Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Abortion in American Culture

American Pop Culture Americas culture is evolving everyday although, society is not aware of this change due to the everyday hustle that we exert on ourselves trying to accomplish what the media and advertising has imprinted in regard to what our lives should contain. Media and advertising have a huge impact on how society thinks, acts, feels, and what is expected therefore, Americans subconsciously are trying to achieve what the media has painted as the American Dream. There are many ways that societies thoughts have been altered with the assistance of the media, one action that evolved the entire country would be the Roe vs.Wade ruling. Prior to Roe vs. Wade women throughout the country were making decisions on abortion but abortion was not legal at the time. â€Å"Abortion was widely available in many places across the United States if you were a woman who had good medical contacts and sufficient money. If you lacked either those contacts or the money, then abortion was either no t available or available under exceptionally unsafe circumstances† (Garrow, D. 1999). During the 1960’s women received better medical services because of the higher social status they contained.Compared to women who did not have those types of social contacts or the money, they would put their lives at risk when making the decision to continue with an abortion under unsafe circumstances. Decisions like this were made because of the consequences that society or culture would place on the woman. When Roe vs. Wade went to trial in 1973 to determine if a woman’s constitutional rights were being violated the final ruling had an enormous impact on the country. It gave women the chance to decide for themselves without the complications of being exposed to unhealthy or possibly deadly situations.This did not change the way Americans felt about the issue but it did change the way women all over the country dealt with the issue. Women now had a voice of their own in regard to making a decision that would affect them for the rest of their lives. This also changed how the rest of the country would react because now it is not a secret, the issue is out in the open and everyone sees the outcomes whether positive or negative. The legal struggle of Roe vs. Wade has impacted the country with the assistance of the media and advertising.The impact has affected all Americans but for some the impact on their lives is larger than others depending on the daily tasks. For example, physicians must deal with patients who are requesting an abortion. The physician must choose to assist the patient or have them seen by another physician because he or she does not want to participate in an action that they do not believe in. Politics is another example where the abortion issue is always discussed, especially during the election season. Running representatives are always careful in choosing pro-life or pro-choice, this type of decision can make or break their career.As n oted in Abortion in America, â€Å"Abortion is too much part of the American Scene† (Shostak, A. 1991) therefore this is an issue the country must deal with or years to come. References Garrow, D. (1999, March). Abortion Before and After Roe v. Wade: An Historical Perspective. Albany Law Review, 62(3), 833. Retrieved August 5, 2009, from International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center database. AB, S. (1991, July). Abortion in America. The Futurist, 25(4), 20-24. Retrieved August 5, 2009, from MEDLINE with Full Text database.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Managerial Role Essay

Even though the employees are the prime workers in any organisations managers have to manage their employees and even he has to manage the external atmosphere at and around the organisation to run the organisation in an admirable path and their by achieving the predetermined goals. Here I would like to present the manager’s job in an organisation with an example of an interview and with my research work. I took an interview from a manager of software Solutions Company a small scale information technology based company in Australia. hile interviewing him we come across some of the important qualities of a manager According to him a manager should have a good academic qualifications like a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in any of the administrative fields, unless and until if a manager have a good academics he may not be able to solve academic problems in his company. He should also have good communicative skills and interactive skills, marketing ability, managing the customers and a good personality. R. W. Griffin defines manager as a person who first of all is responsible for realization of management process. In particular manager is â€Å"the person, that makes plans and decisions, organizes, supervises and controls human, finance and information resources† (Griffin 2000). I totally agree to the above statements as they said a manager should have a good academic qualification and he even should have a good personality to operate all the above mentioned functions. Unless a manager possesses them he/she can’t keep his company in a better position. He also stated that he has to interact with many people in his day to day life as his company is an IT based company deals with the problems in the technological aspects in hardware and software. He should have proper capability to face many new customers in his day to day life and to a lot his employees for the solution of the customers’ problem. He should attend the customer in his own office or at other private places in favour of customers’ flexibility. He has to take care of his employees, the resources he is utilizing, the marketing staff, more important the customers who are their bread and butter. Doing this he has to keep an eye on the technical advances in his field and on his competitors. So here I understand that managers’ job is much crucial job in any company and he has to be in up-to-date at things that are happening at and around his company. Many managers attain success by coordinating his/her employee effect, in turn obtaining success to the organisation. He states that in his list of people he has to interact in his everyday life the customers are his prime concern because they the main source of the companies’ income unless a customer satisfied with the employees work, he would not pay the amount. So in this relation I came to know that there exists a mutual benefit relationship between the customer and the company hence it is a good example for reciprocal relationship. â€Å"The needs to better understand customer behaviour and the interest of many managers to focus on those customers who can deliver long-term profits have changed how marketers view the world† (Russell S. Winer). The author says that consumers can change the performance of a market and the running style of an organisation hence a good manager should always keep his eye on such type of consumers. Next comes his employees, a good manager should maintain a good interaction with his employees. According to him â€Å"a good manager should look after their employees and he should be their well-wisher†. He says that a good interaction between a manager and his employees builds up a positive energy in the workplace results in better performance of the employee leading to success of the employee as well as the company. He even said that he will help his employees in various ways like allotting them regular and flexible working hours, monitoring their work, giving feedback whenever necessary and solving their issues regarding their work and in their lives. This shows there exists a reciprocal relationship with in them. He said that he has only 4 regular employees working currently with him and hires others whenever necessary. According to Katuria. M in his article named â€Å"three ways to built successful employee manager relationship† he stated that â€Å"the only relationship more important to an organisation than the ustomer-company relationship is the manager- employee relationship and according to the exit interview the no. 1 reason people leave their job is because of their improper relationship with the manager†. Going through all the above conversation I totally agree to both of them and I strictly believe in good manager- employee relationship which aids in success of the com pany and its employees. â€Å"An organisation grows and evolves new positions are added, senior managers have to find a way to tie all these departments together. Coordination refers to the quality of collaboration across the departments. It is required whether there is a functional, divisional or term structure†. (Draft 2012) this statement explains the most responsible duty of a manager in a growing company. It tells us that in a rapidly growing company the managers play a important role that is he has to do division and interlinking the departments there by forming more and more stronger work unit which helps them in solving more complex problems. When dealing with the suppliers he gave me the information that he is connected to many suppliers in his place and even in the Melbourne. As the company is based on the problems and solutions coming in the information technology, they have to be provided with plenty of resources. They need various types of computer spare parts, softwares and many advanced features which were been provided to them by many suppling companies. Even they dealings with vast companies like Harvey Norman etc. He explained me the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining such large groups of suppliers. Ha stated that trust is the main factor that works between suppliers and the company administrator. Many transactions run based on the trust philosophy only. Unless they trust a supplier and use their products they can’t run the company in some situations. I support this statement that trust is the main part of the business. I can state that trust should exist not only between a supplier and the management but also at all the levels in the business sector that is it should be in between the consumer-organisation-supplier. â€Å"Supplier Relationship Management is an all-inclusive approach to managing the affairs and interactions with the organizations that supply your company with goods and services. This includes communications, business practices, negotiations, methodologies and software that are used to establish and maintain a relationship with a supplier. Benefits include lower costs, higher quality, better forecasting and less tension between the two entities that result in a win-win relationship† (Bucki. j). The author explains us that for any company the supplier management relation should be in such a way that there is a benefit from both the sides and the tools were developed to reduce the work related problems between the supplier and the managers in the company who look after all these raw materials. I totally believe with the above discussions because unless there is an adequate amount of raw materials for a company they cannot reach the level of customer satisfaction which is their main goal and the supplier also has to be loyal to the company and supply the raw materials in time there by maintaining a mutual benefit relationship between them. The next I am going to discuss the other important environmental factor the labour market. In this case as the manager already stated that he hires the employees whenever he needs, in explanation to this he gave me the information that when his regular staff are not sufficient to complete a task which was assigned to them he hires some of the software professionals from the employment centres for a shorter period of time and assigns them to work with his regular employees. Without strategic planning it is unlikely that any organisation will be able to meet successfully numerous challenges that face them† (Bryson. j. m). This shows that planning and organisation is the main crucial duties of a manager. Manager has to plan the project prior to its start and distribute the work to his employees accordingly. If a manager fails to perform this step in his level he/she may not be able to reach the target level and fails in leading the organisation and its staff. Finally for an organisation to run in the way of profits and to sustain in this present competitive word the manager has to look after many types of environmental factors some of them which are prime concerned are discussed above the other factors which influence the organisation are Technology, Natural, Sociocultural, Economic, Legal, Political, International (all of these come under external environment) and Culture management. (Draft, R. L) in my opinion manager should have the capability in controlling all these environmental factors. This company having limited employees and being a small scale company the external environmental factors may not have such a great influence. Among them only the technology has a powerful impact because it is purely a software solution company so the employees and the manager should beware of the changing trends in the technology and should be in up to date daily. Recommendations: Keeping in mind the whole interview and with my research I would like to recommend some changes this organisation should implement for better progress they are 1. Increase the employee work ratio. 2. Use of the labour market for hiring the employees should be stopped because the information in the company regarding the projects and codes should be within the company. 3. Instead of hiring the employees from the outside try to increase the regular employees which helping him in planning the work and confidentiality 4. Being a software company I think he should organise some conferences such that his employee will get more latest technical skills 5. As the work hours were longer during the day he has to create work life balance to his employees and for him he. 6. Customer satisfaction should be increased to transform this to a large scale company. Conclusion: Finally I conclude that the environmental factors influence on any organisation is very much crucial and the managerial staff any company should keep an eye on it in order to run the organisation in an admirable way. Various people who are in close relation to the organisation should work together for the mutual benefit of the organisation as well as them.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Birth Control Essay Example for Free (#2)

Birth Control Essay Birth control is a way or method used to prevent pregnancy. There are different kinds of methods of birth control that can be used by man and woman. All of these methods have positive effects or sides. The pros of birth control are the following: (1) lessen the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (â€Å"Pros and Cons of Different Contraceptive Methods â€Å"); (2) it is helpful in preventing pregnancy, but the degree of the effectiveness of the birth control method depends on the type of method that is being used by the couple (â€Å"Pros and Cons of Different Contraceptive Methods â€Å"); (3) allows active participation of men in the prevention of pregnancy (when using condom or withdrawal method) (â€Å"Pros and Cons of Different Contraceptive Methods â€Å"); (4) it helps regulate the menstrual cycle of a woman; (5) it lessens the pain and difficulty of having a menstruation (â€Å"Pros and Cons of Different Contraceptive Methods â€Å"); (6) prevents or lessen the possibility of having uterine and ovarian cancer, anemia, ovarian cyst and pelvic inflammatory disease (â€Å"Pros and Cons of Different Contraceptive Methods â€Å"). There are also some other pros of birth control method but it depends on the method that the couple is using (â€Å"Birth Control Pill Faq: Benefits, Risks and Choices†). There are many types of birth control. The following are the types of birth control that is being used: (a) male condoms which are also called as barrier because it blocks the sperm cells from getting near or into the egg cells; (b) oral contraceptives or birth control pills prevent the ovary from releasing eggs; (c) female condom is also called as a barrier because it prevents or blocks the sperm cells from reaching the egg cells; (d) Depo-Provera hormonal injections is a type of birth control that uses hormone progestin. Continuous injection of this for more than two years has an adverse effect on woman; (e) spermicides; (f) contraceptive sponges is also a barrier type of birth control. Although using this type of birth control would still have a risk of having a toxic syndrome. Woman that are very sensitive to spermicide nonoxynol-9 are not encourage to use this type of method; (g) diaphragm and cervical caps also blocks the sperm cells going inside the cervix. This type of method needs the assistance of the doctor for proper usage and fitting of the cervical cap or diaphragm; (h) intra – uterine devices is used and placed inside the uterus to prevent the sperm cells from entering it and reaching the egg cells; (i) surgical sterilization or tubal ligation is a permanent birth control that needs a surgical process; (j) periodic abstinence or natural family planning. In this type of birth control, the woman should have the knowledge about the fertility process so that this method would be successful (â€Å"Birth Control Methods â€Å"). There are some mild health risks related to the use of birth control methods. But there is also one severe health risk when using birth control method such as pills for a longer period of time like cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, cardiovascular accident or stroke, high blood pressure and other cardio related diseases (â€Å"Birth Control Methods†). Both man and woman are responsible in birth control planning. They have an active participation in the birth control method. Although their physician would prescribe a pill or appropriate birth control method, still the couple would be responsible to the possible outcome of that method. They are the one who can observe to the negative or positive effect of that particular method. When a serious or life threatening situation or death happens, the couple is more reliable than their physician. In choosing birth control method, couples or person that is going to use it must consider if (1) it will affect your health like if they have history of breast cancer, have high blood pressure, has low density of the bone, diabetes, sexually transmitted disease (STD), and heart disease; (2) those possible side effects of the method; (3) frequency of having sexual intercourse; (4) the benefits that the method can give; (5) the quality of that certain drug or method in birth control; and (6) the possible outcome if ever the couple decided to have a child (â€Å"Birth Control Guide†). Shop Lifting Shop lifting is very common especially on malls and convenient stores. People shop lift because they need that particular thing or that they can’t afford to buy the things they wanted to (â€Å"Teenagers Shop Lifting†). Some shop lifters that has the money to buy things thinks that shop lifting gives them the adrenalin rush or thrill that cannot be caught, they think that what they have stolen is not important and they also think that they are not stealing because the owner or the store can afford to buy that again or the store is insured (â€Å"Teenagers Shop Lifting†). In some cases, people shop lifts especially students because of peer pressure. Shop lifters always carry a small bag or large jacket with a large pocket or umbrella (â€Å"Preventing Shoplifting†). Those things can be use to shop lift. Store management or staff should also be aware and alarm when a person puts down their bag because they may place the thing they get simply by dropping it into the bag (â€Å"Preventing Shoplifting†). There are also times that shop lifters are into a group (â€Å"Preventing Shoplifting†). Some of them will distract the attention of the staff while the others do the crime. Shop lifters can be seen mostly in malls that are crowded and convenient stores. The similarities of these two places are that they have a big space and do not have enough staff that would assist and guard the clients or buyers. Those shop lifters know that in places were there’s enough employee to assist and guard them, they won’t be able to the deed because there’s a big chance of getting caught while in malls and convenient store, they can easily place the things they get and hide it in their bags or clothes without being notice by the employees. Shop lifting is a crime that can be categorize as light. In some states, the fine depends on the amount that the shop lifter stolen while the jail time depends on the repetition of the incident (Zukowski). The penalty or fine ranges from 40 to 1000 dollars and the jail time is only 30 days up to 6 months (Zukowski). The society and justice system give the offenders a second chance to correct their action. If they are going to repeat their action, they will be punished again with a higher penalty and possible longer jail time. Compiling an Annotated Bibliography ? â€Å"Birth Control Guide† Ed. US Department of Health and Human Services: FDA Consumer Magazine, 2003. This article focuses on different approved birth control methods. It also provides information about the different types of birth control method and also the severe health risk that may be obtain from the prolonged use of contraceptive pills. ? â€Å"Birth Control Methods†. 2005. Planned Parenthood of Connecticut. June 27 2007. http://www. ppct. org/medical/services/bc_method. shtml. This article talks about different birth control methods. It also provides knowledge about pros and cons of different types of birth control method especially tubal sterilization. ? â€Å"Birth Control Methods† Ed. Us Department of Health and Human Services: National Women’s Health Information Center, 2005. This article provides birth control methods that can be use. It also provides knowledge on what they should take into consider when choosing a birth control method. ? â€Å"Teenage Shop Lifting†. 2006. Indian child. com June 26 2007. http://www. indianchild. com/parenting/teenagers/teenagers_shop_lifting. htm. The article provides the reasons why teenagers try to steal and ways to handle and persuade them. ? â€Å"Birth Control†. 2007. Cool Nurse. June 25 2007. http://www. coolnurse. com/birthcontrol. htm. The article tackles about having safe sex with the use of birth control methods. This provides idea or knowledge about the effectives of each method and the reasons why it is not recommended for teenagers. ? â€Å"Preventing Shoplifting. † Namibian Police 2007. The Namibian Police Force carries out their duty by informing the public of the different crimes and ways how to handle that situation. They encourage the public to have an active participation in fighting the crime to maintain the peace and order in their place. ? â€Å"Birth Control Pill Faq: Benefits, Risks and Choices†. 2007. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. June 25 2007. . The staff focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of taking contraceptive pills. The staff also discusses other contributing factors that make birth control pills unsafe to use than any other birth control methods. Birth Control. (2016, Aug 09). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Sunday, July 28, 2019

DRM and trusted computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DRM and trusted computing - Essay Example 131-138). Similarly, According to Reid & Caelli (2005, p. 128), trusted computing is vulnerable to MitM attack when used to enforce DRM if the attacker acts as a proxy between two communicating users. This affects the flow of information because it is distorted or manipulated to suit the interests of the attacker. Computers that use unencrypted networks are vulnerable to attacks by the man in the middle because their network traffic is easily grabbed (Luotonen 1998, p. 120). In order to avoid the vulnerability of trusted computing to MitM attacks when enforcing DRM, it is advisable for communicating computers to use encrypted network connections. This may be offered by the Https technology that makes it tricky for an attacker to interfere with the network traffic (Reid & Caelli 2005, p. 129). The Https is efficient because of the safe sockets layer (SSL) facility that shields the web-based network interchange from unauthorized users. The Https also uses certificates that can prove the identity of the servers a computer is interacting with over the internet (Strebe 2006, p.

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR - Assignment Example This is the stance of management ever since. Any marketing plan should begin with consumer and satisfying its wants because that is the only justification for the existence of a store, the Electro store for that matter. Electro Store should be able to understand the consumer’s needs, wants, desires, preferences, beliefs and other odd behaviors in order to win the customer. It is therefore the responsibility of Electro store to learn as much as possible these factors of potential customers. There are sociological factors that influence household purchasing decisions; these are cohesion, adaptability and communication. Cohesion is defined as the emotional bonding between family members. It measures how close to each other feel on an emotional level. It reflects a sense of connectedness to or separateness to other family members. Buying decisions are greatly influenced by the member of the family. There is no question that the bulk of household purchases are made by women, but major decisions like buying a car, appliances, or real property are jointly done by the husband and wife, and sometimes with consultation with children. A joint decision only shows cohesiveness of the family. Therefore when the buying decision is done the family as a group – the role of the marketers is to target the family through their marketing campaigns. Adaptability is described as the ability of the family to change its power, role, relationships, and relationship rules in response to situational and developmental stress. The degree of adaptability shows how well a family can meet the challenges presented by the situation. These challenges can come from reference groups that have the potentials of influencing behavior. Reference groups are groups of individuals that one interacts often. Examples are friends, family relatives, and co-workers. They have the potentials of influencing behavior. For example, if the product is visible like car, shoes or

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 88

Discussion - Essay Example in this case transparency will be beneficial both to me and others. This is because; transparency implies openness, correspondence, and responsibility. Transparency is working in such a route, to the point that it is simple for others to see what movements are performed. For instance, a clerk making change at a purpose of offer by isolating a clients huge bills, numbering up from the deal sum, and setting the change on the counter in such a path as to welcome the client to confirm the measure of progress exhibits transparency. I have a combined strength of enhanced sender and receiving skills. This helps me a lot in communication as it always help me achieve the purpose of communication. the two skills are vital as they the receiver gets to understand the message while the receiver makes sure the message is received and understood too. I can pass this strength to others through a meeting while discussing on how to improve the performance of the organization. The big idea I derived from this week’s discussion is effective communication that helps us better understand an individual or circumstance and empowers us to intention contrasts, assemble trust and regard, and make situations where imaginative plans, critical thinking, love, and minding can prosper. As basic as correspondence appears to be, much of what we attempt to convey to others—and what others attempt to impart to us gets misjudged, which can result in clash and dissatisfaction in particular and expert

Friday, July 26, 2019

Compare and contrast Plato's claim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compare and contrast Plato's claim - Essay Example Conversely, in Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche calls into question the very nature of meaning and advances the notion of a transvaluation of values that reconsiders the notion of morality. This essay considers Plato’s characterization of the examined life through his dialogue the Apology and contrasts it with Nietzsche converse understanding from Twilight of the Idols. Apology One of the most seminal of Plato’s dialogues, the Apology constitutes Socrates’ argument to the Athenian court for his innocence. Throughout Socrates’ argument there is the thematic undercurrent that in teaching wisdom and spreading the truth to the Athenian youth he is pursuing the right path, and that to cease doing so and live an examined life to prevent the court form taking his life is not worth doing. The first instance where Socrates indicates as much occurs in his rebuttal of Meletus, when he states, â€Å"a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong - acting the part of a good man or of a bad† (Plato). Socrates goes on to explain how according to Meletus’ reasoning the men who died valiantly at the battle of Troy were wrong in doing so. One of the primary complaints that Meletus levies against Socrates is his argument that Socrates has corrupted the youth by advising them not to believe in the gods. In refutation of this Socrates seems to argue that he actually embraces a belief in the gods, just not in the form that is traditionally accepted in Greek culture. Instead, Socrates embracement of the gods comes in terms of his purpose in life, which is living the examined life. In these regards, Socrates states, â€Å"God orders me to fulfil the philosopher's mission of searching into myself and other men, I were to desert my post through fear of death, or any other fear; that would indeed be strange, and I might justly be arraigned in court for denying the existence of the gods, if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death† (Plato). Here Socrates is indicating that since God has made his purpose that of a philosopher, then the core element of his existence is to live the examined life, so that ultimately Meletus’ claims that Socrates has corrupted the Athenian youth by expounding on the knowledge he gained from living the examined life is erroneous as he has done this out of following the purpose God or the gods placed him on Earth. While this is an interesting rebuttal, perhaps the most notable element of this discussion is the relevance it holds for the current examination of the examined life, and the importance contextualizing Socrates perspective in terms of the argument. While the prevailing wisdom of individuals only cursorily familiar with Plato’s statement through Socrates that the unexamined life is not worth living generally understand it to mean that Socrate s is speaking to all individuals; they believe that Socrates is stating that any individual who chooses not to live an examined life, or the life of a philosopher is unjustified in doing so, when in actuality Socrates is indicating here that this is true only for him. As the Apology continues Socrates keeps with this line of reasoning, and seems to expand his earlier statement to include all men. In considering Socrates’

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act - Assignment Example This information is then used to assess the patient's condition, diagnose an illness, as well as impair, prevent or treat a disease. CLIA certified laboratories work in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a means to assure that Medicare payments meet the standards and cost guidelines set by the appropriate government agency. While CLIA is a mandatory component of Medicare, it "applies to all providers rendering clinical laboratory services, whether or not Medicare claims are filed" (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2006, p.2). In addition, CLIA has provisions for an accreditation process as well as an educational procedure. In this way, NGOs, state, and federal agencies can participate in an ongoing review conducted by CMS, the center for all services. Numerous tests have been waived by the CMS as so "simple and accurate that there is little risk of error [even] if the test is performed incorrectly" (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2006, p.2). Facilities that wish to perform waived tests must pay a $150 biennial fee and must apply for a Certificate of Waiver. "These laboratories are not routinely inspected; however they may be inspected as part of a complaint investigation or on a random basis to determine whether or not only waived tests are being performed" (CLIA waived and PPM tests defined, 2009). In addition, the tests "pose no reasonable risk of harm to the patient if the test is performed incorrectly" and/or "are cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for home use" (CLIA waived and PPM tests defined, 2009). The original list contained eight waived tests, but recently the list has been significantly expanded. Tests that are CLIA waived include "ovulation tests that make use of visual color comparisons" (Is the Test You Need CLIA Waived, 2009). This would include home pregnancy tests. The list also includes "blood glucose using FDA-cleared monitoring instruments", which are the automated testing devices often used by diabetics to monitor their blood sugar level (Is the Test You Need CLIA Waived, 2009). In all events, tests, and devices, the user must strictly adhere to the manufacture's instructions in regards to the use, reading, and interpretation of the results. If a test is not currently listed, "the manufacturer of the test would have to apply for a certification of waiver from CMS" (Is the Test You Need CLIA Waived, 2009). In this way, CLIA is able to stay abreast of new technologies and medical advancements. 3.) What are the other levels of laboratory services and what is the process to have your lab certified Test methods are categorized into three distinct levels based on the complexity of the method. There is the Waived Complexity Level, which requires no regular inspection. In addition, there is the Moderate/High Complexity level, which requires the physician or laboratory to complete an Application for Certification. The comprehensive application includes a "description of laboratory to include name and number of tests performed annually, methodologies for each test, [and] personnel qualifications" (Moderate Complexity Testing Overview, 2004). In addition, the

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Anaylses of Ishıgura's The Remains of the Day through the issues Essay

Anaylses of IshÄ ±gura's The Remains of the Day through the issues of Stevens roles, persona,repression,deception and self deceit - Essay Example Firstly, the character of Mr. Stevens the Butler is depicted brilliantly in the novel by bringing out the subtleties and nuances of emotion and internal conflict. Mr. Stevens is quite reserved and introverted by natural disposition, whose manifestations take inhuman proportions when he adds qualities of orthodox professionalism to his work. Mr. Stevens’ work ethic is centered on a particular understanding of â€Å"dignity†, which requires him to focus exclusively on serving his master, in his case Lord Darlington and compels him to remain insulated from external circumstances of the lives of both. It is also made clear that Mr. Stevens is not unaware of the dangers of this pattern of behavior, as suggested by his sense of guilt. But it is not much later in the narrative, after the calamitous developments of the Second World War under the Nazi command that Mr. Stevens admits to his betrayal and guilt. The Butler’s code of conduct, which Mr. Stevens immaculately in culcates in him turns into an affliction, when he completely subordinates his personal feelings and aspects of his persona to the dictates of that code of conduct. In other words, his role as the Butler of the Darlington house blinds him from being critical of his employee and induces a sense of moral numbness, which is reflected in other aspects of his life, as discussed in the next paragraph. Mr. Stevens exhibits such extreme measures of restraint and reserve in his demeanor that it reflects in his speech as well. Not only does he ever indulge in small banter but his language and choice of words represent a Victorian sensibility and professionalism that borders on being mechanical and inhuman. Kazuo Ishiguro mildly suggests that such understanding of one’s professional role eliminates all qualities of humanness from the individual. Another feature of is personality is his tendency to hide unpleasant facts

Civic Center Park Essay Example for Free

Civic Center Park Essay â€Å"The noblest sort of heart is that composed of the united will of many citizens† (Robinson, p. 10), and this united will is brought forth by the City Beautiful movement. The core goals of the City Beautiful movement is to create a better city through the development of unity, civic pride, and better citizens. Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado is a prime example of the City Beautiful movement manifested into reality. With its’ grand manner architectural style it attempts to instill a sense of unity and civic pride with in the residents of the city, which in the City Beautiful style is intended to lead to better citizens over all. Civic Center Park illustrates the core goals of the City Beautiful movement through the monuments present, the design, and the location of the park its self. In the city beautiful movement it is key to create pubic space; this idea of public—shared—space is intended to create a place where all members of the community can come together in a central location. Civic Park is a large public space that is located in the center of downtown Denver, with busy streets on all sides that do not cut through the park but strategically curve around it as to simply incorporate the park into city life; this curvilinear street design is an aspect that Camillo Sitte advocated for in urban design. Also in order to create this sense of a shared public space the park is completely encircled by public buildings, which is an aspect of Grand Manner design that Sitte greatly appreciates in ancient cities (Sitte, p. 469); it creates an â€Å"unbroken frame of public buildings† (Sitte, p. 475), which produces a â€Å"†¦cohesive effect of the square†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sitte, p. 477). From the center of the park one can spin around and view the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Public Library, City Hall, and the newly added Colorado History Museum with out leaving that one spot. The boulevards leading to this central, open space are all broad, beautifully paved, and extensively tree lined, which is a key aspect in Grand Manner design. Much of the foot traffic in the area seemed to choose to walk these paths to their destinations instead of the main roads, despite that most destinations appeared not to be within the park its self. Facilitating a sense that this area is for the public use in more aspects than just a park. Another way in which Civic Center Park is reaching out to the public is through the program â€Å"Grow Local†. Near the center of the park is a space of land that has been cultivated into a community garden, where the food that is produced is donated to local non-profits and is cared for by volunteers in the community. The goal of the â€Å"Grow Local† foundation is to â€Å"promote local food, local community, and local economy† (Civic Center Park sign). This program that is central in the park entirely focuses on the betterment and unity of the community surrounding Civic Center Park. It establishes a connection amongst the citizens of Denver for it is completely local and is supported by the immediate community for the immediate community, which is a key concept in the City Beautiful movement. This aspect of having an open public space surrounded by civic buildings is a core City Beautiful ideology, for it turns the entire area into public domain. All that can be seen is open to the public, allowing the citizens to feel united and a part of something larger—their city. This connection helps to produce pride in the citizens, for when one feels connected they also feel a sense of responsibility. As Robinson put it in his paper, Improvement in City Life, â€Å"the happier people of the rising city beautiful will grow in love for it, in pride in it. They will be better citizens, because better instructed, more artistic, and filled with civic pride† (Robinson, p. 10). With responsibility also comes pride when the area is one that is favorable and beautiful as is intended in the grand manner design that was used in the creation of civic park. The desire of having a population that has civic pride, as is the goal in the City Beautiful movement, is that this pride will lead to better citizens. If one takes pride in there community they will then want to better their community and make it a better place to live for all. They will be inspired by their built environment to be better than before. With in Civic Center Park there are a wide variety of monuments, statues, and plaques that cover the landscape. Many of these monuments, statues, and plaques carry a common theme, the theme of patriotism. This theme of patriotism is portrayed through monuments and such that commemorate Civil War and World War II heroes, the military branches, and the beginnings of our nation. Many of these monuments, statues, and plaques are not focused solely on Denver or even Colorado, but on the nation as a whole. One plaque that is positioned on a large dark stone structure is dedicated to Sadie M. Likens, whom did great work aiding survivors of the Civil War. The plaque does not state weather or not she was a Colorado native or if she has any connection to Denver at all, it can be assumed but the connection is not concretely conveyed. Another example of this is the giant flagpole with an American flag that stands in direct line of sight of City Hall. This is not beneficial to Denver’s civic identity, for it causes â€Å"local characteristics [to] gradually disappear† (Sitte, p. 473). While this is a representation of the people’s identity and unity as a nation, it does nothing for the identity and unity of the people as members of Denver or even Colorado. A tall monument that resamples the Washington monument also stands in Civic Center Park and commemorates each branch of the United States military. This too only connects the people to their national identity and not to their identity and unity as an immediate community. While this may be viewed as advantageous, for it â€Å"attend[s] to everyone’s past† (Hayden, p. 69), it is not focused enough on the immediate community to promote the ideologies of City Beautiful. While the monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus is â€Å"socially inclusive† (Hayden, p. 70), for it celebrates the discovery and beginning of the peoples’ nation, it has no true connection to the unique background of the community. These monuments need to be more focused on Colorado and Denver’s histor and culture in order for them to better â€Å"nurture citizens public memory, to encompass shared time in the form of shred territory† (Hayden 72), as is one of the main goals of the City Beautiful Movement and the main purpose of monuments, statues, and plaques. The Statue of â€Å"Joe P. Martinez, Colorado’s first congressional medal of honor recipient of World War II† (Civic Center Park monument), in Civic Center Park is a statue that better connects the nations history with Colorado’s history; for, it commemorates a Colorado native that was in a war that effected all citizens of both the nation and Colorado. Another beneficial aspect of theses monuments is that they show a type of timeline, in that they â€Å"[help] to create, celebrate and cement this progressive narrative of natural history† (Savage, p. 2). This is also represented through the monument of the Ten Commandments that is located at one of the entrances to the park. This nation was founded on religious beliefs and therefor it has a religious beginnings and this is portrayed in the park despite the fact that our nation—for the most part—has moved away from these beginnings. Having it at the beginning of the park represents the forward movement of our nation. There were some statues, monuments, and plaques in Civic Center Park that did focus more on Colorado history, which is a closer tie to the community; however, there still did not seem to be any that were specific to Denver. Two statues that stood out as strongly representing Colorado’s collective past were the â€Å"Bronco Buster† (a statue of a cowboy on a horse) and the â€Å"On the War Trail† (a statue of a Native American on a horse). As a western state Colorado has a strong history involving Native Americans and ranching. Colorado still continues to be associated with such things in the present as well. Cowboys and Native Americans are a part of Colorado’s collective identity weather or not people have an actual, personal association with them. These statues are not just mementos of the past but representations of the present, they are not â€Å"an obsolete marker of the past but an agent of consciousness in a changing world† (Savage, p. 5). Another monument that represent Colorado’s history instead of the nations are the paintings of the â€Å"Trapper and the Prospector†, which represent early, frontier life in Colorado. These paintings represent how western life in Colorado began and how the beginnings of life in Colorado as people know it today. While all of the monuments, statues, and plaques mentioned previously help to establish unity and identity on a national and state level they lack the ability to establish them on a community and city level. The incorporation of more monuments, statues, and plaques that represent Denver’s history and identity—which Civic Center park is significantly lacking—would greatly serve the cause of building Denver’s civic identity. For, the people would feel more connected to one another and to their immediate community. This would also allow a place â€Å"in which humans can display their culture† (Sitte, p. 467), which, as Lewis Mumford believes is the most important part of a city. The culture of the people of the community cannot be displayed if the monuments present do not represent the immediate area. In Civic Center park the majority of the monuments, statues, and plaques focus on commemorating heroes, such as the Civil war monument, the World War II statue, and the Columbus monument. All of these recognized people that made a difference and were beneficial to the nation; none of them were portrayed as victims. These types of monuments stimulate consciousness, in that they cause people to view this nation as a proud one. They bring forth the notion that our nation is one of victors and heroes and therefor one should find pride in it. The monuments I found the most engaging at Civic Center park were the ones that have a greater focus on Colorado and less on the nation. I feel as though they have a more relevant place in a park in Denver thats main purpose is to promote Denver’s civic identity. In particular I enjoyed the â€Å"Trapper and the Prospector† paintings that resided inside the coliseum type structure. I feel as though they best represented Colorado’s history. They also are the most intricate monuments and evoked the most consciousness about the past and the present. Civic Center Park is full of people there for all different reasons. There are those, such as my self, that are there to observe and view the monuments (few), there are those that are there on commute to another location (many), there are those ‘hanging out’ in groups (the majority), there are those that seemed to view it as a place of residence (good portion), and then there are those that seemed to be just enjoying the park alone (few). I was a bit taken back by how few people seemed to be in Civic Park to view the monuments and enjoy the aesthetic aspects of the park. There were only a handful of people that were utilizing the benches as a place to just sit and enjoy the park and I saw only one other couple that even bothered to glance at the statues. Those in the park that were just commuting to another location tended to stay on the grand boulevard pathways and did not interact with those off of the boulevards. They did not seem to interact with any other part of the built environment other than the path in which they walked and the arches in which they passed under. I believe that City Beautiful advocates would be pleased with the fact that members of the community use the park as a part of their daily lives; however, they would probably not be too pleased with the aspect that many of the foot traffic does not interact with the monuments or the open space that is provided. I believe that they would be more pleased if some of the foot traffic stopped once in a while and enjoyed the area more and truly took it all in. If the people of the community are not taking in the sites around them then the park is not serving the function that is intended. In the City Beautiful ideology the park should instill civic pride and the monuments should educate, memorialize, and commemorate according to Kostof, and they cannot do this if the citizens ignore them all. Those that seem the most comfortable in the park were those that were ‘hanging out’ in groups that all massed around a central area. This large mass of various smaller groups positioned its self around the top of the coliseums type structure along one of the main walkways in the center of Civic Center Park. When I walked past this mass I was called out to and asked on more than one occasion, â€Å"Hey girlie, wanna smoke some reefer?† as one man put it. I politely declined the offers and was usually met with annoyed shrugs or rude comments. A majority of the people in this crowd seemed to be selling something of unsavory quality or interacting in activities of the same sort. The fact that this seems to be the dominant presence in Civic Center Park portrays that the goal for it to produce civic pride and better citizens has fallen short. I also asked some Denver locals about what connotation Civic Center Park has and all of them proceeded to inform me that it is where one goes to purchase drugs if you ever want any. From this I have derived that the park is not viewed as a place of civic pride, but viewed as a less savory part of the city. City Beautiful advocates would be extremely disturbed by what is taking place in Civic Center Park, for it is doing the opposite of its purpose and nothing, or very little, is being done to change this. Structurally, architecturally, and aesthetically Civic Center Park is every thing that a City Beautiful advocate could ever dream of; however, the actual response of the people to the park is nothing like that imagined. Aesthetically, Civic Center Park has greatly exemplified City Beautiful and Grand Manner ideologies. Civic Center Park is adjacent to the Denver Public Library, which is a building that extrudes public space to the utmost. A library is thought of as a place that is solely for public use; people can borrow from it with no pay, use its facilities for no pay, and it sponsors many public events. Its only purpose is to serve the public, and no part of it is off limits to anyone. The Denver art Museum is also adjacent to Civic Center Park, which is another building that is dedicated to the public. A museums main purpose is to educate and benefit the community in which they are a part of. The fact that all of the buildings that surround Civic Center Park are dedicated to the enhancement and benefit of the public is the exact ideology behind Grand Manner and City Beautiful design. This is indeed what civic â€Å"aesthetic progress† should look like. To add to this â€Å"civic aesthetic† progress is that the Colorado History Museum has also been place near Civic Center Park in the Civic Center Cultural complex. This addition is good in a City Beautiful context for it is another public building that is dedicated to the immediate community. It is a building that will create unity in the community, for it is focused solely on Colorado’s history and culture, which is an aspect that all the people of the community have in common with one another. â€Å"A more inclusive landscape history can also stimulate new approaches to urban design, encourage designers, artists, and writers, as well as citizens, to contribute to an urban art of creating a heightened sense of place in the city† (Hayden 73), which is what the City Beautiful planers of Civic Center park aimed to do. In many ways Civic Center park succeeded in creating a City Beautiful, Grand Manner, public space; however, it has failed to influence the public in the way that is intended. I find that the monuments and such in the park should be more locally focused in order to create the civic pride and unity that City Beautiful advocates envisioned.

Monday, July 22, 2019

E Fraud Essay Example for Free

E Fraud Essay An e- fraud is considered to be an electronic crime that affects not only individuals businesses and governments but also allows for very negatively intelligent people and hackers to use their intelligence to log into other’s accounts use their credit card numbers and banking password and transact huge amounts of trade and money . it has been seen that e fraud is on the increase and this is because of the low levels of awareness, the inappropriate counter measures that are ineffective to handle this kind of fraud has led to e frauds being on the increase . The only area that has been actively involved in reducing the impact of fraud is the technical side leaving the other so many variables out of the purview of the e fraud scenario. This has made e fraud even more easier because there have been no mechanisms to reduce these occurrences and even if there are there has been limited penalties issued to the frauds that happen on the cyber space. Introduction: The complexity of modern enterprises, their reliance on technology, and the heightened Interconnectivity among organizations that is both a result and a driver of e-business these are rapidly evolving developments that create widespread opportunities for theft, fraud, and other forms of exploitation by offenders both outside and inside an organization â€Å" (KPMG 2000) The paper tries to assimilate and analyze the strategies that can be adopted by everyone who deals on the cyber space to protect their information and finances securely. This paper also tries to analyze why such frauds occurs and what can be done by stakeholders to minimize the occurrences and is it worthwhile an attempt to bring in a global governance ordinance which could help businesses and agencies nab the criminals . It is recorded that global e commerce sales are steadily growing and with this the e commerce fraud too. The eco system which has promoted the concept of ecommerce streams from the millions of shoppers and customers who use their debit and credit cards . Though online shopping is projected to be a very safe way of shopping and bank transactions through secured payment modes, frauds have been continually on the increase . It has been objectively researched that e commerce transactions have to be highly secured . Every transaction has to be screened for the following inputs . 1. Risk based authentication should be enabled for every transaction and to prove the integrity of the user. 2. Card holders‘s data has to be tokenized so that consumers identity can be authorized and protected. . Reputed brands should shut down phishing and Trojan attacks that make easy e commerce frauds. Some practical applications for reducing e commerce brands: Fraud detection and prevention by addressing the critical needs of the entire credit card eco system. Evaluating transactions for the risk and balancing risk activities in cards . High transaction abandonment rates that results from poor user experience . Reducing the compliance costs so that we e commerce frauds commitment costs become high . The following diagrammatic representation shows how the personal data ecosystem is subject to hacking by very professional hackers. (source:Google. com) Credit card fraud The credit card industry reports huge frauds conducted over the internet in the US alone, in the year 2010, $8. 6 billion card frauds occurred (Aite Group study). With worldwide electronic information sourcing and data storage and the thousands on online purchasing that is going on, the frequency of card usage has increased and this has resulted in financial institutions and cardholders becoming victims of e fraud . Countries worldwide have set up agencies to monitor e fraud and have their own agencies to take care of such crimes especially those related to the cyber space and those which happen on cyberspace and in ecommerce space . E commerce sales is expected to total almost $1 trillion by 2013. Ecommerce fraud is also growing along with this. Fraudulent transactions rose from 2. 7 billion in 2010 to $3. 4 billion in 2011 and are expected to grow exponentially. The use of internet has made these frauds possible. There are many reasons why these frauds occur. . The increasing complex software that is now being used to relay ecommerce has made the systems vulnerable to attacks . 2. There are thousands of malicious codes and other tools that help hackers and attackers . 3. The increasing use of high speed internet at homes with very little security makes attack much easy . 4. The rate at which technology is changing and the ease of adaptation to the new technology and the users rather slow pace in adopting to good computer security practices is another compelling reason for fraud . . the hidden costs that are involved in an ecommerce portal goes unnoticed because the security systems that have to take care of this and when systems are set up, there is always the likelihood that ambitious technology experts give least preference to securing the information site and privacy conditions People and business which conduct business online do not inform people of the expected frauds that could occur due to ecommerce transactions, because of this frauds happen . The lack of proper governance and regulation regarding type of penalties and punishments that would be given to fraud committers is rather slack . There are no world wide global laws to tackle such frauds and hence frauds that are committed online find no jurisdictional limits and so governments do not know how to pin point the responsibility . This loop hole has been used by fraudsters . The online world is full of pseudonyms and pseudo identities . Hence tracking such frauds also becomes very difficult. There are no experts who could be given the responsibility of tracking and strategizing how such frauds occur . Though technology now is slowly trying to understand the macro environment of the fraud related scenarios, the risk and costs associated with bringing in security is very high and hence the adaptability of such scenarios cannot be done by all firms who have e commerce portals . Stakeholders involvement in the vulnerability that exists across the value chain is seen as the most critical issue in a fraud . Crime congress global: This is an imitative taken by the agency to help stakeholders and victims of e commerce fraud to find effective solutions. This proves information security in all countries of the world to meet the challenges arising from e commerce. This agency prominently uses technology and provides technology solutions in partnership with the business community to prevent frauds through information security technology and information risk management, forensics, investigations, audit, risk, compliance and fraud. This agency has been conducting global awareness programs for reaching out to institutes, businesses and government to partner in helping reduce ccurrences of e fraud to strategic and technological challenges. This is a strategic initiative involving al stakeholders to proactively reduce the risks of ecommerce frauds and to defend IT systems from those threats which are emerging and to comply with relevant legal and regulatory laws . this initiative is a step towards combating the threat of the increasing cases of fraud. This partnership brings out very important initiatives to protect not only customers but a lso business houses from succumbing to the increasing menace of hackers. Technology solutions and other security solutions are placed in a consultative approach towards tackling this . If an international business committed copyright infringements then legal action under Criminal Jurisprudence legal action can be resorted to under Article 61 Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) where the loser has got legal recourse to his stolen property by means of criminal sanctions and which will thereby allow for legal and criminal punishment of the infringement and the infringer . t has been felt that all types of infringement should be punished with criminal sanctions. People can appeal under this act for legal action or they can hotlist an organization under cyber space if there are cases of patent stealing and web site hacking. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 also known as the CDPA can be used in cases where infringement has taken place. If an international business committed copyright infringements or steals a pa tent then as a victims we can take recourse under the above mentioned acts which give protection to IRP which are stolen and pirated and copied.. Early referral is said to be the best away to ensure that the evidence is properly secured and that all the investigative revenues are fully explored with the possible undercover law enforcement activities. Perhaps, communication with the law enforcement activities allows the victim to coordinate civil proceedings with the possible criminal enforcement. Though legally recourse is available it is easy to settle out of court because protection of copyright is a prelude to production of the material or product. People who invent need to protect their patents. Once the patent is protected then it cannot be copied or pirated as punishments are very severe in such cases. With so many innovations taking place in the US especially with cyber technology there has been very serious issue of pirating software and the Beijing convention has called for all member countries to come out with anti pirating laws which could effectively punish those who are caught. USA will have to worry about the number of infringements that are taking place. It has admitted legal course in serious cases but USA is neither able to gun down the culprit nor is it able to find means of putting an end to it because of the geographical distance which makes it impossible to monitor the use of technology. USA is very careful in dealing with countries where incidences of Infringement are very high and tries to bring in severe legal clauses to protect their interests. Computer forensics investigator and other laws A computer forensics investigator works with a pre determined notion of computer crimes. But that is not a sufficient coverage that should be catered. A computer forensics investigator looks upon other law system too such as data protection, data integrity, data control, audit of data components, investigation around the computer and etc. A forensics investigator moves with an initial priority of computer crime. But he should be well governed with other laws. This helps him to establish himself more concretely on the crime scene. He is prepared with the notion of covering up the areas totally in order to fully satisfy himself on the grounds that nothing is left behind. He checks into the data system, recovers the data, checks the integrity of the data, protects the data, looks for evidences around the computer, checks the network system of the accused person, goes more deeply with the computing system to enable him searching beyond the computers to narrow down his investigation procedure. Some other laws such as, human rights, digital rights, information system laws, computer laws are of special interest to him. This gives him the power to deal with any case that involves ethical computer crime. He is much more developed investigator if he is well adverse with the above law system. E Discovery E Discovery or Electronic Discovery refers to discovery in civil litigation. This discovery process deals with the exchange of information in the electronic format. Electronic Discovery is pretty useful for the forensics analysis. We know that Forensics analysis deals with the investigation of crime scene involving computer and cyber crimes and evidence is the prime source of investigation that leads to a successful procedure. Hence the investigator is pretty much confident about the E Discovery System. The investigator with the help of E Discovery processes such as Electronic messages, voicemail; smart phones etc recover every bit of information that is required in the gathering of evidence required for the forensics investigation. The whole process of collection data through E discovery and jotting it down to the report makes it much easier for the investigator. The E discovery has led to new developments and changes in the investigation system of the cyber crimes. With latest e discovery modes as mentioned above, an investigator is much more confident about its movement into the IT system of the accused criminal, and supporting the cause with rather strong and reliable evidences gathered. E discovery is a radical change in the process of investigation and has led to much more focused and integrated system of computer investigation. Conclusion The whole conclusion is based on the cyber crimes and the enacting system of law prevailing. The cyber crimes have increased in geometric progression over the years which have led to many disasters and crimes. With the increased number of crimes taking place day in day out, the laws have been made much stricter in order to ensure that the numbers of crime taking place gets minimized and there is a fear of messing up the computer system. The laws have addressed the message of intent of distorting computer systems which will constitute a crime. Many forensics investigators have been seen in the picture off late which governs the system of computer crime. These investigators are well adverse with the system laws and crime scenes. They effectively handle the situation and get to the desired results enabling quick and accurate reply to crime involved. Thus the laws have been successful over the years in minimizing computer threats and crimes. Ecommerce has revolutionized trade in many ways and consumers have also been cheated in ways that were unknown in traditional sales. In order to protect the consumers, traders on the internet and operators in the cyber space have got together to form associations and laws that would protect the consumers in the text of ecommerce. Though every country has passed consumer protection acts which are rules and regulations to protect the consumers from fraudulent trade practices in the market. There laws were enacted to protect the consumers and give them rights to ensure that they obtain truthful information and right products as so designed by the seller. The laws have been designed to protect consumers from businesses indulging in unlawful and unfair practices . The governments of all countries have passed regulations to protect the rights of consumers especially in those products where health and safety are chief ingredients. Consumer protection is also in the form of consumer rights which consumers can exercise through redressal grievance and consumer courts. This is the history behind the concept of consumer protection. In direct contrast to the traditional business where the buyer and seller are in direct contact with each other and the buyer can inspect the goods before buying, in ecommerce the communication is only through an electronic form and business is conducted in a paperless environment. More importantly the internet or e transactions play a very important role in helping buyers and in assisting in choice comparisons and locating a product on the internet. (http://www. apec. rg/apec/apec_groups/som_special_task_groups/electroniccommerce. html. Accessed on 13/2/04) Consumer concerns in e commerce starts form the point of instance as the buyer is not known to the seller and vice versa and hence the privacy and confidentiality aspect of a trade which has to be concluded needs authenticity. Consumers are worried about 1. The unfair marketing practices that sellers resort to on the web. 2. The terms of sale, refunds, cancellation of orders, warranty conditions 3. Enforceability of the contract, performance and non performance. . Delivery time, late deliveries and no delivery verification. 5. The most illegal use of information available on credit cards payment made for online purchases. 6. Fraud and cheating because transactions are not authenticated by any physical source. 7. unsafe products not confirming to safety standards. 8. Misuse of personal information for other purposes. Since majority of e commerce transactions lead to the buyer being put to a disadvantage the Issues relating to consumer disputed have to be minimized and arbitrated. t is all the more difficult because the sellers are beyond national jurisdiction as it happens on cyberspace and SO the risks that arise out of such trade has to be taken care of and the consumers have to be suitably protected. a landmark development n the form of the E -Commerce group otherwise known as The Electronic Commerce and Consumer Protection Group is constitute d by leading companies on the net like America Online, ATamp;T, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Network Solutions and Time Warner. These companies predominately deal in online sales of their products and so recognize the growing need of consumer protection and have addressed issues regarding consumer protection as best practices of industry and have created an environment which would allow consumers to resolve disputes arising on cyber space. The American Bar Association Task Force on E-commerce and Alternative Dispute Resolution is one of the best reference guide to consumer protection on the cyber space. This organization was asked to suggest workable guidelines that parties dealing in online transactions can use for ODR’s (online dispute redressal) . the complexity further arose from the fact that there was multijurisdictional disputes arising from B2B and B2c businesses. (THIS IS THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IS REFREED TO IN EXACT TEXT) To quote the words of the task force of the Ecommerce group â€Å"that there are many ways to help prevent as well as to help resolve disputes or complaints that arise from e-commerce transactions, the Task Force makes the following recommendations and observations: 1. E-commerce businesses should place an enhanced emphasis on all stages of dispute prevention, complaints handling, and effective methods of redress through ADR and ODR. 2. Internet merchants, governmental and nonprofit entities should place a greater emphasis on consumer education and the prevention of e-commerce disputes. 3. Protecting consumers requires adequate standards and codes of conduct for ecommerce businesses. 4. Internet merchants should be encouraged to participate in and subscribe to relevant e-commerce codes of conduct and trust mark programs. 5. Internet merchants should develop or continue to improve on their in-house complaints handling mechanisms, and educate consumers as to how to use these in-house procedures effectively. 6. For consumers, recourse to in-house complaints mechanisms is normally the first and best means to obtain redress from reputable merchants. Accordingly, consumers should be encouraged to utilize the in-house complaints handling mechanisms offered by reputable Internet merchants before resorting to third party dispute resolution mechanisms. 7. at present, the lack of ODR does not appear to be a material impediment to the growth of B2C e-commerce. . At present, ODR is subsidiary to other higher priority consumer protection activities, including consumer education and use of measures that help prevent or decrease the incidence of fraud in Internet transactions. 9. Recognizing that enforcement of outcomes and decisions reached through ODR may be difficult, consumers should be encouraged to consider using other dispute prevention mechanisms such as escrow services and credit card charge back mechanisms when transacting online. 10. Rather than create a code of conduct for ODR Service Providers, the Task Force has drafted Recommended Best Practices by ODR Service Providers. 1. The Task Force recommends the creation of a new informational entity (referred to as the ADRCenter) that would provide information about ODR in an effort to educate and familiarize consumers, businesses, lawyers and other professionals with this new type of service. 12. For the advancement of ODR as an effective and efficient means of cross-border dispute resolution for both B2B and B2C transactions, there needs to be an appropriate emphasis on the development of interoperable communication and data-sharing platforms. 3. The Task Force believes that much of the education that will be useful for consumers will also be useful for businesses especially small to medium sized enterprises and those who are new to the Internet marketplace and to cross-border transactions. ( Task force quoted verbatim) among all of ecommerce frauds the greatest of consumer complaints arose from identity thefts. The Federal trade commission has released statistics stating that out of 2004,000 complaints received from consumers 42% elated to fraud and identity of the seller, followed by internet auctions which constituted 10%,followed by other non performances like non delivery of goods, inferior quality goods, trial offers from the net, shop at home offers and so on. This only reiterates that consumers have to be protected and laws of cyber space have to be strictly regulated to afford consumer protection. Consumer protection measures were seen very importantly in the light of an interactive poll which shows the increased awareness of consumers against online frauds . They were dissuaded by online shopping and cited some of the reasons why they had not shopped recently. 57% said that they were worried about their credit card number being stolen,57% were worried about confidentiality measures being violated,38% doubted the integrity on the seleers,26% wanted some personal attention to be given while they shopped,37% doubted the reliability of the sellers,47% said that wanted to physically inspect the product and 25% cited many unknown reasons. source: Harris interactive)It was increasingly felt that consumer education will be able to help protect consumers better. It also shows increased concerns about consumers not knowing how to transact online. It is suggested that traders using the electronic media need to given all information that is required for consumers to feel safe about shopping online . Quoting Internet merchants association ,† Merchants need to have greater and enhanced disclosure on their websites as well as heightened compliance with relevant consumer protection law. † Another pertinent consumer protection data and study conducted by a New Zealand organization on 700 web sites explicitly brought out the consumers heightened awareness of ecommerce frauds and consumers came out with their reasons of the need for protecting their rights against fraudulent organizations. They said that 50% of the vendors had not installed security measures on the payment options, 62% did not speak of refund policies, 78% said that the vendors did not advice customers of how to lodge complaints,90% said that they did not know about laws pertaining to consumer redresses and 25% said that the vendors did not show physical address. Despite all this majority of consumers preferred to shop online so laws pertaining to consumer protection need to be implemented in its fullest sense. Consumers International released its [emailprotected] net study in which it concluded: that though almost all the traders online collected data regarding the personal information of the buyers very few of them institutionalized a privacy policy regarding the use of the information that the buyer gave. Though these were correct measures to provide security, majority of these proved meaningless to the buyers. it was very common in the US and Europe to find traders giving scant respect to global standards on data privacy. Even the basic principles of informing the customers of how the data will be used, how the firm will access the data , how the consumer can use the data and how the security of the data is sought and maintained is not disclosed. A comparative study of the sites of USA and UK are no different with regard to privacy policy as both played on the information made available to them. The US online trading sites set decent privacy policies which looked good enough to follow. In The European trading sites the consumers had the law backing them up and the presence of an ombudsman and a government representative in the form of a data protection officer took care of the consumer rights and protection if breached. He also intervened to speak on behalf of the consumers if the law was tampered with . in fact it is sad to know that both the countries have left little choice to consumers in terms of data protection.. † This was a comparative study of the European merchants and the USA merchants. But both of them accepted the fact that consumer protection was a must if their sales and revenues had to increase. As a step towards greater protection measures to consumers the task force on ecommerce and protection said that various disputes redressal mechanisms have to be introduced in the form of dispute prevention like education of consumers, feedback collection from consumers, ombudsman appointments, negotiations, mediation, arbitrators, and assessment of valid consumer grievances.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Mating and gender of the clownfish

Mating and gender of the clownfish The Clownfish belongs to the family Pomacentridae, with many species, many belonging to the genus Amphiprion while one belongs to the Premnas genus (Godwin 1994 p 556). The fish has many colors which depend on the species. A symbiotic relationship exists between the fish and the sea anemone that offers protection to the fish due to its stinging nature. On the other hand, the fish protects the sea anemone from harm that could be caused by hard undigested particles through feeding on them. The fish spawn on the sea anemone. A fully grown dominant female may grow to a total length of 11/2 feet, while the small adult Clownfish may be as small as 4 inches. The fish thrive in the warm waters of the tropics (Maddern 1990 p 36). They are mainly found in the salty waters of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. The excretion from the fish is a major source of nourishment for the sea anemone that absorbs the nutrients emanating from fecal matter. More over, the movements of the Clownfish in the wa ter surrounding the sea anemone, especially when fanning the eggs are significant for water circulation, which is significant for the distribution of nutrients for the nourishment of the sea anemone (Drury 2008 p 63). The Clownfish is covered by a mucus coating around its body which as Wittenrich et al. (2007 p 93) observed are derived from sugars, which is one of the factors that prevents the stinging reaction of the sea anemone as the nematocysts are triggered by the presence of protein based substances in the surrounding. The fish dwell in one sea anemone as a group, which means that several sea anemones will host different groups of fish (Godwin 1994 p 561). In other words one sea anemone is the territory of one small group of fish. Clownfish is one of the aquatic organisms whose sex remains a subject of controversy. It is generally known that the fish is capable of switching its sex. This essay is a critique of the Clownfish mating process and gender changes that occur, as well as an exploration of the different species. Gender Changes The ability to switch sex is one of the aspects that make the fish unique especially the fact that this can happen to any adult fish. Kuwamora Nakashima (1998 p 126) observe that during hatching, the fish are usually one sex, i. e, all males. The dominant male that becomes larger than all the rest during adult stage develops in to a female. None other develops in to a female so long as the dominant female is alive. The fish that follows in terms of size becomes the dominant male, while the rest remain small inactive males (Godwin 1994 p 558). These phenomena lead to the questions as to why only one of them develops in to a female and assumes the normal role female fish. Questions also arise as to why the second largest male does not undergo the same process. However, these changes point at dominance as the major determinant of the sex change. The males that remain are usually inactive and remain at the bottom of the hierarchy that is headed by the dominant female followed by the dominant male. Another interesting phenomenon is in case the dominant female dies. The dominant male undergoes a sex reversal and assumes the role of the dominant female, which starts reproducing. The death of the dominant female leads to a rearrangement of the hierarchy since the largest male in the juvenile group develops in to the dominant male and begins mating. Godwin (1994 p 558) observe that the need to fill the gap left by the reproducing female triggers the degeneration of the male organs and the development of the ovaries from the female ovary cells that remain dormant when the fish is male. This is an indication that even if the Clownfish are hatched with the male sex, there are certain dormant ovarian cells that remain standby until when need arises. There seems to be an interconnection between the physiology of the fish and the social aspects of the group. The social gap created by the death of the female is filled by the mating male; leaving another gap whereby there lacks a dominant male, which on the other hand has to be filled by a male from a lower group of males in the hierarchy. Each group of Clownfish inhabiting a particular sea anemone has got its own hierarchy, and they do not mix. This is an indication of the social bond that exists within the groups whose stability is maintained by all members (Kuwamora Nakashima 1998 p 128). It means that if the reproducing female is alive and functional, no other male regardless of the size can develop in to a female. On the other hand, no fish in the lower group can change sex to become the dominant male while one already exists. In a way, one may infer that it is due to loyalty of the lower groups to the dominant male and female that they do not change their sex or grow to a large size to outdo the fish in the upper level of the hierarchy. This is because they have the capacity to become larger and change their sex, but they do not. Maddern (1990 p 36) notes that each fish has to ensure that its body mass remain lower by a quarter of the average weight of the dominant fish, or else it may be ejected out of the grou p. This has enabled the fish to avoid any impending conflicts that may arise between the dominant group and the lower group. However, the initial vigor of development from the larvae stage determines whether the larvae will develop in to one of the dominant fish in the group. The ones that develop at a high rate have a high chance of becoming dominant. The behavior of the fish generates interest to research on the reasons behind the unique behavior. One wonders why the social aspect of the group is largely connected to their physiology. More over, how the fish regulate their size to maintain a lower body mass than the dominant fish is an important issue that needs further research. It is important to understand how they are able to determine the amount of feeds and aggressiveness that helps in the maintenance of a small size, which can only be changed when there arises a vacant position created by the death of one of the dominant fish. In order for the fish to qualify for change of sex, they have to be mature, which Tullock (1998 p 54) argues should be more than one year of age and the environment needs to be favorable for the change of sex. The environment that determines the success of the fish in changing sex is that within the social group. A favorable environment means that there has to be an opportunity for the fish to join t he dominant group. Without the absence of the female, no change of sex can occur. On the other hand, there can be a dominant female but the group may lack a dominant male, necessitating the movement of one of the fish in the lower groups to the dominant group. Maddern (1990 p 33) further notes that even if two male clownfish were put together under controlled conditions, one of them that is more dominant than the other has to become the female, while the other becomes the mating male. On the other hand, Tullock (1998 p 67) further observes that a lone crown fish will develop in to a female if allowed to develop to a full grown fish. One can therefore infer that development in to a female is dependent of other larger and fast growing fish that are likely do dominate the group. However, this applies for the smaller fish since if one small fish is allowed to grow on its own in the absence of other fish; it develops in to a female. This means that all the Clownfish are bound to become females if there are no other fish to compete with for dominance (Kuwamora Nakashima 1998 p 128). Mating amongst the Clownfish Mating in the Clownfish is usually ceremonial, which leads to spawning of eggs and fertilization. The fish engage in courtship prior to spawning. The behavior of the males changes to aggressiveness, which rises as the male approaches the actual mating. Wittenrich et al. (2007 p 95) observes that the male usually turns its aggressiveness towards the substrate beneath the water. On the other hand, the female joins in there after, leaving both sexes charging towards the substrate. This is the period that is regarded as courtship (Wilkerson 2003 p 66). This aggressive behavior continues until the final days prior to mating when it becomes more intense. They even become aggressive towards other fish that come close to the mating area. The courtship, as Godwin (1994 p 551) observe is usually brief and involves certain pretentious behavior of the female to attract the male and vise versa. The sea anemone plays a significant role during mating and spawning of eggs. Both fish take part in the clearance of debris and any other solid particles that may interfere with the eggs. The female later lays the eggs on the selected side of the sea anemone. They usually find the softest substrate that is favorable for the delicate eggs. The fish usually pinch one of the tentacles of the sea anemone, which makes it retract as a reaction to the nip. The tentacle settles at the selected spawning area by the female. Before laying the eggs, the female makes certain that it is the most appropriate area to spawn by making some trials that are simi1ar to laying eggs but not real. The actual laying of eggs usually comes later after ensuring that the environment is favorable. Maddern (1990 p 39) observed that the eggs are usually sticky in nature, and that they can not float on water. They stick on the substrate and the male swims closely behind as the female lays the eggs. After completing spawning of eggs for a period of 2 hours, the male is usually ready to shed the sperms to fertilize them. The fertilized eggs remain stuck on the soft substrate, where both fish offer protection against intruders who might cause harm. With the exhaustion from spawning, the female gets to feeding while the male is left to shield the eggs fr om attack. Hoff (1996 p 86) observes that the male is usually highly aggressive in defending the nest. More over, the male is also involved in aerating the eggs through flapping its fins. It also selects and eats the infected eggs that may not have a chance to survive. Any matter that falls on the eggs is removed by the male. In other words, the male is usually very active through out mating and after the eggs have been laid to the time that the larvae will be hatched. The female can shed up to more than 2000 eggs in one spawning season. However, the number of eggs usually depends on the size of the reproducing female. The larger the female the more the eggs it can produce (Tullock 1998 p 63). This could also be another reason as to why the large males are the ones that change in to dominant females. The mating area is also a determinant of the survival of the eggs and the strength of the fry. Wilkerson (2003 p 68) observes that it is important for the aquaculture of Clown fish to be practiced carefully to avoid mixing the species in one area whereby they are likely to stress each other. Different species are unlikely to survive together since they will constantly fight injuring each other, which is likely to make them unable to lay eggs. In controlled conditions, the presence of a sea anemone makes the environment more like the natural environment, which facilitates spawning. The fish under go the normal process of mating, laying eggs and taking care of them as they would do in the wild. However, this would require an extra task of raising the sea anemone and maintaining it while on the other hand maintaining the fish. It may be a costly venture to undertake in aquaculture. However, it is not mandatory to have the sea anemone for the Clownfish to mate and spawn in controlled conditions. The fish can also spawn in rocks whose ruggedness offers hiding places. However, the same characteristic as in the wild whereby the fish cleans the substrate on the surfaces where the eggs are laid occurs during mating under controlled conditions. Hoff (1996 p 89) observes that the mature and ready to mate Clownfish usually tend to scrub rocks with the mouth as well as fins, in a similar way as the way they clean the substrate to have a clean ground for laying eggs. The eggs get stuck to the eggs where they get fertilized by the male that swims after the female. The fish that are satisfied with the artificial environment, i. e. that which is almost similar to the natural environment are likely to lay more healthy eggs (Wilkerson 2003 p 66). Species of Clownfish There are many fish species of Clownfish which differ mainly in color as well as in many other aspects such as the structure of the fins. For example, the Amphiprion percula is one of the species of Clownfish that has a characteristic extended level band at the central point of its body. The fish is also referred to as the anemone fish, which has a distinct orange color. It also possesses some black marks as well as white strips on the fins. The structure of the dorsal fin is one of the distinguishable characteristics as it possesses 10 spines (Maddern 1990 p 61). The species is known to reproduce through out the year since it inhabits the warmer regions that are favorab3le for breeding. The fish live in groups of 6, including the dormant males. The hierarchy of the group is that of the typical Clownfish, and it exhibits all the other characteristics of the Clownfish such as change of sex. The Amphiprion clarkii is also one of the hardy Clown fishes that are highly resistant to diseases. They come in diverse colors such as yellow, white, grey and brown. These colors are also diverse on the fins and the tail, while it is missing in others. The fish are recommended for aquariums due to their hardiness as they do not need specialized care. Amphiprion ocellaris is also one of the species with distinct characteristics such as black stripes on the fins as well as an elongated dorsal fin (Tullock 1998 p 65). Premnas biaculeatus has a reddish color on their body which tends to be more inclined towards brown in some fish within the species. They have white strips along their spine. These colors are distinct from most of the other fish species. Amphiprion frenatus is a species in which juveniles tend to be dark red and black as they develop in to adults. Amphiprion sandarcinos, Amphiprion perideraion, Amphiprion frenatus and Amphiprion melanopus are also among the many species o f Clownfish that can be differentiated especially through the color of their bodies (Wittenrich et al 2007 p 95). Conclusion Clownfish is one of the hardy fish species that inhabit the warm areas of sea, such as the Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific Ocean. They belong to the genus Amphiprion, and are greatly colored, which makes them good for ornamental aquaculture. In the wild, the fish usually live in groups that demonstrate a hierarchical association. The highest in the hierarchy is usually the reproducing female, which are the dominant and the largest fish in a group. The fish have a rare behavior of changing sex depending on need. The larvae are usually male, but they are capable of developing in to females. Only the dominant and largest male develops in to a female, while the second largest male in the group develops in to the mating males. The only time that there can be a change in the hierarchical structure is when the female is eliminated from the group through death, leading the mating male to become the female and the larger male in the lower level of the hierarchy to become the mating male ( Drury 2008 p 63). The mating of the Clownfish takes place without complications. The sea anemone is highly supportive to the existence of the Clownfish. It offers protection through its poisonous stings to the predators. The Clownfish is not taken as a predator by the sea anemone because of the mucus covering on its body that comprises of sugars. The relationship between the sea anemone and the Clownfish is usually symbiotic, whereby each derives some advantage from the other. There are many species of Clown fish that can be distinguished through their body color as well as the body structure. However, they exhibit a similar behavior (Maddern 1990 p 41).

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Pauline Hanson: A True Visionary :: essays research papers

Mr Acting Speaker, in making my first speech in this place, I congratulate you on your election and wish to say how proud I am to be here as the Independent member for Oxley. I come here not as a polished politician but as a woman who has had her fair share of life’s knocks. My view on issues is based on common-sense, and my experience as a mother of four children, as a sole parent, and as a business woman running a fish and chip shop. I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my comment that Aboriginals received more benefits than non-Aboriginals. We now have a situation where a type of reverse racism is applied to mainstream Australians by those who promote political correctness and those who control the various taxpayer funded ‘industries’ that flourish in our society servicing Aboriginals, multiculturalists and a host of other minority groups. In response to my call for equality for all Australians, the most noisy criticism came from the fat cats, bureaucrats and the do-gooders. They screamed the loudest because they stand to lose the most—their power, money and position, all funded by ordinary Australian taxpayers. Present governments are encouraging separatism in Australia by providing opportunities, land, monies and facilities available only to Aboriginals. Along with millions of Australians, I am fed up to the back teeth with the inequalities that are being promoted by the government and paid for by the taxpayer under the assumption that Aboriginals are the most disadvantaged people in Australia. I do not believe that the colour of one’s skin determines whether you are disadvantaged. As Paul Hasluck said in parliament in October 1955 when he was Minister for Territories: The distinction I make is this. A social problem is one that concerns the way in which people live together in one society. A racial problem is a problem which confronts two different races who live in two separate societies, even if those societies are side by side. We do not want a society in Australia in which one group enjoy one set of privileges and another group enjoy another set of privileges. Hasluck’s vision was of a single society in which racial emphases were rejected and social issues addressed. I totally agree with him, and so would the majority of Australians.

The Flat Tax Essay -- Economics

The Flat Tax The â€Å"consumption tax† as a replacement for the income tax is at least a subject of noteworthy question and debate. It seems as though, the means in relation to the ends are not always justifiable, but when approached properly, can benefit all. To answer the question of whether a consumption tax should be applied, I examined both my morals and my ideas of capitalism and free enterprise in relation to democracy. Is it fair to establish a tax that rewards the already wealthy and pose a threat to the already shaky financial standing of the poor? No; but a system that rewards success is important. So what is the solution? As an American, I am infused with the spirit of capitalism. While this is a wonderful thing, we must carefully draw the line between the tendency of capitalism towards over individualism and over extended tax burden. The burden to which I refer is of course, largely progressive taxes. With a tax system that is overly progressive (such as the present law system) we risk removing the incentive to invest in America’s companies and also remove money from the pockets of would be employers. As I examine the opposing idea of a regressive tax system, with which I am equally at odds, I find it to be morally repugnant to punish the poor simply for their lower economic standing. With the notion that income tax is going to tend towards the progressive side in the U.S., I feel that repealing such a liability may be beneficial for the Americ...

Friday, July 19, 2019

Privacy and Confidentiality in the Electronic Medical Record Essay

It was just yesterday when Electronic health records was just introduced in healthcare industry. People were not ready to accept it due to higher cost and consumption of time associated in training people and adopting new technology. Despite of all this criticism, use of Internet and Electronic Health records are now gaining its popularity among health care professionals, as it is the most effective way to communicate with patient and colleagues. More and more hospitals and clinics are getting rid of paper base filling system and investing in cloud base storage. According to HIMSS The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. It includes information from patient demographics, medications, to the laboratory reports. Introduction of Electronic Medical Records in healthcare organizations was to improve the quality care and to lessen the cost by standardizing the means of communication and reducing the errors. However, it raises the â€Å"eyebrows† of many when it comes to patient confidentiality and privacy among healthcare organization. The Problem is 1. Transfer of Information- The problem is remote access of the health records and pooling of large number of data for various purposes like research program and lab work, may lead to an error and confusion. 2. Lack of information centralization- Many patients keep their own records of blood sugars, weight and blood pressure by using various Internet tools. However, healthcare providers cannot access these records because they cannot streamline those records with EHR. 3. Security theft - Internet tools like Google health and Microsoft Vault provides conveni... ...idence of users by agreeing to the policy that the data submitted to their cloud platform will be kept confidential. (Ryan, 2011) The cloud computing is still under development but if it can manage to maintain information privacy and confidentiality than it will become revolutionary in healthcare field. And we never know, in future science and technology might introduce more advanced level of apps and service with enhanced level of privacy and security measures. Patient personalized health cards are also long underling technology that might provide patient a freedom of owning his/her PHI. Transferring data from one hospital to another wouldn’t be a challenge with this password protected health cards. Privacy wouldn’t be much of an issue as all the information is stored in the chip of the card that can be retrieve by a healthcare provider or by patient when needed.