Digital Communications

OBSERVATION The modicom 1 board, first in my observation is the power input these are the electrical input connections necessary to power the module. The LJ Technical Systems' â€Å"I. C. Power 60† or â€Å"System Power 90† is the recommended power supplies. Then second is the sampling control logic is the circuitry generates the timing and control signals that sample the input waveform, and also creates a sinusoidal 1 kHz signal for use during the MODICOM 1 practical exercises.It is recommended that this signal is used for most of the experiments, as you will find that it is difficult to synchronize more than one oscilloscope trace when the input comes from an external source. Then third is the sampling circuit is the signal at the ANALOG INPUT socket is sampled at a rate, and for duration, which depends on the applied sampling control signal. Then fourth is the second order low pass filter this is a filter having a 3. 4 kHz bandwidth.Then lastly is the fourth order lo w pass filter is similar to the Second Order Low Pass Filter but has a steeper cut off gradient (represented by the graph on the board). CONCLUSION MODICOM 1 incorporates and on-board waveform generator that can be selected to provide a 1 kHz sine wave. An on-board pulse generator, giving a choice of 5 discrete sampling frequencies and 9 discrete duty cycles, is also provided. These on-board signal sources are phase locked, ensuring that the sampled waveforms appear stationary when observed on an oscilloscope. OBSERVATIONIn the experiment, we study the Modicom 1 Demonstration. The purpose of this is to understand the functions of each block using input analog signal. We connect the supplies to the board; we ensure sampling control board â€Å"internal† position. The duty cycle selector position is in 5. We link 1 kHz sine wave output to analog input. Then we turn on the power supply. Ensuring that all the connection are connected properly. We need to display the input sine wa ve and sample output and we link the sample output to the input of fourth order low pass filter.We display the output of the fourth order low pass filter. Successively press the frequency selector and observe the effect on the signal. CONCLUSION The sample and hold circuit stores  electric charge  in a  capacitor  and contains at least one fast  FET switch  and at least one  operational amplifier. To sample the input signal the switch connects the capacitor to the output of a  buffer amplifier. The buffer amplifier charges or discharges the capacitor so that the voltage across the capacitor is practically equal, or proportional to, input voltage.In hold mode the switch disconnects the capacitor from the buffer. The capacitor is invariably discharged by its own  leakage currents  and useful load currents, which makes the circuit inherently  volatile, but the loss of voltage (voltage drop) within a specified  hold time  remains within an acceptable error marg in. Therefore The sample and hold circuits are essentially used in linear systems. In some kinds of analog-to-digital converters, the input is often compared to a voltage generated internally from a  digital-to-analog converter  (D-A-C).The circuit tries a series of values and stops converting once the voltages are â€Å"the same† within some defined error margin. If the input value was permitted to change during this comparison process, the resulting conversion would be inaccurate and possibly completely unrelated to the true input value. Such successive approximation converters will often incorporate internal sample and hold circuitry. In addition, sample and hold circuits are often used when multiple samples need to be measured at the same time. Each value is sampled and held, using a common sample clock.

The Great Cat Massacre Review

The Great Cat Massacre entails understanding history differently. It is the story of vengeance of some ill fed journeymen at the face of their bourgeoisie master’s attitude. The pranksters carry out their master plan by killing the Cats and then staging a mock trial. What the author point outs is the humor that they share at the face of this cruelty and he urges the reader to understand the Rabelaian humor contextualizing the event against the backdrop of the peasant society of the Ancien Regime.Darnton shows why they chose the cats and how cats are metaphoric in western linguistic and cultural tradition. He brilliantly depicts the relation Cats bare with female sexuality, witchcraft, routine slangs and so on. The killing of cats is not just a frenzy killing that came out of a berserk reaction against the bourgeoisie, but it was metaphorically ravaging the bourgeoisie master whom they cannot reach out for physically at least. In the analysis of folklores of the Red Riding Hoo d or the La Renarde Darnton believes that these folklores help us understanding the pulse of the peasant society of France.He gives an entire overview of the French peasantry and the hardships they endured following, which he gives a fascinating folktale of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which includes a number of shape shifting charisma of the man and the devil following the eventual victory of man and the author follows that this reflected the essential idea of fighting over scarce resources. The use of culture here is â€Å"strictly in the Geertzian sense, as expressed, for example, in The Interpretation of Cultures as â€Å"an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic form by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes towards life.†Under what conditions can a historian legitimately make use of a definition of this sort? What attitude does it imply vis-a-vis texts that give access to the â€Å"symbolic forms† that functioned in ancient societies? Is it sufficient to the founding of a new way of writing cultural history†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chartier) While methodologically of course, Darnton shows us a newer archive, and there is nothing that could be said against it but on the other hand can the folktales be used transparently as a clean glass to interrogate the complexities of the peasant society? The killing of the Cats as a symbolic ritual and what it meant to the peasants is only speculated by Darnton, thus the job of the historian being that of the speculator is the historian only an astrologer of the past?The killing of the cats might be just without the baggage of the symbolic element that the cats carried as Darnton argues. It is possible that Cats did had immense importance as Darnton shows since Sorcery was a theme recurrent but I am merely speculating that it might not similar to the speculating exercise Darn ton himself does.

Krueler Interview

The first Boer war was from 1880-1881 when the Boers fought England in order to recover their independence they had given up to obtain British help against the Zulus. The second was from 1899-1902 when the Orange Free State and Transvaal declared war on Britain.Pieter Krueler was one of the toughest and bravest soldiers during the war. He was interviewed and revealed the real setting of the war in his own experience which makes the critics point out and reviewed the dilemmas more clear to the minds of the people.The war started between the differences of some learned diplomats and roughhewn nesters and successful millionaires battling for gold and power to rule (Bartleby).Opinions of anti-British, when the discovery of gold in Witwatersrand, many miners or prospectors are interested to get hold of the land. Â  The Boer’s called them threat to their state. After sometime, all mines are transferred to the British’s custody. The Boer government protected the people so the y charged big taxes from Uitlanders, also known as the foreigners even though British don’t really agree to that. The Orange Free State which was the independent Boer state in South Africa formed military troops to protect their independence (Bartleby).The Boer’s protest with regards to their rights was denied. The Boer declared war. Krueler was among those soldiers who fought for the Boers. Since the Boers are highly furnished with more weapons than the British, they had gone victories over the British adjacent to Boer’s territories. The Boers are kind hearted. They treated their prisoners well enough. They even fetched water for them to drink and even get blankets for the prisoners to rest.In the Cape Colony, there were many Boers captured because the British sent well trained reinforcements that lead them to victory. Cronje who was Boer’s leader forced to surrender. It was soon the British totally occupied the Transvaal territory. Roberts, who was the leader of British who led them to victory left the place because of his perception, the war was ended. Unfortunately, it wasn’t over yet and the Boers continue their coordination that lead to Guerilla war. They cut off the communications; attacked military post stations and some captured Boer were escaped by their help (Moritz).The Boers are fighting for their land which many foreigners are eager to find ways of colonizing the land. They are fighting for their independence which many foreigners are taking them away. They are great and brave people fighting for freedom, but they were only few of them. The British were certain enough that they can defend themselves from the Boers; they decided to totally finish the war under the ruling of Kitchener (Weber).The British recognized the kindness of the Boers to their families and their fellowmen; they captured the Boer’s women and children. Kitchener commanded his men to demolish the livestock and crops, farms were being bur ned, and captured women and children into. More women especially the children got sick and there were thousands died during that captured (Weber).Imperialism during the 20th century was very rude. It’s a regretful to those who did bad things to other people. The saddest part of it was that, the British were conquering the land that was not intended for them and hurting the people who own the land. The behavior of one’s nation because of power to control one’s land is very drastic. Kitchener’s plan of using the defenseless women and children as part of the war is to win the war, but not directly to fight with the Boer’s armies (Weber).When the Boer’s troops are diminishing rapidly and that ended the war. The Boer’s government accepted the leadership of the British in the condition that the British must apply a good government concerning the people in the future. However, the war gave the Boers so much resentment which continuous to aff ect the political life of the people throughout the 20th century (Bartleby).According to Krueler’s interview, the women and children including the four thousand prisoners gave a safe passageway by the British when they surrendered for the sake of the children and women. Moreover, the British treated him not as prisoner because he presumed of being a kid.With regards to the interview Krueler, the British had a conscience to speak for themselves for giving safe passageways for those who survived during the war. All they want was to get hold of the land.During the 1899 up to 1902 has become debatable. The holocaust happened in the camps is against the international law. This violates the human rights of the people. Women and children should not treat badly because they are weak and defenseless (Moritz).Anti-British claimed justice to all people who were badly injured and died during the war because of the barbaric acts of the British. The sympathy is with the Boers who only want their own land to live, but because they are few men to fight compared with their intruders, their land was totally occupied and ruled by the British (Weber).The war was proved to be the costliest, bloodiest and longest. Furthermore, it was said to be humiliating war from the British because of the longest time to defeat the Boers knowing that they were only few men fighting against them. In addition to, they were not fighting against the armies of the Boers, but they were fighting against the weak people of the Boers (Weber).Not only had the British militaries committed crimes, but also the leaders who gave commands. It is a crime against humanity, crime that no one was punished, crime that Kitchener should pay for. Unfortunately, when Kitchener died, he was remembered because of his virtue instead of a criminal (Weber).The British leaders’ imperialistic acts and hunger for diamonds and gold brought big and unforgivable damage to the people and land of Boer. The British wer e already powerful and wealthy during that time. They forgot about the thousands of lives perished for their greediness (Weber).Krueler’s interview about the First World War seems to be more similar intentions of the German people of acquiring the land in which the British occupied during that time. He was used by the German leaders to fight for them for colonial reasons. Some European countries are aiming to win the land of gold and diamonds for the purpose of continuous power and wealth. During the European wars, there are millions of civilians and militaries died aiming for one land which was not really fair for the civilians and most especially to those who owns the land.BibliographyThe Columbia Encyclopedia 6th Edition. Bartleby. Dec 2007. Moritz, Garett. About. 1998.Weber, Mark. IHR. May 1999.

The Blending of Art and Mass Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Blending of Art and Mass Culture - Essay Example While he asserted that "the poster isa mass-produced object that must have a commercial function" (Medlej), Cassandre found that he could use images, colors, and text in a sort of artistic fusion to grab the attention of the viewer. Making posters as large as 13' x 15', Cassandre learned how lucrative art could be (Owen). As Neil Harris observed, "business [could] beas stimulating a patron of the arts as prelates, cardinals, and popes were who represented the church in the fifteenth century." Cassandre's approach was not without its detractors. There were those who wondered if his style would make its way from France into American advertising - specifically, whether the American advertising designers would be willing to set aside their more conservative and monotonous design styles for something that seemed to swing closer to the world of art than the world of business. Those who hoped that American advertisers would change their designs were those who saw how Cassandre's posters used geometry to grab the attention of the viewer; they realized the potential of "attention value." While advertising only attracts those whose "circumstances permit the possibility of action," Cassandre sought to make sure that the most focused attention would be on his posters (Parker). This focus would come with the elimination of distractions, so that the central message of the advertisement would be clear to the viewer (Parker). Cassandre established a handful of principles in his poster design. As mentioned above, Cassandre aimed for very large posters, and had a revolutionary attitude toward text. While other poster-makers attempted to squeeze the text in around designs, or wherever it would fit, Cassandre found the text to be the central part of the poster, particularly in advertisements. He claimed that "design should be based on the text and not inversely" (Medlej). His emphasis on the artistic value of text led him to experiment widely in sans serif fonts (Megaw, Hatchings), even to invent the Peignot-font, which he believed to be a "purer form of the alphabet" as far as it expressed the "essential character of Roman letters" (Tam). His goal was to make Peignot one of the established text-faces, but this did not come about during his lifetime (Tam). Cassandre's emphasis on text even went to the use of alliterative slogans to increase the allure to the viewer (Hambourg). Another one of his principles centerd around the use of geometry and architecture to design his posters. Enlarging a poster to the sizes that Cassandre wanted in the 1920's risked severe distortion of the original image, and so lines were used that would be difficult to distort. This use of line and form in a more figurative way was one of the basic influences in the later works of Max Lingner and Salvador Dali, who took the distortion of line and form to new frontiers (Held). Cassandre's notions of poster-making had a significant effect on a variety of art forms throughout the rest of the twentieth century. His ideas concerning the use of line and color to increase audience attention became one of the founding tenets of the Bauhaus school.

Bureaucracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bureaucracy - Essay Example In the preeminent conditions, this distinctiveness allows a bureaucracy to function efficiently. Workers in a specialization bureaucracy carry out specific responsibilities that call for teaching and proficiency. Nevertheless, the downside to specialization is that bureaucrats frequently cannot take up a chore that is external to the range of their job description. In hierarchical organization bureaucracy, the organization is called a hierarchy; a series of stages from the nearly all basic worker in the institute to the premier director. Each stage has openly distinct influence and responsibilities. On the other hand, in formal rules, bureaucracies are designed with the purpose of functioning under prescribed rules. These guidelines affirm how all tasks in the organization are being carried out. These guidelines are frequently referred to as standard operating procedures and are formalized in measure manuals. The bureaucrats waste no time by way of following these rules (Berger 20-34 ). There are negations in the operation of a bureaucracy, nevertheless. The hierarchal system somehow may create a situation whereby staff finds it hard to question the judgment of supervisors. Sociologists use numerous plans and techniques to examine society and social behavior. Most sociological behavior engages ethnography designed to represent the distinctiveness of a population as entirely as possible. There are three research models, including longitudinal, cross-sectional and cross-sequential. These three models are all seemingly distinct in their own way. In cross-sectional research model, scientist examines a number of persons of varying ages who have similar characteristics of significance at a single time. On the other hand, cross-sequential model the scientists test persons in a cross-section taster more than once over a particular period of time. Lastly, in longitudinal design, the scientists analyze the same persons or community repeatedly over a particular period of t ime (Mills 50-77). A section of sociologists carry out research by using data that other existing social scientist. The use of openly available information is recognized as secondary analysis. This model is mostly common in circumstances in which gathering fresh data is unworkable or needless. The other way in which a sociologist can analyze data is by studying an individual with abnormal condition. For this case, the clinical sociologist may be compelled to use self-report measure to obtain quantifiable data on the issue. This is usually the case with case studies which are used in obtaining useful data about persons and small groups. However, case studies have a tendency of only applying to individuals with similar traits rather than to the wide-ranging population. The other way a sociologist can analyze data collected is by examining the information collected from surveys. Ideally, the nature versus nature debate deals with the relative significance of a person’s innate tr aits. This hypothesis is used independently to discuss the influence of heredity and environment upon social advancement. As we see it, the argument is based upon the comparative contributions of genetic heritage and environmental features to human progress. Some thinkers such as Plato and Descartes propose that certain things are innate despite the environmental influences. Conversely, Locke suggests that the lot that we are and all our wisdom is established by our skills. Recently, many specialists are of

SWOT and Financial Analysis for Verizon Research Paper

SWOT and Financial Analysis for Verizon - Research Paper Example SWOT and Financial Analysis for Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., which is also acknowledged as Verizon is duly considered to be one of the largest service providers of broadband and telecommunication in America. Verizon was formed in the year 2000 after the merging of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp. The company has been listed in Dow Jones Industrial Average in the year 2004 due to its consistent performance in delivering quality services to the clients. It can be apparently observed that the company earned greater business reputation and established itself as one of the leading providers of advanced IT solutions to large business association and government bodies worldwide. Resulting from consistence performance in the telecommunication industry, the company has acquired number of well-known companies like Alltel (Verizon, 2013). With this concern, this paper intends to conduct a complete SWOT analysis and financial analysis of the company (Verizon, 2013). Discussion SWOT Anal ysis SWOT analysis is regarded as the most common adapted techniques which helps in understanding the strengths along with the weaknesses and also to identify the opportunities available and threats that the organization face and/or would face in future. The main objective behind adapting SWOT technique by modern business organizations in today’s business world is that it helps in identifying the internal along with external factors. These factors often act in favor or against a particular company providing opportunities to mitigate the issues and develop plans to maintain the current position of the company in the global platform (University of Washington, n.d.). In this similar concern, Verizon is regarded as an American based company which deals with the products or services such as broadband and wire line and wireless communication among other related products. It can be viewed that Verizon’s fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) is considered to be the mo st advanced 4G network around the United States of America (USA). However, the gaining momentum of business market competition in the telecommunication industry and the invention of new technologies are creating a barrier for Verizon to maintain its leading position in the respective industry. Additionally, it has also been viewed that the operation plans of Verizon are facing crucial challenges with the increased level of competitors, alterations in government regulations and global economic slowdown (Verizon, 2013). The SWOT analysis of Verizon has been demonstrated hereunder. Strengths. One of the major strengths of Verizon is normally considered to be its strong liquidity position. The company is regarded as one of the most consistence performers in the global telecommunication platform. The company reported an annual increase in the liquidity ratio resulting in 38% increase in its current assets and 1% increase in current liability in the year 2011. Moreover, the company has al so reported a rapid growth in its receivable rate in the year 2011 which is also regarded as the other strength of the company. In terms of strengths, it can be viewed that the company possesses a substantial wireless capacity and coverage in the U.S covering nearly about 296

Thyroid Cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thyroid Cancer - Research Paper Example Overall prevalence of cancer in nodule is 5-15% with reportedly higher occurrence rates in female (representing ratio of 3:1) and older patients. National Cancer Institute reports about 56,000 cases of thyroid cancer in U.S each year (Norman, 2009). Thyroid carcinomas represent less than 1% of all human cancers with global incidence rates from 0.5-10% per 100,000 populations (IAEA, 2009) Risk Factors: Studies indicate that exposure to radiation, iodine intake, family history of thyroid cancer, chronic goiter etc are suspected a risk factors for thyroid cancer (IAEA, 2009). Clinical Presentation: Thyroid gland is actively involved in metabolic functions of the body and therefore, patients with thyroid malfunction present with wide range of symptoms. Generally the enlargements of gland either diffuse or asymptomatic hard rapidly growing nodule is major sign of thyroid cancer. However, the evaluation of these nodules as malignant or benign is major concern (IAEA, 2009). Other symptoms m ay include cough, difficulty in swallowing, swelling in neck region, hoarsened voice, thyroid gland enlargement, morphological abnormality or calcification of thyroid etc. History and physical examination: On physical examination, a hard rapidly growing nodule with swollen lymph nodes is observed. ... Radiological imaging of thyroid can be done through high resolution ultrasound, thin section CT scan or MRI. Yet, the initial evaluation should be focused on clinical history, physical examination, serum hormone levels further supported by FNA (IAEA, 2009). Thyroid ultrasound is widely used technique in diagnostics and reveals characteristics such as micro-calcifications, hypoechogenicity, irregular borders and intranodal blood flow etc. These patterns increase the suspicion of malignancy; however, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) should be utilized to confirm diagnosis. FNAC is suggestively performed on thyroid nodule of 1 cm on clinical presentation and family history (Pacini et al., 2010). Other tests to evaluate and classify thyroid cancer include thyroid biopsy and laryngoscopy. Types of Thyroid cancer: Thyroid cancers can be classified into epithelial or non-epithelial. Epithelial malignant neoplasms originate from follicular or parafollicular C-cells, whereas, sarcomas a nd malignant lymphomas constitute non-epithelial tumors. 1. Follicular carcinoma is malignant tumors of epithelial cells that exhibit follicular cell differentiation. These represent about 25-40% of thyroid cancers. Follicular carcinomas can be classified into a. minimally invasive carcinomas: excellent prognosis with 95% recovery rate. b. Widely invasive carcinomas present excessive invasion of neoplasm of surrounding tissue. Prognosis is good with 20% reported mortality rate (IAEA, 2009). 2. Insular or poorly differentiated carcinomas arise from follicular cells rapidly converting into aggressive neoplasm which later metastasizes to local and distant lymph nodes. Poor prognosis and higher mortality

Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Depression - Essay Example The major concentration of noradrenergic neurons relates to the locus ceruleus existing within the middle brain. Noradrenaline is essential in inhibiting and stimulating various emotional responses such as anxiety, stress, aggression, and sleep patterns. On the other hand, serotonin regulates pain, anxiety, pleasure, arousal, and sleep behavior during the sleep-wake cycle. In an attempt to manage extreme cases or incidents of depression, medical and psychological practitioners adhere to a set of standard practice process. First, there is need to focus on psychiatric management. Psychiatric management involves the establishment and maintenance of therapeutic alliance and evaluation of the patient’s safety. As a process, it enhances the coordination of patients’ care, monitoring of the patient’s psychiatric status and eventual improvement of the treatment adherence. The process is also fundamental to the provision of appropriate education to the patient and family. During the acute phase, there is need to focus on the utilization of appropriate treatment modalities such as somatic therapies, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy while adhering to the condition of the patient. In addition, there is a substantial need for medical practitioners and nurses to determine clinical factors that might influence treatment process. The standard pr actice for management of the disease within my community adheres to the state and national practices with the intention of enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in the achievement of improved health conditions of the target audiences. There are diverse characteristics and resources for patients to manage depression effectively and efficiently. First, patients should access information that helps in managing depression. In addition, the patients who manage depression effectively and efficiently have the potentiality of enhancing their

AN ENQUiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Essay

AN ENQUiry into The Efficiency of Celebrity Endorsement As A Marketing Communication Strategy In Modern Day Society - Essay Example It entails the collection of data, store and analyze it and finally present it in a logical format to enable the readers to understand the outcome of the study. The main purpose and reason behind the choice of this topic i.e. the study of impact of celebrity endorsements as a strategic marketing activity, was the popularity of the concept – i.e. involvement of celebrities for endorsing products / brands, or services. Thus, I wanted to explore the influence of such a promotional marketing strategy, in influencing the consumers in making their purchase decision; and to assess whether the consumers are really motivated to buy a product if it is endorsed by their favourite celebrity. Furthermore, I was interested in exploring and testing the relationship between celebrities, marketing communications and consumers. As a result, I decided to design this study to include the hypothesis discussed above, and to examine whether the impact of celebrity endorsement on consumers is positiv e or negative. The study also entailed a detailed investigation of the manner in which celebrities influence the purchase decision, what inspires / motivates the consumers to purchase the product etc. Celebrity endorsement has become a popular trend amongst organisations in recent times and some crucial questions have been raised to which this research aims to find answers to some of which some questions are: Does it affect the buying behaviour of the target market? Does celebrity endorsement have any impact on the sales of the product? Should it even be the main channel of brand communications? What are the criteria for choosing endorsers? What is the relationship between the images of the celebrity and that of the brand? Does the personality of the celebrity affect consumers’ perception in any way? If yes, how do the marketers manipulate the same in their favor? For the reasons stated above, a focused group was utilized for the primary research, where respondents were asked a series of unstructured of questions. Also, various print and television adverts were studied for the purpose of this study, and my own observations were also included in the form of findings. Research questions The questions I shall be seeking to explore for this research were structured through the process of literature review. The research questions for this study are: Dose the personality of an endorser alter perception of meaning by the consumer What is the role of celebrity endorsement in consumer decision making process Do consumers really believe celebrities endorse product for just the money making process Research method As my main purpose behind this study was to present a comprehensive view of the entire concept of celebrity endorsement, its emergence and popularity, reason behind its relevance and significance as a most favored promotional activity by the marketers, and most importantly the influence of celebrities on the consumers; I decided to communicate and intera ct with a small section of consumers to seek desired answers. I conducted interviews on a select focus group, studied various print and television advertisements and derived meaningful conclusions based on the literature review to form a basis for my findings. Focus groups are like group interviews that involve several participants (including the moderator) who are asked questions on a pre-structured pre-defined topic. Such a method relies heavily on the answers and responses given by the

Btec hnd in business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Btec hnd in business - Assignment Example The market forces including cultural changes that have impacted Giorgio Armani have been touched upon. Finally an attempt has been made to gauge the impact of globalization, international trade and WTO on the functioning of Giorgio Armani Group. 2.0 Introduction The Giorgio Armani Group is a leading player in the luxury and fashion goods market. The group is privately owned and is vertically integrated. The behemoth designs, manufactures, distributes  and retails its products through a network of close to 500 stores in 46 different countries of the world (Armani, 2013). Since its inception in 1975, the Giorgio Armani Group has grown by leaps and bounds through a series of important alliances, relevant acquisitions and rolling out licenses. Its teaming up with Reebok to manufacture high-end fashion shoes under the brand name EA7 is one such example of sound business tie-ups. The group’s product portfolio includes a vast array of lifestyle and fashion items including apparel, accessories, cosmetics, eyewear, fragrances, home furnishings, jewellery, shoes and watches (Armani, 2013). Giorgio  Armani is the founder of the vast empire that bears his name. The group comprises of the Giorgio Armani S.p.A, the parent  company and many other subsidiaries. ... Jeans, A/X Armani Exchange, Armani Junior, Armani Teen, Armani Baby, Armani/Casa, Armani Beauty, Armani Hotels, Armani/Fiori, and Armani/Dolci (Armani, 2013). 3.0 Mission, Vision, Strategy and Goals The group’s mission is to ‘create  clothes and accessories  that aspire to a kind of perfection that transcends fashion’. The group’s vision is to dominate the world of fashion in the long run. The Giorgio  Armani Group pursues its mission and vision by investing in technology and infrastructure that enables it to manufacture new product lines and create new divisions to handle its ever expanding portfolio of products and services. The fashion house strives to create an ambience in its retail stores that that ingeniously give a boost to the displayed products (Annunziato, 2001). Today, Armani is one of the strongest brands in the world. It enjoys the enviable position of being one of two Italian companies along with Prada to find place in the top 100 brand s drawn up by Interbrand and Business Week (Galbraith, 2004). The long term strategic goal of the group is to keep its luxurious image intact. The group has diversified into various other industries but it the customers still see it as the epitome of luxury and fashion. As a strategy, the Armani Group keeps a tight control over all aspects of its business, be it manufacturing, distribution or retail. The apparel maker has limited the Emporio Armani merchandise to  Emporio Armani  stores because of the issue of control (Business World, 1998). The group has bought back factories from licensees to ensure tight control over production. In fact, Mr Giorgio Armani is known to be a hard task master who takes decisions on his own. While he listens to suggestions and takes feedback, the ultimate decision rests in his hands

Efficiency of the workforce Essay Example for Free

Efficiency of the workforce Essay Effective management communication is also attributed to system thinking as team performance and employment relationship highly improves due to implementation of an enterprise decision simulator. The management team is able to coordinate, formulated comprehensive decisions that boost the performance of the organization and implement the necessary resources such as technological advancement further improving the competence of the workforce. Therefore, audit processes are made easier as information required to formulate decision in regards to the performance of the workforce and organization are made. Moreover, intelligent systems that help in knowledge acquisition, representation, inferencing and transfer are also an attribute of system thinking. This system helps the organization to reduce the time consumed by decision making processes as they work faster than the human system; they are reliable because the quality and output of employee’s performance is increased. They can also be used as training aids to increase the competence, confidence and efficiency of the workforce (McFarlan, 2004). The systems also provides fuzzy-logic where the computer are programmed to behaves less logically and conventionally to deal with the uncertainty of human reasoning resulting decision making in gray areas and creative decision formulation. This enables mangers to conduct sophisticated analysis of the decisions availed to them and also reduces the cost spent by gathering information from different sources to managers at different locations. Furthermore, the decision formulated is protected from unauthorized viewers as an appropriate security measure through the use of web based application is enhanced. However, this technology raises ethical issues that affect the managerial process because of a lapse in accountability and privacy guarantee (McFarlan, 2004). Incorporation of System Thinking in McCall Refrigeration In the event of developing the McCall Refrigeration project, I highly relied on the technology incorporated to base my logic and gather information which helped me formulate this project. I incorporated EIS, ODSS and intelligent systems that helped me formulate my decisions. This helped me to further understand the objectives and goals of this project which include staffing highly skilled and prideful workforce which can determine the mission and vision of the organization identify problems and formulate decisions to solve the problem independently. I heavily relied on the concept of systematic view when conducting research for my project, which helped me to conceptualize the processes used by other organizations in system thinking and change management from the formulation, implementation and usage. I also clearly understood the benefits organizations achieve from system thinking which are outlined above. I also used linear thinking opposed to traditional thinking methodology which greatly helped me to analyze the integrative and pragmatic approach of system thinking that enabled McCall Refrigeration organization to accomplish its policies (Carnall, 2006). Application of System Approach in Change Management In planning effective management strategies to control future system changes that are procrastinated to be implemented into the McCall Refrigeration culture, I first focused on the impact the change would have on the workforce, technology and functions of the organization. This helped me to identify appropriate mechanism to implement the change into the system of the organization so as to achieve maximum results by creation of a responsive environment. I also applied management communication and engaged the employees into the organization by establishment of a profound relationship to enable effective utilization of system thinking so as to reduce the time taken in decision making and the overall performance of the organization. I also used current technological advancement in the organizational culture thus effectively incorporate SECI (McFarlan, 2004).

William Blakes poems Essay Example for Free

William Blakes poems Essay Much of William Blakes poems are cynical and even satirical of a society who thought themselves to be almost perfect. He wanted people to question what they had always done, and whether it was morally right. He did so by using varying techniques that set up clashes between ideologies and value systems. From the poem The Chimney Sweeper from the Songs of Innocence and the poem London from Songs of Experience; we see that employing poetic techniques to set up such clashes is relatively evident in his poetry. These clashes are due to changing ways of thinking which are also evident in Simon Langtons Pride and Prejudice. Jean Jacque Rousseau once said that man is born free and everywhere he is in chains, which refers to the way weve devised political systems for ourselves that dont allow us to be free. These chains are evident in the poem Chimney sweeper. Blake employs the persona of a small boy, Tom Dacre .This itself is a technique, using the boy as the persona elevates him as an individual. He is no longer a young chimney sweeper, he has a name, he has feelings, emotions, all things, which are mostly unrecognized by the landed elite. Merely by employing the persona of a young chimney sweeper, Blake has set up a clash between ideologies and value systems .Within Pride and Prejudice these chains came in the form of social obligation. These social obligations repress Darcy from showing emotion and tried to pre-destine his future. The theme of individuality is continued as he states Theres little Tom Dacre who cried when his head/That curled like a Lambs back was shavd. However, Blake is now focusing on Toms loss of Individuality. This loss of individuality is due to his social status in the community. The use of imagery and similes once again sets up a clash between the accepted use of children as chimney sweepers and the values that they lose their individuality as a result of it. In the poem London, Blake expresses his critique through the usage of a progression of symbols that spread out from the charterd street to encompass the whole city where the persona notices every face he encounters marks of weakness, marks of woe. The city is therefore represented as an alienating and constricting environment and everybody is marked by it. Society marks individuals due to their family background and connections which restricts the acceptance of Elizabeth Bennet by Lady Catherine De Bourgh who states but who is your mother, Lady De Bourgh reminds Elizabeth her mother was not born into a landed elite family and recommends Elizabeth not to quite the sphere in which she belongs Within the poem The Chimney Sweeper there is conflict regarding the Church of England. The chimney sweepers discussed in the poem are not aided by the church. The church can only stand by, inarticulate, faint and helpless while these suppressed children continue to carry out their inhumane tortures. The sweepers in a dream believe an angel would come by Who had a bright key/ and opened the coffins and set them all free. This is a sign from god, yet it is symbolic of the church itself. Through the use of symbolism, Blake has set up a clash between the common belief that the church is perfect and good in every way, to the value they do nothing for these poor people who believe so ardently in them. These changing attitudes towards the church are reflected within Darwins theory of evolution. Naturalist Charles Darwin went against the traditional way of looking at the creation of man. The traditional belief of god created man was challenged by what he calls the origin of species. Darwin believed in natural selection which meant that random variations occurred within species and allowed them to dominate over other species without this variation, which is ultimately meant survival of the fittest. It is clearly evident through the poems London and The Chimney Sweeper from the Songs of Experience and Innocence respectively, that Blakes poetry, and Simon Langtons Pride and Prejudice depict changing way of thinking in the late 18th century, as conflict between ideologies and values systems takes place. It is tradition that keeps societies, families and communities under control, but when these traditions are challenged, conflict with obviously increase and a new value systems and ideologies will be introduced into society.

Self Reflection | Learning And Performance

Self Reflection | Learning And Performance Self-reflection is the self-analysis of knowing oneself. This section describes the self-reflection of the researcher on own learning and performance. It facilitates the researcher to analyse his progress by considering the changes in his strengths and weaknesses. It analyses diverse learning styles theories put forward by various experts and examines the learning style of the researcher during the International Master in Business Administration course. It also describes about the various skills that were gained throughout this course. The various skills include communications skills, report writing skills, presentation skills, research skills and team player skills. Background of the researcher: The researcher completed his Bachelors degree in Information Technology from Madras University, India. IT skills were learned during this period. After completion of the degree, he worked in three companies before coming to Dublin Business School for International MBA. The first two companies that the researcher worked were IT based companies and therefore, the theoretical skills learned during the bachelors degree were transformed to practical skills during the term. The first six months in a job is the time when a new person in the job finds it difficult to get used to the job. The researcher went through this phase and the transformation was not easy. With the help of senior staff in the company, things went smooth. In the first company, the researcher got the opportunity to talk to customers all around the world through telephone, which enhanced his communication skills. He also got the opportunity train new people, which developed the presentation skills. In the second company, the researcher supported the customers through email and chat. This helped to develop the writing skills of the researcher. With more experience, the researcher was given the role of a team leader in the second company he worked. This enabled him to gain leadership skills. The third company that the researcher worked was his own family business. It was very different from the information technology companies that he worked before as this had real world experience. The researcher got a practical insight to the real problems faced by a company that did manufacturing and retailing of steel products. With the IT skills gained from previous years, he computerised the company using management information systems (MIS). This made all the process in that company faster. After gaining some experience, the researcher set plans to learn more about business and chose to get a masters degree in business administration. This is why he chose International MBA course in Dublin Business School, Irel and. Through the MBA International programme in Dublin Business School, the researcher was able to develop the research skills, time management skills, self-learning ability and other skills. There were group works involved in the first semester of the course when helped the researcher to improve team player skills, presentation skills and communication skills. In the second semester of the course, the assignments and examinations helped the researcher to gain self-learning and time management skills. Writing the dissertation proposal in the second semester gave an insight about doing the research. Research and writing skills were improved during this period. All the work had to be completed in certain amount of time, which developed the time management skills of the researcher. These skills have been utilised now, when the researcher is doing the dissertation. The reflections of this learning process can be related to Kolbs learning cycle because of the scope of learning something new is always there. Another method of learning has also been used for the review that was proposed by Honey and Mumford. Learning Reflection and Style: Kolbs learning reflection: According to Kolb (1984), learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it. He described four stages in a learning cycle and viewed it as a circular process which involves the four stages which are Concrete experience Active Experimentation Abstract conceptualisation Reflective observation According to Kolbs model, the experience lays the foundation for observation and reflection, which are incorporated and condensed into concepts. These concepts are then tested to get a new experience. The cycle of activities such as experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting occur in the learning process. There are four types of learning methods as shown in the figure below: Source: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm Diverger: This is the combination of concrete experimentation and reflective observation. They look at things from various perspectives but prefer to watch things than doing things. They also tend to gather information and use imagination to solve problems. Assimilator: This is a combination of abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. These people can solve the problems and will use their learning to find solutions to practical issues. They are less focused on people and are focused on ideas and abstract concepts. Converger: This is a combination of abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. They can solve problems and will use their learning to find solutions to practical issues. They prefer technical tasks and are less concerned with people and interpersonal aspects. Accommodator: This is the combination of concrete experimentation and active experimentation. They have the hands-on technique of solving problems. They rely on intuition rather than logic. They use others analysis and use a practical, experiential approach. During the International MBA course, the researcher used various learning styles in different situations. Assessing the researchers learning style according to the researcher has an accommodator style of learning. The researcher uses more trial and error method to solve the problems. This is a more practical approach to solve the problems even though it could be time consuming. The researcher feels that the proving things practically is better than talking the about the theoretical side of it. This enables the researcher to adapt to changes quickly to changing circumstances and allows making concrete decisions. Honey and Mumford Learning Style: Source: adapted from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/experience.htm) Honey and Mumford (2000), mentions that, the term learning style is used as a description of the attitudes and behaviours that determine an individuals preferred way of learning. According to them, there differnt of learning styles and categorise individuals into four types as shown in the figure above. Activists Reflectors Theorists Pragmatists Activists: They completely involve themselves into a new experience without any previous experience. They have the attitude of trying everything once. They act first and worry about the consequence later. (Honey and Mumford, 2000) Reflectors: They are very cautious and thoughtful people who like to consider all possible angles and implications before making a move. They like to stand back and evaluate the previous experiences before they commit something. (Honey and Mumford, 2000) Theorists: If it is logical, then its good is the main philosophy that is associated with theorists. They integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think about solving a problem in logical, step-by-step manner. (Honey and Mumford, 2000) Pragmatists: They always positively search out for new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with its applications. They are always keen to see if the theory will work out practically. They are always associated with people taking practical decisions and solving problems. (Honey and Mumford, 2000) (Honey and Mumford, 2000, pp 11, 12) The researcher has more pragmatist style of learning. This is useful for the researcher in making quick decisions. The researcher likes to experiment a lot and get bored with long time activities. This is why for this research; the researcher tries to practically prove the things that have been mentioned in the theory. The MBA International program has helped the researcher to experiment the new ideas practically. Key Skills Learned from MBA International: The international MBA programme provided by the Dublin Business School helped the researcher to develop numerous amounts of skills through rigorous academic activities. Various activities included assignments, presentations, group work, exams and finally the dissertation. The skills that have been developed through the program can be divided into two. The first one is academic skills and the second one is personal skills. Academic Skills: The key academic skills that were learned were Research skills, Presentation skills, and Team player skills. Research Skills: Research and investigation skills are very important in terms of academic studies. It is the way one carry out the research about a particular subject. In this case, the researcher carried out different studies especially when doing the dissertation. Researcher understood about the different methods to be followed when doing a research. It was not as an easy task as the researcher had to consult the books, journals and magazines in order to find out the relevant information on the topic. Researcher also understood the importance of critical analysis, what different authors say about the same topic. Presentation Skills: The researcher developed this skill during the class time. The researcher had to give presentations for most of the modules which he did during the semester. Even though, there was trouble in the beginning because of the stage fear, things improved after some time. This gave him the real confidence to stand in front of a group of people without any fear. This would be very useful in future in a professional field. Team player skills: A few modules like International business management and integrated marketing communications had group work involved. This meant that the work would be equally divided among the team members and each had to do their own part. There were team members who would not cooperate for meetings or discussions. However, the researcher found his own ways to overcome this and ensured that the teamwork was done in the end. This would be helpful in future in a professional field as all the work these days are team based. Personal Skills: The key personal skills that were learned were communication skills, time management skills. Communication Skills: A cultural shock is customary for someone who has crossed the globe to study in a foreign country, which was the same for the researcher. The researcher found the communication slightly difficult in the beginning but later improved. The interaction with the international students in the class improved the communication skills of the researcher. The interaction with the lecturers and other staff in the college helped improve the communication skill by a great deal. Time management skills: Time management skills are very important for a person. During the MBA course and through the dissertation, the researcher had to set goals to be achieved in a specific time frame. The researcher had to meet the deadlines for various assignments, which he did successfully. This helped to improve time management skills by a great deal. Future application of the learning skills: The International MBA course has helped the researcher in developing many skills that lacking before. The hard skills of finance, marketing and operations and the soft skills such as communication, leadership and teamwork will be useful for the future. The research skills that were developed during the research will certainly help in the future to choose appropriate techniques and methods. With the help of presentation skills, the researcher will be able to convince people easily. The team player skills will enable him to work as part of a team without any problems. The improved communication skills will with an international exposure will give him the benefit when meeting other people. The time management will skills will help him to do things on time. The MBA program as a whole has contributed a fair deal in improving academic and behavioural competencies. The skills acquired throughout the MBA course will definitely help the researcher in career advancement.

The Horrific Ending to Poes The Cask of Amontillado :: Cask Amontillado Essays

The Horrific Ending to Poe's The Cask of Amontillado End of the story is horrifying and shocking: Montresor traps and entombs living Fortunato behind the brick wall. The victim cries to the executioner: "For the love of God"(Poe, 214) but the only respond is ironical repeat of his own words. The story contains very strong and drastic images. Live burial practice is beyond any critic and "was once a practiced form of capital punishment. The historical context of this practice may indicate that Fortuanto wounded profoundly his friend. This wound must have been remembered and reconsidered since the end of the story reveals narrator's very strong emotions: hidden hatred, and cold anger. "Montresor implies that his rival, a member of the Freemasons, is responsible for his loss of status, happiness, love, and respect: "You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was"(Platinzky, par 3). But this is a very vague explanation because the author doesn't give and specific details. When he completes his revenge plan he seems to be satisfied with his deed, and words "In pace requiescat" (Poe, 244) sarcastically emphasize his feelings and thoughts. It is difficult to determine what is more drastic: Fortunato's death, atmosphere of something unexpected, horrible, mysterious, and insincerity, false words, and betrayal, sarcasm, ironic, and pretended politeness, cold, calculated hatred. All of these images reveal the sophisticated cruelty of the protagonist. On the other side did Fortunato really do what he was accused of? Did Montresor was really right in his claims? If so, why Fortuanto was naive enough to accompany his enemy in the trip to vaults, to drink wine? Wine is a symbol of joy, consent, friendship, and companionship, but in this story is a very painful sign of betrayal. Maybe Montresor enlarged in his imagination Fortunato's real (or imagined) faults? Perhaps this entire story cover indirectly difficult problem of false, because both protagonists were ve ry insincere persons. In this context the end of the story shows that both dishonest protagonists failed, even Montresor, who achieved his goal. The end of the story is truly scary, and the most noticeable impression is the strength of hatred, negative emotions and feelings towards Fortuanto. I think that this kind of emotion is very destructive for a person who experiences it.

The Man Who Was Almost A Man by Richard Wright Essay -- The Man Who W

"The Man Who Was Almost A Man" by Richard Wright In life, there are many decisions that everyone must make. And with decision-making comes consequences, some that we are ready for , and some that we may not be ready for. The author of ' The Man Who Was Almost a Man,' Richard Wright, portrays a young man who wants to be a man, but shows that he is clearly unprepared for manhood and the consequences that come with that responsibility. Through decision making based on self interest, wanting to gain respect from his family, and wanting to prove his dignity, Richard Wright brings forth the main character, Dave, a seventeen year old boy, whose actions show that he is only 'almost a man.'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the story, many of Dave?s decisions were based solely on his own interests. In fact, everything that Dave did was for his own interest, whether good or bad. An example of this would be Dave?s decision to purchase the gun after begging his mother for money. Dave promised his mother that he would bring the gun right back to her so that she could give it to his father. Instead, Dave went against his mother?s will and hid the gun from her. Knowing that making decisions are geared toward, a person?s self interest and their beliefs, it is easily understood why Dave decided to buy the gun from Joe. Dave felt that with a gun, everyone would have to respect him, therefore he thought that a gun would make him a man regardless of his age. A person?s decision making can display wheth...

progressive america :: essays research papers

Progressive America? The early 1900’s can also be referred as the progressive movement because of the many reforms and improvements that occurred during the era. 2005 is much like the earlier progressive movements and can be classified as a progressive era. 3 out of the 4 goals of progressivism are being practiced during the 21st century. Social welfare, economic reform, and moral improvements are still being practiced to try to improve the quality and fairness of life in the U.S. Social welfare improvements are occurring right now to try and better our country as a whole. Bush’s new plan calls for standardized testing and education reforms to try and improve literacy in the U.S. much like during the 1900’s when woman’s groups were fighting for better education standards in schools. In fact standardized testing was first suggested in the early 1900’s to try and improve schools. Many in the 1900’s were advocates for child protection such as Florence Kelly who helped establish child labor laws and set up schools. In the progressive period we first saw the salvation army and attempts to try and improve living conditions for many Americans, groups like the YMCA help build safe communities to keep kids out of trouble. In 2005 Bush recently tried to improve poverty by modernizing social security to keep retirees from going broke. Bush also plans to update Medicare provide tax relief to those who need it. Just like in the early 1900 ’s aid groups are on the rise and have broadened there boundaries to help more people (doctors without borders, red cross, operation smile). During the era we witnessed a climb in the birth of many of these groups but in 2005 we are seeing a rapid increase in the number of non-profit organizations much like those simpler ones we saw in the past. The need to keep children safe has also sprung to life again as it did in the progressive era the need for children to â€Å"stay of the streets† as fueled many people to open/found teen centers and other hangouts where kids can be under adult supervision. Economic reform was and is very important to the survival of this country during the progressive period and directly indicates that 2005 is a progressive era. During the progressive era economic improvements was basically just revealing corrupt companies and trying to give the workers more rights and powers.

Mice and Men

George Is starting to appear as more of the leading character as most of the significant Interactions Involve him due to the fact that Leonie Is told specifically not to speak to anyone unless he has to until he can show that he can work and is a great person to have around the ranch.Leonie – Leonie is beginning to appear as almost a child like character who the reader is brought to feel sorry for due to the fact he needs to be told what to do every time something occurs for example when he goes o drink water George needs to tell him to slow down or otherwise he will get sick. Example from chapter 1 supporting my comments: â€Å"Leonie! † he said sharply. â€Å"Leonie, for God' sakes don't drink so much. † Leonie continued to snort Into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder. Leonie. You goanna be sick Like you was last night† George has always appeared resentful of Leonie from the beginning of the book due to mainly the fact that he was the reason they were forced from weed however there is also slight resent that doesn't always appear from just the basic need of Leonie which George is always required to take care of however he would never let Leonie know he feels this way. A quote to support this would be: Well, how the hell did she know you Jus' wanted to feel her dress?She Jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we got to hide in a irrigation ditch all day with guys looking' for us, and we got to sneak out in the dark and get auto the country. Leonie carries a dead mouse in his pocket as he Likes to have something to pat and most likely something that could keep him company, this shows the reader that he Is ere child and that we should probably feel sorry for him, as he doesn't exactly know social protocol and how to act properly.George and Leonie had to leave Weed due to the fact Leonie went up to a lady and felt her dress, she believed he was going to assault her and quickly told everyone that is what he did when really all he wanted to do was feel the fabric, a lynch mob was then formed to capture Leonie and they decided to quickly leave the town. George orders Leonie not to talk when they arrive at the weed so that the owners do not get the wrong impression of them and think they are stupid, instead George ants Leonie to show them how well he can work and then he can talk to them.Itinerant workers Like George and Leonie are the loneliest people In the world because they are always traveling and usually alone so they can never stop to meet George and Leonie both dream of one day owning their own ranch where they can tend to animals like rabbits for George, this is important to both of them as it is what pushes them to continue on and fight for what they believe in. The opening scene of the novella describes the tranquility of the Salinas River; it describes a deep pool arched by the branches of sycamore trees.Read this section closely and discuss the feelin g and tone is creates. Why do you think Steinbeck writes so evocatively of this place? Choose THREE sentences or phrases from this opening section and analyses the techniques used by the author and discuss the effect created. Create a vocabulary section at the back of your workbook. Then, find FIVE words to start your list. Write out the word and the definition. Chapter 1 . Choose ONE of the following activities: Look back over Chapter One and find as many references as you can that compare Leonie to an animal.What do you think this means? Make a list of these references and keep adding to it as you read the rest of the chapters. George and Leonie are obviously committed to each other, yet they often criticism each other. Make a list of the negative aspects of their relationship. Explain why you think they stay together in spite of this. Write a character profile of Leonie and George. Describe their physical characteristics, their personalities, hopes, dreams, similarities and diffe rence. Chapter 1 Activity: B) George and Leonie have a lot of negative aspects, most of these are a result ofLien's actions throughout their travels which often result in trouble for the pair however sometimes it is George who does something that Leonie despises. An example of something George does is trying to control everything Leonie does such as not allowing him to keep a dead mouse even though George is Just doing what is best for Leonie however he doesn't know that. Leonie is always doing something that antagonizes George or has negative effects towards him, the biggest one being that he was the reason they had to flee from Weed after a woman believed he was trying o assault her.Chapter 2 – Questions The opening passage of chapter 2 really does convey the dullness of the bunkhouse conditions that they were stuck with or how prioritize work was by displaying how no attention was paid to the bunkhouse by the owners to set concentration on work. Steinbeck is trying to conv ey how dull the building truly is and that people who stay there get hardly any enjoyment but rather are simply there for a paycheck no matter the conditions. George is angered upon entering the house by finding the poison that kills bugs etc. which was put there by Whites, this may be used to introduce him by showing that he was a good morale man (trying to keep bugs away from the house). Candy shows that the boss is a â€Å"pretty nice fell† by telling the story of how one Christmas he brought a whole barrel of whisky for everyone to share. We learn he is not a laboring man by the description of his hand, which describes them as being without calluses. George tries to speak for Leonie as that is what they decided in the last chapter would happen so that Leonie would not appear stupid to the boss and would not get red.He explains this to the boss by saying he is Just his friend but eventually gives up why he must speak for him and tells him to Just watch him work. â€Å"A g uy on a ranch don't ever listen nor he don't ask no questions† This quote reveals that no one really cares about each other on the ranch and everything is money driven which Is the sole purpose in people being there. The threat of Curler could be significant to the duo as he may stop them from working at the ranch and ruining any dreams they have and would leave them in a very difficult situation.George is concerned, as he believed they finally found a place to stay and it could be potentially ruined. Candy offers an insight into all of the other characters that live on the ranch and how they interact with everyone. Curlers wife is largely introduced as being a bit of a slut or being easy, Steinbeck infers this by allowing the other characters to describe all the types of men seen around her and how she is only liked because of her looks.After being scared of how George reacted to Curlers wife's description George try to calm him down by assuring him that he would be safe and nothing would happen to him. Slim is portrayed as being of very high character and almost a lot better than others, weather he believes this as well is unknown however a lot of people both respect and fear him for the power over everyone else he holds.Curler and his wife – The reader is able to gain insight into the relationship, which may craft the experiences George and Leonie face on the ranch due to the couple being so influential and the wife being so controlling meaning Curler could be relationship – We are able to gain more of an insight than we did in previous happens due to there finally being contact with other people, through this we learn just how dependent Leonie really is on George and how that will most likely craft what happens between the pair.Their end goals – We learn of Just truly how much the pairs end goal of owning their own farm pushes them on to go through anything as long as in the end they have each other and their animals. Candy's rel ationship with his dog is a lot like George's relationship with Leonie: they both care for things that other people can't appreciate. – This shows an insight into tot relationships by Steinbeck comparing the two couples even though they could not be more different, This shows the reader that Candy does care for a of things despite his initial impression while also reaffirming the love George and Leonie have for each other.She slang her pups last night, said Slim. â€Å"Nine fame. I drowned four of ‘me right off. She couldn't feed that many. – This shows the hardships people have to go through on the farm and how quickly they Just have to get over it Chapter 3 – Questions George says that Leonie will want to sleep in the barn so that he can be with the puppies for as long as possible. O George explains that Leonie was in an accident as a child and is now a bit under developed which is why he travels with him to take care of him as he can not on his own.Wha t happened that made George stop playing dirty tricks on Leonie? George and Leonie had to flee from weed because of Lenses ignorance in thinking that he could go and touch a woman's dress, she took this as him assaulting her and a lynch mob was soon formed to hunt the pair of Wrongdoers' I believe Carlson is the one who made the decision to shoot Candy's dog. The letter holds significance has it shows how truly lonely people who stay on the ranch are from the writer's personal experience, the fact that he was literate may also be significant.George allows Candy to live with them on the farm due to the money that Candy promised to provide which is about half needed to buy a whole farm. Curler attacks Leonie as he figured out he is very vulnerable and almost child like when really he is a coward. Curler agrees to not get Leonie fired to save himself the embarrassment of being beaten by Leonie who everyone now knows is ‘stupid'. Leonie fears that for hurting Curler George will no t let him tend the rabbits on their dream farm as punishment.Chapter 4 – Questions Crooks seems to have a lot more possessions than anyone else on the farm firstly due to Just the length of time he has been there in comparison to everyone else and also he is a cripple so he normally Just stays in his home and keeps possessions to look at. Crooks instinct to not allow Leonie into his room is purely because of the segregation which was still active back then, Leonie did not understand this concept so crooks just did not let him inside. Crooks believes that everyone needs a companion Just so that they can have someone to talk to and trust in their life.Crooks initial response is that he thinks they are Joking because they will never be able to own a farm together however after he realizes they already have some money for the land his attitude changes and he wants to stay with him if it ever does happen. Men are afraid to talk to Curlers wife because someone may then tell Curler who no matter what actually happened will believe anything and probably kick him or her off the farm. Curlers Wife dislikes talking to Curler because he always talked about abusing people and to begin with she never loved him.Candy gives the reason that she liked them now after they don't believe she will get them fired. Crooks believes that he may soon be off the ranch and therefore can afford to take more risks he also has the backing of Candy, which motivates him. Candy tells Curlers wife that he hears the men coming which makes Candy then want to leave which is what Candy wanted. Quite racist. Chapter 5 – Questions Ellen accidental killed his own puppy by hitting it too hard when it was being subeditor.Curlers wife shares with Leonie that she never liked Curler in the first place and also how she Just wants someone to talk to in a relationship. Curlers wife offers Leonie to caress her hair because she knows he likes soft things and she takes pride in her soft hair. Leonie kills Curlers wife because he thinks that she will scream and get him in trouble, which will result in either Leonie being kicked off the farm, or him not getting to tend to rabbits, the end result is much worse however. George says that Leonie can't escape and live on his own because he believes thatLeonie would not be able to survive on his own Candy's greatest fear is that their dream of owning a farm will not come true. Slim tells Leonie that if they catch Leonie instead of killing him that he would have to go to prison and that would be worse than death for him, like candy's dog for example where it was better to die. The men all think that Leonie is armed because Candy's gun was stolen however it was really George who took it. Carlson plans to shot Leonie right in the guts so that he would tumble over. Candy decides to look after Curlers wife while the others go off searching. Mice and Men Mice and men How does Steinbeck create tension In chapter 3? Steinbeck creates tension In chapter 3 In numerous ways; he describes the layout and lighting of the rooms which gives the reader Insight Into the setting. He describes the conversations in the bunk house, the noise levels and the noises heard from outside again setting the scene. When Steinbeck sets the scenes he uses imagery as a meaning of description. He uses irony in his language, saying one thing or meaning another.He also goes into detail about the dialogue of the characters and the way they speak to one another. All of which creates tension in the chapter. In the opening sentence of chapter 3 it says ‘Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunk house, Inside It was dusk' so this leads me to believe that the bunk house which Is where this chapter Is based, is a dark and damp place giving the reader a cold atmosphere, which Is normal when an author wants to create tension using Imagery.Steinbeck creates tension in the same way later in the chapter, on page 46 ‘it was almost dark outside now' this shows that it is getting darker outside, so it must be tie late at night, when It's a dark atmosphere it creates tension as you know if you do go out side you won't be able to see this puts the person in an alert state and your body and mind on stand by to react to something being out there. A darker atmosphere makes the scene tenser because you don't know what's going to happen.This is a dialogue from slim; ‘God almighty that dog stinks. Get him auto here, Candy! I don't know nothing that stinks so bad as an old dog. ‘ You Imagine the smell of wet fur and how unpleasant that would be In a small space and how It could make you eel annoyed and highlight the tension which Is already In the room. You goat get him out. ‘ Slim keeps on putting pressure to Candy about the dog, Slim keeps on complaining about Candy's dog because he doesn't like it . Wynn;t you shoot him, Candy?Carlson is just saying shoot the dog and get rid of him before I shoot him for you. He is annoyed that he has to put up with the smell and states he is saying you have no choice but to get rid of that dog. Carlson is a powerful large man who is insensitive so he always speaks his mind even if he hurts people's feelings and this is evident in this sentence. He pressures Candy to have the dog shot this would create extra tension which is evident when they are parts of silence In the chapter. The young man turned to the back of the magazine. ‘ This shows that they are switching the view point to something else, It Is a distraction so that Candy forgets about the shooting of the dog. When I read this It makes me feel tense because I want to know what is going to happen so we read it Taste. You Know Tanat tender Is tension In ten room Walt awkward moments AT tension. Peg 75 the tension begins to mount. Words like ‘nervously create this tension as we liaise that Candy's dog is going to be killed.This scene is in stark contrast to the previous, the hope of the ranch hands has changed as they turn on Candy's dog and we feel the sadness this is going to create. Candy ‘hopelessly hands the dog over and in, ‘hopelessly he means that Candy knows there is no point fighting against the decision he has Just got to back down, his character has been dominated by stronger characters and pressured into handing over the dog by the move dominant characters. It goes on to say ‘Anti nothing left for him. Can't eat, can't see, can't even walk without hurting.Carlson is naming things that Candy's dog has got wrong with him, making up excuses why he wants to kill and get rid of the dog, trying to win round the other characters that he is actually doing the dog a favor. When Carlson and Slim are having a conversation Just before Carlson goes outside and shoots the dog Slim says ‘Take a shovel' this makes us feel tense bec ause it doesn't say why Carlson will need a shovel, and what he wants it for. So creating mystery is it need to bury the dog or to kill the dog? Page 51 – ‘His voice trailed off. It was silent outside. Carillon's footsteps died away.The silence came into the room. And the silence lasted. ‘ In this quote silence or silent is repeated 3 times, this is to make sure we understand that it is silent outside so we can't hear anything at all, ‘Carillon's footsteps died away means that Carlson has gone far away to shoot Candy's dog. The silence also shows how high the tension must be in the bunk house now, the other characters no knowing who to stand by where do their loyalties lie or who is it best to show your sympathy to Carson for as he says Putting the dog out of misery or Candy as he has Just lost his loyal friend for no season other than it smells.Slim said ‘Candy, you can have any one of them pups you want' Slim is saying forget about your old dog you c an have a new one instead to replace, he is trying to break and change the atmosphere in the room because he is scared that Candy will get upset, and react with what people say, and Carlson is not someone who you should stand up to.The silence kept on happening until the end of the chapter this shows that it is silent again, nobody is talking and the atmosphere is tense, no-one wanting to speak in case they say the wrong thing. Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling Candy is staying still and not moving because he is upset, nervous and scared about what has Just happened.After the atmosphere of the shooting and the silence the room then turns to conversations between George and Whit they are discussing Curlers new wife and Delve aggregate to near Ana women Like near won Atlanta themselves so ten tension goes from being scared of what might happen to the dog, then to tension being created in the discussions of women which is quite stereotypical image of women, she will cause fights and tensions with the men in the ranch the tension has gone room annoyance of an old helpless dog to the tension of how a woman can cause tension between men and who think they own her, and whether she deserves what she gets for acting the way she does around them.George sighed â€Å"you give me a good where house every time† he said ‘a guy can go in and get drunk and get everything auto his system all at once' this is a old fashioned stereotypical comment that women should be used in this way to get things out of there system. A strong character in the group voicing his opinion which may not be the same as others creates nervous tension in the room. A gang or team is formed by the remaining people in the bunk house making a dream plan of their own place, they make a pact not to tell the others so tension is caused as the group are scared to tell in case secrets are told. Curler steps over to Leonie asking What the hell you laughing at? Curlers rage then explodes and he hits Leonie, Leonie tries to get George to help him and covers his face George yells at Leonie to get him which he does.Leonie saying You told me to do that George' Leonie will only do what George says and George knows this so he can get him to do anything he wants. Steinbeck creates tension in chapter 3 in a number of ways. Firstly he describes the scene and sets the mood by saying it is dark. It is the end of the day and so the men may be tired and irritable. Steinbeck uses language to show that Candy loves his old dog, but then Carlson suggests it should be shot. This is quite a tense moment and Candy is bullied into agreeing and Carlson can kill Candy's dog. Finally the evening ends in a fight and George badly injures Curler. This atmosphere has been building all night and it does not come as a surprise.

Logic and Logically Consistent Manner

1. What is logic? Is it beneficial for you to think in a logically consistent manner? â€Å"The inherent ability to mentally compare and weigh two or more perceptions and to mentally conclude accurately what is the differences and/or similarities between each perception. † â€Å"Logic is the science or art of exact reasoning, or of pure and formal thoughts, or of the laws according to which the processes of pure thinking should be conducted and formation and application of general notion. † Logic is the study of information encoded in the form of logical sentences. 2.What if†¦ if the basic laws of logic such as below is not available to us? a. ) Law of Identity: A is A b. ) Law of excluded middle: A or not A c. ) Law of non-contradiction: A and not A both doesn’t follow. 3. Why symbols are important in the domain of mathematics and in the growth of scientific knowledge? Symbols, in the most fundamental sense of the word, can refer to anything which stands fo r something else (the signified). There could be a natural relation which immediately suggests the relation between a sign and signified or the relation could be arbitrary and chosen through some convention such as words in a language.Process of symbolization: It is the replacement of something by a symbol for example; one can replace ‘Mass’ by ‘m’, a number by ‘n’. In almost all cases such replacement or naming is conventional and arbitrary. The process of symbolization should not and does not modify or distort that which it stands for. 4. Is communication effective without the logical connectives such as or, and, implies, not, if and only if? 5. Why we treat mathematical truth as certain? Why logic emphasizes on â€Å"tautologies† rather than contradictions?Logic is non-contingent, in the sense that they do not depend on any particular accidental features of the world. Physics and the other empirical sciences investigate the way the wo rld actually is. That no signal can travel faster than the speed of light is depends upon the law of physics. If the laws were different, perhaps this would not have been true. While the principles of logic are derived using reasoning only and their validity does not depends on any contingent features of the world.

The War That Never Ends(Veterans)

The War that Never Ends- Soldiers suffering with Post Traumatic stress disorder The impact of deployment and especially war-zone experiences on the well-being of military personnel and veterans continues to receive growing attention. The military operation in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to raise important questions about the effect of the experience on the mental health of members of the military services who have been deployed there (Hoge et al. ,2004). Combat exposure has been linked to an array of negative health consequences, most notably posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).According to the DSM-IV-TR, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop in a person after a traumatic experience in which â€Å"the person [has] experienced, witnessed, or [been] confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of [one]self or others. According to the Surgeon General, of those individuals experiencing ext reme traumatic events, nine percent develop PTSD. Approximately 50% of those cases will return to a normal mental health state in less than a year.After one year, women were twice as likely to continue with symptoms of traumatic stress. Sometimes dubbed emotional mental health disorders such as acute stress, depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common by products of military combat (Soldiers’ Mental Health, 2007). During the current U. S. -led war on terrorism a campaign initiated following Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against U. S. – tens of thousands of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq have been diagnosed with such conditions (Soldiers’ Mental Health, 2007). While some military veterans seek medical treatment after they return to the U.S. , many do not, beginning what often becomes a life long battle with mental illness (Soldiers’ Mental Health, 2007). Furthermore, the individual's â€Å"response involved intense fear, h elplessness, or horror. † The individual must also experience at least one symptom of intensive recollections, at least three symptoms of avoidance/numbing, and at least two symptoms of hyper arousal. Symptoms of hyper-arousal include sleep problems, irritability, concentration problems, hyper-vigilance, and exaggerated startle response. All symptoms must be present for one month or longer.In order for PTSD to be diagnosed as a disorder, â€Å"clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of fractioning† must be present. PTSD received official recognition and a separate diagnostic heading with the DSM-III publication in 1980. However, the symptoms of PTSD have been recognized for centuries. During the Civil War, generals noted that the troops were suffering from â€Å"irritable heart† or â€Å"effort syndrome,† in World War I the diagnosis was â€Å"shell shock,† and in World War II it was called â⠂¬Å"battle fatigue† or â€Å"combat exhaustion.In modem engagements such as Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), symptoms of PTSD are denoted â€Å"acute stress,† perhaps in an effort to reduce stigma among deployed troops. Whatever its appellation, it is deemed a â€Å"signature wound† of the Iraq and Afghanistan engagement veterans. Therefore, military personnel are among the most at-risk populations for exposure to traumatic events and the development of PTSD. Ethnic minority Veterans may be more likely to disclose problems or engage in treatment when paired with a clinician of the same race (Loo, 2007).Despite study differences, the trend suggests that being an ethnic minority may cause one to be more â€Å"at risk† for PTSD (Loo, 2007). The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study found differences among Hispanic, African American, and White Vietnam theater Veterans in terms of readjustment after military service (L oo, 2007). Both Hispanic and African American male Vietnam theater Veterans had higher rates of PTSD than Whites (Loo, 2007). Rates of current PTSD in the 1990 study were 28% among Hispanics, 21% among African Americans, and 14% among Whites (Loo, 2007).African Americans had greater exposure to war stresses and had more predisposing factors than Whites, which appeared to account for their higher rate of PTSD (Loo, 2007). The difference in rates of PTSD between Hispanics and Whites remained even after controlling for the fact that Hispanics had greater exposure to war stresses (Loo, 2007). Rates of PTSD among American Indian Vietnam Veterans ranged from 22% to 25% (depending on the tribe) (Loo, 2007). American Indians were exposed to greater war zone stresses (e. g. atrocities, violence, and combat) than Whites, including psychological conflict resulting from identification with the enemy (Loo, 2007). Differences in PTSD rates between American Indians and Whites disappeared after con trolling for the greater war zone stresses experienced by American Indians (Loo, 2007). Unfortunately, there continues to be an ongoing supply of combat- traumatized soldiers to study. As noted by Coleman (2006), war is a disease that kills and maims, not just by tearing apart soldiers’ bodies, but also by ravaging their minds.As the United States continues a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is also coming to grips with one of the products of war at home: a new generation of troubled veterans. Hoge, Auchterlonie, and Milliken (2006) emphasize that research with active duty personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan suggests that this new generation of veterans has high levels of PTSD and related mental health symptoms. Studies are demonstrating that troops who serve in current conflicts are experiencing PTSD and other mental health problems on a scale not seen since the war in Vietnam (Robinson, 2004).PTSD prevalence is widely disputed in medical literature, particularly its predominance among military personnel. However, â€Å"approximately 8% of the [general] population meets criteria for PTSD during their lifetime. PTSD Stressors in the general public are often the result of a traumatic event (violent crime, accident, etc. ). With regard to military personnel, the range of estimates is wide—†PTSD is the most prevalent mental health disorder among deployed service members, and affects roughly 5 to 15% of service members, depending on who is assessed and when they are assessed. From October 2001 to April 2008, approximately 1. 4 million U. S. troops had been deployed in OEF/OIF engagements. As of October 2009, more than 2 million men and women had shouldered the deployments, with 793,000 of them deploying more than once. Nearly 40% of OEF/OIF veterans had multiple deployments, and multiple â€Å"combat† exposures. Even at the low end, a 5% incidence of PTSD among deployed veterans would equal 100,000 OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD. However, this 5% is questionable on broader assessment, and most likely an underestimate. Using Veterans Affairs (VA) data, 23% of OEF/OIF veterans seen at the VA received a preliminary diagnosis of possible PTSD.Further analysis of the same data shows that only half of these PTSD patients had approved PTSD claims. Therefore, about 50% of OEF/OIF veteran patients receiving treatment for PTSD from the VA were not receiving compensation, and hence are likely undercounted as victims of PTSD. In addition, since approximately 40% of service members are still active on active duty, considering active duty military PTSD cases is also instinctive. Surveys of deployed Army soldiers and Marines show between 14% and 17% met screening criteria for PTSD while they were deployed between 2003 and 2006.This data lends additional support to the proposition that the estimate of 5% prevalence of PTSD is empirically low. The United States has incurred massive human and financial expenditures through i ts involvement in Iraq. It is estimated that total spending on the Iraq war will cost the United States up to $3 trillion to fund current military operations along with the expenses of paying the long-term disability costs of injured military personnel, death benefits sent to the families of those killed in Iraq, and interest fees paid by the United States Treasury to borrow money to fund current expenditures (Bilmes ; Stiglitz, 2008).The National Center for PTSD embraces the customary treatment strategy for PTSD as being symptom logically based. As such, individuals diagnosed with depression and anxiety receives pharmacologic treatment, in addition to the use of cognitive behavior therapy to help individuals with cognitive deficits (Summerall, 2008). Cognitive behavior therapy usually includes education regarding the stress response and relaxation techniques in efforts to enable the individual to exercise control over the extreme physical reaction to PTSD triggers and engage comple tely in therapy, overcoming avoidance symptoms.Case management, psychosocial rehabilitation, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy are all viable components and options regarding treatment and care provision for individuals who have incurred PTSD (Kennedy et al. , 2007). When it comes to medication management, special attention should be paid to possible drug interactions in individuals diagnosed with PTSD. These individuals may be taking medications for various symptoms such as pain, insomnia, and dizziness, in addition to surgery-associated anesthesia and antibiotics.Fluid changes resulting from procedural treatment of burns, amputations, wounds or internal organ injuries can dramatically affect the action and interaction of drugs. Moreover, individuals with PTSD may be hypersensitive to medicinal effects and corresponding side effect. Medications have proved helpful to treat depression, seizures, and agitation among persons with PTSD (Perna, Rouselle, ; Brennan, 2003).However, antip sychotic medications should be used with caution given their potential to increase negative neurobehavioral symptoms (Rosenthal ; Ricker, 2000). Impaired recall and attentiveness resulting from PTSD can also complicate medication management, as an individual may have difficulty accurately following dosage recommendations (Kennedy et al. , 2007). Furthermore, New Treatment Modalities recognize the need to meet the unique needs of military personnel with PTSD, the United States Government is exploring a variety of new treatment models.For example, the Office of Naval Research funded a $4 million project in 2005 to study the efficacy of virtual reality treatments for PTSD, which is being tested in universities and military installations across the United States (Bergfeld, 2006). This treatment involves the person experiencing virtual reality situations (i. e. , guiding them through a military compound in Fallujah or going on patrol through homes of Iraq citizens). The therapist monitor s the veteran’s responses (e. g. , breathing, sweating) and then teaches the veteran how to remain calm and composed through the use of meditation.The hope is that that the client can generalize this skill to prospective high stress situations in the real world (Bergfeld), ultimately leading to a reduction in the occurrence of PTSD symptoms. PTSD can make somebody hard to be with; living with someone who is easily startled, has nightmares, and often avoids social situations can take a toll on the most caring family (U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010). Family member may feel hurt, alienate, or discouraged because your loved one has not been able to overcome the effects of the trauma (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010). Social support is extremely important for preventing and helping with PTSD, it is important for family members to take care of themselves both for their own good and t help the person dealing with PTSD (U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010). Veterans with PTSD and their families can access several other resources associated with rehabilitative assistance. Active duty service members and their families are eligible to utilize health care services through Tricare, or Triwest depending on geographic region.Services are available on base from military providers, as well as through private care providers who require a co-payment. Also available to active duty members is Military OneSource, which provides a maximum of six free counseling sessions for service members and their families. Military OneSource has licensed counselors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and also serves as informational resources, addressing topics such as relocation and finances (Fairweather ; Garcia, 2007). Veterans with PTSD often have other types of problems (U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2010).They might have other stress, medical or mental health problems. Sometimes PTSD is overlooked when other problems seem very pressing (U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2010). In Addition, a number of community organizations have been established to assist veterans and their families with adjustments to daily living brought about by combat incurred injuries such as PTSD. Swords to Plowshares, Veterans for America, and Veterans and Families exemplify groups that offer a wide range of information, resources and services (Fairweather ; Garcia, 2007).The Marine Corps Community Services, The Coming Home Project, Operation First Response are some of the Internet-based health, family, employment and education, and benefit, advocacy, and general resources to meet the needs of veterans with PTSD and their families compiled from research (Fairweather and Garcia (2007, Yeoman, 2008). According to the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the VA provides nearly 200 specialized PTSD treatment programs referral is usually needed (U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010).Each PTSD program offers education, evaluation, and treatment, some of the program services include: One to one mental assessment and testing, medicines, one to one psychotherapy and also family therapy, and group therapy which covers topics such as anger and stress, combat support, partners or groups for Veterans of special conflicts (U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010). The VA also offers specialized outpatient PTSD programs (SOPPs) and specialized intensive PTSD programs (SIPPs).Congress has in fact passed some notable legislation aimed directly at improving mental health care and quality of life for combat veterans (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012). The  Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010  provides financial support for family members of injured veterans who are now responsible for caring for their loved ones who have returned with lifelong disabilities (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012). The VOW to Hire Heroes Act  provides tax credits for businesses hiring veterans and is an important step in working to lower the al armingly high veteran’s unemployment rate (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012).The  COMBAT PTSD Act  has died in two previous sessions of Congress and remains in committee in the current legislative session (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012). As it stands today, a veteran must be deemed to have had â€Å"combat with the enemy† to be entitled to compensation for mental health conditions (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012). What constitutes â€Å"combat with the enemy† is extremely vague, making it difficult for some veterans suffering from PTSD to have their injury recognized by the VA (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012).The COMBAT PTSD Act would broaden the definition to include all veterans who served in a theater of combat operation during a time of war (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012). Civilian clinics and their physicians, who are responsible for treating combat stress-related injuries for the  millions of veterans  who receive care outside of the VA system, would benefit greatly from additional training (Wilcox-Fogel, 2 012). The inclusion of cognitive behavioral therapy in treatments covered by TRICARE for veterans diagnosed with TBI would improve the affordability of crucial rehabilitative care for thousands of veterans (Wilcox-Fogel, 2012).Reference Page Loo, C. (2007) PTSD Among Ethnic Minority Veterans retrieved from www. ptds. va. gov â€Å"Soldiers' Mental Health. †Ã‚  Issues ; Controversies On File:  n. pag. Issues ; Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 11 May 2007. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. http://www. 2facts. com/article/i1200260 U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2010) PTSD Programs in the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs. U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs Retrieved from www. ptsd. va. gov Wilcox-Fogel, N. (2012) Despite combat PTSD Act, congress is falling short in providing for veterans with PTSD retrieved from www. policymic. com