Proof Of The Exsistence of God :: essays research papers

Proof Of The Exsistence of God Either God exists or He doesn't. There is no middle ground. Any attempt to remain neutral in relation to God's existence is automatically synonymous with unbelief. It is far from a "moot" question, for if God does exist, then nothing else really matters; if He does not exist, then nothing really matters at all. If He does exist, then there is an eternal heaven to be gained (Hebrews 11:16) and an eternal Hell to be avoided (Revelation 21:8). The question for God's existence is an extremely important one. One might wonder why it is necessary to present evidence for the existence of God. As Edward Thomson so beautifully stated it: "...the doctrine of the one living and true God, Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor of the universe, as it solves so many problems, resolves so many doubts, banishes so many fears, inspires so many hopes, gives such sublimity to all things, and such spring to all noble powers, we might presume would, as soon as it was announced, be received by e very healthy mind." Some, however, contrary to their higher interests, have refused to have God in their knowledge and thus have become vain in their reasonings and foolish in their philosophy (Romans 1:21,22,28). They do not see the folly (Psalm 14:1) of saying there is no God. The Christian has not only the obligation to "give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you..." (I Peter 3:15), but an obligation to carry the Gospel message to a lost and dying world (Mark 16:15-16, et al.). There will be times when carrying the Gospel message to the world will entail setting forth the case for the existence of God. In addition, we need to remember that Christians are not agnostics. The agnostic is the person who says that God's existence is unknowable. As difficult as it is to believe, some Christians take that same stance in regard to God's existence. They assert that they "believe" there is a God, but that they cannot know i t. They state that God's existence cannot be proved. `This is false!' God's existence is both `knowable' and `provable.' Acceptance of God's existence is not some "blind leap into the dark" as so many have erroneously asserted. The Christian's faith is not a purely emotional, subjective "leap," but instead is a `firm conviction' regarding facts based upon reasonable evidence. Proof Of The Exsistence of God :: essays research papers Proof Of The Exsistence of God Either God exists or He doesn't. There is no middle ground. Any attempt to remain neutral in relation to God's existence is automatically synonymous with unbelief. It is far from a "moot" question, for if God does exist, then nothing else really matters; if He does not exist, then nothing really matters at all. If He does exist, then there is an eternal heaven to be gained (Hebrews 11:16) and an eternal Hell to be avoided (Revelation 21:8). The question for God's existence is an extremely important one. One might wonder why it is necessary to present evidence for the existence of God. As Edward Thomson so beautifully stated it: "...the doctrine of the one living and true God, Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor of the universe, as it solves so many problems, resolves so many doubts, banishes so many fears, inspires so many hopes, gives such sublimity to all things, and such spring to all noble powers, we might presume would, as soon as it was announced, be received by e very healthy mind." Some, however, contrary to their higher interests, have refused to have God in their knowledge and thus have become vain in their reasonings and foolish in their philosophy (Romans 1:21,22,28). They do not see the folly (Psalm 14:1) of saying there is no God. The Christian has not only the obligation to "give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you..." (I Peter 3:15), but an obligation to carry the Gospel message to a lost and dying world (Mark 16:15-16, et al.). There will be times when carrying the Gospel message to the world will entail setting forth the case for the existence of God. In addition, we need to remember that Christians are not agnostics. The agnostic is the person who says that God's existence is unknowable. As difficult as it is to believe, some Christians take that same stance in regard to God's existence. They assert that they "believe" there is a God, but that they cannot know i t. They state that God's existence cannot be proved. `This is false!' God's existence is both `knowable' and `provable.' Acceptance of God's existence is not some "blind leap into the dark" as so many have erroneously asserted. The Christian's faith is not a purely emotional, subjective "leap," but instead is a `firm conviction' regarding facts based upon reasonable evidence.

Minimum Wage and Nike Marketing Phrase

Nike is in many ways the quintessential global corporation. Established in 1972 by former University of Oregon track star Phil Knight, Nike is now one of the leading marketers of athletic shoes and apparel on the planet. In 2006, the company has $15 billion in annual revenues and sold its products in some 140 countries. Nike does not do any manufacturing. Rather, it designs and markets its products, while contracting for their manufacture from a global network of 600 factories scattered around the globe that employ some 650,000 people. This huge corporation has made Knight into one of the richest people in America. The Nike marketing phrase â€Å"Just Do It! † has become as recognizable in popular culture as its â€Å"swoosh† logo or the faces of its celebrity sponsors, such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. For all of its successes, the company has been dogged for more than a decade by repeated and persistent accusations that its products are made in sweatshops where workers, many of them children, slave away in hazardous conditions for less than subsistence wages. Nike's wealth, its detractors claim, has been built upon the backs of the world's poor. To many, Nike has become a symbol of the evils of globalization—a rich Western corporation exploiting the world's poor to provide expensive shoes and apparel to the pampered consumers of the developed world. Nike's â€Å"Niketown† stores have become standard targets for anti-globalization protesters. Several nongovernmental organizations, such as San Francisco–based Global Exchange, a human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice around the world, have targeted Nike for repeated criticism and protests. News organizations such as CBS's â€Å"48 Hours† hosted by Dan Rather have run exposes on working conditions in foreign factories that supply Nike. Students on the campuses of several major U. S. universities with which Nike has lucrative sponsorship deals have protested against the ties, citing Nike's use of sweatshop labor. For its part, Nike has taken steps to counter the protests. Yes, it admits, there have been problems in some overseas factories. But the company has signaled a commitment to improving working conditions. It requires that foreign subcontractors meet minimum thresholds for working conditions and pay. It has arranged for factories to be examined by independent auditors. It has terminated contracts with factories that do not comply with its standards. But for all this effort, the company continues to be a target of protests and a symbol of dissent. The Case against Nike Typical of the exposes against Nike was a â€Å"48 Hours† report that aired October 17, 1996. 3 Reporter Roberta Baskin visited a Nike factory in Vietnam. With a shot of the factory, her commentary began: The signs are everywhere of an American invasion in search of cheap labor. Millions of people who are literate, disciplined, and desperate for jobs. This is Nike Town near what use to be called Saigon, one of four factories Nike doesn't own but subcontracts to make a million shoes a month. It takes 25,000 workers, mostly young women, to â€Å"Just Do It. † But the workers here don't share in Nike's huge profits. They work six days a week for only $40 a month, just 20 cents an hour. Baskin interviewed one factory worker, a young woman named Lap. Baskin told viewers: Her basic wage, even as sewing team leader, still doesn't amount to the minimum wage †¦ She's down to 85 pounds. Like most of the young women who make shoes, she has little choice but to accept the low wages and long hours. Nike says that it requires all subcontractors to obey local laws; but Lap has already put in much more overtime than the annual legal limit: 200 hours. Baskin then asked Lap what would happen if she was sick or had something she needed to take care of, such as a sick relative, and needed to leave the factory? Through a translator, Lap replied: It is not possible if you haven't made enough shoes. You have to meet the quota before you can go home. The clear implication of the story was that Nike was at fault here for allowing such working conditions to persist in the Vietnam factory, which was owned by a Korean company. Another attack on Nike's subcontracting practices came in June 1996 from Made in the USA, a foundation largely financed by labor unions and domestic apparel manufacturers that oppose free trade with low-wage countries. According to Joel Joseph, chairman of the foundation, a popular line of high-priced Nike sneakers, the â€Å"Air Jordans,† were put together by 11-year-olds in Indonesia making 14 cents per hour. A Nike spokeswoman, Donna Gibbs, countered that this was false. According to Gibbs, the average worker made 240,000 rupiah ($103) a month working a maximum 54-hour week, or about 45 cents per hour. Gibbs also noted that Nike had staff members in each factory monitoring conditions to make sure the factory obeyed local minimum wage and child labor laws. Another example of the criticism against Nike is the following extract from a newsletter published by Global Exchange:5 During the 1970s, most Nike shoes were made in South Korea and Taiwan. When workers there gained new freedom to organize and wages began to rise, Nike looked for â€Å"greener pastures. † It found them in Indonesia and China, where Nike started producing in the 1980s, and most recently in Vietnam. The majority of Nike shoes are made in Indonesia and China, countries with governments that prohibit independent unions and set the minimum wage at rock bottom. The Indonesian government admits that the minimum wage there does not provide enough to supply the basic needs of one person, let alone a family. In early 1997 the entry-level wage was a miserable $2. 46 a day. Labor groups estimate that a livable wage in Indonesia is about $4. 00 a day. In Vietnam the pay is even less—20 cents an hour, or a mere $1. 60 a day. But in urban Vietnam, three simple meals cost about $2. 10 a day, and then of course there is rent, transportation, clothing, health care, and much more. According to Thuyen Nguyen of Vietnam Labor Watch, a living wage in Vietnam is at least $3 a day. In another attack on Nike's practices, in September 1997 Global Exchange published a report on working conditions in four Nike and Reebok subcontractors in southern China. 6 Global Exchange, in conjunction with two Hong Kong human rights groups, had interviewed workers at the factories in 1995 and again in 1997. According to Global Exchange, in one factory, a Korean owned subcontractor for Nike, workers as young as 13 earning as little as 10 cents an hour toiled up to 17 hours daily in enforced silence. Talking during work was not allowed, with violators fined $1. 20 to $3. 0, according to the report. The practices were in violation of Chinese labor law, which states that no child under 16 may work in a factory, and the Chinese minimum wage requirement of $1. 90 for an eight-hour day. Nike condemned the study as erroneous, stating that the report incorrectly stated the wages of workers and made irresponsible accusations. Global Exchange, however, continued to be a major thorn in Nike's side. In November 1997, the organization obtained and then leaked a confidential report by Ernst & Young of an audit that Nike had commissioned of a factory in Vietnam owned by a  Nike subcontractor. 7 The factory had 9,200 workers and made 400,000 pairs of shoes a month. The Ernst & Young report painted a dismal picture of thousands of young women, most under age 25, laboring 10 1/2 hours a day, six days a week, in excessive heat and noise and in foul air, for slightly more than $10 a week. The report also found that workers with skin or breathing problems had not been transferred to departments free of chemicals and that more than half the workers who dealt with dangerous chemicals did not wear protective masks or gloves. It claimed workers were exposed to carcinogens that exceeded local legal standards by 177 times in parts of the plant and that 77 percent of the employees suffered from respiratory problems. Put on the defensive yet again, Nike called a news conference and pointed out that it had commissioned the report and had acted on it. 8 The company stated it had formulated an action plan to deal with the problems cited in the report, and had slashed overtime, improved safety and ventilation, and reduced the use of toxic chemicals. The company also asserted that the report showed that its internal monitoring system had performed exactly as it should have. According to one spokesman: This shows our system of monitoring works †¦ We have uncovered these issues clearly before anyone else, and we have moved fairly expeditiously to correct them. Nike's Responses Unaccustomed to playing defense, Nike formulated a number of strategies and tactics to deal with the problems of working conditions and pay at subcontractors. In 1996, Nike hired Andrew Young, onetime U. S. mbassador to the United Nations and former Atlanta mayor, to assess working conditions in subcontractors' plants around the world. Young released a mildly critical report of Nike in mid-1997. After completing a two-week tour that covered 15 factories in three countries, Young informed Nike it was doing a good job in treating workers, though it should do better. According to Young, he did not see sweatshops, or hostile conditions †¦ I saw crowded dorms †¦ but the workers were eating at least two meals a day on the job and making what I was told were subsistence wages in those cultures. Young was widely criticized by human rights and labor groups for not taking his own translators and for doing slipshod inspections, an assertion he repeatedly denied. In 1996, Nike joined a presidential task force designed to find a way of banishing sweatshops in the shoe and clothing industries. The task force included industry leaders such as Nike, representatives from human rights groups, and labor leaders. In April 1997, the task force announced an agreement for workers rights that U. S. companies could agree to when manufacturing abroad. The accord limited the work week to 60 hours and called for paying at least the local minimum wage in foreign factories. The task force also agreed to establish an independent monitoring association—later named the Fair Labor Association (FLA)—to assess whether companies are abiding by the code. 10 The FLA now includes among its members the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the National Council of Churches, the International Labor Rights Fund, some 135 universities (universities have extensive licensing agreements with sports apparel companies such as Nike), and companies such as Nike, Reebok, and Levi Strauss. In early 1997, Nike also began to commission independent organizations such as Ernst & Young to audit the factories of its subcontractors. In September 1997, Nike tried to show its critics that it was involved in more than just a public relations exercise when it terminated its relationship with four Indonesian subcontractors, stating that they had refused to comply with the company's standard for wage levels and working conditions. Nike identified one of the subcontractors, Seyon, which manufactured specialty sports gloves for Nike. Nike said that Seyon refused to meet a 10. 7 percent increase in the monthly wage, to $70. 0, declared by the Indonesian government in April 1997. 11 On May 12, 1998, in a speech given at the National Press Club, Phil Knight spelled out in detail a series of initiatives designed to improve working conditions for the 500,000 people that make products for Nike. 12 Among the initiatives Knight highlighted were the following: We have effectively changed our minimum age limits from the ILO (International Labor Organization) standards of 15 in most countries and 14 in developing countries to 18 in all footwear manufacturing and 16 in all other types of manufacturing (apparel, accessories, and equipment. . Existing workers legally employed under the former limits were grandfathered into the new requirements. During the past 13 months we have moved to a 100 percent factory audit scheme, where every Nike contract factory will receive an annual check by Pricewaterhouse Coopers teams who are specially trained on our Code of Conduct Owner's Manual and audit/monitoring procedures. To date they have performed about 300 such monitoring visits. In a few instances in apparel factories they have found workers under our age standards. Those factories have been required to raise their standards to 17 years of age, to require three documents certifying age, and to redouble their efforts to ensure workers meet those standards through interviews and records checks. Our goal was to ensure workers around the globe are protected by requiring factories to have no workers exposed to levels above those mandated by the permissible exposure limits (PELs) for chemicals prescribed in the OSHA indoor air quality standards. 3 These moves were applauded in the business press, but they were greeted with a skeptical response from Nike's long-term adversaries in the debate over the use of foreign labor. While conceding that Nike's policies were an improvement, one critic writing in the New York Times noted: Mr. Knight's child labor initiative is †¦ a smoke screen. Child labor has not been a big problem with Nike, and Philip Knight knows that better than anyone. But public relations is public relations. So he screen. Child labor has not been a big problem with Nike, and Philip Knight knows that better than anyone. But public relations is public relations. So he have to keep a close eye on him at all times. The biggest problem with Nike is that its overseas workers make wretched, below-subsistence wages. It's not the minimum age that needs raising, it's the minimum wage. Most of the workers in Nike factories in China and Vietnam make less than $2 a day, well below the subsistence levels in those countries. In Indonesia the pay is less than $1 a day. The company's current strategy is to reshape its public image while doing as little as possible for the workers. Does anyone think it was an accident that Nike set up shop in human rights sinkholes, where labor organizing was viewed as a criminal activity and deeply impoverished workers were willing, even eager, to take their places on assembly lines and work for next to nothing? 14 Other critics question the value of Nike's auditors, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). Dara O'Rourke, an assistant professor at MIT, followed the PwC auditors around several factories in China, Korea, and Vietnam. He concluded that although the auditors found minor violations of labor laws and codes of conduct, they missed major labor practice issues including hazardous working conditions, violations of overtime laws, and violation of wage laws. The problem, according to O'Rourke, was that the auditors had limited training and relied on factory managers for data and to set up worker interviews, all of which were performed in the factories. The auditors, in other words, were getting an incomplete and somewhat sanitized view of conditions in the factory. 5 The Controversy Continues Fueled perhaps by the unforgiving criticisms of Nike that continued after Phil Knight's May 1998 speech, beginning in 1998 and continuing into 2001, a wave of protests against Nike occurred on many university campuses. The moving force behind the protests was the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). The USAS argued that the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which grew out of the presidential task force on sweatshops , was an industry tool, and not a truly independent auditor of foreign factories. The USAS set up an alternative independent auditing organization, the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), which they charged with auditing factories that produce products under collegiate licensing programs (Nike is a high profile supplier of products under these programs). The WRC is backed, and partly funded, by labor unions and refuses to cooperate with companies, arguing that doing so would jeopardize its independence. By mid-2000, the WRC had persuaded some 48 universities to join the organization, including all nine calmpuses of the University of California system, the University of Michigan, and the University of Oregon, Phil Knight's alma mater. When Knight heard that the University of Oregon would join the WRC, as opposed to the FLA, he withdrew a planned $30 million donation to the university. 16 Despite this, in November 2000, the University of Washington announced it too would join the WRC, although it would also retain its membership in the FLA. 7 Nike continued to push forward with its own initiatives, updating progress on its website. In April 2000, in response to pressure that it was still hiding poor working conditions, Nike announced it would release the complete reports of all independent audits of its subcontractors' plants. Global Exchange continued to criticize the company, arguing in mid-2001 that the company was not living up to Knight's 1998 promises, and that it was intimidati ng workers from speaking out about abuses.

The Sword in the Stone of the Arthurian Legend Essay

The Sword in the Stone of the Arthurian Legend King Arthur and the knights of the round table belong to a long line of books and stories of the Arthurian legend. Merlin, Lancelot, The lady of the lake, King Arthur, and Excaliber are all very important in the Arthurian legend. In this essay we will talk about King Arthur, the knights of the round table, and Merlin in the famous story, The sword in the stone. The Sword in the stone is a book about an adopted child named wart. He is of royal blood and does not know this. One day when Wart is in the forest, he finds a magician named Merlin. Merlin comes home with Wart and agrees with Sir Ector, Wart’s guardian, to become Wart’s tutor. Merlin goes about educating Wart by†¦show more content†¦Each ant and has specific task, which it completes repeatedly. The absolute power exerted by the leader destroys all individualism, leaving the ants with no creativity. Instead, they use trail and error to complete tasks that should take only a small amount of thought. Wart sees this occur when an ant tries with difficulty to organize three cadavers in a small burial chamber, when a small amount of reasoning would of solved the problem quickly. The ants are of a collective mind, so that what one thinks, they all think. They go about their daily lives oblivious to the control the leader has over them. In the final transformation Wart visits the badger. The badger is a great philosopher who enjoys giving scholarly commentaries. While Wart is visiting him, he explains a story he has written on the creation of the animal kingdom’s hierarchy. In his commentary he explains how man answered God’s riddle and is awarded control over the animal kingdom. He lives a life of solitude because many other animals do not think at his level. They listen he is old and experienced, and with this comes respect. Through each of his transformations, Wart sees different uses of power. Wart must choose how he will eventually govern his kingdom. The leaders he visits, govern in their own way, each retaining their power through different methods. When these are combined, the following picture of how a leader should or should not rule emerges. A leader should not attemptShow MoreRelated Arthurian Legend Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesArthurian Legend Even though the Arthur legend is hundreds of years old, our culture today is still fascinated with the idea of the Round Table and the love triangle between Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere. There are movies and books galore to read about the different takes on the legend of Arthur. However, it makes one wonder if our culture really understands the Arthurian legend. Especially in the movies the central idea of a literary work can be lost. Compared to Malory’s Le Morte d’ArthurRead MoreKing Arthur And The Arthurian Legend906 Words   |  4 Pagesother famous Arthurian legends were believed to be mostly truth in the 11th Century. Many people enjoyed the idea that their history once contained a time of chivalry and wonder such as the tall tales described. Indeed, some today believe the same. However, King Arthur, despite being an influential figure from the 11th century onwards, was mostly a work a fiction, his tales and legends an amalgamation of truth and fantasy with so me historical basis and much exaggeration. Arthurian legend is a blendRead MoreArthurian Legends Effects on English Society1104 Words   |  5 Pagesrole did the great King Arthur play in the way English Literature is perceived? The Arthurian Legends reveal King Arthur as a chivalrous king and not as a historical figure but as a myth of mass amounts of achievements. From his search of the Holy Grail, to his perfect society in Camelot and his development of the Round Table, King Arthur’s legend displayed his heroic character. Through the many countless legends of the glorious King Arthur, England’s society underwent a drastic change in the outlookRead MoreEssay on King Arthur: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction877 Words   |  4 Pageswell-known tales, myths and legends are brought into the light. Many stories revolve around themes such as young Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone, the epic love/hate relationship between the wizards Merlin and Morgana, and the valiant conquests of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The Sword in the Stone talks about a young stable boy by the name of Arthur. When his master loses his sword, young Arthur runs back to the city and pulls a sword out of a stone; completely unaware ofRead MoreThe Mythical Tale Of King Arthur Written By Thomas Mallory1619 Words   |  7 Pagesmystical realm or enjoy nobility and what they do behind closed doors, then read Le Morte D’Arthur. Or, if you love conflict that is between the desires of the flesh, but also desires and responsibility of being King of Britain, then you may find the legend of King Arthur just your cup of tea to read. A myth can have a number of functions for the society that believed it true, and it is true with King Arthur as well. The function that one will discuss in this paper will be that of the Metaphysical (Mystical)Read MoreArthurian Legend - Essay1388 Words   |  6 PagesArthurian Legend,  group  of  tales  in  several languages that concern the legendary King Arthur of the Britons, his realm, and the knights of his inner circle. The legend is one of the most enduring tales in recorded history. It first appeared in the 5th or 6th century ad and took its basic form between the 12th and 15th centuries. It continues as a popular subject in modern times. The  legend  presents  Arthur as a leader in ancient times who defeats the Saxons and other enemies. He thereby unitesRead More Myths, Legends, and King Arthur Essay1807 Words   |  8 PagesMyths, Legends, and King Arthur Throughout the dawns of time, people have recorded lives and made histories about the past, the people and all of their dramatics. One such story is Le morte dArthur, or in English, the Death of Arthur. Despite its French title, the actual text was written in English. It is a twenty-one book series written by Sir Thomas Malory in 1469-1470 describing in detail the problematic lives of the Arthurian legends. Sir Thomas Malory was believed to be born inRead MoreThe Legend Of King Arthur1308 Words   |  6 Pagesthe early 800’s. Through the ages more caught on to these Arthurian Legends, and they began to embrace them as part of their culture. Some believe that he is only a legend, yet others believe that there is even an Arthur living among us today. While growing up, Arthur was oblivious to his heritage. From becoming a King at the age of 16, Arthur showed courage and strength in the darkest of times. This is why King Arthur, a mythological legend, was a brave warrior and man at heart whose betrayal andRead MoreKing Arthur Literary Analysis3547 Words   |  15 Pagesliterature, stories, cinema, and legend. King Arthur has always been a long-standing icon of heroism, and heroism is a theme mankind takes pleasure in romanticizing. Arthurian Romance is the classic example of good versus evil, knights in shining armor, forbidden love, and sorcery; the basic elements of a romanticiz ed tale. And in a dark time where religion clashed, empires fought in epic battles, and the people of Britain suffered from poverty and disease, Arthurian legend was needed to lift the spiritsRead MoreKing Arthur Essay1506 Words   |  7 PagesThe stories and legends surrounding the character of King Arthur are among the best known of all stories about kings and knights. The stories and legends surrounding the character of King Arthur are among the best known of all stories about kings and knights. He is the greatest of British literary heroes, although little is known about the real person. Folklore and literature provide examples of a recurrent myth about a leader or hero who has not really died, but is asleep somewhere or

A Brief History of Prosthetics

The history of prosthetics and amputation surgery begins at the very dawning of human medicine. In the three great western civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome, the first true rehabilitation aids recognized as prostheses were made. Early use of prosthetics goes back to at least the fifth Egyptian Dynasty that reigned between 2750 to 2625 B.C. The oldest known splint was unearthed by archaeologists from that period. But the earliest known written reference to an artificial limb was made around 500 B.C. During the time, Herodotus wrote of a prisoner who escaped from his chains by cutting off his foot, which he later replaced with a wooden substitute. An artificial limb dating from 300 B.C., was a copper and wood leg that was unearthed at Capri, Italy in 1858. In 1529, French surgeon  Ambroise Pare  (1510-1590) introduced amputation as a lifesaving measure in medicine. Soon after, Pare started developing prosthetic limbs in a scientific manner. And in 1863, Dubois L Parmelee of New York City made a significant improvement to the attachment of artificial limbs by fastening a body socket to the limb with atmospheric pressure. While he was not the first person to do so, he was the first to make it practical enough to be used in medical practices. In 1898, a doctor named Vanghetti came up with an artificial limb that could move through muscle contraction. It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that major advancements were made in the attachment of lower limbs. In 1945, the National Academy of Sciences established the Artificial Limb Program as a way to improve the quality of life of World War II veterans who suffered the lost of limbs in combat. A year later, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley developed a suction sock for the above-knee prosthesis. Fast forward to 1975 and  the year an inventor named Ysidro M. Martinez took things a major step further by creating a below-the-knee prosthesis that avoided some of the problems associated with conventional artificial limbs. Instead of replicating the natural limb with articulated joints in the ankle or foot which tended to lead to poor gait, Martinez, an amputee himself, took a theoretical approach in his design. His prosthesis relies on a high center of mass and is light in weight to facilitate acceleration and deceleration and reduce friction. The foot is also considerably shorter to control acceleration forces, further reducing the friction and pressure. New advances to keep an eye involve the growing use of 3-D printing, which has allowed for the fast, precise manufacturing of artificial limbs that traditionally have been custom-built by hand. The U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health has recently established the 3D Print Exchange program as a way to provide researchers and students with the necessary modeling and software tools to fabricate prosthetics using 3D printing machines.   But beyond prosthetic limbs, here’s another fun fact: Pare could also have laid claim to be the father of facial prosthetics, making artificial eyes from enameled gold, silver, porcelain and glass. Thats your fun fact of the day

Sample Letter For The Faculty Of Computer Science At...

Acknowledgements I take this as an opportunity to thank all the representatives at Symbria for furnishing me with a great opportunity to work with them. I want to thank the Director of Marketing and Communications, Ms. Jackie Malek for believing and having faith in me to complete the work. I likewise would want to thank the Director of IT, Mr. Aaron Hagopian and the entire of the IT group for their significant guidance. It has been an extraordinary experience working for Symbria as I have possessed the capacity to enhance my insight and expertise. It has been a great learning experience and am very fortunate to have this opportunity to come by my way. I want to take this chance to thank the faculty of Computer Science at Northern Illinois University for giving me with a chance to continue with the Spring Internship and the ISFO of Northern Illinois University for their prompt work and guidance. Introduction Symbria is a privately funded organization that helps senior-living and post-intense suppliers construct economical achievement. It gives diverse administrations, for example, Recovery and Wellness, Drug store and Overviews and Data including treatment administrations, drug store administrations, wellbeing projects, information accumulation and reporting. 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Business Models Communications of the ACM

Question: Discuss about the Business Modelsfor Communications of the ACM. Answer: Most global companies use business models and standards in pivoting the business operations. A business model refers to the conceptual structure designed by the management to support business viability, aid the achievement of set purposes, and assist in implementing the laid down strategic plans (Saebi Foss, 2015). Business models represent all business policies, procedures, and processes on the company's customers, customers demands, and the affordability of products by the clients (Amit Zott, 2012). A business model documentation plays a significant role in maintaining corporate goals focus, reviewing operational processes, and establishing congruence between the two. This essay aims at explaining what gets involved when a manager conceptualizes business model systems, the use of business models in resolving dynamic and static problems, the use of business models in firms partnership, and how business models assist managers to innovate. The conceptualization of business models as systems plays a significant role in the achievement of corporate organizational goals. The availability of sophisticated technologies within a firm helps a manager conceptualize and build new business ideas on matters to deal with cost structures. The success of the business model of a company gets determined by the ability of managers to apply the new technologies in solving business challenges (Chesbrough, 2013). Also, the core capabilities of a company are involved when a manager is conceptualizing business models for a manager can conduct cost versus benefit analysis and invest more resources in a more profitable project (Teece, 2010). Further, innovators need to understand the business alignment of a firm to relate the existing and future business directions of the company in a more accurate manner. Again, the conceptualization of business models requires innovators to have a clear understanding of the firm's customer needs, how to exe cute completion capabilities of the idea development, as well as the business value in a mechanism that will create value for the firm (Zott, Amit, Massa, 2011). The manager needs to have a proper understanding of the distribution channels used by the company when delivering its goods and services to the customers. Business models as systems are used by managers and businesspeople in solving both the static and dynamic problems in the business environment. The most common static problems faced by businesses include uncertainty, diversity of customers behavior, the complexity of market structures, supply chain issues, unpredictable investment rates, and demographic changes (Cohen Kietzmann, 2014). The dynamic problems that business face include globalization, government regulatory policies, technological advancements, overload of information, and problem-solving issues. When solving these challenges, business models assist managers in developing cause and effect analysis strategies, conduct sensitivity analysis, identify business risks, and brainstorm formalized structure. The reduced levels of customer satisfaction challenge are solved using business models through establishing demand and supply patterns based on consumer purchasing rates and patterns (Cohen Kietzmann, 2014). Managers use bus iness models in studying investors approach when making decisions of shares price and equity contribution to ensure that they are attractive to customers. Business models as systems are used by managers in understanding how different firms partner and create viable business links. Real entrepreneurs are not risk averse; they always take risks. For a business to thrive, a business partnership is essential. When running a business, there is increased access to wider range of business networks and financial resources. When business managers design business model systems, the core capabilities and operational patterns of the firm get incorporated (Dhar Varshney, 2011). The use of trade models in analyzing the demand and supply patterns enables a company to understand the most reliable supplier and client. Firms with excellent corporate reputation are the best for businesses to partner with since they prove to be more reliable in the delivery of goods and services (Mason Spring, 2011). Business models serve as a model for a company to analyze employees demands and foster collaborative trade unions who can raise their grievances to the emp loyers in one voice. Business models as systems can be used in understanding both the companys and competitors innovation processes. The innovation of new ideas enhances business feasibility in the most prospective manner and enables the company to come up with new competitive ideas in the industry (Zott Amit, 2010). When companies do not innovate, they fail. Most companies design graphical representation of the competitors to monitor the progress of the firms innovative ideas in comparison to the advancement of the competitors. The business models as systems help innovators bridge the gap between the competitor and their respective companies to enable businesses to expand. The moment a company understands the source of the performance gap between their competitors, they can formulate new innovative ideas to address the unmet customers demands (Casadesus-Masanell Ricart, 2011). To this extent, business models as systems are used in the innovation of new products that are requested in the newly identifi ed and exploited market opportunities. Investment of more resources in the innovation of customer oriented products established a competitive advantage for a firm. Kodama's (2009) lays down a new knowledge integration model for creativity, innovation, human network dynamism, and knowledge integration architecture process. The knowledge integration framework integrates heterogeneous knowledge within and without the jurisdiction of the firm that originates from business dynamic vertical and horizontal corporate changes. Kodama (2009) argues that the vertical integration model of value chain promotes companies initiative in the designing of the high quality of products and services in the most competitive manner. Internal business knowledge favors knowledge integration through the establishment of internal and external knowledge networks. The corporate strategy of a firm is enhanced by the management's ability to conceptualize the core frameworks and boundaries formed by the company. Zott and Amit's (2010) argues that business models are interdependent systems of activities transcending the entire firm's span of boundaries. The focal business model of a company is exploiting business opportunities through value creation among the involved partners. The operations of a firm transcend the firm focal boundaries in a broadened span and help businesses appropriate the value of share created by its activities in a uniform manner (Zott Amit, 2010). Zott and Amit (2010) argues that the essence of designing a business model system is integrating together business activities that are provided to the internal team, suppliers, customers, and other trading partners. As per Itami and Nishino (2010), business models comprise of a business system and a profit model. However, the profit oriented model gains higher recognition and profile since every business has the primary goal of maximizing profitability. These two elements of business models cannot work if applied at the same time in one company and this means that businesses should adopt the most viable model as per the market needs and corporate company goals. The internal and external operations of a firm depend on the market system and the profit model of the company, and therefore managers should be sensitive in choosing either in the two. Itami and Nishino (2010) article proves to be more reliable in helping managers understand business models as a system. Most companies operate to make profits, deliver quality services and products to both the internal and external stakeholders, and capitalize their market position and presence. The profit model enables companies to monitor market demand pattern of changes and understands more about its businesses in comparison to the competitors. Therefore, the profit model is more glamorous for it has a direct link to the primary goal of a firm and accelerates the ability of a business to learn the current and future market needs. In conclusion, business sustainability has increasingly become a paramount factor to consider when companies are designing business plans. Business models have helped enterprises maintain focus on the corporate goals as well as review operational practices. The introduction of excellent business patterns in the operations of a firm in the market leads to disruptive innovation. Therefore, every company should use business models when solving static and dynamic issues, in the change processes, and when partnering with new firms in the industry, they operate. References Amit, R., Zott, C. (2012). Creating value through business model innovation.MIT Sloan Management Review,53(3), 41. Casadesus-Masanell, R., Ricart, J. E. (2011). How to design a winning business model.Harvard business review,89(1/2), 100-107. Chesbrough, H. (2013).Open business models: How to thrive in the innovation landscape. Harvard Business Press. Cohen, B., Kietzmann, J. (2014). Ride on! Mobility business models for the sharing economy.Organization Environment,27(3), 279-296. Dhar, S., Varshney, U. (2011). Challenges and business models for mobile location-based services and advertising.Communications of the ACM,54(5), 121-128. Itami, H. (2010). Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Profit for Now and Learning for the Future. https://www.elsevier.com/locate/lrp, page 364-369. Mason, K., Spring, M. (2011). The sites and practices of business models.Industrial Marketing Management,40(6), 1032-1041. Mitsuru, Kodama, (2009). Boundaries Innovation and Knowledge Integration in the Japanese Firm Saebi, T., Foss, N. J. (2015). Business models for open innovation: Matching heterogeneous open innovation strategies with business model dimensions.European Management Journal,33(3), 201-213. Teece, D. J. (2010). Business models, business strategy, and innovation.Long range planning,43(2), 172-194. Zott, C., Amit, R. (2010). Business Model Design: An Activity System Perspective. Journal of Management, 216-226 Zott, C., Amit, R., Massa, L. (2011). The business model: recent developments and future research.Journal of Management,37(4), 1019-1042.

Free Animal Rights Essay Example For Students

Free Animal Rights Essay Animal RightsAs Doctor Zola-Morgan stated in a speech to animal right activists,Ive seen the impact of the animal rights movement. I believe this is anattack on science of the worst kind. If we allow it to prevail it willtake us back to the dark ages. Too much of the public has come to thinkof medical researchers as tormenters rather than healers. The good isoverlooked and the bad is exploited. Although many people think thatanimal research is morally wrong, animal research should continue becauseit is critical to continued progress in human health and alternatives to research animals are not available. Animal rights activists feel that animal research is immoral. They donot see where we as human beings see or feel that we are the dominantspecies. They often assert that research with animals causes severe painand that many research animals are abused. The activists do not feel theneed to put the animals through such pain. Many of the experiments arereplicated also which causes an unneeded demand for animals to performexperiments. Experiments which have already been proven are still beingexperimented with. However, animal research is an integral part of todays society whenthinking of how much progress we have gained in human health with the useof animal experimentation. To date some forty-one Nobel prizes have beenawarded to scientists whose achievements depended on laboratory animals. Vaccines against polio, diphtheria, mumps, measles, rubella, and smallpoxwould not have been possible without such experiments. There also wouldnot be such important techniques such as open heart surgery, brain surgery,coronary bypass, microsurgery to re-attached limbs, organ transplants, andcorrection of congenital heart defects. The list goes on about the medicaladvances that required animal research. Insulin to control diabetes andmedications important in the management of asthma, epilepsy, arthritis,ulcers, and hypertensions are a few more to add to the list. To takeanimal research away would also be to halt our societys advancement ofmore procedures and more medicines to enhance the better living of humans. In addition, there are no alternatives to animal experimentation thatcan give the same results that it can. In certain research investigations,cell, tissue, organ cultures, and computer models can be used at least inthe preliminary phases of the investigation. However, in many experimentalsituations, culture techniques and computer models do not capture thephysiological complexity of the whole animal. Some examples of whereanimals are necessary in research include the development of a vaccineagainst HIV and improvement of methods to relieve mental stress andanxiety. These challenges can only be addressed by research with animals. Computer models and cultures cannot get the whole body effect of anexperiment. Humans are the only alternatives to animals for this and whenfaced with this alternative, most people prefer the use on animals as theresearch model. Anthropology