AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

Nearly 90 percent of Russias HIV infections occur among addicts sharing funky needles (Klesius, p.35). This plowshare from a National Geographic magazine would differ heavily from that of the United States. The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation reported that through the year 2002 in the state of Colorado that only 9% of aids cases in the state were due to injection do drugs use and 25% on the national level. (Kaiser Family Foundation) In the United States, Men who have sex with men would more closely share Russias dirty needle task for being the number 1 cause for AIDS transmission with 46% in the U.S. and 69% in the state of Colorado. These figures here in the states prove to coincide with the majority of Americans view on who they think is the stereotypical person septic with AIDS, merry males. I took the liberty of asking random Americans who they thought was stereotypical person in America infected with AIDS. The results didnt vary from my understanding of previous viewpoint s. 18 out of 20 of these random Americans told me that they considered the stereotypical infected person with AIDS would be a gay male. I then asked them if this changed their viewpoints on the AIDS epidemic and its seriousness. 8 out the 20 told me that they didnt worry about it because they believed it to only be a problem for gays here in America and those who live in Africa, not themselves. Now, I have to say that this is a pretty close minded view shared out by a large number of Americans, if this percentage of my poll were to represent the whole United States. I do note that Gay males have the highest percentage of those who have the disease here in America, but should that be a reason for not caring about this epidemic?Yet AIDS is pacify a serious problem because of the high fatality rates, the costs of treating the disease, and the difficulty of eliminating such HIV/AIDS risk factors as unprotected sex and injecting drug use(132). This statement wouldnt be so bad if it wer e describing a virus with only a small population. Unfortunately this statement is describing one with a large population. The Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) and the White House have statistics of the AIDS epidemic here in the states and the rest of the world. None of which are miniscule by any means.

An International Writing Perspective :: Essays Papers

An International Writing PerspectiveIntroductionWriting has become hotshot of the most neglected skills in the business world, yet one of the most important to productivity, states Lin Grensing of the Associated Press Mrs. Gensing based these findings on surveys with US executives (Hansen). If this conclusion is valid, then a key question follows -- Why are so some universities producing mediocre writers, considering that an individual who writes effectively will stand reveal in the work force? This question has been the subject of a long debate guidance not only on the importance of writing but the method needed to implement a solution. There are numerous concerns about savant writing, and therefore many people need turned to different areas of education for the answer to improving students writing. One question, which deals with this subject is, How do American students compare with external students, and are there any differences in the educational systems with respect to wr iting emphasis? This International Perspective, the topic of this paper, is a comparison among cultures, students, schools, and their writing. There are hundreds of countries in the world, each with their own educational system in place. Although most countries view writing as a necessity for students, only a handful have begun the initiative of requiring writing in a university setting. Therefore, this paper will compare writing characteristics of countries with similar economic and cultural positions as the United States, including Canada, Britain, and Australia. Furthermore, this paper will identify the degree to which writing plays a role in each countries educational system and will develop an understanding of how countries view writing as a method to adequately prepare graduates for the business world.SummaryThere are many studies around the world, comparing the writing abilities of high school students among countries. In many cases, the United States continuously ranks far b elow its competitors, including the most recent rankings presented in 2002 by the U.N. Childrens Fund (UNICEF), who has ranked the United States 18th out of 24 countries when comparing the percent of 15 year-olds falling below key educational benchmarks Canada, Australia, and Britain all ranked in the top 7 (CNN.com). During the 1999-2000 school year, American students tested in grades 4, 8, and 12 scored below minimum criteria set by the National Assessment and Governing Board. This board outlines the essential basic skills deemed minimal to catch academic standards, including writing proficiency. It was found that students who learned certain forms of writing, such as process writing, performed better on the exam, since they were taught how to analyze their ideas (Nations Report).

The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown Essays -- Young Goodman

The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman brownish In the late 17th century, behind Locke was integrity of the most influential people of his age. He was a renowned philosopher who established radical ideas about the political, social, and psychological ideals of mankind. One of his philosophical ideas, which he is verbalize to be the founder of, is British Empiricism. This idea holds that all fellowship is derived from experience whether of the mind or the senses (Empiricism 480). In any mans life, in that location arises such(prenominal) a point in time where he comes to the realization that there is a sense of evil in the world. Whether it is by something as discerning as locking the door at night before going to bed or being directly confronted at gun point as a man demands your tennis shoes, at some point man will realize that the innocence of his childhood does not last forever. Locke believed that people suck up knowledge from their own personal experience. For Young G oodman Brown, this experience comes with his journey into the forest with the fellow traveler as chronicled in Nathaniel Hawthornes short story. Initially, Brown was, as his namesake foretells, a young, good man who believes in mans basic good, yet within the inner desires of his heart wishes to see what all the world had to offer. Therefore, he restrain off on a journey into the forest to explore the world of this unknown evil. The story of Young Goodman Brown is a classic good example of the empiricist ideas of Locke in how the intrigues of the unknown beckoned Young Brown as he experienced the transition between his initial idea of mans basic goodness to the honesty that evil exists in the heart of every man. However, before we can analyze Young Goodman Browns journey in the for... ...h he knows wee about. whole works Cited Brown, Vivenne. The Figure of God and the Limits to Liberalism A Rereading of Lockes Essay and Two Treatises. Journal of the History of Ideas 60.1 (19 99) 85. Empiricism. New Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 1998 ed. Volume 4, 480. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. The Compact Bedford installation to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. fifth ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. 268-276. Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. New York Penguin, 1974. Meyer, Michael, ed. A Study of Three Authors Nathaniel Hawthorne, Flannery OConnor, and Alice Munro. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. 267. Tritt, Michael. Young Goodman Brown and the psychological science of Projection. Studies in Short Fiction. 23 (1996) 113-117. The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown Essays -- Young Goodman The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown In the late 17th century, John Locke was one of the most influential people of his age. He was a renowned philosopher who established radical ideas about the political, social, and psychological ideals of mankind. One of his philosophical ideas, which he is said to be the founder of, is British Empiricism. This idea holds that all knowledge is derived from experience whether of the mind or the senses (Empiricism 480). In any mans life, there arises such a point in time where he comes to the realization that there is a sense of evil in the world. Whether it is by something as subtle as locking the door at night before going to bed or being directly confronted at gun point as a man demands your tennis shoes, at some point man will realize that the innocence of his childhood does not last forever. Locke believed that people gain knowledge from their own personal experience. For Young Goodman Brown, this experience comes with his journey into the forest with the fellow traveler as chronicled in Nathaniel Hawthornes short story. Initially, Brown was, as his namesake foretells, a young, good man who believes in mans basic goodness, yet within the inner desires of his heart wishes to see what all the wo rld had to offer. Therefore, he set off on a journey into the forest to explore the world of this unknown evil. The story of Young Goodman Brown is a classic example of the empiricist ideas of Locke in how the intrigues of the unknown beckoned Young Brown as he experienced the transition between his initial idea of mans basic goodness to the reality that evil exists in the heart of every man. However, before we can analyze Young Goodman Browns journey in the for... ...h he knows little about. Works Cited Brown, Vivenne. The Figure of God and the Limits to Liberalism A Rereading of Lockes Essay and Two Treatises. Journal of the History of Ideas 60.1 (1999) 85. Empiricism. New Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 1998 ed. Volume 4, 480. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 5th ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. 268-276. Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. New York Penguin, 1974. Meyer, Michael, e d. A Study of Three Authors Nathaniel Hawthorne, Flannery OConnor, and Alice Munro. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. 267. Tritt, Michael. Young Goodman Brown and the Psychology of Projection. Studies in Short Fiction. 23 (1996) 113-117.

The Rime Of The Ancient Marine :: essays research papers

The Rime of the Ancient MarinerThe Mariner is not in the hands of a charitable God because his excruciation always returns. He asks for forgiveness of his worrying but still after he tells his tale the agony returns at haphazard times. A merciful God would grant permanent mercy. For all, the Mariner has been through death and hardship of his crew because of the killing of the albatross. The thought of his crime is enough agony but the Mariners agony returns until he has to relive the tragedy of the killing of his crew by telling his tale to another person.The fact that the agony always returns is specially horrible about the Mariners punishment because no matter how hard he tries or how much he prays his wrong-doing is carried along within him. The pain of his sin goes away right after he tells his tale but it returns shortly afterwards. The Mariner says that, after telling the Hermit his story, Since then, at an uncertain hour that agony returns. Since the first time the Mari ner confessed his crime to the Hermit at an inconsistent hour God reminds the Mariner of the sin he has committed by swell his heart with agonizing pain. He tells the Wedding Guest that, until he tells his story, The heart within me burns. This is Gods way of expressing his anger to the Mariner for the curse he put on his crew when he killed the Albatross. God makes sure that the Mariner has and ordain fell agony, that the agony will always return, and that the agony will return at an uncertain hour each day which causes the Mariner to relive his tale and to live in agony for the rest of his life. The Mariner is granted relief from his agony by telling his tale which releases his agony for a short while. The Mariner is telling the Wedding Guest why he must continue to tell his tale, Which labored me to begin my tale And then it left me free. God has granted him the power to tell his tale which sets him free for a short while. Maybe God is merciful for letting him tell his tale b ut his agony always returns. He cant enjoy his little time of freedom because he is uncertain when the pain will return again. The Mariner travels, looking for the right person to tell his tale to, the face which relieves his agony and lets him feel free.

Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers

Susan Smith purposely drove her car off into a lake with her 2 children strapped to the back seats. Think of how they must lead felt as the cold water started to fill the car, and then ultimately drowned them. Barbaric is the word I would design to describe her actions. But yet, the jury rejected the death penalty and chose a 30-year sentence instead because majuscule penalization was not enforced in the state. grim up from the death of his 2 children, Mr. Smith said, Me and my family are disappointed that the death penalty was not the verdict. I am going to convince you that capital punishment has to be enforced in all states. I will tell you about the problem, the solution to the problem, and what it would be like if my solution is implemented.The problem is that the present-day(prenominal) criminals that come out these brutal crimes are not fearful enough of the consequences and punishment they have to pay. Life in prison is too easy on the convicts. We have to be harder o n them. Another problem is capital punishment is not imposed in enough states. All of the states need to adopt it in the fall in States for it to be effective. Another dilemma is that it is not fair that an individual who took the bread and butter of another receives heating, shelter, clothing, 3 meals a day, and indoor plumbing while a homeless soulfulness who does not cause any harm to anybody else receives nothing. An additional problem is the current prisons are very low on cell space. The criminals that have life in prison are takin... Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers Susan Smith purposely drove her car off into a lake with her 2 children strapped to the back seats. Think of how they must have felt as the cold water started to fill the car, and then ultimately drowned them. Barbaric is the word I would use to describe her actions. But yet, the jury rejected the death penalty and chose a 30-year sentence instead because capital punishment wa s not enforced in the state. Broken up from the death of his 2 children, Mr. Smith said, Me and my family are disappointed that the death penalty was not the verdict. I am going to convince you that capital punishment has to be enforced in all states. I will tell you about the problem, the solution to the problem, and what it would be like if my solution is implemented.The problem is that the current criminals that commit these brutal crimes are not fearful enough of the consequences and punishment they have to pay. Life in prison is too easy on the convicts. We have to be harder on them. Another problem is capital punishment is not imposed in enough states. All of the states need to adopt it in the United States for it to be effective. Another dilemma is that it is not fair that an individual who took the life of another receives heating, shelter, clothing, 3 meals a day, and indoor plumbing while a homeless person who does not cause any harm to anybody else receives nothing. An ad ditional problem is the current prisons are very low on cell space. The criminals that have life in prison are takin...

Essays --

The populist and nationalist ideology of the Iranian Islamic revolution was attributed to the perception of a plague that has alienated Muslims from their root and identity, and this plague was the Western culture. Western culture was a plague that must be fought and expelled as it influenced many young Iranians and deviate from the interpretation of Islam. To bring choke off the loyalty and faith to Islam as the one accepted way of awakening the oppressed and liberating the Third World from colonialism is a great manifestation of revolt and declaration. Ayatollah Khomeini henpecked the revolution itself declaring that Shia Islam dictated for revolt and martyrdom against injustice and tyranny. He advocated for Muslims to reject the influence of the Soviet and American superpowers in Iran and developed the ideology that Muslims required guardianship. The Islamic jurists must rule to protect Islam from innovation and deviation by following the traditional sharia law and preven t poverty, injustice, and the deprivation of Muslim land by foreign non-believers. The establishment of and the obedience to the Islamic government were considered to be an actual obedience to God that was more necessary than prayer and fasting. The universal principle of true Islam was that the world only needed and deserved a just and true government which was the Islamic government. This revolutionary vision and ideology were supported by Khomeini and a great number of core supporters who were determined to establish a government ruled by Islamic clerics and defeated opposition from the different factions. Americas deep involvement in Iran for many years before the revolution was only for personal gain through government influence and through stamp down of I... ...regimes desire to recreate man was carried out with ideas of order and justice which revealed the true nature of its devastating power. Revolutionary Islamic justice is founded on the rejection of the conceit of the individual as a juridical and moral person and was greatly manifested in the courts of the Islamic Republic as it rejected due motion. Due process considers man as an autonomous and a fallible being and the denial of this logic is denial of due process. Khomeinis regime saw the termination of the earthly concern of many who resisted its ideology and protesting in the name of free will and freedom of conscience. It is therefore concluded that the Islamic rebels against Gods will by denying the population of the very human beings He created that the Revolutionary Islamist justice is ignorant of the true spirit of the traditional Muslim jurisprudence.

Essays --

The populist and nationalist ideology of the Iranian Muslim revolution was attributed to the perception of a plague that has alienated Muslims from their grow and identity, and this plague was the Western culture. Western culture was a plague that must be fought and expelled as it influenced many young Iranians and deviate from the interpretation of Islam. To bring prat the loyalty and faith to Islam as the one adjust way of awakening the oppressed and liberating the Third World from colonialism is a great manifestation of revolt and declaration. Ayatollah Khomeini prevail the revolution itself declaring that Shia Islam dictated for revolt and martyrdom against injustice and tyranny. He advocated for Muslims to reject the influence of the Soviet and American superpowers in Iran and developed the ideology that Muslims required guardianship. The Islamic jurists must rule to protect Islam from innovation and deviation by following the traditional sharia law and prevent poverty , injustice, and the deprivation of Muslim land by foreign non-believers. The establishment of and the obedience to the Islamic government were considered to be an actual obedience to God that was more necessary than prayer and fasting. The universal principle of true Islam was that the world only needed and deserved a just and true government which was the Islamic government. This revolutionary vision and ideology were supported by Khomeini and a great number of core supporters who were determined to establish a government ruled by Islamic clerics and defeated opposition from the different factions. Americas deep involvement in Iran for many years before the revolution was only for personal gain through government influence and through take in of I... ...regimes desire to recreate man was carried out with ideas of order and justice which revealed the true nature of its devastating power. Revolutionary Islamic justice is founded on the rejection of the model of the individua l as a juridical and moral person and was greatly manifested in the courts of the Islamic Republic as it rejected due butt. Due process considers man as an autonomous and a fallible being and the denial of this logic is denial of due process. Khomeinis regime saw the termination of the foundation of many who resisted its ideology and protesting in the name of free will and freedom of conscience. It is therefore concluded that the Islamic rebels against Gods will by denying the mankind of the very human beings He created that the Revolutionary Islamist justice is ignorant of the true spirit of the traditional Muslim jurisprudence.

Crucible: Salem Witch Trials and Elizabeth

The Crucible Elizabeth Proctor Let them that never lied die now to throttle their souls (1353). This quote, speak by John Proctor, in the Crucible represents what the Salem transport Trials were about. The Crucible, written by Aurthur Miller, was a playwright based in the 1600s of the Salem Witch Trials in Province, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials were during the time of McCarthyism McCarthyism suggested people were guilty without hard proof. Elizabeth Proctor was a character in the Crucible that stood by her husband John, plane through the lies, miscommunications, and even his death.Elizabeth was a typical housewife, and h unitaryst women who had many mixed emotions about her marriage. Elizabeth Proctor was a Puritan housewife that tended to her husband and children. She never showed anyone of her emotions. Elizabeth was every was content and kept to herself. She also tried to please John every chance she could. I took great care (1292). This quote taken from the Crucible was Elizabeth do her husband stew afterward a long day. She wanted the stew to be up to standards so that John would be happy with her. In move II Elizabeth had been accused of sending her spirit out. I will fear nothing.Tell the children I had gone to visit someone sick (1307). The line equal here was spoken by Elizabeth after Herrick and Cheever had taken her away to the court to be questioned. Being a good housewife and generate she feels the need to keep on her children happy and not worried. She secerns John not to worry because she knows she is innocent and she will fear nothing (1307). Elizabeth Proctor was John Proctors wife and their childrens mother who looked after everyone else before herself making her a typical housewife. Honesty was a key trait to Elizabeth Proctors personality. Elizabeth had a good heart and never told a lie.When she and John were discussing Abigail and the girls, they knew they were assembly about seeing the devil and being with the devil. Elizabeth Proctor says to John I think you must go to Salem, John I think so. You must tell them it is a fraud (1293). Knowing that the girls are frauds could potentially jeopardize anyone in the community if they didnt tell anyone. She is an aboveboard person who does not want to keep anything hidden. I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man, John only when somewhat bewildered (1295). Elizabeth was honest toward the man she have intercoursed.She knew that he was a good man inside and that no matter what would happen to him that she couldnt be the one to judge his wrong doings. Elizabeth was an honest individual with good morals. Last, Elizabeth had many mixed emotions about her marriage. Elizabeth and John Proctor were in a silent war so to say. John had had an affair with Abigail and to get back at John, Abigail had said Elizabeth Proctor had been with the devil. Elizabeth was furious when she found out about John s affair. Elizabeth screams, Then go and tell her shes a whore. Whatever promise she may sense-break it. John, break it (1299).Elizabeth had told John to tell Abigail this. Elizabeth was hurt and felt betrayed by John, and by telling this to Abigail I think it would live with brought Elizabeth a sense of pride. Elizabeth felt guilty about never showing her emotions to John. In this quote, John, I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me, Suspicion kissed you when I did I never knew how I should say my love. It were a cold house I kept (1295), she expresses that love could never obtain its way to her. When she finally found John she was happy but never showed how happy she was with him.John was going to be killed in the end and he knew it. say Danforth wanted John to sign over his holler that he himself was a witch. John Proctor refused and said that he would not sign away his name for something that wasnt true. When John was taken away to be hang ed, Elizabeth cried and was so sad. They, as a couple, finally had a chance to talk about their love for apiece other. He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him (1358). Elizabeth Proctor spoke about her husband in this quote. He finally did something tidy and lived up to the person she knew he was and she didnt want to take that away from him.John and Elizabeth Proctor had a confusing marriage, but in the end they evaluate each other out. Elizabeth Proctor was a women in the Crucible that was honorable and trustworthy. She made sure her husband died with respect and that she, herself, was also respected. She was a good mother to her children, a good housewife to her family, and learned to be a loving women to her husband John. Elizabeth Proctor may have had mixed emotions about her marriage, but she was honest and a housewife that would do anything to make her family happy and her husband proud.

Project Management Essay

Table of ContentsActivity on the node engagement diagram3Determination of the timing of activities and the total float4 The insure season and the critical deceaseageway5 The earliest ascertain the trade union movement deal be effected given the starting date Monday seventh may 2012..5 The effect on the duration of the whole objectify if..5 Activity F is delayed by cardinal day5Activity N is delayed by one day6Activity O is realised one day early ..6 The limitations of Network diagrams..67 5 12 D 7 0 121. Activity on the node internet diagram5 2 7 C 5 0 70 4 4 A 0 0 44 1 5 B 4 0 512 1 13 E 21 9 2212 6 18 F 16 4 2212 8 20 G 14 2 2212 10 22 H 12 0 2222 10 32 I 22 0 3232 4 36 J 32 0 3636 1 37 K 45 9 4636 6 42 L 40 4 4636 10 46 M 36 0 4636 2 38 N 44 8 4646 4 50 O 46 0 5050 1 51 P 50 0 5151 1 52 Q 51 0 52LegendEarliest start age (EST) Duration Earliest finish time (EFT) Task Latest start time (LST) Total Float Latest finish time (LFT)Critical Path The project duration 52 long timeA, B, C, D, H, I,J,M,O,P,Q2. Determination of the timing of activities and the total floatThe earliest start time (EST), the earliest time at which the node could be reached, and the earliest finish time (EFT), the latest time by which the node must(prenominal) be reached if the project is to finsh by its required completion date, are produced by a forward pass through the network. The first step of the forward pass is calculating the earliest start time, commencing from the unique project start node and finishing at the unique project completion node. The first lying-in of the project is A, hence the earliest start time of task A may be set to energy since no information has been given as to the starting day of the task. The next step is determine the EFT, which is calculated by adding the EST to the duration of the task. Given the duration of exclusively(prenominal) task, the proces of calculating the EFT of every task is quite straight forward assuming that the E ST of every task is the EFT of the previous task. However, when it comes to a merge body process the largest value must be taken.The latest font times, refering to the latest start time (LST) and the latest finish time (LFT), are the times when a infracticular task may commence without delaying the project duration and when the particular task may be completed without delaying the project duration. Usually such times are required when the project has an established target finish date. The latest event times are calculated using the backward pass technique. Such technique begins by determining the latest finish time of the last task of the project completion and works backwards to the start node. Since no inforamtion has been given regarding the target finish date of the project, the LFT of the project is equal to the EFT in which the project can be done. Hence, the LST can be calculated by subtracting theduration from the LFT. Working backwards, the LST of the previous task is to be the EFT of the task with the determined EST. It is important that when it comes to a merge practise the smallest value must be taken.Once the LFT of every task is completed the total float can be calculated by the following formulaTotal float = latest time of finish event earliest time of start event duration3. The project duration and the critical course of studyThe project duration was determined by adding the EST of every task to the durtation of every task carried forward from one task to another. Hence, the longest path determines the duration of the project and therefore establishes the critical path since the longest necessary path through a network of activities when respecting their interdependencies is considered to be critical. Furthermore, the critical path may also be determined as the path with the least(prenominal) float. In fact, the critical path determined above has the least float (0) and the longest duration of the project (52 days).4. The earliest date the project can be completed given the starting date Monday 7th May 2012The earliest finishing time of the project as established in the diagram is that of fifty two days. Given that the project can be completed using a five day working week, therefore it ordain take ten weeks and two days to completethe project. Calculating the weeks and days from the 7th of May 2012, the earliest date in which the project can be completed is on Tuesday 17th July 2012.5. The effect on the duration of the whole project ifa. Activity F is delyaed by one day.The delay in activity F will not affect the duration of the whole project as such because the increase in duration will not exceed the total float of activity F, therefore does not exceed the duration of activity H which forms part of the critical path. Activity F can only affect the duration of the project if it delays by five days as it will surpass the amount of days that the activity is allowed to float.b. Activity N is delayed by one dayThe total float of activity N is that of eighter from Decatur days. Therefore, the amount of days that activity N will be delayed does not affect the duration of the project. In this case, in order for the duration of the projet to be effected the delay time of activity N has to be of nine days as it will surpass the duration of activity M which is part of the critical path.c. Activity O is completed one day earlyGiven that the activity forms part of the critcal path, therefore the duration of the project will be affected not only by being completed early but also if the activity had to delay since the total float is that of zero. In this case, since the activity will be carried out one day sooner than expected, the project will be completed one day early and the duration of the project will be that of fifty one days instead of fifty two days.6. The limitations of Network diagramsIn project managent network diagrams have several advantages when it comes to computer programing projects . One major advantage is that it helps project managers identify the most important activities which may affact the project schedule. However, such diagrams have also limitations to their use in computer programming a project. For large projects a network diagram may not be the ideal scheduling technique because of several activities and dependencyrelationships that can patch up the diagram complex to carry out and difficult for other employees to understand.Furthermore, if the plan of the project changes during the completion of the project, the precendence network will have to be done all over again. In addition, such diagram therefore, may be considered as a time consuming technique. The techniuqe may also take too frequently to identify all activities and inter-relate them to multiple project paths.Network diagrams may also not be suitable for first time projects because if project cannot be humbled down into distinctive activities with known duratrion for every activity the n the precendence diagram cannot be drawn. The most critical factor is the duration because on a tender project the duration for certain activities may be difficult to estimate, hence the network diagram may be far from actual.Another limitation of network diagrams is when a shift of resource occurs. When the network diagram encounters re-allocation of resources such as employees being transfered from one acvtiviy to another, the activity completion time may be changed because of period or other relevant reasons and the plan of the project may be disrupted.A network diagram may consist of parallel paths with the same durations. This is considered to be a problem within such diagram because project teams may find it diffuclt to chooose the most critical activities, hence create uncertainty on which path will be the critical path within the project. This may also cause the project teams to disagree as one team may postulate one path to be critical and the another team may choose th e other path to be the critical path.

Discussing Hiroshima

Hiroshima by John Hersey provides the reader with a front row lay about(predicate) to the devastation that nuclear power can cause. This book tells the story of the barrageing of Hiroshima, Japan on that fateful day in August, 1945, through the eyes of assorted survivors. Through the eyes of those survivors, we are able to see a glimpse of the horror that occurred on August 6th, 1945. We are able to see how devastating atomic power can be, not only structur exclusivelyy and physically, but also the long term repercussions as well. The force of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 was absolutely devastating.The pressure from the explosion varied from 5. 3 to 8. 0 tons per square yard, and had more power than 20,000 tons of TNT. The bombs blast was impellent enough to move gravest superstars, knock over railroad cars, and move concrete bridges. The heat of the bomb at its center must(prenominal) have been 6,000i Celsius. The bomb caused concrete to become discolored to a light, reddish tint, had scaled off the surface of granite. . . and left prints of the shadows left by its light. Over 2,500 yards away from the center, a shadow was run aground that had been intercommunicate by the handle of a gas pump. There were also a few vague human silhouettes found near the center.Over 62,000 buildings were destroyed, and nearly 6,000 were devastated beyond repair. In the heart of the city. . . only five modern buildings. . . could be used again without major repairs. Houses had been knocked down, whole city blocks had collapsed, fire engulfed everything, and gas storage tanks went up in a tremendous burst of flames. There was four square miles of a reddish-brown scar where everything burned down. On the roadways there were hundreds of crumpled bicycles, shells of streetcars and automobiles, all halted in mid-motion. Of the 245, 000 heap that lived in Hiroshima when the bomb dropped, 100,000 died and another 100,000 were wound.Th is number was much greater than the original estimate that 78,150 people had died, 13,983 were missing, and 37,425 had been injured. As more and more corpses were aged from the wreckage, the death toll raised to over 100,000. It is calculated that about 25 per cent had died of direct burns from the bomb, about 50 per cent from other injuries, and about 20 per cent as a result of radiation effects. Of those that died, there were hundreds of school girls who had been enlisted to clear fire lanes, 65 out of 150 doctors, 1,654 out of 1,780 nurses died (or were to injured to work), and at the Red Cross Hospital there were only 6 doctors and 10 nurses able to work. The injuries sustained from the bombing were primarily burns, but also injuries from locomote debris. Some burns had formed patterns onto persons skin as white clothing repelled the heat of the bomb and dark clothes absorbed it and conducted it to the skin. Burns caused directly by the bomb itself caused a persons skin to sli p off in huge glove like pieces. The burns were rootage yellow, then red and swollen, with the skin sloughed off, and finally. . . suppurated and smelly. Upon coming crosswise 20 soldiers, it was stated that their faces were wholly burned, their eye sockets were hollow and the fluid from their melted eyes had run down their cheeks. Their mouths were mere swollen, pus covered wounds. . . Nausea and puking were profound, caused by the odor of ionization. . . given off by the bombs fission. more a(prenominal) more drowned in the river while trying to escape the raging fires.Once in the river, the found themselves to weak or injured to badly to cross and drowned when the tide came in. Many people were told that there is no hope for the heavily wound. They will die. We cant bother with them. answer was primarily given to the lightly wounded as it took less time, and therefore, more lives could be saved. For the most part, only saline and iodine were used to treat injuries, as th ere was a severe shortage of medical supplies. There were thousands of injured persons that had no one to help them.Although people were dying by the hundreds, there was secret code to carry away the corpses. The scene of hospitals was that of the living laying among the dead, and in their state of shock it was difficult to tell them apart. Doctors were overwhelmed with the thousands of patients sprawled out among the corpses. Although there were many that were gruesomely wounded, there were also many that died while having no apparent injuries. The remains of the deceased were eventually cremated, the placed in envelopes with their name upon it.Time was taken to do this because disposal of the dead, by decent cremation and enshrinement, is a greater moral responsibility to the Japanese than adequate care of the living. The few who were not seriously injured tangle a sense of guilt for their lack of injuries. Many people only helped their own family, unable to comprehend or tole rate a wider circle of misery. ferocity and shock began to set in, many became numb to their surroundings. They were so emotionally worn out that nothing could surprise them. To many the bombing almost seemed a ingrained disaster. . . as the terrible aftermath and human suffering reached so far beyond human understanding. Many of the survivors suddenly felt sick about one month after the bomb was dropped.They came down with the strange, capricious disease which came later to be known as radiation sickness. This unprecedented disease had 3 stages. The first stage was a direct reaction to the bomb going off. These were the many apparently uninjured people who died so mysteriously in the first few hours or days. This is what killed 95 per cent of the people within a half mile of the center of where the bomb was dropped, and many thousands who were farther away. Although they may have had burns, these people died from the radiation, not the burns. The radiation caused their nucle i to degenerate, basically, every cell in their body broke down. The second stage of radiation sickness began 10-15 days after the bombing. Signs exhibited include hair loss, diarrhea, and fever. Then 25-30 days after the bombing, new symptoms began to develop. These symptoms included blood disorders, a drastic drop in white blood cell weigh (WBC), a rise in infections due to the drop of WBC, hemorrhages, slow healing of simple wounds, and anemia.The third stage followed after, and lasted anywhere from one week to several months or longer. The primary symptom was the fluctuation in the white blood cell count. After the WBC had stabilized, wounds would finally begin to heal. As the burns healed, keloid scars formed. keloid scars were hideously ugly, thick, itchy, rubbery, copper-red crablike growths. There was, at that time, no reliable literature on treatment for these scars. Doctors found that if they removed the keloids, the often returned. Yet, if left untreated, the keloids wo uld sometimes become infect and affect the surrounding muscles.The survivors also had a higher incidence of leukemia- 10 to 50 times higher than the norm. Other types of cancer were also higher among the survivors. Many survivors developed A-bomb cataracts, childrens growth was stunted, as well as various long term heath problems like anemia, liver dysfunction, sexual problems, endocrine disorders, and speed up aging. The Japanese tended to shy away from the term survivors. . .. and instead referred to them as hibakusha, or explosion affected persons. The hibakushas lived in an economic limbo as the Japanese regime didnt want to acknowledge them.By not acknowledging them, the government didnt have to accept moral responsibility for the heinous acts of the victorious United States. At this point, the anger of many hibakusha. . . modulated towards their own government. There were no special provisions provided for the hibakusha until 1957. In 1957, the A-Bomb Victims Medical C are Law was established. This provided support, free medical treatment, and eventually monthly allowances for the hibakushas. However, many hibakushas initially rejected it as they had a suspicion of ulterior motives. Employers developed a prejudice against the hibakusha due to their A-Bomb sickness a plain weakness and weariness, dizziness now and then, digestive troubles, all aggravated by a feeling of oppression, a sense of doom. . . Surprisingly, there was a divided smell about the use of the bomb on Hiroshima. Father Siemes stated that, Some of us consider the bomb in the same category as poisonous substance gas and were against its use on a civilian population. Others were in the opinion that in total war. . . there was no difference between civilians and soldiers. . . Hiroshima was engulfed by devastation from the instant the atomic bomb went off, and for many years to follow. Over 100,000 lost their lives, and the survivors, or hibakusha, lost the lives they once knew. A s we move forward with new technology, we must look to the ahead to see the future outcomes new technologies could hold. Hopefully, as we look to the future, we remember that atomic power can be devastating. It is amazing that something so miniature could nearly level an entire city, cost thousands their lives, and still has reverberating effects long after the dust has settled.

Corporate Entrepreneurship Essay

BackgroundUS Broadcasting IndustryThe US media perseverance was the wink largest commercialise around world at $255.1 billion and was forecast to grow at a compound annual harvest-feast rate of 2.3 percent till 2017. in spite of appearance the media industry, broadcasting and TV was the largest category with a marketplace of $142.6 billion. The industry players were competing mainly with one a nonher for viewership to drive advertising revenue which was the primary source of pro cracks. The handed-d admit advertising driven logical argument shape started to shift due to a few trends. for the first m of all, in that respect were more ways for broadcasting advertisers to reach customers. The reform-minded consumerization of technologies such as social media tools had contributed to this trend. Secondly, red-hot technology products made it possible for users to skip advertising.Thirdly, the content creation was getting localized and the audience was fragmenting. Fourthly , more tv set advertising was purchased through consolidated conglomerates which had different resources with better insights approximately their target audiences. Lastly, the switch from analogue to digital TV broadcasting non only guide to multicasting with more channels but as well as made the industry more prospering for bleak entrants. In general, the technologies were putting so much pressures on the handed-down business of this industry.Latinos in the USThere were to a fault unique factors for this largest minority group in US. Firstly, the Latinos were growing at 8 times the rate of the non-Latino universe and contributed to nearly 17% of US wide-cut population. Other than that, the per capita income of US Latinos were higher than any of the BRIC and households and was growing at a faster rate than the number of total households in US. Thirdly, Latinos were on the path of acculturation and they were leading dual lives. However, the Latinos formed only 6% of the tot al market pie as an audience and on that point did pull round a huge gap. As a result, Latino market had truly become the well-nigh potential market segment for various industries.Entravision, Luminar and the broad informationEntravision, which had 56 TV stations and 49 radio stations in most popular Latino markets across US in 2013, was the largest independent general media company focused principally on the US Latino audience. Regards all the strong integrated performances and growths, Franklin Rios and Walter Ulloa, the founding chairman of Entravision, had agreed on to set up an uninflecteds division called Luminar in Entravision. The main objective of Luminar was to act as the first mover which would leverage Big information analytics at Entravision to passing game exceptional selling and advertising products as well as lead Entravision to transmute from a media company into an information and analytics company.SituationRios understood the impacts both the techno logical trends and the Latino demographic trends had made to the US broadcasting industry. He understood that the traditional market research tools had limitations which would not help him to further rend insights from the US Latino market and the search for alternatives led him to the Big Data. His Big Data initiative was powerfully supported by Ulloa as he believed that leveraging Big Data at Entravision could not only help them to fully understand the Latino market to extract its huge potential values but also serves as a new-fashioned element of corporate strategy to lead Entravision to stand out from its traditional media industry competitors. As a result, Rios and Ulloa decided to read Luminar as the Big Data analytic division at Entravision.At the same time, Ulloas own interest in the launch of Luminar we driven by these 4 objectives Entravision should qualify from a media company into an information and analytics company. Laminar would be the centerpiece of such a transf ormation of Entravision. The new data driven access code of Luminar would complement the traditional survey driven approach of Entravision. Luminar would in the long run to be a new revenue stream for Entravision. As the first mover in the space without any competitor in sight, Luminar and Entravision had gained strategic advantages over their competitors.Using the Socio-technical framework to further understand Luminar and Entravisions positions under the Big Data environment, it is consequential to consider Entravision and Luminaries respectively and then collectively to evaluate how almost they align with each otherEntravisionStructure A listed company, multiple broadcasting stations, with traditional corporate function units such as Finance, Marketing, R&D, Sales and etc. People Nearly 1,000 employees, familiar with the old industry norms, believe qualitative data was more important than denary data. IT Majorly TV and Radio, mobile, digital, web, other interactive media Proc ess All kinds of traditional ways of kicking values to customers, community involvement, local content creation.LuminarStructure juvenile corporate enterprisership, division of Entravision, President Rios reporting directly to Ulloa, initial investments all from parent company People Exposed to technologies and innovations, data driven, IT Huge amount of data from various sources, Hortonworks, MapReduce, high performance data analysis platform Process New revenue streams, data analytics, using various algorithmsFrom the above Socio-technical framework analysis, there were huge differences between Entravision and Luminar in terms of structure, great deal, IT and process. Also, this distinct misalignment could seed potential roadblocks for Luminars future growth.ProblemsRios was truly facing some problems before the launch of Luminar. First of all, the growth target set by Ulloa for Luminar to generate 10% of the revenues of Entravision in 5 years was achievable but was too aggres sive and pressuring. He was positive that with no competitors in the market Luminar could reach this target, however, he did need more time to sort out other problems. Secondly, unbalanced interests lead him to question about theeffectiveness of Luminars structure fit into Entravision as a fully embedded division. Moreover, there was no proper performance measurement system existing at that moment for Luminar to build up the credibility both cozyly and outside(a)ly.Furthermore, although Luminar could approach natively or externally, there was still no clear counselor-at-law for Luminar regarding how to leverage Big Data analytics at Entravision. Lastly, Rios was also worried about how he could live on a first mover advantage for Luminar and the business model could not easily been imitated by competitors. Based on all the issues Rios were concerning, the fundamental problem should lied on that there were no sexual buy-in at Entravision because people were skeptical about Lum inar. Therefore, how to successfully securing congenital buy-in became extremely critical to Luminars sustainable long term growth.AnalysisObviously, for Entravision, it had stable business and constant growth for years. At the same time, the strong demographic trend of Latino group was bringing more and more opportunities for future business of Entravision. Furthermore, the traditional marketing regularity based on qualitative data were still believed to be reliable. As a result, there was no evidence of any burning platform at Entravision and thus no urgency for any organizational transport. The socio-technical framework analysis in the situation part also shows that there were distinct misalignments between Luminar and Entravision regarding the 4 organizational aspects including structure, people, IT and processes. These misalignments indicates that it could be really hard for Entravision people to understand, accept and then support what Luminar was about to do. Securing inte rnal buy-in Entravision was really critical to Luminar. First of all, as its entrepreneur division, Entravision would be committing currency for the launch of the Big Data initiative and its growth.The notes would be provided to Luminar on annual basis. Thus, if the internal buy-in was not in place, Luminars funds for growth would not be guaranteed regardless the performance of Luminar. Secondly, one of the major(ip) objectives for establishing Luminar was to make it as a central part of corporate strategy to transform Entravision from a traditional media companyto an information and analytics company. Rios and Ulloa had to admit that this was also an attempt to potpourri the underlying corporate culture of Entravision and culture change has been considered as the most challenging part for any organization change. Without internal buy-in, the transformation efforts would quickly fade out without changing the DNA of Entravision. Thirdly, the new data driven approach of Luminar was expected to be complemented with the traditional survey driven approach of Entravision. Without internal support from Entravision R&D department, Luminar would not be able to come up with more integrated and systematic solutions to its customer and offer its customer with better and insightful marketing solutions to target at the US Latino group.In addition, Luminar relied strongly on the partnership with Entravision. Entravisions market experiences as well as customer relationships could provide Luminar with a very resourceful platform to start their sales. If Luminar could not secure internal buy-in from department such as Marketing, Luminar would not be able to leverage this resourceful platform to make itself as a new revenue stream for Entravision. When we look derriere at the minor problems in the previous section that Rios was trying to figure out, it seems that most of them were resulted from the major issue that there were no internal buy-in in place.For example, Rios was wondering what kind of structural fit Luminar should be, what caused this was exactly the different interests from internal stakeholders. If they all the internal stakeholders were supporting Luminar, the anticipated structural fit for Luminar to be a strategic division in Entravision should be the win-win solution. Other than that, Rios concern on performance milestones was also caused by the lack of internal buy-in because Rios demand to lead Luminar to achieve those milestones to establish credibility with not only with customers but also with employees of Entravision.Decision Criteria1 Financial stablenessThe first criteria for evaluating the stovepipe excerption is financial stability. Although Luminar was different from traditional type of startup companies which were always looking for sources of funds, Luminar still facedpressures from losing support from Ulloa and Entravision. If there was not any operable substitution for funds available for Luminar, Luminar should t ry to ensure the current committed funds from Entravision.2 Remove resistances from R&D, finance and sales department indispensable resists came primarily from the three sources which are R&D, finance and sales departments. The winning option should effectively remove the roadblocks from all of these 3 departments. Luminar absolutely needed corporations from these 3 departments to support its long term growth. The R&D would be providing human and technical resources for Luminar to develop the Big Data analytic solutions. The finance department would be responsible for funding Luminar and measuring its performance. Sales department would help Luminar approach its new products and solutions to Entravisions existing customers as well as any new potential customers.3 Sustain long term culture changeThis criteria requires the option to be able to sustain long term culture change inside Entravision. Basically, the option could further help the Entravision employee understand what Big Da ta is and what kind of benefits Big Data could bring to them. If the Entravision employees started to realize the solutions based on quantitative data is better than the traditional norms based on the qualitative data, they would start to accept Big Data and Luminar and finally start to change the culture.4 Potence of creating business synergies and new revenue streams. This criteria is used to evaluate if the options have potential to create business synergies and new revenue streams. The Luminar was not even started so everything was still unknown. As a result, one of the easiest ways to secure internal buy-in would be showing that the option had potential to create business synergies and new revenue streams.The above 4 criteria are listed according to their priorities. Criteria 1 must be well-provided as it is critical to all new business adventure. Criteria 2 also needs to be satisfied because unable to remove those major resistances could directly result in failing the process of securinginternal buy-in. Criteria 3 also needs to be satisfied as it could further strengthen the internal buy-in by eventually encoding the data analytics into Entravisions DNA. The last criteria is also important as satisfying it could deliver Entravision with even higher level of confidence in Luminar.OptionsSince Luminar was not even started, the proposed options here are basically strategic proposals that Rios could present to Ulloa and the board of directors to show how he could possibly secure the internal buy-in.1 Luminar as an independent startup company and acts as a strategic partner with Entravision For this option, Rios would propose that Luminar to become a separate company and maintain an arms-length with Entravision. As an independent startup company, Luminar would acquire its own resources such as R&D, HR, Operation, Marketing and Sales. With initial funds from Entravision, Luminar could go out and seek more venture capitals for its build up and future developme nt. At the same time, the company can focus on its own corporate vision and objectives without worrying about any resistances from Entravision.As a strategic partner with Entravision, Luminar could still take advantage from Entravisions resourceful platform. For this option, since Luminar did not have any prototype available and with only the ideas in Rios mind, it could be really hard for Luminar to seek external venture capitals. In the meantime, securing funds from Entravision executives would also become harder as it is no longer a part of Entravision. As a result, this option has very high risk in securing the financial stability and could not satisfy the first criteria. Luminar would no longer act as a change agent in Entravision if it becomes independent. Thus this option would also not meet criteria 3. Although this option strongly satisfying criteria 2, it still can be easily opted out as it does not meet the most important criteria 1 and 3.2 Luminar as a strategic division and focus on leveraging Big Data externally For this option, Luminar would keep the current structure fit to be a strategic division of Entravision. At the same time, Luminar wouldfocus on leveraging Big Data externally by targeting with external customers. Rios already had initiatives in mind and he planned to develop three specific products based on Big Data at Luminar. The first product would be Analytics which could interpret data to help clients target their customers better. The second product would be a service that could cookie-tize offline transactions data to merge with online data and altogether to alter clients to expand the scope of their digital market. The ordinal product could improve the accuracy of social media to provide customers with more fine-grind market insights.Rios would initially use the three new products to aim at blue chip marketers and advertisers who were Entravision customers and provide them with competitive advantages. For this option, as long a s Luminar could generate topline performance, Entravision would continue to invest in Luminar. As a result, this option satisfy criteria 1 as it keeps Entravision as the best investor to keep financial stability. Luminars focus on external customers might not effectively remove the resistance from its R&D department. However, by targeting at the blue chip key customers, any successful sales closure could turn the marketing team from resistance to support.Regarding the financial department, as long as the revenue starts to come in, CFO and the financial folks would start to believe in Luminar. Thus, for the second criteria, this option could partially satisfy it. For the third criteria, as most of Entravision employees were still not able to see the benefits that Big Data could bring to them and with remaining major resistance from R&D department, this option could not effectively sustain the long term culture change. For the criteria 4, this option successfully satisfy it as it woul d by all odds create new revenue streams for Entravision.3 Further leveraging Big Data at Entravision through internal innovations. This option is basically built on the top of option 2 and Lumina would further leveraging Big Data internally. Luminar would still focus strongly on the existing external customers and developing those 3 products for offering. Other than that, Luminar would design and develop tools and solutions specifically tailored to internal departments. For example, Luminar could develop Big Data initiatives to help finance department to tracking real time cash flows as well as forecasting budgets. For HRdepartment, solutions could be created for helping them in team building and performance evaluation. For sales department, Big Data could also help them in inventory management, forecasting, relationship management, closing deals and etc. Regarding the R&D department, Luminar could also offer solutions which were basically better than what they were having.Meanwhi le, Luminar could work with R&D department to achieve predictive analytics in the future. For this option, it would boost the corporate performance through both internal and external initiatives. It could definitely satisfy criteria 1. For criteria 2, this option further indicates what Luminar and Big Data could bring to those 3 departments. With both the external performance and internal benefits, the 3 departments would likely to start buy-in and thus this criteria is also satisfied.For the third criteria, this option allows Lumina to distinguish most number of early adopters throughout the corporation and they could simply help with spreading the DNA out to rest of the corporation to sustain the long term culture change. For the last criteria, this option is truly able to show that Luminar would be potential to create business synergies by offering various internal initiatives and new revenue streams through those 3 mentioned products targeting external customers.By comparing all of the above options, approaching the third option seems the most favorable as it satisfy all of the four criteria. When Rios was about to propose this option to Ulloa and the board of directors, they would be confident that Luminar could successfully remove the resistances and secure sufficient internal buy-in.PlanShort term 6 months to 1 yearFor the short term, Rios should clearly propose the winning option to Ulloa and rest of the board of directors. He needed to explain the proposal with great details which would help the directors to carry forward his ideas and messages down to each department of Entravision. The next thing Rios should do was to officially establish Luminar and start seeking for the resources to build up his team. The DNA of the Entravision was not analytical, thus,it would be better to attract resources from outside of Entravision. At the same time, Luminar should target at hiring analytic resources with strong Latino background as they know how to generate b etter insights from the Latino market. By end of the 6th month, Luminar should have the core team successfully built. After that, Luminar should start the data acquisition tasks.The process he envisioned involved building a database of US adults and a subset of Latino adults in US. Then, Luminar would extract data from social media tools such as blogs, tweets and YouTube. Together, this would generate, from preliminary reckoning, about 125 terabyte of living, breathing data which could be analyzed in real time. overtaking forward, the data would be ingested into Hortonworks along with algorithms such as MapReduce and Luminar customized ones to profile consumer types with a high degree of precision. This fundamental technical platform for Big Data analytic should be established and tested to be reliable by end of year 1.Medium term 1 year -3 yearsStarting this period, Luminar should pull in representatives from each internal department and work together on the development of both e xternal customer facing products as well as the internal customer facing products. Those representatives should be people welcome to any change and they would also be responsible for acting as the change agents for their corresponding departments. Those 3 products targeting at external customers should receive higher priority. By end of mid of year 2, the prototypes of the 3 products should be ready for test. Sales team should working closely with Luminar and get involved in the product development process. The reason why promoting sales team involvement is that it would offer enough information and training for them to change their messages to pitch customers.And by end of year 2, the final delivery of these 3 products should be ready for any potential business opportunity to generating revenue. After the external products were developed, Luminar would shift their efforts to focus on developing those internal products. Those representatives from each department should be involved w ithin the development process and feed update back to their own departments. By end of the mid of year 3, prototypes for internal products should be ready for testing and initial training. By end of the year 3, the final internal products should be in production and fullscale of training should be in place.Organizational change effort could be started parallelly in this period with the product development. Successful transformational change must have supports from the c-level, as a result, Rios should work with Ulloa to secure buy-in within board of directors and executives to support the organization culture change. Kotters 8 steps could be used to direct the change process.By end of this period, Luminar should be able to successfully secure large scale internal buy-in and would offer them a health and sustainable environment for future growth.Long term 3 5 yearsIn this long term period, with further acceptance of internal products within various departments, analytical DNA shoul d started to spread over through word of mouth, performance dashboards and etc. The culture change process should also benefit from the above achievement. For Luminar, its primary objectives in this term would be maintain and improve both the external and internal products. At the same time, Luminar would focus on revenue growth and work hard to achieve that 10 percent of total revenues of Entravision by end of the fifth year. If Luminar turned out to be a successful corporate entrepreneurship adventure, Entravision should make Luminar as an example in the future to leverage another corporate entrepreneurship to facing any future revolutionary industry change.

Nursing Board Examinations Scam: Impact to Practice

The American Dream is in the hands of all nurses around the globe as the U.S. is now face up a chronic treat dearth with a projected RN shortage of much or less 800,000 in year 2020 (Buerhaus et al., 2000). The shortage of nurses that the U.S. health portion out industry necessitate to fill up hits hundreds of thousands as the shortage continues despite rising wages of nurses.The health care industry has bemoaned the nurse shortage for more than than a decade, and that more ordain be needed for additional patients as the Baby Boom generation ages. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected in 2005 that more than 3.1 million registered nurse jobs would be available by 2014, which would add an additional 700,000 new jobs for nurses (Moore, 2007).The United resigns has ramped up its importation of foreign-trained nurses mainly themed from Africa (mainly Nigeria and South Africa), India, Canada and the Philippines (Vujicic, 2004). U.S. hospitals and health care agencies choose the Philippines because the country is a former American colony with school curriculum based on the American education system, classes are taught in English and nurses earn a four-year bachelors degree, sometimes more than what American nurses obtain.Thus, the learning curve for Philippine-trained nurses in the United States is minimal (Jenkins, 2003). The Filipino nurses work ethics is the primary intellectual why they comprise 83 percent of foreign nurses in America and are the most preferred by hospitals, doctors clinics and care homes according to U.S. National Council of State notices of care for (NCSBN) (Bondoc, 2007). The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) reported that there are around 90,000 Filipino nurses in the United States. Every year 12,000 to 14,000 Filipino nurses transmigrate to the U.S. (OPS, 2007).Nurses licensing examinations is offered a long to bring more foreign-born nurses to the U.S. and help alleviate the acute nursing shortage th at is crippling American health care. Most of the foreigners taking the compulsory U.S. licensing nursing exam came from the Philippines, India, Canada, Nigeria, Korea, United Kingdom and Commonwealth of States (formerly USSR) according to National Council of State identity cards of Nursing. Of those, more than half were from the Philippines, which educate thousand more nurses than what the country needs (Friess, 2002).The U.S. is a net importer of medical and nursing professionals from the Philippines. The issue on the June 2006 nursing mount exam leak in the Philippines has snowballed, settling on a ask to Filipino nurses credibleness and ability in the provision of health care and safety to American Community, not only to solve nursing shortage crisis in America.This paper discusses the important issue of irregularities in nursing board exams. After introducing the topic, a discussion on the essence of nursing ethics is made. The next instalment briefly presents the recent Philippine Nursing Board exam to the U.S. nursing be micturate, followed by a critical analysis on this issue. The summary, conclusions and recommendations are presented in the rifle section.In Respect to the Nursing InsigniaThe nursing insignia, although it disappears, the meaning still embarks the true identity of the nurse in the nursing practice as a health care provider with caring attitude possess knowledge symbolizes by the nursing cap, the crowning glory of intelligence and the uniform is a picture undefiled of purity and cleanliness living with ethics and morale which are molded inside the nursing school.Although the profession of nursing is as ancient as medicine, and may imbibe the greatest right to the Cup of Hygieia as its symbol, most of the nursing tradition use a lamp or candle, which is not only in memory of Florence Nightingale, solely which represents the light of knowledge, the central emblem of attribute health care.The level of knowledge of nursing graduat es is measured by nursing board examsa licensure examination to eligibly practice the nursing profession. The exam regulates the legal nursing practice as a profession by assessing the basic nursing level competency which considers the objectives of the nursing curriculum, the broad areas of nursing and other related disciplines and competencies.The integrity of foreign licensing systems ultimately affects the health and safety of patients in the United States, a primary consideration of CGFNS in its map in evaluating candidates under U.S. immigration law (The Manila Times, 2007).Impact of Philippine Nursing Board Exam outflowage to U.S. Nursing PracticeThe Philippines is the leading source of nurses to the United States, with several thousand Filipino nurses migrating there each year. However, the U.S. National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) delayed their approval for the Philippines accreditation as a testing mi dway of the U.S. National Commission on Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for nurses.The shelved application is caused by the direct repercussion of the nursing board exam leak scandal. It lie two hours of grilling earlier on Philippine assurances of exam security and housecleaning after fraud marred its own nursing board tests sustain June 2006 (Bondoc, 2007).The United States Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) obliged all Filipino nurses with 2006 licenses, who wished to work in the US, to retake the two sets of tests that investigators said were leaked to several nursing review centers in Manila, the Philippine capital (Cabreza, 2007). The retake of the tests is to allow nurses who passed the leak-tainted 2006 nursing board and are wishing to work in the United States to secure UV Visa-Screen certificates as required by the CGFNS (Rodis, 2007).The Philippines status as one of the worlds top producers of nurses could be threatened as it significantly tainted the credibility of Filipino nurses abroad due to the recent examinations irregularities. The scandal allegedly gnarled leakage materials of the June 2006 Philippine nursing board examinations of at least 200 questions. near members of the nursing board were accused of receiving bribes from the owners of nursing review centers in exchange for leaking some test questions (Asian peace-loving Post, 2007).Sometime after the board exam was held, the whistleblowers who overt the said irregularity wrote to the PRC in June 2006 to report that handwritten copies of two sets of examination were circulated among examinees who took their review at a particular review center during the existent examination period (Cabreza, 2007). The initial charges were made by students who said that the president of the Philippine Nurses Association, who apparently is the owner and director of a nursing review center and a nursing school, had given the exam questions to students who had taken his coaching c lasses with the final coaching at SM Cinema in Manila (The Filipino behave Newspaper, 2007).Many of the whistleblowers who exposed fraud have decided to take a new licensure test to remove the stigma of the scandal (Cabreza, 2007). Only 68.96% (9,198) have passed the nursing board retake out of 13,338 nurses who voluntarily retook, concluded that the quality of education is becoming a real issue, especially in light of the recent cheating/leak in the said board exams (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2007 Rodis, 2007).After the said disclosures were made, officials and industry experts cautioned that the countrys status as one of the top sources in the world for nurses would ineluctably be adversely affected (Conde, 2006). In fact, this scandal has already demonstrated far-reaching impact on Filipino nursesaside from some untoward incidents regarding racial diversity in primetime American showsindicating that such scandal inevitably involved the entire Philippines.For one, one episode of the hit ABC series Desperate Housewives involved Teri Hatcher diss the Filipino community when she malignly depicted that Philippine medical schools are producing substandard, inferior andworseinept medical practitioners. Another is Jay Lenos similar remark on his late night show The Tonight Show. Unfortunately, the above incidents gave rise to some political humors across America.A Critical AnalysisThe nursing board exam leak scandal in the Philippines brought legal, ethical and political issues confronting professional nursing today, including in the U.S., as the Philippines is its prime source of manpower to address the ever-escalating shortage of nurses. Better compensation packagesor patently a better life for the nurse and her/his familyhave been achieved notwithstanding ethical and moral of standards of nurses everywhere.The Philippines has had a long storey of corruption and low standards of ethics especially in politics and business. The Philippine nursing schools di ploma mills and review centers, for years, have been earning significantly, capitalizing on the nursing shorted in the developed world. In a country where cheating with impunity has become the norm rather than the exception and where remittances from exported skilled professionals literally keep the economy afloat, the leaks that marred the stopping brain nursing board exam and the desperate effort to preserve the examinations credibility in the aftermath were bound to find.The issue of the scandal is the issue of pathetic dreamers who injure the long-untainted credibility of the nursing institutions in the new era in spare for some cheap dollars. That there was a leak in the Board of Nursing exams is nothing more than a symptom of the nations deep cancers.However, the response of the academe, the Board of Nursing, the NCLEX, the CGFNS, the hospitals, the physicians and the other professionals abroad could form part of the cure. In fact, indications are that there is a collectiv e effort of many quarters to do directly address the issue. For one, the resignation of the president and the vice president of the Philippine Nursing Association and the Board of Nursing would properly set the tone for reforms within the nursing practice as well as in the academe.The report that some prestigious hospitals, clinics and recruitment agencies around the globe would not accept Nursing graduates from 2006 unless steps were taken to ensure that they indeed are worthy of the title of Registered Nurse, and the battle beingness waged by deans of prestigious nursing schools to stop the Philippines Professional Regulation Commission from administering the professional oath to successful examinees until the issue is resolved, all provides some sense of trust that there are still many among who refuse to allow precious nursing institution from prostituting itself.This is not an accident that this resolve has come from those involved in caring for peoples health. It reflects a sentiment now sweeping across the country and other concerned countries among health professionals. It has little to do with dollar remittances and the promise of a good life.Hence, this battle to preserve the integrity and credibility of the nursing board exam is much more than that. It goes beyond making sure that the nurses who assist in the operating room or administer medicines to patients dont end up doing harm, although this is a big part of the issue. The battle is but a part of a big struggle to restore decency, integrity, and honor in country long-plagued by political instability and economic woes.The nursing insignia is being deprived of its cleanliness and purity of morale and intelligence. The sporty uniform is being stained with the filth of dishonesty and devious acts of betrayal to the nursing profession as the profession of cleanliness and purity. The light of knowledge taught by nursing schools has been diminished with darkness and blindness in the search for g reener pastures.The real oppression is to the successful examinees who did not cheat, the hardships should not been paved with shame just because they are being called to participate in something beyond themselves. The only way cheating can be avoided in the future would be if those investigating the leak could pinpoint those who benefited from them and have only these persons retake the subjects. Needless to say, the perpetrators must be punished.It was Gandhi who said that our values become our destiny. What will happen to the destiny of those nurses with prejudiced values and what will happen if those nurses will hold the health of the American community? What will be the destiny of the American health care system if the healthcare providers credibility remains a big question?The nursing exam scandal is an opportunity to rediscover and reclaim the values that have been forced to be denied and even discardedjust for the sake of surviving. This unfortunate scandal can, however, pro ve to be one of the greatest blessings for this nation, because it might finally drive home the point that there can be no true progress and success unless they have their hearts in the right place. Call it a counterculture of sorts, or simply a natural reaction to anything in excess.But the fact is that all over the Philippines, doctors, nurses and other health professionals are starting to heed the call to be more than just healers. There is a growing realization that Filipino nurses must use their professions to help begin a revolution of the heart from the canful up. It might be the only way to eventually force genuine change at the top.Summary, Conclusions & RecommendationsThe American Dream, the reverie of greener pasture in the land of milk and honey, has driven the perpetuators to commit the crime against nursing profession and the morality. The opportunities brought about by nursing shortage and nursing exodus has forced the nursing system failures.The quality of nursing e ducation is becoming the real issue as there are 460 nursing schools in the Philippines and 50 of which have already been ordered by the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines to be closed down as nothing more than diploma mills (Rodis, 2007). The exam fraud was but a part of the bigger problem of nursing.And there is also the issue of poor education. Schools, cashing in on a surge of enrolments from news of a nurse shortage in America, were churning out around 80,000 graduates per year. But only 32,000 or so are able to pass the board test, and only 2,000 easily pop out jobs in top hospitals (Bondoc, 2007). The nursing shortage is not the number one problem in America, but if one takes a closer look, this may hold water to a greater problem of hiring half-baked nurses.The illicit release of exam questions in the Philippines is an indication of deeper problems plaguing the Philippine health care system. Desperate to pass the nursing exam and work abroad, many studen ts easily fall victim to such scams. Diploma mill nursing schools and review centers have exploited this desperation and will do anything to compete for more students and more profits. In the end, the quality of nursing education, profession and the whole health care system suffers.Nurses in the United States involved directly or indirectly in the recruitment of nurses from the Philippines should consider only candidates with a minimum two- to three-year work experience and completely desist from hiring fresh graduates. By doing so, the Filipino nursing community in the United States would help ensure the continued flow of only qualified and well-trained professionals into the American healthcare system.ReferencesAsian Pacific Post. (2007). Filipino Nurses Exam Scandal.Bondoc, J. (2007). NCLEX in Manila Open by Mid-Year. ABS-CBN Interactive.Buerhaus, P.I., Staiger, D.O. & Auerbach, D.I. (2000). Implications of an Aging Registered Nurse Workforce. Journal of the American Medical Asso ciation, 283, 29482954.Cabreza, V. (2007). Whistleblowers in 2006 Nursing Test Leak Take New Exams. Philippine Daily Inquirer.Conde, C.H. (2006). Cheating on Exam Taints Standing of Philippine nurses. International Herald Tribune Asia Pacific.Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2007). Results of June 06 Nursing Board Retake Out.Friess, S. (2002). U.S. Looks Abroad for Nurses. USA Today.Jenkins, C. (2003). Filipino Nurses Make a New Life in a New Place. St. Petersburg Times.Moore, J.L. (2007). Nursing Wages Rise, Shortage Continues. The dayspring News.Office of the Press Secretary, Philippines. (2007). Declaration of RP as NCLEX Testing Site Hailed as a Triumph for Filipino Nurses.Rodis, R. (2007). The Nursing Scandal. Philippinenews.com.The Filipino Express Newspaper. (2007). Court Asked immobilize Nurses Oath-taking.The Manila Times. (2007). U.S. Nixes VisaScreen Papers for June 06 Nursing Board Passers. Manila The Manila Times.Vujicic , M., Zurn, P., Diallo, K., Adams, O. & and Dal Poz , M.R. (2004). The Role of Wages in the Migration of Health Care Professionals from Developing Countries. Human Resources for Health, 2, 3.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 15

Sing and Spell and ChantI demoralise up at 430 a.m. and start lifting so I will be done with my work bulge start by kickoff, and when I fin completelyy come up from the basement, the shack smells like crabby snacks, three-meats pizza, and buffalo wings. Smells good, I say to my mom while I put on my trash bag, and thusly Im emerge the door for a ten-mile discharge.I am shocked to see that Tiffany is jogging up and down the block, because she did not run behind me yesterday, and also, I am running in the a.m., which is not my regular time to run.I jog toward Knights Park, and when I look everywhere my shoulder, I see shes act oning me again. How did you experience that I would be running too soon? I say, but she keeps her head down and only dramatizes silently.We run our ten miles, and when I return to my house, Tiffany runs on with unwrap saying any involvement, as if we had never rase eaten raisin bran unitedly at the diner and nothing has changed.I see my brothers silv er BMW layed in front of my pargonnts house, so I sneak in the back door, run up the st gentle winds, and jump into the shower. When I finish showering, I put on my Hank Baskett jersey which my mother has laundered, getting the makeup off the numbers and then follow the lumbering of the pregame show to the family board, ready to root on the Birds.My beat out friend, Ronnie, is seated next to my brother, which surprises me. Both of them are wearing green a expressive style jerseys with the number 18 and the call off Stallworth on the back Ronnies is a cheap replica jersey with iron-on numbers, but Jakes is authentic. Dad is in his chair, wearing his number 5 McNabb replica jersey.When I say, Go Birds my brother stands, turns to face me, puts both draws in the air, and says Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh until Ronnie and my dad also stand, face me, call on the carpet their hands in the air, and say Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh When I raise my hands in the air and say Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh all four of us do t he chant, rapidly spelling the letters with our arms and bodies E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES shooting out two arms and a leg to make an E, touching our fingertips high above our heads to make an A, and so forth.When we finish, my brother makes his way round the couch, puts an arm around my shoulders, and starts to sing the fight song, which I remember and sing with him. Fly, Eagles, fly On the road to triumph Im so happy to be singing with my brother I do not even get mad at him for putting his arm around me. We walk around the couch as we sing, Fight, Eagles, fight differentiate a touchdown, one, two, three I look at my dad, and he does not look away, but only starts singing with more enthusiasm. Ronnie lunges his arm around me, and then I am in between my brother and my best friend. Hit em low. Hit em high. And watch our Eagles fly I see that my mom has come in to watch, and she has her hand over her mouth again like she does whenever she is astir(predicate) to laugh or cry her eyes look happy, so I know she is express joy under her hands. Fly, Eagles, fly On the road to victory And then Ronnie and Jake remove their arms from my neck so they can make the letters again with their bodies. E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES Were all red-faced, and my mother is breathing heavy, but everyone is so happy, and for the first time I really feel like I am home.My mom sets up the food on TV trays, and the game begins. Im not supposed to drink, I say when mamma distributes the bottles of Budweiser, but my father says, You can drink beer during Eagles games. Mom shrugs and smiles as she hands me a cold beer. I ask my brother and Ronnie wherefore they arent also wearing Baskett jerseys, since Baskett is the man, and they tell me the Eagles were able to trade for Donte Stallworth, and that Donte Stallworth is now the man. Because I am wearing my Baskett jersey, I insist that Baskett is the man, to which my father blows air through his teeth, and my cocky brother says, Well see soon, whic h is a weird thing for him to say, considering he was the one who gave me the Baskett jersey in the first place and just two weeks ago assured me that Baskett was really the man.My mother watches the game nervously, like she always does, because she knows that if the Eagles lose, my father will be in a bad mood for an entire week and will yell at her a lot. Ronnie and Jake trade facts about different players and check the screens on their cell phones for updates on other games and players, because they both play fantasy football, which is a computer game that gives you points for picking players who score touchdowns and gain yardage. And I glance over at my father from time to time, making sure he sees me cheering, because I know he is only willing to get in the aforesaid(prenominal) room with his mentally deranged son as long as I am rooting for the Birds with everything I got. I devour to admit that it feels good to sit in the same room with my father, even though he hates me a nd I still have not forgiven him a hundred percent for kicking me in the attic and punching me in the face.The Houston Texans score first, and Dad starts cursing pretty loudly, so much that my mother leaves the room, saying she will bring us new beers, and Ronnie stares at the television, pretending he has not heard what my father has said, which is, Play some fucking defense, you piece-of-shit overpaid secondary This is the Texans, not the Dallas Cowgirls. The fucking Texans Jesus fucking ChristRelax, Dad, Jake says. We got this.Mom distributes the beers, and Dad sips quietly for a while, but when McNabb throws an interception, my father starts pointing his finger at the television and cursing even louder, saying things about McNabb that would make my friend Danny go wild, because Danny says only black great deal can use the n-word.Luckily, Donte Stallworth is indeed the man, because when McNabb starts throwing to him, the Eagles build a lead and Dad stops cursing and starts to sm ile again.At halftime, Jake dialog my dad into joining us outside for a apprehensiveness, and then the four of us are throwing a football around on our street. One of our neighbors comes out with his son, and we let them join in. The kid is only maybe ten, and he cannot really reach us from his yard, but since he is wearing a green jersey, we throw it to him again and again. He drops every pass, but we cheer for him anyway the kid smiles wildly, and his dad nods appreciatively at us whenever one of us captivatees his eye.Jake and I are the farthest apart, and we send each other long passes down the street and often have to run even farther to catch the throws. Neither of us drops a single pass, because we are excellent athletes.My dad mostly just stands around sipping his beer, but we throw him some easy balls, which he catches with one hand and then tosses the football underhand to Ronnie, who is standing closest to him. Ronnie has a weak arm, but neither Jake nor I point this o ut, because he is our friend and we are all wearing green and the sun is shining and the Eagles are winning and we are so full of good hot food and ice-cold beer it doesnt really topic that Ronnies athletic ability is not equal to ours.When Mom announces that halftime is almost over, Jake runs over to the little kid my brother puts his hands in the air and yells Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh until the kids dad does the same thing. The little guy catches on after only a second, puts his hands in the air, yells Ahhhhhhhhhhh and then we all do the Eagles chant spelling the letters out with our arms and legs before running back into our respective family rooms.Donte Stallworth continues to be the man in the second half, gaining almost 150 yards and a TD, while Baskett does not even get a decent ball thrown to him and fails to record a single catch. Im not all that upset about this, because a funny thing happens at the end of the game.When the Eagles win 24 10, we all stand to sing the Eagles figh t song together like we always do whenever the Birds win a regular season game. My brother throws his arms around Ronnie and me and says, Come on, Dad. My dad is a little drunk from all the beer and so happy about the Eagles victory and the fact that McNabb threw for more than 300 yards that he lines up with us and throws his arm around my shoulders, which shocks me at first, not because I dont like being touched, but because my father has not put his arm around me in many years. The weight and warmth of his arm makes me feel good, and as we sing the fight song and do the chant afterward, I catch my mother looking at us from the kitchen, where she is washing dishes. She smiles at me even though she is crying again, and I wonder why as I sing and spell and chant.Jake asks Ronnie if he needs a ride home, and my best friend says, zero(prenominal) thanks. Hank Baskett is walking me home.I am? I say, because Hank Baskett is the name Ronnie and Jake called me all throughout the game s o I know he really means me.Yep, he says, and we grab the football on the way out.When we get to Knights Park, we throw the football back and forth, standing only twenty feet away from each other because Ronnie has a weak arm, and after a few catches my best friend asks me what I think about Tiffany.Nothing, I say. I dont think anything about her at all. Why? speedwell told me that Tiffany follows you when you run. True?I catch a wobbly pass, say, Yeah. Its sort of weird. She knows my schedule and everything, and throw a perfect spiral just over Ronnies right shoulder so he can catch it on the run.He doesnt turn.He doesnt run.The ball goes over his head.Ronnie retrieves the ball, jogs back into his range, and says, Tiffany is a little whimsical. Do you understand what I mean by odd, Pat?I catch his even more wobbly pass just before it reaches my right kneecap, and say, I guess. I understand that Tiffany is different from most girls, but I also understand what it is like to be separ ated from your spouse, which is something Ronnie does not understand. So I ask, Odd how? Odd like me?His face drops, and then he says, No. I didnt mean Its just that Tiffany is seeing a therapist So am I.I know, but So seeing a therapist makes me odd?No. Just listen to me for a second. Im trying to be your friend. Okay?I look down at the grass as Ronnie walks over to me. I dont really want to hear Ronnie talk his way out of this one, because Ronnie is the only friend I have, now that I am out of the bad place, and we have had such a great day, and the Eagles have won, and my father put his arm around me, and I know Tiffany and you went out to dinner, which is great. You both could probably use a friend who understands loss.I dont like the way he collectively uses the word loss, as if I have lost Nikki as in forever because I am still riding out apart time and I have not lost her yet. besides I dont say anything, and let him continue.Listen, Ronnie says. I want to tell you why Tiffany was fired from her job.Thats none of my business.It is if you are going to have dinners with her. Listen, you need to know that Ronnie tells me what he believes is the story of how Tiffany lost her job, but the way he tells it proves he is biased. He tells it just like Dr. Timbers would, stating what he would call facts, with no regard for what was going on in Tiffanys head. He tells me what coworkers wrote in their reports, he tells me what her boss told her parents and what the therapist has since said to Veronica who is Tiffanys designated support buddy and therefore has weekly phone conversations with Tiffanys therapist but he never once tells me what Tiffany thinks or what is going on in her heart the awful feelings, the conflicting impulses, the needs, the desperation, everything that makes her different from Ronnie and Veronica, who have each other and their daughter, Emily, and a good income and a house and everything else that keeps people from calling them odd. W hat amazes me is that Ronnie is telling me all this in a friendly manner, as if he is trying to save me from Tiffanys ways, as if he knows more about these sorts of things than I do, as if I had not spent the last few months in a mental institution. He does not understand Tiffany, and he sure as hell doesnt understand me, but I do not hold it against Ronnie, because I am practicing being kind rather than right, so Nikki will be able to love me again when apart time is over.So Im not telling you to be mean or to gossip about her just harbor yourself, okay? Ronnie says, and I nod. Well, I better be getting home to Veronica. Maybe Ill drop in this week for a lifting session? Cool?I nod again and watch him jog away from me, the bouncy steps suggesting that he thinks his mission is accomplished. It is obvious he was only allowed to watch the game because Veronica wanted him to talk to me about Tiffany, probably because Veronica thought I might take advantage of her nymphomaniac sister, which makes me very mad, and before I know it, Im ringing the Websters doorbell.Hello? Tiffanys mom says to me when the door opens. She is older-looking, with gray hair and a heavy sweater-coat, even though it is only September and she is inside.May I pronounce with Tiffany?Youre Ronnies friend, right? Pat Peoples?I only nod, because I know Mrs. Webster knows who I am.Do you mind if I ask what you want with our daughter?Whos there? I hear Tiffanys father call from the other room.Its just Ronnies friend, Pat Peoples Mrs. Webster yells. To me she says, So what do you want with our Tiffany?I look down at the football in my hand and say, I want to have a catch. Its a beautiful afternoon. Maybe she would like to get some fresh air in the park?Just a catch? Mrs. Webster says.I hold up my wedding ring to prove I do not want to have end up with her daughter, and say, Listen, Im married. I just want to be Tiffanys friend, okay?Mrs. Webster looks a little surprised by my answer, which is o dd because I was sure that was the answer she wanted to hear. But after a moment she says, Go around back and knock on the door.So I knock on the back door, but no one answers.I knock three more times and then leave.Im halfway through the park when I hear a swishy sound behind me. When I turn around, Tiffany is speed walking toward me, wearing a pink tracksuit made from a material that swishes when one pant leg rubs against the other. When she is about five feet away, I throw her a light, girly pass, but she steps aside and the football falls to the ground.What do you want? she says.Want to have a catch?I hate football. I told you this, no?Since she doesnt want to have a catch, I decide Ill just ask her my question Why do you follow me when I run?Honestly?Yeah, I say.She squints her eyes and makes her face look mean. Im scouting you.What?I said Im scouting you.Why?To see if you are sum enough.Fit enough for what?But instead of answering my question, she says, Im also scouting your work ethic, your endurance, the way you deal with mental strain, your ability to persevere when you are faint of what is happening around you, and Why?I cant tell you yet, she says.Why not?Because I havent finished scouting you.When she walks away, I follow her past the pond, over the footbridge, and out of the park. But neither of us speaks again.She leads me to Haddon Avenue, and we walk by the new stores and swanky restaurants, passing lots of other pedestrians, kids on skateboards, and men who raise their fists in the air and say, Go Eagles when they see my Hank Baskett jersey.Tiffany turns off Haddon Avenue and weaves through residential blocks until we are in front of my parents house, where she stops, looks at me, and after almost an hour of silence says, Did your police squad win?I nod. Twenty-four to ten.Lucky you, Tiffany says, and then walks away.