An Analysis of the Hurricane Catrina Relief Effort Essay -- foreign ai

In a state of national emergency, the United States government is expected to be efficient and organized. When Hurricane Katrina struck on August 25th, 2005, the United States government was not readily prepared for such an immense disaster. The mismanagement of relief efforts by the U.S. government led to a lack of adequate assistance to U.S. victims along with a prolonged restoration period for those in need. Had the government accepted more foreign aid and further prepared for the storm, hurricane Katrina may not have proved such a disaster in our nation’s history. This essay will explain how foreign aid was integrated into the relief effort. Additionally, this essay will explore the government’s refusal of aid from various countries willing to provide assistance and the lessons that can be learned from our nation’s actions in the aftermath of Katrina. In August of 2005, no one could predict the brutality and intensity of the natural disaster that was about to strike the city of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina, known as one of the top natural disasters in our nation’s history, filled the city of New Orleans with water, leaving it a disaster area. Thousands of people’s lives were turned upside down by the damage and devastation that occurred from the impact of the storm. With a storm surge entering the city over 20 feet high, residents were forced to flee and abandon their Louisiana lifestyles. The Port of Mobile in Alabama, which did not even endure the full impact of the storm, sustained an estimated 28 million dollars in damages alone due to the storm (GAO 2006). Although an official estimate was not released, the total economic impact from Katrina is predicted to be around $150 billion in total damages (Kenny, 2013), an i... ...alth Reports 123(5):555. Kelman, Ilan. 2007. "Hurricane Katrina Disaster Diplomacy." Disasters 31(3):288-309. McNeill, Jena. 2/7/2011. "Accepting Disaster Relief from Other Nations: Lessons from Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill." The Heritage Foundation:3/1/14. Nation Master. 4/18/2006. "International Aid Response: Countries Compared." Nation Master:3/1/14. Provost, Claire. 4/6/2011. "Aid from OECD Countries - Who Gives the most and how has it Changed?." The Guardian Data Blog:3/1/14. Robillard, Kevin. 10/3/12. "10 Facts about the Katrina Response." Politico:3/1/14. Solomon, John. 4/30/2007. "U.S. Refused most Offers of Aid for Hurricane Katrina." The New York Sun:3/1/14. Walker, David. 3/8/2006. "Hurricane Katrina - GAO’s Preliminary Observations regarding Preparedness, Response, and Recovery." United States Government Accountability Office:3/1/14.

American Cancer Society Essay

Am I a patient, no. Am I a survivor, no. I am someone who has seen cancer through the eyes of others. An uncontrolled division of abnormal cells creates the cancer within the body (â€Å"What is Cancer†). More than 1 million people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year (â€Å"Learn about Cancer†). An estimated 10,450 new cases and 1,350 cancer deaths are expected to occur among children in 2014 (â€Å"What are the key statistics†). The American Cancer Society is one of the greatest resources to turn to when cancer strikes. The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 to raise the public’s awareness about cancer (â€Å"The Early Years†). With millions of supporters, the American Cancer Society saves lives and works to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. They do this by helping people stay well, get well, by helping support the findings of cures, and fighting back against the disease (â€Å"Who We Are†). It is imperative to fund basic research with the American Cancer Society because it saves lives. The American Cancer Society strives to help our society stay healthy by helping people take the necessary steps to prevent cancer or detect it early. Through the American Cancer Society Clinical Trials Matching Service, patients are connected with more than 64,000 different treatment options. Also provided is an online support community for cancer survivors and caregivers that have brought together more than 93,000 people since 2000 (â€Å"Online Communities and Support†). The American Cancer Society acquires results by investing in research that helps to understand cancer causes, determine how to prevent it, and discover new ways to cure it (â€Å"Explore Research†). The American Cancer Society has several fundraising methods. The main fundraiser The American Cancer Society holds is a walk called the Relay for Life. This event takes place across the globe in different communities to honor cancer survivors, remember loved ones, and fight back against this detrimental disease. The Relay for Life has varying meaning to different people, but we all want the same result, a cure for cancer. We walk, we talk, we cry, we laugh, we learn, we love, and we hope. Today there are nearly 14 million cancer survivors, and with the money raised, the number of survivors will continue to rise (â€Å"What is Relay For Life†). Personally, my family has been involved in American Cancer Society fundraisers for the past several years. Not only has our family been able to raise money for the cancer society, but we have also entered races and walks for the cure. Cancer affects every individual and family in a different way physically and emotionally. Whether you are joining the fight to end cancer for a family member, or a friend everyone has personal reasons for taking action. What we all share is the belief that we can end this terrible disease if we work together. The donations, long-term involvement, and healthy choices of our society, have helped contribute to a 20% drop in death rates from cancer since the early 1990s (McDaniel np). The American Cancer Society is continually working hard to lower the death rate, and while the disease still claims 1,500 lives a day in the United States, change can be made by speaking out (â€Å"Cancer Facts and Figures 2013). Donating, signing up for a local fundraising e vent, helping fund the next research breakthrough, or spreading the word to friends and family are all ways society can join the fight against cancer. The American Cancer Society also helps families by helping them understand and cope with the fact that diseases such as cancer can occur at anytime, and in any age group. Cancer brings families together in though times, and the importance of life is soon realized. The American Cancer Society has helped save these lives and has brought families together and continues to do so today. Cancer does not define us but how we chose to cope with it does. Every one needs to involve as many people as we can to raise money for research and education. There is a passionate aggression in each of us as we are fighting to save more lives. The American Cancer Society would not exist without fundraisers and donations. Advocates are imperative for the support and fundraising of the American Cancer Society. Without it, individuals around the world would continue to get cancer and not know what to do about it. Without the research and effort The American Cancer Society puts in patients would get no where, have a lack of education, not know what to do when they get it, and most importantly never have a cure to cancer. We need the American Cancer Society and they need our support. So let’s finish the fight and  donate today! Works Cited American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Inc., 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. . Cancer Action Network. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Inc., 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. . McDaniel, Justine. â€Å"Cancer Society, Researchers Look Back on Decades’ Worth of Progress†¦Ã¢â‚¬  McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau. 07 Oct. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Relay for Life. American Cancer Society Inc., 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. .

Enlightenment and Constitution

Enlightenment and the Constitution The United States is a nation established in 1776 on a set of principles: liberty, equality, and self-government. These ideals derived in part from broad lessons of history, from the colonist, and treatises such as those of Locke and Rousseau. Liberty is a principle that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose, as long as their actions don’t infringe on the rights and freedoms of others. Equality is a notion that all individuals are equal and entitled to equal treatment under the law.Self-government is the principle that the people are the ultimate source and proper beneficiary of governing authority. These principles were the foundation for the United States set forth and written by our founding fathers, but taken from rulers and minds of Europeans during the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment was an eighteenth- century intellectual movement whose proponents believed that human beings could apply a critical, reasoning spirit to every problem (Hunt, Lynn, Martin & Rosenwein, page 545).During this period the rulers, writers, and thinkers gave the back bone to the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Although before we get to this period and how it shaped the United States we will have to go back a little further to 1651. In 1651 an English philosopher Thomas Hobbes had his work Leviathan published. Hobbes argued that government rests on a social contract in which the people give up certain freedoms they would have in a state of nature in return for the protection that a sovereign ruler can provide.Almost a half of a century later, an English philosopher, John Locke, used Hobbes concept of social contract in his Second Treatise on Civil Government. Locke claimed that all individuals have certain inalienable rights, including those of life, liberty, and property. When people form a government for securing their safety, they retain these individual righ ts. However Locke saw the social contract a bit differently.The agreement to submit to governing authority is based on the premise that government will protect these rights, if the government fails to the people can overthrow the government and form a new one( Patterson,page 14-15, 30). Thomas Jefferson declared that Locke â€Å"was one of the three greatest men that ever lived. † Jefferson paraphrased Locke’s ideas in passages of the Declaration of Independence. Including those that, â€Å"all men are created equal,† that government derive â€Å"their just powers from the consent of the government,† and that â€Å"it is the right of the people to alter or abolish a tyrannical government. The Declaration was a call of revolution rather than a framework for government. However the ideas contained in the document: liverty, equality, individual rights, self-government became the basis for the Constitution of the United States (Patterson, page 30). In Voltai re’s, Treatise on Toleration and Jean Jacques Rousseau, Social Contract we find more Enlightenment thinkers ideas framed in the Constitution. The ideas the Constitution receives from these works are the basis for Amendment I, freedom of religion.Voltaire states in A Treatise on Tolertion,† Religion was instituted to make us happy in this life and in the other. † â€Å"Christians should tolerate each other. † â€Å"I, however, am going further: I say that we should regard all men as brothers, are we not all children of the same father and creatures of the same God? † Voltaire is setting the basis for freedom of religion, saying that the people must show Universal Tolerance for all. Rousseau takes it even further in The Social Contract.He states, â€Å"it is of importance to the State that each citizen should have a religion requiring his devotion to duty, however the dogmas of that religion are of no interest to the State. † Rousseau sets forth the idea that the government shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, as stated by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Finally Cesare Beccarria and Empress Catherine the Great both have an idea that resides in the Constitution. That idea is that all men are innocent until proven guilty.In Beccarria’s Crime and Punishment he states, â€Å"No man can be judged a criminal until he be found guilty: nor can society take from him the public protection until it have been proven that he has violated the conditions on which it was granted. Empress Catherine states in her Proposal for a New Legal Code in Russia, â€Å"No man ought to be looked upon as guilty, before he has received his judicial sentence; nor can the Laws deprive him of their protection when it is yet dubious, whether he is Innocent or Guilty?. The United States is a nation established in 1776 on a set of principles: liberty, equality, and self-governme nt. These ideals derived in part from broad lessons of history, from the colonist, and treatises from the Enlightenment Period. Men and women from Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Cesare Beccarria, and Empress Catherine the Great have given ideas that our founding fathers saw and deemed worthy to be put in the United States Constitution. Thomas Jefferson himself based many ideas in the Declaration of Independence from concepts written by John Locke that became the basis for the Constitution of the United States.Where would the United States be without these enlightened minds from Europe? Works Cited Beccarria, Cesare, Crime and Punishment Catherine the Great, Proposal for a New Legal Code in Russia Hunt, Lynn, Thomas R. Martin and Barbara H. Rosenwein; The Making of the West Bedford/St. Matin’s, Boston, New York, 2009 Locke, John, Second Treatise Patterson, Thomas E. , The American Democracy, Mc Graw Hill, New York, NY, 2009 Rousseau, Jean Jacques, Social Contract Voltaire, T reatise on Toleration Europe?

A Critical Analysis of Ground Handling Service Benchmarking at European Hub Airports Essay

This paper will critically analyze a paper published in the International Journal of Production Economics in January 2009 (Volume 117, Issue 1) (Schmidberger, Bals, Hartmann, & Jahns, 2009) concerning the development and application of a Performance Management System (PMS) for air-side crews in some of the major European hub airports. This study is valuable in that the benchmarking principles established here are relevant to other industries since the same process for developing this holistic benchmarking process can be adapted and applied to generic business processes. See more: how to write an analysis This critique will focus on three major components of this discussion of the benchmarking process, first the conditions that increase the demand for benchmarking considerations prior to benchmarking, and the problems benchmarking can be used to fix. Second, this paper will analyze Schmidberger’s discussion of the development of the PMS including its integration with the business strategies of associated corporations. The third and final section of discussion will be concerning the discussion of the post-validation of the PMS and recognition of performance gaps and potentially under-emphasized sections of the study. The Under-Emphasized Demand for Benchmarking Performance in the aviation industry is extensively studied and evaluated on quite a routine basis. Due to the high levels of competition and often relatively slim profit margins enterprises in aviation are constantly seeking ways to cut costs and increase efficiency (SAS Group, 2005). Ways of increasing efficiency are often classified into two major categories, vertical and horizontal integration (Sitkin & Bowen, 2010). Horizontal integration involves taking a firm’s existing business processes to a new market to expand market share, this can be difficult for airlines, and often they will elect to enter into code-sharing agreements with competitors in the new markets rather than complete expansion into these potentially saturated areas. This leaves vertical integration as a very attractive option for expansion and efficiency improvements, the process for this integration involves the analysis of both upstream and downstream components of the value chain. This is where ground handling should be considered, however both airlines and airports tend to focus on other areas such as overall airport performance with very little emphasis on such a critical component of the airline industry (Francis, Humphreys, & Fry, 2002). Deregulation has also had a large effect on the demand for airport comparisons and benchmarking. Opening the market for airside ground services up to a wider range of firms is excellent in terms of encouraging healthy competition and an open market; however it also introduces choice to airlines and airport authorities. For these choices to be made effectively there must be more research done into the ability of firms to replace traditional ground handling service providers (such as government or airport supplied entities). The research currently done in the post-deregulation era of European aviation has focused on several key areas such as financial, qualitative, political, or ecological perspectives (Murillo-Melchor, 1999). While these studies are useful from an overall airport efficiency standpoint, they do not place sufficient focus on ground handling to allow entities to decide who should provide their services. This is a specific division of aviation that has a larger impact on overall efficiency than the majority of current studies indicate, Schmidberger’s critique does a good job of recognizing this and discussing developing benchmarking processes accordingly. Developing a Standardized PMS in a Non-Standardized Industry A difficulty with a standardized PMS of airside airport services stems from variations in the management and governance of ground services. While major airports often have several firms operating the ground services, others may use a department integrated with the airport authority itself. Still others may simply allow for airlines to establish their own corporate ground service bases to work independently of other generic airport services (Fuhr & Beckers, 2006). Applying any standardized measurement system to something so non-standardized presents quite a challenge, if the PMS is too flexible or broad it will not be able to adequately express enough detail to be useful, if it is too rigid it simply won’t apply to all of the airports and doesn’t allow for change in an inherently volatile industry. Schmidberger’s critique of the PMS established throughout European airports is very positive, though it does not place a very high emphasis on establishing this need for balance between detail and flexibility. Schmidberger’s report contrasts his proposed PMS with the usual methods of evaluation currently in use at several airports. Most of these measurement systems define airside ground services as subsets of other larger firms (such as airport authorities or airlines) (Chow, Heaver, & Henriksson, 1994), this is not necessarily an accurate representation of these ground service entities seeing as in many cases they are quite separate from associated parent companies or completely separate entities wherein logistics are a primary function. While the establishment of this contrast in Schmidberger’s report certainly has value, it fails to note that in some cases these logistics divisions are quite heavily influenced by and even directly run by airport authorities or other enterprises (Francis, Humphreys, & Fry, 2002). This results in the aforementioned problem concerning applying a standardized measuring system to a highly diverse environment. The study should certainly consider the potential for ground handling entities to operate as separate entities placing logistical goals as their highest priority, though it should also make allowances for those entities that rely on collective corporate resources and function as a division of a company with a non-logistic primary focus. Post-Validation of New Benchmarking Systems Schmidberger’s report transitions into the application and post-validation of the new benchmarking systems with an identification of performance gaps as a result of the measurement phase in accordance with a study by (Jarrar & Zairi, 2001). This section quickly becomes difficult to analyze as a whole seeing as the hub-based focus of these benchmarking tactics involved a diverse use of ground handling entities for loading various types of aircraft. Schmidberger begins by dividing the results according to general aircraft size: wide body, narrow body, or regional jets. While this is an effective way of summarizing results it contrasts to the FAA and ICAO methods of classifying aircraft according to weight and/or seating capacity. The gaps identified using the new benchmarking systems and analyzed by Schmidberger’s report are concerning labour costs, overhead structures, net-availability of employees, procurement quality, and process quality. These categories result in quite a holistic summary of the efficiency of these ground service entities, a point that Schmidberger explains early and often throughout the entirety of his report. This being said, certain areas studied such as overhead and labour costs are not appropriately weighted to offset the benefits of smaller operations working on lower weight and/or capacity aircraft, at the same time revenue differences resulting from working with larger aircraft are not discussed. An interesting analysis would be a discussion of the potential for larger scale operators to use increased revenues to offset costs of damaged unit load devices, as the number of devices damaged (another measured factor in the benchmark) is not a very accurate measurement statistic if greater revenues more than offset the cost of devices. This benchmarking process takes steps to increase the transparency of ramp service providers, whether they are affiliated with airlines, airports, or independent entities. This increased operational transparency could be considered a major threat to any competitive advantage that firms had established through proprietary practices. Schmidberger recognizes the potential for this problem and addresses it by stating that the entry of new market entities presents a greater threat than the sharing of information between existing airside ground handlers. While this may be true, Schmidberger presents it as a fact without any justification. This leads to a potential for further research into whether or not new entrants to the market have taken advantage of the results of this study or if previous leaders in efficient airside ground services are seeing practices they have developed being used by their competition. Unfortunately this study would depend on the integrity of studied entities to truthfully disclose whether they used this study to discover new competitive strategies or if they developed them in-house. Conclusion The report analyzed by this article presents a comprehensive, holistic perspective on the planning, development, and post-validation of new benchmarking processes in the major European airport hubs. Schmidberger accounts for several shortfalls of the benchmarking process, effectively emphasizes the importance of this benchmarking and discusses the implications benchmarking has upon the dynamic aviation industry. Another key strength of this paper is that it successfully synthesizes the results of the study and the literature review of existing summary quickly and clearly, allowing greater focus on why benchmarking is necessary, how it is established, and how well it performed. This analysis discusses a number of shortfalls of Schmidberger’s report, while these shortfalls do not detract from the value of his analysis; they leave room for improvement of future discussion. Firstly Schmidberger does not go into very significant detail concerning the level of detail the PMS should strive for; he mentions that the study may not be applicable to many airports due to the generalizability of the study, though doesn’t discuss ways of varying the weighting and specifics of the study to account for a more flexible range of variable resulting in more reproducible results at a wider range of airports. Secondly this report could factor in the level of integration airside ground handling units have with parent companies or larger non-logistic-based firms, or at least discuss that this level of involvement could greatly influence the results of the study by varying the amount of capital and resources available to the entities. Schmidberger defines the classification of aircraft in the study, though a more comprehensive study could have discussed further the reasoning behind these classifications, such as why a deviation from general ICAO and FAA classifications was chosen and how this selection benefits or detracts from the study. A final consideration for the improvement of future studies in this field would be to establish and cite original research that supports Schmidberger’s claim that the participants in the study were not negatively affected by the increased operational transparency associated with the benchmarking process. A concise, engaging, and well-informed piece, Schmidberger’s Ground handling services at European hub airports: Development of a performance measurement system for benchmarking discusses many general benchmarking and competitive advantage issues in a specific industry environment. This allows for direct application of the lessons learned in the studies analyzed to the aviation industry but also provokes thought of the application of these principles and considerations to other industries through a balanced and reflective approach.

Note card assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Note card - Assignment Example Wider social contacts expand a speaker’s linguistic range. Gender pattern results from the occurrence of a certain linguistic and non-linguistic variable of gender. The pattern describes the differences that arise in male and female speech behavior. Standard variants are used by women in stable variables than men of the same age group and social class under the same conditions (Spencer, p. 65). Nonstandard variants are used by in stable variants than women of the same age group and social class under the same conditions. Cognitive issues, human behavior and aptitudes suggest that there should be more research on language and sex. The society has created different roles for men and women. The effects of gender role and sexual discrimination influence the changes in linguistic behavior. Such changes, determine the role of equality in the society and the future of humanity. They could lead to certain consequences that are not favorable to humanity, for instance, the death of a language could occur. People tend to abandon their language because they feel inferior due to the unpopularity of their languages (Spencer, p. 189). In certain instances, other people avoid using their language due to unfavorable treatments and discrimination against people of that particular language. Speakers of all languages should be proud to pass their language to their generations as it defines

To what extent did the Second World War transform European societies Essay

To what extent did the Second World War transform European societies - Essay Example death kind of ending to the World War II with the atomic bombs exploding in Japan and large scale death and destruction in Europe became a great resentment for every one. The impact of the violence was never lost in that generation of people who saw death and destruction like never before. This led to the formation of United Nations on one end and on the other; there was a strong support in the social front of every nation to be out of the violence (Giddens, A. 1985). Military was slowly and steadily weaned away from the ruling community over a period of time. It happened in all major countries who were involved in the war. Though immediately after the war, the war heroes were honoured and they were dominating in the political sphere too. But soon, military lost its ground with respect to the political power and clout that they wielded. This was seen as a victory for the peace loving society at large. Many social practices were influenced by the World War II. Ideologies could not hold ground because of the violence that they were seen to breed (Hobsbawm, E. 2002). Fascism found its natural death after the huge violence that its practices preached. While large scale political changes were in the offing with the increasing effect of communism and labour right movements across the world. The class divide was coming down. Though there was large scale dissatisfaction on many of the practising ideologies, people realised the importance of non-violent protests. Never again, could there be another French revolution with large scale blood letting. Now, people could find themselves raising protests in a more democratic way though violence did and continues to show its head either as a terrorist attack or during a protest march turning itself into riots. The tendency to rope in peace in the continent was wide spread. Most people wanted peace more than anything else. But still there was the nostalgic feeling of war and the glory that victory brings. This feeling is like the

The Clash of Science, Politics,and Medical Marijuana Essay

The Clash of Science, Politics,and Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Apart from that there is additional proof to support the utilization of marijuana for pain and nausea resulting from chemotherapy, as well as muscle spasticity linked with multiple sclerosis. Therefore, nurses play a crucial role being activists in encouraging elimination of obstacles to the use of medicinal marijuana. With the legalization of medicinal marijuana, nurses will be permitted to advocate for patient use of marijuana when it comes to medicinal purposes. This is possible through the coming together of a growing number of state nursing associations through the backing of therapeutic use of marijuana (Diana, 2011). What problems were encountered? Although medicinal marijuana has a number of benefits associated with it, marijuana has in most cases been flaunted as one of the harmless recreational substances available. Perhaps this is true considering that a number of reputable scientific studies concur that alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and even cigarettes tend to be more dangero us to the health of the user compared to marijuana. Apart from that, the celebrated pharmacological elements of cannabis have resulted in thirty-six states permitting its application as a curative drug for, amongst others, those agonizing from AIDS; a variety of painful, incurable, as well as debilitating illnesses; the dangerous consequences of cancer chemotherapy, along with glaucoma. On top of that, marijuana became used in the treatment of anxiety, as well as mental disorders (Diana, 2011). The most powerful argument against the marijuana use in the treatment of a medical condition is that marijuana might lead to the hastening or provocation of the same disorders it became applied to treat. Regular smoking of marijuana damages the cells within the bronchial passages that guard the body against breathed in microorganisms, while at the same time, decreasing the capability of the immune cells within the lungs in fighting off fungi, bacteria, as well as tumor cells. For those patien ts whose immune system became already weakened, this is an indication of increased possibility of risky pulmonary infections, consisting of pneumonia, which in most cases proves fatal in patients suffering from AIDS. The principal respiratory outcomes of regular smoking of marijuana tend to be pulmonary infections, along with respiratory cancer, whose association to marijuana application became resiliently suggested, yet not conclusively proven. These effects comprise of chronic bronchitis, lung inflation, impairment in the role of the minor air passages, the development of probably pre-cancerous abnormalities within the bronchial lining, as well as lungs, in addition to a reduction in, the abilities of a number of defensive mechanisms in the lungs (Diana, 2011). There is a perception that marijuana is at the source of a number of mental disorders, comprising of acute toxic psychosis, delusions, panic attacks, flashbacks, depersonalization, uncontrollable aggressiveness, hallucinati ons, depression and paranoia. Marijuana has for a long time now been known for prompting mental illness’ attack like bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis, together with schizophrenia. This association with mental illness must assemble health