Competition of Ports with the Panama Canal

Competition of Ports with the Panama Canal Strategies for Older Ports Len Edwards Towards the end of next year, the Panama Canal will open a third set of locks allowing larger ships to transfer the canal. These â€Å"super ships† called Post-Panamax ships will soon have easier access to the ports on the east coast, reducing the travel times for cargo from Asia. This has resulted in aggressive port expansion to accommodate these giants. Many ports have the available room for expansion to handle the influx of containers without many modifications of their operations. However, many older ports desire an expansion although they are limited on room for expansion. How can these cramped ports compete with larger ports in attracting increased cargo volumes in the near future? The first option for smaller ports with limited space is utilizing an off dock sorting area known as a satellite terminal. It is interesting to note that satellite terminal is only one of many terms describing the operation off-dock sorting areas; there seems to be no consensus on the terminology resulting in a wide range of terms including dry ports, inland terminals, inland ports, inland hubs, inland logistics centers, and inland freight villages (Rodrigue Notteboom, n.d., para. 4). The satellite terminal uses dedicated rail service form the dock to a secondary sorting facility further inland. The advantage to this system is the ability to handle the increased volume of container from Post –Panamax ships at ports with limited land for storage of the containers, in effect increasing the ports throughput in crowded urban environments. The containers are loaded onto waiting train shuttles without sorting by destination. The train then carried the containers to a secondary sort ing yard where the containers undergo further transferring to other trains by destination. Additionally the satellite terminals can service the trucking industry. Trucks deliver container to the satellite facility to be loaded on a rail car for delivery to the dock or a terminus inland. The synergy between the port and the satellite terminal creates a new type of maritime / land interface, which essentially results in a regionalized port (Rodrigue, n.d., para. 3). This type of operation is under the process of development at the Port of Baltimore. The rail company CSX, in hopes to attract more ships to the port, is considering a satellite facility 15 miles for the port. The rail line offers to deliver cheaper rates to shipping companies using the port and the devoted rail line. Another area for older ports to focus on is modernization of the existing infrastructure. Besides the amount of containers the port handles, focus should shift to offering specialized facilities at the ports, securing an advantage over larger ports. An example of this at the Port of Philadelphia is warehousing. In 2011 Philadelphia completed a warehouse for storing refrigerated freight, the 686,000-squarefoot building, the largest refrigerated building in North America. The idea was to link the world-class produce market with the premier perishables port in the United States. (O’Brien, 2013, para 17). Additionally, the ports looking to compete with larger ports must look at improving the infrastructure moving freight off the pier in an efficient and cost-competitive manner. The Port of Miami attacked this problem in three ways. First, they secured funding to improve rail lines serving the port, which included the rebuilding of rail bridges linking the port to the rail yard. Th ere are plans to construct three tracks capable of holding trains a half-mile long. Furthermore, the port invested in a new tunnel linking the port to the nearby interstate, while also upgrading surrounding roadways, offering the ability for trucks entering and leaving the port to bypass the congested downtown streets, the only other access to the port. The final piece of the project involved dredging the channel to a depth of 50 feet to accommodate Post-Panamax ships. With Miami’s three-pronged attack — tunnel, rail, and dredging — the port claims it will be able to make inroads into some of the markets that Savannah now dominates (Whitefield, 2012, para. 33). Moreover, Baltimore requires a redesign of the rail system leaving the port. The only rail tunnel leaving the port is 130 years old, lacking in the proper diameter to handle the modern double stack trains or tri-level auto racks. Without railroad redesign in Baltimore, its estimated that Maryland might ev en lose up to 50 percent of its container traffic to a port like Norfolk, Va. — the other East Coast port able to handle the larger ships — costing our region hundreds of jobs and tens of millions in economic activity and tax revenue (Sadowski, 2012, para. 8). One last alternative for crowded ports to compete besides the pervious mentioned options is entering strategic alliances with major shipping companies via a dedicated terminal. This alliance benefits both the ports and the maritime shipping company, this relationship requires a long-term agreement. For the shipping company it secures a port in a profitable location without having to compete with other shipping companies. As for the ports, the shipping company considers the port part of their supply chain, directing a majority of their ship to call upon the port even if there are ports closer or ports containing better facilities. For port authorities, dedicated terminals encourage the development of port facilities allowing them to push for more funding; it is also a useful strategy if there is competition between port terminals (Lun, Lai, Cheng, 2010, p. 182). The Port of Philadelphia remains proactive on attracting ships to their port; they have agents stationed across the world. Likewise, the Port of Baltimore in the late 1990’s attempted to attract two major shipping companies by offering lower dock rates and upgrading facilities around the port. Unfortunately, for Baltimore the shipping companies rejected their offer. Although, this reinforces the lengths that port will go to attract a dedicated shipping company. In conclusion, with the completion of the Panama Canal upgrades soon to be completed, the ports operating on the east coast now face a rush to prepare. The larger ports fare well in this situation, having the room for expansion and up to date infrastructure. The older ports in urban environments scramble to prepare a system to handle the increased demand. There are a few options to aid these ports, depending on the amount of funding available. Some ports like Baltimore are looking to move the sorting of containers to off-site location, depending on rail transportation to deliver the containers. On the other hand, some port authorities are improving the needed infrastructure to allow rapid movements of rail and trucks to and from the facility. Lastly, many ports are securing deals with shipping companies to lure them to make the older ports their main stops in America. This report discussed issues with east coast ports although these strategies are not limited to that area. They are e asily applied to struggling ports across the globe. References Lun, Y.H., Lai, K., Cheng, T.C. (2010).  Shipping and logistics management. London, England: Springer. OBrien, D. (2013, Summer). Pennsylvania’s Homeport: The Port Of Philadelphia.  Catalyst Magazine. Retrieved from http://http://digital.graphcompubs.com/article/Pennsylvania’s+Homeport:+The+Port+Of+Philadelphia+/1445490/0/article.html Rodrigue, J.P., Notteboom, T. (n.d.).  Inland Ports/Dry Ports. Retrieved August 6, 2014, from https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch4en/appl4en/ch4a4en.html Rodrigue, J.P. (n.d.).  The Insertion of a Satellite Terminal in Port Operations. Retrieved August9, 2014, from http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch4en/conc4en/agileport.html Sadowski, J.T. (2012, October 24). The port: Baltimores gateway to opportunity.  The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved from http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-10-24/news/bs-ed-port-20121024_1_port-expansion-cargo-activity-intermodal-facility Whitefield, M. (2012, November 18). Competition heats up as U.S. ports prepare for Panama Canal expansion.  Miami Herald, p.para. 33. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/18/3104323/competition-heats-up-as-us-ports.html

The Interview :: essays papers

The Interview I never thought I would have to go as far as Australia to write a story on a fellow High School alumnus, Monica Confides. I was of course always familiar with her track breaking record all through school, but I never had the opportunity to talk with her one on one. Now here I am in beautiful Sydney, waiting patiently with pen and paper in hand for Monica to finish her interview with NBC. It’s a delightful day with a temperature of about 85 degrees, and the sun shimmering down brightly. I can almost feel the same excitement in the air as Monica must have felt when winning the gold metal. Nearly an hour and an half after arriving to the Olympic tent I spot Monica trying to escape a gaggle of anxious reporters. Eventually I get her attention and she calls me over to where she is sitting, the infield grass of the track. After all the congratulations and formalities our interview begins. She is friendly and open so I enjoy her company Immediately. She starts off by telling me of her Uncle who was in the 1976 Olympics running for Poland. â€Å"He was my mentor, whenever I felt my practices were becoming to intense and wanted to quit he was always there to encourage me to thrive for success.† Unfortunately, Monica’s Uncle Peter passed away in 1996, but Monica says that despite the pain she felt she knows her Uncle is smiling down on her today: â€Å"I used to fear the death of a loved one the most, but I realize now that death is a part of life and that a death in this life might signify a birth in another.† Most people don’t realize the nervousness and anxiety that accompany someone to the Olympics. For Monica this plague attacked before her big day. â€Å"I went out to dinner with my teammates that evening. It wasn’t until 2 o’clock that morning when it starting feeling as if the kangaroo steaks I had for dinner were shill hopping around in my stomach.† Monica thought that she wouldn’t even be able to compete in, let win the race the next day. But the key break came when she was awarded the inside position, which saves the runner some advantage at the beginning of the race. What are your plans for the immediate future?

Young Marriage

When I was a child, I used to play Barbie dolls with my sister. We spent hours playing and goofing around without having to think about life's difficulties and how things can be complicated by the time we were adults. At the early age of 17, I got married and it is a fact that â€Å"early marriage is not characterized only by happiness† (Lamanna & Riedmann, 2005, p. 225). I somehow overcame the obstacles and hardships in my life and I consider this as a significant accomplishment. The story of my life started when I left my parent's house when I was only 17. I lived with my boyfriend without the permission of my parents. Naturally, they disapproved of it and arranged for us to get married. It was a difficult decision to make, as I was only a high school sophomore at that time. In the beginning, everything was going as planned and I thought that being married was easy but this changed only after a couple of days. After time, we lost our jobs and had no money enough to pay our bills or even eat. We were not able to ask for support from our parents because when we first got married, they indicated that they would not give financial support. When my husband found a job, he spent his time going to bars after work and came home in the morning drunk. This became something that we argued about. I then decided to drop out of school because of the many problems at home. After six months, I got pregnant but I had a miscarriage during the third month. I believed that this happened probably because of all the problems I was encountering with my husband. By that time we moved in to a new home and our lives were starting to get better, I got pregnant again. My daughter was born premature and weighed only one pound. She had to stay in the hospital for three weeks before we were able to take her home. Overtime, she developed and grew into a very healthy and beautiful child. I decided to finish high school at home last year. At this time, I am interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. My husband and I have been married for eight years now and everything is going well, as he is also working for one of the largest construction companies in Chicago. We are planning to buy a new house this year. I am also pleased to report that our parents became very proud of us and the things that we have achieved. In summary, early marriage is not an easy thing especially when parents decide to let you be on your own. Couples have to work hard in order to make the marriage last. After all the obstacles that my husband and I went through, I believe that they are all worth it especially when our daughter says that we are the best parents in the whole world.

Macroeconomics Of Japan Essay

Japan is the greatest economy in Asia, in terms of GDP, as well as human resources and technology. The nation was once predicted to be the next superpower nation exceeding the United Sates and countries of the European Union. Today, it is the world’s third-largest economy after the United States and People’s Republic of China. It is also the second-largest economy by real GDP and market exchange rates. The economy is highly efficient and competitive especially in the services industry, which is originated from a good cooperation between the government and the industry, a strong work ethic and the mastery of high technology. Recent analysis however, revealed that the economy is currently under serious problems. Observers and even Japan’s own officials have admitted that the economy is no longer ‘first class’. There are even worries that Japan has no longer sustain the capacity to be one of the world’s greatest economies anymore, and the economy will slowly degrade into one of the typical Asian economies. Analysts stated that such an occurrence has happened before, when Argentina which were once considered one of the strongest economies in the world degraded into typical third world economies today. Is this the case with Japan? In this paper I am discussing the problems that stayed within Japan’s economy and elaborating their probable causes. Afterwards, I will elaborate the macroeconomic policies which have been performed by the Japanese government in response to these issues and how these policies have affected the economy. The period of discussion is 1997 -2007, which are the years after the ‘Japan economic bubble’ bursts, to the present day. II. Japan Economic Issues 1997-2007 II. 1. Background of the Issues – Japan Economic Bubble Japanese growth rates have been nothing less than spectacular for decades. In the 60’s the average real economic growth rate was 10%, in the 70’s it was 5% and in the 80’s it was 4%. Japanese financial system however, was based on a bureaucratic fiat. The government believes that by injecting sufficient amount of capital into the market, the economy will experience a rapid rate of growth. Thus, the financial system was set to inject cheap capital into the business sector (Hamada, 2004). In support of this policy, banks even reluctant to report –in bad loans. In short, companies were encouraged to borrow and expand continuously. Companies would then borrow using assets like land and then invest the money into the stock market. After the market rises, the company would have latent profits which will be used to buy more land and therefore, the cycle continues. These cycles were the origins of the huge real estate and stock market bubbles. These bubbles however, cannot be sustained forever, and when the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised interests rates, the bubble bursts in 1989 and leaving commercial banks in Japan with a mountain of bad loans. II. 2. Stagnant Economic Growth Afterwards, assets prices began to decline rapidly. Japan’s economy was going through a long period of deflation since then, partly caused by the appreciation of yen. Because of this appreciation, the CPI increase rate dropped into negative in 1995. The expanding deflation caused Japan’s economy to remain in a static condition. Moreover, the deepening deflation was accompanied with weakening state of real economy like growth rates declines and increased unemployment rates. Between 1992 and 1994, real growth rates are below 1%. It even dropped toward a negative range in 1998. Jobless rate have also suffered a rise of 3. 4 % from 2 % in 1990 to 5. 4% in 2003. The economic downsizing in 1997 put Japanese economy into a new state of deflation (Oliver, 2002). II. 3. Deflationary Trap It was not considered serious until the inflation rate slipped to below zero in 1997. In this phase, observers believed that Japan was in a ‘deflationary trap’. However, because of various long-term considerations, the government has implemented policies to maintain inflation stable near the zero mark. In this situation however, the central bank cannot use its traditional instruments to deal with the issue. As a result, deflation deepens even further and the market intensified expectations toward further and longer period of deflation. Due to the increase in real rate of interest, consumer spending and corporate investments were discouraged. Unfortunately, the shrinking total demand in the macro economy further worsen the deflation. If not dealt with accordingly, this could lead into self-sustaining deflationary process (Campbell, 1992).

Analysis of the Short Story: Super Toys Last All Summer Long Essay

What is real? I have been trying to answer this question since we started our project about robots. It’s a very complex question. The classical sense of what is real is something natural, something that is not man-made, for example the nature or the universe. But the world isn’t the same as it was for hundred years ago and the reality concept has moved in time with the technology. For instance I read an article where computers had been taken over the stock trading instead of real manpower. The robots are mechanical artificial agents and because of the advanced technology they’ve become much more real. They become more and more like us, and if computers can take over the stock trading what can robots, who look and act like humans, do to the world? But there must be a limit to how much robots can do if they’re still being seen as machines. In my point of view you are only real if you can feel and think on your own. In that way a robot isn’t real even though they’ve been supplied with human abilities like thinking and feeling by the aid of a programming from a computer. Having said that the robots are still in power to create real emotions in the recipient. This is demonstrated in form of Paro who is a little robot seal designed with the purpose to comfort lonely people. The problem with my definition of real is that love and feelings are artificial as well because it is a chemical reaction in our brain. So what if the robots were added the ability to feel and think would that make them just as real as us? The short story is written by Brian Aldiss in 1969. The story is fiction and an imaginary story of future time in an overcrowded world. The literary genre is science fiction, which is characterized by a fictive environment that has experienced innovations in science or technology, which has a big impact on the society and the individuals in it. This definition is consistent with the short story. There are two places of action and the structure is a pendulum composition because it swings back and forth between the two physical settings. The one setting is at home with Monica Swinton, David and Teddy, and the other setting is at lunch where Synthank celebrates the launching of their new developed and improved robots â€Å"The directors of Synthank were eating an enormous luncheon to celebrate the launching of their new product†, where Henry Swinton makes a speech. These crossovers from the one setting to the other are shown with a star â€Å"*†, which makes it clear for the recipient that we are having a change of place. The story begins with a presentation of Mrs. Swinton’s garden and afterwards we get a presentation of the involving characters. The short story’s many events happen in a chronological order and it follows the common thread through the story from the beginning to the end. The story is told in past tense and the narrator is a third person narrative. The narrator is an omniscient narrative because the narrator knows everything about the characters and their surroundings. The narrator creates sympathy for David because the omniscient narrative makes us identify with the robot and we get inside of his head and can see his good â€Å"heart† and understand his love, the love that know one else can see and understand. The language creates a very detailed description of the events and the surroundings. The language describes the surroundings with the use of adjectives â€Å"The lovely almond trees stood about it in perpetual leaf. Monica Swinton plucked a saï ¬â‚¬ron-colored rose and showed it to David. â€Å"Isn’t it lovely?† she said† and the events by using verbs, which creates thrill and excitement. The excitement is for example seen in line 7 – 10 on page 1 â€Å"Seizing the ï ¬â€šower, he ran with it across the lawn and disappeared behind the kennel where the mowervator crouched, ready to cut or sweep or roll when the moment dictated. She stood alone on her impeccable plastic gravel path. She had tried to love him†. The sudden action makes you believe that he’ll destroy the beautiful rose. This reaction from David is the reason why Monica is so despairing and disappointed. Further more the language isn’t readily accessible but manageable. There is in between some difficult words, which is an obstacle for the understanding of the text, for example â€Å"Lambent, engrossed, moist and mowervator†. The short story is written in 1969 so the choice of words is old and not always so familiar â€Å"Henry, Henry – oh, my darling, I was in despair . . . but I’ve just dialed the afternoon post and – you’ll never believe it! Oh, it’s wonderful!†. The environment in the story is very beautiful, almost perfect. The garden is described with positive words and it makes associations to paradise, for example â€Å"In Mrs. Swinton’s garden, it was always summer†. The Swintons’ house lies in a rich part of the city with no windows. The house and their belongings are very advanced and technical, and it’s clear that there has been a big technological development, for example Monica has her phone on her wrist â€Å"She punched the Post Oï ¬Æ'ce number on the dial on her wrist but nothing came through† and â€Å"The Swintons lived in one of the ritziest city-blocks, half a kilometer above the ground. Embedded in other apartments, their apartment had no windows to the outside; nobody wanted to see the overcrowded external world. Henry unlocked the door with his retina pattern-scanner and walked in, followed by the serving-man†. It seems like they don’t really have contact to the outside wo rld and live in a small bubble of isolation. The humans are described so stunning that they almost seem inhumane, which is quite ironic. â€Å"Their wives were elegantly slender, despite the food and drink they too were putting away. An earlier and less sophisticated generation would have regarded them as beautiful people, apart from their eyes†. Eyes are the human sign of a soul and if there is no life in their eyes is there life at all? In this quote the question about who is real yet appears. The atmosphere in the first setting, the home, is filled with unspoken words and questions, â€Å"â€Å"If she loved me, then why can’t I talk to her?†. They also seem very shallow because they do everything to look good; they use a machine that makes them slender no matter how much food they’ve eaten. There is a tense atmosphere between Monica and David because they aren’t able to communicate with each other and something in their mutual understanding has broken down. Monica misunderstands David’s intensions for example the episode with the rose and the fact that she thinks David is hiding away from her and avoiding her but when David comes down in the living room to see her she is the one who turns away and avoids David â€Å"His mother stood in the middle of the room. Her face was blank; its lack of expression scared him. He watched fascinated. He did not move; she did not move. Time might have stopped, as it had stopped in the garden. At last she turned and left the room. After waiting a moment, David tapped on the window†. David and Monica are both shortcoming because they can’t find a way to express their caring for each other, which makes them unable to reach each other. They are suffering from loneliness and isolation even though the world is overpopulated and the technology is more advanced than ever before â€Å"She remained alone. An overcrowded world is the ideal place in which to be lonely†. The robots are partial developed to avoid this loneliness but instead they increase it. â€Å"You’re being silly, David. Mummy’s lonely. That’s why she had you†. â€Å"She’s got Daddy. I’ve got nobody ’cept you, and I’m lonely†. David is three years old â€Å"At the age of three, he showed no fear of the ultrasonic dryer in the kitchen†. David’s verbal communication is malfunctioning and he has a hard time finishing his sentences and expressing his love. In spite of the defection he loves his mother very much which is expressed in the text several times, for example David’s letters â€Å"Darling Mummy, I’m your one and only son and I love you so much that some times –†. In these messages David also expresses a hate for Teddy because he feels that Teddy is taking his place as the Swintons’ son. Even though David has feelings like a human and other human abilities such as talking, thinking, painting and running, he is a robot, which is told in the ending. I assume David is one of those robots Henry is talking about with synthetic flesh and a mini computer for brain. David tries to define what is real but even though he feels like a boy of flesh and blood he ques tions it because his surroundings make him feel unreal â€Å"I hate that old psychiatrist—he makes me feel like I’m not real†. The other robot in the family is Teddy. The name Teddy gives associations to a little bear. There are many signs that indicate that Teddy is a robot for example â€Å"The speech pattern of his master’s voice activated him† and â€Å"Why waste time talking to this machine†. Teddy sees Monica as his mother but when she refuses this relation he doesn’t seem hurt like a human would have been. Teddy is very helpful when David needs him, for example when writing the letters to their mother. Teddy is also patient, kind, attentive, comforting and listening â€Å"The bear’s eyes regarded the boy unï ¬â€šinchingly. â€Å"You and I are real, David.† It specialized in comfort†. Teddy’s abilities are properly the abilities he is programmed to have; therefore the circuits of teddy’s brain and its capacity are limited. In the text Teddy is categorized as a super toy which is a robot with a computer for brain and without life â€Å"There have been mechanicals on the market with mini-computers for brains—plastic things without life, super-toys—but we have at last found a way to link computer circuitry with synthetic ï ¬â€šesh† Monica Swinton is married to Henry Swinton and is twenty-nine years old, has lambent eyes and a grace full shape. Monica paints â€Å"She could take up her painting†. She desperately wants a child and when Teddy and David haven’t satisfied her needs she is still very lonely and the desperation for a child of her own is even bigger. This desperation finds expression in the choice of replacing her robot child with a biologically child. She has tried to love David but she has given up because he can’t reciprocate her love, and when she can’t understand him and his way of loving she can’t find a way to love him. Monica doesn’t like time very much because it goes by her because she feels it is a waste of time living in this world and it seems like the only thing that can save her is a baby. â€Å"I don’t think Mummy likes time very much. The other day, lots of days ago, she said that time went by her. Is time real, Teddy?†. Henry Swinton is Monica’s husband and the managing Director of Synthank. He is very successful and he only cares for the development of the robots, not the ethics or the consequences of his development. His relationship with David doesn’t seem very strong because David only talks about his mother and Henry appears as a career father who is very busy with his work. He wants, like his wife, a child of their own. The most important symbol in the short story is the rose. The roses appear several times and have a common importance â€Å"Monica Swinton plucked a saï ¬â‚¬ron-colored rose and showed it to David. â€Å"Isn’t it lovely?† she said†, â€Å"Roses occasionally suï ¬â‚¬er from black spot†. â€Å"These roses are guaranteed free from any imperfections† and â€Å"First I’m going to have another rose!† Plucking a bright pink ï ¬â€šower, he carried it with him into the house. It could lie on the pillow as he went to sleep. Its beauty and softness reminded him of Mummy†. A rose symbolizes love, which is the feeling David and Monica can’t show to each other, and the key to the shortcoming. Love is also of crucial importance when defining what is real. The quote from line 42-43 on page 4 the rose symbolize the robots because it says roses occasionally suffer from black spot, meaning they aren’t perfect but Henry replies â€Å"These roses are guaranteed free from any imperfections†, meaning the new developed robots are perfect. But for me this perfection is artificial. The people at the luncheon with Henry also seem artificial because their eyes are without life and they wear plastic face-masks to look pretty â€Å"Some of them wore the plastic face-masks popular at the time†. So maybe the humans have become just as artificial as the robots. Another symbol is the crayons, which Teddy suggests David to use on his letters â€Å"Why not do it again in crayon?†. The crayons help David coloring his letter in a figurative sense and when David can’t express his feelings verbally he can express them in the aid of colors. It also symbolizes that life isn’t in black and white but much wider. The theme of the story is not only one thing but several things. In my point of view an appropriate theme is unreal vs. real because the story’s main focus is on the question: What is real and what isn’t. Another theme is love, which plays a big role between the characters and in the story in general. Technology and the future are also themes in this story because the plot criticizes a possible future where the technology is very advanced, and instead of making the world better it makes it worse and depressing. This brings us closer to the author’s messages. Brian Aldiss criticizes the society for being to technological, which makes the society and the individuals artificial and shallow. It takes away the focus on the things that matter, for example love and caring for each other. Brian Aldiss doesn’t believe that we should have relationships with robots because they’ll never replace the connection between two humans. I don’t believe that there is one definition on what is real but many definitions. In this story the scientists have found a way to develop a robot with intelligence by having a computer working just like a human brain and synthetic flesh so it also looks like a human. These robots are invented with the purpose to reduce the loneliness and isolation that are raging the overcrowded population. â€Å"Personal isolation will then be banished forever!†. I’m a bit skeptical about robots and their future role in our society for example the possible unemployment, an artificial lifestyle and what the advanced robots’ existents will do to the individuals in the society as seen in the story. The fact, that in Japan they have already developed these robots, which look like us, really creeps me out. But will robots ever be able to replace another human being and the connection there exists between two humans? I think the situation with Monica and David is a clear example of this is not the case even though the robots are added human abilities.

Nursing Care and Crimes in Newark, New Jersey Research Paper

Nursing Care and Crimes in Newark, New Jersey - Research Paper Example Crimes affect the overall productivity of the area. People will not visit the place and economic activities will downturn. Also the health assistance and care are very much affected in that area. Ambulance, first aid kits and many medical staffs may be needed in case any crimes arise as they may serve as life support to the victims in case they are injured. For the paper, crimes will be studied and their effects upon the lives of people in the place and the demands for the health and nursing assistance will be analyzed. SDS or Symptom Distress Scale will be in focus to check out the crime effects upon the people in Newark, New Jersey. New Jersey is an American State located at the Atlantic portion of the world. It is surrounded by places like Atlantic Ocean, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware (Fredeen, 2001, p. 7). In 2009 to 2010, a study revealed that New Jersey was the part of the top three wealthy States in America based upon the income per family. Also among the American States , it was known to get the 11th place in terms of population among American States (United States Census Bureau, 2010). New Jersey also became very important in American history as it provided the place for battles in the American Revolutionary War. It also serves as the home of American Indians since the time before the Europeans set foot on the lands of New Jersey (Fredeen, 2001, p. 8). ... Newark is the biggest city in New Jersey consisting of more than 270000 people (Fredeen, 2001, p. 8). It also caters to various schools famous in USA like Rutgers University and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Being the center in New Jersey, it is also the place for ships, planes and trains from cargo to passenger types. Its location is on the Western part of Manhattan and also near to Atlantic Ocean that allowed the city to have its own port. That port serves as the hub for shipments going to New York. The city also has Newark Liberty International Airport which is a very popular local airport (Westergaard, 2006). The races in Newark are varying that also come with the diverse cultures (Fredeen, 2001, p. 7). Its communities are different from one another having busy streets and silent places. As Newark serves as a city and busy region of New Jersey, crimes happen in higher rate than other locations. It was even labeled as one of the cities in USA with major threa ts and crimes (Roberts and Yeager, 2004, p. 837). Despite of that label, a major improvement occurred when the cases of murder went down recent years. Surveys were then conducted by different groups and they found Newark to be consistently part of the upper 25 towns and cities with many crimes around United States (Sperling and Sander, 2007, p. 329). Probably, Newark experiences its upward turn, but it still faces other problems like healthcare. In analyzing the healthcare support needed, a model called SDS or Symptom Distress Scale is used. It is also used to know the condition of the patients and how urgently the medical attention is needed (Bowling, 2001, p. 35). It then focuses on the state of mind or the psyche of the person being measured by the scale. It came

The Effects of Multimedia on Cultural Change in the Kingdom of Saudi Research Proposal

The Effects of Multimedia on Cultural Change in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example The native language of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Arabic, and is thus, the primary medium of oral and written communication. The Arabic language also â€Å"reflects and preserves the culture and customs of the desert society of Arabia that evolved long before the introduction of Islam† (Long, 2005, p. 82). Long (2005) maintained that Arabic is more than a liturgical language, but a living language echoing the culture of its people, then and now. Kendall (2011), however, believes that generally, cultures do not remain static. Forces are constantly at work which results either in gradual or abrupt cultural changes. There is reason to believe that like other cultures of the world, Saudi Arabia may not be immune to cultural changes. The computer and the Internet are believed to be responsible for the popularity of multimedia among people globally. Such popularity is believed to be a significant influence on how multimedia changes the lives of people in any society. Even Saudi Arabia, which according to Cordesman (2009) is generally regarded as a very conservative society then and now, did not remain unaffected by the changes brought about by multimedia. Based on a number of information technology statistics, Saudi Arabia posted 11.4 million Internet users from a population of 26,131,703, for an approximate Internet penetration of 43.6%. As of March, 2011, there are 4,092,600 Facebook accounts by Saudi Arabian nationals. Saudi Arabia posted higher Internet penetration rate than seven other Middle East nations, namely: Iran (42.6%); Kuwait (42.6%); Jordan (26.8%); Lebanon (26.4%); Syria (19.8%); Yemen (9.7%) and Iraq (1.1%) (Internet World Stats, 2011). Aims of the Proposed Study The study is being proposed to examine how multimedia has influenced cultural change in the Kingdom, aided by the computer and the Internet. Specifically, the aims of the study are: (1) describe the profile of the respondents in terms of gender, age, educational attainment, occupa tion and place of residence: (2) identify the types of multimedia equipment the respondents consider as indispensable for their activities at home in the office and in school: (3) measure the extent to which different forms of multimedia affect the people of Saudi Arabia as social beings; (4) explain how the culture of Saudi Arabia changed as a result of the introduction of various forms of multimedia and assess whether the respondents are amenable to these cultural changes; (5) describe how multimedia have an effect in the cultural changes which has occurred in Saudi Arabia in the last decade; (6) verify significant differences in the perspective of the respondents about the cultural changes when they are grouped according to the profile variables considered in the study. Methodology The study will involve 385 respondents selected using a web-based sample size calculator based on the following parameters: (1) a margin of error of 5%; (2) a confidence level of 95%; (3) a population size of 26,131,703; and (4) a response distribution of 50% (Raosoft, 2004). Respondents will be selected using purposive sampling. A survey questionnaire will serve as the main data gathering instrument. The questionnaire will be pilot tested among 20 respondents and the same will be subjected to content and face validation and reliability analysis. Data gathering will be carried out using a technology-mediated questionnaire