The Secret Of The Vietnam War - 1144 Words

Most Americans are aware of the Vietnam war, but have never heard of the Secret War in Laos. The War in Laos was the first of it’s kind; it was the CIA’s first ever paramilitary operation during the Cold War. My family is connected to the time period of the Cold War because my grandfather was sent to a prison camp by the Communists after the US withdrew from Indochina. My family was affected by the event because after escaping the camp and seeking refuge in Thailand, my grandfather immigrated to the United States and most of our family is living here now. In the 19th century, France colonized â€Å"Indochina†- what is now known as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia- to exploit the environment for economic gain, under the guise of wanting to spread†¦show more content†¦The Hmong are an ethnic group of people who live in the mountains of Laos. They were seen as uncivilized barbarians by Laotians, Thai and Vietnamese people. The CIA hired them to become soldiers i n the Secret War, due to their strength, fighting spirit, and expert knowledge of the terrain. As the war intensified, the US sent fighter-bombers to assist Hmong ground forces against the Pathet Lao (Lao Communist soldiers). According to Kurlantzick, by 1973 the US had conducted more than 580,000 bombing runs over Laos. â€Å"In 1969 alone,† writes Kurlantzick, â€Å"the United States dropped more bombs on Laos than it did on Japan during all of World War II.† Yet, due to lax congressional oversight and media ignorance the American people knew very little about any of this. When the US withdrew in 1975, the Hmong rightly felt betrayed. They were left without support, supplies, and nowhere to go. Most Hmong were hunted down by the Communists and thrown into reeducation camps along with anyone else who resisted the new Communist government. Immediately after the Communists took over, people were sent to what they called â€Å"seminars† or â€Å"reeducation camps†. These camps were the centerpiece of the new regime s policy towardShow MoreRelatedThe Secret War And How It Affected The Hmong People1230 Words   |  5 PagesTOPIC: The Secret War and how it affected the Hmong people. SPECIFIC PURPOSE: At the end of my speech, my audience will get a better sense of what the Secret War was and how it affected the Hmong people. INTRODUCTION: Just by the name itself, it can already be implied to what the â€Å"Secret War† was. It was a war that was kept as a secret from the public, and by public, I mean the American public. Many of you may wonder what exactly is the secret war, and I will explain that throughout my speech. ButRead MoreThe Mystery War Against Hanoi1137 Words   |  5 PagesThose mystery War Against Hanoi: Kennedy s Also Johnson s utilization of Spies, Saboteurs, Furthermore secret Warriors Previously, north Vietnam, Eventually Tom s perusing Richard H. Shultz, jr. , 1999, HarperCollins Books, new york. At once At goes about about military hostility perpetrated alternately wanted Eventually Tom s perusing the us government need aid regularly advocated in the sake about battling international terrorism, a book need seemed which documents America s part ConcerningRead MoreEssay about The Secret War in Laos: Why Was It a Secret?1635 Words   |  7 Pagesimportant it may be for the general population t o know. In the beginning of the Vietnam War, Laos was declared a neutral zone at a conference in Geneva by the United States and the Soviet Union (Jones, 2007). As the disputes about Laos’ future government structure continued, the United States believed it was time to take action and continue their fight against communism (Young; Buzzanco, 2006). The Americans were fighting the Cold War for the containment of communism and to make the world safe for democracyRead MoreOperation Paperclip : The Secret Intelligence Program1731 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough the book, Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America, by Annie Jacobsen, and the documentary film, The Last Days in Vietnam both give insight and awareness to different events in history, they both share a political economic theme in reference to the question, â€Å"what does it mean to be human?† So, what does it mean to be human? There are many interpretations as to how one can answer this question. One answer would be equality. Equality isRead Moreâ€Å"Today It Is Becoming Increasingly Apparent To Thoughtful938 Words   |  4 Pagesabroad and maintain any form of imperialism at home. The war has done this to our thinking.†(Willkie). After a war, a responsible superpower would provide the ideals of a democracy, such as popular sovereignty and limited government. However after the second world war, the United States acted opposite of its highest standards, instead keeping in mind only of expansionism and corrupted ways to be the best. In its world interventions in Vietnam, Nicaragua and Afghanistan, the US behaved more as an empireRead MoreThe Vietnam War On The United States964 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam War is a more frequently and familiar name for the Second Indochina War. It was the longest war America has fought in. The Vietnam War had an impact on the A merican people, since it was the first war to ever be broadcasted on television. The country was able to see what was happening on the battleground. This war would have lasting effects on the United States and the nation it divided. The Vietnam war started way before America became involved (1955–1975). Indochina, which includedRead MoreAnd The Saigon Government Has Pledged To Accept The Result1496 Words   |  6 PagesAnd the Saigon Government has pledged to accept the result of the elections.† It was because of this that he announces the Nixon Doctrine, with this he limits US involvement in wars by stating that the nation would send support through aid and other means but no more ground troops would be sent. â€Å"Well, in accordance with this wise counsel, I laid down in Guam three principles as guidelines for future American policy toward Asia: First, the United States will keep all of its treaty commitments.Read MorePresident Nixons International and Domestic Challenges Essay1584 Words   |  7 Pagesdomestic challenges in the United States between 1968 and 1974, some positive and some negative. His achievements in expanding peaceful relationships with both China and the Soviet Union are contrastingly different with his continuation of the Vietnam War. In the end, Nixon’s scandals and abuse of presidential power caught up to him, and his administration did much to corrode America’s faith in the government. In 1968, Richard Nixon gave his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention(DocRead MoreMarvin Gaye Whats Going On Analysis795 Words   |  4 PagesWritten towards the end of the Vietnam War, What’s Going On would touch on subjects including war protests, unification of the American people, and the poor treatment of veterans. Gaye’s brother served in Vietnam, and much of this album shows the brother’s thoughts and feelings when he returns. Throughout his album, Marvin Gaye uses his own experiences to give us a look at why he and many others had a dissatisfaction with society and the government during the Vietnam War era in the United States. TheRead MoreEssay on Conflict in Indochina1156 Words   |  5 Pagesand self-nationalism in Vietnam was evident as early as the 15th century, when historian Nguyen Trai stated â€Å"although we have been at times strong, and at times weak, we have always been Vietnamese and this will never change.† The importance and significance of nationalism and establishing a sense of self-determination was of vital concernment to the Vietnamese, in both the North and South of the country. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North) and the Republic of Vietnam (South) were both driving

Titanic Essay example - 1744 Words

One of the greatest news headlines of all times was actually never supposed to happen. The shocking news of the sunken ocean liner the Titanic shocked millions. The sinking itself probably wouldn’t have even mattered except that the builders themselves said that the ship simply could not sink. The news not only hit the United States, but countries everywhere were saddened to hear the news of â€Å"The Unsinkable† and its grave end. In 1907 a man named J. Bruce Ismay, who was the manager of White Star Lines went to a dinner party at the mansion of the wealthy William James Pierre. Pierre was a chairman to one of the largest shipbuilding companies in Belfast, Harland and Wolff. At dinner the two discussed luxury ships like the Lusitania and the†¦show more content†¦the lookouts of the Titanic, which was moving around 20  ½ knots, sight a gigantic iceberg straight in their course. The warning bell is immediately sounded. Quick after, Sixth Officer Moody relays the message to First Officer Murdoch who calls the engine room and tells the engineers to turn off the engines and turn the ship hard. Thirty-seven seconds of heart stopping time later, the iceberg strikes the ship on the starboard bow side. The impact is not noticed by most of the passengers. After some time it is reported to the Capitan that the ship is taking on water rapidly, flooding the holds and boiler rooms. Thomas Andrews, Capitan Smithâ €™s assistant, calculates how much longer the ship can stay afloat and the estimation was two and a half hours only. The ship sends out distress signals, and many ships hear and prepare to assist the Titanic. At 12:20 A.M. orders are given to have women and children start to board lifeboats. Most lifeboats only left holding only a fraction of what they were capable of. The last words heard by neighboring ships by the Titanic were heard at 1:45 A.M. Still holding over one thousand five hundred people, the ships head sinks under water. All of the lights on the Titanic go out, and a huge roar is heard as all of the objects not bolted to the floor fly towards the submerged bow. At that point the ship breaks in two, and approximately two minutes later, the remaining stern settles again, fills with water and slowly sinks into the ocean.Show MoreRelatedTitanic : The Titanic Of Titanic1650 Words   |  7 Pages The Titanic: Dreams That Led to Disaster â€Å"The Titanic was the dream ship that no one ever thought could be destroyed.† The sinking of it was a horrible tragedy. The loss of lives was due to the design, the materials, and that the crew didn’t have updated technology. Maybe if they had more tools or less people, the Titanic wouldn’t have sunk (â€Å"Titanic: Flaws†). Is it true that the Titanic sunk because of an iceberg? History of the Titanic The Titanic was inspired by White Star’s competitor CunardRead MoreThe Titanic : A Titanic1384 Words   |  6 PagesR.M.S Titanic â€Å"Not even God himself could sink this ship,† an employee of the White Star Line carelessly stated at the launch of the Titanic on May 31, 1911. (Exhibit: Titanic) In April of 1912, the Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, to New York City in what is one of history’s deadliest disasters at sea. Unfortunately, the Titanic, on its maiden and final voyage, never reached its destination. Built by Harland and Wolf to be â€Å"unsinkable†, the Titanic was 883 feet long, 92 feet wide,Read MoreThe Titanic Of A Titanic1219 Words   |  5 Pages The Titanic crashed at 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the British ocean liner sinks into the North Atlantic Ocean. The massive ship, which carried 2,200 passengers and crew, had struck an iceberg two and half hours before sinking. The beginning which is the construction of the Titanic took 3 years with the help anywhere from three thousand to fifteen thousand men. The RMS Titanic took sail April 11, 1912 from Southampton, England in the hopes of New York City. The Titanic s passengers were dividedRead MoreTitanic Evaluation786 Words   |  4 Pagesthinking about watching the film Titanic, but are worried it is just a boring reenactment of the sinking of the Titanic? Let me put your worries to rest by telling you this movie is an invigorating, heart wrenching, and thrilling film that will surely go down in history as a classic. If you find romance to be revolting this is certainly not the film for you. Each moment the main characters spend together is filled with passion, and the exc itement of finding new love. Titanic has all the redeeming qualitiesRead MoreThe Titanic : The Tuking Of The Titanic1236 Words   |  5 PagesThe sinking of the Titanic is one most well-known shipwreck in modern day history and its still being written and told about even a century later. The causation of the sinking has been debated heavily since the crash in 1912 and many so-called experts of the titanic disagree with another on this issue. There has been new development when the ship was discovered in 1985 and examined by experts. Leading people that the sinking was caused by three major turning points. The first being the failuresRead MoreMovie Analysis : Titanic Movie Titanic 1455 Words   |  6 Pagesof the most paramount things in life. This is one of the main themes, along with that of arrogance, in the Oscar nominated movie â€Å"Titanic†, a love story about a young man and woman. Their love is shown throughout the depths of this movie through dialogue, camera ang les, by the use of music, and how you can distinguish the character development in Rose. To begin, â€Å"Titanic† is a movie about the emerging yet proscribed love of young Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet, who is of the upper classRead MoreTitanic Film Analysis1254 Words   |  6 PagesThe Titanic: It Won’t Wreck Your Expectations Jaina Bahirwani A couple meets on a ship and wants to fly off around the world together, only to discover they will have to survive a shipwreck first. We’ve all heard about it. And we love it. The Titanic is a lengthy movie, but James Cameron’s exceptional adaptation of the event makes it worth your while. Although this might not be Mr. Cameron’s usual film style, the fact that he is one of the most versatile and skillful directors of our time becameRead MoreTitanic Essay2029 Words   |  9 PagesTitanic Essay Many people across the world watch films. It is so popular because it puts a story on the screen and into life so that people can see it. People watch films for the entertainment value, or are simply too lazy to read and enjoy the magic of a book. The advantages of watching a film at the cinema rather than on video is the bigger screen, and the surround sound, also the atmosphere. This all adds up and creates a bigger impact than a video. PeopleRead MoreTitanic Film Analysis704 Words   |  3 Pageshours of April 15th 1912, the luxury steamship R.M.S Titanic sank during its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic after sideswiping an iceberg. Of the 2,240 passengers on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. Since its doomed maiden voyage, Titanic has remained a fixture of public consciousness and popular culture. The most famous example of this is James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic. This film centres on the fictional love story of charactersRead MoreTitanicï ¼Ë†Movie Reviewï ¼â€°1643 Words   |  7 PagesTitanic I went into Titanic with trepidation: it is being hailed as one of the best love stories depicted on film. Cynical as I am, I dont think much of movies with a romantic theme to them. However, I was curious to see the spectacle that director James Cameron had created. Fortunately for me, Titanic is not only great in terms of action, effects, and visuals, but also provides excellent commentary on the issue of the class struggle. Jack Dawson (Leonardo Di Caprio) is a young boy who wins passage

Theories of learning free essay sample

Introduction:Theories of learning have been developed, argued and challenged extensively over the past century and yet we can continue to debate which method of teaching encourages the most effective learning.Throughout the 1900s psychologists and educators have developed learning theories from observations, research and an innate curiosity to know more about how and why children learn in different ways.The act of learning has been described in countless ways by countless people both past and present. However, it is the process of how exactly children learn that usually sparks the most fascinating discussions.From a number of psychologists and theorists, in a little over the last century we have come to learn that there are many different types of learning and teaching styles. In the following essay we will look at some constructivists theories and how these methods differ and how each can be applied and put into practice in an early years setting. Constructivism:Constructivism is a theory about knowledge and learning. It describes both what knowing is and how one comes to know (Fosnot, 2004). It is a learning theory found in psychology which explains how people might acquire knowledge and learn and it has a direct application to education (Sydney.edu.au, 2018). It is an approach to teaching and learning based on the idea that learning is the result of mental construction, meaning that students learn by fitting new information together with what they knew previously (Deiner, 2010). The constructivist theory aims to allow the student the freedom to use their own thoughts, curiosity and motivation to learn. The teacher or director acts mostly as a facilitator to the needs of the learner, the learner occupies the top position rather than the teacher. Hands-on, project-based and task-based learning are just a few applications that base teaching and learning on constructivism.Piaget:In the past constructivist ideas were not highly valued due to peoples beliefs that a childs play was aimless and of little importance, Piaget was one of the first to disagree with these old-style views. He thought that play was necessary for a childs cognitive development, he went on to provide scientific evidence for his views and today constructivist theories influence how people teach and learn all over the world (Boy and Pine, 1999).He believed that thinking is in a way an extension of biological adaptation. The two basic processes of the mechanism are accommodation and assimilation. Accommodation occurs when a child adjusts or alters their way of thinking to make sense of new information that they cannot explain by their existing way of thinking. Assimilation occurs when they incorporate new information into existing information (Sheehy, 2006).Before psychologists such as John Dewey and Jean Piaget articulated the idea of constructivism, teaching methods relied heavily on behaviourists theories such as that of Skinner or Pavlov. Teaching was very much a practice of finding an action that could cause a reaction in a student causing said student to behave in a manner that the teacher deemed appropriate. Learning was through didactic measures and rote learning. Piaget is one of the first to encourage the move from behaviourism to constructivism in teaching and still has a huge impact on how we as teachers learn to teach todayPiaget believed that people constructed new information from past knowledge and experiences (Robins, 2012). He believed that intellectual growth is continuous he also believed that certain mental abilities were stronger at certain stages of development. He developed four stages of cognitive development and believed that every person would go through each stage at some point, he also believed that everyone would pass through the stages in the same order but at a different time. His four stages of cognitive development are:†¢ The sensory motor stage. Piaget believed this stage of development took place between the ages of birth and two years. It is known as the action stage and occurs before language is developed.†¢ The Pre-operational stage: This stage is when the child is between the ages of two and seven years old. The key feature of this stage is a childs egocentrism. During this time Piaget believed a child cannot yet take other peoples points of view into consideration.†¢ The Concrete Operational Stage: This occurs when the child is between the ages of seven and eleven years old. During this stage the egocentrism declines and the child matures, and they learn to cooperate with others.†¢ The Formal Operational stage: The last and final stage in Piagets theory is when the child is between the ages of 11 and 15 or 16. Piaget believed that a child was capable of the highest level of thinking.Paget did not believe in forcing information on children while they passively sat in the classroom but instead thought the learning experience should be shared. He believed the role of the teacher should be to guide the students and recommended that teachers play an active mentoring role in the classroom. He believed it was important that children should learn not only from the guidance of the teacher but also their peers. He also thought that making mistakes was a key factor in a childs learning experience, he believed that children learn a huge amount about the world from trial and error (Schlinger, 1995). Montessori:Maria Montessori first qualified as a doctor and it was while she was working in a psychiatric clinic after she qualified that she developed her interest in education. Her interest was originally peeked by children with learning difficulties. While working with these children she developed a methodology which she believed would address the learning needs of all children. In 1907 Montessori opened her first Childrens House, the very famous Casa Dei Bambini. Montessori used her own materials in the childrens house that she had developed while working with children with learning or developmental difficulties. She adopted innovative approaches to pedagogy, the curriculum and the layout of the classroom. From her observations in the classroom she developed a precise and insightful analysis of the potential of each child when using her resources (Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori | Montessori Australia Foundation, 2018). Over time she developed her own methodology through observing how children acquired and understood information.Maria Montessori based her method on a few key components.†¢ Respect for the child- She believed that adults seldom if ever, truly respected a child. As adults we tend to force information onto a child without taking their individual learning needs into consideration. Montessori developed her method to allow each child to have choices which she believed would promote independent learning (O Donnell, 2013).†¢ The Absorbent Mind – Montessori believed that all children had an innate capacity to learn and the teacher or directress is just the facilitator of this learning. She believed that a stimulating classroom layout, her materials and blocks of uninterrupted time to learn would allow students to gain the most from their learning experiences.†¢ Sensitive Periods – Montessori believed that there were certain times during a childs development where they were more receptive to learning new skills. It is the role of the directress to observe when a sensitive period is occurring and provide the correct materials and environment to accommodate the childs learning.†¢ The prepared environment – A Montessori classroom is aesthetically pleasing to both a child and an adult. It is organized in a manner which allows the child access to the materials they want or need to use at different times and it presents the materials in an orderly format to the students.†¢ Autoeducation – Montessori believed that children can educate themselves. It is the role of the teacher to provide an environment that allows a child the freedom to educate themselves. Montessori also had planes of development, she divided her stages into age brackets and made guidelines of what typically occurs during each stage.†¢ Birth to Age 6 -This is often considered the most important time of a childs development. The foundation for everything a child will learn is laid at this time. At this point a child absorbs information and is learning to organize themselves physically. During the first half of this developmental plane, zero to three, the child is absorbing information effortlessly and unconsciously and during the second part of the plane, three to six, the child is consciously learning new information. Montessori believes that learning this huge amount of information is made easier by the sensitive periods.†¢ Ages 6 to 12 – During this period Montessori believes that the absorbent mind has come to an end and now students are learning through logic and reasoning. At this age the child is naturally curious about everything, inquisitive an eager to learn. They are also developing their conscience and learning between right and wrong.†¢ Ages 12 to 18 – At this age the student is busy constructing their social self. They are becoming more independent and are looking to find their own place in the society.†¢ Ages 18–24 – Montessori believed at this point in the young adults life they are busy constructing self-understanding. They have developed physically, emotionally, morally and ethnically and are now questioning who they are and where they belong as people in society.The links between Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori. The theories of both Piaget and Montessori were revolutionary for their time and became greatly respected in later years. From the beginning we can see obvious links between Piaget and Montessori, although he was a psychologist and she an educationalist there are many shared ideas between the two. He was twenty-six years younger than her and during his early career he carried out observations in one of her schools and was also president of the Swiss Montessori society so perhaps it is not surprising that they share some of the same ideologies. Both believed that children construct their own knowledge, they both agreed that children were not just adults in small bodies and learn in different ways. Both proposed that children develop in sequence and both developed their own stages of development. Although Piaget and Montessori were similar in their thinking, they had very different approaches to teaching. While Montessori believed that children learned the most in her first development al plane, 0-6, Piaget believed that no real learning takes place before a child turns seven. The developmental process:Piagets stages of development can be compared to Montessoris planes of development. Although there are many differences between them the initial idea is very similar. Both theories of development can also be witnessed in classrooms everywhere today.The initial phase of each of the developmental stages is concerned with the sensory development of a child. In almost all early years classrooms learning is enhanced by sensory play. It may be a sensory corner in the classroom, a common area or activities carried out throughout the day, but sensory materials are a huge part of a childs developmental process at this age.Look at a toddler room in almost any early years setting, at the very least they have a sand and water tray for children to experiment with different textures and materials. The will have mirrors for the child to grasp the concept of their own reflection and give them the freedom to explore their own facial features. There are songs and nursery rhymes as well as shakers or musical instruments. The whole room will be full of interesting colourful materials which appeal to one or more of a childs senses encouraging sensory stimulation for learning. Another example of sensory materials can be seen when a child is developing writing skills in the classroom. Montessori developed the sandpaper letters for a child to experience the letter, not just see it but feel it. A child uses their finger to trace the letter ever before beginning to form the letter with a pencil on paper. In a typical classroom of this age, one which does not follow Montessoris method, we can still find similar ideas showing us that Piaget and Montessori were correct in that children learn through their senses. In my current classroom just one example I use are salt trays with coloured paper underneath the salt and when the child forms the letter the colour paper is exposed. The child becomes familiar with the letter and how to from it correctly.The environment:Piaget and Montessori agreed that a childs environment was a very influential factor in their development. Piagets theory stressed the need for children to be actively involved in constructing knowledge of their physical environment (Piaget, 1952) and Montessori believed that a prepared environment would facilitate maximum independent learning.Today both these concepts are a part of daily school life. In the past a classroom was designed to have rows of desks all facing a teacher, now however we are aware that the environment stimulates the students, that giving the opportunity to choose the method of learning we see better academic results.A few aspects of both theorists are evident in most classrooms today whether we realise it. Most teachers in the early years sector and the beginning years of primary school set up their classrooms to have areas.

Tesco strategic planning of information system

Executive Summary The main purpose of this company wide strategic plan for information systems is to provide a 5-year vision of the company development of the information systems. This would be in line with the company’s main aim of integrating the information systems to ensure that the company continues to grow both locally and internationally.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Tesco: strategic planning of information system specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This plan provides a strategy through which the company will undertake to develop its information systems. It entails the improvement of the existing systems to enable it to gather information accurately from the other branches worldwide. The strategic planning of the information systems will help the company in meeting the needs of the information systems in line with its growth strategy. Through the strategic planning of the information systems, we in tend to integrate the newly acquires or opened stores into the organization. The strategic planning of the information systems therefore involves all the branches, which the company currently has and the branches which it intends to open in the future. Background and assumptions The top management of different organizations for a long time ignored the idea of the strategic planning for the management systems. They used to undertake the strategic planning of all the other aspects of the business and ignored the strategic planning of the information systems. However, information systems are a very important aspect of any organization. Tesco usually attaches great importance to the information systems of the organization. It has undertaken many developments in its information systems. The point of sale continues to be an effective and innovative way through which the organization reaches out to its customers needs. Tesco therefore seeks to increase the number of point sale centers so a s to reach a wide range of people. The company also intends to open many other points of sale centers, which are not attached to any of the chain stores. Some of the point of sale centers will be in areas where the company is yet to open its branches. The company intends to use the information on the sales from the centers to determine whether it would be viable to open a branch in the areas or not. Mission statement To make Tesco be the leading company in the UK and globally in integration of information systems in all its activities.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Goals and objectives To improve on the data collection from the point of sale To effectively analyze and collect data from the sale from tesco.com To increase the information systems data through installation of necessary hardware to capture the information systems Remote environment The remote environment refe rs to the aspects, which affect the company, but the company has no control over them. These include economic, social, political, and technological factors. The company has to clearly understand the factors and hence make the necessary adjustments to enable it to cope with the situations brought about by the factors. Economic factors Economic conditions greatly affect our activities. The UK has recently been affected by the financial crisis that has made many businesses to cut back on their expenses so as to protect its interests. However, even with the financial crisis, Tesco managed to post a nice profit. However, the company continues to be affected by the financial crisis. Political factors Tesco has branches in many different countries. Some of the countries are third world countries in Africa. In some of the countries where the company has its operations, the company must factor in the ISSP various political situations. Social factors The strategic planning of the information systems tends to capture the different types of spending of different people. The current population of the UK has many people who are aged. The aged usually have much more money to spend as they have accumulated their savings. This phenomenon is expected to increase in the foreseeable future. The company should therefore ensure that it benefits from the situation by creating products that suit these people.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Tesco: strategic planning of information system specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Technological factors The retail industry is currently faced with stiff technological advancements. Various products are developed by the other competitors. Most of the products and innovations are mainly aimed at retaining the customers. The company therefore needs to be vigilant in the technological development of its products to cope with the stiff competition effectively. Industry environment The industry environment is well understood by looking at the porter’s five forces model for Tesco. The risk of entry by new competitors For any retailer that intends to enter in the UK market, the retailer must first analyze the risks posed by the retaliation of the other companies, which are already in existence. The recent acquisition of Asda by walmart, a US based retail chain store will have the effect of increasing the competition in the retail market industry (Lang and Heasman 2004 p 165). In addition, the acquisition of Safeway by Morrison is also expected to increase the competition considerably (Griffiths and Bingham 2003) Rivalry among companies in the retail industry The UK retail industry is characterized by four major retail companies, which share a large percentage of the market. The companies are Tesco, Asda/Walmart, Morrisons/Safeway, and Sainsbury. Together these companies share over 80 percent of the sales of household goods and groceries (Great Britain: P arliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee 2009 p 128). However, Tesco is the leading company in the industry. The presence of four major retail companies therefore shows that there is a stiff competition in the industry. Bargaining power of buyers The customers in the retail industry have the ability to choose the prices of the products from different retail outlets, even the ones that are competing against each other. However, Tesco‘s club card membership ensures that the customers are loyal to the company and do not go to the other companies. Bargaining power of suppliers Tesco usually reaches a wider number of customers in the areas in which it operates. The goods in most of the shelves of the company are usually from big suppliers. Tesco usually gives the shelf space to the large suppliers. These suppliers ensure that the company gets maximum profit per unit space in the shelves of the products.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This arrangement usually makes the small companies to face difficulty in ensuring that their products are on the shelf of the company, as the small firms cannot effectively compete for shelf space with the large companies. However, Tesco sources some of its products from small suppliers. Most of these products are mainly farm produce e.g. poultry products, dairy products. Closeness of substitutes Most of the products that Tesco offers usually have their substitutes. Therefore, to ensure that the substitutes are not selected by the customers leaving the products of which Tesco sells, Tesco ensures that the products it sells are at a lower price compared to the substitutes that are in the market. The pricing of the substitute products in the market usually determines the profit margins that the company will get through the sale of the products. If the substitute products are at a lower price, the company is automatically forced to reduce the price of its products so that the product m ay effectively compete with the substitute products. SWOT analysis of Tesco Strengths The company has the largest market share in the UK. It has a 30.7 percent share in the market (Finch 2009). The market share of the company in the food products segments is expected to grow hence consolidating its market share and influence in the industry. The company has many customers who are loyal to the company The company has a recognized brand name that improves its image. The improvement in the brand name is mainly brought about by the financial stability of the company. Tesco became the first UK Company to post 2 billion pounds in the year 2005. In the year 2009, when most of the UK companies were adversely affected by the financial crisis Tesco made a profit of 3 billion pounds. In addition, the company has high growths in its income. Strong investments in the use of IT and information systems in its operations offer Tesco a competitive advantage compare to its competitors. Club card memb ership, Tesco online and point of sale ensure that the company attracts more customers (Rainer and Cegielski 2009 p. 327. Tesco online and point of sale provide additional source of revenue to the company. Weaknesses The stiff competition from the other supermarket chains The company also relies heavily on the UK market to fuel its growth Changing economic conditions in the countries where company has operations Opportunities Growth in the markets in other countries There is fast growth in the non-food retail sector. Tesco mainly depends on the sale of food products. This market segment has experienced rapid growth in recent time hence enabling Tesco to greatly benefit from the growth Tesco has also diversified the products it now offers in the shelves. Apart from the traditional food products, the company also offers other products such as electronics and beauty products. Diversification into other products such as financial services and insurance through Tesco.com (Shajahan 2007 p 250) Threats Price wars seem to be gaining pace in the UK market. The acquisition of Asda by Wal-Mart is expected to result in stiff competition in the retail industry. In addition, stiff competition in the UK market by the other large competitors is an expected threat, and so is the heavy cost of international investments. Competitive advantage Due to the fact, the company is the leading retailer in the UK; this factor may enable it to have better growth than the other companies that operate in the same field. The information systems of the company also give it a competitive advantage over its competitors. The point of sale and the clubs card system help in increasing the sales of the company. The club card system ensures the personalization of the services given to the customers hence leading to improvement of the consumer loyalty to the company. Critical success factors The company should ensure that it stop being over reliant on the UK market. The market in other countries has a higher growth potential than the UK. The UK is saturated by the presence of large retailers who offer stiff competition, therefore curtailing the growth in the UK retail market. Venturing into the developing markets would be of great importance in reducing the over reliance on the UK market as the markets offer a higher rate of growth hence ensuring the financial profitability of the company. The company should also strive to continuously invest in information technology and information system. These are the main factors that will lead to the growth of the company in the foreseeable future. The diversification into other non-food products will also ensure the success of the company. By providing a wide range of products, the company will be able to reach out to more people. The diversification also ensures that the company stops being over reliant on one product type and therefore cushion it from any price wars in the food products. Discussion of strategy Short term goals The comp any intends to improve on the current information systems to ensure that the information derived from it covers most aspects of the business. The target in this financial year is to ensure that the company can ensure that the club card members will account for 50 percent of the sales made by the customers of the company. In addition, the company intends to ensure the club card members get personalized information regarding what they may prefer to buy once after every two months. The company intends to appoint an independent client to handle the development of it information systems. Medium term goals The company intends to set up a department, which will mainly deal with the information system requirements of the company. These will remove the subcontracting of the information systems to third parties who may not effectively undertake the work as required by the company. Long terms goals The company intends to diversify its region of operation to other areas in the near future. Thes e branches will be semi autonomous and will not depend on the headquarters for information systems management. To ensure the complete semi autonomy the company intends to locate and set up keys centers from which the information systems of oversees branches will be monitored. This information will be further relayed to the main headquarters where it will be efficiently stored and interpreted. To facilitate this the company intends to ensure that avails the necessary infrastructure in ensuring that the company sets up an information architecture which will be able to capture all the aspects of the business. Conclusion Tesco holds a key position in the retail market industry. It is a market leader in the UK and some of the countries in which it has its operations. The strategic planning of its information systems would therefore greatly benefit it, as it would enable it to cope with the expected future changes in the information systems brought about mainly by its growth. The strategi c planning of the information systems shows that Tesco stands to gain greatly from effective planning of its information systems and this would give a competitive edge over most of its competitors. Reference List Finch, J., 2009. Tesco increases market share. Web. Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee. 2009. Market failure: can the traditional market survive? Ninth report of session 2008-09, Vol. 2: Oral and written evidence, Volume 2. NY: The Stationery Office. Griffiths, B. and Bingham, J., 2003. Morrison cleared to take over Safeway. London: The Independent. Web. Lang, T. and Heasman, M., 2004. Food wars: the global battle for mouths, minds and markets. London,  Earthscan. Rainer, R. K. and Cegielski, C. G., 2009. Introduction to Information Systems: Enabling and Transforming Business. NJ, John Wiley and Sons. This report on Tesco: strategic planning of information system was written and submitted by user Johnny Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Of Discourse by Francis Bacon

Of Discourse by Francis Bacon In her book Francis Bacon: Discovery and the Art of Discourse (1974), Lisa Jardine argues that Bacons Essays fall squarely under the heading of presentation or method of discourse. They are didactic, in Agricolas sense of presenting knowledge to someone in a form in which it may be believed and assimilated. . . . Basically these essays communicate precepts for the guidance of personal conduct in public affairs, based on Bacons own political experience. In the essay titled Of Discourse, Bacon explains how a person can lead the dance without appearing to dominate a conversation. You may find it worthwhile to compare Bacons aphoristic observations with the lengthier reflections offered by Jonathan Swift in Hints Toward an Essay on Conversation and by Samuel Johnson in Conversation. Of Discourse Some in their discourse desire rather commendation of wit, in being able to hold all arguments, than of judgment, in discerning what is true; as if it were a praise to know what might be said, and not what should be thought. Some have certain common-places and themes, wherein they are good, and want variety; which kind of poverty is for the most part tedious, and, when it is once perceived, ridiculous. The honourablest part of talk is to give the occasion; and again to moderate and pass to somewhat else, for then a man leads the dance. It is good in discourse, and speech of conversation, to vary and intermingle speech of the present occasion with arguments, tales with reasons, asking of questions with telling of opinions, and jest with earnest: for it is a dull thing to tire, and as we say now, to jade any thing too far. As for jest, there be certain things which ought to be privileged from it; namely, religion, matters of state, great persons, any mans present business of importance , any case that deserveth pity; yet there be some that think their wits have been asleep, except they dart out somewhat that is piquant, and to the quick; that is a vein which would be bridled; Parce, puer, stimulis, et fortius utere loris.* And, generally, men ought to find the difference between saltness and bitterness. Certainly, he that hath a satirical vein, as he maketh others afraid of his wit, so he had need be afraid of others memory. He that questioneth much, shall learn much, and content much; but especially if he apply his questions to the skill of the persons whom he asketh; for he shall give them occasion to please themselves in speaking, and himself shall continually gather knowledge; but let his questions not be troublesome, for that is fit for a poser; and let him be sure to leave other men their turns to speak: nay, if there be any that would reign and take up all the time, let him find means to take them oft, and to bring others on, as musicians use to do with those that dance too long galliards. If you dissemble sometimes your knowledge of that you are thought to know, you shall be thought, another time, to know that you know not. Speech of a mans self ought to be seldom, and well chosen. I knew one w as want to say in scorn, He must needs be a wise man, he speaks so much of himself: and there is but one case wherein a man may commend himself with good grace, and that is in commending virtue in another, especially if it be such a virtue whereunto himself pretendeth. Speech of touch towards others should be sparingly used; for discourse ought to be as a field, without coming home to any man. I knew two noblemen, of the west part of England, whereof the one was given to scoff, but kept ever royal cheer in his house; the other would ask of those that had been at the others table, Tell truly, was there never a flout or dry blow given? To which the guest would answer, Such and such a thing passed. The lord would say, I thought he would mar a good dinner. Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeable to him with whom we deal, is more than to speak in good words, or in good order. A good continued speech, without a good speech of interlocution, shows slowness; and a good reply, or second speech, without a good settled speech, showeth shallowness and weakness. As we see in beasts, that those that are weakest in the course, are yet nimblest in the turn: as it is betwixt the greyhound and the hare. To use too many circumstances, ere one come to the matter, is wearisome; to use none at all, is blunt. Â   (1625) * Spare the whip, boy, and hold tighter the reins (Ovid, Metamorphoses).

Neptunium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Neptunium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Neptunium  Basic Facts    Atomic Number: 93 Symbol: Np Atomic Weight: 237.0482 Discovery: E.M. McMillan and P.H. Abelson 1940 (United States) Electron Configuration: [Rn] 5f4 6d1 7s2 Word Origin: Named after the planet Neptune. Isotopes: 20 isotopes of Neptunium are known. The most stable of these is neptunium-237, with a half-life of 2.14 million years Properties: Neptunium has a melting point of 913.2 K, boiling point of 4175 K, heat of fusion of 5.190 kJ/mol, sp. gr. 20.25 at 20 °C; valence 3, 4, 5, or 6. Neptunium is a silvery, ductile, radioactive metal. Three allotropes are known. At room temperature it exists primarily in an orthorhombic crystalline state. Uses: Neptunium-237 is used in neutron-detection equipment. Sources McMillan and Abelson produced neptunium-239 (half-life 2.3 days) by bombarding uranium with neutrons from a cyclotron at the U. of California at Berkeley. Neptunium is also found in very small quantities associated with uranium ores. Element Classification: Radioactive Rare Earth Element (Actinide Series) Density (g/cc): 20.25 Neptunium  Physical Data Melting Point (K): 913 Boiling Point (K): 4175 Appearance: silvery metal Atomic Radius (pm): 130 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 21.1 Ionic Radius: 95 (4e) 110 (3e) Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): (9.6) Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 336 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.36 Oxidation States: 6, 5, 4, 3 Lattice Structure: Orthorhombic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 4.720 References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) Return to the Periodic Table Periodic Table of the Elements Chemistry Encyclopedia

The Crime of Computer Tampering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Crime of Computer Tampering - Essay Example The first has to do with the fact that there was every evidence that the defendant used the computer program unauthorized. This part of the debate may not be as much argumentative as the second, which has to do with the intension with which the defendant shut the computer down even though that action of shutting the computer down destroyed important computer data. In the first instance, not much can be said in favor of the defendant because he was guilty of the count of not seeking permission. But as far as the law on computer tampering does not come clear on whether or not a person must break both parts of the law before the person could be charged, lawyers of the defendant could still have a lot to argue in court. They could for example ask for evidence that the defendant took his action intensionally and base on that to plead for him. With reference to the court not accepting the defense that the defendant was not guilty of altering the programs because he did not change them, very little could be said in the defendant’s favor because the law only determines the end result and not the means to the end. Actually, as far as the single action of shutting down the computer resulted in the destruction of some the functioning of the computer, there is no way such defense could be

Analyze and explain the development of healthy relationships Essay

Analyze and explain the development of healthy relationships - Essay Example In this mini-paper, the following ingredients necessary for the development of healthy relationships will be elaborated on: (a) Love; (b) Good Communication; (c) Patience; (d) Trust; and (e) Loyalty. Rohn (2010) asserts that love is the basic requirement for a healthy relationship. It is more than just a feeling. It is a commitment to people around us and who mean to us that we will respect them and treat them justly at all costs. A relationship cannot be a fulfilling one if we compromise upon respect and dignity. Respect and be respected; love and be loved; and, this will ensure a satisfying relationship. Good communication waters the plant of a healthy relationship. It requires particular skills to have one’s ideas conveyed to the other person and to listen to his ideas patiently. One should try to let the other person know explicitly what one wants without having him solve the puzzle. Keeping others thinking what the actual problem is will do no good. While communicating, one must be humble and compromising instead of trying to control the other person’s thoughts and should be able to give space to his ideas too. Patience is another vital ingredient for a healthy relationship. We must understand that there will be times when our relations will disappoint us and vice versa, and that no person in this world is perfect. We also disappoint others and should expect others to fail us. It is patience that maintains a relationship through turmoil. Showing patience to others’ disagreements shows that we value them and respect their opinion, and this is natural for people to stay relaxed with people who tolerantly listen to them and try to understand the problem patiently. This fosters healthy relationships. When we trust the other person, this means that we are giving him enough space so that he can pursue his own interests, can make relationships and can do everything he wants without getting ourselves insecure and jealous. When we tell

Nutritional Study Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Nutritional Study Worksheet Essay Select one of the following topics to research: Coffee or caffeine Eggs Low-fat diets Low-carb diets Other nutrition topic approved by your instructor Research your topic using 2 nutrition articles that discuss your topic, but provide opposing viewpoints. Use the Internet, the University Library, or the search links provided in the Week 2 Electronic Reserve Readings to locate the articles. Write 50- to 200-word responses to each of the following questions based your findings. Use your own words and provide examples to support your answers. 1. What topic did you choose? Discuss the position of each of the two articles you selected. I choose eggs for this assignment. Each artlice talks about different nutritional value of eggs. For example one article focuses on how eggs can affect a persons hunger and in return help them maintain a healthy calorie count which can help them to maintain a healthier weight. The second article focused on how eggs are with cholesterol. 2. What health claims are stated in the articles, such as drinking coffee every day will lower one’s risk for cancer? The first article I read talked about eggs helping you control a hunger. They  claimed that eggs are healthier alternative to control your hunger. They did a study on a group od obese indiviuals who ate eggs with toast and low car jelly, and the second group ate a bagel with cream cheese and nonfat yogurt. Study showed that the group eating eggs was statisfied longer, which in return had them eating less. The second article I read talked about how eggs don’t affect your cholesterol. They had two diferent groups of healthy adults. The first group ate eggs for breakfast and the second group ate oatmeal. The study showed that eggs didn’t affect there cholestreal, it didn’t rise or lower it. 3. Do any of the articles claims seem too good to be true? Does it seem that the authors are seeking personal gain in any way? Explain your answers. I don’t think the articles seem to good to be true, they compared to different groups to one another to see if there hypothesis was either supported or not. They didn’t seem one sided, or trying to get personal gain from the statemetns. They were done by different schools, they were tring to better understand eggs, and the health of individuals. 4. What are the respective sources of these articles (testimonials, peer-reviewed study)? Both my articles were study completed by different schools such as Yale, and Saint Louis University. I would trust these sources the articles where put togethere by Science Letter Editors, â€Å"NewsRX†. So they were studies completed by different Universitys, which is how we obtain a great deal on other medical information. 5. Is the information presented in each article new or has it been studied extensively over time, achieving the same results? Both articles did there study over time. The first study about eggs affecting your hunger, they randomly separated the obese indiviuals in the study into two different groups had them eat the different breakfast meals prepared for the study. The study for the eggs affecting cholesterol as well was done  over time, they separated the healthy adults into two groups. They did mention in the article though that they did see the indivuals eating oatmeal had lower cholesterol. 6. Now that you have gone through the details of each article, do you have any reservations about the information in either one? If so, explain why. Has the process of analyzing the two articles changed your opinion on the topic? Explain your answer. I never thought much about eggs filling you more then other foods. I do eat eggs for breakfast I just don’t eat too much because I tend to get tired of them quickly. However I have heard things about how they affect your cholesterol, since I am young I am not concerned about my cholesterol levels. However now reading an article about a study that has been conducted I am informed so I can compare the knowledge I gained from it to other articles I may read in the future. Diet nutrition; egg nutrition center-cofunded study indicates eggs for breakfast aid weight control. (2006). Science Letter, , 510. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209128523?accountid=458 Diet nutrition; study suggests that eggs may not contribute to heart disease in healthy adults. (2005). Science Letter, , 559. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209238077?accountid=458

William Shakespeares Globe Theatre Essay examples -- Biography Biogra

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Globe Theater, an entertainment outlet for all people of that time, provided a place for Shakespeare's plays to be performed.   It was the third and most famous playhouse in London.   When it was built, it was one of the most important playhouses in London.   The Globe's architecture was intriguing for its time and its life was long and prosperous. The Globe was built by two brothers, Cuthbert and Richard Burbage.   They had inherited the Globe's predecessor, The Theatre, from their father, James Burbage (Williams 365).   Fearing their lease would run out, the brothers dismantled it and carried the materials to Bankside, where the Swan and Rose already stood (Britanica).   It was built using timber from the Theatre following a quarrel with Giles Allen, owner of the land (Miller-Schutz 21).   The Globe provided a third amphitheatre south of the Thames River in London.   It was the fourth or fifth playhouse in London (Westerhof). The architecture of the Globe was original for it's time.   It was built out of wood, hexagonal outside and circular inside.   The Globe was open to the weather except for the upper gallery which was covered with a thatched roof.   It was the first theatre in London to introduce protection from the weather.   There were doors left and right of entrances and exits.   The curtain recessed under the railed balcony (Williams 365).   Three galleries occupied the Globe, with a paved pit in the center (White 6). Peasants that sat on the bottom level were called "groundlings" because of the fact that they had to watch from the ground (Westerhof).   The stage was lifted from the ground with a low railing running round its edge (White 6). The Globe opened... ...th many intricate details C. Had levels for different social statuses III. Its life A. Enhanced the idea of playhouses being standard in the community B. Drew attention to Shakespeare's works C. Admission was cheap, but peasants could only watch on the ground level IV. Its plays and actors A. Plays drew thousands and brought messages to the people B. What the Globe lacked encouraged playwrights to overcome V. Shakespeare's influence A. Held a share of the Globe B. Wrote plays exclusively for the Globe C. His profits were made off his shares of the Globe, not from his scripts VI. The death of the Globe A. Burnt down due to a cannon shot during a play B. Rebuilt very quickly C. Closed down in 1642 by Puritans VII. After death A. New Globe is created Other theatres try to mimic its success   

Computer Hacking and Cyber Crime Law Essay

COMPUTER HACKING AND CYBER CRIME LAW History of Hacking According to (Clifford R.D. 2006) a cracker or cracking is to â€Å"gain unauthorized access to a computer in order to commit another crime such as destroying information contained in that system†. These subgroups may also be defined by the legal status of their activities. Eric S. Raymond (author of The New Hacker’s Dictionary) advocates that members of the computer underground should be called crackers. Yet, those people see themselves as hackers and even try to include the views of Raymond in what they see as one wider hacker culture, a view harshly rejected by Raymond himself. Instead of a hacker/cracker dichotomy, they give more emphasis to a spectrum of different categories, such as white hat, grey hat, black hat and script kiddie. World Of Hacking Hacking is the practice of modifying the features of a system, in order to accomplish a goal outside of the creator’s original purpose. The person who is consistently engaging in hacking activities, and has accepted hacking as a lifestyle and philosophy of their choice, is called a hacker. Modifying the features of a system. Gaining an unauthorized access to a computer system. Breaks into a system security. Refers to the hobby/profession of working with computers. It also about learning how a system works and how to make it do things it wasn’t designed to do, or you haven’t got the privileges to do. Hacker A hacker is someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or computer network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, or challenge. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground and is now a known community. White Hats – good Gray hats – good or bad Black hats – bad Script kiddie A script kiddie (also known as a skid or skiddie) is a non-expert who breaks  into computer systems by using pre-packaged automated tools written by others, usually with little understanding of the underlying concept—hence the term script (i.e. a prearranged plan or set of activities) kiddie (i.e. kid, child—an individual lacking knowledge and experience, immature). Blue hat A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security consulting firms who is used to bug test a system prior to its launch, looking for exploits so they can be closed. Microsoft also uses the term Blue Hat to represent a series of security briefing events. Hacker Code Of Ethics Levy (1984) suggests that there is a â€Å"code of ethics† for hacking which, though not pasted on the walls, is in the air: Access to Computers – and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works – should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative! All information should be free. Mistrust Authority – Promote Decentralization. Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position. You can create art and beauty on a computer. Computers can change your life for the better. CYBER CRIME LAW Senator Angara is defined as any illegal and criminal act activity committed on the internet. State Policy Regarding Cyber Crimes The State Recognize.. 1. The vital role of information and communication industries such as content production, telecommunication, broadcasting, electronic commerce, and data processing, in the nation’s overall social and economic development. 2. The importance of providing an environment conducive to the development, acceleration, and rational application and exploitation of information and communication technology to attain free, easy and intelligible access to exchange and/or delivery of information. 3. The need to protect and safeguard the integrity of computer, computer and communication systems, network, and databases and the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and data stored therein, from all forms of misuse, abuse, and  illegal access by making punishable under the law such conduct or conducts. Cyber Crimes Offenses 1. Offenses against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data and systems. A. Illegal Access – The intentional access to the whole or any part of a computer system without right. Element of Computer System There must be a device a group of interconnected or related devices. At least one of the devices performs automatic processing of data pursuant to a program. The device need NOT be connected in a network as long as it consists of both hardware and software and have input, output and storage facilities. Element of the offense of illegal Access 1.There must be an intentional access in whole or any part of a computer system. 2. The person who attempts, or is accessing, or had already access the data has no right to access to the system. â€Å"An Authorized person may not be authorized.† B. Illegal Interception Interception – refers to the listening to, recording, monitoring or surveillance of the content of communication. Elements of Illegal Interception 1. It must be intentional. 2. It must be by technical means. 3. The person involved is without any right to do the intercept. 4. The transmission of computer data to, from, or within a computer system is non-public. 5. It must not fall in any exemption. C. Data Interference Intentional or reckless alteration of computer data without right. C.System Interference Intentional or reckless hindering without the right of the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, deleting or altering computer data or program. MisUse of Devices The use, production, sale, procurement, importation, distribution, or otherwise making available, without right, of: – device, including a  computer program, designed or adapted primarily for the purpose of committing any of then offenses under this act; Or -a computer password, access code, or similar data by which the whole or any part of a computer system is capable of being accessed with intent that it be used for the purpose of committing any of the offenses under this Act; CYBERSEX AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CYBERSEX -Any person who establishes, maintains or controls, directly or indirectly any operation for sexual activity or arousal with the aid of or through the use of a computer system, for a favor or consideration. Child Pornography -refers to pornography depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child. It may use a variety of media, including writings, magazines, photos, sculpture, drawing, cartoon, painting, animation, sound recording, film video, and video games. Child pornography is divided into simulated child pornography and pornography which was produced with direct involvement of the child (also known as Child Abuse Images.) For a person to be guilty of cybersex as defined by the cybercrime law, all the following elements must be present: There must be an operation for sexual activity or arousal; The sexual activity or arousal is done with the aid of or through the use of a computer system; The activity is done for a favor or consideration. The operation is/ was established, maintained or controlled by a person directly or indirectly. From the above, element no.3 should NOT have been included by our law makers. What is the Penalty for this Crime? Any person found guilty of the cybercrime of cybersex shall be punished with imprisonment of prison mayor or a fine at least Two Hundred Thousand Pesos ( Php 200,000.00) But not exceeding One Million Pesos (1,000,000.00) or both. Sec. 5 Other Offenses: The following acts shall also constitute an offense: 1. Aiding or abetting in the Commission of Cybercrime– Any person who willfully abets or aids in the commission of any of the offenses enumerated in this Act shall be held liable. 2. Attempt in the Commission of Cybercrime– A prosecution who willfully attempts to commit any offenses enumerated in this Act shall be held liable. Sec. 6 Liability under other Laws A prosecution under this Act shall be w/o prejudice to any liability for violation Of the Revised Penal Code, as amended or special laws COMPUTER-RELATED OFFENSES: Computer-related forgery Computer-related Fraud Unsolicited Commercial Communications 1.) Computer-related Forgery -(a) the intentional input, alteration, or deletion of any computer data w/o right resulting in inauthentic data w/ the intent that it be considered or acted upon for legal purposes as if it were authentic, regardless, whether or not the data is directly readable and intelligible; (b) the act of knowingly using computer data which is the product of computer-related forgery as defined herein, for the purpose of perpetuating a fraudulent or dishonest design. 2.) A pe rson is guilty of forgery if: (a)With purpose to defraud or injure anyone; OR (b) With knowledge that he is facilitating a fraud or injury to be perpetrated by anyone; the actor: 1.) alters any writings of another without his authority; 2.) makes, completes, executes, authenticates, issues or transfers any writing so that it purports to be the act of another who did not authorize the act, or to have been executed at a time or place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case, or to be a copy of an original when no such original existed; or 3.) utters any writing which he knows to be forged in a manner specified in the revised penal code. Elements of Computer related Forgery. First type of Offense â€Å"ACTIVE COMPUTER RELATED FORGERY† (a) There must be an intentional input, alteration, or deletion of any computer data without right; (b) The result is an inauthentic data; (c) The intent is to use the inauthentic data to be considered or acted upon as if it is authentic Second type of Offense â€Å"PASSIVE COMPUTER RELATED FORGERY a) There must be an existing inauthentic data brought about by the elements of ACTIVE computer-related forgery. b) Knowingly acting on the inauthentic data for the purpose of perpetuating a fraudulent or dishonest design. 2.) Computer Related Fraud If A had a loan from his cooperative and the only evidence of such loan is the records stored in the cooperative’s computer system, A with intent to procure economic benefit, changed the source code of the system’s program so that on an particular date, the system will hang and immediately cause the malfunctioning of the said system. Thus, A can easily deny that he still has an obligation to the cooperative. 3.) Unsolicited Commercial Communications -The transmission of commercial electronic communication with the use of a computer system which seek to advertise, sell, or offer for sale products and services are prohibited unless a. There is a prior affirmative consent from the recipient; or b. The following conditions are present: i. The commercial electronic communication contains a simple, valid, and reliable way for the recipient to reject receipt of further commercial electronic messages (‘opt-out’) from the same source; ii. The commercial electronic communication does not purposely disguise the source of the electronic message; and iii. The commercial electronic communication does not purposely include misleading information in any part of the message in order to induce in the recipients to read the message. BLOG Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content WHAT IS BLOGGING ? – A new form of expression where in you express your thoughts and ideas about a specific topic . BLOGGERS : Tina Hamilton is a veteran journalist , a social media guru and a aspiring blogger who enjoys covering a wide range of topics. She currently works with a professional SEO consultant in her attempt to gain an education in the industry John Charles Edward â€Å"Carlos† Pamintuan Celdran also known as CARLOS CELDRAN† He is truly proud of being a Filipino as his blog Celdrantours tries to change how the world sees Manila. Through his blogs. INTRODUCTION With the emergence and popularity of blogging as a new form of expression, the coverage of defamation laws has extended to cyberspace. The consequences is that, people who are adversely affected by writings in this medium is bringing lawsuits to protect their name and reputation. While the Philippine Constitution protects bloggers’ right to free speech and expression, this does not give them unfettered license to write to the detriment of others. This Chapter discusses the person’s right to free speech and expression while respecting the person’s honor. This chapter aims to equip the reader relevant knowledge to supplement his skills in determining whether or not a certain form of expression is within the scope guaranteed by the Constitution. Bases of the Guaranteed of the Right of Freedom of Expression Two (2) Philosophical Bases for the Guarantee of this Right Discovery of truth For self-government In the case of US vs. Bustos (37 Phil. 731), in which the defendants were charged with libel of a public officials for statements made Mr. Justice Malcolm, writing the opinion of the Court, said: â€Å"Public policy, the welfare of society, and the orderly administration of government, have demanded protection for public opinion. The inevitable and incontestable result has been the development and adaptation of the doctrine of privilege.† `â€Å"A public official must NOT be too thin-skinned with reference to comment upon his official acts.† Scope of the Freedom of Expression Article III, Section 4 of the Phil. Constitution says: â€Å"No law shall be passed abridging the freedom speech, of expression, or the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the Government for redress of grievances.† Article III, Section 18(1) of the Phil. Constitution says: â€Å"No person shall be detained solely by reason of his political beliefs and aspirations.† Question: But how can we determine the scope of this expression? According to Justice Isagani Cruz, an authority in Constitutional law, the ideas that may be expressed under this freedom are NOT confined only to those that are sympathetic or acceptable to the majority. To be really meaningful, it should permit the articulation of even the unorthodox view, though it be unfriendly to or mocked by others, or â€Å"induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger.† Justice Holmes said that this right exists NOT so much for the thought that AGREES with us as for the thought that we detest. From this comes the famous statement from Voltaire: Voltaire â€Å"I may NOT agree with what you say, but I will defend to the dead your right to say it†. Freedom from prior restraint or censorship Prior means official governmental restrictions on the press or other forms of expression in advance of actual publication or dissemination. Freedom from subsequent punishment The freedom from prior restraint would set at naught if the citizen would hesitate to speak for fear of vengeance that he might suffer against the officials he criticized. Limitations on the Guarantee Case: Tulfo wrote an article in his column in PDI ‘On Target’ on October 13, 1989, stating that the Supreme Court rendered an idiotic decision in legalizing checkpoints, and again on October 16, 1989, where he called the SC stupid and â€Å"sangkatutak na mga bobo justices of the Philippine Supreme Court†. There are 2 kinds of publications which can be punished for contempt: 1.Those whose object is to affect the decision in a pending case 2.Whose object is to bring courts to discredit Standards for allowable subsequent punishment TEST CRITERION 1.Dangerous Tendency Test There should be a RATIONAL CONNECTION between the speech and the evil apprehend 2.Clear and Present Danger Test There should be a clear and present danger that the words when used under such circumstances are of such a nature as to create a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER that they will bring about the substantive evils that the State has a right to prevent 3.Balancing of Interest Test The courts should BALANCE the PUBLIC INTEREST served by legislation on one hand and the FREEDOM OF SPEECH (or any other constitutional right) on the other. The courts will then decide where the greater weight should be placed LIBEL A legal term for something written which is harmful to a persons reputation. – is a defamation committed by means of writing, printing, lithography, engraving, radio, phonography, painting, theatrical exhibition, cinematographic exhibition, or any similar means. Libel is punished by our Revised Penal Code which states: Art. 353. Definition of Libel. – A libel is public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstance tending to cause the dishonor, discredit, or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead. Art. 354. Requirement for Publicity. – Every defamatory imputation is presumed to be malicious, even if it be true, if no good intention and justifiable motive for making it is shown, except in the following cases: 1.A private communication made by any person to another in the performance of any legal, moral or social duty; and 2.A fair and true report, made in good faith, without any comments or remarks, of any judicial, legislative or other official proceedings which are not of confidential nature, or any of statement, report or speech delivered in said proceedings, or of any other act performed by public officers in the exercise of their functions Art. 355. Libel means by writings or similar means. – A libel committed by means of writing, printing, lithography, engraving, radio, phonography, painting, theatrical exhibitions, cinematographic exhibition, or any similar means, shall be punished by prison correctional in its minimum and medium periods or a fine ranging from 200 to 6,000, or both, in addition to the civil action which may be brought by the offended party. DefamationElements of Defamation For a person to be convicted of defamation, the following elements should be present. 1. There must be an imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstance. 2. The imputation must be made publicly. 3. It must be malicious. 4. The imputation must be directed at a natural or juridical person, or one who is dead. 5. The imputation must tend to cause the dishonor, discredit, or contempt of the person defamed. Absolute Privileged Communication To illustrate, let us recall the privileged speech delivered by Sen. Revilla in the Senate last 2009, in that instance, he called Dr. Hayden Kho â€Å"Maniac†. Buwang itong doctor na ito. Baliw, Mr. President,† he further said. Qualified or Conditionally Privileged Communications Under this privilege, the freedom of the liability for an otherwise defamatory utterance is conditioned on the absence of express malice or malice in fact. Thus, in re:Tulfo (supra), notwithstanding the freedom of the press guarantee of the Constitution, the respondent was severely censured because there is malice brought about by a disrespectful language. A good example which will illustrate the absence of malice in rendering fair and true report is the case of GMA Network vs Bustos (G.R. No. 146848 October 17,2006). Interpreting The Libelous Statement The alleged libelous article must be construed as a whole (Jimenez vs. Reyes, 27 Phil.52) The Meaning given by the writer nor by the offended person is Immaterial. If the libelous statement shall be interpreted by the writer, then the writer can easily escapes by giving an interpretation to the effect that malice is not present. On the other hand. If the offender person is the one who will interpret the libelous article, he can easily imputes malice against the writer to hold him liable. Meaning of Publication Publications does not mean that the defamatory statement should be published in the newspaper of general circulation, televised in national television, neither by refereed ISI Journal, etc. There is publication when the communication of the defamatory matter is made to some third person or persons( People vs Atencio, Dec 14,1954) Thus, If Juan sent a letter to Pedro which reads: â€Å"Pablo is a thief†, this is sufficient publication. ‘ Identification of the Party is Required in the 4thElement A blind item writer cannot be guilty of libel , as long as the person defamed cannot be identified. Thus, if the blind item states: â€Å"The wife of the pound for pound king†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although the name is not expressly mentioned, the person can be easily identified, so the writer may be liable. General Rule: Every defamatory imputation is presumed to be malicious, even if it be true, if no good intention and justifiable motive for making it is shown, Exception: Except in the following cases: {This is the exemption to the general rule; here malice is NOT presumed} A Private communication made by any person to another in the performance of any legal, moral, or social duty; and A fair and true report, made in good faith, without any comments or remarks, of any judicial, legislative or other official proceedings which are not of confidential nature, or of any statement, report or speech delivered in said proceedings, or of any other act performed by public officers in the exercise of their functions. Going back to our previous example, if Juan sent a letter to Pedro which reads: â€Å"Pablo is a Thief† , it is presumed that that there is MALICE on the part of Juan. It means that the law presumes that Juan is prompted by personal ill-will in making the communication to Pedro. Now, suppose Pablo really is a thief, will the law still presumed malice on the part of Juan? Yes, unless Juan has good intention and justifiable motive in making communication. Thus, If Pedro is looking for a cashier in his department store Juan will be justified in making the communication so that Pedro won’t hire Pablo who applied for the cashier position. The same holds true if the message was sent through an e-mail and/or text messages. Relevance of Knowing the Presumption of Law If the case falls under the general rule, that is, malice is presumed, it is the writer or the accused who has the burden of proof. Hence, the complainant will NOT be obliged to prove that there is a malice on the part of the accused. The accused will have to produce evidence that his claim against the complainant is true. Do not be confused, the accused is the writer that is why he is being accused of libel because he is the one who wrote the libellous statement. The complainant is the offended party, that is, the person defamed that is why he is the one complaining. If the case falls under the exemption, it is the complainant who has the burden of proof like in the case of GMA Network vs Bustos, wherein Bustos, the complainant failed to prove that there is bad faith or malice on the part of GMA in showing the alleged malicious report. Libel in the Internet After reading the necessary materials pertaining to an individual’s right to freedom of expression and the libel law, we are now ready to study its application using the internet as its medium. Let us start our study with the following scenario. Libel in the internet or e-libel is within the Scope  of Libel Defined in the Revised Penal code The case of Bonifacio vs Jimenez (supra), unfortunately, was misinterpreted by some because they cite this case to support their opinion that e-libel is beyond the ambit of libel provided by the Revised Penal Code. According to them since the SC had dismissed the case, it is already settled that e-libel cannot be punished in our jurisdiction. I beg to disagree. If you will read the full text of the case of bonifacio vs Jimenez, it is very clear that Jimenez did not win the case because of the wrong choice of option. If Jimenez simply alleged in the information that they are (or at least one of the offended parties) presently residing in the City of Makati at the time of the commission of the offense, that is enough to vest jurisdiction to the RTC-Makati and enable the letter to hear and decide the case on the merits. The case was dismissed because RTC-Makati failed to acquire jurisdiction of the case NOT because there is no e-libel in our country. Another argument is that, â€Å"at the time the revised penal code was enacted, there is no internet yet, hence, the legislature could NOT have intended to include internet as a medium. To address this argument let us reproduce the pertinent provision of the libel law regard to this, thus: Art.335.Libel means by writings or similar means. *A libel committed by means of writing, printing, lithography, engraving, radio, phonagraphy, painting, theatrical exhibit, cinematographic exhibition, or any similar means (big emphasis supplied).

Film Report on the Movie Signs Essay

I chose to do my film report on the movie signs. This movie featured Mel Gibson as Graham Hess, Joaquin Phoenix as Merrill Hess, Rory Culkin as Morgan Hess, and Abigail Breslin as Bo Hess. This movie takes place in Bucks County Pennsylvania which is about 45 miles from Philadelphia. It is about a Rev. whose wife passes away and he starts to deny his faith until he realizes that sometimes bad things aren’t as bad as this may seem at the current time. The movie starts off with weird things happening, crop circles being first. The crop circles are first noticed Graham Hess calls the local sheriff. They think that it is a prank by the Prichard brothers but they realize that it was too perfect and the stocks were bent over but not broken so it could not have been done by a machine. Then the dog starts barking ferociously at Bo and ends up dead because it falls on a grill fork that Morgan has in his hand. Bo is always asking for water because she says there are monsters keeps sitting glasses of water all over the house. They realize that something is wrong whenever Graham sees an alien looking creature on top of the barn then when they go out and runaround they cannot find anyone. The next day the news comes on and talks about crop circles popping up all over the world and Morgan says â€Å"extraterrestrials† pWhen they go to town and come home they start hearing voices on a baby monitor that Morgan found in the basement. Graham has a talk with his brother when his brother asks do you think this is the end of the world. He answers yes is that the answer you wanted. Graham says: People break down into two groups when they experience something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than a coincidence; they see it as a sign, evidence that there is someone up there watching out for them. Group number two sees it as pure luck, happy, chance deep down they feel they are on their own and that fills them with fear†¦ Group number one deep down they feel that whatever is going to happen there will be someone there to help them and that fills them with hope. So what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you, the kind of see signs and sees miracles were just believe people get lucky†¦ Is it possible that there are no coincidences? (Gibson) Morgan got a book about Aliens when they went in town. The book depicts a house that looks exactly like his. The book says that the aliens are either coming to harvest resources or to invade and that one of two things will happen if it’s the latter, they will be defeated and return many years later or they will win. According to the book, crop circles are landmarks used for navigation. A cut scene depicts how Graham’s wife died and why he lost his faith. Ray Reddy, the man that fell asleep at the wheel and ultimately killed his wife apologizes and says why at that moment did that happen, why not before or after he passed her? He says he don’t remember the exact moment that it happened. Her last statement to her husband was; tell Merrill to swing away. At this point it makes no sense to anyone. Once they come to realize that an invasion is imminent, they start boarding the house up to keep the aliens out. This is after they decide to stay put and not go to the lake. They eventually head to the basement where they think they are safe until they realize that there is an old coal chute that accesses the basement from the outside. Before they can find where the old coal chute comes in at, an alien reaches from behind and grabs Morgan by the face causing him to have an asthma attack. His inhaler is upstairs where they cannot get to it. His dad keeps him calm and stable. After they think the coast is clear, Graham carries Morgan upstairs and lays him down so he can get his medicine. To their surprise when they come back into the room, Morgan is being carried by an alien. Graham says to Merrill, swing away, swing away. The statement by his wife finally makes sense to him. As Merrill grabs the baseball bat off the wall mount, the alien gives a puff of green gas into Morgan’s face out of something on its wrist. As Merrill smacks it with the bat it falls into a stand and a glass of water spills onto its shoulder and melts the skin off of it. They then realize this is why Bo has been sitting glasses of water all over the house. As Graham picks Morgan up, he says his lungs where closed, the poisonous gas did not enter his lungs. This is when he realizes that there was a reason that his son was born with asthma. The end of the movie shows him getting dressed as a Reverend, so I assume he was returning to Church as a Reverend. The characters in this film are Episcopalians. The father a Reverend and his brother and kids are devout followers. They cherish the value of family and being together. Graham questioned his faith and even quit practicing due to the death of his wife. It made him question if there is a god, why would he do this to him, a reverend. He got so angry at god that he denied him and blamed the death of his wife on him only to eventually realize that god has his reasons for doing the things that he does even if it is not popular with the people that it affects at the current time. Nothing is left to chance. He lost his wife in one sense, but god saved his son after praying, so this brought him back to his faith. The statement about there being two groups of people in the world has a lot of insight in the real world. If you believe in a higher power, then you will, or at least should always have hope. It is a great thing knowing that you always have someone there to talk to, even in the darkest hour, no matter what. I think another major point to the movie is that not everything is god’s fault and that he has reasons behind the things that he does. Sometimes people get lost from their faith, that is a normal occurrence, but hopefully you find your way back one way or another. I think that the movie gets its point of faith across pretty well in this movie, it shows both sides, losing your faith and reconnecting with it. It displays a reason why one might lose their faith.

Free Essays on Dolls House

Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House is a woman ahead of her time. In order to protect her children from a false life, she inflicts tragedy upon herself by leaving every thing she has by walking away. She puts herself in this tragic situation by not being honest. Nora lies to herself and the ones she cares about. Before she leaves her life is not her own person she is carrying on life as a role. Making others happy, instead of herself. A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben is about a young woman and her life. The main characters name is Nora Helmer. She is married to a bank manager named Trovald. In the early years of their marriage just after their first child, Trovald becomes ill. Doctors say that he will not live unless he goes abroad immediately. Nora takes it upon herself and borrows money from Krogstad. She was dishonest with Trovald and said her father gave it to her. She has dishonored Torvald by lying to him, and has put him in a situation in the future, which he would not like to be in. Nora Helmer begins the play by having this almost child-like attitude of herself. She can not do anything on her own, and is constantly relying on others to help her with her daily activities. Nora does not care for her own children, and she doesn’t even cook. She has a maid which has left her own children because she was unwed. It is ironic that this women has to care for someone else’s children, when she is not allowed by society to care for hers. In one part of the play Nora is caught eating macaroons. She is scolded by Torvald as if she was a child being told what to do. She simply has to hide her affection for macaroons, because Torvald disagrees with sweets in the house. Torvald is more like a father figure to Nora then a husband. Nora’s father ends up dying because of his illness. He had done everything for Nora, made all her decisions. So when Nora enters this household with Torvald, it only becomes natural for her to be taken care of. ... Free Essays on Dolls House Free Essays on Dolls House Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House is a woman ahead of her time. In order to protect her children from a false life, she inflicts tragedy upon herself by leaving every thing she has by walking away. She puts herself in this tragic situation by not being honest. Nora lies to herself and the ones she cares about. Before she leaves her life is not her own person she is carrying on life as a role. Making others happy, instead of herself. A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben is about a young woman and her life. The main characters name is Nora Helmer. She is married to a bank manager named Trovald. In the early years of their marriage just after their first child, Trovald becomes ill. Doctors say that he will not live unless he goes abroad immediately. Nora takes it upon herself and borrows money from Krogstad. She was dishonest with Trovald and said her father gave it to her. She has dishonored Torvald by lying to him, and has put him in a situation in the future, which he would not like to be in. Nora Helmer begins the play by having this almost child-like attitude of herself. She can not do anything on her own, and is constantly relying on others to help her with her daily activities. Nora does not care for her own children, and she doesn’t even cook. She has a maid which has left her own children because she was unwed. It is ironic that this women has to care for someone else’s children, when she is not allowed by society to care for hers. In one part of the play Nora is caught eating macaroons. She is scolded by Torvald as if she was a child being told what to do. She simply has to hide her affection for macaroons, because Torvald disagrees with sweets in the house. Torvald is more like a father figure to Nora then a husband. Nora’s father ends up dying because of his illness. He had done everything for Nora, made all her decisions. So when Nora enters this household with Torvald, it only becomes natural for her to be taken care of. ...

Empress Dowager Cixi - Chinese History

Empress Dowager Cixi - Chinese History Few people in history have been as thoroughly vilified as the Empress Dowager Cixi (sometimes spelled Tzu Hsi), one of the last empresses of Chinas Qing Dynasty. Depicted in writings by English contemporaries in the foreign service as cunning, treacherous and sex-crazed, Cixi was painted as a caricature of a woman, and a symbol of Europeans beliefs about the Orient in general. She is not the only female ruler to suffer this indignity. Scurrilous rumors abound about women from Cleopatra to Catherine the Great. Still, Cixi received some of the worst press in history. After a century of defamation, her life and reputation finally are being re-examined. Cixis Early Life The Empress Dowagers early life is shrouded in mystery. We do know that she was born November 29, 1835, to a noble Manchu family in China, but even her birth-name is not recorded. Her fathers name was Kuei Hsiang of the Yehenara clan; her mothers name is not known. A number of other stories - that the girl was a beggar who sang in the streets for money, that her father was addicted to opium and gambling, and that the child was sold to the emperor as a sex-slave - seem to be pure European embroidery. In truth, Qing imperial policy forbade the publication of personal details, so foreign observers simply made up stories to fill in the gaps. Cixi the Concubine In 1849, when the girl was fourteen, she was one of 60 nominees for the position of an imperial concubine. She was probably eager to be chosen, since she once said, I have had a very hard life ever since I was a young girl. I was not a bit happy when with my parents... My sisters had everything they wanted, while I was, to a great extent, ignored altogether. (Seagrave, 25) Fortunately, after a two-year preparation period, the then-Empress Dowager selected her as an imperial concubine from among the large pool of Manchu and Mongol girls. Qing emperors were forbidden from taking Han Chinese wives or concubines. She would serve Emperor Xianfeng as a fourth-rank concubine. Her name was recorded simply as Lady Yehenara after her fathers clan. A Birth and a Death Xianfeng had one empress (Niuhuru), two consorts, and eleven concubines. This was a small assortment, relative to earlier emperors; as the budget was tight. His favorite was a consort, who bore him a daughter, but while she was pregnant, he spent time with Cixi. Cixi also soon became pregnant  and gave birth to a boy on April 27, 1856. Little Zaichun was Xianfengs only son, so his birth greatly improved his mothers standing in court. During the Second Opium War (1856-1860), Western troops looted and burned the lovely Summer Palace. On top of existing health problems, this shock is said to have killed the 30-year-old Xianfeng. Co-Empresses Dowager On his death-bed, Xianfeng made contradictory statements about the succession, which was not guaranteed to Zaichun. He did not formally name an heir before he died on August 22, 1861. Still, Cixi made sure that her 5-year-old son became the Tongzhi Emperor. A regency council of four ministers and four nobles assisted the child emperor, while the Empress Niuhuru and Cixi were named co-Empresses Dowager. The Empresses each controlled a royal seal, meant to be a mere formality, but which could be used as a form of veto. When the ladies opposed a decree they refused to stamp it, converting the protocol into real power. The Xinyou Palace Coup One of the ministers on the regency council, Su Shun, was intent on becoming the sole power behind the throne or perhaps even wresting the crown away from the child emperor. Though Emperor Xianfeng had named both Empresses Dowager as regents, Su Shun tried to cut out Cixi and take her imperial seal. Cixi publicly denounced Su Shun and allied herself with Empress Niuhuru and three imperial princes against him. Su Shun, who controlled the treasury, cut off food and other household items for the Empresses, but they would not give in. When the royal household returned to Beijing for the funeral, Su Shun was arrested and charged with subversion. Despite his high post, he was beheaded in the public vegetable market. Two princely co-conspirators were allowed to die by suicide. Two Young Emperors The new regents faced a difficult period in Chinas history. The country struggled to pay indemnities for the Second Opium War, and the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) was in full swing in the south. Breaking with Manchu tradition, the Empresses Dowager appointed competent Han Chinese generals and officials to high office in order to deal with these problems. In 1872, the 17-year-old Tongzhi Emperor married Lady Alute. The following year he was made emperor regnant, although some historians charge that he was functionally illiterate and often neglecting matters of state. On January 13, 1875, he died of smallpox at just 18. The Tongzhi Emperor did not leave an heir, so the Empresses Dowager had to select an appropriate replacement. By Manchu custom, the new emperor should have been from the next generation after Tongzhi, but no such boy existed. They settled instead on Cixis sisters 4-year-old son, Zaitian, who became the Guangxu Emperor. At this time, Cixi was often bed-ridden with a liver ailment. In April of 1881, Empress Dowager Niuhuru suddenly died at the age of 44, possibly of a stroke. Naturally, rumors quickly spread through the foreign legations that Cixi had poisoned her, although Cixi was herself probably too ill to have had any part in a plot. She would not recover her own health until 1883. Guangxu Emperors Reign In 1887, the timid Emperor Guaungxu came of age at 16, but the court postponed his accession ceremony. Two years later, he married Cixis niece Jingfen (although he reportedly did not find her long face very attractive). At that time, a fire broke out in the Forbidden City, which caused some observers to worry that the Emperor and Cixi had lost the Mandate of Heaven. When he took power in his own name at 19, Guangxu wanted to modernize the army and bureaucracy, but Cixi was wary of his reforms. She moved to the new Summer Palace to be out of his way, nonetheless. In 1898, Guangxus reformers in court were tricked into agreeing to cede sovereignty to Ito Hirobumi, Japans former Prime Minister. Just as the Emperor was about to formalize the move, troops controlled by Cixi stopped the ceremony. Guangxu was disgraced and retired to an island in the Forbidden City. The Boxer Rebellion In 1900, Chinese discontent with foreign demands and aggression erupted into the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion, also called the Righteous Harmony Society Movement. Initially, the Boxers included the Manchu Qing rulers among the foreigners they opposed, but in June 1900, Cixi threw her support behind them, and they became allies. The Boxers executed Christian missionaries and converts all over the country, tore down churches, and laid siege to the foreign trade legations in Peking for 55 days. Inside the Legation Quarter, men, women and children from the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Russia and Japan were huddled, along with Chinese Christian refugees. In the fall of 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance (the European powers plus the US and Japan) sent an expeditionary force of 20,000 to raise the siege on the Legations. The force went up-river and captured Beijing. The final death toll from the rebellion is estimated at almost 19,000 civilians, 2,500 foreign troops and about 20,000 Boxers and Qing troops. Flight from Peking With the foreign forces approaching Peking, on August 15, 1900, Cixi dressed in peasant garb and fled from the Forbidden City in an ox cart, along with Emperor Guangxu and their retainers. The Imperial Party made its way far to the west, to the ancient capital of Xian (formerly Changan). The Empress Dowager called their flight a tour of inspection, and in fact, she did become more aware of the conditions for ordinary Chinese people during their travels. After some time, the Allied Powers sent a conciliatory message to Cixi in Xian, offering to make peace. The Allies would allow Cixi to continue her rule, and would not demand any land from the Qing. Cixi agreed to their terms, and she and the Emperor returned to Peking in January of 1902. The End of Cixis Life After her return to the Forbidden City, Cixi set out to learn all she could from the foreigners. She invited Legation wives to tea  and instituted reforms modeled on those in Meiji Japan. She also distributed prize Pekingese dogs (previously kept only in the Forbidden City) to her European and American guests. On November 14, 1908, the Guangxu Emperor died of acute arsenic poisoning. Although she was quite ill herself, Cixi installed the late Emperors nephew, the 2-year-old Puyi, as the new Xuantong Emperor. Cixi died the following day. The Empress Dowager in History For decades, the Empress Dowager Cixi was described as a devious and depraved tyrant, based largely on the writings of people who did not even know her, including J.O.P. Bland and Edmund Backhouse. However, contemporary accounts by Der Ling and Katherine Carl, as well as later scholarship by Hugh Trevor-Roper and Sterling Seagrave, paint a very different picture. Rather than a power-mad harridan with a harem of faux eunuchs, or a woman who poisoned most of her own family, Cixi comes across as an intelligent survivor who learned to navigate Qing politics  and rode the wave of very troubled times for 50 years. Sources: Seagrave, Sterling. Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China, New York: Knopf, 1992. Trevor-Roper, Hugh. Hermit of Peking: The Hidden Life of Sir Edmund Backhouse, New York: Knopf, 1977. Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress: The Life and Times of Tzu-Hsi, Empress Dowager of China 1835-1908, New York: Macmillan, 1972.