Children’s Health Fund Free Essays

CHF began as an idea and then evolved into a large program. Dr. Redlener wanted to be part of the healthcare solution, not contributing to the problem. We will write a custom essay sample on Children’s Health Fund or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin and Perkins, 2012). Delivering medical care to rural areas, working earthquake relief and other noteworthy deeds made Dr. Redlener realize that with some support he could help the under privileged. (Brown, et. al, 2012). After reading the case study, I realized that mobile medical clinics will always be needed. I have worked Hurricane cleanup and know that mobile food trucks, mobile Laundromats, showers and medical care is needed immediately. Mobile medical units would give volunteers the equipment needed to treat people in need during natural disasters and to the under privilaged. At the same time mobile medical clinics could be used to assist in the growing AIDS epidemic, early detection of breast cancer, teen pregnancy, drug addiction, and assist in the number one health problem in the United States, obesity. Challenges facing CHF is how to provide expert medical care to under privileged individuals living in rural areas, homeless shelters, and poverty stricken areas. These challenges include continuation of funding, access to accurate patient medical records, limitations in telecommunications networks and medical databases, and healthcare providers. So what is the solution to getting expert medical care to the under privileged? More mobile medical clinics and stationary clinics located within the needed areas? However, then we encounter the issue of cost. I see the solution as having medical students serve part of their residency or their training by assisting in the mobile medical clinics. If this was part of their training, then CHF cut their budget by not having to pay for all the provider services. An advantage is free labor, but a disadvantage is they are not fully trained, which could be detrimental to the cause. Retired doctors and nurses who want to work a few days a week would be a great asset while letting them keep up their skills. The risks that I see with either of these solutions is that the interns have not completed their training and the older group may not be as techno savvy as they need to complete the tasks. Allocations from the government would help with some of the financial aspects. The rest would have to come from private donations. However, the implementation of state and federal legislation will bring medical coverage to an additional 30 million uninsured Americans. I don’t believe that private donations and federal and state funding will cover all the under privileged we currently have and then to add an additional 30 million will only add to the burden of funding. Our government is cutting the budget currently, so any money from state or federal funding may not last for long. The Affordable Care Act is changing the way health care is paid. Hospitals will have to embrace innovation to cut costs and deliver quality medical care. Hospitals, clinics, and doctors need to work together with the public to advocate needed changes in respect to reimbursements and privacy issues. I believe that the new HITECH regulations will provide the accurate patient files that are needed to provide the best care possible. Innovations in technology will soon solve the problems with limitations in telecommunications networks. Embracing new technology will allow providers access to patient records and accurate accounting of current treatments. Taking the time to learn all this new technology may be challenging at first but will reward both providers and patients as time passes. Currently the government has been granting hospitals and clinics millions of dollars to upgrade existing medical technology and IT programs. A central database will reduce duplication of patient’s records, treatments, billing and other medical services. Security is the biggest disadvantage that has Americans worrying about who will be allowed to see their medical history. I don’t feel this is any more insecure than banking online or purchasing merchandise. Databases from the federal government to credit card companies have been hacked. We just have to believe that our information will be safeguarded. Are there newer more affordable network communications solutions that should be tried? Cloud computing, social networks and big data analytics are innovations that can help network communications now by lowering cost, improving outcomes and increasing access to medical care. (mHealth, 2012). Watch any commercial and you will see that technology innovations are growing by leaps and bounds. No sooner do you purchase a Smartphone or computer when something ewer comes out. Medical residents who use new technology, such as tablets are more efficient, they save about an hour a day and treatments and prescriptions are ordered earlier. (Hyek, n. d. ). The use of mobile devices to access medical records, check real-time vital signs or test results translates into direct improvement in treatment and outcomes. (mHealth, 2012). The invention and innov ation of faster, cheaper, portable, and more powerful computers make it an affordable solution to communications. Physicians on call can receive images and start the treatment before they arrive at the hospital. The time saved using portable devices will make hospital staffs more efficient, treatment quicker, and save lives. CHF should upgrade their systems with portable devices that are smaller, faster and works in remote areas. Will the federal government’s HITECH stimulus funds and Meaningful Use standards lead to better software integration solutions? Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Ace (HITECH) is a government program established to advance the use of health information technology to save lives and reduce costs. (Blumenthal, 2010). The HITECH stimulus will definitely lead to better software. Incentive bonuses are being provided to providers who meet the â€Å"meaningful use† of electronic health records (EHR) adoption. (Blumenthal, 2010). Medical practices of the future will have to use EHR to stay in practice. Providers currently have their own systems of electronic health records but they are not connected to other providers, clinics or hospitals. As a military Soldier our medical history is linked. We still hand carry our medical records from duty station to duty station, but the system will allow my current doctor to see tests and reports from my last duty assignment. The problem is that if I’m sent to a civilian medical facility for additional tests, it is not entered into our system and I have to request paper copies of the documents. It will take some time but I do believe that HITECH will eventually evolve into a nationwide program that will link all patient data. This will ensure that patients are no longer over medicated or jumping from doctor to doctor to get their next fix of prescription drugs. A National Health Information Network (NHIN) is being developed to facilitate the exchange of health information among EHRs. HITECH is a complex health information system for the 21st-century but will continue to evolve as it is implemented, but will require the support and patience of providers and patients to be successful. (Blumenthal, 2010). â€Å"The HITECH Act’s programs strive to create an electronic circulatory system for health information that nourishes the practice of medicine, research, and public health, making health care professionals better at what they do and the American people healthier. † (Blumenthal, 2010, para 17). Will the increase in software adoptions at physician offices make it more difficult for him to retain his staff? I believe that the increase of software adoptions will make it difficult for doctors to retain their staff. The military has become much computerized, what use to take several clerks to handle can now be completed by one clerk. Yes, we got rid of some clerks but had to train Soldiers in information technology to resolve issues and problems. Providers will need less staff to schedule, change or cancel appointments, but will need to hire employees proficient in computers. Each employee will experience different views on implementing new technology. . (Rivers, Blake, Lindgren n. d. ). Some will welcome the changes as a way to acquire additional knowledge, while others may see this as an intrusion into their routine. (Rivers, et. al, n. d. ). Providers will be able to electronically transmit prescriptions from their desk to the pharmacy. Technology can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of patient care. Wireless headsets allow nurses to answer phones no matter where they are. My dad is receiving in home health care and they bring a laptop to chart his progress, once back at their office, they send the chart to the doctor, which is saving valuable time. Providers use technology daily in the form of personal data assistants (PDAs), tablets, and Smartphone’s. (Rivers, et. al, n. d. ). These devices eradicate duplicate charting, test for drug interactions, compute dosages, schedule procedures, order medicine and computerize other clinical duties, therefore reducing the possibility of errors and increasing patient wellbeing. Rivers, et. al, n. d. ). What combination of conditions could emerge that render the mobile medical clinic model obsolete? The biggest thing that could render mobile medical clinics obsolete is the use of mobile networks to enhance healthcare (mHealth). Help from technology megatrends, such as social networking, cloud computing and big data analytics will transform global health care. (mHealth, 2012). â€Å"The evolving mHealth vis ion is patient-centric but with information services and data analytics at its core. † (mHealth, 2012, P. 7, para 2). Mobile phone applications will have the ability to collect, store, analyze and upload environmental and personal data to healthcare providers to assist in illness prevention and treatment. (FREng, Sherrington, Dicks, Gray, and Chang, 2011). mHealth would allow patients to be monitored from home to avoid hospital or residential stays which might lower health costs. (FREng, et. al, 2011). The increased awareness and attention to prevention, education, and wellness will produce patients with fewer medical issues and knowledge of their medical history. Mobile networks are continually upgrading their data capacity which includes high-resolution images, video and large file exchanges. (FREng, et. al, 2011). We use our smart phones for banking, trading stocks, finding the cheapest gas, and now we want to make doctor appointments, pay the doctors bill and access our medical records. In 2011, over 44 million health-related medical applications were downloaded. (Hyek, 2012. ). Smart mobility is now enabling patients to control our electronic medical records while incorporating wellness and fitness applications into our lifestyle. (mHealth, 2012). How to cite Children’s Health Fund, Papers

Importance of Training Strategy For Entrepreneurs Case Study

Question: Describe about the Case Study of Importance Of Training Strategy For Entrepreneurs? Answer: Introduction This report discusses about a small part of the subject management of human capital and entrepreneurship. Accordion to Cohan (2012), Aspiring entrepreneurship should look out for big companies in which to train by following the hungry startup strategy of big companies as start up training grounds? In this statement, author clearly wants to say that aspiring or start up entrepreneurs should follow the strategy named hungry startup strategy which is used by the big or large scale organizations to train the employees or learn new things. Hungry startup strategy has basically six steps that help in learning or training of the employees. These steps are setting goals for the training, picking up the market, raising capital, building a smart and able team for the organization, Gaining the share and adapting the change. All the factors described in the hungry startup strategy are very much helpful for any organization to give a potential start to the organization. Before going to start any work or organization, it is very necessary to set its goal and objective. The purpose of the organization helps in picking proper direction for the organization. After setting the goals, organization needs to decide its target market and should try to pick the target market effectively. For an entrepreneur, raising fund is a big challenge and it is very much necessary also because without proper fund, it is very tough to perform any type of business. Without a proper and efficient team, it is very tough to perform any type of business, thus an entrepreneur need to have the skills to build and efficient team for its organization. Share dividing requires lots of financial formulas to make fair decision and change is the nature of world, hence, being with the fast changing technology is very necessary to be with the competitive market (Sarri, Bakouros Petridar, 2010). All the above factors are of lot of importance for an organization. So, an entrepreneur needs a proper training for all these. Thus, it is very necessary for the entrepreneurs to make a proper training strategy for its organization. Literature Review Critical Analysis Hungary Start up strategy Figure: Hungry Start up Strategy (Nafziger, 2009) There are six steps of Hungary start up strategy Set Goals There are three different kinds of goals to be set. The first goal is to communicate why originators are fanatical about the venture. The second goal is, Ultimate outcome of the venture is described by the long term goal. The third goal is, short term goal that spur to make a series of experiments that are used to find a business model that eventually leads them to get the second goal which is long-term goal. For example - Dickie and Watt started BrewDog. They thought that the goal should be designed to put the company on higher level by some easy method. So, they made a sequence of goals to make their work easy. These goals are- Goal 1. They resigned from their corporate jobs because they found something to do after resigning their job. Goal 2. They decided that crafting beer is a perfect thing for them to do, they created some buzz. Goal 3. After creating there buzz, they had to find distributers in their country. Goal 4. The most challenging goal is to convince a bank for loan so that they can make facility to satisfy the customers. Pick market Start-up CEOs chose a very personal way to pick market. They picked market on their opportunities and on their own experience. The thinking of CEOs is that they are exclusively qualified to capture. The size of the market is estimated only by the company founders when seeking outside capital (Jusoh, Ziyae, Ashimirah Kadar, 2011). For example, the cofounders of BrewDog liked drinking and making craft beer, so they decided to pick the craft beer market. They really wanted to sell it. They knew that it was too hard but they did not give up. They sent their sample products in Sweden to a beer blogger who loved their product. Raise capital The availability or lack of capital, thereof, forces the directors to approach raising of capital differently for each and prepare their short term adjective like a series of experiments of frugal nature. BrewDog used a different way to cobble its capital. By its initial operation, it got loan from a bank and it started selling its shares of stock to their customers, this program is called Equity for Punks. It pays for raw materials like bottles, malts and hops to its suppliers. It launched a new technique for speeding the payments from customers, which is, it gives 3% discount to the distributers who pay payment within 10 days (Gravan OCinneide, 2004). Built the team A top team can be attracted by a new CEO even after payment of less salary to team members with the enough compelling mission. The members who should be fired and promoted, decisions about who should be hired, and how they should act, is driven by the passion underlying. The BrewDogs value affects the gained market share. To make an anti-corporate bias, and a high quality craft, beer are needed to be made by passionate devotion. This also influences people who are hired by the BrewDog. The work environment of BrewDog demands very long hours which is called anti-corporate. Gain share A QVL is provided to customers to share the start-up achievements with customers, here QVL means Quantum Value Leap. In this, a twist is combined with Porters generic strategy. A freemium strategy is an extreme example of QVL. In freemium strategy, products basic version is free for customers and the new version of product will be charged by customers. It is provided into that place in which the product is in demand. Humorous and clever videos are produced by the BrewDog to advertise their products. These videos attract the people by viral growth. In the United Kingdom, one page magazine advertisement, which comes at an expense of around $8000, reaches to a few potential consumers. Besides this, the company also created a YouTube style video for $2400. By this, BrewDog reaches to 250,000 people around many countries. Adapt to change To identify the critical listening posts in competitive environment, the developments of boundary less companies helps the start-ups. The critical few signals of key threats and opportunities are filtered to out the noise. These are such opportunities and key threats which they cant be ignored (NAfziger, 2009). BrewDog wants to expand its business to more countries. Everywhere is competition, wherever they want to go. But the company is very passionate towards its work and it believes that its customers and founders are very much attracted towards their craft beers. Importance of training for Entrepreneur There are three components to make boundary for entrepreneurship. These are described below: Personal development Strengthen, motivate, progress and confidence can be developed by entrepreneurship training in a large organization. Business development To increase the self-employment skills, financial literacy and technical can be included in entrepreneurship in a person. It will be helpful for the person to develop their own business. Entrepreneurship skill development Training for creative problem solving, how they affect business, local cultural norms, dealing with bureaucracy, group leadership, presentation. Interviewing, selling, opportunities seeking, social skills networking can be provided into the entrepreneurship training. Entrepreneurial training needs to focus on literature as much as on personal development. Literature is important for blended learning experience. The best tools of skills and business knowledge are combined in blended learning experience. Training events give approaches to blended learning experience. The media plays an important rule for entrepreneurship. Careful thoughts are needed for social acceptance and awareness of entrepreneurship. Radio and television deliver positive information about enterprise and entrepreneurship. It helps to overcome from negativity that exists in the society about entrepreneurship. Some NGOs and mass media also help to overcome from negativity that exists in society (St-Jean Audet, 2012). The role of entrepreneurship finance, entrepreneurship trainings, banking rules, managing civic administration and regulations needed to be covered by some NGOs, business development agencies, civic organizations, and educational institutions. The content of emotional feelings of entrepreneurship needed to be understood by them. Entrepreneurship training needs motivation to motivate a person for business development. Entrepreneurship finance, entrepreneurship education, banking rules, managing civic administration, regulations, and fair play are needed to be discussed at the supply side. These factors must be based on the sole goal of entrepreneurship. At the supply side, a person needs a role model to understand the importance and value of entrepreneurship. By a role model, a person can see the effect of entrepreneurship. For a long term and sustained funding, it is needed to be committed by the government. This is helpful for those people, who have the talent but not enough money so that they can start their business. Self employment can be supported by government. The review of legislation is needed by the government too. Legislation means that, which holds back the entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship can be flourished by an ecosystem which is developed by a network. This network is made by well established entrepreneurs, multinational companies, and stakeholders. Web based resources are created by multilateral Organizations like UN. Institutions, trainers and educators can develop their curricula, to make sure that it is dynamic, fresh, relevant and cutting edge. Television must not be ignored as it has a major reach across society and can be influential in transmitting ideas and raising aspirations. The most important thing that can transmit ideas and raise aspirations around the world influentially is television. Television cant be ignored because it plays a very important role to make people aware about the entrepreneurship. Some small organizations give vast majority to those working people who are self employed. These small organizations financially help them for their businesses so that they can achieve higher level in their business. They help those people according to their education and recent income. By income and education they decide how much amount of money will be suitable for the specific person (Kim, Yoon Kim, 2014). Conclusion With the increasing competition in the market, the need of training of the employees has also become necessary for each type of organization. Big organizations mainly use the Hungry Startup strategy which is properly explained in the above report. This strategy provides a basis for training strategy of the organization. Entrepreneurs may also use this strategy to make a good strategy for the organization. In todays technological world, the training of employees has become very necessary, a single time training is not enough for the organization. For updating with the current market and technology, a timely training helps a lot. The overall training includes basically three types of purposes: personal development, business development and entrepreneurship skill development. Personal development includes the development of personal skills like communication, leadership, stress management, balancing between work and personal life and various others which help entrepreneur in remaining enthusiastic and energetic towards work. Business development includes the training related to the proper management of business. Various types of skills are required to manage a business properly and effectively. The huge preponderance of the working populace in the world are freelance or working in small companies, but as yet their profits level are not enough to raise people above the grinding scarcity and strike the targets set under Millennium growth objectives. While political and economic reformations plays a vital role in setting the picture, populace require the mindset, skill and knowledge to take benefit of opportunities. It is supposed that this involvement can assist in making a difference in this pitch. References Sarri, K. K., Bakouros, I. L., Petridou, E. (2010). Entrepreneur training for creativity and innovation.Journal of European Industrial Training,34(3), p.270-288. Jusoh, R., Ziyae, B., Asimiran, S., Kadir, S. A. (2011). Entrepreneur training needs analysis: implications on the entrepreneurial skills needed for successful entrepreneurs.International Business Economics Research Journal (IBER),10(1). Garavan, T. N., O'Cinneide, B. (2004). Entrepreneurship education and training programmes: A review and evaluation-Part 1.Journal of European industrial training,18(8), p. 3-12. Nafziger, E. W. (2009). The effect of the Nigerian extended family on entrepreneurial activity.Economic Development and Cultural Change, p.25-33. St-Jean, E., Audet, J. (2012). The role of mentoring in the learning development of the novice entrepreneur.International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal,8(1), p.119-140. Kim, Y. D., Yoon, S., Kim, H. G. (2014). An economic perspective and policy implication for social enterprise.American Journal of Applied Sciences,11(3), p.406.

A Contemplative Essay What Is Reality Essays - Ontology

A Contemplative Essay: What Is Reality? I believe we each perceive things differently, and the combination of all our perceptions creates how we view the world, creates our reality. Im not going to pretend to know what reality is, but I know what I think it is, and what I think it should be. Reality should be what each and every one of us wants it to be. There should be no duplicate realities, just like there are no two snowflakes the same. What my reality is should never be the same as what your reality is. For each person has different, albeit special, beliefs. And these beliefs should be what, over the years, shape our reality to what it is. Not what somebody else says is going on, not what everyone else is doing, but what our heart says is real. It should not make a difference in my reality that some guy is running down the street naked. For that one man running down the street will never be able to do anything good for me, or bad against me. Even if a car hits that man my life should not change in anyway. What is in my heart is there, has always been there, and will always be there to hold my reality steadfast. Now I know we have all heard this in advice about the opposite sex over and over again, but for each and every one of us to live our true reality we have to be who we are and act like ourselves every minute of everyday. For to each and every one of us we are what is real and everyone else around us is fake. For us not to do something that we want or for us not to say something that we want to say is taking away from our reality. Every time we take away from our reality we take part of our special little contribution to this world away. Each one of us expects people to be real to them so why should we lie to others and not be real to them and ourselves. I see reality in this light because; I find it hard to believe that I have the same reality as the serial killer down the street. When he goes on television and says he killed all of those people because everyone was out to get him, that is his reality. His mind may have somewhat altered the perceptions that his reality is based upon, but it was based upon those perceptions nonetheless. Im sure the little old lady that he has buried under his rose garden was just minding her own business, possibly picking up his trash for him. In his reality, she was probably looking for dirt on him. In my reality, on the other hand, I might thank her and cut her grass. Also, in my opinion, our reality changes as we grow. When we are first born the trees and clouds outside are not part of our reality, because we havent even seen them yet. And, when Aunt Pete and Uncle Bob first come to visit, they will just be two loving relatives. The nature of the relationship will not even matter until knowledge on the subject edges into the mind. The transition from 6th to 7th grade was particularly hurtful to my reality. I wasnt the big guy in the school anymore. There were older people acting like I was when I was the King of the Hill, so to speak. When I got to my senior year it (my reality) took another course. All of a sudden, my classes werent so easy anymore, and I wasnt able to breeze through them like before. Teachers were preparing my fellow classmates and I for college, and they started grading a little tougher, as college professors would. My point being, reality is not something to be set up against a standard. It is totally abstract from every other reality around it. Life as we know it is nothing but our respective realities meshing together. Philosophy

The Art of Not Giving Up in Your Job Search

The Art of Not Giving Up in Your Job Search Reasons. We have so many of them. Reasons to do things, reasons not to do things. Reasons why something is possible, and reasons why it’s not. Reasons to spend money, and reasons not to spend money. Reasons to give up, and reasons to take action. Pretty much every decision we make is based on a reason of some sort or another. Sometimes reasons conflict with each other. For instance, when I look at discounted mocha brownies in the day-old bin at my food coop, my brain comes up with many reasons to buy (and eat) the brownies. They are on sale! They will taste so good! I deserve it! Yet on most days, I do not buy them, because my reasons for not eating them far outweigh my reasons for indulging. I feel better. I look better. Kale will serve me so much better in the long run. Who cares if it costs twice as much and takes five times as much work to prepare? Reasons at work in your job search If you are a job seeker, you probably have lots of reasons to explain why you chose to apply or not apply for a particular job; why someone will or won’t hire you; and even why you are or are not going to hire a resume writer. You can choose to take the easy road, perhaps your default action (buying the mocha brownies), or you can choose to do something a little more difficult that will serve your career in the long term (invest in the kale). Annabelle’s story Two weeks ago I got a call from a woman (I will call her Annabelle) who was referred to me for resume assistance. Annabelle had just found out about a position that was available at a national non-profit in Washington, D.C., and she believed she was perfect for the job. The problem: Through her connections, Annabelle had discovered that the hiring process was quickly coming to a close, interviews were done, and the organization was making a final decision on the person they wanted to hire. Annabelle had also been told by a friend at the organization, who also happens to be a friend of mine, that the language in her resume was confusing and that she should hire me to get it into shape. Not giving up Many people would have given up as soon as they heard the words, â€Å"We are too far along in the hiring process.† Others would have given up at the prospect of spending hundreds of dollars unexpectedly to overhaul their resume. Annabelle could have listened to all the multitude of reasons against applying for this position. But she listened to the reasons to give it a shot. After all, this was a job she wanted more than anything, and no one had actually confirmed that anyone been offered the job yet. Also, there would be more positions open in the future, so it couldn’t hurt to send in her resume. Annabelle jumped into action. She hired The Essay Expert for two hours at our RUSH rate, reformatted her resume on her own, and, despite having a family emergency intervene in the midst of the process, managed to submit her materials to the organization the next day. Was it worth it? The day after sending in her application, Annabelle got an email: the organization wanted to talk to her. She was put through an expedited interview process, and during one of the interviews she could hear one of the managers there going through her resume line by line. He was impressed. Annabelle moved forward with confidence, incredibly well-prepared for her interviews after having talked to me about every bullet on her resume. Yesterday I received a call from Annabelle, who told me with great excitement that she had received an offer last Monday for her dream job. A job, you will remember, that was not available until the hiring manager saw Annabelle’s resume. Annabelle’s job search, beginning to end, for a job at a national non-profit in Washington, D.C.:  4 days. Wow. Annabelle did have a leg up because she had met the hiring manager at a prior event; her network played a crucial role in opening up this opportunity, as it does for many job seekers. She also believes, and I agree, that â€Å"a network can only take you so far; the resume is the only way others can justify your consideration to those who might not know you; it’s your only real voice in the matter.† She continues (and I promise I did not write this), â€Å"No matter how well you think you fit the position, no matter how well you have your contacts lined up, if your resume does not accurately reflect your level of professionalism or capability, hiring managers will never see the true candidate that you are. Having an ill-prepared resume should be the last reason why you don’t go after or get considered for a job. There’s no reason you can’t have a great resume to represent yourself!† Where are you stopped? If you are a job seeker, where are you getting stopped? Are you letting reasons keep you from applying to jobs you are qualified for? Are you using a mediocre resume in applications for your dream job because you don’t want to hire someone to bring it up a level or two? Do you believe that you can find a job in 4 days or do you think such a thing is impossible? What reasons are you listening to? The ones that have you give up (the equivalent for me of eating mocha brownies) or the ones that will move you forward in your career? I encourage you to believe that you can turn impossibilities into possibilities if you put your mind to it. Please use Annabelle’s story as an inspiration. And if you have a voice in your head saying, â€Å"That could never happen to me,† don’t give up. There is always a different set of reasons you can listen to, if only you are willing.

Essay style Why has the European Union been particularly active in its

Style Why has the European Union been particularly active in its employment anti-discrimination measures Set out the ma - Essay Example The diverse nature of conflicts within the European requires some form of moderation in order to achieve a level playing ground that can effectively lead towards the attainment of the shared goals (Salama & Council of Europe 2011, p. 121). The EU membership comprises of countries that speak different languages, which imply different cultures and worldviews. Some of the countries have had some historical challenges that could threaten the harmonious coexistence within the Union. Concerns over the possible dominance of some countries over others and presumed imbalances in various aspects of life such as business, global influence, and resources have fueled concerns of prejudice, preferential treatment, and discrimination within the union. It is because of this that the EU endeavors to enhance its operations in ways that foster unity and balance among member countries. Discrimination is largely a factor of competitive advantage (European Commission, 2008, p. 65). Discrimination is most likely to occur in conditions where many nationalities come together towards the attainment of certain objectives. Internal competitions and power struggles will tend to surface in ways that make it problematic for countries to articulate their concerns more effectively. The constituent members within the Union seek the attainment of certain political goals, social goals, and economic goals. The reality of discrimination places a direct hurdle towards the attainment of these goals. Tendencies of cultural supremacy and fears of cultural inferiority have, in the past, slowed down the integration of the EU members. Some countries have expressed reservations that the current operational climate is skewed in favor of particular countries (Corry, 1996). Internal differences between Anglophone members of the EU and other countries have led to fears of discrimination, which are because some countries are likely to benefit from undue advantage over others. It is for this reason that the EU s ought to draft specific legislations that provide sufficient safeguards against the possibility of lapsing into acts of discrimination based on language, culture, or country of origin (Fella & Ruzza, 2012, p. 40). These specific safeguards are meant to assure the member countries of fairness in the treatment of their citizens and countries in terms of certain benefits that relate to the specific issues that connect with the mutual interests that connect with the union. Discrimination usually imposes structural and systematic obstacles to the victims (Kahn, 2008). It curves out a system that provides privileges to some people or groups while subjecting others under unfair treatments. On this score, the EU sought to prevent the possibility of discrimination, as a way of encouraging the full participation and impartial treatment of its member countries and the citizens of the same countries as they moved about within the region covered geographically by the union (Falkner, Treib, & Hol zleithner, 2008). Efforts to determine the real extent of EU’s power should be understood from the fact that the union embodies certain qualities and virtues that must be upheld for the sake of its sustenance. The realization of the projected ends of the union depends significantly on the manner in which the unions operate and the balance of power and relations between them. The handling of matters of discriminati

Overview of the campaign at the battle of King's Mountain 1780 Essay

Overview of the campaign at the battle of King's Mountain 1780 - Essay Example Ferguson sent a warning to the frontiersmen: if they did not â€Å"desist from their opposition to the British army, and take protection under his standard, he would  march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword†1. The patriots responded by gathering a force of about 1,400 militiamen, with no formal military training, belonging to ten counties. Under the command of Col. William Campbell,  of Washington County, Virginia, the Overmountain Men pursued Ferguson’s forces to King’s Mountain on the afternoon of 7 October. The patriots divided forces into four columns, encircled the mountain and attacked the defensive position of the Loyalist forces on the exposed, rocky ridge. Using their skill in sharpshooting and moving under cover, learned in the frontiers wars, the patriots overwhelmed Fergusons’s forces and decisively won the battle in a little over one hour of combat. Accepted figures give the casualties as 225 Loyalists killed, 163 wounded and 716 captured, while only 28 Patriots were killed, including Colonel James Williams, and 68 wounded.  The Battle of King’s Mountain was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis retreated from Charlotte, North Carolina and was forced on the defensive. The patriots gained time to recoup and went on to win the

History Of English Intonation English Language Essay

History Of English Intonation English Language Essay Many people think that pronunciation is what makes up an accent. It may be that pronunciation is very important for an understandable accent. But it is intonation that gives the final touch that makes an accent native. Intonation is the music of a language, and is perhaps the most important element of a good accent. Often we hear someone speaking with perfect grammar, and perfect formation of the sounds of English but with a little something that gives them away as not being nativespeaker.Therefore, it is necessary to realize that there is more than the correct pronunciation of the vowels and consonants of a language. This is very important and we do stress it in other articles. But it is only one of the three components to an accent, pronunciation, intonation, and linking. In other places we will examine the correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants, and linking, the way that syllables within a word, and the beginning and ending of words come together. Two useful abstractions: To understand how intonational transcription works, you must understand two different kinds of abstractions which the system relies on. The first is a phonetic abstraction, namely that there is something which we can call intonation, a well-defined set of linguistic phenomena all working together to determine the pitch pattern of an utterance. This abstraction is very useful because it is fairly easy to get a good measure of what listeners perceive as the pitch pattern. We can do this by extracting the fundamental frequency of the voiced parts of the utterance, a task which is computationally quite easy. We can then take the fundamental frequency pattern, and analyze it as the result of a set of linguistic categories with a number of specific purposes, and an algorithm which implements the categories as events in the pitch of the utterance. Two points to note here: 1) not all intonational categories have the same function; being an intonational category only means that the category has a specific and categorical effect on the pitch pattern. 2) these categories do not determine all aspects of the pitch pattern; variou s other non-linguistic differences, such as emotional state, degree of involvement in the speech, and individual differences such as ones due to sex, also affect aspects of the pitch pattern. The second is a functional abstraction. These intonational categories can be classified with respect to the two major types of prosodic functions. Prosody can be described as consisting of head mechanisms and edge mechanisms. Head mechanisms are those which act to pick out one piece of an utterance as different than its neighbors, while edge mechanisms indicate which items go with which by marking the edge of a larger grouping. Intonational categories in the English system similarly function either to pick out syllables which are more stressed than their neighbors, or to mark the final edge of a piece of an utterance which is to be interpreted as a group. Edge marking tones boundary tones and phrase tones. The intonational categories which you will likely find most intuitive are the ones which are used to mark edges. One reason for this, I believe, is that the English orthography actually writes some of these differences. For example, consider the following pair of sentences. 1) This is a test sentence. 2) This is a test sentence? If you convert these into speech (by reading them out loud), you will note a very salient difference in the pitch contour at the end. In 1) the pitch falls throughout the last word, often ending with a little bit of creaky voice, while in 2) the pitch rises throughout the last word, perhaps ending higher than anywhere else in the entire sentence. Such differences in pitch pattern reflect discourse-related differences such as is captured by the use of the question mark in 2). At a full stop, our system indicates the possibility of four different contours, the two which appear in likely renditions of 1) and 2), and two more, one which you will likely produce in the non-final members of a slowly rendered list, and one which you might produce when calling someone in for dinner. In the transcription system, you will see these represented in the following way (more or less). The fall in 1) is low throughout, and so is indicated as LL% (two lows with the % indicating the final boundary). The rise in 2) is high throughout, with a very brief rise to a super-high at the end, and so is indicated as HH% (two highs). The so-called list boundary starts low and rises slightly at the end, and so is indicated as LH%. The last one which appears in calling chants is basically high throughout, and differs from the HH% (question marker) in that it does not rise to a super high. Thus, since it is high to start with, it starts with a H, and since it is not as high as the super high at the end, it is relatively low, and so is indicated with a L%. This makes for a neat 4-way distinction as below, given with stereotypical examples of places where you might find them. (Note these are not the only places you will find them!) LL% Terminal fall statements. HH% High plateau with upped high at end covert questions. LH% Low plateau with little rise at end internal to lists. HL% High plateau with no rise to a super-high end of calling chants Head marking tones pitch accents. If you go back and reproduce the items in 1) and 2) again, and this time concentrate on the area aroundtest, you will very likely notice a large difference in pitch pattern in this region in addition to what is going on at the end. The wordtest is a critical portion of the utterance in most prosodic analyses of English, because it is the last item which bears some degree of stress, usually called tonic or sentence stress. I chose this sentence because the words test sentence form a compound, and one of the peculiarities of English compounds is that they are most stressed on the first half. Thus,test is the most stressed syllable in the last content word in the sentence. In stressed locations such as this, English speakers also implement tonal events. Such events are often called pitch accents,, pitch because they involve parts of the pitch pattern, and accents because they are involved in making a particular syllable more prominent. Stressing this syllable makes it stand out from its neighbors. Thus, the tonal events ontest are head-marking events. Here, like the boundary tones just discussed, there are tonal differences associated with different discourse conditions. In 1) you very likely will produce the stressed item with a high pitch somewhere on it, while in 2) you very likely will produce the stressed item with a relatively low pitch. Thus, the difference between vanilla statements and covert questions is not only in the presence of LL% boundary tones in one and in HH% boundary tones in the other, but also in the presence of a H accent in one, but a L accent in the other. Since there is a categorical difference in how you use pitch to stress the tonic item, you need to have a categorical difference between H* and L* accents. (The star here indicates that the tone is associated with the stressed syllable.) In addition to using relatively high and low pitch, there are more complicated rising and falling pitch accents which differ from the simple low and high accents in what they indicate. Our system captures these differences in the local use of pitch in the accent by combining Hs and Ls in various ways to get rises and falls. Thus, in addition to H* which indicates a generally high pitch around the stress and L* which indicates a generally low pitch around the stress, we can also have H+Ls (falling accents), and L+Hs (rising accents). To illustrate the difference between a simple H and a L+H, consider the following two conditions: 3)We will be having you read bunches of utterances for some obscure reason related to why anyone would be interested in linguistics. The first is a test sentence. Its just there for practice. 4)The first is not a real sentence, the first is a test sentence. In producing test sentence in 3), it is likely there will not be an appreciable rise in pitch, while in 4), where it explicitly contrasts with the precedingreal, it is likely that there will be an appreciable rise in pitch from the is a tot est. In fact, it is a general property of contrasting items that they get rendered with a relatively low pitch on the material preceding the stressed item and a sudden rise to a peak on the stressed syllable. If you read over 4) several times, emphasizing the contrast more and more each time, this rising pitch event associated witht est will become more and more apparent.. In 4) the rising accent is seen in the relationship in pitch between the items immediately preceding the stressed syllable and the pitch on the stressed syllable itself. However, there are other examples of rising pitch accents in which the low pitch predominates in the stressed syllable, and the high does not become realized until very late in the syllable or in the following s yllables. Pierrehumbert Hirschberg (1991) discuss fairly clear examples of this accent such as the following: 5) A: Alans such a klutz. B: Hes a good badminton player. Here the intended meaning of the second response is that B is not sure that playing badminton qualifies one as not being a klutz. In the intended rendition there is a low pitch onbad and a rising pitch on the immediately following syllable, and then another fall to a general low ending in LH% phrase tones. Another example they discuss is the following: 6) A: Did you take out the garbage? B: Sort of. A: Sort of!?! Here, the intended rendition of Sort of starts low inso rt and rises, and then falls and rises again at the end. The intended meaning is very much like that in 5), namely, B is not really sure what she did counts as taking out the garbage. As rendition ofsort of in the last line has exactly the same pattern as Bs, a rise throughsort followed by a fall and a rise at the end, though the rises and falls are more exaggerated. Whats important in each of these cases,badminton in 5), and both sort ofs in 6), is that the stressed syllable exhibits a distinctly low pitch and the rise which comes much later than the rise in 4). In order to annotate this difference, Pierrehumbert used the * to indicate which part of the contour is to be associated with the stressed syllable. Thus, the contour in 4) is annotated as a L+H*, since the H part appears on the stressed syllable, and the L part simply comes some time before it. By contrast, the contour in 5) and 6) is annotated as a L*+H, since the L part happens on the stressed syllable, and the H part appears some time thereafter. Pitch Range. : One final aspect of intonational modeling must also be mentioned, that is the notion of pitch range. As I noted above, the tone category sequences do not all by themselves determine the pitch contour for an utterance, but other non-linguistic (non- conventionalized) factors also affect the final realization of pitch. One approach to handling these less conventionalized effects, such as what may be due to emotional involvement, is to allow for modulation of the overall range of the pitch movements. The general approach used in most models is to specify a pitch window, which indicates the range of pitch to be used at any given time. The top of the window is where you find the Hs and the bottom of the window is where you find the Ls. This window can be affected by a number of different factors, which work in different ways. Some factors are global in that they typically affect a large portion of speech. Take, for instance, the effects of emotional involvement. When people get irate, the re is a strong likelihood that the both Hs and Ls will be higher, and that the difference between the Hs and Ls will be bigger. This larger and higher window will often affect entire sentences. You will also likely find such global shifts in window size if you examine how people do narratives which include parentheticals and quotations. Parentheticals often are rendered with a narrower window, while quotes often involve a larger window. Other factors which affect pitch range can be localized to one particular location in the utterance. The most commented upon is the effect of downstep (sometimes called catathesis). Downstep is a very regular lowering and narrowing of the pitch range which happens in the presence of the accents. In Pierrehumberts analysis, any tone which is composed of two tones (the rising L+H and falling H+L accents) also trigger downstep. You can easily imagine this effect in an emphatic rendition of the following sentence. 7)I dont want horses and dogs; I want sheep and cats. If you are contrasting horses with sheep and dogs with cats, you will very likely produce this sentence with L+H accents on all four items (probably L*+H onhorses anddogs, and L+H* onsheep andcat s). If you do so, you will also notice that the second item in each list,dogs andcat s, will both be lower in pitch than the first,horse s, andsheep. This conventionalized lowering is taken to be due to the downstepping effect of the complex rising accents. One can also see this conventionalized downstepping very clearly in phrases with multiple accents rendered in a finger-wagging lecturing style where the clear intent of the style is to indicate that you should know this by now. For example, 8) You just dont seem to get it. Insert tab A into slot B. Repeat it four times. In this situation, the rendition of the last two sentences, which we can assume have been rendered several times before in the extended discourse, will likely not exhibit huge rising or falling accents. Nevertheless, I have heard this sort sentence produced with clear downsteps between each accent. Due to sentences like these, one must conclude that the occurrence of downstep does not necessarily demand the obvious existence of rising or falling accents. In Pierrehumberts analysis, this is due to the H*+L tone category which is locally the same as a plain H*, except that it triggers the lecturing downstep effect. In other systems, such as the ToBI revision, this downstepping is marked with an explicit marker (an exclamation point placed before the affected accent.