Train free essay sample

In analog technology, compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, phase modulation, and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation There are several advantages of amplitude modulation, and some of these reasons have meant that it is still in widespread use today. It is simple to implement, it can be demodulated using a circuit consisting of very few components, and AM receivers are very cheap as no specialized components are needed (Electronics and Radio Today,  n. We will write a custom essay sample on Train or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page d. ). Disadvantages: Amplitude modulation is a very basic form of modulation, and although its simplicity is one of its major advantages, other more sophisticated systems provide a number of advantages. Accordingly it is worth looking at some of the disadvantages of amplitude modulation. It is not efficient in terms of its power usage, it is not efficient in terms of its use of bandwidth, requiring a bandwidth equal to twice that of the highest audio frequency, and it is prone to high levels of noise because most noise is amplitude based and obviously AM detectors are sensitive to it (Electronics and Radio Today,  n. d. ). Frequency Modulation Frequency nodulation (FM) sends information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. In analog applications, the difference between the instantaneous and the base frequency of the carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous value of the input-signal amplitude. FM is commonly used for broadcasting music and speech, two way radio systems, magnetic tape recording systems, and some video transmission systems. FM signals can be generated using either direct or indirect frequency modulation. Direct FM modulation can be achieved by directly feeding the message into the input of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). For indirect FM modulation, the message signal is integrated to generate a phase-modulated signal. This is used to modulate a crystal-controlled oscillator, and the result is passed through a frequency multiplier to give an FM signal (Electronics and Radio Today,  n. d. 1). FM is used for a number of reasons and there are several advantages of frequency modulation. In view of this it is widely used in a number of areas to which it is ideally suited. Some of the advantages of frequency modulation are noted below: Resilience to noise: One particular advantage of frequency modulation is its resilience to signal level variations. The modulation is carried only as variations in frequency. This means that any signal level variations will not affect the audio output, provided that the signal does not fall to a level where the receiver cannot cope. As a result this makes FM ideal for mobile radio communication applications including more general two-way radio communication or portable applications where signal levels are likely to vary considerably. The other advantage of FM is its resilience to noise and interference. It is for this reason that FM is used for high quality broadcast transmissions. Easy to apply modulation at a low power stage of the transmitter: Another advantage of frequency modulation is associated with the transmitters. It is possible to apply the modulation to a low power stage of the transmitter, and it is not necessary to use a linear form of amplification to increase the power level of the signal to its final value. It is possible to use efficient RF amplifiers with frequency modulated signals: It is possible to use non-linear RF amplifiers to amplify FM signals in a transmitter and these are more efficient than the linear ones required for signals with any amplitude variations (e. . AM). This means that for a given power output, less battery power is required and this makes the use of FM more viable for portable two-way radio applications (Electronics and Radio Today,  n. d. 1). Phase Modulation Phase modulation (PM) is a form of modulation that represents information as variations in the instantaneous phase of a carrier wave. Unlike its more popular counterpart, frequency modulation (FM), PM is not very widely used for radio transmissions. This is because it tends to require more complex receiving hardware (Radio-Electronics. com,  n. d. ). Advantage: The main advantage of PM like FM is increased immunity to noise. Disadvantage: The main disadvantage to PM is that it requires more complex receiving hardware (M. S. Richer,  2006). Quadrature Amplitude Modulation Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) is both an analog and a digital modulation scheme. It conveys two analog message signals, or two digital bit streams, by changing (modulating) the amplitudes of two carrier waves. The two carrier waves, usually sinusoids, are out of phase with each other by 90 ° and are thus called quadrature carriers or quadrature components. Analog QAM is used in National Television System Committee (NTSC) and Phase Alternating Line (PAL) television systems (Radio-Electronics. com,  n. d. ). Advantages: With QAM sharp cutoff band pass filters are not required. This makes it an attractive alternative to single sideband-suppressed carrier (SSB-SC). Disadvantages: Compared to SSB, QAM is more exacting in terms of the carrier

Free Essays on I Love You Virus

ILOVEYOU (VBS.LoveLetter.A) is a Melissa-like worm that spreads through email and infects certain files. How Does It Spread? ILOVEYOU spreads through email. It arrives as an attachment to an email message from someone whose address book contains your email address. The subject line is "ILOVEYOU", and the message is "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me." The attachment is titled "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs." When you open (click on) the attachment, it automatically mails *itself to every address in your Microsoft Outlook address book. What Does It Do? When executed, ILOVEYOU installs itself in your system and mails itself to all the addresses registered in your Microsoft Outlook address book. This can degrade your system performance and clog mail servers. A scan of the visual basic code included in the attachment reveals that the virus may be corrupting files ending with .vbs, .vbe, .js, .jse, css, .wsh, .sct, .hta, .jpg, .jpeg, .mp2 or . hard drives as well as mIRC ( a version of Internet Relay Chat). It also appears to reset the default start page for Internet Explorer. This update to Dr. Solomon or McAfee VirusScan will detect the new ILOVEYOU virus. This worm is a VBS program that is sent attached to an email with the subject ILOVEYOU. The mail contains the message "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me," and the attachment is called LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs. If you open the attachment, the worm executes, sending a copy of itself to every address listed in your Microsoft Outlook address book. To use this file, copy the extra.dat file into the VirusScan installation folder and reboot the computer. Profile Virus Name VBS/Loveletter.a Aliases I-Worm.Loveletter, IRC/Loveletter, Loveletter, Troj/LoveLet-A, VBS.Loveletter.a Variants *Name Type Sub Type Differences VBS/Loveletter.b Virus VbScript Subject="Susitikim shi vakara kavos puodukui..." VBS/Loveletter.c Virus VbScript Files sent are "Very Funny.vbs",... Free Essays on I Love You Virus Free Essays on I Love You Virus ILOVEYOU (VBS.LoveLetter.A) is a Melissa-like worm that spreads through email and infects certain files. How Does It Spread? ILOVEYOU spreads through email. It arrives as an attachment to an email message from someone whose address book contains your email address. The subject line is "ILOVEYOU", and the message is "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me." The attachment is titled "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs." When you open (click on) the attachment, it automatically mails *itself to every address in your Microsoft Outlook address book. What Does It Do? When executed, ILOVEYOU installs itself in your system and mails itself to all the addresses registered in your Microsoft Outlook address book. This can degrade your system performance and clog mail servers. A scan of the visual basic code included in the attachment reveals that the virus may be corrupting files ending with .vbs, .vbe, .js, .jse, css, .wsh, .sct, .hta, .jpg, .jpeg, .mp2 or . hard drives as well as mIRC ( a version of Internet Relay Chat). It also appears to reset the default start page for Internet Explorer. This update to Dr. Solomon or McAfee VirusScan will detect the new ILOVEYOU virus. This worm is a VBS program that is sent attached to an email with the subject ILOVEYOU. The mail contains the message "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me," and the attachment is called LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs. If you open the attachment, the worm executes, sending a copy of itself to every address listed in your Microsoft Outlook address book. To use this file, copy the extra.dat file into the VirusScan installation folder and reboot the computer. Profile Virus Name VBS/Loveletter.a Aliases I-Worm.Loveletter, IRC/Loveletter, Loveletter, Troj/LoveLet-A, VBS.Loveletter.a Variants *Name Type Sub Type Differences VBS/Loveletter.b Virus VbScript Subject="Susitikim shi vakara kavos puodukui..." VBS/Loveletter.c Virus VbScript Files sent are "Very Funny.vbs",...

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Final Exam - Essay Example The focus shall be on the relationship between the eating of French fries and weight gain. Many organizations and governments in the world are concerned with the scourge of weight gain which has increased the health risks among the youths and the population in general (Reed 67). Besides tremendously increasing the medical bills towards the caring for this group of individuals, weight gain also reduces the overall productivity of the same individuals which is another reason it is detrimental to the economy. Excessive weight also puts the individual at a higher risk of contracting other diseases that come about due to the individual’s poor health. It is thus of great concern to the various parties that such findings as the one from this experiment be availed to enable them draw the right conclusions about the disease besides formulating the required steps aimed at reducing the negative effects of the disease (Keown 12). This paper shall thus outline the procedure for the carryin g out of an experiment to determine the impact of eating French fries on the rate of gaining weight in kids aged 14 years of age. Methodology The methodology for this experiment shall first of all involve the division of the sample made of 14 year-old kids into two groups. The first group shall be made up of children who eat French fries strictly two times in a week while the second one shall contain those who strictly eat French fries three times each week (Rahman 90). The two groups shall each have separate records whereby each child’s weight shall be taken at the start and end of every week for three months. The period chosen upon is long enough to smoothen out the changes that may occur in a single week or for a few days. The days for the measurements shall be on every Monday and Friday of each week. For each child, two columns shall be drawn; one for the Monday readings while the other one shall be for the Friday readings. While the record books for the group of children who eat French fries twice a week shall be colored blue, those for the group of children who eat French fries three times a week shall be colored red to allow a distinction between the two groups (Froding 34). Other factors shall be put into consideration to allow consistency in the recordings. These factors include the harmonization of the two groups’ diets to eliminate disparities that may come about due to other factors from outside of the experiment. Weight gain may result from other types of food eaten by the children and invalidate the data collected for the two groups. Also, health factors shall be put into consideration to eliminate differences in weight that could be the result of health disorders. Independent Variable The independent variable in this experiment shall be the number of days the recordings shall be taken since they shall not be determined be anything else besides the normal counting of days. On average, there shall be 24 of these days for each child o ver the three months set aside for the experiment (Jackson 78). Dependent Variable The dependent variable in this experiment shall be the weight readings taken from the kids on the two days of the weeks. On average, there shall be twenty four recordings for each child over the three months period set aside for this experiment. Data Analysis The analysis of the data shall be carried out after the three months

SCI103- Science and Technology Lab Course_ PHASE 3_IP3 Report

SCI103- Science and Technology Course_ PHASE 3_IP3 - Lab Report Example Vegetation surface type reduces the amount of runoff because vegetation provides little if any impervious surface area. Consequently, light rainfall produces very little or no runoff (Factors affecting runoff, n.d.). Smooth mountain rock surface increases the amount of runoff because there is inadequate vegetation cover to reduce the amount of exposed surface. In addition, the terrain of the area makes it prone to runoff because the steep sloping increases the downward flow of water thereby increasing the quantity of soil that is taken away with the water (Yong, Mulligan, & Fukue, 2006). Bare soil surface type increases the amount of runoff more than vegetation surface type, but less than smooth mountain rock surface. This observation can be attributed to the lack of vegetation cover on the bare soil, which exposes the oil to runoff. However, the absence of a steep slope somehow slows down the rate of movement of water carrying soil thereby making the rate of runoff less than that on a mountainous terrain (Perlman, 2012). Vegetation slows down and prevents the loss of sediment by enabling the soil to be compacted to the ground. Consequently, the possibility of sediment being carried away by running water is reduced significantly. Vegetation slows down the speed of water movement over the surface of the ground. Therefore, rainwater has more time to be in contact with the ground leading to more absorption of water hence greater infiltration (Beven, 2012). Pavement or smooth rock runoffs affect waterways by on causing downstream flooding since a lot of water is carried to the waterways. There is little soil on such surfaces hence no obstruction of waterways. Heavy sediment deposits affect waterways by congesting them and obstructing the movement of water. Additionally, there is pollution of waterways when the sediments contain noxious substances such as nitrogenous fertilizers from agricultural farms. Therefore,

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Journal - Essay Example This trend makes people unenthusiastic to volunteer for testing. The fundamental strategy in resolving this problem is closely associated with the application of strategic ways of wooing the masses to appreciate this significant service. This can be done through encouragement and provision of information on the benefits attributed to HIV counselling and testing. In addition, information should be conveyed to curb the tendency of discrimination against the HIV victims2. The home based approach (HMT), enhances visitation of people by health workers at their homes for counselling and testing. This is done regardless of the group’s perceived HIV risk. The home based approach is perceived to be the widespread tool for counselling and testing HIV. This approach has received overwhelming support from the international players in a bid to prevent and cure HIV. This study focuses on the acceptability of HBT particularly the most prevalent Sub-Saharan Africa region3. In addition, this study examines the factors associated with the uptake of HBT. The researchers searched numerous databases to identify suitable peer-reviewed studies from Africa, which where published amid January 2000 and September 2012. The research included in-depth study of materials that prescribed accepting HIV testing provided through home based HIV test. Diverse types of studies were done. They include randomized controlled trials, observational cohort studies and cross sectional surveys. The magnitude of the information collected by the various methods was attributed to the pooling together of data for easy calculation, of the overall proportion of the people who accepted HIV testing through Home based test. 524, 867 people formed the sample population. They were drawn from five African countries. This study revealed that the ratio of people who accepted HBT ranged from 58% to 99%. It is worth noting that, the

A Letter To My Past Self English Language Essay

A Letter To My Past Self English Language Essay I might find yourself a bit taken back by reading reader from your future. I assure you are not being watch by a hidden camera and the but of a joke. I think you will agree with me, or rather yourself that education is very important to your, our future. For that reason you are preparing yourself for college. I could tell you who you are going to meet and what classes you shouldnt take, but that wouldnt fair. What I will tell you is that your field of vision will widen. Your brain will hurt and you will have many all righters. To truth of the matter is that you have the tools to be successful already. These tools will need to be sharped and taken care of a like any other tool in your garage. Of these tools writing is very important, maybe the most important of them all. To understand how to write is a key that will propel in on the road you will begin on. Through its process and constant evolution, one must embrace writing as an art form and not a chore. Language is a multifaceted tool which we use to communicate to one another. Its defined as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meaning. As the definition suggests its more than just spoken words. Its a head nod, a thumbs up, a smile, braille, hand movements, etc. Pediatricians describe children as sponges to indicate their ability to learn from their environment. Those of us lucky enough to be raised in a household with multiple cultures can have an advantage or disadvantage depending on what we are taught. Institutions such as schools, churches, and the military have their own set of governing rules and behaviors which shape our minds and therefore also shape our usage of language. The experiences Ive had in life shaped my relationship with language, through empowering and undermining my search for self-actualization. Growing up in a bilingual family affected my speech development as a child, which lead me to mix the two languages instead of mastering them one at a time. The United States is a melting pot of difficult cultures, peoples, religions; I believe its what makes this country so great. Even though the United States does not have an official language, English is predominately used. Of course some might argue that in Florida or Texas, Spanish is more widely used, but thats another topic for another day. Being of Spanish decent can be hard and confusing at times. I am of Puerto Rican decedent and was born here in America. My mother being Puerto Rican and my step-father being Guatemalan had issues with what language I was supposed to be taught first toddler. My step-father said I should learn English first because we lived in America and everyone speaks English. My mother on the other hand wanted me to learn Spanish so that I wouldnt forget my roots. As a child hearing my mother speaking Span ish and my father speaking English hindered my communicational development. Thus the language of Spanglish was born. Im sure that Spanglish was being used before I was born, but the fact that I was combining both languages to communicate held me back in some areas. I would start a sentence in English and finish my thought in Spanish. It wasnt that I was doing it on purpose, but my mind took the easy route to finish my thought. If I couldnt find a word in English for something I wanted to say, I would just find one in Spanish and vice versus. That may have worked at home, but it didnt work so well when my Jewish pre-kindergarten teacher couldnt understand me completely. It wasnt that I was not smart enough to be in her class, or develop enough to be in pre-kindergarten. I knew my ABCs, could count to ten and knew the colors of the rainbow. The Hindering factor was that I knew them in Spanish. My inability to use the English language at that age was going to hold me back in school. I was possibly looking at a disadvantage from the start. My mother was so afraid of the school not accepting me in to kindergarten that a summer of hell awaited me. She stopped talking to me in Spanish and English became the predominate language in my home. Being that I was young and a sponge, t didnt take me long to learn the English language for my age. I was able to understand and be understood by my English speaking only teachers. That decision that my mom made resulted in another dilemma in my life which I now still deal with. Growing up in a multicultural environment confused me at times and let me to think and believe I was rootless. Am I an American or am I Puerto Rican? Do I feel comfortable speaking Spanish or English? Everyone at school spoke English, my mother once schooled started talking to talk to me in only English and no one really talked to me in Spanish besides my cheek grabbing aunts no came to visit everyone once in a while. I believed that my roots as my mother put it were slipping away from me. I felt ashamed for a long time because I think I wasnt Hispanic enough or Puerto Rican enough. Having to switch on language the way I did when I was younger put bump in my road for success. To this day I hate spelling and I rather do math. You could say a some people dont like to spell. That is a true statement, but my inability to master one language at time was very confusing. One question that my grandfather asked me repeatedly when I was younger was, How do you say that in Spanish. One instant that I remember, he was referring to my uncles Nintendo. I had asked him if it was alright if I could use the Nintendo in English. Even though he understood what I asking, he was playing a mean trick on me and proofing a point to my parents. He told me that if I could tell him how to say Nintendo in Spanish, then I was allowed to play. I had to ran to my father ask him and he told me Nintendo in English is Nintendo (with a Spanish accent) in Spanish. I felt a bit dumb, but I didnt care at the time because all I wanted to do was play Nintendo. Thinking about that time it was hard for me to have a full conversation with my grandparents without being frustrated. To a degree with was like Malcolm X writing is letters in jail, I know what I wanted say, but I had a hard time saying it in the right language. I eventually took Spanish classes to improve my Spanish speaking skills and talked more with my parents in Spanish to not lose touch with that side of myself. My enlistment in the military was not only culturally shocking, but linguistically shocking as well. Ive recently closed a chapter in life, titled The Marine Corps. It was a life altering experience which I befitted from tremendously. It was a culture shock to say the least. I mention this because there were expectations of me which I had no clue of. I was supposed to know these things, about those things, and all that overnight. One of the craziest issues I had was the language. All of my life the floor had been the floor and all of a sudden floor was now the deck. The walls were bulkheads, the windows were portholes and my shirt became my blouse. Now back on my neighborhood if you were a guy and you wore a blouse that you played for the other team, by that I mean homosexual. I slowly realized that the Marine Corps was rooted in Naval traditional and the terminology date back to ship life. After a while verything started to make sense, but that doesnt mean it became easier. I was st ill being yelled at for referring to the deck as the floor while I cleaned it. Another issue in the Marine Corps I had was speaking in the third person. Now that only last for the three months of boot camp if you ever met a Marine and asked him about the longest time of his life, he or she will problem say Marine boot camp seemed to never end. I just couldnt understand why I needed to say This recruit or recruit Perez needs to use the head instead of saying Hey I need to use the bathroom. Again those were just traditions that fitted a purpose. Whenever you spoke incorrectly the Drill Instructors made it a point to correct you with physical fitness, with that being said I was one tough and lean recruit by the end. Besides being expected to perform in boot camp and being held to a standard. The rest of my Marine Corps life was one learning experience after another. I learned that you dont address a Colonial the way you would you home boy back at home in an e-mail. Professionalism is s omething you need a lot of if you going to survived the arm forces. You are a cut about the rest; cream of the crop so that meant if you half ass work wasnt tolerated. Incomplete work, or work poorly accomplish is the same as not doing it at all. Writing professionally wasnt something I was taught, but I learned under fire. I would write an e-mail or a respond to question 3 to 5 times and had my peers look it over so I wouldnt get in trouble. That would hinder my workload output, but I wasnt being yelled at anymore for not being professional, not it was about not working fast enough. It used to scare me to know that I would have to write an e-mail and 1000 people would read it. I dreaded replies on incorrect grammar or my use of Spanglish. Yes I did use Spanish on a couple of occasion and that they go over so well. With time everything can be accomplished, and my writing skills became better, I do still try to review my work/email/face-book status updates before hitting enter, it ju st a habit now. My experience with my own culture and cultural language (Spanish), allowed me the understanding needed to embrace the Japanese culture and language. My Marine Corps life has let me different place around the world and Okinawa, Japan is included in that list. I still remember being picked up from the airport by my superiors and the long drive to base. Its a humbling experience driving around in a different country and seeing a different set of people you arent used to seeing. I was trying to read billboards, street signs, and even the menu off of the McDonalds drive through, but everything was Latin to me. Well it wasnt Latin most likely the signs were in Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji are 3 forms of writing that the Japanese use. My friends and I would go and interact with the people of Okinawa; we didnt like staying on base so we explored the island and what it had to offer. It wasnt easy at first, but the Okinawan people were very accepting of us becaus e we at least tried to learn the language. I carried a Romanized dictionary, to be able to say what we were trying to convey. Even though I know that I was order chicken in English, but the Japanese waitress only knew Japanese. My friend, Wesley would come to the rescue on occasion such as those if I took too long in my dictionary. He had a pocket picture book, which travelers used in different countries to express what that want. He pointed to a picture of chicken and the waitress new exactly what I wanted to order. It amazed me that images can be used to communicate the basic of thoughts. My patience in knowing that I was guest in Okinawa and that I was the one that couldnt be understood helped me better understand the people and culture of Okinawa, Japan. Language has been my double edge sword and that if I used correctly and I acknowledged and understood, but if I am careless and foolish with it and it cut you deep than anything known to man. Of course language isnt something you can pick up and slick through the air, but you can master this invisible tool. I practice when I speak, read, write, sign, and even nodding my head. It is what I do with my experiences; it is what I do with I practices that shape my mastery of it. To quote smarter man than I He who controls the language, controls the word. I believe the word word in his quote means my inner being, my inner self. To become my best self, I must be fully aware of who I am and realize I can be more. I will not be a prisoner of my own mind, for it is I that hold myself back or lets myself fly.

School Reforms Speech on Island of Wight :: Education

School Reforms Ladies and gentlemen of the council, As a parent of an island child, I think that we are missing out on a higher level of education. The mainland children get a good education and we are getting a second class education, which we do not deserve. We should fight to improve the quality of our schools, 89% of parents agree that we should go ahead with option three, but with one adjustment, we should let medina high school keep its sixth form, and international baccalaureate. The ages of children moving schools is going to alter from 9 and 13, to just 11, this will decrease the amount of stress that school children go under changing schools. Option three will also mean that pupils who are 14 and over will be able to study a wider range of subjects, both academic and vocational in line with changing national requirements. Also if children only have to cope with one change instead of two they will be able to concentrate on school work rather than trying to make new friends, and trying to learn what you can and can’t do in their new school. The school changes were at ages 9 and 13, this would disrupt the learning of students because of the reasons I have just stated, and as they are in the middle of a critical test time i.e. the year nine SAT’s at 14 years old. Also at 9 years old the brain is geared up for learning and grasping new things not sudden changes and disruptions like moving schools. Mainland students change schools at 11 which is just before students start key stage three, this is the build up time for the year nine SAT’s and the only prime time to change schools. We are disrupting the students twice in their school life they are achieving lower results, and there for going to get worse jobs than those mainland students, who have more GCSE’s. Do you want your children to grow up and get one maybe two GCSE’s? My guess is no. I certainly don’t want my children growing up and having fewer opportunities than that of a mainland child. I want my child to have a great job that the y enjoy, not one they have to be satisfied with because they do not have enough qualifications. I ask you ladies and gentlemen of the council do you want your child to grow up like that?

Drug Trafficking in the United States Essay

Drug trafficking has become an even bigger problem than ever before in the world today. Now days, more people are buying, selling and using drugs. To people who do it, it is just a fast and easy way to get money, not knowing all the risks. Some drug dealers are even aware of the risk that comes with the action and they still do it anyways. There are many risks when dealing drugs and the risks are all different depending on what kind of drug it is and how addictive it is. Drugs are not only spreading fast through the streets, but today drugs and dealers have found their way into high school systems. The most common drug in high school is marijuana, more commonly known as pot or weed, and hashish or â€Å"hash. † Although this drug is said to be harmless or not addicting, it can still be dangerous in many ways. This is the reason drug trafficking in the USA must be stopped. Illegal drug trafficking from Mexico into the United States is and has been killing our society for many years. For decades, the border of the United States with Mexico has been used to smuggle illegal drugs into the country with the intention to sell it for illegal usage. Many of the drugs come from Mexico or other South American countries where drugs are easily grown. Once the drugs are grown and packed, they are then smuggled across the borders of Mexico and the United States. When the illegal drugs reach the United States, they are then distributed to many drug dealers around the country. These substances are then sold in our neighborhoods, our cities and states to those corrupted enough to purchase them. Sometimes the people that buy these large quantities of drugs have drug addictions, but a lot of the time it’s people that are addicted to money that sell to the addicts for a price of good profit. Customs Agents and x-ray devices that are at the borders are the only factors that need to be bypassed in order to successfully smuggle drugs into the United States. A lot of the times, illegal substances are stopped and confiscated at our borders. However, the effort to prevent the smuggling of drugs has not reached a one hundred percent success rate. Organized crime groups from Mexico have been smuggling marijuana into the United States since the early 1970s. Which may be surprising to some, being that president Richard Nixon declared a â€Å"war on drugs† in 1971. These groups maintain a wide range of associates, often related through family or regional ties to associates living in the United States. In my opinion this makes drug trafficking seem even more dangerous than it already is. It’s scary enough that people are sneaking drugs into our country, but knowing that they live here and not knowing where or who is even scarier. According to Mark Kleiman, â€Å"Most of the illicit drugs consumed in the United States come through or from Mexico, and virtually all the revenue of Mexican drug-trafficking organizations comes from sales to the United States†. What this says to me is that the United States has got to be at the top of the charts for the largest illegal drug trafficking market. This also means that not only are other countries at fault for bringing illegal drugs into our country, but the drug dealers and drug users that live in our country are making the United States seem at fault as well for keeping the system going. If you ask me, the president of Mexico should worry about the amount of legal drugs leaving his country and declare somewhat of a â€Å"war on drugs† like president Richard Nixon did in 1971. Although the war on drugs still continues, it at least makes it known that there is a solution in progress and sooner or later it will be in effect. â€Å"Mexico is the highway of the drug trade, not the destination-or so goes the conventional wisdom†, says Malcolm Beith. (Newsweek. New York: August 17, 2009 Vol. 154, Iss. 7) The United States has been fighting a losing war against drugs for decades. Budgets have increased dramatically over the last two decades and drug-related incarcerations consistently reach new records yet drug problems worsen: adolescent drug abuse is increasing, overdose deaths are at record levels, heroin and cocaine are cheaper, more pure and more available than ever before, and health problems related to drugs, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS are peaking. Meanwhile an expensive and ineffective policy is failing to work at a rate of speed that is sufficient enough. Drug problems can be reduced at less cost if we change course and start thinking and using strategies that actually work. At a time like this when the federal budget is limited programs need to be re-evaluated. Funding needs to go to programs that work. We need new ideas to save lives; we can’t afford to continue to be wrong. Police have done their jobs with record arrests, drug seizures and record incarceration of drug offenders yet drug problems continue to worsen. Something different must happen soon before this growing problem becomes too out of hand. According to the National Coalition for Effective Drug Policies, there are a number of different things that may have to happen to ensure a change. These are, shift resources into programs that work, make treatment available on request like any other health service, prevent drug abuse by investing in American youth and providing them with accurate information, focus law enforcement resources on the most dangerous and violent criminals, international drug control efforts should be demilitarized and focus on economic development, restore justice to the US justice system, respect state’s rights and allow new approaches to be tried, and make prevention of HIV and other blood borne diseases a top priority. This may seem like a lot on paper but in exchange for a better society it is no question that whatever needs to happen must happen quick. The war on drugs has now been going on for over forty years and our government still continues to fight hard to end it. As long as our government stays strong and continues to pursue this problem, I believe that it will one day happen. And possibly even more important than that, as long as we citizens of the United States stay strong and say no to drugs or drug activity, we will continue to grow as a country and make for a better place to grow and raise our children.

Business Strategy Essay

For better understanding, this assignment has been organised in four sub- headings, they are as follows: the general overview of Porter’s Five Forces model; the importance or usefulness of Five Forces model; the criticisms and evaluation of Porter’s model; the recommendation and finally the conclusion. Overview of Porter’s model Johnson et al (2011) described Porter Five Forces as a strategic tool that helps identify the attractiveness of an industry in terms of five competitive forces: the threat of new entry, the threat of substitutes, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers and the extent of rivalry between competitors. Porter (1980) argues that this model is based on the insight that a good business strategy should meet the opportunities and threats in the organizations external environment. Particularly, competitive strategy should be based on an understanding of industry structures and the way they change. From the above explanation we can see that Porter’s Five Forces is a simple tool that supports strategic management in decision making through understanding where strength and weaknesses lie. Importance of Porter’s Five Forces The Porter’s Five Forces is a simple but powerful tool that supports strategic understanding where power lies in a business situation. It also helps to understand both the strength of the firm’s current competitive position, and strength of a position a company is looking to move to. †¢This model also emphasizes extended competition for value rather than just competition among existing rivals, and the simplicity of its application inspired numerous companies as well as business schools to adopt its uses as suggested by Wheelen and Hunger (1998). With clear understanding of where power lies, it will enable a company to take fair advantage of its strengths and improve on its weaknesses and off cause avoid taking wrong steps. Therefore to apply this planning tool efficiently, it is important to understand the situation and look at each of the forces individually. Criticisms and Evaluation of Five Forces Porters Five Forces is no doubt a powerful framework in determining the competitive nature of an industry. However it has been criticised by various commentators regarding its usefulness in today’s dynamic business environment. Although, Wheelen & Hunger (2002) recognised the five force they both thought that Stakeholders influence should have been included as the sixth force. This is because interest groups like the government, local communities, creditors, trade associations, special interest groups, unions and shareholders all have big influence on how the organisation operate. For instance, financial policies such as interest rates are being regulated by the government and may have a negative or positive effect on the organisation. Also as part of the stakeholders if creditors refuse to provide credit facilities for some firms could force them into liquidation. Porter’s model assumed that all businesses are competing against each other while in the actual sense some complement each to provide a better product, which are known as complementors. Complementors in this sense are businesses that provide complementary services to each other. These companies form strategic alliance to enhance the services that they provide either for the purpose of efficiency or cutting of cost. Example of this situation can be seen on iPods and headphones. Apple produced the iPod while Sony produces the headphone which Apple uses and same time Apple is competing with Sony on its brand of MP3 music player, in other words, each of these firm benefits from each other’s presence. Downes (1997) in his article â€Å"Beyond Porter† in the Context Magazine, suggested three new forces which he called; Digitalisation, Globalisation and Deregulation. Digitalization: He claims that organisations are now highly influenced by technological advancement, especially in information technology as well as retail organisations. Most firms no longer depend on high street sales rather online to boost their revenue. Some high street store also trying to play catch up with organisations like eBay and Amazon who have dominated the online. The introduction of credit cards by credit card organisations, loyalty cards by retail stores, all these new digital technologies allows companies to chase competitive advantage on a different level thereby creating new strategy to outweigh its competitors. Globalization: According to Downes (1997) days are gone when firms were only competing with their local rivals. Most organisations are now competing on international level by way of improved distribution channels, businesses can now buy and sell and on a global level. Customers, through the internet have the chance to shop around and compare prices globally. Even most medium size companies find themselves in an international market, even if they do not have branches overseas. Based on these facts it is not enough anymore for any business to position itself as a price-leader. Instead competitive advantages emerge now from the ability to develop long-term relationships to more mobile costumers and to manage extensive networks of customers and associates for mutual benefit. Deregulation: Industries like Communication, Railways, Airlines, now have different ways of competing against each other since firms are now in the hands of entrepreneurs’ unlike in the 1970 when most firms were in the hands of government. Deregulation creates more intense atmosphere for competition because every player in the industry wants to dominate the market. When compared to Porter’s Five Forces model, digitalization, globalization and deregulation have become more powerful forces in the last few decades, which Porter barely takes into consideration in his work. Today’s companies are highly influenced by technological progress, especially in information technology. Therefore, it is not advisable for any business to develop a strategy solely on the basis of Porters model. Shapiro and Varian (1998) claimed that economic laws do not change while technology do then went further to argue that Porter’s models are economic laws and rules that has been around for ages before his study but technology and information has moved and still moving and will continue to be a major force in competitive strategy. Presently, the level of information made available to businesses has intensified competition. For instance, firms can now gather so much information about their customers and how much they are willing to pay for the product. With customer’s shopping available to them they may choose to â€Å"lock them in† which would not have been possible many years ago when five forces was propounded. Despite the huge success of five forces in strategic management, this model did not give exact percentage of these forces to signal when the company is at risk, therefore the model on its own lacks enough information to actually guide decision makers. Although, still applicable in today’s dynamic business environment, it was advocated many years back when the business environment were not that competitive, for instant, when it was proposed it could be that a firm has only one supplier for its material which eliminated the possibility of strong competition among suppliers. This model from all indication assumed identifiable competitors, business partners, and customers who engage in more or less predictable ways. Kippenberger (1998), Haberberg & Rieple (2001) all suggested that it is not advisable to develop a strategy based on Five Forces model alone, it should be used in addition to other frameworks, thus SWOT and PESTEL analysis. This does not mean that Five Forces is invalid, but it is good to adopt a model knowing its merits and demerits. Rather than jump into a framework thinking it has solution to every situation. Recommendations Managers and decision makers in conducting analysis on Porter’s Five Forces should brainstorm on all relevant factors for the firm’s market situations and then check against the factors presented for each force. It will also be relevant to use positive sign to indicate forces that are in favour of the organisation and negative sign for forces strongly against the organisation in question. After identifying the favourable and unfavourable forces of the company’s performance and industry’s attractiveness, the manager should analyse the situation and examine the impact of these forces. Conclusion This assay has given a thorough account of Porter’s Five Forces by drawing attention to some of the criticisms of this model, which includes neglecting the all-powerful forces of Stakeholders, the emergent effects of digitalisation, globalisation and deregulation. Complementors and Collaborators as well as easy access to information were all overlooked by this framework. Through evaluation of this model, we also found that most organisations have managed to avoid the bargaining powers from either the supplier or distributors by way of backward or forward integration. This assignment acknowledged the usefulness of Porter’s model in strategic analyses even in today’s dynamic business environment but must not be used in isolation without considering other forces mentioned above. And finally organisations and decision makers should not assume that all their competitors and business partners are identifiable as suggested by this model.

Environmental Studies and Forestry Term Paper How to Write a Winning Paper

Environmental Studies and Forestry Term Paper How to Write a Winning Paper Throughout the semester (or a specific control period), you wrote a variety of intermediate essays regularly. Systematic is the fact that you have to write the term paper on the basis of all the work done. This process seems tricky due to the fact that you need to combine all the studied materials in one paper and draw the right conclusions. Nevertheless, if this process is done according to the instructions and recommendations described below, then the term paper will be made as soon as possible, and the process of writing it will bring you pleasure. In addition, you already have all the necessary materials because you wrote intermediate essays, and now your actions are reduced to a consistent and accurate systematization of existing knowledge. Follow the instructions given below, and you will succeed! What Is an Environmental Studies and Forestry Term Paper? An environmental study and forestry term paper is a qualification written assignment that students of colleges and universities perform during each control period of their studies to acquaint themselves with the issues of the chosen specialty better. In the course of its implementation, the author of the term paper masters the norms of conducting research activities in the context of environmental studies and forestry, and learns to sort and analyze the material, conduct independent research, and then present and formalize it correctly and systematically to demonstrate the results of his/her work clearly and convincingly. The basic principle of writing the term essay is the following: a clear interconnection of the topic, the purpose, the subject and the object of research throughout the paper. So, the goal of writing the environmental studies and forestry term paper lies in the students consolidation of the knowledge gained in the course of the learning process, according to the course taken. Thanks to this paper, it is easier for the professor to assess the quality of knowledge obtained by the student, and his/her ability to apply it to solve professional problems. However, the most important point is the fact that you get invaluable experience and improve your existing skills while writing your term paper. There is a chance that you will want to explore the chosen topic in the future or take it as a basis for your dissertation. Perhaps, this paper will become the beginning of a new path, in which you will collect new knowledge by grains and bring it to perfection, and then it will give great benefits in the field of environmental studies and forestry in the future. So, why the term paper is necessary? It helps to consolidate and systematize the knowledge gained; The environmental studies and forestry term paper teaches to work with research and scientific literature, as well as boosts information search skills; It forms analytical and mental skills, as well as the ability to overcome barriers and solve complex problems; The term paper allows drawing conclusions on the materials studied. Tips from Our Writers on How to Take Preliminary Notes An integral part of writing the term paper (and of student activity in general) is the systematic taking of preliminary notes. Probably, many of you will wonder why you need to make additional notes if there are lectures available. However, they are necessary indeed. During the lectures, you record all the information that the professor provides. It is undoubtedly necessary, but they often do not provide the kind of assistance that preliminary notes can give for further work. Their meaning is to write down the main key points of the topic studied briefly, as well as to add one’s thoughts to this information. So, the usefulness of preliminary notes comes down to the following: With the help of preliminary notes, you can always remember all the material that you learned, even if it was given six months or a year ago. Preliminary notes do not take up much space but focus the students attention on the main issues of the topic under study. For example, you write a long lecture on the rational use of forest resources. It includes a lot of material that probably does not come in handy for you in your environmental studies and forestry term paper. However, during the lectures, you point out the key points in parallel: the relevance of reforestation, ways to increase the productivity of forests, the optimal methods of forest restoration, and so on. After a certain period, you will open your preliminary notes and recall all the material by focusing on the control points only. In the preliminary notes, you can immediately draw conclusions on the topic covered. That is, after studying the material, you can note to yourself what seems important, what you should examine more deeply, and what you can say on the topic studied as a whole. All these notes will help you formulate your thoughts properly while writing your term paper. With the help of preliminary notes, you can create a universal work journal, in which each topic will be recorded separately. For example, you can divide a notebook into separate areas. Subsequently, during the study of each new topic, you can make notes in those categories that match the material most closely. For example, there may be such sections as environmental aspects of forestry, forest resources, environmental norms and policies, and so on. When writing your environmental studies and forestry term paper, as well as subsequent works, including research, intermediate, or even dissertation papers, you will have the key points of each topic in sections. This will help you to navigate the information. Advice and recommendations: Do not skip taking notes, make them regularly; The notes should be short and should not take up much of your time; Include topics that interest you, and your thoughts about them in the notes. Selecting a Topic for the Environmental Studies and Forestry Term Paper There are times when instructors assign complex term paper topics. Chances are the topics they choose are real puzzles for students. However, if the choice is left to the student, then he/she should remember that the ideal option would be a term paper that unites or indirectly affects all topics studied during the reporting period. An important role in this process also belongs to intermediate essays that can be involved in the creation of the environmental studies and forestry term paper. So, if you have to choose a topic, you should follow these recommendations: View lecture materials on the topics covered. Preliminary records will also be of great support; With the help of preliminary notes, identify the key points to focus on; Consult your instructor. Probably, he/she will tell you interesting and narrow directions for the chosen topic and help you to find suitable literature for this case. The result of your choice should be a narrow topic that covers the key points of the material you have grasped and, importantly, is really interesting to you. Examples of Choosing a Topic: For example, during the academic year (month, reporting period), you learned the following topics: Ecology and Ecological Balance; Forest Resources and Their Use; Ecological Problems of the Environment; Classification and Types of Forests; Rational Nature Management; Protection and Restoration of Forestry. Moreover, in your preliminary notes, you marked the following areas of your interest: The role of artificial forest reserves; Ecological sources of renewable energy; Production, consumption, and disposal of forest resources. In this regard, the combined topic of your environmental studies and forestry term paper can be the following: The Role of Forest Reserves in Maintenance of Environmental Processes. The Key Points of an Environmental Studies and Forestry Term Paper In your environmental studies and forestry term paper, the following items must be present: The introduction to the topic. In this section, you must indicate the topic that got you interested and draw readers attention to it. For these purposes, you may describe its relevance or problems, briefly outline its main characteristics or key points, and explain why it is important for research. To add more, while writing intermediate works, you probably already drew some global conclusions concerning the topic that interested you. It is necessary to create a thesis or hypothesis that you will develop throughout the process of writing. However, the thesis statement itself is indicated in the first, introductory part. For example, presumably, forest reserves can become a universal tool for restoring the ecological balance of the environment. Description and analysis of the work done. In this section, you should briefly describe all the work that you have done throughout your study of the material related to environmental studies and forestry. For these purposes, you will need your preliminary notes. After reviewing them, you can tell what you wrote and studied, what attracted your attention, and how it can be used in the topic chosen by you. This item must also indicate the results of the completed assignments, especially if they included field or practical studies, interviews, surveys, and so on. Each key point of this stage should be supported by strong arguments and evidence, for which you can use both your observations and opinions of authoritative authors. The structure of this part should imply a division into several paragraphs, each directly or indirectly relevant to the stated thesis and confirms (or refutes) it. The result of this section should be the final conclusion for all the work done. The experience gained/reflection. This item is also necessary for the environmental studies and forestry term paper, as it shows what conclusions you have made from the tasks performed and what experience you have gained. The ideal option is a brief description of each assignment that you have completed during the reference period, and your reflection on its usefulness, relevance, and appropriateness. Plus, in this section, you should describe what skills you have gained while working on the term paper, and how they may be useful to you in the future. Additional items of the project can be the following: Restrictions and barriers. At this section, you should describe what shortcomings you see in your completed assignments, what they are related to, and how they might be hypothetically prevented. Besides, it is necessary to indicate what difficulties you encountered and the ways to overcome them. Directions for future research. At this point, preliminary notes will help you as well. Here, you can describe your interest and suggestions that will affect your future work. You can identify the topics that should be developed first, and that will contribute to the field of environmental studies and forestry. Writing and Post-Writing Tips Plan. To ease the writing process and follow its phases strictly, you should make the paper outline before you start writing. The main point is to set the logic of presentation. This is required to reveal the stages of achieving the research goal, to demonstrate the movement from the academic positions’ analysis to the pragmatic consideration of the topic aspects and summarizing the results. The detailed text is not required. The presentation of the key points and structuring the main items will do. Recommendations for writing the environmental studies and forestry term paper: The topic of the term paper must necessarily concern the discipline under study; The topic should serve as a tool for deepening the knowledge gained; The presence of arguments and evidence is mandatory; Check the paper for errors (grammatical, spelling, and so on). So, this instruction will serve as a good support for writing a high-quality term paper!

Theory Paper Three Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theory Paper Three - Essay Example ssful situations such as economic, career, family or religious problems, hormonal changes such as the onset of menopause in women among others (Stein, 2013). This paper provides a theoretical analysis of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety among young adults and middle aged Groups based on the theoretical constructs of the theory of planned behavior. According to Glanz, Rimer and Viswanath (2008), the theory of planned behavior is one of the most widely used theories in understanding health behaviors such as mental illnesses. Some of the main constructs of the theory of planned behaviors that can effectively be used to explain the occurrence of mental health disorders among the young adults and middle aged persons include: The construct of attitude in the theory of planned behavior argues that individuals often perform self evaluation of their performance or achievements either negatively or positively based on their individual expectations, attributes or targeted outcomes. Armitage and Conner (2001) particularly suggest that young adults and middle aged individuals may under go a number of stressful situations based on the degree of their evaluation of their goals. This may consequently result in work related stresses such as remorse for unaccomplished goals and fear of being humiliated by their successful friends. The concept of social norms under the theory of planned behavior generally refers to the accepted normative or standard codes of behavior within a particular group of people based on the collectivistic cultural or social related variables. For example, individuals often develop perceptions on what they are expected to be by their friends, families or the society. In this regard, the prevalence of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression may be explained by the fact that most people in their middle ages normally experience a number of social changes and may soon found they are unable to conform to the expectations of their

Complaint Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Complaint Letter - Assignment Example After placing my order, I had to wait for more than 30 minutes to receive it. To make matters worse, the order was wrong and the person who served me was not professional enough to address my complaint. Instead, he answered me in a rude way as if I was a stranger in this particular restaurant that I have always treated with great esteem. I have also been forced to write a letter of complaint as a result of the bad treatment I received from one of the company’s staff members. I always believe that the customer is king in business but I was treated as a villain on this day in question. Companies that fail to treat their customers as valuable assets are likely to be negatively impacted by bad publicity they are likely to receive from other disgruntled customers. I therefore expect to get formal apology for this bad experience at McDonalds’ since I am a very loyal customer to the company. This will help me not to issue negative statements about the company that can tarnish its image. The other issue is that the company has not yet responded to my complaint and this has also contribute towards doubting the authenticity of the company in offering reliable and quality services. I probably feel that I have not yet received a response from the organization as a result of the fact that they are investigating the case so as to get to the root cause of the problem. Such kinds of issues need careful attention since they can tarnish the image of the organization if not properly handled. Therefore, the manager dealing with the case ought to take necessary measures that are meant to ensure that this issue has been solved in an amicable way in order to avoid a scenario where the image of the organization will be tarnished as a result of such simple issues. From this experience, I have discovered that some employees can just be rude and they can tarnish the image of the company.