Shutter Island

The movie I chose to watch is called â€Å"Shutter Island†. Shutter Island, released in February 2010, is a psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. The story is set in Boston in 1954. The main character is a U. S Marshal, named Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo Dicaprio. Teddy plays the role of a U. S Marshal. He is assigned to investigate a missing patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital along with this partner Chuck. The patient they are trying to find is named Rachel Solando.She had been admitted to this hospital because she had drowned her 3 kids. As he began his investigation he soon begins to realise that this place isn’t what it seems to be. As the movie begins, Daniels and his partner are shown traveling to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a mental hospital. However, as the plot unravels we see that Daniels has a mental disorder of his own. Teddy seems to have more than one disorder or mental i llness due to all the things he’s been through.One of the illness’s he has is Dissociative Identity Disorder. He shows two very distinct identities. He switches from being a mental patient who murdered his wife, to being a U. S Marshal investigating a mental institution. When he is in one identity he forgets about his other one. He also experiences many hallucinations, where he thinks he’s seeing a certain object but it really isn’t there and that is a symptom of the identity disorder.An identity that is not in control may nonetheless gain access to a consciousness by producing visual hallucinations. In this movie Teddy has a lot of sudden migraines, It is said that an individual who has an identity disorder will experience migraines, asthma attacks and bowel syndrome. He also has Schizophrenia. He constantly experiences hallucinations and is occupied with one or more at a time. Another disorder that is presented is Delusional Disorder.

Universalism Versus Cultural Relativism

One of the most pertinent issues of the past twenty years has been the conflict between two different ideologies of human rights on a national scale, universalism, and cultural relativism. Universalism holds that more â€Å"primitive† cultures will eventually evolve to have the same system of law and rights as Western cultures. Cultural relativists hold an opposite, but similarly rigid viewpoint, that a traditional culture is unchangeable. In universalism, an individual is a social unit, possessing inalienable rights, and driven by the pursuit of self interest. In the cultural relativist model, a community is the basic social unit. Concepts such as individualism, freedom of choice, and equality are absent. It is recognized that the community always comes first. This doctrine has been exploited by many states, which decry any impositions of western rights as cultural imperialism. These states ignore that they have adopted the western nation state, and the goal of modernization and economic prosperity. Cultural relativism is in itself a very arbitrary idea, cultures are rarely unified in their viewpoints on different issues, it is always those â€Å"who hold the microphone [that] do not agree†(http://www. aasianst. rg/Viewpoints/Nathan. htm). Whenever one group denies rights to another group within a culture, it is usually for their own benefit. Therefore human rights cannot be truly universal unless they are not bound to cultural decisions that are often not made unanimously, and thus cannot represent every individual that these rights apply to. Even though cultural relativism has great problems and a potential for abuse, universalism in its current state is not the ideal solution. Universalism is used by many Western states to negate the validity of more ‘traditional’ systems of law. For example, if a tribe in Africa is ruled by a chieftain and advised by the twelve most senior villagers, is this system any less representative than the supposedly more liberal societies of the West?. It is not possible to impose a universal system of human rights if the effects of social change stemming from modernization are not understood or worse yet, ignored. In non-Western societies, industrialization, capitalism, and democracy might not have been the eventual outcome of the process of cultural evolution. These ideologies have been shaped and created by Western imperialism, the slave trade, colonialism, modernization, and consumerism. Today’s world shows signs of positive progress towards the universal system of human rights. The declaration of human rights occurred immediately after the atrocities committed during WWII. The globalization of human rights began when the world was awakened to the crimes committed under one government (Hitler), and the need for a more universal system of accountability and responsibility. Through a forum such as the United Nations, cultural differences are better able to be resolved, thereby paving the way for universalism while at the same time recognizing and compromising on the needs of certain cultures. The recent adoption of the International criminal court in June 1998 is an important step in enforcing and promoting the values agreed upon by the member nations. As the world becomes a smaller place with the advent of globalization, universalism makes more sense as a philosophy of human rights. In a world where many people might not be governed by national borders, having fundamental human rights instead of ones bound to certain cultures provides the best solution.

Investment and portfolio analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investment and portfolio analysis - Essay Example On the contrary, Sharpe ratio refers to a measure of risk adjustment measure that utilizes standard deviation when computing portfolio returns and inherent risk associated with a particular portfolio (Ctaff, 2012). Empirical research asserts that if Sharpe ratio is higher it implies returns are better. Therefore, by utilizing standard deviation, Sharp ratio assumes that the relevant risk is total risk unlike Treynor ratio which assumes that the relevant risk is systematic (Ctaff, 2012). Both Treyon and Sharpe ratios are similar; however, the two measures differ in terms of how they determine of risk volatility. Whereby, Treyon ration utilizes beta while Sharp ratio tend to utilize standard deviation (Anric, 2013). Information ratio measures the ability of corporate managers to utilize skills/ luck to generate excess returns beyond the established benchmark. This ratio utilizes alpha elements as well as standard deviation to measure volatilities associated with a particular portfolio (Reilly and Brown, 2012). Therefore, information ratio assumes that the relevant risk is total where both systematic and unsystematic risks are combined (Harkins, 2012). Jensen alpha refers to a measure of portfolio returns predicted using capital asset pricing model. In addition, Jensen’s alpha assumes that relevant risk is systematic (Bacon, 2013). On the other hand, Sortino ratio refers to a ratio that helps to determine the difference between good and bad risk in sharp ratio. This ratio tends to be similar with Sharp ratio. However, it utilizes downward deviation making it slight different from sharp ratio. This ratio measures return that can be derived during volatility whereby, standard deviation may be utilized. Therefore, Sortino ratio assumes that relevant risk it total (Feibel and Vincent, 2011). 2. Discuss whether the present value of cash flow approach and the relative valuation approach to security valuation can be considered to be competitive or complementary. T he present value approach may utilize discount rate to discount cash flows generated by a particular project to determine their value. Additionally, the present value approach may be utilized in making valuations of different assets such as shares, real estate properties and even bonds (Feibel & Vincent, 2011). Whereby, a negative net present value indicates that a project may not be profitable. In addition, a positive net present value implies that a project may be profitable and therefore, such project should not be undertaken because it will expose the company at a greater risk. On the other hand, relative valuation approach focuses at valuing company stocks with those of company own historical method of valuation. In addition, relative valuation tends to compare company’s stocks with the market value of other similar assets to determine whether they can be suitable for investments (Feibel and Vincent, 2011). This means that similar stocks of a particular company should be compared with those stocks of companies operating in the same market. However, relative valuation approaches have some limitations. For example, all companies may not utilize the same corporate strategies and hence, great discrepancies may exist between companies (Feibel and Vince

Zimmerman vs. Atlas Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zimmerman vs. Atlas Energy - Essay Example The hydraulic fracturing that the company used while linking the gas leaked toxic gas into his land and therefore making it inhabitable. When tests were conducted on Zimmerman’s property, it was established that there were alarming levels of carcinogenic chemicals that were dangerously above screening levels. 1500 feet from his place of residence, there was discovered seven potential carcinogenic chemicals. The company, known as Atlas Energy, Inc was formerly known as Atlas Energy and has been in the Energy business since 1968 and is by all means the leading producer in Marcellus Shale. According to Zimmerman, the substances that were found in his lands were so alarming that they could not be caused by nature and therefore, the company had acted negligently by not considering the fact that the land was a privately owned piece of property and should have been more careful with the chemicals they were going to use during their exercise. Zimmerman’s claims were based on th e fact that most farmers from areas which similar developments had taken place were exposed to similar conditions and there seemed like nothing was being done about the situation. A year earlier before the drilling started, Zimmerman claims that the baselines were completely normal and there was no indication of any harmful substances in his property after tests were carried out. 2. Discuss what management could have done in terms of risk management to have prevented the  events that lead to the lawsuit.   In the spirit of promoting sustainable development, international law encourages that all people practice safe methods of development so that the environment is preserved. Sustainable development basically promotes the use of the environment and available resources in such a manner that the current generation exhausts them fully while at the same time preserving the resources for the coming generations. The management at Atlas Energy should ensure that before the drilling begi ns all the precautions are taken so that the society around them is not affected in a bad manner. If it is obvious that such drilling will definitely result to contamination of the environment around the drilling, the management should ensure that the people living around are compensated and re allocated to a place where the chemical spilling will not affect their health and existence. If the initial precautions were ignored, the company management still had a chance to salvage the situation after it realized that Mr. Zimmerman had been affected by the chemicals spilled during the exercise. This would have been done by settling Mr. Zimmerman’s grievances outside the court and ensuring that there are options for Mr. Zimmerman to consider part from the courts. Since the management knew for sure that Zimmerman’s property had been ruined by the effects of their drilling, the Company should have found a way to compensate Mr. Zimmerman from the harm caused. In America, this will be the first of its kind if Mr. Zimmerman goes ahead to win the court case. In countries that majorly depend on foreigners to promote their economy, such scenarios are well expected but not in the United States of America. America is a developed country and a major economic power in the world and therefore, those who choose to develop the economy should do so considering the health of the people around them. 3. Discuss the ethical considerations reflected in the laws applicable to this case.   Every company owes a duty of care to its client and the general public to ensure that all their employees are well equipped to avoid negligence that can harm the public.

Service Learning Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service Learning Journal - Essay Example I hoped learn how the elderly folk felt about the situation, how they managed to cope with different people and form new relationships so late in their lives. When I arrived on the first day, I had to go to the administration offices, and they had a vet check out my dog. The dog was healthy, I strolled over to the park/park where many of the senior citizens were resting under shady trees and some playing chess. I had not been in the park for more than 3 minutes when three elderly women beckoned me with charming smiles. One of them was on a wheelchair, and I helped her put the dog on her lap, she seemed immensely pleased and brushed it coat contentedly with a wistful look. She told me that she liked pets because they never judge, besides, her pets did look down on her because of her disability like people used to do before she came here. From this, I surmised that, at some point people had discriminated because of her condition. The fact that she was sitting with her friends now groom ing dog and seemingly enjoying herself brought to mind the ideas of Ruth Benedict on ethical relativism. While her disability made her looked down upon among â€Å"normal† people, here among many elderly and some with worse conditions she was accepted, and no one discriminated her (Benedict 49). I spent most of the afternoon with the woman and her friends she was quite talkative and told me a great deal about her past, I observed that, despite the fact that she was by far the frailest and of the trio, she seemed to have authority, and they seemed to take every word she said very seriously. This juxtaposed her story about being neglected and ignored by her family, she said that her life was much easier here than at home, and nurses and orderlies were exceptionally kind and ensured she took her medication. In my opinion, it embodied action oriented ethics since the nurses were ensuring they give her and the rest of the patients in need of drugs get them since not doing the same would result to absconding their moral and official duty hence(Taylor). The next day I did not go to the park, but walked to the cafeteria with my dog, I sat with two elderly men, but unlike my friends of the previous day, they preferred to talk to me and did not pay the dog much attention. I asked them if they would not rather stay at home and be looked after by their families, one of them told said that he asked his son to take him home because he felt he was being a burden since the young man was starting a family and had his hands full. The other was very happy about the situation and told he would rather have stayed at home, but his children had convinced him to go home and they would visit him frequently, which they rarely did. He realized it was just a ploy to get rid of him, but though it hurts him, he would rather remain with his new friends. I realized that the residents felt differently about being away from their families, and when some felt they were burdening their fa milies, others felt they had been betrayed. However, all who I met well happy living with their peers though some were nostalgic about their homes. I talked for a while with the men, and they bought me a cup of tea and taught me a few clever chess moves. I took Sally who was busy chewing at the buttons in Lewis’s shoes, I had tried to stop her, but the old man said it was quite all right and seemed to enjoy the

What are the implications of globalisation for democracy Essay

What are the implications of globalisation for democracy - Essay Example istant others live in a different continent and time zone, yet electronic communications have rendered the differences of time and space insignificant. We have become more interdependent and the contemporary world can best be referred to asa global village or a shrinking world (Held and McGrew 2003, 3). If modernity was about the power of the nation state and the legitimization of the state action through traditional democracy, then globalisation would clearly have a significant impact but probably not in the contemplated way. Globalisation is usually associated with the decline of the nation state and the rise of pan national government, international organisations like the World Bank, UN and some of the most powerful TNC’s. Yet for Heldalthough state sovereignty has waned and their freedom to act has also declined in the face of globalisation, yet they have also seen resurgence. Problems associated with globalisation such as damage to the environment, overpopulation and migration have all been addressed by different nations. Revision Aid: Two way argument that nation states are in decline because of globalisation and pan national government but also that states are resurgent because they attempt to rise to the challenges presented by globalisation. Furthermore, in terms of democracy, the bureaucracy flourishes through the networks of ICT. Notions of infocracy and the transparent citizenship come into being as more and more personal information is held about us. This has consequences for democracy as we are encouraged to participate through Held’s plebiscitary democracy by channelling our wants and preferences to government through ICT. One might argue that such a process might as well develop a sense in us as to where we may pass on such inputs to the pan national organisations (Dijk 2000, 11). Revision aid: as governments make greater use of ICT, so they collect more information about us but we may also have greater opportunities to communicate political

Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Analysis - Assignment Example A higher ratio is recommended since it indicates the firm’s ability to raise revenue from the investments. The 7th year had the best performance with approximately 24% return on equity this was followed by the 5th year; the 7th year exceeded the investor’s expectations while the 5th met the investor’s expectations. This is favorable to the stockholders since it implies that for every dollar invested the shareholder received 24 cents. The worst periods were 8th, and 10th year with negative ROI meaning the company was operating at a loss and 9th year when the ROI was 0. Stock Prices -Stock prices in most cases show the firm’s performance, a method of communicating to the public. The prices are expected to increase as the company grows. From the graph the investors have been expecting the prices to grow, the 5th and 7th years met these expectation while the rest of the years failed to do so. This is a bad image of the company and shows inefficient operations. In conclusion, the EPS, ROI, and stock prices are necessary tools to indicate on the firm’s performance and management efficiency. It is clear from the analysis that the 7Th year was the best performed followed by the 5th year. Poor performances were in 8th, 9th and 10th

Blog 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blog 1 - Essay Example His work is important because he invites readers to think about the definition of the â€Å"barbarian† and how this affected international politics. From International Relations in Political Thought by Brown, Nardin, and Rengger (2002), â€Å"The History of the Peloponnesian War† aimed to faithfully narrate the causes and events of the Peloponnesian War. Boucher (1998) presented his analysis of empirical realism through â€Å"Chapter 4: Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War.† These authors have college students, who are studying politics and international history, as their audiences. Their works are important because they provide different perspectives in analyzing political history works. My question involves enthnocentricism and realism. Is ethnocentricism the main root of realism? If Spartans and the Athenians interacted more as a one cultural community, would they have avoided these anxieties against each other? Ethnocentricism is about one culture thinking that their cultural system is better than others, and it is one of the primary causes of realist thought in the Peloponnesian War. It is interesting that ancient Greeks were like the ancient Egyptians; they were colorblind in terms of their discrimination. Instead of racism, they practiced Greek-centricism, where they believed that their culture was superior to others. Keene (2005) maintained: â€Å"Blood, language, religion and custom†¦are the foundations of Greek Hellenic identity, and it is accordingly along these axes that the identity of the barbarian is conceived† (p.27). The Greeks saw themselves as the â€Å"better† race, while foreigners were seen as â€Å"barbarians.† The â€Å"Other† has become a form of Orientalism, a way of denigrating and fearing what is not known. Brown, Nardin, and Rengger (2002) noted the words of Thucydides, who believed that the causes of the Peloponnesian War are: â₠¬Å"growth of Athenian power and the fear which is caused in

IT and E-Commerce Outsourcing Approach in Walmart Coursework

IT and E-Commerce Outsourcing Approach in Walmart - Coursework Example From this paper it is clear that  outsourcing is the technique of delegating organizations business operations to external agencies that helps organizations in leveraging advantages such as low cost labour, enhanced product quality and service innovation. IT outsourcing helps organizations to leverage international knowledge base that increases their accessibility to world class capabilities. Organizations outsource IT for reducing certain business risks. Staying updated with the recent technology and for developing innovative strategies is an expensive as well as time consuming process. As a professional outsourced IT provider works with several customers and require keeping up on best practices of industry, they have full knowledge of what is appropriate and what not. Such knowledge and experience of outsourced IT professionals dramatically decreases organizations risks of implementing expensive wrong management decisions.As the report highlights  IT outsourcing decision making trends to be a complex process that ideally deals with issues within a broad area namely financial feasibility and technological for instance, performance metrics. Huge outsourcings decisions are taken by are taken by the management of the organizations that includes several stakeholders with multiple interests.  Deficiency of organizational resources and business expertise results to ineffective management decision making those results to disappointed organizational performance.

Selecting An Automated Library System For Finnish Research Libraries Essay Example for Free

Selecting An Automated Library System For Finnish Research Libraries Essay 1 The Present Situation All Finnish academic libraries and a number of other Finnish research libraries have used the VTLS software during the 90’s. The contract with VTLS Inc. was signed in 1988 and implementation took place during the following years. A uni? ed network called Linnea was created, consisting of the local installations and a common physical union catalogue which all were connected by the powerful academic data transmission network FUNET. The VTLS-based network, now called Linnea1, was very advanced when built a decade ago, and it has served Finnish libraries well. VTLS Inc. has also been a trusty companion of Finnish academic libraries during these ten years. Creation of the union catalogue Linda in early 90’s was an ambitious project. Not only was data from all academic libraries loaded into a single database; software development was also needed. For example, a duplicate control algorithm was designed in Finland and implemented by VTLS. VTLS developed many unique consortium features which enabled the libraries to use the Linda database ef? ciently for copy cataloguing purposes. Depending on the library, 50-90% of MARC records can be copied. ILL localisation is also very ef?cient, because Linda contains summary-level serials holdings from about 400 Finnish libraries. The Automation Unit of Finnish Research Libraries, created in the Ministry of Education in 1974, was instrumental in the implementation, development and running of the Linnea network. In 1993 the Unit, with all its tasks and resources, was moved to the National Library, where the Division of Library Network Services is now managing the Linnea1 network, functioning as a common agency for the academic libraries. In this capacity the National Library is also responsible for the new steps toward Linnea2, as the next generation network is called. 2 Selection of a New Automation System To summarize the need for a new generation software we can say that all library system vendors are building so-called third generation library systems with relational database and Client/Server technology, graphical user interface and web gateways, the ability to search multiple databases simultaneously, multimedia support and support for internationally accepted standards such as Z39. 50, Unicode, Edifact and ISO ILL, to meet the growing needs of the users. It was also evident that the classic VTLS system was coming to the end of 530 Annu Jauhiainen  its life-cycle and would not be developed further since VTLS Inc. is concentrating on their new system, which is called Virtua. The Finnish academic libraries have since early 90s enjoyed the bene? ts of being a consortium. The ten years of VTLS use have taught the libraries and all parties involved that co-operation is power, even if it is not always easy or simple. Because of the great success of Linnea1, there was no need to revise the basic service philosophy when moving to a new system. Libraries were satis? ed with the system and the work ? ows and with co-operation with one another. When the present VTLS system was purchased, the Ministry of Education funded the acquisition of both software and hardware. This time the universities had to ? nd the money out of their own budgets. Nevertheless, both the universities and their libraries wanted to ensure the bene? ts of the present common approach. Libraries also were open to totally new technical and organizational solutions if they should prove more favourable both functionally and economically. Libraries clearly wanted to avoid transplanting old patterns into a totally new environment. Everything had, therefore, to be looked at from a new perspective. Three major issues had to be tackled: the selection of the software, the future database or network architecture and the maintenance of the hardware. 2. 1 Selection of the Software The Linnea libraries started to look for a new-generation library system about four years ago. The National Library was asked by the directors of the Finnish academic libraries to survey the systems either on the market or being developed at the time. A questionnaire was compiled and sent to the vendors who had recently been shortlisted in corresponding procurements in Europe or in the U. S. The vendors were asked about their database management system, database structure, standards, various functions and features, the user interface, languages and formats, training, support, prices and future plans. Procuring a new library system for a large network is a major project which is regulated by European Union statutes. When the value of the contract exceeds the threshold, which is 200,000 euros at the moment, the procurement has to be advertised across the European Union. Of the three alternative types, the restricted procedure seemed to be the most suitable for the Linnea2 project. When VTLS was selected in the late 80’s, the selection process was handled by the Automation Unit of Finnish Research Libraries alone, without much involvement from the libraries themselves. This approach was quite natural at the time, because there was little experience of library automation in the libraries. More than ten years after, the situation was completely different. Libraries were well acquainted with at least one library system and, most importantly, they knew what their needs were and what they wanted of the new system. The resources of the libraries were welcomed by the National Library, which, as the service facility of the academic libraries, had the task of coordinating the process and pulling everything together. Selecting An Automated Library System for Finnish Research Libraries, Linnea2 531 The procedure started of? cially in April 1998 and the tenders were received in July. At this point, tenders were invited for software only, another procurement was planned for the hardware once the software had been chosen. During the fall the tenders were evaluated thoroughly. Attention was paid to the technical structure and the technical solution of the system, references from present and future users of the system, the services and the support offered by the vendor and the quality and the completion of the various functions and modules. Four systems were shortlisted based on these criteria. They were Horizon, Innopac, Taos and Voyager. These four systems had been found to ful? l our requirements best in the ? rst phase of the selection process. At the beginning of the second phase the four short-listed systems were all on the same line. In nine months we had to ? nd  out which of the four was functionally the most suitable and economically the most advantageous for the local databases as well as the union and national databases. The systems were ? rst demonstrated to a large group of library representatives. The next step was to get our hands on the applications. The National Library, together with the four vendors, organized the testing of these systems. This was the part of the evaluation in which the contribution of the libraries was most signi? cant. Over 70 people from the libraries and the computing centres of the universities participated in testing, which took about three months. A number of testing groups, each specializing in different functions, i. e. cataloguing, circulation, acquisition, OPAC, etc. listed the merits of the systems, without knowing how the other groups ranked them. Objectivity was the main guideline here. In addition to the ranking list, the groups also produced lists of open questions. Answers to these questions were sought in two ways, through site visits and negotiations with the vendors. A group of six people, representing both the National Library and other libraries as well as the university computing centres, visited libraries using these systems, both in Europe and in the U.S. The site visits were essential in ? nding out how the systems worked in real life. During these nine months of evaluation the National Library negotiated with the four vendors (Dynix GmbH, Innovative Interfaces Inc, Data Research Associates Inc and Endeavor Information Systems Inc) in several ways and on several occasions. The vendors came to Helsinki a number of times and we went to their headquarters once to talk with the development staff, support staff and the company management. There was also constant discussion via email whenever any questions about the functionality of the systems needed to be answered. An essential feature in selection processes was a fair and objective treatment of all parties involved. Since every step was documented, we would have been able to reconstruct the process, should it have proved necessary. We have been told both by many foreign colleagues and by the vendors that the Finnish library system selection process has been the most thorough ever carried out. It is clear that when purchasing a system for all major research libraries of a country we are dealing with a much more serious issue than satisfying the needs of just a single library. When the different parts of the selection process were drawn together, Voyager, by Endeavor Information Systems Inc. proved to ful? l the criteria best. Voyager was found to be a complete, integrated system that was ? nished in the essential, traditional functions 532 Annu Jauhiainen needed by the libraries, but which however is being further developed to meet the new needs and changing technologies. It ? ts both individual Linnea libraries and the Linnea network well. Local services can be streamlined and their scope extended. But centralised services will also bene? t from Voyager via its consortium-driven functions. Increased ef? ciency is largely based on improved networking since Voyager supports both Z39. 50 and ISO ILL. The company, Endeavor Information Systems Inc. had also been thoroughly investigated by an economic expert and found to be sound and stable, with good prospects. An example of the dif? culties in anticipating future changes is that Endeavor has since then been sold to Elsevier Science, raising a number of question marks. The National Library proposed to the libraries that Voyager should be chosen, which was unanimously accepted. The National Library was asked to conclude the negotiations with the company, and was also empowered to sign the contract on behalf of all universities and other bodies participating in the purchase. This happened on February 4, 2000. 2. 2 The Network Architecture One of the important decisions in Linnea2 was whether to merge existing databases or to keep the current structure. Discussions with Endeavor experts made it clear that although it is technically possible to merge databases, actually doing this would be timeconsuming and expensive. The technical merits of such action would be limited, since Voyager databases can be merged into a virtual union catalogue by using the Z39. 50 Information Retrieval protocol. Politically there was quite a lot of reluctance among libraries to merge databases, even though Voyager makes living with a shared database much easier than our present system. A decision was, therefore, made to retain the 24 databases in Linnea2. The next question was how many servers an optimal solution for the Linnea2 network would require. In the present Linnea1 network there are 17 HP3000 servers for the 24 databases. The number of servers was never really discussed during the implementation of Linnea1 because of the limitations of the computer technology of the time. How far can one go in centralisation? The answer depends on three factors, the available data transmission network, the capabilities of the software and the state of the computer technology. The Finnish Academic and Research Network, FUNET, is already at present a key factor for the Linnea network. Without the infrastructure provided by FUNET it would not have been possible to use the Union Catalogue Linda as a cataloguing tool in a way we have done since the early 90’s. A shared server is not possible if there can only be one database on the server. The Voyager software allows an unlimited number of databases on a single server. However, practical experience from other Voyager consortia made it clear that there should not be more than about 5-7 databases on a single server, since a large number of databases means that much time may be needed for Oracle and Voyager updates: it may take several days to update many large databases, and during the process all the databases must be shut down. Selecting An Automated Library System for Finnish Research Libraries, Linnea2. 533 More importantly, if all databases are dependent on the same hardware and operating system process, severe problems would have an impact on every library simultaneously. Fortunately, new server technologies make it possible to have a single server and still avoid this problem: there are servers that can be internally split into several logical (and physical) parts. Both Sun and IBM, which are the platforms Voyager supports, can deliver cluster-like computers, which can be separated into logical parts called domains (Sun) or nodes (IBM). Each part has its own operating system process and dedicated hardware from network card to processors. To the operators and users, the server looks like a cluster of computers. So there were no technical constraints on choosing the network architecture freely. Linnea libraries were eager to ? nd out whether centralisation would save money. In the 90’s the resources and budgets of the Finnish academic libraries have been cut; this is unfortunately a problem common to all kinds of libraries everywhere in the world. At the request of the universities three scenarios were analysed: – centralised model; all databases placed on a single machine – semi-centralised model; 3-5 servers – decentralised model; the current number of servers Cost analysis was based on both purchase price and the total cost of ownership, calculated for ? ve years. After a thorough analysis of the various options, Sun E10000 was chosen as the server system. The decision to go for Sun was based on technical merit and price. Both Endeavor and Oracle use Sun machines as their development platforms; this fact was also taken into account. The Linnea2 server will initially have 28 400 MHz CPUs. According to Endeavor, this is enough for 1400 active users, or more than 5000 concurrent users, about twice as much as now. Both Endeavor and we felt that an ample safety margin is needed in order to avoid performance problems. Of course buying a lot of CPUs is not enough; there may be other bottlenecks. The E10000 will have 24 GB of memory and 800 gigabytes of mirrored ? ber disk dedicated to Voyager databases. The universities had set an upper limit for the total purchase price of the software and hardware, including conversion of the databases. Because of the unfavourable exchange rate of the US dollar, the National Library felt increasing pressure to arrive at a low-price solution. We found out that even if list prices may tell you a different story, for a big customer like our consortium it was cheaper to purchase one big server system than a number of smaller ones. But bargain prices are not automatically offered. We managed to establish a competition between Sun and IBM in real terms because both companies saw Linnea2 as an important project. After the server was chosen, the decision was made to outsource the maintenance of the new server to the Center for Scienti? c Computing, CSC, a non-pro? t company owned 534 Annu Jauhiainen by the Ministry of Education. It hosts Finnish supercomputers and maintains the FUNET network. In spite of better maintenance coverage and better support from the hardware vendor, maintenance costs will diminish a lot compared with Linnea1. Basic maintenance of the 17 HP3000 servers takes about three man-years, but we estimate that a single E10000 will require less than a man-year. If this estimate is correct, we will save about two manyears or even more because managing a UNIX system is generally believed to be more time-consuming than managing an HP3000 computer. Thus we have good evidence for the claim that an unprejudiced approach to server architecture has enabled us to combine signi? cant savings with important technical improvements. Being a consortium helps a lot: libraries buying systems only for themselves will not be able to utilise new technology with similar ef? ciency. It is easy to understand from this point of view why library consortia are becoming more common in the US and some European countries. Finland has been one of the pioneering countries in this area, and our experiences from such co-operation are very encouraging. 2. 3 Implementation At present we are in the middle of the implementation phase. Building Linnea1 and implementing VTLS took several years, but this time all 24 databases will migrate from VTLS to Voyager during a fairly short period of time, April-August 2001. This means that everything has to be scheduled very carefully and the schedules have to be kept. We have a joint national implementation project, and each library has its own project. There are three parties in all of these projects: the Linnea libraries, the core group in the National Library and Endeavor Information Systems Inc. and all of these parties have to work together seamlessly. Endeavor is doing some software development for us. In general we are buying the system off the self and didn’t want as many customizations as in the VTLS time, for we have seen the problems raising from localization, but there are some things that could not be avoided. Training is a vital part of implementation. We use the †train the trainer† method, so that Endeavor is training only the trainers. This way we get customized training for Finnish local needs, and also save quite a lot of money. Endeavor has converted several VTLS databases before, but in spite of that, testing the loads is important. Early tests for some sites were carried through in the fall and at present we are doing test loads for all databases, to make sure that the production conversions will be successful. 3 Conclusion The cornerstone of this process has been co-operation, the will to pull together. This is not enough nevertheless: there also has to be a workhorse, to pull everything together. This is important, especially when there is no higher authority to manage the process, as was the case when Linnea1 was built and the Ministry of Education took care of the Selecting An Automated Library System for Finnish Research Libraries, Linnea2 535 negotiations and funded the whole process. This time university libraries felt the need to start the process of acquiring a new system together. They were willing to make an effort to ? nd a new solution to improve the quality of their services, as well as to use their scarce resources for the evaluation, which was seen as bene? ting all. They were also willing to ?nd the money to pay for the new system, with everything included. The Linnea2 consortium was build from below, the National Library acting as the workhorse but not as a higher authority. This was a successful approach. In order to continue this success, there must be a formal organisation for the consortium. That is why the Linnea2 consortium has just been established, with a formal organisational structure and bylaws. The thorough selection process for a new automation system for the Finnish research libraries has not simply been a question of technology and technical expertise, which the National Library has been responsible for. It was even more a question of policy and cooperation. Many things may be possible technically, but politically they are not, unless you know how to handle them correctly and diplomatically. Sometimes our neighbours in the Scandinavian countries say that libraries in Finland ? nd it easier to co-operate than libraries in other countries. Of course, this is not true. Libraries in Finland are as individualistic as libraries everywhere. They also have their particular local needs. But there is obviously a will to co-operate, as dif? cult as it may be at times.

The Book Of Isaiah Theology Religion Essay

The Book Of Isaiah Theology Religion Essay The book of Isaiah can be divided into 2 sections; the judgment and the comfort. The first thirty nine chapters are about judgment and the rest is comfort. The book of Isaiah is about the prophet Isaiah and the visions he saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah was mainly called upon by God to prophesy to the people of the kingdom of Judah. Judah was experiencing some difficult times and was on the verge of being destroyed by Egypt and Assyria, but God showed them mercy and spared their life. The book of Isaiah paints a picture of Gods forthcoming judgment. The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will turn together, with no one to quench the fire (Isaiah 1:31), this shows how powerful Gods judgment is; it is going to come blazing down like a forest fire. The book of Isaiah also mentions that Isaiah also recognizes that our God is merciful, compassionate and gracious. According to the book of Isaiah, the great nation of Israel (Judah and Israel) was deaf as a be etle and blind as a bat when it came to Gods commands. The book of Isaiah, more so than other, emphasizes on Messiah and the salvation that follows him. One day, the Messiah will rule in righteousness and justice, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice (Isaiah 32:1). Peace and safety will be brought by the Messiah; through Him, Israel will be the light house and all the nations will look up to Israel. The book of Isaiah mainly focuses on the kingdom of Messiah on earth; it also says that Gods righteousness is entirely revealed during Messiahs reign. As an ambiguity, the book represents Messiah to be the one to suffer. Christ suffered in his body; arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin (1 Peter 4:1), the book of Isaiah also mentions that you can only be healed through his wound. Although God punishes sinners he also comforts them at the time of their trouble, for instance As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you (Isaiah 66:13) RESPONSE According to the first verse of the book of Isaiah, it was about the visions of Isaiah. If that was the case who is the author of the book; could it have been, Isaiah? Toward the end of the book, it describes the arrival of the Messiah and all the suffering he has to tolerate in order to wipe our sins clean. In order to fulfill all the prophecies in this book, the sovereign Lord organized every detail down to the crucifixion. All throughout the book of Isaiah, the main themes were the judgment and salvation of the people of Israel. From what I have noticed, the book of Isaiah is mentions a group of angels, called seraphim. It introduces the idea of heaven. The book also mentions Lucifer, an angel of god, the days before became the devil. One of Isaiahs prophecies was one that was truly remarkable; it was the prediction of the Persian king Cyrus and his life, were mentioned long before his birth. Isaiahs calling from god was mainly make the people of Judah and Jerusalem repent, and re turn to god as he is the judge, the jury, and the executioner. According to the book of Isaiah, Isaiahs job as a prophet was to deliver an important message; repent your sins to the God and that Salvation comes not from man but the God almighty. The first chapter in the book of Isaiah, God promises the people two things; the first for the people who are good, and the second for the sinners. Gods promise to the obedient one was you will eat from the best of the land (Isaiah 1:19) and to the disobedient people, you will be devoured by the sword (Isaiah 1:20). If you look at the Isaiahs prophecies; they were basically depictions of the life of Jesus Christ and his ministry. Why was the Northern Kingdom, Israel, being judged upon? What was Israel doing that made God so angry, that He decided to punish them for their sins? Why is the verse, For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. (Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4) repeated several times in the book of Isa iah? What does it signify? When I first started reading the book of Isaiah, one thing that I noticed is the fact that the book had 66 chapters and the first 39 chapter, the judgment, and the last 27 chapter, the coming of messiah and the salvation. Similarly, the Bible has 66 books divided into 39 books, the Old Testament, and 27 books, the New Testament. Are these numbers related to each other, if so does that symbolize anything? Something that needs to be further analyzed.

Plan for a A Virtual Community for Teenagers on the Web :: Internet Communities Essays cyberspace

Plan for a A Virtual Community for Teenagers on the Web The Internet, though only considered to be approximately a decade old, has blossomed into an incredible method of communication. However, many of the resources contained on the Internet are hard to find, especially for less-experienced users. A virtual community project would ideally consist of all resources needed for high school juniors and seniors to access at any time and at any location. A perfect online community for teens would consist of many useful resources while allowing for expandability as technology advances. The most important factor of a virtual community would be the obligatory desire to visit and use the site. This could be accomplished by utilizing various techniques. A simple yet appealing interface would have to be employed to build a successful online village. Contests would also draw students from around the world to such a site. Daily winners to trivia or knowledge contests, all with some educational component involved, could win prizes supplied by the site's advertisers. Another important element, the aspect of customization, would also draw students to the site. An abundance of popular Internet sites are progressing toward personalization within the confines of their Web presence. All users to the virtual community would enroll using a short but complete registration form directly linked to the main page of the site. The initial form would consist of such straightforward entries as the user's name, e-mail address, ZIP code, time zone, desired username, and password. By using existing technology, the user would be greeted with a "Hello [name]!" message each time that he or she visited the site. The key to a successful community is accessible information about all of the site's users, but a sensitive issue arises with the mention of personal information. Many students and parents feel uncomfortable releasing information about themselves to a worldwide audience. It is important, therefore, that any particular user does not have to submit personal information to be released to all other users of the site. A strong emphasis would be placed on the importance of releasing enough information so that other users could find those students with similar interests. It is important to note that after completing the initial entry form, all registered users could access all services of the site. After providing personal information, users would be able to create a profile utilizing that information to show such information as interests, location, and current classes.

Is Pornography Good? :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Is Pornography Good?    Pornography is the theory, Rape is the fact. Robin Morgan, editor of the famous feminist magazine Ms., was quoted as saying this thought provoking statement. This really makes one stop and think. How closely related are pornography and rape, or any violent act for that matter? Many surveys and research studies have been done to answer just that. But the findings have been highly debatable. On one hand, you have people who feel that there is no correlation between the two, that pornography is used only for personal enjoyment, and it stops there. Then you have the feminist viewpoint which totally disagrees. Two well known feminists, Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin have their own view and definition on pornography.    à ¾....Pornography is the graphic sexually explicit subordination of women, whether in pictures or in words, that also includes one or more of the following: (i) Women are presented dehumanized as sexual objects, things, or commodities; or (ii) women are presented as sexual objects who enjoy pain or mutilation; or (iii) women are presented as sexual objects who experience sexual pleasure in being raped; or (iv) women are presented as sexual objects tied up or cut up or mutilated or bruised or physically hurt; or (v) women are presented in postures of sexual submission, servility, or display; or (vi) womens body parts - including but not limited to vaginas, breasts, and buttocks- are exhibited ,such that women are reduced to those parts; or (vii) women are presented by whores by nature; or (viii) women are presented being penetrated by objects or animals; or (ix) women are presented in scenarios of degradation, injury, torture, shown as filthy or inferior, bleeding, bruised, or hurt in a context that ,makes these conditions sexual. à ¾    Pornography is further defined as including à ¾the use of men, children, and transsexuals in the place of women.à ¾ It is also said somewhat cryptically that à ¾the definition does not include all sexually explicit depictions of the subordination of women. Now that we have a greater understanding at the true meaning of pornography, we should look at the radical feminist view on the harm that pornography can cause. Once again the highly acclaimed feminist lawyer Catharine MacKinnon says:    à ¾If pornography is an act of male supremacy, its harm is the harm of male supremacy made difficult to see because of its pervasiveness, potency, and success in making the world a pornographic place.

Benifits Of Scientific Knowledge On Health And Behavior :: essays research papers

Today we are relishing the ambrosial taste of the modern scientific technology and applications. Science and technologies are in the part of all human activities, from the houses that we live in, the food we eat, the cars we drive, and to the electronic gadgetry in almost every home that we use to remain informed and entertained. These all evidences show the blessings of scientific knowledge on humans. Before eighteenth century we were plunged in the depths of ignorance and unawareness of scientific knowledge. Without having an adequate scientific knowledge, our ancestors had buried their common senses deep under the mask of ignorant personalities but it was the scientific revolution in nineteenth century that unsheathed it and now we can see that the whole world is globalized due to this scientific revolution. Science has affected human life and culture in many ways and requires numerous books to discuss its impacts on us. So in this essay my goal is only to describe the impacts on health and behavior in comparison with the past and present. Before the revolutionary changes in early nineteenth century, health problems and a large number of fatal diseases gulped the whole community like a malicious dragon. The most common health problem was the numerous fatal diseases and epidemics. There was no cure for the most common diseases so these diseases always acted as a catastrophe. In those days emergence of an epidemic always proved as â€Å"Pandora’s Box† to the whole locality. At that moment average life span was thirty to forty years. Some common disease like Chicken pox, Measles, Typhoid and many different kinds of fevers had killed more than the present American population in last seven centuries through the whole planet. On the other hand if we analyze the ratio of mortality in year 1999 in comparison with the past, we would come to know that these diseases couldn’t affect more than some thousands of human lives. As the most descriptive condition of humans, health is very important factor for us. Wi thout health we can’t survive or by having a bad health we can’t reach the average human life span.After the scientific revolution, the scientific applications have led to the treatment of numerous fatal diseases and health problems and now we are able to increase the average life span to more than seventy years. Now we can treat those fatal epidemics that ruined the every human life in their way of city to city some centuries ago.

Khazars and Judaism

In his essay entitled â€Å"O dvoystvennosti verkhovnoy vlasti u khazarov†, Vasili V. Grigoriev described the Khazar as follows: â€Å"The Khazar people were an unusual phenomenon for Medieval times. Surrounded by savage and nomadic tribes, they had all the advantages of the developed countries: structured government, vast and prosperous trading, and a permanent army.At the time, when great fanatism and deep ignorance contested their dominion over Western Europe, the Khazar state was famous for its justice and tolerance. People persecuted for their faiths flocked into Khazaria from everywhere. As a glistening star it shone brightly on the gloomy horizon of Europe, and faded away without leaving any traces of existence.†This paper introduces to a reader who the Khazar people are and their role in Jewish history.Khazars and JudaismOriginally, the Khazars practiced Shamanism and phallic worship with the sky god Tengri as the focus. Subordinate Gods whom the Khazars worship ped include fertility  goddess  Umay,  Kuara, a thunder god, and  Erlik, the god of deathDue the persecution of Jews under Heraclius, Leo III, Justinian II and Romanos I, Jews fled to Khazaria. The Mazdak revolts also caused Jews from Persia to flee to Khazaria. It was said that Jewish merchants from this age regularly traded in Khazaria. They may have wielded strong econimic relations in Khazaria.Sometime in the 8th century or 9th, the Khazar royalty converted to Judaism and the most of the population followed. The reason for the conversion, as some historians say is that the King cannot anymore endure the nasty forms of sexual excesses of his people. King Bulan abolished shamanism and the worship of phallic objects. He decided against Christianity and Islam and selected Judaism.The King and his nobles were converted immediately by the rabbis from Babylonia. Phallic worship was then forbidden. Kings requested for rabbis to open schools and synagogues in the nation. Judaism has become the religion of Khazaria.The conversion of King Bulan started the new policy that only a Jew can occupy the Khazar throne. The kingdom became a theocracy where the leaders imposed religion as the guide to everyday life. Judaism provided not only religious but also civil laws.   

Argument Essay Essay

As students we all have been challenged to do our best. Throughout our lives we have been labeled with our grades; in high school, the ones with low grades were left alone in misery, while the ones with higher grades were praised as the leaders of this horse race. Then, the question that comes into mind is: is it right to categorize students, does grading contribute to educationa? It is assumed and stated in the philosophy of the current educational system that grading encourages learning and without it students would not study. That is far from being true and also expresses another flaw of our education system. The system is based on fear: the basic motive for students to study is fear of low grades. Furthermore, because the grades are the main criteria for passing courses, students do not study: they just develop methods of cheating. Thus, without learning the subject, they keep passing. Since grades received in exams are more important than learning the subject matter, all students have to do to pass their courses is memorize how a specific problem is solved. Without knowing why such a method is used, students cannot apply their ability to solve the problem to daily life. However, they pass exams without learning why, how or what of the matter. Another disadvantage of grading is that grades of a student are not updated. That means the grades of a student for the first year of school will still be valid in the last year, whether his knowledge about the subject has improved or deteriorated. Considering all the factors that affect a student’s exams and marks, even a small incident may have a great impact in the long run. Apart from these problems, which can be virtually solved by optimizing and improving the grading system, the most important defect of the system cannot be repaired without changing the whole system. The grading system causes inequalities, superior-inferior relations, classifications and even conflicts. It may be maintained that societies of the modern world are structured on these basic principles, but the fact that something exists does not justify it. Moreover, the people grown up in such an education system will not be able to see the other side of the walls, or will be afraid even to take a glimpse. To sum up, grading students is not a good practice and should be abolished. It is clear that education, especially education during childhood, has a great effect on one’s life. And if you bring the children up in conditions of conflict and competition, they will look for conflicts in the future too.

English Language Proficiency Essay

â€Å"English is the craziest language.† This tagline was made famous by the American author, speaker and teacher – Mr. Richard Lederer. His column, â€Å"Looking at Language†, is syndicated in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. He has written more than 30 books, including Anguished English, Get Thee to a Punnery, Crazy English, A Man of My Words, The Word Circus, The Miracle of Language, The Cunning Linguist, Word Wizard, and Presidential Trivia. Known as a â€Å"verbivore†, a word he coined in the early 1980s, Lederer’s interests include uncovering word origins, pointing out common grammatical errors and fallacies, and exploring palindromes, anagrams, and other forms of recreational wordplay. We all know that English is the universal language and by means of this, we can easily communicate with other nationalities all over the world. Filipinos are known to be good English speakers and to start our training at an early age, schools all over the Philippines managed to have the English Policy. It wouldn’t be only a benefit for the students but for their teachers as well. Based on the past issues of ECHO, QCA already underwent a system in which the faculty club had been given a chance to go for an English training. Even the students actively participated in the said policy that they should speak English or else they will pay their penalty. It’s not about prohibiting us to use our native language but it helps us to become more confident in communicating with people. As an opening for the year 2013, ECHO wanted to know the voice of the students today regarding this matter. Would they still like the English Policy back to nurture their capabilities in this language? Let’s hear some of their opinions. â€Å"Indeed! As a student, I want to help my classmates and schoolmates to develop more about English grammar and communication. In this way we can improve our English skills,† Brian Caacbay of I – Agap A stated. John Karl de Jesus from IV – Abad Santos B said, â€Å"Yes, I still want the English Policy back in QCA because it helps students to develop their competence in the use of the certain language and to encourage positive attitudes towards learning it.† â€Å"For me it’s a yes, because it can help us to improve our grammar. It can also help us to speak more fluently in English,† Reign Mariano of I – Agap A remarked. Most of the students answered positively and this brings a great  opportunity to all of the QCAians. English may be a crazy language but it’s not that hard to learn as long as we are eager to do it for own good sake.

Injustice in the Education System Essay

Educational inequality takes place where the worth of education accessible to pupils is directly related to their class. Unequal allocation of resources to children with different socioeconomic status backgrounds has been linked to lower test scores and low college enrolment rates. However re cent researched proved that as of the moment there are three preeminent educational injustices that infects almost all kinds of education systems, and these are: Educational promotion inequalities (or) Arbitrary tracking systems, racial categorization (gender, geographic, institutional) and Displacement of control (misallocation, disproportion, unresponsive. ) In the U. S. , school quality and availability of resources are determined by the amount of funding that schools receive. The amount of funding schools receive is determined to a large extent by property taxes paid by homeowners; close to half of property taxes go to nearby school districts( Braddock,1990). Property tax dilemma The more affluent a neighborhood, the higher the property taxes, and the higher the funding for that school district is. Although this situation seems favorable, the problem emerges when the equation is reversed. In neighborhoods inhabited by predominantly working and lower class families, properties are less expensive, and so property taxes are much lower than those in affluent neighborhoods. Consequently, funding for the schools districts that working and lower class children are assigned to is also significantly lower than the funding for the school districts that children of affluent families are assigned to. Thus, students in working and lower class schools do not receive the same quality of education and access to resources as do students from affluent families. The reality of the situation is that distribution of resources for schools is based on the socioeconomic status of the parents of the students. As a result, the U. S. educational system significantly aids in widening the gap between the rich and the poor, a gap that has increased, rather than decreased, over the past few decades due to lack of social mobility (Haycock,1987). Wage gaps Wage gaps for paid work-one form of disadvantage and oppression based on gender- though slowly shrinking, persist in the united States and across the globe. Social mobility Social mobility refers to the movement in class status from one generation to another. It is related to the â€Å"rags to riches† notion that anyone, with hard work and determination, has the ability to move upward no matter what background they come from. Contrary to that notion, however, sociologists and economists have concluded that although exceptions are heard of, social mobility has remained stagnant and even decreased over the past thirty years (NEA, 1990). Some of the decrease in social mobility may be explained by the stratified educational system. Since the educational system forces low-income families to place their children into less-than-ideal school systems, those children are typically not presented with the same opportunities and educational motivation as are students from well-off families, resulting in patterns of repeated intergenerational educational choices for parent and child, also known as decreased or stagnant social mobility(Lareau, 2003). Other factors Social immobility expresses itself in lower class children who follow in the same footsteps as their parents, mainly not obtaining higher education. The result of such choices is that the poor remains poor and the rich go to college. Reasons for poor children opting to not pursue college range from a variety of different explanation. Lower class children have not grown up with the same expectations of life because these have not been instilled in them by their parents, or most importantly, by the educational system. The U. S. educational system fails its lower-income students by not providing them with the same access to resources and opportunities as it does to its more affluent students. Furthermore, several studies have shown that programs such as gifted education and tracking (education) further manage to separate those with higher level skills from those with lower level skills, which often happens to be the rich from the poor. In fact, the vast majority of children in gifted student programs happen to be middle-class Caucasian. This is not to say that poor students are not as smart as rich students, but it does imply that they have not received the same opportunities in childhood to develop certain skills. Middle and upper class students grow up with parents who foster their intellectual and educational development by engaging in a child raising approach known as concerted cultivation. This approach values education and learning, and parents engaged in this form of parenting value visits to the museum, extracurricular activities, homework, tutoring, and reading to their children. Furthermore, middle and upper-class parents can afford to place their children in significantly better childcare centers before they enter grade school. As the Carolina Abecedarian Project (below) found, these are essential elements in future educational and life successes. Evidence for the unequal distribution of college students’ socioeconomic status can be seen by examining college enrollment rates and demographics. One study examined the top 146 colleges in America and found that the average student representation on the colleges was the following: 75% of students came from socioeconomic backgrounds consistent with the richest 25% of the population. Less than 5% of students came from the poorest 25% of the population (Leonhardt, & Scott,2005). Zoning as a new injustice PS 194, the Countee Cullen School, is nestled in the heart of Harlem in Community School District Five, one of the poorer districts in New York City. On March 20, it was the scene of a tense hearing. The full school auditorium was fiercely divided into two camps — on the one side, parents of PS 194 students fighting to keep their neighborhood school open, and on the other side, Eva Moskowitz and her supporters demanding that the entire building be turned over to her Harlem Success Academies. Behind that conflict was the New York City Department of Education — and not just because it was the DOE which was planning to replace PS 194 entirely with one of Moskowitz’s schools. There is a long and sordid record of DOE neglect and underfunding of PS 194 — it had one of the largest class sizes in CSD 5 and on average 7 more students per class than Moskowitz’s schools — and of the imposition of a series of ineffectual principals — five over the last five years. Yet despite all that, PS 194 was a school that had met its Annual Yearly Progress Benchmarks under No Child Left Behind and was in good standing with the New York State Education Department until last school year. And still the DOE has decided to close it down based solely on the school’s failing grade on the city’s School Progress Reports. One can not help but wonder if that is a decision being made not on academic merit, but out of a desire to create new space for the schools of a politically powerful former city councilwoman (Gootman, E. & Gebeloff, 2008). On March 17 of this week, parents of students from PS 194, together with parents of students from two other New York City public schools — PS 241 in Harlem and PS 150 in Ocean Hill-Brownsville — joined representatives of the Community Education Councils for those schools, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the UFT in filing suit against the Department of Education over its plans to close all three schools and replace them entirely with charter schools. The law suit charges that by closing these three schools and not replacing them with new district schools, the DOE is illegally eliminating the school attendance zone for the three schools. All zoning changes must, by statute, go through the Community Education Councils for the district. PS 194, PS 241 and PS 150 have a few things in common. First, they serve a significantly poorer student body than the rest of their district and the city as a whole — one of the schools, PS 150, has 97% of its students receiving free lunches. Second, they have significant numbers of English Language Learners in their student population — one of the schools has as many as 1 in 5 students in that category. And lastly, two of the three schools —PS 150 as well as PS 194 — were meeting their Annual Yearly Benchmarks under No Child Left and were in good standing with the State Education Department through 07-08. The third school — PS 241 — went from a ‘B’ on its NYC School Progress Report last year to a ‘D’ this year, meaning that the decision to close it was based on a single year’s drop in test scores. These schools and their neighborhoods need additional supports and resources, not the abolition of the neighborhood school (Walker, 1986). So what can be done to create this open contest? First I say we need to educate teachers on the cultures of the children they will teach, and to break down old stereotypes and biases. Teachers need to believe that all students can learn in order to make a difference; student motivation isn’t the only factor. Tracking needs to be reworked into something that takes advantage of its strengths, such as offering a faster pace for those who can handle it, but doesn’t limit those who fall into lower tracks. Most important is that schools need to mix students of different races and abilities. By mixing races in classrooms, the schools will help educate students about each other’s cultures and reduce racial tension in society, and by mixing students of different abilities lower tracks will keep up with upper tracks. Black students have been held behind for too long, and this is what needs to be done to let them back into the open contest (Epps, 1970). Privileges are preserved Why are students from privileged backgrounds more successful in schooling, and why do these advantages persist over time? WCER researcher Adam Gamoran says economic, cultural, and social differences combine to preserve privilege across generations. Signs of change in economic inequalities affecting schooling are modest. Policymakers increasingly recognize that unequal school financing across school districts is unfair, and some are taking steps to reduce these inequalities. But this trend will do little to reduce the major advantages students from families with more economic resources have over students from families with fewer resources. The most important resources tend to operate at the individual level, so they are unaffected by changes in the redistribution of collective funds for education (Gamoran, 2001). Gamoran says it’s difficult to predict how a rigorous system of testing on a national scale will affect trends in educational equity. In the short term, using a standardized test as the sole criterion for high school graduation would drastically reduce rates of high school completion among Blacks of all social classes. Why? Because among Whites and Blacks of the same social class, Whites tend to have higher test scores. Economically disadvantaged students would also be adversely affected. In the long run, however, assessments incorporating higher standards could further reduce educational inequality between Blacks and Whites if †¢ the tests were used to (a) bring about a more standardized curriculum, (b) foster a greater emphasis on learning opportunities as well as outcomes, and (c) increase incentives for schools to support minority student learning by heightening awareness of, and accountability for, unequal outcomes; and †¢ the tests did not serve as the sole criterion for high school graduation. (Gamoran, 2001). The pressure for testing and accountability is strong. If implemented in such a way as to enhance rather than restrict opportunity, testing may accelerate the trend toward the equalization of educational outcomes across racial groups. (Gamoran, 2001). Bibliography Braddock, J. (1990). â€Å"Tracking: Implications for Student Race-Ethnic Subgroups† Feb 1990, Microfiche ED 325 600 Epps, E. (1970). â€Å"Race, Intelligence, and Learning: Some Consequence of the Misuse of Test Results† Aug 1970, Microfiche ED 048 423 Gamoran, A. (2001). Sociology of Education, Extra Issue (2001), pp. 135–153 Gootman, E. & Gebeloff, R. (2008). Gifted programs are less diverse. New York Times Haycock, K. (1987). â€Å"Promising Practices: Equality, Relevance, and Race† Nov 87, Microfiche ED 294 950 Kenyon, D. A. (2007). The property tax school funding dilemma. Policy Focus Report, The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. http://www. lincolninst. edu/pubs/pubdetail. aspx? pubid=1308 Kuydendall, C. (1989). â€Å"Improving Black Student Achievement by Enhancing Students’ Self Image† 1989, Microfiche ED 325 594 Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. University of California Press: Berkley Leonhardt, D. & Scott, J. (2005). Class matters: Shadowy lines that still divide. New York Times. http://www. nytimes. com/2005/05/15/national/class/OVERVIEW-FINAL. html NEA. (1990). â€Å"Academic Tracking: Report of the NEA Executive Committee/ Subcommittee on Academic Tracking†Microfiche ED 322 642 Sizemore, B. (1987). â€Å"Developing Effective Instructional Programs† Nov 1987, Microfiche ED 294 950 Walker, E. (1986). â€Å"The Impact of Schooling on Minority Adolescents’ Mobility Aspirations† Apr 1986, Microfiche ED 270 535

Relevance of Management Accounting in Today's Society Research Paper

Relevance of Management Accounting in Today's Society - Research Paper Example Other departments such as production, quality, technical, marketing, engineering, purchasing etc had little information about the accounting procedures and information. However, the development of scientific management techniques in the corporate world stressed the importance of spreading accounting information to the entire departments of an organization to improve the efficiency of the organization. Earlier financial accounting, cost accounting etc were some of the renowned terms in the corporate world; however, at present apart from these accounting systems, management accounting is also gaining prominence. What is Management accounting? Management accounting combines accounting, finance and management with the leading edge techniques needed to drive successful businesses. It advises managers about the financial implications of projects, explains the financial consequences of business decisions, formulates business strategy, monitor spending and financial control, conduct internal business audits and explain the impact of the competitive landscape (What is Management accounting?) Man, material, machine and money are the major resources of an organization which should be managed properly to raise the productivity and efficiency of an organization. All these resources were earlier managed by concerned employees and department managers alone. For example, production workers and managers were responsible only for the production management whereas purchasing manager and employees were responsible only for the materials management. In other words, all the managers and employees were bothered about their assigned duties alone earlier. They never thought about the consequences of their activities. For example, earlier production people often stopped their production activities even for silly problems of the machineries since they were unaware of the impacts of such stoppage of production to the organization. Even an hour long production loss may cause substantial damages to the organization. After the development of scientific management principles in the 1990â€℠¢s and the subsequent development of management accounting, production workers also started to get the exact information about the losses incurred by the organization even for an hour long delay in production. In other words, the production workers started to realize the depth of problems caused to the company due to their deliberate production delaying activities. The above awareness force production employees to avoid such unnecessary delay or stoppage in production thus the company would be benefitted immensely from that. Not only the production department, all the other departments can also improve their efficiency and productivity if they get accounting information. â€Å"Management accounting systems were made in conjunction with scientific management movement† (Johnson, 1991, p.10) and moreover, it succeeded in revealing the importance of sharing accounting information to other departments in order to make the employees aware of the consequences of their activities and to improve the productivity of the organization. According to Johnson (1991), â€Å"management accounting system serves as a two way communication link between the senior and subordinate managers†(Johnson, 1991, p.4). It is impossible for the top managers to take decisions based on the data available to them alone. Data may not guide the manager always in the right direction. Feedbacks from the top and bottom are necessary for the managers to take sound decisions. Employees often twist the information before passing it to the top management,

Crisis Communications Paper on MS13 Gang Violence Essay

Crisis Communications Paper on MS13 Gang Violence - Essay Example This radical change in this field caused the mankind inviting many problems as well as solutions to deal with them. Appropriate communication during the time of crisis plays a pivotal role to manage the situation effectively. As at the time of crisis the emotions are at their highest level because of stress which often makes people behave in an erratic way. Confusion creeps in their mind to manage the crisis and at that time effective communication skills comes to their rescue. Crisis situations may vary in their nature such as a disastrous situation due to a natural calamity or a terrorist attack or even violence caused by the street gangs and many others. All these situations demands prompt actions which in turn can lead to wrong moves. "Adequate coping skills along with other balancing factors, such as realistic perception of the event and social support can help minimize overreaction"(Radziewicz, http://www.conversationsincare.com/web_book/chapter03.html). In recent days youth ga ngs are mushrooming at many places causing havoc in the society with their violent deeds. One such deadly and violent youth gang of United States and of Central America is MS-13 which poses a threat to the life and liberty of the people. Mara Salvatrucha abbreviated to MS-13 derives its origin to the Civil War of El Salvador in 1980s which caused a million of Salvadorans to emigrate to USA and settle there as refugees. These immigrants in USA faced a bitter opposition from the Mexican gangs formed by other immigrants settled there earlier which prompted the Salvadorans to form their own gang for defending their existence. But soon the gang expanded and became the largest gang symbolizing violence and barbarism to their peak. "Composed of mostly Salvadorans and other central Americans-many of them undocumented -the gang has a uniquely international profile It's considered the fastest growing, most violent and least understood of the nation's street gangs" (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7244879/site/newsweek). Unlike other gangs the members of MS-13 are very flexible in their activities. They are into various fields of crimes specializing in extortions, drug and arm trafficking, homicides, cross border human trafficking, theft and so on. "Mara Salvatrucha members have tattoes on most of their upper body, including the arms and face, with lettering done in Gothic (Blackletter) style. The "MS" and "13" is always tattooed on them. (This has resulted in the arrest and detention of many people, first in Honduras then in El Salvador for illicit association based entirely on the fact that they are wearing tattoos associated with gang membership) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_Salvatrucha). The members of MS-13 are relatively fearless compared to other gangs and shows zero tolerance to the persons who became informant to the cops about their misdeeds. Even they act defiantly without being intimidated by the law enforcement officials easily. The members who abandons the gang is brutally killed by other active members. They impose rent on the people in the locality in which they live in lieu of guarranty of the security of the locals from the threats of other gangs. They are quite adept at using exlosives, firearms and grenades. Having been trained in guerilla warfare the MS-13 members frequently change their places

Operation Management Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operation Management Case Study - Essay Example Consequently, the total number of clients that the Seven Hills Hotel had to attend to during the conference was 810 clients. Seven Hills Hotel was the hotel approached by the events planner at Global Events Company to host these delegates during the entire period of the conference. Apparently, some mishaps happened during the organization process that made the entire conference turn up as a disaster (Amason, 2011). The case study provides complications in operations management in two major organizations involved in the organization and planning of the conference. The first organization is the Global Events Company, an events planning company contracted by Glo-Tech to arrange the event, and Seven Hills Hotel, the hotel approached by the events planner to host the event. Global Events Company experienced operational problems from the moment it failed to analyze the situation at the hotel first before contracting it to be the host of such a major event. It was apparent that the conditions of the hotels were not favorable to host clients of such large numbers. In addition, the location of the hotel was inappropriate, as it was both unsecure, as well as unapproachable (Belda, 2006). These aspects would have automatically ruled out the hotel as the best choice to host such an event. On the other hand, operations problems also emerged from the lack of appropriate communication between the organization and the hotel about the nitty gritty details of the clients they were expecting. For instance, the company failed to give the hotel the exact date from which to expect the clients, the total number of clients to receive, as well as the dietary specifications of each client expected to attend the conference. This in turn made it difficult for the hotel to plan appropriately on how best to host all the delegates. In addition, the company failed to plan for the best routes to use while transporting delegates from the airport to the hotel (Dennis and Harris, 2008). It is

Accounting assignment ( memo to the manager ) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting ( memo to the manager ) - Assignment Example The market it covers expands from Middle East to North Africa and all the way up to North America. The company has its offices in a number of countries including United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey,  China, USA, Canada and United Kingdom. Emaar has consistently maintained its financial position and stability. The numbers on the financial statement indicate a slight decline in revenue from 30th September 2007 to 30th September 2008 (1.62%). Although the revenue has declined slightly, the net profit has gone up by (0.4%). This indicates that the cost of revenues has gone down. From the company’s perspective, this shows that they have controlled on their costs. However, an interesting feature to note in the financial statements is that ‘selling, general and administrative expenses’ form a considerable portion of the overall expenditure both in 2007 and in 2008. Moreover, the ratio of selling and administrative expenses to the gross profit stands out to be (29.5%) and (29.1%) in 2007 and 2008 respectively. This indicates a very high proportion and is reducing the profitability considerably. In order to control these expenses, we first need to analyze the composition of these expenses. Selling, general and administrative is the sum of all direct and indirect selling expenses and all general and administrative expenses incurred by a company. Selling expenses are of two types, direct and indirect. Direct ones are those which can be linked with the sale of a specific unit. This would include warranty, advertisement or credit expenses. Indirect ones are those which cannot be allocated to a sale of a specific unit but is applied to all units in proportion. This would include telephone and postal charges. Whereas, general and administrative expenses include other expenses such as rent, heating, lighting and salaries of non-sales personnel (Investopedia). High SG&A expenses can be

Kent Cars Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Kent Cars Ltd - Essay Example At the outset, a shareholder of a private limited company may find himself helpless and locked into the company. Under this scenario, a shareholder who is unable to exert control within the company becomes vulnerable. By taking advantage of his weak position, the controllers of the company at the expense of the non-controlling shareholder, may wield enormous power and authority in administering the company. (Vries 2010:1). The Articles of Association of a private limited company will always consist of some restrictions on transfer of shares. Normally, provisions in the Articles or Table A empower the directors of a company some limited rights to turn down transfer of shares in case of partly paid-up shares. As in the case of fully paid-up shares, such a restriction will be of technical nature only. As the operation and the management of the majority of small companies is wholly reliance on the prolonged good relations between the members of the company to such a magnitude that such c ompanies are frequently no more than partnerships but disguised with a corporate form. Hence, it is significant for the directors or members of such companies to place severe restrictions upon the transfer of shares as it will be tantamount to change in ownership. These restrictions will generally assume the form of the granting of pre-emption rights in favour of the present members of the company which is similar to the statutory pre-emption rights applicable to allotment of shares. The general procedure for transfer of shares in a private limited company is that any member who wants to dispose off his shares should give a notice first to the company. Such Notice will automatically make the company as the member’s agent for the purpose of first offering of shares to the present or existing members of the company in the ratio to their present shareholding. This connotes, by the proposed transfer of shares, the equilibrium or balance between the existing members of the company is protected, presuming that the members in question will have the opportunity to source the needed capital to acquire such shares offered. The following points should be kept in mind in case of transfer of shares of private limited companies; Great care should be given to make sure that the needed procedure is carefully adhered to in case of a transfer and if transfer of shares are expected or if the directors of a company receive notice from a member of his intention to transfer of shares and in such event, immediate reference is to be made to the conditions provided in the â€Å"AOA† † (Articles of Association of the company)†. The most common source of the tussle between the member who wishes to dispose off his share and the other members or directors of the company pertains to valuation of shares. Normally, the Articles of Association will contain a provision that in such scenario, the valuation of shares shall have to be made either by an independent expert or by the statutory auditor of the company where it is provided so and in cases where parties could arrive at a fair price or valuation. If the offered

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder - Essay Example Patients’ successful coping with treatment and medication can change the course of depression (Lam et al, 2000). Bipolar disorder consists of several symptoms, some of them being prodromal or predicting the onset of an attack. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the symptoms of bipolar disorder based on research. Hence, three empirical research articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals will be summarized, and an overview of the research findings from all three studies will be detailed. The distinctive features of bipolar disorder have been determined from earlier research studies. Some reverse neurovegetative symptoms such as hypersomnia or excessive sleeping, hyperphagia or overeating; melancholic symptoms; suicide risk during the depressed phase; irritability, anger, overactivity and psychosis are associated with bipolar depression. The clinical predictors of the disease are early onset of symptoms, bipolar family history, and hypersomina (Perlis et al, 2006). Relapses are likely to occur after long distance traveling when undergoing a jet lag, or from disorder and deviation in the pattern of daily routine (Lam et al, 2000). The main recommendations put forth by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2000) for cognitive therapy are the early detection and treatment of prodromal symptoms, the maintenance of regular social interactions and sleep routines (Lam et al, 2000). Research investigations focusing on the symptoms of bipolar disorder are crucial for developing preventive interventions as well as optimally effective therapies for the mental illness. This empirical research was conducted by Simon et al (2008). The authors studied the phenomenon of mood symptoms in people with bipolar disorder, and evaluated how the symptoms related to work productivity. This is a significant topic for research because bipolar disorder being a major cause of disability leads to increased likelihood for loss of

Islamic ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islamic ART - Essay Example One of the fundamental features of Islamic art that sets the tone for the bulk of the collection (though the objects on display are not all Islamic, with also Christian cultures like Egyptian Copts being represented) is the tendency for aniconism, which means unacceptability of images featuring God (for Islam doesn’t actually have a clear visual representation of the latter), human beings or animals. Since the dawn of Islam, the God was perceived as a â€Å"great shaper†, i.e. the only one entitled to endow shape to living beings; thus, the person painting the latter literally encroached divine powers of the God (___). Given strong aniconistic tendencies, Islamic art had another focal features contributing to its authentic nature: these are lavish use ornamentation – predominantly geometric elements and various floral ornaments – and extensive use of Islamic calligraphy. As the objects of art show us, calligraphy is not only a purely practical phenomenon, but also a peculiar Islamic art, a significant cultural attribute of Islam playing an essential role in artistic representations of Islamic culture throughout history. Probably, calligraphy is what would definitely help distinguish an Islamic art object from others, along with orations and lavishness in adornment. This field of Islamic art formed on the basis of Qur’an copying and is therefore the seminal and inseparable part of Islam itself; moreover, Arabic is considered sacred, for it is the language of the Qur’an revelation to the Prophet and is the means for preservation and communication of the message of God. First used for religious purposes only, it later transformed into art and became an integral part of visual art. The Met exhibition features an enormous number of Qur’an folios that were created in different periods beginning with the rule of Umayyads and later. Particularly, a good example of a Qur’an

India of My Dreams Essay Example for Free

India of My Dreams Essay Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom With these words of Pandit Nehru, on 15th August at the stroke of the midnight hour India declared itself independent from the British rule. As the Union Jack was being brought down and the Indian tricolor flew up the hopes and aspiration of the Indian founding fathers were completed. Sixty years after the birth of this massive and diverse nation though there has been considerable progress, the overall picture of life in the country is depressing. With increasing prices and growing unemployment, the common man remains as poor as he had been. Though education has spread, its standard and quality have received a set back. Nor is the political scene very encouraging. While the working of democracy is not satisfactory, the forces of religion, provincialism and linguism pose a threat to the unity of the country. Our leaders lack the qualities of idealism, integrity and self sacrifice, which were abundantly in evidence during the days of the struggle for freedom. In this bleak situation, it is natural for the youth of the country to have a vision of a stronger India. In the same way I have a vision too – a fearless, strong, self reliant India. I visualize my country way ahead of other nations all round the globe in every aspect, whether its development in any field or showing its military might or being a fore-runner in technological advancement, skills and prosperity. I visualize India being a country that will provide equality of opportunity to one and all irrespective of caste, creed, and sex. A place that will provide optimum scope for development of latent skills of an individual and then to use it for the welfare of the nation. I strive for such a country wherein the poorest of the poor feel that this is his country in building which his voice has its due importance. I wish for a constitution, which will release India from all thraldom and patronage, and give her, if needed, the right to sin. I dream of a nation where nobody is illiterate and nobody sleeps hungry, where there is no distinction on the basis of genre, religion or caste, where justice to a common man is neither denied or deleted, where corruption in public life does not exist, where criminals do not occupy ministerial berths nor enter legislative assemblies, where merit counts in every sphere of life, where jobs cannot be purchased, where criminals have to spend the rest of their lives behind the bars and where the intellectuals like Amartya Sen do not have to leave the countrys shore for higher research and recognition. Today India is grappling with divided states, poverty, and population on the one hand and a mà ©lange of languages, traditions, festivals, religions, cultures which poses a problem but my vision for India is a country where the Kirtans from Gurudwaras, and Azan from Mosques, the Bhajans from Temples and chiming of the bells from churches merge and mingle and produce a harmonious, melodious, tune of humanity. I dream of a casteless and a perfect India of which all Indians can be truly proud of. My vision of India may sound like a dreamers agenda but the day every Indian citizen realizes his responsibility towards his country my vision would be reality. At last I would like to conclude with the words of Sir Rabindranath Tagore: WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Fixing the debt crisis in Greece Essay Example for Free

Fixing the debt crisis in Greece Essay Introduction: Central Idea: American officials exhorted their European counterparts to use Europe’s own resources to try to solve the crisis. Preview: Echoing past statements, Sarkozy and Merkel said banks should first raise money from the private sector before seeking state aid or money from the EU bailout fund. These issues must all be resolved, Merkel said. Its a painful process. Sarkozy stressed that the leaders are fully aware of their responsibilities, saying they have a moral, political and economical obligation to act decisively. The leaders are also working on how best to leverage the European Financial Stability Facility. The â‚ ¬440 billion fund, which was recently granted the power to intervene in sovereign debt markets and provide loans for governments that need to recapitalize banks, is widely seen as needing additional firepower. Its important to boost the emergency fund to protect the euro, said Merkel. But many EU governments have ruled out backing the fund up with additional loan guarantees. CANNES, France — President Obama plunged Thursday into the fast-moving European debt crisis, arriving here to exhort European leaders to get their financial house in order. But while the president hustled from meeting to meeting with world leaders, he was in many ways thrust into the rare position of bystander, as the unfolding drama over whether the Greek government would fall (it did not) and whether Greece would back the comprehensive accord to protect the euro reached last week (it will, at least for now) dominated conversations in the hallways and conference rooms here in this iconic seaside town. The grand Espace Riviera is more accustomed to red-carpet arrivals by movie stars and hangers-on for the Cannes Film Festival; on Thursday it was transformed instead into ground zero for blue-suited bureaucrats grappling with a financial crisis and the global contagion that it threatened. Instead of Angelina Jolie posing before the paparazzi, it was Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany holding a frozen smile as she greeted Mr. Obama in front of the cameras. There was little preening before the hundreds of reporters gathered from all over the world; President Nicolas Sarkozy of France quickly swept Mr. Obama into a meeting to discuss how to try to stop the unfolding Greek drama from turning into a tragedy, for global markets at least. Mr. Obama arrived early Thursday morning and, during an initial meeting with Mr. Sarkozy, he called the European financial crisis the most important task for world leaders gathered at the Group of 20 economic summit meeting. For Mr. Obama, the stakes are high. He has called the European financial crisis the largest headwind facing the American economic recovery, and he knows that his own re-election prospects are tied to how well the American economy does. But at the same time, his leverage is limited. In public, Mr. Obama largely stuck to his administration’s official message that Europe’s leaders must â€Å"flesh out details† about the plan they agreed to last week in Brussels to deal with the debt crisis in the 17 European Union countries that use the euro. But American officials, including Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, were huddled in private with their European counterparts trying to hash out an agreement that, at the very least, would stop the disintegration under way in Greece from spreading toItaly and Spain, a contagion that could further stymie America’s own anemic economic recovery. American officials exhorted their European counterparts to use Europe’s own resources to try to solve the crisis, instead of seeking bailout help from China. Obama administration officials point to the steps that the United States took to try to address its own financial crisis over the past three years. â€Å"Look, we went through this ourselves,† an Obama administration official said on Thursday, speaking on grounds of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. â€Å"They have the capacity to handle this within Europe.† Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said that the 2008 Wall Street crisis could provide insight on steps Europe should take. He maintained that the United States remains influential in advising its allies on how to deal with the problem, even if the United States is in no position to provide financial support. â€Å"The United States, obviously, has a great deal of influence, because of who we are and the role we play i n the global economy, and globally in general,† Mr. Carney said in a news briefing on Wednesday. â€Å"I would not discount the significance of the experience that we have in terms of its usefulness to the Europeans.† The Obama administration is not eager to see an increase in the resources sent by the International Monetary Fund to Europe; that might further mute American influence as the additional resources would most likely not come from the United States, but rather from Asia — and most likely China. â€Å"The I.M.F. has a substantial amount of resources to deal with a range of challenges in Europe and around the world,† said Benjamin Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. Michael Froman, the deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, said the turmoil in Greece and uncertainty over how exactly Europe plans to carry out its accord to cut Greece’s debt and shore up its finances â€Å"underscores the need to move rapidly toward the full elaboration and implementation of the plan.† Specifically, Mr. Froman said that the United States wants to make sure that Europe has â€Å"a firewall that is sufficiently r obust and effective ensuring the crisis does not spread from one country to another.† Mr. Froman said the United States was also trying to make sure that attention was also paid to stimulating economic growth, both in Greece and throughout the euro zone. Part of the anger among Greek citizens has stemmed from a belief that the euro agreement focuses more on Greek austerity and repaying the banks than on growth, a balance that many people fear could lead to higher unemployment rates as the Greek government cuts public sector jobs to pay its creditors and stabilize its finances. â€Å"I think right now the highest priority in Greece is stabilizing the situation,† Mr. Froman said. â€Å"But the program that Greece has is also about reforming its system and engaging in structural reforms, so that it could become more competitive and therefore grow as part of the euro area.† NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Europes top leaders said Sunday that they were getting closer to finalizing a plan to solve Europes debt crisis. But with a final agreement not expected before Wednesday, the actual details remained under wraps. The technical complexities are significant, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy, adding that there are large amounts of money involved. The European Council, comprising government heads from all 27 members of the European Union, met Sunday in Brussels to hammer out a plan to boost capital levels for banks, enhance a government-backed rescue fund and provide debt relief for Greece. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Sarkozy said in a midday press conference that the leaders had made progress on the ambitious and durable response to the long-running crisis. We would not be meeting on Wednesday if we were not really trying this time, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt told CNN. Meanwhile, Merkel noted that EU finance ministers had made progress over the weekend on a solution for capital-starved banks. In principle, the finance ministers have agreed to funnel about â‚ ¬100 billion into banks to boost capital levels. But Merkel added that strengthening banks without resolving the debt crisis in Greece and supporting other nations with unsustainable debts will not work. Europes debt crisis: full coverageEchoing past statements, Sarkozy and Merkel said banks should first raise money from the private sector before seeking state aid or money from the EU bailout fund. These issues must all be resolved, Merkel said. Its a painful process. Sarkozy stressed that the leaders are fully aware of their responsibilities, saying they have a moral, political and economical obligation to act decisively. The leaders are also working on how best to leverage the European Financial Stability Facility. The â‚ ¬440 billion fund, which was recently granted the power to intervene in sovereign debt markets and provide loans for governments that need to recapitalize banks, is widely seen as needing additional firepower. Its important to boost the emergency fund to protect the euro, said Merkel. But many EU governments have ruled out backing the fund up with additional loan guarantees.