Project evaluation report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project evaluation report - Essay Example In the past few years the online business and e-commerce platforms have changed traditional business practices. The new online business arrangements are becoming more reliable and simple to use to attract a large number of people for online shopping and deals. In this scenario, the web based platforms are offering an excellent support for improving the quality of traditional business working and operations (Dix et al., 2003; Turban et al., 2005; Whitten et al., 2000). This report presents a detailed analysis of a new website idea. This website is about presenting multimedia material for public. The basic idea of this website is to develop an e-commerce business. This website will contain a wide variety of contents which can be viewed and downloaded by the website users. This report covers an evaluation of a web site: http://a-alfuhaid.com/. This report will present an analysis of some of the important web site features and aspects. This report will also assess aims, objectives, requi rements, and design and application level aspects of http://a-alfuhaid.com/. Aim and Objectives The word multimedia is composed of two words in which â€Å"Multi† denotes a lot of and â€Å"Media† denotes presentation of any form of information. So we can say that multimedia is exhibition of some form of information in any format. ... In this scenario, interactive multimedia can also encompass many forms of multimedia including graphics, text, animation, video and sound in the way we want (Brown & Hurt, 2004; Net Industries, 2011; Wenger, 2008). Moreover, the multimedia is mostly used in the entertainment and the fine arts inductor. In addition, it is extensively used in movies and animations. However, the production of the video games also involves extensive usage of the multimedia. Additionally, the education sector has also started recently making use of the multimedia technology for the better information delivery and learning. In fact, all the industries and businesses are now increasing the heavy use of the multimedia technology that provides help to present information to their shareholders and coworkers. In this scenario, they use multimedia technology for advertising, offering worker training, and selling products to the whole world with virtually limitless internet-based technologies (Brown & Hurt, 2004; Net Industries, 2011; Wenger, 2008). Figure No 1- Digital Multimedia source [http://piotech.wsd.wednet.edu/techtwounits/01presentations/task1/01intro/multimediaIntro.html] Thus, seeing the increasing use of this technology in all the fields of life we have decided to implement a multimedia website. This website will offer online multimedia support and material. This website will be named: http://a-alfuhaid.com/. The major aims and objective of this website development is to offer following major multimedia contents: Online multimedia support Online Pictures Online e-cards Online poems Online music Blogs The above multimedia contents will offer us a great deal of capability to better start an online

The War against Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The War against Terrorism - Essay Example United States has primarily used its military in the fight against terrorism. Military is the final frontier of fight for every nation when every other alternative has been used and exhausted. The use of military in the fight against a faceless enemy was not justified. The fight against terrorism requires much more than brute force which the military is capable of delivering the war on terror should have been fought by USA with the help of intelligence agencies and backchannel diplomacy and not by parading the US military strength in nation after nation. This paper will analyze the above thesis statement and try to prove its validity. THE NATURE OF WAR The first important thing to note about this was on terror is that this war is unlike any other which has been fought in the human history. It is not a war against a nation or a political regime; it is certainly not a war against a particular religion. The enemy in this war is terrorism – premeditated violence against innocent citizens who do not have the ability to fight back when they are attacked. People engaging in terrorism want to effect change through violence and fear; they want to subvert the rule of law and the idea of freedom. As there is no one enemy in this war; the war cannot be won by United States only on the basis of military might. The war is to be fought using every instrument of national power – diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military.... As there is no one enemy in this war; the war cannot be won by United States only on the basis of military might. The war is to be fought using every instrument of national power – diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military. This war is against a faceless enemy (Mukasey). The biggest danger in this war is that using too much military might may create much more enemies then it will destroy; so it is a war in which diplomacy has and will play a very important role ; military alone cannot win the war. STRUCTURE OF TERRORITS ORGANISATIONS AND ROLE OF MILITARY. As is the case in any war, the key to success is to know your enemy. Once the enemy is known to us, we can decide on the methods to be used in fighting him. Terrorist organizations did not start with Al Qaeda nor will the end with it. Although terrorist organizations are different in the way they operate and the reasons for which they have undertaken terrorist activities they still follow a basic model which allows them to succeed. At the bottom of the terrorist structure are the underlying conditions. These are the basic reasons why people are ready to blow themselves up as suicide bombers. These underlying reasons may be political, poverty, lack of education and proper knowledge or anger against the state or a particular group. Without these underlying conditions there will be no terrorists. People who are aggrieved or wronged in the past are most likely to become terrorists. Poverty also propels some people to terrorism. However people who are in terrorism for the sake of money usually provide the logistics such as safe houses and money transfers. The foot soldiers of

Problem of Our Community Essay Example for Free

Problem of Our Community Essay Describe a problem in your community that affects you, how it affects you and what you believe should be done to solve the problem. As I was young child Ulaanbaatar city was beautiful small city. In winter there was enough dick snow to play on it. Just little number of cars had not made a big trouble. Ulaanbaatar city is located between 4 big mountains and initially build only for 400 thousand inhabitants. After several extreme cold and harsh winters, many farmers have lost their belongings such as livestock. Poor and unemployed people started to migrate to the city. Now the city has more than 1 million citizens. The ex-farmers were semi nomadic and they do not give up their living style even they migrated to the city. They live in yurts (â€Å"Ger†, a tent covered with felt). Because of their missing documents and lack of working skills they can not find jobs in city. Of course most of them have not devices which connected to the central heating system and also waste water channels. Mongolians usually burn woods or coals in winter time to heat the gers. But because the new poor immigrants can not buy such things, they burn everything what they can found. For example wastes as old aged tires, chemicals and so on. Nowadays 60 percent of city inhabitants live in ger area using old traditional heating cabins (small box of iron, in which things burned). In winter time, the city is covered by smog. Nobody can breathe freely. Traffic is another issue. As I was a school pupil I had never seen traffic jam. But now I can see the spectacle everyday. Drivers are angry and cars are noisy. Some people sticks two hours just to drive 4-5 km. Most cars are older than 10 years or so called â€Å"second†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"third hand† cars imported from Japan and Korea. Because of its old age and environmental aspects these cars would not allowed being used in developed countries. Now Ulaanbaatar city is one of ugliest city in Asia with its smog, traffic and old cars. I see the problem in regional politics. Herders and citizens in countryside have only livestock and their livings are extremely depends on climate change. Furthermore, in rural villages the local government has no power to pursue own tax policy. Mongolia has a centralized budget system. All taxes paid must be collected in the finance ministry. Then it can be allocated among the provinces. But this way is ineffective and corrupt. Many politicians use this money just for next election campaign. In my opinion people in countryside should have more power to boost their markets in local area. They should have own taxation and local budget expenditure policy. Then they would not escape from their homeland by every negative change. In other side if the Mayor of my city (governor of the capital city) is being assigned by the central government. The Mayor usually works only for the party but not for people who live in the city. I really wish that we have the right to vote our mayor directly from us. Then we can control him better and push to concentrate on daily problems among the city inhabitants. How would this program benefit you and factor into your future plans? (Please limit your answer to 250 words. ) I see this program as greatest opportunity to my life. I hope I can have many friends during this program and I will see a lot of things that I can not see without this chance. First of all I can know learn the American education system American lifestyle. By the way, I will improve my English, which will increase my chance to have a well paid job in Mongolia. Mongolia is one freest country in Asia with its open economy. Bigger companies and universities seek for new employee who can speak in English fluently. In another side, I am very interested in social issues in my country. I think these problems are overall in the world. But how to solve the problems can be done in different way. I can see the American solutions. In Mongolian language there is phrase: â€Å"to see once is better than hearing about it 1000 times†. That means you can hear about one thing many times and get some understanding. But if you see this you can feel it much better. After the program I will be able to share my experiences in USA by different way. I can lead students’ workshops and also write on the university journals. My diploma thesis will be more comparative and living. I can imagine that I join a political party to participate more actively in the society. So this program will give me a range of ideas and knowledge that I can implement in Mongolia. Mongolians say it is better to be rich on knowledge than on money.

Urban Walkability and Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

Urban Walkability and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Introduction The transit oriented development approach is being adopted by many cities around the world, particularly those contested with transforming their car dependent neighbourhoods into more habitable and sustainable developments. The simplest way to describe the principles of TOD according to Calthorpe (1993) is â€Å"moderate and high density housing, along with complementary public uses, jobs, retail and services, concentrated in mixed – used development at strategic points along the regional transit system†. Yet, much as connectivity to regional significance through transit is important, it is the communities’ close interaction, supported by a walkable environment that Calthorpe claims is the â€Å"key aspect† of any flourishing TOD. Over the years, pedestrian friendly design thus generated considerable interests and a significant amount of literature and influential policy on urban walkability in TOD’s were developed in the Western world’s temperate urban zones. Presently, however, many of the world’s fastest developing urban areas are found in subtropical latitudes (O’Hare,2006). Western Australia, and particularly Perth, the urban centre of the region is one such case and serves as the focus of this research. The paper explores the key aspects and physical qualities of built environment related to urban walkability with an intent to encourage further discussion and studies on how subtropical TOD’s can be designed to enhance pedestrian movement as well as question whether the orthodoxy of existing urban design principles require some alterations to better adapt to subtropical regions. The paper establishes the accepted arguments and urban design principles essential to urban walkability and develops from a review of urban design sustainability, a framework that would encourage pedestrians’ movement and transport waiting in a subtropical TOD. A literature review is produced to confirm the growing importance of walkability and ultimately the paper explores, through field observations, how the established urban walkability principles apply in the subtropical regions. It concludes by giving some recommendations that could be applied to Claremont town Centre for an improved pedestrian friendly TOD. Accepted arguments for urban walkability + Literature review Recognised as the oldest form of urban transport, walking is a way of encountering and engaging with the local surroundings and wider society in a manner not quite possible when adopting other means of transport, especially motor transport. Gehl Gemzoe (2003), strongly highlight walking as a solution to bettering the public ground as part of the enhancement of the local neighbourhood and urban rejuvenation. With emerging concerns that car dependent cities will not be sustainable in the future, due to energy costs, fuel availability, congestion, pollution and other environmental impacts, much awareness is being raised about the importance of walking. According to US researches, studies show that there is a 30% more likelihood that compact-mixed use development residents would walk (to a restaurant/park) than those inhabiting vast motor-oriented environments (Cervero Radisch,1996). Hodgson, Page, Tight (2004) also conclude from their research that that TOD’s with appropriate design lead to more pedestrian and transit trips resulting in a decline in non-motorised transportation modes to reduce pollution emissions In conjunction to sustainability issues, the intra-generational equity theory and policy also acknowledge that a major part of the population constitutes of people who are extremely young, old, unhealthy, disabled or needy to have access or control over a private car (O’Hare,2006). Recently, considerable interest in improved walking environments has been generated as a result of the desire to encourage nonmotorized transportation modes to reduce pollution emissions and to improve public health by increased levels of walking (Evans-Cowley, 2006). A large body of research has confirmed that a favorable walking environment is a necessary condition for promoting walking and neighborhood interaction (Clifton, Smith, Rodriguez, 2007). Public health The World Health Organisation (WHO) Charter on Transport, Environment and Health as well as the WHO Healthy Cities Program have recognised the prominence of urban walkability long before the urban design and planning fields. The public health sector recognises that ‘active transport’ (such as walking, including walking to the bus or train) involves incidental physical activity. This incidental physical activity is an important component of active living (O’Hare 2000). Active living, together with a healthy diet, has the potential to reverse current international trends towards sedentary lifestyles and the accompanying health risks associated with obesity. Australia has been rated by different agencies as one of the world’s top four countries for obesity. Given that much of the world’s urban population growth is occurring in the tropical and subtropical zones, it is important to examine urban walkability principles with particular attention to conditions in those non-temperate climatic zones. A Perth study found commuters using public transport accumulated seven times more exercise than private motorists The prevalence of obesity in Australia has more than doubled in the last 20 years: 52% of women, 67% of men, and 25% of children are overweight or obese. Urban walkability principles in TODs: Jacobs (1960) spelled out almost half a century ago that urban design qualities relating to the quality of pedestrian experience are essential to support walkability. â€Å"Active frontages† and â€Å"eyes on the street† were recognised as few of the many crucial aspects. Based on the best practices from around the world, 8 principles vital to creating walkable TOD’s are identified in this paper. WALK Developing attractive pedestrian environment ensures accessibility and mobility for all. PLACE-MAKING Creating a sense of place makes encourages pedestrian activity and liveability. CONNECT Creating dense networks of transit routes results in a high degree of connectivity. TRANSIT Locate land uses so that they are transit supportive and close to high quality transport. MIX Planning for mixed use will promote pedestrian interest, safety, 24 hour activity. DENSIFY Sufficient density and compact form make transit viable and improve walkability. COMPACT Planning for compact areas with short commutes improves efficiency. SHIFT Controlling the amount/location of parking increases mobility. It is however important to understand that although listed individually, for a development to become truly transit oriented, we must be able to blur the boundary between these principles so that they are all interrelated Urban design theory and practice guidelines for walkable places were mostly developed in cities located in the temperate climatic zone. In the subtropics, summer is the season of discomfort for walkers, whereas in temperate cities it is the winter that brings discomfort to urban pedestrians. The coastal subtropical city lacks the icy winds, snow, sleet, frost, and other winter discomforts of the temperate city. The pleasant winter pedestrian conditions of the subtropical city are offset, however, by the summer challenges of heat, humidity and glare. The next section of this paper explores the need for an ‘intemperate’ approach to achieving urban walkability in the subtropical city Urban walkability in subtropical TODs Framework It is important to understand that in the fast growing subtropical urban regions of the world, climate and local topography are influential elements associated with walkability. Moving at a slower pace, pedestrians are prone to observe many more perceptible details and are exposed to the surrounding elements and climatic factors. Protection from sun, rain, humidity or heat must therefore be taken into account when planning a pedestrian environment. Drawing on research and keeping in mind the factors associated with subtropical urban regions, a framework of urban design principles is developed as strategies that would best enhance pedestrian movement or waiting in subtropical TOD’s. The key factors to making walking appealing are grouped in three major categories: SAFETY, ACTVITY AND COMFORT. Figure 1 – Framework Venn diagram, 2014. Figure 2 – A balanced street has ample sidewalks, comfortable bike facilities that connect to a network, and safe ways to cross streets, making active transportation possible even on larger roads. Image by EMBARQ. Stimulating walking necessitates that these travellers can move around efficiency, comfortably, and most importantly, safely. Physical design strategies that could be implemented in the ‘Safety, Activity, Comfort’ framework are discussed below : Safety: Ensuring wider sidewalk can provide for easy pedestrian movement and at the same time promote commercial activity/interaction Removing physical or perceived barriers to ensure that the pedestrian has flat and obstruction free band of sidewalk – â€Å"pedestrian zone† Providing pedestrian oriented quality lighting that illuminated their paths will add to the walker’s sense of safety Responsive walk signs at crossing lights designed with better timing and automatic changing to prioritise the needs of pedestrians, raised intersections, mini roundabouts or speed humps will encourage safe movement. Activity: Well-connected streets ensure that residents can conveniently access all parts of the TOD, thus activating the street use. Developing mixed-use street active frontages promote safety, security and foster vibrant social life in the streets. Attractive spaces with building orientation to the public street, visual interests, building articulation and landscaping encourage pedestrians to gather and linger Way finding aids/proper signage must be implemented to help people orient themselves and encourage movement through open public areas. Transit stations should be activated by cafà ©/newspapers stands or other facilities to make transport waiting wothwhile Comfort: The use of shelters in pedestrian and transit areas/stops allows for discomfort reduction and provides rest for pedestrians. Provision of footpath awnings, arcades, and other weather protection at least at certain intervals will serve as shelter from sun or showers. Providing a high degree of street amenities (benches, garbage cans, drinking fountains) and resting places will heighten the image of the street and attract all demographics to comfortably linger. As well as providing a solution to the heat humidity, street trees shade and protect pedestrians from the rain. Walkers can also be protected from cars when greenery is carefully designed along curbs. Sidewalk with a width proportional to the scale of the TOD area and planned walkability level ensures comfortable walking experiences for everyone. Case studies Subiaco City and Claremont Town centre, selected as case studies for this paper are recent both transit oriented areas developed in Perth region with a railway line passing through. The study area boundaries for each include the area within an 800-metre radius surrounding the train station. Subiaco city -Subiaco, known as Subi is a historic inner western suburb located around 3kms from Perth CBD and is focussed around a lively retail strip of Rockeby road. The Subi Centro project encompassing the North and West of the Subiaco railway station began in 1994 and incorporated many new dwellings, business centres and commercial space. An important aspect was the undergrounding of the railway line which in the past divided Subiaco. As an exemplar of urban regeneration supporting its heritage context, the project achieves a high quality public realm. Claremont Town Claremont Town centre, another western suburb finds itself midway of Perth CBD and Fremantle port on the north bank of Swan River. Claremont Town centre is a significant shopping area concentrated around St Quentin’s Avenue/Bay View Terrace and located south of the Claremont train station. The Claremont North East Precinct project is an on-going project started in 2005 as an initiative to revitalise the Northern part of the town which is currently disconnected from the southern part. It aspires a vibrant mixed used development around the Claremont football oval as a step towards social, economic and environmental sustainability. The purpose of this report, being to assess and enhance the quality of pedestrian environment, 3 methods is used to gather information: Ped-shed analysis is conducted at a 400m radius (5 min walk) and an 800m radius (10 min- walk) SAFETY-ACTIVITY- COMFORT assessment sheet is used to rate physical micro – attributes of the built environment on the streets. Observational analysis of the site – pictures/personal experience DATA ANALYSIS The information collected from these were used to assess to what degree the factors discussed in the framework and considered influential to walkability are either present or lacking in these two study areas. Pedshed ratio Analysis of the connectivity of both TODs was assessed through the ped-shed ratios calculated. A comparison of the two diagrams that Subiaco’s street grid network provides many paths and connected streets, encouraging them to walk and be within short walking distance of the train station. Claremont on the other hand, lacks this degree of pedestrian connectivity and offers limited route choice to the person walking. After analysing the connectivity of each site, visuals were gathered from field observations to compare one to another. The Safety-Activity-Comfort assessment sheet was then used to examine and rate each category. Key findings As seen from the rating, Subiaco city stands out terms of providing certain positive physical street elements that affect walkability. Observation from field analysis showed that street frontages on streets adjacent to the train station were quite lively and highly articulated. Seating areas, lighting, greeneries and shaded spots contributed to attracting pedestrian activity in the area. It was gathered from observations and research that Subiaco’s success as a pedestrian friendly locality was also due to the fact that the City of Subiaco Councillors had established a vision statement of â€Å"The Best Main Street Village in Australia† for the area. Rockeby street, in this regard, was developed as a place to come back to instead of just being a transit street and development trends, opportunities and changes were carefully thought of so as the area’s unique ‘sense of place’ was preserved. Famously advocated by Toderian(2014) as â€Å"streets that are for people to enjoy and linger, not just move through..places that are both initially attractive and ‘sticky’, inviting people to love it and not want to leave it†, positive ideas of sticky street concept seems to have been successfully adopted in designing Subiaco’s main street. With the objective of planning not just for the infrastructure and public transpor t, but also the shops, cafes and the people, Rockeby Street has flourished as iconic community hub of social, civic and commercial activity with public spaces as focal points. On the downside however, field observations also indicated a number of vacant shops or those in the process of closing down in Rockeby road retail strip. High rental rates, competition from nearby precinct and over restrictive licensing policies has caused a decline in cafà ©/retail strips and a 5% retail vacancy rate in the area (Tsagalis2012). It was also found that an alfresco dining licence in Subiaco was more expensive than Western Australia’s average and compared to a survey of local governments in Perth and the eastern states (Law, 2014).Mayor Henderson (2014) has approached this issue stating that â€Å"We are aware that council needs to step up to the plate and make some changes in order to create the vibrancy in the main street in Subiaco†. In an effort to encourage more local businesses to operate street trading/ alfresco dining areas to revitalise a spirited street and safe environment for the community, the council of the City of Subiaco has recently resol ved to amend existing associated fees. As of 31st October 2014, a notable reduction in application/licensing fees, a m2 basis fee and the initiation of low-cost short term options will be available for Subiaco retailers and it an increase in street activity is expected. While Claremont Town centre forms part of a prominent retail area, it comes primarily in the form of indoor malls which attract the pedestrians inside rather than being on the road. The main transit adjacent road, Grugeri Street, has a blank wall faà §ade with limited or no pedestrian activity. The street is also very limited in term of comfort since the awnings size is too small to provide shade or shelter. Bus tops and street amenities also lack variety and enhancement to attract people to linger. Recommendations Apparent from the observational audit and findings is that Claremont Town centre has many physical weaknesses in terms of walkability in a subtropical TOD. Because similar weaknesses may exist other western Australian TOD’s, some recommendations may apply for multiple sites and can be used as a guide for enhanced walking experiences. It was revealed from the site observations and findings of these 2 TOD’s in Perth that there is some way to go before Western Australia can claim to have a truly sustainable approach. Having established that urban walkability is vital to achieve a sustainable subtropical TOD, it is important for TOD planners to be able to adopt a revised framework of principles regarding the physical environment attributes that would work best for subtropical Perth regions and merge them with new innovative design strategies which would further enhance walking in Perth. It is also important for town/city planners to review rules and regulations in order to increase vibrancy in TOD’s rather than being over restrictive. Conclusion Having established that a successful TOD walkability is directly associated with a safe, comfortable and attractive pedestrian environment, this paper demonstrates that careful physical planning and good urban design solutions can very much enhance the pedestrian’s experience. It questions the needs of a subtropical city in term of its climate, topography and identity and then explores a framework of revised walkability principles that can be applied to the subtropical city. The case studies reveal responses and challenges to urban design for walkability in Perth and certain successful elements are recommended as strategies to improve Claremont’s TOD in terms of walking experience. It also questions whether over restrictive planning policies may need to be reconsidered to keep a TOD street alive and vibrant. It also recommends innovative strategies of urban design that other projects may copy or adapt in part for design and place-making approaches to give a unique sense of place to the subtropical TOD. Although each future TOD will deal with the numerous complex design challenges depending on particular circumstances around each project, it is the intention of this paper to stimulate discussion and hopefully more substantial research into the planning of walkable subtropical cities since so many of the world’s most rapidly growing urban areas are now situated in the tropical and subtropical zones.

Search for Identity in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club Essay -- Joy Luck C

Search for Identity in The Joy Luck Club "Imagine, a daughter not knowing her own mother!" And then it occurs to me. They are frightened. In me, they see their own daughters, just as ignorant, just as unmindful of all truths and hopes they have brought to America. They see daughters who grow impatient when their mothers talk in Chinese, who think they are stupid when they explain things in fractured English. (Tan 40-41) Amy Tan frames The Joy Luck Club with Jing-mei Woo's search for identity. When Jing-mei's mother's friends tell Jing-mei that her sisters have at long last been found and insist that she tell her sisters about their mother's life, Jing-mei emotionally replies that she does not know her mother. However, her mother's friends' generosity helps Jing-mei to realize how much she wishes that she had understood her mother, how desperately she would like to question her if only she could. It is in this moment that Jing-mei recognizes the necessity of understanding her mother's life in order both to figure out who her mother was and to understand herself. Jing-mei's placement at the mah jong table already suggests a link between Jing-mei and her mother that parallels Jing-mei's position in the rest of the novel, for wherever Suyuan should be telling her story, it is told through the voice of Jing-mei instead. While Suyuan should be the one to reconcile with her lost daughters, Jing-mei will go in her place. This planned act of reconciliation where Jing-mei will fulfill her mother's dream foreshadows the other mother-daughter stories in the novel where An-mei, Lindo, and Ying-ying are just as eager to reclaim their daughters as Suyuan, in order to help in their daughters' struggles ... ...perately to connect with her mother. In her quest to close the cultural gap between her Chinese heritage and her American upbringing, she questions what it means to be Chinese. Suffering from a disadvantage compared to the other daughters in the story, since her mother is dead, Jing-mei struggles to remember the foods her mother cooked, her relatives' names, and the stories her mother told. However, it is when Jing-mei finally embraces her sisters, and they observe in the polaroid shot how they all look like their mother, that it occurs to Jing-mei that her family is the part of her that is Chinese. Therefore, in order to understand that part of her identity, she must embrace the memory of her dead mother. With the sisters linked by their mother in their family likeness, the photograph symbolically reconciles the two generations, as well as the two cultures.

Access to Information - The Widening Gap Essay -- Exploratory Essays R

Access to Information - The Widening Gap The â€Å"Digital Divide† is a buzz phrase heard today in North America. It refers to the growing divide between people who have and do not have access to information specifically via the internet. There are various forms of digital divides but the one that is the most despair is the global digital divide between industrialized countries and developing nations. Optimists feel that the internet and information it carries brings potential to societies of developing nations but pessimists feel that the internet offers no new potential for developing nations but rather it reinforces existing divisions of inequality. Various positive and negative outlooks will be delved into in this essay to give a broader perspective of the scenario of the global digital divide. One could also very well argue that information technology will not stop spreading around the globe and in fact there are many projects and policies being put up to expand information and communication technologies (ICTâ⠂¬â„¢s) all around the world. By identifying this, working on bridging the global digital divide and trying to utilize information communication technologies to their full potential is what should be done because it will be a very complex procedure do to the inherit original problems developing countries already are dealing with. This essay will also explore efficient ways of bridging this immense gap. There are many plausible reasons why the internet age may reinforce disparities between postindustrial economies at the core of the network and developing societies at the periphery. (Pippa, p5) It will be hard for developing nation to get on the internet bandwagon because of plagues such as burdens of debt, dieses, fami... ...vember 3/03. Online at: http://www.dotforce.org/reports/matrix.html Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide, Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet World Wide. Cambridge University press, 2001. Servon, Lisa. Bridging the Digital Divide. Technology, Community, and Public Policy. The Information Age Series. Oxford: Blackwell publishing, 2002. United Nations Activities Addressing the Digital Divide: Building "Digital Bridges" for The 21st Century. Prepared by the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria with the assistance of the International Development Research Centre. August 2000. Referenced on November 11/03. Online at: http://www.globalcenters.org/html/docs/digital.pdf Warchauer, Mark. Technology and Social Inclusion Rethinking the Digital Divide. Cambridge: Massachusetts institute of technology, 2003.

Dr. Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine

Dr. Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine Dr. Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine Polio in the 1950’s has American parents in fear and anxiety due to thousands of children were become infected with a crippling disease Poliomyelitis (polio). Polio is a disease caused by infections of the poliovirus, which can affect nerves and can leads to a partial or full paralysis. It is an inflammation of the spinal cord’s gray matter and can sometimes extend into the brainstem. Now thanks to Dr. Salk most children in the U. S get this Polio Vaccine along with many other vaccination shots as children to prevent this from procuring.In New York City in 1914 Russian-Jewish immigrant couples were happy to be blessed with a happy healthy boy names Jonas Salk. His parents had little educational background but they were determined to make sure that there kids succeed and do well. Dr. Salk was the first one in his family to go to college his plan was to go into law but then switched to medical science. While at New York University Dr. Salk was invited to spend a year researching influenza’s. Dr. Salk joined his mentor Dr. Thomas Francis, as a research fellow at the University of Michigan.There, he worked to develop an influenza vaccine In 1947 was appointed to the University of Pittsburgh Medical School and saw a golden opportunity to develop a vaccine against polio and devoted his work to it for the next 8years. In 1948 Dr. Salk took the techniques that he had learned from the past with working with influenzas and the â€Å"principle of vaccinations that if the bod is artificially exposed to a harmless form of the disease virus, the body will produce antibodies that resist or kill dangerous form of the virus if later exposed. â€Å"History of Jonas Salk. †Ã‚  Salk Institute – About Salk – History of Salk – About Jonas Salk. Salk Institute for Biological Studies). † Most of the support he got was from National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and la ter became known as the March of Dimes. The founder of this organization was Former presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt who himself had Polio. In 1952 Dr. Salk and his team developed what they considered to be a safe potential polio vaccine. The vaccine was given to volunteers who had not had polio Dr.Salk laboratory staff, his kids and wife all volunteered and had no bad reactions to the vaccine. Then they tested in on a group of children at Watson Home for Crippled children located near Pittsburgh. One million kids between 6 and 9 half received the vaccine the other half got a placebo. On April 12, 1955 at the University of Michigan they announced that the vaccine had proven to be safe and effective. A year later they continued to improve it and began to work with a pharmaceutical company to scale it for a clinical trial and commercial manufacture.Dr. Salk spent most of the last 1950’s refining the vaccine and working on the scientific principles behind the researchers and by 1960 Dr. Salk was ready to move on and create a community of researcher’s to expand and work on other things too including Multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune disease , cancer immunology improving manufacture and standardization of killed polio vaccine and then eventually AIDS. The average number of polio cases in the US was more than 45,000 but by 1962 it was only 910. Dr.Salk never received any money for his discovery. A few year later a vaccine made from live polio virus was developed which could be administered orally Dr. Salk’s originally vaccine had to be injected. Dr. Salk last years were spent searching for a vaccine against AIDS Dr. Salk passed away on June 23, 1995 at the age of 80. A memorial at the Institute with a statement from Salk captures his vision: â€Å"Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. Work cited 1. â€Å"Jonas Salk Biography. †Ã‚  Academy of Achievement. N. p. , 05 Feb. 200 5. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. http://www. achievement. org/autodoc/page/sal0bio-1 2. â€Å"Jonas Salk 1914 – 1995. †Ã‚  PBS. PBS, n. d. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bmsalk. html 3. â€Å"History of Jonas Salk. †Ã‚  Salk Institute – About Salk – History of Salk – About Jonas Salk. Salk Institute for Biological Studies, n. d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. http://www. salk. edu/about/jonas_salk. html