What Makes a Good City?

What makes a good city ?There are far to many to enumerate but here are a few: A secure water supply and sanitation system. A solid economy. A transportation network on every level. A strong tax base. Good to great schools. Better then Good police protection. Affordable housing, A built in arts and culture environment, Affordable medical, social services, sanitation and fire protection. A community spirit, a Love Thy Neighbor attitude.The ideal cityBuild housing, construct infrastructure like roads and plumbing, provide public services like electricity and garbage collection, coordinate commerce, provide recreational facilities such as parks, stadiums and museums, and facilitate transport.What makes a perfect city ?A good transport system, low traffic, lots of money, beaches and rivers, big CBD. High Helth and good education system plus near to oter big cities.Ideal CityCORRECTION OF THE ESSAY : â€Å"Imagine the Ideal City† The city of my dreams is neither too big nor too sma ll. (Jenna) It is clean, there aren’t any cigarette butts, chewing gums, papers or dog dirt on the floor.( Angà ©lique /Marjorie) It is Green, ecological (Stà ©phanie): there are less traffic and pollution because people use alternative means of transport (Gamzà ©/ Maria) and the cars run with solar energy. The houses are equipped with solar panels too to protect the Earth (Fanny/Stephanie) People recycle their wastes (Gamze ) The environment is respected (Jenna) &the scenery is pleasant because the huge sky scrappers & tower blocks have been replaced by detached houses. (Marjorie/Sabrina)The city is built with recycled materials to fight global warming (Fanny) In this ideal town People are happy & safe, they can have walks in the streets & gardens even at night. The pavements are large enough for parents with buggies and accessible for  disabled people (Vanessa). Car Parks are free (Maria). You can borrow free bikes or take a stylish cheap taxi. (Anthony) Drivers respec t pedestrians and don’t insult other drivers. Everybody is civilised & smiles (Angà ©lique/ Sabrina) You can go shopping in low cost stores (Angà ©lique). There are many activities & services for everyone: for children and elderly people . Drama groups and artists perform in the street and a music festival regularly takes place for everyone’s Greatest pleasure. (Fanny)Criminals & delinquents are supervised by cameras. In case of a problem the police or the firemen are there immediately (Vanessa) No Poverty in this ideal town.There aren’t any homeless & beggars. Charities accommodate them in decent buildings. Students no longer sleep in cars or squats. (Marjorie /Mrs Lombrana) The rents are not excessively high, everybody can afford buying a home.

Information Flow in an Organization Essay

Depending upon the organization information is used and disseminated accordingly. Information flow plays a very important role, and is a critical component among businesses who seek to be more successful than their competition. Companies cannot operate without a proper and concise information flow which is accessible through the company’s different departments. The IT department and information systems are mainly responsible for providing ways for the various departments within the company to have access to applications and systems that assist employees in accomplishing their jobs with more ease. Businesses today rely heavily on information technology, and software applications to assist the different departments through helping them complete their daily tasks and functions in a faster and better manner. Software applications help the information systems run in a way that allow employees to perform more tasks in less time and help everything run smoothly together similar. As I examine my current employer I can see how important information flow is to the success of our company. Information is used to work together with every department; however it is easy to point out how it flows by examining each department such as Sales, Engineering, Programming and Production. As orders are placed, our sales department is the first step in information flow in my organization. Customers have specific requirements for each machine they purchase which generally always differ from previous versions we have made. Once the sales orders and specifications are in order they are sent from the sales department to our Engineering department to be designed. There are several different draftsmen and each has their own area of expertise. The Production Manager assigns the frames and machines to be designed to the draftsmen based on the specifications given by the customer. Also, while in Engineering, the machines are given job numbers that will follow them throughout the shop so that it may be tracked as well as allow employees to clock into the proper job. Having a specific job number tied to a specific machine also allows management to review every individual that has worked on these machines at any time. After the machines have designed and approved they are then sent to the programming department. The programming department is responsible for tearing the machines apart in a CAD system known as SolidWorks and separating the frame from the sheet metal. After this has been completed the next step is to individually program each piece of tubing in the frame and apply the proper programming required for optimum cutting time on the laser. The next thing that is programmed is all the sheet metal parts. In order to program sheet metal, the part which is drawn in solidworks, must be saved and transformed into a DXF file. These files are put into a software called SigmaNest and programmed fairly easy. Once all elements of the machine has been programmed, the programming department takes the programs, the job related to the machine, the machine drawings and specifications, and the sales order and hands it off to the Floor Manager for Production. After the Floor manager has all this information, he decides which machines to cut and in what order to cut them in based on shipping dates. He then takes the machine programs, jobs, and drawing and pass them out to the proper departments which will work on cutting, assembling, painting, and testing each one of our machines before they are sealed and shipped off to any of our customers throughout the world. Information flow is essential in any business in maintain functionality as well as productivity. Without some sort of order, without some sort of standard operating procedures our company could not be one of the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world.

Medicine and law

Kong-lung, Consultant Forensic Pathologist (Kowloon) Forensic Pathology Service, Department of Health Introduction Obviously, this was to protect the public from quackery. Fees for the doctors were paid by the State. If unsatisfactory results followed a course of treatment that had departed from the orthodox, the doctor responsible would be liable to punishment, which could be very harsh. Similar legal restrictions on medical practice were also found in other early civilizations such as Babylon and India.It is now a firmly established belief that legal and ethical considerations are integral to medical practice in the planning for the care of the patient. With the advances in medical sciences and growing sophistication of the legal framework in modern society as well as increasing awareness of human rights and changing moral principles of the community at large, doctors and other healthcare workers alike are now frequently caught in difficult dilemmas in many aspects arising from dai ly practice.Examples are plenty such as the duty to respect informed onset, truth-telling, breach of confidentiality, disclosure of medical errors, rationing of scarce health resources, biomedical research, organ donation, etc. Besides, there is also growing anxiety both within the medical profession and in the community regarding increasing trends of complaints and lawsuits against doctors. From the bitter experience of many doctors who were engaged in complaint or lawsuits in the past, many of them had resulted from failing of their doctor-patient communication skill or inadequate ability to comprehend and resolve dilemmas in clinical settings.Throughout the history of mankind, medical legislation has continuously evolved to regulate the practice of medicine. The fundamental objective is to safeguard the standards of the medical profession and to protect the public against unskilled vendors of medicine who would be as injurious to the community as other criminals. The Justinian Co de of the Byzantine Empire in 529 AD is probably the earliest law code found to contain clauses to require educational standard and proof of competence of doctors by examinations.It also restricted the number of doctors in each town and penalties were imposed for alphabetic. By 12th century, there were well established medical legislations in Italy, namely the edict of Roger II of Sicily in 1140 and Frederick II in 1224, to prescribe organized medical teaching, set courses, examinations and qualifications. 3 Medical ethics has developed into a well based discipline which acts as a â€Å"bridge† between theoretical bioethics and the bedside. L The goal is â€Å"to improve the quality of patient care by identifying, analyzing, and attempting to resolve the ethical problems that arise in practice†. In addition to our moral obligations, doctors are also bound y laws and official regulations which form the legal framework regulating medical practice. It is now a universal c onsensus that legal and ethical considerations are inherent and inseparable parts of good medical practice across the whole spectrum. The disciplines of law and ethics in medical practice overlap in many areas and yet each has its unique parameters and distinct focus. In Hong Kong, laws on public health and medical practice, essentially an adoption of the English Acts, had been introduced from the early days.The monumental principles that apply generally to medicine or health care at large are: (a) respect of patient's autonomy; (b) the principle of malefaction, I. E. , the duty to avoid harm or injury to patients; (c) the principle of beneficence, I. E. , the duty to do good to your patients, relieve their pain and suffering and to save life if you can; and (d) the principle of justice and act fairly. Meaning of Law and Medical Ethics in a Nutshell The values that encompass the four fundamental principles in medical ethics are self-evident.They are considered to be doctor's prima f acie duties to the patients and society. It is necessary for a doctor to take all of them into account when they are applicable to the clinical case under consideration. Not infrequently, when two or more principles apply, they may be in conflict. For instance, the decision to operate on a case of acute appendicitis involves at least two competing prima facie duties on the part of the doctor. At one end, the doctor is obliged to provide the greatest benefit to the patient by performing an immediate appendectomy.At the other end, surgery and general anesthesia carry risks and the doctor is under the obligation to avoid causing harm to the patient. The solution adopted must base on a balance between the demands of the competing principles by determining which carries more weight in the particular case. In the case of appendicitis, a generally accepted rational calculus holds that the patient is in far greater risk of harm from a ruptured appendix if the doctor do not act, than from th e operation and anesthesia if the doctor proceed to surgery.In its simplest context, law can be defined as enforced rules devised by the State to govern the behavior of its members for the mutual benefits of all. Observance of the rules must be guaranteed by some kinds of sanction erected against the rule breakers. In addition to laws for the general public, doctors are bounded by certain specific rules stipulated in statutes as well as code of professional conduct laid down by the official regulating authority, namely the Medical Council, and administrative codes set by the institutions.Together, they form the legal framework regarding the practice of medicine, violation of which may lead to criminal or civil liability, or disciplinary actions. In addition to legal obligations, there are also expectations of society for the doctors and the goal of the profession eased on long established moral principles of self-evident value, which define the moral framework of medical practice. M edical ethics can be defined as a self-imposed code of conduct accepted voluntarily within the medical profession, the observance of which depends on one's conscience and moral values.Law and Medicine Law and medical ethics are both dynamic and are in a constant state of change with time due to changing circumstances and societal values. Thus, new legislation and court decisions give rise to changes of the law and new ethical issues emerge in response to challenges rated by new technology, law or other influence. There is also wide difference in law from country to country because of factors regarding religion, culture, traditions, political systems and social standards.Broadly speaking, medical matters come into interaction with law in four aspects: (a) legislation and administrative regulations affecting medical practice; (b) court Judgments on problematic or controversial ethical issues in medicine; (c) medical matters or personnel may become subjects of lawsuits when issues of m edical malpractice or alleged medical negligence arise; and (d) use of medical matters s evidence in courts for other criminal or civil proceedings such as cases of homicide, rape, wounding, workman's compensation, insurance claims and the like.Fundamental Principles in Medical Ethics Medical ethics is an applied ethics which involves examining specific controversial issues such as abortion, breach of confidentiality, end-of-life care, rationing of scarce medical resources. The objective is to try to identify the issue concerned, analyze it with reasoned ideas and arguments and arrive at a viable and morally acceptable resolution for it.In the realm of medical practice, it is official to hold rules or principles that are absolute in view of the many variables that exist in the context of clinical cases as well as new issues that arise as a result The Interaction of Law and Ethics in Medical Practice Despite their distinctive roles, law and medical ethics overlap in many areas. It is indeed difficult to dissociate the legal and ethical basis of the professional duties of doctors. For instance, both law and medical ethics address to issues of confidentiality, euthanasia, abortion, use of dangerous drugs, medical malpractice and the like. 4 Volvo. 8 NO. 6

Should America as a country promote the use of a single language Essay

Should America as a country promote the use of a single language - Essay Example We can think of America as a colorful bride having colors and feelings of internal emotions, internal true love and adorance as America is a dreamland of all the cultures presenting multiple linguistics. It is rather to be found in the extent of the power of a language that power is lies in the numbers of speakers, which is directly bound to the power of the literary language by which means a language is able to extend its influence over large territories and to get more speakers, in ever-widening circles, until, of course, the language becomes a world language. The use of multiple languages should be promoted in American society because there is a need for the society to think about those criteria in which people from all over the world along with different colors of racial and cultural freedom bring with them their feelings to be communicated in their own language so that they think of America a

Cpca comunication phenomenon and concept or artifact Term Paper

Cpca comunication phenomenon and concept or artifact - Term Paper Example The girls are shown either walking leisurely along the beaches or swimming in the waters in a manner that highlights their beauty and the serenity of the environment. In some sense, the advert reinforces the notion and stereotype of slimness and feminine beauty. This Paper will discuss the impact of swimsuit video advertisements of female audiences. The message in the video CPCA is anchored in the flow of images, which keep shifting in rapid succession. There is no use of language such that only a mellifluous melody accompanies the images. The melody is enhances the aesthetic elements of the other features in the video advert in a way that increases the visual rhetoric of the CPCA. The bright yellow, pink, and purple colors are effectively used to attract the female audiences, who comprise the primary targets of the advertisement. The images in motion effectively bring out the beauty in diverse dimensions in a way that enabled the viewer to appreciate the many different aspects of th e swimsuit. By involving models from various continents, the advert aims to give a universal quality to the message of beauty as represented in the image of the swimsuit. The theories of constructivism and symbolic interactionism as developed by Jesse Delia and George Herbert Mead respectively could be used to apply explain the meaning of this CPCA. Delia in his theory of constructivism argues that individuals whose perceptions of others are more cognitively complex will tend to have the mental capacity for constructing sophisticated message plans, which pursue multiple goals(Griffin 97). According to the theory, such individuals will possess the capacity to supply person-centered messages, which conform to the outcomes they desire (Griffin 97). This theory could be seen within the context of socio-psychological traditions. It could also be explained within the rhetorical traditions (Griffin 97). When applied to the swimsuit advert CPCA, it might be argued that the video was specifi cally tailored to suit the complex cognitive abilities of the urban young women. At the psychological and rhetoric level, the CPCA has subtle and subliminal influences that would influence the targeted audience to pursue the items and meanings used in the advert. On the other hand, the theory of symbolic interactionism holds that the actions of individuals towards people, events, or things, is largely determined by the meanings that they assign to such things (Griffin 59). When people choose to define certain situations are being real, then the consequences also become real (Griffin 59). The theory foregrounds the aspect of language as central to thought, sense of self, and the socializing presence of society in the individual (Griffin 59). Basing on the identified CPCA the target audience will connect the meaning of the advert with the notions of slimness, which they assign to beauty. At the psychological level, they will strive to imitate the models in the video as the embodiment of beauty due to the cultural and social associations they assign to them. The identified CPCA helps in the understanding of the constructivism theory and the theory of symbolic interactionism because it highlights on the value of images in promoting meaning and reactions in the target audience. The CPCA also expands on the understanding of the kind of strategies that advertisements use to appeal to the

Contract Law and Tort Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract Law and Tort Law - Case Study Example In the meantime, Peter wandered over to the duck pond, where a notice which said "Take Care! The edge of this pond is slippery", was displayed. Peter deciding to feed the ducks went right to the edge of the pond and fell in. Nicholas, who saw this, jumped in and pulled Peter out. Both were hospitalized and Peter was only bruised but Nicholas having swallowed the pond water developed a serious stomach ailment. Meanwhile, Martin an 18 year old detainee who had just been released from the Young Offenders' Institution fell into a trench and broke his leg, while trying to steal the parked cars. In order to advise the parties with regard to their rights and liabilities recourse will be taken to liability for breach of contract under the Contracts Act, other liabilities arising through torts, Unfair Consumer Terms Act 1977 or UCTA, Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, etc. Edmund, one of the pupils of the school, ran into the caf for lunch and tripped over the material being used for flooring purposes, hurt his head and consequently, became unconscious. In this regard it has to be considered whether the premises owner can evade his liability by relying on exclusion clauses. A contract is an agreement giving rise to obligations which are enforced or recognised by law. The factor which distinguishes contractual from other legal rights is that they are based on the agreement of the contracting parties. It is important to bear in mind that every breach of a contract allows the plaintiff a remedy at law. It is the bounden duty of the owner of the adventure playground "Thrills and Spells" to keep the premises safe and secure. The Statute sets out that no contract term can exclude or limit liability in any way for negligently causing death or injury1. Furthermore, if there is other loss or damage, liability for negligence cannot be excluded or restricted if the term of notice is unreasonable. In addition, if a contract term or notice efforts to exclude or restrict liability for negligence, agreement to or awareness of this is not of itself to be taken as indicative of the voluntary acceptance of any risk2. In Olley v Marlborough Court, The plaintiff booked in for a week's stay at the defendants' hotel. A stranger gained access to her room and stole her mink coat. There was a notice on the back of the bedroom door which stated that "the proprietors will not hold themselves responsible for articles lost or stolen unless handed over to the manageress for safe custody." The Court of Appeal held that the notice was not incorporated in the contract between the proprietors and the guest. The contract was made in the hall of the hotel before the plaintiff entered her bedroom and before she had an opportunity to see the notice3. Accordingly, damages were suitably awarded to the plaintiff. In our present case also, the notice was noticed by Potter only after he had received the tickets for entering the adventure playground. Hence, it cannot be construed that the exclusion clause was incorporated into the contract. In Thornton & Shoe Lane Parking Ltd, it was held that if the car is damaged by the negligence of the parking company, it will be liable despite the exclusion clause. Further it was stated by Lord Denning J in his observations in this case that Thornton was not aware of the conditions printed on the reverse of the ticket. He further opined that an exclusion clause to be valid has to be brought to

Account for the widespread failure of democracy in Europe between the Essay

Account for the widespread failure of democracy in Europe between the two world wars - Essay Example The inter period between the World Wars in Europe was a trademark of different regimes ruling Europe at a dark time(Pratchett 44). The casualties were far more terrible than anyone had foreseen, and international conflict was without a doubt filled with consequences. Hence, the failure of democracy to spread to Europe between the World Wars can be attributed to various reasons. One of the primary reasons why democracy failed to spread in Europe between World Wars was because no country had enough desire or power to enforce democracy in their own nation. At the time of World War I, this triumphant ideology of an expansionist democratic republicanism was simply clear. Under Wilsons administration, the European war became an ideological mission, which was to make the world safe for democracy and free of corrupt rulers(Jeffries 66)..   The Allies were being urged to think of their motive to enter  war  Ã¢â‚¬Å"to make the  world  safe for  democracy,† and the Germans, on their side, were correspondingly encouraged to visualize the  war  as a struggle of â€Å"culture† against â€Å"barbarism.†Ã‚  Wilsons false vision of democracy was disillusioned because it gave rise to more conflict(Parkingson 22).. Democracy failed in the post-World War I mainly because it was unable to allow for economic reliability. Germany for example, was in total economic collapse as inflation continued to plague their economy. During the Weimar Republic many anti-democratic political groups sprang up from angry war veterans, including the Communist, Socialist, and the Nazi party(Siedentop 45)..   For Germans, democracy meant turmoil, revolution, and poverty. Many Germans longed for the stability of the kaisers empire. Democracy is based on a strong foundation of social system in which the economy is prosperous. However, these conditions did not prevail in Europe between wars especially after the Great Depression. Numerous nations were created in Europe post World War I, which

The war between US an Iraq 2003 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The war between US an Iraq 2003 - Research Paper Example Other reports have also revealed that as a result of the war, debt reliefs have been offered to the country and the country has been released from the control of their dictator Saddam Hussein. This paper shall be a quantitative research paper with respondents from the Iraqi nation chosen randomly across various territories in the region. Major potential research findings for this paper include the fact that the Iraqi War has brought about economic hardships for the people, decreasing their employment rates, and worsening their poverty status. The war has also caused much political chaos through political infighting and major corrupt activities by government officials. Finally, it has also brought about difficulties in the delivery of health, educational, and social services to the people. On March 20, 2003, the world was witness to the second gulf war with the invasion of American troops in Iraq. War was launched against Iraq because of the latter’s alleged possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) which were in apparent violation of its terms of surrender in the wake of its Kuwaiti invasion in the early 1990s. Although inspections by the UN on Iraqi weapons depots and military institutions yielded no WMDs, US intelligence reports insisted that Iraq was in possession of such weapons. After a series of failed negotiations and after Iraq refused UN inspections in the early months leading up to the March invasion, the US troops were deployed into Iraq. In the days following the attack, the hunt for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was also launched and in December, 2003, he was finally apprehended and charged with the execution of 148 Shi-ites in 1982. He was executed in December 2006 by hanging. In the meantime, US troops continued to occupy Iraq with the so le purpose of assisting the interim government in the management of insurgent activities in the country. A semblance of a US-initiated transition

Chanticleer show ( jazz) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chanticleer show ( jazz) - Essay Example However, the group generates substantial incomes from major global events and album sales (Weir, & Alfred Publishing Co. 2008). The following is an intense discussion on Chanticleer Jazz Show, with a reflection of the music genres, advancements, and revenue creation tactics. In the Grammy Awards ceremony, Chanticleer acquired an acknowledgement as the reigning global male chorus ahead of many other groups. Further, the group yields praise from its global audience and the media outlets. Over the past three decades, the group has continually blended the jazz music genre from an earlier and stagnant phase. Chanticleer is renown in San Francisco as an orchestra of voices, a factor that emanates from the combination of twelve members with unique voices. Their sales performances are overwhelming and consequently are leading in San Francisco (Weir, & Alfred Publishing Co. 2008). Opening with the songs, â€Å"The Siren’s Call†, and â€Å"Temptations†, Chanticleer Jazz show attracted a huge audience from all the American states. The countrywide tour in the U.S impacts effective reputation from the fans, and a probability is that the expected turnover at the events shall be overwhelming. As at March of 2013, the group targets to launch the anniversary tour, starting in New York City and spreading to other parts of the world. Chanticleer schedules to travel globally in an effort to complete the planned hundred concerts and performances. The tour will improve on the perceptions held on Jazz music. For example, a reflection of the 2011-2012 tour led to the birth of a music choir –The Louis A. Botto Choir. Therefore, presumptions are that the group serves as a motivating factor to rekindle and improve Jazz music, with a surety that the music genre will successfully pass to future generations. Another aspect that possibly reveals Chanticleer as a promotional choir to ensuring survival of Jazz is the fact that, the group focuses on encourages teenagers

Some academics refute the usefulness of the capital asset priceing Essay

Some academics refute the usefulness of the capital asset priceing model stating that it has a number of empirical problems. critically evaluate this view - Essay Example There are several criticisms on the empirical effectiveness of the CAPM theory viz. the measurement of beta, estimation of market return, difficulties in accessing market portfolio return, reliance on beta as a risk measure, ex ante distribution and ex post population and other unrealistic assumptions underlying the Capital Asset Pricing Model. The model has seriously failed in terms of empirical tests and several studies refute its acceptability as the best asset pricing model. This paper sheds light on the empirical problems and criticisms of the Capital Asset Pricing Model. It evaluates the points put forward by several scholars and discusses the practical applicability of the model. The Capital Asset Pricing Model theory values an asset with respect to its risk (Soufian, 2001). This risk is measured with the help of beta with respect to the overall market risk. Despite its importance and practical usage, some academics point out several problems that are confronted in the empirical testing and application of the CAPM [Fama and French (2004), Michailidis (2006), Ryan (2006), (Soufian, 2001) etc]. Some of the major points of criticism arise out of the measurability of beta, accessibility of the market portfolios, relationship of beta with market returns and the unrealistic assumptions of the model. These criticisms pose several questions on the practical importance of the Capital Asset Pricing Model. The following paragraphs evaluate the various problems regarding the empirical validity of the CAPM. One of the most important factors underlying the Capital Asset Pricing Model is the measurement of beta which is the covariance between an asset’s return and the market return divided by market return’s variance. Hence, estimation of market portfolio return is an integral element of beta measurement. It is however not clear as to what classes of assets to specifically include or not in the portfolio of market

Evolution of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evolution of Jazz - Essay Example Many of the Jazz musicians relieved themselves from racial, social and cultural tensions in their hometown and spread Jazz music as ambassadors of their new found freedom. Hence, between the First and Second World Wars (1914 – 1940) Paris adopted Jazz music as its own. In this way, there was a huge transformation of Jazz music from an African- American genre to becoming an iconic phenomenon of international repute. Jazz music, that began with small marching bands, big bands, or by piano and banjo solos soon disintegrated as the focus centered on smaller ensembles. The Jazz musician I have chosen to write about is Louis Armstrong, (1901 – 1971) who is considered to be one among the best of Jazz musicians. Born in New Orleans on 4th August, 1901, Louis overcame his poverty-stricken background and rose to become one of the greatest solo improvisers in the field of Jazz music. Louis played the trumpet in a very innovative and interesting way and his style relied on improvis ation during his playing the trumpet. He also pioneered a new style of singing called ‘scat’ which is improvising during singing without real lyrics but in perfect tempo and melody. Armstrong had a sort of gravelly voice and besides his virtuosity in his trumpet playing abilities, he was quite famous for his ‘scat’ singing. In fact, he holds the record of being the oldest Jazz artist to have cut a No. 1 record at 63 years old, which is called ‘Hello Dolly’. What is most spectacular about this record is that it toppled the Beatles by reaching number 1 on the charts in 1964. ‘Hello Dolly’ (1964) was the chart-buster title song for the award winning musical ‘Hello Dolly’. This wonderful song also won a Grammy for the best vocal performance by Louis Armstrong which enthralled his audiences all over the world. It was later made into a movie where Armstrong appeared and dueted with Barbara Streisand. Composed by Jerry Herman , ‘Hello Dolly’ is a very vibrant and catchy number rendered with equal enthusiasm and energy by the famed Louis Armstrong. The song begins with a rhythmic syncopated style using instruments. After the instrumental introduction, Armstrong begins singing in his own inimitable ‘scat’ singing style. He has a deep voice that is highly expressive of the lyrics ‘Hello Dolly’. The band comprising of saxophone, drums and trumpet played by Armstrong himself lends complete support in between the vocals. The interlude of ‘Hello Dolly’ is quite a lengthy one, with the trumpet as the main instrument and the other instruments filling in to add a different flavor. His flair for innovation is a major plus point for this singer as he uses a lot of improvisation both in his trumpet playing as well as in his singing. Some of the rhythmic beats used are long while others are staccato in presentation. Armstrong’s voice is throaty and guttural b ut even so very captivating. The pace of the entire song is medium paced while the tone is highly energetic with snatches of highs and lows that give it its own uniqueness and beauty. The final bar of the instrumental part has Armstrong improvising into a crescendo and this is duly answered by the supporting saxophone. Immediately after the interlude, Armstrong takes over and concludes the piece by singing using both lyrics as well as syncopated sounds that makes it so unique and attractive. Armstrong is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time who has

Kelley School of Business Essay Example for Free

Kelley School of Business Essay Business has had a captivation over my intellectual interests ever since my freshmen year of high school. I chose to be independent and wanted to make my own path in my field of my interests and hence chose finance. I wish to make an impact on the business world and also be a successful entrepreneur. I have started early and taken the steps to ensure my success in the field. I have always liked subjects like mathematics, accounting and management and this is why I chose to major in Business. This is my 2nd semester at Kelley and I started off with my intention to major in Finance. But after exploring more opportunities I plan to major in Accounting and Finance with a minor in Economics. I then plan to work in a financial institution for couple of years and prepare for GMAT simultaneously. I want to get into the best Business school for my MBA. Furthermore, I plan to work at a good position in a good institution and reach the top level management of that institution. My goal is to become a CFO of a company. I have always been involved in a lot of intra-collegiate and inter-collegiate festivals in high school. I have performed duties of a Division Representative, Contingent Leader, etc. and represented my high school/junior college in city-level festivals. I have managed to win one of Mumbai’s (India) biggest inter-collegiate festival. I am an active member of the International Club, Indian Students Advisory Council (ISAC), Indian Students Cultural Association (ISCA) and Student Activities Programming Board (SAPB) at IUPUI. I have performed a dance and walked the ramp for ISACs biggest festival here on campus. Additionally, I have volunteered to walk the ramp for International Clubs biggest event of the year, International Fashion and Cultural Show. I also plan on applying for the Advertising Officer position for International Club and Cultural Secretary position for ISAC. I love volunteering and I think its a really good way to serve the community. I have volunteered for 5 medical camps back in Mumbai and have also been a part of a NGO i.e., Once again green. We basically looked for the greenery in the city and planted new trees every weekend. At IUPUI I have volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis which was my best experience so far. Also, I have volunteered for IUPUI Flag corps. Recently, I volunteered for MLK day of service and felt attached to the community. Furthermore, I have registered to volunteer for the Kelley Career Fair on Feb 12th, 2012. Well, I am taking 18 credit hours this semester. I do have a scholarship of $4,000 every semester but my dad still ends up paying $14,000. Being an International Student our fees is much more than the In-State students it becomes really expensive. My dad also pays for my rent and personal expense which comes to about $1000-1200 every month. Hence, I am applying for various scholarships and programs which can help me pay my tuition fee and reduce the burden on my dad. Furthermore, I am looking for more job opportunities to get hands on experience and get my personal expenses covered. I am a direct admit to the Kelley School of Business. I have also been awarded Deans Recognition Scholarship of $32,000 for 4 years. I successfully secured a GPA of 3.614 in my first semester of my freshman year and hence I was fortunate enough and gain recognition to be admitted to Kelley School of Business, Dean’s Honor List. In addition, I have been invited to be a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). I have been dedicated to Kelley school throughout. I have also been asked by my Kelley Academic Advisor to be interviewed for a video and printed material to recruit other International students.

Statutory Protection of Employment Law

Statutory Protection of Employment Law The Failed Promise of Statutory Protection The subject of the legal regulation of labor is one of great complexity. Up to the present time a priori objections to such regulations have delayed their introduction, and only gradually, as experience has demonstrated their usefulness, have they been extended to situations which seem to require them. In †¦ the United States the notion that the legislative power should not be used to regulate conditions of employment has been abandoned by most thoughtful persons, but the prejudice against interference is as strong as ever. Henry R. Seager, Economics, 1904, p. 431 Following a period of legislative inaction, selective statutory restrictions on the right to dismiss came into existence largely as a byproduct of labor legislation of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The introduction of limitations to the at-will rule within the NLRA framework, in particular, marked the long overdue recognition that, as long as employers had the right to dismiss employees, at-will public policy goals, such as industrial peace and the extension of orderly collective bargaining, were unattainable. Following a roughly historical chronology, this chapter explores how, from the 1920s onwards, restrictions on dismissals were constructed around notions of â€Å"orderly† collective bargaining. Thematically, the focus of the chapter is on the creation of new institutional structures and their impact on the status of workers in terms of job security. Underlying this analysis is the tentative hypothesis that the NLRA, and the practices which evolved from it, provided unions and their members with a sense of control over dismissal rights which was largely illusionary. This mistaken sense of control, in turn, encouraged unions to put efforts into job security enhancing measures at the plant and company level which ultimately did not constrain managerial prerogatives effectively. This lack of real control became apparent in the mid 1960s, when the Supreme Court handed down several decisions which reaffirmed the right of management to close branches and discharge employees without u nion interference. Apart from excluding non-unionized workers, the NLRA system, perhaps against the intentions of its original sponsors, ultimately came to severely circumscribe the right of unions to bargain over job security at the very time when such protection was needed. The Promised Lands of Protected Bargaining At the turn of the century, many US industrial relations scholars questioned the assumption that injustices in the labor market could be remedied through legislative acts and/or, more generally, via a strengthening of individual employment rights. Opposition to legislative approaches was grounded primarily in the belief that solutions to the â€Å"labor problems of industrial societies† could be created more easily by strengthening the standing of organized labor as collective bargaining agent rather than by creating a host of specific employment regulations.[1] Accordingly, in 1911, the Harvard economist Taussig suggested that the most urgent task in reforming US employment relations was not detailed new legislation per se, but rather the protection of bargaining representatives:[2] The workmen clearly gain by having their case in charge of chosen representatives, whether or not these be fellow employees; and collective bargaining and unionization up to this point surely bring no offsetting disadvantages to society. As to the immediate employees, there is often a real danger that he who presents a demand, or a grievance, will be â€Å"victimized.† He will be discharged and perhaps blacklisted; very likely on some pretext, but in fact because â€Å"he has made trouble.† In the 1930s, Taylors influential Labor Problems and Labor Law argued, very much along the lines of earlier reform advocates, that individual workers had been deprived of their ability to bargain primarily because of the expansion and centralization of management.[3] To remedy this situation, Taylor argued, the state had to enable workers to bargain collectively, both for wages and for the protection of their jobs. Said Taylor:[4] Legally free to dispose of his services at any price he deems just, immediate necessity in the face of an oversupply of labor reduces that freedom to empty words. His [meaning the workers] inferior bargaining position is not wholly due to economic inequality, but in part to a lack of knowledge of labor conditions, and a bargaining skill less effective than that of his employer. The injustices growing out of the individual bargaining burden affect not only the individual worker but the entire group to which he belongs. Unregulated competition resulting from individual bargaining tends to pull down the terms of employment to the level of the weakest employer Taylors notion that inequalities of labor were due to the exposure of workers to individual rather than collective bargaining echoed the opinions of some of the nations leading judges of the time. Judges Holmes and Field had earlier opposed bans on union activity on account of the fact that union activity merely counterbalanced the combination of capitalists.[5] Despite the gradual acknowledgement of the legitimacy of strike action by some courts, up until the 1920s, few judges had been willing to offer protection to those workers who were discharged for union membership or strike activity. In theory, collective bargaining could serve to limit the power disequilibrium between the employer, who, as Holmes says â€Å"is free to discharge the worker, and the worker who depends on his job for his livelihood.†[6] In practice, however, the relationship between job security and collective action had remained largely antonymous. Post World War I, workers who participated in collective action, be it as organizers or as strike participants, were likely to face retaliatory discharges or even blacklisting.[7] Industrial actions in which in excess of 1,000 workers were permanently dismissed included the Homestead strike of 1892, the Pullman strike of 1894, and the steel strike of 1919-20, which involved approximately 365,000 workers and resulted in over 10,000 permanent discharges. In the Boston police strike of 1919, in which the policemen struck for the right to organize with an AFL affiliate, meanwhile, more than one third of the police force were permanently discharged. The first congressional statute addressing issues of dismissal and organizing activity, the Erdman Act, had attempted to prohibit the retaliatory discharge of union members working on the railroads; at a time when the railroads were the only area where the Federal Government had the authority to regulate such matters. Passed by Congress in 1898, Section 10 of the Erdman Act made it an offense to threaten an employee â€Å"with discharge† or to blacklist the employee after a discharge because of membership in a labor organization. Specifically the Act read: [8] That any employer subject to the provisions of this act and any officer, agent or receiver of such employer who shall require any employee, or any person seeking employment, as a condition of such employment, to enter into an agreement, either written or verbal, not to become or remain a member of any labor corporation, association, or organization; or shall threaten any employee with loss of employment, or shall unjustly discriminate against any employee because of his membership †¦ or who shall, after having discharges an employee, attempt or conspire to prevent such employee from obtaining employment or who shall after the quitting of an employee, attempt or conspire to prevent such employee from obtaining employment, is hereby declared to be guilty of a misdemeanor, and †¦ shall be punished for such offense by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars and not more than one thousand dollars. In 1908, section 10 of the Erdman Act was declared in violation of the Fifth Amendment by the Supreme Court in Adair v. United States. This rather predictable decision again rendered members of labor organizations unprotected from retaliatory discharges.[9] Unionized workers were given some support by the courts in the Brandeis and Holmes Supreme Court decisions of the 1920s.[10] Explicit legislative protection of those engaging in organizing activity however commenced as late as 1926 with the passage of the Railroad Labor Act (RLA), which, apart from requiring employers to bargain with unions, prohibited employers from discriminating against union members.[11] The RLA applied originally to interstate railroads and related undertakings, but was later amended to include airlines engaged in interstate commerce. The Norris La Guardia Act (NLGA) of 1932 gave some federal sanction to the right of labor unions to organize and strike.[12] Implicitly, it also limited the ability of federal courts to enforce â€Å"yellow dog contracts,† under which workers promised not to join a union or promised to discontinue union membership.[13] The National Industrial Recovery Act (NRA) of 1933, the predecessor of the National Labor Relations Act, in troduced the idea of codes of â€Å"fair competition† which fixed wages and hours in certain industries. Title I of the Act, which was declared unconstitutional in 1935, guarantied the right of employees to collective bargaining without interference or coercion (which included the dismissal of employees). [14] The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, or Wagner Act, included some previously invalidated labor sections of the NRA, as well as a number of additions. Primarily concerned with restricting employer activities against union organizing and bargaining efforts, the NLRA prohibited employers from, firstly, â€Å"dominating or otherwise interfering with the formation of labor unions†; secondly, â€Å"interfering or restraining employees engaged in exercising their rights to organize and bargain collectively; and, thirdly, from â€Å"refusing to bargain collectively with unions representing a companys employees.† In doing so, sections 7 and 8 of the NLRA effectively tied the legal protection of employees from retaliatory discharges to the right of employees to organize collectively. The Act stated to this effect that:[15] Sec. 7. Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities, for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. Sec. 8. It shall be an unfair practice for an employer— (1) To interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7. (2) To dominate or interfere with the formation or administration of any labor organization or contribute financial or other support to it†¦ (3) By discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization†¦ (4) To discharge or otherwise discriminate against an employee because he had filed charges or given testimony under this act. (5) To refuse to bargain collectively with the representatives of his employees†¦ Under the NLRA regime, employers were required â€Å"not to refuse to bargain collectively with the representatives of his employees† with regard to â€Å"rates of pay, wages and hours of employment, or other conditions of employment.†[16] While the Act had made it clear that retaliatory dismissals of union members were illegal, it gave no guidance on the question of whether bargaining over â€Å"other conditions of employment,† included issues relating to job security.[17] Moreover, despite the appearance of sweeping legislation, coverage under the NLRAs protective umbrella was narrow. Public employees at the federal, state, and local level, agricultural workers, domestic workers, and supervisory employees all were excluded.[18] Nonetheless, for those covered by the Act, statutory dismissal protection was available in connection with established categories of protected activity the courts had created. This included dismissals for strike action, union membership and related activities. Indeed, at its outset, the NLRB rulings allowed significant numbers of dismissed employees to gain reinstatement. From the appointment of the Board in the Fall of 1935 until March 1939, the Board handled a total of 20,192 cases involving over 4.5 million workers. Of these cases 19,018 or four fifths were closed. Of the total cases closed, about 52% were decided by agreements, while the remainder were dismissed, withdrawn or closed in some other way before coming to the Board. About two thousand cases were strike cases, involving 356 thousand workers, of which 75% were settled and in which 227 thousand workers had to be re-employed. An additional 15 thousand cases were decided in favor of workers alleging non-strike related discriminatory discharges, and resulted in the reinstatement of the respective workers. Between January 1 of 1938 and April 1 of 1939 alone, the Board heard 1,675 cases alleging discriminatory discharges and ordered the reinstatement and/or compensation of 1,022 wo rkers.[19] In theory, there was a potential for collective bargaining agreements to include job security guarantees of some form. Given existing cultural pre-dispositions, both amongst the judiciary and managers, however, the possibility of partial union control over personnel and investment decisions was remote. Judicial support for the right to manage had a strong pedigree and its influence would not wane quickly. In the 1890s already, some state courts had felt the need to defend the right to manage. In the view of most courts this right was as much a part of the free labor creed as was the right to work. â€Å"Free labor† required that both employers and individual workers were fully responsible for their decisions. Permitting workers to organize and successively influence managerial decisions was viewed as a danger to free economic competition. In State v. Glidden, an outraged Connecticut judge stated, that once workers could influence managerial decision, no longer would the heads of industrial and commercial enterprises rise from the â€Å"ranks of the toilers, no longer could self-reliant ambitious men push to the fore.†[20] Unable to manage as they saw fit, businessmen would stop risking their capital, time and experience. â€Å"At best, the nations business would be conducted by paternalistic enterprises, at worst anarchy pure and simple † would prevail. At the turn of the century, Taussig had already predicted that union demands for job security would clash with managers insistence on â€Å"the right to manage.† His Principles of Economics stated to this effect that:[21] Private ownership carries with it the seeds of conflictthe inevitable clash between those who employ and who are employed. Disguise it as we may, smooth over to our utmost, adjust where we can, there the conflict is, ever liable to break out. The private employer regards his business as his own, its methods of management as subject to his own judgment. It is almost invariably urged by him and his spokesman that the effective working of the business machine depends above all on unfettered freedom in the selection and tenure of employees. So long as this attitude prevails, the workman will feel in turn that he must retain his weapon of defense, the strike, even though it entail injury to a wide circle of persons. Even if employers were to consent to restrictions on their power of discharge, contests would remain, strikes would brew. And on the other hand discharge is but one of the matters in which employers absolute rule is to be questioned. Discharge is conspicuous because it is t he outstanding weapon. As long as unions and their members had little formal protection through the law, management had been able to assert its dominance with relative ease, if only by dismissing those who questioned it. Once NLRA legislation protected concerted action, this situation had changed radically, and conflicts between unions and management over dismissal rights were pre-destined. When President Truman called the second National Labor Management Conference in 1945, labor and management representatives found themselves unable to agree on the boundaries of collective bargaining. Disagreement had arisen particularly with regard to managements right to make workers redundant, close and/or relocate branches. The statement of the management representative at the conference expressed the employers dismay over this matter:[22] Labor members of the Committee on Managements Rights to manage have been unwilling to any listing of specific management functions. Management members of the Committee conclude †¦ therefore, that the labor members are convinced that the field of collective bargaining will, in all probability, continue to expand into the field of management. The only possible end of such a philosophy would be the joint management of the enterprise. To this management members naturally cannot agree. Management has functions that must not and cannot be compromised to the public interest. If labor disputes are to be minimized, labor must agree that certain specific functions and responsibilities of management are not subject to collective bargaining. In theory, the evolving conflict about the appropriate limits of collective bargaining, and particularly the rights of labor to interfere with managements redundancy and dismissal decisions, was resolved by reference to new management concepts such as the residual rights doctrine. In practice, a set of employer friendly court decisions and the decline of unions in the US settled the issue, first, in rough terms, during the first decade of NLRA rule, and then, in greater detail, over the following three decades. The notion of residual rights, which deserves a passing mention in this context, developed from the 1940s onwards to become a prominent feature of the management of industrial relations in the 1960s and 1970s. The residual rights doctrine postulated that management rights were the result of an evolutionary process, whereby initially management possessed total freedom in ordering the affairs of the enterprise. This included freedoms with regard to whom to hire and dismiss and when to do so. Union demands and labor legislation encroached on this freedom. It followed that every time a manager made a contractual concession, and/or every time a labor law restricted management options, the original rights of management were reduced. What remained then were the residual rights, not specifically renounced by management or restricted by law.[23] If, for instance, management renounced the right to dismiss according to productivity or any other performance criterion and agreed to dismiss accord ing to seniority, seniority replaced managements previous decision criteria. Meanwhile other issues, such as how many workers could be dismissed in a specific time period, remained within the exclusive sphere of managerial decision making.[24] Adopting this view, many arbitration decisions applied a two-stage approach to questions about the appropriate bargaining remit of a union. If union representatives and management disagreed on whether an issue was a legitimate bargaining item, previous contractual agreements as well as legal requirements had to be investigated. If no explicit statement restricting managements rights in the respective matter could be found in these sources, the issue typically had to be considered as falling within managements remit. Since explicit renunciations of the rights to dismiss were typically rare, management usually maintained broad discretion over dismissals, which fell outwith causes covered explicitly by just-cause rules. Because existing practices and informal agreements had little legal bearing on conflicts over the interpretation of the NLRA, the residual rights doctrine offered almost no guidance to the courts in evaluating the legitimacy of union involvement in termination decisions. Here an alternative, and in many ways even more restrictive approach, evolved over time. While the NLRB of the early years generally looked favorably upon workers whose discharge could in some way be linked to union activity, it also condoned a wide set of permissible grounds for dismissal. In this context, several NLRB decisions early on vindicated traditional assumptions about managerial prerogatives. Discharges were sustained by the NLRB in cases involving gross inefficiency of a worker, incompetence, change in equipment, â€Å"ruckus and horseplay†, absenteeism, brawling, cursing of the boss, and the violation of company rules.[25] Most importantly, discharges in the absence of employee misconduct were fre quently declared permissible if there was no evidence for anti-union activity. This included discharges for lack of work, which were generally approved by the Board even in absence of union consultation, as long as anti-union bias could not be proven. In its Seagrave decision of 1938, for instance, the Board set a precedent for the preservation of employment-at-will within collective bargaining.[26] Seagrave, an automotive equipment plant had discharged an employee three weeks after he got his job. The foreman testified to the fact that the employees work was satisfactory. The worker, a CIO member, had previously been arrested for disorderly conduct during a strike and alleged that he was fired because of this previous involvement, and, more specifically, because his foreman had received a blacklist showing his name. The spokesman of the company explained that the polisher was hired because of a temporary emergency arising from the receipt of a special order, and that he was dismiss ed when the work on that order let up. The Board found no evidence for anti-union activity and declared the dismissal legal. In the case of Sheba Ann Frocks (1938), similarly, thirty employees, who had been dropped from the payroll of the Sheba garment plant, complained to the Board alleging that their discharge was based on their CIO membership.[27] Company officials testified that the layoffs took place because of a lack of work at the end of the regular production season. The Board accepted this explanation because the company retained over half of its CIO employees and discharged non-union employees as well, although not proportionally. In its conclusion the Board stated that, in the case of a dismissal for legitimate business reasons, such as slack work, no consultation with union members was required. While NLRB decisions of the late 1930s, such as Seagrave and Sheba, delineated the space between dismissal protection and managerial prerogatives more or less by default, several court decisions attempted to give guidance which was general enough to be applied to other contexts. This tendency towards establishing a formula which ringfenced managerial decision making from union intrusion could already be detected in the Supreme Courts ruling on NLRB v. Jones Laughlin Steel, the landmark case better known for its acceptance of the NLRA. In Jones, the Supreme Court stressed that although the Act required bargaining, it did not â€Å"compel† agreement.[28] For the Supreme Court, in other words, the NLRA was legal because, and only because, the Act did not interfere with â€Å"the normal exercise of the right of the employer to select employees or to discharge them.†[29] That, in defining normal rights, the Supreme Court emphasised the right to discharge workers did not bod e well for those who expected the Act to significantly reduce arbitrary dismissals. With Jones, the court had indicated that outwith matters directly related to collective bargaining, employment-at-will was still very much in place, with restrictions only affecting those discharges which were explicitly declared illegal in the NLRA. More importantly, it had implied that would be difficult to create an agreement sanctioned and protected by the Act which would eliminate the right of employers to discharge workers for â€Å"legitimate† reasons. In NLRB v. Sands Manufacturing (1938), a federal appeals court was even more explicit in affirming managements freedom to dismiss workers.[30] In Sands, a collective agreement between the company and MESA, a labor union, was broken by the union. The company apparently bargained collectively with MESA. After two months, the company signed an agreement with another union, some of whose members were employed in order to replace MESA members. The NLRB ordered reinstatement of the MESA employees and requested the circuit court to enforce its order. The 6th circuit set aside the order and dismissed the petition to enforce. With respect to the termination of the employer-employee relationship the court stated that:[31] The statute [meaning the NLRA] does not interfere with the normal right of the employer to select or discharge his employees If employees violate their contract they may be discharged for that reason and this does not constitute a discrimination in regard to tenure of employment nor an unfair labor practice, nor does it continue a discharge because the employees are members of a union. [T]he statute does not provide that the relationship held in status quo under Title 29, Section 152(3) [meaning the prohibition of dismissals during strikes] shall continue in absence of wrongful conduct on the part of the employer and of rightful conduct on the part of the employees. If such were its meaning, the right of the employer to select, and discharge his employees would be cut off. The Sands decision was in many regards more radical than previous rulings. In Sands, the court had concluded that, provided the employer had engaged in bargaining, NLRA legislation had to be interpreted so as not to otherwise constrain the employers rights to select and discharge employees. In other words, the court indicated that any action which would effectively restrict the right of employers to discharge, after basic bargaining obligations were met, could be struck down. While both the Jones Laughlin Steel and the Sands cases redefined space for at-will discharges relatively broadly, the Supreme Courts 1942 Montgomery Ward decision attempted to give a comprehensive definition of managements rights which gave managers broad control over discharge decisions.[32] In its Montgomery Ward decision, the 9th Circuit excluded from arbitrable grievances:[33] changes in business practice, the opening and closing of new units, the choice of personnel (subject, however to the seniority provision), the choice of merchandise to be sold, and other questions of a like nature not having to do directly and primarily with the day-to-day life of the employees and their relations with supervisors. Although Montgomery Ward supported traditional concepts of management rights with respect to day-to-day arbitration, it left open a number of important questions with regard to dismissals arising as a consequence of longer term strategic decisions. This included questions relating to the dividing line between a rational business decision to relocate a plant, and one involving, for example, the elimination of a unionized plantan illegal antiunion activity. Moreover, the Courts decision to exclude changes in business practice from arbitrable grievances, merely prohibited unions from insisting on arbitration in these matters; and hence relieved management from the legal duty to discuss these matters in good faith. This did neither mean that union representatives could not bargain about these issues when contracts were negotiated, nor did it imply that once management conceded to union involvement in these matters, this involvement was illegal or unenforceable. The latter issue of bargaining about alleged management prerogatives was addressed first in 1952 in NLRB v. American National Insurance Group.[34] In American National, the Supreme Court held that management could enforce limits to bargaining on the basis of a management prerogative clause, under which the union was ousted from involvement in certain matters. American Nationals management prerogative clause included issues of discipline and work schedules; that is, statutory rights with respect to mandatory bargaining. The court, nonetheless, rejected the Boards position that employers were obligated to establish ongoing bargaining during the terms of the collective agreement on issues subject to defined managerial prerogatives. While in American National the company had attempted to impose broad limitations on bargaining rights, many companies insisted â€Å"only† on the type of management prerogatives listed in the Montgomery case, such as the freedom to decide on the closure of units. In the mid-1950s, Haber and Levison reported that over 80% of the contracts signed in the building industries contained one or another form of a managerial rights clause. Many of these clauses explicitly prohibited bargaining over issues of job security.[35] The management literature, meanwhile, welcomed American National because companies were now less likely to face NLRA proceedings if they refused to discuss issues of employment security. This was the case, not only where companies had gained past assurances that union representatives would respect managerial prerogatives, but also where such clauses could be â€Å"inferred† from existing bargaining agreements.[36] Management rights in matters of dismissals and layoffs were â€Å"clarified† further in the 1958 Supreme Court decision on Borg-Warner. In NLRB v. Wooster Division of Borg-Warner the Court held that there were three subjects of bargaining: mandatory, nonmandatory, and illegal.[37] The obligation to bargain, as specified in the NLRA, applied only to mandatory subjects. A nonmandatory subject was â€Å"permissive,† meaning that it could be raised by either party. However, when a party insisted on a position regarding such an area to the point of impasse, it was acting illegally under the provisions of the Act.[38] Since the law had defined the mandatory subjects of bargaining, Borg-Warner played an important role in the preservation of managerial prerogatives with regard to redundancies and dismissals. Under Borg-Warner, union demands for job security or employment guarantees could be rejected, as they could not be reasonably classified as mandatory bargaining items.[39] When determining what were mandatory and nonmandatory bargaining subjects, the NLRB and the courts of the 1950s and 1960s typically referred to the relevant NLRA section 9(a) which mandated bargaining for pay, wages, hours of employment, and other conditions of employment. Given these specifications, any issue involving pay and hours was obviously a mandatory bargaining item, requiring both parties to bargain in good faith or face sanctions through NLRB proceedings. More problematic was the clause including, â€Å"other conditions of employment.† When issues like redundancies, mass layoffs and mass discharges were at stake, the courts and the Board usually interpreted â€Å"other conditions of employment† to mean that union involvement in decisions about which workers were to be laid off or made redundant, was mandatory. To this effect union representatives were to be informed about planned manpower reductions. Union representatives were free to address issues related t o discharges, make suggestions with regard to manpower relocation, or suggest alternative ways of cutting costs. If the company refused, unions, however, could not insist on a settlement of the issue. While strike action relating to these matters was not per se illegal, any protracted industrial action on non-mandatory manpower issues was likely to be declared an unfair labor practice by the NLRB or the courts.[40] This approach, needless to say, gave unions with little power to influence a companys manpower decisions even in industries where levels of organization were high. Since it was often difficult to link a redundancy decision to union avoidance or to invoke contractual clauses which

Zigbee: Overview and Analysis

Zigbee: Overview and Analysis Zigbee is a Ad-hoc networking technology for LR-WPAN,based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard that defines the PHY and Mac Layers for Zigbee. Intended for 2.45 Ghz , 868 MHz and 915 MHz Band. Low in cost, complexity power consumption as compared to competing technologies. Intended to network inexpensive Devices. Data rates touch 250Kbps for 2.45Ghz ,40 Kbps 915Mhz and 20Kbps for 868Mhz band. Origin Of Name ZigBee The domestic honeybee, a colonial insect, lives in a hive that contains a queen, a few male drones, and thousands of worker bees. The survival, success, and future of the colony is dependent upon continuous communication of vital information between every member of the colony. The technique that honey bees use to communicate new-found food sources to other members of the colony is referred to as the ZigBee Principle. Using this silent, but powerful communication system, whereby the bee dances in a zig-zag pattern, she is able to share information such as the location, distance, and direction of a newly discovered food source to her fellow colony members. Instinctively implementing the ZigBee Principle, bees around the world industriously sustain productive hives and foster future generations of colony members. Zigbee Architecture There are three areas of architectural responsibility in Zigbee engineering effort. They are The physical and MAC layers take full advantage of the physical radio specified by IEEE 802.15.4. The 802.15.4 specification describes a peer-to-peer radio using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum. The specification also calls out the data rates, channelization, and modulation techniques to be employed. The Zigbee Alliance specifies the logical network, security, and application software, which are implemented in a firmware stack. It is the Zigbee stack that creates the mesh networking capability. Each microcontroller/RF chip combination requires its own Zigbee stack due to the differences in microcontrollers and RF chips. Typically, the Zigbee stack is included with either the microcontroller or RF chip. The stack may belong to the chip vendor, be provided by the chip vendor from a third party source, or be provided by a third party source for a specific microcontroller/RF chip combination. The application layer is defined by profiles, of which there are two types: public profiles are those certified by the Zigbee Alliance for interoperability purposes, and private profiles are for use in closed systems. A word about the Zigbee Alliance: The following discussion includes options that require access to intellectual property available only to members of the Zigbee Alliance. There are three types of membership; all companies that plan to release products incorporating Zigbee technology must become at least adopting members, an entry-level membership that provides such benefits as access to specifications and developer conferences/workshops. ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 General Characteristics: Dual PHY (2.4GHz and 868/915 MHz) Data rates of 250 kbps (@2.4 GHz), 40 kbps (@ 915 MHz), and 20 kbps (@868 MHz) Optimized for low duty-cycle applications ( CSMA-CA channel access Yields high throughput and low latency for low duty cycle devices like sensors and controls Low power (battery life multi-month to years) Multiple topologies: star, peer-to-peer, mesh Addressing space of up to: 18,450,000,000,000,000,000 devices (64 bit IEEEaddress)- 65,535 networks Optional guaranteed time slot for applications requiring low latency Fully hand-shaked protocol for transfer reliability Range: 50m typical (5-500m based on environment) Use Case Scenario: It is 4:00 a.m. on a farm in Iowa. Sensors distributed throughout the fields report the moisture content in the soil and humidity of the air. The staff on the farm uses this data to decide where and when to water for optimum effect. The information also serves as an early warning system for environmental issues such as frost. Precious resources are used more efficiently and productivity increases. The sensors distributed in the field are interconnected in a mesh network. If a sensor node goes down, the network is self-healing; the nodes are able to connect with one another dynamically, finding another route to stay connected within the network. Network Topologies: It support three types of topologies. They are: 1) Star topology 2) Mesh topology 3) Cluster tree topology Star Topology: In the star topology, the communication is established between devices and a single central controller, called the PAN coordinator. The PAN coordinator may be mains powered while the devices will most likely be battery powered. Applications that benefit from this topology include home automation, personal computer (PC) peripherals, toys and games. After an FFD is activated for the first time, it may establish its own network and become the PAN coordinator. Each start network chooses a PAN identifier, which is not currently used by any other network within the radio sphere of influence. This allows each star network to operate independently. Mesh Network: A key component of the ZigBee protocol is the ability to support mesh networks. In a mesh network, nodes are interconnected with other nodes so that at least two pathways connect each node. Connections between nodes are dynamically updated. In some cases, a partial mesh network is established with some of the nodes only connected to one other node. Mesh networks are decentralized in nature; each node is self-routing and able to connect to other nodes as needed. The characteristics of mesh topology and ad-hoc routing provide greater stability in changing conditions or failure at single nodes Cluster-tree Topology: Cluster-tree network is a special case of a peer-to-peer network in which most devices are FFDs and an RFD may connect to a cluster-tree network as a leave node at the end of a branch. Any of the FFD can act as a coordinator and provide synchronization services to other devices and coordinators. Only one of these coordinators however is the PAN coordinator. The PAN coordinator forms the first cluster by establishing itself as the cluster head CLH) with a cluster identifier (CID) of zero, choosing an unused PAN identifier, and broadcasting beacon frames to neighboring devices. A candidate device receiving a beacon frame may request to join the network at the CLH. If the PAN coordinator permits the device to join, it will add this new device as a child device in its neighbor list. The advantage of this clustered structure is the increased coverage area at the cost of increased message latency. SUCCESS FACTORS: Zigbee is a low cost wireless technology, data type support, ease of installation, reliable data transfer, short range operation and is has reasonable battery life. Zigbee operates on unlicensed band and in unrestricted geographical use global implementation. IEEE 802.15.4 protocol features: Master/slave topology Automatic network configuration Dynamic slave device addressing Virtual peer-to-peer links (pairing) Full handshaking for packet transfers Power management features Up to 254 (+ master) network nodes CSMA-CA channel access mechanism 15ms frame structure TDMA slots can be allocated 28kbps 250kbps data throughput Service discovery Low impact internet capability ZigBee Applications: Zigbee networks handle multiple traffic types with their own unique characteristics, including periodic data, intermittent data, and repetitive low latency data. The characteristics of each are as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Periodic data application defined rate (e.g. wireless sensor or meter). Data is typically handled using a beaconing system whereby the sensor wakes up at a set time and checks for the beacon from the PAN coordinator, it then requests to joint the network. If the coordinator accepts it, data is passed by the sensor before it goes to sleep again. This capability provides for very low duty cycles. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Intermittent data either application or external stimulus defined rate (e.g. Wireless light switch). Data can be handled in a beaconless system or disconnected. In disconnected operation, the device will only attach to the network when communications is required thus saving considerable energy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Repetitive low latency data Allocations of time slots. (e.g. medical alerts and security systems). These applications may use the guaranteed time slot (GTS) capability when timeliness and critical data passage is required. GTS is a method of QoS that allows each device a specific duration of time as defined by the PAN coordinator in the Superframe to do whatever it requires without contention or latency. ZigBee networks are primarily intended for low duty cycle sensor networks ( procedures occur much faster than with a Bluetooth technology. Some examples where short-range, low-data, cheap wireless networks can be used are: Automatic Meter Reading provides the usage statistics for Power Management and Energy Conservation whether it is electric, natural gas, water or other utilities. Controlling the environment in HVAC systems. Lighting, temperature and other building controls help save utility usage and maintenance costs. Wireless monitoring and control systems remove expensive installation costs where wiring is difficult, extensive or part of a retrofit design. ZigBee network can help in collecting the information necessary for an effective Inventory and Logistics Management. In fleet management, vehicles can automatically transmit logged information or receive updates when inside the fleet yard. Various control and automation scenarios are possible both for homes and industries using cheap wireless communication including security systems and access control. ZigBee enables broad-based deployment of wireless networks with low-cost, low-power solutions. It provides the ability to run for years on inexpensive batteries for a host of monitoring applications: Lighting controls, AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), smoke and CO detectors, wireless telemetry, HVAC control, heating control, home security, Environmental controls, drapery and shade controls, etc. OUR IMPLEMENTATION- WIRELESS KEYBOARD Block Diagram Our implementation is divided into two sections: Transmitter and Receiver. Transmitter section: Transmitter Section consists of following: 1. Keyboard as input device 2. PS2 connector 3. Uniboard 4. Xbee Keyboard is connected to Uniboard through PS2 Connector.When a key is pressed the data is transmitted to UART0 at every falling edge of the clock pulse. PS2 Connectors data line is given to a port pin of ATMEGA128 and clock pin to the externel INT pin. Uniboard has the ATMega 128 MCU. It has two UARTs UART0,1. UART1 is directly connected to serial port via IC MAX232. Xbee is connected to the UART0 interface. MCU transmits data to UART0 and hence forwarded to Xbee. Receiver section: Receiver section comprises of following: 1. Zigbee 2. Uniboard 3. PC (gtkterm) as o/p device. Zigbee receives the data transmitted from zigbee on transmitter side using wireless communication and send it to UART0. Uniboard provides same functionality as Tx. When a frame is received at UART0, it is processed to extract the required data from the whole frame and decode data to its equivalent ASCII char . The character could be then either transmitted to UART1 via MAX232 and simultaneously display it to gtkterm or could be processed as user wants it to be. Conclusion: The ZigBee Standard enables the broad-based deployment of reliable wireless networks with low complexity, low cost solutions and provides the ability for a product to run for years on inexpensive primary batteries (for a typical monitoring application). It is also, of course, capable of inexpensively supporting robust mesh networking technologies ZigBee is all set to provide the consumers with ultimate flexibility, mobility, and ease of use by building wireless intelligence and capabilities into every day devices. The mission of the ZigBee Working Group is to bring about the existence of a broad range of interoperable consumer devices by establishing open industry specifications for unlicensed, untethered peripheral, control and entertainment devices requiring the lowest cost and lowest power consumption communications between compliant devices anywhere in and around the home. Issues in Contemporary Nursing: Values and Ethics Issues in Contemporary Nursing: Values and Ethics Paul Monahan Nursing is a career that has spanned centuries with many of its foundations following rise of Christianity. Since then, there have been many different views and opinions of what nursing is and what it should and should not be by many different theorists and organisations. In this essay, I will explore this in a number of different ways, the first of which will be by discussing the definitions and core values of nursing, where I hope to outline some of the definitions from both theorists, and organisations such as the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) who outline the duties and responsibilities of registered nurses to ensure the safety of patients in their care. I will also address my own views of nursing as they stand now and through the course of this essay, hope to demonstrate how they have changed based on what I have learned through research and practice experience. Needless to say, the media has a significant role to play in the public perception of the nursing profession and I h ope to contrast the opinions expressed against my own views. Secondly, I also wish to discuss the NMC’s role in ensuring that nurses act professionally and ethically by looking at the code and key guidance for safe practice. The third point I will cover will focus on the many opportunities that nurses today can take advantage of, many of which include international travel which may not necessarily been possible when working in an acute hospital unit. Finally I will discuss contemporary issue in nursing which I have decided to discuss the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and their role it plays in ensuring that there is a high standard of care for all patients in all areas of healthcare. My goal for this essay is to expand on what I already know about nursing and learn more about the profession through experience and research. There have been many different theories surrounding the profession of nursing, as a result of these theories; there have been many different definitions formed by theorists and organisations alike. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has developed a definition which is built as a core with six defining characteristics. They defined nursing as â€Å"The use of clinical judgement in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death.† (RCN, ‘Defining Nursing’ 2003). The characteristics which follow this statement suggest that nurses should have a purpose, mode of intervention, a domain of practice, a focus towards the patient as a person, a value base which respects the dignity, autonomy and individuality of all persons, whether they are patients, relatives or colleagues and finally a commitment to working alon gside others, rather than as an individual. In reality, everybody has their own view of what nursing is and I feel that I am no exception. Before I started studying nursing, my previous experiences were shaped by the views of those around me, many of whom believed that being intelligent wasn’t necessarily important as being caring. I then started working as a healthcare assistant and found that there was so much more to nursing than just caring for patients, a nurse needed to have a vast amount of medical knowledge as well as being able to communicate well with other health professionals. However the media has had a significant role to play in shaping the public perception of nursing in today’s society. Tabloid newspapers in particular have done their part to change the public perception of nursing, often by focusing on isolated incidents of poor practice and through glamorising or sensationalising the facts with the journalist’s or editors own opinions in order to increase its commercial value whilst simultaneously lowering its factual merit in order to attempt to damage the reputation of the nursing profession and through that the reputations of many hard-working individuals that take pride in their work. In 2012, the National Health Service England (NHS England) published an informational leaflet entitled â€Å"Our Culture of Compassionate Care†. It outlined the 6 C’s. These 6 C’s are; Care: Which defines the work of healthcare services as patients expect high levels of care through every stage of their life; Compassion: this is by far one of the most important aspects of patient care. Treating patients with respect and dignity is an important part of their healthcare as they need to feel valued in order to recover quickly; Competence: This aspect means that everybody involved with a patients care should have the abilities in order to do their role and to care for the patient with their safety and health in mind; Co mmunication: Communication is central to the therapeutic relationship between carer and patient, there has a been a number of different definitions of patient-centred communication. A definition that I found to be most fitting for patient-centred communication is one used by Langwitz et al., in 1998. â€Å"Patient-centred communication is defined as communication that invites and encourages the patient to participate and negotiate in decision-making regarding their own care† (Langwitz et al., 1998, p.230); Courage: All healthcare professionals have to be able to do what is right for the patients that they care for, and to speak up when they have concerns about colleagues practice or competence; Commitment; A commitment to patients is the cornerstone of the NHS, in order to improve the quality of care, all healthcare workers should be committed to providing the best care that they are able to provide to their patients. Main Point 2 – Professional Ethical Nursing Ethics is a topic that carries a vast amount of study and debate. It can also become a framework within which we live our day to day lives. There has also been a lot of study in the area of professional ethics for nurses with many organisations and regulators such as the NMC publishing ethical standards for all nurses to follow. These ethical standards influence areas such as training and development for nurses and student nurses, best practice for patient care and ensuring that patients receive high quality care from all service providers. The NMC is the regulator for nurses and midwives in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Their role is to protect the wellbeing and health of the public, set the standards or training, education, training, conduct and performance so that nurses and midwives can deliver a high level of care throughout their careers. They also have processes in place to investigate cases of misconduct against nurses and midwives who fall short of their standards (Nursing Midwifery Council 2011). The code has 17 categories split across 4 chapters. These focus on areas such as maintaining patient trust, person focused care, promoting good health, providing a high standard of care and to be open and honest as to uphold the reputation of your profession. In order to be ethical and professional at all times, nurses learn and follow the code in all areas of practice. Safeguarding vulnerable people is another issue that nurses face in regards to acting professionally, the department of health defines a vulnerable adult as a person â€Å"Who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation† (No Secrets: Guidance on Developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. 2000). It is important that nurses are appropriately trained to spot signs of abuse and that they are aware of the procedures set out by their trust for reporting concerns about patient safety in an appropriate manner. The Safeguarding Adults Boards of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex outlined a policy in June 2007 which was updated in 2013 for anybody working in a health or social care setting. It lays out the seven differ ent categories of abuse and the signs of each, as well as stressing that a person may not experience only one type of abuse and that there can be cross overs between the categories based on an individual incident. It also outlines what staff can do if they receive a disclosure of abuse from a service user. Main Point 3 – Values Personhood Main Point 4 – Contemporary Issues in Nursing The Care Quality Commission make sure that all hospitals, care homes, dental and general practices and other care services in England provide the people who use them with safe, effective and high-quality care and encourage these services to make improvements in care (Care Quality Commission, 2014). They do this by setting standards that all people have a right to expect when they are in receipt of care; they also inspect and regulate care services and register care services that are able to meet these standards whilst outlining improvements that need to be made in cases of an institution not meeting quality and safety standards; they are able to investigate claims made against care services made by care users or members of the public and take appropriate action if these claims are based on truth; they also assess and rate the quality of care services which gives members of the public a choice in choosing high quality care based on their needs. The also publish a report to Parliament on an annual basis outlining how resources in the healthcare sector are being used in order to allow Parliament to make decisions of future expenditure in healthcare. There are five national standards that all care services must meet in order to be registered with the CQC. These standards are vital to the provision of high quality care so they are central areas that are covered when the CQC performs an inspection. These standards are as follows: You should expect to be respected, involved in your care and support, and told what’s happening at every stage. This means that a patient should always be kept informed of any changes in their care plan and that the opinions and views of the patient should be considered and respected when making medical decisions; You should expect care, treatment and support that meets your needs. This means that care workers should fill out appropriate risk assessments and ensure that patients dietary preferences are clearly noted in order to create a care plan that is appropriate for the patient; You should expect to be safe. This means that all staff must respect their patients beliefs and rights, it also means that the patient should be cared for in areas that are clean and that they will receive their prescribed medication when they need it, staff should also make sure equipment used on patients, such as hoists, are well maintained and safe for use on patients; You should expect to be cared for by staff with the right skills to do their jobs properly which means that any care staff that a patient requires are sufficiently trained in their role and that students under their instruction are sufficiently supervised during patient contact. And you should expect your care provider to routinely check the quality of their services; this ensures that patient care is of high quality and that all other standards are maintained by a care service. The CQC also performs unannounced inspections of care services in order to ensure that patients are receiving the highest level of care at all times. By registering these services, the CQC assures the public that they will receive the best possible care; they also provide copies of their inspection reports online for members of the public to read in order to inform them of the quality of care provided by a service that they may be going to use. Conclusion In conclusion, I have learnt about some of the definitions and core values of the nursing profession, I have also looked at the Nursing and Midwifery Council and their role in ensuring that all nurses work professionally and within their scope of practice. I have also explored my own views of nursing and how these views contrast to the public perception of nursing that is displayed in the media. I looked at the NMC’s code for nurses and midwives and the importance of recognising safeguarding concerns and how policy and legislation can guide nurses to report safeguarding concerns in an appropriate manner. References / Bibliography Clark, J., Denton, S., Burns, J., Rawstorne, D., Warrington, E., Kitson, A., Beacock, C., Kenison, L., Scott, C., Belgrave, J. and Salmon, A. (2003).Defining Nursing. 1st ed. [ebook] London: Royal College of Nursing. Available at: http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/78569/001998.pdf [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014]. Cqc.org.uk, (2014).Care Quality Commission | Homepage. [online] Available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/ [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. Langwitz, W., Eich, P., Kiss, A. and Wossmer, B. (1998). Improving Communication Skills-A Randomized Controlled Behaviorally Oriented Intervention Study for Residents in Internal Medicine.Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, [online] 60(3), pp.268-276. Available at: http://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Fulltext/1998/05000/Improving_Communication_Skills_A_Randomized.9.aspx [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014]. McCabe, C., Timmins, F. and Campling, J. (2006).Communication skills for nursing practice. 1st ed. Basingstoke [England]: Palgrave Macmillan. National Health Service England, (2012).Our Culture of Compassionate Care. NHS England. No Secrets: Guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. (2000). 1st ed. [ebook] London: Department of Health, pp.9-10. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/194272/No_secrets__guidance_on_developing_and_implementing_multi-agency_policies_and_procedures_to_protect_vulnerable_adults_from_abuse.pdf [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. Sussex Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding Adults at Risk. (2007). 2nd ed. [ebook] Brighton Hove Safeguarding Adults Board, East Sussex Safeguarding Adults at Risk, West Sussex Adults Safeguarding Board. Available at: http://pansussexadultssafeguarding.proceduresonline.com/pdf/pdf_copy/Full copy Sussex Multi Agency Policy and Procedures.pdf [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. The NMC Code of Professional Conduct: Standards for conduct, performance and ethics. (2004). 2nd ed. London: Nursing Midwifery Council. Torjesen, I. (2008). Acting for Vulnerable Adults.The Nursing Tumes. [online] Available at: http://www.nursingtimes.net/acting-for-vulnerable-adults/1732771.article [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. Wheldon, J. (2005). Nurses too busy to care for dying patients.Daily Mail. [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-356403/Nurses-busy-care-dying-patients.html [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014]. Bibliography 1

Scars Of War :: essays research papers

The ride through the countryside was quite amazing. If you did not know, you would swear you were driving down a back road in Pennsylvania. The only visible difference were signs written in Cyrillic for little shops along the road. As the contours of Sarajevo came into focus, you could not miss the gaping, rubble-filled holes that were once buildings. I was not ready for the scenes of destruction that I was about to witness. I have hiked the hollow fields of Gettysburgh, read stories of the war in Vietnam, listened to stories from friends and colleagues that had served in Panama and Somalia, and watched the “100 Hour War'; on CNN. Who really witnesses the effect and the price a city pays years after the bombs stop falling? As you walk around the once beautiful city, five years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords ended the war, the physical, damage cannot be ignored.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On April 5, 1992 Sarajevo, the capital of the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina, was attacked. The city lies in the valley of the Miljacka River and is surrounded by mountains. The 260 tanks and many other weapons placed on these mountains could destroy the city. On May 2, 1992 Serbs completely blockaded the city. The parts of the city that could not be occupied by the Serbs were exposed to a barrage of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 shelling and artillery fire. Everyday the city was hit by some 4,000 shells. Targets included hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, synagogues, libraries, and museums.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you cross the last crest coming into the city, the first image you see is the Unis Skyscrapers. These two skyscrapers are of equal height and were built to symbolize the brotherhood and unity of Sarajevo. Before the war, citizens called the buildings by the names of two famous characters from Sarajevo jokes, Momo and Uzeir. The names are of different national origin to show the multi-ethnic background of the city. The skyscrapers were continually hit by artillery fire because of their equal height to break apart the united spirit of the city. Both still stand like skeletons above the city. The progress of rebuilding is slow as only the first ten floors have been repaired. Fragments of concrete and glass still hang from iron pillars high above the street.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Grabavica Cemetery, which dates back to the 17th century, was used extensively by snipers.