President Obamas First Executive Order

Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13489 on Jan. 21, 2009, one day after being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. To hear the conspiracy theorists describe it, Obamas first executive order officially closed off his  personal records to the public, especially his  birth certificate. But what did this order actually aim to do? In fact, Obamas first executive order had exactly the opposite goal. It aimed to shed more light on presidential records, including his own, after eight years of secrecy imposed by former President George W. Bush. What the Order Said Executive orders are official documents, numbered consecutively, through which the President of the United States manages the operations of the federal government. Presidential executive orders are much like the written orders or instructions issued by the president or CEO of a private-sector company to that company’s department heads. Starting with George Washington  in 1789, all presidents have issued executive orders.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt, still holds the record for executive orders, penning 3,522 of them during his 12 years in office. President Obamas first executive order merely rescinded an earlier executive order severely limiting public access to presidential records after they left office. That now-rescinded executive order, 13233, was signed by then-President George W. Bush on Nov. 1, 2001. It allowed former presidents and even family members to declare executive privilege and block public access to White House records for virtually any reason. Rescinding Bush-Era Secrecy Bushs measure was criticized heavily and challenged in court. The Society of American Archivists called Bushs executive order a complete abnegation of the original 1978 Presidential Records Act. The Presidential Records Act mandates the preservation of presidential records and makes them available to the public. Obama agreed with the criticism, saying, For a long time now, theres been too much secrecy in this city. This administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information but with those who seek it to be known.The mere fact that you have the legal power to keep something secret does not mean you should always use it. Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency. So Obamas first executive order didnt seek to shut down access to his own personal records, as conspiracy theorists claim. Its goal was exactly the opposite—to  open up White House records to the public. Authority for Executive Orders Capable of at least changing how the laws enacted by Congress are applied, presidential executive orders can be controversial. Where does the president get the power to issue them? The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly provide for executive orders. However, Article II, Section 1, Clause 1 of the Constitution relates the term â€Å"executive Power† to the president’s constitutionally-assigned duty to â€Å"take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.† Thus, the power to issue executive orders can be interpreted by the courts as a necessary presidential power. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that all executive orders must be supported either by a specific clause of the Constitution or by an act of Congress. The Supreme Court has the authority to block executive orders that it determines to exceed the Constitutional limits of presidential power or involve issues that should be handled through legislation.   As with all other official actions of the legislative or executive branches, executive orders are subject to the process of judicial review by the Supreme Court and can be overturned if found to be unconstitutional in nature or function.   Updated by Robert Longley

Essay about Macbeths Queen - 3071 Words

Macbeths Queen There are two main characters in William Shakespeares Macbeth, one of which is Lady Macbeth. Let us in this paper study her character in detail. Blanche Coles states in Shakespeares Four Giants evaluates the character of Lady Macbeth: A woman who could speak as Lady Macbeth does, who could call upon the spirits that tend on mortal thoughts to unsex her and fell her from head to foot full of direct cruelty, who could entreat these same spirits to stop all avenues of remorse so that no compunctions of conscience will interfere with the carrying out of her purpose, who could call upon the night to wrap itself in the murkiest, gloomiest smoke of hell in order to hide, even from the keen knife†¦show more content†¦The passions are directed to their true end. Lady Macbeth is merely detested; and though the courage of Macbeth preserves some esteem, yet every reader rejoices at his fall. (133) L.C. Knights in the essay Macbeth describes the unnaturalness of Lady Macbeths words and actions: Thus the sense of the unnaturalness of evil is evoked not only be repeated explicit references (natures mischief, nature seems dead, Tis unnatural, even like the deed thats done, and so on) but by the expression of unnatural sentiments and an unnatural violence of tone in such things as Lady Macbeths invocation of the spirits who will unsex her, and her affirmation that she would murder the babe at her breast if she had sworn to do it. (95) In Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action Francis Fergusson specifies the fears within Lady Macbeth: I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and againstShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeares Macbeth Essay757 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeares Macbeth Macbeth was a â€Å"butcher†, however he became that way as a result of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was a fiend-like queen whose evilness declined after the murders. In the end of the play, however, Macbeth’s transformation was complete and he was a butcher. Main Body Topic 1 ================= Macbeth’s transition from good to evil by Lady Macbeth:  · Ambition was his only reason for killing the king – â€Å"I have no spur To prick the sidesRead MoreMacbeth And Lady Macbeth By William Shakespeare1343 Words   |  6 Pagesthe two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This husband and wife duo begins the play as polar opposites. 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A fiend canRead MoreEssay on Macbeth: Lady Macbeth and Evil914 Words   |  4 Pagesmake her male. One of the most vivid descriptions of Lady Macbeths wickedness is directly after Macbeth announces to her he does not want to kill Duncan.This speech epitomizes Lady Macbeths evilness. She is ruthless, and her evil accounts for the murders that occur throughout the play Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is far more savage and ambitious than her husband, yet she convinces Macbeth to commit the murders that will make them king and queen. Macbeth is without his wifes cruel and uncompassionateRead MoreLady Macbeth And Lady Macbeth : How Crime Murders Relationships1544 Words   |  7 PagesHow Crime Murders Relationships Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows the journey and downfall of the titular protagonist, and it illustrates the effects of Macbeth’s descent into villainy on his once loving and close relationship with Lady Macbeth. As their initially mutually trusting and co-dependent relationship deteriorates through the progression of the three great crimes, Shakespeare demonstrates how murder can permanently destroy a person and their relationships. Leading up to the murder of DuncanRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare972 Words   |  4 Pagesprominent theme in the whole play is that of the â€Å"unsexing† of Lacy Macbeth’s character. Lady Macbeth wants to act in such a way that is not connected to her gender; we see this and how it relates to the plot and her part in both the rising action and climax in the book. Lady Macbeth tries very hard to unsex herself and yet in the end, she becomes the epitome of what women were seen as, weak and at fault. Shakes peare writes Lady Macbeth’s character so that she is to blame for many things that happen andRead MoreEssay on Macbeth Issues867 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth, there are many issues that may have had an affect on the play. The complex marriage between the power hungry Macbeths, lady Macbeth’s dominant character directing Macbeth in the murders, the role reversal during the murders, Macbeth’s reaction to his wife’s death, and male and female marriages for authority. When analyzed these issues help describe the Macbeth’s relationship. They are the very issues that eventually lead to the â€Å"Great Tragedy†. The relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth isRead MoreFeminism in Macbeth1712 Words   |  7 Pagesof Lady Macbeth, marriage is Macbeth’s big mistake. Lady Macbeth turns his courageous conquests on the fields of war into butchery. Mangled by the blood-spotted hands of his wife he becomes a traitor to himself, the people around him, and even her. In the beginning they both desire power and Lady Macbeths starts to put evil thoughts in her husband’s head. Eventually Macbeth turns into a guiltless monster, which ironically causes Lady Macbeth’s downfall. Lady Macbeth’s life centers completely on herRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Lady Macbeth1100 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, this is not an accurate statement. Lady Macbeth does begin as an ambitious and callous fiend. Throughout the story, Lady Macbeth’s character changes dramatically into a shell of her former self. Lady Macbeth character evolves from an ambitious villain, to a neutral entity, and finally to a remorseful, unstable person. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth’s character is established as strong, cruel, and ambitious. When the letter from her husband comes, she is already making a planRead MoreEssay On Greed In The Great Gatsby1101 Words   |  5 PagesWilson demonstrates the deadly sin of greed through her affair and aspiration to acquire luxuries from Tom. In comparison, Lady Macbeth illustrates the deadly sin of greed through her strong desire to become Queen of Scotland. In the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth learns of Macbeths prophecy through a letter that claims he will become King. Lady Macbeth states, Lady Macbeth: Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear; and chastise with the valor of my tongue, all that impedes thee

Sentencing Paper Free Essays

Sentencing Paper Deadrian Williams CJS/ 200 3/3/2013 Bryan Maglicco Six Forms of Punishment Fines are one of the oldest forms of punishment, the use of fines as criminal sanctions suffers from built in inequities and a widespread failure to collect them (Schmalleger, 2011). Fines can deprive offenders of the proceeds of criminal activity, and also promote rehabilitation by enforcing economic responsibility (Schmalleger, 2011). People have to pay fines when they break minor laws, such as driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, disturbing the peace, public drunkenness, and vandalism (Schmalleger, 2011). We will write a custom essay sample on Sentencing Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Capital punishment is the death penalty. Capital punishment is the most extreme of all sentencing options (Schmalleger, 2011). Capital punishment is sentenced when someone comments a capital offense. In 2008, for example, a twenty eight year old man was sentenced to death in the atrocious murder of a ten year old girl in what authorities said was an elaborate plan to cannibalize the girls flesh (Schmalleger, 2011). Today, the federal government and 35 of the 50 states permit execution for first degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated rape, the murder of a police or corrections officer, or murder while under a life sentence (Schmalleger, 2011). Probation is another form of punishment. Probation means testing the behavior or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer (Wikipedia, 2013). Offenders are ordinarily required to refrain from firearms, and may be ordered to remain employed, have a curfew, live in a decent place and not leave the jurisdiction (Wikipedia, 2013). Incarceration is another form of punishment. Jails are shorter lock up centers ran by counties and operated by sheriffs (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). Usually inmates that are in jail are waiting to go to trial who were unable to make bail, people with misdemeanors, and felons who violated probation (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). Also people re incarcerated in prisons who are convicted felons. Prisons are operated by the state (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). Community service is another form of punishment. Community service is paying your debt back to society for the wrong doings that a person does, by doing work that benefits the community (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). People doing community service clean up highways, cut grass, plant trees and flo wers, and wash away graffiti. People who are punished with community service have a certain amount of hours they must do to complete the community service order. Failure to complete community service can lead to possibly jail time and more fines. Reducing recidivism Recommendations on how to modify the sentencing process would be to look at the record of the defendant and also the severity of the crime when sentencing. If someone has committed a murder or a rape, or kidnapping then they should get the severest sentence possible even if it is their first time because those crimes are against people. Families have been destroyed because of what the person did. Good behavior should not play in the sentencing of these offenders. They did not think about the victims when they committed the crime so the courts should not give them a break because of good behavior. If the sentencing process was stricter and focused more on the offender punishment and not what other people would say and feel about the crime then it would be a lot less crimes. References Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences. (2013, March 4). Retrieved from Cliffnotes. com: http://m. cliffnotes. com Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal Justice Today. Prentice Hall. Wikipedia, (2013). How to cite Sentencing Paper, Essay examples

E-Technologies have Changed Modern Social Life and Remedies

Question: How E-Technologies have Changed Modern Social Life and Remedies. Answer: The advent of electronic technology, also known as e-technology, has significantly changed how human beings interact with each other and how they stay connected. However, with the proliferation of these technologies, one would imagine these tools would help people to have a better understanding of other cultures, communicate effectively with other people, maintain and enhance familial relationships, and help most people to be more socially adept. However, that has not been the case. These communication devices have caused many people to get distracted, be increasingly stressed, and be overly isolated. Impact on Social Life The use of e-technology has several positive and negative consequences. Some people have been able to find long-lost friends through e-technology platforms, especially social networking sites, and this has enabled them to reconnect and live happy lives again. In communities where people are highly mobile, and friends and family members work or live in different geographical areas, they find it quite convenient to use e-technology so as to keep in touch. Since it requires only a few seconds to pass across a message and subsequently receive feedback, it removes the barrier of distance (Rocha 2013; Atkinson and Castro 2004). In addition, these tools make everyone equal. As a result, it is easy to communicate with people from a wide variety of backgrounds using these devices. When people are interacting over the Internet, for example, it is difficult for them to know whether they are more senior than the other party. With a professionally developed website, a junior person can appear well informed on the Internet as other experts as there is no way they can be judged based on their age, skin color, race, and more other similar factors (Hertlein and Blumer 2014). However, there are also problems that are associated with this technology. Most people on social media consider perception to be the reality. Many people agree that many users on their social media networks are not their real friends. However, social networking sites have added a new meaning to friend. They consider two people to be friends or not friends, which make people to consider perception to be reality (Turkle 2012; Roberts 2010). Studies indicate that these sites create a platform for promiscuous trust relationships that eventually contribute to cheating on significant others, which have lead to many cases of divorce. The number of people who have been fired from their jobs and given warnings for using these tools or posting something that undermines their professional standings is also on the increase. These problems arise because users consider each other as friends online (Turkle 2012; Woolgar 2002). While the loss of jobs and divorce are serious issues, other problems that the potential to stem from social media such as narcissism are more common than them. Most websites encourage narcissism, a condition in which someone exhibits extreme interest in another persons appearance and oneself. This behavior leads to lust, cybersex addiction, and other obscene reactions. Some experts consider that most people also use social networking sites to display their popularity to their audience instead of using them as a vehicle to develop real, meaningful relationships (Woolgar 2002). Creating meaningful relations is about people sharing their lives with their friends and acquaintances. It is possible to use technology to do that through photos, music, text, and videos. A recent survey has indicated that those who have to know each other for years more easily connect through e-technology than those who have never met (Thomson 2006). However, online communities and virtual worlds cannot offer an opportunity to many people to overcome a sense of isolation. Individuals who successfully find others online with similar hobbies and interests may feel good but does not necessarily have a positive effect on their social skills and social development. The greatest problem comes when people find themselves subtly substituting electronic relationships for physical relationships. Too much electronic relationships also engender a sense of social isolation (Lickerman 2010). There is also the risk of Identity hijacking, which allows people to pick the personal information of an individual and use it to create another profile. Since many people trust what their friends post on social media, malicious users can use this strategy to execute their plans on others with almost no detection (Adam and Smith 2008; McCloud 2013). E-technology is a risk factor for Internet gaming addiction. Internet gaming is an instance where people can encounter serious social setbacks. Most young people who are addicted to these games find it easy talk about romantic relationships of some virtual world games, but when they are granted an opportunity for deep, respectful, and meaningful conversations, they are inept. While linking their poor social skills to these games might appear a little far-fetched, research has pointed out several negative social impacts of some videos on young people. One recent study indicates that playing violent video games is a leading risk factor for later physical aggression for both boys and girls (McQuade et al. 2012). The same research, however, also implies that linking gaming to poor social skills can miss the big picture. There are instances where people can take part in real activities such as football, and when the social problems that arise from these activities are the same or worse than those of gaming, gaming can help in relationship building (McQuade et al. 2012). Electronic television also has both positive and negative impact on social development. Studies indicate that families that take a limited amount of time watching wholesome programs have healthier relationships than those that do not. Other researchers, however, think that television is contributing significantly to the rotting of social values, which in turn makes it difficult to build useful relationships. Since many people spend more time watching television than with others on their communities and television is a passive medium, it provides almost no opportunity for meaningful interaction while watching. This element of passiveness can have a negative impact on the social skills of people. Television denies viewers the opportunity to learn how to relate to and deal with others (Willard 2007). Exposure to Internet games can cause some serious negative effects on peoples social lives. Exposure to shows that present sexual content can increase teen pregnancies. In addition, some people who see violent behavior accepted in a virtual community are often prone to mimic. If everyone were to mimic the immoral behaviors that are presented in many shows, the society would lack morals and many peoples lives would be destroyed Willard 2007). Phishing, an act of stealing sensitive information through a medium that presents itself a legitimate authority, is another common problem. For a phishing scheme to succeed, there must be an appearance of legitimacy and also trustworthiness of the delivery medium. Modern schemes depend on detailed personal information for targeted attacks. When one is so readily willing to disclose has phone numbers, interest, education history, and addresses, they find the work easy. Although there are no reported damages caused by phishing using these sites, it poses a real danger. Since over 15,000 people sign up on Facebook daily, the attacks and their severity are set to increase (Carlson 2008). E-technology is also a threat to physical security. When people frequently update on Twitter about where they will be at a particular time, it helps malicious people to figure out where one is. It creates opportunities for kidnapping, assault, and burglary (Willard 2007). Overcoming the Threats and Risks While studies have not successfully established a common ground about all the harmful and beneficial effects of e-technologies, these technologies remain to be the main tools that families will continue to use to make life choices and opportunities. In the modern world, people have no option other than to use electronic technologies to interact with public institutions as paper applications and many other communications are no longer accepted. Technology is becoming the only efficient means through which people can apply for jobs, share neighborhood news, do schoolwork, gather together, and share the news about family celebrations and problems. Because of this, supplies of e-technologies are looking for ways to overcome the risks and threats associated with these tools so as to ensure people make the best use of these technologies without the fear of encountering any negative consequences (Ioannides 2006). Suppliers of electronic technologies are seeking to overcome these threats and risks. These sites provide a high level of access control. Facebook, for example, encourages users to configure its privacy settings to have control on who can access some or all of their personal information. In addition, these sites require people to use their real names. The information they contain is either mostly real or easily identified as fake. Most people have almost no reason to falsify information on Facebook for the purpose of keeping up with their friends in a trustworthy manner. Myspace and LinkedIn users also strive to use their real names. According to research, only eight percent of Facebook users have fake names, and 89 percent use real names. The rest uses partial names (Ioannides 2006; Cross 2013). One can also use browsing scope settings to limit the ability of people to view information across spans in any group. A user can decide that his detailed personal information can be viewed up to a specific number of degrees away. LinkedIn requires authorization for any user that is not a direct connection, which is a good control in this category. While this one may not prevent some users from hijacking a profile and gaining access to it, it effectively helps to prevent widespread automated information harvesting (Cross 2013; Lewis 2014). Combined with the low level of education and shoddy privacy settings, these sites provide the perfect ground for collecting information and breading attacks. Supplies of e-technologies recommend that at the application level, one can avoid identity hijacking, phishing, and information theft by enforcing Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozillas phishing control. Services like PhishTank and BlueCoat also provide network and application blacklisting that one can use as an added protection (Lewis 2014). The first remedy for identify hijacking is verification of emails. Users should check for valid addresses. In addition, they check for valid addresses in profiles they interact with. Another solution is having strong passwords and avoiding the sharing of passwords across many sites. VeriSigns Personal Identity (PPI) and OpenID can solve this issue. The work of OpenID is to provide a central location for high-grade security login credentials. PPI, on the other hand, performs two-factor authentication. These social media sites also encourage users to take precaution when dealing with people virtually, even they that claim to be friendly or that we know them. When verifying any sensitive information, people should take special care (Mathews 2013). Physical attack is a problem that can be solved by toning down details posted on sites like Twitter and Facebook about an individuals whereabouts. Ones status updates should not contain specific details and need to be posted only after that fact (Rockelmann 2013). Conclusion According to this analysis, e-technology has the potential to either improve or harm peoples social lives. Malicious users can leverage these tools as an attack vector. Ranging from information theft and identity hijacking to plastic relationships and Internet addiction, e-technology poses a real yet quite exclusive form of social security threat. On social media networks, one can access a massive amount of personal information, and the lack of effective and easy to use security devices makes these sprawling applications an ideal sandbox for malicious people. There are several countermeasures. However, the best one is user education. E-technology users need to know the consequences of posting detailed personal information and treating strangers as friends. Whether users get a friend request or potential phishing messages, they ought to appreciate that the proper ways of safeguarding themselves and their friends and relatives from attack. Another major method is suppliers of these technologies enhancing security measures. They understand the risks involved, and it is appropriate to follow their advice and also use the security features on the applications appropriately so as to be able to get the most benefit from technology. Technology has changed over the years, and at each stage, it has made life much easier and accessible. However, suppliers of e-technology need to continue advancing these popular and ever changing applications to safeguard the interests of everyone. Bibliography Adams, Tyrone, and Stephen A. Smith. Electronic tribes: the virtual worlds of geeks, gamers, shamans, and scammers. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008. Atkinson, Robert D., and Daniel Castro. "Digital Quality of Life: Understanding the Personal and Social Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution." SSRN Electronic Journal, March 09, 2004. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1278185. Carlson, Linda. Internet safety and your family: how to protect kids and adults from electronic bullying, cyber crime, identity theft, addictions. Place of publication not identified: Parenting Press, 2008. Cross, Michael. Social media security leveraging social networking while mitigating risk. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Syngress, 2013. Hertlein, Katherine M., and Markie L. C. Blumer. The couple and family technology framework: intimate relationships in a digital age. New York: Routledge, 2014. Ioannides, Marinos. The e-volution of information communication technology in cultural heritage. where hi-tech touches the past: risks and challenges for the 21st century: 30. October - 4. November 2006, Nicosia, Cyprus. Budapest: Archaeolingua, 2006. Lewis, E. E. How safe is safe enough?: technological risks, real and perceived. New York, NY: Carrel Books, 2014. Lickerman, Alex. "The Effect Of Technology On Relationships." Psychology Today. June 08, 2010. Accessed April 06, 2017. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201006/the-effect-technology-relationships. Matthews, Carole Boggs. Facebook for seniors: quicksteps. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. McCloud, Ace. Gaming addiction, online addiction, internet addiction: how to overcome video game, internet, and online addiction. United States: Ace McCloud, 2013. McQuade, Samuel C., Sarah Gentry, James P. Colt, and Marcus K. Rogers. Internet addiction and online gaming. New York: Chelsea House, 2012. Roberts, Kevin J. Cyber junkie: escape the gaming and internet trap. Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2010. Rocha, A?lvaro. Advances in Information Systems and Technologies. Heidelberg: Springer, 2013. Rockelmann, Richard W. Facebook policy and user knowledge: self-inflicted totalitarianism. 2013. Thomson, Bob. Growing people: learning and developing from day to day experience. Oxford: Chandos, 2006. Turkle, Sherry. Alone together: why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York: Basic Books, 2012. Willard, Nancy E. Cyber-safe kids, cyber-savvy teens: helping young people learn to use the Internet safely and responsibly. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Woolgar, Steve. Virtual society?: technology, cyberbole, reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Business Culture free essay sample

An analysis of the importance of understanding other cultures in the business world by examining a hypothetical takeover by a large international firm of a smaller American one. This paper explores a (hypothetical) takeover of a small American company that makes Arts and Crafts style furniture and objects dart by a large, French-based maker of primarily modern furniture as well as reproductions of 18th and 19th century furniture. The concept of culture is defined and examined for its vital role in developing proper business etiquette. This paper looks at the hurdles which face people during such a takeover and methods which can be used to overcome them. Culture is one of the most difficult of all terms to define because it encompasses all of human thought, behavior and material goods. There is no vantage point outside of culture that allows us to view it, for it encompasses everything we understand. Culture is the complex whole of human existence that includes but is not limited to all of human knowledge, belief, language, art, morals, laws, customs and habits that are possessed by individuals in their roles as members of human societies. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Culture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Culture is simply the entire way of life of a particular time or group of people, all of the customs, ceremonies, works of art, inventions, technology, and traditions that are held in common by a certain group of people at an historical moment.

X-Napster essays

X-Napster essays The infamous Napster under attack for its pirating of music from famous musicians needs to be shut down. Piracy is a major issue of moral standards, right, and wrong in the entertainment world. Napster is well known for its sharing of MP3 files through the Internet; taking, receiving, and bootlegging. Over 70% of college students said they use Napster at least once a month. The majority of its users are aware that Napster is an illegal bootlegging website, the federal government says. The U.S. Copyright Office says Napster's operations are clearly illegal under the very law Napster hopes will make its senior executives and well-heeled investors filthy rich which was written in 1992 saying that if a person wants to compile music to a personal CD for self then its ok. But in that law there was never any mention of legal dissemination to obtain the music. I oppose Napster because they have no coherent or viable plan to compensate artists. If Napster makes money off the dissemination of an artists copyrighted material then the artist should participate in those profits. (Currently Napster does not make a profit, however the fact that they raised at something like $40,000,000 in capital to finance their operation suggests that their investors obviously intend to make a profit one day). But the million dollar question is; should Napster be shut down because of its illegal sharing of files The answer is YES. BURNED CDs are a major issue in the U.S. To download from a website, and save it to a CD, or your computer. Personal music a person has made up, or created by himself is legal to save. But copyrighted music on the other hand is illegal. Commercial radio stations generate revenue off of the use of copyrighted material. Through longstanding arrangements with BMI and ASCAP a portion of that money (however small) is shared with the son ...

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing & Entrepreneurship - Coursework Example Additionally, all of the staff have insurance covers. The company uses non-toxic and environmental friendly products. These products do comply with the current Health and Safety legislation and COSHH guidelines. This means that the company is a bleach-free, and all of its products are non-toxic and biodegradable. However, the company has not specified the name of the products they use. The company charges according to the workload. They mainly come assess the cleaning work and then charge the client based on their assessment. Spark Cleaning is a cleaning service company that has been in existence for five years. The company mainly focuses of domestic and commercial cleaning. Some of their services and products include; deep cleaning end of tenancy, spring cleaning services, after build cleans, student cleans, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly interior window cleaning (Sparkcleaning.co.uk, 2015). One of the major competitive advantages of the company is that it partners with Leeds’ trusted local specialists. This allows the company to offer additional services for professional oven cleaning and carpet cleaning. Additionally, they have trained staff who have been vetted for both commercial and domestic cleaning. Cleaning Hero is a cleaning service company that mainly focuses on the commercial cleaning industry (Dearlove, 2015). In commercial cleaning, the company deals with office cleaning, carpet cleaning, retail cleaning, leisure cleaning, deep cleaning, window cleaning, and communal cleaning. The company’s competitive advantage of the company is that it offers client tenure of 4 years, they have a public liability insurance, they have affordable rates, and they have advanced online client portal for easy invoicing. Colliers Cleaners is a company located in Bradford. The company focuses on domestic cleaning, regular cleaning and commercial cleaning (Yelp.com, 2015). However, the main

Take home mid term Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Take home mid term - Essay Example This was during the Second World War. On the other hand, Soviet Union scientists were busy also developing their own nuclear weapons. The USA undertook the Manhattan project in secrecy since Britain and America did not trust the Soviet Union despite their allegiance at the time (Haass 67). America was the only nation after World War II which had nuclear power. It hoped that with the possession of nuclear weapons, it would manipulate and draw concessions from the Soviet Union. However, this was not to be the case since the Soviet Union also was continuously working behind the scenes to develop their own nuclear weapon. The Soviet Union was initially unable to build its own atomic weapon since the war limited its access to uranium. Thus, after the end of World War II, uranium deposits in Eastern Europe became readily available. The Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear bomb in 1949. Subsequently, both the United States of America and the Soviet Union commenced the construction of a hydrogen bomb. The United States tested the hydrogen bomb on November 1952. Also, the United States gain tested another hydrogen bomb in 1954 on bikini atoll. The introduction of the ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) was a major development during the arms race period (Weir Jr 87). Unlike bombers, missiles were seen as better carriers of nuclear warheads. To show the world that they could deploy a missile which could reach anywhere in the world, the Soviet Union launched into the earth orbit the sputnik satellite in 1957. The USA launched its version in 1959. The notion behind the nuclear arms race during the cold war was for supremacy purposes. The country with the largest arsenal would manipulate the other. Also, the mutual assured destruction concept or notion ensured that both the United States and the Soviet Union could not attack each other. Although both nations invested heavily in military defence programs, none of these were secure (Caldicott

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

JavaScript - Essay Example In the course of its development however, it has gone beyond the realm of simple interactive web features to become a â€Å"respected programming language used by corporations and developers across the globe to make incredible applications† (Resig, 2006, p. 3). JavaScript 2.0, the next major release, is currently under development. The success of any scripting language lies in its compatibility across different browsers, operating systems and platforms. A language developed by Netscape and Mozilla Foundation, JavaScript is naturally fully supported on all Netscape and Mozilla browsers (Lemay, 1996, p. 8). Increasing popularity however pushed other web browsers to support the language or implement a dialect that is compatible with ECMAScript. ECMAScript is yet another scripting language developed by Ecma International; according to a Wikipedia (2009) article, JavaScript is in fact just a dialect of ECMAScript. In this section, we shall examine whether JavaScript is a truly cross-platform application. We shall begin by checking popular browsers for JavaScript support. Netscape Navigator and Mozilla Firefox are, as mentioned, out of the question, leaving us only with Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome and Opera. Internet Explorer. JScript, an ECMAScript dialect, is Microsoft’s answer to JavaScript’s popularity. Because JScript and JavaScript are derived from ECMAScript, the two have minor differences. In other words, an IE browser may, to some extent, read a code differently from a Firefox browser. Thankfully, McFedries (2001) confirms that these differences are trivial and that commonly used JavaScript codes will still run smoothly on non-Mozilla or non-Netscape browsers. Safari. About two years ago, Safari, a browser developed by Apple, was made available to Windows. Luckily, â€Å"Safari uses Apples WebKit for rendering web pages and running JavaScript†, as stated in a Wikipedia

Mobile Phone Technology: Beneficial Or Harmful?

Mobile Phone Technology: Beneficial Or Harmful? No doubt, the last few decades have witnessed remarkable progress in technology. The telecommunications industry in particular has rapidly expanded. Over the years, the application of technology has increased economic activity in many countries. A vibrant telecommunications plays key role in business, trade and commerce. Mobile phones offer people convenience by saving time. Mobile phone has many features such as calls, short message service (SMS), multimedia message service (MMS), chat messengers which make it easy to disseminate information to an individual or group of people. In addition they can be used to report emergency situations. On the other hand, the use of mobile phones does not come without disadvantages. Driving while on the phone could be risky. Mobile phones are used to perpetrate crime and other tragic events in society. There are also claims that mobile phones may have some negative health implications. This essay will discuss positive and negative features of mobil e phone, during that it will highlight some of its progression from the past until the present. Mobile phones were first introduced into the UK in the mid-1980s. There was a small group who attracted by mobile phone whereas a significant number of subscribers. However, with the introduction of digital networks (The Global System of Mobile Communications, GSM) as well as the entry of additional service providers into the market in the 1990s, the number of subscribers  [1]  increased. The GSM technology as an operating system has over 340 networks in 137 countries, Stewart, W (2000). Since the late 1990s the use of SMS or text messaging has witnessed extraordinary growth. In Norway, for example, it is reported that approximately 280, 000 text messages are sent every hour in a country that has a population of only 4 million, Ling, R (2004). SMS is the preferred medium of communication among teens because it offers unique benefits: it is more cost effective than voice telephony; it does not require the immediate attention of the receiver. The major disadvantages are that it is relatively difficult to draft a message and the message length is limited to 160 characters. In addition to short messaging, multimedia message services (MMS) allows users to send and receive pictures, drawings, music and the likes. Now with the arrival of smart phones with internet facilities, the mobile phones industry has created a mobile information society (The Economist, 1999). It is apparent that the main advantage of mobile phones is their convenience. According to Ling, R (2004), mobile phones help to coordinate activities on the fly and provide flexibility in the planning of the days tasks. It enables people to check and respond to mails as well as pay bills online wherever they are. Apart from making payments, many customers can now monitor and manage their bank accounts through their mobile phones. Even in shopping, they play a vital role; customers can place orders by dialling the shopping malls or receive information about special offers through their mobile devices. Those who like watching movies can dial to find out what is on the local cinema and reserve their tickets. In emergency situations, the use of a mobile phone may reduce the time it takes to alert emergency services of a motor accident, a fire incidence or other dangerous occurrences including crimes (Stewart, 2000). Thus mobile phones help in the safety and security of lives and propert y. Furthermore, mobile phones facilitate work functions. In fact, mobile technology is said to be revolutionising the way people work as it saves time and gets work done even when workers are mobile. Many companies now operate a virtual work place as an alternative to expensive physical structures and office facilities. This is very common with companies that have an ever-widening workforce. It can be argued that mobile phones work best for itinerant managers or business executives, consultants, and travelling salesmen as the core of their functions have to do with establishing key business relationships and partnerships. Thus mobile phones make relationship building easier. However, frontline workers often express their dissatisfaction with virtual communication, stressing that it hinders creative interaction and makes them feel isolated. Mobile phones are not only useful to corporate sector workers, but also to blue collar workers. Plumbers, house builders, security workers, taxi drivers and other casual workers also make use of mobile phones in carrying out their day to day work activities. In addition, mobile technology helps in social networking and keep people more closing than in the past for example, friends and families become more rely heavily on mobile devices to keep contact and arrange dates or appointments. Ling (2004) notes that mobile telephones have improved social interaction and access to peer group especially among teenagers in Scandinavia, Italy, Japan, Korea, and many other countries. But the use of mobile phones is often abused by teens. For example, recent reports indicate that some teens share nude photos and other offensive images among themselves. Others put themselves at risk by talking and driving with a hands-free ear piece. To students, mobile phones can act as instruments of sleep disturbances or annoyance, distraction, depression, and mood swings all of which can impair concentration and academic performance (CRC health group, 2010). Another disadvantage of the explosion of cell phones is that it supports group behaviour rather than individualism (The Economist, 1999). It is from this behaviour that many people have connived to use cell phones to perpetrate crime such as sending scam mails, hacking into official business websites and emails, making fraud attempts, and a host of other tragic events. For example, the negative use of mobile technology was prominent in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in United States. Mobile phones also pose adverse health effects to its users. Ki Park (2006) opines that the radiation emitted from a mobile phone itself can be harmful, especially if the device is not properly handled physically. A lot of attention is currently being paid to research on the possible health effects from the use of mobile phones, base stations and transmitters in order to be able to advise the public and proffer recommendations for possible improvements. (Stewart, 2000) Despite these numerous disadvantages, mobile telecommunications continue to offer huge economic benefits to many countries; they contribute to employment and tax revenues in UK. They also facilitate trade and commerce. For example, many businesses now send e-adverts to customers through their cell phones. These adverts usually come in the form of text or recorded voice messages, introducing a product or service in anticipation of securing a bargain. Such adverts are mostly tailored to suit the customers demographic and geographic characteristics and can be monitored so that advertisers are able to know how many customers are responding. For over a decade now, mobile devices such as telemetry have been used to monitor the performance of machines. Mobile phone companies are now making efforts to improve the way people manage their money by turning phones into electronic wallets and mini ATMs so that mobile phones will become a device that one cannot do without. Some smart cards now al low users to load their phone with electronic cash, make purchases from vending machines and parking meters through wireless receivers. Many banks now allow their customers to manage their bank accounts and trade shares over the airwaves. It is a whole new world of convenience! The developments in mobile technology over the years have brought about ease of communication and convenience to many people in various segments of society: homes, schools, businesses, banks, shops, restaurants, work places, and the economy at large. The extraordinary range of services performed by wireless devices offers a great insight into the future of mobile phone technology. Although there are potential disadvantages posed by mobile devices including addiction, abuse, perpetration of social vices, and health hazards, the benefits of mobile technology far outweigh any costs that may arise from its use. Fred Bailey: An Innocent Abroad Analysis Fred Bailey: An Innocent Abroad Analysis The purpose of this report is to analyse the problems faced by Fred Bailey and his family to adjust to the cultural differences in Japan, our main aim of this report is to provide solutions to Fred in convincing his family, to create a good understanding with all the employees in Tokyo office to emerge as one of the fastest growing offices in the world. 1.2 SCOPE OF THE REPORT: This gives a brief explanation about the Japanese culture that American directors need to learn. For this analysis, we use Hofstedes dimension index to compare the different cultures as they also affect the work place environment. By the effective use of this analysis, Fred should come up with some new ideas to convince his family and finish his assignment in Japan that was assigned to him from his head office in Boston. In this case study, we have identified three major issues faced by Fred Bailey in Japan. Let us see the three issues using the Hofstedes Analysis. 1.3 CASE BACKGROUND: Kline Associates, where Fred Bailey was employed in Boston was a large multinational providing professional consulting services for regulated financial institutions with offices in nineteen countries. The company was established in 1997 with its head office in Boston. One fine day, Fred was called for a meeting with one of the partners of the firm. As the meeting commenced, Fred came to know that the meeting was not regarding the project that he finished successfully, but about a good opportunity to work in the companys relatively new office in business district of Tokyo. Fred was really excited to work in Tokyo with many incentives offered to him like a sugar coated pill. The incentives offered to him were really worth three times the gross salary he gets in Boston. He was offered a promotion which had a tag of last step in position before becoming a partner for the firm, free education expenses for his children, car accompanied with a driver, expenses relating to the shipment of their things to Tokyo and an expensive house in the main commercial spaces of Tokyo. These mega offers really overshadowed the problem that he did not think of facing it in the present. In this case study, we will analyse the problems faced by Fred using Hofstedes Dimension of Index and provide a good solution for his success in completing the project. 1.4 REPORT OUTLINE: The major three problems faced by Fred in Japan are examined by using Hofstedes cultural dimensions. These issues identified have a direct impact on the progress and success of the firms office in Tokyo. After the analysis, recommendations are given to make the firm one of the fastest performing among the other established firms. 2 BODY OF TEXT: 2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMS The strong cultural difference between the two countries of Japan and America created many problems to arise in the life of Fred Bailey. Fred Bailey was not only upset with the procedures in the office but also had some family problems with his wife regarding the life in Japan. Let us see the issues faced by Fred in Japan. The communication between the American and the Japanese employees were poor. Fred found that the Japanese employees in the firm were not organised and didnt give any particular reply for the problems in the firm. Family problems faced by Fred in Japan. Mrs Fred Bailey found the lifestyle of Japan very expensive and awkward to pass through. This created many problems during their stay in Japan. In fact Mrs. Bailey had made up her mind to get back home with her children in Boston. Fred Baileys poor management strategies which resulted in delay of the projects for the top clients from Japan. 2.1.1 COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS FACED BY FRED BAILEY: At the first instance of the general meeting held by Fred, he didnt notice that the American and Japanese staff didnt sit together. The response got from the American staff had lots of different opinions about certain things in the firm which may fit or may not fit in Freds ideas regards to some problems. But he did get unclear answers from the Japanese staffs rather got vague answers from them. This made Fred complete the meeting and conclude that the meeting did not achieve his objectives in finding out problems in his ideas. 2.1.1.1 ANALYSIS: The firm consisted of seven Americans and thirty three Japanese staff. Fred Bailey had organised for a general meeting with his subordinates. The meeting was to discuss his plans for the future directions of the company office for achieving their goals. At the very instance, Fred was not serious about the American and Japanese staff sitting separately. The reason for the issue is because of the strong cultural differences between Japanese staff and the American staff in the firm. The high individualistic ranking of 91 states that the people with individualistic attitude and relatively doesnt bond with others. The people in American show a self reliant attitude and aimed at fulfilling their goals in the firm. As the Americans have an high individualistic attitude, Fred did not take the matter of American and Japanese staff sitting separately into consideration. This was also a major issue which influences the team work and coordination among the staffs. As he didnt take this issue ser iously, he was not able to get clear answers from the Japanese staff as he didnt know their mind or know either their language. Fred also failed to get innovative ideas from the employees because the Americans and Japanese staff didnt work as a team. This also might be a good reason for the delay in any projects they come across as Americans and Japanese staffs give two different ways of handling the situation. After the individual meeting with every staffs, Americans were positive and gave different opinions to make his ideas successful. On the other side, Japanese staff gave vague answers. This denotes that the Japanese were not completely aware of what Fred had put front. This shows that Japanese staff are not self reliant and did only depend on the orders from their leaders for any work in the firm (J. Stewart Black, 2010, p.2). This is resulted for their firm to do badly in their returns during his regime as a director. This effect was felt in the firms performance when the client had not responded to the companys next project with them even after several months. 2.1.1.2 RECOMMENDATIONS: Fred should come up with some social activities in the firm to encourage team work between American and Japanese staff. Fred should organise individual meeting with the Japanese staff to understand their problems and motivate them to participate in the companies decision making activities. Fred should have discussed the structure and problems involved in the firm with the Ex-director of the Japans office who had moved to well established office in England. Fred should conduct meeting in regular intervals of time to analyse and improve the results of the firm. Feedback from the employees should be taken in to account for the progress of the firm. 2.1.2 PROBLEMS IN FREDS FAMILY: After a month of their stay in Japan, Jennifer complained to Fred about several issues. She told that it was very tough to get day-to-day items like quality beef, maple syrup and peanut butter. She also complained that she had no knowledge about the language they speak, so she was not able to read the road signs or to order a specific food in a restaurant. She told that she had no one to talk to rather than a American club in downtown and the also other products cost two to three times than in U.S. (J. Stewart Black, 2010, p.2). These problems combined with that of their childrens quality education made Jennifer take some aggressive decision to leave Japan. 2.1.2.1 ANALYSIS: Jennifer was not enthusiastic as Fred at the beginning, when he told about the great opportunity for him in Japan. Jennifer thought that it would be difficult to cater their childrens education abroad. She also stated that their oldest son Christine would be getting promoted to middle school the year after. Other than that she had also thought of going to a part time work in the field of fashion designing in which she has her degree in. (J. Stewart Black, 2010, p.1). But Fred explained about the huge opportunity like the firm would bare to provide a car, rent free house, cater the costs of their childrens education expenses and overseas compensation that would equal three times his annual salary had convinced her to fly with him to Japan. According to Hofstedes dimension, America has a high dimension of masculinity (62) compared to the world average. From this we can state that America experiences high states of differentiation of roles in gender. The male in America are more dominant and possess a more power than women. So the situation turns in favour of the decisions taken by male which are away from women. But the present situation has gone worse and Jennifer was adamant on returning home. Jennifer was really frustrated with Japanese people in not understanding anybody or not able to find the things she wanted in store, not able to drive or read road signs. The main reason for this may be because the Freds family had no time to explore the Japanese culture and people. Although their children were doing well with their education, she questioned Fred as this assignment was also like the thing he has taken up in the past. So she had compelled Fred to leave Japan and return to their home country. Because of these stre ss from his family, Fred is in a dilemma about the proceedings in his work. 2.1.2.2 RECOMMENDATIONS Freds family should have learned about the Japanese culture before their proceedings to Japan. They should have known about their geographic conditions that prevail in Japan. As the same problems arises with the expatriates managers , Fred should have left his family in his home country and taken short breaks often to fly back to America to spend time with them. This might left him to focus properly on his job commitments in Japan. Fred should have allocated time to spend with his family in regular intervals. He should have gone for short vacations with his family to wipe out the stress in his job environment. Jennifer, in her spare time should have taken initiative to learn the Japanese culture and language. 2.1.3 FREDS POOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Fred Baileys was preparing for a meeting with one of their important clients for a big project. There are two issues to be discussed in this section. The meeting was headed by Fred, Ralph Webster and Kenichi Kurokawa from Kline associates. The client had four members for the meeting between the firms. As the meeting progressed, Fred explained to the client about the expenses and costs for the project. As there were no responses from the Japanese clients, he proceeded to the summary of the project to end the meeting. After several months of the meeting, there was no response about signing of the deal with the Japanese client. So he was frustrated and ordered Ralph to alter some proposals in the project and resubmit it to the client. But after recommendations from Ralph, this duty was assigned to a research associate Tashiro Watanabe. He was assigned to complete the duty within a weeks time. And when the time arrived, Ralph came to know that Tashiro would not be able to finish it within time. This got Fred frustrated about the communication with the Japanese employees. (J. Stewart Black, 2010, p.4). 2.1.3.1 ANALYSIS: Fred found himself very much frustrated with these problems in the firm. This was because of the strong cultural differences between the two countries. Americans expect clear communication and mostly depended on the speaker to delivery the message. But, on the other hand Japanese depend on hidden communication skills and placed responsibility on both the speaker and the listener. Fred believed that, if an opinion or idea has to be transferred to another person, speaker held the complete responsibility in making the listener understand. This was totally different in case of Tashiro, he assumed that Fred would know the things that Tashiro had been going through even if he could have explained it clearly. The problem was caused because of the different communication styles and assumptions between the two cultures. After a week later when asked to Tashiro about his failure to do the duty on time, Tashiro complained that he had told them about it. But, Fred or Ralph was not able to get his answer which was told not told openly. This problem could have been easily identified if it could have been a Japanese manager taking up this issue. Due to these problems, Fred was frustrated with the Japanese customers and employees. 2.1.3.2 RECOMMENDATION: Fred should have assigned a Japanese manager for completing this proposal in time rather depending on a American manager. Fred should have some knowledge about the cultures and behaviours of the Japanese customers and employees. Fred should have tracked the progress of the report in regular intervals and have suggested some valuable points to Tashiro. Fred should have formed a separate team of Japanese employees to propose the project to the clients as they might have known their culture and behaviour more clearly than the Americans. 3. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LAST PARAGRAPH: Japan is considered as a major power which has the second largest economy in terms of GDP and purchasing power parity. Japan is the only Asian country to be a part of the G8 countries. It is a developed country which focuses mainly on consumer electronics. The country also enjoys high standard of living among the other developed countries. The above paragraph clearly signifies the power of the Japanese people. Fred after looking out from the window, he saw the highway full of traffic and the vehicles didnt move even after the traffic lights were changed. This can be also the same problem faced by his firm. The firm was not able to perform well because the head positions of the firm were headed by the American expatriates who didnt know about the Japanese culture and understandings. Now, when we see the underground passage of the road, which is the most advanced in the world, it moved hundreds of people to their homes without any problems. This signifies that firm could have been productive and could have attained the spot of fastest growing firm in the world if the top management were the Japanese employees in the firm. This is because the Japanese people could have handled the situation in a different way and could have solved the problems that were faced by the company. It gives a clue to Fred that, the top management should be comprised of Japanese mangers assisted by an American. This could have solved many problems easily without coming to this situation. 4. CONCLUSIONS: Freds assignment was to stay in Japans office for three years and complete all the assignment put forth to him. His mission was to establish the Japans office as the fastest growing company in the firm. The problems in the firm and in his family arise because of the cultural differences between the two countries. The top management in U.S. should come up with some plans to solve the issues or by helping Fred in solving them. Kline Associates should have made the American managers and the analysts to learn the local culture of Japan to perform well in the firm. As we know from the past that Japan is a super power and only the people in that country have made that happen. This states that Japanese people are effective and hard-working if directed by the correct person who understands them and helps them. 5. IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPLICATIONS: Kline Associates management should train the expatriates about the host countrys culture, they should come up with training sessions which will help Fred and other American to avoid initial cultural shocks. Vision of the company should have been discussed with all the employees in the firm, so that the performance of the firm could have improved. At regular intervals, the performance should be measured and this testing team should be headed by a Japanese employee. This could improve the gap between the two cultures. Americans would come to know about the Japanese culture by conducting these team works.

Integrins : Cell Movement :: Biology Cell Migration

Cell Migration We are all familiar with the workings of muscles, and we all know how to walk and move around. But did you know that some of the cells in your body are moving around too? * Cell migration is a critical process for every type of living organism. Cells in the body will often move from place to place to complete their functions. The process of cell migration is important in such things as wound repair and cell differentiation. * Understanding cell migration is also an important part of cancer research. In cancer, cells that normally would not migrate start to move. This is called metastasis, and is the difference between a benign and malignant cancer. Understanding how cells migrate can help us find new cures for cancer and better understand the body. Integrins So, how do cells move exactly? That is indeed a very complicated question, however it can surely be said that no migration could take place without an interesting set of proteins called Integrins. These proteins are so named because they integrate the function of the cell with the outside world. This exterior region is generally known as the Extracellular Matrix, or ECM. The ECM is composed of a wide variety of different molecules that "fill in the space" between cells. Integrins are transmembrane proteins which bind ligands found in the extracellular matrix. They exist in cells as "heterodimers." This means they are 2 separate interacting polypeptide chains which are not the same. Here is a drawing of what integrins look like: The shape of integrins are what is known as a beta barrel. This means that the polypeptide chain wraps around in a barrel shape. This allows the integrin to bind more easily to the extracellular matrix. How Integrins Work Integrins can be thought of as velcro on the surface of the cell. When the cell is at rest, most of the integrins are inactive, that is to say they are present, but do not bind the ligands present in the ECM. Here is a representation of how this works: When the cell decides to move, it turns on integrins in certain places, and turns them off in other places. Where this takes place depends on which direction the cell wants to move! Integrins on the "front" of the moving cell grip tightly to the ECM, pulling the cell forward.

Free Will vs. Determination (East of Eden)

Freewill vs. Determinism Good vs. Evil What makes a decision evil is when it is made completely with regard to others. What makes a decision good is when the person who made it can look back and feel like what he choose was wholly right. It is completely up to a person whether or not they take others into consideration or even decide to look back long enough to care, just like it is up to that person to choose where they go in life. Whether it’s up the â€Å"good path† or down the â€Å"evil path†Ã‚  isn’t predetermined by god, your bloodlines, or anything else.Kate chooses her life and decided not to care what others thought or felt and just did what she pleased. Caleb at first was convinced that he did bad thing because of what his mother was, that he would be evil because of her. Sam Hamilton was thought of being bad or evil when he came to Salinas due to the fact that he was Irish and he proved to be one of the kindest characters in the book. Sam would most likely be considered good by anyone who became acquainted with him. Even though he didn't do things they same way as those around him, he did what he looked back on as being right or good in his mind.He made choices and didn’t let his circumstances rule his life. Even though he was poor and lived on infertile land he worked and tried to change things. He tried to make them the best that he could. When at that time most people believed that the Irish were belligerent drunks that were only good at stealing American jobs and wives. Sam Hamilton changed their views, as Louis told Adam when he brought him up to meet Sam, â€Å"he’s a fine worker, and a good blacksmith. † Not only was he a fine worker when it came to inventing things and blacksmithing but he worked at helping others.As Adam â€Å"drew into himself†Ã‚  Sam tried his hardest to help him, â€Å"go through the motions,† and finally he ended up having to punch him and insult him to get the man out of his stupor. This violence, which was against his character, should how much he cared for others and Adam. Now if he follows the stereotype set for him he wouldn't have been the great person that we had read about in the book, he had the free will to make himself what he was. Now Kate would have to be the nearly the exact opposite of Sam. She is one of the best characters to illustrate the concept of good and vil. For most of here life Cathy did things that were evil because she thought that, â€Å"in the whole world there's only evil and folly,† so she had no problems embracing it. But just because she did embrace it and did so many bad things doesn't mean she was purely evil. She did towards the end of the book care about what someone thought about her, â€Å"she knew that she didn't want Aron to know. † And in that little time where he dreamed of Aron meeting her as a respectable lady in New York shows that at least one person’s opinion mattered to her.Kate just wasn't extremely pressured by what was expected of her in her circumstances. She in fact thought it better to defy others expectation, like when her parents wanted her to be a teacher, or when Adam tried to make her into the perfect wife. There were many times where she could have settled into a comfortable spot that others determined she fit into but she liked using her free will and choosing where she was going to go. Caleb is something slightly different than his mother, which I'm sure he and everyone else who read the book was happy to find out.He wanted to be able to look back on his actions and not be ashamed of what he had done. He hated doing the evil things so much when he was young that he prayed for the lord to help him â€Å"not be mean. † If determinism was solely true than he probably would have ended up being just as wicked as Kate, like Adam had worried when Cal was a baby. Lee helped a lot in keeping Caleb from following his worst expectatio ns and seeing that he did have a choice in the matter. That just because he had his mothers blood in him didn't mean he was filled with evil, as Lee said, â€Å"Whatever you do, it will be you who do it—not your mother. And I think that is exactly right. Kate wouldn't have felt the guilt like Cal did when his brother had died, nor would she have asked Adam for forgiveness. Nothing Caleb did was because of who his mom was. As Steinbeck says, there is only one story in the world; I have to say that I see his point. While good and evil are still a little abstract to from my point of view, it does seem that every story we hear has to do with it. It deals with the characters struggle to determine which side is evil and which side is good and than choosing between the two.With Cathy it seems she could only see the evil and therefore the choice was an easy one for her because she saw no other. Cal was luckier, or I guess some could say unluckier, because he could see both choices r ather clearly and in the end it seemed he was breaking away from the dark side. Now saying that I agree with Steinbeck’s point of view pretty much answers the question on what I think when it comes to free will versus determinism. To have to choice whether you lean towards a certain side you have to exert some version of your own free will either a little or a lot, either way you do.

Art History and Velazquez essays

Art History and Velazquez essays Las Meninas by Diego Velzquez is a painting with some puzzlement. It is hard to tell whether the painting is a Genre scene or a history painting. It could be both, indeed this is a painting of everyday life for this family, but it also documents a particular point in time for a well to do family. The painting takes place in the home of King Phillip IV. The focal point of the painting is his daughter princess Margharita. She is being attended to by a kneeling woman and surrounded by several others. (Adams 670) If you look closely at the canvas itself, you will notice that it looks to be divided into thirds. Now it could be an after effect form its recent cleaning or it has always been there on the surface. It is possible that the image is much more vibrant after its cleaning and the images in the background are blurry because of it. The Infanta is in the center of the painting and it dressed elegantly. Her maids that are surrounding her are dressed in the same manor suggesting wealth above the normal classes. The child has a look that reaches out side the canvas and draws the viewer into the action. The woman that is to her right is also looking in the same direction suggesting that she is actually looking at someone or something. The mirror on the wall in the background further suggests this. There are three light sources in the painting. The two main one s are the windows that are to the right of the painting and the third is the doorway. The window to the right of it illuminates the image on the wall in the background. The glare that is visible on the edges of the mirror proves that it is a mirror and not a painting. The mirror is on back the wall where several paintings are. These paintings are a lot darker and are in shadow. This creates a secondary focal point by making the mirror stand out against them. The image in the mirror is known to be the King and his wife. (Adams 671) The presence of a reflection creates a t...

The Best Questions to Ask When Switching Careers

The Best Questions to Ask When Switching Careers When enthusiasm and passion for your career turns to apathy and discontent, it may be time to move on to the next opportunity. There are benefits to a job change- such as leaving your comfort zone, diversifying your skills, and taking a chance on your own ambitions- but it’s also important to consider the risks and determine whether it’s worth the trade-off. This is especially true if you’re switching careers, where you may need to take a demotion or step back, starting in a lower position to make your way back up the latter. Before jumping into your new career, ask yourself these five questions, all of which will help you figure out exactly what you want and need.â€Å"Do I Need More Opportunity to Grow?†A common cause of job dissatisfaction is boredom and lack of engagement because your experience or skills are underused. In this case, Fast Company suggests considering whether there’s still room for growth in your current position, or if youâ€⠄¢ve â€Å"maximized the opportunities for advancement.† To remain engaged, motivated and empowered in a career, you need responsibilities that can help you stretch and progress.This may be possible in your current position, avoiding the need to switch jobs or careers. Express concerns with your manager and see if there’s a promotion opportunity, or even a chance to step up or lead on a new project. If your current job doesn’t offer the potential for growth, it’s time to seek one that does.  Ã‚     Ã¢â‚¬Å"Am I Afraid to Do What I Really Want?† According to a 2016 fears survey, personal failure is the number one fear among Americans. This intense aversion to the idea of failing keeps you stagnant, detached, complacent and timid to make any change that disrupts the status quo- even when it’s a change that could improve your situation long-term, like a new job or career change.Instead of allowing fear and uncertainty to hold you back, be int entional about gaining both the confidence and courage to bet on yourself. Consider what you really want to do, and whether it’s feasible at this point in your career. In most cases, it is.Note that it may be helpful to find a mentor and learn how they got started and how your current experience could be valuable in this new career. They’re guidance will allow you to get started on the right foot and set reasonable expectations.â€Å"What Skills Do I Need?†A lack of formal training or experience in the career you want to pursue doesn’t mean you’re unqualified. Forbes points out that skills honed in your current position may also be transferable to your new role. The key is knowing how to present those skills on your resume to show you’re prepared for this new career or job. Here are a few tips from Resume Genius for making your skills stand out:Quantify when possible. Instead of â€Å"Types fast† say â€Å"WPM Typist.†Instead o f listing â€Å"Proficient with Adobe† list the specific tools: â€Å"Proficient with Illustrator and Indesign.†List most important skills for position first.Include examples of how you use those skills, if possible.Finally, consider whether you should list your technical skills at the top or bottom of your resume: â€Å"Most job seekers end up choosing a resume template  that places their relevant skills closer to the bottom, but  for some specific industries listing them at the top is very effective,† explains Resume Genius. These industries include:Information TechnologyGraphic DesignManufacturingTechnical WritingEngineeringâ€Å"How Can I Meet the Right People?†Professional contacts in your field of interest can be assets during the transition period, offering recommendations, answering questions, and introducing you to the right companies. If you don’t have these contacts already, the first step in switching careers is finding them by sett ing up meetings and attending networking events. It may sound like a lot of work, and it can be, but in the end, it’s worth it:â€Å"Finding people who challenge your ideas, push you to be better and give you developmental feedback- the trifecta for success and growth- requires hard work,† notes Ted Rollins, long-time entrepreneur recognized by Inc. 500. â€Å"So find events, both networking and otherwise, where you can connect with people who cross geographical, organizational and hierarchical lines, then you’ll be on a path to success.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Am I Willing to Start from Scratch?†Regardless of your current rank in the pecking order, when switching to another industry, it’s often unavoidable that you’ll need to start from the bottom. If this new role requires a degree of expertise outside your wheelhouse, prepare to accept an entry-level position rather than overshooting based on your former credentials. Remind yourself that this will l ikely be challenging:â€Å"You might be leaving behind a reputation, and sets of skills that you worked hard to build. When you take a risk like that, it can be doubly frustrating when things don’t happen right away, or you don’t get the level of job or salary that you were hoping for. So as you go into it, take a deep breath and understand that there will be challenges,† says Kate Lopaze, another contributor for The Job Network.Besides, a positive attitude, eagerness to learn and diligent work ethic can help you advance faster than a sense of entitlement and inflated ego.Is it time to switch careers?If you feel that a career move would be in your best interest, after considering these questions, then embrace the change and trust in your own abilities to succeed. Form relationships with others who can point you toward actualizing your objectives, use resources like LinkedIn and job posting websites to make yourself visible to recruiters, and continue honing the skills and confidence needed to forge ahead on this next phase of your career.BIO: Jessica Thiefels has been writing for more than 10 years, is currently a full-time writer, content marketing consultant and business owner. She’s also no stranger to career changes, having gone through 5 jobs in 5 years. She’s been featured in Forbes and Business Insider and has written for Manta, Virgin, Glassdoor and more. Follow her on Twitter @Jlsander07 and connect LinkedIn.

Free Web-based EHR Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free Web-based EHR - Assignment Example Practice Fusion’s EHR system is a free Web-based EHR that provides all the services that envelops all technological requirements. The EHR contains numerous features that are helpful to its users. It is made from the real schedules of the office-based physicians that help in manage one’s practice. The present features namely charting, scheduling, and e-prescribing makes the practice fusion’s EHR an appropriate management tool (Practice Fusion, 2012). The charting and notes feature of the EHR is the main characteristic of the system that enables medical charting as part of the daily workflow. It offers an easy way pull out patients’ charts, produce, and sign medical notes. Moreover, it offers an option of viewing the entire patient’s medical history and prescribed medications. The documents feature of the EHR provides the user with a simple-to-use tool to manage all the scanned and digital records. The feature allows easy uploading and tagging of documents to the patient’s relevant data. It also provides an option of assigning any file type. This includes the insurance cards, photos, x-rays and any necessary audio or video files (Practice Fusion, 2012). The lab integration feature provides users of the practice fusion’s EHR with possible integration with over thirty-five labs. This eases the streamlining of an individual’s practice lab results and orders. The choice of these labs ranges from national to regional labs. If shared with other facilities, the EHR will provide very effective services to its users. This is because the combination of the features will enable easy execution of various automated data analysis and reports. Moreover, the sharing would lead to the integration of other EHR solutions that would handle any practice sizes and workflow in the resultant system (Practice Fusion, 2012). It would widen the scope of services to patients with ease. For instance, the medical billing solutions would

Contemporary Issues in Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contemporary Issues in Accounting - Essay Example Around the world, governments (typically following the lead of practice) have begun to take notice, putting new disclosure regulations on the book. Despite these new regulations, significant questions remain about whether, and, possibly more importantly, how corporate disclosures about their social, environmental, and economic practices should evolve." (Corporate Disclosure of Social and Environmental Data Mandatory Vs Voluntary. 2004). If a particular organization is operating with an appropriate emphasis on its environmental issues, it means that it is focused on sustainability as well as the well being of the particular society in which the organization exists. Nowadays, the accounting system requires the disclosure of environmental facts in respect of financial accounting reports. The main purpose of preparing the financial accounting report is that to provide useful information about the business to its ultimate users. Such categories of users shall be owners, shareholders, investors, employees, suppliers, creditors and the public as a whole. Moreover, the report so made should be more relevant, it should possess the quality of materiality, accuracy and comparability. Environmental performance and economics measurements relate to a certain extent, as far as the accounting policies and reporting procedures are taken in to consideration. "Environmentally driven innovation can create shareholder value by lowering cost, improving production processes and service delivery, and helping to find new markets. Increased process efficiency is an example of a proven sustainability strategy for decreasing cost and adding revenue, there by improving profitability." (Slater and Gilbert 2004). The users of accounting reports should have a thorough knowledge about the changes that take place within the organization as well as in matter of accounting standard context. The accounting report should disclose the environmental performances, for the purpose of easily identifying and evaluating whether the organization is running as per the requirements of the society. Moreover, this helps to develop the reputation of the organization by comparing various environmental data obtained from the annual accounts of the company. "Investors and users of financial statements need information about the impact of environmental risks and liabilities on the financial position of the company, as well as the company's attitude towards the environment and its environmental performance, to the extent that these factors may have consequences for the financial health and performance of the company. Regulatory authorities have an interest in monitoring the application of environmental regulations by companies and the costs incurred as a result. But companies' voluntary disclosure of environmental data in annual accounts and annual reports is low. Users of annual reports have an interest in ascertaining to what extent environmental protection is an integral part of the company's policies and activities and what costs and benefits are associated." (Accounting: Commission issues Recommendation on environmental issues in companies' annual accounts a

International Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business Environment - Essay Example However, it is reported that there have been shallow analyses of the causes of failure in merger and the measures of success are often weak (Epstein, 2005). With this information, there must be substantial reasons to be used in order for merger to be justified as a failure and the right manner to be considered in its evaluation. This means that the determination of successful or failure merger considers the right evaluation and reasons in order to determine reliability of information involved in the issue. Evaluating the success or failure of mergers is not an easy task. For instance, the newly merged companies might be well good to look from the outside but in reality there is more to it when it comes to knowing the real event happening inside. It might be very important to find out if the newly merged employees from Africa and China have been doing just fine together or the other way around. They may look like enjoying their work but it is important to finally know what is inside o f them. This is a very complex scenario and this requires a highly skilled in-charge who will consider all aspects in an organization where there is diversity of people who will be working for the good of the entire operation. This is a great concern in this paper and the proponent wants to give more emphasis on the importance of understanding man power involved because this stands as the company’s ultimate force for the implementation of its corporate agenda. The proponent believes that people are the ultimate ways in which an organization may either prosper or fail. It is in line with this that the entire idea is placed on a proposed merger between a Chinese company and an African company. The proponent is appointed to lead a team consisting of managers from both countries to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger. Thus, the proponent solves this concern by applying the work of Hofstede and Trompenaars in order to evaluate how close would the cultural f it be; and how might find a way to improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers. However, prior to this, the proponent discusses about some important issues about mergers and the corporate culture in Africa and China. Why Mergers Fail? There is a common assumption that mergers are for the purpose of cutting costs, creating revenues or ensuring growth opportunities. However, one of the concrete reasons why mergers fail is due to issue of control and ownership. It is not easy to carry an organization which is a product of integration between two or more companies because there will be a new level of control and ownership involved. In this case, there are different considerations involved particularly on emphasizing who is the one in-charge or owns the newly integrated companies. In short, there is a significant issue on who will be the one to control the merger. Mergers are not just implemented without a great or significant reason. Two companies need some integra tion due to the fact that it may result to creating more values than staying apart from each other otherwise. Such of this reason can be manifested by understanding different sensible motives for mergers. The first motive is to ensure more strength and knowledge in a specific industry by having horizontal mergers. Most of this type happens between banks or companies at the same business line. The second motive is about

Why the Legal Drinking Age Shouldnt be lowered Essay Example for Free

Why the Legal Drinking Age Shouldnt be lowered Essay In the United States, the legal drinking age for all fifty states and the District of Columbia is twenty-one. The drinking age is twenty-one because the government decided this is when a person becomes legally responsible to handle the repercussions of consuming alcohol. The U.S. has the highest legal drinking age in the world. Only four countries in the world have a legal drinking age over eighteen, making the US an exception rather than the rule. Some people may argue that the government should lower the drinking age since you legally become an adult at age eighteen, but I completely understand this law and am totally for it. Underage drinking has become an epidemic that has spread all over the world, but more so in the United States than any other country. This is disturbing because the brain is not fully developed until a person is around twenty-two years of age. Therefore, it should be harder for minors to obtain alcohol, and the legal drinking age should not be lowered. What is alcohol, and where did it come from? Alcohol is a natural substance formed by the reaction of fermenting sugar with yeast. The production of alcohol started about 10,000 years ago. It all started around the Black and Caspian Seas with wine, and slowly made its way around the surrounding areas. Mesopotamia and Egypt were thriving with wine productions by 3,000 B.C. (Narconon). A thousand years later, a Roman God, Dionysus, started appearing in the literature, and was the god of the grape harvest. Then, about 700 years after that, in addition to wine, India started manufacturing beer. This new production spread rapidly, and the Hebrews adopted the new beverage for many different new medicines. After that, the Jews began to use wine and beer in sacred rituals and ceremonies. Although some cultures accepted alcohol, others rejected it completely. Because these alcoholic beverages were spreading so quickly, they raised curiosity. A medical school in Italy began doing experiments, and finally developed something called distillation- a purer, stronger alcohol (Narconon). From Italy, these new drinks spread to England and Scotland, and eventually found their way over to America. Drunkenness became a huge problem in America, so the government passed the Prohibition Act of 1920. Originally, the eighteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export of all alcoholic beverages. Upon its ratification by the states, Congress voted its approval in 1919. Thus the law was passed, and became known as the National Prohibition Act of 1920 (American Medical Association). The eighteenth amendment was repealed in 1933, which made the Prohibition Act null and unenforceable. After prohibition, most states restricted the minimum legal drinking age to twenty-one. Between 1970 and 1975, twenty-nine states lowered the minimum legal drinking age to eighteen, nineteen, or twenty. These changes were made when other activities, such as voting, were lowered. In between September 1976 and January 1983, the minimum legal drinking age for every state was set at the age of twenty-one. Although this is the law in our country, it is also incredibly easy for minors to obtain alcohol. As always, there are different ways to work around the law. These are issues that must be addressed. Some of these ways include a fake I.D., a minor giving someone money to go buy it for them, going somewhere that will sell to minors, or even stealing it from their parents liquor cabinet. A fake I.D is fairly cheap and also easy to get if you know the right people. For the most part, if you were a minor trying to get alcohol you could go up to any random person, and eight times out of ten that person would go buy it for you. There are also places minors could go to buy it themselves like little gas stations around the lower socioeconomic societies. The reason that these gas stations will sell to minors is because it increases their sales, and because they will get little penalty for selling to minors. If they do get fined for it, the fine isn’t enough to make them stop. Alcohol generally is not secured in most homes so there is easy access for minors who have no fears about taking it from their parents. There has also been the increasing trend of parents not only providing alcohol, but encouraging its use in the home, under the assumption that minors will do it anyway and it’s better to do so in a supervised, safe environment. Underage drinking is one of the biggest problems that the U.S. faces, and is now considered a public health problem. Young adults have the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption than any other age group (Century Council). They also drink more heavily, experience more negative consequences, and engage in more harmful activities. Drinking at any age can have some of the worst effects on you and the people around you. Many young teens that experiment with alcohol believe there are no consequences to their actions. It is actually quite the opposite. Alcohol is associated with driving under the influence, violence  and aggressiveness, sexual activity, smoking, and poor school performance. There are all of these problems, and then some that all started with alcohol. Driving under the influence or a DUI is classified under two categories, and can be given out if the person is under the influence of an intoxicating drink or a combination of an alcoholic beverage and drugs. There are felonies and misdemeanors. The difference between a misdemeanor and a felony is misdemeanor DUI charges means that the charge involved no injury or property damage, and the penalty can be up to 6 months in jail. A felony has injury and/or property damage, and the penalty could be up to three years in a state prison. This number fluctuates depending on the number of misdemeanors or felonies a person has had in the past. These laws are in place to not only protect the youth in America, but to also ensure that other innocent people on the roads do not get hurt. There are plenty of accidents that come from texting and driving already (which is the equivalent to drinking and driving) that to lower the drinking age, I think, would cause more alcohol-induced accidents. Underage drinking already contributes to more than 4,700 automobile wrecks a year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and studies have shown that every twenty-two minutes someone will die of an alcohol related traffic accident (First Eagle Insurance Services). Although you probably think that it could never happen to you, other studies have shown that everyone has a forty percent chance of being in an accident involving alcohol use at some point in their life (Drug Free World). â€Å"Vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for minors age 15-20 years old† (Century Council). Aside from drinking and driving, there is also a two-way association between alcohol consumption and violence or aggressiveness. While individual behavior is shaped in large part by the environment, it is also manipulated by biological factors, and ultimately directed by the brain, but the brain is affected if large amounts of alcohol are consumed. The consumption of alcohol may promote aggressiveness and lead to victimization, which in turn leads to excessive consumption of alcohol. Violence and aggressive behaviors are those that are threatening, hostile, or damaging in a physical or nonphysical way. There have been multiple studies conducted that show there is a link between violent crimes and alcohol consumption. In 2012, the percentages of violent offenders who were drinking at the time of the offense were: â€Å"eighty-six percent of homicide  offenders, thirty-seven percent of assault offenders, sixty percent of sexual offenders, up to fifty-seven percent of men, and twenty-seven percent of women involved in marital violence, and thirteen percent of child abusers† (NIAAA). A lot of times alcohol is accompanied by cigarettes, marijuana, or other hardcore drugs. Many researchers hypothesize that the ethanol in alcohol triggers a feeling of pleasure, and those feelings are reinforced when nicotine is added to the mix. Others think that those who abuse one substance will be more inclined to abuse other substances. Nicotine lowers blood alcohol concentration, so therefore a person who is smoking and drinking simultaneously would have to consume more alcohol in order to reach intoxication. Most people react differently to alcohol than others do. A lot of this has to do with the person’s age, gender, race/ethnicity, physical condition (weight, fitness level etc.), amount of food consumed before drinking, use of drugs/prescription medications, and family history of alcohol problems. Usually when there is a family history of alcohol problems you will often see a history of some other type of disease linked to it. Some of these include: breast cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver. Twenty percent of alcohol is absorbed directly through the stomach walls into the bloodstream, and reaches all organs and tissues of the body within moments. The other eighty percent is processed through the gastrointestinal system. It is considered a drug, and is a sedative depressant of the central nervous system (Reeves). Alcohol can damage the dendrites at the end of a nerve cell causing disorder to brain functions. It is also capable of rupturing blood capillaries and veins. Aside from damaging nerves and veins, it can also damage the liver. It stops the liver’s ability to process fats, and can cause disease. The high sugar content in some alcoholic or mixed beverages can lead to hypoglycemia and predispose one to diabetes. Alcohol can also alter sleep patterns, basic motor functions, thoughts, and emotions. The consumption of alcohol on or at an above average rate can lead to alcoholism. Women metabolize alcohol more slowly than men. Because it stays in a womans bloodstream longer, it can cause more cellular damage of the kind that can trigger cancer. Alcohol also influences blood levels of estrogen and other hormones in ways that may make cancer more likely. For example, â€Å"compared to women who dont drink at all, women who have three  alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer. Experts estimate that the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10% for each additional drink women regularly have each day. Girls ages 9-15 who have 3-5 drinks a week have 3 times the risk of developing benign breast lumps†(Breastcancer.org). These benign breast lumps can be a precursor to breast cancer. From this it is easy to see that the younger that someone starts consuming alcohol, the increased risk of cancer and loss of life is more likely. It might be easy to dismiss this issue as one of personal choice or preference. This discounts the social impact of drinking on society. â€Å"Alcohol costs American employers an estimated $134 billion in productivity losses, mostly due to missed work† (Ensuring solutions.org). The impact is not only economical though. Missed work impacts every worker at a job who must work that much harder to accomplish their work tasks. It also can decrease teamwork and morale due to resentment from the missed time at work, therefore decreasing productivity as well. Additionally, alcohol impacts every workers paycheck in other ways. As a rule, workers in America pay taxes on their pay as part of the social contract. These taxes are used for a variety of federal projects, such as ensuring a strong infrastructure, including maintenance of our highway system. â€Å"Alcohol related crashes costs the public $114.3 billion annually† (MAAD). This is money that could be spent improving our roadways, bridges, and mass transit systems. This would also address shortfalls in other areas of the government budget, such as possibly addressing the furlough of air traffic controllers due to the current sequester. Not only is alcohol affecting society in terms of road safety, it is impacting air safety too. These quotes and statistics are not specifically for underage drinkers but as a sampling of society as a whole we can see that if adults are unable to drink heavily and prolonged without negative effects the same should be true of minors who have not yet developed full brain capacity and critical thinking skills. It is not just physical and social effects that are felt by people who overuse or abuse alcohol. â€Å"Among high school students, those who use alcohol are five times more likely to drop out than those who dont use alcohol. Alcohol is implicated in more than 40 percent of all college academic problems and in 28 percent of all college dropouts† (Alcoholcostcalculator.org). This has a ripple effect. High school and college dropouts on average earn less than  those with secondary and post secondary degrees. This not only impacts the immediate quality of life it has long term effects reaching into retirement. Social Security is based on lifetime earned income. With the reduced earning potential of not having a diploma or degree underage drinkers set themselves up for living on a fixed income once they become old or infirm. This is not the only economic impact. A quick look at Rehabilitation Centers shows price ranges from $2,000-$30,000 for a 28 day stay. This does not include continuing aftercare. There are also legal fees for DUIs or Public Intoxication citations, plus bar tabs prior to the cessation of drinking. â€Å"Out of every $100 American consumers spend, about $1 goes to alcohol† (Vo). The average household income is around $50,000 per year, meaning that on average $500 a year is spent on alcohol, for an approximate lifetime average of $35,000. â€Å"In 2007 the death toll from teen drunk driving accidents was 1,393† (Drug Free World). The economic impact of funeral expenses, which on average total around $6,000, is nothing in terms of emotional cost. Many parents who lose a child end up divorcing, tearing apart families in the process. This may also lead to alcohol or other drug abuse in the parents or siblings, resulting in further economic, social, and societal impacts. It’s a vicious cycle and one that could be avoided by continuing to keep the drinking age at the current level. There are numerous warning signs that a minor may have an issue with underage drinking and it is important for those involved in the minor’s life to recognize these to curb an issue before it begins. These include physical, emotional, family, school, and social problems. Parents, teachers, and friends should look for physical signs such as fatigue, red and glazed eyes, or a lasting cough. Emotional indicators include personality changes, sudden mood changes, irritability, irresponsible behavior, low self esteem, poor judgment, and depression. The minor may start more arguments, break more rules and withdraw from their family. There will be a decreased interest in school, drop in grades, increased absences, truancy, and a rise in discipline issues. The minor may show a big social change, with new friends, a change in style of dress, and possible problems with the law. This list is not exhaustive, but from the examples given it shows that underage drinkers have a wealth of issues that will affect them negatively for quite some time. With all of this in mind, I do not feel that lowering the legal drinking age would be in our county’s best interest. The government has these laws in place to keep our country and the people in it safe, and if these laws were to change it would send our country into a downward spiral. I feel that the rates of alcohol induced traffic accidents, rates of violent crimes related to alcohol, rates of certain types of diseases, and much more would upsurge drastically. I also feel that if our government doesn’t address these issues with more force and power, minors will keep doing what they have been doing and nothing will change. Works Cited â€Å"Alcohol Alert.† www.pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa38.htm. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). N.d. Web. 25 April 2013. â€Å"Drinking Alcohol.† www.breatscancer.org. 18 January 2013. Web. 4 May 2013. â€Å"Drunk Driving in America.† www.maad.org/media-center. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD). N.d. Web. 25 March 2013. â€Å"Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems.† www.ensuringsolutions.org. N.d. Web. 4 May 2013. â€Å"Minimum Legal Drinking Age.† www.cdc.gov/alcohol/facts-sheets/mlda.htm. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 7 November 2012. Web. 19 March 2013. Minimum Legal Drinking Age: Brief History.† www.ama-assn.org. American Medical Association (AMA). N.d. Web. 19 March 2013. Narconon Drug Information Department, ed. â€Å"Alcohol History.† www.narconon.org/drug-information/alcohol-history. Narcanon International. N.d. Web. 25 March 2013. â€Å"Problems at School.† www.alcoholcostcalculator.org. Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems. N.d. Web. 4 May 2013. Reeves, Pat. â€Å"What Alcohol Does to Your Body.† www.foodalive.org/articles/alcohol.htm. Complementary Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). N.d. Web. 23 March 2013. â€Å"Teenage Drunk Driving.† www.firsteagle.com/tdd.htm. The First Eagle Insurance Services. N.d. Web. 22 April 2013. Vo, L.T. â€Å"What American Spends on Booze.† www.npr.org. National Public Radio. 2013. Web. 4 May 2013.