Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Description Of T. Mann

Heinrich Manns novel paints a portrait of the Second Reich through the eyes of Diedrich Hessling, an unconsequential little man who bullied his way into society using superpatriotism (he even curls his mustache so that it resembles the emperors) and nationalism as a crutch, finally gaining status as a prominent conservative businessman, in the process being metamorphosed into a mini-Kaiser. His struggle was a reflection of the Second Reichs attempt at world domination through nationalism and Social Darwinism. His use of patriotism to the emperor was used when he manipulates someone into stating that the Hohenzollerns were Jews, accusing him of lese-majeste. At that mans trial, Diedrich is accurately portrayed as "an average man, with a commonplace mind,... without courage so long as things are going badly for him and tremendously self-important as soon as they had turned in his favour" Diedrich doesnt hesitate to make alliances when expedient and to boost his star higher, such as his association with his nemesis, Napoleon Fischer, a Social Democrat machinist at his factory. On one occasion, to cover up his own mistake in miscalculating the dimensions of the New Patent Cylinder Machine, he bribed Fischer to sabotage the machine so that he had a case to return it. Later, the two agreed to help each other in their political ambitions. Thus Diedrich used his patriotism and anti-Social Democratic stance as ways to boost himself onward and upward, yet willing to make alliances with his alleged enemies, similar to the way Bismarck used nationalism as a tool to rally the Liberals against his wars against Austria and the south German states against France, all for his own personal power. The importance of Wilhelm IIs attempted surpassing of Bismarck must be reiterated. Diedrichs colleague warns people of the danger of any man emulating Bismarck: "Weak and pacifistic by nature, he becomes noisy and dangerous. Without a doubt the victori... Free Essays on Description Of T. Mann Free Essays on Description Of T. Mann Heinrich Manns novel paints a portrait of the Second Reich through the eyes of Diedrich Hessling, an unconsequential little man who bullied his way into society using superpatriotism (he even curls his mustache so that it resembles the emperors) and nationalism as a crutch, finally gaining status as a prominent conservative businessman, in the process being metamorphosed into a mini-Kaiser. His struggle was a reflection of the Second Reichs attempt at world domination through nationalism and Social Darwinism. His use of patriotism to the emperor was used when he manipulates someone into stating that the Hohenzollerns were Jews, accusing him of lese-majeste. At that mans trial, Diedrich is accurately portrayed as "an average man, with a commonplace mind,... without courage so long as things are going badly for him and tremendously self-important as soon as they had turned in his favour" Diedrich doesnt hesitate to make alliances when expedient and to boost his star higher, such as his association with his nemesis, Napoleon Fischer, a Social Democrat machinist at his factory. On one occasion, to cover up his own mistake in miscalculating the dimensions of the New Patent Cylinder Machine, he bribed Fischer to sabotage the machine so that he had a case to return it. Later, the two agreed to help each other in their political ambitions. Thus Diedrich used his patriotism and anti-Social Democratic stance as ways to boost himself onward and upward, yet willing to make alliances with his alleged enemies, similar to the way Bismarck used nationalism as a tool to rally the Liberals against his wars against Austria and the south German states against France, all for his own personal power. The importance of Wilhelm IIs attempted surpassing of Bismarck must be reiterated. Diedrichs colleague warns people of the danger of any man emulating Bismarck: "Weak and pacifistic by nature, he becomes noisy and dangerous. Without a doubt the victori...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How To Redesign Your Website Like CoSchedule In 10+ Easy Steps

How To Redesign Your Website Like In 10+ Easy Steps Alright. So you’re about to start a huge REDESIGN of your company’s website. That’s no small task, and quite franklyit’s intimidating. 301 redirects, copy, coding, A/B tests, wireframes, sitemaps, planning! And that’s just the obvious ones. This summer, ’s product marketing team made the bold move to update our entire website. And while researching and learning from others was a huge help, the resources out there were pretty minimal (especially for small teams) like us. So, we decided to recap our experiences and share some life lessons. Here it goes: This is how two people (in-house) built a website from scratch in 4 months. The Process: 1. The Five Day Brainstorm Sprint There’s an awesome book called Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. If you haven’t read it, here’s a great starting point: And it’s basically what we did. In a week’s time, we created three very different storylines with accompanying Photoshop designs. We forced ourselves to create a story, design it, and present it to leadership every other day. It was scrappy and tad intense, but it got us where we needed to go†¦ We started with anything and everything. Pushing outrageous ideas quickly- to help  us flesh out ideas, build off of them, and create the official story. From a  comic book feel with super heroes to little robots guiding marketers along their journey, each idea brought us a little closer to the final story. 2. Plot Out Your Sitemap. Put a name to every page on your new website. It doesn’t have to be overly complex, Megan (product marketing’s awesome UX/UI designer) built one in less than an hour. And with a high level view of your new site, you’ll be able to  build a strong path for conversions and a strong storyline to guide them along the way. 3. Write Your Copy Before  Design. Before a single wireframe was created, every line of copy was written for EVERY page. We spent a good three weeks creating skimmable  content and placing a major emphasis on good headlines for each talking point. Recommendation: Write a minimum of 25 headlines per talking point and (if you can), test and iterate on them with a team member. ’s Headline Analyzer is a great tool for writing headlines . Use the â€Å"but why† process to find your users WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Before a single word is written,  ask yourself this question to get to the real benefits or the real reason why anyone would care to read x blog, page, email, etc. If you haven’t already, watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk on Why ↠ it’s a great starting point to building a story your users will care about. 4. Build Wireframes For Your Designers Sanity Wireframes are the skeleton to design AND if you want your designer to still love you at the end of a project, DON’T skip this. Wireframes are a lot like sitemaps and are a simplistic view of a page layout. They help ensure that when designing really starts, you aren’t caught off guard by layouts and can move forward quickly. 5. Start With Photoshop, Then Code. Create high fidelity designs  of each page. Similar to writing copy for every page BEFORE design, high fidelity design should be done BEFORE code. Again, it’s a necessary step because it eliminates the need to â€Å"imagine† what your page or elements of the page will look like and makes changes easier (because you catch them earlier). 6. A/B Test (Tn The Midst Of Process). Start testing your assumptions early. After creating your copy and initial PS designs, start testing out a few of your ideas on your existing website (think elements: headlines, logos, images, etc). Quick How-To for Creating An A/B test: Create a hypothesis: Based on your current sites performance and the particular element youd like to test create a hypothesis to build your test around: For example: Replacing the static image on the homepage with a autoplay video will increase conversions Test it: Create a variation of your hypothesis (new homepage with video), and then A/B test it against the original page. Calculate the test duration with respect to your monthly visitors, current conversion rate, and expected change in conversion rate. (VWO will help calculate all of this for you HOWEVER if you dont have this,  heres a calculator). Analyze it: Dig into your results and see which variation performed the best. If theres an obvious  winner, go ahead an implement that variation to the real website. If results were a tad muddy, revise your hypothesis and keep testing. We tested a few headlines and added a video to the homepage during our website redesign, and saw a 6% increase in conversions → pretty awesome validation! It pays to test early. Never rest on your assumptions: prove and disapprove them with data! Recommended Tool: VWO for A/B testing. It’s great for non-designers and quick A/B experiments. Use â€Å"quick learnings† to get faster results when you can’t run a test for an extended period. 7. Coding: Once Designs Are Approved, Code It. Once youre at the coding stage stick to the plan. Focus on pushing out code, getting it out into the world, and iterate on it AFTER you launch your new site. Aside from minor bug fixes, avoid major overhauls at this point. 8. Push Code to your Staging  Site (For Review, Edits, etc.) This is where all your hard work comes to life (behind the curtain). Here you can test and revise the functionality of your designs. We use Meistertask for our QA  (quality assurance) phase. Similar to many Kanban views, its helps us to track the progress on edits as well as test, retest, and sign-off on edits. You can create  custom phases (open bugs, in progress, review, and done) and utilize Skitch to create visuals (your designer will love you for this). 9. Plan Time in the Project for Bug Fixes†¦ You will have bugs, so plan for it. Recruit folks from the team to purposely test and break your website (so real users don’t have to). In addition, test user experience during this phase. Observe a friend or team member, someone who hasn’t been involved in the project, click around the new site. Take notes and be ready to make changes. Getting a new set of eyes will help to validate if the user flow is second nature or clunky. Remember: Good design just works. If your user has to think youre doing it wrong. 10. Go Live!  Hold Your Breath and Release Your Hard Work Into the Real World. The 10+ step: Keep A/B Testing. Launching your new site is NOT  the end all be all. Its just the beginning. Throughout your redesign process build a list  of various items to test: color, images, copy, video, etc. And then build out a schedule for testing those ideas a few weeks after your launch. Remember, your website has one goal: to convert visitors into paying customers. And if you want to increase conversions, A/B testing will help you  to determine whats is and isnt working with your new design. Lessons Learned: Write Your Copy in the Customer’s Words The best way to sell to your ideal customer, is to use the phrases and words of your current customers. They’re your best advocate and they speak the buyer’s language. So how do you do this? When creating copy for ’s new site, we went through pages and pages of customer surveys. Polldaddy has this awesome feature that creates word clouds of the most populars words and phrases AS WELL AS a filtering option to rank popular answers (I relied on both of these heavily). In addition, customer interviews were part of the process. Over the project, I scheduled and recorded Skype calls with some of our current customers to find their stories. It was a great way to get natural, candid  responses to how and why they use . Daily syncs (more meetings can be good, if done with a purpose) Before this project, I was definitely on team â€Å"less meetings, more doing† But after this project I realized the problem isn’t the meetings, it’s the FOCUS in those meetings. For our entire redesign, the product marketing team met for 30 minutes (or less) each afternoon for a hyper focused  status update and feedback on our individual projects. These daily syncs helped us produce faster and push past blockers sooner. It was a highly focused meeting with an enforced timeline. And because of these guidelines typical meeting bullshit was rare. People left those syncs with clear action items and good feedback on their work. Recommendation: Pick two action items for each sync. Skip the small talk. And go right into the area you need feedback on copy, wireframe, design whatever it is. Remember, you’re on a time constraint, so honor it. Also, if you’re doing your syncs over the web, it can be awkward knowing how and when to end a meeting. Embrace the awkward, and just call it when it needs to end  (time is precious, and you’re doing everyone a favor).

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Using appropriate theories and concepts, critically evaluate the value Essay

Using appropriate theories and concepts, critically evaluate the value of the notion of reflection in your own self development - Essay Example Furthermore, it is within such environments that there is a refining of values and this is often done without ensuring reflection is made an important aspect of thinking. It is important to ensure that reflective thinking is developed and made an essential part of individuals because it is the only way through which they can challenge assumptions, and make an assessment of their intuition, and learn more about themselves. It is important to note that some of the biggest barriers for many individuals in achieving their objectives is their lack of reflection (Bowden, 2008, p.4). This is especially because I have realized that many people tend to repeat the patterns and behaviours, which contribute to their failures. However, when they adopt an attitude of reflection before undertaking what they are aiming at, they come to achieve genuine results and personal growth. I find that reflection enables individuals to discover their ability to gain what they want, making it the key to success because without it, all actions are meaningless. Through my own experiences, I have discovered that reflective thinking is a matter of problem solving, which requires an individual to see things in a new way independent of the way that they normally see these problems. It is through their looking at problems differently that individuals are able to find solutions to them in ways that they did not expect (Edwards, 2010). Taking time to reflect on a problem from a different perspective other than the habitual one, especially for a leader within an organization, is extremely important because it makes the individual to have time for constructive thinking. Through thinking outside the box, following Kolb’s reflective model, a leader is able to develop a better understanding of the problem facing the organization and take necessary action to ensure that the solution he comes up with is not only relevant, but it can be applied in a manner that does not threaten organizational

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

MGT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGT - Assignment Example The video â€Å"Cremation Urn† presents the importance of the cremation urn in our households and the process of making the product. I derived the complex process, chemical materials, time, and equipment used in making cremation urn from the video. I also established the uses and the factors that determine the quality and size of this product. This information helps me to decide on the efficiency and quality of the cremation urn. Unfortunately, the video did not say the cost of making and the buying price of this product. Having watched the â€Å"contact lenses† video, I established the difficult process of making a single contact lens. Additionally, I learnt and understood the 14 steps involved in making a contact lens. The video also show the efficiency and uses of a contact lens. This information helped me to understand the process of making traditional contact lenses, how to store them, and the technicians involved. However, the video fails to address the computerized and modern way of making contact lenses. The video â€Å"Tetra park containers† presents the process, materials, and equipment used to make a Tetra park containers. I also derived the quality of the containers and the three layers that make the container. It also presents the technicians involved in this process. With this information, I will be able to assess the environmental impact and effectiveness of such containers. However, the video did not show how the product is eco-friendly and failed to show the process of attaching the plastic opening system. Indeed, the video also failed to present the capacity of the manufacturing machine and neglected the cost of making Tetra park containers. Finally, the â€Å"Financial services† videos showed the professionals associated with financial services and presented the operational efficiency in financial services. I also established the different types of financial services as well as the challenges in the financial sector. The video showed a

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Octopus System Essay Example for Free

Octopus System Essay In our group’s case study report, we will examine the use of Octopus system in the education sector. Octopus system is a widely used e-Commerce technology in Hong Kong, covering a variety of industries including transportation, retail, restaurants, and more. Tsung Tsin Primary School is the main focus of this case study. The school uses the Octopus system extensively, integrating into student and staff information, attendance, educational activities, payment, and communications. We will look at how using the system can help achieve the school’s missions. In order to describe the business case, we will analyze the benefits of adopting the Octopus system in an educational environment, comparing with the traditional methods of performing similar processes. The feedback from Tsung Tsin Primary School has been very positive; however there are associated costs, risks, and challenges. In our case study, we will also discover the potential or existing issues with the implementation and maintenance of the systems. With personal identification store in the Octopus cards and the server, we also have concerns regarding to the security and privacy of the system. We will analyze the current security measures and suggest changes to enhance the protection. Finally, we will provide recommendations for extending and further improving the use of Octopus and other e-Commerce technologies in Tsung Tsin Primary School. We will also look at the feasibility of adopting the Octopus system in other types of educational institutes.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Horizontal Violence Essay -- Health Care, Nursing

Nursing is a healthcare profession that helps prevent, promote and optimize the health and abilities of families and communities. With such a noble and caring profession is very sad that violence, or bullying, exists among nurses and other healthcare disciplines. This type of violence is called lateral or horizontal violence. Violence is defined as any inappropriate behavior confrontation or conflict that causes low self esteem or other injuries. Horizontal violence is known to be the type of violence between coworkers. For some people this type of violence new and in the healthcare field, nurses world, it describes the behavior nurse have towards colleagues or other healthcare entities. This type of behavior interferes with communication and teamwork needed in order to promote and care for others. For this reason this type of behavior not only affects healthcare workers but also the community and families that we are taking care of. At the end of all if there is a behavior that caus es another nurse to be offended or inability to perform their job is considered to be horizontal violence (Morse, K.J., 2008). Horizontal Violence in Nursing Horizontal violence is a behavior that has been reported and documented in nursing and other healthcare professions for years and decades. This type of behavior has provided negative and serious outcomes for the nursing profession and patients. â€Å"Horizontal violence is the act of threatening, humiliating, or actually inflicting physical, mental or emotional harm on a peer or group† (Norris, T., 2010). Discrimination, vulgarity, and sexual harassment may be the first things that come to mind when mentioning this type of violence, but sadly these are not the only ways that horizontal violence may... ...lth department today. Creating a safe and nurturing environment can only be achieved by nurses working together and adhering to their code of ethics; for this reason we should maintain the safety or our nurses by eliminating violence, educating and supporting them when needed. It is crucial for the nursing profession to address violence to improve retention and recruitment of nurses. Horizontal violence behaviors are not conducive to a culture of safety, which is what healthcare should be all about. Nursing Manages, Hospitals and different organizations must have a â€Å"zero tolerance† policy for this behaviors and a protection policy for the nurses reporting the situations. Only we as nurses and other health care personnel have the capacity to eliminate horizontal violence and fulfill our commitment to our patients, families and communities in a safe environment.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Urban Renewal

What is Urban renewal? Discuss the issues and strategies of urban renewal of a state capital. Urban renewal is a program of land re-development in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. It can be envisaged as the physical and infrastructural changes in land use, built environment or intensity of the use of land or building that could be considered as inevitable outcome of the action from economic, social, political, technical and environmental forces acting upon urban areas at different times of its existence.It is a program designed to help communities improve and revitalize areas that have deteriorated, are unsafe and/ or show signs of economic or physical conditions that are detrimental to the community as a whole. Urban renewal could be in the form of: -Physical change: Part of land is developed as a multistory building. -Infrastructural change: widening of roads, introduction of metro-rail, etc. -Change in land use: function of building changes, keeping the structure same eg residential to commercial -Change in built form: increase in no. of storeys. Change in environment: congestion on road cleared, trees planted , garbage removed, etc. In the second half of the 20th century, renewal often resulted in the creation of urban sprawl and vast areas of cities being demolished and replaced by freeways and expressways, housing projects, and vacant lots, some of which still remain vacant at the beginning of the 21st century. Urban renewal's effect on actual revitalization is a subject of intense debate. It is seen by proponents as an economic engine, and by opponents as a regressive mechanism for enriching the wealthy at the expense of taxpayers and the poor.It carries a high cost to existing communities, and in many cases resulted in the destruction of vibrant—if run-down —neighborhoods. Urban renewal in its original form has been called a failure by many urban planners and civic leaders, and has since been reformulated with a focus on r edevelopment of existing communities. Over time, urban renewal evolved into a policy based less on destruction and more on renovation and investment, and today is an integral part of many local governments, often combined with small and big business incentives.But even in this adapted form, Urban Renewal projects are still widely accused of abuse and corruption. Behind the idea of urban renewal was a belief that if the government removed people from such places and put them in better places, it would improve not only their lives and their self-image, but also their behavior. This idealistic philosophy became common in America by the end of World War I. IMPORTANCE OF URBAN RENEWAL Urban renewal is critical to the success of local communities and the long-term prosperity of citizens living in urban areas.Without urban renewal, there would be no incentive for developers to tackle the challenges associated with redevelopment, and deteriorating downtown areas would be subject to increase d crime and safety problems, while continued growth on the fringes of communities would add to the problem of urban sprawl. NEED FOR URBAN RENEWAL – Rise in land value – Expansion of service centers – Change in transportation mode – Latest realization of global energy scenario. BENEFITS OF URBAN RENEWALProviding matching funds for money from other sources (such as state or federal grants) Funding infrastructure, which brings additional funds to the community through permit fees, system development charges (SDCs), water and sewer hook? up charges, etc. Increasing the value of property next to the urban renewal district. Improving the quality of life through new or renovated parks, roadways, civic and cultural facilities, and expanded economic development OBJECTIVES OF URBAN RENEWAL – To eliminate sub optimal uses To create conditions for efficient and economic use of scarce and costly urban infrastructure. – To improve the efficiency of urban system – To reduce social cost of urban development and arrange for cross financing Urban renewal also took hold in medium sized cities, many of which used urban renewal laws to pay for public housing, new bridges, and new thoroughfares. There was a time when the phrase â€Å"urban renewal† was a popular one. But today it often carries a negative connotation, regardless of the truth, however, urban renewal did a lot to change cities.Chicago's now demolished Cabrini-Green housing project, one of many urban renewal efforts. Issue: -Cities unfortunately with some exceptions, have not been enabled to look inward and build on their inherent capacities, both financial and technical, and instead are still being seen in many states as ‘wards’ of the State governments. -A major failure of city governance has been our inability to address the needs of the poor – basic services like drinking water supply, sanitation, housing and social services are not availa ble to an increasing share of urban population. The latent creativity and vitality of our cities and the people who live in them must be tapped to facilitate higher economic growth. -Substantially upgrade the delivery of basic and other urban services which are in bad state. -Understand the cost and impact of providing poor basic services in the urban areas, so that efficient services can be planned. -Plan for generating gainful employment opportunities and environmental safeguarding adopting community centered approach.Provide opportunities and funds for capacity building, skill development, vocational training, and flow of micro- credit. -The Development Commission (PDC) uses urban renewal as a tool to help specific areas of the city realize capital projects – parks, streetscape improvements, community centers, and the like that would not happen on their own. A house in Nashville before urban renewal URBAN RENEWAL SCHEMES Components of Urban Renewal: – Urban redevelo pment – Urban Rehabilitation – Conservation: – Preservation – Rebuilding – Reuse – Replication Urban renewal funds can be used for . . .Infrastructure (including such basic improvements as curbs and sidewalks, streets, sewers, flood control, and utility relocation and improvement) Public improvements (such as parks and open space, pedestrian and bike trails, landscaping and streetscaping, parking lots and parking structures, transportation improvements, helping to construct public buildings and facilities) In certain cases, redevelopment assistance for housing or commercial uses (such as land acquisition and site preparation or other public improvements) Planning and engineering (such as design, traffic and engineering studies); technical assistance to property owners and developers, and staff support from the renewal agency SITE SELECTION – Should be around or within prime location – Should intervene problem areas – Lan d should be easily available – Utility plan showing linkages with offsite infrastructure – Landscape proposals SEQUENCE OF PROJECT FORMULATION – Preparation of survey maps. Types of survey maps are: -Tourism map – 1:100000 – City map – 1:50000 – Police station map : 1:63366 ( 1† to a mile) Revenue survey map : 1:600 (plot size and built up spaces) – Identification of project area and influence area – Conduct field survey to collect socio economic data – Land maps, land holding pattern, building height , building edge etc. – Traffic information – Utility services – Financial status – Scheme/ concept preparation – Land use distribution – Future built form – Circulation plan EXECUTION OF THE SCHEME – Land acquisition – Payment of compensation – Construction of rehabilitation structures – Clearance of site and site development – Removal of under-gound utilities and relaying of utilities – Development of roads and other open areasWhen the site is ready for construction , it is either leased out to promoters or Development authorities themselves start the construction. The urban renewal of a state capital involves: Working: The basic idea behind urban renewal is simple: future tax revenues pay for revitalization efforts. The City Council, acting on the recommendations of a community based steering committee and PDC, draws a line around an area (the urban renewal boundary) and identifies desirable improvements within that area (the urban renewal plan). The city issues urban renewal bonds to pay for the identified improvements. As property values increase in the area due to new investment, the rise in property tax revenues (called â€Å"tax increment†) is used to pay off the urban renewal bonds.This financing method is called tax-increment financing, and it is the most common method of paying for improvements in an urban renewal area. Kind of projects : Urban renewal funds can be used for a variety of capital investments, such as: Redevelopment projects, such as projects near light rail that combine retail and residential components. Economic development strategies, such as small-business loans or loan programs tied to family-wage jobs. Housing loans and other financial tools for ownership and rental housing which serve a variety of income levels. Streetscape improvements, including new lighting, trees, sidewalks, pedestrian amenities, etc. Transportation enhancements, including light rail, streetcar, intersection improvements, etc. Parks and open spaces.Roots of urban renewal : Urban renewal emerged in the late 1940s as an attempt to revitalize central cities, which were losing population and resources to new post-war suburbs. Until the 1960s, urban renewal was a federal program used to clear large areas of land largely to provide what was then considered to be improved hou sing conditions for thousands of people. It also funded large projects such as hospitals, highways and civic centers. The funding mechanisms and purposes of urban renewal changed in its early decades, but the term broadly referred to a set of programs and policies meant to counter inner-city disinvestment and reinvigorate declining downtown areas. Criteria : Urban renewal areas must show evidence of some degree of blight, demonstrated by conditions such as poorly constructed buildings, faulty planning, lack of open spaces, deteriorated properties, an incompatible mix of uses and improper utilization of land. -Urban renewal areas, their principles and the specific projects funded by them are conceived in consultation with citizen committees who represent a broad spectrum of community interests. In addition, three public bodies must approve any new urban renewal area: the Portland Development Commission, the Portland Planning Commission, and City Council. -In urban renewal areas, publ ic investment is used to stimulate private investment on a much larger scale.The amount of urban renewal funds invested in any one area is small compared to the private investment that follows. -Urban renewal is primarily used to update and improve an area's infrastructure — through capital expenditures on transportation improvements and parks for example — and to provide incentives for desired development such as affordable housing, family-wage jobs and building refurbishment. -Urban renewal is designed to benefit all people within the urban renewal area, in surrounding neighborhoods and throughout the city and metropolitan area. -The urban renewal plan, which guides all public spending in the area, is conceived by citizens who are best able to make decisions about how to improve their neighborhood. Urban renewal can be a strong and effective tool to protect long-term affordability in revitalizing neighborhoods by financing the construction of affordable housing. -Urb an renewal works to revitalize communities within the existing built environment. -Promote livelihood opportunities through skill building and enhancement of entrepreneurship. Enable public private partnership arrangement covering infrastructure development and service delivery. -The realization of the overall programme goal of improving the quality of life for all is possible only through the framework of long term development plan, replacing the narrow project based approach.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Diaoyu Island Dispute

Japanese call the island group near as Senkaku Islands whereas Chinese call these islands as Diaoyu Islands. For many years, the two countries have been arguing who the sovereignty of the islands is, but so far, they do not have any conclusion who should possess the islands. This year, at April, the governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara organizes a event to refund in order to buy the Diaoyu Islands of japan. Later on the government take over the event, they try to nationalize the Islands.The above action course some Hongkongers went to the islands and wanted to tell the world that Diaoyu Island belongs to China. After the incident, many Chinese, including those who live in China and Taiwan, came out and had mass demonstration. Due to this unexpected event, this sensitive topic becomes the major discussion between the government of Chinese and Japan. When we want to discuss this issue, we should insight into the history of the islands. Diaoyu island was first recorded on the Chinese bo ok: Voyage with a Tail Wind. Since then, the Ming and Qing Dynasty were controlling the islands until 1895.After the First Sino-Japanese War, according to the ‘Treaty of Shimonoseki’ in 1895, the Taiwan islands and its islands group were ceded to Japan, but the treaty didn’t include Diaoyu Islands. However, Diaoyu islands were still being controlled by the Imperial Japan and became a part of Ryukyu Islands. After WWII, according to the ‘Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Instruction Note, No. 677’: ‘For the purpose of this directive, Japan is defined to include the four main islands of Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku) and the approximately 1,000 smaller adjacent islands’.The territories of Japan will only be the 4 main islands and 1,000 small islands, which were not included Diaoyu Island. However, after the WWII both the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China did not specify Diaoyu islands as a part of the Chinese territory. In 1972, when the Unites States handover Ryukyu Islands came back to Japan, they also handovered the administrative jurisdiction of Diaoyu Island to the Japan government. Owing to the above historical background, both countries, China and Japan, believe in their own version about the sovereignty of the islands and refuse the other’s version.To understand political as power in the Diaoyu islands dispute, Countries that involved: Chinese, Japan and Unites States has demonstrated different faces of power. In the face of ‘Power as decision-making’: This face of power consists of conscious actions that in some way influence the content of decisions. , use Chinese as an example, when every time japan wants to do anything related to the sovereign of Diaoyu Island, like setting up a lighthouse, sending some scientist to Islands, or even recently, nationalize the islands, Chinese government will use there power to affect the Japanese government. Look the action that takes in this time, Chinese tightening customs inspections from Japan as a kind of economic sanctions towards japan. And also many of Chinese traveler cancelled their trip to Japan, will give a big hit to the Japan tourism. With these actions, the Chinese government showed their power to influence the content of decisions. The other face of power is ‘Power as agenda setting’, the ability to set to set or controls the political agenda. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the Unites States and Japan’ make sure that if some countries have conflict or at war with Japan, the Unites States will help to protect the Japan. So it makes that the Chinese can’t have a very strong action to fight for the Diaoyu islands. The protection promised by the Unites States to the Japanese, actually set up a line that stop Chinese government to take a further action on fighting back there right. What makes the Chinese or the Japanese believe in their own version about the sovereignty of the islands in dispute and reject that of the Japanese or the Chinese?As the sociologist Max Weber defined that, sovereignty is a community's monopoly on the legitimate use of force. From the Chinese’s viewpoint, Chinese always restate that Diaoyu islands belong to China since the ancient time. They believe their own version because since 1403, the book Voyage with a Tail Wind, and the book: Record of the Imperial Envoy's Visit to Ryukyu in 1534 is the very first record of the islands. Since then, the Chinese Imperial Map of Ming identified Island group name as Diaoyu, which mean fishing is Chinese and these advance prove that Diaoyu islands should be a part of China.Also as even it is not a part of ceded lands of Treaty of Shimonoseki but according to Potsdam Declaration japan should give up the control of all islands except for â€Å"the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine†. T he Chinese government believes that Japan is now illegally to control the island, so Diaoyu Islands should be handovered back to China. On the other hand, In the Japanese point of view, although Diaoyu islands were found by Chinese, the islands were not effectively governed by the Chinese government.Also after the sign of ‘Treaty of Shimonoseki' in 1895, even though the control of Diaoyu islands wasn’t covered in the treaty, the Japanese has already effectively governed the islands. Moreover, after WWII, according to the ‘Treaty of Peace with Japan’, The Unites States temporarily take the control of the Ryukyu Islands. As Diaoyu islands are a part of the Ryukyu Islands, when Unites States handovered Ryukyu Islands to japan, Chinese government didn’t disagree, so Diaoyu Islands should be remain as a part of Japanese.However, the reason I think that why Japanese/Chinese reject others version, is mainly because the Diaoyu islands problem is not just sim ply the sovereign of a land. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Exclusive economic zones (EEZs) extend from the edge of the territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from the baseline. Within this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural resources. Base on this law, if Diaoyu islands are really a part of japan, the EEZ of Japan will be very close to the coast of Taiwan and Mainland.This will definitely affect the economic interest of China. Furthermore, in 1969, the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) identified a huge among of potential oil and gas reserves in the vicinity of the Diaoyu Islands. If who control there, that country will have the long-term energy source. As Japan itself doesn’t have enough resources for it own use, that huge amount of resources should be very attractive to Japan. So the dispute is not just the sovereign or nationalism. I believe the dispute will be res olved politically instead of militarily.First, if Japan and Chinese use there military power to resolved the dispute, the economic and both county will be damaged. War is an event that consumes a lot of recourses, money, fuel, food etc. A country has to put itself to prepare the war; as a result the country will put lack affect on other area of event. The economic of Japan was in a downturn of many years; a war for Japan may give them a big hit which they can’t handle. As the effect of globalization, on the other hand, if Japan economic collapse, the Chinese economic will also be damage.On the other hand, although ECAFE identified a huge among of potential oil and gas reserves in the vicinity of the Diaoyu Islands, military action, or war take a lot of resources. Even we know that there may be so much potential oil and gas under Diaoyu islands, but it may actually not deserve to put money on the unknowable resources. In the side of global relation, Chinese will not indicate a war to Japan, as the Unites States will involve in the war. In 1960, Japan signed ‘Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the Unites States and Japan’ with Unites States.The treaty stated that: Either side get military attack on the territory of Japan controls will be deemed to endanger the safety of the other. In the dispute of Diaoyu Islands the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs restated that Diaoyu Islands were under the Japan’s effective control, the treaty will protect it. It means that, if the PLA attack or occupied the islands, according to the treaty, Unites States have it right to send there troops and participate the war. Chinese government may not have power to fight the country with strongest military power.As the result, Chinese also will resolve the problem militarily. In this dispute, we can see the nationalism demonstrated in both countries. On China, after those Hongkongers landed on the Diaoyu Islands, a nd captured by the Japan Coast Guard. Many different cities in China started to many demonstrate to oppose Japanese’s action. How every these huge demonstrate soon became Irrational violence, people damage cars that made from japan, rob restaurants or stores that related to Japanese, even it was owned by Chinese. Some of these thugs even tried to damage or even enter the Embassy of Japan.Also I this time of demonstrate, the slogans that used were no longer just about ‘Not to buy’, but something’s like: ‘War with Japan! ’ ‘Step in to Tokyo! ’ But the strangest thing is that, these slogans were seen at different cities, but not one. All these were like planned to happen. The above cases can be seen as some kind of expansionist nationalism, as these actions tend to project another nation/race as an enemy. On Japan, after the landing of Hongkongers, 50 members of the Japanese Right-wing politics group included 8 member of National Die landed Diaoyu Island again to restates the Japan sovereign of there.On the other hand, these Japanese Right-wing politics group also organize a demonstrate to oppose Chinese’s action, similar to the one in China, they all clam that the Islands are their land, and they are not welcome the Chinese. Also on both countries’ Internet forum, we can see a lot of post or comments about the dispute. Many of those incite the hatred between two races, this also one of example that we can see the expansionist nationalism. Reference: Xiang, D. (1961). Liang zhong hai dao zhen jing. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju. Pp. 253 SCAPIN677 – Wikisource, the free online library. (2012, April 2).Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://en. wikisource. org/wiki/SCAPIN677 Heywood, A. (2007). Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Pp. 11 China tightening customs inspections from Japan. (2012, September 21). Retrieved November 26, 2012, form http://www. channelnewsasia. com/stories/afp_asia pacific_business/view/1227266/1/. html Islands dispute with China may hurt Japanese tourism recovery. (2012, September 16). Retrieved November 26, 2012, form http://www. eturbonews. com/31190/islands-dispute-china-may-hurt-japanese-tourism-recovery â€Å" † ( ). (2012, September 25). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://news. inhuanet. com/2012-09/25/c_113202698. htm UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA . (2012). Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. un. org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/closindx. htm . (2012, September 21). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=FtwgBDLx8Vg . (2012, Augest 19). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://www. bbc. co. uk/zhongwen/trad/world/2012/08/120819_japan_diaoyu_landing. shtml ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Xiang, D. (1961). Liang zhong hai dao zhen jing. Beijing: Zhonghua sh u ju. Pp. 253 [ 2 ].SCAPIN677 – Wikisource, the free online library. (2012, April 2). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://en. wikisource. org/wiki/SCAPIN677 [ 3 ]. Heywood, A. (2007). Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Pp. 11 [ 4 ]. China tightening customs inspections from Japan. (2012, September 21). Retrieved November 26, 2012, form http://www. channelnewsasia. com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1227266/1/. html [ 5 ]. Islands dispute with China may hurt Japanese tourism recovery. (2012, September 16). Retrieved November 26, 2012, form http://www. eturbonews. com/31190/islands-dispute-china-may-hurt-japanese-tourism-recovery [ 6 ]. † ( ). (2012, September 25). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://news. xinhuanet. com/2012-09/25/c_113202698. htm [ 7 ]. UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA . (2012). Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www. un. org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/closindx. htm [ 8 ]. . (2012, Septem ber 21). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=FtwgBDLx8Vg [ 9 ]. . (2012, Augest 19). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://www. bbc. co. uk/zhongwen/trad/world/2012/08/120819_japan_diaoyu_landing. shtml

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Event management Essays

Event management Essays Event management Essay Event management Essay Introduction to Event Management Event direction is a uninterrupted procedure that revolves around the use of undertaking direction patterns, in the creative activity and scheduling of events such as conferences, seminars, festivals and concern exhibitions ( Polivka 1996 ) . It involves the planning, monitoring and controlling of activities and resources that would be used, as an event evolves from a preliminary construct into an active and operational execution. The procedure of event direction involves analyzing the intent of the event, placing the prospective mark audience, contriving a suited event construct, planning and organizing the logistics and eventually put to deathing the proposed event ( Renton 1994 ; Passingham 1995 ) . It is of import to observe that event direction continues even after the executing of the existent event. Post-event analysis is necessary to estimate the ultimate success or failure of an event. Event Report HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Introduction Since the find of HIV/AIDS at the terminal of the twentieth Century, instances of new infections have been on the rise in dismaying rates, peculiarly in African and Asiatic states ( Petersen 2006 ; David 2009 ) . This is in malice of educational and awareness runs, by both governmental and other non-governmental organisations ( NGOS ) . The fact that more people have easy entree to information sing the pandemic has non changed HIV prevalence in most states. It is going clearer that the spread of the HIV virus might be due to other grounds and non due to a deficiency of behavioural alteration or mere ignorance. HIV/AIDS consciousness yearss have been used to seek to educate the population and finding possible factors for the lifting infection rates. It is fast going world that most of the methods used to educate the population might be uneffective in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Many events are held every twelvemonth seeking to turn to this pandemic. Harmonizing to Rockstroh et Al. ( 2008 ) , while some events might assist in cut downing infections, others end neglecting. This indicates that the organisational methodological analysis plays a cardinal function in finding their overall success of events. Main Purpose of Event The chief intent of this HIV/AIDS consciousness twenty-four hours was to inform and educate the community on several subjects related to HIV/AIDS. Despite the fact that most people know of HIV/AIDS, many myths and misconceptions about the virus persist. Peoples still believe in these myths and uphold the misconceptions about the virus. The intent of the event was to clear up and take these myths and misconceptions, through the instruction of the mark population on the facts about the disease. Scope of the Event: Target Audience Harmonizing to Danta and Dusheiko ( 2008 ) , in this epoch of HIV/AIDS, consciousness and instruction about the virus deserves a national audience, if non an International 1. However, the mark audience in this event was the local community in Darling which is a rural town in South Africa. The age scope was between the ages of 15 old ages to 35 old ages, as this age group is the worst affected by the pandemic. Nevertheless, older people were allowed to go to the event, as it was a public meeting of planetary importance. The chief ground for holding a little mark audience was due to two factors. First, it is easier to convey a message to a smaller group of people without falsifying the information. Furthermore, it is besides easier to affect a little mark audience in an event s activities, as it is financially executable ( Cotterell 1994 ; Goroll et Al. 2000 ) . Figure ( 1 ) Venue The event takes topographic point in a secondary school in Darling which is a little town in South Africa to delver a specific message to local and international young person. The school is non merely a topographic point to larn but it is besides a topographic point to educate. Time The terminal of the school twelvemonth is a suited clip for this event in order to direct young person from different negative state of affairss that they may see at this period of clip to productive experiences affecting duties and exciting societal and educational event ( Srevent, 2010 ) . Figure ( 3 ) Subject The chief subject of the event is the bar and intervention of HIV/AIDS. The motto is listen, you may acquire it! to educate young person that they may be infected by HIV/Aids if they do non follow the safe medical pattern. Feasibility of the Event Since HIV/AIDS being a planetary pandemic, the event received fiscal support from the Government, ( NGOS ) international givers and local organisations. The physical resources required included collapsible shelters, music A ; sound equipment and a public presentation phase among many others. Most of the support forces were voluntaries and local young person. Due to monolithic support from organisations, the assorted costs were easy achieved. Format of Event This HIV/AIDS consciousness twenty-four hours took a paradigmatic displacement from the norm, as it addressed the affairs at manus utilizing a really different manner. Most events that address HIV/AIDS events are frequently education oriented, whereby attendants are literally taught in categories or treatment groups about HIV/AIDS. This event incorporated the entreaty of athleticss, music and other merriment activities to learn the audience and peculiarly young person on how to protect themselves from infection. Figure ( 5, 6, 7 ) How did Event Address the Subject The chief subject of the event was the bar and intervention of HIV/AIDS. The event started with a keynote address from wellness experts and local functionaries. This was followed by some inspirational music from invited creative persons. In add-on to entertaining the audience, the creative persons ensured that the vocals they were executing were enlightening and associating to the subject of the event. Musical public presentations where interchanged with short play and skits about HIV/AIDS. The most interesting thing was that some of these musicals and skits were played out in the local idiom and therefore catching the full attending of the audience. Not merely were these dramas informative, but besides capturing and interesting. The public presentations were followed by mini-competitions including association football competitions, short races and merriment games for the younger age groups. The squads take parting were drawn from the local population. Each of the athleticss uniforms they have oning conveyed a different message about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Just before the winning squads were feted, a association football ball was inserted inside a rubber, merely to exemplify how elastic rubbers can be, much to the amusement of the immature audience. The addresss were intentionally short, to expeditiously capture the attending of the audience. Appleby ( 2002 ) argues that, research shows that immature people do non like long addresss and formalities. Therefore, the event organisers ensured that keynote talkers were short and precise while concentrating on the chief message. There was a inquiry and reply session, whereby participants had the opportunity to inquire their questions. All the inquiries were answered satisfactorily by the squad of physicians who were invited to the event. The audience besides got a opportunity to be tested for HIV, free of charge. The squad of professional counsellors ensured that participants underwent voluntary guidance Sessionss before and after proving. The fact that the trials were free got a immense response from the audience. The trials were confidential and those who tested positive likely received mentions on where they could get down having intervention. The coordination of the event was superb. There were no struggles in the deputation of responsibilities. Every individual had his or her function to play, as the event activities were being executed. In add-on, there were no enlistments or clip holds ; bespeaking the high degree of planning and readying. The event director must hold put in. Event Closing At the closing of the event, participants received freebees such as Jerseies, umbrellas, utensils and caps branded with anti-Aids messages. For those who did non understand the message through the addresss, they certainly got it through the branded points. In add-on to the free points, informational booklets were given out to the participants. This will surely guarantee that those who did non acquire the opportunity to go to the event can still larn about the virus through from the informational booklets. Decision The brilliant organisation of this HIV/Aids Awareness twenty-four hours is a clear indicant that originative thought plays a cardinal function in finding the ultimate success of an event. There are so many HIV/AIDS consciousness events these yearss, but most of them employ bing constructs therefore, taking to hapless attending. Creative thought is the mental procedure that involves the find of new and superb thoughts. It is the ability to contrive new thoughts by uniting, altering or reapplying bing thoughts. In event direction, originative thought aids event directors and organisers to place thoughts that could capture the attending of their mark audience in a bewitching manner. In this instance, the HIV/AIDS consciousness event incorporated superb thoughts such as featuring activities, music, skits, merriment games and other competitions. Since it was a youth event, these thoughts were resistless to the mark audience, and played a cardinal function in the general success of the event. The participants were non merely educated about HIV/AIDS, but besides got a opportunity to bask and entertain themselves. The planning and readying of the event was every bit brilliant. An event coordinator was responsible for placing event undertakings and deputing responsibilities to the squad members. This ensured that the opportunities of duty struggles originating were minimum. The appraisals were besides realistic, the clip intervals between event activities were manageable plenty to guarantee that no activity was rushed or delayed. Event direction goes beyond the executing of the existent event. An event is said to be successful, if it is executed and completed within the allocated clip, the budgeted costs and the specified degrees. Changes to the range should be minimum and the event should run into the needed qualities and criterions. Technical enlistments are sometimes allowed, as they are frequently unanticipated. In this HIV/AIDS consciousness event, the director surpassed the minimal event ends, by guaranting that the targeted audience who did non acquire a opportunity to go to the meeting still received information about HIV/AIDS, from the booklets. In add-on, the event ran swimmingly without any clip holds, alterations to the plan or any other hindrances. As a consequence, the event was considered a success.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Biography of Pedro de Alvarado, Conquistador

Biography of Pedro de Alvarado, Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado (1485-1541) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Conquest of the Aztecs in Central Mexico in 1519 and led the Conquest of the Maya in 1523. Referred to as Tonatiuh or Sun God by the Aztecs because of his blonde hair and white skin, Alvarado was violent, cruel and ruthless, even for a conquistador for whom such traits were practically a given. After the Conquest of Guatemala, he served as governor of the region, although he continued to campaign until his death in 1541. Fast Facts: Pedro de Alvarado Known For: Conquest and enslavement of indigenous people of Mexico and Latin AmericaBorn: c. 1485, Badajoz, Castile, SpainParents: Gà ³mez de Alvarado, Leonor de ContrerasDied: 1541, in or near Guadalajara, New Spain (Mexico)Spouse(s): Francisca de la Cueva, Beatriz de la CuevaChildren: Leonor de Alvarado y Xicotenga Tecubalsi, Pedro de Alvarado, Diego de Alvarado, Gà ³mez de Alvarado, Ana (Anita) de Alvarado (all illegitimate) Early Life Pedros exact year of birth is unknown: it was probably sometime between 1485 and 1495. Like many conquistadores, he was from the province of Extremadura- the city of Badajoz, in his case. Like many younger sons of minor nobility, Pedro and his brothers could not expect much in the way of an inheritance. They were expected to become priests or soldiers, as working the land was considered beneath them. In about 1510 he went to the New World with several brothers and an uncle. They soon found work as soldiers in the various expeditions of conquest that originated on Hispaniola, including the brutal conquest of Cuba. Personal Life and Appearance Alvarado was blond and fair, with blue eyes and pale skin that fascinated the natives of the New World. He was considered affable by his fellow Spaniards and the other conquistadores trusted him. He married twice: first to Spanish noblewoman Francisca de la Cueva, who was related to the powerful Duke of Albuquerque, and then later, after her death, to Beatriz de la Cueva, who survived him and briefly became governor in 1541. His longtime native companion, Doà ±a Luisa Xicotencatl, was a Tlaxcalan Princess given to him by the lords of Tlaxcala when they made an alliance with the Spanish. He had no legitimate children but did father several illegitimate ones. Alvarado and the Conquest of the Aztecs In 1518, Hernn Cortà ©s mounted an expedition to explore and conquer the mainland, and Alvarado and his brothers quickly signed on. Alvarados leadership was recognized early on by Cortà ©s, who put him in charge of ships and men. He would eventually become Cortà ©s right-hand man. As the conquistadores moved into central Mexico and a showdown with the Aztecs, Alvarado proved himself time and again as a brave, capable soldier, even if he did have a noticeable cruel streak. Cortà ©s often entrusted Alvarado with important missions and reconnaissance. After the conquest of Tenochtitln, Cortà ©s was forced to head back to the coast to face Pnfilo de Narvez, who had brought soldiers from Cuba to take him into custody. Cortà ©s left Alvarado in charge while he was gone. The Temple Massacre In Tenochtitln (Mexico City), tensions were high between the indigenous people and the Spanish. The noble class of Aztecs seethed at the audacious invaders, who were laying claim to their wealth, property, and women. On May 20, 1520, the nobles gathered for their traditional celebration of Toxcatl. They had already asked Alvarado for permission, which he had granted. Alvarado heard rumors that the Mexica were going to rise up and slaughter the intruders during the festival, so he ordered a pre-emptive attack. His men slaughtered hundreds of unarmed nobles at the Festival. According to the Spanish, they slaughtered the nobles because they had proof that the festivities were a prelude to an attack designed to kill all of the Spanish in the city. The Aztecs, however, claimed the Spanish only wanted the golden ornaments many of the nobility were wearing. No matter what the cause, the Spanish fell on the unarmed nobles, slaughtering thousands. The Noche Triste Cortà ©s returned to Mexico and quickly tried to restore order, but the effort was in vain. The Spanish were under a state of siege for several days before they sent Emperor Moctezuma to speak to the crowd. According to the Spanish account, he was killed by stones thrown by his own people. With Moctezuma dead, the attacks increased until the night of June 30, when the Spanish tried to sneak out of the city under cover of darkness. They were discovered and attacked; dozens were killed as they attempted to escape, laden down with treasures. During the escape, Alvarado allegedly made a mighty leap from one of the bridges. For a long time afterward, the bridge was known as Alvarados Leap. Guatemala and the Maya Cortà ©s, with the help of Alvarado, was able to regroup and retake the city, setting himself up as governor. More Spanish arrived to help colonize, govern, and rule the remnants of the  Aztec Empire. Among the loot discovered were ledgers of sorts detailing tribute payments from neighboring tribes and cultures, including several considerable payments from a culture known as the Kiche far to the south. A message was sent to the effect that there had been a change in management in Mexico City but the payments should continue. Predictably, the fiercely independent Kiche ignored it. Cortà ©s selected  Pedro de Alvarado  to head south and investigate, and in 1523 he gathered up 400 men, many of whom had horses, and several thousand indigenous allies. The Conquest of Utatln Cortà ©s had been successful because of his ability to turn Mexican ethnic groups against one another, and Alvarado had learned his lessons well. The Kiche Kingdom, located in the city of Utatln near present-day Quetzaltenango in Guatwasa, was by far the strongest of the kingdoms in the lands that had once been home to the Mayan Empire. Cortà ©s quickly made an alliance with the Kaqchikel, traditional bitter enemies of the Kiche. All of Central America had been devastated by disease in the previous years, but the Kiche were still able to put 10,000 warriors into the field, led by Kiche warlord Tecà ºn Umn.  The Spanish routed the Kiche  in February 1524 at the battle of El Pinal, ending the greatest hope of large-scale native resistance in Central America. Conquest of the Maya With the mighty Kiche defeated and their capital city of Utatln in ruins, Alvarado was able to pick off the remaining kingdoms one by one. By 1532 all of the major kingdoms had fallen, and their people had been given by Alvarado to his men as virtual slaves. Even the Kaqchikels were rewarded with slavery. Alvarado was named  the governor  of Guatemala and established a city there, near the site of present-day  Antigua. He served for 17 years. Further Adventures Alvarado was not content to sit idly in Guatemala counting his newfound wealth. He would abandon his duties as governor from time to time in search of more conquest and adventure. Hearing of the great wealth in the Andes, he set out with ships and men to conquer  Quito. By the time he arrived, it had already been captured by  Sebastian de Benalcazar  on behalf of  the Pizarro brothers. Alvarado considered fighting the other Spaniards for it, but he ultimately allowed them to buy him off. He was named the governor of Honduras and occasionally went there to enforce his claim. Alvarados Cruelty as Described by Las Casas All of the conquistadores were ruthless, cruel and bloodthirsty, but Pedro de Alvarado was in a class by himself. He ordered massacres of women and children, razed entire villages, enslaved thousands, and threw indigenous people to his dogs when they displeased him. When he decided to go to the Andes, he took with him thousands of Central Americans to work and fight for him; most of them died en route or once they got there. Alvarados singular inhumanity drew the attention of  Fray Bartolomà © de Las Casas, the enlightened Dominican who was the Great Defender of the Indians. In 1542, Las Casas wrote A Short History of the Destruction of the Indies, in which he railed against the abuses committed by the conquistadores. Although he did not mention Alvarado by name, Las Casas clearly referred to him: This man in the space of fifteen years, which was from the year 1525 to 1540, together with his associates, massacred no less then five millions of men, and do daily destroy those that are yet remaining. It was the custom of this Tyrant, when he made war upon any Town or Country, to carry along with him as many as he could of the subdued Indians, compelling them to make war upon their Countrymen, and when he had ten or twenty thousand men in his service, because he could not give them provision, he permitted them to eat the flesh of those Indians that they had taken in war: for which cause he had a kind of shambles in his Army for the ordering and dressing of mans flesh, suffering Children to be killed and boiled in his presence. The men they killed only for their hands and feet, for those they accounted dainties. Death Alvarado returned to Mexico to campaign in the Mexican northwest around 1540. In 1541, he died in present-day Michoacn when a horse rolled over on him during a battle. Legacy Alvarado is best remembered in Guatemala, where he is even more reviled than is Hernn Cortà ©s in Mexico. His Kiche opponent Tecà ºn Umn is a national hero whose likeness appears on the 1/2 Quetzal note. Even today, Alvarados cruelty is legendary: Guatemalans who do not know much about their history will recoil at his name. In short, he is remembered as the most vicious of the conquistadores- if he is remembered at all. Still, there is no denying that Alvarado had a profound effect on the history of Guatemala and  Central America  in general, even if most of it was negative. The villages and towns he gave away to his conquistadores formed the basis for  some current  municipal divisions and his experiments with moving conquered people around resulted in some cultural exchange among the Maya. Sources: Dà ­az del Castillo, Bernal.  The Conquest of New Spain.  New York: Penguin, 1963 (original  written circa 1575).Herring, Hubert.  A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.Foster, Lynn V. New York: Checkmark Books, 2007.de las Casas, Bartolomà ©. An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies, with Related Texts, ed. Franklin W. Knight, tr. Andrew Hurley (Hackett Publ. Co., 2003), pp. 2-3, 6-8.  National Humanities Center, 2006.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Information Security Audit And Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Information Security Audit And Assurance - Essay Example Data is stored in a database that makes access, retrieval and manipulation easy and more secure (Chrisopher, 2012). The Department of information technology in the organization oversees the security of the information system and hardware that is used in running all the activities in the organization. Computer and information security entails the safeguarding of computer resources, limiting access to authorized users, ensuring data integrity, maintaining data confidentiality and enhancing accountability in the organization (Chrisopher, 2012). The effective security will therefore involve taking security measures to ensure hardware and media are not stolen or damaged. Developing back –up strategies to minimize loss of data and information, encryption of sensitive data files and appropriate user identification (Ruskwig, 2012). Audit checklist: INFORMATION SECURITY SYSTEM AUDIT AND ASSUARANCE CHECKLIST Personnel/ Human resources Check item Answer Responsibility Who has the respons ibility for ensuring system security? employee Do employees and other users of the system have the knowledge and training on how to handle security threats? Training Do the personnel and staff member with any responsibility of system security have adequate training and do they receive training to support their roles? Computer security policy Is there a documented security policy that is fully supported by the senior management , with associated operating systems Non – disclosure Agreements Is there confidentiality agreements to sensitive employee data and information and its disclosure to third parties Process Audit Are the installed systems in the company including security systems and firewalls installed in the company audited on a regular basis? Software patches Do mechanisms exist that are used to deploy software patches at the security systems in the company in a timely and audited manner? Data protection Are employee and company data well secured in the database? And co mply with the legislative frameworks such as data privacy Act. Authentication Are there reliable and effective authentication mechanisms in the organization? Technology External network security Are there security measures such as intrusion detectors, firewalls that are used to protect against external computer access such as internet. Are these safety measures authorized by the senior management. Content monitoring Is there proper monitoring of the content of emails, and internet to prevent virus infection, internet fraud, SPAM and also litigation from the improper use and improper content. Anti virus Is there an installed antivirus and is it up to date, are all users trained and educated on how to identify and avoid suspected files to avoid virus and malware infection. Physical security Are critical IT systems, equipment and servers, stored in a secure and protected area free from unauthorized access? Security policy. Policy statement: The department of information technology in t he organization is vested with the responsibility to provide the substantial data security and confidentiality of all the resources, data and information that are held in the organization which include local storage media, or remotely placed in order to ensure the continuous availability resources and data to the authorized users in the organization and also to provide integrity of these data and configuration controls (Ruskwig, 2012). Security policies: a) The data