Life of Human Beings Without Fresh Water Essay

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth ‘s surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water. A human body can survive 8-14 days without water depending on the person. First of all our very existence will be in danger in the absence of fresh drinking water. Besides we will not get the much needed source of irrigation for our fields and as a result there could be lot of scarcity of food. So we will face a situation of food crisis. Water running in rivers is tapped and big dams are constructed and hydropower is produced. Moreover river transport system is not possible in case water stop flowing in rivers. Although plenty of water is available in oceans but that is not fit to be consumed by human beings as it is salty. At last in situation of extinction of fresh water resources, human beings will have to desalinate the sea water which is very costly affair. Lot of poor people will die as they will not be able to afford this type of water obtained through desalination plants. Moreover many types of diseases may occur due to consumption of sea water. In nutshell human beings will face a very difficult time in case they have to line without fresh water. Water is a finite resource which means that the total amount of water in the planet is only limited. Its supply remains the same and yet human population recently grows resulting to a decrease of available amount of freshwater per person. The relatively small amount of available freshwater elaborates on how critical it is for everyone to help preserve and maintain clean, healthy lakes and streams, our sources of water. Water is mostly now being wasted because it is under-priced. We do not realize the significance of it. Also, the uneven distribution of water resources has led to the stage of scarcity in a number of regions. Freshwater provides water for drinking, sanitation, agriculture, transport, electricity generation and recreation. It also creates habitats for a diverse range of animals and plants. There is no way we can live without freshwater supply. Our freshwater resources could eventually deplete if not protected now some way. Truth is we cannot live or function on a daily basis without the use of freshwater supply. It circulates and goes through our bodies, replenishing nutrients and carrying away waste materials. Now think of the scenario where human beings have to live without water.

Strategic risks †thinking about them differently Essay

One of the most important aspects to put into consideration when taking up a project is project risk management. A project risk is an event / condition, which is uncertain that, upon it occurrence brings either a positive or a negative impact on the project. A positive manager should consider this as one of the ten knowledge areas where competence is highly regarded. Risk management is critical, especially to organizations working in multi-project environments and the maturity for risk is high (Loftus, 1999). A wide range of risks is apparent when working in projects involving construction among other engineering work. These risks are mostly attributed to government policy, diversity in stakeholders’ aspirations and the challenges of adding multiple projects. For a good risk management process, there must be a clear statement and understanding of roles and responsibilities, proper skills on technical analysis and the prevailing organizational factors should support the project . Project risk management involves identifying, assessing and prioritizing of risks: and thereafter putting resources to use in order to reduce, monitor and control those risks that could affect the project negatively and increase realizing of opportunities (Jaafari, 2001). This report seeks to outline the knowledge acquired on management of risk in projects among other basic knowledge gathered on management of projects. Discussion             All organizations exist for their own different purposes, and that of public engineering organizations in the construction business, the purpose is to deliver a service, which brings a beneficial result in the public/ stakeholders interest (Harrison, 2004). Decisions to pump resources into investments on capital infrastructure are prompted by needs that are meant to enhance the achievement of the major purpose. According to Flanagan and Norman (1993), the benefits of efficient risk management are evident especially in projects involving capital infrastructure because they are dynamic in nature and bring positive cost implications from the construction related decisions. Risk management should be taken as an intrinsic part of capital infrastructure investment decisions mainly because, as project, ventures get more elaborate, the role of risk management is exemplified (Kutsch & Hall, 2010). Regarding this realization, some countries have enacted government policies on constructors emphasizing on the need to incorporate risk management in capital infrastructure schemes (Uher & Loosemore, 2004). Risk is therefore, in many occasions, viewed as a condition or event whose occurrence will have adverse effects on the project and may hinder the attainment of set objectives. Hence, risk management relates decisions to such probable harmful effects (Chapman et al, 2012). This philosophical approach to risk management enables the process to be broken down into four fundamental sub-processes (Culp, 2001). These involve identification, analysis, response and monitoring. The former step of identification is the most critical step because it has the biggest effect on decisions emanating from the process of risk management. Reviewing risk management, in his article, Williams (1995), notes that there is little structured work in publication about typical risks. According to Chapman (1998), as much as risk identification is critical on the risk assessment and response phases, very little empirical evidence is available at this early phase. The heavier task in risk management remains in the analysis and response to the risk, yet the reasoning stands that unless the risks are identified, they cannot be analyzed and responded to. For most engineers, the need to have a set out program is critical for it provides an umbrella under which all current projects fall so that an outcome can be delivered massively in general, and greater than the total sum of all others. A program is usually temporary, and flexible; created to direct and oversee the implementation of a set of related projects and activities for the deliverance of beneficial outcomes that relate to the organization’s strategic objectives. Several projects are undertaken under this umbrella. This explicitly differentiates between program management outcomes and project management outputs. However, there is a link between projects and strategy through the program. Risk management is becoming an increasingly important process due to external pressures in existence. However, good risk management is seen as a critical attribute of organizational success in the field of engineering. The assumption that programs are merely extensions of projects should cease to exist because many will tend to reflect program risk management to project risk management (Allan, 2008). Program management is a broad extension of the varied, yet related, projects. On projects, it is important to define one or more objective functions like capital expenditure and completion time to represent it to measure the probability of achieving the set targets. Risk management then goes on to model the project’s objectives against the projects variables like costs and the quantity of inputs. These variables are usually uncertain as time goes on, hence the uncertainty of a hundred percent achievement of the objectives set. The most ideal situation would be identifying and characterizing the variables in advance providing that they will remain unchanged by time. This would make it easy to estimate the possible risks and the consequent variance of the project’s objective(s). However, not all project variables can be identified as new variables might surface as the project goes on while the probability of occurrence of the initial variables may vary (Kerzner & Saladis, 2009). The impacts of the initial variables, both positive and negative, may change too hence making risk management even more hard (Drummond, 1999). Certainty and uncertainty of realizing a project’s objectives are measurable, only ideally. The possibility of a project not breaking even could be considered as a representative of the whole project: and then used in turn to evaluate against the variable and try to reduce the risks involved. This becomes a basis for decision-making. Some projects may proceed normally in a stable environment, hence making the uncertainty high at the time it is conceptualized. Pro-active planning and making prudent decisions will see the uncertainty reduce (Royer, 2001). However, uncertainty in complex projects within a changing environment will not necessarily reduce/ diminish as time goes by Chapman (1998). It is necessary to keep on checking on the project’s variables and re-evaluating of the objective function’s status to facilitate adjustments in the project’s strategies. Uncertainty surrounds many parts of a project; hence early resolution of variables may not be poss ible always. Variables change over time leading to exposure to new threats and risks along the way. This fact should not be refuted and a lot of work is required in the planning evaluating phases, where most of the critical work is done. In spite of all the uncertainty and complexity surrounding risk management and project management, it is important to seek methods of improving the project’s base value (Drummond, 1999). Conceptualization, planning, and implementation of a project are complex process that requires management based on set strategic objectives, which vary from time to time. The objectives should be integrative and holistic in the sense that it caters for social, political, environmental, and community aspects (Sears et al, 2010). Traditionally, planning in project management should form the basis of planning, alongside other functions of project management including; human resource, time, scope, integration, quality and procurement. These should be the fundamental factors f consideration along each phase. A variety of guidebooks, protocols and codes of practice in the engineering field have been made available for use in risk management in project management. In the United Kingdom, the ‘Orange book’ is a framework that is set to offer guidance on basic risk management concepts and as a resource for developing risk management processes and implementing them I the public sec tor (Aritua et al 2011). It is also aimed at using a risk based decision-making on investment. There have been many more publications and publications aimed at dictating hoe risk management should look like. These guidelines have offered a basis upon which projects are appraised and their investment viability tested. This has enhanced the process and shifted its reception and perception from project risk management to a risk management strategic level (Melton, 2011). In engineering and construction professions, program management and project management came to existence due to the changing procurement environment (Cox et al 2006). In the United Kingdom, procurement of infrastructural assets was done in a sequential manner, which involved a clear differentiation in the project life cycle phases. Currently there are three major procurement systems. These systems are prime contracting, Design and Build procurement and Private Finance Initiative (Aritua et al 2011). These methods were because of the need to adopt integrative and collaborative project delivery methods. The procurement systems have features like framework agreements, the use of specifications that are output based, and more importantly, emphasis on the lifelong value of the structures (Shehu and Akintoye, 2009). The office of Government Commerce has facilitated the change in construction procurement in the public sector too. The agency’s main agenda is to ensure that policies ar e followed and enhancing promotion of the best performance practices. These systems ensure that the project undertaken is of high quality and regard set policies and guidelines. These sanctions in the public works and construction sector have acted as strategic risk management tools for they ensure quality assurance as well as proper quality management. Project management should incorporate the use of a strategy-based management approach. This will facilitate the integration of planning, risk management and decision-making hence ensuring real time real time realization of an optimum of the project’s strategic objective against its variables (Schmidt, 2009). The project’s promoters are not always the investors. Investors are not always actively involved in the management of the project, but invest resources into the project hoping to get dividends. The promoters’ objective, on the other hand, is to deliver a facility that will ensure a long term balanced and financially viable business entity. The project is therefore a compromise between the attainment of investors’ interests and that of the community (Pinto & Morris, 2010). Project development should be based on a set of strategic objectives, which stamp the project as a business and entwining project decisions to strategic business decisions (Wearne, 19 89). Amid all risks, the project should be planned proactively regarding its variables and with a focus on the life cycle objective functions (Westland, 2007). All life cycle functions should be observed. These are: financial functions, customer satisfaction, and policy observance/ adherence to statutory concerns. Statutory concerns could be like those regarding projects adjacent to ecological systems or highly populated areas (Jha, 2011). Proactive planning of the project ensures real time minimization of risk. Effective risk management ensures that there is typical conceptualization of projects and their subsequent implementation using strategic objectives. It also ensures any further variables are assessed and managed accordingly to optimize the project’s strategic outcome, that which of a business entity (Heagney, 2011). Since projects are subjected to changes in objectives and variables due to external factors, it is important to incorporate a continuous risk management process that involves continuous risk and uncertainty management process conducted in real time to bring value to the project manager. Strategies made from risk analysis are a basis upon which decision-making is based going forward. Objectives of the life cycle are the vessel for analysis. Ethical practices are important factors to put into consideration when taking up/ procuring a project (Ralf et al, 2014). There exists codes of conduct and these codes may vary depending on the government regulations from one country to another. These codes guide management of projects, operations and supervision of work, and the technical aspect of the project, which is building. Since the work done is of great importance, the designed code of conduct and ethical measures should be used as they set standards for the output as well as achieving business objectives with the community in regard (Haukur et al, 2011). Reflective assessment Group activities that included vast research and group projects were vital in broadening my understanding of the project management theory, which of great importance to establishing and undertaking successful projects. According to Turner (1993), scope management is what the project management theory regards. Scope management involves three fundamental issues; ensuring that an adequate amount of work has been done, avoiding doing any unnecessary work and ensuring that the work done fulfills the intended business purpose as stated. The recognition of the sequential state in which activities are undertaken helped us as a group in determining what had to be done at a particular time and by what particular persons as well as accounting for what had been spent on completed work in anticipation of costs that would be accrued in the next steps. I came to understand project management by likening it to production operations management. The crystallization of project management theory to oper ations management theories made it easy for us to recognize the resounding reliance on the transformational theory, which is production oriented. This is because project management involves injecting inputs on which transformational processes occur to bring the result, which is the output (Nell, 1998). Goals are set on the output, upon which a basis for control is placed: control systems are put in place to ensure activities align with achieving intended goals and putting improvement measures in place. This deep understanding of the theory has been enhanced mainly by the critical analysis and discourse that we have engaged ourselves with in the group to widen knowledge on the process. Relevant knowledge on management theories on planning, execution and control has expanded from these activities as well as project theories pertaining flow of production (which projects have been likened with) (Sulliman, 2014). These productions method include incorporating techniques such as lean prod uction and just in time (JIT) (Gilbereath, 1922). Ethical practices in governance for contemporary organizations are also a major factor for consideration (Ralf et al, 2014). Conclusively, exploration on the area of project management has instilled in me management skills, which are very critical in handling projects and managing every aspect in them including risk. References Allan, N., Davis, J., 2006. Strategic risks — thinking about them differently.Proceedings of ICE 159 Aritua B., Nigel J. Smith, Denis Bower (2011) International Journal of Project Management. United Kingdom: University of Leeds Chapman, C. B., Ward, S., & Chapman, C. B. (2012). How to manage project opportunity and risk: Why uncertainty management can be a much better approach than risk management : the updated and re-titled 3rd ed of Project risk management, processes, insights and technoiques. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. Cox, A., Ireland, P., & Townsend, M. (2006). Managing in construction supply chains and markets: Reactive and proactive options for improving performance and relationship management. London: Thomas Telford. Culp, C. L. (2001). The Risk Management Process: Business Strategy and Tactics. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Drummond H 1999. Are we any closer to the end Escalation and the case of Taurus? International Journal of Project Management Flanagan, R., & Norman, G. (1996). Risk management and construction. Oxford [u.a.], Blackwell Science.Gilbreath, R. D. (1992). Managing construction contracts: Operational controls for commercial risks. New York: Wiley. Harrison, F. L., & Lock, D. (2004). Advanced project management: A structured approach. Aldershot, England: Gower. Haukur, I. J., & Ingason, H. T. (2013). Project ethics. Farnham, Surrey: Gower. Heagney, J. (2011). Fundamentals of Project Management. New York: AMACOM. Jaafari A. (2001) International Journal of Project Management. Sydney: University of Sydney Jha, K. N. (2011). Construction project management: Theory and practice. New Delhi: Dorling Kindersley. Kerzner, H., & Saladis, F. P. (2009). Project management workbook and PMP/CAPM exam study guide. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Kutsh E. &Hall M. (2010) International Journal Paper of Project Management. United Kingdom Loftus, J. (1999). Project management of multiple projects and contracts. London: Thomas Telford. Means, J. A., & Adams, T. (2005). Facilitating the Project Lifecycle the Skills & Tools to Accelerate Progress for Project Managers, Facilitators, and Six Sigma Project Teams. Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=9130. Melton, T. (2008). Real project planning developing a project delivery strategy. Amsterdam, Butterworth-Heinemann. Nell, E. J. (1998). The general theory of transformational growth: Keynes after Sraffa. New York: Cambridge University Press. Pinto, J. K., & Morris, P. (2013). The wiley guide to project, program, and portfolio management. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Ralf M., Rodney T., Erling S.A, Jingting S., Oyvind K. (2014). Ethics, Trust, and Governance in Contemporary Organizations. Norway: Project Management Institute Royer, P. S. (2001). Project risk management: A proactive approach. Vienna, Virg: Management Concepts. Schmidt, T. (2009). Strategic project management made simple: Practical tools for leaders and teams. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons. Sears, S. K., Sears, G. A., & Clough, R. H. (2010). Construction Project Management: A Practical Guide to Field Construction Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Shehu, Z., Akintove, A., 2010. Major challenges to the successful implementationand practice of programme management in the constructionenvironment: a critical analysis. International Journal of Project Management Suliman Saleh Al Fredi (2014) International Journal of Science and Technology. Saudi Arabia: Al Qassim University Uher, T. E., & Loosemore, M. (2004). Essentials of construction project management. Sydney: UNSW Press. Westland, J. (2007). The project management life cycle: a complete step-by-step methodology for initiating, planning, executing & closing a project successfully. Williams, T., 1995. A classified bibliography of recent research relating to project risk management. European Journal of Operational Research Zhang Lianying et al (2012) Procedia Engineering. China: Tianjin University Source document

Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief Essay Example for Free

Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief Essay In 1877, William Kingdon Clifford propositioned in his book â€Å"Ethics and Belief† that belief in something without sufficient evidence is irrational. Whilst he accepted that in many beliefs there is often an epistemic gap between the evidence and the conclusion (inductive reasoning) he did also claim that â€Å"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.† Furthermore he claimed that that tolerating credulity (a tendency to believe readily) and superstition will damage ultimately society. He concurred with David Hume (1711-76) when he said â€Å"All wise men proportion their belief to the evidence. † This stance – that belief without sufficient evidence is irrational – is called evidentialism, and is adopted by many atheists (including Clifford and Hume) in their view of theology. However, natural theology instead attempts to meet evidentialism on its own terms by trying to show that belief in God is actually rational. It draws collectively upon all of the a posteriori arguments for God’s existence including the teleological, cosmological, moral and experiential arguments. However, it is rare that an atheist will be convinced by the evidence of these arguments anywhere beyond the point of agnosticism. It is generally accepted that belief in God requires some element of seemingly irrational faith. Indeed, the stance of fideism states that reason plays no part in belief. â€Å"Whoever attempts to demonstrate the existence of God†¦is an excellent subject for a comedy of higher lunacy.† – Soren Kierkegaard. Moderate fideists suggest that reason can actually be destructive to one’s faith. They claim that reason leads to arrogance by encouraging the idea that human reason alone will suffice and that God unnecessary for moral or spiritual direction. Whilst moderate theists view reason as a barrier to true faith however, (thus disregarding natural theology as irrelevant) extreme theists go so far as to agree with Tertullian when he said (AD 155-222) â€Å"Credo quia absurdum est.† or â€Å"I believe because it is absurd.† Aquinas (1225-74) claimed that there were two ways in which to know God. The first is through natural theology, including his five a posteriori proofs constructed by human reason. The second is through â€Å"revealed theology† which cannot be found by human reason alone, but must involve divine intervention or revelation. The acceptance of these revealed truths requires faith, and this is fundamental to the Christian religion. For example, only faith can reveal the truth behind the statement â€Å"God is the father, the son and the Holy Ghost† or that â€Å"the bread of communion is the body of Christ†. Thus revelation provides us with a body of truths, which must be taken on faith alone. Aquinas claims that faith is a combination of reason and opinion. It involves reason since it is propositional i.e. claims certain beliefs to be true and therefore similar to scientific knowledge. On the other hand these truths cannot be proved, and so involve an epistemic gap. It is this epistemic gap that makes faith a matter of opinion and so allows humanity free will over their belief. The stance that it is our choice whether or not to take a leap of faith was also held by Soren Kierkegaard (1812-1855). Alvin Plantinga (1932-) proposed that the classical foundationalism upon which evidentialism is based is flawed. Foundationalist beliefs are described by Plantinga as â€Å"the starting points for thought† and he summarises their definition as: â€Å"I am entitled to believe X without any evidence if and only if it is self-evident, incorrigible or certain to me in some way†. He argues that this is flawed, since this statement is itself neither self-evident, incorrigible nor is it certain in some way. It appears therefore that foundationalism defines itself as irrational. He also states that there are many beliefs that can be held rationally, but that do not fall under the foundationalist criteria or that can be justified contingently. For example, the trust we have in our memory, or the belief that other people have minds of their own. Plantinga argues that we must ultimately reject classical foundationalism on the grounds that it is incoherent, and also because it rejects many beliefs that common sense tells us to be properly basic. He propositions that his reformed epistemology should take the place of classical foundationalism, and because of this: â€Å"It is entirely right, rational, reasonable and proper to believe in God without any evidence at all.† A theist might claim that it just appears obvious to them that God exists, and for Plantinga this is good enough. However, surely this would mean that anything we like can be a properly basic belief? Could a child’s belief in Santa Clause not be defined as properly basic? Plantinga would respond by saying that it is the beliefs directly connected to God’s existence that are properly basic, rather than the belief in God’s existence itself. For example, the guilt felt after committing a bad deed or the sense that something must have cre ated and designed the universe. Blaisà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Pascal (1623-1662) deemed that it was reasonable to have faith in God by a sheer act of will, so certain was he that he put forward a wager: â€Å"Let us weigh the gain and loss in wagering that God is (exists)†¦If you gain, you gain all, if you lose, you lose nothing.† By this, he meant that the theist stands the chance of gaining entrance to heaven at the risk of nothing, whilst the atheist however risks damnation to hell. However, surely this basis of self-gain is at odds with the teachings of the Christian church? W.K.Clifford suggested that God would deny heaven to those who followed Pascal’s wager on the basis that faith should be founded upon trust and morality, not self gain. Pascal might have responded that true belief would arise from the habit of religion i.e. baptism, mass, prayer etc. However, this is contradicted somewhat by his opinion that one’s relationship with God should be somewhat deeper. â€Å"It is the heart which pe rceives God and not reason.† Furthermore, Pascal’s definition of faith appears to ignore the recognition of God’s immanence and His affect on our everyday lives. William James (1842-1910) found Pascal’s proposition that we can change our beliefs by an act of will entirely ridiculous. He claimed solidly that our beliefs are contingent i.e. each new belief is connected to the previous one. He does agree however that it is rational to sustain a belief even without sufficient evidence given certain circumstances. The first circumstance is where the evidence is indeterminate between two beliefs i.e. favours neither option. The second circumstance is if we are faced with a genuine option i.e. one that is living, forced and momentous. By living James means one that is a reality, as opposed to a dead option, that whilst theoretically possible, isn’t actually going to happen e.g. a devout Catholic supporting the gay pride movement. A forced option is one that cannot be avoided, e.g. choosing whether to go to school or to have a lie in when your alarm goes off at 7:30. A momentous option is one that is unique and irreversible e.g. joining the army – as opposed to a trivial option which is reversible and one that happens regularly throughout life. James states that it is therefore sometimes rational to believe in God without sufficient evidence if the choice is a genuine option. He disputes Pascal’s wager as necessarily being a genuine option as it is not necessarily forced (one could deny the possibility of going to hell) nor is it necessarily living (one might be a devout follower of a different religion). However, he does accept that for a person who perceives the evidence as indeterminate and is already open to belief in God, Pascal’s wager might succeed in tipping the scales and getting them to make that leap of faith. James does believe however that faith can in some instances be a genuine option, and a decision that involves seizing the opportunity and taking a risk. He states that when faced with a genuine option and without sufficient evidence, making a decision will then reveal the evidence to us. For example, one cannot be sure of a stranger’s kindness until they have decided to trust the stranger and give them a chance. Similarly, by making a leap of faith in God, the definitive truth will be later revealed by eschatological verification. However, natural theologians such as Aquinas would certainly dispute James’ claim that the evidence is indeterminate, for the cosmological, teleological, moral and experiential arguments – whilst inconclusive – can be extremely persuasive. Furthermore, like Pascal, he seems to ignore faith as an acceptation of God’s immanence and active presence in our lives. The version of faith held by Aquinas, Plantinga, Pascal and James is propositional in that they all claim that faith about believes in God’s objective existence. However, faith can also be seen existentially as an attitude incorporating God subjectively into the believer’s life. For instance, when I say â€Å"I believe that murder is wrong† or â€Å"I believe in free speech† I am not stating anything about existence, but rather about my commitment towards certain values. H.H.Price (1899-1985) claimed that the statement â€Å"I believe in God† is similar to this in that it is a way of perceiving the world using certain values. â€Å"to see oneself as a created, dependent creature, receiving life and well being from a higher source†¦the only appropriate attitude is one of grateful worship and obedience.† – John Hick. To conclude; each of the arguments examined above vary in their relationship with reason, but what they all have in common is that faith is central to the believer and must work independently of reason to some degree. Some of the arguments incorporate reason, some reject it entirely, but the transcendent nature of God can never be proved, can never be indubitable, for faith is an integral part of religion. Perhaps then natural theology is not trying to prove God’s existence to the point where faith is cast out and certainty resides in its place, but rather it is merely trying to explore God’s nature. â€Å"I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand† – St. Anselm (1033-1109) Proslogian 1. Natural theology could therefore be seen as an expression of faith, rather than a foundation for it. The majority of theists argue that faith is necessary, for if God proved himself to us, we would no longer have free will over our belief and so would be robots without dignity. On the other hand, surely God in His omnipotence could find some way of maintaining our freedom whilst simultaneously providing us certainty of his love? Why not give certainty to the millions of His helpless and suffering children who have lost faith; for where is their dignity? Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief. (2017, Sep 13).

Company Law and Companies Act Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Company Law and Companies Act - Case Study Example Alistair Darling, the Secretary of State of the department of trade and industry in the UK had stated that the act would be implemented before the year 2009. However by the end of 2007, most of the provisions had have been put into effect. Therefore, the Company Act 2006 is being implemented step by step. One of the important provisions that are being implemented in the Company Act 2006 is Derivative Claims. Derivative claims allow the shareholders to act against the board of directors on behalf of the company. This has been a bold step by the Parliament of the United Kingdom since it was not possible for the shareholders to have this level of control the company. The objective of the Parliament is therefore to make the legislation pertaining to the company law which is more flexible and more modern1. Thus the shareholder can bring forward a legal claim against the director of the company, if the shareholder has a valid reason to do so. Generally, the reason behind shareholders actio n against director is a wrong committed by the director against the company. The sections of the Companies Act 2006 are sections 260 to sections 264. ... These sections make it necessary for the shareholders to ask permission from the court for continuing their action against the directors. The shareholders require basing their action against the director on grounds such as proposed or actual action or action by a director which includes breach of trust or a breach of duty against the company, or default and negligence towards the expected duties of a director. The proceedings are usually brought not in the name of the shareholder but in the name of the company. Furthermore, the claim can be brought not only against the director, but also against the shadow director or a former director of the company. Geoffrey Morse(2007, p.5) states 'Part11 identifies a procedure whereby a member of the company may seek to institute a derivative claim ( in England and Wales or northern Ireland) or derivative proceedings(In Scotland), and actions seeking relief on behalf of the company in respect to a wrong done to it. Henceforward, derivative actions may be brought only under this part or as a result of a court order under the unfair prejudice provisions of the Act. However, not all wrongs done to the company may be the subject of a derivative action under Part 11. Only acts or omissions by directors may give rise to derivative actions and where those acts or omissions involve negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust.' Derivative Claims Derivative claims is a process which can be divided into two broad stages. First of all, the shareholders need to show they are acting on behalf of the company and don't have vested interests. Additionally, courts need to ensure that are conforming to the guidelines or the provisions laid down by the Companies Act

The population of china Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The population of china - Essay Example But, one would be surprised to know that if every person on this world stood alongside each other, we would just need an area equal to the city of Los Angeles. So then, why is this information so surprising? It is because we do not need space but balance. The resources dependent on us are few. Five out of a hundred of the world inhabitant’s uses 23% of the world’s energy, 13% do not have water to drink and 38% lack proper hygiene facilities. Humans live on 17% of the Earth’s surface, which is land, out of which only 4% can be used for farming. These problems of today have inspired me to take up the topic of population distribution. The specific case chosen is of the most populous country in the world – China. Population Distribution can be defined as the arrangement or the spread of people in a given area. It could also mean how the population of an area is arranged according to things such as age, race or sex. Population Distribution is influenced by fact ors such as climate, natural resources, work opportunities, social services, density and culture. A city or town having a pleasant climate, adequate food and water resources, and good employment opportunities is likely to have high density. China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has a population of over 1.3 billion with a population density of about 140 persons per square kilometre. Therefore, this makes China’s population distribution a good topic to talk about as it is the most populous country in the world. In this annotated bibliography, we are going to describe the sources that talk about the distribution patterns of the Chinese population, whereby we will also look at the factors that contributed to the particular patterns of distribution. This text talks about the spreading patterns of the Chinese population in terms of education, religion and ethnicity. According to the author, the population distribution of China can also be

Battle of San Jacinto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Battle of San Jacinto - Essay Example The researcher states that many American immigrants had migrated to Mexican Texas with full backing by the Mexican government near the beginning of the Mexican Independence. These immigrants started to rise up against the Mexican government in 1835 when the government of Santa Anna declared dictatorship rule over the country. Gradually, Texans formed a provisional government and started a movement for independence. This movement for independence was supported by many Americans, who volunteered to help the Texans in this movement. An army was formed by the help of these volunteers. In 1836 Santa Anna entered Texas with his army to take back its territory and put it back under the control of Mexico. Two battles were fought at Alamo and Goliad. Both of these battles were won by the Mexican army and a large number of Texan army was slaughtered brutally. After these two battles general Houston led his army against the army of Santa Anna near the river of San Jacinto in Texas. General Hous ton proved to be a very sharp and far sighted leader. The number of men in the Mexican army was already more than that of the Texan army and Houston did not want to give time to Santa Anna to call for more troops. Due to this reason he decided to execute a surprise attack against the Mexicans. This was a major risk on General Houston’s part because in this plan most of his army would be exposed to the Mexicans. On the other hand a critical mistake was made by the Mexican leader Santa Anna, in his confidence gained by the last two wins; he did not pay much attention to this battle and failed to post lookouts for any surprise attacks by the Texan army. This surprise attack by the Texan army was conducted in the evening of 21st April. The Texan army moved forward without getting caught by the Mexican army because their approach was hidden by trees and the uneven ground. Havoc reigns on the enemy as the Texian cavalry attack their stunned counterparts with slashing sabers (McDona ld, McCord & Haas 2008). This thing worked in the favour of the Texans because Santa Anna had not sent any men for lookouts. The bridge on the river was cut off by the Texans so that no retreats or reinforcements were possible. This was for both the armies because now the only way out of this was the ten feet deep water. The Texan infantry was led by General Houston himself. It was a well planned attack and the Mexican army was completely surrounded by the attackers. The Texan army had two artillery weapons called the twin sisters which were given to them by the city of Cincinnati. These weapons were placed in the battle and were of great help. It was a completely silent attack and the Texan forces did not reveal themselves until they were a few yards away from the Mexican army camps and then charged. They charged while shouting different slogans of â€Å"Remember Goliad† and â€Å"Remember Alamo†. The Texan army started firing at the surprised Mexicans. The Mexican ar my was not prepared for this kind of attack by its opponents and was completely taken by surprise. Most of the Mexican army was resting or asleep after building fortifications. Some of them were gone to gather woods while some of the others were fetching water at the time of the attack. The unarmed Mexicans had no choice but to ran and a complete chaos was created in the Mexican

Elfego Baca American Hero Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Elfego Baca American Hero - Research Paper Example Elfego Baca’s Help for the Hispanic Community Elfego Baca’s political efforts can be estimated from the fact that he held a whole range of public offices that included but were not limited to the country clerk, the Socorro superintendent County, the Sierra Counties, and Socorro’s district attorney. Various writers have identified Elfego Baca as a peacemaker. Elfego Baca has been recognized as the â€Å"best peace officer Socorro ever had† (Thrapp 50). Elfego Baca has been America’s official representative of the Victoriano Huerta’s government from the year 1913 till the year 1916. That was while the Mexican Revolution was in progress. This post got Elfego Baca indicted for the criminal conspiracy as Jose Ines Salazar, the Mexican general had escaped from prison. Elfego Baca’s case was defended by Octaviano Larrazolo who was both a politician and a layer from the New Mexico which also led to spread of the name of Elfego Baca amongst the Southwestern residents. In the year 1912, when New Mexico attained the status of a state, Elfego Baca ran as a Republican for the Congress unsuccessfully. However, as a result of his immense tendency to turn the votes out among the people of the Hispanic population, Elfego Baca remained a very popular political figure. Sometimes, Elfego Baca worked like a private detective. He worked with Bronson Cutting who was the longtime Senator of the New Mexico. Elfego Baca offered the political investigation services for him and also wrote a column in Spanish on weekly basis in which he praised the work of Bronson Cutting. His praise represented the praise of the whole population of the local Hispanics for Cutting’s work. In spite of the decline in his health, Elfego Baca tried to run for the governor. However, he could not manage to get the nomination of the Democratic Party for district attorney in the year 1944. At the time when Elfego Baca rendered these services, the Hispanics we re far less popular in the US as they are today. They were not adequately represented in the media or the literature. The lack of popularity of the Hispanics of his time was one of the factors that differentiated Elfego Baca from the rest of his countrymen. Over the passage of time, Elfego Baca was represented in the media and literature for all of the aforementioned reasons in general and the famous gun battle with the 80 cowboys that is indeed, the single most severe gunshot battles in the history of the US in particular. â€Å"Baca also stood out as a rare example of a Latino hero at time when Hispanics were rarely seen on American TV. Elfego Baca proved popular enough to be recut and released theatrically outside the United States† (â€Å"Swamp Fox And†). Elfego Baca’s famous gun battle with 80 cowboys Elfego Baca was in the West’s greatest gunfight from 29 October 1884 to 31 October 1884 at Frisco. He was fighting opposite to 80 to 84 cowboys in tota l. At that time, Elfego Baca was no more than 19 years old. Elfego Baca entered Frisco as a Deputy Sheriff upon an electioneering visit. There, he located Charlie McCarty who was a cowboy and was shooting a plaza. Elfego Baca captured him and resolved to escort McCarty for trial to Socorro since the justice of the peace had declared retaliation from the Slaughter cowboys if

The Importance of Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Importance of Motivation - Essay Example Thus, it could be concluded that money is not always a motivator (Herzberg, 2003). In order to explain leadership, Edmondson et al. (2001) illustrated examples of two hospitals namely Chelsea and Mountain Hospitals. The leaders at both hospitals adopted different strategies for the implementation of new technologies. The leader at Chelsea, regardless of being experienced and senior, found the technology to be difficult for the team members. It was because of the poor understanding of the leader and his communication with the team. On the contrary, the leader at Mountain hospital was junior. However, he tried to utilize technologies differently. He became a part of the team and did not become a dictator unlike the one at Chelsea (Edmondson et al., 2001). Persuasion is defined as a magic by Robert B. Cialdini. Through persuasion, individuals can convince others and ask for favors. It should be noted that persuasion can be done following the six principles of persuasion. Furthermore, individuals can be easily persuaded through social proof. According to the author, researchers in 1988 were able to conduct research on persuasion in two different American cities. The results showed that people could be easily persuaded through social proof, i.e. if they see others (their neighbors, friends or family) doing the same thing then, they are most likely to get convinced. Strong organizational culture is an important aspect of organizational success. In order to develop a strong organizational culture, strong and effective leadership is required. However, it should be noted that leadership and culture are informally associated with each other. It suggests that if less formal direction provided to employees regarding strategies, then they will put greater efforts and will take the ownership. The liabilities of strong organizational culture are many, however, the notable ones are ethical liabilities, pieces of training, reward system, etc.

Foundations of biological functioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foundations of biological functioning - Essay Example Correlational method is considered by scientists in the experimental context as important in the process of validation. For example, if the results of an experiment can be verified through methods outside of the initial experimentation, then there is a higher chance that the conclusions reached are valid or even universal in application. Similarly, if other methodologies fail to produce corresponding results, or even produce data that conflicts with the experiment as referenced, then there may be serious dispute as to the validity of the conclusions involved. In general, experimental results should be supported across methodologies of correlation if they are to be considered valid in practice. 2) Describe the double-blind technique and state the significance of it. The double-blind technique is where neither the administrator of the medicine or the experimental behavior of the research nor the patient / participant knows whether they are part of the active experiment or a placebo tes t group. Both the experimental manager and patient or participant is â€Å"blind† as to whether they are administering or receiving a placebo drug or the real compound under testing. This is said to produce more reliable results as it removes suggestibility and subtle influences from the researchers from the data. 3) Imagine you work for a drug company that just created a medication to decrease anxiety in adults. Design an experiment using the appropriate research method that would allow you to best market your company's new pill. The clinical trial is based on two subject groups in this instance of testing an anti-anxiety medicine. The first patient group is considered to be new anxiety patients who are reporting their first contact with medical professionals for the problem of anxiety. They are given the medicine in a test study by researchers using the double-blind methods and placebos. Their recovery and improvement rate is tracked against the placebo group, and other med icines. In the second patient group, habitual sufferers of anxiety who previously failed to result in improvement with other methods of medication are tested with the new medication following the same double-blind methodology and analysis. 4) Jack was hit by a drunk driver and sustained a severe injury to his left frontal lobe. What should Jack and his family expect now? What difference, if any, might Jack's age make on the situation? The left-frontal lobe is related predominately to language processing and higher critical thinking in the brain, and thus following this injury it can be expected for acute language disruption in speaking, vocabulary memory, and even self-identity structures related to language, as well as motor-coordination problems. Age is a minor factor to consider when structural anatomical damage is present. The ability of the brain to re-route and repair functionality around the missing and damaged pieces of the brain is not overly-determined by age, though young er patients may relearn these abilities easier. 5) Explain at least three of the following techniques used to study the brain: EEG, CT scan, MRI, PET scan, fMRI. What is the significance of these brain-imaging techniques? The EEG or Electroencephalogram measures mental activity through electronic sensors or electrodes placed around the outside of the skull and transferred into patterns of change by monitoring machines. MRI or Magnetic Resonance

Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Quality - Research Paper Example The report discusses the quality of something related to business that has fitness for purpose. Quality can be conditional, perpetual or subjective with respect to different businesses and different people. The concept quality is seen differently by different people and different businesses. Quality is also judged differently by different departments within the businesses (Reeves & Bednar, 1994). Quality is judged differently by customers of the business so the business also has to look at the customer’s perspective of perceiving quality. Like we can say the quality for the producer of the products is differently perceived and is measured based on the conformance of quality or may also be judged based on the degree to which the service or product has been produced in a correct way (Lee, Strong, Kahn & Wang, 2002). The report further dwells on the analysis of the term quality within the context of five aspects and has a conclusion based on the overall analysis. In this competitive business world the term quality in terms of business can be defined as meeting the expectations and needs of the customers and consumers of the service and products. Quality in business is the relation between the business, its product and customer. Through continuous assessment, analysis and by meeting all needs of customer, process, business and its employees, this relation is maintained. Quality may include several aspects in business terms but there is no specific definition in which quality can be defined. The term business is dynamic and cannot be summarized in single area of working (Huxtable, 1994). Quality in business can be defined in various ways. One way is to define quality in terms of the relationship which business shares with its product and customers. The other way of defining quality in terms of business can be through customer’s perception of how they value the product. The human factor and process cannot

A Streetcar named disire Essay Example for Free

A Streetcar named disire Essay Blanche is an extremely volatile, and is physically and emotionally insecure character to say the least. Her instabilities range from excessive vanity, to a need for alcohol, and a need to find unconditional love. Indeed, one could say that Blanche was a brought up as a prim and proper lady, yet in reality, like the white she is often referred to, time has tainted her. Prior to Blanches introduction, an atmosphere is set that is greatly linked to Blanche, while set in Elysian fields the setting is quite different to its name. Primarily, the houses have a white frame, weathered gray implying innocence lost. This idea is set many times throughout the course of this play in relation to Blanche. Even in the introduction, this idea is used a number of times with phrases like; faded white stairs, the dim white building. An atmosphere of decay is depicted through out the play with the colour brown. Be it the brown river, or even the whiskey Blanche relies on, brown tends to symbolize negative facts. This taps into another idea, one could also say that colour plays a big part for blanche, as it does not only coincide with her love of fashion, but the book lets it, and music display emotions felt in specific parts of scenes. This is evident especially by the music playing in the background, the blue piano. This music instills a degree of melancholy on the reader, and as the title suggests (and similarly to the Blues) is a depiction of morbidity in the atmosphere, and yet it is only present to Blanche. Even in the initial dialogue of the play, sexual innuendoes appear in abundance. This is initially in the form of an icy cold wave up and down her and the vendor shouting Red hot! Phallic metaphors are used in the description of Meat, and are relevant to Stella and Stanleys relationship (focused on immediately after) as it is a very sexually charged, and is a somewhat animalistic relationship. On Blanches arrival, in a state of shocked disbelief (due to the inconceivable surroundings she is in), she is dressed in a white suit with ear-rings of pearl and white gloves, stating her mask of white purity. With this exposition, her age is revealed, as she must not be exposed to harsh light, and must therefore be wrinkled. She is referred to as a moth, due to her false whiteness, but also because of her fidgety, uncertain mannerisms (common in alcoholics). Blanches backwardness is made clear for the first time in her bid to cling to the past by calling Mrs. Stanley Kowalski, Stella DuBois. This also signifies the period the play was written as the female is referred to through her husband. From this moment on, Blanche is noticeably dismissive of Eunice, holds a derogatory sarcasm through out. Her repetitions of the same word to Eunices varied question are extremely dismissive, yet her vanity peers through in stating, Yes? as a question on news Stella spoke of her. On mention of Belle Reve, we come to realize that it means beautiful dream. This is obviously not the case though, as Blanche immediately goes off the point when its upkeep is mentioned. Blanche behaves very haughtily in the scene, and through the use of condescending language, and unsubtle hints (id like to be left alone), managed to offend, and therefore get rid of Eunice. This disassociation she wishes to have with Eunice not only portrays blanche in a haughty light, but also gives the impression that Blanche feels in Belle Reve, someone like Eunice would be have been her servant. Blanche is an extremely nervous person, and catches her breath with a startled gesture on hearing a cat screech. A reason for this nervous reaction is apparent when we realize her affiliation with whiskey. Not only does she drink the whiskey uninvited, but she attempts to mask her tracks as well. This is a primary indication that she is an alcoholic as is talking to ones self (Ive got to keep hold of myself).

African American Dance Essay Example for Free

African American Dance Essay Assignment: After viewing the video Dance on the Wind: Memoirs of a Mississippi Shaman what is your opinion of the connection that Mr. Washington makes between African dance and African American Dance? Do you agree or disagree? Please be specific as to why and use examples. If you agree give an example of a popular African American dance in which you see the connection with African Dance. Your assignment should be in essay format and a minimum of one page typed. My Response: The connection in my opinion is the Mr. Washington made a connection between African-American Dance from his child-hood memories because his parents had to complete personalities as for his mother’s side of the family he took the memories of the dancing in church and being in the mist of the Holy Spirit and brainstormed some stick figures and contemplated on how his body could smoothly get through each step flawlessly. As for his father side of the family enjoyed dancing every. Saturday and he realized the common factor was the rhythm and blues and that they each danced to feel freedom and immortality and to show enjoyment and fulfillment of hard work. As he grew older he gained more access to the world and traveling. So he went a paid his ancient ancestors, he was amazed at what he saw and immediately put himself in his ancestors shoes. Culturally he is an American but religiously, spiritually he is an African American. So the connection was the rhythm and blues and the ancestors’ roots of music.

Fundamentals of block coding

Fundamentals of block coding ABSTRACT In this essay the basic fundamentals of block coding as a type of forward error correction code, as well as an example of such a code, are examined, in order to highlight the importance of error correction in digital communication systems. In the first part, the theory around error correction codes and types is presented with special emphasis on the block codes, their properties and the problems they encounter. In the second part the most popular block code, Reed-Solomon code, is discussed along with its mathematical formulation and the most common applications that implement it. INTRODUCTION Over the past years, there has been an extraordinary development in digital communications especially in the areas of mobile phones, personal computers, satellites, and computer communication. In these digital communication systems, data is represented as a sequence of 0s and 1s. These binary bits are expressed as analog signal waveforms and then transmitted over a communication channel. Communication channels, though, induce interference and noise to the transmitted signal and corrupt it. At the receiver, the corrupted transmitted signal is modulated back to binary bits. The received binary data is an evaluation of the binary data being transmitted. Bit errors may occur because of the transmission and that number of errors depends on the communication channels interference and noise amount. Channel coding is used in digital communications to protect the digital data and reduce the number of bit errors caused by noise and interference. Channel coding is mostly achieved by adding redundant bits into the transmitted data. These additional bits allow the detection and correction of the bit errors in the received information, thus providing a much more reliable transmission. The cost of using channel coding to protect the transmitted information is a reduction in data transfer rate or an increase in bandwidth. 1. FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION BLOCK CODES 1.1 ERROR DETECTION CORRECTION Error detection and correction are methods to make sure that information is transmitted error free, even across unreliable networks or media. Error detection is the ability to detect errors due to noise, interference or other problems to the communication channel during transmission from the transmitter to the receiver. Error correction is the ability to, furthermore, recreate the initial, error-free information. There are two basic protocols of channel coding for an error detection-correction system: Automatic Repeat-reQuest (ARQ): In this protocol, the transmitter, along with the data, sends an error detection code, that the receiver then uses to check if there are errors present and requests retransmission of erroneous data, if found. Usually, this request is implicit. The receiver sends back an acknowledgement of data received correctly, and the transmitter sends again anything not acknowledged by the receiver, as fast as possible. Forward Error Correction (FEC): In this protocol, the transmitter implements an error-correcting code to the data and sends the coded information. The receiver never sends any messages or requests back to the transmitter. It just decodes what it receives into the most likely data. The codes are constructed in a way that it would take a great amount of noise to trick the receiver interpreting the data wrongly. 1.2 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) As mentioned above, forward error correction is a system of controlling the errors that occur in data transmission, where the sender adds additional information to its messages, also known as error correction code. This gives the receiver the power to detect and correct errors (partially) without requesting additional data from the transmitter. This means that the receiver has no real-time communication with the sender, thus cannot verify whether a block of data was received correctly or not. So, the receiver must decide about the received transmission and try to either repair it or report an alarm. The advantage of forward error correction is that a channel back to the sender is not needed and retransmission of data is usually avoided (at the expense, of course, of higher bandwidth requirements). Therefore, forward error correction is used in cases where retransmissions are rather costly or even impossible to be made. Specifically, FEC data is usually implemented to mass storage devices, in order to be protected against corruption to the stored data. However, forward error connection techniques add a heavy burden on the channel by adding redundant data and delay. Also, many forward error correction methods do not quite respond to the actual environment and the burden is there whether needed or not. Another great disadvantage is the lower data transfer rate. However, FEC methods reduce the requirements for power variety. For the same amount of power, a lower error rate can be achieved. The communication in this situation remains simple and the receiver alone has the responsibility of error detection and correction. The sender complexity is avoided and is now entirely assigned to the receiver. Forward error correction devices are usually placed close to the receiver, in the first step of digital processing of an analog signal that has been received. In other words, forward error correction systems are often a necessary part of the analog to digital signal conversion operation that also contain digital mapping and demapping, or line coding and decoding. Many forward error correction coders can also produce a bit-error rate (BER) signal that can be used as feedback to optimize the received analog circuits. Software controlled algorithms, such as the Viterbi decoder, can receive analog data, and output digital data. The maximum number of errors a forward error correction system can correct is initially defined by the design of the code, so different FEC codes are suitable for different situations. The three main types of forward error correction codes are: Block codes that work on fixed length blocks (packets) of symbols or bits with a predefined size. Block codes can often be decoded in polynomial time to their block size. Convolutional codes that work on symbol or bit streams of indeterminate size. They are usually decoded with the Viterbi algorithm, though other algorithms are often used as well. Viterbi algorithm allows infinite optimal decoding efficiency by increasing limited length of the convolutional code, but at the cost of greatly increasing complexity. A convolutional code can be transformed into a block code, if needed. Interleaving codes that have alleviating properties for fading channels and work well combined with the other two types of forward error correction coding. 1.3 BLOCK CODING 1.3.1 OVERVIEW Block coding was the first type of channel coding implemented in early mobile communication systems. There are many types of block coding, but among the most used ones the most important is Reed-Solomon code, that is presented in the second part of the coursework, because of its extensive use in famous applications. Hamming, Golay, Multidimensional parity and BCH codes are other well-known examples of classical block coding. The main feature of block coding is that it is a fixed size channel code (in contrary to source coding schemes such as Huffman coders, and channel coding techniques as convolutional coding). Using a preset algorithm, block coders take a k-digit information word, S and transform it into an n-digit codeword, C(s). The block size of such a code will be n. This block is examined at the receiver, which then decides about the validity of the sequence it received. 1.3.2 FORMAL TYPE As mentioned above, block codes encode strings taken from an alphabet set S into codewords by encoding each letter of S independently. Suppose (k1, k2,, km) is a sequence of natural numbers that each one less than |S| . If S=s1,s2,,sn and a specific word W is written as W = sk1 sk2 skn , then the codeword that represents W, that is to say C(W), is: C(W) = C(sk1) C(sk2) C (skm) 1.3.3 HAMMING DISTANCE Hamming Distance is a rather significant parameter in block coding. In continuous variables, distance is measured as length, angle or vector. In the binary field, distance between two binary words, is measured by the Hamming distance. Hamming distance is the number of different bits between two binary sequences with the same size. It, basically, is a measure of how apart binary objects are. For example, the Hamming distance between the sequences: 101 and 001 is 1 and between the sequences: 1010100 and 0011001 is 4. Hamming distance is a variable of great importance and usefulness in block coding. The knowledge of Hamming distance can determine the capability of a block code to detect and correct errors. The maximum number of errors a block code can detect is: t = dmin 1, where dmin is the Hamming distance of the codewords. A code with dmin = 3, can detect 1 or 2 bit errors. So the Hamming distance of a block code is preferred to be as high as possible since it directly effects the codes ability to detect bit errors. This also means that in order to have a big Hamming distance, codewords need to be larger, which leads to additional overhead and reduced data bit rate. After detection, the number of errors that a block code can correct is given by: t(int) = (dmin 1)/2 1.3.4 PROBLEMS IN BLOCK CODING Block codes are constrained by the sphere packing problem that has been quite significant in the last years. This is easy to picture in two dimensions. For example, if someone takes some pennies flat on the table and push them together, the result will be a hexagon pattern like a bees nest. Block coding, though, relies on more dimensions which cannot be visualized so easily. The famous Golay code, for instance, applied in deep space communications uses 24 dimensions. If used as a binary code (which very often it is,) the dimensions refer to the size of the codeword as specified above. The theory of block coding uses the N-dimensional sphere model. For instance, what number of pennies can be packed into a circle on a tabletop or in 3-dimensional model, what number of marbles can be packed into a globe. Its all about the codes choice. Hexagon packing, for example, in a rectangular box will leave the four corners empty. Greater number of dimensions means smaller percentage of empty spaces, until eventually at a certain number the packing uses all the available space. These codes are called perfect codes and there are very few of them. The number of a single codewords neighbors is another detail which is usually overlooked in block coding. Back to the pennies example again, first pennies are packed in a rectangular grid. Each single penny will have four direct neighbors (and another four at the four corners that are farther away). In the hexagon formation, each single penny will have six direct neighbors. In the same way, in three and four dimensions there will be twelve and twenty-four neighbors, respectively. Thus, increasing the number of dimensions, the close neighbors increase rapidly. This results in that noise finds numerous ways to make the receiver choose a neighbor, hence an error. This is a fundamental constraint of block coding, and coding in general. It may be more difficult to cause an error to one neighbor, but the number of neighbors can be so big that the probability of total error actually suffers.

Reflection Paper on Heard Around the Common -- Education Teacher Essay

Reflection Paper on â€Å"Heard Around the Common† I had a variety of goals for taking â€Å"Designing and Producing Media for Education.† First, I wanted to learn theories of multimedia design, specifically for educational purposes, and then have the opportunity to immediately apply those learnings to a hands-on production process. Second, I wanted the chance to interact with other educational media designers, such as Harvard’s TIE students. While there are many designers and media theorists at MIT, I don’t have as many opportunities to interact with those interested in education. I feel that in addition to â€Å"learning by doing,† it is also beneficial to learn by closely observing others’ production processes and creative development, and receiving feedback from engaged peers. Third, I wanted to sharpen and expand upon my production skills. I have a stronger background in video production and editing and less experience with web technologies like Flash and Dreamweaver. Finally, I was excited to test out one approach for how we can use multimedia to better educate people to become critical thinkers, evaluators, and decision-makers. I am very interested in how we can use media and emerging technologies, such as handhelds or PDAs (personal digital assistants), to enhance and encourage the learning of critical thinking of history. I wanted to experiment with how we can best design a multimedia program for a handheld that encourages the critical thinking of history, specifically, that a) multiple perspectives on history are valid and should be considered and b) each person interprets history from their present position and sociocultural context. I am intrigued by the inclusion of multiple perspectives and diverse interpretations ... ...o develop either instructions or materials that can support reflective activities once the PDA tour is over. This means encouraging the participants to discuss the various perspectives they experienced. I had hoped to build the interactive games and to create the status bar where the participant collects items. Most immediately, I would like to propose my idea and present my prototype to the Lexington Historical Society. Finally, I want to continue to work on my Flash skills and using Flash to make the journey more interactive, creative, engaging, fun, informative, and valuable. I want to accentuate and augment the experience of students with the town of Lexington and its rich history. I see my coursework in â€Å"Designing and Producing Media for Education† as the beginning of a journey, and I hope that I can continue to share my project with you in its various stages. Reflection Paper on Heard Around the Common -- Education Teacher Essay Reflection Paper on â€Å"Heard Around the Common† I had a variety of goals for taking â€Å"Designing and Producing Media for Education.† First, I wanted to learn theories of multimedia design, specifically for educational purposes, and then have the opportunity to immediately apply those learnings to a hands-on production process. Second, I wanted the chance to interact with other educational media designers, such as Harvard’s TIE students. While there are many designers and media theorists at MIT, I don’t have as many opportunities to interact with those interested in education. I feel that in addition to â€Å"learning by doing,† it is also beneficial to learn by closely observing others’ production processes and creative development, and receiving feedback from engaged peers. Third, I wanted to sharpen and expand upon my production skills. I have a stronger background in video production and editing and less experience with web technologies like Flash and Dreamweaver. Finally, I was excited to test out one approach for how we can use multimedia to better educate people to become critical thinkers, evaluators, and decision-makers. I am very interested in how we can use media and emerging technologies, such as handhelds or PDAs (personal digital assistants), to enhance and encourage the learning of critical thinking of history. I wanted to experiment with how we can best design a multimedia program for a handheld that encourages the critical thinking of history, specifically, that a) multiple perspectives on history are valid and should be considered and b) each person interprets history from their present position and sociocultural context. I am intrigued by the inclusion of multiple perspectives and diverse interpretations ... ...o develop either instructions or materials that can support reflective activities once the PDA tour is over. This means encouraging the participants to discuss the various perspectives they experienced. I had hoped to build the interactive games and to create the status bar where the participant collects items. Most immediately, I would like to propose my idea and present my prototype to the Lexington Historical Society. Finally, I want to continue to work on my Flash skills and using Flash to make the journey more interactive, creative, engaging, fun, informative, and valuable. I want to accentuate and augment the experience of students with the town of Lexington and its rich history. I see my coursework in â€Å"Designing and Producing Media for Education† as the beginning of a journey, and I hope that I can continue to share my project with you in its various stages.

Actus Reus Essay -- International Law

Actus Reus Introduction The Criminal Law of England and Wales which deals with the components and consequences of criminal acts. The English criminal law is in large part not regulated by law, but in the tradition of common law judge-made law. The offense consists in the English law of Actus Reus and Mens Rea together. Actus Reus is the Latin term meaning the act of guilt (the outer or objective of a criminal offense) which is an essential element in the determination of a crime. Thus, when no reasonable doubt exists as a result of the demonstration of proof, the act of guilt, shown together with the intention of the individual to commit a crime (mens rea), creates criminal liability of the accused in criminal jurisdictions that follow the system of common law (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Ireland). Discussion and Analysis Actus Reus literally means conduct of a person. The phrase is used to refer to the element of an offense that involves prohibited conduct. The Actus Reus is one of two elements that make up criminal offenses. The second element is called mens rea or mental state. No crime may legally exist without an Actus Reus, while some regulatory crimes, called strict liability offenses, may exist without a mens rea. Examples of the Actus Reus element of a capital offense would be causing death, causing death while committing another crime, causing the death of a police officer, and causing death by using a bomb. In each of the examples, the mental state of the defendant is not relevant to Actus Reus. The mental state is relevant for the second element, i.e., the Mens Rea. General Perception The Actus Reus requirement is met if a defendant purposely, knowingly, or recklessly does something that is ... ...air, Medico legal Aspects of Automatism, qtd in McClain v. State, 678 N.E.2d 104, 106 (Ind. 1997), pp 56-78 David Ormerod (eds.): Smith and Hogan Criminal Law,12th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008, ISBN 978-0199202584, pp 34 David Ormerod, (2009), Smith and Hogan Criminal Law: Cases and Materials, 10th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2009, ISBN 978-0199218691, pp 45-78 Felson, Marcus (1994), Crime and Everyday Life, Pine Forge, ISBN 0-8039-9029-4, Hirschi, Travis (1969). Causes of Delinquency, Transaction Publishers, ISBN 0-7658-0900-1 Morse, S. J. Diminished rationality, diminished responsibility, Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law vol. 1 (2003), pp. 289–308 Siegel, Larry J. (2003). Criminology, 8th edition, Thomson-Wadsworth., pp. 139 Symposium, Act and crime, University of Pennsylvania Law Review vol. 142, (1994), pp. 1443–1890

Discovery Through Dance Essay -- Dance Dancing Movies Films Media Essa

Discovery Through Dance Movies with dancing have always been a big success, simply because they cause people to want to move and be free like the actors on the set. Dirty Dancing, directed by Emile Ardolino, is a movie that makes people want to jump into the screen and be a part of the show. It is a favorite among teenage girls simply because of the kind of dancing that is performed. Another movie, Save the Last Dance, directed by Thomas Carter, is also well liked by teenage girls because of the dance moves. These two movies portray similar stories of girls finding happiness through expression of different kinds of dancing. Dirty Dancing is a movie portraying the story of a young girl who finds herself while staying at a resort with her family for the summer. The girl’s name is Baby, which describes her character at the beginning of the story. She is a daddy’s girl, and is very trusted by her parents. After some run-in’s with her new friends at the resort; however, her parents start to see a new side of her. Baby secretly learns to dance so she can save a friend’s job. She eventually falls in love with her partner Johnny, which leads to him getting fired from the resort. At the end, during the farewell dinner, Johnny ends up surprising her and making her dance in front of everyone. Her parents see her new talent, and see how much she has grown-up. Baby and Johnny end up together in the end, which makes for a very happy ending. Save the Last Dance is also an exciting movie about a girl finding herself through learning a new type of dance. Sarah has always been a ballerina and ends up losing her mom in a car accident while Sarah is trying out for Julliard. She ends up going to live wit... ...e, and thinks that Derek was the reason that she got hurt in the first place. He doesn’t agree with their relationship and thinks Sarah can find a better guy than Derek. Both girls must go against the wishes of their fathers and simply follow their hearts and do what they feel is best no matter what. These two movies show how two girls, by learning to dance, also learn to overcome discrimination and simply be themselves. They don’t listen to others around them when they say what they are doing is wrong. They do what they know is right and in the end find themselves through the love of their partners and their new love of dancing. Works Cited Dirty Dancing. Dir. Emile Ardolino. Perf. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Artisan, 1987. Save the Last Dance. Dir. Thomas Carter. Perf. Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas. Paramount, 2001.

Macbeth Openings

How does Shakespeare create mood and atmosphere in the opening scenes of Macbeth? Act 1 Scene 1 is set in ‘an open place’, immediately indicating to the reader that something secretive is happening, the very setting of the first scene indicates tension to come. The stage direction reads ‘Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches. ’ The weather creates a tense atmosphere, when the scene is performed the weather acts as pathetic fallacy, further creating tension in the atmosphere; also the weather suggests a supernatural element, a common component of the Gothic genre. The witches talk in rhyming couplets, as though a chant; Witch 1 says ‘When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain? ’. This indicates the witches can see into the future, developing further on the supernatural element; Shakespeare mentions this power of the witches in the first scene to shock the audience, and to develop the sinister atmosphere. The witches agree to meet on ‘the heath’, an isolated and secretive location suggesting their intentions are evil. During this scene Macbeth is mentioned for the first time, the witches say they are to meet him, Shakespeare does this to foreshadow Macbeth’s link to evil, by suggesting Macbeth knows the witches the audience automatically associates Macbeth with the witches. The ending of the scene has great impact, all witches recite ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. ’ Again the witches are ‘chanting’ and talking in rhyming couplets, suggesting they have telepathic powers, securing the idea that they have supernatural powers. At the era in which Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, James I was King, he was extremely interested in Witches, so many suggest Shakespeare wrote the play to please the King, and his followers. Act 1 scene 1 is a short impact scene for dramatic effect, Shakespeare introduces the witches as the first characters in the play, and this is to foreshadow the evil to come and to engage the audience of the era. Act 1 scene 2 is set in ‘a camp’, King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lenox and their attendants meet a bleeding Captain. The characters are talking in Iambic pentameter, which mimics human speech; Shakespeare does this so the audience subconsciously trust the King. Shakespeare also does this to draw attention to the contrast between the Witches speaking in an eerie manner with rhyming couplets (unnatural) and these characters speaking normally. When the Captain speaks, he mentions ‘two spent swimmers’ and speaks with great respect of how these soldiers fought against ‘merciless Macdonwald’. He then mentions Macbeth is one of these ‘brave’ men, which highly contrasts from the impression we get of Macbeth in the first scene. The audience get the impression Macbeth is highly respected by the Captain and the King. However Shakespeare uses brutally violent language in the Captains description of Macbeth in action such as ‘bloody execution’, ‘carv’d’ and ‘till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’chops, And fix’d his head upon our battlements. ’ Shakespeare uses the violent language to reinforce Macbeth’s strength and brutality and to further exaggerate the tense atmosphere. Later in the scene the Captain mocks the idea that Macbeth may have been scared ‘As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion’ showing Macbeths determination and ruthlessness; he also compares Macbeth fighting to ‘Golgotha’ the scene of Christ’s death, creating this immortal imagery of Macbeth before the audience have seen him. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth through word of mouth in both Act 1 scene 1 and scene 2 to show his strength and hint at his evil streak, this creates a tense mood awaiting the introduction of Macbeth’s character. Throughout the scene Shakespeare introduces people that witnessed Macbeth’s bravery in the battle one at a time to show their appreciation and to emphasize his strength, structurally this builds tension and gradually the atmosphere becomes more and more tense. During this scene Shakespeare also introduces the theme of deception; the Thane of Cawdor has betrayed King Duncan by assisting his opponents in the battle. This theme heightens the tension and when the Thane of Cawdor is executed, Macbeth receives his title, moving him up further in the hierarchy. In Act 1 scene 3 we return to the witches located on the heath, an isolated and secretive area, with further pathetic fallacy of thunder. Shakespeare does this to heighten the tension back up for the audience wondering what the witches are going to do; after the slight relax of tension in the previous scene the pathetic fallacy quickly returns the extremely tense atmosphere. By switching from scene 1 with the witches then scene 2 without the witches back to scene 3 with the witches Shakespeare creates the idea that the witches are significant, implying that a significant event is to come in the following scene. Everything is drawing the audience’s attention to this scene. Within the scene the witches begin to discuss their evil actions, another element of the Gothic genre. Later the witches use parts of corpses to conjure up a spell, Shakespeare does this to elaborate further on the witches supernatural powers and to entice the audience with a common interest of the era. Macbeth enters directly after the spell takes place, therefore the mood is tense on his entry, Shakespeare does this to give greater dramatic effect to his entrance. Macbeth first line of speech is ‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen’ opening with the very same paradox the witches ended the first scene on; Shakespeare uses language to create a subconscious link between the evil witches and Macbeth, creating tension and foreshadowing further that Macbeth is evil. Macbeth’s loyal friend Banquo says ‘you should be women’ indicating the witches look supernatural and revolting, further heightening tensions within the audience. Later stage directions state the ‘Witches vanish’, elaborating further that the witches are in fact supernatural beings. Banquo has hallucinations, a common element of the Gothic theme, the sense of uncertainty in this soldier earlier described as a ‘spent swimmer’ creates the contrast and worry within the audience about the extent of the witches powers, the mood becomes more and more negative and curious as to what the witches are capable of. Later in the scene Macbeth, in an aside he says ‘As happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme. Meaning he is happy that the witches may be right and that he may be on his way to becoming King, which for an audience during this era would be shocking. Shakespeare does this for dramatic effect. This is soon followed by the implication that Macbeth has considered killing the King ‘whose horrid image doth unfix my hair’. This is outrageous to the Jacobean audience, the mood becomes angry and tense as Macbeth starts to become justifiably disliked. He seems the anti-hero with the fatal floor of ambition. The final hint is that a later aside Macbeth mimics the evil witches in using rhyming couplets, strengthening his link with them. Throughout these scenes Shakespeare uses violent and supernatural language, as well as contrast between iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets to strengthen the ongoing development of a tense atmosphere. The atmosphere revolves closely around Macbeth and foreshadows well for the events to follow. Shakespeare does this to highlight Macbeth’s introduction at the antagonist.

Equality and Diversity Essay

It would be very discouraging for children to be subjected to discriminatory beliefs that are held by either myself or other teachers for example my cousin wanted to be a ballet dancer when he was a child but after teasing from other members of the family suggesting that dancing is only for girls and gay men he did not continue to attend classes. This was something that he regrets as it was a dream of his and now he has grown up he wishes he had been encouraged to dance. By taking any of families or, friends or even my own beliefs in to school is unfair on the children I am there to support. They could be made to feel that if because of their background or who they are means they cannot aspire to be what they want to be so will not reach to achieve their full potential.As with another example my father-in-law is sexist and believes that a woman’s place is in the home cooking, cleaning and looking after the children and if I was to take that to school with me I could treat the girls differently dismissing their work and only encouraging the boys, giving the girls the false idea of they are not good enough. For example: â€Å"Both men and women teachers have low expectations of girls intellectual skills’ since it is thought that girls are inherently less intelligent than boys† (www.right-to-education.org) The support I give the children should be fair and equal in order for every child to feel safe, an equal part of society and that they are worthwhile. Each child should feel that their opinions count and that they have a voice that should be heard, they should not feel excluded or feel that they can exclude any other person because their race, religion, background, sex as this can affect their self-esteem, their confidence and will in turn effect their learning as proved by Jane Elliot in the â€Å"brown eyed-blue eyed experiment† (The Eye of The Storm) in 1968 where the children wearing the collar (to show they were the lesser pupils) took longer than they did the day before when they weren’t wearing the collars in a card pack reading practice. The children had low expectations of themselves and their body language changed (they looked shrunkeninto themselves). To challenge discriminatory behaviour there are many different methods that could be used for different types of discrimination for example if I heard a child being racist, calling each other names such as â€Å"paki† I would go to them straight away and say: â€Å" Excuse me children I heard what you just said why are you calling each other names?†Ã¢â‚¬Å" We don’t use language like that at school how do you think that has made Ron feel?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What do you think would be right thing to say to him†. It is my responsibility and I am legally obliged as a T.A to challenge any kind of discriminatory behaviour. If there were problems in the playground at lunchtime when the boys were excluding the girls from football at lunchtime I could make changes to the playground so I would have an assembly to explain to the children why they would be having a week plan for the use of the footballing area and it would be as follows: Monday: Girls only netball. Tuesday:Boys only football.Wednesday: Mixed netball.Thursday: Mixed football.Friday: Something completely diffrerent, a team building game to get them working together.After this I would find from them what has worked well and what hasn’t.If children in year7 were sending offensive emails I would use the computer to suite to get them to research the consequences of their actions which they will then present to the class or in assembly. This would give them an insight into how such behaviour can affect the victims, they would also be made to apologise to the person or people they were harassing.| | In conclusion by not discriminating we give every child the same opportunities and support them equally, every child has the same right to an education no matter their background, race, religion, sex or disability. Children will have confidence in who they are and will be more productive in the classroom.| | Excellent and thoughtful answer. This also covers 4.2.5 – just add this at the top of the page. SJ 4.3.13

Accounting for human behavior Essay

In order to survive and interact with the other members of the society, it is crucial for us to understand what the other people are thinking about and what the underlying factors that contribute to their behavior are. In our daily life, people are continuously interpreting and explaining others behavior, sometimes even without aware of it themselves. How does this knowledge of interpreting the others come about? And is it a reliable method?Most people are using common sense explanation to interpret human behavior, while social scientists will explain our world by social science theories. What are they? And which one can give a more reliable and accurate account for human behavior?Common Sense Explanations are formed basing on individual’s past experiences or were passed down from the last generations. It is the most basic and simple form of knowledge that helps us to survive. For instance, people understand that it will be hurt when a ball is throwing at them and in result, they will run away from it. We use the common sense to perceive the world we are living in. It is unimaginable if a person does not possess any common sense at all. See more: Old Age Problem essay Social Science Theories, like the theories in natural science, are derived from scientific methods. They are either induced or deduced from different task or experiment. But since the subject matter in social sciences is completely different from that of natural science, observation, survey and interview which sometimes involves a control group, are the methodology used to test the experimental hypotheses, instead of using laboratory experiments. Hence, social science theories are backed up by empirical studies and data, and therefore should be more widely applicable, objective and reliability to explain human behavior. Unlike social science theories, â€Å"common sense† is held by everyone. Therefore, people can draw on this knowledge immediately when they want to analysis behavior of the others and giving a faster response to the situation. However, the strength of common sense is also its greatest weakness. In many cases, common sense explanation cannot give us a satisfactory answer because it has oversimplified the circumstance. For instance, it is a general belief that the more violent movies a child watches, the more aggressive he will be. People may neglect other factors,  such as family backgrounds, in contributing to children’s aggressive behavior, which had proved to be an equally crucial by many social scientists. In addition, human behaviors are complex as well as unique to each individual. Different culture, race, living environment and family history will lead to the formation of different behaviors. Similarly, common sense explanation varies in different culture, society and individual, and therefore, actually is not the same to everyone in our society. How can a foreigner understand all the traditional attitudes and values of a Chinese? Likewise, it is not easy for us to comprehend all the behaviors of the foreigners. As a result, there will be bias if we rely on common sense explanation as it is too generalized and oversimplified without really investigating the underlying factors behind the scene. In contrast, social sciences theories can supplement the weakness of common sense explanation as each theory is based on a numbers of hypotheses which in turn will be tested, though the methodology used is somewhat different from that of natural science. In other words, social science theories are more reliable and valid than that of common sense explanations. Moreover, social science theories are more widely applicable as they are derived from a great numbers of data which are collected from different channels and people. Some people may argue that some social sciences theories are similar to our common sense explanations, for which is a coincident that we cannot deny since many hypotheses are formed with the basis of common sense assumptions. People can use common sense to explain or judge most things we encounter in our daily life. However, when we come to analyze more complicated matters, such as human behaviors, common sense explanation alone would be insufficient. In these circumstances, social science theories, which have been undergoing empirical researches and experiments, are more reliable. We cannot ignore the importance of â€Å"common sense† since it is a basic knowledge that people possessed, whereas social science theories may not be  known to most people. And in many cases common sense is the foundation of many hypotheses, and thus is the origin of a theory. But it is crucial to note that when people want to have an in-depth, comparatively reliable and valid explanation, social science theories should be employed. REFERENCE Roth (1990), Introduction to Psychology, United Kingdom: The Open University. Gross (1992), Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, p.19-23, London: Hodder & Stoughton

Euthanasia Persuasive Speech Essay

Imagine a world where anyone, even the curably ill or depressed, is easily assisted in suicide. Where someone else decides when you’re life is no longer worth living. Where it is a societal expectation to die rather than receive long-term care. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the world that awaits us if we legalise euthanasia. Euthanasia, or assisted suicide, is defined as the practice or act of ending the life of a terminally ill person, usually by lethal injection. Though there is no exact specification for what ‘terminally ill’ may pertain to. Who would this definition extend to and who would be eligible to be euthanized? Some laws state that â€Å"terminally ill† means that death will occur in a relatively short time. Others are specifically stating within six months or less. Though this definition is futile, as medical experts state it is virtually impossible to predict the life expectancy of each specific patient. As this has been realised, numerous euthanasia activists have increasingly replaced references to ‘terminal illness’ to phrases such as ‘hopelessly ill’, ‘desperately ill’, ‘incurably ill’. In Thomas E. Joiner’s journal Suicide and Life- Threatening behaviour, an article described the guidelines for assisted suicide to be for those with a hopeless condition. The definition of ‘hopeless condition’ included terminal illness, severe physical or psychological pain, physical or mental debilitation or deterioration, or a quality of life that is no longer acceptable to the individual. In 2009, over 30% of euthanasia cases were carried out without consent in Belgium. Simultaneously, the number of cases had increased dramatically, specifically 40% greater in 2009 than in 2008. Furthermore, in 77. 9% of these cases the patients had been killed without an explicit request, nor a discussion of euthanasia. It seems extremely likely that, in Belgium, physicians are killing patients on their own cognizance with no regard for legal restraints. Is euthanasia truly a ‘voluntary’ practice, as described in the law? Even the enforcement of laws seems ineffective as they have proven to do little to ensure the safety of vulnerable patients. How can we ensure that these results will not be replicated in Australia if we follow in Belgium’s footsteps? Could euthanasia be considered a ‘slippery slope to legalised murder’? When analysing medicines primary taboo, as sworn in the Hippocratic Oath, ‘I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if they asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect’ it becomes apparent that euthanasia purely contradicts this. Doctor assistance in the death of a patient is antithetical to the moral ethos and the primary goal of medicine. Their role as healer is fundamentally incompatible with euthanasia. Furthermore, euthanasia rejects the dignity and value of human life. The existing quality-of-human-life ethic would be replaced with a utilitarian and nihilistic death culture and a pessimistic view that the answer to life’s most difficult challenges is the intentional ending of human life. Such a radical shift in morality would fire dangerous consequences. Societal pressure and acceptance of this concept would influence the decisions of those who would originally never contemplate such a decision. Vulnerable people- the elderly, the ill, the depressed- would feel pressure- real or imagined- to request an early death through euthanasia. The legalisation of euthanasia would be detrimental to the strife for survival of the ill and depressed, to the vulnerable that health-maintenance organisations wish to exterminate, to the medical profession and to the overall value of human life. By legalising euthanasia we are allowing our world to transform into the unthinkable. When will someone else decide when you’re life is no longer worth living?