Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Paper

An arising problem in today’s world is the destruction of the ozone layer because of the emissions and harmful gases that vehicles are giving off. Forget ethanol or biodiesel. The next big thing in automotive fuel may very well be hydrogen. Automakers rapidly are closing in on making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles an everyday fact of life, with several test models set to debut over the next few years. Hydrogen fuel cells to power vehicles are desirable, experts say, because hydrogen is a renewable fuel that can be used to create electricity to run cars. A chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen produces the electric power, and when pure hydrogen is used, the only emission from the tailpipe is harmless water vapor. Many people are asking, â€Å"Why fuel cells? † The gasoline engine in a conventional car is less than 20% efficient in converting the chemical energy in gasoline into power that moves the vehicle, under normal driving conditions. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which use electric motors, are much more energy efficient and use 40-60 percent of membrane to the other side of the cell, the stream of negatively-charged electrons follows an external circuit to the cathode. You can read also Thin Film Solar Cell This flow of electrons is electricity that can be used to do work, such as power a motor. On the other side of the cell, oxygen gas, typically drawn from the outside air, flows through channels to the cathode. When the electrons return from doing work, they react with oxygen and the hydrogen protons (which have moved through the membrane) at the cathode to form water. This union is an exothermic reaction, generating heat that can be used outside the fuel cell. The future of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles depends on advances in four areas: the hydrogen source, the distribution infrastructure, the on-board fuel tank and the on-board fuel cell. Hydrogen must be made from carbon-free renewable sources before fuel-cell vehicles can make a dent in the climate problem. One idea is to make the hydrogen by splitting water using electricity from wind farms, or solar panels. Once the hydrogen is made, it must be distributed via special pipelines and tankers to an extensive network of hydrogen refueling stations, which have yet to be created yet. Once in the tank, fuel cell vehicles must store enough hydrogen to go several hundred kilometers between refueling stops. Liquid hydrogen requires insulated tanks at -253*C. so most companies have chosen to compress the hydrogen inside high-strength carbon fiber tanks. The purpose of the fuel cell is to convert hydrogen to electric power. The challenge is to make it light, cheap, robust and durable — yet powerful enough to run the engine, lights and air conditioning. Hydrogen fuel cells, while about twice as efficient as internal-combustion engines using gas, cost nearly 100 times as much per unit of power produced, critics note. And hydrogen is explosive. It ignites at a wider range of concentrations than natural gas and requires less energy to ignite, Michael D. Amiridis, chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of South Carolina, told the Web site and gas-electric hybrid cars advocate hybridcars. com. â€Å"It’s scary – you cannot see the flame,† Amiridis said. Still, automakers are pushing ahead. â€Å"What we can do from our side is to show that technology is mainly feasible, and we have many corporate projects in this area,† said BMW’s corporate communications manager Andreas Klugescheid. It’s North America Engineering and Emission Test Center in California, for example, has been testing two BMW Hydrogen 7 prototypes that run on both hydrogen and gasoline, using a dual-fuel engine and two separate fuel tanks. With the push of a button on its steering wheel, the Hydrogen 7 can run on either hydrogen or gasoline. It can go 125 miles on its hydrogen mode and 300 on its gasoline mode, thus limiting the possibility that its driver might be stranded, given that there’s only one hydrogen filling station in California, near Los Angeles. Along with the hydrogen fuel cells' high efficiency (from 40-70%), the possibility of utilizing both heat and electricity from them will make a significant contribution to reducing atmospheric emissions. For example, a fuel cell operating at 60% efficiency would emit 35-60% less CO2 at the fossil fuel stage and 80% less from hydrogen. Both GM and Honda are hoping to bypass concerns about the lack and cost of developing hydrogen filling stations by creating home hydrogen refueling devices that would allow cars to be refilled overnight in garages. Much of the push for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is aimed at putting the public at ease through demonstration models and projects Energy sources of the future will have to be cleaner and more efficient than current sources – fuel cells fulfill these requirements. Several challenges remain before we will see wide-spread commercialization, mainly because of restrictions with size, cost, reliability and safety, but an environmentally-friendly source of power is definitely on its way.

Credibility and Logic in Gregory Curfman’s “Diet Pills Redux”

1. Gregory D. Curfman’s piece â€Å"Diet Pills Redux† is an editorial; therefore, a reader must keep in mind that the content will focus on the author’s opinion(s) and perspective(s) about a particular situation. Having read Curfman’s piece, it does seem credible. The author is a physician, so his analysis of the situation can be reasonably assumed within his field of expertise, especially when one considers it is an editorial published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Dr.Curfman presents evidence for and against the use of fenfluramine and phentermine and seems concerned only with further exploration of a possible connection between the use of these drugs (separately or together) and heart disease (Curfman, 1997, passim).2. Curfman begins his piece with a summary of an outbreak of pulmonary hypertension that took place in Western Europe that was linked to the use of an appetite-suppressant drug. He goes on to reveal a European outbreak thirty years later which connected the use of an anorectic drug with more cases of pulmonary hypertension.Later, he discusses weighing the risks of using anorectic drugs against the individual’s need, and concludes that only those with no other recourse should be allowed to take the chance. Each of these is an example of logic without fallacy (Curfman, 1997, passim). There were fallacies in Curfman’s piece. To begin with, the events and studies he cited were missing control groups and assurances that exigent factors such as patient history had been taken into account. Technically, these might be construed as misleading statistics.Because the numbers of persons negatively effected by these drugs was so low, the potential that much of his point is perhaps a non sequitur—specifically an argument built on a slippery slope does exist. His closing remark that â€Å"succumbing to the allure of diet pills as a quick fix for excess weight may be courting disaster† presents a significant logical problem: the implication that those who suffered a cardiac crisis in connection with the use of one or more of the involved drugs fall into the â€Å"quick fix† category—this is a hasty generalization (Curfman, 1997, passim).The overall message in the piece was not that blame must be laid, nor was it a call to halt all availability of either drug, so coupled with this piece being an editorial, even fallacy did not necessarily weaken the strength of the article in my opinion as the point seemed merely to be to convince readers that there was more to be investigated. Based on what I read, I have to agree that further investigation is warranted and that consumers must be aware of the potential dangers listed by Curfman.

Thomas Hobbes Natural Right Theory and the State, Social Contract and Method of Inquiry

NATURAL RIGHTS THEORIES THOMAS HOBBES’ DOCTRINE OF NATURAL LAW, NATURAL RIGHTS AND THE STATE Submission Date: 22/03/2013 Student ID: 201105385 Kofiya Willie INTRODUCTION In contradiction with the great philosophers Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes doctrine of natural rights is a scientific research based emphasis on the rise of negativity in the theory of the classical natural law. In his doctrine, Hobbes rejects natural law as a means of peace attainment in different political communities.This writing seeks to give a detailed outline of Hobbes’s doctrine of natural law, natural rights and the state. In description of these detailed writings, I shall also make an outline description of Hobbes method of inquiry to his study. In conclusion to this writing, Hobbes social contract shall be covered in detail to make a closing to this historical phenomenon. In his opening arguments in support of the new phenomenon of modern natural rights, Hobbes insisted that huma n beings are complex machines influenced by their environmental conditions and prevailing situations.He puts this argument forward as an attack to the classical view of natural law of Aristotle and Aquinas which rather sees man as â€Å"a rational and social animal who has a natural inclination to his proper end, happiness which can be attained by the virtues of mind and character†. Hobbes argues that man have always and will always be competitive and therefore will always strive to attain some form of leadership or political power in all possible ways available to them (Hobbes, 2004). He mentions that humans are selfish anti-social beings who are in pursuit to serve their selfish desires, particularly power.The second argument outlined by Thomas Hobbes in rejection to the classical natural law theory is that human beings are motivated by vanity in a classical natural law state. Thus meaning, in natural law state individuals has a sense of superiority based on their knowledge over others. He exemplifies this view by the olden ways of living where kings or monarchs ruled on the basis of higher power to gain majority obedience from the people. This according to Hobbes theory of natural rights was undermining of political authority (Kraynak, 1990).He therefore due to this reason opted for a rather fair system of the modern human/natural rights. According to Thomas Hobbes, the weakness in the classical natural law doctrine of Aristotle and Aquinas is that, unlike the modern natural rights doctrine, it is easily exploited. This was the primary cause of the English civil war in Behemoth in 1642-60. This according to Hobbes was a result of King Charles being overthrown by the parliamentarians who claimed to have had higher knowledge on natural law.Hobbes sums the lesson from the Behemoth war by making a statement that â€Å"if higher laws are not equated with intangible goods like virtue, wisdom and salvation then the ills of civilization can be avoided and m ankind can enjoy enduring civil peace† (Hobbes, 2004). Thus Hobbes proposed his new doctrine of natural rights to building a better state. In his newly found doctrine of natural rights, Hobbes emphasizes that unlike the classical natural law doctrine, modern rights are not an illusion put forward by the classical theorists of natural law. Natural law is the greatest good by virtues of the perfections of mind and character† (Hobbes, 2004). This notion put forward by the classical theorists of natural law is a dangerous and falsified statement according to Hobbes. He associated this with the then overthrowing of King Charles. He therefore defines modern natural rights doctrine as the only solution to civilization to avoid the dangers that result with natural law doctrine. In his closing arguments, Hobbes proposed a new definition of natural rights which gained vast acceptance worldwide.He emphasizes the natural equality of all mankind in his new definition of natural right s. Hobbes therefore defines natural law as â€Å"right or liberty to preserve oneself†, this according to Hobbes endures the fundamental right of self-preservation. In compilation to these facts about natural rights and the sovereign state, Hobbes used various methods. Hobbes adopted various methods in the field of geometry, physics and mathematics. This he stated as a way to legitimize his doctrine through geometric and scientific proof (Tuck, 1996).The reason behind Thomas Hobbes’ science of politics was to resolve political conflicts which had led his countrymen to war in the era of King Charles (Behemoth Civil war of 1642). His belief was that if politicians came to an agreement in political matters, then peace will be attained. Hobbes’ primary aim to his science of politics was to end the political confusions and the misfortunes that came with the classical natural law doctrine of Aristotle and Aquinas to establish an enduring state of peace.Unlike other sc holars of hi time, Hobbes believed that knowledge is not attained by being submissive to authority, but rather employing an objective method. He believed that such a method avoided conflicts which came about from political speculation and subjective interpretation. Hobbes however never explained his method/s of inquiry to his political research. According to philosophy scholars, Hobbes used a method that they called a Resolutive-Composite method.What this method of inquiry used by Hobbes entails that; for one to understand a given subject, they should first conduct an intellectual step by step process of resolving it into different parts. By doing so, this enables the subjects to be fully examined and make specific conclusions in the subjects without omitting relating information, thus Hobbes adopted this method to his political science study. After the resolution process, the subjects will then be re-composed into a whole again. Hobbes believed in doing so (resolving and recomposin g a subject), one is able to discover its essential qualities (Kraynak, 1990).In his science of politics and study of natural law and the sovereign, he used the method of resolution and re-composition of his study objects. In relation to this, Hobbes first started by resolving his state to its different parts, (that is human beings). He further resolved the human beings into different parts (the motions and the natural body), then resolved this in their different parts (abstract figures). After this resolution, Hobbes re-composed his subjects step by step until he finally came to an examination of political bodies and the natural law doctrine.To demonstrate his philosophical proofs of his science of politics, Hobbes focused on the field of Geometry and physics to understanding human motion and their natural body. He composed a number of geometric figures and then drew conclusions about them. Thomas Hobbes achieved these by using geometric definitions such as space, time, and bodies in motion which he linked to the physical world of politics and human sensation. He thus proposed his doctrine of natural rights based on his scientific proofs through geometry and physical science (physics).In addition to his findings in philosophy and political science, Hobbes gives an insight on his ideal social contract of the sovereign. Hobbes’ ideal social contract entails that it is by far most rational to give up part of individual’s liberty in order to gain security of self-preservation. According to Thomas Hobbes, there are political bodies in a state that governs and ensures the security of these liberties. Such political bodies may include the constitution of the sovereign and its other statutes in relation to the protection of individual liberties i. e. courts of law (Tuck, 1996).He defines social contract as a mutual agreement between participating bodies to mutually transfer their natural rights. What this means is that; individuals in the state come to an agreement to abide by the set rules of political bodies as a means of peace attainment. He emphasizes that without these social rules, life would be â€Å"solitary, nasty, brutish and short†. This notion therefore leads to an instance of limited natural rights. Hobbes notes that at times we are/can be born to find a readymade contract for us to agree on, therefore individuals do not have absolute powers to act outside the limitations of such contracts.Such contract may include the constitution of the state. Hobbes’s social contract has its outmost emphasis on natural equality, scarcity, equality of human power and limited altruism. He says this contract does not however concern the sovereign but rather its subjects (the people). In accordance to Hobbes, there will be injustice if these subjects fail to abide by their contract. That is to say, if one person violates the rights of the other within the sovereign then that will be injustice to the other subject.In a dif ferent view on the issue of natural equality, Hobbes states that inequality is the reason behind the English civil war. He makes an emphasis to say that man must recognize each other as equal so as to avoid a state of war which is a result of inequality. In addition, Hobbes identifies scarcity as another factor that influences man to go to war with each other. According to Hobbes, when there is limited supply of essential needs such as shelter, food and clothing this can trigger conflicts and competition to access such needs, which will eventually break into a war.When a social contract is drawn to how these needs will be accessed equally between the state’s subjects, then civil wars will be avoided in the sovereign. Hobbes states that if every subject in the sovereign is made aware of these essential needs and the legitimate ways of acquiring them, then there will be no injustice. Another complex factor that Hobbes notes is the issue of equality of human power. According to Hobbes, only a few acquire power in the notion of representing the majority i. e. political leaders.He says that, however in the long run this power cannot be sustained as some become more advantageous to others i. e. political leaders have more advantage as leaders, than the majority of the people. This then according to Hobbes creates a situation where everyone is at war against everyone else for the same scarce resource. Lastly, Thomas Hobbes mentions the need for motivational state with the primary goal of increasing another person’s welfare (altruism). In a rather opposite view, Thomas Hobbes states limited altruism as one factor among others that also affects the well-being of the sovereign.He believes that for this to work in a state, we can only rely on the goodness and compassion of strangers since by nature human beings will rarely have compassion towards each other. This mainly results from the limited nature of how altruistic human beings are. In the absence of a social order, all these factors will create major problems. To prevent that from happening, Hobbes denotes that it is only possible if an individual seeks to avoid the state of nature of the classical theorists Aristotle and Aquinas and the â€Å"war of all against all†.This can only be achieved if all individuals come to a mutual agreement to withhold the rights of one another; this according to Hobbes will breed a fertile ground for cooperation both in the social and economic manner. Conclusion Hobbes rejects the natural law doctrine of philosophers Aristotle a Thomas Aquinas as a measure to avoid civil wars/conflicts. He rather sees it fit to adopt a more favorable means of governance as he proposed (modern natural rights) in his doctrine of natural rights.In his inquiries to his doctrine, he used a method most scholars called resolutive-composite form, this was due to how he studied his subjects of research. He presented his findings in a scientific manner making referenc e to geometry and physics. In his social contract he noted scarcity, natural equality, human power and altruism as major factors that influenced the well-being of the sovereign. Hobbes doctrine has attracted vast acceptance in the world at large, though it was highly criticized by most philosophers as being based on morality. Bibliography historical philosophers. (2006, 6 18). Retrieved 3 17, 2013, from Thomas Hobbes Natural Right Theory and the State, Social Contract and Method of Inquiry NATURAL RIGHTS THEORIES THOMAS HOBBES’ DOCTRINE OF NATURAL LAW, NATURAL RIGHTS AND THE STATE Submission Date: 22/03/2013 Student ID: 201105385 Kofiya Willie INTRODUCTION In contradiction with the great philosophers Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes doctrine of natural rights is a scientific research based emphasis on the rise of negativity in the theory of the classical natural law. In his doctrine, Hobbes rejects natural law as a means of peace attainment in different political communities.This writing seeks to give a detailed outline of Hobbes’s doctrine of natural law, natural rights and the state. In description of these detailed writings, I shall also make an outline description of Hobbes method of inquiry to his study. In conclusion to this writing, Hobbes social contract shall be covered in detail to make a closing to this historical phenomenon. In his opening arguments in support of the new phenomenon of modern natural rights, Hobbes insisted that huma n beings are complex machines influenced by their environmental conditions and prevailing situations.He puts this argument forward as an attack to the classical view of natural law of Aristotle and Aquinas which rather sees man as â€Å"a rational and social animal who has a natural inclination to his proper end, happiness which can be attained by the virtues of mind and character†. Hobbes argues that man have always and will always be competitive and therefore will always strive to attain some form of leadership or political power in all possible ways available to them (Hobbes, 2004). He mentions that humans are selfish anti-social beings who are in pursuit to serve their selfish desires, particularly power.The second argument outlined by Thomas Hobbes in rejection to the classical natural law theory is that human beings are motivated by vanity in a classical natural law state. Thus meaning, in natural law state individuals has a sense of superiority based on their knowledge over others. He exemplifies this view by the olden ways of living where kings or monarchs ruled on the basis of higher power to gain majority obedience from the people. This according to Hobbes theory of natural rights was undermining of political authority (Kraynak, 1990).He therefore due to this reason opted for a rather fair system of the modern human/natural rights. According to Thomas Hobbes, the weakness in the classical natural law doctrine of Aristotle and Aquinas is that, unlike the modern natural rights doctrine, it is easily exploited. This was the primary cause of the English civil war in Behemoth in 1642-60. This according to Hobbes was a result of King Charles being overthrown by the parliamentarians who claimed to have had higher knowledge on natural law.Hobbes sums the lesson from the Behemoth war by making a statement that â€Å"if higher laws are not equated with intangible goods like virtue, wisdom and salvation then the ills of civilization can be avoided and m ankind can enjoy enduring civil peace† (Hobbes, 2004). Thus Hobbes proposed his new doctrine of natural rights to building a better state. In his newly found doctrine of natural rights, Hobbes emphasizes that unlike the classical natural law doctrine, modern rights are not an illusion put forward by the classical theorists of natural law. Natural law is the greatest good by virtues of the perfections of mind and character† (Hobbes, 2004). This notion put forward by the classical theorists of natural law is a dangerous and falsified statement according to Hobbes. He associated this with the then overthrowing of King Charles. He therefore defines modern natural rights doctrine as the only solution to civilization to avoid the dangers that result with natural law doctrine. In his closing arguments, Hobbes proposed a new definition of natural rights which gained vast acceptance worldwide.He emphasizes the natural equality of all mankind in his new definition of natural right s. Hobbes therefore defines natural law as â€Å"right or liberty to preserve oneself†, this according to Hobbes endures the fundamental right of self-preservation. In compilation to these facts about natural rights and the sovereign state, Hobbes used various methods. Hobbes adopted various methods in the field of geometry, physics and mathematics. This he stated as a way to legitimize his doctrine through geometric and scientific proof (Tuck, 1996).The reason behind Thomas Hobbes’ science of politics was to resolve political conflicts which had led his countrymen to war in the era of King Charles (Behemoth Civil war of 1642). His belief was that if politicians came to an agreement in political matters, then peace will be attained. Hobbes’ primary aim to his science of politics was to end the political confusions and the misfortunes that came with the classical natural law doctrine of Aristotle and Aquinas to establish an enduring state of peace.Unlike other sc holars of hi time, Hobbes believed that knowledge is not attained by being submissive to authority, but rather employing an objective method. He believed that such a method avoided conflicts which came about from political speculation and subjective interpretation. Hobbes however never explained his method/s of inquiry to his political research. According to philosophy scholars, Hobbes used a method that they called a Resolutive-Composite method.What this method of inquiry used by Hobbes entails that; for one to understand a given subject, they should first conduct an intellectual step by step process of resolving it into different parts. By doing so, this enables the subjects to be fully examined and make specific conclusions in the subjects without omitting relating information, thus Hobbes adopted this method to his political science study. After the resolution process, the subjects will then be re-composed into a whole again. Hobbes believed in doing so (resolving and recomposin g a subject), one is able to discover its essential qualities (Kraynak, 1990).In his science of politics and study of natural law and the sovereign, he used the method of resolution and re-composition of his study objects. In relation to this, Hobbes first started by resolving his state to its different parts, (that is human beings). He further resolved the human beings into different parts (the motions and the natural body), then resolved this in their different parts (abstract figures). After this resolution, Hobbes re-composed his subjects step by step until he finally came to an examination of political bodies and the natural law doctrine.To demonstrate his philosophical proofs of his science of politics, Hobbes focused on the field of Geometry and physics to understanding human motion and their natural body. He composed a number of geometric figures and then drew conclusions about them. Thomas Hobbes achieved these by using geometric definitions such as space, time, and bodies in motion which he linked to the physical world of politics and human sensation. He thus proposed his doctrine of natural rights based on his scientific proofs through geometry and physical science (physics).In addition to his findings in philosophy and political science, Hobbes gives an insight on his ideal social contract of the sovereign. Hobbes’ ideal social contract entails that it is by far most rational to give up part of individual’s liberty in order to gain security of self-preservation. According to Thomas Hobbes, there are political bodies in a state that governs and ensures the security of these liberties. Such political bodies may include the constitution of the sovereign and its other statutes in relation to the protection of individual liberties i. e. courts of law (Tuck, 1996).He defines social contract as a mutual agreement between participating bodies to mutually transfer their natural rights. What this means is that; individuals in the state come to an agreement to abide by the set rules of political bodies as a means of peace attainment. He emphasizes that without these social rules, life would be â€Å"solitary, nasty, brutish and short†. This notion therefore leads to an instance of limited natural rights. Hobbes notes that at times we are/can be born to find a readymade contract for us to agree on, therefore individuals do not have absolute powers to act outside the limitations of such contracts.Such contract may include the constitution of the state. Hobbes’s social contract has its outmost emphasis on natural equality, scarcity, equality of human power and limited altruism. He says this contract does not however concern the sovereign but rather its subjects (the people). In accordance to Hobbes, there will be injustice if these subjects fail to abide by their contract. That is to say, if one person violates the rights of the other within the sovereign then that will be injustice to the other subject.In a dif ferent view on the issue of natural equality, Hobbes states that inequality is the reason behind the English civil war. He makes an emphasis to say that man must recognize each other as equal so as to avoid a state of war which is a result of inequality. In addition, Hobbes identifies scarcity as another factor that influences man to go to war with each other. According to Hobbes, when there is limited supply of essential needs such as shelter, food and clothing this can trigger conflicts and competition to access such needs, which will eventually break into a war.When a social contract is drawn to how these needs will be accessed equally between the state’s subjects, then civil wars will be avoided in the sovereign. Hobbes states that if every subject in the sovereign is made aware of these essential needs and the legitimate ways of acquiring them, then there will be no injustice. Another complex factor that Hobbes notes is the issue of equality of human power. According to Hobbes, only a few acquire power in the notion of representing the majority i. e. political leaders.He says that, however in the long run this power cannot be sustained as some become more advantageous to others i. e. political leaders have more advantage as leaders, than the majority of the people. This then according to Hobbes creates a situation where everyone is at war against everyone else for the same scarce resource. Lastly, Thomas Hobbes mentions the need for motivational state with the primary goal of increasing another person’s welfare (altruism). In a rather opposite view, Thomas Hobbes states limited altruism as one factor among others that also affects the well-being of the sovereign.He believes that for this to work in a state, we can only rely on the goodness and compassion of strangers since by nature human beings will rarely have compassion towards each other. This mainly results from the limited nature of how altruistic human beings are. In the absence of a social order, all these factors will create major problems. To prevent that from happening, Hobbes denotes that it is only possible if an individual seeks to avoid the state of nature of the classical theorists Aristotle and Aquinas and the â€Å"war of all against all†.This can only be achieved if all individuals come to a mutual agreement to withhold the rights of one another; this according to Hobbes will breed a fertile ground for cooperation both in the social and economic manner. Conclusion Hobbes rejects the natural law doctrine of philosophers Aristotle a Thomas Aquinas as a measure to avoid civil wars/conflicts. He rather sees it fit to adopt a more favorable means of governance as he proposed (modern natural rights) in his doctrine of natural rights.In his inquiries to his doctrine, he used a method most scholars called resolutive-composite form, this was due to how he studied his subjects of research. He presented his findings in a scientific manner making referenc e to geometry and physics. In his social contract he noted scarcity, natural equality, human power and altruism as major factors that influenced the well-being of the sovereign. Hobbes doctrine has attracted vast acceptance in the world at large, though it was highly criticized by most philosophers as being based on morality. Bibliography historical philosophers. (2006, 6 18). Retrieved 3 17, 2013, from

Problems in Chinese Education System and steps taken to improve the Essay

Problems in Chinese Education System and steps taken to improve the system - Essay Example Nine years of education is made compulsory in China at preliminary and junior secondary level. However, there is very low government spending on education. Teaching resources are not sufficient as the enrolments in schools. China’s National Auditing Office recently released the 2003 auditing results of 18 universities in China. It was found out that there were violations of financial regulations in these universities. Furthermore, when university professor Mr. Sun Guangwen and former secretary Lin Mu were interviewed about China’s education system, they identified three major problems which are unequal opportunity, expensive tuition and difficult standards for admission. There are also issues regarding course material and teaching methods of China’s education system.... ccording to survey of China’s Academy of Social Sciences, the average education related fees of universities, high schools and elementary schools account for 30 to 60 percent of a family’s income. To the low income families residing in China who accounts up to 80 percent of Chinas population, education fees are a secondary expense to food expense (Yue & Hong, 2006). Lin Mu has identified an emerging concept of â€Å"education commercialization† in China. Schools are now a commercial business; they only keep raising their fees and emptying poor family’s pockets. Even the free schools now charge some amount of money. Professor Sun regards commercialization as wrong and has drawbacks. Commercialization is based on making money. This increases burden towards students. Schools are also required to pay bonuses to teachers. Some schools pay really high bonuses. There are three levels in a school. The first level includes the president, vice president, secretary a nd vice secretary, deans and assisted deans. These people are paid 50,000 yuan or US$ 6000 per year. The second level of staff is paid 40,000 yuan or US$ 5000 and the third level is paid 30,000 yuan or US$ 4000 per year. All this money is coming from students (Yue & Hong, 2006). Through commercialization, universities and colleges have started branding their institutes which attracts students so that they can get better jobs later. Another way for these institutes to make money is by offering short courses, training classes or post graduate certificate programs. These are affordable as the teachers only care about money. As a result, the quality of education is seriously suffering (Yue & Hong, 2006). An expert once estimated and came on a conclusion, based on the ratio and people’s income, the expense of

Wild moneyless hero Chery1 Strayed and Joseph Campbell Essay

Wild moneyless hero Chery1 Strayed and Joseph Campbell - Essay Example Joseph Campbell explains ‘the call to adventure’ as â€Å"a blunter wild moneyless hero Chery1 Strayed and Joseph Campbell merest chance-reveals to an unsuspected world, and the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood† (56). In addition, Freud states that blunders do not represent the mere chances, but they result from suppressed conflicts and desire. He further states that, blunders are ripples on one’s life surface resulting from unsuspected springs. Cheryl Strayed clearly depicts this in her story when she loses her mother due to lung cancer. The life of Cheryl Strayed gets into a downward spiral those results to her family’s destination, heroin addiction, and compulsive adultery. In order to survey, the wreckage of her family and her life at 26 years of age and newly divorced, Cheryl Strayed decides to 1,770 kilometers alone along the Pacific Crest Trail (from California to Oregon). The reason of this hiking is that, Strayed thinks that through hiking she will think about her entire life and family and find her strength once more, far from all that made her life ridiculous. Unfortunately, Strayed candidly admits that her journey does not succeed as she had planned. This is also evident in Joseph Campbell’s theory of the hero in the second phase of initiation (Campbell 23). Joseph Campbell shows that for one to become a hero he or she must pass through many trials. This is evident in the subcategories of meeting with the goddess, the apotheosis, the ultimate boon, woman as the temptress, and atonement. According to Joseph Campbell, â€Å"this is a favorite phase of the myth adventure†¦ it has produced a world literature of miraculous tests and ordeals† (81). Joseph Campbell in his theory of the hero asserts that for one to become a hero he or she must admit to some trials and challenges (Campbell 21). Cheryl Strayed highly supports and portrays this argument in her story. Even before the

Climate Anomalies for a Particular Region Essay

Climate Anomalies for a Particular Region - Essay Example The waves are disturbed by two forcing, namely, Orographic forcing and Thermal forcing. Orographic forcing, more relevant in northern hemisphere owing to dominating surface topography with Rocky Mountain and Tibetan plateau, relates to planetary waves generated due to the compression and expansion of air columns, leading to vortex stretching which can be balanced by the vorticity advection (Dickinson, 1978). Thermal forcing, varying with seasonal change in thermal effect, relates to generation of planetary waves by the adiabatic heating and cooling due to rising and sinking air motions; this maybe balanced by temperature advection (Ashe, 1987). In the subsequent paragraphs we shall examine climate anomalies for a particular region in the context of the large scale hemispheric wave pattern with a multiple objective to firstly, convert temperature and precipitation data, obtained from the Plymouth University Portal, into appropriate graphs, secondly, discuss and compare the seasons wit h reference to the hemispheric flow and lastly, discuss the possible reason for the variation in the temperature and precipitation on temporal and spatial scales. Examination of the climate anomalies involved collection of temperature and precipitati... This was followed by statistical analysis of the data which included determination of mean temperature and standard deviation for the four regions. The monthly hemispheric charts were plotted with the help of NOAA's Climate Diagnostics Centre following the link, http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/cdc/dtat.ncep.reanalysis.derived.html. Following steps are required for obtaining the plot:- When the above link opens Click on 'Pressure level Data'. The page automatically moves down. Now click on the 'Geo-potential height'. This should open a new page, scroll down and Click on 'make plot (Monthly Mean)'. To improve the chart quality, adhere to following details:- Select latitude between 20 and 90N, Select 500 mb and Select suitable dates (from, to). Now, select 'Plot' on white background, Polar stereographic and Remove Colour Plot. Finally click on Create Plot. Figure 1: Map of Europe, Source: Praxis network, 2007 The results were obtained place-wise, for four different regions, for summer and winter seasons. All graphs show the average monthly temperature or precipitation during a season. The data has been taken from the following regions (also marked in Figure 1 above):- Station Elevation (m) Latitude Longitude Toulouse 152 43.60 N 1.40 E Edinburgh 41 55.95 N 3.35 W Alborg 13 57.10 N 9.87 E Helsinki 53 60.30 N 25.00 E Table 1: Region Coordinates Final Results Figure 2: shows the average summer temperature for the period 1951-1991 for all stations Toulouse The average summer temperature graph shows the average maximum temperatures recorded in Toulouse from 1951 to 1991. The highest average temperature of 21.9 C was recorded in Toulouse in the summer of 1990 while lowest

Fallacy Spotting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fallacy Spotting - Assignment Example Essentially, this is a straw man argument; due to the fact that a given television show was only ever a recent reproduction and historical interpretation of fictional events – not a documentary record of the way in which individuals segued into adulthood and portended themselves. Likewise, the article itself is also indicative of what is known as a â€Å"false dilemma†. Essentially, numerous other indications why the current generation might be exhibited certain signs of â€Å"immaturity† has to do with the fact that extremely difficult economic times have acquired individuals to move in with their parents, provided them with relatively few opportunities, and restricted the level of maturity that might have otherwise developed. As such, the dilemma that has been represented is one that is seemingly of choice; namely that the adults of the current generation do not wish to be adults. However, the fact of the matter is that the adult the current generation oftentim es constrained by very real economic realities that define nearly each and every aspect of the way in which they live their

Simon Piasecki's Performance of Fizz Bomb Essay

Simon Piasecki's Performance of Fizz Bomb - Essay Example Moreover, the "Fizz Bomb" performance represents a series of video arts named "Lessons in Language" which was first aired at Shunt, London in June 2008 (Piasecki, 2008). We can divide provisionally the performance into two parts. The first part finishes in the moment of the explosion. The second begins when the fizzy drink has been made. There are several concepts illustrated in the first part of "Fizz Bomb". Let me start with the language and its references. As "Fizz Bomb" is part of the overall idea of "Lessons in Language" it suggests that the performance seeks to convey the language barrier conception. We all have heard about the biblical city of Babel and its tower. The story narrates how people united by a common language decided to erect a tower with the intention that they will reach heaven and will be closer to God. God saw the construction of the power as a symbol of pride, as people got more skilled and shared their ideas. He said that people become distanced from their creator and in order to give them a lesson God confused their language, causing misunderstanding so that people were unable to finish the construction of the tower. Piasecki employed this biblical narration to show that the audience can not understand his Manchester Butcher's Slang and presumably, they may misunderstand his int... Verbal comprehension is vital for the social communication and all other varieties of conversations. The impossibility to reach out and grasp other people's thoughts leads to the destruction of human relations. This destruction is best depicted by the hidden facial expressions. Communication besides verbal can also be non-verbal. With hiding his face behind a knitted mask Piasecki indicates that the miscommunication with his audience is absolute. He puts a boundary between himself and the viewer. The other concept expressed in the first part of "Fizz Bomb" is the consequences of the misunderstanding. Piasecki does this through his garment. The clothes are combination of the kamikaze warrior bomb vest and the bullet-proven vest. Those two antipodes also symbolize the good and bad side of human nature. Once you might be the hunter and once you might be hunted. If you are misunderstood people can point you out as kamikaze. If you follow the rules, you are subject to attack by those who rebel, so you wear the bullet-proven vest. Simon Piasecki had a profound understanding about the current war conflicts and wanted to describe them in the minutest detail, in simple, clear way. My comprehension is that war conflicts are based on language barrier which creates hostility because people are unaware of the cultural, religious and verbal expression that other nations use. People hide behind stereotypes of kamikaze people and those who have to protect against them. The lack of zest to overcome this language boundary destroyed the basic human attitude and communication between different cultures. Once the bomb of Piasecki explodes there is only silence. The

Assess the Current Status of Primary Healthcare in the Socialist Essay

Assess the Current Status of Primary Healthcare in the Socialist Marketplace - Essay Example (IBM, 2006) But healthcare for the population at large has lagged behind other markers of success. During the first few decades of the current Chinese regime the resources of the local principality had much to do with access to resources. In rural areas, regional organization at the local level attempted to meet the medical needs of those in the district. In urban areas, the work unit was the most important unit of local governance in terms of health-care access. THE RURAL SYSTEM With the end of the pure socialism of communal living, and the financial erosion of the work-unit system in urban areas, it is more standard for individual inequalities to be the determining factor for healthcare access.(Duckett, 2007) Low-income individuals without health-insurance may be able to cover a few minor medical incidents, but income inequities are likely to bring on financial insolvency, even when patients are able to pay. Where these financial inequities persist in a market with little viable in surance; the legitimate need for healthcare then becomes one more cause of poverty. (Mackintosh 2001: 175). Though efforts are underway to re-establish a cooperative system of health financing. By the late 1970s, The medical system in China was wedded to the over-arching government bureaucracy. Health services were just one more facet of the apparatus of administration and social control in a command economy. A World Bank study has observed that by 1975 ‘almost all the urban population and 85 per cent of the rural’ had a form of insurance that was at least able to provide the most basic of medical services, as well as cost-effective preventives, and sometimes curative treatments. This also entailed financial risks that to some extent, the population shared, in addition to the benefits in life expectancy. (World Bank 1997: 2), (World Bank 1992). In Rural regions the 1960's and 70's saw many of these benefits in the form of vaccines and contraceptives; under the auspices of local control based upon the older system of rural communities funding the majority of their own health services. (Huang 1988; Kan 1990:42). Under the older system, rural areas typically had a three-tiered system of regional organization was responsible for the administration of health-services. There were hospitals at the county level, Health centers for communes that could provide referral services and the supervision of preventative treatments; and the communes. Individual village/communes had health stations staffed by rural practitioners sometimes known as ‘barefoot doctors’ (Bloom & Gu 1997). These local-level commune health centers would report to the district commune-management communist party committee. The next step above them in medical matters was the county-level general hospital, for a higher level of technological support and supervision. But all of these institutions were under the auspices of a county health bureau, for the purpose of administration, rather than actual treatment. The intent was to bring new dimensions of health-care to rural areas previously bereft of them in years before. Attempts where made in the late 60's and 70's, what might be termed the late Mao era, to introduce an apparatus of collective funding, similar to health insurance programs to better assist the rural health-system for most villages. And for

Hidden Job Market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hidden Job Market - Research Paper Example The strategies I have come up effective given that it is consistent with the â€Å"push†, â€Å"pull† and â€Å"maintain†. Push is a strategy that is job seekers use to reach out socially to other people who can help them acquire new skills that will ultimately give them employment opportunities (Levinson & Perry, 2011). With this strategy in mind, I intend to take part in voluntary activities that will give me an opportunity to acquire new skills and information. Employees look for skills and other attributes in graduates. Through volunteering in my areas of specialization, I am confident that I will acquire new skills through hands on approach. Another advantage of volunteering is equipping me with the necessary knowledge of my field through my interaction with other workers during the volunteering period. When others are seeking jobs when they lack the necessary skills, I am hopeful that volunteering will help me bridge my knowledge gap. Pull is another strategy that I intend to use in enabling myself to be visible before employers. In a scenario, where many people are competing for the attention of employers, developing an interest in employers is crucial (Bruce, 1993). With pull strategy, individuals make themselves visible by employing different strategies that make them attract employment. With more employers preferring to use social networks to look for employers, I believe that signing up with social websites like LinkedIn is paramount. Upon signing up with LinkedIn, I will create a profile that will list all my skills and qualification. I hope that this will enable employers view my details when they are searching for employees using keywords such as profession or experience. With more employers preferring to use sites as LinkedIn, I am confident that I will be able to catch the eyes of some employers looking for qualified graduates. Maintaining a network of friends and professionals is one of the best strategies that one can use

Comparative Advantage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative Advantage - Essay Example It is however, critical to note that this advantage is relatively low as compared to other countries. In sectors like Mineral fuels and apparels, US is comparatively at disadvantage as compared to other countries and may be the net importer of goods and services following in both these categories. Finance and insurance sector also seem to lose its competitiveness as compared to other countries such as Japan and Switzerland. The data in table 5.1 indicates that US may not have comparative advantage in different sectors as compared to other countries. This may be owing to different factors including lack of room for economic expansion during recent years. Further, US economy is believed to be transitioning towards service based economy therefore different sectors of the economy may be losing their comparative advantage as other countries may be picking up from where US firms left the competition wide open for other economies. (Jagdish N. Bhagwati, Panagariya, & Srinivasan, 1998) Japan seems to enjoy greater level of comparative advantage in producing vehicles. This suggests that vehicle production in Japan is relatively cheaper as compared to other countries and Japan can enjoy relative comparative advantage in this sector. As compared to US, Japan is far ahead in producing vehicle much efficiently and at lower costs. Japan also seems to enjoy greater level of comparative advantage in producing electronic equipment and enjoys greater advantage over US. This may also indicates that Japan’s economy is still industrial based with strong focus upon maintaining industrial base of the economy through achieving better comparative advantage. A relatively positive comparative advantage is also enjoyed in the finance and insurance sector indicating that financial sector in Japan is relatively more efficient as compared to financial sector of US. This may also be

Role of Education in Society Essay Example for Free

Role of Education in Society Essay Society has certain requirements which must be met if it’s to survive; hence the role of education in society is examined in terms of how it helps to meet those needs. Firstly, society needs a certain degree of social solidarity or unity. People must feel a sense of belonging to society and a sense of loyalty to the social group. Common norms and values provide this. Secondly, every society requires a system for socializing new members. In an industrial society in which occupational status is largely achieved, young people must learn to value individual achievement. Thirdly, every society requires a system for placing people in roles best suited to their talents and abilities. This is particularly true in industrial society with a specialised division of labour. The right people must be matched with the right jobs. Lastly, for society to operate efficiently and effectively, its members must possess the necessary skills to perform essential tasks. (Harambos et al, 1986) Education attempts to develop the personality of the pupil and prepare him for membership into society. This function corresponds to the double role a person has to play in life, both as an individual and as a member of society. Schools in western societies emphasize individual achievement. The student achieves his/ her status based on their ability, talent, determination and effort. Achievement is measured by the student’s performance in examinations. Education can be seen as a system for sifting, sorting and grading people in terms of their ability. Students leave school having been thoroughly tested. In theory, the most talented will achieve the highest qualifications; the least talented will come away with little or nothing to show for their efforts (Harambos et al, 1986) The vision for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocation Training and Early Education (MESVTEE) is â€Å"to guide the provision of education for all Zambians so that they are able to pursue knowledge and skills, manifest excellence in performance and moral uprightness, defend democratic ideals and accept and value other persons on the basis of their personal worth and dignity, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnic or any other discriminatory characteristic (Ministry of Education, 2000) The Ministry of Education emphasizes that the child is placed at the center of the entire education process which exists solely for the sake of the learner. It also recognizes that each child is unique. This contributes a rich diversity to the whole education system. The aim of school education is to promote the full and ell rounded development of the physical, intellectual, social, effective, moral and spiritual qualities of all pupils so that each can in turn develop into a complete person, for his/ her personal fulfilment and the good of society (Ministry of Education, 1996) The education system in Zambia is divided into four major parts. These parts include lower and middle basic school; upper basic school; high school; and higher education. The education system for the lower and middle basic levels is concerned with the pupils’ complete needs: those of the body, mind, affective, social; moral and spiritual needs. The system at this stage allows for adaptation of some aspects of the curriculum to match local needs and circumstances. This stage provides pupils with a substantial and recognizable preparation for life. Ministry of Education, 1996) The upper basic system builds on the foundation laid at the lower levels, though the programme of activities is just broadened and balanced to allow for treatment at an in-depth appropriate for the level of education, age and experience of the pupils. Education at this level includes issues like Education for democracy, which allows these young Zambians to acquire an understanding of the values that have shaped society and the practices that have preserved it; literacy and numeracy which allows them to read and write correctly, clearly and confidently in both their Zambian language and in English, and to acquire basic numeracy and problem solving skills for them to function effectively in society; science and technology helps the pupils develop processes of scientific thinking. This ability to think scientifically and understand scientific processes has become a condition for survival in society; practical and technical subjects provide compensation for traditional knowledge and practical skills that students would have acquired if they had not been attending school. They also provide a way of experiencing and dealing with the physical world. (Ministry of Education, 1996) Since upper basic education may be the only formal education the majority of pupils will likely get, the basic education system should adequately prepare the pupils for life after school; hence issues such as health and personal well being, Sexuality and personal relationships are tackled at this level. This is coupled with helping the students to develop socially acceptable habits. In these studies, effort is complemented by the home, community and society at large. This enables the pupils shape for themselves their own personal philosophy of life, by internalizing and adopting their own set of values and attitudes which would direct their own lives. (Ottaway, 1962) Performing and creative arts helps the pupils develop knowledge of and a deeper appreciation for Zambia’s rich cultural heritage and thereby contribute to the preservation and development of this heritage. Co-curricular activities also help pupils develop life skills which equip them with positive social behaviour and coping with negative pressure. High school builds on the foundation laid in upper basic school. High school aims at the integrated and comprehensive development of each pupil’s potential, enabling the pupil adopt adult life and make a useful contribution to society. It also develops the intellectual skills and qualities, foster creativity, imagination resourcefulness and innovativeness and provide occasion for their practical exercise. It also promotes extensive knowledge, exact skills and accurate understanding of areas of study. (Ministry of Education, 1996) When progressing from one level of the education system to the next, evaluation and assessments are conducted. This is in order to determine whether the education system is achieving its objectives, and that it is producing the right caliber of graduates expected by society. Society’s interest is on the public exams that mark the end of one stage of education and serve as a selection instrument for the next stage. (Ministry of Education, 1977) In conclusion, the education system in Zambia is inclined towards the new sociology of education because emphasis is placed on the individual development of the pupil’s potential. Throughout the whole progression from lower basic to high school, focus is placed on the development of the pupil’s skills individually. Pupils therefore develop knowledge of and a deeper appreciation for Zambia’s rich cultural heritage and thereby contribute to the preservation and development of this heritage throughout the whole education system.

Concepts in Differential Privacy

Concepts in Differential Privacy Abstract Stored data in search log is insecure process to the search engine. Search log contains extremely sensitive data, as evidenced by the AOL incident. To Store information in the search log is identify the behavior of user. To maintain this sensitive data is risky process, because some security methods containing the drawbacks. Search engine companies provide security for search logs, in some cases intruder identifies the stored data then loss occurred. This paper provides security methods for the search data against the intruder. To store the data in the search log based on the keywords, clicks, queries etc. Anonymization is the method provides security for data but it loss the granularity. And another method is â‚ ¬-differential privacy provide utility for the problem. (â‚ ¬,∂)-probabilistic privacy used to calculate the noise distribution. ZEALOUS algorithm propose in this paper provide effective results with (â‚ ¬1,∂1)-indistingushability. This paper concludes w ith the comparable utility with the k-anonymity, â‚ ¬-differential privacy. To this algorithm produce the effective result. Keywords: Security, Privacy, Data Anonymity, Information Protection, Differential Privacy, Histogram INTRODUCTION To publish the search query logs are useful to know the behavior of a user. To interact users into search engine information stored in the form of search log. This stores the information based on the following schema {User_id, Query, Time, Clicks} Here User_id identifies the particular user. Query identifies the group of keywords to be searched by the user in search engine. User search the keyword in search engine like â€Å"Java† then relevant information related to Java will be occurred in the browser. User clicks on the particular link it will store in the search log as number counts. And also store the time of the click on the user. Single user consists of a user history or search history by the search entities. User history partitioned into sessions by the similar queries. Queries can be grouped into form a query pair, this used for the preparation of data in the search log. Query pairs can be divided into sessions and each session contains the subsequent query. Generally keywords can be divided into two ways. Those are 1. Frequent 2. Infrequent 1. Frequent Keyword: Previous methods only introduce these keywords. Because of this keywords are produce easily with search logs compare to the infrequent. Users search the keyword in the search engine based on that criteria identify the frequent keywords. 2. Infrequent Keywords: Proposed method for this paper is to publish search log with infrequent keywords. To publish this keyword is to loss the utility and produce less results compare to frequent keywords. In the previous method k-anonymity the main aim of this method is to define effective anonymization models for query log data along with techniques to achieve such anonymiation. Publishing of user query search logs has become a sensitive issue. To develop anonymization methods to publish the searc log data without breaching privacy or reduce utility. Drawback of this method is to identify the data to the external linked attributes. Introduce Quasi-identifier to the identification of an individual by combining to the external data. Following is an example data set User Registration Search_log Fig 1: Anonymization of the data In the above tables explains that the user registration contains all the user details of the user history. Search_log table contains the data of the user searched data. These two tables are externally linked to each other with this data loss occurred. Putting these searches together may easily reveal the identity of the user. The idea behind this k-anonymity is provide guarantee to each and every individual and hidden the group of size k with respect to the quasi-identifiers. To produce the search logs with â‚ ¬-differential privacy provide good utility, but problem with the search logs is noise added to the search logs. Several methods are used to produce random noise in the differential privacy. According to this paper classify them as two categories Data-independent noise Data-dependent noise Adding noise to the data this data-independent noise is most basic one. Laplace noise addition belongs to this category. Compare to the data-dependent noise is most complex, but usually they lead to less distortion being introduced. But this paper focus on the data-independent noise, which is most frequently uses in data sets. To produce effective results with â‚ ¬-differential privacy add laplace distribution to the result. Zealous algorithm consists a two phase framework for the purpose of identify the frequent items in the search log. And set two threshold values to publish the search logs with more privacy. Search engine companies apply this algorithm to generate statics with (â‚ ¬,∂)-probabilistic differentially private to retaining good utility for the applications. Beyond publishing search logs this paper believe that findings are of interest when publishing frequent item sets. This algorithm protects privacy against much stronger attackers than those compare the previous methods. RELATED WORK Search Log Anonymization In the previous incident occur in the AOL search log, it reveals the data of a user. Adar propose a method it appears at least t times before it can be decoded, which may potentially remove too many unused queries. And another method tokenize each query and hashes the corresponding log identifiers proposed by Kumar at el.[21]. This method improve the frequency of the search and leaks the data through hidden tokens. To overcome the problems in previous method introduce the anonymization models have been developed for search log release. Hong et al. [17] and Liu at al.[23] anonymized search logs based on k-anonymization which is not accurate as differential privacy. Xiong at el. [15] presents the query log analysis applications and various granularities of releasing log information and their associated privacy threats. Korolova et al. [20] release first applied the accurate privacy notion to release the search log based on differential privacy by adding Laplace noise. To add the Laplace noise to the counts of selected queries and urls is straightforward directly maximize the output utility with optimization models. Publish the frequent keywords, queries and clicks in search logs and comparison for two relaxations of â‚ ¬-differential privacy. This paper works related to framework for collecting, storing, and mining search logs in a distributed manner. Differential Privacy Dwork at al. [7,8] propose the definition of differential privacy. A randomized algorithm is differential private if for any pair of neighboring inputs, the probability of generating the same output. This means that two data sets are close to each other, a differential privacy algorithm behave same on the two data sets. This process provide sufficient privacy protection for user data. And also introduce the data publishing techniques which ensure â‚ ¬-differential privacy while providing accurate result. Search queries contain sensitive information it can lead to re-identification, approaches include query results, user-id to prevent re-identification of individuals from the search queries. This approach differs from the above it interact access framework that does not directly depend on anonymization for privacy, it differs from the semantic policies and differential privacy.

Mass Media Effect On Promoting Copycat Mass Murders Media Essay

Mass Media Effect On Promoting Copycat Mass Murders Media Essay This research paper highlights on the ways that the mass media has encouraged the copycat murders. The copycat effect is used in reference to the situation for which a sensational publicity about the violent acts of murders or suicides causes the tendency to result in more of similar effects through imitation. The Media influence or media effects are terms used in media studies, in psychology, communication theory and in sociology in reference to the theories concerning the ways in which the mass media affect the way in which the audiences think or behave. The critiques of the influences of media suggested that media can weaken or delimit an individuals capacity in acting autonomously by connecting the world to the individuals and reproducing of self-images of the society, this characteristic of media is ascribed as an influence which is reminiscent of the telescreens, These Include all the kinds of media namely; the newspapers, TV, Radio, Internet and the Books. . The media generates information in a networked setup, it then publishes the information using the articles, videos, and the photos to the consumers, this influences the individuals ability to interpret the delivered information while at the same time it potentially influences the unrelated cultural and the personal beliefs, basing on the propaganda model. The Mass media content which is created for the newsworthy events and the untold stories have consequences on the consumers and culture can also be influenced. The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon the society. This is due to its ability to reach a wider audience with strong and influential messages. The Television broadcasts have a lot of control over the content delivered to the society depending on the number watching and the times in which the same content is viewed. The internet creates the space for diverse political opinions, social and the cultural viewpoints and a higher level of consumer participation. The process of agenda-setting is almost the unavoidable section of news gathering in the large organizations which are stakeholders of the mass media. The media is not a crude agent of propaganda, but it organizes the public understandings by providing the overall interpretations that are preferred by, and in most cases it is least challenging especially to those with the economic power. News coverage of violent crimes serves the public interest, depending on how much coverage is necessary if it is necessary to cover every violent crime and the level of detail. (McCombs Shaw, 1972) The coverage of crimes in the society can be a valuable tool in decision making. If the Individuals are properly informed, they can make rational decisions basing on their personal safety. In case the population has been misled, may it be intentionally or not, depending on the nature of the crimes, and the rarity or commonality of the said crimes. When the coverage is an endless repetition of the apparently meaningless tragedies, then it causes a numbing effect on the population. The public interest may be the justification for the coverage of the mass murders, but in reality profit is the real motivation, since the mass media are in the business of making money and therefore the mass media cannot ignore mass murders. The allegations the mass media unintentionally promotes the mass murder is a serious one. Hence the mass media determine the appropriate level of coverage and it is necessary to cover every such crime. There is need for the media to devise the methods for discouraging the shoot your way to temporary fame which encourages copycat murders. It is evident that this problem has not been adequately addressed in the existing works on the media ethics. Literature Review A review on a number of the recent works in this field have suggested a trend the general problems of psychological and economic harm caused by inaccurate or unethical mass media reporting has been considered in great depths, However the very severe form of harm which is the unintentional encouragement of copycat murders has not been specifically discussed. A Noted author and the cultural behaviorist Loren Coleman explores how the medias over-saturated the coverage of the murders, suicides, and the deadly tragedies made an impact on the society. This is The Copycat Effect-the phenomenon in which violent events spawn violence of the same type. He recognizes the emerging patterns of the Copycat Effect, how to deal with and counteract the associated consequences as individuals and as the culture. Loren Coleman translates the academic research on the copycat effects an understandable form in which He brings the imitation of violence to reality through the detailed case studies and the pe rson-centered examples, such as the sensationalized reporting on suicide, sniper sprees, suicide via the airplane, suicidal cults, the post-office killings, and the teenage suicide. The media is largely in a state of denial on how its coverage on the death incidents contributes to the violence and destruction of lives in the society. Loren Colemans in The Copycat Effect examined the major news events, which were encouraged and promoted by the mass media, and those which get repeated in lesser-known incidents which were covered primarily by the local news. Klaidman Beauchamp (1987, pp. 93-123, pp. 201-7)) discussed the issues on journalistic-induced harm, but only with respect to the damaged reputations and the business losses. Pointed to the problems of the news organizations which created the news events, including the problems international terrorism, they did examine the possibility that the journalists efforts can play a part in causing a specific murder. Lambeth (1986) provides a thorough theoretical model in addressing the ethical issues on journalism, However, he fails to address the problem of media-induced harm. Hulteng (1981, pp. 71-86) sampled out the ethical codes of a number of the American newspapers; he reprinted the complete text of codes of the ethics for the Associated Press Managing Editors, the American Society of the Newspaper Editors, and the Society of the Professional Journalists. All these ethical codes address the issue of harm and balance in a very general way but do not directly discuss how the coverage of a particular criminal act can lead to the copycat crimes. The news media is supposed to satisfy both the obligation of accurately informing the public about the nature of the societys murder problems, and the obligation of the stockholders to keep the circulation up. The inevitable public boredom with the coverage of the meaningless little murders makes this an impossible act to balance. The media coverage on some murders in the sensational manner has been customized in many events. The editors justify this time-honored tradition basing on the economic considerations and in light of the major roles. The editors need to figure out the many innocent lives that will be sacrificed in order to boost the circulation, or promote the political agendas. These mass media studies suggest that that there is need for standardized means in which a kind of crime violence should be given the attention proportionate to its size, in relation to the its magnitude, and base on the importance of its victims. The Violent crimes of all types should be highlighted, in a relative way to other causes of suffering, which are proportionate to the social costs. Meyer (1987, pp. 155-156) points to the problem of the unbalanced reporting of the health and safety issues in the mass media causes the wild and inaccurate notions on the relative risks of various causes of death. He gives an example where a surveyed group of the greatly underestimated deaths caused by the emphysema, relates to the deaths by homicide. Meyer described one of the studies carried out by researchers at the University of Oregon, in which it was found that the pictures formed inside the heads of the people who were interviewed tended to be influenced by the spooky, violent world of the newspaper content as compared to the real world. It is important that the studies recognizes how the misleading portrayal of the real world can become an artifact of the popular morbid curiosity, that the newspapers must satisfy or lose in their circulation, this reflects what Meyer terms as, The Distorting Effects of the Perceptual Models. In brief, the journalists through the mass media enhance certain assumptions in their work. They make use of the facts which do not fit into the journalists perceptual model that tends to be downgraded in its importance or ignored. This study bases on the facts which include the statistical analysis, even at the most basic level, but the primary liberal arts orientation given to the journalists comes to the forefront takes the precedence. (Meyer, 1987, pp. 48-50) David Lesters (1989) study titled, Media Violence and Suicide and Homicide Rates. He summarized the two reports extracted from the National Coalition on the TV Violence. The first report asserts that there exists a negative correlation between the suicides and violent, media related issues, and a positive correlation in relation to the homicide at the same time. The second report asserts somehow similar, which does not statistically signify the relationships between the best-attended films, suicide and the homicide. Lesters shows that the National Coalition on the TV violence is not an objective source, Lester did not attempt to analyze the methods used, or critically evaluate the significance of these reports. There are serious problems that prove or disprove the causal relationships that exist between the television entertainment and the violent behavior; therefore there is no reason to assume that the television news provides the easier opportunity for such research. Methodology This research employed a web based survey in gathering data on the Media influences and promotion of the copycat murders. I analyzed news coverage of the mass murders in Time and the Newsweek for the period ranging 1984-91 for the evidence of the disproportionate, coverage of certain categories of mass murder in a manner that influenced the occurrence of the subsequent incidents. I used this design in order to trace the root of copycat murders and at the same time justify the hypothesis which assumes that copycat murders are accelerated by media influences.. The instrument was divided into two parts; The Descriptive Analysis, which describes the influences of media in the individuals ability to commit a crime as a result of the interests developed from the media highlights.. The Critical Analysis, which assesses the extent to which the American based print media, perpetuates the copycat murders. This involved the analysis of two main Newspapers, the Times and the Newsweek based on their modes of reporting the violent criminal incidences. Sample description and selection the copycat murder cases In this research work the random sampling procedure was used in the process of data collection on the copycat murders, this was due to the nature of the topic which required many sources of information concerning the influences of mass media on copycat murders. The contexts for the study were based on the distinctive nature of the internet. Data was collected in the process of evaluation of the influences of the mass media and the mode in which the copycat crimes. Results    Table 1 shows the data gathered on the different types of murde , it is clear that the arson mass murderers and the knife mass murderers received relatively very little attention from the Time and the Newsweek. The data shows that, there is a very large discrepancy between the amount of coverage that given to the arson mass murders, and the mass murderers involving the guns exclusively. The fire arms leads with a factor of almost nine times as much coverage as seen from the comparison between the coverage given to the exclusive firearms mass murderers and to the arson mass murderers. Murderer Month/Year Dead Newsweek sq. in. Newsweek Sq. Inches/Dead James Huberty Jul-84 22 157.50 7.16 Sylvia Seegrist Nov-85 2 0.00 0.00 William Bryan Cruse Apr-87 6 0.00 0.00 David Burke Dec-87 43 57.75 1.34 Robert Dreesman Dec-87 7 0.00 0.00 Ronald Gene Simmons Dec-87 16 78.75 4.92 Richard Wade Farley Feb-88 7 0.00 0.00 Laurie Wasserman Dann May-88 2 54.00 27.00 Patrick Purdy Jan-89 6 370.34 61.72 Joseph T. Wesbecker Sep-89 8 52.50 6.56 James E. Pough Jun-90 9 0.00 0.00 George Hennard Oct-91 24 78.75 3.28 Firearms Murders 152 849.59 5.59 There is a large discrepancy that exists; however, this is because of the many articles which mentioned Patrick Purdys crime. But even with the exclusion of all coverage of Patrick Purdys crimes (there is still a very charitable assumption on the data by the Time and Newsweek, in consideration of the centrality to the Wesbeckers actions of the Times coverage), the square inches per dead body for the firearms mass murderers is still more than 5 times the coverage when it comes to the arson mass murderers. This dramatic difference was shown by Plotting the square inches per dead body mass media coverage on the selected murderers incidents as shown below. Plotting of the firearms mass murder coverage against time also showed some interesting results, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, the mass murder coverage rose dramatically with the crimes committed by Laurie Wasserman Dann and Patrick Purdy There is a sudden dived back from high to very low levels especially during the pre-Dann levels with the Wesbecker incident. The Time newspaper which is more prone to the coverage of the firearms mass murders before Dann and Purdy, was the noticeably restrained of the two magazines as seen in its coverage of the mass murders from Wesbecker and onwards. There is a unique relationship pertaining the Time seen from the connection between their coverage of the Purdy, and the Wesbeckers bloody rampage? Discussion The cases analyzed included the following; On January 17, 1989, a homosexual prostitute who was also a drug addict with a very long history of the criminal offenses and mental disturbance, Patrick Purdy, directly to the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California. He firebombed his car, entered a playground during the recess time carrying a Chinese gun, a semiautomatic version of the full automatic AK-47), he shot to death five children, wounded 29 other children and the teacher, then shot himself in the head using a 9mm handgun. The Initial coverage of the Purdys crime was relatively restrained, where only the essential details were reported. The Time paper gave Purdy just part of a page in the first issue after the crime titled (Slaughter in a School Yard, 1989). The Newsweek gave a single page titled Death on the Playground, and pointed to the four prior attacks on the school children, it started with the Laurie Dann. The Newsweek included Purdys photograph in its article. Newsweeks article (Baker, Joseph, and Cerio, 1989) quoted the authors of a book with the content on mass murder: Theres a copycat element that cannot be denied. A week later, Patrick Purdys name had received a lot of attention, and consequently his fame increased. At one point the front cover of the Time openly showed the AK-47 and the AR-15 which were crossed, beneath the outline of the U.S. which was stylized into a jawless skull, and titled, Armed America. Inside, the George Churchs The Other Arms Race, (1989) this occupied almost 6 ½ pages, opening with Patrick Purdys name. Consequently the articles referencing Purdy or his criminal act continued to appear in Newsweek and Time for several months. Within the same year, On September 14, 1989, Joseph Wesbecker who was a disabled employee of the Standard Gravure Co. in the Kentucky entered into the printing plant similarly carrying the AKS and a 9mm handgun. A reminiscence of Purdys scenario, the Wesbeckers actions were shortly detailed by the UPI wire service stories, particularly the William H. Inmans which was titled Wesbeckers rampage is boon to gun dealers (1989a): The most important fact is how the news coverage of the Purdys crime influenced Wesbeckers actions, and eve the identification of the weapon of choice for such an act of savagery. ( Inman, 1989) The police investigated this incident and at Wesbeckers residence, they found the manuals on weapons and an article published on February 6 issue of Time magazine devoted to the mass killers, including the one on Robert Sherrill, who slaughtered 14 people in the Oklahoma post office three years ago, and another one on Patrick Purdy, who killed five children with the AK-47 assault rifle in the Stockton, Calif, in January 1989. The same AK-47 was the main weapon used by Wesbecker. It is obvious that Joseph Wesbecker was not a healthy and well-adjusted person driven to commit his crime as a result of the sensational news coverage. The Time newspaper might have been responsible for having indirectly caused the horrible crime; this temptation could have been avoided. The editors of the Time might have foreseen the high probability for this kind of coverage promoting the copycat crimes. In analyzing of the data, this research paper based on two related issues: The level of the coverage that was given by the print media, the Time and Newsweek where certain crimes appeared to encourage the unbalanced people, who were seeking a lasting fame, by copying these crimes as we seen in Joseph Wesbeckers 1989 homicidal rampage. The analysis of the quantity of the press coverage which was given to the mass murder as in the case of the Newsweek and especially the Time which gave the undue attention to the particular type of mass murder, hence to the detriment of the public safety. Conclusion There are some positive effects from the mass media portrayals of the violence murders, according to a study the print and television have significant effects on the copycat murders some news reports have the major effects of promoting the copy cat violence and the killings. Therefore study conclude that the reporters are in need of some kind of guide on how the violence murder should be reported so as to avoid the potential negative effects that emanates from the mode of reporting to the public. There is the need to develop a journalistic style guide to determine the type of information which is recommended due to the potential positive or the negative effects. (Cairns, 1990, Price, Merrill, Clause, 1992, Wood, Wong, Chachere, 1991) The mode coverage of crime incidences in the society forms a very valuable tool in an individual decision making. The properly informed Individuals, can make rational decisions basing on their personal safety. If the population has been misled, be it intentional or not, it depends on the nature of the crimes, and the rarity or commonality of the said crimes. If the coverage involves an endless repetition of the apparently meaningless tragedies, it can cause a numbing effect on the population. The mass media generates information in a network, then the collected information is published using the articles, videos, and the photos to the consumers, this has the influences the individuals ability to digest the delivered information while at the same time it potentially influences the unrelated cultural and the personal beliefs, basing on the propaganda models. The Mass media content is created from the events and the untold stories which have effects on the consumers and their cultural orientation.

The Charismatic Age: First-Century Galilee Essays -- Research Papers C

The Charismatic Age: First-Century Galilee The long-awaited death in 4 BCE of Herod, the ruthless architect of an oppressive Judean police state, sparked a series of spontaneous revolts by the Jewish peasantry. Once these rebellions were subdued, the Jews continued to chafe under a series of tyrannical Roman governors until the massive revolt of 66-70. This period was marked by "widespread discontent and periodic turbulence." Direct Roman rule, along with the burdensome tribute that accompanied it, was highly offensive to the Jews, who considered themselves subjects only to God. Many, in fact, considered their conditions tantamount to slavery (Horsley and Hanson 34-5). This highly-charged atmosphere reached a fever pitch in Galilee, which produced a host of eccentric figures – many of whom amassed sizable followings. As the peasantry anticipated the arrival of the promised Messiah to deliver them from Roman oppression, a number of social bandits were inspired to pretend to this mantle of "king of the Jews." Others assumed the role of prophet, attempting to recreate the miracles of Joshua or predicting an impending judgment. Also circulating in the area were various Jewish holy men revered as miracle-workers, allegedly capable of influencing natural phenomena. It is in this milieu that the figure of Jesus Christ emerged. Prophetic Movements Among Jewish peasantry at the time of Jesus were two distinct types of prophets: the action prophets, who "led sizable movements of peasants from the villages of Judea in anticipation of God's new, eschatological act of liberation," and the oracular prophets, who delivered oracles of either judgment or deliverance (185). The former, as illustrated by the case of Theudas, appea... ... Hanina disobeyed the rabbinic code of conduct by walking alone at night; he also owned goats despite a Mishnaic prohibition against doing so in Palestine, and even went so far as to carry the unclean carcass of a snake. Another Hasid was found ignorant of the existence of a biblical law concerning ritual uncleanness, while still another scoffed at a rule forbidding the use of liquids kept in an uncovered vessel at night (Vermes 77-8). Jesus of Nazareth, presumably, would have been extremely comfortable in such company! Works Cited The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Edition. New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1952. Horsley, Richard and Hanson, John. Bandits, Prophets and Messiahs: Popular Movements in the Time of Jesus. Minneapolis: Winston Press, 1985. Vermes, Geza. Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973.

Essay --

During the Vietnam war the press and the media had complete atonement. For the first time the media had no censorship. The historical films that were made to be based off the Vietnam war were not accurate and were very distorted for entertainment value. I also think that the press media was very distorted as well. Many movies like The Green Berets and Medium Cool substituted violence for historical content. But not only were they filled with pointless violence they also had a lot of racist clichà ©s in them. Although the films were not giving the war a good name, It is possible that it was the media press that started the non support of the war. At first the media was very supportive of the war, but when the news did coverage of the Tet offensive it also sparked the anti war movement. Many major groups felt that the war was foreclosing the hope of making America a decent and truly democratic society. Martin Lutther King was also opposed to the war. He did not like that America would put funds into a war that we should not be in, in the first place, and that was also on foreign soil ...

The Coming of Age of Jeremy Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird :: Kill Mockingbird essays

The Coming of Age of Jeremy Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird The coming of age of Jem, Jeremy Finch, is shown in many ways throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. He changes socially. He changes mentally. His feelings change emotionally. He also changes to become more of an adult figure. Another way he changes is that he changes physically. Jem changes through out the book socially by the way he starts having better feelings toward other people. There are many times when Jem start feeling bad for other people in the story, like when him and scout get in a fight but even though their mad at each other he still is grow up enough to know that he should say "Night, Scout." There are also many other incidents, like when he goes out and teaches Dill how to swim. Jem also goes through some bad social change when he turns "twelve. He is difficult to live with, inconsistent, and moody."(115). These are only a few of the things that Jem does to show that he is growing up in his social ways. Mental change is another type of change that Jem goes through. Jem start to think like an adult as he gets older in the book. He shows it at the trial of Tim Robinson when the jury is in the jury room and he starts to talk to Reverend Sykes. He starts saying thing about the trial and Reverend Sykes ask him not to talk like that in front of Scout. Which shows that he knows what he is talking about.(see page 208-209). There is also the time when he had to go and read to Mrs. Dubose which he later finds out about her drug addiction which he fully understands. So those are ways he changes mentally. Jem changes physically in many ways in the story. His hair stuck up behind and down in front, and I wondered if it would it would ever look like a man's-maybe if he shaved it off and started over, his hair would grow back neatly in place. His eyebrows were becoming heavier, and I noticed a new slimness about his body.

Natural Environment and Early Human Development Essay

In order to support the idea of nurture influences on early human development, psychologists have done some researches on several factors of early human development. One of these factors is motor development. All children go through the same stages which begin with rolling over and end by walking. However, it seems that motor behaviours can be improved by practice or encouragement. This belief is supported by Zelazo and Kolb (1972) who did an experiment where infants, who were given stepping practice during the first two months, began walking five to seven weeks earlier than babies who had no practice. Such a result can be considered as an environmental influence. Another factor, which has been researched, is speech development. Speech can be improved by more talking with babies or rewarding them for making speech sounds. Kagan (1979) claimed that children, who were reared in middle-class American homes, begin to speak one year earlier than children reared in some villages such as San Marcos due to the fact that these children, culturally, have little â€Å"verbal interaction† with adults. This research assures the importance of the environments, nurture, in early human development. In conclusion, psychologists and scientist have been arguing as to whether nature or nurture has more influence on early human development. As a result both heredity or the nature and environment or nurture are important factors in shaping human personality, but environment is the more important one. Because nature only goes so far whereas further growth and development is formed by the environment’s influence on early human development.

The Need to Introduce Flexible Benefit Plans for Employees

The employees of straightaways workforce atomic number 18 divers. With such a workforce at hand, an employer moldiness guard a limber gather pattern to match the composition of its employees. elastic upbeat programmes are a written plan under which employees of a follow are allowed to learn two or to a greater issue arrive ats consisting of cash and qualified advantages (Everett & Miller, 1994). some(prenominal) wellbeings offered under a pliant value plan are wellness sustenance, dental, reimbursement accounts, vivification insurance, possibilityal stopping phase and dismemberment reporting, semipermanent dis top executive, vacation, retirement savings, spouse accidental death and dismemberment coverage, and dependent care (Kleiner & Sparks, 1994).A young couple can be assured that their tricks non nonwithstanding get a line the daily needs of their growing family, and that their children are covered for truly lilliputian apostrophize in their ow n employer-provided hospitalisation and health care insurance. A actor employed by the uniform organization, coming retirement, can choose wellbeings that lead maximize his/her retirement income as much as thinkable. With his/her own children grown-up, he/she needs to insure only to his/her own needs.Also cognise as cafeteria plans, the organization offering a choice of applic adequate benefits to their employees ensures that the benefits for which they redress are the most useful for each of their employees. damage are rising in to the highest degree every area of benefit grooming and administration. The organization is able to secure to a greater extent favorable rates for those benefits used, if the organization is non required to provide the same operate to each employee (Webster, 1996).Employee benefit plans have had a long history, and can be traced suffer to 1794, when the freshman profit-sharing plan was created by Albert Gallatin in his glassworks in Pennsy lvania (Kleiner & Sparks, 1994). other renowned benefit plan includes those made by theAmerican Express Company in 1875 with the first private pension plan, and the first host annuity contract issued in 1921 by the Metropolitan Life amends Company (Kleiner & Sparks, 1994). These early benefit plans were only the beginning of the benefit packages. As it turns out, the sociable Security Act of 1935 gave employees across the clownish a legal framework that support the development of many forms of employee benefits.Very hardly a(prenominal) employers provide full family health care coverage at no cost to the employee in todays world, tho everyone can save when they provide that coverage only to those who need it. Even though the employee almost always shares the cost now, the employer close up provides the major portion of the cost of health care insurance. In todays increasingly competitive business climate, everyone is hale to operate as efficiently as possible.The advantag e to the organization and employees of having a plastic benefit plan is clear. Businesses are non required to pay for services its employees will never seek. For instance, pediatric care was provided across the board in one organization, a significant numbers of the companys leadership were well past the point of needing that type of coverage for their family (Webster, 1996). Flexible benefit plans can be a very important tool for recruiting new employees and retaining genuine employees. Also, the be of administering such plans may be offset to a large extent by the payroll valuate savings generated when employees convert previously taxable hire and income into a nontaxable fringe benefit tax (Everett & Miller, 1994). Flexible benefit plans in any case provide the employee with the advantage of being able to ensure that benefits chosen are those that exceed meets their needs.The primary advantage of flexible benefit plans is that the employer and employee receive certain tax advantages. This depends on the types of programs the employee chooses. In somecases, the employee may choose cash rather than any benefits at all, but that option is dependenton company policy. For instance, many companies offer pay in lieu of off the job vacation time, but other companies maintain that employees take their accrued vacation time.Another advantage of flexible benefit plans is the ability of the organization to shift some of the cost of benefits to the employees who use them, while simultaneously offering tax advantages in other areas such as 401K plans. Any benefit that is not paid in cash, but is enured as such, is taxable to the employee, but the employee tax liability decreases the employers.Any benefit that does not satisfy the nondiscrimination clause of the Internal tax revenue code is taxable (Webster, 1996). Other benefits are nontaxable either to the employee or to the employer. To be nontaxable, the benefit must be a qualified benefit under fragment 1 25. Such qualified benefits include accident or health plans, disability benefits, accidental death and dismemberment benefits, the first $50,000 of convention term life insurance, a group dependent care assistance plan, and a group legal services plan (Webster, 1996).A disadvantage of flexible benefit plans is that employees are often overwhelmed by the legion(predicate) choices a plan may have to offer. In many cases, companies are catching accountants, financial planners, investment counselors and other consultants to assistant employees wade through the vast set up of options (Jurek, 1995). Such consultant use increases the employers costs of providing the flexible benefits plans, but employers believe the management is needed. As for the IRS, it only requires organizations make flexible benefit plans available to all employees, not explain the intricacies of all options.Employers that provide flexible benefit plans show the desire to in increase employees loyalty to the c ompany. In an increasingly tight labor market and face with the necessity of operating as efficiently as possible, in order to outride competitive, employers view the flexible benefit plan as a tool to kick upstairs employee morale. Flexible benefit plans are similarly used to improve employer-employee relationships, reduce general costs of providing benefits, and reduce the incidence of employee turnover rate (Leonard, 1994). Replacing an employee can cost more than the annual salary of that employee, so it is to the employers advantage to retain as unchangeable a workforce as possible (Leonard, 1994).From both the employer and the employee point of view, flexible benefit plans make sound financial instinct (Kleiner & Sparks, 1994). These plans provide a way for employers to visit and budget benefit cost. At the same time, it is also a way for employees to grow their benefits while paying expenses with pre-taxed dollars.