Education of the Middle Ages Essay

Education, as we know it today, did not exist in the Middle Ages. Illiteracy was dominant among the population. Scribes were the exception to the rule. Churches were the main source of knowledge and schooling. Real interest in learning grew along with the development of towns. The towns’ officials needed to be educated. At the same time a need for legal institutions was created and so started the university phenomenon. Modern education was on its way. There were few schools in the Middle ages, so everyone had limited education. Even the Lord of the Manor was often unable to read or write. Some of the first schools were Cathedral schools. As well as Parish, Monastic, and Palace schools. Here people learned a particular role in society. Naturally the primary job was training the clergy in their professional duties as priests of the Christian people. The bishop was the head of the complex and he had a staff of priest to help him with the several of the diocese. These skills that were taught here were reading, singing of hymns, church law, writing of documents and the performing of Church duties and sacraments. An example of educating for a specific role in life were the Knights who had learn how to fight with various weapons so that they could fight for their king. The common people, however, had no way of being educated other than going a monastic school. However, if they did this, they had to donate their property to the church. The people who went to this school later become monks or nuns. They had to follow three important laws: chastity, obedience, and the law or the lord if not followed they would be thrown out of the monastery. Most monasteries had a rule of silence: monks could not talk which other except for a short period of time. During meals one monk might read passages from the bible while the others mediated. Even though monks’ lives seem to be so hard it was the best place to go for a good education for anybody from a king to a beggar (Monasteries 488-499). Women took part in monastic life by living in a convent under a direction of an abbess. Known as nuns, they wore simple clothes and wrapped a white cloth called a wimple around their face and neck. They alternated prayer with spinning, weaving, and embroiling items such as tapestries and banners. They also taught needlework and the medicinal use of herbs to daughters of nobles (Couglin A6). Although monks and nuns lived apart from society, they were not completely isolated. Indeed, they played a crucial role in medieval intellectual and social life. Since few people could read or write, the regular clergy preserved ancient and the classical writings. Scribes copied all the books by hand working in a small drafty room with one candle or a small window for light. Illuminated manuscripts decorated with rich colors and intricate pictures indicate that, although the task was done with hard work, it was also lovingly done (Monastaries 499-501). Monasteries and convents provided not only schools for young people, but hospitals for the sick, food for the needy, and a home for travelers who need a place to stay (Monasteries 499-501). Cathedral schools were there to train higher-member of the Church in their professional duties as ministers of the Christian people. The bishop in whose Cathedral complex the school was located needed a group of trained priests to administer the various needs dioceses. The Cathedral school largely emphasized practical skills, effective reading, singing, and knowledge of Church Law, public speaking and the administration of the holy sacraments (Corbishely 28). At first the university was not so much a place as it was a group of scholars organized like a guild for the purpose of learning. Classes were held in rented rooms or churches even in the open air. Books were scarce. In most classes teacher read the text and discussed it, while students took notes on slates or memorized as much information as possible. Classes did, however meet regularly schedule. University rules established the obligations of the students and the teachers toward each other. To qualify as a teacher students had to pass an exam leading to a degree, or a certificate of completion (Cantor 58). By the end of the 1200’s universities had spread throughout Europe. Most southern European universities were modeled after the law school at Bologna, Italy, and specialized in law and medicine. Universities in Northern Europe on the contrary, specialized in liberal arts in Theology. These were generally modeled after the University of Paris (Bailey 89). At medieval universities, scholars studied Latin classics and Roman law in depth. They also acquired knowledge from the works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle and from the Islamic scholarship in the sciences. This interest in the physical world eventually led a rise of western science (Schools 291-292). Many church leaders opposed the study of Aristotle’s works, fearing that his ideas feared the Christian teachings. In contrast some scholars thought that new knowledge could be used ideas. The applied Aristotle philosophy to theological questions and developed a system of thought called scholasticism. This new type of learning emphasized reason as well as the faith in the interpretations of Christian doctrine. Scholastic sought to bring back classical philosophy along side with the teachings of the Church. They believed that knowledge could be integrated into a coherent whole (Schools 295). One scholastic teacher, Peter Aberlard taught theology in Paris during the early 1100’s. In his book Sic et Non, he collected statements from the bible writings of early Christian leaders that showed both sides of controversial questions. Abearld then had his students reconcile the difference though logic. In the 1200’s the most important scholastic thinker was Thomas Aquinas a brilliant theologian and philosopher who taught philosophy in Naples and France. In his work Summa Theolgica Aquinas claimed that reason was a gift from god that could provide answers to basic philosophical questions. The catholic later accepted and promoted Aquinas’s way of teaching and thinking (Schools 310). The education of a knight proceeded in a way similar to that of many medieval occupations. At an early age the prospective knight was apprenticed to serve as a page, or attendant, in a knight’s household. In his teens the page graduated to the status of a squire and received more responsibilities. As a squire the boy tended his knight’s horses and armor, but he also gained his first battle experience. Several squires were usually apprenticed to a knight at the same time and on the battlefield they might fight as a small band of infantry around their master. Here they acquired the many skills in arms necessary for their profession. To graduate to the status of a knight, a squire usually performed some heroic deed in battle. The squire was welcomed into the order of knights by being dubbed with a sword or slapped in the face by his lord. Afterwards the new knight would receive his fief, or gift of land. As the cult of chivalry developed in the 12th and 13th centuries, knighting ceremonies became more involved. Often they occurred at court, and a knight’s dubbing might be preceded by a religious vigil in which the knight vowed to uphold Christian and chivalric principles (Davies 12-13). Finally the Renaissance, or rebirth of learning, began in Europe in the 14th century and reached its height in the 15th century. Scholars became more interested in the humanist features that is, the secular or worldly rather than the religious aspects of the Greek and Latin classics. Humanist educators found their models of literary style in the classics. The Renaissance was a particularly powerful force in Italy, most notably in art, literature, and architecture. In literature, the works of such Italian writers as Dante Aleghieri, Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio became especially important (Renaissance 228-229). Humanist educators designed teaching methods to prepare well-rounded, liberally educated persons. Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus was particularly influential. Erasmus believed that understanding and conversing about the meaning of literature was more important than memorizing it, as had been required at many of the medieval religious schools. He advised teachers to study such fields as archeology, astronomy, mythology, history, and Scripture (Renaissance 220). The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century made books more widely available and increased literacy rates. But school attendance did not increase greatly during the Renaissance. Elementary schools educated middle-class children while lower-class children received little, if any, formal schooling. Children of the nobility and upper classes attended humanist secondary schools (Bailey 112). Educational opportunities for women improved slightly during the Renaissance, especially for the upper classes. Some girls from wealthy families attended schools of the royal court or received private lessons at home. The curriculum studied by young women was still based on the belief that only certain subjects, such as art, music, needlework, dancing, and poetry, were suited for females. For working-class girls, especially rural peasants, education was still limited to training in household duties such as cooking and sewing (Couglin, A8). As it shows education the Middle Ages seems to be so diverse and a starting point for modern education. But the reader must always keep in mind only about five percent of the whole population did all of these educational activities.

Being a teen to being a toddler Essay

When I was a kid, I always admired all the extravagant and out of this world thing that teenagers able to do. And all I wanted to be is to be a teenager. And as the year goes by, I got more excited, because I was getting closer to be a teenager. And now I am a teenager, I wish I could be a kid again. It is quite funny how my opinion changed that fast. Here is what I figure out are the differences and similarity between being a teenager and being a kid. Being a teenager is one of the toughest and most memorial processes in your lifetime. A teenager goes through many pleasant times and depressions. They go through the pleasant times just like the kids does, but the kids don’t really go through depressing times. The teenagers can be depressing over either losing a friend, got bullied, loneliness and low self confident. When I was a little kid, I was allowed to do anything that I wanted to do. I can go outside, play with my friends all day long and everyone likes you. Being a kid was fun, you never had to worry about having any hard works or having a test the next day. Life was just like a wonderland. But for teenagers, you will have to go home fast after school and start to do homework and review for the test. Every year that passed, as a teenager, my parents will give more freedom like how they allow me to go outside with my friends unlike when I was a little kid. I always wanted to go outside to the playground and play with my friends but sometimes when I ask my parents they would either say, â€Å"Well, what did your father say,† or, â€Å"What did your mother say.† And if one parent said no, then everything will be no, no matter how hard you try to convince them. Now when you become a teenager, most parents will say yes, there is less percentage that they would say no, unless it’s a special case like going to the club and more. So what I analyzed is that parents trust you more when you grow up, because as the time goes by, you will eventually become more mature and you will know what were right and what was wrong.

Land law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Land law - Coursework Example (iv) Removal of ornamental bronze statue of an African elephant and its plinth after contract exchange but before completion date. Mr. Hay without prior knowledge of the impending outcomes went ahead and acquired Bramble Farm from Mr. Major Thorn. He failed to ascertain the legality of the ownership of the land by Major Thorn from the land registry offices which could have helped him get a clear copy of the any other owner of the land. According to Land Registration Rules 2003,1 inspection of the land ownership is allowed to ascertain true ownership. The above issues ought to be dealt accordingly as discussed below so as Mr. Hay remains the legal and owner of Bramble farm, without impending conflicts. Rose having been in possession for ownership for the Land for a similar period as Major Thorn has equal rights to the land and therefore was legal entity that could have been consulted prior to the sale agreement. According to the Land Registration Act 2002,2 Rose having in possession o f the land for more than ten years is deemed by law as a legal partner in the farm. The advantage with Mr. Hay is that according to the land registry document, Rose is not recognised as a proprietor; therefore, Mr. Hay has no legal obligation binding him towards the claimed contribution towards the purchase of the land. Having no legal registration of the land only means that Rose is obligated to his partner and therefore cannot claim anything from the new owner. On the same note, transfer by way of exchange is legally binding and this confirms Mr. Hay the new owner of the land.3 Since the new ownership has been entered into the registry office, Rose has no right to object the application as evidenced clearly with Lobatiers v Mornington Estates UK Ltd case.4 The lease to Mr. Wood is a major issue that needs to be dealt legally. According to section 60(1) of the land registration rules 2003, the leasehold ought to have been transferred with regard to the new owner of the farm.5 With no prior clear information regarding the agreement of the leasehold, and the agreement of sale of the cottage in the event of ownership exchange: Mr. Hay has the right to sue Major Thorn of not disclosing all the information regarding the registration of ownership of the land. This will make sure he is reimbursed the damages he will encounter in the event of selling the cottage. According to the Baxter v. Mannion [2010] EWHC (Ch),6 since Mr. Wood has not been in possession of the lease for a period of ten years, he has no legal right to claim ownership of the cottage with regard to his agreement to the old owner. Critically analyzing the case of use of shortcut, to the local pub by the neighbours, it is imperative that the new owner comes out clearly on the private property ownership rights.7 As a matter of facts, being the current and legal owner of the Bramble Farm, Mr. Hay has the right to use the portion of the land at his swill. Therefore, the neighbor is not right by claiming he has the right to pass through the shortcut without the permission of the new owner on the basis that he had per mission from the former. According to section 118 of the Land Registration rules 2003 to acquire a legal determination of the exact line of boundary.8 These will culminate to the acquiring of a plan, or a plan and a verbal description of the exact boundary to the farm. Further, Mr. Hay should erect a fence or a barrier to the side where the

Bible Exegitical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bible Exegitical - Essay Example The two different translations used in this paper are the NIV, and KJV translations. After the comparison of the two texts, a word study of the text is done, which aims at getting the correct interpretation of the text from the original language in which the text was written, i.e. Hebrew. The next part of the paper looks at the Historical background of Amos 9: 11-15. The historical background of the paper is followed by an analysis of the Movement of the text; the next part of the paper is the themes and the Theology of the text, and lastly, a summary and application of the message of the text is given A comparison of NIV and KJV translations of Amos 9: 11-15 shows that on verb tense, the two translations are written in the same tense, i.e. future tense1. The two translations, however, have some fundamental differences in vocabulary and phrasing. The first difference in diction is in verse 11. While NIV uses the phrases, â€Å"†¦ restore David’s fallen shelter†¦ repair its broken walls†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the KJV translation uses the phrases, raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof†. The main difference in these two phrases is that while the NIV uses the vocabularies shelter and broken walls, the KJV translation uses the vocabularies tabernacle and breaches. In the same verse, while the NIV translation uses the phrase, â€Å"restore its ruins† the KJV translation uses the phrase â€Å"raise up his ruins†. This is indeed a significant difference in the two translations. This is because while the NIV translati on talks of restoring the ruins of the broken shelter of David, the KJN translation talks about the raising up of David’s ruins2. This is clearly a significant difference that can help us in getting the correct exegesis of this verse. Another difference in this verse is that, while the NIV translation talks

If you had to recommend either a presidential or a parliament system Essay

If you had to recommend either a presidential or a parliament system for a new democracy which would you choose and why - Essay Example However, Spain’s transition into democracy is not the only case where in a parliamentary system has proven its value and strength. In fact, according to Von Mettenheim (1997), most of the strong democratic regimes across the globe at present are parliamentary systems, where executive rule is made by law-making majorities and relies on these majorities for continued existence. On the contrary, the United States is the sole presidential democratic regime with an extensive history of constitutional stability. Besides the United States, Chile is the only country that has a record of a lengthy, fairly uninterrupted constitutional stability under the system of presidentialism, but Chile’s democratic regime collapsed in the 1970s (Cheibub, 2007). Thus this essay recommends a parliament system, instead of a presidential regime, for a new democracy. This argument is substantiated by an analysis of Angola’s case, a country struggling to finally establish a true democratic government. The Merits of Parliamentarism Parliamentarism is a system where in the sole democratically constitutional body is parliament. Within a parliamentary system, the power of the state is totally subjected to the confidence of the parliamentary. Parliamentary regimes may consist of presidents who are chosen through direct popular election, but they generally do not have the capacity to vie forcefully for authority with the Prime Minister (Diamond, Plattner, & Costopoulos, 2010). By contrast, in presidentialism an executive or president with extensive constitutional powers is directly elected by the public and free from parliamentary confidence votes. The president is not just the executive but the symbolic head of state as well and can be overthrown through impeachment (Diamond et al., 2010). In reality, presidentialism may be relatively reliant on the support of the legislative branch; the harmony or symmetry between the legislative and executive branch in these systems can hence differ greatly. Historically, the superiority of parliamentary democratic regimes over presidentialism is not unexpected. A thorough comparative analysis of presidentialism and parliamentarism reveals that, all things considered, the latter is more advantageous to established democracy than the former. This is true specifically for countries with several political parties and entrenched political rifts, like Angola; for these nations, a parliamentary system is usually more effective in strengthening democracy. Therefore, the question is what are the justifications for arguing that the parliamentary system, when totally executed, is better than the presidential system? A particular advantage of a parliamentary system is that it puts into practice the separation of powers, even though merely partially. Parliamentarism takes the judiciary apart from the legislative and executive branches, but it assures that the executive is subjected to the legislature through a specific machine ry of trust between the government and the parliament. A parliamentary system also stresses the function of the legislature according to the principle of legislative dominance (Cheibub, 2007). Provided that the parliament is chosen in a democratic voting system, a parliamentary system provides a strong safeguard for democracy by highlighting the popular

Protecting Environment via Civil Regulating of Firms Behaviour Dissertation

Protecting Environment via Civil Regulating of Firms Behaviour - Dissertation Example This essay discusses that there are essentially three actors in environmental regulation: governments, businesses and civil society. The three actors in environmental regulation do not function separate and apart from one another as the three interact to formulate regulatory and enforcement frameworks for environmental protection. The role of civil society can be direct in terms of putting pressure on business firms to adopt environmental friendly policies or by putting pressure on governments to implement and enforce tighter environmental protection policies. Civil society has been receiving increasing attention as governments have been losing authority and resources. Civil society has been viewed as either a suitable replacement for directly regulating environmental practices by governments or a complement to state regulation of firm’s behaviour relative to the environment. This paper examines the feasibility of replacing states’ regulation of environmental behaviour by firms with civil society forms of regulation. This paper is therefore divided into three parts. The first part of this paper identifies and analyses the concerns relative the environment as a result of the behaviour of businesses. The second part of the paper analyses traditional approaches to environmental protection and thus the regulating of businesses’ environmental behaviour. The third and final part of this study analyses arguments for civil society’s involvement in the regulation of the environmental behaviour of business organizations.... role of civil society can be direct in terms of putting pressure on business firms to adopt environmental friendly policies or by putting pressure on governments to implement and enforce tighter environmental protection policies.5 Civil society has been receiving increasing attention as governments have been losing authority and resources. Civil society has been viewed as either a suitable replacement for directly regulating environmental practices by governments or a complement to state regulation of firm’s behaviour relative to the environment.6 This paper examines the feasibility of replacing states’ regulation of environmental behaviour by firms with civil society forms of regulation. This paper is therefore divided into three parts. The first part of this paper identifies and analyses the concerns relative the environment as a result of the behaviour of businesses. The second part of the paper analyses traditional approaches to environmental protection and thus the regulating of businesses’ environmental behaviour. The third and final part of this study analyses arguments for civil society’s involvement in the regulation of the environmental behaviour of business organizations. The Environment and Firms’ Behaviour By the 1980s, â€Å"social anxieties† associated with the environment, including the creation of nuclear power, advances in medicine, biology and chemicals intensified.7 Invariably, any factor connected with compromising the environment is related to nature and as such fits into Beck’s theory of risk society which takes the position that the risk society begins where nature is in danger of ending. 8 To this end, the risk society provides a conceptual framework for examining what mankind has done to nature rather than inquiring as to what

Steve Ballmer's New Life as an NBA Owner- TEAM BUILDER Essay

Steve Ballmer's New Life as an NBA Owner- TEAM BUILDER - Essay Example Moreover, he promises to fund the team operation and ensure that they use the most recent technology in the teams operation. Therefore, Los Angeles Clippers will charm the finest basket players in the America (Vance). Furthermore, plier to Ballmer acquisition the Los Angeles has suffered a bad reputation of favouring white players and disregarding the blacks. For this issue, Ballmer’s has vowed to address and ensure only a players ability and race will determine a Los Angeles baskets ball team (Vance). In the long run, the Los Angeles Clippers will be a top team in the country. Having invested his skills and resources in the club, Ballmer’s is ensured of a good return on investment. Moreover, by concentrating the best players the club will attract huge followers and who in return will contribute to the growth of the club finances. Therefore, Ballmer’s venture in Los Angeles Clippers will bring forth more medal than have been witnessed there before in the

Design the telecommunications network to support a new multi-location Essay

Design the telecommunications network to support a new multi-location practice - Essay Example The use of latest networking tools has transformed the overall world particularly business areas. At the present, organizations have much faster, accurate and enhanced ways for business and corporate management. This paper presents communication network specification for a Dental Office. In this scenario I will recommend a new network technology and data sharing method for better management of the corporate areas. Requirements for the Network I have presented below some of the requirements for new network technology implementation at corporation: Offering better communication services at corporation Establishment of effective data sharing environment Offering secure data access points for communication Establishment of better communication facility Offering remote access to network Offering remote data transfer and access mechanism Implementing new and enhanced data communication framework Offering better data safety and access points Implementing enhanced capability of data handling Developing better data handling mechanism Suitable data backup and recovery mechanism Superior data transfer speed Effective user management Tight security login and access methods Network Information and Data Need Security In this network establishment main sensitive data that we have is about the Dental Clinic clients (patients). This data needs to be secured for superior management and corporate security and privacy. This link of data can include: Patient name Patient address Patient content Patient financial details Patient medial details Patient medical history Patient personal and sensitive information Patient funds transfer information Besides we also have some of the important information regarding doctors and other clinic staff. In this scenario we have a lot of details regarding staff working and financial information that can be extremely sensitive: Staff Person name Staff Person address Staff Person content Staff Person financial details Staff Person job details Staff P erson working history Staff Person personal and sensitive information Staff Person salary and financial transfers details In addition, this new corporate network and database will also keep some sensitive information regarding Dental Clinic itself. I have outline below some of the important aspects that will be kept by network database for the business: Business financial information Business staff details Business tax details Business revenue information Business assistants details Business daily working schedule Network Specification For analyzing the needs and requirements of Dental Clinic business and operational capabilities required by corporation I would suggest a new and effective network arrangement for the business. For this network development, I would suggest the implementation of VPN (virtual private network). In this scenario, a virtual private network (VPN) is a network arrangement that makes use of a public telecommunication arrangement, like that internet, to offer remote offices or individual clients through protected access to their organization's communication network. In addition, the basic goal of a VPN is to offer the business the similar potentials however at a much lower cost

Types of Budgets and Budgeting Techniques Research Paper

Types of Budgets and Budgeting Techniques - Research Paper Example Depending on the worth and value of a business, an organization creates a budget that well suits the resources and funds a business is exposed to. Additionally, different organizations have implemented different forms of budgeting. The different types of budgeting greatly depend on the time period and the monetary requirement by an organization. Some budgets are created only to cater to short time needs while others may be created to meet long time expectations of an organization (Cliche, 2012). The author further argues that some budgets are based on the expected income in a specific period of time while otherd are based on the cash in hand at the time of the creation of the budget. Kinds of Budget i. Operating Budgets This kind of budget is a financial statement that presents the financial plan for every expense and revenue (O’Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). The plan dictates the funds allocated to each responsibility around expenditure and revenues over the budget period. Opera ting budgets include the profit budget and revenue budget. The expense budget is a budget documentation that highlights the expected expenses over the budget period (Cliche, 2012). Forms of expenses include the variable discretionary and fixed expenses. Discretionary expenses are those that are created by the management decisions and cannot be based on certainty, for instance the accounting fees. Revenue budgets project the future sales of an organization based on the requirements of the organization. Profit budgets combine the results from the expense and revenue budget to create a final resource allocation system in the organization. ii. Financial Budgets Financial budgeting revolves around how an organization plans to get money and how it plans to use the funds. They include the cash budget, balance sheet budget and the capital expenditure budget (O’Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). The cash budget is based on the amount of funds an organization has on hand, and the expenses the organization has to cover over the budget period. It helps organizations evaluate the expense clearance capabilities. Capital expenditure budget helps an organization know whether they have enough funds to cover capital investment over the budget period. Capital investments include investment in heavy machinery or in buildings and property (Cliche, 2012). Balance sheet budget calculates the quantity of assets and liabilities over the budget period to be considered. iii. Variable Budgets Variable budgets are budgets created to offer more than the provisions of the fixed budget. They are flexible enough to cover the variations that may occur over the budget time (O’Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). However, variable budgets are difficult to prepare since the cost variables are difficult to predict and determine. iv. Zero Base Budgets In other budgeting creations, managers carry forward the results obtained from the previous calendar recordings. This is a shortcoming that makes an or ganization not evaluate their progress from a fresh start. In ZBB (zero-base budget) the results from the previous calendar are disregarded and a fresh financial plan is created (Cliche, 2012). In my organization, the most appropriate budget to use is the operational budget. The technique in this type of budgeting is based on the ability to record and allocate funds to each responsibility in the organization over the budget p

Marketing transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Marketing transportation - Essay Example However, cross-docking is even faster than this. Cross-docking is a process that receives a product and then ships it straightaway, without the need for storage. For space, even though things may look neat and tidy with a spacious design, it actually means that takes longer to retrieve and store items. The best scenario is to follow the example of PDI Logistics. This company maximized the use of space by providing very cramped aisles. Money was saved from using existing space available, and these savings were used to pay for specialized trucks to track and store goods. Because technology was utilized, labor costs subsequently went down. Warehousing security can be improved by carefully selecting security guards that have previous experience of the job. For facilities, a mix of fences and cameras should do the job. For processes, the handling process should be as quick and efficient as possible so that the chance for damaged goods is

Tobacco Use Essay Example for Free

Tobacco Use Essay â€Å"ED sees critical capacities† Emergency Department (ED) crowding is a public health crisis associated with negative patient outcomes including increased mortality and complication rates. Decreased quality in delivery of care is affected by lack of resources to support the increased use of emergency services and is a factor that leads to delays in treatment and untimely interventions. According to the article, Dr. Gordon, an emergency medicine physician and director of the Neighborhood Hospital ED states one of issues within the community is a lack of resources including â€Å"adequate medical facilities, especially for low-income individuals or indigents† (â€Å"ED sees critical capacities†, The Neighborhood). This problem is widespread throughout the United States and is not limited to the indigent population. Although it is difficult for patients with Medicaid to find providers willing to accept their insurance, the lack of primary care physicians causes limited access to health care for those who do possess private insurance, and patients are often referred to the ED by their primary doctor who may be unable to see them as appointments are usually unavailable for weeks at a time. With limited access to care, hospital emergency rooms become saturated due to non-urgent visits, inadequate staffing, and hospital bed shortages. When the hospital reaches maximum capacity and can no longer admit patients to appropriate units, the ED is forced to board these patients in the department, which leads to ambulance diversion, increased wait times, and the creation of makeshift treatment areas. The culmination of these factors contribute to delays in transport and time sensitive emergent care, patient elopement where care is not received at all and delayed even further which can lead to worsening health requiring hospital admission, and lower quality of care, which negatively affects patient safety and outcomes (Hoot Aronsky, 2008). This article increases public awareness to the problem of crowding in the emergency department and encourages the use of community-based resources for non-urgent medical conditions and the need for education on the appropriate utilization of emergency medical services. â€Å"Smoking breaks a thing of the past?† According to Tobacco Use (2013), â€Å"Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States† (Why Is Preventing Tobacco Use Important?). This article highlights the advocacy of large companies to reduce tobacco use for the improved health of their employees and to eliminate exposure to unwanted secondhand smoke. Environmental tobacco smoke is just as detrimental to non-smokers as it contains harmful substances that expose those who don’t smoke to the health risks of cigarette smoking and increases their risk of developing a smoking-related illness. Promotion of a smoke-free work environment not only benefits the employees, but also the public whom they serve by reducing exposure to environmental smoke that causes heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory illness, and has other adverse effects to vulnerable populations including pregnant women and children. These companies are increasing community awareness to the detrimental affects o f smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke by paving the way to eliminate exposure to environmental smoke and reduce tobacco use in an effort to reduce illness and health care costs related to smoking, and increase productivity of employees and the overall health of their communities. The public benefit to this is that many states are enacting smoke-free laws in the workplaces and public buildings to reduce the number of deaths and disability caused from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. Reference Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Health effects of secondhand smoke. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smo ke/health_effects/ Hoot, N.R., Aronsky, D. (2008). Systematic review of emergency department crowding: Causes, effects, and solutions . Annals of Emergency Medicine, 52(2), 126-136. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2008.03.014 McClelland, M.S., Lazar, D., Sears, V., Wilson, M., Siegel, B., Pines, J.M. (2011). The past, present, and future of Urgent Matters: Lessons learned from a decade of emergency department flow improvement. Academic Emergency Medicine, 18(12), 1392-1399. doi:10.1111/j.1553- 2712.2011.01229.x The Neighborhood Pearson Health Science (Version 1.0) Retrieved from UOPX NUR408 Course Materials Tobacco use. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?t opicId=41

India-US Relations and its Implications for Pakistan

India-US Relations and its Implications for Pakistan Abstract With the emergence of the United States as the most powerful actor in the world, India re-adjusted its foreign policy and began to work more closely with this sole superpower. United States reciprocated by supporting Indias race to achieve the status of a Great Power in the 21st century and striking a deal for extensive strategic partnership. The US Indo strategic relationship, despite the strategic relationship between the United States and Pakistan, could increase asymmetry in the balance of power between Pakistan and India, which might lower the nuclear threshold between the aggressive neighbors. Need for the project To overcome the problems and come up with the proper solutions. Literature review Pakistan and India needs to resolve their bilateral issues on their own. The US have encouraged them to resolve their issues by peace talks but US would not get involved in it. US have importance of its relationship with each of the both countries. They do recognize that for India and Pakistan there are many outstanding issues between them that would be resolved by dialogue. (Cardin, 2016) The US has also opened all doors of military and technology to India, and also encouraged Israel and other allies to do as well. India has been the worlds largest arms importer, for last 8 years and buying over a $100 billion in weapons yearly, two-thirds of which are deployed against Pakistan. Besides, US political and military support encourages India in its aggressive behavior towards Pakistan. It is not likely that Pakistan suffers collateral damage from the United States arming of India against China. The US has imposed formally and informally discriminatory and severe limitations on Pakistans gaining of advanced and dual-use technologies and weaponry systems from the United States or allied sources. US also opposes the defensive response of Pakistan towards Indias build-up: fissile material production, long-range missiles and theatre nuclear weapons. Pressure on China has been exerted not to transfer any advanced weapons and technologies to Pakistan. Unless this scenario is cha nged, the capabilities of Pakistan for conventional defense and the nuclear deterrence against India could be significantly eroded. (AKRAM, 2016) US having tilt towards India in these recent years, Rabbani stated that United States has an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with India, but it refuses to offer Pakistan any similar deal, casting a doubt on Pakistans utility for the United States at the time when major combat operation have been winded down in Afghanistan. (Raza Khan, 2016) The role of United States in the region has evolved in recent years. The relations between United States and India have been blossomed while the relations between United States and Pakistan have become more troubled. In the past, Pakistan pursued U.S. involvement as a way to internationalize the dispute over Kashmir, whereas India has actively opposed any United States policy interest in a resolution for the Kashmir issue. India has not been desperately welcoming the intervention of United States unless it came with promises to force Pakistan to crack down on groups that attacked India. Meanwhile, most of the Pakistanis probably do not trust U.S. to be an honest broker in regional disputes. (DALTON, 2016) United States interests in the South Asian region, although not vital, but are important and increasing. These interests includes the prevention of a major war or further nuclear proliferation; increasing economic growth, investment   and trade; promoting tough democratic institutions; and cooperating on the issues ranging from enhancing stability across Asia in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking. The end of the Cold War should allow a significant improvement of mutual relations between Washington and both New Delhi and Islamabad which are the two principal South Asian states. But seizing this opportunity will require extra creative thinking and skillful diplomacy. (Rose, 1997) Hypothesis USA shares good ties with Pakistan and India and does not want to create instability between them but India will use its relation with USA against Pakistan. Research Methodology Secondary data, includes books, journal articles and news articles. Objective of Research This research will help in understanding the complexity of the relations between US-India-Pakistan References AKRAM, M. (2016, April 20). The Indo-US alliance. Dawn News. Cardin, B. (2016, June 1). Impact of US-India relations on Pakistan discussed. Dawn News. DALTON, T. (2016). Pakistan: Challenges for U.S. Interests. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Raza Khan. (2016, May 11). Relationship between Pakistan and United States is imbalanced. Dawn. Rose, G. (1997). A New U.S. Policy Toward India and Pakistan. Council on Foreign Relations Press.

The System Hacking Cycle

The System Hacking Cycle System hacking means to hack system password within the operating system. Many hacking attempts start with attempting to crack passwords. However, passwords are the key piece of information needed to access a system. Users, while creating a password, often select password that are prone to being cracked. Passwords may be cracked manually or with automated tools such as dictionary or brute-force method, each of which are discussed in this paper. Scanning and enumeration is the first part of ethical hacking and contains the hacker target systems . Enumeration is the follow-on step once scanning is complete and is used to identify computer names, usernames, and shares. Scanning and enumeration are discussed together because many hacking tools perform both. The system hacking cycle consists of six steps:- a. Enumeration b. Cracking Passwords c. Escalating Privileges d. Executing Applications e. Hiding files f. Covering tracks Enumeration occurs after making the IPv4 protocol independent of the physical network, the designers decided to make the maximum length of the IPv4 datagram equal to 65,535 bytes. This makes transmission more efficient if we use a protocol with an MTU of this size. HowÂÂ ­ ever, for other physical networks, we must divide the datagram to make it possible to pass through these networks. This is called fragmentation. The source usually does not fragment the IPv4 packet. The transport layer will instead segment the data into a size that can be accommodated by IPv4 and the data link layer in use. When a datagram is fragmented, each fragment has its own header with most of the fields repeated, but with some changed. A fragmented datagram may itself be fragmented if it encounters a network with an even smaller MTU. In other words, a dataÂÂ ­gram can be fragmented several times before it reaches the final destination. In IPv4, a datagram can be fragmented by the source host or any router in the path although there is a tendency to limit fragmentation only at the source. The reassembly of the datagram, however, is done only by the destination host because each fragment becomes an independent datagram. Whereas the fragmented datagram can travel through different routes, and we can never control or guarantee which route a fragmented dataÂÂ ­ gram may take, all the information is provided by other means such as the hop-by-hop options or other protocols. In its simplest form, a flow label can be used to speed up the processing of a packet by a router. When a router receives a packet, instead of consulting the routing table and going through a routing algorithm to define the address of the next hop, it can easily look in a flow label table for the next hop. In its more sophisticated form, a flow lab Many hacking attempts can initialize with to attempt crack passwords. Passwords are the important information which is required to login a system. Users, when creating passwords, often select passwords that are difficult to guess. Passwords are stored in the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) file on a Windows system and in a password shadow file on a Linux system. Manual Password cracking involves attempting to log on with different passwords. The hacker follows these steps: 1. Find a valid user account for password test. 2. You can create list of possible passwords. 3. Arrange the passwords according to possibility 4. Try each password. 5. Try and try for correct password. In its simplest form, a flow label can be used to speed up the processing of a packet by a router. When a router receives a packet, instead of consulting the routing table and going through a routing algorithm to define the address of the next hop, it can easily look in a flow label table for the next hop. In its more sophisticated form, a flow label can be used to support the transmission of real-time audio and video. Real-time audio or video, particularly in digital form, requires resources such as high bandwidth, large buffers, long processing time, and so on. A process can make a reservation for these resources beforehand to guarantee that real-time data will not be delayed due to a lack of resources. The use of real-time data and the reservation of these resources require other protocols such as Real-Time Protocol (RTP) and Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) in addition to IPv6. To allow the effective use of flow labels, three rules have been defined: 1. The flow label is assigned to a packet by the source host. The label is a random number between 1 and 224. A source must not reuse a flow label for a new flow while the existing flow is still active. 2. If a host does not support the flow label, it sets this field to zero. If a router does not support the flow label, it simply ignores it. 3. All packets belonging to the same flow have the same source, same destination, same priority, and same option. 2. ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT The Internet is a wonderful thing. It allows knowledge to be shared with the world. But what if you want to use the Internet to share knowledge with just one person? When web pages, e-mail, and even passwords are transferred across the Internet, they are free to be seen by anyone who cares to look. You may ask, Who is going to be looking, anyway? The answer, in most cases, is nobody. Anonymity can be your security. This is especially true of your Internet presence from home. However, the situation changes when you use your credit card over the Internet, or when you are a business on the receiving end of a credit card transaction. In such cases, anonymity clearly doesnt provide enough security. Furthermore, what if you receive a sensitive document, but you are unsure if the person who sent it really is who they claim to be? How do you know that this same document wasnt tampered with between the time it was sent and the time you received it? And what if you need to protect sensitive data on your web site, or perhaps you want to protect the data in transit to the user, or authenticate the user with a stronger authentication method? It prevents users from monopolizing limited network resources. It prevents users from using the system inefficiently. Network managers can do short- and long-term planning based on the demand for network use. Integrated Windows authentication is the most secure method of authentication, but it is available only with Internet Explorer. This authentication type had been known previously as NTLM authentication and Windows NT Challenge/Response authentication. In Integrated Windows authentication, the users browser proves itself to the server using a cryptographic exchange during the authentication process. Integrated Windows authentication supports both the Kerberos v5 and the NTLM (NT LAN Manager) protocols for authentication through the Negotiate package. If you are using Active Directory, and the browser supports it (IE 5 or above with Windows 2000), Kerberos is used; otherwise, NTLM is used. Both Kerberos and NTLM have limitations on their use. Interestingly enough, each ones strength is the others weakness. Kerberos generally works with proxy servers, but it tends to have a hard time with firewalls. NTLM generally works through firewalls, but it tends to have a hard time with proxy servers. 1. A manager checks an agent by requesting information that reflects the behavior of the agent. 2. A manager forces an agent to perform a task by resetting values in the agent database. 3. An agent contributes to the management process by warning the manager of an unusual situation. 3. PASSWORD INTEGRITY Authentication is an important feature of any secure web site. Every time a client browses to a web site, it needs to be authenticated before it can access the resources it is requesting. By default, that authentication all takes place on the server, and the client isnt even involved. Some authentication settings can make for easy access to a web site, but sometimes you want to limit who sees what information on your site. This is where more restrictive types of authentication come in. If your computer is renamed, the Internet Guest Account does not change and continues to use the old machine name. Because user accounts use security identifiers (SIDs) to identify themselves, changing the computer name doesnt affect the account name. When IIS receives a request, it automatically attempts anonymous authentication first. If anonymous authentication fails, it attempts to log on the user using another logon method. If no other authentication methods are enabled, IIS sends a 403 Access Denied HTTP error message to the client. You can use any user account that you wish for anonymous access, including the Administrator account. You can change access settings in the items Properties windows Directory Security tab, accessible by right-clicking the item in the IIS Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in and choosing Properties. (By the way, even though you can do it, dont use the Administrator account for anonymous access.) Basic authentication is a widely accepted means of authentication. Because all the information is presented and transmitted in clear text, its easy to use and makes for easy program interoperability, but the passwords can be found out faster than you can say security risk. Both the web server and FTP server components in IIS support Basic authentication. 4. CONCLUSION The simplest and the oldest method of entity authentication is the password, something that the claimant possesses. A password is used when a user needs to access a system to use the systems resources (log-in). Each user has a user identification that is public and a password that is private. We can divide this authentication scheme into two separate groups: the fixed password and the one-time password. In this group, the password is fixed; the same password is used over and over for every access. This approach is subject to several attacks. 4. REFRENCES www.ankitfadia.in for ethical hacking and password guessing techniques. www.ethicalhacker.net www.hackcommunity.com www.dl4hacks.com www.go4expert.com/forums www.ehacking.net www.govermentsecurity.org/forum/32003

Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines and Forester’s A Passage to India

Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines and Forester’s A Passage to India In British imperial fiction, physical setting or landscape commonly plays a prominent role in the central thematic subject. In these works, landscape goes beyond an objective description of nature and setting to represent â€Å"a way of seeing- a way in which some Europeans have represented to themselves and others the world about them and their relationships with it, and through which they have commented on social relations† (Cosgrove xiv). By investigating the ways in which writers of colonial ficition, such as H. Rider Haggard and E.M. Forester, have used landscape, we see that landscape represents a historically and culturally specific way of experiencing the world. In Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines, the landscape is gendered to show the colonizer’s ability to dominate over native territory. However, while the scenario of the male colonizer conquering a feminized landscape reinforces a legitimizing myth of colonization, it is later overturned by Forester’s A Passage to India. In this novel, the landscape takes on a complex, multifaceted role, articulating the ambivalence of cross-cultural relationships and exposing the fragility of colonial rule. In contrast to King Solomon’s Mines, A Passage to India uses landscape as a tool to expose the problematic nature of colonial interaction that might have easily been left obscured and unacknowledged. We can read the landscape as a type of secondary narrator in A Passage to India that articulates the novel’s imperial ideology. The African landscape of King Solomon’s Mines is clearly feminized. The treasure map shows that the geography of the travelers’ route takes the shape of a female bod... ...d the sky said, ‘No, not there’† (Forester 362). We would expect that the structures of colonial rule, such as the jail and the Guest House, would symbolically pull Aziz and Fielding apart. The presence of nature, the earth, the horses, the birds, with the sky itself dictating that they cannot now be friends is a deeper form of rejection to the notion of cross-cultural relationships. The only hope we are left with is the sky’s qualification of the â€Å"no†: not yet†¦ not there. Works Cited Cosgrove, Denis. Social Formation and Symbolic Landscape. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. Forester, E.M. A Passage to India. London: Harcourt, 1924. Ridger Haggard, J. King Solomon’s Mines, ed. Gerald Monsman. Ontario: Broadview Press, 2002. Suleri, Sara. The Rhetoric of British India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Baldwins Fire Next Time :: Baldwin Fire Next Time Essays

Baldwin's Fire Next Time We always say "Love conquers all" is commonly said and heard in our daily lives. Ironically, this is necessarily not true as James Baldwin views our society. He illustrates the stereotypes of both Blacks and Whites. In his argumentative autobiography, The Fire Next Time, the author brilliantly perceives the idea that love, instead of fear, liberates society. To truly "liberate" society, one must discover his/her individual and personal identity by learning to love. Baldwin describes "fear" to be ignorance, and "love" as knowledge. He joined the congressional church due to fear. He was afraid to become involved with his friends who began to drink and smoke. To avoid such situations, Baldwin was driven into the church because he "supposed that God and safety were synonymous." (16) Timidity blinded him to believe that following God's words shielded him from the evils of society. However, because of Baldwin's love for his church, he reads the Bible, only to realize that was strictly about the teachings of White people. He thought that going to the church will protect him, and shield him against what he feared. Instead of freeing the community from discrimination between Blacks and Whites, the Bible supported the existence of racial barriers by teaching one should behave. Realizing the hypprocarcy involved with Christianity, the author broke away from the congressional church, to search his own way of liberating the society. Baldwin emphasizes that liberation is love, and "love is more important than color." (71) The author states that fear creates the need for power. The Nation of Islam was fearful of the Whites dominating over the Blacks. Fear always dominated the minds of black people. This fear caused Elijah to strive for power to liberate the community. The Nation of Islam wanted absolute control of the White society. Baldwin was given the opportunity to become an influential figure in the Nation of Islam movement, he rejected Elijah Muhammed's offer. He was totally against the belief that the movement held. Baldwin says, "love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and we know we cannot live within." (95) Whites cannot love because they fear "to be judged by those who are not white.". Because Blacks are stereotyped to be "uncivilized", whites have the "private fears to be projected onto the Negro." (96) Fear only promotes further racism, and the labyrinth of attitudes. He states that the problem with racial oppression will never be resolved unless the white man gives up his power. Baldwin states that "mirrors can only lie," because they only reflect the surface of people instead of revealing the deep truth.

Graduation Speech: Its All About Time :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

A long time ago in what seems like another lifetime, we were once little children watching the blinking TV while we sat eating Mac and Cheese without a care in the world. So much time has passed since then, how quickly time flies. Now, instead of walking to the bus for our first day of kindergarten, we are walking across this stage for our diplomas - I think everyone will agree that it's all about time. We all need to "Make time, save time, spend time." Time can move pretty quickly as you look back on your life, or pretty slowly depending on which class you are in third period as you watch those bright red numbers change so slowly it seems as if the whole world has stopped turning. I believe that this adage of making time, saving time and spending time is important to us now as we venture forth on this crazy adventure called "life after high school." It can be extremely difficult to make time for everything you want or need to do. I think Bill Waterson, the creator of "Calvin and Hobbes," said it best: "There's never enough time to do all the nothing we want." He must have been very familiar with teenagers, and it's true; we need to be organized, we need to set priorities and goals. Now for those of you who have done that and know exactly what you want to do with your life, that's awesome but that doesn't mean that you can stop setting goals to be a better person. Because, as we all know, we must be life-long learners and must continue to set goals, and when we achieve them we must evaluate them and then set new goals. You won't be able to do everything you'll want to do so, don't waste any time doing nothing. However, for those of you like me who have no idea what you want to do and are being dragged, kicking and screaming into the real world, nothing sounds pretty good. Instead we need to start small like in the movie "What about Bob?" We need to take baby steps out of the office, then baby steps down the hall and baby steps all the way outside until eventually we will reach our home. But, deciding to live each day to the fullest and grasping every opportunity with both hands is a good way to start.

Interaction Between Cognition and Physiology Essay

Discuss the interaction between cognition and physiology in terms of behavior †¢Introduction: cognition, physiology, relation †¢Amnesia: retrograde, anterograde †¢Memory: multi-store, division, *amnesic patients, ways of distinguishing types of memory (KC, spiers maguire and burgess, vargha and khadem) †¢HM †¢Clive Wearing †¢Conclusion: cognition, physiology Cognition, as defined by Neisser, is all the processes by which the brain transforms, reduces, elaborates, stores, retrieves, and uses information. Physiology refers to the structures of the human body and brain. The relationship between cognition and physiology is bi-directional, meaning that cognition can effect physiology and vice versa. Every cognitive aspect can be localized to a specific structure in the brain. This close interaction can have an effect on behavior. This essay will study ‘memory’ as the cognition, and ‘amnesia’ as the behavior. Amnesia, simply put, is a loss of memory. There are two types of amnesia: retrograde, where information acquired before the onset of amnesia is forgotten, but new memories can be made, and anterograde, where information acquired after the onset of amnesia is forgotten, making the patient unable to form new memories. Memory is defined by ‘Baddeley’ as an active system which receives information from the senses, organizes and alters it, and stores it away, and then retrieves the information from storage. A model called the ‘multi-store model’ by Atkinson and Shiffrin states that there are 2 stores of memory: short term (STM), and long term (LTM). Information is received by the sensory unit, and then sent to the STM. after this information is rehearsed, it is sent to the LTM. The researchers describe these 2 stores as ‘unitary stores’, which differ in terms of capacity, duration, and encoding. The fact that the stores are ‘unitary’ was refuted by later studies. Later studies of memory prove that the LTM can be divided into 2: explicit, and implicit. Explicit refers to the memories that one can declare, and implicit refers to the memories that are more underlying, like the memories of how to ride a bike. These two stores and further divided. Explicit memory contains episodic (events) and semantic (facts). implicit contains procedural (skills) and emotional (emotions). For amnesic patients, the problem lies mostly with explicit memory. There are three main ways to study the differences between the types of memories. The first is the study of anterograde amnesic patients. For example, the study done by Spiers, Maguire and Burgess. They studied 147 cases of anterograde amnesia with damage to the hippocampus. psychological testing proved that all cases had impaired episodic memory and limitedly impaired semantic. This shows that the hippocampus is responsible for episodic memory. To make the conclusion more reliable, another study was done by Vargha and Khadem, with 3 anterograde amnesic patients, and found the same results, except that the semantic memory was completely intact. They found that semantic memory was localized to the cortices underlying the hippocampus. Another way of studying the differences between the two is by studying retrograde amnesic patients. a retrograde amnesic patient known as KC was studied to find that the damage to his hippocampus impaired his episodic memory, but his semantic memory was still intact. The study of amnesic patients is done in psychology to study the relations between the physiology and cognition, because the damage to the brain can be seen easily, and it’s effects on cognition can also be studied. The third way of distinguishing would be the use of neuro-imaging. Studies using neuro-imaging have concluded that emotional memory relates to the amygdala in the brain, and procedural locates at the striatum and cerebellum. Moving on to a specific study, one was done on a man known as HM. At the age of 9, HM started having uncontrollable epileptic seizures that couldn’t be  controlled by medication at the time. At the age of 27, the doctors removed his medial temporal lobe, to control his seizures. The surgery was successful, but after the surgery, HM suffered anterograde and partial retrograde amnesia. He had a loss of episodic memory, and a limited impairment with semantic and emotional. The medial temporal lobe contained the hippocampus, and some of the cortices underlying it, as well as part of the amygdala. The doctor, John Harlow concluded that the specific types of memory located to the specific structures in the brain that were removed. This method of research, the case study, was ethical because they kept his identity from the media and referred to him as HM. One of the worst recorded cases of amnesia was that of Clive Wearing. He was a pianist and a conductor, and he developed ‘herpes encephalitis’, a brain infection that affected his temporal lobe. He was left with both retrograde and anterograde amnesia. His episodic memory was impaired as well as part of him emotional memory. His procedural memory stayed intact, he could still remember how to play the piano. His name was released into the media only because his wife allowed the researchers to do so, which abides by the ethical consideration of taking consent from one’s caretaker in case of not being able to take consent from the participant himself. The studies showed both the causes and effects of the behavior: amnesia. Since the studies were case studies, they were unique in nature, which gave the researchers a way of understanding the distinction between the types of memories. A disadvantage is that case studies cannot be replicated. The studies, being completely of reality, had high ecological validity. To conclude, in terms of amnesia, it is evident that damage to a specific brain structure can have an effect of the cognitive aspects, which overall has an effect on behavior.

Article Review: the Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorism

1. The article â€Å"The Religious Sources of Islamic Terrorism† by Shmuel Bar takes an in-depth look into the potential justifications of terrorism in regards to religion. In this article, Bar attempts to identify the differences between the religion of Islam and the duties associated with being a Muslim including participating in jihad. The author explains the various differences between the ideas of both the traditional Muslim as well as the moderate Muslim. He goes on to identify jihadist-type acts that could potentially be changed if the right movement and implementation of rules were set.The key points and concepts in this article are: †¢ the explanation of the Islamic religion; †¢ the jihadist movement; †¢ the traditional versus the moderate Muslim; †¢ the potential strategy to deal with radical ideology. 2. The Islam religion is not one that has blatant disregard for the value of human life. It is regarded as a peaceful religion and should not be mi sconstrued as being a religion that promotes terrorism. Unfortunately, there have been numerous acts of violence and terrorism in the name of Islam and a surface-educated individual will blame the entire religion.Many individuals’ lack of knowledge lead them down a path of generalization and intolerance for the religion itself. The author of this article does a good job explaining that it is not the religion that commits these acts of terror; it is the individual’s interpretation of the writings that radicalize its teachings. 3. The jihadist movement is where much of the violent aspect of the religion can be derived from. The belief is that it is their personal duty within their religion to fight for their faith.This may be non-violent such as an internal struggle with one’s spiritual life. A more physical aspect is displayed in other forms such as the obligation to spread the religion or a more violent approach, fighting to defend a once Muslim country from inv asion of infidels. The act of jihad in a violent manner typically is displayed by the radical Islamists whom are more focused on the traditional and literal meanings of the scripture; hence there exists a conflict between them and the moderates. 4.The ideas of the traditionalist versus the moderate Muslim are conflicting in how they interpret various teachings of their scripture. Participation in jihad may be considered an obligation due to the occupying of so many countries by non-Muslims; however, the idea that it must be fought with acts of terror remains debated. The traditionalists will take a more literal interpretation resulting in acts of violence and terror; even though this initiative tends to have more political motives rather than religious.The moderate Muslim struggles with the possibility that their less orthodox beliefs will appear as though they are abandoning their religion. Due to the fact that the traditionalist is more likely to resort to violence, there is also a fear of retaliation against the moderate Muslim. Unfortunately, with that mentality, the radical Islamists prevail. 5. A long-term strategy has to include ideas and not necessarily weapons and a bunch of rules. The author explains that the solution is a lot deeper than the acts they are committing on the surface.Creating a strategy to potentially combat a radical, religious ideology seems as though it would be impossible. A long-range strategy that outlines the teachings of their religion and focuses on how terrorism is actually against their scripture could succeed. The author acknowledges the idea that Western civilization must take a look within and realize that there are more ways than just their way. This realization, and possibly tolerance, could allow for an interpretation that both societies could deal with. 6. The author of this article, Dr.Shmuel Bar, has notable credibility in this subject matter. According to his biography on The Intelligence Summit website, Dr. Bar is the Director of Studies at the Institute of Policy and Strategy in Herzliya, Israel. He has also held various intelligence positions within the Israeli government and headed various research projects including some for the United States government, according to the Hudson Institute. His academic, professional, and personal expertise lends him to be a reliable source of information.The only question that may be proposed is, what is his religious affiliation? With the extent of his background and knowledge, this may seem like a moot point; however, religion relies on very little logic. Faith is based on how one feels, not just what one has researched or has seen. It is a powerful driving force that is almost impossible to describe. The idea that persuasion could be achieved without truly knowing this driving force is naivety in itself.

The Geography of the Cold War: What Was Containment? Essay

It was a glorious meeting. On April 25, 1945, at the Elbe River in Germany, two powerful armies met. Coming from opposite ends of Europe, the Americans and Russians had cut Hitler’s Germany in two. Now at the Elbe, soldiers from the Red Army of the Soviet Union reached out their hands to their American counterparts. It was a time for great happiness. World War II, the deadliest war in all of human history, was nearly over. Unfortunately, the warmth of the handshakes did not last. The Soviet Union and the United States had serious differences. Their greatest difference was over a political and economic system called communism. In its pure form, communism is a belief that private property should be replaced by community ownership. In the Soviet Union this idea was not easily accepted by the people. Russian leaders Vladmir Lenin and Joseph Stalin were ruthless in their elimination of those who had different ideas about Russia’s future. It is estimated that in the 1930s, Stalin was responsible for killing more than 10,000,000 Soviet people who he believe were in his way. Soviet communists did not like capitalism. They opposed private ownership economies of the United States and its allies. Russian leaders believed that capitalism was doomed and that communism would spread throughout the world. This caused great tension and the emergence of a new kind of war, a Cold War. Mistrust ran deep. In the words of Winston Churchill, it was as if an â€Å"iron curtain† had been drawn between the Soviet-controlled countries in Eastern Europe and the Western democracies. The Soviets had suffered terribly in World War II, losing more than 27,000,000 soldiers and civilians. Stalin was determined that Germany would never be able to strike Russia again. To protect Russia, Stalin wanted a buffer zone in Eastern Europe. It was no secret that Stalin and his successors wanted to expand the Soviet Empire.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 24

Dear Diary, It's the night before the night of our first party – or rather gala. But I don't feel very gala. I miss Stefan too much. I've been brooding about Matt, too. How he walked away, so angry at me, not even looking back. He didn't understand how I could†¦care for†¦Damon, and yet still love Stefan so much that it felt as if my heart was breaking. Elena put down the pen and stared at her diary dully. The heartbreak manifested itself in actual physical pains in her chest that would have frightened her if she hadn't been sure of what it really was. She missed Stefan so desperately that she could hardly eat, could barely sleep. He was like a part of her mind that was constantly on fire, like a phantom limb that would never go away. Not even writing in her diary would help tonight. All she could write about were painfully tantalizing memories of the good times she and Stefan had shared together. How good it had been when she could just turn her head and know that she would see him – what a privilege that had been! And now it was gone, and in its place was racking confusion, guilt, and anxiety. What was happening to him, right now, when she no longer had the privilege of turning her head and seeing him? Were they†¦hurting him? Oh, God, if only†¦ If only I had made him lock all the windows to his room at the boardinghouse†¦ If only I had been more suspicious of Damon†¦ If only I had guessed he had something on his mind that last night†¦ If only†¦if only†¦ It became a pounding refrain in time to her heart. She found herself breathing in sobs, her eyes tightly shut, clutching the rhythm to her and clenching her fists. If I keep feeling this way – if I let it crush me enough – I'll become an infinitesimal point in space. I'll be crushed into nothingness – and even that will be better than needing him so much. Elena lifted up her head†¦and stared down at her head, resting on her diary. She gasped. Once more her first reaction was to imagine death. And then, slowly, because she was stupefied by so many tears, she realized that she'd done it again. She was out of her body. This time she wasn't even aware of a conscious decision about where to go. She was flying, so fast that she couldn't tell which way she was going. It was as if she were being pulled, as if she were the tail of a comet that was rapidly shooting downward. At one point she realized with familiar horror that she was passing through things, and then she was veering as if she were the end of the whip in a game of Crack the Whip and then she was catapulted into Stefan's cell. She was still sobbing as she landed in the cell, unsure of whether she had solid form or gravity, and uncaring for the moment. The only thing she had time to see was Stefan, very thin but smiling in his sleep and then she was dumped onto him, into him, and still crying as she bounced, as lightly as a feather, and Stefan woke. â€Å"Oh, can't you let me sleep for a few minutes in peace?† Stefan snapped, and added a couple of Italian words that Elena had never had reason to hear before. Elena had an immediate fit of the Bonnies, sobbing so hard that she couldn't listen to – couldn't even hear – any comfort that was on offer. They were doing horrible things to him, and they were using her image, Elena's, to do them. It was all too awful. They were conditioning Stefan to hate her. She hated herself. Everyone in the whole world hated her – â€Å"Elena! Elena, don't cry, love!† Dully, Elena lifted herself up, getting a brief anatomical view of Stefan's chest before she was sobbing again, trying to wipe her nose on Stefan's prison uniform, which looked as if it could only be improved by anything she might do to it. She couldn't, of course; just as she couldn't feel the arm that was trying to encircle her gently. She hadn't brought her body with her. But she had, somehow, brought her tears, and a cold, cable-wire-tough voice inside herself said, Don't waste them, idiot! Use those tears. If you're going to sob, sob over his face or his hands. And, by the way, everyone hates you. Even Matt hates you, and Matt likes everybody, the tiny cruel, productive voice went on and Elena gave way to a fresh gale of sobbing, absently noting the effect of each teardrop. Each drop turned the white skin under it pink and the color spread in ripples outward, as if Stefan were a pool, and she was resting on him, water on water. Except that her tears were falling so fast that it looked like a rainstorm on Wickery Pond. And that only made her think about the time that Matt had fallen into the pond, trying to rescue a little girl who had fallen through the ice, and how Matt hated her now. â€Å"Don't, oh don't; don't, lovely love,† Stefan begged, so sincerely that anyone would have believed he meant it. But how could he? Elena knew what she must look like, face swollen and blotched by tears: no â€Å"lovely love† here! And he'd have to be mad to want her to stop crying: the teardrops were giving him new life wherever they touched his skin – and perhaps the storm inside him had done best, because his telepathic voice was strong and sure. Elena, forgive me – oh, God, just give me one moment with her! Just a single moment! I can bear anything then, even the true death. Just one moment to touch her! And perhaps God did look down for a moment in pity. Elena's lips were hovering over, quivering over, Stefan's, as if she could somehow steal a kiss like this as she used to when he was still asleep. But for just an instant it seemed to Elena that she felt warm flesh below hers and the flick of Stefan's lashes against her eyelids as his eyes flew open in surprise. Instantly they both froze, eyes wide open, neither of them foolish enough to move in the slightest. But Elena couldn't help herself, as the flush of warmth from Stefan's lips sent a flush of warmth through her entire body. She melted into the kiss, and, while keeping her body carefully in the same position, felt her gaze go unfocused and her eyelids close. As her lashes swept against something with substance, the moment swept quietly to an end. Elena had two choices: she could shriek and rail telepathically at Il Signore for only giving them what Stefan had asked for, or she could gather her courage and smile and maybe comfort Stefan. Her better nature won out and when Stefan opened his eyes, she was leaning over him, pretending to be resting on her elbows and his chest, and smiling at him as she tried to straighten out her hair. Relieved, Stefan smiled back at her. It was as if he could bear anything, as long as she was unhurt. â€Å"Now, Damon would have been practical,† she teased him. â€Å"He would have kept me crying, because in the end, his health would be the most important thing. And he'd have prayed for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused and finally began laughing, which made Stefan smile. â€Å"I have no idea,† Elena said finally. â€Å"I don't think Damon prays.† â€Å"Probably not,† Stefan said. â€Å"When we were young – and human – the town priest walked with a cane that he seemed to enjoy using on young delinquent boys more than as a source of support.† Elena thought of the delicate child chained to the huge and heavy boulder of secrets. Was religion one of the things locked away, put behind doors closed one after another in secret there, like a chambered nautilus until almost everything he cared about was inside? She didn't ask that of Stefan. Instead, she said, lowering her â€Å"voice† to the tiniest telepathic whisper, the barest disturbance of neurons in Stefan's receptive brain: What other practical things can you think of that Damon might have thought of? Things relating to a jailbreak? â€Å"Well†¦for a jailbreak? The first thing I can think of is for you to know your way around the city. I was brought here blindfolded but since they don't have the power to take the curse off vampires and make them human, I still had all my senses. I'd say it's a city about the size of New York and Los Angeles combined.† â€Å"Big city,† Elena noted, taking notes in her head. â€Å"But fortunately the only bits that would interest us are in the southwestern section. The city's supposed to be ruled by the Guardians – but they're from the Other Side and the demons and vampires here long ago realized that people were more afraid of them than the Guardians. It's set up now with about twelve to fifteen feudal castles or estates, and each of those estates has control of a considerable amount of land outside the city. They grow their own unique products and sell them in deals made here. For instance, it's the vampires who cultivate Clarion Loess Black Magic.† â€Å"I see,† said Elena, who had no idea what he was talking about, except the Black Magic wine. â€Å"But all we really need to know is how to get to the Shi no Shi – your prison.† â€Å"That's true. Well, the easiest way would be to find the kitsune sector. The Shi no Shi is a cluster of buildings, with the largest one – the one without a top, although it's curved, and you may not be able to tell from the ground – â€Å" â€Å"The one that looks like a coliseum?† Elena interrupted eagerly. â€Å"I get a sort of bird's-eye view of the city whenever I come here.† â€Å"Well, the thing that looks like a coliseum is a coliseum.† Stefan smiled. He really smiled; he's feeling well enough to smile, now, Elena rejoiced, but silently. â€Å"So to get you in and out, we just head from below the coliseum to the gate back to our world,† Elena said. â€Å"But to get you free there are – some things we need to collect – and those are probably going to be in different parts of the city.† She tried to remember if she had ever described the twin fox key to Stefan or not. It was probably better not to do it if she hadn't already done it. â€Å"Then I'd hire a native guide,† Stefan said immediately. â€Å"I don't really know anything about the city, except what the guards tell me – and I'm not sure if I would trust them. But the little people – the ordinary ones – will probably know the things you want to know.† â€Å"That's a good idea,† Elena said. She drew invisible designs with a transparent finger on his chest. â€Å"I think Damon really plans to do everything he can to help us.† â€Å"I honor him for coming,† Stefan said, as if he were thinking things out. â€Å"He's keeping his promise, isn't he?† Elena nodded. Deep, deep in her consciousness floated the thoughts: His word to me that he would take care of you. His word to you that he would take care of me. Damon always keeps his word. â€Å"Stefan,† she said, again in the innermost recesses of his mind, where she could share information – she hoped – in secret, â€Å"you should have seen him, really. When I did Wings of Redemption and every bad thing that had hardened him or made him cruel came undone. And when I did Wings of Purification and all the stone covering his soul came away in chunks†¦. I don't think you could imagine how he was. He was so perfect – and so new. And later when he cried†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena could feel inside Stefan three layers of emotion succeed one another almost instantaneously. Disbelief that Damon could cry, despite all that Elena had been telling him. Then, belief and astonishment as he absorbed her pictures and her memories. And finally, the need to console her as she stared at a Damon forever trapped in penitence. A Damon that would never exist again. â€Å"He saved you,† whispered Elena, â€Å"but he wouldn't save himself. He wouldn't even bargain with Shinichi and Misao. He just let them take all his memories of that time.† â€Å"Maybe it hurt too much.† â€Å"Yes,† said Elena, deliberately lowering her barriers so that Stefan could feel the hurt that the new and perfect creature she'd created had felt upon learning that he had committed acts of cruelty and treachery that – well, that would make the strongest soul flinch. â€Å"Stefan? I think he must feel very lonely.† â€Å"Yes, angel. I think you're right.† This time Elena thought a good deal longer before venturing, â€Å"Stefan? I'm not sure he understands what it's like to be loved.† And while he thought out his response, she was on tenterhooks. Then he said very softly, very slowly again, â€Å"Yes, angel. I think you're right.† Oh, she did love him. He always understood. And he was always most brave and gallant and trusting just when she needed him to be. â€Å"Stefan? Can I stay again tonight?† â€Å"Is it nighttime, lovely love? You can stay – unless They come to take me somewhere.† All at once Stefan was very solemn, holding her gaze. â€Å"But if They come – you'll promise me to leave then, won't you?† Elena looked straight into his green eyes and said, â€Å"If that's what you want, I'll promise.† â€Å"Elena? Do you†¦do you keep your promises or not?† Suddenly, he sounded very sleepy, but the right kind of sleepy, not worn out, but someone who has been refreshed and is being lulled into a perfect slumber. â€Å"I keep them close to me,† Elena whispered. But I keep you closer, she thought. If someone came to hurt him, they would find out what a bodiless opponent could do. For instance, what if she just reached inside their bodies and managed to make contact for an instant? Long enough to squeeze a heart between her pretty white fingers? That would be something. â€Å"I love you, Elena. I'm so glad†¦we kissed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's not the last time! You'll see! I swear it!† She dropped new healing tears down on him. Stefan just smiled gently. And then he was asleep. In the morning Elena woke up in her grand bedroom in Lady Ulma's house, alone. But she had another memory, like a pressed rose, to put away in its own special place inside her. And somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that these memories might be all she had of Stefan someday. She could imagine that these sweet-scented, fragile mementoes would be something to hold on to and cherish – if Stefan never came home.

The Production of Space by Lefebvre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Production of Space by Lefebvre - Essay Example Lefebvre (1994, quoted in notbored.org, n.d.) in his book The Production of Space gives an insightful and realistic expression of geography, â€Å"An existing space may outlive its original purpose and the raison d'etre which determines its forms, functions, and structures; it may thus in a sense become vacant, and susceptible of being diverted, reappropriated and put to a use quite different from its initial one.† According to Lefebvre, â€Å"space† is otherwise known as a society. Time is only measured by instruments such as clocks and is only paid attention to when we are at work and the society we created actually has no real sense of time. This quote best introduces the topic of this writing as we focus on how classic urban theory shapes the views of the nature of hyper stimulation, phantasmagoria, and alienation. We shall also discuss geographers' understanding of the modern city and the contradictions of modernity, which are characterized by a tendency to order, space, and time whilst, simultaneously, its ruination and fragmentation (Berman 1982). Continuing the modern post urban experience in shaping spaces and consumptions of modern geographies of the twentieth century is the course of geography. ... specifications to a geography of modernity in which "an organic community lives in an age where a multiplicity of international and domestic material transformations"(Mackinder 1904: 434). This transformation is so extreme that not only do we use architecture to embrace all forms of dreaming and fantasy, but we also can use our hairstyles and clothing to create the geography that we fantasize, making it into our own reality. Geographers are influenced by Lefebvre's understanding of the modern Page 3 city. He states that space and time are driven by the forces of production and by industry, proletarian and revolutionary rationality. Some geographers mimic His view of space, as quoted in Henri Lefebvre's The Production of Space, "is actually experienced, in its depths, as duplications, echoes and reverberations, redundancies and doublings-up which engender -- and are engendered by -- the strangest of contrasts." While the internal divisions (the nine sharply-defined chapters) of The Society of the Spectacle -- reminiscent somehow of wide boulevards that ensure the smooth circulation of traffic -- make sure that the book's major themes do not interfere with each other, The Production of Space (to once again quote its author out of context) is "penetrated by, and shot through with, the weaker tendencies characteristic of networks and pathways." Unlike Debord, who uses the same paths to arrive at different points, Lefebvre arrives at the same points by using different paths". Berman (1982) states that the contradictions of modernity are characterised by a tendency to order space and time while simultaneously promoting their ruination and

Controlling Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Controlling Organized Crime - Essay Example This can lead to vast problems such as destabilizing different economies and interference in public processes by buying way through elections and putting corrupt officials in charge. Organized crime has spread its wings all over the world; illegal items might be exported from one country to another, and then sold in a third. This has really weakened the system and has created problems not only for the governments, but for the local people as well. (Organized Crime) Organized crime can cause serious socio-economic problems in whichever country it is operating. Violence is one of the major issues related to this. Crime kingpins will do whatever they can to protect their empire, and included in this is the use of violence, which usually involves firearms. Normally, these crime families are trying to kill the competition, so their aggression is pointed towards each other. But innocent victims get caught in the crossfire, and hundreds of casualties occur due to this. Moreover, these acts of violence are also used against the local population, in order to scare them and make them live in fear, so that the criminals can establish their control in a region. Illegal trafficking of drugs such as marijuana, heroin and cocaine, as discussed earlier, is also practiced by organized crime, and has caused serious issues everywhere. It is the main focus of the mafia, and their main source of income. Due to this marketing of said drugs, incidents of assails, homicides, and stealing property are not uncommon at all. These acts of violence are mainly results of tussle of control over regions between two crime families, or individuals trying to purchase drugs and make their way into this market. The consequences of this massive drug trade are not just limited to this; due to drug trafficking all over the world, a larger number of people are now suffering from adverse health effects of these drugs, which includes HIV. Other than the illegal drug trade, organized crime has found its way into the financial structure of different countries, and is harming it at an alarming rate. Credit card and mortgage fraud are the most ordinary of these crimes, and are practiced at a superior rate. Securities fraud such as crimes in the stock market and frauds related to marketing schemes such as telemarketing fraud ruin the lives of individuals and investors. For example, in some third world countries, due to the presence of land mafia and other several fraudulent cases, investors suffer from heavy losses, and less likely to continue their projects there. Money laundering is heavily practiced by many criminal organizations and it has planted a big dent on economic structures, worldwide. Money laundering normally comprises the use of a number of financial facilities such as banks, exchange and insurance companies etc. that can have adverse reactions on a number of institutions. As a result, services of lawyers, accountant and investment brokers are required, who accidentally o r on purpose assist the laundering process. Criminal organizations are capable of controlling financial systems and bribe corrupt officials of private or public institutions to aid with money laundering. This damages the financial structure of a region and also investors and the people lose confidence in the involved financial institutions. (Socio-economic Harms of Organized Crime) Many criminals organizations are said to have established working relations with law enforcement agencies. The system becomes

Financial Markets and Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Markets and Institutions - Essay Example Financial intermediaries have played a major role the development and growth of the world’s economy. The financial institutions such as banks and other financial institutions such as microfinance institutions, investment ventures, and Sacco’s provide funds for the development of businesses operations. The Financial intermediaries help investors to save to improve their living conditions. For example, finance institutions give loans to small enterprises and individuals who make take less risky loans but give high returns in terms of interest rates. These returns are used to provide loans for other investors. Banks and credit unions take money that has been saved and use the money to give loans to investors; mutual funds take contributions from a group of investors and invest in a high investment requiring assets which individual investors would not have been able to invest in alone thereby spreading the risk. Financial intermediaries that encourage savings include retire ment benefits institutions, housing finance institutions, insurance companies, and mutual funds where members of the public are encouraged to save for their old ages, investment purposes, and better housing. In a country where a culture of savings and borrowing is encouraged there is a significant change in the living standards of the citizens leading to development and growth of the country’s economy in general. The financial institutions encourage savings while using those savings to lend out to the individuals or the organizations that want to borrow money to invest. Financial intermediaries receiving capital from those willing to invest and in turn disbursing it to those willing to borrow capital achieve this. Allen and Santomero (1999, pp. 1-42) reported that financial intermediaries play a role in providing an avenue for organizations to access the financial markets. Financial intermediaries have been known to undertake underwriting and acting as agents to the stock exc hange. When financial intermediaries undertake underwriting they are able to market the shares and other instruments on behalf of their clients as well as advise their clients on the best offer that they can attain maximum capital. The Financial intermediaries provide a channel to the financial market to their clients through underwriting. Financial intermediaries also play a role in providing credible information to their clients. The Financial intermediaries are able to represent their clients in the market by providing consultative services about the stock market. Most banks in the twenty first century have formed a different department that deals with stock market consultative services. The financial intermediary investigates for the best possible investment venture for its clients both individuals and organizations. This accrues a fee to the clients who pays the financial intermediary for the services offered (Allen & Santomero 1999, pp. 1-42). Consequently, Allen and Santomero (1999, pp. 1-42) documented that financial intermediaries reduce the lending risks upon utilizing its lending services. There are many syndicates and pyramids in the economy who want to exploit individuals and organizations by providing loans at very high rates. The financial intermediaries have been created by law and are governed by the government through the central bank. The law ensures that all financial intermediaries use a lending rate that does not exploit the members of

Hand Washing to Reduce the Spread of Nosocomial Infection Research Paper

Hand Washing to Reduce the Spread of Nosocomial Infection - Research Paper Example Through research and healthcare studies, it is evident that nearly 5 percent of the population of patients becomes is infected in the course of hospitalization. Furthermore, increased invasive procedures have also led to an increased rate of nonsocomial infections. Currently, nearly 8% of patients who undergo invasive procedures acquire nonsocomial infections of some kind. Problem Description Healthcare professionals do not always follow the standard of hand washing when providing care to hospitalized patients. The problem of healthcare professionals not using standards of hand washing when taking care of patients has long been recognized as one of the most widespread, as well as dangerous behaviors in healthcare. Among the most common forms of nonsocomical infections include among others urinary-tract infections, pneumonia, bloodstream infections and surgical-wound infections. These infections are particularly pursuant to inventions necessary in the patient care, but which conversel y impair bodily defense mechanisms. In 2004, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) republished the definitions of health-care-associated infections. Healthcare institutions do not always use CDC definitions in their identification of nonsocomical infections such institutions use the basic definition, which does not include infections acquired after medical treatment. Sources of Microorganisms In the course of healthcare delivery, patients are exposed to a number of pathogenic microorganisms such as protozoa, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. These pathogens can be transmitted from other patients, visitors or healthcare personnel. Other sources of pathogenic microorganisms include patient flora such as those residing in patients’ mucous membranes, respiratory tract, skin or gastrointestinal tract. These pathogens are typically quite difficult to control and deter. However, other sources of microorganisms that can be easily controlled include those that reside within the hospital environment. These include touch surfaces in patients’ rooms, equipment, and medications. Infections that emanate from such external microorganisms are easily preventable through viable healthcare practices. This paper focuses on best practices employed by healthcare professionals in the prevention of nonsocomical infections in patients. Means of Transmission As earlier cited, microorganisms are spread among personnel, patients, and visitors. This is primarily done through numerous routes such as direct and indirect contact, airborne spread, respiratory droplets and common vehicles. Contact transmission is one of the most important, as well as frequent transmission modes within the healthcare fraternity. Direct contact between patients and healthcare personnel. According to the CDC, contact is the main means of transmission and can be curtailed through simple healthcare practices if implemented effectively in all healthcare institutions. Prevention Practices Prev ention practices encompass modules and behaviors aimed at the deterrence of infections in patients, especially as a result of contact.