The Need for Privatization Essay Example for Free

The Need for Privatization Essay Every paycheck 7.65 percent is taken out for a retirement program, after the employer kicks in, a total of 12.4 percent of what you earn goes to the government to fund your retirement. The government system offers minuscule returns by anyones measure and the system is expected to go bankrupt as soon as 2014. If a private company had these problems, no one would invest. But, this is a mandatory program, Americans have to stay in this system and are forced to invest in its fated future. Social Security is one of the biggest disasters of American history. In a country that was founded on the principles of Capitalism and free markets, this socialist program limits peoples pursuit of happiness. Percent Who Believe Social Security Will Not Be There When They Retire All under 6560% Generation X70% Baby Boomers69% Social Security is an un-funded pay-as-you-go system. The idea is fundamentally flawed and follows the design of the famous illegal pyramid schemes. Many people claim that the constitution provides a social safety net, because the preamble of the constitution states that the government should promote the general welfare of the people. The constitution then goes on to list the enumerated powers of the state. Nowhere in the list does it say that the government should provide a retirement of healthcare for the people. If the founding fathers wanted these programs, they would have provided a way to pay for them. The rate of savings in the United States is 26 percent of Gross National Product; the country of Chile saves 30 percent of their GNP. With these two countries saving close to the same amount for their future, you would expect both to have similar results for retirees. The United States Government run pay-as-you-go system provides meager results as compared to even the least progressive private investment. The  Country of Chile used to have the same system the US currently uses, but decided to let people invest their own money how they choose in the open market. Chileans pensions are 70 to 100 percent higher than under the old government system since the switch to a private solution. The Chile system says that a person must contribute at least ten percent of their wages to the retirement program. Many workers contribute more than the ten percent that is required. In a private retirement system, people are free to choose what is best for them. Josà © Pià ±era, who is Chiles minister of labor, says: A worker can contribute more than 10 percent if he wants a higher pension or if he wants to retire early. Individuals have different preferences: some want to work until they are 85; others want to go fishing at 55, or 50, or 45, if they can. The uniform pay-as-you-go social security system does not recognize differences in individual preferences. In my country, those differences had led to pressure on the congress to legislate different retirement ages for different groups. As a result, we had a discriminatory retirement-age system. Blue-collar workers could retire at 65; white-collar workers could retire more or less at 55; bank employees could retire after 25 years of work; and the most powerful group of all, those who make the laws, the congressmen, were able to retire after 15 years of work. Opinion of Social Security Reforms The privatized Chilean system is obviously working better than the current US system. Many critics claim that the switch to a private system would be difficult to do. Chile, Mexico, Britain, and Australia have all successfully made the switch to a non-government system. All four of these countries are now striving under their new private retirement systems. The main problem cited in privatizing social security is how to pay the people that have paid into the program their whole life. There is an easy solution to this. The American Government has many programs that it does not have to provide under the Constitution. The government could easily abolish unnecessary arms such as the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Education. The government  also has excess assets that could be sold to support the people who have been forced to be dependent on Social Security. Social Securitys website lists the number of agency field offices at 1,300; thats a lot of office space, and a lot of bureaucrats that wouldnt need to be paid. If countries like Mexico and Chile can change over to privatized retirement systems, the United States will have no problem replicating their success. Josà © Pià ±era, Chiles minister of labor, described how the transition to a private system was made: The real transition cost of the system is the money the government ceases to obtain from the workers who moved to the new system, because the government is committed to pay the pensions of the people already retired and of those who will retire in the future. That transition cost can be calculated. In Chile it was around 3 percent of gross national product. How we financed it is another story. It will be done differently in each country. Suffice it to say that even though governments have enormous pension liabilities, they also have enormous assets. In Chile we had state-owned enterprises. In America I understand that the federal government owns a third of the land. I dont know why the government owns land, and I dont know the value. Nor am I saying that you should sell the land tomorrow. What I am saying is that when you consider privatizing Social Security, you must look at assets as well as liabilities. I am sure that the U.S. government has gigantic assets. Are they more or less than the liabilities of the Social Security system? I dont know, but the Cato project on privatizing Social Security will study that. In Chile we calculated the real balance sheet and, knowing there were enough assets, financed the transition without raising tax rates, generating inflation, or pressuring interest rates upward. In the last several years we have had a fiscal surplus of 1 to 2 percent of GNP. Opinion of Privatization Plan Strongly Favor38% Somewhat in Favor31% Lean in Favor4% No Opinion12% Lean Opposed2% Somewhat Opposed6% Strongly Opposed6% DK2% The future for Social Security looks grim, but there is some hope for privatization. The Republicans currently want private Social Security, and George Bush said Dont treat Social Security like its a federal program. In February of 1997 the Oregon state senate passed a resolution requesting that the state be allowed to opt out of the Federal Social Security program to start their own private retirement system. As people begin to see that the national program is going bankrupt, there will be great political pressure on congressmen to enact a new program. Medicare/Medicaid is another Federal program that is in great need of reform. Medical costs account for fourteen percent of our Gross Domestic Product. The current system decreases competition and skyrockets prices for medical care. The heavily regulated heath care business is restricted in not only getting cutting edge treatments to patients, but also in how they see patients. The American Medical Association limits the number of medical students accepted to Universities and decrease competition. There is never an ad in the help wanted section of the newspaper looking for doctors. When was the last time you heard of a doctor collecting unemployment? Government regulations also limit what non-doctors can do. Its easy to see that its doesnt take a PHD to do an annual checkup or to fix a broken bone. Regulations hurt Americans and drive up healthcare. With Medicare, there is a price put on procedures. An experienced doctor gets just as much as the recent med school graduate for doing open-heart surgery. The experienced  doctor is unable to make his own prices. These practices discourage competition and are bad for America. Canada and Britain both have socialized health care systems. The programs cost more than the semi-capitalist American system, but polls seem to show that citizens in those countries enjoy them. The care in these countries is mediocre and there is not much cutting edge medicine being done because there is no incentive to. There is also no incentive for doctors to perform to the best of their ability. Canadian patients cross the boarder to seek care at the Cleveland Clinic and when Margaret Thatcher needed surgery, she crossed the Atlantic to get help. The wait for cancer radiation in Canada is three to six months, twelve to twenty two months for a new plastic hip. Federally run programs will never be as cost effective or efficient as those run in the private sector. Time will tell as to whether Social Security and Medicare will fall out of Federal hands, but common knowledge of Economics shows that more competition breeds more innovative and less expensive solutions.

Second Language Acquisition And Classroom Interaction

Second Language Acquisition And Classroom Interaction Interaction has been central to theories of second language acquisition and pedagogy since the 1980s. Rivers explained the interactive perspective in language education: Students achieve facility in using a language when their attention is focused on conveying and receiving authentic messages (that is, messages that contain information of interest to both speaker and listener in a situation of importance to both). This is interaction (Rivers, 4). One of the first researchers to consider the importance of interaction was Hatch. She made a pivotal and indelible mark on the field of SLA through her publication of two seminal papers on language learning and interaction (Pica, 494). Hatch proposed that researchers should look towards interaction for insights into language learning development rather than the syntax of the language. In other words, she hypothesized that learners made progress as a result of real-life interaction rather than communicative competence arising out of the conti nuous practice of structures (Macaro, 172). In SLA classroom, the interactional input of the teacher is also part of the teacher talk which is considered as the main source of language input. Krashen proposed the Input Hypothesis to explain how learners interlanguage develops and grammatical features are acquired when learners are exposed to input that contains grammatical features a little beyond their current level of competence (Krashen and Terrell, 32). The Input Hypothesis is explained in detail through the i+1structure. i stands for the current level of language competence of learners while 1 stands for the item that they are going to acquire. Therefore, the i+1 structure indicates that learners are able to learn the language by being exposed to the input containing knowledge a little beyond their current level of competence. Extending Krashens Input Hypothesis, Long put forward the Interaction Hypothesis, which he held could make learners SLA development possible (Long, 420). The Interaction Hypothesis differs from the Input Hypothesis in that it puts more emphasis on how to make input comprehensible. Krashen believes that clues based on the situation and the context, extralinguistic information, and knowledge of the world make comprehension possible (Richards and Rogers, 182). He proposed the term premodification which means to make input comprehensible by simplifying or modifying the input before exposing it to learners by using common or familiar words, phrases and sentences. While admitting the role of premodification, Long lays more emphasis on the interactional modification. Through observing learners interacting with native speakers, Long concluded that what the former were doing was trying to improve the quality of the input they were receiving from the native speakers by giving them some verbal feedback or others to demonstrate that they had not understood. In this way, following Krashens earlier model, the native speakers input should become more fine-tuned to the immediate needs of learners thus allowing the latter to understand more easily. Therefore, the input will be made comprehensible as a result of interaction. Long proposed that interactionally modified input comes about as a result of the use of confirmation checks, clarification requests and comprehension checks by the two parties in a conversation (Macaro, 172). While the first two hypotheses concentrate on the teachers input, Swains Output Hypothesis advocates that learners should be provided with more opportunities of producing output. In order to acquire a new language, it is not sufficient to notice it and keep silent. In order for the acquisition to occur, learners must also use the language in verbal production. First, it increases the intensity of the noticing on the new item as input. Second, it forces learners to attend to the construction of the new language before and during output. Third, it encourages teacher confirmation that the output is correct and provides evidence for learners hypotheses about the target language. This has been known as the Output Hypothesis. To sum up, the Output Hypothesis claims that output can promote language acquisition under certain conditions by allowing learners to produce output. Moreover, Swain believed that in order for students to achieve native-like language competence, they need to be pushed more in their output by providing them with more opportunities to use the target language in the classroom (Swain, 429). In sum, the above three important theories of second language acquisition combine to reveal the effects of different types of classroom interaction on language learning from different angles. Therefore, in the field of second language acquisition, it is reasonable to state that classroom interaction plays a crucial role in promoting language learning. 2.1.2 General Classroom Interaction and Learning When students learn in a classroom setting, a primary source of knowledge comes from teacher talk and teacher-student interactions, as the processes and transactions involved in the construction of meanings are mediated through the use of verbal communication. Central to Vygotskys sociocultural theory of human learning is the idea that social interaction plays an essential role in the development of cognition. First, cultural development appears between people on an inter-psychological plane and then inside the learner on an intra-psychological plane. This applies equally to voluntary attention, logical memory and the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals (Vygotsky, 57). In addition, through the role of mediation, students are able to transform skills that lie in the zone of proximal development (ZPD, a term formulated by Vygotsky to refer to the area of students potential development). Williams and Burden state that med iation is a term used by psychologists of the social interactionist school to refer to the part played by other significant people (the one usually with more knowledge, e.g. a teacher) in the learners lives, who enhance their learning by selecting and shaping the learning experiences presented to them (Williams and Burden, 67). That is to say, the notion of the teacher assisting student performance through the zone of proximal development suggests that teachers can adjust the discourse on the inter-psychological to support the students evolving understanding of knowledge or development of complex skills. Therefore, Vygotskys theory implicates that learners should be provided with socially rich environments so as to explore knowledge domains with their fellow students and teachers. 2.1.2.1 Interaction Pattern of Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) The three-part exchange structure known as triadic dialogue has been found to be common in classroom discourse. This discourse format typically consists of three moves, i.e. initiation (usually via a teacher question), student response and teacher evaluation. It is more commonly referred to as IRE (Mehan, 64). Accordingly, the teacher poses a closed question that is basically information-seeking, that requires a predetermined short answer, and that is aimed at the recall or lower-order cognitive level. He or she then praises or confirms correct answers and corrects those that are wrong. Sometimes, the three-part exchange structure is also known as IRFinitiation, response and feedback or follow-up as the third move may not necessarily be an explicit evaluative remark (Sinclair and Coulthard, 54). For instance, Wells has discussed various ways in which the teacher can provide feedback by encouraging students to express ideas, generate hypotheses and test them (Wells, 1986: 50). The triadic dialogue, which is typical of traditional classroom teaching, is usually considered to restrict students thinking as students responses remain somewhat short and standardized, thus minimizing their role in the co-construction of meaning. Although such conventional teacher-questioning practices have thus been criticized, some researchers have pointed out that it is consistent with educational goals. For example, Newman, Griffin, and Cole argued that the three-part exchange has a built-in repair structure in the teachers last turn so that incorrect information can be replaced with the right answers (Newman et al, 127). Such an opinion is considered appropriate in that the responsibility of teachers is viewed as ensuring that students acquire the knowledge that is normative within a particular culture (Chin, 1316). In addition, Wells has argued that, when used effectively, it is in this third step in the co-construction of meaning that the next cycle of the learning-and-teac hing spiral has its point of departure (Wells, 1993: 35). Therefore, the triadic dialogue can prove to be beneficial to classroom teaching if the teacher is willing to interact with students further. An instance of this would be when the teacher asks a question that stimulates further productive thought, based on their evaluation of students previous responses. In such a case, the teacher would be guiding the development of students ideas by successively building on their contributions in a reciprocal manner (Chin, 1315). As for patterns of discourse, Mortimer and Scott expanded the IRE or IRF structure by identifying the IRFRF chain where the elaborative feedback from the teacher is followed by a further response from a student (Mortimer and Scott, 41). This form contributes to a dialogic interaction. As part of the feedback, the teacher could encourage a student by repeating his or her comment or asking for explanation. By establishing this pattern of discourse, the teacher is able to further explore students ideas. As Wells suggested that the third step of the IRF sequence might have potential for productive discourse (Wells, 1993: 10), Chin established an analytical framework based on questioning to explore the specific forms of feedback. Four aspects of classroom discourse (namely, content, type of utterance, thinking elicited, and interaction pattern) constitute the elements of the questioning-based discourse analytical framework (Chin, 1322). She studied several science lessons from Year 7 which were observed across a variety of lesson structures. In her study, Chin identified four different types of feedback. The follow-up or feedback given by the teacher in the IRF sequence usually takes the form of a comment or statement followed by either another question, or further statements that expound more subject-related knowledge. Therefore, the feedback of the triadic dialogue could consist of a comment-question (C-Q) or statement-question (S-Q) couplet in which the question in the couplets may be considered as overlapping with the initiation of the next IRF sequence. However, Chin points out that, if there are no more questions asked, it takes the form of a comment-statement (C-S) couplet. Sometimes, feedback comprises only comments or statements. Chins findings suggest that by changing the third move of an IRF questioning sequence from an explicit evaluation to one that includes responsive questioning, teachers can make their classroom discourse more thought-provoking and stimulate more elaborate and productive student responses (Chin, 1340). 2.1.2.2 Teacher Questioning and Student Participation As a prominent part of classroom discourse, teacher questioning plays an important role in classroom teaching and has been the focus of linguistic and pedagogical studies (Nunan, 192). There are several reasons why they are so commonly used in teaching. They stimulate and maintain students interest. They encourage students to think and focus on the content of the lesson. They enable a teacher to clarify what a student has said. They enable a teacher to elicit particular structures or vocabulary items. They enable teachers to check students understanding. They encourage student participation in a lesson. (Richards and Lockhart, 185). Second language researchers have proposed that teacher questions play a crucial role in language acquisition. They can be used to allow the learner to keep participating in the discourse and even modify it so that the language used becomes more comprehensible and personally relevant (Banbrook and Skehan, 142). In addition, many previous classroom-based studies have focused on the taxonomy of teacher questions. Barnes identified the closed-ended and open-ended questions (Barnes, 12). Moreover, a display question is a question to which the questioner already knows the answer while a referential question is a question where the teacher does know the answer and is genuinely interested in hearing the answers from students (Long and Sato, 268). And there are questions that either assist or assess (Tharp and Gallimore, 52). According to Brock, referential questions can increase students language output in class and thus promote language acquisition. An increased use by teachers of referential questions, which create a flow of information from students to teachers, may generate discourse which more nearly resembles the normal conversation learners experience outside of the classroom (Brock, 49). Although at a theoretical level, referential questions are likely to trigger more immediate output than display questions, the distinction is too simplistic to offer an in-depth understanding of teacher questioning as it focuses on the types of questions rather than the abilities elicited. The nature of questioning in constructivist-based teaching environment is different. In such an environment, the teachers intent is to elicit what students think, to encourage them to elaborate on their previous answers and ideas, and to help them construct conceptual knowledge. Therefore, questioning can diagnose and extend students ideas and the teacher can engage students in higher-level thinking including analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation as those questions are open-ended and requiring one-sentence or two-sentence answers (Brookhart, 5). Teaching questioning takes another form of a reflective toss in the feedback move of the IRF sequence (van Zee and Minstrell, 1997a: 216). A reflective question is posed to a student by engaging his or her previous response to a teacher question, thus extending the teacher-student interaction and further exploring students ideas. A reflective toss usually consists of three parts, i.e. a student statement, the reflective question and additional student statements (Chin, 1319). Furthermore, the teachers use of a reflective toss serves a series of subgoals. They include using questions to help students clarify their meanings, consider a variety of views and monitor the discussion and their own thinking (van Zee and Minstrell, 1997b: 266). While most studies centered on the role of teachers in classroom, student participation is directly related with the quality of teacher-student interaction. Student participation has become a hot issue in the field of SLA research. Tsui conducted a survey among 38 teachers on the elements of reticence in middle school classrooms in Hong Kong and discovered five influential factors: students low English proficiency, students fear of making mistakes and getting laughed at by others, lack of wait time for students to think due to teachers intolerance of reticence, uneven allocation of turns to students and teachers incomprehensible input (Tsui, 148-155). Karp and Yoels carried out a one-month observation program in the 10 classes at an American private university and identified the consolidation of responsibility (Karp and Yoels, 429). On one hand, teachers would only call on some specific students to answer their questions. On the other hand, some other students would remain silent in class as they were rarely called upon. Through the observation of fifteen classroom sessions and out-of-class interviews with two female and two male students, Morgenstern discovered that there were many opportunities for student speech, but a core of five to six students seemed to monopolize these opportunities. Student actions and attitudes, recorded by observation and interview, revealed four tacit rules for class participation: (1) do not ask stupid questions; (2) do not waste the teachers time; (3) do not waste class time; and (4) try to find the answer before asking the teacher. Some students function under the assumption that only those with the most knowledge should speak, thus assuming a hierarchy of knowledge (Action and Inaction: Student and Teacher Roles in Classroom Participation).

Driving Forces Of Ecommerce In Banking Sector Information Technology Essay

Driving Forces Of Ecommerce In Banking Sector Information Technology Essay Ecommerce is the abbreviated form of the concept of Electronic Commerce. This concept was initially introduced as an alternate for onsite trading. Selling and purchasing of goods was done using electronic systems like internet. E commerce ha spread world wide with the increasingly use of internet technology. Now the ecommerce has also spread in other business environments like tourism, banking, employment, real estate and teaching. Ecommerce has become a more convenient platform for exchanging goods and services. E commerce has also broadened the sense of global market as people can buy and sale goods and services to or from a person sitting overseas. Ecommerce has helped the consumers in many ways. E commerce provides a better insight about the product and services offered by a company. All the major retailers of the world have entered the business system of ecommerce because of the increasing use of it. In the initial stage of the ecommerce the startup companies captured the market share of well established conventional retailers only by using e commerce system for selling there product. Now the ecommerce has improved the service of each sector which has implemented the idea in their system. Due to ecommerce tourism sector has improved because now people do not have to go to the registration counter to get tickets for some place they can book their tickets online using various ecommerce sites. Banking services have drastically improved after the ecommerce system. Customers do not have to stand in queue for hours for some small things like checking balance, fund transfer etc. Ecommerce has also eased the tasks of HR managers of companies as the websites of most companies now have a career section where the aspirants can view the current openings in the company and apply for the suitable job. HR managers can view job application on the website and contact suitable applicant for further conversation. Many ecommerce sites provide facilities related to real estate business where people can get information about the different lands. Many sites like amazon, ebay, rediff have implemented the ecommerce system in the field of teaching. Study materials, books, journals, magazines etc. are available online and people can buy or subscribe them. Knowledge management system is another form of ecommerce which has improved the knowledge sharing system and has been beneficial for the education system. (Concept: Ecommerce) Banking Ecommerce E commerce in the banking sector is also known as internet banking as various tasks of banks is being done on internet. Banks have enabled electronic services to improve customer services and reduce the work load of the employees. All the normal daily bank jobs can now be done using the banks web portal. Following banking service have been transferred to the ecommerce system of the bank: Financial transactions are now being performed by using the banks online banking system or ecommerce system. These transactional services include presentation and payment of bills, fun transfer from one account to other account, investment facilities, and application for loans can be submitted on the ecommerce system of the bank. Customers can generate the periodic financial statements of their bank account by availing the internet banking facility of the bank. Long queues at the cash counter can be avoided by using the fund transfer facility on the ecommerce system of banks. ATM service is also a form of ecommerce system to transact cash without standing in long queues at the cash counter. Other non transactional services like getting bank statements and checking balance in the account are also being performed on the ecommerce system of banks. (Silvain de munck, 2001) Driving forces of Ecommerce in Banking Sector Following are the three major forces that support the use of ecommerce system in the banking sector: Economic forces: This is one the most important benefits of the ecommerce system in the banking sector. Ecommerce system are economic efficient as the cost of communication is reduced, one time investment in the infrastructure establishment will be cheaper than appointing extra staff to attend more customers, electronic transactions will be faster and more economic and better customer services can be provided on comparatively low cost. Ecommerce system of banks will also enable effective communication between all the branches and a centralized database of customers and their information can be maintained by using ecommerce system in banks. Market forces: Internet banking facilities are proved to be an extra advantage for the marketing of banks. Internet banking provides better and enhanced customer services and support. Internet is he best way of marketing in todayà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s global scenario. Technology forces: Advancement in technology is another major force for implementing ecommerce system in the banking sector. In this competitive era every organization has to walk parallel with the latest tools and technologies otherwise they will loose competitive advantage in the market. There has been much advancement in the internet security which has made the ecommerce a more reliable and secures way of banking. (Silvain de munck, 2001) Conclusion Ecommerce is the technical way of selling and purchasing goods or services. Implementation of ecommerce in each sector has improved the performance and efficiency of that sector. The banking sector has taken huge advantage from the ecommerce or internet banking system. Ecommerce has reduced the pressure of employees of banks and increased the level of customer services. The customers of banks are now happier and satisfied as they are also feeling relaxed with the advanced ecommerce system of banks. Many economic, marketing and technological forces have attracted the banking sector towards the ecommerce system. The current advanced technology has made the ecommerce system a more secure, reliable and easy system for day to day banking tasks.

Amputation and Surgery in the 19th Century :: Victorian Era

Amputation and Surgery in the 19th Century Surgery and Amputation During this period a deep cut could lead to infection, and the only treatment for infections was amputation and cauterization. However, hospitals and medical instruments were hardly if ever sanitized, so one could often come out of the hospital worse than when one went in (Bloodwiki). It was not uncommon for a person to survive a surgery only to be set upon by diseases such as hospital gangrene and septicaemia (Youngson 29). Youngson describes hospitals as â€Å"dark and overcrowded, ill-run and insanitary. It was not uncommon to see in the same ward, at the same time, cases of, (let us say) typhoid fever, erysipelas, pneumonia, rickets, dysentery; nor was it uncommon to see two patients in the same bed† (Youngson 24). Anesthesia was not used in surgeries until 1846, so prior to that the patient was completely conscious when they operated on him or her, unless the patient passed out from pain. Patients were uneager to be cut into while they were awake: â€Å"Dragged unwilling ly or carried from the ward to the operating theatre by a couple of hospital attendants (in Edinburgh a large wicker basker was used for this purpose) the patient was laid on the operating table and if necessary strapped down† (Youngson 27). The tools used in surgeries can be seen here. Anesthetics Anesthetics were not used in surgery until October 16, 1846, in Massachusetts General Hospital (Youngson 51). The anesthesia was a inhaled gas known as ether. In 1847 a doctor by the name of James Simpson popularized chloroform as an alternative to ether. According to Simpson chloroform could do more with less, act faster and last longer than ether, is more pleasing to the senses than ether, and is cheaper (qtd. in Youngson 70). Chloroform also did not need an inhaling device like ether did; it could be placed on a piece of cloth and work just as well (Youngson 70). Antiseptics One of the leading surgeons of the time was also the first surgeon to use antiseptics in surgery. Joseph Lister believed that infections were a result of bacteria. He used various methods to fight the bacteria, constantly changing his methods over the years. He even went so far as to use vaporizing sprays in the surgery areas (Connor). His original method, developed in March of 1847, to keep a wound sterilized was to â€Å"[use] [carbolic acid] to clean a wound, and then [apply] a piece of lint, soaked in the acid, as a dressing, covered by a slightly larger piece of thin tin or sheet lead in order to prevent evaporation of the acid.

Metaphors For War :: essays research papers

The use of metaphors are an important factor with any piece of literature. Metaphors add color to creative writings, also establishing depth. A story without metaphors is lifeless, unable to compose another way to view it. The term for a metaphor is a figure of speech in which term is transferred to something it does not literally apply to, this helps the brain create a mental picture which the person might easily understand what the character is feeling. When a person finally makes the connection between the metaphor and the idea, the story takes a deeper meaning. In the story by E.M. Remarque, 'All Quiet on the Western Front', you see a vast quantity of metaphors to connect the characters thoughts together. While reading this book, you may decide to ignore the metaphors, by not truly understanding the meaning they portray. In this, you fail to grasp the emotions that the author relates to you in the tale of the soldiers of the book. If you take the time to appreciate what the author writes by using metaphors the story will be more enjoyable. Understanding metaphors is not always easy, many people get similes and metaphors mixed up. A simile is nothing more then a baby metaphor. You must be able to pick out a metaphor in the story, no matter how minuscule. For even though it may appear small, it might be a lead to another far bigger metaphor. Through this, the intended meaning will appear. When Paul the main character, refers to the front as a whirlpool, this is quite a large metaphor, with a deeply rooted meaning. "To me the front is a mysterious whirlpool. Though I am in still water far away from its centre, I feel the whirl of the vortex sucking me slowly, irresistibly, inescapably into itself" (Ch.4,Pg55) This is saying that though he is not even close to the front, he still feels the effects from his position. It creates the mental picture that Paul is a boat in a large ocean, and far in the distance the whirlpool is barely seen on the horizon. Though slowly, maybe without him even realizing it, he is being pulled towards the whirlpool. This is an example of a metaphor and the mental images it creates to help people understand the book. The author also has a cage represent the front, "The front is a cage in which we must await fearfully

the future of capitalism Essay -- essays research papers

Third World History Book Report . This book report reflects upon the writings of Lester C. Thurow in his 1996 book - "The Future of Capitalism". Thurow is a professor of economics at M.I.T. School of Management and has been a contributing editor to the Newsweek journal. "The Future of Capitalism" is an analytical look at the state of world economics in the late Twentieth Century. Thurow predicts the future of capitalism based upon recent trends in empirical data combined with his own political/economic analysis. Central to this book is a powerful analogy that Thurow uses to communicate his ideas and thoughts to the reader. The distribution of wealth in the world is likened to the surface of the earth - parts of the earth are characterized by high mountainous regions (areas of wealth) while others are of lesser altitude (areas of poverty). In Geology, it is understood that the earth's surface is constantly in a state of flux, impacted by gradual movements in the tectonic plates that float upon the earth's molten inner core. The five tectonic plates affecting the earth's surface (distribution of wealth) are analogous to the driving forces behind changes in world economics; the molten inner core represents the flowing currents of technology and ideology. Thurow contends that movements in the "plates" caused by ideological and/or technological changes can be gradual, having an imperceptible impact on the world's population or they can be sudden with far greater social consequences . When tectonic plates move suddenly, they cause earthquakes on the earth's surface; the distribution of wealth is changed over a very short period of time. In this analogy, periods of rapid change caused by sudden movements in the plates are equated to times of "punctuated equilibrium". Thurow describes "punctuated equilibrium" as fundamental changes in the state of world economics that redefine what it takes to be successful and thus increase one's wealth. By their very nature, periods of "punctuated equilibrium" threaten the status quo, the Midas touch is weakened, what was successful in the past might not be so in the future. "The Future of Capitalism" asserts that we are living in a time of "punctuated equilibrium" and that successful ... ...mained unchanged for millennia. For these countries, the "western way" is a formidable threat that must be thwarted at all costs. When a country's culture is synonymous with its religion, a threat to that culture leads to a rise in religious fundamentalism with often-violent consequences. Sadly, Thurow's prediction of rising religious fundamentalism rings true today. Thurow's book is a rational, well-communicated analysis of world economics. His arguments are based upon sound intuitive reasoning supported with the appropriate empirical analysis. Thurow's use of analogy to communicate his subject is the most impressive aspect of his book. The use of "plate tectonics" accurately reflects the inner workings of world economics; the drivers of change are not obvious to the average bystander. Thurow's book should be mandatory reading for those politicians with an adversity to looking beneath the surface; too many policies target the effect and not the cause. "The Future of Capitalism" stands out because it motivates the reader to look beneath the surface; it provokes a new way of thinking about the world in which we live.

Materials and Methods

All of these Jobs were processed by a screening tool called the Physical Demands Analysis Worksheet. With this work sheet along with feedback from the worker we were able to determine and make an early hypothesis at the Jobs with the highest biomedical risk. Once the specific risk factors of the job have been identified, we can then use ergonomic analysis tools and guideline comparisons to pacifically quantify the Job demands. The specific analysis tools that we will use to identify the Job stresses are DSSSL, AD Watch. NOSH lift/pull/push equations and table guidelines, Snoop carrying/left/lower/push/pull equations, and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment.The assumption made when gathering Information on the worker Is to assume all workers have the same/scalar dimensions as the worker being analyzed for this job. For the job demands that require the worker to use low back moments (skate sharpening, boxes off shelf, Winter stagier and skate filter tasks) the analysis tools that will be u sed are DSSSL and AD Watch. The collected data used came from measuring the weights of the objects and subject by a simple weight scale assuming no peculations between loads. Other measuring devices such as measuring tapes to measure distances and heights, galvanometer to measure Joint angles, camera for picture to analyze after work site analysis and force gauge to measure push and pull forces.These models will be used to measure the outputs and compare them to the Action Limits and/or Maximal Permissible Limit. In order to find out which tasks exceed the Action Limits and/or Maximal Permissible Limit of the compression or shear forces along the spine measurements of postures and loads must be collected. Once the data Is collected and calculated the comparison will be between the actual comparison will be between the two Joint models; DSSSL and AD Watch to determine the optimal Joint loads and increase the validity of the results. Shoulder tasks will also be analyzed by the DSSSL f or awkward shoulder movements and postures with loads.Other Job demands(snowboard waxing, boxes off shelf, winter Steiner, Skate Filter-lifting) that require lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying will be calculated using NOSH equations. These calculations require the data collection of the repetition of the task, the distance traveled via pushing/carrying/lifting by using measuring tape, force(load) by using a force gauge or weight scale, and general information about the individual. The comparisons will be between the calculated results and the NOSH and SNOOP guidelines and also a comparison between the woo guidelines. To properly interpret the data to encompass a wide range of workers we will general construct our data for worse case scenarios or for workers of the Male 10th %.Lastly the Rigid Upper Limb Assessment will determine what risks are in upper limbed tasks(skate sharpening, snowboard waxing, winter Steiner, and skate filter tasks) by using Joint angles (measured by gon iometry) and loads (measured by force gauge or weight scales). The comparison is within the assessment based on the resultant number. The purpose of all the assessments is to identify and quantify the risk of injury to understand the location of the risk and therefore investigate possible solutions. When considering our recommendations we will re-assess the risk factors using the same tools for the same Jobs to compare and note improvements. An assumption made for this particular tool is to neglect any lower limb contributions to the risk of injury when performing the tasks. Also another assumption is using this model for non-static work such as snowboard waxing.