Quantitative Determination of Total Hardness In Drinking Water Essay

Abstract This experiment is about the determination of water hardness through the use of complexometric EDTA titration. Determination of water hardness is important to find out the most suitable water hardness under particular circumstances. This was conducted for the purpose of applying the concept of complexometric titration using an efficient chelating agent, EDTA. Sample mineral water was analyzed using standard EDTA with EBT as indicator, and calcium ions present in the solution were calculated to determine the hardness of the water sample. At the end of the experiment, the results indicated that the mineral sample water has large amounts of calcium and magnesium ions—an implication of a hard water sample. INTRODUCTION Water hardness is a measure of the amount of calcium and magnesium present in sample water. These calcium and magnesium ions have the capacity to replace sodium or potassium ions and form sparingly soluble products or precipitates. Water hardness is involved in various aspects of industrial and biochemical processes. Large amounts of ppm CaCO3 in water can form precipitates when interacted with soap and form rings known as â€Å"scum† in several utensils and appliances. The formation of these â€Å"scum† in electrical appliances degrades its efficiency and will eventually reduce its life span. In addition, these can cause impairments on fabric as well, and damage water treatment plants and piping systems at a water hardness of 300 ppm CaCO3. Calcium is necessary for aquatic animals such as fish. It serves an  important role in bone formation, blood clotting, and metabolic processes of the fish and prevents the loss of important salts in the body which helps in the functioning of its vital organs such as the heart. Small amounts of calcium in water can be life-threatening to aquatic organisms like the fish. Thus, determination of water hardness is important. One method of determining water hardness is through complexometric titration. In this process, a ligand is involved in the said titration. Metal ion reacts with a particular ligand forming a complex and the equivalence point is determined by an indicator. The  ligand used in the experiment is Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) with Eriochrome Black T indicator. EDTA is an efficient chelating agent and has an ability to bind with metal ions. Because of this, EDTA is also used in food preservation, an anti-coagulant in blood, and, when EDTA is combined with Fe(II), can even be used as an effective absorbent of harmful NO (nitric oxide). The purpose of this experiment is to determine the hardness of water through complexometric titration. METHODOLOGY Before the actual experiment, solutions of 500 mL of 0.1000 M stock EDTA solution, 250 mL of 0.0100 M standard EDTA solution, 250 mL of 0.050 M standard CaCO3 solution, 50 mL of 0.0050 M working standard CaCO3 solution, and 250 mL of 1.0 M NH3-NH4+ buffer solution were prepared quantitatively. In this experiment, the titrant used was Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA), a polydentate with six bonding sites. Polydentates aid in obtaining sharper endpoints since they react more completely with cations. Likewise, reaction with polydentates only involves a single step process compared to using monodentates as titrants which involves at least two intermediate species. Among polydentates, EDTA was chosen as the titrant since it is versatile and forms most sufficiently stable chelates because of its several complexing sites which gives rise to a cage-like structure isolating the cations from solvent molecules. For the preparation of 500 mL of 0.1000 M stock EDTA solution, 18.6 g of Na2H2EDTA2H2O was weighed to the nearest 0.1 mg and was transferred into a 400 mL beaker. 200 mL of distilled water  and 1.0 g MgCl26H2O crystals were added into the beaker and mixed until the crystals were dissolved. MgCl26H2O was added to obtain a sharper endpoint since CaIn- complex ion is less stable and endpoint will come earlier than actual. The solution was heated for faster dissolution and NaOH pellets were added to the turbid solution to produce salt EDTA making the pH of the solution higher and increasing the solubility of the EDTA. Into a 500 mL volumetric flask, the solution was transferred and was diluted to mark with distilled water. The solution was stored in a dry and clean reagent bottle. The 250 mL of 0.0100 M standard EDTA solution was prepared by getting 25 mL from 0.1000 M stock EDTA solution and diluting it to mark with distilled water in a 250 mL volumetric flask. For the preparation of 250 mL of 0.050 M standard CaCO3 solution, 1.2510 g of pure CaCO3 was weighed to the nearest 0.1mg into a 250 mL beaker and 20 mL distilled water was added. Drops of 6 M HCl were added until the CaCO3 was completely dissolved. The beaker was covered using a watch glass and was put over a hot plate. The solution was evaporated until an amount of 10 mL was left. After cooling the solution, the washings were collected by rinsing the watch glass into the beaker using distilled water. 20 mL more distilled water was added into the solution and it was transferred into a 250-mL volumetric flask. The solution was diluted to mark and was stored in a plastic polyethylene bottle since glass bottle can leach and ions from it will contaminate the solution. The 50 mL of 0.0050 M working standard CaCO3 solution was prepared by dilution of 5 mL 0.050 M standard CaCO3 into a 50-mL volumetric flask. For NH3-NH4+ buffer solution of pH 10, 2.06 g of NH4Cl was dissolved in 14.3 mL of concentrated ammonia and was diluted to mark in a 250-mL volumetric flask. Buffer solution was used since buffers are resistant to pH changes[13]. Maintaining the pH is important in preventing interference of other species during titration since different chelates form at a particular pH.[14] For the standardization of 0.01 M EDTA Solution, 10 mL each of 0.0050 M working standard CaCO3 solution was transferred into each of the three 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask using a pipette. Then, into each flask, 75 mL of distilled water was added followed by 3 mL of the NH3-NH4+ buffer solution and 2-3 drops of Eriochrome Black T (EBT) indicator. Although use of EBT indicator is unsatisfactory in calcium, it is ideal to use in magnesium titration[15], and since MgCl2 was put earlier, the number of calcium ions can be determine  using EBT indicator[16]. One at a time, the solutions were titrated with the 0.010 M standard EDTA solution. Water sample was analyzed by measuring 50 mL of commercial mineral water Viva into each of the three 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask. Then, into each flask, 75 mL of distilled water was added followed by 3 mL of the NH3 -NH4+ buffer solution and 2-3 drops of EBT indicator. One at a time, the solutions were titrated with the 0.010 M standard EDTA solution. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Complexometric titration was used in the experiment since the reaction between the aqueous solutions of the analyte (CaCO3 solution, water sample) and titrant (EDTA) forms a complex. Which involves a coordination center composed of Ca2+ and Mg2+ and the chelating agent EDTA. EDTA, a weak acid, commonly forms 1:1 stochiometric ratio when it reacts to form soluble complexes with metal ions, this means that a single endpoint would be observed. Most of the time EDTA reacts with metals regardless of their charges. These would all correlate to a sharp endpoint in titration and a smooth calculation in stoichiometry. Titration with EDTA is affected by several factors such as the existence of complex forming ions and of organic solvents that affects the stability of the complex, the metal ion components, and the pH wherein the titration was performed. The pH range for optimal indications using EBT indicator and for better results in titration using EDTA method is from 8-10. Lower pH would form a colorless complex with EDTA while a high pH makes it hard to distinguish using the metal indicator In the experiment the pH was kept constant at 10, this was possible with the presence of the buffer solution of NH3 –NH4Cl. It has a buffer capacity that satisfies the optimal pH range. Buffer solutions resist pH change that might be caused by other cations and the weak acid titrant, EDTA. Also, the indicator EBT would behave as it should be if there are no fluctuations in the pH. The specific pH was essential because at the pH of 10 EDTA would deprotonate just enough to bind with the metals involved. If too much buffer was added to the solution, the titration would yield defective endpoints. For example the pH was at 12, the solution would be too basic that it might form precipitates with magnesium and calcium which in turn would cause different results. The endpoint of the solution in the first trial was blue so we opt not to put KCN in the solution. KCN b onds with iron  so that iron would not affect the color change of the indicator. If iron is present in the sample it would affect the color endpoint and turn to violet instead of blue. Chemical equations that express the reaction in the titration can be shown in figure 1. Figure 1. Chemical equations involved in the titration. In the sample analysis of Viva mineral water, it contained 54mgCa/L and 14mgMg/L. After computing for the total hardness of the sample using ppm CaCO3 it was found out that the claimed total hardness was 192.6 ppm CaCO3 while the computed average ppm CaCO3 from the experiment was 139.5 ppm CaCO3this means that the calculated value from the experiment is less than the calculated total hardness of Viva mineral water according to the indicated value in the label but still in the range of hard according to the water hardness scale in table 1. Table 1 Water Hardness Scale The unit ppm CaCO3 was used because water is mostly composed of calcium and magnesium ions. Both of these ions can be expressed in terms of CaCO3 One possible source of error is the human error from differentiating color change of the indicator EBT. The solution might have turned violet but not observed making the titrant endpoint wrong because of the presence of iron. Other possible sources of error are excess buffer solution that will increase pH, calibration error of pH meter, wrong volume reading, and over titration. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The Complex solutions were formed by titration with the chelating agent EDTA. With the use of complexometric titration the total hardness of water sample was determined. It was found out that the water hardness of Viva mineral water is classified as â€Å"hard† in terms of calcium and magnesium ions content that was expressed in terms of ppm CaCO3. The claimed total hardness of Viva Company is larger than the experimental value meaning it has less metal ion content than expected. The results of the experiment can be improved with the addition of KCN. It might not be visible that the endpoint was violet  but it would be safer to eliminate iron discrepancies in the results. REFERENCES [1] Carillo, K.J.D., Ballesteros, J.I., et al. Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Manual, 2009 edition, UP Chemistry Alumni Foundation, 2009, p. 67 [2] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 403 [3]Hardwater,http://water.me.vccs.edu/concepts/hardwater.html [4] Wurts, W.A., Understanding Water Hardness, http://www.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/Hardness.htm [5] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 372 [6] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 386 [7] Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dehydrate,http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/etc/medialib/docs/Sigma/Product_Information_Sheet/e5134pis.Par.0001.File.tmp/e5134pis.pdf [8] Liu, N. et. al., Evaluation of Nitric Oxide Removal from Simulated Flue Gas by Fe(II)EDTA/Fe(II)citrate Mixed Absorbents, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ef300538x?prevSearch=Uses%2Bof%2BEDTA&searchHistoryKey= [9] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 372 [10] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 384 [11] Carillo, K.J.D., Ballesteros, J.I., et al. Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Manual, 2009 edition, UP Chemistry Alumni Foundation, 2009, p. 69 [12] Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dehydrate,http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/etc/medialib/docs/Sigma/Product_Information_Sheet/e5134pis.Par.0001.File.tmp/e5134pis.pdf [13] Whitten, K.[et. Al.], Chemistry.8th ed., Thomas Higher Education. USA. 2007, p. 742 [14] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 401 [15] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 399 [16] Skoog, D.A., West, D.M., et al., Introduction to Analytical Chemistry, 8th edition, Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd., 2012, p. 400

Analyzing hso

Sandra Esqueda Elizabeth Montelongo Emma Johnson The Area Agency on Aging department that we visited is located on 255 S Kansas Ave in Weslaco, Texas. The representative that spoke to us on behalf of The Area Agency on Aging is named Vivian Moreno who is a social worker with a BSW. The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council ( LRGVDC) was designated in 1984 by the Texas Department on Aging as the Area Agency on Aging of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, one of 28 such area agencies.These agencies were created by the 1973 amendments o the Older Americans Act of 1965 to ensure that individuals aged 60 and over are treated with dignity, given independence, and provided with the opportunity to contribute to their communities. (http://www. lrgvdc. org/aging. html) Task Environment: Relationships with Funding Sources: Cash Revenues: Area Agency on Aging depends on funds coming from state and local funds. Funds are filtered down from the national level and then distributed throughout the sta te for the Rio Grande Branch the break-down of funds was as followed: Ill-B Supportive service- $420,000 Ill-c Nutrition servtce-$Ill-E Caregiver- S For a Total -$ Vivian also informed us that on top of the budget that they have for the fiscal year they also get funds from the local level and some contribution but they are normally a minimal amount. Vivian also revealed to us that the numbers she gave us were numbers from this year and the fiscal year had ended already and are waiting for their new budget but will not receive those numbers until January 2014. Area Agency on Aging, Vivian Moreno) Noncash revenues: The agency does use volunteers especially for their Foster

Does the End Justify the Means? Essay

The ‘end justify the means’ is a philosophical maxim popularized by Niccolo Machiavelli during the renaissance era. This maxim is supposed to justify the actions of a leader or what Machiavelli calls ‘the Prince’, to do whatever is in his power in so far as the ‘end/s’ justifies the ‘means’ of attaining it. Machiavelli highlighted that the ‘end’ that a ‘Prince’ or a leader should focus on is the maintenance of his regime, authority or power. This theory is often mistaken as a standard principle usually by a few who rules a group of people, a community or a nation. They always believe that what they are doing redounds to the benefit of the majority. This few will not accept that what they have done is evil even if it produced good results for many people. History will tell us that many events in the past have gained favorable comments from some individuals but different from the point of view of the majority. Take the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing by the American forces during the war to weaken the morale of the invading Japanese forces in the Far East, which resulted to a lifetime tragic memory for thousands of Japanese victims (Walzer, 2004). If we are part of that era, perhaps we would simply say that it was the only way to stop the Japanese aggressors. For the Japanese and its allies, it was an evil act for the Americans to involve innocent Japanese civilians in the war. Leaping forward to the present era where people have become broad-minded and peace-oriented, many Americans have condemned the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a number of big organizations have initiated moves to restore America’s image to the world especially to the Japanese people. But there are also sectors including the military who believe that the war would not have ended if the bombing was not done. Does the end justify the means in this case? Certainly not; according to Christine Smith in her article entitled, The End does not justify the Means, committing any acts of evil, regardless of any given circumstances, is always considered wrong. This writer may be right in saying this except that she fails to manifest the exact definition of evil in her statement. When the national interest is at risk to preserve democracy, the military is given a free-hand by the government to thwart rebellion. After a series of democratic process with maximum tolerance and the rebels adhere to their hard-line principle of a â€Å"coup d‘etat,† the military has the ultimate option to use arms. On the side of the relatives and advocates of the aggressive movement this could be evil, but on the side of the government and those against undemocratic process of government take-over, this could be reasonable. Let’s analyze another case, the downing of Korean Airlines Flight 007 in Russia way back 1983 which carried 269 passengers including the crew where most of the victims were Americans and Koreans. It was argued by Russia that the plane violated its airspace, with a hint that it was a spy plane, which led to its ultimate decision to shoot it down, while the U. S. quickly denounced the brutal act of Russia, justifying the cause of air space violation as an aeronautical miscalculation of the pilot. As far as the Russians are concerned, the end justified the means, but on the side of the Americans and Koreans, that was an act of terrorism. In this particular case, the element of ideology has to be refuted. While the brutal act was considered by the Russians as a way to suppress any threat to their ideology, they did it in any way possible even if the world would condemn it as an evil act. Russians believed that the tragic end has justified the means involving the interest of the Soviet Union. Given that it was an aeronautical error to violate airspace, Russia should have instructed the pilot of the ill-fated airplane to follow an emergency landing for investigation concerning the alleged espionage instead of downing it, considering that it was a passenger aircraft and not a military one. Even assuming that it was a language barrier between pilots that could have been the cause of the immediate military response, still it can never be justified. On the part of the victims’ relatives, the incident was intentionally done and Russians must be stiffly penalized. For a few who ruled the military, it was part of an exercise. For communist allies, it was the right thing to do, but for the rest of the world, it would be remembered as a massacre in the sky. Same is true for any kind of religion which has a great concern for human life; the act was inspired by the devil. In cases of tortures, human rights abuses, military actions and capital punishments, the end may not justify the means. Even if the ultimate result is good for the majority or even to a nation, if the means was done in a vicious way, then, that could never be justified. But for soldiers who are engaged in war, it is entirely a different philosophy. A soldier has to follow orders from his superiors to protect the sovereignty of a nation, that’s his duty. When he goes to the jungle in search for the enemies, he carries with him a mandate from his superiors. But when he is out there to engage in combat, a different scenario occurs. He becomes primarily concerned about his own life and to return to his family alive, the mandate becomes secondary. Very few want to be a hero and much lesser to be friendly with the enemies. A soldier is a military machine, that’s how he was honed and oriented; he has to kill the enemy before the enemy kills him. He has to execute a rapid action if his life is endangered. That’s the game of war, that’s the game of chance if he wants to survive. But if a soldier is engaged in killing innocent people just because he could not identify the enemy exactly, then, his action does not justify his motive. If he tortures an enemy or a group of people in search for truth, it can be held unjust. If he is trigger-happy and involved in mass execution because he fails to identify the enemies exactly, he must be condemned and be subject to a court-martial. There can never be an excuse for killing people at an instant without concrete evidence backed up by reliable logistics, and in so doing, his conscience must be directly involved. But how do we gauge and monitor his professionalism in the battlefield? A soldier is dispatched with a troop and a leader who keeps track of all his moves. There is a saying that â€Å"foul odor will always come out in the open,† especially when the victim’s relatives submit a complaint with corresponding evidence. Let’s take a look at Teresa M. Hudock’s article entitled, ‘The End Does Not Justify The Means’. She said that the best example of a credible perfectionist is one who does not use military force and violence in any given circumstances, even in self-defense, and he must be an advocate of human rights. This might be an ideal scenario. War or no war, when life is at stake magnanimity will be a subject for legal arguments especially when self-defense is in question. No person will allow others to take his life without doing anything except for born-heroes. Therefore, justifying the end by the course of action taken depends on how people look at it and it varies on the standpoint of different sectors of the society. In essence, the end does not always justify the means. Nonetheless, there are extreme instances or ‘supreme emergencies’ wherein the ends bring about the greater good which justifies the means of attaining it. References: Hudock, T. M. The End does not Jusifies the Means. Retrieved on January 26, 2009, from http://www. usc. edu/dept/LAS/ir/calis/pdfs/171w. PDF Machiavelli, N. (1515). The Prince. http://www. constitution. org/mac/prince00. htm Smith, C. (2008). The End does not Justify the Means. Retrieved on January 25, 2009, from http://www. nolanchart. Com/ article4573. html Walzer, M. (2004). Emergency Ethics. New Haven and London. Yale University Press. P. 33-55

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What is a good Parent - Essay Example The responsibility or duty of parents to build the personality of their child starts from the very first day, they are there when the child takes his or her first step, they are there when the child speaks the first word, when the child goes to school first time, and they are there with their child till the end of their life. Good parents are those who are always there to encourage their children and help them in becoming what they want to be (Gross, 1996). Parents hold the most important place in the lives of their children and in the development of the overall personality of the children, as they are the first source of information and learning. It is a normal phenomenon that most of the children idealize their parents, hence good parents are those who lead by example and teach their children at every step of life. Parents teach their children the norms and values and they teach them love, respect, language, in short parents teach the way to live the life. In order to be a good parent one has to be strict and loving at the same time. Some of the characteristics which help parents in fulfilling their responsibility in an efficient manner are care, love, respect, appreciation, dedication and honesty. It is injustice with the parents to judge them on the basis of the behavior and attributes of their kids. There is a general perception in the society that if a certain kid has bad habits and unpleasant personality then the parents of this kid are not good. Most of the time the case is opposite, there is high possibility that children with bad habits have good parents. But it is the tradition in the society to blame parents for the misbehavior and ill practices of the children. There are two main ingredients required to become a good parent; strong devotion and focus to make the life of a child better. Parents can always become good parents with practice and sincere desire to make an impact on the life of child.

About an American History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About an American History - Assignment Example the course of war and from isolationism to intervention, US role remained strategic in nature which finally decided the fate of the War at the broader scale. The pre-war era in US was that of the great depression and the economic chaos with FDR working towards turning the tide of economy of the country. However, the global developments at that time attracted the attention of US and the changes in the overall political ideology in countries like Germany, Italy and Japan made a compelling case for US to actually seriously reconsider its role in global politics. (Tindall and Shi) The emergence of Hitler as a global force and the changing political balance in favor of totalitarianism as well as racism and fascist tendencies along with a completely new threat in the shape of Communist Russia forced US to reconsider its role in the war and enter into it to tilt the balance towards allies. It is therefore critical to understand that US role in the Second World War gradually evolved over the period of time. The fall of France and the emerging Britain position after the fall of Paris actually created global crisis which forced US to actually play a decisive role in the war and play its part to further bolster the allies in their war against Hitler and other fascist and communist ideologies of that time. (Zinn) However, one of the key reasons as to why US entered into the war was the attacks of Hitler on Jews. With US having significant Jews population, was affected by the way different regimes were actually involved in the overall exploitation and killing of Jews. However, once US entered into the War, its role flourished and it ended up attacking the Japan also to avenge the attacks on the Pearl Harbor and become the deciding factor in the overall World War II drama. It has remained US policy to act as a neutral force in first as well as the Second World War however, as the overall political dimensions of war changed; US reconsidered its role in both wars and became

How Reading one Composition Affects the Reading of Another Essay

How Reading one Composition Affects the Reading of Another - Essay Example Jones argues vehemently on behalf of women and their health while Franke-Ruta not only disregards this aspect but mocks those who actively protest the manner in which women are treated and objectified through unattainable expectations, in the fashion industry. In Jone’s essay, she briefly explains that she herself worked in the fashion industry but had always felt strongly about ultra-thin women being the ideal portrayed. She found herself at a fashion show on one particular occasion amidst waif thin teenagers and quickly made the decision to discontinue her work as a fashion editor, â€Å"My decision to quit was partly precipitated by the failure of a campaign I started a year ago to encourage magazines, designers,  and advertisers to use models with more realistic, representative body images. Then I could not have anticipated the extraordinarily hostile reaction to my fairly innocuous suggestions from fellow editors and designers† (Jones, 2008). Jones had attended a summit on women’s issues and had the opportunity to hear from some of her magazine’s readers. These young readers of all shapes and sizes expressed how detrimental the ideals set forth in fashion magazines had adversely affected their lives. Jones is moved by the words of these young women as she so strongly feels that the fashion industry berates women, promotes unrealistic body types and essentially works against what women have been working toward for so long such as equality and the right to not be objectified. Reading Jone’s accounts from the fashion world as well as the opposition she faced by most of her collogues, when attempting a campaign to include more â€Å"normal† female body types as models instead of virtual skeletons as a norm, would invite anyone to feel compelled to rally alongside her. Following the reading of Jone’s piece with the article by Franke-Ruta entitled The Natural Body Myth, would possibly compel anyone not completely chauvinistic, to be repulsed by Franke-Ruta’s words, â€Å"Such a critique, which we hear over and over today, is based on a conceptual error. The beauty industry is not the problem; it is a part of the solution.

Burberry clothing company UK Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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The Economics of Education & Financing Education Adequately - Case Essay

The Economics of Education & Financing Education Adequately - Case Study 6 - Essay Example On the other hand, individuals with Bachelors Degree was reported to increase from 6.6% in 1990 census to 9.3% based on 2005-2009 survey (TACIR, 2012a, p. 13). Furthermore, the fact that the rate of drop out decreased from 13.4% between 1998-1999 to 1.3% between 2008-2009 shows a good sign of educational improvement (p. 16). To improve the education system in Fentress County, its local government officials allocated US$12,000 for K-12 new school construction, US$7,125 on school system-wide need, US$5,000 for non K-12 education, US$2,925 for existing school improvements, and US$400 for librairies, museums, and historical sites (TACIR, 2012a, p. 12). Putnam County had 9.7% unemployment rate as of June 2011 (TACIR, 2012b, p. 8). As of fiscal year 2010, the total revenue received by the Putnam County is US$144,086. Coming from the State government, Putnam County received US$39,451 (27.4%) for public schools and US$6,044 (4.2%) for other necessities. Aside from receiving US$14,367 from the Federal revenue, Putnam County collected US$35,426 (24.6%) from property tax, US$29,445 (20.4%) from local sales tax, and US$19,352 (13.4%) from other local taxes (p. 11). Based on 2005-2009 survey, individuals with high school diploma is composed of 79.0% of its total population as compared to 63.2% based on 1990 census. On the other hand, individuals with Bachelors Degree was reported to increase from 16.8% in 1990 census to 21.7% based on 2005-2009 survey (TACIR, 2012b, p. 13). Furthermore, the fact that the rate of drop out decreased from 15.8% between 1998-1999 to 10.8% between 2008-2009 shows a good sign of educational improvement (p. 16). To improve the education system in Putnam County, its local government officials allocated US$47,400 for K-12 new school construction, US$153,560 for non K-12 education, US$43,828 for existing school improvements, and US$871 for

Current Event Summary Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Event Summary - Article Example The dollar gains are present even when there is a decline in stocks of the United States. There has been a decade of low interest rates and easy money but the dollar has remained strong bringing back memories of the 1990s under President Clinton (Thomas 2). During that time, the United Nations had good health systems and the currency favored travelling amongst the Americans and investors. However, with the current economy currency moves can be fleeting and deceptive. A push by the investors is favorable since it is a highlight of good performance. As long as the U.S is in constant growth and the rest of the world stays stagnant the dollar will remain strong. Having a strong dollar is not always a plus since it can hurt exports and stall economic growth. The success of economies can be puzzling. In the market economy, no one looks out for economic well being of the society as a whole. Market economies try to promote the overall economic well-being not just the currency (Mankiw 7). The economic problems of the United States have not disappeared since unemployment is still very high and the levels of debt have gone high as well. The government has done very little to put an end to the growth of government spending. Governments sometimes can be involved in improving the market outcomes. The invisible hand only works if the government enforces rules that are the key to the market economy (Mankiw 10). Therefore, the United States government can have a role to play in the nation’s economy. Recently, the dollar has gained so much strength over the euro as stated by the European’s central bank president. Most of the European economists say that a weak euro jump-starts exports thus can spur growth in Europe’s economy. Traders have added on their bets that the euro will continue to fall relating to problems such as anemic growth. Data shows that the short positions on the euro are very popular currency trades (Thomas 2). Most traders believe that the

Translation Method Essay Example for Free

Translation Method Essay As â€Å"modern† languages began to enter the curriculum of European schools in the eighteenth century, they were taught using the same basic procedures that were used for teaching Latin. Textbooks consisted of statements of abstract grammar rules, lists of vocabulary, and sentences for translation. Speaking the foreign language was not the goal, and oral practice was limited to students reading aloud the sentences they had translated. These sentences were constructed to illustrate the grammatical system of the language and consequently bore no relation to the language of real communication. By the nineteenth century, this approach based on the study of Latin had become the standard way of studying foreign language in schools. A typical textbook in the mid-nineteenth century thus consisted of chapters or lessons organized around grammar points. Each grammar point was listed, rules on its use were explained, and it was illustrated by sample sentences. This approach to foreign language teaching became known as the Grammar-Translation Method. Principle of The Grammar-Translation Method 1. The goal of foreign language study is to learn a language in order to read its literature or in order to benefit from the mental discipline and intellectual development that results from foreign language study. 2. Reading and writing are the major focus; little or no systematic attention is paid to speaking or listening. 3. Vocabulary selection is based on solely on the reading texts used, and words are taught through bilingual words lists, dictionary study, and memorization. 4. The sentence is the basic unit of teaching and language practice. 5. Grammar is taught deductively. . Translation interprets the words and phrases of the foreign languages in the best possible manner. 7. The phraseology and the idiom of the target language can best be assimilated in the process of interpretation. 8. The structures of the foreign languages are best learnt when compared and contrast with those of mother tongue. 9. The teacher is the authority in the classroom. It is very important that students get the correct answer. 10. Learning is facilitated through attention to similarities between the target language and the native language. Advantages 1. An effective way for application of grammar and sentence structure I think the exercises that are given after translation is very beneficial and accurate for grammar learning. 1. Few demands on teachers. Also, It is practical and easy to implement. In this method, teacher only deals with organization and implementation of exercises. So this means teacher has not a lot to do. In other word; this method does not require lots of thing but a passage of literature text and a few exercises, it is pretty easy to carry out. 2. Least stressful for students Students prepare themselves for exercises and memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules. Disadvantages 1. The Grammar Translation Method can make the language learning experience uninspiring and boring. All the classes can be taught in the same way so after some time students may get bored. Also I think that language teaching should be done very different ways in order to inspire students. 2. The Grammar Translation Method can leave the students with a sense of disappointment when they travel to countries where the studied language is used  because they can’t understand what people say and have difficulty in expressing themselves at the most basic level. . This method neither approaches nor encourages the students’ communicative (speaking amp; listening skills) competence. Reading and writing are the major focus of this method so speaking and listening skill remain in the shadow of writing and reading. 4. Language is learned by conscious memorization of grammar rules and vocabulary. Nowadays memorization isnt highly regarded; internalization through exposure, experience and use are preferred. Language learning needs to be beyond memorization because I think language should be learnt with experiences. . Lack of communication between students. The teacher explains, translates, conducts practice, and corrects mistakes, and learners interact with the teacher, not with each other. That’s because, students can easily make what they learnt permanent with interactions between them.

Risk management and hedging

Risk management and hedging Risk Management And Hedging In Derivatives Market Risk management can be undertaken in several different manners, which often depends on the structure and initiatives for the specific firm. One commonly used approach is to hedge in the derivatives market, which consists of futures, forwards, swaps, CFDs, warrants, convertibles and options. Derivatives are financial instruments whose value and performance depends on the value of underlying assets, for example equities, stock market indices, exchange rates, commodities etc. The main argument for hedging is for companies to minimize risks that may arise from interest rates, exchange rates, and other market variables and volatilities. By engaging in derivatives companies manage their various risks by hedging a position, to be more certain what the outcome will be. For example, one can hedge a certain amount of currency at a future point in time, in order to know exactly how much that will be received/paid at the specific time thereby avoiding the risk of losing value because of the exchange rate risk. There are however also arguments against hedging in the derivatives market. Establishing hedging programs may be very costly, and if there are alternative and more cost efficient ways to reduce risks, such as operational and financial strategies, that could be preferable. Furthermore, sometimes hedging may lead to losses even though there is a gain on the underlying asset, which is a scenario that is difficult to explain to stakeholders. If losses appear too often, this could cause mistrust from the shareholders, and should then be avoided. One has to consider the overall trade-off between costs and savings when engaging in hedging to manage and reduce risks. It is therefore also necessary for management to undergo thorough risk assessments and to construct firm specific schedules, in order to identify the most significant risks and subsequently to establish risk preventing actions. Hedging is in addition mostly used by institutions that are extensively exposed to the various busines s and market risks, and who most of the time would benefit from undertaking such actions. However, derivatives may also be used by the private sector if necessary. The article Who Manages Risk? An Empirical Examination of Risk Management Practices in the Gold Mining Industry by Peter Tufanoexamines a new database that details corporate risk management activity in the North American gold mining industry. The article claims that academics know remarkably little about corporate risk management practice, even though almost three fourths of corporations have adopted at least some financial engineering techniques to control their exposures to intresest rates, foregin exchange rates, and commodity prices. There is little empirical support for the predictive power of theories that view risk management as a means to maximize shareholder value. The article furthermore describes risk management practices and tests their conformance with existing theory by analyzing an industry that seems almost tailor-made for academic investigation: the North American gold mining industry. These firms share a common and clear exposure in that their output is a globally traded, volatile commodity. Firms can manage this exposure using a rich set of instruments, including forward and futures contracts, gold swaps, gold or bullion loans, rolling forward commitments called spot deferred contracts, and options. Perhaps most importantly, firms in the gold mining industry disclose their risk management activities in great detail. The gold industry has embraced risk management: over 85 percent of the firms in the industry used at least some sort of gold price risk management in 1990-1993. Using industry-specific measures for firms exposures, cost structures, and investment programs, Tufano tests whether cross-sectional differences in risk management activity can be explained by academic theory. For example, theory predicts more extensive risk management by firms more likely to face financial distress, which in this industry can be measured by operating costs and leverage. Other theories posit that corporate risk management activities might be linked to risk aversion of corporate managers, and the form in which they hold a stake in the firm. These theories would predict that firms whose managers hold greater equity stakes as a fraction of their private wealth would be more inclined to manage gold price risk, but those whose managers hold options might be less inclined to manage gold price risk. This article tes ts the predictive (as compared with the prescriptive) power of the various theories, i.e., whether they help describe the choices made by firms. He finds that gold mining firms risk management decisions are consistent with some of the extant theory. Managerial risk aversion seems particularly relevant; the data bear out Smith and Stulzs (1985) prediction that firms whose managers own more stock options manage less gold price risk, and those whose managers have more wealth invested in common stock manage more gold price risk. These results seem robust under a variety of econometric specifications, and using a number of alternative proxy variables. In contrast, theories that explain risk management as a means to reduce the costs of financial distress, to break the firms dependence on external financing, or to reduce expected taxes are not supported strongly. He also finds that firm risk management levels appear to be higher for firms with smaller outside block holdings and lower cash balances, and whose senior financial managers have shorter job tenures. â€Å"Managing Foreign Exchange Risk with Derivatives†by Gregory W. Brown is a field study of HDG, a multinational manufacturing company of durable equipment with sales in more than 50 countries that actively encounters 24 different currency exchanges. Although multinational companies like HDG are always exposed to foreign exchange risk, this is one of very few studies that investigate the risk management operations for a non-financial corporation. Since multinational companies tend to be very complex, while using multiple strategies, a field study of this nature provides a deeper understanding of how the risk management process works. Dr. Brown attempts to answer to three main questions. First he wants to understandhowthe Forex risk management program is structured; second,whythe firm focuses on management of exchange risk; finallywhatHDG uses within their hedging derivative portfolio in order to minimize their foreign exchange risk. In order to get a comprehensive understanding Dr. Brown investigated HDG over 14 quarters starting from 1995 and ending in 1998. The structure of HDGs foreign exchange group consisted of 11 employees who were not considered â€Å"traders†, with an average experience of 4 years, whose focus was not only hedging foreign exchange risk. The program cost which included salaries and overhead was approximately $1.5M annually, and the overall transactional costs averaged around $2.3M annually. HDG had an actual foreign exchange risk policy which focused to reduce transactional, translational, and overall economic exposures. In order to meet this policy the group actively engaged in spot and forward contracts, currency put option, and currency call options. Traditional economic theories usually illustrate hedging Forex risk for benefits such as reducing taxable income, protecting against potential costs of financial distress, and reducing overall volatility of wealth. HDG however, focu sed its risk management program on smoothing out earnings impacts, providing the company with competitive pricing, and enabling improved internal control management. In some ways it seemed that HDG was attempting to use Forex risk hedging in a speculative attempt to increase potential income and thereby increase overall firm value. The procedure used in Forex risk hedging was quite simplistic. The department would not use live market feeds but rather sources such as Bloomberg to signify a â€Å"hedge rate† from current market rates and overall cost of derivatives. This information would then be passed onto the tax department and after review would be developed into a hedging strategy to forecast future hedging activity. Browns statistical studies of HDGs hedging activities concluded that the models R-squared value increased as the time horizon decreased. This indicated that the companies hedging activity was dramatically affected by its most recent hedging transactions. This may seem rather obvious but the strongest tests only indicated 55% in accuracy. In all Brown explains there is much more in the way of testing that needs to beconducted in order to better evaluate which additional factors significantly influence the Forex risk management of multinational non-financial companies. This study should be the start of a new investigation in understanding currency risk perspectives. In Risk Measurement and Hedging: With and Without Derivatives, Petersen and Thiagarajan (2000) explore the reasons for two gold mining companies to use opposite approaches in managing their risk, namely American Barrick, which aggressively hedges its gold price risk with derivatives, and Homestake Mining, which uses no derivatives. By studying two firms from the same industry, which hardly has any variation in product quality, the fundamental differences that lead to the different approaches in risk management can be examined. Homestake Mining is focused on developing its own properties and hence, spends more on exploration costs (capital and labour costs), which makes high gold prices profitable if they are not correlated with exploration costs. The greater need of investment capital Homestakes Mining has when gold prices are high makes reductions in the volatility of operating cash flow less valuable to it as a complete hedging would take cash flow away when gold prices are high, i.e. when Homestake Mining is in need of it. The different opportunities companies possess of also explain some reasons for different risk management strategies. Homestake Mining has for example lower costs of adjusting the mining output than American Barrick as the former can (over a short period) alter the quality of the ore that is mined. This mining strategy creates costs that vary positively with the price of gold and thus provides the firm with a natural hedge, which American Barrick does not possess of. As managers will act differently according to the risk they are personally bearing, compensation strategies is of upmost importance when it comes to risk management. Both the American Barrick and Homestake Mining use options to link the managerial wealth to the shareholder wealth, however, American Barrick does so more intensively. Also, its compensation is equity-focused where the bonuses are linked to the stock values, whereas Homestake Miningss bonuses are linked to the profitability, which explains why the latter adjusts its costs as gold prices change. The earnings are quite volatile, however through this can be reduced by different choices of accounting techniques, which is the reason for Homestake Mining to changes them in opposite direction to gold prices, where American Barrick rarely alters its accounting choices at all. From the above findings one may conclude that the choice of managing risks depends on various firms specific characteristics; their firm structure, management contracts and incentives. Specifically, it is a matter of the trade-off between costs and savings/benefits. Establishing and maintaining derivatives program is often quite costly, and therefore the alternative of using other methods to hedge risks may be preferable. In the article Hedging and Coordinated Risk Management: Evidence from Thrift Conversions, the writers argue that the firms risk management can be used to reallocate the firms total risk between different sources, rather than reduce it. So in this case hedging doesnt necessarily equal total risk reduction as often stated, but rather a technique of risk-reallocation or as an essential part of a firms profit-maximizing strategy. This becomes clearer if we separate risk in to two types, based on the activities where the firms have their comparative information advantages, namely: -Core business risk: Firms earn rents or economic profit for taking on activities bearing this risk. -Homogenous risk: Financial risk as interest rate changes, foreign currency exchange rates, or commodity prices. By contrast there is no compensation for bearing this kind of risk. (This doesnt necessarily apply if the firm has a comparative information advantage in the financial risk sector, then financial risk can then become core business risk. If we now consider a risky asset, it may be viewed as a portfolio of multiple claims from the owners. These claims are bundled together which basically means that the firm must take on all the projects if it wants any of them. A subset of these projects may be â€Å"core business projects† which have a positive NPV for the firm, and the remaining subset may be projects bearing homogenous risk with NPV = 0 (the firm hasnt any disadvantage/advantage compared to others in assessing the unsystematic risk). The total variability of a portfolios cash flow of course includes both risk types. An example of this could be a farmer expecting payment for breeding pigs. Then his superior equipment or animal feed preparation would be categorized as activities bearing core business risk, while the price of pork would be homogenous risk. When increase in total risk is costly, risk composition becomes more important as the firm value becomes a concave function of the expected cash flows. Therefore if the risky asset was separable (which it is not), we would only seek to invest in positive NPV projects with core business risk. However this is not the case and therefore we can instead make a trade off by decreasing homogenous risk while gaining additional exposure to core business risk and still maintain the target level of total risk. This substitution is called â€Å"coordinated risk management† and can be attained by the use of derivatives. They test for coordinated risk management in a sample of thrifts that convert from the mutual to stock form of ownership. These conversions have been used to recapitalize the thrift industry since 1982 where legal barriers were cleared. From 83 to 88, 571 conversions issuing stock totaling over $10 billion were completed, compared to only 130 mutual-to-stock conversions between 75 and 82. At the end of 82, stock saving and loans managed only 30% of the industrys assets, but by the end of 88, stock saving and loans controlled 74% of the industrys total assets, going from $686 billion to $1,4 trillion. These converting thrifts provided an interesting sample to test whether the use of hedging can be part of an overall strategy to increase total risk. They argued that converting thrifts will attempt to increase their overall level of firm risk following conversion due to changes that occur at the time of conversion. In other words, these institutions are a unique case relative to empirical studies of risk management that focuses on firms with incentives to decrease total risk. The reasons for converting institutions to increase total firm risk are likely because of these two major reasons: 1. A converting institutions ability to take risk increases at the time of conversion, even though the investment opportunities do not change. This is because conversion provides financial slack and access to capital markets. A conversion typically proceeds at least the book value of equity of the mutual thrift. Assuming that pre-conversion mutual equity meets regulatory capital requirements, doubling the capital ratio creates a larger borrowing capacity that can be used to double the asset size of the thrift. Increasing thrift size does not necessarily imply an increase of thrift risk. However, thrifts usually have incentives to grow by investing in riskier assets because of flat deposit insurance premiums that allow thrifts to shift risk to the government. 2. Converting institutions are predicted to increase the total firm risk following because of the change in their managers incentives for risk taking. Before the conversion, managers receive a fixed salary. But upon conversion, shareholders are able to include stock and stock options in a managers compensation contract, aligning the managers interest with the shareholders. In this situation, the manager will typically be more willing to take risks in order to maximize firm value. The Test Schrand and Unal has used sample data from conversions completed between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1988. They have also made some selecting in the sample excluding the supervisory mergers and merger-conversions. Also they further exclude smaller companies by having a minimum limit of $100 million among the sample companys. As of the methodology Schrand and Unal have used a quantitative time-series study, where they have analyzed the changes in total risk, interest-rate risk and credit risk using an ordinary least squares method. The model is a form of a least squares method where they have added the term Time(t+k). The extra term is an indicator variable which is equal to one if quarter t is k quarters from the conversion quarters, and if not the term equals zero. As of the independent variables in the model, they can be seen as tests, indicating the differences between the risks of the average converting institution and the risks of the average institution in the control group. However the model doesnt indicate whether the interest risk and credit risk are coordinated. Therefore Schrand and Unal have used another model to analyze if there is an association between the interest risk and the credit risk. The model which is a pooled time-series cross-sectional regression is computed as follows: Here Schrand and Unal predict a positive slope between the interest risk (XSNET) and the credit risk (XSHIGH). The Empirical Results The study show that the converting institutions capital position increases with roughly 70 percent after the conversion. Also the study shows that the converting institutions significantly decrease their exposure to interest risk. However the Credit risk increases when converting, because of taking more risk in their loan portfolios. Further the study indicates that the investment patterns are related to the actual conversion rather than the time-trend within the industry. Also they conclude that the increased use of derivatives is a strategic decision and not a mechanical phenomenon. References Brown, G. W. (2001), â€Å"Managing foreign exchange risk with derivatives†, Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 60, pp. 401-448. Naik, N. Y., and P. K. Yadav (2003), â€Å"Risk Management with Derivatives by Dealers and Market Quality in Government Bond Market†, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 58 (5), pp. 1873-1904. Schrand, C., and H. Unal (1998), â€Å"Hedging and Coordinated Risk Management: Evidence from Thrift Conversions†, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 53 (3), pp. 979-1013. Tufano, P. (1996), â€Å"Who Manages Risk? An Empirical Examination of Risk Management Practices in Gold Mining Industry†, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 51(4), pp. 1097-1137. Petersen, M. A., and S. R. Thiagarajan, (2000), Risk Management and Hedging: With and Without Derivatives, Financial Management, Vol. 29(4), pp. 5-30.

Male Expectations Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Effects of Male Expectations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Male expectations are ever present in our world creating an adverse effect on men making them feel inferior if they are unable to succeed financially. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman explicitly shows just how harmful these expectations can be to a person and their families. The main character in the play Death of a Salesman Willy Loman is greatly affected by these male expectations. The man is expected to not only support his family but must also be able to climb to the top of the corporate ladder. Willy’s inability to succeed financially as expected from society in turn affects his two sons Biff and Happy and his loving wife Linda.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willy’s oldest son Biff is the most affected by his father’s failures. Biff is more affected by his father’s failure to his mother than his father’s financial failures. Biff’s whole life is ruined when he finds out that his father is cheating on his mother after all she has done for him. When Biff realizes that he has been idolizing a failure he is devestated. Biffs life begins to tumble downhill uncontrollably. Biff is so affected by is father’s wrongdoings that is creates never-ending animosity between Willy and Biff. Biff feels that the reason him and his father are always fighting is because â€Å"he’s a fake and he doesn’t like anybody around who knows!† (Miller 1221) Happy, Willy’s younger son, is also greatly affected by Willy’s antics. Happy is affected differently than Biff because Happy never realizes that his father is a failure. Happy is always competing for his father’s attention but is never able to steal the spotlight away from Biff. Throughout the play Happy defends his father and never admits to himself that his father is the main reason for his and his brother’s failures in life. A downfall of the Loman boys is their father’s ideas of how to be successful in life. Willy builds up his sons so much that they end up failing. Willy fills his sons with hot air because he himself is the failure and cannot imagine his sons being the same way. Because of everything his father has instilled in him, Biff is so sure that being popular and well liked is the key to success. This belief leads to him flunking out of school and not making anything of his life. Willy has convinced his children that the most important thing in life... ...s own life because of the ideas Willy had instilled in him his entire life. Willy’s failure not only affects him but also his family because now they are left without a father and a husband. The belief Biff would be unable to succeed without his father’s life insurance money is enough to drive Willy to committ suicide. Willy believed that in death he would be giving Biff twenty thousand dollars to help him become a success. Male expectations put too much pressure on men to be the most successful. If a man does not achieve â€Å"the ultimate goal† he is made to feel inferior and like a failure. We see that in Death of a Salesman when a man is unable to achieve ultimate success it can destroy one’s life and can drive a person to insanity and suicide. Works Cited Gill, M.S. â€Å"Boning Up.† Rolling Stone; 3/19/92 Issue 626, p62. Miller, Arthur. Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. Sander, Fred M. â€Å"Psychoanalysis, Drama, and the Family: The Ever-Widening Scope.† Annual of Psychoanalysis; 2001, Vol. 29, p279. Siegel, Lee. â€Å"Cultural Misconceptions.† New Republic; 08/02/99, Vol. 221 Issue 5, p18. Male Expectations Essay -- essays research papers fc The Effects of Male Expectations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Male expectations are ever present in our world creating an adverse effect on men making them feel inferior if they are unable to succeed financially. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman explicitly shows just how harmful these expectations can be to a person and their families. The main character in the play Death of a Salesman Willy Loman is greatly affected by these male expectations. The man is expected to not only support his family but must also be able to climb to the top of the corporate ladder. Willy’s inability to succeed financially as expected from society in turn affects his two sons Biff and Happy and his loving wife Linda.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willy’s oldest son Biff is the most affected by his father’s failures. Biff is more affected by his father’s failure to his mother than his father’s financial failures. Biff’s whole life is ruined when he finds out that his father is cheating on his mother after all she has done for him. When Biff realizes that he has been idolizing a failure he is devestated. Biffs life begins to tumble downhill uncontrollably. Biff is so affected by is father’s wrongdoings that is creates never-ending animosity between Willy and Biff. Biff feels that the reason him and his father are always fighting is because â€Å"he’s a fake and he doesn’t like anybody around who knows!† (Miller 1221) Happy, Willy’s younger son, is also greatly affected by Willy’s antics. Happy is affected differently than Biff because Happy never realizes that his father is a failure. Happy is always competing for his father’s attention but is never able to steal the spotlight away from Biff. Throughout the play Happy defends his father and never admits to himself that his father is the main reason for his and his brother’s failures in life. A downfall of the Loman boys is their father’s ideas of how to be successful in life. Willy builds up his sons so much that they end up failing. Willy fills his sons with hot air because he himself is the failure and cannot imagine his sons being the same way. Because of everything his father has instilled in him, Biff is so sure that being popular and well liked is the key to success. This belief leads to him flunking out of school and not making anything of his life. Willy has convinced his children that the most important thing in life... ...s own life because of the ideas Willy had instilled in him his entire life. Willy’s failure not only affects him but also his family because now they are left without a father and a husband. The belief Biff would be unable to succeed without his father’s life insurance money is enough to drive Willy to committ suicide. Willy believed that in death he would be giving Biff twenty thousand dollars to help him become a success. Male expectations put too much pressure on men to be the most successful. If a man does not achieve â€Å"the ultimate goal† he is made to feel inferior and like a failure. We see that in Death of a Salesman when a man is unable to achieve ultimate success it can destroy one’s life and can drive a person to insanity and suicide. Works Cited Gill, M.S. â€Å"Boning Up.† Rolling Stone; 3/19/92 Issue 626, p62. Miller, Arthur. Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. Sander, Fred M. â€Å"Psychoanalysis, Drama, and the Family: The Ever-Widening Scope.† Annual of Psychoanalysis; 2001, Vol. 29, p279. Siegel, Lee. â€Å"Cultural Misconceptions.† New Republic; 08/02/99, Vol. 221 Issue 5, p18.

The Taming Of The Shrew - Humor :: essays research papers

In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare creates humour through his characters by creating false realities (as demonstrated by Petruchio’s behaviour and attire in the scene of his wedding) and by the use of subterfuge and mistaken identity (shown in the final scenes with the transformation of Kate and Bianca’s respective personas). He also uses irony quite extensively, especially towards the end of the play (as can be seen in the final ‘wager’ scene). The concept that ‘things are not always as they seem’ is quite evident in the events surrounding, and including, Petruchio’s wedding ceremony. This particular scene in the play demonstrates how the use of false realities (a real situation falsely presented in order to deliberately deceive) can be used to create humour. Biondello describes Petruchio’s appearance to Baptista, and by doing so sets up the expectations of the audience. He says that Petruchio comes wearing: New hat and old jerkin; a pair of old breeches thrice turned; a pair of boots that have been candle-cases, one buckled another laced; an old rusty sworde†¦with a broken hilt and chapeless; his horse hipped†¦with an old mothy saddle (Act III Scene II) This depiction of Petruchio conforms to Shakespeare’s technique of using false realities, in order to create humour. This can also be seen in the false identity that Petruchio puts forth in his quest for dominion over Kate (that of the eccentric egomaniac). However, these false realities are not enough by themselves, as the audience has nothing to go by but what they see before them, and so they are not to know that this is not Petruchio’s true personality, and so Shakespeare employs another essential element of humour: he lets the audience know what is truly transpiring, while the characters themselves remain oblivious to the truth. He does this using a soliloquy, in which Petruchio states the strategies he shall use in order to tame Kate: She ate no meat today nor none shall she eat†¦and as with the meat some undeserved fault I’ll find about the making of the bed†¦ This is the way to kill a wife with kindness†¦he that knows better how to tame a shrew, not let him speak (Act IV Scene I) This soliloquy serves to reinforce the fact that ‘things are not always as they seem’. So the knowledge gleaned from this soliloquy means that we find the other events involving Kate and Petruchio even more amusing, as we can see that it is nothing more than an elaborate game of chess, instigated by Petruchio.

The Death Penalty is Cruel and Unusual Punishment Essay -- essays rese

We kill people to show them killing is wrong. The death penalty does not punish people for killing but for murdering someone. Murder is "the unlawful, malicious, or permitted killing of one human being by another" (Carmical 1). The slogan should be ?We execute people to show people that murder is wrong.? The death penalty is racist, it punishes the poor, it causes the innocent to die, it is not a deterrent against violent crime, and it is cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty is wrong and it should be abolished. The death penalty ?cruel and unusual punishment.? At one time in history around six hundred people were executed, and in those six-hundred eighty of them were innocent but still executed (Thomas 2). Many people say that the death penalty is lawful. They think that if the punishment is carried out by the government and not by one person it is fine, and it is not cruel and unusual punishment (Carmical 2). Yes, the men who constructed the constitution supported the death penalty, but times have changed and so has the constitution. The constitution should abolish the death penalty (Carmical 5). Many states in America have already abolished the death penalty, including Michigan. If the U.S wants to abolish the death penalty all together we would just need to take it step by step and then it would be easy. It would be easy because studies show that 68% of the sentences actually don?t happen! We only need to worry about the other 32 % (Dieter Speech 5). And 82% of the Cases end up in life sentences in jail. The goal is to end all cases, for murdering someone, to life sentences. A couple amendments have to do with the death penalty. These two would be the 5th and 8th amendments. Double jeopardy... ...). The time the murderer stays in the cell is extreme isolation between sentencing and execution. The murderer stays in the cell for twenty-three hours (Wolf 47). That?s not enough time to breathe. The murderers are mistreated on the death row and that is why the death row should be abolished all together. The death penalty is racist, it punishes the poor, it causes the innocent to die, it is not a deterrent against violent crime, and it is cruel and unusual punishment. More than half of the countries in the world have already abolished the death penalty and the U.S should abolish it too. It is wrong and cruel. Some states in the U.S still hold the death penalty because they think it will keep U.S citizens safe, but we can just keep the murders in a separate patrolled jail. Abolish it and we may save the lives of the people that may have been executed innocent.

Impact of ICT on the community Essay

Southall is located in a town of London borough of Ealing it is close to Heathrow airport which is one of the busiest airports in the world, which creates lots of jobs and large number of Southall residents are employed in Heathrow. Southall is quiet a small area but holds a large amount of population. Southall is one of the busiest places in England. In this area the route of communication such as, railways and roads need real improvement because at the moment they are not good enough and doesn’t meet the needs of the community really well. There is also project going about trams but our community is not happy with the decision made by the Ealing Council. In Southall it is very difficult to settle down for a person who has just been to this town because there are no enough jobs for people to do and those with jobs are paid very less wages compared to national average wage. Southall also has a very low reputation is attracting the visitors to the town, that’s because of the low employment rate. Basically this means that the people with business should give others a chance to work and pay them the same amount of wages like other employees are being paid in other towns and countries. This town is one of the towns in England which has most problems with public transport because there are very few buses to go around and the population is bigger if a bus comes early the person still can’t reach his destination in time because of the traffic. This means that the local governors of Ealing must improve the services to keep the people in the community happy and to attract more people in the town. In Southall there is also quiet a lot of traffic but mostly it’s controlled by CCTV, there is also speed limit but the residents in our community don’t follow the rules. Southall is primarily an Asian residential district, and is informally known as â€Å"little India†. Over 55% of Southall’s population of 70,000 is Indian/Pakistani. One of the Sikh Gurdwaras in Southall won the Ealing Civic Society Architectural Award in 2003. There are a few Christian churches and there are few mosques as well. The main street in Southall is called The Broadway. Southall contains the largest Asian shopping centre in the London area. Southall was the main location for the film Bend It Like Beckham. Southall is also the location of the Glassy Junction, which serves several Indian draught beers and was the first pub in the UK to accept payment in Indian rupees. Recently Southall has become notorious for the amount of violence caused by Tamil gangs and the consequences on the community. South India and Sri Lanka have been brought to the United Kingdom. There have been many shootings and other incidents that have been connected to Tamil gangs. In origin this rivalry was caused by rival politcal groups vying for power. However many of these groups have now formed street gangs abroad and resort to violence to gain power. Percentages of group per authentic group Indian: 50.3% White: 29.8% Black: 7.5% Pakistani/Bangladeshi: 7.2% Chinese: 0.2% Others: 4.9% Needs of my local Community > Banks > Sports and Leisure > Public Transport > Schools and Colleges > Medical Centre > Hospitals > GPS > Internet Cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ > Information Point > Security CCTV > Southall community Website > Fire Department Every Community have needs and they have to meet Banks My community needs banks and ATM machine as people needs to keep their money secure people can also withdraw money from the ATM machines they need ATM because they can skip queues. The people can withdraw money from the ATM any time; it also provides us with a mini statement and gives you many more options. People in our community need to skip queues so they can have a service that’s give you all the detail about your bank online. Sports and Leisure Centre People in my community need to stay healthy and eat balance diet so the Leisure centre provides them with pre-booking and computer readable cards. It also gives help about eating healthily and gives information about other sports for e.g. Cricket, Karate, and Football etc. My community also need to know what activities are taking place and how to book it. My Community need to know where is the nearest leisure Centre and about the costs. Public Transport People in my community need Transport for moving and travelling around the city. My community provide use of Oyster card which is machine readable so they don’t have to wait in the queue for waiting to get inside and Oyster pre-pay. In addition we need to have ICT technologies in our transport for e.g. CCTV cameras so the passengers are safe and every moment is recorded. People need countdown timer which will tell them what time will the next bus come and which bus will come. My community also need a replacement service if one bus has a mechanical fault they need to have another bus at that time which will take the passenger. Schools and Colleges My Community needs to have schools which would provide basic education to younger generation. Students in schools need computer and internet access. Schools in our community need computers so they can keep record of every students and staffs to keep the school on track. Schools also need CCTV cameras to record student’s behaviour and don’t cause trouble. So the community will need computer and ICT to stop the students causing trouble. Health Centre People in MY community also need health centre to be provided with quick efficient service. Health centre will need to provide people with easy services and making registration. Health centre in Southall should have better ICT facility they should be given a choice to book on the phone. An also they shouldn’t take time to give an appointment. Internet Cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Every person in my community doesn’t have access to the internet. Some might not even have computer. People in my community are multicultural and came from other countries so they will need to communicate with their relatives in a cheaper way so internet cafes will meet their need. They need ICT that provides them with cheaper internet and let them have access to internet with cheaper offers as well. Southall Community Website Most of the people in my community will need to know widely about their community events and businesses in the community so the Southall website also provide information about the leisure and sport, religion, culture and businesses in the community. My community need ICT facilities to provide people with better services and keep people up to date about the events in our community. Police Station My community need to be safe and secure and police also need to try protecting people from theft, robbery and murder. My community needs good technology to keep record of crime and CCTV, so it needs ICT technology to keep records and solve people’s problem. In the above the need of my community some are more important than others. For my report I will need to look in detail of five of them. I will also need to describe the way it is used in my community. I have to define each technology and the use of the technology. I will look at the technologies that are used the most and have effect on my community. I will look at technologies that affect the whole of my community not a single person. I will also need to include how people benefit from using the service. And finally I will then evaluate how the technology will meet the need of my community. In my coursework I will write about those technologies which are in the most need and has impact on my community. Financial Transaction- Banking Definition of ATM: ATM stands for Automated teller machine is computerized telecommunications device that provides an agents customer a secure method of performing financial transactions is a public space without the need for a human teller. Using an ATM, customers can access their bank accounts in order to make cash withdrawals or credit card cash advances and check their account balances. Many ATMs also allow people to deposit cash or cheques, transfer money between their bank accounts, pay bills, or purchase goods and services. Explanation of the technology Banking is the biggest place in the world that uses ICT. ICT is used in ATM Machines (electronic funds transfer at point of sale). ATM is used to withdraw money there are also other facilities that ATM machines provide other facilities for example: you can print or view balance on the screen, change pin, order statement. EFTPOS helps customers to withdraw money through Debit Card it is mostly used in shopping. The customer’s card is swiped through a card reader and the merchant usually enters the amount of the transaction before the customer enters their account and PIN number. Before the customers didn’t needed to enter their PIN number now the customers has to enter it for security reasons. How does the technology meet the needs of the community? Every bank has its own ATM’s machines however the bank card works in every ATM machine. These machines meet the needs of the community as people are able to withdraw money at any time. It is also quick to withdraw money as if there weren’t any ATM machines it would have taken much time queuing in a lane and getting cash from the bank. It is quicker and reliable as the customer doesn’t need to show ID when withdrawing money from your own account. ATM machines are safe as no one can get the data from the ATM. How ATM works? ATM is simply a data terminal. Like any other data terminal, the ATM has to connect to, and communicate through, a host computer. The host computer is analogous to an Internet Service in that it is the gateway through which all the various ATM networks become available to the cardholder the person wanting the cash. The host computer may be owned by a bank or financial institution, or it may be owned by an independent service provider. Bank-owned processors normally support only bank-owned machines, whereas the independent processors support merchant-owned machines. Use of ICT in the banks > CCTV > Database > Security Alarm Evaluate on the use of ICT – good/ and bad features and also advantages and disadvantages of the technology ICT that is used in the banks is a big advantage to people working in the bank and to the public as well. ATM’s and EFTPOS services are open 24 hours 365 days in an year, this means the people in the community can withdraw money at any time so they don’t have to wait for the bank to open. Another advantage is that there are a lots of ATM machines in Southall so there aren’t big queues which is then quicker to withdraw money from the bank. People also need to skip queues in the banks so they can do banking online which helps the sort transaction quickly and efficiently. Online banking also has disadvantages as there is danger from hacker. You will need to provide your bank details so there is risk of you details transferred. In addition the people in my community can also check their bank detail by internet it can be done 24 hours a day using a computer and internet connection. It can help my community in various ways: * People in my community can pay bills from the comfort of their home or the workplace. * People in my community can also transfer money immediately to high interest accounts. * People in my community can check balances and daily transactions on line. * People in my community can set up direct debits and order stationery on line. * People in my community can get higher interest rates and are available to Internet bankers. * It is easy to shop around on line for the best interest rates and switch funds automatically. * And also in some banks the counter can speak more than one language it benefit my community as some people in my community can’ speak English. There are also many concerns about ATM and the Banks: * Small banks in my community closes or having opening hours reduced * Reductions in staffing at the major banks. * Some customers have worries about security because of possible credit card fraud. How ever there are two new banks which will be opening in the next few months one of the Bank has already opened ICIC. And the other banks is Panjab national it will help my community and the people in my community will benefit a lot because they can send or transfer money to their country quick and reliable. And also some people in my community won’t be able to read English so it will help the Punjabi and Indian people a lot but it will also help other people. How does the technology benefit my community? Modern ATMs provide customers with their bank account balance; they can issue money, print statements and even take cash deposits. Customers are able to use almost any ATM in any bank, supermarket or garage. And in this country it is normally a free service. Customers could get hold of their money without having to queue. This saved the customer’s time; it also saved the bank a huge amount of money since fewer staff was needed. The people in my community can benefit in many different ways as there are many more banks been opened in Southall for e.g. Panjab national it will benefit my community as well as the Panjabi and Indian people benefiting other people from different culture can benefit. Panjab national provide their service to my community in many different language for e.g. Hindi, Panjabi and English The people in Southall can also call the Centres where the Customers could now telephone the centre using either a free number or local cost number and find out information on their accounts without even leaving home. They can also change their bank detail. The people in my community can also access the their bank detail and information by internet they can open their account, check their balance online, move money pay bills and print statements from the comfort for their own homes. Lastly the ATM machines are free to use and most of the ATM machine are free of charge. To what extent does the technology meet my community need Without ATM people in my community will face various problems they won’t be able to send money abroad. People will also need to keep their money in their houses where they might face robbery. Buying house will be hard as people wouldn’t be able to get loan where they will need to pay all the money. ATM’s machine also play a very big role in my community banking as people doesn’t keep all the money in their pockets due to risk of theft so they need the ATM to withdraw money whenever they need. There are various ATM machines in Southall nearly every bank has an ATM in Southall Broadway e.g. HSBC, Abbey National, Barclays, Nat West etc. To some extent it doesn’t meet the needs of my community as some of the people in my community are not educated so they aren’t able to withdraw money they has to go inside the bank and withdraw money which takes time. Another disadvantage is that ATM’s and EFTAPOS provide money and can’t provide advice. Last disadvantage of ATM’s Machines and EFTAPOS is that whoever doesn’t have a bank account that person won’t be able to use these facilities. Possible development of the technology in the future They can improve the ATM machine by storing more cash so it doesn’t run out. In the past years there were frauds where the ATM machine takes your card and doesn’t give it back. They can also improve the ATM machine by having a secure place where people can’t see your Pin number or your bank details. In some places for e.g. Tesco or Sainsbury the can charge you for taking money so it could be free of charge. And the big improvement of ATM machine could be that they can have other language on the screen for e.g. Urdu, Pashto, Farsi, Punjabi, Somalian and Gujarati. They can make the ATM machine safe in the future where the ATM machine won’t need your pin number but it will need scanning of a customer’s fingerprint. Control and Monitoring- CCTV Explanation of the Technology CCTV stands for Close Circuit Television camera it is used for video surveillance. In my community CCTV is used in banks, casinos, shopping centres, streets, airports and now days it is even in the shops etc. Now it isn’t expensive people uses it at home for security. CCTV in Southall is used for security and to decrease crime it is also used as evidence. It is also used in schools which help the school to control behaviour of the students. CCTV is used by police and council to decrease crime and used it as evidence against the criminals. There are different types of CCTV cameras as some of the can turn at the bearing of 3600 and some of them are straight. There are also some cameras that have black glass cover and the people around can see which direction is the camera recording. How CCTV camera works? CCTV cameras in my area are continuously monitored at the Council’s Communications Centre. The Police are informed of suspicious incidents as they arise and can be directed to the exact location by CCTV operators. Since CCTV has been introduce in our community and in the borough, Southall crimes have been decreased for e.g. shoplifting, Pick Pocketing, Possessions of Drugs and unauthorised taking of motor vehicles. The control room for CCTV is in Ealing Town hall they are responsible for round the clock monitoring of over 337 CCTV cameras are fixed and 20 mobile cameras. The cameras can pan, tilt and zoom to record the action, and radio link with police make sure that the cameras are capturing the right footage. How does the technology meet the needs of the community? CCTV is used in various and different places in Southall, some CCTV cameras in my community are located in Southall Broadway and in High Street it control Anti Social Behaviour and some people drive over the speed of the limit it meets my community needs as it makes it easier to stop crime and record what has been happening it is also helps in controlling crime on the streets and shopping centres. It is used in streets to help the police catch crime and use evidence against trouble makers. It is also used in traffic lights which helps the police catch people who passes red lights and charge penalties those against who breaks the law it meets community needs as it decreases crime. CCTV cameras in Southall are able to zoom in and zoom out as it makes it easier and clearer for police and staff in the community to see what is happening. They are also computerised this means that it can record for some days and it can be used as an evidence. CCTV is also meets the needs of the community w hen it comes to use against criminals it helps my community as it produce a clear picture of the place where it is placed. It meets my community needs in a better way because every community needs to be as secured as it can be, in Southall CCTV is used in several places which meet the needs of the people and community as it provide security and records every thing is happening around. It also helps police in the as one of the CCTV cameras are able to rotate at 360 degrees which helps the police check around direct through the camera. Evaluate on the use of ICT – good/bad features (advantages/disadvantage of the technology The introduction of CCTV cameras in my community has been one of the best weapons against crime in the Borough and in this community. It has been proved effective in both cutting and detecting crime and because of this people now feel safer when they’re out and about. CCTV cameras are a big advantage for my community. If my community didn’t have CCTV the crime rate would be high and people will be free to cause trouble in my community. It will be hard for the police to find evidence and use it against the criminals in the court. People also wouldn’t feel safe in shopping centres and also when traveling. CCTV cameras can deal with everything from murder to suicides, rapes and paedophiles, although they are very rare. CCTV cameras in my community are also used in shops and supermarkets which help the customer buy stuff safely and securely and it also helps the shop owner and use CCTV evidence against thieves. The crimes that have been tackled in my community by using CCTV cameras are: * Shoplifting * Pick Pocketing * Possessions of drugs * Assault * Unauthorised taking of motor vehicle * Public order offence CCTV is a tool that saves a lot of time. Aside from the disadvantage of not attending school, youngsters can also get into serious trouble if they hang around unsupervised on the streets. So CCTV is the best technology to catch them. Some teenagers in South all are not scared of CCTV cameras as when they are doing graffiti in bus stop and damaging the environment they don’t stop, they carry on causing more damage. And when someone inform the police the operator attend the call then he tell the police about the incident and then they will deal about the incident so it’s a long process for the police to come and deal with the incident and it also cost a lot of money repairing the damage. How ever if there are more CCTV cameras placed in Southall there will be less police on patrol so it won’t cost the council a lot of money. CCTV cameras can also help my community to catch domestic and trade litterers in the act as the Council tries to get the message of Project Street clean across and those who refuse to pay their fines will end up in court. CCTV cameras are also use in Southall Railway station and it’s safer for the community to travel at night time. If people cause trouble they can call in back-up from officers to stop antisocial behaviour immediately and arrest offenders on the spot. They can also stop people intent on harming themselves. There are suicides on railways Southall station so they can stop people committing suicide. There are many advantages of CCTV cameras but there are also disadvantages CCTV increased the workload of officers. Most of the CCTV cameras in Southall are black and white colour so it doesn’t have a good quality picture. How does the technology benefit my community? CCTV benefit my community if my community doesn’t have CCTV the crime rate would be high and people will be free to cause trouble in the community. People also wouldn’t feel safe in shopping centres and also when travelling. CCTV cameras are also used in shops and supermarkets which help the customer buy stuff safely and securely and it also helps the shop owner and use CCTV evidence against thieves. CCTV cameras are place in various places in Southall most of them are placed in Schools, shopping centres, supermarkets and busy roads. It would benefit the community if they use CCTV on busy roads because some drivers drive over the limit of speed. So it’s easy for the police to catch them. To what extent does the technology meet my community need To some extent CCTV cameras meet my community needs as they can control anti social behaviour and also if they wouldn’t had CCTV cameras so people would be free to cause trouble. To some extent it doesn’t meet my community needs as most of the cameras aren’t very clear and they are placed in one place so it can’t move round as it makes it hard for the police to see around and they will need to place more cameras. Most of the advance cameras are expensive so overall it cost lots of money to install it in the community. And some time it won’t sort out some people who are causing trouble and damaging the environment. As I explained in Page 10 it’s a long period for the police to arrive and deal with the problem. The police won’t be able to catch the people but they can use the evidence of CCTV in the court. Possible development of the technology in the future They can improve the CCTV for the future as in Southall most of the CCTV cameras are black and white colour and have a poor quality so they can replace the old cameras with the latest CCTV cameras. They can have more CCTV cameras in the railways so people don’t commit suicide and already in the past the number of suicide has decreased. Internet – Learn Direct Explanation of the Technology Learn direct is a program run by a company for the people aged over 16. It a service for people who wants to learn online and doesn’t has time to go physically and study. It is also for people who has less education and want to have more education. It also helps people to get educated and have a good future. Learn direct tells people the easier way to achieve what the want in life and help them achieve it. These courses are available for all kinds of people whether they are educated or not. Learn direct have various centres in out community where they provide computer and internet access. Learn direct also covers a range of inter-related services for online learning, advice and guidance. These include: * Learn direct advice service: a government-funded telephone helpline and website providing impartial information, advice and guidance relating to learning opportunities and career development. * Learn direct is online learning service aimed at small to medium-sized enterprises. * A higher education offer aimed at people in work. Deciding what’s best for you depends on factors such as your personal circumstances and what you enjoy doing. If you’re unsure about what you want to do next, we can learn direct can help you. How Learn Direct works? Learn direct can help you in lots of different ways they can help you find a suitable course or you can search their database on Learn Direct website. Learn Direct have database of nearly one million courses from right across the UK, from short courses lasting one day to longer courses lasting a few years. Learn direct courses are a brilliant way to learn. You learn either online through the Internet or by using workbooks and/or CD-ROMs, so you’re free to learn where and when you want, at a pace you choose. You can contact learn Direct on this number 0800 100 900 or email an advisor. How does the technology meet the needs of my community? Learn direct and the courses available meet the needs of the people in my community extremely well because there are courses available for nearly every one. Learn direct meets the needs of my community really well because Learn direct have many branches so there would be no shortage of space for people choosing to do the courses. Another big advantage for the people in my community can be that they can choose their courses online before actually talking to learn direct. There are 900, 000 different courses so there is a course for everyone. Evaluate on the use of ICT – good/bad features (advantages/disadvantage of the technology Learn direct is a great advantage to the whole Southall community because most people in my community and in Southall are unemployed and uneducated. The other advantage people who came to this country new they can get a lot of help from Learn Direct. But since this online system is been introduced the unemployment rate have decreased and the amount of people with futures have been increased. Learn direct is a great advantage because it offers great advantages like: there are many courses available for all people whether employed/ educated or not. Also learn direct is available to everyone and people can use it online. Learn direct courses are broken down into bite-sized chunks, so you can do as little or as much as you like at any time, picking up where you left off. And if you get stuck, help is always at hand. The Advantages of Learn Direct are: * Equips people with the skills they need for employability * Is delivered innovatively through the use of new technologies; * Reaches those people with few or no skills and qualifications who are unlikely to participate in traditional forms of learning. There are some disadvantage of Learn direct in my community as some people in my community doesn’t have computers and don’t have access to the internet so they will need to use the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ so it will cost them quite a lot. Without Learn Direct my community will would have lack of education and uneducated people will still be having problems in the community. Most of the people in my community work and study both, it would be hard for people to go physically to go study centre and it would take more time. How does the technology benefit the community? My community benefits learn direct because there are more uneducated people in my community Learn Direct give advice on phone they give advice on courses and impartial information training, apprenticeships, careers, returning to work, and childcare. They can also advise you on paying for your learning. Any one in my community can get help and advice from Learn Direct it’s also free. Some people can benefit from learn direct a lot as for women they can’t go to college physically because they have kids in the house to look after and in some culture women are not allowed to go to study and college so it will benefit women in my community as they can sit at home and learn. To what extent does the technology meet my community need To some extent it doesn’t meet my community needs as some people who come to this country and they are in this community they really need help and advice and most of them don’t know about Learn direct. Some people in my community don’t know how to use computer so they will need another person to show them. Most of the people in my community also don’t have access to computer so they will have to use library and library is not open all the time. Possible development of the technology in the future They can help my community in the future in different ways. All the staffs in Learn direct speak English so some people in my community might need help and they can’t speak English and read English so the staff should be able to speak more than one or two languages as in our community some people can’t speak English. And also there should be more advertising of Learn direct and in different languages so people can find about it easily. Communication – Information Point Explanation of the Technology Information point are screens based in various places it provide a direct link to the council, free email, BBC news and sport, transport information and job search facility. It is free and every one in my community can use it. Information points provide users with local, national and international news. It also allows the user to use free email facility. It helps the people my community to communicate with other people and it lets them access to internet and search for jobs. How Information Point works? Information points are easy to use the best thing about information point is that it’s touch screen. As you go to the Information Point just follow the instruction on screen. It will tell you all the information about Traffic, News, and your local community it can also help you to look for jobs to the nearest location. How does the technology meet the needs of my community? Information points are located in various places in my community and in Southall Information point in Southall is located in South road opposite the bank. It meets the needs of the community as it makes it easier for people to access to free internet, provide them with latest information and also has link to council. This meets the needs of my community as it makes it easier for the council to contact people and it meets the needs of the people in my community as they can use it at any time and anywhere. If anyone is searching for a job they don’t have to go around and ask they can easily search at an information point. It also meets the need of my community as in council there won’t be too many people having problem so the council won’t need to have a lot of staff and it is also quicker for the staff to solve problems easily. Evaluate on the use of ICT – good/bad features (advantages/disadvantage of the technology Information points also attract more tourists in my community as the tourists are able to find information, events and businesses in my community. Information Points are located in various places in Southall for e.g. it’s located in Southall Broadway Information points are widely used by the people in my community. The content on Information Points can be tailored to suit each client, and ranges from local council, transport and community information to free email and job finding services. Users benefit from the opportunity to access what they need, where and when they need it. The Information Multipoint broadcast screen provides an effective communication tool for councils as they can be used to promote local services to citizens, such as Real-Time Passenger Information for local transport. In addition an Information Point network ensures the most appropriate services to suit the needs of citizens are available, e.g. council, government, transport and local news services. One of the biggest advantages of using Information Point there is not need of IT skills to use Information Point, the information provided is accessible to all. And also some people might don’t know about the Councillor of Ealing they can get information about them and also when they have to elect a new councillor they can vote by using the Information Point. The disadvantage is that some of the information Points in my community not weather-proof and resistant to vandalism. How does the technology benefit my community? It also meet makes it easier for people in Southall to search for a job at anytime as there is more unemployment. It also meets the needs of the community as the council won’t have to employ more staff. In order to provide Outdoor broadband service for everyone in our Community Information point provides network of interactive touch screen internet-based services on-street. They are free and easy to use. As I said above that unemployment rate in Southall is high and it would be hard for people to find jobs and read news and reviews. To what extent does the technology meet my community need To some extents it doesn’t meet the need as there aren’t many around my community so people need to use their nearest information time. Also most of the people don’t know how to use Information points. It is also some time slow and takes time to download the page. And some teenagers do graffiti on information point and damage the point so it gives a bad image to my community. Possible development of the technology in the future Information Point is really useful for my community and it attract tourist. They can improve for the future by keeping clean and in a safe place because people in our community do graffiti and break the glasses. People in my community don’t look after the information point so the grand council may not introduce any more information point in Southall and other places. Data Capture – Bar Code Scanner Explanation of the Technology Bar Code scanner is specialized for reading bar codes. Bar Code readers are used in various places in my community for example, supermarkets, leisure centres, community centres and local shops. It allows people to buy stuff from supermarkets easily and also they get receipt. How Bar Code scanner works? A barcode reader is a computer peripheral for reading barcodes printed on various surfaces. Bar code scanner is like a flatbed scanner, it generally consists of a light source, a lens and a photo. Additionally, nearly all barcode readers currently produced contain decoder bar code scanner send the information to the computer and it prints the receipt. As I have show a picture of a Bar code scanner on the left they cashier scans the product and the scanner send all the information to the computer. How does the technology meet the needs of my community? Bar code Scanner meets the needs of my community as it convenient for the people of my community. It also helps as cashier can’t cheat with their customers as they can’t charge people higher price which all computerised and all the cashier has to do is to scan it and the customer will receive the receipt which say the price. Evaluate on the use of ICT – good/bad features (advantages/disadvantage of the technology Bar Code scanner is used in various places in my community it is mostly used in Supermarkets, leisure centres and the big stores like Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda. It is used for various purposes e.g. in leisure centres they have provided their customers a membership card which has bar code scanner and when it is scanned all the information comes up on the screen with the picture of the person which helps them to identify the person, in supermarkets it used for products as every product has bar code which is brought to the cashier and it calculates the total price and it also prints out a receipt. Bar code Scanner is also used in the local library in my community it helps the librarian to find all the details about the students and the information about the books. It is used by every single person in my community. It meets the needs of the community as it makes it easier for people to buy stuff efficiently and quick it also gives them a prove (receipt) which is then used to refund stuff which damaged. There are also some disadvantages of Bar code scanner Bar code scanner is when it’s scan a bar code, the cursor has to be in the correct input data field, and in the correct application otherwise the bar code data will end up in whatever application that is active. This can cause all sorts of problems. Bar code scanner is also more complicated to use as it is hard for new cashier to use and it give the wrong detail to the person who purchase the product and it can cause a lot of problem to the cashier and also to the buyer. So in my community all the people employees have to be familiar with using the bar code scanner. How does the technology benefit my community Bar code scanner benefit my community in many different ways it benefit my community as it makes it easier for people to buy stuff efficiently and quick it gives them a prove which is then used to exchange or refund the stuff which is damage. To what extent does the technology meet my community need To some extents it doesn’t meet the needs of my community as it is not available in all the shops and the shops can also charge people high prices. Possible development of the technology in the future They can improve the Barcode in different ways some shop’s in Southall and in my community doesn’t have Bar code scanner, some of do but it’s not the latest technology. There are many different type of Bar code scanner for e.g. Laser Barcode Scanners This is the most popular bar code scanner. A laser bar code scanner need not be close to or touch the bar code to do its job. A standard range laser bar code scanner can read a bar code from about 6 to 24 inches away, and a long range scanner can read bar code from about 2 to 8 feet away. An extra long-range scanner can read a bar code 30 feet away. Laser barcode scanners vary in price from $200 to $2,000 and come in a variety of models. Future Developments ICT needs to be improved for the new generation. It is hard to cope with the old technology for the new generation. For example community will need more telephone boxes on the streets they will also need to improve the facility for example some of them has the e-mail and news facility. Learn Direct will also need to improve as in the past the population of the community was less now it increased so they need to provide more centres and also more courses to give a wide choice. Community will also need to put more CCTV cameras on the streets as the crime rate increased and to put better quality cameras. My community also need to improve the transport it takes normally about 15 to 30 minutes for a bus to come. To meet the needs of the community in the future the technologies needs to be updated and improved so it will meet the community needs in a better way. Overall Evaluation ICT is a big help to Southall and my community ICT made several changes as in the past most of the organisation had problems dealing with task now with the help of ICT everything is done in less time and with less loss of energy. ICT meets the needs of my community as unemployment rate is high with the help of ICT it provided jobs and decreased the unemployment rate. It also helps uneducated they can learn on learn direct. ICT also provide security for my community as now the crime rate is low as more criminals are caught on CCTV and charged, people can report crimes online which saves time by going to the police station and getting a report written. Lastly with the help of ICT a person who can’t afford to buy computer or use internet cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ they are provided with information points which lets them send free emails and has information. Overall without ICT people in our community would have problems and small tasks would take them long time.