Importance of Education Essay Example for Free

Importance of Education Essay The Importance of Education: What is the right way to educate? Our society has forgotten that the reason schools exist is to create minds not careers. Education plays a critical role in the development of our humanity. What is the appropriate approach to educate our students in order for them to succeed? Motivation is their key to success quite simply. A teacher humiliating a student in front of their classmates can lead to a negative impact in the student’s lifetime such as: becoming unsocial and causing them a mental discomfort in which in turn could lead to something far more sinister. In the article The Differences Between us: French and American Classrooms mentions a French film The Class, in which a teacher makes fun of his students after they respond incorrectly to a question. â€Å"When they too fail, he in turn ridicules them. Later, losing his temper at two students, he labels them what roughly translates as bitches† (Gillard). This teacher is unaware of the impact his remarks may have on the students being insulted. The students are being emotionally and verbally abused. The first five minutes on her first day she was mortified to tears by a teacher outraged that she had rushed in after the bell while her peers waited beside their desks† (Gillard). Some of the various effects emotional abuse may cause are bringing the students’ self-esteem level down, making them insecure, and therefore developing severe depression. Statistics show that last year’s students have been victims of verbal abuse. â€Å"36. 5 % of youth grades nine through twelve have attempted suicide. 20. % of those attempts resulted in medical care† (compassionpower. com). In the United States we believe in equality among all students. Providing accommodations for those with learning disabilities, this subject is clearly what differentiates the U. S education system from that of other countries. â€Å"Educators rolled their eyes when I asked about in-class accommodations for learning disabilities and individualized education plans† (Gillard). When other countries compare their students to those of the U.  S they should keep in mind they are competing against those with learning disabilities as well. â€Å"I was present for the dictation, given in a first grade class that had three little boys in a state of collapse† (Gillard). Education in France and other nations start children so early in their development and harsh education plan that at such an early stage they to become insecure. The U. S knows there is a need in reforming education. They already have reforms taking place such as the five pillars mentioned by President Obama. Investing in early childhood initiatives like Head Start; encouraging better standards and assessments, by focusing on testing itineraries that better fit our kids and the world they live in; recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers, by giving incentives for a new generation of teachers and for new levels of excellence from all of our teachers. Promoting innovation and excellence in America’s schools by supporting charter schools, reforming the school calendar and the structure of the school day. Providing every American with a quality higher educationwhether its college or technical training (whitehouse. gov). â€Å"Statistics show the percentage of high school dropouts among 16-24 year olds declined from 11. 8 percent in 1998 to 8. 1 percent in 2009† (afterschoolstars. org). Being sociable is fundamental in a career furthermore, in opening greater job opportunities. After school activities have been proven to help reduce the use of drugs, smoking, drinking and engaging in sexual activity. Last but not least, activities help decrease the chances of been overweight. The school ran from 8am to 5pm with a two hour long gaps scattered throughout the schedule. This structure precluded school-wide socializing as well as sponsored afternoon sports or drama activities† (Gillard). The French education plan is misleading their students from their road to success, by engaging them in being unsociable. Countries such as France are already verbally abusing children and making them have issues such as been unsociable that preventing them from taking part of after school activities is just crossing the line. In the book Me Talk Pretty One Day David an American student is studying French in France. He came into class confident in the several words he had learned, until he heard his teacher’s remarks to his classmate’s answers. â€Å"More to the point, how often is one asked and then publicly ridiculed for his answer? † (Sedaris). This French teacher now has not only scared them away but limited the chance of them asking questions in regards to the subject been studied. Asking questions helps a student understand the subject at a greater extend. â€Å"Our daughter described the terror she felt and er peers showed when making presentations in a philosophy class, stuttering in the face of the teachers frequent interruptions of â€Å" unimpressive,† or, â€Å"really? † (Gillard). Making these comments the students learn to feel unconfident in their work and themselves. Other countries should definitely consider reforming the way their teachers educate their students. â€Å"A positive learning climate in a school for young children is a composite of many things. It is an attitude that respects children. It is a place where children receive guidance and encouragement from the responsible adults around them. It is an environment where children can experiment and try out new ideas without fear of failure. It is an atmosphere that builds children self-confidence so that they dare to take risks. It is an environment that nurtures the love of learning,† (quotes. dictionary. com). Teachers should only bring in positive feedback to their students and point out their mistakes to show them where they went wrong. Our society is under so much pressure to succeed. Students need to realize it is ok to be wrong, practice makes perfect. Teachers in other countries need to become more educated to be aware that they are emotionally and verbally scarring students. The U. S equality among students is a subject that should be mimicked by other countries. As our population increases more and more students are becoming victims of this unprofessional â€Å"teachers†. These countries need to stop competing for top scores and focus on the way teachers are applying education to students. The consequences can be life changing. Education should be considered a sacred privilege that all children must have to excel.

Stereotyping Muslim Women in TV and Film

Stereotyping Muslim Women in TV and Film Countless stereotypes and misrepresentation about Arab Muslim women have been dominating the Western media. It all started with the theory of Clash of Civilization that was written by Samuel P. Huntington in 1997. In his theory, Huntington stressed that Islam has visible conflicting vision and action to the Western ideas of liberty and democracy, and that Islam is the main enemy to the West. In other words, Islam and Arabs has different ideologies than the west has. And that the ideologies the west have about democracy and liberty conflict about the Islam understanding of the democracy and liberation. This was the start of the stereotyping of Arabs in general. The problem of stereotyping of Arabs in general has been on the increase since the incident of 9/11. Arabs have been subjected to discrimination and violence since 9/11, a Muslim girl for example that works in a rental car company was simply fired because she was told that she cannot wear her veil, also a hotel employee stated that he was cursed many times and that people called him Taliban and Osama. After September 9/11 attack on the USA, the stereotyping began at its fullest load, that the Islam and Arabs are terrorists, cruel, robbers, heartless, religious fanatics, brutal murderers, and abusers of women. It resulted in the start of o the portrayal of Arab women that they are abused by men, and that they are sex object, belly dancers and gold diggers, and that they have no self esteem, and they are beaten by men and they are only do what men wishes and want without having any opinion about it. Following 9/11, the world started attack Islam and they accused Islam of being a religion of terrorism, however, among those attackers there were many who wanted to know the truth about that religion in order to know whether it is really a religion of terrorism or not. The media exaggerated in reporting the incident of 9/11 which resulted in making a lot of people believe that Arabs and Muslims are terrorists. Also Hollywood is a big part of exaggerating this issue. Cinema Producers and Film Makers keep on making movies that stereotype Arabs as terrorists and killers. They also stereotype them with the five Bs, which are Billionaires, Bombers, Belly dancers, Bedouins, and Barbarians. Jack shaheen in his movie Reel Bad Arabs showed that the western movies are obsessed with portraying of Arab women in their movies, but they portray them from their point of views. They didnt change anything during years of portrayals. Jack Shaheen said that the portray of Arab women mostly as slave girls, a woman wearing a transparent veil that shows her body, and that they are belly dancers and barbarian gold diggers that they are able to do anything in the sake of their well being, Shaheen in his this part about the portray of Arab women as gypsies and gold diggers is right and I agree with him that is mostly the case in western movies that portray Arab women. Moreover, in the Disney movie remake of around the world in 80 days, they represent that Arnold Schwarzenegger an Arab Sheikh, that have more than 100 wives slaves just for sex, which shows that the Arab men are not satisfied by one woman only and they want lot of everything even the wives, and this part also talk about El shariaa that the man has the right to marry 4 wives. Which the West refuses its concept from the first place, but they dont even understand the Law of Islam to talk about this issue or to misrepresent it in this way. But although they portrayed Arab women in different images the gold digger, the sex slave, mischievous, but after the attacks of September 11 the image of terrorists is the dominate image in the mind and the movies of the West. The TV influences the people in a tremendous way; it affects their attitudes and behavior, and affects their minds and believes. The media personnel take advantage of this point that the western people are ignorant about anything that relates to Arabs and they just know them from movies and TV shows, and they mostly are in the image of terrorist so they take of this point and represent Arabs and Arab women without studying them or understanding them and they stereotype them as the way they want the people to think of them. They succeed in this point that most of the Westerns when they come to think about Arabs or Arab women, the first thing that comes to their minds is Arabs being terrorists ,barbarians, cruel, robbers, monsters, beater of women, take women as slaves, women are just for their own pleasure. Everyone knows from western media and western image what image Arab women have in general, images that started by the orientalists about Arab Harim, Arab dancing, Arab women set as objects in the Arab world locked in doors, having no function in public affairs, Muslim women being inferior to men. These are the concepts in western media, in western films and in western cartoons, unfortunately. Most Arabs are submissive to being stereotyped by western media, but for Arab women the problem is particularly sensitive. It seems that the Western media is obsessed by the way a Muslim woman dresses; the veil in particular. Most of the Arab Muslim women are portrayed as fat, shapeless women in their loose dress and ugly veiled shape; they even do them as a caricature in some magazines and programs. In fact, the concept of veiled woman is always perceived in the west as shes having a life, shes always seen as a victim, poor, isolated creature politically, culturally and she is so isolated. According to Gwinn (1997), he said that the veiled woman is always reflected by the western to be the most popular way of representing the problem of Islam. In fact, Longtime ago pre Islam veils were customs among Greeks, Romans and Jews, but when Islam started and the Muslim women took the veils as a way to cover their hair as God said, the West started to identify the veiled women as the Muslim terrorist one. The veil that the Muslim women wear is seen as a symbol of threatening and alien status as mentioned by Posetty (2008) in his article. Images of Islamic dress are increasingly used in the Western media as a symbol of extremism. As a result, Muslims all over Europe and the West in general, are suffering from the consequences of such associations. The main problem as Ahmed (1992) pointed out in his article, has been that the act of veiling among Muslim women is associated with the lack of traditionalism and backwardness that does not fit into the modern society and among Western women. This reflects the theory of Orientalism that was stated by Said 1978, which asserts that the East and its inhabitants are considered backward, barbaric and outsiders to Western society. As mentioned by Edward Said in this Orientalist framework, the Muslim Arab women have always been thought as others; they are always considered as different from the Western women and the Western culture. The Western imaginary, Othered portrayed women as sexual objects, weak, and that they are marginalized in their own society. The Orientalism focused on Arabic, history, and philosophy, but failed to truly convey the lives and feelings of Muslims, their voices remained mute. Muslims, as portrayed in western media, illustrate two Orientalist assumptions that arouse concern and fear in Western societies. The fisrt as mentiond by Posetty (2008), Muslim women are oppressed and in need of liberation and the second is that Muslim men are a violent force that creates a threat to Western society. In an agreement with Mishra (2007), who has been studying the misrepresentation constructed by the Western media about the Muslim Arab women since the 9/11 incident. She has examined the articles published by The New York Times and other newspapers and magazines after the 9/11 incident, particularly, between September 11, 2001 and September 11, 2003. Through her study she found that issues such as rape, torture, and patriarchal oppression were all topics that related to Muslim women in non-Western countries. Additionally, the discussion of women in Islam tends to be centered around the burqu, hijab, or as it is called in the Western societies as the veil. Muslims women living abroad are facing a bigger problem than just a misunderstanding or negative image, unfortunately they are facing a huge discrimination between them and the westernized women. The Arab Muslim immigrant women are facing gender-based media representations as well. As stated by Morin (2009), the immigrant Muslim Arab women are subjected to cultural misconceptions and the recent political conflicts that have spoiled Arab-Western relations. These misconceptions that are created by the Western media make it hard for those women to live abroad without being discriminated and thought as others. In the West, clearly, negative Arab images rooted in history are providing a base for the stereotyping of Arab women in the media. In addition to the misconception about the veil, words such as the circumcision, polygamy, the sharia (Islamic) law, the harem, forced marriages, etc, are just a few issues that are associated with the Arab Muslim women, which resulted in fitting women into the absolute, homogenous oppressed Muslim woman category. News on Muslim women is dominated by the culturalist presentation and interpretation of Islam. In fact, the discrimination of these women, which attracts media attention, tends to be explained almost exclusively according to theories on Islamic culture. For example, when referring to the rights of Muslim women, the news discourse tends to focus on symbolic and religious issues such as the veil or Islam, and they tend to avoid more important issues that are related to the equality of these women, such as rights to education or public freedoms. These visions are removed from reality because they fail to take into account bond of millions of women to their Islamic identity. The Western newspaper articles mainly present Muslims women in three ways: as passive women, as victims and as veiled women. They are portrayed as observers rather than as active participants in their community. Their role as victims is reflected through the publishing of news stories describing conflicts such as the Afghan or Algerian conflicts in which women are clearly victims. Muslim-Arab women have increasingly been on the face covers of magazines and front pages of newspapers since 9/11 and all the events that followed; among the major topics covered were the war in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led Iraqi invasion, as well as the elections in both countries. For example, on the covers of National Geographic and various other magazines, veiled women demonstrate the western urge to discover what lies underneath the veil. Since the invasion of Afghanistan, the Western media began to focus on the unveiling of women as a sign of their liberation, which we totally disagree with. Images of women removing the veil serve as justification to many individuals for the war. Time Magazine published an article in December 2001 that told the story of 200 women who gathered together to remove their veils together in a post-Taliban Afghanistan. (Macdonald, 2003). As stated by Ayish (2010), news media has made it a point to document the lives of millions of women that are in need of saving from an oppressive religion. The news media, specifically The New York Times and Time Magazine, have employed divisive methods founded in Orientalist assumptions that provide justification for Western intervention in the Middle East. And as stated by Mishra (2007), the media portrayals of Muslim men and women in The New York Times reinforced the need for Western intervention in Muslim societies and communities, to whether help liberate Muslim women or to keep Muslim men under surveillance as they are considered as a threat and violence. In advertising, they are being misrepresented as well. The Western advertisement also used the Arab Muslim women in their advertisement and they didnt want to risk by changing the image that the west already have for the Arab Muslim women, so they used the stereotyped and typical image of the veiled woman harem, the mysterious veiled woman that is under the control of an oppressive man, to appeal to their customers of the west. They didnt want to risk changing the image in an advertisement and that this image is strong in the mind of the Western people, and they might lose money or even customers and they might accuse them with treason because they put the Arabs in a good image. They use the veil of the Muslim Arab women as a sex symbol to sell for sex. They think when they put a woman in a veil they will get the consumers to buy the product. And when they do, they will buy the mystery behind the veil. The Westerns are usually buying a false and imaginary image of the Others which are the Arab or Arab women. The continuous and repetitive of these images in the different types of media will make these images real in the mind of the Western people, and this will enlarge the gap between the East and the West The oppressed veiled Muslim woman in the ads may also be connected to the escalating intolerance and disputes surrounding Muslim women and the veil in the Western world. Media people should be careful with what they put in the different types of media so as not to spread false and imaginary images or believes about another culture or other people traditions, and make them in the worst image that could be, and make them by these images increase the hatred between countries and increase hate crimes and wars. Media people should see the sensitivity in the materials they publish, and consider these images will hurt or damage someone or not, they should study the Arab and study their traditions and their believes Shariaa before talking falsely about it in different ways and different types of media. Western fascination with the veiling of Muslim women as a symbol of oppression is often contradictory to reality. The west are portraying Arab women in this way because they inherited this stereotyping, and they didnt try to do research or study of Arabs and Arab women to see if they are right about what they are showing in their movies or what they are writing. They just took what they have watched in the movies and read in papers, and they started to portray or actually kept on the same way of this negative portrayal and stereotyping of Arab women, without the right knowledge about the Arab culture, religion, and mostly people. Conclusion In the West, Arab women are often portrayed through stereotypical representations and discourses in which they have no voice. The Western popular imagination, nurtured by a media which commonly lacks sensitivity to complex realities, is quick to associate Arab women with oppression and subordination. Arab women are limited to a debate between tradition and modernity in which they are alternatively perceived as model of a mythical cultural authenticity, of a drift towards extremism or of radical modernization. Therefore, they find themselves at the heart of the ambiguous relations between the Eastern and Western worlds, which was analyzed by Edward SaÃÆ'Â ¯d. They are, however, essential actors in the development of the Arab region, and it is indispensable that their position at the heart of all contemporary social, political, economic and cultural matters be recognized in both the East and West. Basically the media is the main reason of enlarging the gap between the West and the East, it keeps on pressing and pressing on the west and filling their minds with pictures, movies, and news against Muslims and Islam that arent true. Since September 11 until now Hollywood keeps on making movies about Arabs and Muslims portraying them as terrorists and killers who attack innocent people without any reason, while they dont make any movies about Israeli. The mass media not only exclude modern Islamist women but also, in general, the socially and culturally diverse communities of Muslim women living in either the Arab world or in Western world. These women are not only housewives, mothers and Muslims as portrayed by the media, but also students, researchers, entrepreneurs, domestic workers, artists, politicians, volunteers, activists, etc. In this respect, it is also not accidental that the media do not report on the evolution of pro human rights movements (including womens rights and freedoms movements) that exist in some Arab countries, such as Egypt and Morocco. Misconceptions by the media have resulted in misunderstanding Arab women. As Gwinn (1997) stated, ideas about the Muslim world have managed to deform much of our understandings toward Muslim women. Words such as the veil, the harem, female circumcision, etc. have managed to give an impression to some of the images associated with the oppressed Muslim woman. The problem now is how to convey knowledge to public opinion so that they know truly whats going on in the Middle East. Unfortunately theyre trying to build on peoples ignorance, or on peoples busy time as nobody has the time to read a lot. It is time to build on information or on knowledge that the Arabs are descendents of great civilization, Arab women have the right to live like any other woman in the world with their children and to have their childrens future away from humiliation, away from occupation. The western media is the one who damaged the image of the Muslims specially the veiled women, so they must take step and start to do campaigns, movies, or documentaries to correct the image of the Arab Muslim woman and start to treat her normally or even correct the negative images.

Frederick Douglas :: Essays Papers

Frederick Douglas Frederick Douglass, a slave in America until the age of 20, wrote three of the most highly regarded autobiographies of the 19th century, yet he only began learning to read and write when he turned 12 years old. After an early life of hardship and pain, Douglass escaped to the North to write three autobiographies, spaced decades apart, about his life as a slave and a freeman. The institution of slavery scarred him so deeply that he decided to dedicate his powers of speech and prose to fighting it. Douglass wrote three biographies about his life as a politician, slave, and abolitionist. However, the historical value of these works does not remain as important as the quality of the works themselves. Frederick Douglass’ writing deserves recognition in the canon of great American authors, because his work meets the chosen criteria for inclusion in a collection of important literature. Douglass influenced many famous abolitionists with his literary works, and this impact, coupled with his desire to write an expose about oppression in America, makes him a winning candidate. Although his published works, mostly autobiographies, received much acclaim from abolitionists, this paper explores the quality of Douglass’s work from a literary standpoint. This paper also details the events shaping Douglass’s impressive life and writing career. By examining the prestigious â€Å"life and times† of this black author, the reader will recognize the widespread influence of Douglass’s writing on other antislavery writers, politics, and hence, the public. In a look at his first and greatest work, Narrative of the Life, the following paper will demonstrate why Frederick Douglass deserves a place in the hall of great American writers. To fully appreciate the impact of Douglass’s autobiographies, we must examine violent period in which he lived. Douglass, born in 1818, grew up as a slave on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation in eastern Maryland. At the time, abolitionist movements started gaining speed as popular parties in the North. In the North, pro-slavery white mobs attacked black communities in retaliation for their efforts. By the time Douglass escaped from slavery, in 1838, tensions ran high among abolitionists and slaveowners. Slaves published accounts of their harrowing escapes, and their lives in slavery, mainly with the help of ghostwriters. Although abolitionists called for the total elimination of slavery in the South, racial segregation still occurred all over the United States. Blacks, freemen especially, found the task of finding a decent job overwhelming.

Invisible Man Essay: Inner, Outer, and Other Direction -- Invisible Ma

Inner, Outer, and Other direction in Invisible Man Ralph Ellison wrote his novel, Invisible Man, in an attempt to open our eyes.   Ellison created his nameless character, the Invisible Man, in order to establish a medium for the message of the novel.   It is the opinion of this student that if one chooses to further examine the protagonist character, then she or he can better understand the themes behind Ellison's narrative.   As one analyzes the novel, he or she soon recognizes a number of predominant character traits that can be associated with the Invisible Man.   This student was fortunate enough to experience a lesson of that which the characteristics of inner, outer, and other direction were discussed.   Once an understanding of concepts from the lesson was established, the assessment of Ellison's work became less painful.   The characteristics are simple. Inner simply represents an individual's self-motivation for taking an action.   Outer represents an individual's attempt to please others in the actions the he or she takes, and other signifies an individuals attempts to emulate those around him.   The protagonist in Invisible Man displays each characteristic during the course of the novel, but two dominate his mindset and eventually aid in formulating Ellison's theme.   This scholar will attempt to examine each characteristic in the following paragraphs, and it is hoped that the reader will attain a better understanding of the novel itself.   The inner character attribute is nearly non-existent in the Invisible Man.   This, for the most part, can be contributed to ideologies that the character feels compelled to adopt during the span of the novel.   Although the content of each ideology differs, there are a number of const... ...imply reveal himself to society, combined with his persistence to act the part of another, prevents for true self identification.   As with Bledsoe, Ellison's protagonist remains lost and unfulfilled.   Ellison successfully creates a character capable of expressing inner, outer, and other direction, but often choosing only the latter two.   The lack of inner direction renders the Invisible Man incapable of establishing himself.   The ideologies and principles presented by others never reflected the narrator's true beliefs, and throughout the novel, he struggled to contour his mind and heart to their demands.   Ironically, the reader is faced with the dismal fact that despite the narrator's abilities, he remains just the same as he was presented in the first chapter.   He is a man without an identity.   Works Cited: Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man New York: 1952.

Lims

LIMS In the typical scientific laboratory there is a large amount of data that must be tracked and analysed. In my current work setting we collect data from outside laboratories, analyse the data, and then return the data. We process thousands of samples per week. This makes tracking and sorting the data very cumbersome. We basically serve as a clearinghouse for data to be batched out to our customers, the independent researcher. Our laboratory considers itself a high-throughput sequencing centre. Our daily objective is to make the lab more automated. We are continually striving to use more robots or automated data entry.For automated data entry we use bar codes. Bar coding tends to have fewer errors in data entry. It also allows us to generate a greater amount of information for any given sample. The more we can automate the process the more samples we are able to put through the system. Each of the independent researchers in the company is looking for a particular disease by identi fying the disease-causing gene. Once the gene has been located the researcher must get the DNA sequence from the gene. That is our job. We at the sequencing centre take the DNA sample, with the gene, and run the sample on our automated machines.Once the sample has been analysed we put the analysed sample, also known as the DNA sequence, into a database that the researcher can access. This is a very general idea of what the Sequencing Centre does. The role of the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is to keep track of this data. The accuracy of the LIMS is crucial for an efficient and effective workflow. The analysed sample must be coordinated with the correct sample name that the researcher gives to the Sequencing Centre. This means that everything must be entered into the database correctly. The data must also exist in a safe and accessible database.The data flow can be characterized in the following context diagram. We have just begun the implementation of a new LIMS s ystem. Hopefully this analysis will help to guide our laboratory as we move towards its implementation. LIMS Functionality Different LIMS systems offer a variety of functionality. The systems have developed from simple data entry and record storage to complex relational database driven tools. They now offer enhanced functionality often provided over the wireless networks and company intranet, allowing greater flexibility for inspections in remote and difficult environments Regulations and ComplianceThe functionality of the LIMS system is far greater than just tracking and reporting on samples. LIMS systems must often comply with regulations that affect the user, for example a manufacturer of pharmaceuticals is obliged to operate under the cGMP 21 CFR Part 210 – Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Processing, Packing, or Holding of Drugs. Other regulations that LIMS systems must operate under include HIPAA, ISO 9001, and ISO 15189. It is important for systems to have the ability to accept e-signatures, as well as offer audit trails and chain of custody.These types of functionality are required to ensure that the correct persons have access to the sample and the results of the sample inspection Equipment Calibration and Maintenance When inspections are carried out the equipment used to extract the sample and to test the sample must be maintained correctly and calibrated so that there are no errors introduced into the test results. The LIMS system should contain maintenance records of the equipment used in testing so that notifications can be generated to perform regular preventive maintenance.With some instruments and equipment, the requirement may include calibration after a certain number of uses, for example the use of a depth micrometre may require that it is calibrated after 50 uses or every month, whichever comes first. LIMS systems can also contain the calibration instructions so that a notification and a calibration instruction s heet can be sent to the maintenance department or a specialty outside vendor. LIMS Expansion Pre-1982 Laboratory notebooks and handwritten reports/charts were used to track and report information.In-house information systems were configured by a few laboratories. Custom-built LIMS became available from third-party vendors. 1982 The first commercial LIMS, known as first generation (1G) LIMS, are introduced. These 1G LIMS placed laboratory functions onto a single minicomputer, providing greater lab productivity and functionality as well as the first automated reporting capabilities. 1988 Second generation (2G) LIMS become available. 2G LIMS used the available market technology of third-party commercial relational databases (RDB) to provide application-specific solutions.Most 2G LIMS relied on minicomputers, but PC-based solutions were beginning to emerge. 1991 The move toward open systems ushered in third generation (3G) LIMS, which combined the PC's easy to use interface and standard ized desktop tools with the power and security of minicomputer servers in a client/server configuration. 1995 Fourth generation (4G) LIMS decentralize the architecture further. Processing can be performed anywhere on the network. Thus, all clients and servers can operate in either capacity depending upon the data load at any particular instance Pros and ConsMost LIMS products allow the laboratory to; register work requests; print analytical worksheets; monitor and communicate sample/technique backlogs; schedule work; acquire and store analytical data; monitor the quality of all analytical work; approve analytical data for client release; print and store analytical reports and invoices; protect the security of all data; track and locate samples in storage; track and communicate all quality control in the laboratory; provide laboratory management with production and financial statistics and with client information, e. . , names, addresses, sales figures, etc. An appropriately designed and installed LIMS can quickly bring accuracy and accessibility to the flow of samples and data in any laboratory. The real value of a LIMS is the ability to maximize sample throughput and minimize labour costs. Laboratory throughput is improved in a number of different ways. The most obvious gain in productivity occurs through the elimination of data entry via on-line instruments. Also, there will be a significant decrease in data entry errors.Finally, the up-to-date sample in-flow data available from a typical LIMS allows laboratory supervisors and bench personnel to better schedule analytical work, minimize â€Å"downtime† and maximize batch size. Some other effects are that there are better visible quality control checks and centralized data. The ability to monitor, track and communicate data and quality control information gives the laboratory the tools to improve methods and work practices. The end result is that people in the lab able to process more samples per hour worked. The problems Rushed or Incomplete InstallationLIMS installation can be expensive. As a result laboratory management has a tendency to reduce costs by shortening the time spent on-site by the design team. In addition, several installation phases may be required in order to allow laboratory personnel time to learn and apply each LIMS feature before adding the next. Effective communication between the bench personnel and the design team is key to ensuring a successful project. The best way to facilitate this communication is by extending and phasing the installation. Lack of Technician Access to the LIMSA problem that arises in some organizations as laboratory and support staff begin to use the system is a failure to recognize and remove access bottlenecks. For a LIMS to function smoothly all personnel must have their own access point. Access expansion can usually be spread over six to eighteen months as the laboratory assimilates the LIMS and usage increases. Design/Scoping Pr ocedure The design/scoping stage prior to acquiring our LIMS has involved the review and analysis of available software/hardware packages as well as the definition and documentation of our laboratory’s requirements.The error here is could be that bench personnel are excluded from the process. To resolve this problem we have had frequent meetings with the personnel in our lab. Some laboratories might go into a LIMS program believing that future requirements for bench level supervision will be reduced or eliminated. It has been recognized by many that LIMS is simply a tool and as such cannot manage the laboratory or take the place of personnel supervision. A LIMS will effectively provide current, reliable and complete operational data.The easy access to accurate data allows management to significantly enhance the quality and speed of decision making. Decision making becomes based more on fact rather than instincts. Many LIMS products tend to function more like accounting or fin ancial databases. This could be related to the educational and work experience of most software professionals. The demand for financial and accounting database packages means that the software industry is more familiar with this type of requirement than with a highly technical application like a LIMS.Thus, the average software professional does not usually have the background to effectively interpret a laboratory’s requirements. This communication problem can manifest itself in LIMS systems that do not easily fit into laboratory operations. Often the laboratory must significantly alter procedures and work flow in order to conform to the LIMS. This requirement for wholesale change significantly complicates LIMS installations and it might have poor acceptance and commitment support personnel to the project. A similar problem often occurs in large organizations with dedicated Information System (IS), departments.Significant conflict and problems can arise when IS personnel recom mend the most up-to-date hardware or software architecture regardless of the functionality, fit or overall cost to the laboratory. The end result of this process is that the laboratory must undergo significant change in order to conform to the product purchased. In the extreme case laboratories can wind-up having to increase overhead, e. g. , more data handling, in order to use LIMS systems that have been designed not for the laboratory but for the accounting or production departments.The keys to success are flexibility, adaptability, ease of evolution and support, and most importantly overall system speed. The speed issue is very critical as bench personnel will not use something that is slow or awkward. If the system saves bench personnel time they will quickly â€Å"buy into† the project and aggressively move the process forward. The key in any LIMS development should be to achieve a majority of the desired functionality without compromising system speed. Most laboratories need time to assimilate a LIMS before being able to take full advantage of all of its features.As a result of this ‘break-in period’ the more complex features can usually be postponed a year or two without affecting the success of the program. [17] This implementation delay may also allow laboratory personnel the chance to provide more input into the critical final stages of system optimization. Installation Stage The goal of any LIMS installation must be to acquire a system that will make the jobs of bench personnel easier and thus increase the efficiency of the organization. In order to be successful, the LIMS system must be accepted and welcomed by the bench personnel.Often the first contact front-line personnel have with the new system is during installation, long after all decisions have been made. This situation often leads to significant software and LIMS configuration problems that require major software re-writes, hardware retro-fits and/or disruptive organiza tional changes. In addition, analytical and support staff are more likely to resist the new system if they have had little input into its design and operational characteristics. The installation phase of a LIMS program is critical to the overall success of the project.It is during LIMS installation that personnel must be taught how to use the product and where the software designers get their first view of how the LIMS will fit into and function in the laboratory. The installation phase of a LIMS project can take from weeks to months depending on the size of the laboratory and the complexity of the project. No Staff Training Bench personnel must be taught how to use the LIMS. As with any subject laboratory staff must be taught progressively so that personnel have a chance to use and apply what they learn.In laboratories where the LIMS training has been available and sustained the staff will be using the LIMS at a similar level. This consistency of approach builds team work and staff efficiency increases. In laboratories where training has not been a priority, staff will be using the LIMS at different levels. This situation can create a great deal of competition in the laboratory as turf wars erupt over the adoption of new or unused LIMS features. Poorly trained staff fears the new features and as a result delay or resist their implementation.Poor Feedback Mechanism As noted above communication is a key component of any successful LIMS project. It is important that laboratories make sure that a well-developed feedback mechanism is put in place during the installation of a LIMS so that laboratory personnel can bring forward problems and see quick resolution. Staff often hesitate to bring forward complaints and will instead work around the problem. One successful approach that has been used by organizations to solve this problem has been regular procedural audits.The process required to perform an audit usually brings to light LIMS defects or problems that staff have been coping with. This is has already been implemented for other laboratory procedures in our lab. Conclusion Companies require that quality is part of every link in the supply chain, whether it is raw material at a vendor’s facility or finished goods delivered to a customer. To ensure that the quality personnel are able to achieve the optimum results, a Laboratory Information Management System is vital to that success.

Do Major Cities Reflect the Most Important Characteristics of a Society Essay

My opinion is that when analyzing the most important characteristics of a society, it is true that one must study its major cities; however focusing only in major cities would generate a biased result. They concentrate an important part of the population of a country and they can represent well the main characteristics of the urban life of a particular society, however they fail in reflecting the rural world, ethnic minorities and local languages. Major cities reflect the characteristics of the best-educated segments of the population, the ones with higher incomes and better job opportunities, on the other hand, small towns and rural communities may have totally different characteristics and probably will have lower quality education, lower income and worse jobs in terms of remuneration. One example is China, if one were to look at major cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing and only focusing on those cities, the conclusions would be wrong. One would conclude that China is very industrialized, that its society organizes in crowded, modern and congested cities. The truth about China is that there are two realities, the urban China represented in major cities and the rural one, depicted in its small communities, both with contrasting characteristics. In short, looking at the major cities is extremely important to assess an important group of the society, however we should always keep in mind that a society is composed by different groups and realities and in order to understand it correctly we must look into a representative set of communities whether they are big or small.

An Epic Poem The Odyssey - 1611 Words

The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Greek poet Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, a war hero and king of Ithaca, as he went on a journey to return home from Troy ten years after the Trojan War. On his journey, he was confronted by various monsters, including the one-eyed Cyclops, and faced the loss of his men and his ship. Not to mention, when he returned to his land, he also had to defeat the suitors who had overrun his home and were trying to court his wife, Penelope. Homer not only tells us the adventure of brave Odysseus, but through his story, he also tells us the four qualities that a commendable Greek must possess: hospitality, humility or absence of hubris, honor, and heroism. First, hospitality, also known as â€Å"xenia,† refers to showing generosity to guests or visitors. By treating every guest with generosity, people in ancient Greece believed they could avoid angering a god if one appeared at their door disguised as a stranger. Not doing so could result in pu nishment from the gods. Then, hubris refers to extreme, ignorant pride shown by an individual and is punishable by the gods. Homer emphasizes the importance of showing humility and not possessing a sense of superiority over others throughout The Odyssey. Next, honor refers to having a reputation for excellence, and it can be earned through killing others in battle, looting, or even dying. In ancient Greece, battling others was considered the duty of a soldier, and dying in battle was a glorious feat.Show MoreRelatedThe Odyssey An Epic Poem1418 Words   |  6 PagesThe Odyssey an epic poem that has stood the test of time as history is made. Homer made a story as raptured almost everyone who reads it. Even the most trivial characters seem to serve some important role later in the epic poem. Yet it seems that the meaning of this great piece of fiction changes with the changing desires of society. 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Borax Crystal Star - How to Grow a Star Crystal

Grow borax crystals around a star shape to produce a crystal star that also makes a beautiful holiday ornament or decoration. Materials: Borax Crystal Star BoraxWaterPipe cleaner (chenille craft stick)Food coloring (optional) Process Shape a pipe cleaner into a star. Its a good idea to leave one end long so you can hang the star in the crystal growing solution.Prepare a saturated borax solution by dissolving as much borax as possible into boiling hot water. Youll know you have a saturated solution when borax powder starts to accumulate on the bottom of the container.Stir in food coloring, if desired.Hang the star in a clean container (such as a coffee mug or glass) and pour the borax crystal growing solution into the container so that the star is covered. Try to avoid touching the star to the sides or bottom of the container. Crystals will grow on the star even if it is touching the container, but it is much harder to remove the star without damaging it.Allow the crystals to grow until you are satisfied with them. This is usually anywhere from 2-10 hours. Remove the star and allow it to dry.The star may be stored wrapped in tissue paper, kept away from humidity. Other Star Crystals If you dont have borax you can use alum, table salt, or epsom salts. As with the borax, be sure the solution is fully saturated before adding the star shape. Table salt will produce pretty small cubic crystals, while alum will grow large crystals, and epsom salts will grow needle-shaped crystals.