Critical study of software copyright and piracy in China The WritePass Journal

Critical study of software copyright and piracy in China Chapter I Critical study of software copyright and piracy in China ABSTRACTChapter IIntroductionCHAPTER IILiterature review2.1 China`s background in copyright law2.2   Globalization and software piracy2.3   Culture and software piracy2.4 The Chinese government, Communist ideology in software piracyCHAPTER IIIMethodologyCHAPTER IVFinding and Discussion4.1 Finding 4.1.1 Software products: cost, usability and accessibility Thirdly, they cited that the copyright software`s are not valuable comparing to their price, for instance, by installing WINDOWS XP, it requires anti-virus as well to protect is and this will cost an extra money and pirated software`s functions are same as original one`s. Thus, it is not valuable. It can assume that there is another side to disagree with their thought in terms of cost, if comparing the price of software product with other spending. Since they can tolerate with others spending, there is no reason to reject software prices.4.2 Discussion CHAPTER VI5 CONCLUSIONReferences:Related ABSTRACT This study aim to demonstrate Chinese students’ attitude towards software copyright and piracy in China. This paper has selected a small group of Chinese student to evaluate their presumption and data were collected by using interview among this group. There are some factors which has a significant impact on piracy. Therefore, for finding out the validity and add extra elements in finding and discussion chapter will present new items which has a role in software piracy. Thus, this research has some limitation such as the number of sample and the matter of time. Hence, the result of this research cannot be valid. Chapter I Introduction In the past few years, there has been a doubt among the Chinese software users regarding the use of pirated software from the legal point of view. In addition to software users, anyone who is involved in the software copyright and piracy issues, is confronted with this question that if the pirate act is illegal or not (Croix Konan, 2002). Answering this question requires to consider the perception of each individual Chinese software users regarding the software copyright and piracy. Whereby, awareness of Chinese users in decision-making has a direct impact on their piracy behaviour in terms of using pirated software (Liang Yan, 2005). To explore how Chinese software users recognize the matter of software copyright and piracy it is crucial to understand the function of copyright and piracy protection law, In fact, copyright and piracy protection law are the subset of the intellectual property law (IP) which has been considerably enhanced in the recent years.   According to a definition provided by World Intellectual Property (WIPO, 2006) â€Å"intellectual property can be anything which creates by human mind such as, inventions, literary and artistic works†. On the other side, software piracy is opposite of the copyright law in which has increased along with the extension in popularity of internet in 1999 (Katz, 2005). Currently, China is under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement, which compels China to have transparency on intellectual property protection in terms of laws, regulations, administrative rules and judicial decisions (Panitchpakdi Clifford, 2002). Hence, this study places emphasis on Chinese student various perceptions regarding the software copyright and piracy. The next chapter will review the existing literature review and evaluate different point of views. Furthermore, it will emphasize on methodology chapter to illustrate the method of collecting data. Moreover, in finding and discussion chapter will demonstrate and analyse the information towards answering research question and finally will present conclusion. CHAPTER II Literature review 2.1 China`s background in copyright law From the historical point of view, for the first time, copy right law came into existence in ancient China and the creation of copyright in China was initiated by the innovation of printing by Bi Sheng in AD 1042. Moreover, compared to European countries the technique of printing had developed centuries earlier in China (Mertha, 2005). According to Martha (2005), in 1910, the first draft of author`s right was published and a number of punishments for unapproved use were established. WIPO (2006) state thatAfter the Cultural Revolution,in 1979 China entered into a new stage of modern legal system which contained the copyright structure and was an important step to connect to the outside world. Subsequently, as WIPO (2006) assert that â€Å"China has joined the world intellectual property organization in 1980†. Bently Sherman (2001) explained that copyright was originally intended primarily for the protection of authors, artists and composers to provide a legal foundation for the innumerable transactions by which they are paid for their work. Croix Konan (2002) explained that the first aim of copyright law is to provide the security for author`s right from abusing in illegal way.   World intellectual property organization (WIPO, 2006) defines â€Å"copyright† as legal point of view in order to maintaining creator’s right and securing his/her â€Å"work†. In addition, the term â€Å"work† is used by intellectual property law in various aspects such as; novels, poems, plays, databases and computer programs. Generally, copyright laws are executed diversely in different countries around the world (Marron Steel, 2000). For instance, The European Countries and North America have tough copyright laws and enforce them determinedly. Meanwhile, there are some countries which have determined copyright laws but their courts are unwilling to enforce them. Furthermore, there are developing countries in which their principles are based on Islamic patterns and do not have adequate laws in terms of copy right ( Marron Steel, 2000). From worldwide viewpoint, entering China to the global network has generated a massive capability in order to share and observe information through new approaches, especially byInternet (Croix Konan, 2002). However, in recent years, the international business society has mentioned that there has been a doubt regarding China`s malfunction towards limiting international property infringement (Mertha, 2005). 2.2   Globalization and software piracy Bently and Sherman (2001) assert that, the original concept of copyright is surrounded by boundaries’ inside of the state, Thus, the security of copyright protection will be in danger if it operates beyond the country and goes through the national world. Therefore, the fence would be break down by the development of globalization and establish copyright as boundless subject in international trade. Consequently, developed countries realize that it is crucial to make some alteration in enforcement of copyright protection across the national borders. Therefore, due to unexpected economic growth in China, it has become the main target of whole global copyright enforcement, such as US and the European Union (Halbert, 1997). IIPA (2006) declared that the progression of globalization transforms software copyright and piracy from internal issue to universal matter among countries. Furthermore, due to the fact that China has been faced with a huge amount of piracy, it has been constantly criticized by other countries regarding the lack of enforcement and ability to protect software copyright. 2.3   Culture and software piracy Mum (2003) argued that cultural differences is one of the most significant aspects that should be considered in China`s software copyright and piracy and has a main role on development copyright in China. From western perspective, individual’s freedom and benefits often put emphasis on public shared benefits. In contrast, as a traditional Chinese point of view, individuals are part of society and are obliged to present their creation and innovation to the community (Mum, 2003).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Considering the two mentioned viewpoints, it can state that the eastern minds are totally different from western minds, regarding that in western society intellectual theft is not appreciated, meanwhile, it is a new concept to many Chinese. In addition, Yu (2001) pointed out that in traditional Chinese culture copying regarded as honourable and necessary fact. Husted (2000) stated that the rate of piracy in China has a great connection with cultural dichotomy of individualism and collectivism.   In addition, Marron and Steel`s (2000) found out that countries in which their principles is based on individualistic culture have a lower piracy rates comparing to the countries which have collectivistic culture. According to Wang, Zhang, and Ouyang (2005a) the correlation between pirated software purchasing and cultural subject in China is more expected to be engaged in the theft of software programs or sharing intellectual property. In fact, collectivist culture can be one of the great factors that might be the cause of the prevalence of software piracy in China. 2.4 The Chinese government, Communist ideology in software piracy Croix Konan (2002) argued that China`s government has been considerably attempting to change the legislation and policy making process in terms of prevent pirating.   For instance, China government closed 9 factories from 18 which were producing pirated software’s and presenting illegal Cd`s in domestic market. However, despite the considerable reforms by China government regarding the implement of copyright enforcement, there are some domestic factors which make the matter worse (Mertha, 2005). Lu and Weber (2008) explored that China government should consider about the economical and political environments of public and private dimensions of software copyright to cover external and internal challenges. In addition, Communism philosophy in which its main principal is based on everything belongs to society and people, rather than private owners has been existed in China since 1949. Consequently, Communist thought of copyright are fundamentally well-matched with traditional Chinese culture, because they support each other to shape Chinese people`s attitude in the direction of decreasing copyright protection. Overall, the literature review includes variety of research areas and identifies a group of structural factors relating to software copyright and piracy in China. Meanwhile, the literature review has some limitation, for example, it uncovers the behaviour element which is crucial in act of piracy, but it will be covered in finding and discussion chapter by interviewing from Chinese student. CHAPTER III Methodology Generally speaking, the nature of human beings has been always concerned about what is happening surround them. In order to understand their surroundings they began to search regarding their requirements which at least named research. According to Cohen et al (2007) research is a process of planning, executing and investing in terms to find answer to our specific questions. In addition, getting reliable answers needs an investigation in a systematic manner and will be easier for reader to understand. Achieving these ends requires research methods. In this study, the research philosophy is examined by interpretivism. Bryman Bell (2003) defined it as an epistemological position that enquires the social scientist to grasp the subjective meaning of social action. Furthermore, the inductive approach has undertaken to this study in terms of understand the nature of problem, by which, it enables researcher to take more information about the research. (Bryman Bell, 2003). Evaluating about philosophy and approach, now it should consider that the research method is done by mono method meaning that is qualitative and by the nature of it, has a great advantages for this research. It was chosen because the research approach was based on inductive methods and it requires an exploration of detailed in depth about data. Denzin Lincoln (2000) believed that using this method able researcher to explain, translate and otherwise come to the terms with the meaning. This study will carry out both primary and secondary research. The primary research will be examined by doing an interview based on semi-structured type from a group of Chinese student which will be within an age group of 22-28. The semi-structured interview was designed by some relevant questions in order to answer the research question, further information will be on (appendix 1). An interview has chosen as a method for primary research for the reason that it is one of the methods by which the human world may be explored, although it is the world of beliefs and meanings, not of actions that is clarified by interview research. Bryman Bell (2003) pointed out that interviewing provide a wide range of data collection. Thus, it helps researcher to find out how people regard situations from their point of view. In this research, because the emphasize is basically based on the area of   intellectual property law and as far as everyone are concerned, this field is extremely complicated and cannot be expressed in closed questions. Hence, semi-structured interviews have chosen because it has a great benefit for conducting this research. Moreover, it is based on an open-ended question. In addition, Bryman Bell (2003) argued that this approach can be used to gain different comments and offers the interviewer the chance to investigate an issue or service. In addition, it gives the interviewee an opportunity to share general views or their opinions in details. Apart from the benefits of this method, it has some disadvantages such as: it requires interviewing skill and need to have the skill to analyse the data. Furthermore, it should be done on sufficient group of people in order to make general comparison. Moreover, it is really time consuming and researcher should be able to ensure confidentia lly ( Saunders et al, 2003). It is crucial to mentioned that ethical concerns will emerge as the research planning starts. As Blumberg et al cited in Saunders et al (2007) argued that â€Å"ethics refers to the moral principles, norms or standards of behaviour that guide moral choices about our relationship with other†. Furthermore, in order to ensure confidentiality, this research will only consider about the age of the Chinese students and will not emphasise on their name or their institute (see appendix 2). To answer the research question, Chinese student attitude is examined in order to explore how they perceive the issue of software copyright and piracy and with the aim of give the sense of security to interviewee at the first of interview it will mention that the process will be recorded to ensure the crucial information is not omitted from the note taking. Overall, in this study by using qualitative approach with semi-structured interview will prepare a suitable occasion in terms of collecting a great deal of information from Chinese student regarding their point of view about software copyright and piracy in their country. Furthermore, it is expected that 10 interviews will be conducted and the sample will just measured by their age and the interview will be carried out in person by the researcher on site at the University Of Sheffield. Moreover, information from interviews will be classified into coding and categories, which can be derived from research question and the literature. CHAPTER IV Finding and Discussion 4.1 Finding This chapter aims to answer the research question which was about Chinese student attitude towards software copyright and piracy. To answer this question, this research is carried out by choosing a smaller society of Chinese users, namely Chinese students, in which their perception in terms of software copyrights and piracy in China will be examined. As it mentioned in methodology, in order to analyze the data, this research will categorize and coding the data which has conducted from Chinese student attitude, then it will examine the findings and discussion and finally will demonstrate the conclusion. The findings will categorized and coded by what interviewees mentioned regarding software copyright and piracy, for example, some of people express that the price of the copyright software`s are too expensive. Meanwhile, others pointed out that the general income of people in China cannot afford copyright products and on quarter of participants said that copyright products actual value does not deserve that high price. Therefore, this category named as cost with three subcategorized; price, income, value and coded as a software products. Secondly, half of the interviewee mentioned that pirated software`s are accessible and it can used them without any limitation, whereby, original software`s has the restriction of usage. Moreover, this opinion categorized by usability and accessibility of software products. Thirdly, from findings it can find out 9 of 10 participants disagreed with the culture as an element which has an impact on a software copyright and piracy. By contrast, in literature review in culture and software piracy some author`s were explained that culture has a considerable relation with software copyright and piracy. Furthermore, some interviewees expressed that some issues, for example, education or gaining knowledge should not consider as piracy, additionally,   using software`s for a personal need without any intention of using   in illegal way is not piracy. Finally, the item that generally accepted by applicant was China`s government, which they state that the main power who can enforce the copyright law and prevent piracy is government. Thus the first section was categorized by social development and cultural affect and the later section was grouped as Chinese government, which these two parts coded as a china development. To clarify the structure the complete codi ng frame is established in (Appendix 3). 4.1.1 Software products: cost, usability and accessibility Cost, usability and accessibility play critical roles in decision-making whether to use pirated software or not among Chinese student attitudes. Among all of discussions cost is consistently mentioned as a reason to choose pirated software. Therefore, three subject matter illustrates from which will evaluate by participants viewpoints. Generally speaking, first of all, was the cost to buy copyright software. As they state that buying original WINDOWS XP in China is really expensive. Secondly, because of high prices for software products most of the people especially students and low-income earners are not able to afford the price. Thirdly, they cited that the copyright software`s are not valuable comparing to their price, for instance, by installing WINDOWS XP, it requires anti-virus as well to protect is and this will cost an extra money and pirated software`s functions are same as original one`s. Thus, it is not valuable. It can assume that there is another side to disagree with their thought in terms of cost, if comparing the price of software product with other spending. Since they can tolerate with others spending, there is no reason to reject software prices. 4.1.2 China development:   Social development and Chinese government As it mentioned in literature review chapter there were two factors which also found by evaluating  Ã‚   Chinese student presumption toward software   copyright and piracy which is constantly, government policy and culture. Furthermore, participant conflicting views about those items and stating short words or sentences; it cannot provide valuable information about significant issues such as government policy and cultural affect. Therefore, in order to generalize their viewpoint it can state that, after Cultural Revolution in China and joining to the World intellectual property organization there has been a significant changes in terms of education, technology and the level of science through out of China (WIPO, 2006). Generally speaking, interviewees pointed out that the China government has the main power in order to prevent software piracy and change the policy towards enforcement of copyright law. Moreover, it can maintain that in spite of the power to enforce, why Chinese government does not really want to stop piracy. Furthermore, participants discussed that because of the matter of population and as China is among developing countries, government and authorities really feels the lack of knowledge and because they want to increase their literacy and awareness, they are not as strict as developed countries. 4.2 Discussion With the establishment of coding frame, this study will applies axial coding to make a connection between categories and sub categories. First, the participant’s perception develops from the issue which coded as software products with three subcategories.   In the category of software product user`s resistance focused on copyright software`s high cost and poor usability and accessibility. In contrast, user`s are likely to use pirated software which low cost and good usability and accessibility. On the other hand, the interviewee which protects software copyright law, refuse to accept cost and excuses for piracy use. Second, in the category of China development which was generally analysed, it can mention that   government policy in China is trying to educated and boosts the knowledge within the people, but this cannot be the reason to use piracy software’s or make author`s work invaluable. In other world, participants believe that Chinese government does not really want to limit piracy. Form their discussion it can find out government has a great interest in piracy regarding market economy. This study has found that in general Chinese student attitude towards software copyright and piracy mainly suffers from the phenomena which so-called Cost and the accessibility of pirated software’s. Furthermore, this paper has some limitation which will decrease the validity of this research, such as; the number of sample was not that much great to evaluate and examine the other perceptions, another item was the limitation of time, which was considerable for this research. Furthermore, it is suggested that copyright owners should lower down their retail prices of their products to the lower degree, by which, Chinese user`s be able to afford it. CHAPTER VI 5 CONCLUSION This study set out to examine how Chinese student are aware of software copyright and piracy in China. A small sample of Chinese student was selected to illustrate extra elements a part form literature review, which has significant role on using pirated software’s. Furthermore, the data were analyzed by Bryman Bell (2003). Overall in can conclude that, the fact that China started to play a more and more important role in today’s world and its development cannot be easily stopped or reversed. Therefore, like developed countries, China should redesign and change the software copyright law in order to minimize the amount of piracy in world. References: Bently, L, Sherman, B. (2001). Intellectual property law. New York: Oxford University Press. Blaxter,L, Hughes, C, Tight, M. (2001). How to research. (2 edn). Buckingham: Open University Press. Bryman,A, Bell, E. (2003). Business Research Methods. New York: Oxford UniversityPress. Business Software Alliance. (2004). BSA and IDC global software piracy study. Retrieved January 28, 2005, from bsa.org/China/globalstudy Cohen, L, Manion, L, Morrison, K. (2007). Research Methodes In Education. ( 6 edn). London: Routledge. Croix, S. J., Konan, D. E. (2002). Intellectual property rights in China: The changing political economy of Chinese-American interests. The World Economy, 25, 759-788. Denzin, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Gubrium, J. F., Holstein, J. A. (1997). The new language of qualitative method. New York: Oxford University Press. Halbert, D. (1997). Intellectual property piracy: The narrative construction of deviance. International Journal for Semiotics of Law, X (28), 55-78. International Intellectual Property Alliance. (2006). The 2006 special 301 report: People’s Republic of China. Retrieved August 28, 2006, from IIPA Web site: iipa.com/rbc/2006/2006SPEC301PRC.pdf Katz, A. (2005). A network effects perspective: On software piracy. University of Toronto Law Journal, 55, 155-160. Lindlof, T. R., Taylor, B. C. (2002). Qualitative communication research methods (2nd ed.). London: Sage. Lu, J., Weber, I. (2008). Chinese government and software copyright: Manipulating the boundaries between public and private. International Journal of Communication, 1, 81-99. Marron, D. B., Steel, D. G. (2000). Which countries protect intellectual property? The case of software piracy. Economic Inquiry, 38 (2), 159-74. Mertha, A. (2005). The politics of piracy: Intellectual property in contemporary China. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.   Mum, S. H. (2003). A new approach to U. S. copyright policy against piracy in China. Symposium conducted at the 53rd Annual Convention of the International Communication Association, San Diego, California, United States. Nicol, C. (Ed.). (2003). ICT policy: A beginners handbook. Johannesburg, South Africa: Association for Progressive Communication. Panitchpakdi, S., Clifford, M. L. (2002). China and the WTO: Changing China, changing world trade. Singapore: John Wiley Sons (Asia). Saunders, s. Lewis, P. And Thornhill, A. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students. Third edition. Pearson education limited. Wang, F., Zhang, H. Ouyang, M. (2005a). Software piracy and ethical decision making behaviour of Chinese consumers. Journal of Comparative International Management, 8(2), 43-56.   Wang, F., Zhang, H., Zang, H. Ouyang, M. (2005b). Purchasing pirated software: An initial examination of Chinese consumers. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22(6),340-51 World Intellectual Property Organization. (n.d.). Copyright and related rights. Retrieved October 14, 2006, from World Intellectual Property Organization Web site: wipo.int/about-ip/en/copyright.html Yu, P.K. (2001). Piracy, prejudice, and perspectives: An attempt to use Shakespeare to reconfigure the U. S.-China intellectual property debate. Working Paper Series, 38, Jacob Burns Institute for Advanced Legal Studies. Retrieved,October13,2006fromhttp://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=262530

Dissertation on Definition of Justice

Dissertation on Definition of Justice Dissertation on Definition of Justice Nandrea, Lorri â€Å"Having No Hand in the Matter,† in Ackley, Katherine Ann. Essays in contemporary culture, Mason OH: Cengage Learning, 2004. Print Justice emerged through evolution and advancement of the human civilization to solve the social standoff characterized by the archaic tooth for a tooth tradition of dispute settlement and gender discrimination only served the powerful. Greek philosophy and civilization expound clearly through mythical indulgence, the areas where the society was most affected by injustice and the most affected members of the society. Dispute settlement was replaced by the better version of resolution through a thorough interrogation of the circumstances surrounding each case. This huge departure from the former version eliminated vengeance in reasonable and civilized dispute clearance, ushering the era of justice. Responsibility of wrongdoing could not unnecessarily be apportioned under the new approach. Confusion and resistance of the new approach had a number of ways to be solved, including negotiating with hardliners of the conservative school of thought of the eye for an eye version of dispute set tlement. Agamemnon’s family surrounds the themes describing both the earlier and newer version of the civilization under justice development as featured in the works of many scholars specialized in gender studies. This discourse highlights Nandrea’s main points of justice through the evolution of the modern system as highlighted by Aeschylus touching on ancient Greek civilization in his trilogy of related plays. Justice As mentioned in the introduction of Nandrea’s essay (25), there is a theme of little surprise that women are presented in essay to be among the greatest victims the archaic justice systems. Perhaps, the author captures this theme well since she is a woman and her motivation as mentioned in the essay also arises from a renowned French dramatist who also pairs as a feminist. The feelings of the two personalities make important input in the development of the idea that gender imbalance characterized archaic justice systems which were ironically founded on injustice. It is perhaps worth to notice that the role of justice is not only to protect the marginalized groups of the society as demonstrated in the play by Aeschylus but also acts a tool for cohesion in the family as well as in the entire community (26). Ironically, the retraction and forced withdrawal of women in the justice archaic system is represented as the cause of the perishing of the mighty guardians of the same system, as Agamemnon was killed by his wife in vengeance of death of her daughter (27). While violence is not permitted at any cost in any clearly defined and established justice system, it is important to note one important aspect represented by arbitration in an efficient justice system. The author accounts for the treatment of the Furies as created by Aeschylus in a lenient approach to drive conscience and reasoning in their understanding of justice. Athena emerges to be the savior of the unjust society running on each other in an unending cycle of vengeance for the injustices committed. Strikingly, the goddess figure emerges as an important intervention in the ensuing commotion. Justice emerges later in the court process which the author identifies with an adjudication mechanism that the society can use to balance the equation of vengeance that seems to get out of hand without such a system. Criminal responsibility and other guilt attributes are allocated on grounds of a keen follow up of the circumstances and participation of individuals in crime. By painting the justice system based on factual follow up for crimes, it is clear that nothing can be ignored when the author states that â€Å"†¦though you walked away from the crime, we can still see the trace of your deed† (Nandrea, 30). Justice system appears to be a tight platform where punishment and deterrence are represented by law principles that guide the society . Justice follows evidence that is like a double edged sword; it serves in the same gusto in incrimination as it does in exoneration. Reliance on sufficient proof is a prominent tenet in the evolution of justice as it is in the modern day. Without follow up on evidence, it would be difficult to identify the guilty and dismiss the innocent in case there are uncertainties in the circumstances of a presenting challenge that involves criminal responsibility. The author represents this idea in an accurate imagery of the verso where the individual and his signature and identity are regarded to be similar before the law. The hand that acts in crime belong to the criminal can be followed up to reveal the actual criminal in the system which heavily relies on evidence as highlighted (29). Through disruptions of the system such as by tampering with the connection that the criminal had with a particular crime, the evidence is lost and it becomes difficult to deliver justice. The author uses the tag anonymity to highlight the loophole of the system based on justice since the link is lost between the act and the doer (31). Despite the sensitivity of the matters that touch on life of numerous people, there are cases of miscarriage of justice at higher levels of justice represented by greed for wealth that is also used to cover up responsibility. The author also highlights the complexity of the disruption by stating that â€Å"†¦there is no tragic hero, here, no guilty one to recognize his flaws; only systems which act anonymously, thousands of faceless victims and a generalized tragic condition in which the language of guilt and responsibility must be transformed,† (Nandrea, 31). What amounts to responsibility of wrongdoing under the refined justice system is not necessarily a direct sense of guilt. Omission and commission both take shape and meaning under the justice system, where everybody ought to look at their actions, to always take part in doing good for the society. Refraining from wrong does not exempt anyone from the responsibility of alleviating or mitigating the loss or suffering sustained by others (32). Representing the case involving the two doctors accused of taking part in the loss of a hemophiliac child is depicted as one of the other loophole of justice, even if the evidence bring the culprit closer to justice mechanism. Achieving justice in such a case, as the author argues cannot bring back to life the dead as occasioned by the acts of omission or commission of others. It therefore implies that while justice aims are reinstating individuals to the state similar to the one before being aggrieved, it is not almost possible (33). As mentioned earlier, it is the function of justice to ensure that the circumstances of the case are interrogated to determine the appropriate intervention for the various cases (34). While punishment may appear to be synonymous with the justice system from a distance, it is also a channel to extend reconciliation, establish truth in uncertainties and allow individuals to feel the act of coming forward to witness as their civil responsibility. Everybody has the responsibility of taking charge of the society and avoid miscarriage of justice through complications evident in the modern society (36).

The politics of cultural stereotyping in Los Vendidos Research Paper

The politics of cultural stereotyping in Los Vendidos - Research Paper Example Los Vendidos talks of a time in California when policies regarding race regularly emphasized the differences between black and white, rather than talking of them as one unified whole. The governorship of Ronald Reagan was a prominent cause for this, as his policies regarding race relations have been widely condemned as racist and one where class plays an important role; with poor African Americans facing the brunt of his policies (Reagan). The reference to Reagan in Los Vendidos, is thus not a passing remark on the part of Valdez. It is an overt critique of Reagan, who was then the Californian governor. Miss Jimenez is a character who has moved beyond the lower class beginnings of the Mexican immigrants that Honest Sancho initially shows her, when she asks for a representative of the Mexican American community for the campaign that Reagan intends to carry out. The story thus points to the degeneration of democratic politics into a system where it becomes merely a system where people of different communities are trapped in the form of vote banks. Valdez pokes fun at this tendency by pointing out the utter lack of agency that such representatives possess within the democratic setup that is thus envisaged. He also highlights the bitter truth of the Mexican American himself/herself choosing to stereotype people of his/her own community. This is exactly what Miss Jimenez seems to be doing (Chabram-Dernersesian, 130-45). She moreover, desires to move out of the stereotype that is forced upon her by the mainstream American society, thereby showing that stereotypes are created both by the mainstream and the marginalized sections of the society. By the end of the play, the three Mexican American men, hitherto thought to be robots, by declaring themselves human, come out of the stereotypes that are created for them by the society. They choose also to remain outside the realm of the stereotypes that Mexican Americans choose to create for themselves by uniting for the caus e of the Mexican community and thereby breaking the boundaries that are created within the Mexican American community by people like Miss Jimenez. Miss Jimenez represents the bourgeoisie who chooses to dissociate herself from her own marginalized community so as to try and be a part of the mainstream society. Her need for disguising herself as a â€Å"white washed Mexican† is something that Valdez chooses to poke fun at (Valdez). The recognition of the need for a collective action on the part of marginalized ethnic groups across the world and the need for a nation to be wary of the bourgeoisie which seeks to stifle any such attempt at revolution is what stays with the reader at the end of the story. The play also seeks to undercut the idea of the United States of America as the melting pot of all cultures, and a place where every culture is accepted, an image that is summed up in the phrase, ‘the American Dream’, which seems to promise immigrants a free society t hat does not discriminate between its citizens on superficial grounds such as race. The idea of an egalitarian America has been undercut by many writers of non-white origin during the twentieth century. This idea, which dates back to the puritanical idea of America as a utopian land was one that was created by its white settlers. The need for creating such a society through revolution and unrest is articulated in this play by the three characters who turn out to be humans and not robots, at the end of the pla

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Psychology - Essay Example These children should be in school instead of working in a brothel and being abused by men and even women who are old enough to be their parents or grandparents. The deeply rooted and widespread sex tourism industry in Thailand is primarily to blame for the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of prostitution (2005 US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report). The boom in the sex tourism industry creates a huge demand for sex workers, which encourages traffickers and even parents to allow their children to take part in the industry. In most cases, the parents are given substantial amount of money as advance payments for the â€Å"labor† of their children in the brothel. The advance payments are then considered as debts which must be paid within a period of time. Since Asian children, particularly those from Thailand believe in honoring the debts of their parents, these young children are forced to work as sex workers to pay off the debts of their parents. (US Department of State Human Rights Report (2005). Throughout the duration of their bondage in the brothel, these young women and children are made to serve as sex slaves and are made to take on as many as nine customers in a day (US Department of State Human Rights Report (2005). Almost all of these women and children who work as sex slaves use drugs to keep them going through the night. For them, they simply do not have any choice but to use drugs to keep their energy up and serve more customers. Young children who are forced to work as sex workers are especially at risk of serious injuries and even death due to the abuse. The use of drugs and continued sexual abuse is inhuman to say the least. Although a lot of people are aware that prostitution in rampant in many Asian countries especially in Thailand, most of these people turn a deaf ear. Why? First of all, these people are not really aware of the extent of the hardships that these women and children

US Supreme Court Decision Essay Example for Free

US Supreme Court Decision Essay An examination of the United States Supreme Court case Romer v. Evans, which was decided on May 20, 1996, is to be put forth in this paper. The case was argued on October 10, 1995. At issue was Amendment 2 to the State Constitution of Colorado â€Å"which precludes all legislative, executive, or judicial action at any level of state or local government designed to protect the status of persons based on their homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or relationships† (Romer v. Evans, 1995). The U. S. Supreme court held it violates the Equal Protection Clause. The opinion in favor was filed by Justice Kennedy, while the dissenting opinion was filed by Justice Scalia. The referendum, Article II sec 30b of the Colorado Constitution, read as follows: NO PROTECTED STATUS BASED ON HOMOSEXUAL, LESBIAN, OR BISEXUAL ORIENTATION. Neither the State of Colorado, through any of its branches or departments, nor any of its agencies, political subdivisions, municipalities or school districts, shall enact, adopt or enforce any statute, regulation, ordinance or policy whereby homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices, or relationships shall constitute or otherwise be the basis of, or entitle any person or class of persons to have or claim any minority status, quota preferences, protected status or claim of discrimination. This Section of the Constitution shall be in all respects self-executing (Romer v. Evans, 1996). While many believed the law would prevent non-federal discrimination lawsuits based on sexual orientation as well as prevent the passage or the enforcing of existing laws prohibiting such discrimination, Amendment 2’s purpose was â€Å"generally inconsistent with mainstream American values† (Debbage Alexander, pg. 264). The State of Colorado argued the â€Å"measure does no more than deny homosexuals special rights† (Romer v. Evans, 1995). This is a decades old argument that right-wing Christian groups have used â€Å"to appeal to a wider, more secular audience by characterizing the gay rights movement as one aimed at getting special rights and protected status for gays and lesbians incorporated into civil rights law† (Debbage Alexander, pg. 273). Justice Kennedy writes in the opinion in favor, â€Å"The States principal argument that Amendment 2 puts gays and lesbians in the same position as all other persons by denying them special rights is rejected as implausible† (Romer v. Evans, 1995). Justice Kennedy further states how â€Å"Amendment 2 confounds this normal process of judicial review. It is at once too narrow and too broad. It identifies persons by a single trait and then denies them protection across the board† (Romer v. Evans, 1995). The final paragraph of Justice Kennedy’s opinion declares: â€Å"We must conclude that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to further a proper legislative end but to make them unequal to everyone else. This Colorado cannot do. A State cannot so deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws. Amendment 2 violates the Equal Protection Clause, and the judgment of the Supreme Court of Colorado is affirmed† (Romer v. Evans, 1995). While Justice Scalia writes in his dissenting opinion, Amendment 2 is a â€Å"modest attempt by seemingly tolerant Coloradans to preserve traditional sexual mores against the efforts of a politically powerful minority to revise those mores through the use of the laws† (Romer v. Evans, 1995). While Justice Scalia has the right to his own personal beliefs regarding homosexuality and its validity as a protected class, many others do not share them. As Richard Mohr observes in Romer v. Evans: A Blow for Justice, â€Å"All or nearly all legal burdens on gays appeal directly or indirectly to prejudice†. His article goes on to describe how in 1996 this ruling should affect two major gay issues: gays in the military and gay marriage. When opponents cannot give logical reasons for their opposition it presupposes â€Å"strongly held beliefs for which one can offer no reasons or explanations are by definition prejudicial ones† (Mohr, para. 5). With the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, Romer v. Evans â€Å"marked an immensely important day for the gay rights movement and a major setback for anti-gay rights activists of all persuasions† according to Sharon Debbage Alexander’s article in the Winter 2002 issue of Texas Forum on Civil Liberties Civil Rights. Furthermore, this case has become one of the most significant decisions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court in regards to gay rights. The majority of those who have analyzed Romer v. Evans purport the â€Å"fact that the case was won using a rational basis test adds to the strength of the decision for gay rights† (Debbage Alexander, pg. 297). Since the decision of Romer v. Evans, President Barack Obama has overturned the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy within our Armed Forces and gay marriage is currently under consideration in two cases that have been heard at the U.S. Supreme Court. After winning Boy Scouts of America v. Dale in 2000 protecting the groups First Amendment expressive association rights, recently the governing body of the Boy Scouts of America voted to allow openly gay scouts within its membership, but not as Scout Leaders. The important issue of gay rights in America has finally reached the forefront of public policy and debate. As in Romer v. Evans, I hope that the United States Supreme Court will rule against the State of California’s Proposition 8 and DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, to find both laws unconstitutional. In so far as to bring equality for all to these United States of America.

Seinfeld :: essays research papers

Seinfeld It was a warm September Thursday night in 1991. I was engaged in my favorite past time of "channel surfing" when a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Displayed on my favorite, "20 inch friend", (also known as my usual Saturday night date), appeared a remarkable treasure. There before my eyes was a sitcom called Seinfeld. From that moment on I was astounded to find that not even great sitcom's such as my beloved Mash and I Love Lucy were as captivating or enthralling. There is only one show that could have started Must See TV, only one show that could be the anchor for new sitcoms year after year while continuing to hold it's position of number one in the rating wars, only one sitcom is this grand, this superior, and this notable, Seinfeld. The zenith of television sitcoms. Season after season, Seinfeld has provided non-stop laughing, excellent acting and original scripts mirroring real life. One of the major factors contributing to the overwhelming success of the show is its cast of unstererotypical characters. The main characters refereed to as the "Fab Four", consist of Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes, George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer. Jerry Seinfeld, known by his own name on the program, is the central figure of the sitcom and the catalyst for almost everything that happens. He is involved in the antics revolving around Kramer, George and Elaine. On one episode George, Kramer and Jerry are spying on the naked lady across the street all day to see who can win a bet. The twist at the end of the show is when we see George and Jerry peering through the window and gasping, " Is that Kramer in her apartment? Wow he is naked!" Another episode involves Jerry who is mistaken for a Nazi leader arriving in town to speak at a meeting. He continues the charade in order to secure a limousine ride home after the frustration of his own ride not being there to pick him up. As the main character, he is most often the straight man allowing the other characters to play off of him. One of his common lines is, "wait a minute here, you mean to tell me-----", then recapping the situation, action or blunder the other character was involved in. This in turn allows the supporting actor or actress to verbally and almost always physically respond with exaggerated gestures and eye movements. Jerry reflects the single male, quasi yuppie, New Yorker, with the bicycle hanging in the apartment, the security system to "buzz" guests in, and the 12 boxes of cereal

Develop positive relationships Essay

Learning Outcome 1 : Be able to develop positive relationships with children and young people. 1.1. . Explain why positive relationships with children and young people are important and how these are built and maintained. Developing a positive relationships with children and young people is extremely important as it could impact hugely on their learning, development confidence and skills learnt as they grow. Nurseries and schools have allocated key workers assigned to develop a bond, care for the childs welfare and liaise closely with parents of the child. Children and young people thrive in all stages of learning and development if a positive relationships are in place and maintained. Children and young people need to feel comfortable with the people around them and one another. This will build confidence and encourage them to try new areas of learning at every stage of their development. If relationships between parents, care providers are positive the child will feel secure and can easily separate from parents when needed. Children are more likely to want to participate and enjoy activities if the feel happy and safe in their environment. Positive relationships also alleviate to some degree negative/unwanted behavior, as caregivers are more likely to recognise the initial signs and meet the child’s needs prior to any adverse behavior. Verbal communication between child and adult will also help the child develop language skills and the confidence to express themselves. Practitioners/care providers should try to recognise a child’s needs by their emotions/facial expressions. Knowing the child well – their interests/likes and dislikes will enable the practitioner to responding to its needs and emotions, plan for the child’s future developmental needs and build strong positive relationships. 1.2. . Demonstrate how to listen to and build relationships with children and young people. When building relationships with children we first need to get to know them – how they like to communicate – this may be through facial expressions, body language and gestures especially in the very young. They need to feel  confident and secure within that relationship. When trying to build relationships practitioners need to be consistent and fair – listening to the child and understanding the message they are trying to portray. Children need to know their feelings are important and their needs will be taken into consideration. Practitioners should ensure that their own emotions/feelings (having a bad day/quite and withdrawn) are not transferred on to the child. Building good relationships with parents is important as they too need to feel that they and their children are being treated fairly within the setting and that everything that can be done is being done to assist their child. Being able to identify and sort out conflicts and disagreements fairly and calmly will develop trust between adult and child and will teach the child how to respond to future disagreements with other children. Respect and courtesy should be shown to children and young people at all times to that they may in turn learn how to develop these skills when interacting with others. Practitioners can being to teach children from a very young age how to respect other people (feelings and emotions)/their belongings/teach good manners and how to act in an appropriate way. If children are spoken to warmly, encouraged and shown respect they will in turn develop these skills for themselves. Valuing and respecting individuality will help children to develop their own strengths, talents and attitudes and be accepting of another childs individuality. Allowing children to explore their individuality will show that we respect and are comfortable with their differences and encourage them to try new activities/skills which they may also enjoy. Show that we all accept and encourage individuality in people. To feel secure children need to know that they can rely on their care providers. We should therefore honor all promises and commitments made. Forgetting a promise or changing our mind may cause a child to distrust or become wary of adults. They may feel let down or disappointed. Keeping a check on the way we interact with young people, monitoring their reactions to us will indicate if we need to change our approach or way of teaching. Some children are sensitive, some outspoken and confident etc. Once we know the child we should then adapt our approach accordingly. Maintaining confidentially is extremely important when working with children and young people. Children need to know that they are valued and respected and that if they have worries or concerns they can talk with an adult confidentially. However, circumstances where abuse/neglect have taken place or are suspected, care providers have a duty to report the situation to the appropriate person thereby protecting the child. Documents/reports should be kept locked away. Permission should be sought prior to photographs/information being shared. Personal information regarding a child or young person should not be discussed /given out unless requested by professionals or appropriate authorities. Parents also need to feel that their information or conversations will be treated with respect and confidentiality. Consideration should be given to how care providers speak and give direction to children and young people. Responses should be appropriately given so the child does not feel intimidated or ordered. Children should always feel protected and secure in their environment. 1.3. . Evaluate own effectiveness in building relationships with children or young people. I believe I am able to build positive relationships with children and young people. With younger children, having a calm and gentle manor, making eye contact (at the childs level), expressing concern when needed will begin to form a positive relationships. When possible new children arriving at my setting are offered one to one time so that a strong initial relationship can begin to develop. Spending time with them alone, showing an interest in their skills/activities, encouraging and playing with them whilst trying to form a special bond with the child will help them to see me as a person  they can trust and someone who cares about them. Babies need physical contact to build a relationship – cuddling and talking gently to will reassure and settle . Babies will often cry as they need to be comforted, others may need some kind of interaction for a while. Getting to know the baby, understanding its body language and responding to its needs will help form and build a trusting r elationship. With older children I believe taking an interest in their abilities and skills, talking about their hobbies, listening to them, praising and giving encouragement, showing approval enables me to build strong relationships. Learning Outcome 2 : Be able to build positive relationships with people involved in the care of children and young people. 2.1. . Explain why positive relationships with people involved in the care of children and young people are important. Positive relationships are important because personal information has to be shared regarding the childs education and well-being. Good communication is essential to allow various carers/agenices/schools etc to communicate and pass on accurate information. It allows a childs care to be consistent, identifies needs, monitors the childs progress and ideas and skills can be shared regarding the child. It also shows the parent that professionals and carers alike are all working towards the development and well being of their child. 2.2. . Demonstrate how to build positive relationships with people involved in the care of children and young people. To ensure that positive relationships are maintained all parties concerned regarding the development and needs of a child should be invited to comment, offer advice, make suggestions and pass on information to plan for the immediate and future needs of the child. There are various ways that all parties who have an interest in the child can be kept in the loop – on-line communication, meetings , telephone, written reports etc. Sharing and  recording information is fundamental to a childs progress and to ensure all needs are met. Parents hold valuable information regarding their child so should be kept informed of decisions made regarding their childs emotional and educational development. – their opinion sought and be allowed to contribute in the decision process. Parents should be invited along to meetings, regularly updated and be given the opportunity to talk with all parties involved in their childs welfare. Confidentiality should be remembered at all times.

China and WTO Essay

Since 2001 the world has witnessed a rapid growth of China in terms of its economy. With the goods having a â€Å"Made in China† label becoming a frequent part of our lives, China paves its way ever on the road to success. The credit to such a boom in the country’s trade (peculiarly exports) goes to one key factor: Globalization. Cognizant of the World Trade Organization’s potential to let China fully practice Globalization, right after its membership of WTO China marked an instance of global significance. Today with the steps of China gradually turning the uni-polar world into a bi-polar one, the analysts of global trade and economy predict China to soon supplant the United States, wholly on the basis of its tenacious economic stand. Initially, this paper attempts to develop a comprehension of rudimentary concepts pertaining to the World Trade Organization, Globalization and China. The paper further elucidates the major argument by a conscientious analysis of China’s practice of Globalization, accession to WTO, different attitudes about a Globalized China and impacts of its WTO membership not only on the country itself but also on the whole world. Introduction: It is a datum of experience that in the scene of modern existence globalization has emerged as an inevitable process. With its instruments like the World Trade Organization, Globalization has profoundly penetrated into the roots of the modern economic system thereby affecting different nations differently. With WTO and economic globalization being in vogue in the business world, what remains the topic of a controversial debate is the entrance of China into WTO. Previously a member with average participation in the international trade, China has established itself as one of the top most economies of the contemporary world immediately after signing the agreement with WTO in the year 2001. As the concerned year marked a celebration for China, it also proved as a sinister for many other nations that had been dominating the international trade before China’s formal stepping into it. With a multifaceted nature of China’s WTO membership, there remain a number of ambiguities in terms of its corollaries on the world and the country itself. Globalization: Before laying the foundation of the paper’s major argument, it is mandatory to comprehend the concept of globalization. â€Å"Globalization is what happens when the movement of people, goods, or ideas among countries and regions accelerates. † In the contemporary world, all the aspects of life are touched by the ravishing presence of globalization. Once comprehended as a mere economic phenomenon involving the flow of goods and services across borders, the term has transcended to reach the exchange of language, culture and relationships among nations† . According to Suarez in ‘Globalization: Culture and Education in the New Millennium’, the commencement and proliferation of globalization coalesces a series of cycles. Of them, the first cycle began in 1492 ending in the early seventeenth century whereas the second cycle embarked in the late seventeenth century. Globalization is often reckoned as an elusive concept keeping under consideration its dual prospects. This multi faceted view is clear in every aspect of globalization. For instance, international organizations like WHO, UNESCO and UNDP are trying to ameliorate the standard of life across the globe by attempts for eliminating poverty, improving health conditions and providing job opportunities etc. Such steps on the part of globalization provide its positive picture attempting to elevate the nations. On the other hand, the instruments of globalization like multinational companies are exploiting the world labour and have become a major source of collapse of many domestic businesses. Wal-Mart is one of the many examples in this concern. Not only feared by the smaller businesses of Non American countries, the domestic investors suffer the same threat. According to an interview (documented in the article ‘Rediscovering Uncle Sam’ of the book ‘Ambassadors of Peace) with the Mayor of Chestertown, Margo G. Bailey told how she has been fighting the Wal-Mart from entering into the small city of Chestertown for almost a decade because the invasion of Wal-Mart would mean a fiasco for the owners of the small businesses in the locality. This means that if globalization is elevating humans, it is equally abusing them. With the ascending power of globalization in the contemporary world, what becomes the reason of its achievement is three facts. First is the globalization’s role in the amelioration of technology. Twenty first century is considered as the hey day of science, technology and telecommunication. The second reason is the provision of integration of people across borders to get acquainted with the foreign cultures. This has specially marked a boom in tourism industry. Thirdly, the concept of free trade as advocated by globalization has increased the capital flow between nations who are now more interested in global trade without being interfered by the state government. Of many forces of globalization, World Trade Organization is considered its key instrument. World Trade Organization: Formed in 1995, World Trade Organization stands as the only hegemonic power ruling the trade in the international business market. WTO started to informally supplant General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that had been carrying on the same function in the global market since 1947. The working of WTO is based key principles which are available in the form of its written documentation covering almost every kind of activity happening in the international trade. One of these principles is to equally treat all the participating nations in the business market. This means that any policy framed by WTO would be implemented on all the nations alike irrespective of their status in the global market. Another principle of WTO advocates Free Trade which means the elimination of trade barriers like tariffs, regulation or other such measures of protectionism imposed by the government thereby impeding the process of liberal trade or smooth flow of goods and services among the nations. WTO also makes sure the transparency of trade policies by making all the nations cognizant of them through their 2300 paged of agreements providing every term in black and white. In the similar way, the negotiations regarding the policy matters are not made surreptitious thereby making the adjustments open to all the other members too. With a seemingly stringent frame of law, WTO also believes in providing flexibility to the developing countries in order to make their positive contribution possible in the competitive market. According to Article III of ‘Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization’ WTO is responsible for five major functions. These responsibilities involve, 1. Implementation, administration and operation of Multilateral, Plurilateral and its own trade agreements. 2. Providing a platform of negotiations between different member nations regarding their trade policies and agreements. It also assists them in implementing the decided policies. 3. Settling the disputes among the member nations. The nature of such disputes is generally trade-policy based where the WTO serves as an arbiter between the conflicting nations. 4. Facilitating and training the weaker members in order to create a balance in the global economy. For achieving the desired goal, WTO co-operates with World Bank and International Monitory Fund. 5. Monitoring the trade policies that have been implemented and to make possible the aspect of transparency in these policies. China in the contemporary world: It was about two hundred years ago that China was he ruling power of global economy. After years of a sleeping giant, China has rapidly raised its status in the global community in the wake of the last decade. This aggrandizing significance is specially marked in the growing performance of the country in terms of its annual economic performance. This is clear by analyzing the performance of China’s ship building industry. Considered as a poor quality manufacturer around 1980s, it has grown into a ‘bona fide’ world industry today. As a result of this boom in the economy, millions of Chinese previously living at the bottom line of poverty enjoy better standards of life today. For the very reason World Bank believes that â€Å"China achieved the fastest doubling of economic output ever from 1978 to 1987, far outpacing both early industrializers (e. g. , United Kingdom, United States, and Japan) and late industrializers (e. g. , Brazil, South Korea, and Taiwan) alike. It then repeated the feat from 1987–1996† and looks like continuing the same pace in the future to come. To restate, as a result of globalizing process China has doubled the per capita income for three times after 1978. Of the over all augmenting profits, China’s major gains also lie in its textile industry. Reviewing China’s consistent rise for the past many years, many analysts proscribe China most likely to supplant the position of the U. S. by becoming the most powerful economy of the world around 2050 as the former has already caught the high brow of the world. While talking to China Daily, Long Yongtu, China’s former WTO chief negotiator said, â€Å"Because China’s economy is more open, and China’s economic size is much bigger, the world is more sensitive to what’s happening in China. I think in that way China is really changing the world. â€Å"

Drilling Into Faults

Drilling Into Faults Geologists are daring to go where they once could only dream of going- right to the places where earthquakes actually happen. Three projects have taken us into the seismogenic zone. As one report put it, projects like these put us at the precipice of quantum advances in the science of earthquake hazards. Drilling the San Andreas Fault at Depth The first of these drilling projects made a borehole next to the San Andreas fault near Parkfield, California, at a depth of about 3 kilometers. The project is called the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth or SAFOD, and its part of the much larger research effort EarthScope. Drilling began in 2004 with a vertical hole going down 1500 meters then curving toward the fault zone. The 2005 work season extended this slanting hole all the way across the fault, and was followed by two years of monitoring. In 2007 drillers made four separate side holes, all on the near side of the fault, that are equipped with all kinds of sensors. The chemistry of fluids, microearthquakes, temperatures and more are being recorded for the next 20 years. While drilling these side holes, core samples of intact rock were taken that cross the active fault zone giving tantalizing evidence of the processes there. Scientists kept up a website with daily bulletins,  and if you read it youll see some of the difficulties of this kind of work. SAFOD was carefully placed at an underground location where regular sets of small earthquakes have been happening. Just like the last 20 years of earthquake research at Parkfield, SAFOD is aimed at a part of the San Andreas fault zone where the geology seems to be simpler and the faults behavior more manageable than elsewhere. Indeed, the whole fault is considered to be easier to study than most because it has a simple strike-slip structure with a shallow bottom, at about 20 km depth. As faults go, it is a rather straight and narrow ribbon of activity with well-mapped rocks on either side. Even so, detailed maps of the surface show a tangle of related faults. The mapped rocks include tectonic splinters that have been swapped back and forth across the fault during its hundreds of kilometers of offset. The patterns of earthquakes at Parkfield have not been as regular or simple as geologists had hoped, either; nevertheless SAFOD is our best look so far at the cradle of earthquakes. The Nankai Trough Subduction Zone In a global sense the San Andreas fault, even as long and active as it is, is not the most significant type of seismic zone. Subduction zones take that prize for three reasons:    They are responsible for all the largest, magnitude 8 and 9 earthquakes we have recorded, such as the Sumatra quake of December 2004 and the Japan earthquake of March 2011.Because they are always under the ocean, subduction-zone earthquakes tend to trigger tsunamis.Subduction zones are where lithospheric plates move toward and underneath other plates, on their way into the mantle where they give rise to most of the worlds volcanoes. So there are compelling reasons to learn more about these faults (plus many more scientific reasons), and drilling into one is just within the state of the art. The Integrated Ocean Drilling Project is doing that with a new state-of-the-art drillship off the coast of Japan. The Seismogenic Zone Experiment, or SEIZE, is a three-phase program that will measure the inputs and outputs of the subduction zone where the Philippine plate meets Japan in the Nankai Trough. This is a shallower trench than most subduction zones, making it easier for drilling. The Japanese have a long and accurate history of earthquakes on this subduction zone, and the site is only a days ship travel away from land. Even so, in the difficult conditions foreseen the drilling will require a riser- an outer pipe from the ship to the sea floor- to prevent blowouts and so that the effort can proceed using drilling mud instead of seawater, as previous drilling has used. The Japanese have built a brand-new drillship, Chikyu (Earth) that can do the job, reaching 6 kilometers below the sea floor. One question the project will seek to answer is what physical changes accompany the earthquake cycle on subduction faults. Another is what happens in the shallow region where soft sediment fades into brittle rock, the boundary between soft deformation and seismic disruption. There are places on land where this part of subduction zones is exposed to geologists, so results from the Nankai Trough will be very interesting. Drilling began in 2007.   Drilling New Zealands Alpine Fault The Alpine fault, on New Zealands South Island, is a large oblique-thrust fault that causes magnitude 7.9 earthquakes every few centuries. One interesting feature of the fault is that vigorous uplift and erosion have beautifully exposed a thick cross-section of the crust that provides fresh samples of the deep fault surface. The Deep Fault Drilling Project, a collaboration of New Zealand and European institutions, is punching cores across the Alpine fault by drilling straight down. The first part of the project succeeded in penetrating and coring the fault twice just 150 meters below the ground in January 2011 then instrumenting the holes. A deeper hole is planned near the Whataroa River in 2014 that will go down 1500 meters. A public wiki serves past and ongoing data from the project.

Freeze Drying and How it Works

Freeze Drying and How it Works The basic process of freeze drying food was known to the ancient Peruvian Incas of the Andes. Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is the sublimation/removal of water content from frozen food. The dehydration occurs under a vacuum, with the plant/animal product solidly frozen during the process. Shrinkage is eliminated or minimized, and a near-perfect preservation results. Freeze-dried food lasts longer than other preserved food and is very light, which makes it perfect for space travel. The Incas stored their potatoes and other food crops on the mountain heights above Machu Picchu. The cold mountain temperatures froze the food and the water inside slowly vaporized under the low air pressure of the high altitudes. During World War II, the freeze-dried process was developed commercially when it was used to preserve blood plasma and penicillin. Freeze drying requires the use of a special machine called a freeze dryer, which has a large chamber for freezing and a vacuum pump for removing moisture. Over 400 different types of freeze-dried foods have been commercially produced since the 1960s. Two bad candidates for freeze drying are lettuce and watermelon because they have too high a water content and freeze dry poorly. Freeze-dried coffee is the best-known freeze-dried product. The Freeze-Dryer Special thanks goes to Thomas A. Jennings, PhD, author of  for his reply to the question, Who invented the first freeze-dryer?   Lyophilization - Introduction and Basic Principles, There is no real invention of a freeze-dryer. It appears to have evolved with time from a laboratory instrument that was referred to by Benedict and Manning (1905) as a chemical pump. Shackell took the basic design of Benedict and Manning and used an electrically driven vacuum pump instead of the displacement of the air with ethyl ether to produce the necessary vacuum. It was Shackell who first realized that the material had to be frozen before commencing the drying process - hence freeze-drying. The literature does not readily reveal the person who first called the equipment used to conduct this form of drying a freeze-dryer. For more information on freeze-drying or lyophilization, one is referred to my book Lyophilization -  Introduction and Basic Principles or to the INSIGHTs that appear on our website. Thomas A. Jennings - Phase Technologies, Inc. Dr. Jennings company has developed a number of instruments that are directly applicable to the lyophilization process, including their patented D2 and DTA thermal analysis instrument. Freeze-Dried Trivia Freeze-dried  coffee  was first produced in 1938, and lead to the development of powdered food products. Nestle company invented freeze-dried coffee, after being asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses. Nestles own freeze-dried coffee product was called Nescafe, and was first introduced in Switzerland. Tasters Choice Coffee, another very famous freeze-dried manufactured product, derives from a patent issued to James Mercer. From 1966 to 1971, Mercer was chief development engineer for Hills Brothers Coffee Inc. in San Francisco. During this five-year period, he was responsible for developing a continuous freeze drying capability for Hills Brothers, for which he was granted 47 U.S. and foreign patents. How Freeze Drying Works According to  Oregon Freeze Dry, the purpose of freeze drying is to remove a solvent (usually water) from dissolved or dispersed solids. Freeze drying is the  method for preserving materials which are unstable in solution. In addition, freeze drying can be used to separate and recover volatile substances, and to purify materials. The fundamental process steps are: Freezing: The product is frozen. This provides a necessary condition for low-temperature drying.Vacuum: After freezing, the product is placed under vacuum. This enables the frozen solvent in the product to vaporize without passing through the liquid phase, a process known as sublimation.Heat: Heat is applied to the frozen product to accelerate sublimation.Condensation: Low-temperature condenser plates remove the vaporized solvent from the vacuum chamber by converting it back to a solid. This completes the separation process. Applications of Freeze-Dried Fruits in Confectionery Products In freeze drying, moisture sublimes directly from the solid state to vapor, thus producing a product with controllable moisture, no need for cooking or refrigeration, and natural flavor and color.

Describe the challenges of making decisions in environments of high Research Paper

Describe the challenges of making decisions in environments of high speed and complexity (See instructions) - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that with the replacement of human resource in this the digital age it becomes tricky to establish between the human resource and the digital resource on whose information to use in decision making. This is a challenge that must be addressed urgently, because the need for speed is inevitable while tactful decisions that the digital resource may not provide for may be vital to solve a problem. Excess use of the digital technology in the industry may overlook or pin down the human resource. Although the digital resource is important and accurate in decision making, human resource in the e- business remains the most important resource. This report makes a conclusion that the discrimination between the two important resources in the e- economy is vital for ensuring that the right decisions' are made while effectively using both resources. Debbie Maurice, the vice president of education in Novell, said in an interview that while she makes eighty percent of her decisions remotely using the information in the, she is forced to personally visit the customers personally in an attempt to understand their needs than rely on the internet to do all for her. The decision to take such an initiative remains to be done by the major segment of the e-business world. E- Commerce has been narrowed down into purchasing over the internet while in the real sense, it comprises of many other elements.