revolutions essays

revolutions essays Revolutions can take many different forms. A revolution is a fundamental change in a political, economical, social, or religious organization. A political revolution is an overthrow of government, often sudden or violent. An example of a political revolution is the American Revolution. "The American Revolution led to the birth of a new nation." (The World Book Encyclopedia, p. 210) Before this revolution, Americans had grown to use a large measure of self-government. Americans strongly resisted the new laws passed by Great Britain, especially tax laws. "The British government was slow to think of the Americans as a political unit. As the British began making new laws, the colonists revolted." (Merit Students Encyclopedia, p. 576) Another example of a political revolution is the French Revolution. "This revolution began with a government financial crisis, but quickly became a movement of reform and violent change."(The World Book Encyclopedia, p. 524) "After the French Revolution, the old system of government was overthrown."(Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1996) The new government brought many changes. France adopted the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen". All Frenchmen were declared equal and free before the law. Public office and taxation was based on the ability to pay. In addition, the French Revolution inspired people in other parts of Europe to modernize their own countries. An economic revolution is a drastic change in the production, distribution, and consumption of certain products, usually caused by new technology. One such revolution is the Boston Tea Party. "In the Boston Tea Party, Americans were protesting against taxation without representation and the perceived monopoly of the East India Company." (Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1996) "The British Parliament placed import taxes on several items imported to America. The British passed the Tea Act to help get the East India Company out ...

Analysis on Teenage Pregnancy in the UK The WritePass Journal

Analysis on Teenage Pregnancy in the UK Introduction Analysis on Teenage Pregnancy in the UK IntroductionStatisticsSex EducationSexual attitudes among young peopleWelfare benefitsSocial-economic deprivationLack of StigmaLone parenthoodOut of wedlock birthsDivorceWorking mothersConclusionRelated Introduction Teenage pregnancy is a major concern in the UK, and for the last 20 years it has the highest rates in the European Union; other countries with similar rates are New Zealand and Australia (Maticka, 2001 p. 15). The UK is found to have the highest live birth rates among people with the age of 15-19 in Western Europe. It is estimated that even the most prosperous zones in the UK surpasses Netherlands and France in national rates of teenage pregnancy. Between the 1970s and 1980s, there was a record decline with the rates in many European countries. However, these rates did not go down in UK in the period 1979 and 1999 (SEU, 1999), while conception among under 16-olds rose by 1% between 2002 and 2003 (Office of National Statistics, 2005). The common factors found to influence high levels of teenage pregnancy includes but not limited to: Social economic status especially income distribution across societies, gender equality levels within the societies, the availability of sex education and prevention strategies at schools, access to sexual heath services that meets the needs of teenage persons, normalized expectation of continued education beyond the age of 16, Exposure to unhealthy media materials amongst others. In the year 2000 alone, 38,690 under the age of 18 years got pregnant in England. 44.8% of these underwent legal abortion as the conceptions were not planned for. Surprisingly, 7,617 of the total conceptions involved girls under the age of 16 years out of which 54.5% ended in legal abortion (Office for National Statistics, 2000). Many factors influence teenagers choices to become sexually active and to use contraception considering their ability to obtain them and make use of contraception their choice. These factorsoperate are exercised at individual’s level (e.g. attitudesand beliefs, knowledge, substance abuse and future expectations), the intra-familiallevel (e.g., social economic factors, family structure, parent–child communication), the extra-familial level (e.g., health services, peer influences,sexual health education at school) and thecommunity level (e.g., values and norms relating to teenage pregnancy).Most of these factors can be changed with time and within respective social institutions individualknow-how concerning sexual health, while others are difficult to change or cannot be changed at all. In most cases, physician groups are left the role to lobby for policy initiatives aimedat changing sexual risky trends among teenagers which includes;enhanced sexual education at schools. However, the important rolefor physicians is to offer suitable sexual health informationand services in their practices when they are providing clinicalservices to youths (Botting, 1998 p. 21). It is necessary that physicians be familiar with the realityof teenage sexual activity. Conducted studies have indicated that, by completion of high school, the majority of teenagers will have had sexualintercourse (Maticka, 2001 p. 3) and approximately 10% have had intercourse beforeage 15. It is therefore much important to include as part of the general enquiry into their well-being, their sexual activity too,use of contraception and condoms, their history of sexually transmittedinfections and pregnancy. There is need to acquire information abouttheir other sexual health concerns. Adolescents are not necess arily the ones to initiate discussions about sexual healthissues, since to them the process of seeking sexual health advice is a complicatedone, and therefore physicians must be proactive in making suchan enquiry. When contraception, including emergency contraception, is indicatedfor teenagers, it should be provided. Like other women, adolescentsalso have a right to abortion services, although the availabilityof such services is not uniform across the country, and teenagedgirls of low socioeconomic status or from visible minoritieshave particularly limited access. Teenagers have the rightto confidential health care, including receiving sexual healthservices, provided their emotional and cognitive maturity allowfor this. Their parents do not have an automatic right to know.The right to confidentiality is not always understood by teenagersand should be appropriately communicated during patient encounters.Finally, when teenagers choose to continue their pregnancy toterm, exemplary care should be provided before, during and afterdelivery, to help minimize the risk of negative outcomes thatmay occur. Lack of consensus on ways of counterchecking pregnancy problem and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in respect to teenagers is one of the factors contributing the high rates of teenage pregnancies in the UK. There are no proper installed structures advocating favorable comprehensive sex and its related education. Low expectations in education which is greatly attributed by the perception that there are few or no employment opportunities lead to teenagers absconding education, engaging in unplanned sex due to exposure in their neighborhoods and subsequent pregnancy (BBC NEWS, Friday, 27 May 2005). Ignorance about the use of contraceptives despite their availability often leads to unplanned conception. Although most of the teenage girls are well conversant with the importance of condom use, a large number would go on and engage in sexual activity hoping the worst does not happen. The youth have been found to be inefficient users of contraceptives even when they are offered for free (BBC NEWS, Friday, 27 May 2005). One Jan Barlow was quoted by BBC attributing three factors that help alleviate teenage pregnancy and STI rate as being: better access to young people friendly services, comprehensive sex and relationship education, and offering more open attitudes to sex aimed at influencing young people in making sound decisions (BBC NEWS, Friday, 27 May 2005). The England government for instance had advocated for sex education training but the school authorities are only focused at teaching other subjects. According to him, Sex and relationship that lacks in school curriculum ought to be made a compulsory unit in personal social health education studies. A study conducted for the NHS at the University of York concludes that education prior to sexual activity makes individuals delay in having sex and makes them more likely to use contraception when they do. However, sex education offered in schools is criticized as being too biological and in-adequate to arm the youths with the relevant sex information (Barlow, 2005 May 27). Teenage girls and boys are misguided approach from TV programs relating sex with celebrities and portraying it as a fashioned activity. It is noted that teenagers particularly those not participating in co curricular activities are likely to spend most of their time watching romantic programs. The media sets them adrift in the sexualized society without giving them the tools to look after themselves. The outcome is indirect influence when the affected youth fail to differentiate action scenes from real life (BBC NEWS, Friday, 27 May 2005). Teenage pregnancy comes handy with various complications. The adverse effects include miscarriage, premature births, babies are born underweight for gestational age whereas others are born small (Horgan, 2007). Teenage mothers are also found to have higher risks of contracting STIs, being victims of alcohol and substance abuse, smoking and poor nutrition in addition to suffering higher rates of postnatal depression (Horgan, 2007). Gynecological immaturity in teenage mothers is one of the reasons attributed to the adverse effects following births. Adolescent girls continue to grow when pregnant. The babies they carry faces food and nutrients competition required for their growth with the growing bodies of their mothers. There is also increased risk of obstructed labor during birth because of their undeveloped small pelvises (Horgan, 2007). These effects are adverse and their effects are prone to have a long term effects therefore preventive measures are by the far advisable measures. Family planning and sexual health clinics should be easy to access amongst these women and facilitated with a wide range of the relevant services, including diet advice, cessation on smoking behavior and embarking back to studies after birth. As a matter of fact, they should be encouraged to attend antenatal classes and care which should offer them medical care as well as social support. It is believed that postnatal management for teenage mothers is placed better in offering essential counseling and education on crucial aspects of motherhood such as breastfeeding and nutrition for babies. As many teenage mothers tend to be single and often feel isolated in bringing up their babies, they require special attention from the health and social services (Horgan, 2007). An Obstetrician and Gynecologist; Louse Kenny working at Cork University Maternity Hospital attributes that the figures indicates that death rate for babies from very young mothers is 60% more higher than those from the older women. Further, teenage mothers are more likely to be faced with postnatal depression as compared with their counterparts-the older women. Some 44% of mothers under the age of 20 breastfeed compared to 64% amongst 20-24 and up to 80% in older mothers. There is a need therefore to conduct further studies to ascertain whether the poor outcome from teenage mother births is entirely a link with biological challenges resulting from their bodies not being fully developed; or it is a combination of other factors such as social demographic factors (Horgan, 2007). Teenage mother are at risk of indulging with malpractices that poses unconducive environment to their newborns like smoking due to the associated stress and their vulnerability to peer pressures. At their age, they are not entirely dependent in making sound decisions, a reason why close attention should be directed to them to safeguard their heath and that of the newborns. Awareness towards the dangers associated with smoking for instance is paramount to them, risks of contracting sexually transmitted infections and the need to use contraception in future sexual activities (Horgan, 2007). There is challenge presented by teenage mothers toward heath workers. Most stay for a long time before presenting themselves to health facilities for diagnosis, only to avail themselves at the late stages in the pregnancy. They thus fail to receive timely attention to any possible presenting risk and guidance on how to take care to ensure healthy newborns and safe delivery. Both the teenage mother and the child are prone to undergo negative short term, medium and long term health and mental health outcomes that are as a result of unprepared ness in the encounter and dilapidated exposed conditions thereafter (Botting et al., 1998). The mother’s education and future employment may be brought to prejudice. There is more likelihood of teenage mothers running into trouble in school before getting pregnant and possible failure to complete studies after delivery. As a result, they may not be having academic qualifications at the age of 33, a situation that renders them find difficulty in looking for a job or subject to low payments and poor benefits as opposed to their peers (SEU, 1999). An estimated 80% of teenage mothers do not own their own housing arrangements. They are either housed by their parents, relatives or others sponsors who are added an extra burden towards meeting additional expenses. This is more likely to result into domestic conflict in addition to failure to provide the desired space environment for both the mother and the child which may the related cost may not be within reach (SEU, 1999). Young fathers also face similar difficulties although their extent isles severe compared to that of young mothers. They are however faced with similar economic and employment outcomes in their post parenthood (Kiernan, 1995). Children of teenage mothers are more likely to have the experience of being lonely in the family. They are further faced by generalized risks of poverty, poor housing, and poor nutrition and consequently face inadequate upbringing standards. Evidence shows that daughters of teenage mothers are likely to become teenage parents themselves (Botting et al., 1998). It is thus noted that having children at a young age can damage a young woman’s health and well-being. Her education and career prospects are severely affected too. While young people can become competent parents, a variety of studies reveal that children born of teenagers are more likely to experience a wide range of negative outcomes later in life. They are also three times more likely to become teenage parents themselves (Hughes, 2010). As a matter of fact, at the age of 30, teenage mothers are 22% more likely to be living in poverty than mothers giving birth at the age of 24 years and above. They are less likely to be employed or be living with a partner (Hughes, 2010). Teenage mothers are less likely to have academic qualifications at the age of thirty as compared to mothers who get children after having attained the age of 24 years. Due to their vulnerable condition, they are more likely to partner with men who are poorly qualified and less likely to secure employment (Hughes, 2010). Statistics have shown that teenage mothers have three times the rate of post natal depression compared to older mothers and at higher risk of poor mental health for at least three years after birth. In addition, the infant mortality rate for babies born to teenage mothers is 60% higher than for babies born to old mothers. Compared to older mothers, they are likely to smoke throughout their pregnancy while 50% are found not to breastfeed both which poses negative health consequences to the child (Hughes, 2010). Children born of teenage mothers have approximate 63% increased risk of being born into poverty compared to babies born to mothers at their twenties. They have higher mortality rates and are more likely to have accidents and behavioral problems (Hughes, 2010). Owing to the increased the increased teenage pregnancy as a social problem in the UK, policy makers, politicians and health educators have been borrowing measures applied in Netherlands to alleviate the situations. These measures are selected on the merit of their suitability. Statistics In 2000, the birth rate to young women with the age of 15-19 was 37.7 in every 1000 in England and Wales Compared to 5, 5 in every 1000 in Netherlands. On the other hand, the conception rates were four times higher at 62.2% per 1000 compared with 14.1 % in every 1000 in the Netherlands. (Figure insert) Sex Education Sex education in schools is greatly attributed to the reduced teenage pregnancy occurrences in many countries where it if effectively applied. This hypothesis have been assumed and highly promoted in the media by birth control and abortion lobbies and without the support of the research evidence. In the UK; Sex education has been politicized in many educational centers and political leaders too. The UK parents are not free to set up their own publicly fund schools independent of the state according to their own beliefs and values where there is a high degree of autonomy in terms of curriculum development and policy making. UK lacks diversity in didactics, pedagogical strategies and content and influences of the churches and the involvement of parents are not much stronger. As a result, sex education has nut impacted a lot towards reducing teenage pregnancy (LDM, 2003). It is found that: Sex education is not open as it is often suggested though it is often taught within a firm moral framework. The most liberal and open classes were found in the more social and economically derived areas where teenagers were already more sexually active and teachers felt there was little they could do to compensate for family structures that were inadequate to guide streetwise young people in the increasing sexual culture. Of the teachers interviewed, none was comfortable with the idea of opening up open classes for sex education curriculum which would entail sexually explicit materials. The schools where the sexual activity was less a problem were not on the welcome of sex education but were positive on building on the moral frame work provided by parents within stable family structures Further evidence has exposed sex education as not being that permissive as it is often perceived. A considerable figure of sexual health experts are critical of traditional views of sexual morality widely held among teachers and parents. The experts are concerned that an emphasis on setting the expression of sexual morality firmly within the context of committed enduring relationships is too restrictive when teenagers may want to experiment which sexual activity (LDM, 2003). There lacks evidence to support the ascertain that the teenage pregnancy rate has been reduced by easy availability of contraception to the young people in what is described as an almost imperfect contraceptive population where condom use rose among the sexually active from 17% in 1981 to 85% in1994 (Ketting, 1994). There is no corresponding relationship found in the reduction rates of either teenage pregnancies or abortions whereas there are early signs of an overall rise in the rate of sexually transmitted infection (STIs) occurrences: in particular, Chlamydia which affects the young people disproportionately (Van der Laar, 2002). More findings show that during the 1990s, the abortion rate rose despite a wide increase in contraceptive use (CBS, 2000). It therefore cannot be attributed that the decline trend of teenage pregnancy is a result if sex education, open culture and contraception use rather a combination of factors not related to the above. Since teenage pregnancy is a result of teenage sex, then it goes hand in hand that a society that has more of one of the two is going to experience more of the other. It is thus necessary to consider factors that are known to influence the age at which young people starts sexual relationships (LDM, 2003). Sexual attitudes among young people Casual attitude to physical relationship is ever growing. However, the UK teenagers appear not to be guided by moral principles to a large extent than their counterparts in for example the Middle East that abstain from sexual intercourse until a much later age. A comparative study of sexual attitude among teenagers found that a majority of both males and females in Netherlands for instance gave love a commitment as their primary reason for first intercourse. Physical opportunity and attraction and peer pressure are not leading factors to sex in Netherlands. In UK however, while love and commitment have high ranking in girls, boys are found to be more influenced by peer pressure, opportunity and physical attraction (LDM, 2003). From the perspective of young people in such circumstances, early parenthood can appear a rational choice, providing a means for making their transition to adulthood or having somebody to love in their lives. Welfare benefits A welfare benefit is another factor that makes teenage pregnancy level to be high in the UK. The teenage parents receive income financial support from the government when they are less than 18 years and do not have to depend on their parents. The babies born are put under the care of a legal guardian who happens to be the parent of the teenage mother in most circumstances. The legal guardian becomes the receivership of the governments support allowing their mothers to continue with schooling. In addition to this, the teenage parents enjoy housing benefits, educational opportunities, employment training and free medical care. With the provision of all these, a disincentive to engage in irresponsible sexual behavior lacks (LDM, 2003). Social-economic deprivation Teenage pregnancy is strongly associated with the most deprived and socially excluded young people. Difficulties in young peoples’ lives such as poor family relationships, low esteem and unhappiness at school also put them at higher risk. It is in record that acute levels of social economic deprivations are associated with high frequency of teenage sex activities and associated risks behavior. The concentration of areas with magnificent levels of poverty and social inequality in some areas of the UK has lead to the emergent of a desperate culture in which there is only little to lose in early parenting. The loss is further reduced from compensations of social welfare benefits that alleviate the costs of living and upkeep. An income support and housing allowance for instance makes the cost of having a baby not too much (LDM, 2003). Lack of Stigma In recent years, teenage pregnancy relatively lacks stigmatization in the UK. Stigmatization is known to discourage undesirable habits where the involved persons are subjected to humiliation in the past. Social services makes it hard for one to access most services, people disregard one making him/her always indebted. Lack of stigma associated with pregnancy in the UK is a major contributory factor to higher teenage pregnancy rates (LDM, 2003). There are also some communities in which early parenthood is seen as normal and not a concern. Lone parenthood In the year 2000, single parents in Great Britain accounted for 21% of all families that had children. Children in Britain are more likely to be raised by a lone parent as compared with other European countries. A study of over 2000 young people in England aged 13-15 years found that in families headed by married couple, only 13% of the children were sexually active. The number doubled for young people living within single families. The figure was 24% for the children of cohabiting couples, 26% where the children had separated, 23% where the children divided their time between two parents living apart, 24% where the parents were divorced and 35% where the children did not live with either of the parents (Hill, 2000). Evidence is therefore placed in increase of teenage sexual activity in lone parenting or no parenting at all. Great Britain having single parent’s levels of 21% (in relation to year 2000) inclines that the sexually active youths are very many. Out of wedlock births In western Europe, children are more likely to be born to an unmarried mother. Children born in this context are prone to be raised in poorer environments where sexual activeness is high. Daughters from single mother are also likely to bear children out of wedlock during their teenage years. Divorce In the year 2000, 12.7 in every 1000 married men obtained a divorce in England and Wales. Children in Britain are more likely to have experienced the divorce of their parents. This is important considering that people not living with both biological parents are more sexually active in their early ages than those from intact families. Other factors like race, religion, age and social class are closely based from a family setup (Demo, 1998). Working mothers The UK had 18.3% of mothers with children under the age of five employed full time in the year 2000. The figure was higher for mothers with children aged between five and eight years with 31.9%. Europe, 75% of the population believes that women should contribute to the family income (Schulze, 1999). In the year 1999, UK had approximate 35% of the mothers of pre school children using some form of daycare and approximate 27% of mothers of children aged between 5 -12 using some form of out-of-school care (SCP, 2000). This finding suggests that many children in Britain are left under the care of a third party having no one at home. Once out of school, they have low levels of parental supervision and are more likely to indulge in reckless behaviors, premature sex included. Conclusion Teenage pregnancy poses a societal problem in the UK with the statistics of cases recorded alarming. Teenage pregnancy is caused by a wide range of factors surrounding young people. However, parenting and social economic issues are the major categories that contribute towards the high levels of teenage pregnancy. Due to the adverse effects experienced by the young mothers some of which are long term, it is vital that collective measures that best suit the phenomenon are adopted. By doing this, many teenagers will be saved the misery of upbringing children while being disadvantaged by numerous factors discussed.

Pesticides Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pesticides - Essay Example Pesticides would also ensure that stored food, especially cereals, stay for long periods without any destruction from probable pests. However, the consequence of this is devastating. The chemicals used in the pesticides, though not poisonous to man on instant use, would accumulate in the body, posing risks such as developing such deadly diseases like cancer. Levine (2007) says that pesticides are not harmful to human beings, but excessive use of foods that have elements of the chemicals are harmful to the body. The danger may not be instant, but the negative impact would surely come. Genetically modified foods are equally unsafe. The fact that they increase food productivity notwithstanding, the modification makes them unsafe. This modification interferes with the normal arrangement of the DNA in the food. The body depends on the food we eat for various processes. By taking in food that is genetics modified, chances are that the body might assimilate this manipulated genetics, a fact that can result in a person giving birth in abnormal children. Pesticides and genetically modified foods should completely be

Chapters 1-6 Summary of Forensic Science from the Crime Scene to the Essay

Chapters 1-6 Summary of Forensic Science from the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab - Essay Example These laws are applied so as to control the accomplishments of the forensic community. Forensic science is an enormous field that has a wide history of its appliance. The first documented autopsy belonged to Julius Caesar. This was during the 15th century that he produced his first textbook on forensics. In the book a murder occurred, and the murder weapon was identified by science. Times have developed, and forensic science is used in investigations to find out the causes of crimes. In the United States, a department of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was developed in the 1930s by J. Edgar Hoover, who is considered as the father of FBI. This department is used for investigating crime scenes and until today it mainly uses forensics science to come up with evidences. Edgar founded nation-wide laboratories to offer services in forensics. These crime laboratories delivered quality forensic services to all law implementation organisations in the United States. Thus, they play a significant role in providing proof of crimes by using fingerprints, Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and may more. Forensic scientists visit crime scenes to gather and analyse evidence by collaborating with the investigators and define their findings through comprehensive written reports. When investigating a crime scene, one has to know ways on how to secure the scene, take a survey and how to search it in order to find evidence. Therefore, first one should establish the dimensions of the scene and find the potential health and safety risks. This can be done by locating the focal point. At the scene, safety is very vital all through the primary approach to the crime scene. Individuals should be keen on biohazards, weapons, chemical hazards and deliberate traps might be waiting for the responders. Hence, people on the scene including medics, coroners and fire fighters should be given advice on evidentiary

The Optical Character Reader Essay Example for Free

The Optical Character Reader Essay The Optical Character Reader has traditionally been well-known in the area of scanning of handwritten documents (preprinted such as utility bills filled in with meter readings by human readers) and process the numbers or text from the scanning process into computer readable formats through software. The OCR is one of the best methods to use when there is a need for the capture of neat handwritten documents. SAT tests, electronic bill calculation and MCQ quizzes are part of the applications of the OCR. This paper will however, research the OCR comparing it with other available methods/devices for data capture and evaluate the usefulness of the OCR against them. THE RESEARCH GOCR: Historically, GOCR software has not been one of the toppers in this field. With high error rates in character recognition (98% for version 0.4), it is just worth giving a test try at most. Although the subsequent versions had those bugs fixed, the efficiency of GOCR has always been lower than the other OCR software.   GOCR works in two modes: reading off black text off white backgrounds as well as reading off white text off black backgrounds. The latter was however, more difficult to program for the developers and still has high margin of errors. Its ability to recognize handwritten characters with a lot of deviation is poor. Although much work has been done in the later versions to improve this, optical character recognition accuracy is still one of the biggest issues for GOCR. The GOCR has the highest number of characters recognized incorrectly. Therefore, â€Å"I†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s are recognized wrongly as â€Å"l†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and â€Å"v†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s are recognized as â€Å"u†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. GOCR is useful in situations where the handwriting is exceptionally neat or the document error rate is not a matter of concern (which of course will be a rare case). Also it should be noted that GOCR is open-source software. This means that GOCR code is readily available free of cost. Therefore, different versions floating around are actually revisions by different programmers on the basis of their knowledge. Thus, GOCR offers a few features that are unique: the ability to work with a different variety of formats of images (which is also found in others, but with one or two omissions). Tesseract OCR: One of the reviews of this software went like this: â€Å"It sounds like it Tesseract OCR I unusable at the current moment, but the developments made by Google in the subsequent versions leave a promising note for the future.† In short, Tesseract is one of those open source optical character reading software that is not considered to be one of the most efficient software suites. In fact, one of the drawbacks of Tesseract is the command line interface with the user. This seems most absurd for software that deals with pictures and graphics. However, the software is configured to accept picture or graphics from hardware and then automatically read it and transform it into text. This OCR software has yet to come to a more user friendly state for it to be more popular as well as efficient. The error rate of 25% is not very low. However, considering the interface, this is quite an achievement for developers who could not or simply did not want to make an interactive software to achieve 75% success in recognizing handwritten characters. The main aim of an OCR is to reduce the need for manual typing in either large volumes or in the case of transfer of data (programmers often use it as disaster recovery plans). Thus it is necessary that the software for OCR be fool-proof to high degree. It should provide accuracy, reliability as well as be able to work with deviations from normal. Both GOCR and Tesseract OCR are able to recognize characters in printed images and files, but the main problem arises in handwriting. Apart from that too, there are evident problems described above. Thus, the third software for comparison, Microsoft Document Imaging, coupled with Microsoft Word OCR capabilities overcomes these problems and provides a cost effective solution. It should be noted that this is not single software. Instead there are two complementary software working towards reaching the desired result. Microsoft Document Imaging with Microsoft Word OCR capability: This is without any doubt the strongest software suit available for the purpose of accurate and effective optical character recognition. Microsoft document Imaging provides the first process service: scanning the image and making it ready for the software by converting the physical input to a machine readable format. In the next step the scanned file is given to Microsoft Word. This has in-built OCR capabilities that are strong, efficient as well as user-friendly. The OCR recognizes the characters with up to a 98% accuracy level, allowing a very small room for errors. Apart from that, this software also provides the capability of recognizing handwritten characters to stay at par with the standard OCR software. It is an effective software solution with a powerful interface, speedy solution as well as a cost-effective solution. It has all the features that make it overcome the problems discussed in GOCR and Tesseract OCR.   Microsoft Document Imaging and Word complement each other perfectly and thus they are the choice of any OCR requiring scenario. The capability of this suite to handle images with accuracy and speed drives up its performance greatly. It is clear from the above comparisons done that the third option has the strongest and most cost effective benefits over the other software. It is quickest and the cheapest form of input of handwritten characters into the computer so that they can also be edited. It also provides the best recognition capability of deviating characters.

Studying Computer Science Essay -- Computer Science

Introduction Hardware can be daunting. The following is a brief look at why every computer science major should be knowledgeable in the acronyms that abound within the computer industry. Overwhelming Factors Budding computer science majors can be thankful to Ken Thompson’s desire to travel space. It was this desire that maintained a failed attempt of an operating system by a joint venture of General Electric, Bell Labs, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The operating system was named Multics and was abandoned in the late sixties, yet Ken Thompson had programmed a game he named Space Travel for Multics and it still needed an operating system on which to run. As they did not have the resources they had to run Multics at the house, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie worked together to produce what we know today as UNIX (Ritchie, 1984), yet UNIX now needed a platform upon which to run and yet again, another savior to computer science that we can be thankful for today, IBM mass-produced personal computers for use in the common household. Yet, thankfully, IBM failed at dominating the personal computer market and clones became yet another savior. Personal computers and their clones are comprised of standard, interchangeable components. Components such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Central Processing Unit (CPU), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Compact Disc or Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory often referred to as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, motherboards, Graphic Processing Unit (formerly known as video cards and now referred to as GPU), and the like are the norm for any typical computer whether they are of the desktop or laptop varieties. Form factors must also be taken into account terms such as XT, AT, ATX, mi... ...oring becomes a factor, shopping for RAM that interfaces with the Front Side Bus (FSB) at 800 MHZ or 1066MHZ becomes a factor, choosing CPU’s that are either dual-core or quad-core becomes a factor. Factors, there are many of them; one way to combat this is to educate and familiarize oneself with the acronyms and terms associated within the computing industry. If not properly armed, the factors can be overwhelming to any computer science major. Works Cited Krynin, M. (2010) UEFI – unified extensible firmware interface. Retrieved: December 9, 2010 from: http://compreviews.about.com/od/motherboards/a/UEFI.htm N.A. (2010) Desktop form factors. Retrieved: December 9, 2010 from: http://www.formfactors.org/searchproducts.asp Ritchie, D. (1984) Early unix history and evolution. Retrieved: December 8, 2010 from: http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/hist.html

Kim Challenger Essay

What do your chosen three stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories tell us about English society in the nineteenth century? The three short stories I have decided to study are, â€Å"The Speckled Band†, â€Å"Silver Blaze†, and â€Å"The Man with the Twisted Lip. † These were all written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and are of a detective genre. They were first published in a magazine in the Victorian times called â€Å"The Strand†. The stories are all of a similar length because they fitted into columns in the magazine and were all short stories. On Conan Doyle’s last story, â€Å"The Final Problem†, there was a public outcry because they loved Sherlock Holmes’s character so much and Conan Doyle killed him off. As a result of this outcry, Conan Doyle was forced to bring him back in â€Å"The Empty House†, in 1905. The Victorian period is the time when Queen Victoria ruled the British Empire from 1837 to 1901. It was a time of growth in the areas of wealth, technology, culture and literature. There was a class system and this was believed to have been dictated by God. There were three classes; upper class, middle class and working class. There was also an â€Å"underclass† who could not support themselves and lived in extreme poverty. The upper class consisted of the Queen, aristocrats, lords and ladies. The middle class consisted of businessmen and the working class consisted of servants. The Victorians were very religious; they went to church every Sunday and said prayers before meals. The vast majority of them were Anglican. Life for women and children was unbearably hard. As soon as a child could walk, it was expected to work; making matchboxes was one of the main jobs for children as it was easy. Women from all classes were expected to be married young and to raise a family of their own. Few marriages in the middle and upper classes were love matches, but were arranged by parents. Victorian London is where Sherlock is based but not necessarily where all the crimes took place. For example, â€Å"I (Watson) walked †¦ holding my breath to keep out the vile, stupefying fumes of the drug†. This took place in â€Å"The Man with the Twisted Lip. † This story was set in London.

Crash: White People and Movie

Crash (2004) Directory Paul Haggis Crash is a movie that takes place in a two-day period and puts racism right in the face of viewers. From the time the movie starts to the time the movie ends, there is racism covered. The opening scene shows a black couple driving and gets pulled over by two white cops. One of the white cops starts harassing the black couple and leads to comments about race. It quickly turns worse as the white cop starts molesting the female of the couple they pulled over. Which in turn then causes a debate between the black couple about being controlled by white people.This was just the opening scene of the movie. This is a very powerful scene that leads up to all the events happening during the movie. There is racism in every part of this movie and from every angle. The movie shows how people themselves can be racist toward their own race and others. Crash breaks down stereotypes and shows how each has race certain features that the race has. There were scenes tha t showed what stereotypes Muslims have and how they talk to each other and own small convenience store. Later in the movie their store was trashed and spray paint on their walls called them â€Å"towel heads†.There was a Mexican lock smith who was in a white woman’s house changing out locks and was said to have the look of gang members and go to his â€Å"homies† with an extra set of keys to rob them. Which later shows him with his family at home and him loving his daughter. The list goes on and on with each different race to show stereotypes and how they are perceived and then shows the character in the way they live their life in that movie, being that it a true state of truth or what the real life is. Crash brings real life situations to light. There is a lawyer who even uses a race card to try to get people on his side.It is not how he honestly feels but it is how he is seen in the public eye. Brendan Fraser plays the, not so popular, role of the lawyer. A v ery different role for him to play and puts him as a bad character. Every movie he has completed, he has been a good guy type and lovable. Crash puts him into a category where later on could get fans to turn on him for this role. But he does a great job portraying this character truthfully. All the characters in the movie appear to have some kind of connection to each other, but not knowingly connected.Each character starts their own story, but by the end of the movie, shows how they all are connected to each other. They movie ends with the racist white cop who molested the black female from the couple he pulled over in the beginning of the movie, saving her life from a firey car accident. She tries to reject his help because of what happened earlier, but knows she has no other choice to accept his help. It shows that sometimes first impressions are not always true and people could be different from what they pictured in their head.When they showed the background on the racist cop, they showed he had troubles at home with is father that he loved and cared for. And he was not getting sleep because of the type of care he was giving him. Later on calling for help from his insurance company, who happens to be a black female with a â€Å"typical† black female name, causing another racist remark. But, again, the only thing he is looking for is help for his father. The black female insurance person was very angry about how she was being treated on the phone and that he was being racist. But later in the movie, it showed that she herself was making racist remarks.This movie has very real life situations. This movie can and does happen in everyday life. I have seen it happen and been around it when it happened. Everyone has stereotypes towards all races. Is that racism? Maybe and maybe not! It’s all how you act out on it. And in this movie Crash, everyone acts out on his or her beliefs of every race. In fact, the movie was based on a real life incident, w hich happened to director and writer Paul Haggis when his car was hijacked in 1991. (â€Å"Crash(2004),† ) Since this story was created on real life, it could happen and will most likely happen again in life. I, personally, loved the movie.It had a very powerful and strong message. Crash got you to hate and yet like the characters. Some parts pulled at my heartstrings and got me to cry multiple times. Why did I cry during this movie? I cried because I can see this happening everyday. I can see how this hurts people and how desperate people can be to make themselves look good. The movie did win BEST PICTURE and BEST WRITING awards at the Oscars the following year. The script was done perfect. A lot of thought went into writing this and brought in from personal experience. We all have own thoughts on how every race is seen in the public eye.Everyone doesn’t know what happens behind closed doors. When things happen behind closed doors, we do not know the whole complete st ory. And that’s when judgment is brought out. Racism happens everyday. It can be happening right in front of us or we can be the guilty party of creating it. It is a hard battle to fight when there is so much happening everyday. We choose which we do. Stand together and fight against this evil or keep going living our lives with hate towards each other and act like nothing is wrong. Crash(2004). (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0375679/faq

ESL Relationship Vocabulary Worksheet

ESL Relationship Vocabulary Worksheet There are all kinds of human relationships and these relationships will play a role in your discussions. This page will help you explore a variety of relationships including romantic relationships, your friends and family, and relationships at work. Start off by learning new vocabulary in groups and then applying that vocabulary in sentences, gap fills and conversation. Learning Vocabulary Discuss with your partner each of the vocabulary words and phrases below. Try to use each vocabulary item in a sentence. Romance - Peoplecasual / steady dateboy/girlfriendsignificant otherhusband / wifelovermistressunrequited lovelove-interestExamples:My date was late for the dance!Feel free to bring along your significant other to the party Romance - Eventsdateone night standflingengagementmarriagebreakupseparationdivorceExamples:Tom and Bettys marriage is inspiring!Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce. Romance - Verbshave a crush ondateflirt withgo out withbreak up withlive togethermarry / get marriedExamples:Peter flirted with Maria during the class.Helen went out with Andrea for more than three years. Friends / Enemies - Peoplegood / close / best friendenemycompanionacquaintanceplatonic relationshiprivalnemesisExamples:Were not dating. We have a platonic relationship.My rival in tennis beat me last week. Friends / Enemies - Verbscompete withget along withhit it off withgang up ontrust / distrusthang out withExamples:Peter and Alan hit it off at the meeting last week.I like to hang out with Carl on the weekends. Work - Peoplecoworkercolleaguebusiness partnerbossdirectorcustomerclientmanagementstaffExamples:The director sent a memo out to staff.My coworker got married last weekend. Work - Eventsmeetingpresentationinterviewsales callconventionExamples:Alexander made a presentation at the convention last week.I have a meeting at three oclock this afternoon. Work - Verbsdo business withmeetschedulecontactdelegatecompete withbe responsible forpresentapologize toExamples:James is responsible for sales in California.Lets schedule a meeting next week. Family - Peoplemother / father / brother / sister in-lawuncleauntcousinblood / distant relativesExamples:I dont often see my distant relatives.Her mother-in-law drives her crazy! Family - Eventsweddingreunionget togetherfuneralholidayExamples:Its funny how we only see distant relatives at weddings and funerals.We had a nice family get together last weekend. Family - Verbsget along withrebel againstargue withhave a good relationship withobey / disobeypunishemulatelook up toExamples:She looks up to her father. The children disobeyed their parents and were punished. Vocabulary Worksheet Exercise 1 Use a word or phrase to fill in the gaps. Each word or phrase is used only once. love-interest, blood, nemesis, friendship, love, crush, casual, distant, unrequited love, acquaintance, steady, business partner Love is very different from _______. If youve got a _______ on someone you cant wait to see them. If its just an ________ you can probably wait until tomorrow or the day after. One thing is for sure: Youll probably see your ______ relatives every day! Luckily, you dont need to see your _______ relatives quite as often, though. When it comes to business, youll probably see your _________ daily, but youll stay away from ________ as often as you can. Lets face it: ______ is complicated. Ive heard from a number of people who have experienced _____________, and theyre never the same! There are also all kinds of considerations. For example, if youve had a _______ date, do you want to go out again? Are you tired of your ________ date? Well, maybe its time for a new __________! Exercise 2 Use a verb to fill in the blanks in the sentences. Remember to conjugate the verb depending on the situation, and dont forget your prepositions! My nemesis and I _______________ each other on a daily basis!I can remember the first time I met my wife. We ____________ immediately and life was never the same.Students who __________________ their parents after the age of 30 are ridiculous.I __________________ my father for my whole life. Hes a wonderful example of a kind-hearted person with good judgement.Yesterday, she ________________ her colleague for criticizing her work. She said she was very sorry.Ever since he ____________ Angela, hes been a changed man!Mary ________________ her boyfriend last week. She couldnt stand his complaining anymore.They _____________________ for more than twenty years. They see no reason to get married. Worksheet Answers Exercise 1 friendshipcrushacquaintanceblooddistantbusiness partnernemesisloveunrequited lovecasualsteadylove-interest Exercise 2 compete withhit it offlive withhave looked up toapologized towent out withbroke up withhave lived together

Why Nursing is a Popular Option for Career Changers

Why Nursing is a Popular Option for Career Changers Choosing a career is a momentous decision - one which holds the potential to lead to a lifetime of satisfaction †¦ .or misery. Not everyone gets it right the first time. Most recently, a trend is arising in which an increasing number of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are pursuing second careers in nursing. Let’s take a closer look at this phenomenon. Supply and DemandThe nationwide demand for RNs is set to undergo a 21 percent increase by 2025, according to a December 2014 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. These numbers fail to factor in emerging care delivery models which will see nurses in new preventative care and care coordination roles thereby further increasing demand. The demand for LPNs is also projected to increase at a rate of 36 percent.While the country is recovering from the recession and in the process of bouncing back, many people remain scarred by layoffs, cutbacks, and ot her threats to job security. The anticipated demand for nursing removes this fear from the equation, and instead promises a secure future.And while registered nurses may not bring home the same high paychecks as doctors, they do make a comfortable income: a median pay of $65,470 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The Fast Track to a New CareerWhile switching to a new career can take years in some professions, many nursing programs off a â€Å"fast track† which can be completed in as little as 12 months for college graduates. While most people don’t have the time or financial resources to invest in a long, drawn-out period of training, nursing offers a great career with minimal investment.The Chance to Make a DifferenceMany people enter first careers motivated by money and prestige. However, as people age, their priorities change. This is particularly true for those who may have experienced their own personal health issues, or witnessed a loved one go ing through a health catastrophe.In many cases, nurses are the primary point of contact for patients and families, and can make or break the quality of care. Because of their tremendous impact, many new, aspiring nurses are inspired to become nurses themselves.And while nurses may not have the prestige of their fellow doctors, they have something perhaps even more important: the trust of their patients. According to a recent Gallup poll, nurses received the highest ratings for honesty and ethical standards, surpassing medical doctors, police officers, and even members of the clergy.While changing careers can be an immobilizing decision - how do you know if you’re making the right choice? - it can also be an invaluable â€Å"second act,† for many American workers. At any age or stage of your career, following your calling into nursing can have innumerable benefits†¦both for you and the patients you serve.

Evaluation of Marx's and Weber's concept of class relevant to Essay

Evaluation of Marx's and Weber's concept of class relevant to understanding contemporary societies - Essay Example This leads to a relatively impoverished conception of the nature of antagonistic interests generated by class relations. Key readings from Marx ("The Communist Manifesto" and "On Classes") and Weber ("Class, Status, and Party") help us understand the sociological analyses of inequality in the concepts of social class, exploitation, surplus value, markets, status, and power. But there is always a difference of opinion between these two thinkers that clearly contrasts Marx's historical materialism and emphasis on class conflict with Weber's exploration of the overlapping sources of inequality in economic, social, and political spheres. (Chatterjee, 83) The importance of production relations in Marxian theory with Weber's emphasis on market relations could be a key prospect in understanding the basic or fundamental influence on modern European society. It could well be suggested that both property and market dynamics are important by relating each to the concepts of class composition. The basic concept may be incorporated into Weber's emphasis on social closure to more clearly differentiate social classes which could develop into a model of class structure, usefully differentiates relational and gradational conceptualizations of social class, and re-visits some key differences between Marxian and Weberian theory. But the end goal being the evaluation of Marxian and Weberian theory in the perspective of the modern society it could be well punctuated that the basic relevance of these perceptions are present even today but not necessarily in a visible manner. The insights of Marx and Weber remain integral to sociological analyses of inequality even as more recent scholarship has promoted more contextual, and some would say more nuanced, models. (Fletcher, 63) The basic perception of Marxian and Weberian theory relate to several critical debates in sociology, including structure versus agency arguments, functionalist versus social conflict models, and the debate over the primacy of class (as opposed to race or gender). In addition, the book's organization invites readers to think sociologically about the evolution of sociological theory itself; the connections between scholarly debates and the historical periods in which they are grounded are evident throughout the society. The concept of Marxian and Weberian theory is also useful for illuminating some of the differences between American and European intellectual traditions. If theoretical frameworks are identified by their silences as loudly as by their proclamations, then one of the defining characteristics of class analysis in Weberian tradition is the virtual absence of a systematic concept of exploitation. Nothing better captures the central contrast between the Marxist and Weberian traditions of class analysis than the difference between a class concept centred on the problem of life chances in Weber and a concept rooted in the problem of exploitation in Marx. This is not to say that Weber completely ignores some of the substantive issues connected to the problem of exploitation.It can be formulated easily, for example, Weber, like Marx, sees an intimate connection between

William Barton and the Australian Youth Orchestra Assignment

William Barton and the Australian Youth Orchestra - Assignment Example The ranges of the instruments are also different: the didgeridoo is unable to reach high pitches and, therefore, has a low range, whereas the orchestra with its instruments has a rather high range. The music has a compound meter. The didgeridoo also has no regular accents, it is possible to say that it is used in an impromptu music performance, while the orchestra has some of them and something similar to a structural organization. There are also no repeating rhythms in the music video analyzed, it is developed without them.  The contour of the melody is both ascending and descending, therefore, the overall contour of the melody of the analyzed music video is undulating. The music is disjunct because it contains leaps and intervals. The noticeable leaps occur when the didgeridoo fades and the orchestra starts playing, and the intervals are generally wide. The melody is also a wide-range one, combining the above mentioned low range of the didgeridoo and the high range of the orchest ra instruments.   It is possible to state that there is some dissonant present when the orchestra and the didgeridoo play simultaneously due to their different ranges and the ability to produce sounds of different pitches. The melody is also loud in dynamics, especially when the didgeridoo starts and goes on playing. There are also decreases and increases in loudness, when the orchestra is fading, the didgeridoo is louder, and the otherwise situation is also observed. The tempo of the music may be characterizes as moderate as there is no too fast.