the adult world. Both of these symbols are meant to highlight Holden’s development as a character, yet to also define the reasons why he is so against change in his life. Important Quotations: â€Å"‘†¦ I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all,’† (173). This quote is important because it gives the title its meaning and gives an explanation as to why Holden thinks the way he does about protecting the innocence of the children. It also exemplifies the oddness of Holden’s thought process and how blind he is to the reality of the world. The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move†¦ Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you,† (121). From the earlier reference about the museum, Holden says this before he goes on his date with Sally, and this shows how much he dislikes change in his life. Yet, it can also be noted that because Holden can conclude that the displays never change, yet whoever goes in the museum does, that he is starting to grasp that change in one’s life is inevitable. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them,† (211). This is also a major turning point in the novel because Holden finally comes to terms with the fact that it is impossible for him to protect children from encountering the impurity of the world and at this point, he then faces reality, and there is an obvious change in his character.

Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

Marriage: The Foundation of Happiness or Misery In today’s world, 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. Although the other 50 percent of marriages don’t end in divorce, not all those marriages are considered an ideal marriage. The concept of an ideal marriage has changed as time has progressed. An ideal marriage in our time is a marriage based on love and family. Most societies have always had the same perspective of an ideal marriage during their time periods. However, in Jane Austen’ Pride and Prejudice, the author defies the view of the ideal marriage of her society by giving her own perspective on an ideal marriage.In the time period of Pride and Prejudice, society viewed ideal marriage as one based on financial stability and social equality. Although Jane Austen’s view of an ideal marriage includes financial and social stability, love was a major factor as well. In the novel, Jane Austen writes about suitable marriages and unsuitable marriages. Alth ough the marriages based on wealth and social class seems suitable through society’s eyes, Jane Austen suggests those marriages to be unsuitable because of their lack of love and happiness.In the novel, many of the marriages reflect society’s view of marriage as a business affair and these marriages are quite unsuitable. Although Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have been married for 23 years, there is no mutual affection between them. Mr. Bennet married Mrs. Bennet because he was â€Å"captivated by [her] youth and beauty†¦ he married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her† (202). Mr. Bennet practically never communicates with his wife and when he does, he teases her for his own enjoyment.Their marriage was solely based on physical attraction which has now faded away. Both of these characters were mismatched in personality and in social class. However, this couple isn’t the on ly unsuitable marriage through Austen’s eyes. Mr. Collins and Charlotte are a couple that exhibits everything Jane Austen is against, which is a marriage solely based on financial and social security. Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas married each other just for their own personal gain. When Mr. Collins proposed, â€Å"Miss Lucas, accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment† (106).Charlotte was 27 and single, her future didn’t look great so marrying Mr. Collins was the best thing that could have happened. She is now set â€Å"considering Mr. Collins’ character, connection and situation in life, [she was] convinced that [her] chance of happiness with him [was] as fair as most can boast on entering the marriage state† (109). Mr. and Mrs. Collins aren’t really a couple based on love and happiness which is what Jane Austen considered suitable. She marries a man who is richer and socially higher than her. Although Mr. and Mrs.Collins’ marriage was considered ideal by society, Jane Austen thought it to be unsuitable. Jane Austen’s ideal marriage is a marriage based on love and happiness but also the aspects of society’s ideal marriage which includes financial and social stability. Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy all exhibit the qualities of marriage that are considered suitable by Jane Austen. Mr. Bingley is an extremely wealthy modest man who never judges anyone and Jane is a quiet gentle woman who never thinks badly of anyone.Both these characters are matched perfectly and are one of the rare couples in the novel who genuinely love each other though their love seems very superficial. Although Jane and Mr. Bingley exhibit an ideal marriage, their love has no depth. Mr. Bingley doesn’t seem to care about marrying a woman based on her social class or wealth. He believes love is more important than the match of social class in a marriag e. This is seen when Mr. Darcy convinces Mr. Bingley that Jane doesn’t actually love him and Bingley abandons Jane.Since love matters he doesn’t want to be with someone who doesn’t love him back. However, they had an instant connection: â€Å"it was generally evident whenever they met he did admire her; and to her it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much in love†(16). They are both in love, both happy, and are both financially secure, exhibiting an ideal marriage for Jane Austen. However there was a couple that was more ideal through Jane Austen’s eyes.Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet epitomize the ideal marriage for Jane Austen. At first, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth disliked each other and had no initial attraction towards one another. However, as the novel progresses, their attraction for each other grows and soon they fall in love. Elizabet h isn’t a woman who doesn’t want to marry just for financial security or to be higher within the social class. Her view of marriage is different than her friends; Elizabeth â€Å"had always felt that Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not exactly like er own, but she could not have supposed it possible that when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage† (110). Charlotte represents society’s view of marriage in her time period which regarded marriage as a business affair. However, Elizabeth is one of the few characters to believe that marriage is based on love. Mr. Darcy is the wealthiest man in the novel and with that kind of wealth, he could marry anyone.However, he chooses Elizabeth who is part of a lower class than him proving that he wants to marry Elizabeth because he is in love with her. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are both physically attractive, intelligent, and they both love each other dearly. T hey are the ideal couple in Jane Austen’s eyes. Jane Austen suggests the marriages that are based on social class and wealth to be unsuitable although they seem ideal through society’s eyes. Austen believed that a suitable marriage had to include love and happiness on top of financial security and social class.However, through society’s eyes â€Å"happiness in marriage [was] entirely a matter of chance† (18). Although in today’s world there are arranged marriages based on social class and wealth, most people in today’s society believe marriage to be based on a foundation of love which links back to Austen’s belief of marriage. Although Jane believed that a suitable marriage had to include love, financial security and physical attraction, today’s society believes a suitable marriage can be solely based on love for one another.

Education Is the Most Powerful Weapon Which You Can Use

Education is that plan that will improve living. Abraham Moscow said, Self actualization is the ultimate goal that man desires , then. Education is the best way to transform one s life. Discovering who you are. Breaks all form of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. It gives you that hope to keep pushing on, knowing you will become a medical doctor. Astronaut, leaver. President, banker and so on, There are many problems in our world today, we as youth need to break Out Of Our shell, move away from Our comfort zone and bring Out that wonderful idea. Rite great books, Sing songs, invent devices that will be a blessing to mankind. True education ignites one s spirit to bring a positive change. Even Nelson Mandela knew the importance Of education that Why he Said, education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world . Imagine if Mandela had no education, would he be able to change his country. In a country like ours where there are many cultural and tribal dive rsities, education is the connecting factor.Education in Nigeria is in a state of dilemma, strike by teachers and lecturers, poor facilities In our schools. This has made many youths to use their potentials for wrong purposes. O switch on your TV and radio set. Sad news Is what s see and hear, youths involved In arm robbery, oil There s always way out, we all have a parts to play, to end this consternating problems. The youths, governments, parent's. Reels. Us leaders, teachers and lecturers. Parent's should support the youths in their choc. E of career or what they love doing. The Nigerian government needs to make policies, provide funds and facilities that will revive the poor state of our education system. All teachers should be passionate in their job and keep all selfish desires away. We the youths have the biggest part to play, we should take all opportunity to learn, so as to use our potentials to create a positive change. In conclusion. Education is what we all need as youth s to improve on yourselves. Create ideas, and boost your talents. Learn new things.Remember that your potential is for positivist and not negativity. It all in your hands. Stay positive, dream big, be creative, be original. Be yourself. Use what you learn everyday as a tool to change your society, Nigeria and the world. Education Is the Most Powerful Weapon Which You Can Use to Change the Worldliness Mandela By Kamikaze From time past till now, man has always searched for some form of knowledge and skill.He has observed his environment, seen problems and improve his world. People say, education is the key to success , be it formal or informal. Changing the world is never an easy Job, but it all begins with that little step you take. Education comes from observation; you see a problem as an Abraham Moscow said, Self actualization is the ultimate goal that man desires , then, education is the best way to transform one s life. Discovering who you are, breaks all pushing on, knowing you will become a medical doctor, astronaut, lawyer, president, banker and so on.There are many problems in our world today, we as youth need to break out of our shell, move away from our comfort zone and bring out that wonderful idea, write great books, sing songs, invent devices that will be a blessing to Mandela knew the importance of education that why he Said, education is the most in Nigeria is in a state of dilemma, strike by teachers and lecturers, poor facilities in you switch on your TV and radio set, sad news is what is see and hear, youths involved in arm robbery, oil theft,terrorism,prostitution,fraud.There is always way governments, parent's, religious leaders, teachers and lecturers. Parent's should support the youths in their choice of career or what they love doing, the Nigerian poor state of our education system. All teachers should be passionate in their Job change. In conclusion, education is what we all need as youths to improve on yourselves, create ideas, and boo st your talents. Learn new things. Remember that dream big, be creative, be original, be yourself. Use what you learn everyday as a tool

Life Imitates Art, Movies Imitate Life Essay

Imagine a world where clothes were non-existent, and it did not matter if your outfit was the current flair, or if your shoes were the latest style. Our culture would halfway cease to exist. The western culture puts so much emphasis on fashion, our lives begin to move and mold themselves around it. Fashion is like art on the body, and making a masterpiece out of what you wear. â€Å"From the materials employed in clothing manufacture to the process by which our garments are made to the social values that dictate what we â€Å"should† look like, fashion has surrounded us and consumed us for generations. (Shmoop Editorial Team 2008) A perfect example of popular culture can be revealed in American Fashion. This is impeccably displayed in the motion picture, based on the novel written by Lauren Weisberger, produced by Wendy Finerman, The Devil Wears Prada. The basic plot of the movie and novel is about a plain jane, just out of college, smart, not fashion savvy, woman (Andrea Sachs) who applies for a job as junior assistant to the editor-in-chief (Miranda Priestly), at a fashion icon magazine â€Å"Runway†, in New York and gets it. She is told repeatedly â€Å"a million girls would die for [her] job† (Finerman, 2006) and if she lasts a year, she will be able to get a job at any magazine. Andrea, in her own way is a counterculture of the people at Runway magazine in the movie. She deviates from the norm of the fashion and mainstream subculture. She tolerates their demanding ways, and demeaning comments of her diet and style, until she breaks and gives in and asks for help. She is given a makeover, by the art director, Nigel, and her new style and job begin to strain her relationship with her boyfriend and her friends. The few scenes that depict her break down and her makeover, is when people begin to notice her, and treat her better once she is wearing the latest fashion. Her hair was cut and styled, she started to watch what she ate, and shaped herself into a fashionista. She began to adapt to their standards, and dressing. She sticks with the job and increasingly spends more time working, whilst climbing the career ladder. This is set perfectly with our commercial culture and the ideology of humans and how our world works. Andrea was a non-conformist in the beginning and frowned upon because she did not wear the latest fall fashion. Once she started to wear the clothes, and shoes, she became well liked. She ultimately conformed to the fashion world. While at a benefit, Andrea ends up being Miranda’s saving grace and is offered to take the other assistants (Emily) spot to Paris. Andrea refused at first, in fear of hurting Emily’s feelings, and is forced to give in because if she does not go, Miranda will terminate her. Before leaving for Paris she takes a break from the relationship with her boyfriend. During her trip to Paris, she has relations with another writer she had met through her work and finds out about a plot to ruin her editor-in-chief. She tries to warn her and ends up finding out Miranda knew the whole time. Miranda ends up fixing her situation by double-crossing her art director, Nigel, and giving a job promised to him to someone else to save her job. Andrea is floored and cannot believe Miranda would do that to her friend. Miranda points out to Andrea that she already did, she did it to Emily. Right there Andrea quits, and leaves it all behind. Once Andrea returned to New York, she reunites with her boyfriend. In the conclusion, she is at a job interview when she is told her previous employer stated â€Å"she was by far her biggest disappointment, but that he would be an idiot not to hire her. † (Finerman, 2006) Throughout the entire movie Andrea is immersed in the fashion world. In the beginning of the movie there is a scene where the art director, Nigel, gives Andrea a pair of black, sling back stilettos. She at first refuses and says â€Å"I don’t think I need these. Miranda hired me, she knows what I look like. He responds â€Å"Do you? † (Finerman, 2006) This one scene indicates a perfect example of ideology. Nigel is setting the social order, because it is the norm of which the people in their occupation wear. I believe it is best stated by Shmoop University, â€Å"From our underwear to our Levi’s to our sneakers, what we wear has, for centuries, spoken volumes about who we are, what we do, and what we want. Whether Americans have dressed to make a political statement, to assert their class status, or simply to be irreverent, every style has carried a certain social meaning. (Shmoop Editorial Team 2008) The entire movie is immersed in popular culture and culturalism. In every scene there is examples of mass culture, commercial culture. It can even be said that ethical egoism is also expressed in the film. Ethical egoism, in short, is the view that perhaps not all persons seek their own self-interest but all should do so (Lee Archie and John G Archie, 2003). This is best represented when Miranda betrays Nigel in the end, in order to retain her job. She may not have had ill intentions and most likely did not want to make that decision, but in the end for her own self-interest, she made someone else sacrifice for her. The film reflects attitudes of our American Society. It depicts how simple a dress can make and transform a woman. Another movie and television series that is popular and uses fashion to influence, is â€Å"Sex in the City. † The show would emphasize certain brands, names, and styles and it caused a massive explosion of commercial paraphernalia. It clearly articulates how fashion matters in our day to day lives. Some people would like to disagree, but we even base our terms and language on fashion. â€Å"Terms like â€Å"white collar† and â€Å"blue collar† connote not just a line of work but a person’s class status, and remind us that we tend to make assumptions about a person’s income, line of work, and social position based on the way he or she dresses. † (Shmoop Editorial Team 2008) Regardless of your gender, sexuality, race, religion, pop culture exists in your life more than you know.