Linked Data Pathways To Wisdom

Linked Data Pathways To Wisdom Knowledge is knowing that tomatoes are fruits; wisdom is knowing not to put them in fruit salads.So said the late British columnist Miles Kington. What’s knowledge and what’s wisdom in the information age? How can we leverage information to create knowledge and then scale that knowledge up to the wisdom of smart decisions and actions?Up to The PeakThe path to wisdom begins at the data campsite, winds up the mountain of information and knowledge and finally reaches the wisdom peak, which gives climbers a clear view of the area around them.Going up the slope requires taking steps to turn data into information, information into knowledge, and knowledge into wisdom. In the information age, creating links between data, inferring new knowledge out of existing facts and applying predictive models and taking data-backed business decisions is crucial for organizations.Linked Data  and Semantic Technology help us do that by smoothly integrating heterogeneous data from various s ources and applying universal standards for usage. Semantic technology, the semantic graph database (also known as RDF triplestore) in particular, is able to infer new relationships out of existing facts, giving context and meaning to the links from many disparate sources.Having obtained that new knowledge, organizations gain a competitive advantage and support business decisions with facts, which their semantic graph database has revealed to them. Now let’s break the DIKW (Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) hierarchy down to its building blocks and follow the scaling up to the wisdom peak step by step.DataData is our base building block and the starting point of every wisdom value chain. Data represents the raw sources and resources, facts expressing the world around us in the form of words, numbers, signs and signals. Data loads and datasets are enormous and most disparate and unstructured. They are surely valuable, being the primary resource but what’s more valuable is their analysis, processing and linking. InformationThat leads us to information: the processed and analyzed data that adds meaning to datasets. For example, enlisting Google’s closing prices on the stock market in the past ten trading days is data. Drawing a chart to show the trend in Google’s stock market price of the past ten days is information.At this second building block of our pyramid, Linked Data helps organizations get a clearer picture of their data. This allows them to easily store, search and retrieve the information they need. KnowledgeThe storage and use of Linked Data and Linked Open Data (LOD) are being done in a graph database where inference is applied in order to create knowledge by revealing hidden relationships, which were not included in the original dataset.For example, if the original dataset contains the statement ‘Flipper is a dolphin’ and an ontology defines the concept ‘every dolphin is also a mammal’, semantic technology ‘learns’ to make that connection which has been logical only to humans and thus discovers the relationship ‘Flipper is a mammal’, which was not in the original dataset.Extracting knowledge moves us up the value chain of data and information. The organizations that gain new insights out of their datasets and out of Linked Open Data are a little further up the path towards the wisdom peak than enterprises that rely on just crunching the numbers. WisdomOnce organizations have gained insights, they have more resources and options to make data-driven decisions and employ predictive models proactively. Here, we’ve reached the wisdom peak. Whereas data and information are gathering and learning, a kind of look to the past, knowledge and wisdom are associated with ‘doing now’ and a look to the future. Click To TweetKnowledge, in terms of Linked Data and Semantic Technology, is creating meaningful connections, which the competitors may not have. Wisdom is determining what outcome a decision based on that knowledge may have and what value it would add to the business. Wisdom for the Greater GoodSmart cities using and promoting Open Data are an example of wisdom for the greater good. Opening up city datasets boosts public services efficiency and increases transparency and citizen control. Giving users and developers the opportunity to work with Open Data creates new business models and spurs innovation, thus adding value to the knowledge economy.For instance, Transport for London has released Open Data for developers to use in their own software and services. TfL is encouraging developers to use the feeds, and they have, creating hundreds of apps, including such as for Tube travel news updated every minute or personalized journey planning tools for public transport.The New York City Fire Department uses a predictive analytics model to track which NYC buildings are at the highest risk of fire. The smart analytics model creates scores for buildings based on an algorithm of around 60 factors – including the age of a building, electrical issues, the number of sprinklers and the presence of elevators. Based on the score, the NYC Fire Department targets inspections to buildings with the highest risk of fire.What is BestTo sum it up, we can say that data and information answer the questions of   ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘where’. As we go up the mountain of wisdom, context and understanding increase. Knowledge holds the answer to the ‘why’ question, while wisdom is about ‘how to’, ‘what comes next’ and ‘what is best’.So, you’ve learned that tomato is a type of fruit because of its characteristics of a plant but you predict it will not go well with bananas and apples in a fruit salad.Applied to business in the information age, the analogy goes like this: We’ve had the facts, weve crunched the numbers, weve created links and inferred new knowledge and, therefore, we have a vision for an action that will be adv antageous for the future.Want to turn your data into insights that would help your business grow and evolve together with the fast changing world around you?

Two and Three Tier Architecture Essays

Two and Three Tier Architecture Essays Two and Three Tier Architecture Paper Two and Three Tier Architecture Paper Two and three tier architecture gives a model application for developers to create a flexible and reusable application. The application is broken up into tiers and this allows the developer to just modify or create a layer instead of having to re-write the whole application again. Two tier architecture is a client-server architecture. In a two tier architecture the client talks directly to a server, with no intervening server(s). It has two hosts – the server and the client. Where the server controls both the application and the data. The client sends a request to perform a task to the server and the server responds by using the data stored on it and performs the task. It is mostly used where there will be small numbers of clients sending requests. Three tier (also known as multi tier) architecture is a client, server and database architecture. It is more efficient than the two tier architecture because the server performs the task but the data is stored on the database. The client sends a request to the server to perform a task. The server then sends the request to the database. The database finds the relevant data and sends it back to the server. The server then processes the data and sends the result to the client. It is a longer process but the tasks are performed a lot more efficiently than a two tier architecture because, using the example in (iii) instead of the server processing all the students grades the server application is serving up a single grade (a single number, rather than many) which is a reduces network traffic in comparison to the two tier architecture. Three tier architecture is most commonly used for building web applications. ii) (iii) An example of a two tier architecture A system that students in a school can use to find out what grade they are receiving in each of their classes. The program is structured so that a database of grades resides on the server, and the application resides on the computers in the school that the students will interact with (client). When the student wants to know their grades, they log on to the school web site and use the program designed to get their grades. The program sends a query to the database, and the database responds with all the students grades. The application uses the data to calculate the students grade, and displays it for them. The two tiers are: 1. Data server: the database serves up data based on SQL queries submitted by the application. 2. Client application: the application on the client’s computer computes the data and presents it to the student. An example of a three tier architecture A website that answers questions for clients eg. Askjeeves. com The web browser is a web browser. The application that changes the client’s question into code is the server application. The server then queries the database for the question the client asked and returns the data to the client. (iv) The three tier architecture would suit Arrows because all the data on customers, the car, the bill, etc. can be stored on a database and a server can be used to access this data. While if a two tier architecture was used then the data would have to be stored on the server and this would lead to the system being slow, as there is so much data to be stored and accessed. References: www. scribd. com www. dotnetfunda. com www. slideshare. net www. posa3. org www. virtu-software. com

Management Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Management Information Systems - Essay Example It can also be stated that multitasking functionality of information systems helps in saving valuable time. The multifold data operations are enabled through the multiprocessing capabilities of the information systems. The other major positive impact is that information system enhances the level of accuracy in data processing. The accuracy level is very important in handling huge volumes of data and the automated systems helps to maintain this accuracy in data handling and even facilitates faster processing. The third positive impact is that it reduces the risk in terms of losing data that was previously a big challenge as people used to have important data written on papers. The information system provides a scope through which large volumes of data can be stored in small space in the electronic devices which can be easily accessed as and when required. The negative impacts of the information systems are even widespread across different sectors. The first major negative impact is that the factor of piracy that gained its importance at a large scale after the evolution of information systems. The information systems comprise of certain methods through which the data stored in the systems can be misused by an individual. The other negative impact is that the speed and accuracy that is maintained by information systems leads to increase in rate of unemployment. The systems are capable enough to perform all the manual work making it advantageous for organizations but limit the scope for employment. The third negative impact is that of data security and data integrity. The information systems enables risk factor as volumes of data can be lost which would increase the cost and time. The malfunction that is caused by information systems often leads to loss of information and huge volumes of data. The information systems can be considered as a production factor that is easily substituted for labor and capital. In an organization the entire

Applied communication ,on MOOCS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied communication ,on MOOCS - Essay Example In order to learn and earn a certification in a certain field, the MOOCs exempts the learners of many costs in terms of fare that they need to have so that they can get to centres of learning. This reduces the cost of services the students have to pay to access education because they do not have to pay for any movements to any place. This happens because the mode of provision of services, online delivery of services, enable the students to access the learning materials from any place in the world as far as there is availability of internet. Comparing the cost of the internet that a students pay for and that of the travel that they can pay on travelling to the college or renting an accommodation facility, the former is very low than the latter. This means that the cost of education through MOOCs for students (Bowen, 2013). When a person enrols in a course program in MOOCs, he or she does not have to concentrate on buying expensive reading materials. This is because through the online system of learning the students are able to access many online reading materials that a person needs so that he or she can achieve the goals of his or her course. This means that a student will not incur the cost of buying books from the market, which would increase the cost of education. The cost of buying stationeries is exempted because a student can make notes on the computer in which he or she uses therefore, avoid the cost books and pens. This means that this learning method is less costly as compared to other methods of learning where students have to have pens and other writing materials that cost them a lot of money (Archibald & Feldman, 2011). In delivery of services, the students do not have to go to classes, which would increase the demand for money by the institution that offers the learning and therefore, increase the cost. Also, there are few lecturers that

Proposal on A Qualitative Study of primary care practitioners views of Essay

Proposal on A Qualitative Study of primary care practitioners views of treating childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example ho are just a little overweight leads to a consistent increase in obesity amongst them causing them to gain weight excessively overtime thus leading towards prolonged suffering for themselves as well as their families (WHO, 2006). Further to this is the fact that the overall costs for health care systems has risen alarmingly high causing even more strain for governments to meet these needs (WHO, 2006). More than 43 million children worldwide, below the age of five were diagnosed as overweight in 2010 (World Health Organization, 2011) Obesity which was once merely limited to the high income countries is now on the rise even in the middle class as well as the low income countries, particularly in urban settings (WHO, 2011). Today, more than 35 million children belonging to the developing countries are overweight and approximately 8 million children in developed countries belong to the group of obesity. Moreover, forty three million children under the age of five are overrweight (WHO, 2011). Obesity amongst infants and youth is related to a concurrent boost in rises associated with chronic diseases (Abalkhail, 2002). This glut of weight is also one of the key contributors of paediatric hypertension. Children who are obese are at a much more elevated risk for developing enduring chronic conditions including type 2 onset diabetes mellitus, orthopaedic disorders, coronary heart ailments and respiratory diseases (Abalkhail, 2002). Additionally childhood obesity can also lead to an increase in consequent morbidity regardless of the fact if obesity persists in adulthood or not (Abalkhail, 2002). Obesity and overweight have both become quite dominant in Saudi Arabia over the past few years. This is not only common amongst the adults but is equally widespread amongst the children as well. Based on recent statistics, approximately 6% of the people in Saudi Arabia are obese, with 50% of these being children and adolescents (King Saud University Obesity Chair, 2011).What’s

Is Important To Study The Media Consumption?

Is Important To Study The Media Consumption? What is the media, why is it important to study the media and does it have an impact and can it change the way we think and behave? These are questions that are important in the study of the media industry. The media is a communication tool that is used to transfer messages to the general public. There are many types of media, for example the radio, television, newspapers and etc. Its important to be media literate as the media can be used to change and leave a lasting impact on an individual. The media is one of the most powerful tools that have been created. The media plays a vital role in an individuals perspective on political, economic and socio-cultural issues. According to Bazalgette Media studies open up your understanding of how things work, how people become informed or misinformed and how the myths and ideologies that govern all our lives are created and sustained. (Bazalgette, 2000). The media continually changes and evolves, the term media studies means different courses priorities different media; different theories and different learning outcomes (Bazalgette, 2000). Since this subject is still new there are a lot of disagreements on how media should be interpreted and it is also a hybrid subject as the idea that it came about comes from a variety of sources (Bazalgette, 2000). Media studies is also considered an academic discipline as it binds the different types of hybrid disciplines such as semiotics, structuralism, sociolinguistics and a lot more and th ere are no limits to an individual as how to analyze the media. The analysis of media is very important for this particular subject. Media studies are normally associated with the English language subject and also English Literature. However the difference is rather apparent and media studies courses uses economics, politics, psychology and sociology perspectives as ways to understand the media as well as requirements to consider texts from different contrasting perspectives. The English subject on the other hand, deals with reading and writing skills as well critical analysis. Bazalgette goes on to state that media studies are essentially political, it is political to ask questions like who owns a certain media and why (Bazalgette, 2000). This is known as media ownership, the individual consuming the media needs to have knowledge about who owns what media. Is it owned by an individual, a small firm or a large conglomeration? The understanding of what is studied and why it is studied is a very important topic in media studies. According to Bazalgetee there are five reasonings, the first is popularity. Why is there a certain game show, movie, song, or computer game studied more that another is simply because a lot if people like them (Bazalgetee,2000). This shows how audiences are manipulated and what the preferred media is. Second is exemplification, which means worthiness of study. It is characteristic of media studies that it tests and reviews its own theories, asking students to consider a range of examples and then to figure out not only the usefulness of a theory but also its limitations (Bazalgette, 2000). The third is notoriety, which helps us analyze media text in the contexts of social, political and culture. Most of these are controversial documentaries, movies or songs etc. The fourth is turning point, where selected text as stated in the previous point, can be significant without being notorio us. The final reason is aesthetic value, is a way of picking out important meanings from a text and making judgements. Important influences in media studies are self and experience in a mediated world. The self is seen as a product of the symbolic systems which precede it (Thompson, 1995). Identity and capacity to make sense of the world around us is said to be an outcome of a symbolic project. Controversies to how the media construct our personal lives and the role it plays as well as the views of the world about it (Thompson, 1995). Studying the media is also a very good way to understand the different jobs in the media industries and how these works are changing. The film and broadcasting industries have been predicted to face a shortage of skills it the time to come and therefore will be in need of people who are literate about the media Media study is a course that is rather challenging and it will somehow make a difference in our lives. It gives us the power of choice as well as questioning (Bazalgette, 2000). The media is like history as it interprets the past to show us what has gone into making us what we are now It also helps us to understand the workings of our world and it helps us use our critical thinking skills as well as helping us definite how we communicate with others help us determine the cultural fabric of our lives and it helps us interpret our world and its values and ideas brings us political and ideological messages continuously and like technology, the media always adopt the leading edge of modern technological innovation. As we have understood why its important to study the media, we also need to look at how the media is studied. There are two different schools of thought, one being American and the other European. Sinclair states that European and American theories are identified as application to media and communications. They are differences between these two and the European is characterized as interpretive and holistic in scope and American as empirical and micro (Sinclair, 2002). What this means is that we can study the media according to either the American way or the European way, but the outcome of the study would be different. The European way relays heavily interpretive and holistic in scope that is taking a macro-perspective, looking down on society on a whole (Sinclair, 2002). It exists most often in the sociopolitical stance of Marxists. This school of thought originated from the Frankfurt School, a group of Marxist based at Frankfurt in Germany, who had developed their critical theory. This theory is now usually called cultural Marxism or Western Marxism (Sinclair, 2002). Western Marxism is said to incorporate semiology and structuralism in the media and Ideological Critique argues that the media induce misunderstanding (Sinclair, 2002). The British were seeking to reconcile traditional British Marxism, which had little conception of culture at all with a theoretical critique of the media (Sinclair, 2002). In 1960 the University of Birmingham established a Center for Contemporary Cultural Studies and taught a combination of literary criticism and Marxist sociology. The Birmingham School emphasized the significance of media images and representations within the context of social and political conflicts. Political Economy studies the production and distribution of media content, It does not argue that media content under capitalism is ideological but somehow had assume that audiences fall under the ideological influence. The American way is of direct observation and controlled measurable occurrences. The American Empiricism defines content analysis as a systematic and quantifiable method to describe and analyze the meaning of the media messages (Sinclair, 2002). Harold Lesswell (1948) said that a convenient way to describe communication is to answer these questions, who, says what, through which channel, to whom, with what effect? Through this model we can study the way messages are transferred and to whom. Textual analysis is a way of gathering and analyzing information in academic research, it is also a way to approach media texts to try to understand their meanings (McKee, 2001). Content analysis breaks down the components of a program or newspaper into units which you are able to count them and replicates can be done. Semiotic analysis on the other hand, breaks down different elements of a text and labels them. In media studies, there is never a claim to whether a text is an accurate or inaccurate representation of reality. This means there is never a single correct way of any text (McKee, 2001). The text is likely to be interpreted through genre, the different codes producers and audiences communicated with and context, which is divide into 3 levels, the rest of the text, the genre of the text, the winder public context in which a text is circulated (McKee, 2001). Since there is no correct way of interpreting a text we need to learn how to understand media text and the world of rea lity. One way is by understanding the elements of language and culture, the form and context that shape the meanings that are available to us.

The Great Depression in Canada :: essays research papers

Canada suffered its longest and most terrible economic depression in its history between 1929 and 1939. It is now known as the Great Depression. This essay will demonstrate the major causes, political, economic and social consequences, and the government’s solutions from the Great Depression. The Great Depression affected all of Canada and is a key part of our history. It is important that we learn from it so we can prevent it from happening again. There were many causes for the Great Depression. The first and one of the largest was the stock market crash. Before 1929 the stock market was flourishing and everyone wanted to buy stocks. People were so confident in the stock market that they were buying â€Å"on margin†, which meant that brokers would lend them 10% of the money they invested (D1). The problems began when stocks were being over speculated. When people began to realize this, they began selling there shares. On October 29, 1929, 16 million shares were sold (D9). This day became known as â€Å"Black Thursday†, the day the stock market crashed (D12). The second reason was the overproduction of goods. Factories had already produced too many goods and now there was no demand for them. The government began to raise tariffs to protect Canadian industries but things only led downhill from there. There were two major political consequences of the Great Depression. The first was that new political parties were formed in Canada. The new political parties were the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the Social Credit Party, and the Union Nationale (UN). The CCF was founded by J.S. Woodsworth and believed in the establishment of minimum wage, accident and sickness insurance, old age pensions and unemployment insurance. The Social Credit Party was founded by William Aberhart. He believed that governments should issue money to everyone so that they could buy goods in a form of â€Å"social credits†. In the 1935 provincial elections he took 56 of 63 seats giving him a total victory. The UN was founded by Maurice Duplessis due to the union of Action Liberale Nationale and the Conservative Party. They promoted the traditional values of the Catholic Church and believed in a rural lifestyle. The second political consequence was a conflicted relationship between the fe deral and the provincial governments. The depression showed the federal government that provincial governments did not have enough money to carry out significant projects. The Great Depression in Canada :: essays research papers Canada suffered its longest and most terrible economic depression in its history between 1929 and 1939. It is now known as the Great Depression. This essay will demonstrate the major causes, political, economic and social consequences, and the government’s solutions from the Great Depression. The Great Depression affected all of Canada and is a key part of our history. It is important that we learn from it so we can prevent it from happening again. There were many causes for the Great Depression. The first and one of the largest was the stock market crash. Before 1929 the stock market was flourishing and everyone wanted to buy stocks. People were so confident in the stock market that they were buying â€Å"on margin†, which meant that brokers would lend them 10% of the money they invested (D1). The problems began when stocks were being over speculated. When people began to realize this, they began selling there shares. On October 29, 1929, 16 million shares were sold (D9). This day became known as â€Å"Black Thursday†, the day the stock market crashed (D12). The second reason was the overproduction of goods. Factories had already produced too many goods and now there was no demand for them. The government began to raise tariffs to protect Canadian industries but things only led downhill from there. There were two major political consequences of the Great Depression. The first was that new political parties were formed in Canada. The new political parties were the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the Social Credit Party, and the Union Nationale (UN). The CCF was founded by J.S. Woodsworth and believed in the establishment of minimum wage, accident and sickness insurance, old age pensions and unemployment insurance. The Social Credit Party was founded by William Aberhart. He believed that governments should issue money to everyone so that they could buy goods in a form of â€Å"social credits†. In the 1935 provincial elections he took 56 of 63 seats giving him a total victory. The UN was founded by Maurice Duplessis due to the union of Action Liberale Nationale and the Conservative Party. They promoted the traditional values of the Catholic Church and believed in a rural lifestyle. The second political consequence was a conflicted relationship between the fe deral and the provincial governments. The depression showed the federal government that provincial governments did not have enough money to carry out significant projects.

Critical Review of Dementia Service User’s Experience of Care

Title: A 3000 words essay critically reviewing a service user’s journey through their experience of care In this essay I will critically evaluate a resident by the name of Tom Journey with dementia. He suffers from Alzheimer's dementia and lives in sheltered housing. I will explore issues surrounding nutrition intake, wandering, communication, incontinence and the environment that affect the client, family and staff. I will then look at the assessment process, care planning, implementing and evaluation.I will explore patient safety, intervention and the processes that managers and professionals have to undertake when managing individuals with dementia. These interventions and approaches adopted are vital when planning person centred care. In addition, due to the policy of confidentiality I would not mention the name of the organisation and persons involved. The essay will end with a conclusion and a summary. According to Mathers and Leanardi (2000), â€Å"Dementia is a syndro me caused by a range of illnesses and currently many are incurable, and cause progressive, irreversible brain damage.They include Alzheimer's disease (the most common cause), vascular disease, frontal lobe dementia and Lewy Body disease. Symptoms of dementia can include memory loss, difficulties with language, judgement, insight and failure to recognise people, disorientation, mood changes, hallucinations, delusions, and the gradual loss of ability to perform all tasks of daily living†,( Mathers and Leanardi, 2000). Mace and Rabin (1999) highlighted that, â€Å"the word dementia originated from two Latin words which mean â€Å"away and mind†. This can indicate a loss of memory inability to function effectively, which can result in mental confusion†.Jack is a seventy year old man with dementia. He lives in sheltered housing. He has four children two sons and two daughters. He was moved from his home into sheltered accommodation after the death of his wife Mary. Hi s condition deteriorated very rapidly and he needed extra support to live at home safely. The family was unable to adequately provide for Jack’s needs, so they decided to re-house him. The family brought Jack with them to view the flat before he was moved in. This allowed Jack the opportunity to meet the staff and get familiar with the new environment. He was brought in by is son and daughter, but his son stayed with him in the guest room for a few days to get him settled and feel comfortable. Jack was showing early signs of dementia as his communication was not clear at times and often his speech was muddled. Furthermore, his memory was poor at first as he kept asking for his wife repeatedly for examples, † where am I†, â€Å"whose house is this†, and â€Å"why am I here†. Also his nutrition was an issue as he was not eating his meals and often said he was not hungry or he would eat later. He would sometimes say take it away and feed the pigeon.Food would turn up in various places like bins, in drawers and even in his bed. Mace and Rabins (1999) mentioned that eating alone can contribute to or worsen their confusion. Incontinence was also a big concern for staff as he was constantly wet and soiled with faeces. He would choose places not suitable to use for toileting, removing his protective clothing. He was also hiding dirty soiled clothes in inappropriate places. Moreover, getting his personal care done was a big task as he was not cooperative. Beatie et al, (2005) stated that people with dementia do not know that they are not being cooperative with certain basic tasks.This could be related to my client as I observed these issues on many occasions. All these conditions have been highlighted by (Kitwood, 1997). With regard to incontinence, Parker (2000) supported that because of the dying of the brain cells, a person like Jack will not be able to independently identify the message the brain is conveying about the bowel. This p roblem was identified with Jack. Jack, as supported by Parker (2000) should be encouraged to use the toilet before and after consuming meals and drinks and should also have a regular pad change.Parker 2000 also cited that when any person in a state like that of Jack is constipated or having sluggish bowel movement, they should be offered medication like suppositories and if this does not work they should be supported by observation. When dealing with Jack who does not have mental capacity it is important to observe his actions. When he is in need of toileting he can exhibit the following actions which are non verbal such as pulling down or removing pants, or opening his fly. These actions are likely to suggest that he wants to use the toilet.Mace and Rabins (1999) argued that it can be very difficult for practitioners to achieve appropriate assessments when they are dealing with persons who are living in an independent setting. My assessment highlighted many problems such as persona l care, poor memory, poor nutrition intake, urinary incontinence, poor communication and wandering about all the time. However, this was more pronounced in the evenings. Morris and Morris (2010), Kitwood, (1997) and Algage (2006), have highlighted this problem to be â€Å"sundown syndrome†.According to Leblance (2011) he described this as onset of confusion that occurs in late afternoon and night time. Algage (2006) further stated that wandering is a way of communicating in a non verbal form by using action to correspond with others. Moreover Beatie et al, (2005) argued that patients with dementia may not be able to read signs. For example factors like the environment may cause them to be distressed and might put them at risk, (Hodgkinson et al, 2007). Some residents like Jack may have limited communication ability to verbalise what they want to do, so they just show action as a way of communicating.For example, the sign posts, symbols and photographic pictures might not appe al to them because of their limited ability to focus on details, (Hodgkinson et al, 2007). Beatie et al, (2005) and Fox and Wilson (2007) have highlighted that living in a sheltered housing environment can be a lonely experience for many patients and this can make them feel isolated. More so, Beatie et al, (2005) mentioned that these factors might cause a patient to wander because if they feel lonely and anxious for a long period of time. They might want to find something to engage in.A person with dementia might find it difficult to sit down. For example in my observations I feel that Jack was living in a community where he had friends and family to socialise with and moving to a new place was somehow upsetting for him. Likewise changes might have caused Jack’s more loss of memory and this could be another reason why he failed to adjust to his new surrounding as cited in Mace and Rabins (1999). Moreover, in this sheltered housing there are no facilities like shops and recrea tional facilities as it is in a secluded area.Knockers (2000) mentioned about daily living activities that could have been useful to a patient with dementia like Jack. In my opinion, this would have given Jack the opportunity to engage with other residents. This would have been a great way of socialising, chatting, enjoyment and given him a purpose in life and most of all engaging his time and stop him from wondering so frequently. According to Cheston and Bender (1999) and Innes et al, (2000) the DCM (Dementia Care Mapping) is a precise framework that is important to assess patients with dementia.The DCM (Dementia Care Mapping) is an observational tool which is used in a professional setting. This tool could have been useful to Jack if he was living in suitable housing that meets his needs (Kitwood 1997, Shels 2007 and Fox and Wilson, 2000), Mace and Rabins (1999) mention that MME (Mini Mental Examination) also known as the â€Å"mini mental† is one of the tools that are use d to screen an individual’s mental ability at the onset of dementia. This tool is also known as the performance tool that allows five minutes to perform a set of precise tasks.This entails a maximum score of thirty answers to questions given. â€Å"Some of the questions are, do you know what day it is, date, month and the time, do you know what country you live, and the town. Can you spell the word â€Å"world† backwards, can you write a sentence†. Likewise, In Jack’s case he was assessed using this tool to get a precise answer to see what he can independently do for himself. In addition, Fox and Wilson (2007) argued that the assessment processes should be compiled into a feedback statement. This information should be given at the beginning and end of the assessment.Chester and Bender (2000) mentioned that feedback should be given in both oral and written statement. This is necessary for the patient and their family to adjust and come to terms with their illness, and deal with their emotions. According to Carmody and Forester (2003) the main areas of care planning are assessment, planning, evaluation, implementation and evaluation. Care plans are legal documents which should be reviewed on a regular basis for accuracy. Jack’s care plan contains some important information such as his name, date of birth, address and all information recorded was signed and dated.Likewise, May et al (2003) mentioned that a care plan should be compiled and put together the persons needs and deeds. Jack’s care plan was fully supported and some of the information included was his life history, lifestyle, health, personality, and preferences, present and future wishes. Jack’s capacity, cognitive ability and the stages he was at present were documented. Jack’s care plan contains three columns. The left column was to record Jack’s needs, the middle column gives precise information for cares to comply with, whilst the right column is to record information, sign, date and reviews (May et al, 2003).May et al, (2003) proposed that the enriched care planning was developed from the enriched model of dementia by (Kitwood, 1997). Jack care plan consists of five core areas which are reviewing, profiling, implementation, identifying needs and documenting needs. Jack care plan was fully supported by the carers. In Jack’s case his care plan was reviewed with the social worker, general practitioner, occupational therapist, dietician, warden, care manager and family and myself who is his key worker. This set out clear instructions for staff on how to personalise care for Jack.This includes, monitoring and assessing changes in his toileting, nutritional intake, communication, health and wandering. Four main calls were put in place for his main meals and regular checks to stop him from feeling lonely. Jack care plan was reviewed and implementation of safety devices was put in action to keep Jack safe. This inv olves the implementing of sensory aids and equipment that will help to keep him safe at all times and especially during the nights. This included a bed sensor and door activator that goes off when he gets out of bed and when he leaves his flat.This equipment was most useful during the nights. Reflective lighting was also put into place. It would come on at a certain time in the evening. The door bell flashing light let him know when someone was entering his flat. Picture coding colour was put on his fridge door and bedroom door to remind him where to go and what to do. Jacks’ family were in complete denial about his condition and they would often get very upset with him. They thought that their dad was trying to get back at them for moving him. One daughter was constantly fussing over him and telling him off.This made it quite difficult for staff and management to get the assessment process started. The other barrier was the staff members that were not able to support Jackâ⠂¬â„¢s family appropriately, as they were not trained adequately in dementia care. Jack’s condition deteriorated rapidly and staff was finding it quite difficult to cope with his demanding and stressful behaviour. Jack was given tablets to keep him calm, however, this medication in my observation was too strong for him and often he would sleep for long periods of time.Staff would have to wake him up for meals and before he finished his meals he would be fast asleep. In work places which are independent based, these facilities are not designed to accommodate people with certain forms of dementia and for this reason it took a longer time for Jack’s needs to be reassessed. Jack’s needs were finally met and then he was admitted to a dementia unit where he was housed, (Carmody and Foster, 2003, Jacques and Jackson, 2000). These factors can become a barrier for professional when implementing care for people living with dementia, (Jacques and Jackson, 2000).In Jackâ₠¬â„¢s case he could have benefitted from the evaluation tool to stimulate communication between staff and himself. This would have prompted his alertness and encouraged communication at meal times as observed by Shiels (2007). With reference to evaluation this process is necessary to get a direct result of Jack’s illness. This will establish how far his condition has deteriorated and the extent of his impairment and functioning. Moreover, this will identify other health problems, so that the necessary treatment and planning can be put in place to address his needs, (Mace and Rabin 1999).Jack had to undertake this evaluation and many tests such as CBC (Complete blood count) which includes a blood chemistry test, checking the liver and kidney for signs of diabetes, vitamin B12 and thyroid level . The VDRL check for syphilis and LP (lumbar puncture) investigates the central nervous system. EEC (electroencephagram) measures the brain activities. CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans, SP ECT scans which are all important tests can identify the presence of a stroke. Jack was also given a neuropsychological test or the cortical test where they test his memory for writing and reasoning ability, and coordination (Mace and Rabin 1999).A psychiatric and psychosocial evaluation was also conducted by way of interviews with Jack’s family and his friend. This was vital to planning and development of care and this was also supported by a family evaluation to assess and to address their emotional, financial and physical needs, (Carmody and Forster 2003). Jack‘s condition has deteriorated even further and he has started leaving the premises through the back door. There is sensory equipment which is now in place in order to monitor his movements.Jack sometimes presses the button and it raises an alarm with the central control office. The control room staff will then contact the staff on duty to go and attend to Jack and see whether there is anything he needs. In most cases when the staff gets there, Jack will be trying to leave the premises not properly dressed. Examples being dressed in his pyjamas and bed room slippers, wearing a vest without his shirt or wearing his trouser inside out. When the staff try to get Jack to return to his flat he becomes very aggressive, shouting and hitting the staff and refusing to go back.The police on many occasions are called to search for him. AGASE (2006) indicated that wandering is associated with risk factors of getting lost and falls. As highlighted by Hodgkinson et al ( 2007) â€Å"gridlines placed on front door exits, door handles, panic button bars might be an effective way to addresses Jack’s wandering and reduce the risk of escaping†. Carmody and Forster (2003) suggest that a person like Jack can benefit from ADL (Activities of Daily Living) as this will help test his functioning abilities and performance.With regards to communication and Jack’s outburst Phillips and Penhale (19 96) argued that some people with dementia like Jack might have poor memory, limited communication ability with others. Jack is unaware of his aggression towards staff. This is not done intentionally as his brain cells are dying. Jack is unaware that he is causing harm to any one as he is simply trying to communicate. Jack will be trying to say why are these people stopping or preventing me from going to see my friends. In my observation Jack was finding it difficult to say the right word, as he was not able to understand what is being said to him.Carmody and Forster (2003) Fox and Wilson (2000) highlighted that the person who is undertaking a communication assessment needs to be a good listener and a competently trained professional. This person needs to have experiences of in dealing with different cases of dementia and know the differences between the different types. Fox and Wilson (2000) mentioned that a person with counselling skills might be able to address the needs of a pers on with dementia more efficiently. In my opinion, these skills are important when working with customers with dementia.In Jack’s case this would have been more beneficial if staff dealing with him had appropriate counselling skills. They would have been in a position to understand how to communicate with Jack as to achieve effective results. In the long run Jack was finding it more difficult to cope with every day activities. He had suffered a relapse and his condition deteriorated very rapidly and he needed more specialist care. He was not coping well and his health and safety was at risk. Jack needs were reassessed and he was no longer capable to live independently any more.Management and social worker were in the process of getting him relocated when he suffered a fall. He was taken to hospital and then he was moved into a residential home that cares for people with dementia. In conclusion, the government acknowledges dementia as a growing problem and has put strategies in place to care for people with dementia. To address Jack’s needs appropriately his care should be person centred. Jack was moved to a new home and this might have contributed to his wandering. His new setting was secluded and he had no friends to communicate or socialise with.This factor could have led to further confusion and made him feel lonely and even depressed. Although Jack was fully supported by the planning, assessment, implementing and evaluation process, his needs were slow to be addressed by the family and this posed as a barrier to Jack getting the care he required. However, the assessment procedure and progress for independent living have to be organised by many professionals. It appears in Jack’s case it was not recognised and dealt with appropriately at times. For example, the process to get a person assessed for dementia in independent housing took a long time.There were other issues and barriers that Jack faced on his journey, even though the governme nt had put these strategies in place to address the needs of people with dementia. In order to address Jack’s needs and that of other people with dementia the professionals need to adapt a person centred approach. Staff needs to be competently trained in dementia care so that they can support family and friends when a person is diagnosed with dementia. Reference Algase,D. L. (2006) What’s new about wandering? An assessment of recent studies 226 -234 [Available at: www. reo. beds. ac. uk]. (Accessed: 3/10/ 2011). Beatie,E. R. A. Song, J. And LaGore, S. (2005) A comparison of wandering behaviour in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Research and theory for nursing practice Vol 19 No. 2. 181-196 [Available at: www. breo. beds. ac. uk]. (Accessed: 3/10/2011). Carmody, S. Forster, S. (2003) Nursing older people; a guide to practice in care home. Oxion Radcliff Publishing. Cheston. R. Bender, M. (1999) Understanding dementia: the man with the worried eyes, London. Jessica Kingsley. Fox, M. And Wilson, L. 2000) The centred advocacy for people with dementia, The journal of dementia care Vol 15 No 2. Jacques, A. And Jackson, G. (2000) Understanding dementia, 3rd edn, London, Churchhill Livingston. Hodgkinson, B. Koch, S. Nay R. And Lewis, M. (2007) Managing the wandering behaviour of people in a aged care facility 407-436 [Available at: www. breo. beds. ac. uk]. (Accessed: 3/10/2011). Inness, A. Capstick, A. And Surr, C. (2000)Mapping out framework, The Journal of dementiacare, Vol. 15 Kitwood, T (1997) Dementia reconsidered; The person comes first, Buckingham.Open University Press. Knockers, S. (2007) Capturing the magic of everyday activities, The journal of dementia care. Vol 15 No2 Leblanc, G. J. (2011) staying afloat in a sea of forgetfulness; common sense care giving, Bloomington Xlibris. Parker, T. (2000) Incontinence of faeces: the final frontier? Journal of dementiacare V0L. 8 No2 Phillips, J. and Penhale, B. (1996) Reviewing Care Mana gement for Older People, London. Jessica Kingsley Publishers May, H. Edwards, P. And Brooker , D. (2009) Enriched care planning for people with dementia , London. Jessica Kingsley

Illegal Music Downloading Essays

Illegal Music Downloading Essays Illegal Music Downloading Essay Illegal Music Downloading Essay Anastasia 1 Professor Edgar Dana ENC1101 4 September 2012 Effects of Illegal Downloading on the Music Industry Are you willing to face a money-draining lawsuit by the simple click of a mouse? One of the biggest issues today regarding the relation between record companies and all of their eager listeners is illegally downloading music from the Internet. Most people look past the many reasons one shouldn’t download their favorite tracks for free only because now days it’s made easy. However, they should be aware of the consequences that could come from something so simple. We should understand that taking the music for free, we are committing a crime and harming the music industry and limiting the future artists and their creativity. No matter what, when it comes down to it, downloading music without paying is stealing Stealing artists’ hard work is not only unethical but also immoral. We are not only stealing profit from artists but also the record companies that have hundreds of people making a living from these albums. Just like you and me, these employees deserve payments for their hard work and long hours. The artists spend the majority of their time writing and perfecting their songs just for consumers to steal it in a matter of 15 seconds easy. According to the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) website, in the decade since peer-to-peer (p2p) file-sharing site Napster emerged in 1999; music sales in the U. S. have dropped 47 percent, from $14. 6 billion to $7. 7 billion. From 2004 through 2009 alone, approximately 30billion songs were illegally downloaded on file-sharing networks. Stats show, global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. jobs lost, a loss of $2. 7 billion in workers earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes. Can you imagine this coming from your own pocket? According to the RIAA, copyright law protects the value of creative work. When you make unauthorized copies of someone’s creative work, you are taking something of value from the owner without his or her permission. Most likely, you’ve seen the FBI warning about unauthorized copying at the beginning of a movie DVD. Though you may not find these messages on all compact discs or music you’ve downloaded from the Internet, the same laws apply. Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, rental or digital transmission of copyrighted sound recordings. (Title 17, United States Code, Sections 501 and 506). There have been many cases where people were guilty of music piracy and left with a felony record, accompanied by up to five years of jail time and fines up to $250,000. Wouldn’t you much rather pay 10$ for an album? One of the most important factors to consider is the artists’ creativity and all the upcoming artists motivation. If artists start loosing chunks of their profit, pretty soon no one will even bother putting in the time, effort, and skill into their music. This means we will not enjoy new music and eventually the industry will die. Music is a very important factor to every day life. Without music the world would lack entertainment, culture and expression, resulting in a very boring environment. In conclusion there are many consequences that could come from something so simple like illegal music downloading. We should understand that taking the music for free, we are committing a crime and harming the music industry and limiting the future artists and their creativity. No matter how easy, when it comes down to it, illegal music downloading is wrong and affects everyone in different ways.

Othello Today essays

Othello Today essays Othello by William Shakespeare remains an amazing, well-read and often-performed drama, approximately 400 years after it was first put to paper because every person that reads it can relate to a part or many parts of the play. Both the major and minor themes in Othello are emotions that are inherent to human nature. Humans of 3000 years ago felt the same things tearing at themselves as we all do in the year 2000. The fact that Shakespeares plays are focused on emotions, Othello especially, is why he transcends time. Othello is an extremely complex play and breaking it down into only a few main themes doesnt do it justice. However, the pulse of the tragedy is the exchanges between Othello and Iago. These, of course, lead to Othellos jealousy that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. If you take it back to the beginning of the play, its Iagos jealousy of Cassio that causes him to make a plan to undo both Cassio and Othello. The same jealousy shown by Iago and Othello is seen in people day-in and day-out. People become jealous about petty, frivolous things. Being beaten out for a promotion would fit in that category. Yet, just as how in New York City jealousy can cause death (Its on the news nightly), jealousy caused death in this play. Othellos murder of Desdemona for made-up reasons and Iagos attempted murder of Cassio are perfect examples. Often, writers can go overboard when it comes to the blood and gore aspect of a film, as even Shakespeare has done at times. However, Othellos final act of murder and death does not overstep its bounds. The reason is that while Othellos death is his bodys end, that is not the real tragedy of the play. The tragedy of the play is how Iago was able to viciously delude Othello and make him even consider so heinous an act as to suffocate his wife. That is the true tragedy. Even Othellos disillusionment is also extr...

American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

American Society - Essay Example The study makes an effort to understand these areas that are highly relevant to not only the American society, but to all societies that are plagued by skin color and the racial problems. Approximately 33 million African Americans are living in USA today and most of them are descendents and results of Trans-Atlantic slavery trade. There were no Blacks in America before the obnoxious slave trade. The slaves, naturally a minute minority in those days of flourishing slave trade, were treated inhumanly in the predominantly European white society of the day. In the beginning, Blacks were not considered to be the part of American society. They were not even treated as human beings and were continuously degraded till the American Civil War and its aftermath terminated their slavery status. Still they had to wait for the Civil Rights Bill to gain equality. The white majority that heaped centuries of discrimination, at last accepted them as part of American society. Recently people have migrated from Caribbean, West Indies and various parts of Africa. They are definitely not the descendents of the shameful slave trade and have not been in US for generations; still, being black, they are part of nation's minority and hence, are slightly at a disadvantageous position. "An ethnic minority, on virtue of being a minority, is by definition in a disadvantaged position, which facilitates the characterisation of black people as problems, as being essential inferior and so on" Staples (1973). The equation between Black and White has changed considerably although it took a very long painful length of time. Majority group initially thought that the minority is stupid, illiterate, and superstitious, lacking motivation. They were thought to be fit only to remain slaves and retain their subservient status. They were from the Dark Continent and thus, were barely human. They also were thought to be devoid of any human qualities like cleverness, sadness, sensitivity, feelings, pain and suffering. White community lulled itself into self-forgiving with these convictions. They needed such assumptions to treat a lesser group and remain self-righteous about it. Now after centuries of living together and understanding each other's ways, things have changed and new perceptions have dawned. The minority is coming into higher prominence and this is the evidence that it is, at last, making inroads into the white dominated society. This does not mean that there is no discrimination and its evidence in the American society of today to negate and discourage this fact. Sometimes the minority group see itself in the same way as the majority does and vice versa and both the communities in America have shown this psychology of belief and reaction. Centuries of discriminating Blacks has hardened some of the Whites and in the same way, being discriminated for centuries and having accepted a miserable existence has left hopelessness and easy resignation amongst the Blacks. Minorities had very little cohesive identity in the past. During the days of slavery, they were neither visible, nor were heard. When they started regaining their voices slowly after decades and decades, they were already resigned to their fate. It took many leaders like Dr. King and White Leaders, activists

Present and evaluate the possible bank reforms emerging from the US Essay

Present and evaluate the possible bank reforms emerging from the US and the UK - Essay Example Now, when the crisis is within control and the economies of the US and the UK are showing signs of nascent recovery, the cries for reforms in the banking system are emerging from the affiliated concerns and institutions. Some of the proposed reforms are a step in the right direction. Still, all that is being said and done does not portend to achieve the expected results. Causes of the Banking Crisis The occurrence of crisis like situations within the US and the UK banking system owing to the embedded systemic weaknesses has been typically shocking in the current decade. Not to mention, the cost of such scenarios have been significantly high for the affected economies. Though, the causes and reasons impacting the banking system during the 2008-2009 recession have been to some extent, region specific. Still, some salient trends can be identified, that have been common to the UK and US banking system. First and foremost, the risky banking practices and the accompanying structural weakne sses in the financial system were bound to give way to a crisis like situation at some time or other (Turner 2008). ... It was an attitude of negligence on the part of the regulatory bodies that allowed the irresponsible bankers to manipulate an environment marred by ineffective market discipline (Turner 2008). This gave way to unsound corporate governance practices on the part of the banks and the customers who approached them for seeking loans. How Banking Crisis Contributed to Recession Actually experts have been predicting the collapse of the banking system much before the things went wrong. The unrealistic and unethical credit expansion by the American and the English financial institutions was a phenomenon that had been taking place since the last couple of years (Turner 2008). The irony was that even the Central Banks in the influenced countries failed to check this artificial credit expansion. All the instruments and mechanisms that facilitated this credit expansion were predominantly pegged on the real estate market in the US (Roberts 2008). As expected, as the real estate boom in the US came to a halt, the financial instruments backing it got worthless; giving was to caustic assets and the accompanying credit crunch that hit the world economy (Roberts 2008). The following oil price volatility made the things even worse (Turner 2008). Banking Reforms in the US The US government incorporated the lessons learnt from the subprime mortgage crisis into the envisaged banking reforms. These reforms not only intended to create new regulatory bodies with more teeth, but also planned to protect the interests of the customers. These reforms provided more power to the Federal Reserve thereby enabling it to better monitor the functioning of the financial institutions, and if required to takeover over a financial institution