Response to Coments on DQ1 J1 and DQ2 KS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response to Coments on DQ1 J1 and DQ2 KS - Essay Example The three types of inventory in a manufacturing operation are raw material, work in process inventory, and finished goods inventory (Garrison & Noreen). Inventory is a current asset, but this asset is not as liquid as other current assets. The most liquid current asset is cash. The multi-step income statement provides more details than the single step income statement. DQ2 I like your response and agree with you in your response because the way inventory is handled affects the profitability of a company. In the auto industry the Big Three in order to compete with international competition began to outsource part of the inventory work. Instead of producing auto parts themselves the companies the companies are outsourcing by purchasing the parts from foreign distributors. Techniques such as just in time inventory enabled managers to minimize the amount of inventory companies have in their plants. Having too much inventory is bad due to the opportunity costs associated with holding the inventory. A cost of opportunity can be defined as the alternative use that was forgone when making a decision (Varian). For example a person that decided to give up their job to become a hot dog vendor has the opportunity cost of the salary that he will stop making to sell hot dogs. Work Cited Page Garrison, R., Noreen, E. 2003. Managerial Accounting (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill Irwin. Varian, H. 2003.

From your characters point of view Essay Example for Free

From your characters point of view Essay I knew that big Bastard was trouble as soon as I saw him in the office that first day they both arrived on the ranch. When I saw him turned away from me I knew what his sort was like, big guys who thought they owned the place jus cos of their size. An he didnt even answer my question, jus stood there like a big lump staring at me. I knew they was gonna cause trouble. I heard from the other guys that Lennie was a good worker I give him that but he still was odd, never was with the guys always by himself, with George or with that damn pup that Slim gave him. Carlson always said he never said a word unless George was there or if he allowed it, stupid Bastard. I mean I heard things about guys like that who were big and smart but this guy, Lennie, was different altogether he was almost like a child I didnt know he was capable of mangling my hand, let alone kill my wife. But you never know looks can be different than what is genuine, you get to know these things when you see these bastards come work and then leave, you see it all the time. Since Lennie first come to the ranch I had a hunch, and when he did what he did to my hand I knew that he was not only mean but he was dangerous. I never told about my hand before, I know what the other guys on the ranch would say, Me, the bosses son being beat up by some guy who couldnt put two and two together, I Wasnt gonna let em know, I wasnt gonna let my wife know that her husband got beat up by that Bastard. Them only been on the ranch couple o weeks and Slim letting em getting away with it, I wasnt gonna say Nothing. Slim has a way with words, all the guys trust him. So when my hand got busted by Lennie I was real furious, it made me real mad. I was Jus looking for my wife when it began I spose, so she has something to do with it, She is always going off and when Im looking for her I could never find her. Not knowing where your wife is can ruin a man. An people were sayin things about her. Made me wonder I spose so I go looking for her in the barn where it been mentioned she was and Slim said to be in there too. My wife had been looking at Slim for a while so I was mad and made my way to the barn. Slim was there but not my wife, so we have an Argument and it ends up with my hand being busted. I mean whats a guy spose to think when his wife is looking around at the men? An Slim would be what you call a good catch I spose, But that means that he aint no better than me. When I started on him I never thought about what he could do to my hand, he always was so quiet and looked like he could never hurt anything even though he was a big bastard. The look in his eyes when he just grabbed my hand, I had never seen it in a guy before an I wont wanna be seeing it again too soon I can tell ya. I havent seen a guy so mad before, sure I have got a temper I get mad a lot, but this Lennie was just mental. He jus had this look of hate in his eyes, I was angry but for a big guy like that to take advantage of his size is out of order. He had no right to jus do that kind of shit to me. He just took hold of my hand and then crushed it within his own palm, the pain was unbelievable and the other guys jus stood there watchin him do it. Before he fought back I heard George in the background tellin him to do it. I knew they travelled together but I didnt think that that they was that close, I was proven wrong, Lennie always did what George told him to and that time was no exception. His grasp on my hand grew tighter and I was in pain, I couldnt think about anything else but the feeling in my hand, and what I must have looked like to the other guys but then after it got to its worse all I could think about was what would be left of my hand after the big bastard had finished. An If only George hadnt told him to do it, It wouldnt have happened, he still makes me mad the way he is still here working on the ranch with Slim. I could feel the bones in my hand breaking, I never had thought of pain like that before. My hand still is now messed up. Dont think its ever gonna be the same, and neither is he. As soon as I saw him I had it in for him, but after him mangling my hand I wanted revenge. Things werent so good between me and my wife but that was no excuses for her death. The Dumb bastard was out for me too, and he got me, twice. I knew the way he spent all that bloody time with that pup that he was strange, I had warned her about spending time with the guys on the ranch, her being the only woman was dangerous but he was the last guy I woulda thought would take advantage. He never was interested in things like that, he didnt come to town with us ever, and jus stayed in the barn with that pup. I had said for her to stay in the house, but for a woman to do what she is told is something that doesnt happen easily. I spose it was also her fault stupid bitch going where she aint wanted gettin herself into trouble; something was gonna happen sooner or later. The guys was just out in the yard playing horseshoes, I wasnt gonna join in and be humiliated by them all laughing at my hand. I jus sat down an watched didnt know what was going on else where. The next thing I know old candy is calling from outside the barn saying for us to come quick. She was jus there face down on the straw, I had never seen her be so still. But then I thought and knew what had happened, me an Slim rushed up to her and Slim jus said she was dead. I knew at once that the big bastard had been in there with that damn pup. I knew it was him form the start, he couldnt help himself, He wanted to make trouble and this was the last time I was going to be humiliated he had gone one way too far. I wasnt disturbed by her death really bad, I was jus mad with the Bastard I knew it was him an I was gonna do something about it. Carlson knew it was him too, an I could see it in Georges eyes that he also knew what was going on. I wasnt gonna let Lennie get away with it either. My wife was a slow bitch but it was Lennie who took her life and he wasnt gonna get out of this one by the other guys keeping em Quiet. I had done that already once, when I could have got him canned, but I didnt for my pride now he had the life of my wife. But George was his friend, regardless of this he still went looking for him. I was suspicious though, I mean they travelled together and how did I know that he wasnt gonna help Lennie get away and escape. But I Spose the dumb bastard wouldnt make it on his own without some other guy helping him out or getting him outa shit. When me and the guys saw Lennie lying on the floor next to George I was livid, I hadnt killed the crazy Bastard myself, I was gonna make him suffer the way I had. I dont know everything that went on but what I do know is that Lennie was to blame for the death of my wife and my hand was never gonna be the same cos of him being a crazy Bastard. I could see that they were gonna mess things up, an I was right.

Roman Body Armor :: essays research papers

During the expansion of Rome and the acquisition of new territory, the Roman armies were often met by heavy resistance and bloody conflicts. The armies needed a type of protection that would safely protect soldiers and would ensure victory for Rome. That is the reason armour (upper body) in particular was implemented to save soldiers on the battlefield. The armour had to meet certain standards of construction for it to be useful: Of these standards the first was that armour was to be flexible enough to allow the wearer freedom of movement in battle. Secondly, it had to be lightweight it could be worn without wearing down the soldier, while still protecting him against an opponents' weapon: and finally, the armour had to be made at low cost. These three aspects were influential in the evolution of armour design in the Roman army. The main study point of Roman armour is that it was a trade off between freedom of movement, protection, and cost factor. In the first century A.D. there were about four types of armour in use. The names of the different types were muscle, scale, mail, and segmented mail and the segmented breastplate being the leading type. Studying of these armour types relies upon three main sources of evidence: iconographic; archaeological; and literary source documents. The evolution of Roman armour was influenced by the needs and circumstances of the Roman Army. Armies of the first century A.D. were finally established within the Empire and control fell solely under the Emperor. With the increase of soldiers in the Roman army, which was up to around thirty legions, well built armour was more in need than ever on the frontiers. The army could be divided into two distinct parts the legion and the auxiliary. Only Roman citizens could become a legionnaire, while the auxiliary were made of non citizens from Rome's settled territories. The early view put forward by a historian named Webster was that the equipment used by the legionnaires was remarkably uniform throughout the empire. However, there has been no evidence that supports this theory, showing that a great number of types and ages of equipment was in use at anyone time. Peterson argues that uniform armour in the Roman army may have only extended to the soldiers having their own body armour, helmet, weapons and shield showing a common trademark. Bishop and Coulston suggest that in this period soldiers purchased their own equipment.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 22

Part IV Wanda Seldon SELDON, WANDA-†¦ In the waning years of Hari Seldon's life, he grew most attached to (some say dependent upon) his granddaughter, Wanda. Orphaned in her teens, Wanda Seldon devoted herself to her grandfather's Psychohistory Project, filling the vacancy left by Yugo Amaryl†¦ The content of Wanda Seldon's work remains largely a mystery, for it was conducted in virtually total isolation. The only individuals allowed access to Wanda Seldon's research were Hari himself and a young man named Stettin Palver (whose descendant Preem would four hundred years later contribute to the rebirth of Trantor, as the planet rose from the ashes of the Great Sack [300 F.E.1). Although the full extent of Wanda Seldon's contribution to the Foundation is unknown, it was undoubtedly of the greatest magnitude†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 1 Hari Seldon walked into the Galactic Library (limping a little, as he did more and more often these days) and made for the banks of skitters, the little vehicles that slid their way along the interminable corridors of the building complex. He was held up, however, by the sight of three men seated at one of the galactography alcoves, with the Galactograph showing the Galaxy in full three-dimensional representation and, of course, its worlds slowly pinwheeling around its core, spinning at right angles to that as well. From where Seldon stood he could see that the border Province of Anacreon was marked off in glowing red. It skirted the edge of the Galaxy and took up a great volume, but it was sparsely populated with stars. Anacreon was not remarkable for either wealth or culture but was remarkable for its distance from Trantor: ten thousand parsecs away. Seldon acting on impulse, took a seat at a computer console near the three and set up a random search he was sure would take an indefinite period. Some instinct told him that such an intense interest in Anacreon must be political in nature-its position in the Galaxy made it one of the least secure holdings of the current Imperial regime. His eyes remained on his screen, but Seldon's ears were open for the discussion near him. One didn't usually hear political discussions in the Library. They were, in point of fact, not supposed to take place. Seldon did not know any of the three men. That was not entirely surprising. There were habitues of the Library, quite a few, and Seldon knew most of them by sight-and some even to talk to-but the Library was open to all citizens. No qualifications. Anyone could enter and use its facilities. (For a limited period of time, of course. Only a select few, like Seldon were allowed to â€Å"set up shop† in the Library. Seldon had been granted the use of a locked private office and complete access to Library resources.) One of the men (Seldon thought of him as Hook Nose, for obvious reasons) spoke in a low urgent voice. â€Å"Let it go,† he said. â€Å"Let it go. It's costing us a mint to try to hold on and, even if we do, it will only be while they're there. They can't stay there forever and, as soon as they leave, the situation will revert to what it was.† Seldon knew what they were talking about. The news had come over TrantorVision only three days ago that the Imperial government had decided on a show of force to bring the obstreperous Governor of Anacreon into line. Seldon's own psychohistorical analysis had shown him that it was a useless procedure, but the government did not generally listen when its emotions were stirred. Seldon smiled slightly and grimly at hearing Hook Nose say what he himself had said-and the young man said it without the benefit of any knowledge of psychohistory. Hook Nose went on. â€Å"If we leave Anacreon alone, what do we lose? It's still there, right where it always was, right at the edge of the Empire. It can't pick up and go to Andromeda, can it? So it still has to trade with us and life continues. What's the difference if they salute the Emperor or not? You'll never be able to tell the difference.† The second man, whom Seldon had labeled Baldy, for even more obvious reasons, said, â€Å"Except this whole business doesn't exist in a vacuum. If Anacreon goes, the other border provinces will go. The Empire will break up.† â€Å"So what?† whispered Hook Nose fiercely. â€Å"The Empire can't run itself effectively anymore, anyway. It's too big. Let the border go and take care of itself-if it can. The Inner Worlds will be all the stronger and better off. The border doesn't have to be ours politically; it will still be ours economically.† And now the third man (Red Cheeks) said, â€Å"I wish you were right, but that's not the way it's going to work. If the border provinces establish their independence, the first thing each will do will be to try to increase its power at the expense of its neighbors. There'll be war and conflict and every one of the governors will dream of becoming Emperor at last. It will be like the old days before the Kingdom of Trantor-a dark age that will last for thousands of years.† Baldy said, â€Å"Surely things won't be that bad. The Empire may break up, but it will heal itself quickly when people find out that the breakup just means war and impoverishment. They'll look back on the golden days of the intact Empire and all will be well again. We're not barbarians, you know. We'll find a way.† â€Å"Absolutely,† said Hook Nose. â€Å"We've got to remember that the Empire has faced crisis after crisis in its history and has pulled through time and again.† But Red Cheeks shook his head as he said, â€Å"This is not just another crisis. This is something much worse. The Empire has been deteriorating for generations. Ten years' worth of the junta destroyed the economy and since the fall of the junta and the rise of this new Emperor, the Empire has been so weak that the governors on the Periphery don't have to do anything. It's going to fall of its own weight.† â€Å"And the allegiance to the Emperor-† began Hook Nose. â€Å"What allegiance?† said Red Cheeks. â€Å"We went for years without an Emperor after Cleon was assassinated and no one seemed to mind much. And this new Emperor is just a figurehead. There's nothing he can do. There's nothing anyone can do. This isn't a crisis. This is the end. â€Å" The other two stared at Red Cheeks, frowning. Baldy said, â€Å"You really believe it! You think that the Imperial government will just sit there and let it all happen?† â€Å"Yes! Like you two, they won't believe it is happening. That is, until it's too late.† â€Å"What would you want them to do if they did believe it?† asked Baldy. Red Cheeks stared into the Galactograph, as if he might find an answer there. â€Å"I don't know. Look, in due course of time I'll die; things won't be too bad by then. Afterward, as the situation gets worse, other people can worry about it. I'll be gone. And so will the good old days. Maybe forever. I'm not the only one who thinks this, by the way. Ever hear of someone named Hari Seldon?† â€Å"Sure,† said Hook Nose at once. â€Å"Wasn't he First Minister under Cleon?† â€Å"Yes,† said Red Cheeks. â€Å"He's some sort of scientist. I heard him give a talk a few months back. It felt good to know I'm not the only one who believes the Empire is falling apart. He said-â€Å" â€Å"And he said everything's going to pot and there's going to be a permanent dark age?† Baldy interjected. â€Å"Well no,† said Red Cheeks. â€Å"He's one of these real cautious types. Ire says it might happen, but he's wrong. It will happen.† Seldon had heard enough. He limped toward the table where the three men sat and touched Red Cheeks on the shoulder. â€Å"Sir,† he said, â€Å"may I speak to you for a moment?† Startled, Red Cheeks looked up and then he said, â€Å"Hey, aren't you Professor Seldon?† â€Å"I always have been,† said Seldon. He handed the man a reference tile bearing his photograph. â€Å"I would like to see you here in my Library office at 4 P.M., day after tomorrow. Can you manage that?† â€Å"I have to work.† â€Å"Call in sick if you have to. It's important.† â€Å"Well, I'm not sure, sir.† â€Å"Do it,† said Seldon. â€Å"If you get into any sort of trouble over it, I'll straighten it out. And meanwhile, gentlemen, do you mind if I study the Galaxy simulation for a moment? It's been a long time since I've looked at one.† They nodded mutely, apparently abashed at being in the presence of a former First Minister. One by one the men stepped back and allowed Seldon access to the Galactograph controls. Seldon's finger reached out to the controls and the red that had marked off the Province of Anacreon vanished. The Galaxy was unmarked, a glowing pinwheel of mist brightening into the spherical glow at the center, behind which was the Galactic black hole. Individual stars could not be made out, of course, unless the view were magnified, but then only one portion or another of the Galaxy would be shown on the screen and Seldon wanted to see the whole thing -to get a look at the Empire that was vanishing. He pushed a contact and a series of yellow dots appeared on the Galactic image. They represented the habitable planets-twenty-five million of them. They could be distinguished as individual dots in the thin fog that represented the outskirts of the Galaxy, but they were more and more thickly placed as one moved in toward the center. There was a belt of what seemed solid yellow (but which would separate into individual dots under magnification) around the central glow. The central glow itself remained white and unmarked, of course. No habitable planets could exist in the midst of the turbulent energies of the core. Despite the great density of yellow, not one star in ten thousand, Seldon knew, had a habitable planet circling it. This was true, despite the planet-molding and terraforming capacities of humanity. Not all the molding in the Galaxy could make most of the worlds into anything a human being could walk on in comfort and without the protection of a spacesuit. Seldon closed another contact. The yellow dots disappeared, but one tiny region glowed blue: Trantor and the various worlds directly dependent on it. As close as it could be to the central core and yet remaining insulated from its deadliness, it was commonly viewed as being located at the â€Å"center of the Galaxy,† which it wasn't-not truly. As usual, one had to be impressed by the smallness of the world of Trantor, a tiny place in the vast realm of the Galaxy, but within it was squeezed the largest concentration of wealth, culture, and governmental authority that humanity had ever seen. And even that was doomed to destruction. It was almost as though the men could read his mind or perhaps they interpreted the sad expression on his face. Baldy asked softly, â€Å"Is the Empire really going to be destroyed?† Seldon replied, softer still, â€Å"It might. It might. Anything might happen.† He rose, smiled at the men, and left, but in his thoughts he screamed: It will! It will! 2 Seldon sighed as he climbed into one of the skitters that were ranked side by side in the large alcove. There had been a time, just a few years ago, when he had gloried in walking briskly along the interminable corridors of the Library, telling himself that even though he was past sixty he could manage it. But now, at seventy, his legs gave way all too quickly and he had to take a skitter. Younger men took them all the time because skitters saved them trouble, but Seldon did it because he had to-and that made all the difference. After Seldon punched in the destination, he closed a contact and the skitter lifted a fraction of an inch above the floor. Off it went at a rather casual pace, very smoothly, very silently, and Seldon leaned back and watched the corridor walls, the other skitters, the occasional walkers. He passed a number of Librarians and, even after all these years, he still smiled when he saw them. They were the oldest Guild in the Empire, the one with the most revered traditions, and they clung to ways that were more appropriate centuries before-maybe millennia before. Their garments were silky and off-white and were loose enough to be almost gownlike, coming together at the neck and billowing out from there. Trantor, like all the worlds, oscillated, where the males were concerned, between facial hair and smoothness. The people of Trantor itself-or at least most of its sectors-were smooth-shaven and had been smooth-shaven for as far back as he knew-excepting such anomalies as the mustaches worn by Dahlites, such as his own foster son, Raych. The Librarians, however, clung to the beards of long ago. Every Librarian had a rather short neatly cultivated beard running from ear to ear but leaving bare the upper lip. That alone was enough to mark them for what they were and to make the smooth-shaven Seldon feel a little uncomfortable when surrounded by a crowd of them. Actually the most characteristic thing of all was the cap each wore (perhaps even when asleep, Seldon thought). Square, it was made of a velvety material, in four parts that came together with a button at the top. The caps came in an endless variety of colors and apparently each color had significance. If you were familiar with Librarian lore, you could tell a particular Librarian's length of service, area of expertise, grades of accomplishment, and so on. They helped fix a pecking order. Every Librarian could, by a glance at another's hat, tell whether to be respectful (and to what degree) or overbearing (and to what degree). The Galactic Library was the largest single structure on Trantor (possibly in the Galaxy), much larger than even the Imperial Palace, and it had once gleamed and glittered, as though boasting of its size and magnificence. However, like the Empire itself, it had faded and withered. It was like an old dowager still wearing the jewels of her youth but upon a body that was wrinkled and wattled. The skitter stopped in front of the ornate doorway of the Chief Librarian's office and Seldon climbed out. Las Zenow smiled as he greeted Seldon. â€Å"Welcome, my friend,† he said in his high-pitched voice. (Seldon wondered if he had ever sung tenor in his younger days but had never dared to ask. The Chief Librarian was a compound of dignity always and the question might have seemed offensive.) â€Å"Greetings,† said Seldon. Zenow had a gray beard, rather more than halfway to white, and he wore a pure white hat. Seldon understood that without any explanation. It was a case of reverse ostentation. The total absence of color represented the highest peak of position. Zenow rubbed his hands with what seemed to be an inner glee. â€Å"I've called you in, Hari, because I've got good news for you. We've found it! â€Å"By ‘it,' Las, you mean-â€Å" â€Å"A suitable world. You wanted one far out. I think we've located the ideal one.† His smile broadened. â€Å"You just leave it to the Library. Hari. We can find anything.† â€Å"I have no doubt, Las. Tell me about this world.† â€Å"Well, let me show you its location first.† A section of the wall slid aside, the lights in the room dimmed, and the Galaxy appeared in three-dimensional form, turning slowly. Again, red lines marked off the Province of Anacreon, so that Seldon could almost swear that the episode with the three men had been a rehearsal for this. And then a brilliant blue dot appeared at the far end of the province. â€Å"There it is,† said Zenow. â€Å"It's an ideal world. Sizable, well-watered, good oxygen atmosphere, vegetation, of course. A great deal of sea life. It's there just for the taking. No planet-molding or terraforming required-or, at least, none that cannot be done while it is actually occupied.† Seldon said, â€Å"Is it an unoccupied world, Las?† â€Å"Absolutely unoccupied. No one on it.† â€Å"But why-if it's so suitable? I presume that, if you have all the details about it, it must have been explored. Why wasn't it colonized?† â€Å"It was explored, but only by unmanned probes. And there was no colonization-presumably because it was so far from everything. The planet revolves around a star that is farther from the central black hole than that of any inhabited planet-farther by far. Too far, I suppose, for prospective colonists, but I think not too far for you. You said, ‘The farther, the better.' â€Å" â€Å"Yes,† said Seldon, nodding. â€Å"I still say so. Does it have a name or is there just a letter-number combination?† â€Å"Believe it or not, it has a name. Those who sent out the probes named it Terminus, an archaic word meaning ‘the end of the line.' Which it would seem to be.† Seldon said, â€Å"Is the world part of the territory of the Province of Anacreon?† â€Å"Not really,† said Zenow. â€Å"If you'll study the red line and the red shading, you will see that the blue dot of Terminus lies slightly outside it-fifty light-years outside it, in fact. Terminus belongs to nobody; it's not even part of the Empire, as a matter of fact.† â€Å"You're right, then, Las. It does seem like the ideal world I've been looking for.† â€Å"Of course,† said Zenow thoughtfully, â€Å"once you occupy Terminus, I imagine the Governor of Anacreon will claim it as being under his jurisdiction.† â€Å"That's possible,† said Seldon, â€Å"but we'll have to deal with that when 1 he matter comes up.† Zenow rubbed his hands again. â€Å"What a glorious conception. Setting up a huge project on a brand-new world, far away and entirely isolated, so that year by year and decade by decade a huge Encyclopedia of all human knowledge can be put together. An epitome of what is present in this Library. If I were only younger, I would love to join the expedition.† Seldon said sadly, â€Å"You're almost twenty years younger than I am.† (Almost everyone is far younger than I am, he thought, even more sadly.) Zenow said, â€Å"Ah yes, I heard that you just passed your seventieth birthday. I hope you enjoyed it and celebrated appropriately.† Seldon stirred. â€Å"I don't celebrate my birthdays.† â€Å"Oh, but you did. I remember the famous story of your sixtieth birthday.† Seldon felt the pain, as deeply as though the dearest loss in all the world had taken place the day before. â€Å"Please don't talk about it,† he said. Abashed, Zenow said, â€Å"I'm sorry. We'll talk about something else. If, indeed, Terminus is the world you want, I imagine that your work on the preliminaries to the Encyclopedia Project will be redoubled. As you know, the Library will be glad to help you in all respects.† â€Å"I'm aware of it, Las, and I am endlessly grateful. We will, indeed, keep working.† He rose, not yet able to smile after the sharp pang induced by the reference to his birthday celebration of ten years back. He said, â€Å"So I must go to continue my labors.† And as he left, he felt, as always, a pang of conscience over the deceit he was practicing. Las Zenow did not have the slightest idea of Seldon's true intentions. 3 Hari Seldon surveyed the comfortable suite that had been his personal office at the Galactic Library these past few years. It, like the rest of the Library, had a vague air of decay about it, a kind of weariness-something that had been too long in one place. And yet Seldon knew it might remain here, in the same place, for centuries more-with judicious rebuildings-for millennia even. How did he come to be here? Over and over again, he felt the past in his mind, ran his mental tendrils along the line of development of his life. It was part of growing older, no doubt. There was so much more in the past, so much less in the future, that the mind turned away from the looming shadow ahead to contemplate the safety of what had gone before. In his case, though, there was that change. For over thirty years psychohistory had developed in what might almost be considered a straight line-progress creepingly slow but moving straight ahead. Then six years ago there had been a right-angled turn-totally unexpected. And Seldon know exactly how it had happened, how a concatenation of events came together to make it possible. It was Wanda, of course, Seldon's granddaughter. Hari closed his eyes and settled into his chair to review the events of six years before. Twelve-year-old Wanda was bereft. Her mother, Manella, had had another child, another little girl, Bellis, and for a time the new baby was a total preoccupation. Her father, Raych, having finished his book on his home sector of Dahl, found it to be a minor success and himself a minor celebrity. He was called upon to talk on the subject, something he accepted with alacrity, for he was fiercely absorbed in the subject and, as he said to Hari with a grin, â€Å"When I talk about Dahl, I don't have to hide my Dahlite accent. In fact, the public expects it of me.† The net result, though, was that he was away from home a considerable amount of time and when he wasn't, it was the baby he wanted to see. As for Dors-Dors was gone-and to Hari Seldon that wound was ever-fresh, ever-painful. And he had reacted to it in an unfortunate manner. It had been Wanda's dream that had set in motion the current of events that had ended with the loss of Dors. Wanda had had nothing to do with it-Seldon knew that very well. And yet he found himself shrinking from her, so that he also failed her in the crisis brought about by the birth of the new baby. And Wanda wandered disconsolately to the one person who always seemed glad to see her, the one person she could always count on. That WAS Yugo Amaryl, second only to Hari Seldon in the development of psychohistory and first in his absolute round-the-clock devotion to it. Hari had had Dors and Raych, but psychohistory was Yugo's life; he had no wife and children. Yet whenever Wanda came into his presence, something within him recognized her as a child and he dimly felt-for just that moment-a sense of loss that seemed to be assuaged only by showing the child affection. To be sure, he tended to treat her as a rather undersized adult, but Wanda seemed to like that. It was six years ago that she had wandered into Yugo's office. Yugo looked up at her with his owlish reconstituted eyes and, as usual, took a moment or two to recognize her. Then he said, â€Å"Why, it's my dear friend Wanda. But why do you look so sad? Surely an attractive young woman like you should never feel sad.† And Wanda, her lower lip trembling, said, â€Å"Nobody loves me.† â€Å"Oh come, that's not true.† â€Å"They just love that new baby. They don't care about me anymore.† â€Å"I love you, Wanda.† â€Å"Well, you're the only one then, Uncle Yugo.† And even though she could no longer crawl onto his lap as she had when she was younger, she cradled her head on his shoulder and wept. Amaryl, totally unaware of what he should do, could only hug the girl and say, â€Å"Don't cry. Don't cry.† And out of sheer sympathy and because he had so little in his own life to weep about, he found that tears were trickling down his own cheeks as well. And then he said with sudden energy, â€Å"Wanda, would you like to see something pretty?† â€Å"What?† sniffled Wanda. Amaryl knew only one thing in life and the Universe that was pretty. He said, â€Å"Did you ever see the Prime Radiant?† â€Å"No. What is it?† â€Å"It's what your grandfather and I use to do our work. See? It's right here.† He pointed to the black cube on his desk and Wanda looked at it woefully. â€Å"That's not pretty,† she said. â€Å"Not now,† agreed Amaryl. â€Å"But watch when I turn it on.† He did so. The room darkened and filled with dots of light and flashes of different colors. â€Å"See? Now we can magnify it so all the dots become mathematical symbols.† And so they did. There seemed a rush of material toward them and there, in the air, were signs of all sorts, letters, numbers, arrows, and shapes that Wanda had never seen before. â€Å"Isn't it pretty?† asked Amaryl. â€Å"Yes, it is,† said Wanda, staring carefully at the equations that (she didn't know) represented possible futures. â€Å"I don't like that part, though. I think it's wrong.† She pointed at a colorful equation to her left. â€Å"Wrong? Why do you say it's wrong† said Amaryl, frowning. â€Å"Because it's not†¦ pretty. I'd do it a different way.† Amaryl cleared his throat. â€Å"Well, I'll try to fix it up.† And he moved closer to the equation in question, staring at it in his owlish fashion. Wanda said, â€Å"Thank you very much, Uncle Yugo, for showing me your pretty lights. Maybe someday I'll understand what they mean.† â€Å"That's all right,† said Amaryl. â€Å"I hope you feel better.† â€Å"A little, thanks,† and, after flashing the briefest of smiles, she left the room. Amaryl stood there, feeling a trifle hurt. He didn't like having the Prime Radiant's product criticized-not even by a twelve-year-old girl who knew no better. And as he stood there, he had no idea whatsoever that the psychohistorical revolution had begun. 4 That afternoon Amaryl went to Hari Seldon's office at Streeling University. That in itself was unusual, for Amaryl virtually never left his own office, even to speak with a colleague just down the hall. â€Å"Hari,† said Amaryl, frowning and looking puzzled. â€Å"Something very odd has happened. Very peculiar.† Seldon looked at Amaryl with deepest sorrow. He was only fifty-three, but he looked much older, bent, worn down to almost transparency. When forced, he had undergone doctors' examinations and the doctors had all recommended that he leave his work for a period of time (some said permanently) and rest. Only this, the doctors said, might improve his health. Otherwise-Seldon shook his head. â€Å"Take him away from his work and he'll die all the sooner-and unhappier. We have no choice.† And then Seldon realized that, lost in such thoughts, he was not hearing Amaryl speak. He said, â€Å"I'm sorry, Yugo. I'm a little distracted. Begin again.† Amaryl said, â€Å"I'm telling you that something very odd has happened. Very peculiar.† â€Å"What is it, Yugo?† â€Å"It was Wanda. She came in to see me-very sad, very upset.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Apparently it's the new baby.† â€Å"Oh yes,† Hari said with more than a trace of guilt in his voice. â€Å"So she said and cried on my shoulder-I actually cried a bit, too, Hari. And then I thought I'd cheer her up by showing her the Prime Radiant.† Here Amaryl hesitated, as if choosing his next words carefully. â€Å"Go on, Yugo. What happened?† â€Å"Well, she stared at all the lights and I magnified a portion, actually Section 428254. You're acquainted with that?† Seldon smiled. â€Å"No, Yugo, I haven't memorized the equations quite as well as you have.† â€Å"Well, you should,† said Amaryl severely. â€Å"How can you do a good job if-But never mind that. What I'm trying to say is that Wanda pointed to a part of it and said it was no good. It wasn't pretty. â€Å" â€Å"Why not? We all have our personal likes and dislikes.† â€Å"Yes, of course, but I brooded about it and I spent some time going over it and, Hari, there was something wrong with it. The programming was inexact and that area, the precise area to which Wanda pointed, was no good. And, really, it wasn't pretty.† Seldon sat up rather stiffly, frowning. â€Å"Let me get this straight, Yugo. She pointed to something at random, said it was no good, and she was right?† â€Å"Yes. She pointed, but it wasn't at random; she was very deliberate.† â€Å"But that's impossible.† â€Å"But it happened. I was there.† â€Å"I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm saying it was just a wild coincidence.† â€Å"Is it? Do you think, with all your knowledge of psychohistory, you could take one glance at a new set of equations and tell me that one portion is no good?† Seldon said, â€Å"Well then, Yugo, how did you come to expand that particular portion of the equations? What made you choose that piece for magnification?† Amaryl shrugged. â€Å"That was coincidence-if you like. I just fiddled with the controls.† â€Å"That couldn't be coincidence,† muttered Seldon. For a few moments he was lost in thought, then he asked the question that pushed forward the psychohistorical revolution that Wanda had begun. He said, â€Å"Yugo, did you have any suspicions about those equations beforehand? Did you have any reason to believe there was something wrong with them?† Amaryl fiddled with the sash of his unisuit and seemed embarrassed. â€Å"Yes, I think I did. You see-â€Å" â€Å"You think you did?† â€Å"I know I did. I seemed to recall when I was setting it up-it's a new section, you know-my fingers seemed to glitch on the programmer. It looked all right then, but I guess I kept worrying about it inside. I remember thinking it looked wrong, but I had other things to do and I just let it go. But then when Wanda happened to point to precisely the area I had been concerned about, I decided to check up on her-otherwise I would just have let it go as a childish statement.† â€Å"And you turned on that very fragment of the equations to show Wanda. As though it were haunting your unconscious mind.† Amaryl shrugged. â€Å"Who knows?† â€Å"And just before that, you were very close together, hugging, both crying.† Amaryl shrugged again, looking even more embarrassed. Seldon said, â€Å"I think I know what happened, Yugo. Wanda read your mind.† Amaryl jumped, as though he had been bitten. â€Å"That's impossible!† Slowly Seldon said, â€Å"I once knew someone who had unusual mental powers of that sort†-and he thought sadly of Eto Demerzel or, as Seldon had secretly known him, Daneel-â€Å"only he was somewhat more than human. But his ability to read minds, to sense other people's thoughts, to persuade people to act in a certain way-that was a mental ability. I think, somehow, that perhaps Wanda has that ability as well.† â€Å"I can't believe it,† said Amaryl stubbornly. â€Å"I can,† said Seldon â€Å"but I don't know what to do about it.† Dimly lie felt the rumblings of a revolution in psychohistorical research-but only dimly.

The More Effective ICT Management Education Essay

Nowadays, most schools are increasing involved in the usage of Information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) in their instruction environment. The more effectual ICT direction is the more benefits that the pupils, the staff and the households receive from its ICT investing. West Moreton Anglican College is the school supplying move direction services to its pupils. The Information and Communication Technology section focuses on the more specific ICT degree that the pupils learn about ICT package usage, societal issues and scheduling ; evaluates and modifies the ICT ; Information Processing and Technology ( IPT ) and Information Technology Systems Programs ( ITSP ) to guarantee the emerging engineerings and future accomplishments of our society are met. The intent of this study is to supply the information about the systematic procedure of ICT direction based on the IT Infrastructure Ecosystem at West Moreton Anglican College. In fixing the study, the information is gathered largely from via electronic mail to interview the Information and Communication Technology Department, West Moreton Anglican College ‘s News, though information from the web sites and text edition was besides utilized. The analysis takes into history the administration construction, environment, nature, policies and its engineering. The information is presented in 3 bundles which are Management deductions, Organizational issues and Technology facets. The study is prepared based on the demand of IT Infrastructure Ecosystem of the West Moreton Anglican College and interpolation of the analytical procedure of why the Cloud Computing is of import for the College and what benefits the school could obtain from Big Data. As puting in its IT substructure, the College updates the current package and hardware, which are including a complete waiter refresh and migration to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office. The college starts to utilize the informations # 3 of Cloud Computing, it ‘s the clip to allow the pupils ‘go to the cloud ‘ , and the pupils could be able to entree their school assignments easy from their ain place Personal computer, West Moreton Anglican College ‘s Personal computer and their iPad ; that is besides convenient to the instructors to fix the lessons, whenever they want. Additionally, the College launched its ain iDevice App available on iTunes that gives pupils and instructors instant, unafraid entree to information including their timetable, day-to-day notices, appraisal and jaunt calendars and College events calendar. This session revisits cardinal determinations that were required to be made in order to back up this enterprise, hazards identified, obstructions, benefits to pupils and instructors and a expression toward the following few old ages of this on-going enterprise. West Moreton Anglican College launched the â€Å" Technology and Information Services Strategy † which are integrating Digital Teaching and Learning. The plan has been supported by practical, collaborative infinites utilizing Edublogs, Facebook and Twitter. The pupils can post their noticing about school. This could assist the school might pick up the issues and protecting the college ‘s repute and supplying a quality experience for the pupils and parents. 1. Introduction: Information and communicating engineering ( ICT ) becomes more of import portion of school operation exponentially. It is important that organisations know how to supply high-performance platforms for staffs work loads, schoolroom direction, information analysis, learning modeling and visual image, pull offing research, convenient cooperation between the co-worker, and coaction across multiple school. Most school usage ICT in their instruction environment, nevertheless they can non maximise the benefits to execute their concern undertakings expeditiously and efficaciously. I am traveling to place the West Moreton Anglican College sustainable usage the information and communicating engineering to accomplish the operating of instruction aims. This study is being produced to supply the information of how to heighten and use in the direction of its IT Infrastructure engineering, and urge a scheme to assist school program to leverage Big Data to accomplish its singular instruction operati on aim. 1.1 Background of West Moreton Anglican College: West Moreton Anglican College is owned and operated by the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. The College was established on 31 January 1994, from an initial consumption of 225 kids development to about 1600 pupils ; the College has a staff of 104 full-time learning staff and 49 administrative and accessory staff ; and it is located on a semi-rural campus of 38 hectares in Ipswich. 1.2 The services of West Moreton Anglican College: Co-educational environment of West Moreton Anglican College consists of Senior, Middle and Junior Schools and Community Kindergarten, the college besides opens International pupils programme. 1.3 The mission of West Moreton Anglican College: West Moreton Anglican College ‘s mission to the pupils, harmonizing to the really first prospectus, is to develop the balanced, to the full rounded and motivated persons who can make their maximal possible intellectually, socially, culturally, physically and emotionally ; let each pupil to prosecute single excellence. West Moreton Anglican College besides promises to parents is that their kids will have a quality instruction at an low-cost monetary value. The College ‘s slogan is Faith, Knowledge, Service. 1.4 The Structure of West Moreton Anglican College: West Moreton Anglican College has a staff of 104 full-time learning staff and 49 administrative and accessory staff. The West Moreton Anglican College Council is responsible for pull offing the personal businesss of the College and supervising its concerns and public assistance. The principal, in concurrence with the school Council, makes the executive determinations that govern the school, every bit good as holding the authorization over the employment of instructors. The Principal has a Senior Administration Team of 12 members. They are Principal-self, Deputy principal, Head of Senior School, Head of Middle School, Head of Junior School, Business Manager, Director of Curriculum, Director of Technology & A ; Information Services, Director of International Programs, Director of Sport & A ; Extra Curriculum Activity, These section are support in the countries of course of study, human resource direction, installation direction, finance, and selling and development. As the College has three sub-schools ; every school severally set up of Head, Deputy Head and Receptionist. Head and Deputy Head direct staff with the support of five House Coordinators and single coachs. As the College is Christian Living, a Chaplain provides pastoral attention and nurtures the religion of the College community as a whole. The academic plan has offerings in Agricultural Studies, Art, RAVE ( Religious and Values Education ) , Drama, English, Health and Physical Education, Information Communication Technology, languages other than English ( Nipponese and Mandarin Chinese ) , Mathematics, Music, Science and Social Science. The ICT section of the College provide services to every section of the college. It is every bit important as its services cover the whole school.1.5 West Moreton Anglican College Strategy:Bettering the manner we do things and raising the outlooks of and criterions for our community. Supplying plans that are antiphonal to student demands, sustainable and optimise pupil accomplishment. Constructing a civilization of high pupil accomplishment Prioritisation and rationalization of plans to let for effectual resourcing to enable single excellence Keeping and prolonging a antiphonal and effectual pastoral attention plan Transforming our community through religion, service and acquisition. Empowering persons Making a sense of belonging – yesteryear and nowadays Bing unfastened to possibilities and unfastened to alter Integrating religion and societal justness Raising our repute and edifice relationships so as to increase registrations and beef up our community. Bing recognised in the wider community for our cardinal strengths Enhancing our links in the local community Increasing registrations to develop waiting lists Improved selling through ‘word of oral cavity ‘ Strengthening our holistic attack to instruction Expand our market incursion into Attracting, retaining and developing high quality staff. Developing staff who are advanced, committed and professional Improved communicating within and across the administration Strengthening our HR capacity Committedness to targeted, value-add professional development new catchment countries Re-engineering our work flows and patterns to derive greater efficiencies and effectivity. Credence by staff of increased personal and group answerability for efficiency and effectivity Improved client satisfaction through concern procedure efficaciousness Bettering engineering competency by College staff to run into the challenges of this precedence Supplying resources appropriate to our market places that are aligned to hold plans and precedences. All plans are suitably housed and resourced ( purpose built ) Facilities and resources match or exceed market ( client ) outlook Our beacon plans are showcased and acknowledged by the wider community All plans supported by appropriate, modern-day engineering Guaranting long-run fiscal sustainability. Debt reduced to degrees that allow for extra capital enlargement Appropriately resource the enterprises contained within this program Improved pupil results ; Heightened parent satisfaction ; Enhanced staff battle ; Long term fiscal stableness.1.6 The West Moreton Anglican College ‘s relationship with external entities:West Moreton Anglican College has strong support programme to the Australia Defence Families. The College has a Defence Transition Mentor who faces the pupils of Middle pupil and besides has a Defence passage Mentor who coordinates at Junior School. They assist Defence Families, peculiarly during passages between schools and during parental absence. As the West Moreton Anglican College is the largest supplier of Vocational Education and Training ( VET ) plans in Queensland, the College builds a steadfast partnership with the private sector, which allows pupils to take part in employment 1 twenty-four hours a hebdomad while deriving a nationally recognised making, typically Certificate II or III. This typical relationship with external entities is first-class tools to assist ease pupils have a smooth passage to full clip employment in an of all time altering environment.1.7 West Moreton Anglican College ‘s web site:www.wmac.com.au2. The IT Infrastructure:As the shared engineering of the elements, IT substructure provides the platform within a school ‘s peculiar information system applications. It enables instructors, pupils and school staffs to entree a broad scope of maps, services, larning tools and digital information resources which support instruction, larning and school disposal. IT substructure includes hardwar e, package and services. The whole College portions this engineering, which provides the maps for leaving the cognition, pupils ‘ information engineering ability preparation, and the school day-to-day service. Harmonizing to the text edition â€Å" Laudon and Laudon 12th edn p.206 † , the IT substructure of the West Moreton Anglican College is typically composed by seven major of interrelated engineering constituents.2.1 Computer Hardware Platforms:West Moreton Anglican College is taking the instruction sector ‘s engineering revolution by making an Australian first iPad app that places critical information at pupils ‘ fingertips. The current version of the WestMAC app provides pupils with instant entree to day-to-day notices, timetables, assessment calendars, jaunt inside informations and other of import College information. WestMAC Director of Technology and Information Services Tricia O'Keeffe said pupils are better prepared when they arrive at the College and are more likely to concentrate and concentrate in category as a consequence of holding entree to the app. â€Å" Supplying pupils and staff with instant entree to reliable, quality information translates into giving them the chance to do quality determinations, † Ms O'Keeffe said. She said the first version of the app was launched to pupils in early 2011 and the 2nd version, which introduces characteristics including on-line research databases, assignment assistants and cyber-safety resources, would be launched in the approaching hebdomads. Students in all sub-schools at the College – including Junior School ( Prep to Year 6 ) , Middle School ( Years 7 to 9 ) and Senior School ( Years 10 to 12 ) all have entree to the app and can entree it on their ain personally owned nomadic device. WestMAC pupils in Years 11 and 12 can entree the app via the iPad provided to them via the Federal Government ‘s National Secondary School Computer Fund as portion of WestMAC ‘s Mobile Learning Device Strategy. Students from Prep to Year 10 besides have entree to iPads during schoolroom activities. WestMAC Principal Geoff McLay said the College has embraced engineering as a agency of fixing pupils for the existent universe as they progress through their surveies and onto third instruction and employment. â€Å" It is critical that we provide our pupils with learning resources that equip them with the accomplishments and tools they need to win both during their school old ages and beyond, † Mr McLay said. â€Å" The 2nd version of the WestMAC app will further develop our pupils ‘ self-denial and clip direction accomplishments, every bit good as supplying instant entree to planetary on-line resources to heighten larning results, † he said.

Education and Schools in Texas

Education and Schools in Texas Every state adheres to a different set of rules and regulations regarding education.  State governments seemingly take varying approaches on almost every education and school related piece of legislation.  Hot issues such as standardized testing, charter schools, teacher certification, and school vouchers are handled differently in each state.  This profile focuses on education and schools in Texas. District/School Information Texas Commissioner of Education: Mike Morath Length of School Year: A minimum of 180 days is required by Texas state law. Number of Public School Districts: There are 1,031 public school districts in Texas. Number of Public Schools: There are 9,317 public schools in Texas.**** Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 5,000,470 public school students in Texas.**** Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There are 324,282 public school teachers in Texas.**** Number of Charter Schools: There are 618 charter schools in Texas. Per Pupil Spending: Texas spends $8,837 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size In Texas is 15.4 students per 1 teacher.**** Percentage of Title I Schools: 79.7% of schools in Texas are Title I Schools.**** Percentage With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 8.7% of students in Texas are on IEPs.**** Percentage in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 14.9% of students in Texas are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** Percentage of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 51.0% of students in Texas schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown:**** White: 30.5% Black: 12.8% Hispanic: 50.8% Asian: 3.5% Pacific Islander: 0.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.4% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 78.9% of all students entering high school in Texas graduate.** Average ACT/SAT score: Average ACT Composite Score: 20.9*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1432***** 8th grade NAEP assessment scores:**** Math: 284 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Texas. The U.S. average was 281. Reading: 261 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Texas. The U.S. average was 264. Percentage of Students Who Attend College After High School: 56.2% of students in Texas go on to attend some level of college.*** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 1,297 private schools in Texas.* Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 246,030 private school students in Texas.* Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There are an estimated 146,309 students that were homeschooled in Texas in 2015.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Texas was $48,110 in 2013.## The state of Texas has a teacher’s minimum salary schedule. However, some districts may negotiate salaries with their teachers.    *Data courtesy of Education Bug **Data courtesy of ED.gov ***Data courtesy of ACT ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics ******Data courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Average salary courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics ###Disclaimer:  The information provided on this page changes frequently.  It will be updated regularly as new information and data becomes available.

Critical Thinking and Decision Making Essay

Critical Thinking and Decision Making Essay Essay on Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Decision Making Critical thinking and decision-making are the most intricate parts of solving problems. Without it, we cannot begin to evaluate someone’s reasoning or grasp the rational being offered for acceptance as a point of view. In grasping and understanding reasoning we must understand critical thinking. In order to understand critical thinking, one must analyze the concept of reasoning. We use reasoning in communication. Reasoning is presented in language and is used to tell jokes, make insult, report factual information, describe a scene or a personality, tell a story, express our feelings, explain why we have acted in a particular way and ask questions. Sometimes we use reasoning to persuade others to accept the truth of a statement, by offering them reasons or evidence in support of this statement. This is the most central and material part of an argument. Arguments occur when someone believes some statement and presents reasons aimed at persuading others to adopt the same point of view. Often people do this without realizing that what they are saying is argumentative. When presented with an argument, critical thinking becomes an important part of the equation. Critical thinking is a systematic evaluation. This way of thinking is something we are not accustom to but we must learn how to use this system so we can judge situations and make more efficient decisions. Critical thinking allows a person to listen and make a decision based on all information that is presented in a problem. After acquiring all information, a person using critical thinking will evaluate and ask critical questions at the appropriate time in order to get the best decision or judgment. With critical thinking there are two thinking styles. They are the sponge and panning for gold. The sponge thinking style allows a person to absorb information and to retain knowledge for the purpose of understanding it. The sponge thinking style is also incredibly stolid and requires no participation in making a decision. All information is taken for what it is worth. A person believes exactly what is said and does not question the information. On the other hand there is panning for gold. Panning for gold thinking style gives a person a chance to take in information, listen and analyze all opinions. After listening and analyzing, a person takes this information and determines if the information has any worth and how it would influence the outcome. This type of thinking style allows a person to ask question about any given situation. Both styles are necessary for critical thinking. They compliment each other. The sponge allows a person to absorb information while panning for gold allows the person to digest and evaluate information that is present so decisions can be made based upon worthiness. Once a person has digested information and determined its credibility, a decision must be made. Decision-making is a common way of helping to determine an outcome. The decision-making process allows a person to focus on what’s important and is it logical and consistent. It also only requires information that is necessary to resolve a particular dilemma and is straightforward, reliable and easy to use. Decision-making allows a person to clarify uncertainties and risks. Effective decision-making demands that a person confront uncertainty, judging the likelihood of different outcomes and assessing their possible impacts. More than likely what we decide today could influence our choices tomorrow. This in turn will affect the outcome of our future. From a managerial stand point, decision-making can be based upon logical, rational and a systematic process. Managers and heads of organizations use the systemic process to correct or to solve problems. Even though the problems of corporations might be of a larger magnitude than the problems in everyday life we use the decision-mak ing process in the same way. Each must examine the problem and then begin to identify what choices have to be made. After identifying problem, everyone will rely on knowledge and action to help him or her to make a decision that is appropriate for that problem. Both critical thinking and decision-making is a large part of our everyday life. We must make use of critical thinking and decision-making to answer problems that arise in our lives. When confronted with a problem, we must assess the problem or argument and analyze all information that is put before us so we can make the best decision possible. Without the use of critical thinking and decision-making, our lives would be of no significance. We would be mundane beings and would believe what is told to us without question. Even the most insignificant problem or argument requires the use of critical thinking and decision-making. For example, when trying to decide what to wear to work in the morning, we use both critical thinking and decision-making. It is not a complicated problem but a decision has to be made and one must ask oneself certain questions in order to choose what to wear. You will find critical thinking and decision-making in every newspaper you pick up. Look at the letter s ections and the editorials. You will also find them use on television and radio broadcasts. Even when you join newsgroups, you will find that critical thinking and decision-making is being implemented to some degree. Critical thinking and decision-making compliments each other by allowing us to make tough decisions. Critical thinking and decision-making also allows us to confront a problem or an argument and test the validity of it. Once validity is tested, we need justification for the action that is being taken. The purpose of validity and justification is to validate conflicting points in an argument and can be used as a systematic way to decipher what a person is saying is true and is it justifiable. Even if a desire to discover the truth does not seem a sufficiently strong reason for being concerned about having good reasons to justify our actions and beliefs, there are various life situations in which the ability to interpret and evaluate someone’s problem or arguments properly may be crucial to someone’s well-being. Critical thinking and decision-making is an optimal system that ensures the best evaluation and interpretation in argument analysis. Within my department, critical thinking and decision-making is constantly being used. When implementing new program or new software, our programmers, network administrators and technicians have to make decisions that affect SCDNR. For example, the implementation of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) allowed remote users to access the network in half the time. In order for this to happen, the staff of data processing had to come together and figure out how to begin the process of establishing a VPN. Each staff member had opinions and arguments but critical thinking and decision-making allowed the managers to taken in all the information that was presented and make a decision based upon that information. Without critical thinking and decision-making, our VPN connection would never be in place and our user would not be able to access the network in an expeditionary manner. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Critical Thinking or Decision Making topics at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

Biography of General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Biography of General Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969) was a decorated war hero, having participated in two World Wars, holding many titles. After retiring from active duty, he entered politics and served as president of the United States from 1953–1961. Fast Facts: Dwight D. Eisenhower Known For: General of the Army in World War II, U.S. President from 1953–1961Born: October 14, 1890 in Denison, TexasParents: David Jacob and Ida Stover EisenhowerDied: March 28, 1969 in Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaEducation: Abilene High School, West Point Naval Academy (1911–1915), Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (1925–1926)Spouse: Marie Mamie Geneva Doud (m. July 1, 1916)Children: Doud Dwight (1917–1921) and John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (1922–2013) Early Life Dwight David Eisenhower was the third son of David Jacob and Ida Stover Eisenhower. Moving to Abilene, Kansas in 1892, Eisenhower spent his childhood in the town and later attended Abilene High School. Graduating in 1909, he worked locally for two years to aid in paying his older brothers college tuition. In 1911, Eisenhower took and passed the admission exam for the U.S. Naval Academy but was turned down due to being too old. Turning to West Point, he succeeded in gaining an appointment with the aid of Senator Joseph L. Bristow. Though his parents were pacifists, they supported his choice as it would give him a good education. West Point Though born David Dwight, Eisenhower had gone by his middle name for most of his life. Arriving at West Point in 1911, he officially changed his name to Dwight David. A member of a star-studded class that would ultimately produce 59 generals, including Omar Bradley, Eisenhower was a solid student and graduated 61st in a class of 164. While at the academy, he also proved a gifted athlete until having his career cut short by a knee injury. Completing his education, Eisenhower graduated in 1915 and was assigned to the infantry. Eisenhower married Marie Mamie Geneva Doud on July 1, 1916. They had two sons, Doud Dwight (1917–1921), who died of scarlet fever as a child, and the historian and ambassador John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (1922–2013).   World War I Moving through postings in Texas and Georgia, Eisenhower showed skills as an administrator and trainer. With the American entry into World War I in April 1917, he was retained in the United States and assigned to the new tank corps. Posted to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Eisenhower spent the war training tank crews for service on the Western Front. Though he reached the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel, he reverted to the rank of captain following the wars end in 1918. Ordered to Fort Meade, Maryland, Eisenhower continued to work in armor and conversed on the topic with Captain George S. Patton. Interwar Years In 1922, with the rank of major, Eisenhower was assigned to the Panama Canal Zone to serve as executive officer to Brigadier General Fox Connor. Recognizing his XOs abilities, Connor took a personal interest in Eisenhowers military education and devised an advanced course of study. In 1925, he assisted Eisenhower in securing admission to the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Graduating first in his class a year later, Eisenhower was posted as a battalion commander at Fort Benning, Georgia. After a short assignment with the American Battle Monuments Commission, under General John J. Pershing, he returned to Washington, D.C. as executive officer to Assistant Secretary of War General George Mosely. Known as an excellent staff officer, Eisenhower was selected as an aide by U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur. When MacArthurs term ended in 1935, Eisenhower followed his superior to the Philippines to serve as a military advisor to the Filipino government. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1936, Eisenhower began to clash with MacArthur on military and philosophical topics. Opening a rift that would last the remainder of their lives, the arguments led Eisenhower to return to Washington in 1939 and take a series of staff positions. In June 1941, he became chief of staff to 3rd Army commander Lieutenant General Walter Krueger and was promoted to brigadier general that September. World War II Begins With the U.S. entry into World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Eisenhower was assigned to the General Staff in Washington where he devised war plans for defeating Germany and Japan. Becoming Chief of the War Plans Division, he was soon elevated to Assistant Chief of Staff overseeing the Operations Division under Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall. Though he had never led large formations in the field, Eisenhower soon impressed Marshall with his organizational and leadership skills. As a result, Marshall appointed him commander of the European Theater of Operations (ETOUSA) on June 24, 1942. This was soon followed by a promotion to lieutenant general. North Africa Based in London, Eisenhower soon was also made Supreme Allied Commander of the North African Theater of Operations (NATOUSA). In this role, he oversaw the Operation Torch landings in North Africa that November. As Allied troops drove Axis forces into Tunisia, Eisenhowers mandate was expanded east to include General Sir Bernard Montgomerys British 8th Army which had advanced west from Egypt. Promoted to general on February 11, 1943, he led the Tunisian Campaign to successful a conclusion that May. Remaining in the Mediterranean, Eisenhowers command was redesignated the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Crossing to Sicily, he directed the invasion of the island in July 1943 before planning for landings in Italy. Return to Britain After landing in Italy in September 1943, Eisenhower guided the initial stages of the advance up the peninsula. In December, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was unwilling to allow Marshall to leave Washington, directed that Eisenhower be made Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) which would place him in charge of the planned landings in France. Confirmed in this role in February 1944, Eisenhower oversaw operational control of Allied forces through SHAEF and administrative control of U.S. forces through ETOUSA. Headquartered in London, Eisenhowers post required extensive diplomatic and political skill as he endeavored to coordinate Allied efforts. Having gained experience in coping with challenging personalities while serving under MacArthur and commanding Patton and Montgomery in the Mediterranean, he was well-suited to dealing with difficult Allied leaders like Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Western Europe After extensive planning, Eisenhower moved forward with the invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) on June 6, 1944. Successful, his forces broke out of the beachhead  in July and began driving across France. Though he clashed with Churchill over strategy, such as the British-opposed Operation Dragoon landings in Southern France, Eisenhower worked to balance Allied initiatives and approved Montgomerys Operation Market-Garden in September. Pushing east in December, Eisenhowers biggest crisis of the campaign came with the opening of the Battle of the Bulge on Dec. 16. With German forces breaking through the Allied lines, Eisenhower quickly worked to seal the breach and contain the enemy advance. Over the next month, Allied troops halted the enemy and drove them back to their original lines with heavy losses. During the fighting, Eisenhower was promoted to General of the Army. Leading the final drives into Germany, Eisenhower coordinated with his Soviet counterpart, Marshal Georgy Zhukov and, at times, directly with Premier Joseph Stalin. Aware that Berlin would fall in the Soviet occupation zone after the war, Eisenhower halted Allied troops at the Elbe River rather than suffer heavy losses taking an  objective that would be lost after the end of fighting. With the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, Eisenhower was named Military Governor of the U.S. Occupation Zone. As governor, he worked to document Nazi atrocities, deal with food shortages, and aid refugees. Later Career Returning to the United States that fall, Eisenhower was greeted as a hero. Made Chief of Staff on Nov. 19, he replaced Marshall and remained in this post until Feb. 6, 1948. A key responsibility during his tenure was overseeing the rapid downsizing of the Army after the war. Departing in 1948, Eisenhower became president of Columbia University. While there, he worked to expand his political and economic knowledge, as well as wrote his memoir Crusade in Europe. In 1950, Eisenhower was recalled to be the Supreme Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Serving until May 31, 1952, he retired from active duty and returned to Columbia. Entering politics, Eisenhower ran for president that fall with Richard Nixon as his running mate. Winning in a landslide, he defeated Adlai Stevenson. A moderate Republican, Eisenhowers eight years in the White House were marked by the end of the Korean War, efforts to contain Communism, construction of the instate highway system, nuclear deterrence, founding of NASA, and economic prosperity. Leaving office in 1961, Eisenhower retired to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He lived in Gettysburg with his wife, Mamie (m. 1916) until his death from heart failure on March 28, 1969. Following funeral services in Washington, Eisenhower was buried in Abilene, Kansas at the Eisenhower Presidential Library.

Technology in Long-term Care ( with regards to Health Informatics) Thesis

Technology in Long-term Care ( with regards to Health Informatics) - Thesis Example It is surprising that he is concerned about the knowledge management systems in the 20th century. However, this idea has become more useful if this statement is meditative in the long-term care industry. In addition, by computerizing long-term care industry a massive enhancement has been noticed. But long-term care institutions still require a lot more knowledge associated with technology in order to enhance nursing homes, progress through administration techniques, improve the medical processes and gain knowledge associated with system management (Pasupathy, 2006). The administrator of a nursing home must understand the core objective of management system and the purpose of long-term care organizations before procuring, executing and promoting these systems, as it will consequently aid in understanding the characteristics and features of the system (Pasupathy, 2006). The national director of the primary care for the condition of long-term patients in England, David Colin-Thome state that: â€Å"Delivering improvements for people with long term conditions aren’t just about treating illness, it’s about delivering personalized, responsive, holistic care in the full context of how people live their lives. Our journey to achieve this has started, our challenge is to continue to take it forward and the evidence compels us to do this† (Bradbury, 2008). A reliable delivery of services is provided to the patients exclusively while ensuring the proper care regarding the patient’s health and patient’s life. It is made possible by the sound knowledge in health care that locate a new direction in the field of health and social care system (Bradbury, 2008; Robinson, 2011). A 24-hours care support has been established by the NHS that provides full support to the patients, as well as to the public keeping in mind the concept of primary self-care. However, the NHS must maintain the

Comparison of IFRS and US GAAP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comparison of IFRS and US GAAP - Essay Example A financial statement must provide details with regard to financial position, changes in position and operations of an enterprise which may be useful for decision making. International Accounting Standards Board is development of International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) created in 1973 with the objective of developing the uniform standards of accounting. IASB and US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) congregated the IFRS and US GAAP in 2002 as part of the Norwalk agreement making their existing financial reporting standards compatible and practicable and coordinating their future work programme to ensure compatibility. The IASB provided two accounting standards for financial reporting frame works like International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) developed by The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP). The US GAAP was acknowledged extensively as the international set of standards to make certain best quality financial statements. This standard was mostly used in the US and also elsewhere, but with the entry of IFRS a debate on the virtual class of both authoritie s has taken place. GAAP is exceptionally comprehensive on what is acceptable and unacceptable. IFRS is used by more than hundred countries as their standard set of guidelines and principles. Still more countries, like Canada and India are projecting to follow IFRS from 2011. This paper is intended for providing some explorative information on the IFRS / US GAAP and also some demarcation and comparison of the two standards of financial reporting. More specifically, the purpose of the current study is to investigate the properties of IFRS versus US GAAP standards of accounting using the accounts of National Grid Plc that is listed both in EU and US Stock Exchange. And most importantly, the paper identifies the difference between the rules and principles of two accounting standards through the accounts of National Grid Plc and its usefulness to various stakeholders of the organization. IFRS and US GAAP - Significant differences in National Grid Plc National Grid is an energy production organization which owns and operates the electricity transmission system in England and US. National Grid distributes gas to 11 million homes and businesses in UK. The company is also engaged in business of wireless infrastructure along with other businesses like National Grid Metering, Onstream, National Grid Grain, property, etc. The main areas of operation of the company are UK and US which was created by the restructuring of UK gas industry in 1986 and electricity industry in 1990 and entered the US market in the year 2000. (www.nationalgrid.com) According to annual report for the year 2005/06, it is revealed that the group has achieved 25% increase in the revenue from 7382m to 9193m. And according to the same reports, operating profits have also increased from 2142m to 2439m (2005/06) which is 14% higher. National Grid has also entered into acquisition and merger with some companies like Keyspan Corporation. The company with its base in US and UK, the countries which adopt two different standards of accounting principles, has to prepare accounts conforming to the rules and regulations of that particular nation. However,

Benefits of Securing a Border Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benefits of Securing a Border - Research Paper Example As the paper highlights border security has become one of the most contentious aspects in many countries across the globe. A good case study is that of the United States that has benefited tremendously in her Border Patrols. Border patrol in U.S traces its history way back as early as 1904, when mounted watchmen of the U.S. Immigration Service patrolled the border in effort to prevent illegal crossing; however, their efforts were irregular and undertaken only when resources permitted. In the early years of twentieth century, customs violations and intercepting communications to â€Å"the enemy† seemed to be of a greater concern than enforcing immigration regulations. Agencies charged with the responsibilities of inspecting people and goods entering and leaving noticed that their efforts were totally ineffective without border enforcement between inspection stations. A higher head tax and literacy requirement imposed in 1917 for entry prompted more people to try to enter illega lly. From this paper it is clear that a number of amendments were done to the constitution in line with securing the nation’s border, however, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the importation, transport, manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages had greater effects. With the passage of this constitutional amendment and the numerical limits placed on immigration to the United States by the Immigration Acts of 1921adn 1924 respectively, the border enforcement was able to receive renewed attention.

Free Market Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free Market - Personal Statement Example ) happy, peaceful and beautiful' The answer is simple and direct. Let your eyes be full of understanding, let your heart be full of love, may you ever remain free from conflicts- this is all that the humanity needs! No conflicts of any types, including social and economic! You IASB committee members have the real task before you to shape the destiny of humanity. Tomorrow's bread must be assured from today's labor to one and all. All economic discrimination, overt and covert, must come to an end. In the olden days, it was the war to conquer territories. Now, it the war to control economic interests! In both these types of warfare, the common man suffers. Therefore, they must stop. What Roman Emperors, Greek Philosophers, Indian Sages, World War I & II heroes could not achieve, the technological revolution and its byproduct internet, have made it possible. Internet has literally conquered the world, without a bullet being fired. The world has no other alternative but to unite and work in the business world and in the economic front. You are compelled to think in terms of universal prosperity, because that provides the lead to your prosperity as well. You must, no doubt, think about wealth creation, but use it for the benefit of the people here, right now.

American and Great Civil War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American and Great Civil War - Research Paper Example Rising figures of secessionists maintained that this tradition could only be secured by gaining sovereignty. Disciplinary Content The battle itself was ignited by the rejection of the slave countries to accept the judgment of the year 1860 presidential vote, which had spotted the first Republican contender, Lincoln, take the northern part but did not get any electoral ballot in the South. South passed order of secession, took federal installations, and identified out their armed force (Chikering & Forster). These states position up their own union with a pro-slavery organization led by an associate leader, Jefferson, and this fresh government positioned its capital originally at Montgomery, Alabama. The revolt government was ready to get rid of the two remaining central outposts on their region, at Pensacola and at Fort Sumter in Charleston port. Subsequent to a confrontation enduring four months, the union attacked the latter on April the year 1861. President Lincoln reacted by issu ing a public statement calling for seventy thousands volunteers for three months to repress a revolt against centralized authority. Nearly all people involved thought that the disagreement would be for a short time. Maybe it would have been if the separated states had stayed simply seven in number; nevertheless, four significant states of the Upper South, brook away instead of co-operating in the oppression of their sister slave countries. They added not just to the Confederacy's populace and regions but as well to its sparse manufacturing resources (Chikering & Forster). Even though, geography positioned Virginia and Tennessee particularly in the extreme front line suppose military actions escalate. So big was the union that a number of powerful figures disbelieved whether it might be physically engaged and put their hopes in the marine blockade, which was proclaimed on 19 April. Without doubt, the South's physical advantages increased to an established sense of bravery that sovere ignty could be gotten easily. A prevalent certainty in a short battle was supported in the North by an attentiveness of a great inequality in resources. The entire populace of the USA in the year 1860 was 31, 443, and 321. Out of these, the residents of the southern countries were eight million of who three million were slaves. The border countries (Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri) had a populace of three million. During the year, 1861 to ensure the devotion of the Border countries stayed a top precedence for the Lincoln government. If secession were partial to eleven states subsequently, the upper states could gather together four million war men to the union 1, 100, 000. The industrial inequality was even larger (Chikering & Forster). The regions of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania without help produced more industrialized goods than the whole Confederacy. Differences and Similarities The South could manufacture enough food to nourish itself but did not have the means to ferry it. In the year 1860, only nine thousand miles of the USA total of thirty-one miles of railway trail could be established at the bottom, and southern engineers had finished only nine of the four hundred and seventy locomotives constructed before the year 1860. However, a material inequality in itself does not assure success and Lincoln's main issue was in assembling and organizing

Wastewater management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wastewater management - Research Paper Example In an era where people in the communities are gaining more knowledge about issues of the environment and their impact on the globe, it is everyone’s responsibility to use, establish and put into practice inventive ways of managing wastes and resources (World Resources Institute, 1996). Wastewater refers to water that has been hugely affected in condition by the influence of anthropogenic. These constitute liquid waste produced by industry, domestic properties, agriculture and/or commercial properties and can take in an extensive variety of probable concentrations and contaminants. Moreover, municipal wastewater is frequently treated in an effluent sewer, sanitary sewer, septic tank or combined sewer. It is likely to establish an association between contaminants of waste in a wastewater watercourse, but such a correlation cannot be simplified for operation with any additional wastewater course or waste impurities. This is because the constitution of any wastewater course is dissimilar (World Resources Institute, 1996). Many of the country’s sewer and water infrastructures were devised and constructed in the early days. These systems were made with a short life period in mind. Currently, as a result of this, there is a shortage in communal facility spending. This imposes heavy costs of repair for the future generations. The present water and sewer infrastructure cannot sustain the growing human population or exist for a long time without the need for thorough rehabilitation. Aging infrastructure and increasing amounts of waste water are increasing the cost of obtaining clean water. In addition, the environment is increasingly being affected negatively by these factors (World Resources Institute, 1996). It is not healthy for wildlife, domesticated animals, and human beings to get into contact with ground or surface water that is contaminated with waste or drink it. Wastewater management is an essential function in upholding

American and Great Civil War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American and Great Civil War - Research Paper Example Rising figures of secessionists maintained that this tradition could only be secured by gaining sovereignty. Disciplinary Content The battle itself was ignited by the rejection of the slave countries to accept the judgment of the year 1860 presidential vote, which had spotted the first Republican contender, Lincoln, take the northern part but did not get any electoral ballot in the South. South passed order of secession, took federal installations, and identified out their armed force (Chikering & Forster). These states position up their own union with a pro-slavery organization led by an associate leader, Jefferson, and this fresh government positioned its capital originally at Montgomery, Alabama. The revolt government was ready to get rid of the two remaining central outposts on their region, at Pensacola and at Fort Sumter in Charleston port. Subsequent to a confrontation enduring four months, the union attacked the latter on April the year 1861. President Lincoln reacted by issu ing a public statement calling for seventy thousands volunteers for three months to repress a revolt against centralized authority. Nearly all people involved thought that the disagreement would be for a short time. Maybe it would have been if the separated states had stayed simply seven in number; nevertheless, four significant states of the Upper South, brook away instead of co-operating in the oppression of their sister slave countries. They added not just to the Confederacy's populace and regions but as well to its sparse manufacturing resources (Chikering & Forster). Even though, geography positioned Virginia and Tennessee particularly in the extreme front line suppose military actions escalate. So big was the union that a number of powerful figures disbelieved whether it might be physically engaged and put their hopes in the marine blockade, which was proclaimed on 19 April. Without doubt, the South's physical advantages increased to an established sense of bravery that sovere ignty could be gotten easily. A prevalent certainty in a short battle was supported in the North by an attentiveness of a great inequality in resources. The entire populace of the USA in the year 1860 was 31, 443, and 321. Out of these, the residents of the southern countries were eight million of who three million were slaves. The border countries (Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri) had a populace of three million. During the year, 1861 to ensure the devotion of the Border countries stayed a top precedence for the Lincoln government. If secession were partial to eleven states subsequently, the upper states could gather together four million war men to the union 1, 100, 000. The industrial inequality was even larger (Chikering & Forster). The regions of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania without help produced more industrialized goods than the whole Confederacy. Differences and Similarities The South could manufacture enough food to nourish itself but did not have the means to ferry it. In the year 1860, only nine thousand miles of the USA total of thirty-one miles of railway trail could be established at the bottom, and southern engineers had finished only nine of the four hundred and seventy locomotives constructed before the year 1860. However, a material inequality in itself does not assure success and Lincoln's main issue was in assembling and organizing

Initial Public Offering of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Assignment - 2

Initial Public Offering of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that the business of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is the development, production and the marketing of both generic and proprietary inhalable and injectable chemicals in the USA. Currently, the company is selling fifteen products, while at the same time in the process of developing thirteen more proprietaries as well as seven generic product portfolios, which will feature in the market in the near future. Â  The company prides more in its high technical and technological capability that is the main business strength that enables the company overcome competition in its field, through the introduction of innovative technologies such as the production of a variety of pre-filled syringes, and metered-dose inhalation technology. The terms of the Initial Public Offering of the Amphastar Pharmaceuticals shares is through the use of prospectus, which acts as the registration statement for the shares, and the copies of the prospectus were being offered by the underwriters of the company shares, Jefferies LLC, from their offices. Thus, the press statements and advertisements of the IPO did not constitute an offer for sale, until the prospective buyer of the shares had obtained the copy of the prospectus and filled it. Therefore, the shares had been divided into various categories, comprising of 4,640,000 common stock shares that were directly offered by Amphastar Pharmaceuticals and common stock 3,360,000 shares that were being offered by the company’s stockholders. Additionally, the underwriters of the company, Jefferies LLC, are reserved 1,200,000 additional shares which were available for over-allotment, offered as an option for the prospective buyers to buy more shares. The company is offered 5,800,000 shares at an initial price of $7 per share, which constituted $40,900,000, but the Pharmaceutical Company paid a total of $6,200,000 in brokerage commissions and underwriting discounts, thus remaining with a total of $34, 700,000. The percentage of the commission to the broker-dealers, as well as the underwriter's discounts and other IPO issuing expenses, amounted to $6,200,000 of the total 40,900,000, which is approximately 15.2%.

The Influence of Jewish Mysticism Essay Example for Free

The Influence of Jewish Mysticism Essay Mystics know and experience God in a very different way than the ordinary believer. Whereas the ordinary believer knows God in an objective, concrete manner as embodied in nature or via sacred scriptures, the mystic knows God by personal, one to one contact between their own spirit (soul) and the spirit of God; heart to heart, or as Augustine called it, â€Å"cor ad cor loquitur.† Because of the one to one, highly individualized nature of this experience, one might think the mystic would exist outside of the domain of the major religions of the world. That, in fact, is not the case. Mystics are most often allied with one of the major world religions, including (but not limited to) the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The mystic’s conceptions of God do not only come from the small voice speaking to him in the silence of his soul. Instead, the mystic combines these esoteric experiences with the teachings and traditions of their religion. Much has been written on the comparability between the mystics of the differing world religions, noting that the only differences between them stem from the underlying religion itself. The overarching practice of seeking to actually experience what philosophers call the â€Å"Absolute truth†, (what theologians refer to as God), seems to know no theological boundaries. A Christian mystic seeks the same â€Å"beyond human† communion with the Trinity as the Jewish mystic does with YWEH, and the Muslim mystic does with Allah. The theology of Christianity differs from the llm al-Kalam of Islam and the theology of Judaism in the same ways, whether the believer is a mystic or not. Hence, the principal differences that separate the mystics of the world are the same as the differences that separate all believers. My research seeks not to explain, compare, or contrast the mystics of the differing religions, as I mentioned that much has been written on that subject already, but rather to examine how the mystics of one religion (Judaism) influenced the foundation and theoretical framework of another religion (Christianity). 1. Authority Mysticism is not a term that an ancient mystic himself would use to describe his realm of religiosity. In that regard, mysticism as we have come to understand and know it through most primary sources is not emic (or in their own words), and therefore very difficult to accurately investigate using a hermeneutic approach. The Essenes, for example, did not label themselves â€Å"mystics† in ancient Jerusalem. Our account of them as mystics comes from a purely etic (outside observers) viewpoint. In addition, the literature on early Jewish and Christian mysticism is not the possession of a single religious community, or maintained by a single religious community. While there is mounting evidence that the main origins of mystic tradition were in Jewish priestly circles, most of the literature on the subject of mysticism is from a variety of esoteric Jews and Christians over the course of several centuries. Making the matter more difficult is the amount of pseudepigrapha in â€Å"pr imary† Jewish sources. While this problem also exists in Christian sources, is seems to be more of a roadblock to the student of Jewish mysticism, as most scholars agree that the predominant primary source on the topic, The Zohar, is pseudepigraphical. The Zohar is the primary piece of reference for a sect of Jewish mystics called Kabbalaists, refers to historical events of the post-Talmudic period while purporting to be from an earlier time. Because of the difficulty, then f obtaining a primary source detailing what has come to be known as Jewish mysticism, sacred texts such as the Tanakh and the Bible themselves are used frequently as a main source of information. Therefore, primary sources used for my research in the area of Jewish mysticism include The Talmud, including portions of the Midrash and the Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible). Contained within the Talmud is the Torah. Very helpful to my understanding of these texts were writings by Josepus , a first century Jewish hagiographer, theologian and scholar. Christian primary sources include an Interlinear Greek-English New Testament of the Bible with a parallel column in the New Revised Standard Version, as well as excerpts by Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa, both Fathers of the Early Christian Church. A basic framework for my understanding of Jewish and Christian mysticism includes secondary sources by Joshua Abelson and Evelyn Underhill. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism was helpful in clarifying Jewish terms that I was unfamiliar with. 2. Jewish Mysticism History The beginning of Jewish mysticism is usually linked to the Essenes, a sect of the Second Temple Jews. Known by the Greeks as the â€Å"Holy Ones†, these mysterious Jews are now assumed to be the original keepers of the Dead Sea Scroll library. The sect was closed to society, and was dominated by hereditary priests who had to go through multiple rites of purification before being accepted into the sect. According to Josephus, the Essenes were one of three sects among the Jews at the time of Christ who â€Å" †¦Had different opinions concerning human actions; the one was called the sect of the Pharisees, another the sect of the Sadducees, and the other the sect of the Essenes. Now for the Pharisees, they say that some actions, but not all, are the work of fate, and that some of them are in our own power, and that they are liable to fate, but are not caused by fate. But the sect of the Essenes affirms that fate governs all things, and that nothing befalls men but what is according to its determination. And for the Sadducees, they take away fate, and they say there is no such thing, and that the events of human affairs are not at it’s disposal; but they suppose that all of our actions are in our power, so that we ourselves are the cause of what is good, and receive evil from our own folly.† This clearly illustrates marked difference between the three sects. Josephus later stated that the Essenes were interpreters of dreams, and were very diligent in the reading of the sacred books. Philo of Alexandria, who often tried to reconcile Jewish exegesis with Stoic philosophy, wrote this of the Essenes: â€Å"Of natural philosophy, the Essenes only study that which pertains to the existence of God and the beginning of all things, otherwise they devote all their attention to ethics, using as instructors the laws of their fathers, which, without the outpouring of the Divine Spirit, the human mind could not have devised†¦for, following their ancient traditions, they obtain their philosophy by means of allegorical interpretations†¦ Of the love of God they exhibit myriads of examples, inasmuch as they strive for a continued uninterrupted life of purity and holiness; they avoid swearing and falsehood, and they declare God causes only good and no evil whatsoever†¦no one possesses a house absolutely as his own, one which does not at the same time belong to all; for, in addition to living together in companies, their houses are open also to their adherents coming from other quarters. They have a storehouse for all, and the same diet; their garments belong to all in common, and their meals are taken in common.† Clearly, this sect of Judaism combined mystical speculation with an ascetic mode of life.   Merkabah (chariot) mysticism came into being in the early second century. Merkabah mysticism used as its framework a vision of God experienced by Ezekiel, and told in great detail in Ezekiel Chapters 1-5. â€Å"In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was on him. 4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. 10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they wen t. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. 15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. 19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. 23 Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.† For the Jewish mystics of the 1st and 2nd centuries, Ezekiel’s image of YWEH riding upon a chariot of the â€Å"living creatures† was outside the range of the deepest esoteric experiences of all of the other Old Testament personages. The chariot was interpreted as an invitation from the Divine to man to come and experience the secret which he so desperately seeks: the experience of the Absolute, the being of God himself. The idea that God is the first one to initiate a union of man and God, or has â€Å"called† one’s soul to unite with the divine, is important to all mystics. The chariot, then, is a allegorical vehicle to carry one to the unseen. Every mystic wants to be the chariot rider, to be carried to his ultimate union with the divine. However, as Joshua Ableson points out in his commentary on the Merkavah mystics â€Å"it was believed that he could only undertake this Merkavah-ride, who was in possession of all religious knowledge, observed all the commandments and precepts and was almost superhuman in the purity of his life.† While these roots of Merkavah mysticism were planted firmly in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, they did not bloom and flourish until the 7th- 11th centuries. Since that time, much has been speculated about the meaning of the chariot. Was it a true vision or an experiential event? Does the text hold hidden meaning with each description holding significance for the future? Is the text eschatological? Some modern day occult claim the Merkavah was not a chariot but an alien spaceship! It is understandable why this passage, in the midst of literature that is otherwise devoid of dramatic and colorful descriptions would attract such attention and speculation. Although it is outside the scope of the time period this article seeks to examine, a mention must be made to the ultimate expression of Jewish mysticism: Kabbalah. Kabbalah is an esoteric gnostic occult that emerged in medieval Spain in the 12th century. Kabbalistic teachings look to The Zohar as their primary source of inspiration. The Zohar is a commentary of the Torah, (the first five books of the Old Testament). A Spanish Jew by the name of Moses de Leon attributed the book to a 2nd century Rabbi by the name of Shimon bar Yochai, but scholars are now in general agreement that de Leon penned the work himself. The practices and beliefs of 15th century Kabbalists had much influence on Christian mystics and the Humanist movement (as well modern day New-Age Hollywood!) The Kabbalah school of thought attempts to explain the relationship between an unchanging external, mysterious YWEH (known as Ein Sof) and the mortal, finite universe, by seeking to define the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, and various other ontological questions. Given, however that this article seeks to examine the influence of the Jewish mystics on the early Christian Church, I will stick to sects of Jewish mysticism that took place between 500 BCE and 400 CE, that is, the Essenes and the Merkavah. 3. Connections It is easy to find the similarities between the three Abrahamic religions. The mere fact that they are categorized together under the same heading within world religions indicates enough of a resemblance to one another, even beyond their homogeneous beginnings. It would not be new or even controversial for me to suggest a sequential, linear progression from Judaism to Christianity to Islam. My research does not aim to reinforce these arguments, but rather to look deeper. What specific aspects of Judaism continue on into the Christian faith? It is here where I draw a distinction in that there are, as mentioned above, fundamental differences between the sects of Judaism at the time of Christ. I argue that the mystic sects of Judaism, (the Essenes and the Merkavah’s), are the factions of Judaism that influenced the formation and practices of early Christianity the most. Specifically, there are three principal dimensions of early Jewish mysticism that are also primary in early Christianity. These dimensions are an incorporation of the speculative, the experiential and the practical. 3a. The Speculative The first dimension of the two religions is speculation, that is, the search for the absolute truth and revealed nature of the identity of God. This speculation also includes a quest for both the cosmogony (origins) and the cosmology (organization) of the universe. This dimension is most realized in the esoteric followers of both religions. The centerpiece of the cosmogony of the identity of God in mystic Judaism is that God has a â€Å"body.† This body is known as the Kavod of YHWH. The esoteric interpretation of the Kavod is that of a vision of a divine form created by the invisible, formless God that is actually visible to the human eye. This body of God can take the forms of light, clouds, angles, or be felt in just its presence, known as the Shekhinah (the Holy Spirit.) The Essenes believed that complete devotion to the sacred texts, abstinence from sex and certain foods, and communal prayer might bring the believer to the ultimate experience of the Kavod (which literally means â€Å"glory.†) The Kavod must be â€Å"experienced† or perceived, as it was believed at the time that no one could look directly at the face of God and live. This is illustrated in Moses’ encounter with God: â€Å"So the Lord said to Moses, â€Å"While my Glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back. But my face shall not be seen.† The concept of Kavod had a profound impact on the formation of the Christologies of the early Christian Church. John was the most prolific of writers in his belief that Jesus was the revealed Kavod descended here on earth. John wrote in Chapter One, 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. and again in Chapter 11, directly quoting Christ immediately following the resurrection of Lazarus, 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 â€Å"Take away the stone,† he said.â€Å" But, Lord,† said Martha, the sister of the dead man, â€Å"by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.† 40 Then Jesus said, â€Å"Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?† In total, John refers to the glory or Kavad of God revealed through Christ seven times in the Book of John. Paul also mentions Christ as the glorified image of God in II Corinthians: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. And even in a more powerful way in Colossians: 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Clearly, the concept of Kavod was a theologically fundamental principal of the esoteric Essenes that became a foundational key factor in the overall Christian understanding of the nature and identity of Christ. Thereby, the speculation about the identity and nature of God and the search for absolute cosmogony and cosmology of God was carried from the mystics to the early Christians. 3b. The Experiential The quest for a direct encounter with a deity is the experiential dimension of both the mystic Jews and the early Christians. The Jewish mystics sought not only knowledge of God, but also an esoteric experience with him. This is clear in the apocalyptic literature of both religions. Second Temple eschatology relates that the mystical, the belief in the immediate and direct experience of God, is an important part of the last days. This religious experience, an encounter with God that is an act of revelation itself, results in the devotee’s immediate personal transformation and the uncovering of God’s mysteries. According to War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness, (one of the scrolls found of the Dead Sea Scrolls, or Qumran Scrolls), the Essenes were awaiting the cataclysmic struggle between the Sons of Light (themselves) and the Sons of Darkness (everybody else). This battle was to occur not only between the earthly beings, but also joining them would be the cosmic forces of good and evil, and would signal the end of days. Paul wrote in detail of the faithful who experienced Christ’s spirit. He felt these Christians could start their transformation into the image of God while still on earth but that the complete transformation would only occur after death. Paul states in Romans: 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. This is but one example of many (thousands) of references to the Holy Spirit altering or affecting of the Early Christians. For these mystical Jews and Christians, experiencing a vision of the Kavod, (the Image of the Glory of God), stamped Gods image on the soul. Words used to describe these experiences included glorified, exalted, or angelic. The apocalyptic literatures describe believers clothed in shining white garments, as angels worshiping God before his throne, transformed into beings of fire or light, and enthroned with Gods name or image. This is but one example of many shared concepts between the apocalyptic literatures of the mystics of Judaism (such as The Apocalypse of Abraham and The Testament of Levi) and the book of Revelation in the Christian Canon. Comparisons could also be made between cosmic revelations such as descriptions of heaven, hell and events at the end of time, as well as several symbolic symbols such as hands, bowls, scrolls, angels, or dragons. Once again, we see an important concept of the mystics carried into the essential framework of early Christianity. It is important to note, that in the cases of both religions, this shift of thought to experiencing God in the present may have been due to failed eschatological expectations. Hopes for the long awaited battle between the forces of light and the forces of dark for the mystics, and the imminent return of Christ for the Christians had not gone as previously thought. Moving these hope for the future to actual experiences of the present made the reward of Kavod available to all believers, and a possible reality. 3c. The Practical The most obvious shared dimension between the Jewish mystics and the Early Christians was that of their shared practical application of their experiences in order to effect change. This was illustrated in their communal practices, which served as an avenue for mystical transformation. Examples of these practices include asceticism (denying oneself of worldly pleasures), initiation rites (such as Circumcision for the Jews and Baptism for the Christians), washing (such as foot washing for Christians and purification rituals for the Jews), the anointing of the body and hair with sacramental oil, spirit possession, sexual asceticism, and sacramental ritual behavior, (such as the Passover meal and the Eucharist.) The transformation of the mystical ideals into the sacramental rituals of the early Christian Church and the â€Å"Gnostic† schools is fascinating. The sacraments seem to normalize the mystical, making the presence of God regularly available to believers. Baptism, anointing, and the Eucharist all involve the integration of the Holy Spirit and the Christ into the soul. These rituals were understood as the vehicle that elevates and transports the person into the sacred realm so that he or she can come into the very presence of God. This is the ultimate combination of the speculative theology experienced through the practical; and once again illustrates how the mystics of Judaism influenced the early Christians. While it is clear to me that many practices and beliefs Christians are directly taken from the practices and beliefs of the Jewish mystics, it remains unclear to me if Christianity was a continuum of the Jewish mystic sect of the Essenes, (with the addition of the long-awaited Messiah), or a completely new religion that merely borrowed a few key dimensions from the Essenes. What, if anything did the other non-mystic Jewish sects contribute? How many of the Essenes converted to Christianity in comparison to the other Jewish sects? Was Jesus himself an Essene? All of these remain topics for further research. However, there is arguably no question that the Jewish faith and specifically the mystics of Judaism influenced the theology, framework and Christology of the Christian Church. References ODonnell, James. Augustine’s Confessions: An Electronic Edition. The STOA Consortium. The STOA Consortium, 1992. Web. 03 Mar 2012. http://www.stoa.org/hippo/. Barclay, Joseph. The Talmud. Sacred Texts. London1878. Web. 6 Mar 2012. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/bar/bar000.htm. Rapaport, Samuel. Tales and Maxims from the Midrash. Sacred Texts. George Routledge Sons Limited, 1907. Web. 10 Mar 2012. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/tmm/tmm00.htm. Kimball, Christopher V. The Tanach. Sacred Texts. Westminster Hebrew Institute, 20 OCT 2006. Web. 06 Mar 2012. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/tan/index.htm Whiston, William. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. 5th. 1. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1985. Print. Brown, Robert K., and Phillip W. Comfort. The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament. UBS 4th Edition;Nestle-Aland 26th Edition. Munster/Westphalia: Tyndale, 1990. Print. McGinn, Bernard. The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism: Origen: Commentary on the Song of Songs. New York, New York: Random House, 20006. Print. McGinn, Bernard. The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism: Gregory of Nyssa: the Life of Moses. New York, New York: Random House, 2006. Print. Abelson, Joshua. Jewish Mysticism. First Published in 1913: Forgotten Books, 2008. Print. Underhill, Evelyn. Mysticism. 12th.Lexington, KY: 2011. Print. Dennis, Rabbi Geoffrey. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism. 1st ed. Woodbury. MN: llewellyn Publications, 2011. Print. Whiston, William. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. 5th. 1. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1985. Print. â€Å"Antiquities of the Jews.† pp. 274, Book Xiii, Chapter V, Section 9. Coleson, F.H.. The Contemplative Life. Early Jewish Writings. pp. 53, 206. 2011. Web. 15 Mar 2012. http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book34.html. E. Wolfson, Yeridah la-Merkavah: Typology of Ecstasy and Enthronement in Ancient Jewish Mysticism, in R. Herrera (ed.), Mystics of the Book: Themes, Topics, and Typologies (New York: Lang, 1993) pp. 13-44 [ 1 ]. ODonnell, James. Augustine’s Confessions: An Electronic Edition. The STOA Consortium. The STOA Consortium, 1992. Web. 03 Mar 2012. . [ 2 ]. Barclay, Joseph. The Talmud. Sacred Texts. London1878. Web. 6 Mar 2012. . [ 3 ]. Rapaport, Samuel. Tales and Maxims from the Midrash. Sacred Texts. George Routledge Sons Limited, 1907. Web. 10 Mar 2012. . [ 4 ]. Kimball, Christopher V. The Tanach. Sacred Texts. Westminster Hebrew Institute, 20 OCT 2006. Web. 06 Mar 2012.