Sam Adams Essays - Adams Family, Governors Of Massachusetts

Sam Adams Essays - Adams Family, Governors Of Massachusetts Sam Adams Every so often, a man of true passion is born. A man exceedingly dedicated to his principles, and very firm in his beliefs. Samuel Adams was such a man. Adams was a patriot, and one of the more influential men in the colonies. However, even as a patriot, he did not support the Constitution. How could such a patriot be an anti-federalist? Once again, it all comes down to an issue of beliefs. Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722. He was the son of a successful merchant and malter. As a boy, he attended Boston Grammar School. In 1736 he decided to enter Harvard. It was here that he became active in colonial politics. He joined such clubs as the Caucus Club, which was influential in nominating candidates for local office. Here he became interested in revolution. The subject for his Master of Arts thesis was "Whether it be lawful to resist the Supreme Magistrate, if the Commonwealth cannot otherwise be preserved."(Brown 10). In 1740 he graduated and set off to help put an end to England's rule over the colonies. Every so often, a man of true passion is born. A man exceedingly dedicated to his principles, and very firm in his beliefs. Samuel Adams was such a man. Adams was a patriot, and one of the more influential men in the colonies. However, even as a patriot, he did not support the Constitution. How could such a patriot be an anti-federalist? Once again, it all comes down to an issue of beliefs. Samuel Adams was born on September 27, 1722. He was the son of a successful merchant and malter. As a boy, he attended Boston Grammar School. In 1736 he decided to enter Harvard. It was here that he became active in colonial politics. He joined such clubs as the Caucus Club, which was influential in nominating candidates for local office. Here he became interested in revolution. The subject for his Master of Arts thesis was "Whether it be lawful to resist the Supreme Magistrate, if the Commonwealth cannot otherwise be preserved."(Brown 10). In 1740 he graduated and set off to help put an end to England's rule over the colonies. Adams got married early in life. His first wife, however, died before they had spent much time together. She left him with two children. Later, he married for a second time. He spent much time during this marriage at attic meetings of the Caucus. It was here that he learned the fine points of being a politician. Samuel first got a chance to use these skills when he was elected tax collector of Boston in 1756. He remained tax collector for eight years. With the help of his outspoken opposition to both the Molasses Act and to the Sugar Act, Adams made an impression on the people of the colonies. This brought him into the center of Boston's political circle. It was then that Adams truly became involved. In 1765, he organized a formal protest against the Stamp Act. From there, Adam's became a founding member of the Boston chapter of The Sons of Liberty. This was an influential group that was very opposed to British rule. Adams also led the fight against the Townshend Acts. This demonstration led to the Boston Massacre. He also planned and coordinated the resistance to the Tea Act, which led to the Boston Tea Party. From 1774 to 1781, Adams represented Massachusetts on the Continental Congress. He was considered one of the workhorses of the Congress. He worked on several committees, propelled by stamina, realism, and commitment (Brown 10). Samuel was part of a radical faction that demanded strong measures to be taken against Great Britain. They wanted to make Britain regret imposing numerous irrelevant taxes on the colonies. With the help of John Adams, he convinced the Congress to impose a nonimportation agreement against England. Later, he helped to draft the Massachusetts state constitution. Samuel Adams never attended the Constitutional Convention. As an anti-federalist, he was strongly opposed to the Constitution. Both he and Patrick Henry boycotted the convention due to the fear of a strong central government. While the Convention was underway in Philadelphia, he was back at home speaking before the public on the faults of what was being written. A loss of personal rights was Adams main fear. Adams favored the Articles of Confederation, which left most of the power in the hand's of the individual states. With the central government having the true power, and that power being vested in

The 11 Worst Blizzards in U.S. History

The 11 Worst Blizzards in U.S. History It seems that every time a big snowstorm is in the forecast, the media hails it as record breaking or historic, in some way or another. But how do these storms truly match up to the worst storms to hit the United States? Take a look at some of the worst blizzards to ever hit U.S. soil. 11. The Chicago Blizzard of 1967 This storm dumped 23 inches of snow on northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. The storm (which hit on January 26) wreaked havoc across metropolitan Chicago, leaving  800 Chicago Transit Authority buses and 50,000 automobiles abandoned all around the city. 10. The Great Blizzard of 1899 This devastating snowstorm was notable for the amount of snow it produced- around 20 to 35 inches- as well as where it hit the hardest, i.e. Florida, Louisiana, and Washington D.C. These southern regions are not normally accustomed to such large amount of snow and were thus even more overwhelmed by the snowy conditions.   9. The Great Storm of 1975 Not only did this intense storm drop two feet of snow over the Midwest over four days in January 1975, but it also created 45 tornadoes. The snow and the tornadoes were responsible for the deaths of more than 60 people and property damage topping $63 million. 8. The Knickerbocker Storm Over two days in late January 1922, nearly three feet of snow fell across Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. But it wasnt just the amount of snow that fell- it was the weight of the snow. It was a particularly heavy, wet snow that collapsed houses and roofs, including the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater, a popular venue in Washington D.C., which killed 98 people and injured 133. 7. The Armistice Day Blizzard On November 11, 1940- what was then called Armistice Day- a strong snowstorm combined with fierce winds to create 20-foot snowdrifts across the Midwest. This storm was responsible for the deaths of 145 people and thousands of livestock. 6. The Blizzard of 1996 More than 150 people died during this storm that hit the east coast of the U.S. from January 6 to 8 of 1996. The blizzard, and subsequent flooding, also caused $4.5 billion in property damages. 5. The Childrens Blizzard This tragic storm occurred on January 12, 1888. While it packed only several inches of snow, this storm was most notable for the sudden and unexpected temperature drop that accompanied it. On what started as a warm day (by Dakota territory and Nebraska standards) of several degrees above freezing, temperatures instantly plummeted to a wind chill of minus 40.  Children, who were sent home by the teachers because of the snow, were unprepared for the sudden cold. Two hundred thirty-five kids died that day trying to get home from school. 4. The White Hurricane This blizzard- most notable for its hurricane force winds- is still the deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the Great Lakes region of the U.S. The storm hit on November 7, 1913, causing 250 deaths and packed winds sustained at over 60 miles per hour for almost twelve hours 3. The Storm of the Century On March 12, 1993- a storm that was both a blizzard and a cyclone wreaked havoc from Canada to Cuba. Labeled the Storm of the Century, this snowstorm caused  318 deaths and $6.6 billion in damage. But thanks to a successful five-day warning from the National Weather Service, many lives were saved thanks to the preparations that some states were able to put into place prior to the storm. 2. The Great Appalachian Storm On November 24, 1950, a storm rolled over the Carolinas on its way to Ohio that brought with it heavy rains, winds, and snow. The storm brought as much as 57 inches of snow and was responsible for 353 deaths and became a case study later used to track and predict weather. 1. The Great Blizzard of 1888 This storm, which brought 40 to 50 inches of snow to  Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York took the lives of more than 400 people throughout the northeast. This is the highest death toll ever recorded for a winter storm in the U.S. The Great Blizzard buried houses, cars, and trains and was responsible for the sinking of 200 ships due to its fierce winds.

American literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

American literature - Essay Example A few poems in which she extensively talks about this theme include â€Å"As I Could not Stop for Death†, â€Å"I died for Beauty—but was scarce†, â€Å"I’ve seen a dying eye†, â€Å"Delayed till in its vest of snow† and â€Å"Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers†. Firstly it is interesting to note the manner in which the poet selects the titles although Emily Dickenson did not give proper titles to her poem yet the first line of every poem is very enlightening and comprises of the gist of each poem hence giving the readers a hint about the context of every poem. Although some of her poems do not follow a set rhyme pattern yet there is a lyrical quality to her diction as the use of simple words and mostly the use of long dashes keeps the flow of words very smooth and flowing. While in the other poems it is observed that the most common rhyme scheme ABCD, ABCB and ABCDDE. It is observed that for Dickenson poetry was a mode of introspection and a form of catharsis consequently her verses provides the reader with a chance to explore the various phenomena of life from the poet’s perspective. ... ?I’ve Seen a Dying Eye† is a depiction of the last few minutes of a person’s life on death bed and this can poem can be perceived as a grotesque explication of the manner in which the light of life leaves the human body when the soul departs for eternity. In her poem â€Å"I Died for Beauty but was Scarce† Emily Dickenson depicts the finality of death. Although she presents a beautiful idea of unification or oneness of Beauty and truth yet it also reiterates the all-consuming power of death which smothers not only an individual’s life but also takes away all emotions, worries and hopes. â€Å"Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers† again deals with the theme of death and the serenity, peace and quiet that is associated with death. Here the purpose of the poem is to explain death as the ultimate escape from the hardships or miseries of this world. Moreover death is also defined as a means of attaining redemption for all the sins that human beings hav e committed. While â€Å"Delayed till she had ceased to know† the poet reiterates the longing for the past and the excitement for the future i.e. death. However it is the present that the poet is worried about because the present holds no attraction and offers no incentive to live. The most prevalent theme in these poems is the theme of death. This theme also has a lot of autobiographical significance in Dickinson’s works. As Dietrich also believes that, Dickinson’s attitude towards dying is at times ambivalent and shifts from denial to acceptance and finally embracement a large number of her poems deal with man’s inability to accept the reality of death and the confusion and disbelief that he experiences in its presence† (3). Consequently, in these poems the manner in which the poet deals with death is very

Affects mandkind cause to the environment Research Paper

Affects mandkind cause to the environment - Research Paper Example As the human race evolved, they began to take footsteps towards the technology utilizing the environmental aspects and natural belongings. Impact of the human activity on the environment is worse than estimated.The green house gas emissions from the power generation plants and other similar production units made the environment that is less capable of adapting the change. The emissions from the cars and vehicles presented a huge danger to the environment. With the advancement in the technology, the amount of emission increased as the technology enhanced. Every sources that human life depends on, is polluted by humans. Air and water pollution are considered as the major affects of human activity. On the other hand, the cutting down of the forests boosted the emissions, as trees and plants are the biggest source of natural production of oxygen and consumer of carbon dioxide, which is a major portion of green house emissions. The environment is much affected by the human activity. The c arbon emissions, produced by vehicles and industries, in combinations with the water vapors suspend in the atmosphere and allow solar heat to enter the atmosphere but restrict it from going back to the space at night. This process gradually increases the temperature of the earth. The process is named as green house effect. According to an investigation, it is estimated that the temperature of the world has risen 1 degree averagely due to the impact of emissions from the factories and cars. ... The bio diversity of the planet depends on the balance that is breached by the human activity. The importance of the marine life can never be neglected, as marine plants play an important role in maintaining the oxygen level into the atmosphere. Moreover, the edible fish species are one of the biggest sources of food for the humans. On the other hand, the mangrove forests that take its essential food from the oceans and seas play an important role in producing and maintain oxygen in the atmosphere. The recent human activity like pouring the wastes into the sea and oceans is depleting the mangrove forests. Direct cutting of the forests is another perspective of human activity. The cutting of the forests for attaining the wood for construction and burning purposes is considered as the huge impact of human activity. Trees and forests are the source of producing the oxygen into the atmosphere (Harrison, p66-79). Less number of trees directly influences the level of oxygen in the atmosphe re. The less the atmosphere has oxygen, the more the air will carry the harmful gases that are dangerous for the human life. Irrespective of the health risk, lack of oxygen will impact the existence of certain species that are good for the planet. The need of time is to limit the cutting of the forests. To fulfill the needs of the wood, utilization the alternate and composite materials instead of wood should be preferred (Mac-Kinney & Schoch, p23-79). If wood must be utilized for any purpose, the wood should come from the sustainably managed forests or form the designated wood farms. Such wood types that are easier to grow and that have fast growth like bamboo should be utilized to provide the

Social Media and Banking Essay Example for Free

Social Media and Banking Essay Introduction Social media and banking do not seem to have a strong relation at the first look on the topic, but are indeed complexly related in today’s world with the continuous evolution of the banking sector and the huge impact of social media on the masses. While today many international banks are using social media as a connectivity and marketing tool with its customers, Indian banks are also not far behind. ICICI, one of Indias biggest banks, already boasts a Facebook app allowing clients to view their account details, check statements and upgrade their debit card, among other activities, but still maintains a cautious attitude to social media strategy. While there is no doubt that social media is all the rage amongst retail and advertisings sectors, it is yet to make major inroads in the financial services and banking sectors. A new report from Ovum, the technology arm of market analyst firm Datamonitor reveals that a majority of banks worldwide aren’t yet ready to embrace social media. Privacy and Data Security are two of the biggest hindrances to mass-scale social media adoption in the banking sector. Moreover, many banks do not think social media gives them an edge to engage customers. In fact, they believe that it’s a dangerous proposition which may compromise sensitive financial data .Startling as it may seem, the recent Ovum research indicates that 60 per cent of the world’s retail banks have no plans to use social media in the future. There are noticeable exceptions though – UK’s First Direct, Australia’s NAB, Wells Fargo in the US and Rabobank in the Netherlands have adopted social media as a communication channel. While American banks mostly rely on Twitter, Australia’s NAB used YouTube and Twitter to pacify disgruntled customers  after its online banking system fell over. And going by the encouraging response received so far, the move appears to be fetching the desired results. 14 per cent banks currently use social media as a marketing tool, with a further 12 per cent planning to use it to promote their business by the end of 2012. Some challenges which the sectors might face are as follows: The banking sector relies on sensitive financial data all the time. Though Facebook has made several changes to its privacy norms over the last couple of years, a lot more needs to be done in order to simplify who gets to see what information. Perhaps, a different set of privacy controls for banks and financial institutions would help. Given the current situation, it’s unsurprising that most banks prefer Twitter over Facebook as the former has virtually no privacy vulnerabilities. The Ovum report indicates that social media offers a massive untapped opportunity for financial institutions. Consumer confidence in the banking sector has hit an all-time low and a personal touch of social media would serve as a perfect shot in the arm to lift the struggling global financial industry. Before we plunge into this fast deepening relation between social media and banking, let us first understand some basic concepts about banking and social media separately. Banking Under the Central Government Act, Section 5(b) in The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (b) Banking means the accepting, for the purpose of lending or investment, of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or otherwise, and withdrawable by cheque, draft, order or otherwise; In general, a bank is a financial institution and a financial intermediary that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities, either directly by loaning or indirectly through capital markets. A bank connects customers who have capital deficits to customers with capital surpluses. Due to their influence within a financial system and an economy, banks are generally highly regulated in most countries. Most banks operate under a system known as fractional reserve banking where they hold only a small  reserve of the funds deposited and lend out the rest for profit. They are generally subject to minimum capital requirements which are based on an international set of capital standards, known as the Basel Accords. Standard activities Banks act as payment agents by conducting checking or current accounts for customers, paying checks drawn by customers on the bank, and collecting checks deposited to customers current accounts. Banks also enable customer payments via other payment methods such as Automated Clearing House (ACH), Wire transfers or telegraphic transfer, EFTPOS, and automated teller machine (ATM). Banks borrow money by accepting funds deposited on current accounts, by accepting term deposits, and by issuing debt securities such as banknotes and bonds. Banks lend money by making advances to customers on current accounts, by making installment loans, and by investing in marketable debt securities and other forms of money lending. Banks provide different payment services, and a bank account is considered indispensable by most businesses and individuals. Non-banks that provide payment services such as remittance companies are normally not considered as an adequate substitute for a bank account. Products Retail banking * Checking account * Savings account * Money market account * Certificate of deposit (CD) * Individual retirement account (IRA) * Credit card * Debit card * Mortgage * Home equity loan * Mutual fund * Personal loan * Time deposits * ATM card * Current Accounts Business (or commercial/investment) banking * Business loan * Capital raising (Equity / Debt / Hybrids) * Mezzanine finance * Project finance * Revolving credit * Risk management (FX, interest rates, commodities, derivatives) * Term loan * Cash Management Services (Lock box, Remote Deposit Capture, Merchant Processing) Economic functions The economic functions of banks include: * Issue of money, in the form of banknotes and current accounts subject to check or payment at the customers order. These claims on banks can act as money because they are negotiable or repayable on demand, and hence valued at par. They are effectively transferable by mere delivery, in the case of banknotes, or by drawing a check that the payee may bank or cash. * Netting and settlement of payments – banks act as both collection and paying agents for customers, participating in interbank clearing and settlement systems to collect, present, be presented with, and pay payment instruments. This enables banks to economize on reserves held for settlement of payments, since inward and outward payments offset each other. It also enables the offsetting of payment flows between geographical areas, reducing the cost of settlement between them. * Credit intermediation – banks borrow and lend back-to-back on their own account as middle men. * Credit quality improvement – banks lend money to ordinary commercial and personal borrowers (ordinary credit quality), but are high quality borrowers. The improvement comes from diversification of the banks assets and capital  which provides a buffer to absorb losses without defaulting on its obligations. However, banknotes and deposits are generally unsecured; if the bank gets into difficulty and pledges assets as security, to raise the funding it needs to continue to operate, this puts the note holders and depositors in an economically subordinated position. * Asset liability mismatch/Maturity transformation – banks borrow more on demand debt and short term debt, but provide more long term loans. In other words, they borrow short and lend long. With a stronger credit quality than most other borrowers, banks can do this by aggregating issues (e.g. accepting deposits and issuing banknotes) and redemptions (e.g. withdrawals and redemption of banknotes), maintaining reserves of cash, investing in marketable securities that can be readily converted to cash if needed, and raising replacement funding as needed from various sources (e.g. wholesale cash markets and securities markets). * Money creation – whenever a bank gives out a loan in a fractional-reserve banking system, a new sum of virtual money is created. Laws Related To Banking In India 1.1.Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 1.2.Banking Regulation Act, 1949 1.3.Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881 1.4.Consumer Protection Act, 1986 1.5.Limitation Act, 1963 Social Media Social media employ web- and mobile-based technologies to support interactive dialogue and â€Å"introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals.† Social media are social software which mediate human communication. When the technologies are in place, social media is ubiquitously accessible, and enabled by scalable communication techniques. In the year 2012, social media became one of the most powerful sources for news updates through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Classification of social media Social media technologies take on many different forms including magazines, Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, microblogging, wikis, social networks, podcasts, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. By applying a set of theories in the field of media research (social presence, media richness) and social processes (self-presentation, self-disclosure) Kaplan and Haenlein created a classification scheme in their Business Horizons (2010) article, with six different types of social media: collaborative projects (for example, Wikipedia), blogs and microblogs (for example, Twitter), content communities (for example, YouTube), social networking sites (for example, Facebook), virtual game worlds (e.g., World of Warcraft), and virtual social worlds (e.g. Second Life). Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing and voice over IP, to name a few. Many of these social media services can be integrated via social network aggregation platforms. Social media network websites include sites like Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and MySpace. Mobile social media Social media applications used on mobile devices are called mobile social media. In comparison to traditional social media running on computers, mobile social media display a higher location- and time-sensitivity. One can differentiate between four types of mobile social media applications, depending on whether the message takes account of the specific location of the user (location-sensitivity) and whether it is received and processed by the user instantaneously or with a time delay (time-sensitivity). * Space-timers (location and time sensitive): Exchange of messages with relevance for one specific location at one specific point-in time (e.g., Facebook Places; Foursquare) * Space-locators (only location sensitive): Exchange of messages, with relevance for one specific location, which are tagged to a certain place and read later by others (e.g., Yelp; Qype) * Quick-timers (only time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media applications to mobile devices to increase immediacy (e.g., posting Twitter messages or Facebook status updates) * Slow-timers (neither location, nor time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media applications to  mobile devices (for example, watching a YouTube video or reading a Wikipedia entry) Mobile social media can also be used on the go when one is not near a personal computer, lap-topetc. With all the new devices that are arriving at our finger tips, gadgets such as tablets, iPods, phones, and many other new products, there is no use for sitting at home using ones PC; mobile social media has made other sources of internet browsing obsolete, and allows users to write, respond, and browse in real-time. New media of social networking such as Instagram allows the world to interconnect and makes space and time much smaller. Instagram allows individuals to snap a photo wherever they may be and share it with the rest of the world instantly, delivering a social media site full of foreign accomplishments and strange scenarios. This feature was introduced by Facebook and other existing social media sites, Instagram is a recent addition to the social media scene, and has made picture sharing much easier. Mobile social media is a relatively new platform since it is contingent on m obile devices ability to access the Internet. There are various statistics that account for social media usage and effectiveness for individuals worldwide. Some of the most recent statistics are as follows: * Social networking now accounts for 22% of all time spent online in the US. * A total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the U.S. used mobile devices in December 2009. * Twitter processed more than one billion tweets in December 2009 and averages almost 40 million tweets per day. * Over 25% of U.S. Internet page views occurred at one of the top social networking sites in December 2009, up from 13.8% a year before. * Australia has some of the highest social media usage in the world. In usage of Facebook, Australia ranks highest, with over nine million users spending almost nine hours per month on the site. * The number of social media users age 65 and older grew 100 percent throughout 2010, so that one in four people in that age group are now part of a social networking site. * As of May 2012 Facebook has 901 million users. * Social media has overtaken pornography as the No. 1 activity on the web. * In June 2011, it was reported that iPhone applications hit one billion in nine months, and Facebook added 100 million users in less than nine months. * If Facebook were a country it would be the worlds third largest in terms of population, larger even than the US. * In June 2011, it was also reported that U.S. Department of Education study revealed that online students out-performed those receiving face-to-face instruction. * YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. * In four minutes and 26 seconds 100+ hours of video will be uploaded to YouTube. * One in six higher education students are enrolled in an online curriculum. * In November 2011, it was reported Indians spend more time on social media than on any other activity on the Internet. A brief overview of Indian banks-Pictorial statistics Facebook Twitter The Why and How of Social Media w.r.t Banking Why Social media matters to Banks? Whether a bank’s ultimate goal is enhancing its brand, reducing costs, increasing customer satisfaction, boosting innovation ,or driving revenue ,social media can be a valuable pursuit. Enhancing the brand Social media can play an important role in differentiating brands and making them more relevant to consumers. Much of its power in this regard derives from the fact that in a consumer’s mind, the most credible spokesperson a company can have is a â€Å"person like me.† In fact, research shows that the number of people who trust such a hypothetical person more than they trust brands or organizations increases around the world each year. How can banks take advantage of â€Å"people like me?† American Express, for one, created OPEN Forum, an online community dedicated to connecting businesses with each other and providing valuable content to customers with which the company wants to have relationships. Today, OPEN Forum has more than 10,000  businesses involved, monthly traffic has reached as high as 1.5 million visits,5 and the majority of content is produced by the community. The result is a new touch point that drives brand affinity, provides American Express w ith an immense opportunity to create brand impressions, and gives the company a chance to be at the center of important conversations among its customers. Reducing Costs Social media can be a major contributor to banks’ ongoing cost reduction efforts, especially as they pertain to service, sales, and marketing. For instance, banks can use social media as a low-cost channel to distribute messages, host conversations, provide customer service, identify dissatisfied customers, and increase the impact and reach of traditional media efforts. Consider Bank of America, which was the first and largest bank in the world to use Twitter for customer service. The bank uses a dedicated Twitter page on which a wide variety of real people—with their actual photos— help customers solve their issues. User feedback reveals the sentiment among customers that receiving help through this page is easier and faster than traditional customer service. In addition to driving customer service costs down, the page creates brand impressions across consumers’ social graphs, thereby allowing other consumers to see the value of the channel for a variety of goals. The channel also can enhance the impact of marketing. Consider, for example, how Discover Bank recently created a Facebook identity for â€Å"Peggy,† a character from its popular series of TV ads. Today, that character is â€Å"liked† by nearly 9,000 consumers, and interacts with them several times a day. Such campaigns create millions of additional brand impressions inside of Facebook, as well as new opportunities for brands to interact with their customers in a low-cost format. Creating and improving innovation : Banks can use the channel to create better, more innovative products and services that reflect real-time consumer demand. Chase, for example, created an online community of mass-affluent consumers and tasked the group with designing a credit card purpose-built to their specific wants and needs. The result: its highly successful Chase Priority Club Rewards card. Chase also created a Community Giving program that allows consumers to direct the  bank’s donations to specific charities. As of this writing, that community had directed more than $5 million to 100 local charities. Through this initiative, Chase’s philanthropic entity is opening up its decision-making to crowds and involving millions of people in the process Increasing revenue While the use of social media to drive revenue within banks is still in its infancy, results from other industries further along the growth curve are encouraging. Avis, for example, has been able to use a variety of coordinated social me dia efforts to boost its sales by 9 percent—in a competitive, commoditized industry with flat or declining revenues. As an example of a more specific and successful effort, USAA, a financial services provider for members of the US armed forces, allows site visitors to rate products like auto insurance or home equity lines of credit and add a written review. In fact, USAA customers have added thousands of reviews to products, and consumers have responded strongly: In the first year of adding product reviews to the site, USAA claims incremental sales of over 15,000 products. This tactic clearly shows a direct impact on growth and demonstrates the value of â€Å"people like me.† In both cases, using social media to unlock increased revenue requires firms to focus on fundamentals. Providing service that customers want to talk about and delivering products that are worth recommending. Once those conditions exist, the chance of successfully using social media to drive revenue goes up exponentially. A uniquely challenging industry For many banks, all of the examples in the world are not enough to get off the starting blocks. Typical challenges include: †¢ External communications are strictly governed by a host of rules and regulations that limit what they can and cannot say. †¢ Banks must observe strict rules regarding consumers’ personal information and data security. †¢ Sanctioned employees, whether from customer service, marketing, or another functional group, must be knowledgeable about products, services, rules, and how to get things done within the bank—and they must be mature enough to make decisions and craft responses to difficult questions. Plus, all this must be done within the strict legal and regulatory framework that banks inhabit and occur within real time in order to be effective. For many banks, technology itself is a major concern when it comes to implementing a social  media strategy. Banks must identify and implement the tools they will need to be active in social networks, from simple listening platforms to sophisticated tools that enable the integration of social media with legacy CRM systems, customer service tools and workflows, reporting and record keeping requirements, and overall marketing analytics. Finally, some banks will need to overcome a lack of organizational structures and in-house talent to derive full business value from social media. More specifically, many banks may find they have to close talent gaps and bridge internal divisions between product-oriented teams, all while gaining senior leadership support for a company-wide approach to social media. This is no small task, especially given the fact that most senior leaders are not well-versed in social media. A path toward social media mastery While the preceding paints a picture of industry-wide challenges, there is a path that banks can use to begin their social media journey. It starts with gathering critical knowledge that will guide the development of their strategy and assure positive outcomes. To begin, banks must strive to understand what their customers, prospects, and competitors are discussing online, as well as the social technologies that seem most relevant. This includes developing profiles of how various customer segments actually use social technology and understanding the practical implications of those uses. For example, strategies for student loan customers may vary widely from those designed for private wealth management clients in areas of execution, content, and technology. Banks also must assess their current social media capabilities and activities: All too often there are separate, potentially conflicting social media initiatives under way, as well as underutilized technology, insights, and experie nce. Banks must begin to consider their collective presence versus that of individual lines of business. Consumers don’t make those distinctions, and neither should banks. It is critical for banks to get a firm grasp on what competitors are doing in the social media space, and where â€Å"white space† exists. Bank of America, American Express, and Chase all have done this with their respective social media efforts, but that does not mean no space is left to establish a presence. To find this space, banks have to ask two questions of themselves : What can we deliver to our customers that we don’t offer today, and how  will it provide them with value? Social media sponsors must critically review risk. Specifically, they must identify specific social media concerns, assess their likeliness, and establish processes to handle adverse events. Prior to involving senior management, it is necessary to have answers to these questions, examples of how others have navigated similar waters, and concrete ideas on the trade-offs between risk and reward. And as mentioned earlier, banks must establish clear business objectives and map them to specific areas in which social media can generate value. All of the above becomes a moot point if efforts are not driven by real business goals. By addressing each of the preceding areas, social media teams can build senior leadership support for and sponsorship of overall social media efforts. In Accenture’s experience, successful initiatives typically involve one or more executives with deep passion for and experience with technology and social media. It is crucial to find and engage these people and use their influence to open the eyes of the broader C-suite. Crafting a Social Media Strategy All of this work will prepare banks for the successful development and implementation of a comprehensive social media strategy. To be effective , such a strategy must encompass the following areas: Crafting the Vision: With an overarching framework in place, social media can be designed from the ground up , versus as a collection of disparate tactics .It also can focus on a specific segments and experiences, as well as on the necessary internal ‘piping’ to implement social media connections across channels. Indeed, every good customer experience is carefully designed and good social media experiences must follow suit. Defining and Measuring Success : A Bank’s Social media strategy must encompass well-defined metrics that reflect progress toward the bank’s business goals ( as defined in the vision). However, first and foremost , they must align with the same type of metrics that drive business today . For Example, a social media strategy focused on sales as an outcome should look at driving traffic from social media, converting that traffic into leads, and successfully cross-selling  and up-selling customers that are interacting across social media channels. In effect, viewing the efforts through the same eyes that traditional channels evaluate success. Governance: A social media strategy should include clear governance and effective organizational structures, whether that means establishing a dedicated social media center of excellence or appointing social media champions across the bank’s functional groups and/or product lines. Regardless of the specific measures or structures in place , the bank’s goal should be to support efficient , effective engagement in social media with the right skills, staff, and controls . this Structure must be nimble, include processes for iteration ,and have senior leadership included. Technology: Perhaps counter-intuitively, it is only when the vision, metrics , and organizational structures have been defined that the bank should start thinking about technologies and the tactics they dictate. Banks Should start with basic learning and listening platforms that allow them to â€Å"test the waters† and identify areas of potential engagement, and then progressively integrate that platform with existing CRM tools to achieve a single view of customers. Banks must also consider what technologies are appropriate for record keeping and adherence to the policy. Recognizing that not all starting points are the same: The level of Social Media experience that a bank has plays an important role while crafting a social media strategy. The scope of the social media strategy depends on the relative social media maturity of the bank. The strategy used by a bank that has significant experience in social media will differ in some aspects from the strategy used by a bank which is new to social media. Banks with less experience in Social Media: The social media strategy used by the banks with no or relatively less experience in social media should address the following questions: * They should pay attention to the scope in terms of the functional areas covered by the strategy, important business goals, and the business processes used to achieve those goals. * They should also focus on building engagement among key stakeholders and assessing their willingness to participate in the  initiative This is as much about creating an initial â€Å"coalition of the willing† as it is about telling a compelling story on how social media can positively impact business results. * They should also learn from lean on agency partners and others that have been through the fire before. Banks with significant experience in Social Media: The social media strategy used by the banks with significant experience in social media should address the following questions: * The Social media champions within these banks must know when it is time to seek help from inside and outside the firm. This is needed because the expanding range of social media analysis and reporting will begin to overwhelm marketing staff and merits the involvement of dedicated analytical and technical staff. * As these banks begin to expand the use of social media across product lines, they have to design governance models that can keep pace, as well as focus on integrating social media technologies with CRM systems to achieve a truly holistic view of cross-channel, multi-product customers. Successful Integration of Social Media into the Operations: Banks that have been successful in integrating social media into their operations often have grass-roots efforts to thank. These banks have passionate leaders who have led social media efforts for individual product or service lines. The key to moving beyond grass roots and getting the entire organization pulling in the same direction is actively engaging senior leadership. Only then will the full brand-building power of social media truly be realized. How banks use social media According to the survey conducted by MHP Communications amongst the heads of communications and public relations specialists at more than 35 global banks to gain an understanding into social media habits across the banking industry. In broad terms, use of social media is high with the majority of respondents (53%), using social media both in a private and a business capacity. 30% use social media outside of a work context and 3% for business purposes only. 15% of all respondents do not use social media at all, which is a high percentage given that social media generally sits under the communications department’s remit. Whilst social media has become a mainstream activity, it is notable that more respondents use social media  for personal means than in a business context. When looking at the purpose of social media, it is widely seen as a good source of information on what is happening in the media (75% of respondents). Interestingly it is less seen as a direct route to the customer, but more to communicate broadly and advertise products and solutions: More than two thirds say they use social media for communications and public relations purposes, whereas 42% use it for marketing and sales activities. Customer service is a key purpose for 25% only. In the retail banking sector social media has a more established footprint than in the investment banking world. This follows the logical conclusion that for customer service and customer engagement purposes the mass consumer market is appreciative of being able to communicate with banks through these new, yet very much established platforms. And banks are increasingly keen to appear more customer-friendly whilst tackling the image the sector has as consisting of traditional and staid organizations. In the investment banking world social media takes on a different purpose, and has even become a platform to be feared and avoided. It is also not seen as a traditional direct route to clients. This is changing however, and one senior PR manager commented that the bank’s trading desk recently received a client request for traders to be given access to Twitter to monitor and engage with client comments throughout the trading day. The use of social media within the internal communications function is relevant for around one third of respondents (36%) – which represents a vast untapped potential given the range of opportunities to share knowledge and information internally that social media creates. Free tools such as Yammer, Twitter with protected tweets or Google+ with individual circles make information available only to a selection of people, so they can be used to streamline internal communication processes. However, and this is a key problem for a heavily regulated industry such as the banking sector, social media platforms are provided by external third parties. Any shared data which is of a sensitive or confidential nature will in many cases be stored on the provider’s servers which may not provide sufficient protection or peace of mind for the banking sector. Most providers are based in the US where legislation may, under certain circumstances, require them to reveal their clients’ identities or other data. Also, social media platform providers are commercial operations and there is the risk that data is misused, misplaced  or falsely allocated. Many banks feel that sensitive data should only be stored and transmitted on their own infrastructure to ensure full compliance. At the same time, regulatory bodies such as the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the UK aim to make social media more widely user-friendly for banks by publishing guidelines and recommendations. As a consequence there is a high level of insecurity as to what can and cannot be done. Despite these issues, social media is now seen as forming a strategic part of a communications program rather than representing solely a tactical activity, with 84% of banks now having a specific social media strategy. Nearly one third has started to execute a strategy, and 15% have a fully developed strategy in place. More than 40% are currently in the process of creating a strategy, and only 16% have not started thinking about or have decided not to have a social media strategy in place. A number of banks do have a social media strategy, but no defined goals for the strategy: 27% responded that they have not established specific goals for their social media strategy. Measuring the success of a social media program is perceived to be more complicated than for traditional PR which may explain why metrics and, in effect, goals remain vague.

My Educational Goals and Philosophy Statement Essay example -- Philoso

My Educational Goals and Philosophy Education is the foundation of today's society. Without it, there is no future. Every other career begins on that first day of kindergarten, when a nervous student stumbles into the classroom and finds a chair in the corner of the room. At that moment, a teacher plays a pivotal role in the child's fate. If they are successful in making the child feel comfortable, they can nurture the student's desire to learn. If they are not successful, they may hinder this pursuit. Education has two major, seemingly contradictory, purposes. First, it transmits a country's culture to the next generation. Secondly, it gives societies a vehicle for changing the culture. I believe that it is essential for students to come into contact with their peers and with adults of similar and different backgrounds. This promotes tolerance and growth. Teachers should instill values in their students. They have an amazing opportunity to make an investment in the future. However, sometimes learning comes best through interaction with people of the same age. By befriending students of different races and economic statuses, children can recognize the differences and similarities between them and learn to accept and even appreciate each other for these. If society has veered down the wrong path, this social interaction between students can have tremendous rectifying powers. If students are taught to hate people of a certain color, religion, sexual orientation, etc., being around people with these characteristics, with no way to avoid them, can show students that the ideas that they have been taught may be misconceptions. Students then have the power to disagree with this hatred and contribute that to ... ...l immediately. Here, I will test my views. Eventually, I hope to continue my education by pursuing a Master Degree. I am also interested in teaching at the collegiate level at some point in my career. Whatever level I end up on, I hope to have a positive effect on the lives I come into contact with. I believe teaching is such a fulfilling career because everyday educators have the opportunity to change a child for the better. Giving students a well-rounded education, focusing on traditional subjects, which all other fields stem from, will enable the world to continue advancing and change with the times. Part of a well-rounded education also includes evoking positive interactions between people of different backgrounds. I believe that a teacher who strives to accomplish these goals has done more than fulfilled their job requirements. They have become a hero.

A Revolutionary People at War

Rightfully taking its place on the bookshelf next to Alexis-Charles-Henri Clerel de Tocqueville’s (1805 to 1859) Democracy in America and Howard Zinn’s A Peoples History of the United States (1980), Charles Royster’s classic study A Revolutionary People at War (Chapel Hill, 1996) takes us once more through an emotionally stirring panoramic view of the Revolutionary War and the people who fought it.In a similar vein to Zinn, Royster’s book focuses on the political and cultural forces that have arguably remained somewhat at the heart of the American character. Royster as well, is never too shy about informing us just what made us who were are, and how we came to remake ourselves in the process. Although it is not always pleasant to hear, he never fails to tell us the truth.This is a book about how the Revolutionary War came to shape the character of the American people; and not the other way around. It is about broken promises, fear and suspicion, and then i t is about the broken hearts of so many loyal American soldiers who left the battlefield, some of them after eight long agonizing years of war, truly feeling as if they had been betrayed by their country.They could not have felt much unlike many Americans must feel today. We are also living though an era when families of fighting men and women in Iraq have often expressed feeling alienated by their own country; while the burden of fighting this war seems to have rested solely upon their shoulders. The emotions felt by many who fought in the Revolutionary war could not have been much unlike the feelings of so many Viet Nam era combatants, who faced down a skilled guerilla army in a foreign land with no clear purpose in mind; only to return home and be spat upon and treated like criminals by their own people.The only difference here is that there was indeed a clearly defined purpose for the revolutionary colonist to throw off the yoke of British colonialism. If there was one thing tha t 75% of the colonialist could agree upon, it was that they were sick of British taxes and British rule. They ultimately took up arms and fought with honor. However, before the war was over the burden had become too great for some to bear.In the beginning, the war had promised the fighting men glory beyond everything else, because at the heart of the mounting revolutionary sentiment was an undeniable sense that the nation was offering them a â€Å"dual immorality; in heaven and posthumously† (p.32). In the end though, the nation had largely disparaged and then abandoned them altogether.Royster’s book is about the clamor for resistance that got us into war in the first place, and the sense of betrayal that many soldiers in the Continental Army felt afterwards. It is about the sense of fear and suspicion that the citizenry grew to feel towards the soldiers who were raiding their farms and confiscating their wagons and life stock at will, all throughout the war (52).Yet, it is also about an officer or two, who ultimately left the battlefield feeling beset with a sense of anger; and then the looming sense of dishonor that would accompany them at the end of the war. It is about the resentment of the solider towards the Continental Congress for not doing the right thing by awarding them the pay that they deserved, after putting them in harms way.Yet it is also about the riotous manner in which a portion of men brought dishonor upon themselves. Royster presents the Clausitzian concept of the natural Trinity, framing a primordial surge towards violence, hatred, and enmity, and the effect that this came to have upon three contentious forces of our society; the army, the Continental Congress, and the people, all of whom conspired in their own self-interest to drive the nation to war.He presents the evidence and then he lets the reader decide for themselves. This is because in the end, it is really up to us as a part of this great experiment to deicide how we view the motives of each of them. A Revolutionary People at War It was the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War and first blood had been drawn at Lexington. Once Lexington had served to bring out the capabilities of the Redcoats against the fragile militias of the colonies, the need for an armed defense for on a national scale was imperative.On the 4th of 1775, the Continental Army was founded and the Americas decided to enter into a battle that would go on for eight years (Wright 1983). Congress gave George Washington the authority to not only lead the Continental Army, but the powers granted to George Washington were those that would be granted to a British Commander, as well as those that a Colonial Governor would hold.In his book A Revolutionary people at war, Charles Royster not only elaborates upon the varying aspects of the Continental Army, but also makes use of statistics to strengthen the contents of the book (Royster 1996). According to Royster, the Continental Army was one of the best armies that the United States fielded.It was an army that defined success in terms of the authentic sense of the word since it learnt its lessons for any and all shortcomings that it held. It was an army that chose to take on the enemy even though it was well aware of the fact that it severely lacked training and expertise. But as Royster notes, the men were dedicated and willing to go into battle under the leadership of their major-generals and the brigadier-general for the sake of the safe keeping of their country.The attempt that Royster has made in his book A Revolutionary people at war is to determine the true emotion of nationalism that prevailed amongst the people of that time. Royster has made this possible by delving into the emotion that existed in the Continental Army and the obstacles that the army faced in the many battles it fought and how it evolved into the refined fighting mechanism that eventually defeated the Redcoats.In the beginning, the Congress did not desire for the Continental Army to become a permane nt army and wages were established on the basis of short term enlistments. The Continental Army had its roots deep with the idealism. However, the fact remains that one finds it difficult to come to a conclusion without feeling that Royster overstates the very concept of idealism and gets carried away with his the very subject of his own book.When the American Revolutionary War began in April 1775, the revolutionaries of the colonial front did not have an army to defend them. The closest thing to an army that they had was the only available fighting force which was composed of part time soldiers. These part time soldiers constituted the individual militia of each colony.However, it has been recorded in numerous history books that colonies had begun to carry out attempts to train their militia in light of growing tensions between the colonies and Great Britain. Colonies began to bring about steady changes in the way their militia operated in order to attempt to train them to an exten t where they can ward of any unforeseen attack by the Redcoats.In 1774, Colonist Richard Henry had put forth the idea of creating a national militia. It was suggested that this militia would be held under one flag which would represent the colonies on a united front if the colonies were to experience an attack by external elements. However the idea was rejected by the First Continental Congress and the result was that the first line of defense against the Redcoats found itself severely outnumbered and caught unaware.The Redcoats had been trained for battle through the numerous battles that they had been fighting on numerous fronts for the last few decades whereas the militia was not in any way prepared to face such a highly trained enemy in the battle field.But Royster is immaculate in his attention to detail and does not show bias in his book as he boldly writes of the several developments that took place in the Continental Army as well as in the war that were in complete deviation from the ideology upon which it had begun.Royster uses historical facts and figures to highlight how the war was fought by the brave men of the Continental Army and how the war evolved into a scenario where certain colonies began to establish arms trade with the enemy and how the war became a business venture for suppliers of war material. Yet, Royster makes sure that at no point does the reader forget that the men of the Continental Army did not lose sight of their mission and continued to struggle on through thick and thin.Royster’s accounts of the Continental Army are accurate in the regard that the battalion of men that was referred to as the Continental Army was in fact a flag under which the group of men continuously changed as more men lost their lives and losses were replaced by more men. However, one advantage that the Continental Army had over their oppressors was that they knew the lay of the land. This was a factor that the Continental Army learned to benefit fro m as the war progressed.

Coming Of Age Personal Essay Essay

Everybody experiences coming of age in their lifetime. Coming of age is the transition from childhood to adulthood. My coming of age started in the middle of my grade 8 year and has continued up until the present. So, for me coming of age has occurred from grades 8-10. The three steps that really defined my coming of age was my traveling to Europe, starting high school and getting my first job at Tim Horton’s. My first step in my coming of age was traveling to Europe with my aunt and uncle. Firstly, I was not with my parents which made me feel more self-reliant. This was my first time riding on a plane and traveling for more than a week without my parent so at the time it seemed like a big deal. I felt that because I was not being watched over as heavily, I was more responsible and was growing up. Secondly, I was starting to travel the world for the first time and it made me think of my future. It reminded me that when I was old enough, there were going to be endless possibilities to what I could accomplish and where I could go. This is definitely an important step in growing up. Realizing that you need to start preparing for your future and start to figure out what you want to do and where you want to go. Lastly, I made new older friends that made me feel like I was growing up and expanding my â€Å"bubble†. The people I met were older then I was and were so friendly. I felt more m ature around them. Meeting new people if all part of â€Å"coming of age†. This is why traveling to Europe was the first step for me to start maturing and to start coming of age. The second step I took towards my coming of age was when I started attending high school at Sir William Mulock Secondary School. Starting high school was a big change from elementary because there was a lot more responsibility. The teachers do not come after you for late assignments and there is a lot more homework that is necessary to complete. This helped me prepare myself for after high school when my employers will need me to show initiative when completing tasks. So therefore, this was a big step in my coming of age. Secondly, when you are in high school, authorities start to treat you as a mature young adult. This means that they have fast paced learning environments and expect you to show up for class. If you miss to many classes you will not pass the course. This taught me to push myself when I was tired or sick which is a big part of growing up. When you are an adult working full time, you can’t skip work when you aren’t feeling well. So for these reasons, starting high school was a big step in my coming of age. The last and most recent step towards my coming of age was starting my part time job at Tim Horton’s. Having this job as my first job was a big responsibility. In order to keep my job I had to show up on time, manage my extracurricular activities and homework around working, ask a lot of questions and deal with co-workers. This added responsibility helped me to start to understand what working will be like once I have graduated high school. Thinking ahead for the future and obtaining responsibility is part of coming of age. Also, for this job I had to learn many new skills. When you are starting a new job there are many techniques you have yet to master such as operating the cash register and making food/beverages as well as customer service skills. Learning all of this helped to me feel more mature and useful. Lastly, the job provided me with a steady flow of cash. Earning money was something that I had never experienced before and it gave me a good feeling. It made me self-r eliant , which is a big part of growing up. Having my own money and being able to spend it on what I want is also a test to see if I can make good decisions or not as well as teaching me money management. This is an important skill for when I have moved out. Therefore , getting my own job was the most recent step in my coming of age. So for these reason, I think that my coming of age happened over my grade 8-10 years. I am not done growing up yet, but the main events leading up to this day that have started my coming of age were my traveling to Europe, starting high school and getting my first job. There will be many more events in my future that will continue my coming of age in the future, but for now I am young and am excited for the growing that I still have to do.

How Presidents Have Used Their Power To Pardon

How Presidents Have Used Their Power To Pardon The President derives the power of pardon from Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives the president power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. A reprieve reduces the severity of a punishment, but the person remains guilty. A pardon removes both punishment and guilt, which is why pardons are more likely to be controversial. The process for obtaining a pardons begins with an application to the Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney. The DOJ consults with other lawyers and judges for recommendations; the FBI runs a check on the applicant. After winnowing the applicants, the DOJ provides a list of recommendations to the office of the White House Counsel. Historical Pardons Historically, Presidents used the power to pardon to heal rifts in the national psyche. As President Bush said on 24 December 1982, When earlier wars have ended, Presidents have historically used their power to pardon to put bitterness behind us and look to the future. For example, George Washington pardoned leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion; James Madison pardoned Lafittes pirates after the War of 1812; Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederate soldiers after the Civil War; Harry Truman pardoned those who violated World War II Selective Service laws; and Jimmy Carter pardoned Vietnam War draft dodgers. The modern-day pardon, however, has taken a decidedly more political turn. And it may help its recipient find a job and regain the right to vote. Nixon In modern history, the most controversial pardon is probably the 1974 pardon of former President Richard Nixon, issued by President Gerald Ford. Ford assumed the presidency on 9 August 1974, the day after President Nixon resigned over Watergate, pending impeachment. Ford pardoned Nixon on 8 September 1974. Although Carter made a campaign issue of the Nixon pardon, in retrospect Fords action was brave (it was political suicide) and helped a divided nation begin to heal. Iran-Contra On 24 December 1992, President George Bush pardoned six Reagan administration officials involved in the Iran-Contra Affair: Elliott Abrams, Duane R. Clarridge, Alan Fiers, Clair George, National Security Adviser Robert C. Bud McFarlane and Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger. He compared their actions to those pardoned by Madison, Johnson, Truman and Carter: In many cases, the offenses pardoned by these Presidents were at least as serious as those I am pardoning today. Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh was appointed in December 1986 to investigate the Iran/Contra affair; subsequently, Walsh brought charges against 14 people. Eleven were convicted; two convictions were overturned on appeal. Two were pardoned before trial, and one case was dismissed when the Bush Administration declined to declassify information necessary for trial.President Bush pardoned six Iran/Contra participants on 24 December 1992. Post-Trial Pardons Elliott Abrams   Pleaded guilty October 7, 1991, to two misdemeanor charges of withholding information from Congress about secret government efforts to support the Nicaraguan contra rebels during a ban on such aid. He was sentenced on November 15, 1991 to two years probation and 100 hours community service. The second President Bush appointed Abrams as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs. Alan D. Fiers, Jr.   Pleaded guilty July 9, 1991, to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress about secret efforts to aid the Nicaraguan contras. He was sentenced on January 31, 1992 to one year probation and 100 hours community service. Pardoned. Clair E. George   Indicted September 6, 1991, on 10 counts of perjury, false statements and obstruction in connection with congressional and Grand Jury investigations. Georges trial on nine counts ended in a mistrial on August 26, 1992. Following a second trial on seven counts, George was found guilty December 9, 1992, of two felony charges of false statements and perjury before Congress. His sentencing hearing was February 18, 1993. Pardoned before sentencing occurred. Robert C. McFarlane   Pleaded guilty March 11, 1988, to four misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress. He was sentenced on March 3, 1989, to two years probation, $20,000 in fines and 200 hours community service. Pardoned. Pre-trial Pardons Duane R. Clarridge   Indicted November 26, 1991, on seven counts of perjury and false statements about a secret shipment of U.S. HAWK missiles to Iran. The maximum penalty for each count was five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Trial date set for March 15, 1993. Pardoned. Caspar W. Weinberger   Indicted June 16, 1992, on five counts of obstruction, perjury and false statements in connection with congressional and Independent Counsel investigations of Iran/ contra. On September 29, the obstruction count was dismissed. On October 30, a second indictment was issued, charging one false statement count. The second indictment was dismissed December 11, leaving four counts remaining. The maximum penalty for each count was five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Trial date set for January 5, 1993, trial date. Pardoned. Dismissal Joseph F. Fernandez   Indicted June 20, 1988 on five counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstructing the inquiry of the Tower Commission and making false statements to government agencies. The case was dismissed in the District of Columbia for venue reasons on the motion of Independent Counsel. A four-count indictment was issued in the Eastern District of Virginia on April 24, 1989. The four-count case was dismissed November 24, 1989, after Attorney General Richard Thornburgh blocked the disclosure of classified information ruled relevant to the defense. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., on September 6, 1990 upheld Judge Hiltons rulings under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA). On October 12, 1990, the Attorney General filed a final declaration that he would not disclose the classified information. From the  Walsh Iran/Contra Report. In addition, Bush pardoned Edwin Cox Jr., whose family contributed nearly $200,000 to the Bush familys campaigns and to Republican campaign committees from 1980 to 2000, according to documents obtained by  CNN. Cox pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 1988, served six months in prison and paid $250,000 in fines. In addition, his father (Cox, Sr.) is a Bush Presidential Library trustee who contributed between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Bush Presidential Library. A complete  list of Bushs pardons  (1989-1992) President Clintons Pardons President Clintons most controversial pardon was of billionaire financier Marc Rich. His connection with the political and business elite of both parties demonstrates that the differences among those in power are less distinct than the differences between those in power and those out of power. For  example: After hiring prominent Republican lawyers during the Reagan and Bush administrations- Leonard Garment, former Nixon White House counsel, William Bradford Reynolds, once an official of the Reagan Justice Department, and Lewis Libby, now chief of staff to Vice President Richard Cheney- Rich hired a top Democratic lawyer, Jack Quinn, to give him direct access to Clinton. Quinn, former White House counsel, runs his law practice with Ed Gillespie, a key Bush adviser and former head of the GOP. In addition, Clinton pardoned Susan McDougal (Whitewater), former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros (lied to FBI investigators about payments to his mistress) and  ex-CIA chief  John Deutch (forced out at the CIA when he contradicted White House claims that U.S. missile strikes on Iraq were effective).Review the  list of Clintons pardons  (1993-2000) President Bushs Pardons As the end of President Bushs term drew near, he had pardoned about half as many people as his prior two-term predecessors, Clinton and Ronald Reagan. Bush has issued pardons for many petty crimes committed decades in the past, ranging from possessing marijuana to moonshining. Just before Thanksgiving 2008,  President Bush pardoned 14 and commuted the sentence  of another two. This brought his pardon total to 171 and commutations total to eight. In one of the most high profile cases of his Administration, that of Scooter Libby, President Bush did not grant a pardon. He did, however, commute Libbys sentence. Another high-profile commuted sentences was that of  hip-hop musician John Forte, who was convicted in 2001 on drug smuggling charges. In Texas. Just  before Christmas, Bush pardoned Isaac Toussie who pleaded guilty in 2001 to using false documents to have mortgages insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and in 2002 to mail fraud, admitting that he had persuaded officials in Suffolk County to overpay for land. Bush rescinded the pardon the next day after press reports revealed that his father, Robert Toussie, recently donated $30,800 to Republicans. Bush let  stand a pardon  issued for Alan Maiss, who had contributed $1,500 to the presidents 2004 re-election campaign; he served one year of probation. In 1995, Maiss failed to report a fellow gaming executives alleged ties to organized crime. Bush had  pardoned 19  and provided clemency for one. See a  list of pardons  and  commutations  granted by President George W. Bush.

Macrophagesâ€Germ-Eating White Blood Cells

Macrophages- Germ-Eating White Blood Cells Macrophages are immune system cells that are vital to the development of non-specific defense mechanisms that provide the first line of defense against pathogens. These large immune cells are present in nearly all tissues and actively remove dead and damaged cells, bacteria, cancerous cells, and cellular debris from the body. The process by which macrophages engulf and digest cells and pathogens is called phagocytosis. Macrophages also aid in cell mediated or adaptive immunity by capturing and presenting information about foreign antigens to immune cells called lymphocytes. This allows the immune system to better protect against future attacks from the same invaders. In addition, macrophages are involved in other valuable functions in the body including hormone production, homeostasis, immune regulation, and wound healing. Macrophage Phagocytosis Phagocytosis allows macrophages to get rid of harmful or unwanted substances in the body. Phagocytosis is a form of endocytosis in which matter is engulfed and destroyed by a cell. This process is initiated when a macrophage is drawn to a foreign substance by the presence of antibodies. Antibodies are proteins produced by lymphocytes that bind to a foreign substance (antigen), tagging it for destruction. Once the antigen is detected, a macrophage sends out projections which surround and engulf the antigen (bacteria, dead cell, etc.) enclosing it within a vesicle. The internalized  vesicle containing the antigen is called a phagosome. Lysosomes within the macrophage fuse with the phagosome forming a phagolysosome. Lysosomes are membranous sacs of hydrolytic enzymes formed by the Golgi complex that are capable of digesting organic material. The enzyme content of the lysosomes is released into the phagolysosome and the foreign substance is quickly degraded. The degraded material is th en ejected from the macrophage. Macrophage Development Macrophages develop from white blood cells called monocytes. Monocytes are the largest type of white blood cell. They have a large, single nucleus that is often kidney-shaped. Monocytes are produced in bone marrow and circulate in the blood anywhere from one to three days. These cells exit blood vessels by passing through blood vessel endothelium to enter into tissues. Once reaching their destination, monocytes develop into macrophages or into other immune cells called dendritic cells. Dendritic cells aid in the development of antigen immunity. Macrophages that differentiate from monocytes are specific to the tissue or organ in which they reside. When the need for more macroghages arises in a particular tissue, the residing macrophages produce proteins called cytokines that cause responding monocytes to develop into the type of macrophage needed. For example, macrophages fighting infection produce cytokines that promote the development of macrophages that specialize in fighting pathogens. Macrophages that specialize in healing wounds and repairing tissue develop from cytokines produced in response to tissue injury. Macrophage Function and Location Macrophages are found in almost every tissue in the body and perform a number of functions outside of immunity. Macrophages aid in the production of sex hormones in male and female gonads. Macrophages assist in the development of blood vessel networks in the ovary, which is vital for the production of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone plays a critical part in the implantation of the embryo in the uterus. In addition, macrophages present in the eye help to develop blood vessel networks necessary for proper vision. Examples of macrophages that reside in other locations of the body include: Central Nervous System- Microglia are glial cells found in nervous tissue. These extremely small cells patrol the brain and spinal cord removing cellular waste and protecting against microorganisms.Adipose Tissue- Macrophages in adipose tissue protect against microbes and also help adipose cells to maintain the bodys sensitivity to insulin.Integumentary System- Langerhans cells are macrophages in the skin that serve an immune function and aid in the development of skin cells.Kidneys- Macrophages in the kidneys help to filter microbes from blood and aid in the formation of ducts.Spleen- Macrophages in the red pulp of the spleen help to filter damaged red blood cells and microbes from blood.Lymphatic System- Macrophages stored in the central area (medulla) of lymph nodes filter lymph of microbes.Reproductive System- Macrophages in gonads aid in sex cell development, embryo development, and the production of steroid hormones.Digestive System- Macrophages in the intestines monitor the en vironment protecting against microbes. Lungs- Macrophages present in the lungs, known as alveolar macrophages, remove microbes, dust, and other particles from respiratory surfaces.Bone- Macrophages in bone may develop into bone cells called osteoclasts. Osteoclasts help to break down bone and to reabsorb and assimilate bone components. Immature cells from which macrophages are formed reside in non-vascular sections of the bone marrow. Macrophages and Disease Although a primary function of macrophages is to protect against bacteria and viruses, sometimes these microbes can evade the immune system and infect immune cells. Adenoviruses, HIV, and the bacteria that cause tuberculosis are examples of microbes that cause disease by infecting macrophages. In addition to these types of diseases, macrophages have been linked to the development of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Macrophages in the heart contribute to heart disease by aiding in the development of atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis, artery walls become thick due to chronic inflammation induced by white blood cells. Macrophages in fat tissue can cause inflammation which induces adipose cells to become resistant to insulin. This can lead to the development of diabetes. Chronic inflammation caused by macrophages can also contribute to the development and growth of cancer cells. Sources: White Blood Cells. The Histology Guide. Accessed 09/18/2014 (histology.leeds.ac.uk/blood/blood_wbc.php)The Biology of Macrophages - An Online Review. Macrophage Biology Review. Macrophages.com. Published 05/2012 (macrophages.com/macrophage-review)

Concept Engineering, Advanced Research, Air Traffic Flow Management, C Essay

Concept Engineering, Advanced Research, Air Traffic Flow Management, Collaborative Decision Making - Essay Example A single delayed flight causes the company additional couriers, increased employee overtime & time of business operation that would mean an added compensation and cost of operation such as fuel, electricity etc. Also, the disrupted logistic process caused by a delayed flight would cost the company to pay high package delay fees (Metron Aviation - FedEx., n.d.). FedEx partnering with NASA that provides it with direct access and control of data from a collection of legacy systems was able to increase its efficiency and effectiveness in doing the business as it reduced delays by the integrated aircraft track and flight data from the airport feed and surveillance. With this, they would be prompted 30 minutes in advance an arrival or a possible delay which allowed them to make significant decisions to still make a delivery on time (Metron Aviation - FedEx., n.d.). IT services that would not be merely dependent on aviation and IT systems with real-time analytic applications, instead of being dependent on disk storage systems would be best for FedEx to have. Some of which that would make it possible would be the EMC Greenplum Platform and database appliances from Teradata. Aside from which, sensors such as the new SensaWare service that involves the application of active sensors inside packages that contain high-value merchandise would be able to skip the scanning process that would take time, instead would send out telemetry data that would cover the speed of the package’s travel, would help in tracking the item, and possible rerouting if needed (Vizard, M., n.d.).