Saturday, November 30, 2019

University Of Chicago. Obama Foundation Scholars Program 2018

University Of Chicago. Obama Foundation Scholars Program 2018 It was recently announced that the Obama Foundation Scholars Program will be launched in 2018. The interested candidates are invited to submit their applications in order to take part in the unique and innovative one-year experience. This new program at the Harris School of Public Policy is aimed at gathering emerging leaders in order to provide them with a quality education. The main idea of the program is to support the studying of talented young scholars and facilitate the global positive change that they can potentially bring to the world. The idea behind the program The Scholars Program gives an opportunity to receive an additional training, gain new skills and develop the extraordinary abilities of those who already help the community. It is important to support the young rising leaders in order to make positive changes in the society and in the world in general. As President Barack Obama put it, â€Å"This partnership will give young people from around the world who are already making a difference in their communities the opportunity to take their work to the next level†. Subjects The subjects covered will include economics, global conflicts and international development, to name a few. The main emphasis is on the fields the development of which can potentially facilitate solving complex global problems. How to apply Online application needs to be submitted.Unofficial transcripts may be required to be submitted through the electronic application process.Official transcripts will be required upon the admission of the enrolling students.Test scores need to be provided for the international students.A resume which includes your work experience as well as professional honors, community service activities and other relevant information.Three letters of recommendations are preferred to be sent through the electronic application. At least one reference must be from a previous professor who can describe your academic achievements.Two short essay responses need to be provided. You are supposed to tell about your current place of work and what impact you would want to make in the world. Timeline The program is supposed to be launched in the fall of 2018; however, the applications need to be submitted before April 17, 2018.The notifications of the admission will be received on May 31, 2018.The latest date when you can confirm the acceptance is July 1, 2018.The Harris Welcome Week will start on September 27, 2018.The classes will begin on October 1, 2018. If you feel that you are one of those who can greatly contribute to the positive change in your community and the world, make sure you apply on time. Perhaps, you are the one who is supposed to change the world for the better.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Second Grade Science Fair Projects

Second Grade Science Fair Projects Second-graders tend to be very curious. Applying that natural inquisitiveness to a science fair project can yield great results. Look for a natural phenomenon that interests the student and have him or her ask questions about it. Expect to help a second-grade student plan the project, and offer guidance with a report or poster. While its always nice to apply the scientific method, its usually OK for second-graders to make models or perform demonstrations that illustrate scientific concepts. Here are some ideas appropriate for second-graders: Food These are experiments with things we eat: What factors affect the rate at which foods spoil? You can test heat, light, and humidity.Identify the characteristics that distinguish a fruit from a vegetable. Next, use these characteristics to group different produce items.Test eggs for freshness using the float test. Does it always work?Do all types of bread grow the same types of mold?What is the best liquid for dissolving a gummy bear? Try water, vinegar, oil, and other common ingredients. Can you explain the results?Do raw eggs and hard-boiled eggs spin the same length of time and number of times?A mint makes your mouth feel cool. Use a thermometer to see if it actually changes the temperature. Environment These experiments focus on processes in the world around us: Put a pair of old socks over your shoes and go for a walk in a field or a park. Remove the seeds that attach to the socks and try to figure out how they attach to animals and what the plants they come from might have in common.Why doesnt the ocean freeze? Compare the effects of motion, temperature, and wind on freshwater compared with salt water.Collect insects. What types of insects live in your environment? Can you identify them?Do cut flowers last longer if you put them in warm water or cold water? You can test how effectively flowers are drinking water by adding food coloring to it and using white flowers, such as carnations. Do flowers drink warm water faster, slower, or at the same rate as cold water?Can you tell from todays clouds what tomorrows weather will be?Collect a few ants. What foods most attract ants? Least attract them? Household These experiments are about how things work around the house: Do clothes take the same length of time to dry if you add a dryer sheet or fabric softener to the load?Do frozen candles burn at the same rate as candles that were stored at room temperature?Are waterproof mascaras really waterproof? Put some mascara on a sheet of paper and rinse it with water. What happens? Do eight-hour lipsticks really keep their color that long?What type of liquid will rust a nail the quickest? You could try water, orange juice, milk, vinegar, peroxide, and other common household liquids. Miscellaneous Here are experiments in various categories: Do all students take the same size steps (have the same stride)? Measure feet and strides and see if there seems to be a connection.Do most students have the same favorite color?Take a group of objects and categorize them. Explain how the categories were selected.Do all students in the class have the same size hands and feet as each other? Trace outlines of hands and feet and compare them. Do taller students have larger hands and feet or does height not seem to matter?

Friday, November 22, 2019

Hypotaxis in English Sentence Structure

Hypotaxis in English Sentence Structure Hypotaxis also called subordinating style, is a grammatical and rhetorical  term used to describe an arrangement of phrases or clauses in a dependent or subordinate relationship that is, phrases or clauses ordered one under another. In hypotactic constructions, subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns serve to connect the dependent elements to the  main clause. Hypotaxis comes from the Greek word for subjection. In The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics,  John Burt points out that hypotaxis can also extend beyond the sentence boundary, in which case the term refers to a style in which the logical relationships among sentences are explicitly rendered.In Cohesion in English,  M.A.K. Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan identify three primary types of hypotactic relation: Condition (expressed by clauses of condition, concession, cause, purpose, etc.); addition (expressed by the non-defining relative clause); and report.They also note that hypotactic and paratactic structures may combine freely in a single clause complex. Examples and Observations on Hypotaxis One December morning near the end of the year when snow was falling moist and heavy for miles all around so that the earth and the sky were indivisible, Mrs. Bridge emerged from her home and spread her umbrella. Evan S. Connell, Mrs. Bridge (1959)Let the reader be introduced to Joan Didion, upon whose character and doings much will depend on whatever interest these pages may have, as she sits at her writing-table in her own room in her own house on Welbeck Street. Joan Didion, Democracy  (1984)When I was around nine or ten I wrote a play which was directed by a young, white schoolteacher, a woman, who then took an interest in me, and gave me books to read, and, in order to corroborate my theatrical bent, decided to take me to see what she somewhat tactlessly referred to as real plays. James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son (1955)Samuel Johnsons Hypotactic StyleAmong  the innumerable practices by which  interest or envy have taught those who live upon literary fame to disturb each other at their airy banquets, one of the most common is the charge of plagiarism. When the excellence of a new composition can no longer be contested, and malice is compelled to give way to the unanimity of applause, there is yet this one expedient to be tried, by which the author may be degraded, though his work be reverenced; and the excellence which we cannot obscure, may be set at such a distance as not to overpower our fainter lustre. This accusation is dangerous, because, even when it is false, it may be sometimes urged with probability.   Samuel Johnson, The Rambler  (July 1751) Virginia Woolfs Hypotactic StyleConsidering how common illness is, how tremendous the spiritual change that it brings, how astonishing when the lights of health go down, the undiscovered countries that are then disclosed, what wastes and deserts of the soul a slight attack of influenza brings to view, what precipices and lawns sprinkled with bright flowers a little rise of temperature reveals, what ancient and obdurate oaks are uprooted in us by the act of sickness, how we go down into the pit of death and feel the waters of annihilation close above our heads and wake thinking to find ourselves in the presence of the angels and the harpers when we have a tooth out and come to the surface in the dentist’s arm-chair and confuse his Rinse the mouth rinse the mouth with the greeting of the Deity stooping from the floor of Heaven to welcome us when we think of this, as we are so frequently forced to think of it, it becomes strange indeed that illness has not taken its place with love and battle and jealousy among the prime themes of literature. Virginia Woolf, On Being Ill, New Criterion (January 1926) Oliver Wendell Holmes Use of HypotaxisIf you have advanced in line and have seen ahead of you the spot you must pass where the rifle bullets are striking; if you have ridden at night at a walk toward the blue line of fire at the dead angle of Spottsylvania, where for twenty-four hours the soldiers were fighting on the two sides of an earthwork, and in the morning the dead and dying lay piled in a row six deep, and as you rode you heard the bullets splashing in the mud and earth about you; if you have been in the picket-line at night in a black and unknown wood, have heard the splat of the bullets upon the trees, and as you moved have felt your foot slip upon a dead mans body; if you have had a blind fierce gallop against the enemy, with your blood up and a pace that left no time for fear if, in short, as some, I hope many, who hear me, have known, you have known the vicissitudes of terror and triumph in war; you know that there is such a thing as the faith I spoke of. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., The Soldiers Faith (May 1895)Holmes, a thrice-wounded officer of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteers, knew whereof he spoke, certainly. The passage [above] is drawn up like lines of battle, if clauses (the protasis) that one has to pass one-by-one before reaching the then clause (the apodosis). The syntax is, in the literal sense of the Greek, a line of battle. The sentence ... seems to map a series of Civil War skirmish lines. This is hypotactic arrangement for certain. Richard A. Lanham, Analyzing Prose (2003) Parataxis and HypotaxisTheres nothing wrong with parataxis. Its good, simple, plain, clean-living, hard-working, up-bright-and-early English. Wham. Bam. Thank you, maam.[George] Orwell liked it. [Ernest] Hemingway liked it. Almost no English writer between 1650 and 1850 liked it.The alternative, should you, or any writer of English, choose to employ it (and who is to stop you?) is, by use of subordinate clause upon subordinate clause,  which itself may be subordinated to those clauses that have gone before or after, to construct a sentence of such labyrinthine grammatical complexity that, like Theseus before you when he searched the dark Minoan mazes for that monstrous monster, half bull and half man, or rather half woman for it had been conceived from, or in, Pasiphae, herself within a Daedalian contraption of perverted invention, you must unravel a ball of grammatical yarn lest you wander forever, amazed in the maze, searching through dark eternity for a full stop.Thats hypotaxis , and it used to be everywhere. Its hard to say who started it, but the best candidate was a chap called Sir Thomas Browne. Mark Forsyth, The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase (2013)Classical and 18th-century hypotaxis suggests the virtues of balance and order; biblical and 20th-century parataxis (Hemingway, Salinger, McCarthy) suggest a democratic leveling and an inversion of natural power relations (the voice of the expatriate, the disillusioned, the outlaw). Hypotaxis is the structure of sober refinement and discrimination; parataxis the structure of intoxication and divinely inspired utterance. Timothy Michael, British Romanticism and the Critique of Political Reason  Ã‚  (2016) Characteristics of Hypotactic ProseHypotactic style allows syntax and structure to supply useful information. Instead of [a] simple juxtaposition of elements by way of simple and compound sentences, hypotactic structures rely more on complex sentences to establish relationships among elements. Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca (1969) observed, The hypotactic construction is the argumentative construction par excellence. Hypotaxis creates frameworks [and] constitutes the adoption of a position. James Jasinski, Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies  (2001)The subordinating style orders its components in relationships of causality (one event or state is caused by another), temporality (events and states are prior or subsequent to one another), and precedence (events and states are arranged in hierarchies of importance). It was the books I read in high school rather than those I was assigned in college that influenced the choices I find myself making today two actions, one of which is prior to the other and has more significant effects that continue into the present. Stanley Fish, How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One  (2011)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Why do Urban Chinese Households save so much Dissertation

Why do Urban Chinese Households save so much - Dissertation Example Life Cycle Hypothesis Theory, and Overlapping Family Models, as well as a Literature Review on basic economics will be submitted to help develop an understanding of the behavioral patterns of this section of the Chinese population. The paper will conclude in a futuristic manner, contemplating whether the phenomenon will continue beyond 2015, when it is projected that the present working population group would have aged, and seeking to retire. The reference sources were chosen from a wide field, so that the best views of the technical minds available could be extracted and used to arrive at the conclusions made. It also enable comparisons to be made to see if there consistency in applications. Where this is observed it is highlighted to serve as concept reinforcements. Thanks must be given to my Professors as well as others who have provided timely support to make this project a reality. A. Introduction It would seem superficially that the Chinese government had designed a program to generate an extremely high propensity to save among its population, as well as in the national economy, during the last 30 years of the history of the country, but this may be far from being true. Analysts and Economists worldwide have become engaged in finding the answers as to why the Chinese Urban Household is saving so much? China’s unprecedented economic growth between 1978 and 2007 has not been matched by the levels of economic reforms which would have stabilized its financial and insurance markets, according to Wei, Yi (2011). During this growth period, the country’s foreign reserve increased dramatically from $2 billion to $2.4Trillion- a1000 fold increase, and propelled the nation into the position as being one of the world’s largest foreign reserves holder (Wen, Yi, 2011). Chamon and Prasad (2008), reports that between 1995 and 2005 the average urban household savings increase by 7% to about one quarter of disposable income, despite the rapid economic growth, and low government capped interest rates offered by banks (Chamon, M. Prasad, E. 2008). Experts opinion as to why the Urban Chinese household has been saving so much include biological motivations, men engaging in marriage marketing, Confucian philosophical beliefs, social imbalance, government policies, economic uncertainties, sex ratio imbalance, urban household behavioral issues, market and economic variations. Models have been designed and developed to explain the behavior of urban Chinese households, but do they successfully account for all the variables and how they affect each other in different provinces, under different birth orders, the number of children, and the educational and financial status of parents, remains to be seen. The roles of the firms and the government regarding the wages paid to workers, as well as the removal of the benefits of the social net may also be the real reason why the savings patterns had developed under the puzzling eyes of the global experts. It is also worth contemplating whether the reliability of a model should

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

International Law , A treaty is basically an agreement between parties Assignment

International Law , A treaty is basically an agreement between parties on the international scene. Although treaties may be co - Assignment Example Sources of international law are referred as materials as well as procedures by which a state tends to impose certain guidelines and rules in order to regulate the international trade community. Moreover, international law is also characterised as a kind of obligation which exists between two or more states. It comprises international institutions which play major roles administrating the issues regarding legal matters in terms of global telecommunication, human rights and ‘the law of the sea’. It is a decentralized form of law which is developed by the states generally in the form of global conferences, treaties and usual international law enactments1. Based on this context, the study concentrates on the nature and operation of the treaties as a valid source of international law. Literature Review It is in this context that various studies have been conducted with the sole intention to understand the implications of international law in relation to the treaties signed b y two or more states. ... trines regarding the sources of international law studied by various scholarly writers concentrating on the conditions under which treaties and basic guidelines of the law acted as a hierarchy. As stated by Kennedy (1987), the ‘International Court of Justice (ICJ)’ whose operation is determined according to the international law, court is bound to be applied under the four sources i.e., ‘global conference’, ‘international custom’, ‘general guidelines of the law’ and ‘judicial decisions’. Notably, all these four sources have been mentioned in Article 38(1) of the Statue of the ICJ. Moreover this article also states that as per the enumeration of these sources, ICJ should be scrutinized in order to find the necessary legal concerns to resolve the cases of the states involved through treaties2. According to D’Amato (1962), treaties are often enacted as a source of ‘General Rules of the International Lawâ€℠¢. It is in this context that the example of the ‘Nottebohm Case’ which took place in the year 1955 is regarded as a significant illustration of ICJ’s judgements regarding treaties. Undoubtedly, this case has been considered as an isolated instance regarding the utilization of the treaties. It was fundamentally owing to the reason that this case was related with the report regarding the international tribunals where one party(s) supports the argument of the treaty while the other party(s) perceives a contradictory view concerning similar aspects. In addition, D’Amato (1962) affirms that customary international laws only recover the small section of the global functioning norms and frequently concentrate upon the interference of rules and regulations of the treaty within the field of customary practices. In modern times certain areas of

Saturday, November 16, 2019

British & independence Essay Example for Free

British independence Essay Through this education, Douglass witnessed and later identified the hypocrisy that came from a country that fought the British for independence, yet was unwilling to extend that right to his own people as well as the hypocrisy that existed in Christianity in which the religion was used by slave owners, to justify the continuation of the institution. In this book, Douglass touches on a number of important subjects. This includes but is not confined to, Douglass’ view on friendship, power of the mind and body as well as what exactly it means to be a man as well as an individual of African descent. Can the two coexist with each other? And if so, what measures must a man go in order to secure these rights? Douglass would spend his lifetime answering that question for himself as well as for every Africana American who had been adversely affected by the crippling racism that was so much a part of America’s past. Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech â€Å"What to the Slave is the 4th of July† is further proof that African Americans at that time, were not docile and meek. Douglass spoke in ways that had deprived the African American slave since 1624. In this speech, there lie two distinct and separate halves. The first half, Douglass speaks in glowing terms about America’s forefathers as fearless patriots. However, one of the words that continues to be used when describing the holiday and then men and women of the Revolution who helped to shape it, was the second person possessive: â€Å"you† and â€Å"yours. † â€Å"Oppression makes a wise man mad. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. † Douglass is setting up the audience and the reader for the real heart of his speech and to help show the sheer irony in asking a former slave, at a time when nearly four million African Americans were still enslaved, to speak on the 4th of July. After ending with his pleasantries and speaking in positive terms about the founding fathers as they relate to White America, Douglass sharply changes his diction and leads a verbal assault on the irony of not only America, but of Christianity, a faith that Douglass holds close to his heart. Douglass, after giving a history lesson to his audience; a lesson that had been glorified to nearly spiritual heights by that time, Douglass changes his tone and then speaks to a passion that is also close to his heart: American slavery. I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery- the great sin and shame of America. † Douglass is speaking to the irony of both America and those who â€Å"Christians of the land† who Douglass refers to as believers who either own slaves or who support the institution of slavery and asks for his audience to witness the irony as well. Douglass, throughout the rest of his speech, attacks slavery and the fact that he is even asked to speak on such an occasion as the 4th of July as there is no other national holiday at that time that would be more ironic for Douglass to speak upon. â€Å"What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty; an unholy license†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Throughout the rest of the speech, Douglass speaks to the irony at speaking on the 4th of July, of the hypocrisy that exists in both America and the church whose aspects supports slavery and points to England who in the 1830’s had already abolished slavery. In Douglass’s 1855 book My Bondage My Freedom, he speaks about his life and the various factions that he aligned himself. Even though there were aspects of the Christian church that supported and defended slavery, the abolitionist movement in the immediate decades before the start of the Civil War, was almost entirely a Christian movement. This writing of Douglass speaks at length about his relations with abolitionists; both important to American history and those whose efforts that went unnoticed by the historians but to Douglass, served as a chief motivator for himself to become an abolitionist. Douglass first heard the word abolitionist while under the possession of Mr. Auld, his master. â€Å"Every little while, I could hear Master Hugh, or some other of his company, speaking with much warmth and excitement about â€Å"abolitionists. † Of who or what these were, I was totally ignorant. I found, however, that whatever they might be, they were most cordially hated and soundly abused by slaveholders. † Douglass, as it is seen in every book within his biography, that he was not a timid man and that the pursuit of freedom through the collection of action, spurned on my action, was his life goal. It would only be a matter of time before Douglass would become closely aligned with the abolitionist movement. Frederick Douglass was able to first make a name for himself by his aligned with the most famous abolitionist of his day: William Lloyd Garrison; the editor of The Liberator. Douglass commented about this friendship, which although possessing its share of internal conflict, was one of the most advantageous for Douglass as well as for Garrison. â€Å"Mr. Garrison followed me, talking me at his text; and now, whether I had made an eloquent speech in behalf of freedom or not, his was one never to be forgotten by those who heard it. † From this, Douglass was able to write an account of him and of the experiences that he had taken part in. This is the most important aspect of the life and times of Douglass. Had he not written down his experiences, he never would have been able to gain a foothold into the public arena concerning this most important issue. It is through the words and writings of Douglass that he is still remembered today. This would not have been possible, had Douglass never been able to align himself with the various connections that were offered to him through his association with the abolitionist movement. â€Å"In a little less than four years, therefore, after becoming a public lecturer, I was introduced to write out the leading facts connected with my experience in slavery, giving names of persons, places, and dates- thus putting it in the power of any who doubted, to ascertain the truth of falsehood of my story of being a fugitive slave. † Even though it is a fact that many people, even some within the abolitionist movement, did not believe Douglass’ account of his life in slavery, Douglass’ first book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, printed in 1845, was so popular, five additional printings followed in the next calendar year. His experience, coupled with the way in which he was able to speak and write about his experiences, made for a very effective combination. If any of the above mentioned were missing, the name of Frederick Douglass would not be remembered today. It is through the life experiences as skill that such a good man, was made great, both by time and circumstance. In both of the abovementioned works, Douglass speaks unapologetically, about the immoral, unfair and unconstitutional aspects of slavery in America. England has freed its slaves and America even officially abolished the slave trade, out of the belief that there is something which speaks against the liberty of people, an issue which all Americans have come to believe to be sacred. Why then are such rights not extended to the slave? The abolitionist movement was unrelenting in its appeal to free the slaves. There is debate concerning exactly what other rights even the most outspoken white abolitionists, were willing to extend to the slave. What is not in doubt, is that the when famous and connected abolitionists, blended their abilities with the abilities and unflinching convictions of Douglass, contemporary audiences, as well as those who would follow, are left with one of the most important American orators and authors because Douglass, unlike other famous fiction writers, spoke about what was true and all too apparent in American society; American slavery which sprouted forth from the soil of racism, prejudice and ignorance. Douglass sought to kill that weed and perhaps second only to Martin Luther King Jr. can the husbandry of a single person, be given the credit of putting to an end, those weeds which would serve as impediments to the flowering opportunity that America gives to its citizens.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Thermodynamics :: physics thermodynamics

The word thermodynamics is derived from the Greek words therme, meaning heat and dunamis, meaning power. Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on systems at the macroscopic scale by studying the motion of their particles. A system is the subject of study. Heat means energy in transit and dynamics relates to movement of particles; thus, in essence thermodynamics studies the movement of energy and how energy instills movement. Thermodynamics describes how systems respond to changes in their surroundings. This can be applied to a wide variety of topics in science (physics and chemistry) and engineering, such as engines, phase transitions of matter, chemical reactions, and transportation. The study of thermodynamics is separated into two branches: the classical and the statistical thermodynamics. Classical thermodynamics was the original study of thermodynamics in early 1800s. It was concerned with thermodynamic states, and properties as energy, work, and heat, and with the two laws of thermodynamics. However, classical thermodynamics lacked an atomic interpretation of the processes. Classical thermodynamics derives from the research done by physicist Robert Boyle. He developed the concept that the pressure P of a given quantity of gas varies inversely to its volume V at constant temperature. In other words this equation was derived: PV = k, a constant. From here, the thermo-science began to develop with the construction of the first successful atmospheric steam engines. The first and second laws of thermodynamics emerged simultaneously in the 1850s. With the development of atomic and molecular theories in the late 19th century, thermodynamics was given a molecular interpretation, which the classical thermodynamics lacked. This field is called statistical thermodynamics, which can be thought of as a bridge between macroscopic and microscopic properties of systems. Statistical thermodynamics is focused around the macroscopic results. The statistical approach is to derive all macroscopic properties (temperature, volume, pressure, energy, entropy, etc.) from the properties of moving particles and the interactions between them in the given system. Statistical thermodynamics was found to be very accurate and successful; therefore it is widely used by scientists around the world. Thermodynamics is a branch of physics which deals with the energy and work of a system. It was born in the 19th century as scientists were first discovering how to build and operate steam engines. The term thermodynamics was first used by James Joule to express the relationship between heat and power. The history of thermodynamics begins with a German scientist who designed and built the first vacuum pump.

Monday, November 11, 2019

A Smart System for Now and the Future

What organization would turn away from a system which eliminated waste? In today’s business climate of doing things faster, better and at less cost and with less waste, the Lean system of management and/or manufacturing has been proven to eliminate overproduction, wasted steps and movements, unnecessary transport and conveyance times, and waiting periods. Sayer and Williams (2007) in their book, â€Å"Lean for Dummies† demonstrate the advantages of this concept. Sayer and Williams (2007) compare the Lean concept of business and organizational strategy to the physical and mental strength of the athletic or physically fit:   There is nothing there that cannot be used, no excess fat, and no waste (p. 10). Where previous business practice involved the mass production of a product to be sold to the masses, management would find they were often left with extra inventory. Inventory not sold is a lost profit potential, the inventory itself requires space to store and is yet another waste, and a surplus of inventory results in price fluctuations that may not be beneficial to the organization. With Lean thinking, the process of manufacturing or managing product development is completely customer driven with the focus on the needs of the customer and the advantage to the customer if competitive advantage is foremost. The culture of an organization, according to Sayer and Williams (2007), must value individual creativity and empowerment to secure a satisfied customer base. Lean thinking eliminates the traditional hierarchy of corporate management and embodies individual work teams where individual creativity can flourish. Lean management also reduces the risk of occupational injury by virtue of scaling back wasted steps and movements of individual employees. Continual process improvement and quality assurance monitoring embody the importance of employee empowerment to secure this satisfied customer base. Sayer and Williams (2007) underscore how Lean management systems are able to make continuous process improvements during projects or work floors by utilizing Six Sigma practices. Project management via team leaders periodically meet at their workstations or places of project development and participate in worksite analyses, value stream mapping interpretation and otherwise focus on project improvement. A project can be improved or redesigned mid-project if necessary, further boosting performance, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction. Using impact and effort assessments, Six Sigma practitioners can determine what is the least effort required – in terms of costs, inputs, and employee needs – to have the greatest impact to a project and, ultimately, the satisfaction to the customer. Six Sigma uses data analysis, logical cause analysis, and other trending tools to determine value-added potentials to a project (p.97.) Utilizing value stream mapping, an organization or manufacturer works toward the goal of flow, without stoppage, without broken equipment and an increase in multitasking (p. 41). Understanding flow and data will dictate where waste can be eliminated (p. 80). Henry Ford, according to Sayer and Williams (2007), was the primary pioneer of Lean manufacturing concepts. Given the technology of his day, Ford was able to increase the quality of his cars at a reduced cost to the purchasers by managing and reducing waste at his manufacturing plant (p. 17). Ford understood the value-added effects of less waste of time and effort would have on his employees and his customers (p.17). Ford understood his plant should not waste space for production, not waste the time his employees took to move about workstations or between workstations, and have the necessary tools to do the job but without excess implements that might go unused (p.44). According to Sayer and Williams (2007), Lean thinking requires a corporate or organizational culture of quality. The Toyota manufacturing system uses Lean thinking as a new paradigm of manufacturing excellence, relying on continuous improvement and thinking where everyone is a problem solver. Toyota applies â€Å"Just in Time† concepts to Lean manufacturing, where the right part is assembled by the right person at the right time (p. 35). Relying on elimination of waste as its goal, Lean thinking demands the right combination of quality and service. â€Å"The customer is willing to give you their money for your product or service only when they believe it’s a fair exchange of value,† (Sayer and Williams, 2007, p.14). The customer ultimately has a need for a particular product or service and sets the tone for meeting that need and defines the purpose of the product development or production. According to Sayer and Williams, (2007), it is imperative to identify who the customer is and to determine what the customer considers valuable in order to apply Lean concepts to an organization (p. 28). All of these concepts require constant data gathering; the tallying up of effort, process distribution, causation of outcomes, and work sampling. According to Sayer and Williams (2007), data, portrayed in a diagrammatic visual aid such as a Scatter Plot, provides conclusions and predictions about what can happen next (p. 185). Pareto Charting allows a visual representation of where are actual costs (p. 183). Lean thinking is about constant evaluation of data. Lean concepts cannot be adopted by an organization without development of a culture of trust and respect. These values must be demonstrated toward employees as well as customers. In order for management to go beyond stated or implied principles, they must demonstrate trust and respect toward employees. According to Sayer and Williams (2007), fundamental applications of Lean corporate values are demonstrated when the organization fosters â€Å"personal safety, employee security, challenges and engages employees, celebrates wins, offers continuous growth and education, exercises effective communication† (p. 215). Lean thinking is not limited to manufacturing cars or widgets. As Sayer and Williams (2007) point out, â€Å"The future of Lean across all industries are limitless† (p. 311). As Lean thinking is seen as not the next gimmick of business practice but the future of business practices, Lean practices will be seen in industries such as health care, engineering, construction, and other industries wishing to increase performance and decrease costs to achieve customer satisfaction. In the field of health care, for example, Lean practices result in reduced errors, reduced waiting times, increased staff productivity and increased patient education (p. 310). Lean practices are seen already as a method to eliminate waste, reduce cost, and those values translate to customer satisfaction in almost every industry. Lean practices have been put into place by industry leaders many years before the term ‘Lean’ was coined. Lean practices are the answer to reduced overproduction, reduced wait times, fewer steps between workstations and reduced transport times. References Sayer, N. and Williams, B (March 2007). Lean for dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc.                           

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Philosophy assignment one Essay

Aristotle begins the study of politics with the household and its parts as the parts of the whole, the city, is composed. His discussion of the family gives three kinds of rule that is found in the household, master over slave, husband over wife and father over child. Aristotle provides an intellectual and rational means to the good life and the best society, or politics is autonomous and self-sufficient, that is, it is an activity independent of other spheres of human endeavor, and thus a sphere possessing knowledge and a technique independent of other forms of knowledge. To Aristotle community is based on reason. So, to Aristotle the polis and the logos are inextricably interwoven. The expansion or acquisition of property could be said to be internal dissension and internal strife, which deems salutary to the power and growth of Rome while laments the strife and factionalism that was a direct cause contributing to the fall of the republic. This stress on strife and conflict is significant in that is shows that the internal conflict over acquisition is transformed into an external conflict for acquisition. Aristotle’s view of society called the substantial form or the soul of the human body was conceived in such a way that the human being was seen to depend on the community for the satisfaction of its needs. Natural law forms the basis of all positive law, and whenever a positive legal stipulation contradicts this natural law, it loses its legal validity. It is possible to deduce objective natural law, valid for humanity as a whole, from teleological ethical basic principle. Aristotle defends politics by considering whether human beings are natural slaves and by repelling the economic view that all nature is the property of man. With property and money in Aristotle’s opinion, nature does require and permit property, but she does not require humans to acquire many possessions for the sake of their economic wellbeing. She may, however, require and permit the pursuit of another kind of wealth in virtually unlimited quantities. The tools, or wealth, that human beings use are secured by the art of moneymaking. But how human beings use wealth and therefore to some extent how much they use would seem to be determined by the household manager. So it is somewhat unclear whether moneymaking is properly the same as, a part of, or a subsidiary of household management. Both the household and the city are properly concerned with the perfect preservation of human beings and their rulers presumably acquire and use all things for that end. Nature has made all things for the use of human beings. We need as much of what moneymaking provides us as is necessary for life and for the good life secured in the household and the city. If the things that human beings can possess or use are of great variety, as indeed they seem to be and if it is the task of moneymaking to contemplate where useful things and property come from, then moneymaking must contemplate virtually all of visible nature and seek its cause or causes. However useful to economics and politics moneymaking may be, the study of nature or natural philosophy, to which moneymaking gives rise might return to its beginnings in economics. Human beings can use their skills to acquire nourishment and the store of things useful for life and the good life in various ways, nature seems to facilitate their consumption of her resources. Humans and other animals are said to be able to procure nourishment with ease and even according to their choice. Humans can combine various nourishments and the means of procuring them in order to live more pleasantly. Among the perfectly acceptable mans are robbery, the use of all inferior beings in nature, and even war against intransigent inferiors. These means are not contrary to nature and do not amount to expropriation from a hostile nature. Nature seems to sanction these means as necessary. When nature’s selfishness becomes all too apparent a second kind of acquisition comes into being. Nature’s failure to guarantee the self-sufficiency of each individual necessitates exchange. Although not by nature, exchange is according to nature, fir it serves her end of preservation. True moneymaking emerges reasonably from exchange or barter but becomes something different. Exchange, especially with foreigners is facilitated by the invention of money. Once its value has been agreed upon and signified by an impression on its face, money becomes the measure and standard for the value of the necessary things traded. Money and all other things come to be used to make more money and the generation of money from money, or interest, becomes comparable to natural genesis. Moneymaking and devotion to money, it appears, are as limitless as the natural human desires for life and pleasure. Money assumes central importance because it is thought to ensure satisfaction of the original desire for preservation carried to its logical conclusion, the desire for immortal happiness. Aristotle acknowledges that the culmination of moneymaking in usury is hated, but he himself does not condemn the unlimited form of moneymaking. He even teaches the art of trade, a form of moneymaking. He does, however, contend that it is an error to equate money with true wealth. Locke contends that there is a natural law derived from reason regulating the relations of individuals in the natural condition. The law of nature contains three distinct but interrelated commands. Locke claims that the power to execute the natural law is every mans, whereby each individual has the right to punish anyone who violates the natural law by threatening one’s self-preservation or harming another in their life, liberty or possessions. In regards to private property it involves both the explicit renunciation of property claims and implicit recognition of the equality of the private party to agreements. Locke may mean no more than that any explicit agreement with another regarding one matter includes implicit recognition of the property integrity of the various parties. Locke may intend a more expansive construction of the meaning of implicit recognition such that any explicit assertion of property integrity by one state produces an implicitly renunciation by that state of any property claim against any other. Locke assumes that every individual must have property of its own.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

How Sunscreen Works and What SPF Means

How Sunscreen Works and What SPF Means Sunscreen combines organic  and inorganic chemicals to filter the light from the sun so that less of it reaches the deeper layers of your skin. Like a screen door, some light penetrates, but not as much as if the door wasnt present. Sunblock, on the other hand, reflects or scatters the light away so that it doesnt reach the skin at all. The reflective particles in sunblocks usually consist of zinc oxide or titanium oxide. In the past, you could tell who was using a sunblock just by looking, because the sunblock whited out the skin. Not all modern sunblocks are visible because the oxide particles are smaller, though you can still find the traditional white zinc oxide. Sunscreens usually include sunblocks as part of their active ingredients. What Sunscreens Screen The portion of the sunlight that is filtered or blocked is ultraviolet radiation. There are three regions of ultraviolet light. UV-A penetrates deeply into the skin and can lead to cancer and premature skin aging.UV-B is involved in tanning and burning of your skin.UV-C is completely absorbed by the earths atmosphere. The organic molecules in sunscreen absorb the ultraviolet radiation and release it as heat. PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) absorbs UVBCinnamates absorb UVBBenzophenones absorb UVAAnthranilates absorb UVA and UVBEcamsules absorb UVA What SPF Means SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. Its a number that you can use to help determine how long you can stay in the sun before getting a sunburn. Since sunburns are caused by UV-B radiation, SPF does not indicate protection from UV-A, which can cause cancer and premature aging of the skin. Your skin has a natural SPF, partially determined by how much melanin  you have, or how darkly pigmented your skin is. The SPF is a multiplication factor. If you can stay out in the sun 15 minutes before burning, using a sunscreen with an SPF of 10 would allow you to resist the burn for 10 times longer or 150 minutes. Although the SPF only applies to UV-B, the labels of most products indicate if they offer broad-spectrum protection, which is some indication of whether or not they work against UV-A radiation. The particles in sunblock reflect both UV-A and UV-B.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

3 Things You Need to Do Before You Apply For a New Job

3 Things You Need to Do Before You Apply For a New Job If your current job isn’t keeping you challenged and on your toes, stepping out into the field might be a great idea. So take a deep breath, make sure you’re sure you want to quit  your job, and do the following three things. 1. Re-evaluate your current gigWhat did you love about this job? Can you remember why you were excited about it in the first place? What did you learn? These questions will help you to make the best choice about your next gig. By being honest about the good and bad aspects of your current job, you’ll know better what you’re really looking for with your next.2. Don’t burn any bridgesYou need to look for new connections and new mentors, but you also need to keep up the relationships you already have. Be as active as possible in recruiting new talent into your network, and getting yourself out there in your new industry or work group, but don’t let your existing network fizzle. You’ll never know when you might need those contacts.3. Come out in the openThe hardest part will be telling your current boss that you are leaving- or thinking about leaving. But it is much better to be up front about this. It’s the classy and professional move. Your boss will thank you for the lead time to fill your position- and a month to six weeks notice is much better than the standard two.As long as you’re honest with yourself and your current boss, you can walk clear-eyed and contented into your next opportunity.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

How Will Astronomy Archives Survive the Data Tsunami Case Study

How Will Astronomy Archives Survive the Data Tsunami - Case Study Example Archives operate within an environment where resources, mostly financial are limited (Chaisson & McMillan, 2011). When the response time for astronomy queries increases, so is the cost of obtaining data from the archives. This impresses on the need to search for further technological techniques, which are more efficient and cost effective. Various performance degradation issues associated with the growing trend are indicated by the archived astronomical data. First, there is growth in the usage of the archived data, increasing the access and queries associated with the archived data sets. This effectively reduces the efficiency of data access, while also increasing the response time involved in queries (Berriman & Groom, 2011). The decreased efficiency and increased response time has the effect of making the study into this field less efficient, thus discouraging the widening of the knowledge base in astronomy. Most significant is the fact that, the growth in archived astronomical da ta increases the demand for such data, encourages the creation of more sophisticated queries and analysis techniques, which in turn increases the storage, computation and database costs (Berriman & Groom, 2011). This serves to make the access to archived astronomical data more expensive for users. Additionally, the increased volume of archived astronomical data means that it is now more accessible, thus influencing the research undertaken in this field, since most researchers are now using the archived data to undertake their research, at the expense of newly acquired data (Chaisson & McMillan, 2011). This practice is detrimental to the growth of astronomy, since new research and enquiries are rarely made, thus making new discoveries and innovations in this field impractical. The effect of this is to limit the knowledge base of the astronomy field, while also enhancing the regurgitation of data and provision of redundant and irrelevant study findings (NRC, 2011). The essence of rese arch is to promote new enquiries and discoveries in certain field, with a view to creating new knowledge, while also enhancing creativity and innovation in solving the problems associated with the field (Berriman & Groom, 2011). With a continued publication of more papers using the archived data sets, the hope of new discoveries and innovations in this field is extinguished. The increased volume of archived astronomy data has also caused performance degradation of various astronomical data institutions such as NASA’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) and Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), through affecting their reporting abilities (Berriman & Groom, 2011). Following these performance degradation issues, a need for alternative archival techniques has risen. One such alternative archival technique is graphical processing units (GPUs), which is a technique developed to enhance the output of an image that occurs on a display device (Berriman & Groom, 2011). Neverthele ss, while this technique is meant to help in reducing the inefficiencies associated with large volumes of archived astronomical data, the technique has proved to be ineffective due to various reasons. First, the technique is only applicable in graphic-like