Botswana †From Ancient Times to Current Democracy

Botswana – From Ancient Times to Current Democracy The Republic of Botswana in southern Africa was once a British protectorate but now is an independent country with a stable democracy. It is also an economic success story, rising from its status as one of the poorest countries of the world to the middle-income level, with sound financial institutions and plans to reinvest its natural resource income. Botswana  is a landlocked country dominated by the Kalahari Desert and flatlands, rich in diamonds and other minerals. Early History and People Botswana has been inhabited by humans since the dawn of modern humans about 100,000 years ago. The San and Khoi peoples were the original inhabitants of this area and South Africa. They lived as hunter-gatherers and spoke Khoisan languages, noted for their click consonants. Migrations of People into Botswana The Great Zimbabwe empire extended into eastern Botswana a thousand years ago, and more groups migrated into the Transvaal. The areas major ethnic group is the Batswana who were herders and farmers living in tribal groups. There were larger migrations into Botswana of these people from South Africa during the Zulu wars of the early 1800s. The group traded ivory and skins with the Europeans in exchange for guns and were Christianized by missionaries. British Establish the Bechuanaland Protectorate Dutch Boer settlers entered Botswana from the Transvaal, sparking hostilities with the Batswana. The leaders of the Batswana sought assistance from the British. As a result, the Bechuanaland Protectorate was established on March 31, 1885, including modern Botswana and parts of present-day South Africa. Pressure to Join the Union of South Africa The inhabitants of the protectorate did not want to be included in the proposed Union of South Africa when it was formed in 1910. They were successful in staving it off, but South Africa continued to pressure the UK to incorporate Bechuanaland, Basutoland, and Swaziland into South Africa. Separate advisory councils of Africans and Europeans were established in the protectorate and the tribal rule and powers were further developed and regularized. Meanwhile, South Africa elected a nationalist government and established apartheid. A European-African advisory council was formed in 1951, and a consultative legislative council was established by a  constitution in 1961. In that year, South Africa withdrew from the British Commonwealth. Botswana Independence and Democratic Stability Independence was secured peacefully by Botswana in June  1964. They established a constitution in 1965 and held general elections to finalize independence in 1966. The first president was Seretse Khama, who was the grandson of King Khama III of the Bamangwato people and a prominent figure in the movement for independence. He was trained in law in Britain and married to a white British woman. He served three terms and died in office in 1980. His vice president, Ketumile Masire, likewise was reelected several times, followed by Festus Mogae and then Khamas son, Ian Khama. Botswana continues to have a stable democracy. Challenges for the Future Botswana is home to the worlds largest diamond mine and its leaders are wary of over-dependence on a single industry. Their economic growth has raised them into the middle-income bracket, although there is still high unemployment and socioeconomic stratification. A significant challenge is the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with a prevalence estimated at over 20 percent in adults, the third highest in the world.​Source: US Department of State Background Notes

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift Review

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift Review There are few great satirists who manage to judge their work so finely that it can be considered both a rip-roaring, fantastical adventure story suitable for children and adults alike, as well as a searing attack on the nature of society. In his Gullivers Travels, Jonathon Swift has done precisely that and has bestowed upon us one of the great works of English literature in the process. A tale recognized far more widely than it is read, the story of Gullivera traveler who is, in turns, a giant, a tiny figure, a king and an idiotis both excellent fun, as well as thoughtful, witty and wise. The First Voyage The travels that are referenced in Swifts title are four in number and always begin with an unfortunate incident that leaves Gulliver shipwrecked, abandoned, or otherwise lost at sea. On his first misadventure, he is washed up on the shores of Lilliput and awakes to find himself tied down by a hundred tiny threads. He soon realizes that he is a captive in a land of tiny people; compared to them, he is a giant. The people soon put Gulliver to workfirst of a manual kind, then in a war with neighboring people over the way that eggs should be properly cracked. The people turn against him when Gulliver puts out a fire in the palace by urinating on it. The Second Gulliver manages to return home, but he soon wishes to get out into the world again. This time, he finds himself in a land where he is tiny compared to the giants who live there. After numerous close encounters with the large animals that populate the land, and achieving some fame for his tiny size, he escapes Brobdingnaga place he disliked because of the boorishness of its peoplewhen a bird picks up the cage in which he resides and drops it into the sea. The Third On his third voyage, Gulliver pass through a number of lands, including one whose people literally have their head in the clouds. Their land floats above the normal Earth. These people are refined intellectuals who spend their time in esoteric and entirely pointless pursuits while others live belowas slaves. The Fourth Gullivers final voyage takes him to a near utopia. He finds himself in a land of talking horses, called the Houyhnhnms, who rule over a world of brutish humans, called Yahoos. The society is beautifulwithout violence, pettiness or greed. All the horses live together in a cohesive social unit. Gulliver feels that he is a stupid outsider. The Houyhnhnms cannot accept him because of his human form, and he escapes in a canoe. When he returns home, he is upset by the sordid nature of the human world and wishes he were back with the more enlightened horses that he left. Beyond the Adventure Brilliant and insightful, Gullivers Travels, is not simply a fun adventure story. Rather, each of the worlds that Gulliver visits exhibits the features of the world in which Swift livedoften delivered in a caricatured, inflated form that is the stock in trade of a satirist. Courtiers are given influence with a king dependent on how well they are at jumping through hoops: a sideswipe at politics. Thinkers have their head in the clouds while others suffer: a representation of intellectuals of Swifts time. And then, most tellingly, humanitys self-regard is punctured when we are portrayed as the beastly and incoherent Yahoos. Gullivers brand of misanthropy is aimed at the lampooning and improvement of society through a form that is far removed from any kind of serious political or social tract. Swift has a deft eye for an excellent image, and a uproarious, often bawdy sense of humor. In writing Gullivers Travels, he has created a legend which endures up to our times and beyond.

Negalance in Childcare Regulation Research Paper - 1

Negalance in Childcare Regulation - Research Paper Example The paper tells that the basic responsibilities of a childcare company include assistance in the construction of a classroom environment which is helpful to learning and suitable to the physical, social, and emotional development of children with an emphasis on language development and emergent literacy skills. Children are most sensitive and most intuitive ingredient of our society so major precautions should be taken in their teaching and training, so the companies should perform duties as planned under the leadership of the Early Childhood Specialists. Likewise, child care companies also assist in the screening and preparation of children to let them fully participate in program services. To ensure the best security, they have to implement the curriculum that is planned by the Early Childhood Specialist which has to be based on scientifically based reading research. Interaction with the children in a way which conveys respect and nurturing is also necessary. It will be the child c are provider’s responsibility to play with children; this will often mean getting down on the floor to interact with them. They will provide activities and opportunities that encourage inquisitiveness, exploration, and problem-solving appropriate to the development levels of the children. This is an essential part of the training and overall development phase. To guarantee the best development of the adored children, they assist in the selection of books, equipment and other instructional materials suitable for the early childhood program. As all know that health is wealth, they emphasize significantly on the personal hygiene of each child in their care. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a unit which has been set up within the Labor Department. This unit was established with a goal to provide safe and healthy working environment to the working class in the nation.

Lay investiture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lay investiture - Research Paper Example Kings had taken some duties and trappings entitled to priests while some priests and bishops governed as feudal lords. The church lacked the governing power because the pope did not have coercive power to implement ecclesiastical policies. As such, it was necessary to employ the secular arm that was willing to implement the will of papacy. The monarchies saw the new action of papacy as usurping their power and as a result, conflicts emerged (De-La-Noy 1993, 72). During the time when Norman rule was established in England, there was a great need for change in the relationship between secular and church authorities. Gregorian reforms, which favored a central authority of Rome when dealing with local churches in Europe, were not fully accepted by Western Europe’s kings and monarchies. There was an increase in the effectiveness and scale of papal influence in local churches. At the same time, the powerful government established by Norman monarchy in England often opposed the influ ence and intervention of the pope in the affairs of local churches. As such, papal intervention and interference by the monarchy in the affairs of local churches led to investiture conflicts. ... After the death of William in 1100, Anselm returned to England after being invited by a newly installed King Henry 1. Anselm supported Henry’s rise to the throne against a protracted conflict with his brother, Robert. However, due to respect for papal decree, Anselm declined to support Henry’s demand to honor him and obey his commands. In addition, Anselm rejected to consecrate bishops that the king wanted. Henry did not want to quarrel with him while at the same time, he did not want to compromise the monarchy’s rights to homage and investiture (De-La-Noy 1993, 74). Despite mutual respect between Henry and Anselm, there was a direct conflict between them. Henry, who was not as violent as his predecessor Rufus, was resolute. He summoned Anselm and insisted that he pay homage by consecrating the bishop and priests that he had proposed, or he would leave the country. Anselm did not take any of the two options offered by Henry because he had deep conviction that he had to respect the pope, and it was his personal decision to either accept or decline the king’s demands. The conflict compelled the two to send emissaries to Rome in order to negotiate ways of solving their conflict. Pope Pascal II answered back by praising the king’s faithfulness on the matter but maintained his predecessor’s stand that forbade investiture and homage (Wilhelm 1990, 44). After a series of negotiations conducted by the king’s emissaries and the pope, there was some compromise in which Henry was allowed to invest in some bishop, but the 1102 letter by Pope Paschal II did not touch on homage but criticized investiture fervently. The Roman Council, which was attended by

Oscar Hammerstein II †Lyricist, Writer, Producer, Director Essay Example for Free

Oscar Hammerstein II – Lyricist, Writer, Producer, Director Essay Oscar Hammerstein II was born July 12, 1895 in New York, New York. He died August 23, 1960 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania of stomach cancer. His given name was Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein. When he entered the theatre profession, he dropped his middle names and adopted the â€Å"II† from the grandfather for which he was named. His grandfather was a theatre builder and opera company producer. By titling himself â€Å"II† he capitalized on his grandfather’s success; the name recognition alone was a career builder. Hammerstein was always interested in the theatre. His father, although a theatrical producer himself, did not want his son to go into the â€Å"family business†. He made him promise â€Å"never to do anything as foolish as to consider making the theatre your livelihood. Become a lawyer. You’d be great at it and it’s also one of the more secure professions I know of.† â€Å"Getting to Know Him – Biography of Oscar Hammerstein II† Hugh Fordin As per his father’s wish, Hammerstein entered Columbia University as an English major. He was an honor student and was involved in many extra-curricular activities; one of which was the Varsity Show. This was where Hammerstein met Larry Hart and the man with whom he would later collaborate, Richard Rodgers. At the time of the initial meeting, Rodgers was only a fourteen year old boy whose older brother Morty was a member of Hammerstein’s fraternity. Although his father had passed away, Hammerstein felt compelled to honor his father’s wishes and entered Columbia law school. He finished his Bachelor’s degree during his first year of law school. During his second year of law school, Hammerstein was so disenchanted with the law he asked his uncle Arthur, a successful producer of musical comedies, for a job. He was hired as an assistant stage manager. After witnessing his nephew’s theatrical ability, Uncle Arthur hired him as a permanent member of the staff. Soon after having been hired by his uncle, he began an apprenticeship with Otto Harbach. What began as an apprenticeship turned into a twenty year collaboration and produced Hammerstein’s first Broadway success Always You. Over the course of his career Hammerstein would collaborate with many different composers notably, Jerome Kern, Vincent Youmans, Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg. Hammerstein’s most successful collaboration would be with the man he had met during his varsity show days at Columbia University, Richard Rodgers. The collaboration with Richard Rodgers began in the early 1940’s with their adaptation of the play Green Grow the Lilacs. This became Oklahoma! and changed Broadway forever. Oklahoma! revolutionized the Broadway theater by integrating the music and book. Previously only Show Boat and Pal Joey, respectively a Hammerstein and a Rodgers production, had used songs to further the story along. Oklahoma! not only used the songs as an integral part of the story but it also incorporated American ballet. The opening was different – only one person on stage with an offstage voice singing as the curtain opened. The female chorus didn’t appear until 45 minutes into the play. The â€Å"chorus† girls where covered in period dress. There were no â€Å"star vehicle† numbers. No song in this musical play was written to become a popular hit. Oklahoma! changed the American musical theatre and gave Hammerstein, who had been battling a career slump, a new burst of energy for the most successful period of his career.

Exploring Historical Causation :: World History

Exploring Historical Causation There is a large number of theories about what causes historical events to happen. And without doubt there are in fact many different kinds of causes. It seems to me that the danger lies in espousing any one particular type of cause to the exclusion of all others, for there can be few, if any, events of which it can truly be said that they had but one single cause. It will however be interesting to see whether we can find any common thread running through or underlying some of these theories. Let me clear one bit of undergrowth before going further. Many of the views and arguments about historical causation bear a strong resemblance to arguments about free will and determinism. It is not possible totally to isolate a discussion of historical causes from this wider question, but it will be helpful if we concentrate our minds on the matter of likely or demonstrable reasons why certain things happened, and as far as we are able, avoid a tendency to collapse the argument back into any views we may hold on determinism. In offering this warning, I am encouraged by E H Carr's comment that arguments about accident in history are not to be confused with arguments about determinism. What then have historians and philosophers of history thought were the factors in historical causation? There are the big ideas of history, which we might call Great Causes. The list is long. There is the Will of God; the cyclical nature of history; the iterative Hegelian process by which Man moves progressively towards the ideal state of liberty and self-awareness; similar ideas in Eastern philosophy; the Marxist economic variant of Hegel's ideas; the everlasting law of the Stoics; Adam Smith's "invisible hand"; blind Darwinian evolution; Montesquieu's belief that history is the result of geography and climate. And there is chaos theory; while this is in large measure about endless random happenings, they are nonetheless supposed to be contained within some overall scheme. The flap of a butterfly's wings may result in a hurricane a week later, but according to the theory, that is to be seen as a random event which triggers off something taking place within this wider context. It is not difficult to ridicule rigid interpretations of Great Causes, and Bertrand Russell memorably did so when he traced the cause of industrialism back by way of Galileo and Copernicus, of the Renaissance, the fall of Constantinople and the migration of the Turks, to the dessication of Central Asia.

Big Data Architecture, Goals and Challenges

Big Data Architecture, Goals and Challenges Coupons Jose Christianity Dakota State University Abstract Big Data inspired data analysis is matured from proof of concept projects to an influential tool for decision makers to make informed decisions. More and more organizations are utilizing their internally and externally available data with more complex analysis techniques to derive meaningful insights. This paper addresses some of the architectural goals and challenges for Big Data architecture in a typical organization.Overview In this fast paced information age, there are many different sources on corporate outworks and internet is collecting massive amounts of data, but there is a significant difference in this data compared to the conventional data, much of this data is semi- structured or unstructured and not residing in conventional databases. â€Å"Big data† is essentially a huge data set that scales to multiple potables of capacity; it can be created, collected, collab orated, and stored in real-time or any other way. However, the challenge with big data is that it is not easily handled using traditional database management tools.It typically consists of unstructured data, which includes text, audio and video files, photographs and other data (Kavas, 2012). The aim of this paper is to examine the concepts associated with the big data architecture, as well as how to handle, process, and effectively utilize big data internally and externally to obtain meaningful and actionable insights. How Big Data is Different? Big data is the latest buzzword in the tech industry, but what exactly makes it different from traditional Bal or data analysis?According to MIT Sloan Management Review, big data is described as â€Å"data that is either too voluminous or too unstructured to be managed and analyzed through traditional meaner† (Davenport, Thomas, Berth, & Bean, 2012). Big data is unlike conventional mathematical intelligence, where a simple sum of a k nown value yields a result, such as order sales becoming year-to-date sales. With big data, the value is discovered through a complex, refined modeling process as follows: make a hypothesis, create statistical models, validate, and then make a new hypothesis (Oracle, 2012).Additionally, data sources are another challenging and differentiating factor within big data analytics. Conventional, structured data sources like relational databases, spreadsheets, and yogis are further extended into social media applications (tweets, blobs, Faceable, linked posts, etc. ), web logs, sensors, RIFF tags, photos/videos, information-sensing mobile devices, geographical location information, and other documents. In addition to the unstructured data problem, there are other notable complexities for big data architecture.First, due to sheer volume, the present system cannot move raw data directly to a data warehouse. Whereas, processing systems such as Unprepared, can further refine information by mov ing it to data warehouse environment, where invitational and familiar Bal reporting, statistical, semantic, and correlation applications can effectively implemented. Traditional data flow in Business Intelligence Systems can depict like this, (Oracle. (2012). An Oracle white paper in enterprise architecture) Architectural Goals The preeminent goal of architecture big data solutions is to create reliable, scalable and capable infrastructure.At the same time, the analytics, algorithms, tools and user interfaces will need to facilitate interactions with users, specifically those in executive-level. Enterprise architecture should ensure that the business objectives remain clear throughout big data technology implementation. It is all about the effective utilization of big data, rather than big architecture. Traditional IT architecture is accustomed to having applications within its own space and performs tasks without exposing internal data to the outside world.Big data on other hand, w ill consider any possible piece of information from any other application to be instated for analysis. This is aligned with big data's overall philosophy: the more data, the better. Big Data Architecture Big data architecture is similar to any other architecture that originates or has a inundation from a reference architecture. Understanding the complex hierarchal structure of reference architecture provides a good background for understanding big data and how it complements existing analytics, 81, databases and other systems.Organizations usually start with a subset of existing reference architecture and carefully evaluate each and every component. Each component may require modifications or alternative solutions based on the particular data set or enterprise environment. Moreover, a successful big data architecture will include many open- source software components; however, this may present challenges for typical enterprise architecture, where specialized licensed software system s are typically used.To further examine big data's overall architecture, it is important to note that the data being captured is unpredictable and continuously changing. Underlying architecture should be capable enough to handle this dynamic nature. Big data architecture is inefficient when it is not being integrated with existing enterprise data; the same way an analysis cannot be completed until big data correlates it with other structured and enterprise-De data. One of the primary obstacles observed in a Hoodoo adoption f enterprise is the lack of integration with an existing Bal echo-system.Presently, the traditional Bal and big data ecosystems are separate entities and both using different technologies and ecosystems. As a result, the integrated data analyses are not effective to a typical business user or executive. As you can see that how the data architecture mentioned in the traditional systems is different from big data. Big data architectures taking advantage of many inpu ts compared to traditional systems. (Oracle. (2012). An Oracle white paper in enterprise architecture) Architectural Cornerstones Source In big data systems, data can come from heterogeneous data sources.Typical data stores (SQL or Nouns) can give structured data. Any other enterprise or outside data coming through different application Apish can be semi-structured or unstructured. Storage The main organizational challenge in big data architecture is data storage: how and where the data can be stored. There is no one particular place for storage; a few options that currently available are HATS, Relation databases, Nouns databases, and In-memory databases. Processing Map-Reduce, the De facto standard in big data analysis for processing data, is one of any available options.Architecture should consider other viable options that are available in the market, such as in-memory analytics. Data Integration Big data generates a vast amount of data by combining both structured and unstructur ed data from variety of sources (either real-time or incremental loading). Likewise, big data architecture should be capable of integrating various applications within the big data infrastructure. Various Hoodoo tools (Scoop, Flume, etc. ) mitigates this problem, to some extent. Analysis Incorporating various analytical, algorithmic applications will effectively process this cast amount of data.Big data architecture should be capable to incorporate any type of analysis for business intelligence requirements. However, different types of analyses require varying types of data formats and requirements. Architectural Challenges Proliferation of Tools The market has bombarded with array of new tools designed to effectively and seamlessly organize big data. They include open source platforms such as Hoodoo. But most importantly, relational databases have also been transformed: New products have increased query performance by a factor of 1,000 and are capable of managing a wide variety of big data sources.Likewise, statistical analysis packages are also evolving to work with these new data platforms, data types, and algorithms. Cloud-friendly Architecture Although not yet broadly adopted in large corporations, cloud-based computing is well-suited to work with big data. This will break the existing IT policies, enterprise data will move from its existing premise to third-party elastic clouds. However, there are expected to be challenges, such as educating management about the consequences and realities associated with this type of data movement. Nonparametric DataTraditional systems only consider the data unique to its own system; public data never becomes a source for traditional analytics. This paradigm is changing, though. Many big data applications use external information that is not proprietary, such as social network modeling and sentiment analysis. Massive Storage Requirements Moreover, big data analytics are dependent on extensive storage capacity and process ing power, requiring a flexible and scalable infrastructure that can be reconfigured for different needs. Even though Hoodoo-based systems work well with commodity hardware, there is huge investment involved on the part of management.Data Forms Traditional systems have typically enjoyed their intrinsic data within their own vicinity; meaning that all intrinsic data is moved in a specified format to data warehouse for further analysis. However, this will not be the case with big data. Each application and service data will stay in its associated format according to what the specific application requires, as opposed to the preferred format of the data analysis application. This will leave the data in its original format and allow data scientists to share existing data without unnecessarily replicating it.Privacy Without a doubt, privacy is a big concern with big data. Consumers, for example, often want to know what data an organization collects. Big data is making it more challenging to have secrets and conceal information. Because of this, there are expected to be privacy concerns and conflicts with its users. Alternative Approaches Hybrid Big Data Architecture As explained earlier, traditional Bal tools and infrastructure will seamlessly integrate with the new set of tools and technologies brought by a Hoodoo ecosystem.It is expected that both systems can mutually work together. To further illustrate this incept, the detailed chart below provides an effective analysis (Arden, 2012): Relational Database, Data Warehouse Enterprises reporting of internal and external information for a broad cross section of stakeholders, both inside and beyond the firewall with extensive security, load balancing, dynamic workload management, and scalability to hundreds of terabytes. Hoodoo Capturing large amounts of data in native format (without schema) for storage and staging for analysis.Batch processing is primarily reserved for data transformations as well as the investigati on of novel, internal and external (though mostly external) ATA via data scientists that are skilled in programming, analytical methods, and data management with sufficient domain expertise to accordingly communicate the findings. Hybrid System, SQL-Unprepared Deep data discovery and investigative analytics via data scientists and business users with SQL skills, integrating typical enterprise data with novel, multi-structured data from web logs, sensors, social networks, etc. (Arden, N. (2012).Big data analytics architecture) In-memory Analytics In-memory analytics, as its name suggests, performs all analysis in memory without enlisting much of its secondary memory, and is a relatively familiar concept. Procuring the advantages of RAM speed has been around for many years. Only recently; however, has this notion become a practical reality when the mainstream adoption of 64-bit architectures enabled a larger, more addressable memory space. Also noteworthy, were the rapid decline in me mory prices. As a result, it is now very realistic to analyze extremely large data sets entirely in-memory.The Benefits of In-memory Analytics One of the best incentives for in-memory analytics are the dramatic performance improvements. Users are constantly querying and interacting with data in-memory, which is significantly faster than accessing data from disk. Therefore, achieving real- time business intelligence presents many challenges; one of the main hurdles to overcome is slow query performance due to limitations of traditional Bal infrastructure, and in-memory analytics has the capacity to mitigate these limitations.An additional incentive of in-memory analytics is that it is a cost effective alternative to data warehouses. SMB companies that lack the expertise and resources to build n appropriate data warehouse can take advantage of the in-memory approach, which provides a sustainable ability to analyze very large data sets (Yellowing, 2010). Conclusion Hoodoo Challenges Ho odoo may replace some of the analytic environment such as data integration and TTL in some cases, but Hoodoo does not replace relational databases.Hoodoo is a poor choice when the work can be done with SQL and through the capabilities of a relational database. But when there is no existing schema or mapping for the data source into the existing schema, as well as very large volumes of unstructured or MME-structured data, then Hoodoo is the obvious choice. Moreover, a hybrid, relational database system that offers all the advantages of a relational database, but is also able to process Unprepared requests would appear to be ideal.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Achievements: Played a leading role in Indian freedom struggle; became Parliamentary Secretary of Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant, the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh; became the Minister of Police and Transport in Pant's Cabinet; appointed as the Railways and Transport Minister in the Central Cabinet; also held the portfolios of Transport & Communications, Commerce and Industry, and Home Ministry in the Central cabinet; became Prime Minister of India in 1964; led India to victory over Pakistan in 1965 war. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of independent India. Though diminutive in physical stature he was a man of great courage and will. He successfully led country during the 1965 war with Pakistan. To mobilize the support of country during the war he coined the slogan of â€Å"Jai Jawan Jai Kisan†. Lal Bahadur Sastri also played a key role in India's freedom struggle. He led his life with great simplicity and honesty and was a great source of inspiration for all the countrymen. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 at Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh. His parents were Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi. Lal Bahadur's surname was Srivastava but he dropped it as he did not want to indicate his caste. Lal Bahadur's father was a school teacher and later on he became a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad. Though Sharada Prasad was poor, he lived a life of honesty and integrity. Lal Bahadur lost his father when he was only one. Ramdulari Devi raised Lal Bahadur and her two daughters at her father's house. There is a very famous incident regarding Lal Bahadur Shastri's childhood which took place when he was six years old. One day, while returning from school, Lal Bahadur and his friends went to an orchard that was on the way to home. Lal Bahadur Shastri was standing below while his friends climbed the trees to pluck mangoes. Meanwhile, the gardener came and caught hold of Lalbahadur Shastri. He scolded Lal Bahadur Shastri and started beating him. Lal Bahadur Shastri pleaded to gardener to leave him as he was orphan. Taking pity on Lal Bahadur, the gardener said, â€Å"Because you are an orphan, it is all the more important that you must learn better behavior.† These words left a deep imprint on Lal Bahadur Shastri and he swore to behave better in the future. Lal Bahadur stayed at his grandfather's house till he was ten. By that time he had passed the sixth standard examination. He went to Varanasi for higher education. In 1921 when Mahatma Gandhi launched the non-cooperation movement against British Government, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was only seventeen years old. When Mahatma Gandhi gave a call to the youth to come out of Government schools and colleges, offices and courts and to sacrifice everything for the sake of freedom, Lal Bahadur came out of his school. Though his mother and relatives advised him not to do so, he was firm in his decision. Lal Bahadur was arrested during the Non-cooperation movement but as he was too young he was let off. After his release Lal Bahadur joined Kashi Vidya Peeth and for four years he studied philosophy. In 1926, Lal Bahadur earned the degree of â€Å"Shastri† After leaving Kashi Vidya Peeth, Lal Bahadur Shastri joined â€Å"The Servants of the People Society†, which Lala Lajpat Rai had started in 1921. The aim of the Society was to train youths that were prepared to dedicate their lives in the service of the country. In 1927, Lal Bahadur Shastri married Lalitha Devi. The marriage ceremony was very simple and Shastriji took only a charkha (spinning wheel) and few yards of Khadi in dowry. In 1930, Gandhiji gave the call for Civil Disobedience Movement. Lal Bahadur Shastri joined the movement and encouraged people not to pay land revenue and taxes to the government. He was arrested and put in jail for two and a half years. In jail Shastriji became familiar with the works of western philosophers, revolutionaries and social reformers. Lal Bahadur Shastri had great self respect. Once when he was in prison, one of his daughters fell seriously ill. The officers agreed to release him out for a short time but on condition that he should agree in writing not to take part in the freedom ‘movement during this period. Lal Bahadur did not wish to participate in the freedom movement during his temporary release from prison; but he said that he would not give it in writing. He thought that it was against his self-respect to give it in writing. After Second World War started in 1939, Congress launched â€Å"Individual Satyagraha† in 1940 to demand freedom. Lal Bahadur Shastri was arrested during Individual Satyagraha and released after one year. On August 8, 1942, Gandhiji gave the call for Quit India Movement. Lal Bahadur actively participated in the movement. He went underground but was later arrested. Lal Bahadur Shastri was released in 1945 along with other major leaders. He earned the praise of Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant by his hard work during the 1946 provincial elections. Lal Bahadur's administrative ability and organization skills came to the fore during this time. When Govind Vallabh Pant became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he appointed Lal Bahadur Shastri as his Parliamentary Secretary. In 1947, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Minister of Police and Transport in Pant's Cabinet. Lal Bahadur Sastri was the General Secretary of the Congress Party when the first general elections were held after India became Republic. Congress Party returned to power with a huge majority. In 1952, Jawahar Lal Nehru appointed Lal Bahadur Shastri as the Railways and Transport Minister in the Central Cabinet. Lal Bahadur Shastri's contribution in providing more facilities to travelers in third class compartments cannot be forgotten. He reduced the vast disparity between the first class and third class in the Railways. Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned from Railways in 1956, owning moral responsibility for a railway accident. Jawaharlal Nehru tried to persuade Shastriji but Lal Bahadur Shastri refused to budge from his stand. By his action Lal Bahadur Shastri set new standards of morality in public life. In the next general elections when Congress returned to power, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Minister for Transport and Communications and later the Minister for Commerce and Industry. He became the Home Minister in 1961, after the death of Govind Vallabh Pant. In the 1962 India-China war Shastriji played a key role in maintaining internal security of the country.

Reasons for excluding home grown brands from a balance sheet The WritePass Journal

Reasons for excluding home grown brands from a balance sheet Reasons for excluding home grown brands from a balance sheet It is likely that assets are considered as crucially important aspects of an entity that stakeholders pay attention to when looking at a balance sheet. International Accounting Standard Board has defined asset as â€Å"resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity† (IASB 1989, para.49a). However, there are a number of items that satisfy this definition but cannot appear on a balance sheet. One of them is the internally generated brand one type of intangible assets which has been a controversial topic in accounting context. This paper will particularly evaluate the reasons why this type of brand is excluded from a balance sheet and propose an argument for its conclusion. Adherence to accounting conventions, such as historic cost convention and money measurement concept, home-grown brands should not be recorded in a balance sheet. According to Atrill and McLaney (2008), the historic cost convention means that the acquisition cost or historic cost should be used to record assets on the balance sheet. Furthermore, in accordance to money measurement concept, only if the value of assets can be measured with reliability, they can have a place on a balance sheet (Marriott et al., 2002). IASB has issued a standard reflecting these conventions: â€Å"an asset is recognised in the balance sheet when: it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the entity and the asset has cost or value that can be measured reliably† (IASB 1989, para.89). According to Weetman (2006), internally developed brands do not satisfy these recognition requirements. The main reason is that it is impossible to obtain the fair value or cost of them. Furthermore, v alues of these assets are subject to fluctuation due to both internal and external circumstances, for example, only because of a rumour about the quality of products, brand name reputation of the company could be considerably affected. Experts in brand valuation might argue it is possible to obtain a reliable value of brand by a number of complex methods. However, Roslender and Hart (2006) insist that due to the problems in recognising the values at which brands could be included amongst assets of a business, the task of valuing brands has proved a â€Å"problematic exercise† (p. 230). Similarly, Collier and Agyei-Ampomah (2008) explain that it is infeasible to differentiate the cost of them between the expenditure of developing the businesses as a whole. Furthermore, Seetharaman et al. (2001) claim the differences between brands and other intangible assets such as goodwill or trademark are often confused. This problem leads to further difficulties when deciding how to value and include them in a balance sheet. Nonetheless, there are a number of justifications for reporting internally generated brand on a balance sheet. One of the reasons is that it is probably one of the most important and valuable assets of an entity (Lunt, 2008), therefore it should be recorded to inform stakeholders. According to   Motameni and Shahrokhi (1998), brands are crucial for entities due to the fact that they guarantee customer loyalty which resulting in steady demands and future cash flows. In addition, with a successful brand, it could be easier for a company to attract the promotional investment overtime. For these reasons, the authors argue that brands are considered as the â€Å"primary capital† for many companies (p. 286). An example is the famous brand â€Å"Coca Cola†. Anil (2007) points out that its brand value was around $67.4 billion in 2004, equaling to approximately 63 percent of market capitalization of the whole company (about $106.5 billion). According to accounting convention of material, financial statement should include information that can influence the decision-making (Needles et al., 2007). Such notable and valuable assets like brand, therefore, should be recorded. Moreover, Tollington   (2000) insists it is likely that the absence of home-grown intangible assets, such as internally created brands, is one of the reasons making the management be poorly informed. Another reason is that accounting is often vulnerable to be accused of being inconsistent because accountants do not record internally-developed brands whilst recording purchased ones (Tollington, 1998). This problem could contribute to â€Å"an incomplete view of the balance sheet† (p. 181). He argues that the accounting transaction based recognition procedure of assets is â€Å"largely inappropriate† for recognising home-grown brands because basically, purchased brands and non-purchased brands are the same, they are capable of generating wealth for businesses (p. 181). This argument is further explained in his later article in 2000. Tollington (2000) also conducted a survey which includes interviewing 294 accountants across the UK. In this study, the questionnaire result reveals the accountants’ awareness of their failure to recognise and capitalise many home grown intangible assets such as internally developed brands. The â€Å"inconsistency† of record ing purchased brands whilst excluding non-purchased ones is also â€Å"readily acknowledged† by almost three fourths of interviewees agreeing that home-grown brands are â€Å"assets irrespective of whether they arose from a transaction or event† (p. 92). In addition, Leo (1999) points out that the International Accounting Standards Committee, in principle, concurs that there should be no difference between acquired intangible assets and internally created ones. In conclusion, this essay has evaluated a number of reasons for excluding home grown brands from a balance sheet. The main cause is that they associate with a high level of uncertainty so it is not possible to measure their cost or value with reliability. Therefore, due to accounting conventions, they should not be recorded in a balance sheet. This essay has also provided a number of justifications for their inclusion. That is, because brand is one of the most important and valuable assets of a business, the act of reporting it would be useful to help stakeholders make informed decisions. Furthermore, its inclusion could prevent accounting procedure from being accused of inconsistency and ensure a more complete view on a balance sheet. References: Anil, C. (2007), Fundamentals of Accounting and Financial Analysis (For U.P.T.U.), Chennai, India: Pearson Education. Atrill, P. Mclaney, E. (2008), Accounting and finance for non-specialists, Essex: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Collier, P. Agyei-Ampomah, S. (2008), CIMA Official Learning System Management Accounting Risk and Control Strategy, Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science. International Accounting Standard Board, IASB (1989), Framework for the Presentation and Presentation of Financial Statements, para.49(a), para. 89 Leo, K. (1999), Intangible assets: seeking consistency, Australian CPA [Online], Vol. 69, No.10, pp. 30 32, Avalailable: highbeam.com/doc/1P3-46511579.html [Accessed: 5th December 2010] Lunt, H. (2008), CIMA Official Learning System Fundamentals of Financial Accounting, Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science Technology. Marriott, P., Edwards, J. Mellett, H. (2002), Introduction to Accounting, 3rd edition, London: SAGE. Motameni, R. Shahrokhi, M. (1998), Brand equity valuation: a global perspective, Journal of Product and Brand management [Online], Vol. 7, No.4, pp. 275 290, Emerald Available: emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1061-0421volume=7issue=4articleid=857666show=html [Accessed: 5th December 2010] Needles, B., Powers, M. Crosson, S. (2007), Principles of Accounting, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Roslender, R. Hart, S. (2006), Interfunctional cooperation in progressing accounting for brands, Journal of Accounting Organisational Change [Online], Vol. 2, No.3, pp. 229-247, Emerald Available: emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1832-5912volume=2issue=3articleid=1571668show=html [Accessed: 5th December 2010] Seetharaman, A., Nadzir, Z. Gunalan, S. (2001), A conceptual study on brand valuation, Journal of Product and Brand management [Online],Vol. 10, No.4, pp. 243-256, Emerald Available:   emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1061-0421volume=10issue=4articleid=857763show=html   [Accessed: 5th December 2010] Tollington, T. (1998), Brands: the asset definition and recognition test, Journal of Product and Brand management [Online],Vol. 7, No.3, pp. 180 192, Emerald Avalaible: emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1061-0421volume=7issue=3articleid=857660show=html   [Accessed: 5th December 2010] Tollington, T. (2000), The cognitive assumptions underpinning the accounting recognition of assets, Management Decision [Online],Vol. 38, No.2, pp. 89-98, Emerald Avalaible: emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0025-1747volume=38issue=2articleid=865125show=html   [Accessed: 5th December 2010] Weetman, P. (2006), Financial and management accounting: an introduction, 4th, Essex: Financial Times Prentice Hall.

A Complete History of AP Classes and Controversies

A Complete History of AP Classes and Controversies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You probably imagine the AP exam program as one of the mysterious primordial forces of the galaxy, along with gravity and taxes. But, in actuality, the AP program is only about 60 years old. From its unabashedly elitist beginnings to its present attempts to democratize advanced high school coursework, read on to discover a brief history of AP classes and exams, some current AP controversies, and some thoughts on the program’s future. History of the AP Program The story of the AP program begins in the 1950s. In the midst of the Cold War, American policymakers began to fear that high school was not adequately preparing students for college and post-graduate studyand students with advanced training were viewed as an essential part of the American triumph over the Soviet Union.In response to the need to better integrate secondary and university education, the Ford Foundation created the Fund for the Advancement of Education (FAE) in 1951. One of FAE’s initial investigations involved examining the records of graduates of elite prep schoolsLawrenceville, Exeter, and Andoverwho were seniors at Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. They found that most students were taking entry-level coursework in their freshman year at college that merely repeated things they had already learned in high school. The final report suggested that more advanced high school students be allowed â€Å"advanced placement† in college coursework based on exam results. Meanwhile, a parallel FAE project worked on developing universal introductory college-level curriculafor implementation in high schools. Both studies together led to a pilot program with 27 schools administering the first AP tests in 1954. After the strong performance of the test-takers as compared to college freshman who had taken introductory university coursework, ten AP exams were rolled out nationally in 1956: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Composition, Literature, French, German, Spanish, and Latin. Management of the AP program was passed off to the College Board in 1955. In the early days, no exams were longer than three hours and students could take any number of exams for a $10 fee. From the beginning, students received scores from 1 to 5, as they do today. The 1960s saw the beginning of an increased focus on teacher training and exam grading standardization to increase overall program consistency.Subsequent decades have seen both a huge expansion in the number of students taking exams and in the number of different exams offered. Many exam and program revisions have also taken place amid concerns that the program is biased towards students of a higher socioeconomic status. Over the years, the price of each exam has risen dramatically. In 2015, each exam cost $91. Financial aid was available for a $26-28 discount, but this still leaves the cost at over $60 per exam. There are currently 37 courses, and over 2 million students took over 4 million AP exams in 2014. There are about 16 million high school students (of all grades) in the country, which means that one in eight, or about 12%, took at least one AP exam last year. For more on the history of the AP, see this in-depth article by history teacher Eric Rothschild. In the 1960s the AP Program expanded, and Buzz Aldrin prepared to go to the moon. Current Controversies For all that AP exams have become a key marker in high school coursework rigor and an integral part of the high-school-to-college transition, the history of AP classesis not without its issues and controversies. There are four main issues with the AP program currently under debate in the national discourse on education. The Program Is Biased Towards the Privileged In spite of the College Board’s attempts to make the exam fair for all and somewhat standardize curricula, the fact remains that the AP program is most successful at schools with more resources. These schools can afford the best teachers, smaller class sizes, newer textbooks, and better technology, all of which contribute to preparing students for AP exams. This means that students at less well-resourced public schools often do not receive adequate preparation for the exam, even if their schools offer AP courses. In this sense, the AP program does little to address real education inequity and may even perpetuate it. Even the cost of the exam is prohibitive to low-income studentswith financial aid, each exam is still over $60. The Too-Rapid Expansion of the AP Program A similar concern is that the rapid expansion of the AP program has set many students up to fail on their exams. Some have argued that the College Board pushes APs into low-income schools and promotes opening AP courses to all students (not just honors-level ones) too rapidly. Then, it’s argued, they don’t provide adequate support or resources in making sure schools can actually prepare students for the exams. This just leads to many students wasting money taking exams they are likely to fail. The Coursework Is Not College-Level Another common complaint is that AP coursework is not an adequate substitute for introductory college coursework. There are concerns that AP classes skim too much material too quickly, preventing students from developing in-depth knowledge or true understanding of the subject. This leads to students being unprepared for advanced-level coursework when they use their AP coursework to skip introductory classes. Some Schools Are Dropping the AP Program Some schools, most notably the University of Chicago Lab School, are dropping AP courses from their offerings amid concerns that the courses prevent teachers and students from truly rewarding, in-depth academic inquiry of subjects. Of course, others have pointed out that it’s really only prestigious high schools that can afford to drop AP classes since, for many schools, AP coursework is the primary marker of academic rigor on student college applications. In that sense, it’s unlikely that there will be a mass exodus away from the AP program anytime soon. Only fancy schools can drop their AP courses for other advanced coursework. The Future of the AP Program There are, in general, two major movements within the AP program to address some of these concerns: revising courses and introducing new courses. Course Revisions A huge number of AP Courses have been recently revised or are in the process of revision. Of course, each course is different, but there have been some general themes to the changes. One major aim is to reduce the content scope of many of the courses so that students can get more mastery over a narrower span of subject matter. Another major change is to focus more on critical thinking and analysis skillsan example of this change is the focus on analyzing sources on the revised history exams. The hope is that by teaching more skills and less content for rote memorization, students will gain more concrete academic competencies from AP courses that they can carry forward into college. Introducing New Courses and Programs Another change has been to introduce some new courses, like AP Computer Science Principles. The most notable addition, however, is the AP Capstone program, which is designed to compete with IB. To get an AP Capstone diploma, students need to take one year of the new AP Seminar course followed by one year of the new AP Research course, in addition to four other AP courses. Students need to score a 3 or better on all exams/courses to get the AP Capstone diploma. AP Seminar and AP Research are designed to much more closely mimic the feel of a small college seminar class, with an interdisciplinary focus and lots of extended individual inquiry. The AP Capstone program aims both to better prepare students for college coursework and to bring more cohesion to the AP program in general. Will future AP exams be proctored by robots? KeyPoints in the History of AP Exams and Courses The AP Program started as a pilot program in the 50s, amid concerns that students in high school were not being adequately prepared for advanced coursework and college and graduate education.From its small beginnings, the AP Program has become a giant, with over 2 million students taking AP exams in 2014. However, the program isn’t without its critics. There are concerns that the program perpetuates education inequity, that it has expanded too rapidly to prepare schools or students for the coursework, and that the coursework is not college-level. Some elite high schools have even dropped their AP programs. In response to some of these issues, the College Board is in the midst of an extensive revision process that has narrowed the content scope of many courses and placed an increased focus on academic skills and critical thinking. They have also introduced the AP Capstone program, an AP diploma program designed to create a more cohesive AP experience. In spite of its issues, it doesn’t seem like the AP program is going anywhere anytime soon. It continues to be one of the primary markers of rigor on a student’s high school transcript. But it will be interesting to see what the future holds! What’s Next? Wondering about the new AP Capstone program described in this article? See our guides to AP Seminar, AP Research, the AP Capstone program, and which schools are currently participating the AP Capstone program. If you’re looking for more information about the AP program, see our articles on whether or not the College Board is mismanaging the AP program and five problems with the AP program. Curious about the IB program, too? See our introduction to the IB program.

Topic Clinical Reflection on competency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Topic Clinical Reflection on competency - Essay Example I was approaching the patient with an intention that I would assess the patient's condition, and if necessary, following assessment I would provide her some analgesic medication. The staff nurse told me not to give any more pain medication, "she had had enough." It was very evident that there was difference of opinion between me and the staff nurse. From my academic learning, I knew that pain assessment is an important parameter of nursing care, and accurate assessment patient's pain status is important. Current evidence suggests that pain assessment and rating of pain would guide adequacy of pain medication. In such cases of differences of opinion, there is a fair chance that nurses' assessment would be guided by personal beliefs. Literature suggests that in many cases clinical decisions are taken by the healthcare professional based on traditional practice which may not have any evidence. This is specially applicable in case of pain management in the clinical setting by the nurses. There is also evidence that nurses are guided by their own beliefs on pain assessment, and in many cases the experienced nurses underestimate the intensity of pain. Pain is regarded as a subjective sensation, and hence there is a high tendency that painful conditions are stigmatised in that high intensity pain is regarded as a ploy to get more pain medication, while nurses feel that the intensity of pain is not worth intervening (Clark et al., 2006). With the background that I will graduate into a registered nurse, it was an opportunity for me to reflect on the situation to examine whether I have enough competencies to deal with such situations. It was an ideal situation where research could be utilised to improve practice so the outcome of care is better leading to better patient satisfaction. I immediately took the opportunity to discuss the scenario with the staff nurse and convinced her that I would look into evidence from studies to decide what we needed to do. There was internet connection available in the unit, and in the available database, I ran a search for relevant literature on the key words "nursing" and "pain management" (Rustoen et al., 2009). Since meta-analyses provide maximal analyses of research, conclusion and discussion of some if these literatures provided the guideline. The basics of the guidelines were that whenever in doubt regarding the adequacy of pain medication, the pain medicine consultation should b e used and adequate dosage of analgesic medications should be decided, while the patient remains under strict monitoring and surveillance for any signs of respiratory depression. I remember, I also told in that discussion that the hospital policy guidelines also indicate this. When I found evidence, I immediately showed the findings from the literature to all staff present there, and highlighted that this would improve the patient outcome (ANMC, 2006), since pain symptoms delays discharge and increases hospital stay. I was a little hesitant in saying this since I was just a student and my experiences were just nominal. However, the strength of the evidence was so compelling that ultimately these findings could be used to change and improve practice. Another concern was that I did not know this patient's history totally, and therefore, there was a fair chance