Media events as holidays of mass communication

The authors introduced media events as â€Å"the holidays of mass communication.† They introduced the topic to the readers by citing recent examples of what can be treated as media events. From a general overview of the nature of such events, the authors then move towards providing the readers with a view of what can be liked to media events. As such, they described media events as â€Å"television ceremonies† or â€Å"festive televisions†, thereby pointing out that media events resemble the main characteristics of being festive, being akin to a celebration, and much more like that of a very big event for the mass media. After providing the readers an overview of the description of media events through finding events that have features akin to such, the authors then set the grounds for the detailed description and analysis on the nature of media events. Such was done through the establishment of the nature of television genres. So as to provide the readers a clear delineation of the uniqueness of television from the other media tools, the authors introduced the concept of television genres. The authors pointed out that in the same way that films and print publications are classified, television shows also have their own genres. However, the ways by which the genres of the movies and print publications are classified, differ from the pattern that television genre classification follows. Television genres are not classified according to those features used in film genre classifications such as themes, plots, cinematography, setting, characterizations, and other elements present in the film.   However, as stated by Newcomb, the first person to attempt to classify television genre, â€Å"television as a medium imposes an element of familism on each of the genres which it has inherited from the other media of popular culture.† Despite such characteristic however, the classification process for television genres does not also follow the genre categorization followed by print publications such as the text, the angle of the story, and so on. As such, among the mentioned classifications of the television genre which the authors mentioned are the news and the soap operas. In the later part of their article however, the authors discuss the nature of media events in relation with its similarities and difference from news and the soap opera. The first difference of media event from other television, as cited by the authors was the fact that media events are not routine. They are not akin to the broadcast news shows where a specific pattern is followed as to when the television anchors will appear and report and which segments will come after another. In the case of media events, they comprise a wide range of events- it may be a wedding of a Royal prince, an impeachment trial of the President, the death of a prominent star, or any significant event that may demand utmost attention and interest from the public. Also, media events are delivered as spontaneous events were anything can happen. The authors also cited that media events demand and receive focused attention. They described media events as akin to an ultimate â€Å"life shocker or stopper†, where the media men will somehow dedicate their time and effort to a single event while the rest of the news- whatever relevant event that can be considered as such- will be taken as a secondary priority. As such, media events are also described as something which will then demand the attention of the public as well. Also, the authors pointed out that media events interrupt the routine and they intervene with the normal flow of broadcasting. They cited examples where the normal line of shows was altered so as to give way to the broadcasting of media events. Such act then emphasizes the importance of the media events over the other television genres. This characteristic of media events is then overemphasized when in some cases; regular broadcasting is ultimately suspended so as to cater to the media events. Another important feature of media events that the authors pointed out was the fact that such are delivered in a monopolistic manner most of the time. As such, one can be able to determine that something is a media event when its broadcasting invades all the television channels. Media events are also unique because, as the authors stated, they happen live and the events are transmitted as they occur. This presents a major difference from news and other television shows such as soap operas where the show is recorded. The authors also point out that media events call for outside reporting. By this, we mean that mass communication is delivered from a different venue- depended of the media event itself. As such it is delivered not from the usual studies where mass communication is much controlled and monitored. However, it contrast of its being unique, the authors also site a feature which makes it similar to the other genres- the fact that media events are often pre-planned. This means that the events are announced and advertised before it actually happens. Overall however, the authors note that the main differences of the media events are the fact that they are presented with reverence and ceremony. In this case, we can see that the authors failed to mention the relevance of such unique characteristics- what does these attributes mean, and what are its impact to the viewers and to the whole mass media industry as well. However, the authors made important notes to ponder as they stated why such television genre should attain academic attention. Among the many reasons they have stated are as follows: a. Media events attract large audiences. Since the media events are delivered in a way that is highly interest catching, the viewers cannot resist but be attached to such. However, there are some points when the fact that it has large audiences makes the event qualify as a media event. Regardless of this chicken-egg scenario however, media events should be studied because it provides impending effects on a large group of public viewers. b. Media events make us realize the potential of electronic media technology. As stated earlier, media events are delivered outside the studio, they are also not routine and as such, they serve as a challenge not only for the media personnel but for the mass media technology as well. Such moments test the efficiency and the limits of such. c. Media events make us realize that the media has the power to form its own social network. The ability to form a unique social network is seen as more and more people are inclined to be part of the media event. This social network does not only involve the mass media personnel and the actual attendees of the event, rather it involves all of those who get hooked to their televisions just to watch the media event. d. Media events interrupt our life patterns. By life patterns, we mean not only that of the usual television shows, but the routines in the lives of the viewers. Instead of going to social parties or watching movies, or playing golf, the viewers who get glued to watch media events does otherwise from their planned day to day activities. e. Media events show the art of journalism and television broadcasting. Such events give everyone the glimpse of journalism and broadcasting not just at work, but as challenged. These events how the mechanics of true journalism and demand the most of it as well. f. Media events give the people a view of the past and the future. By this, we mean that media events sometimes demand an elaborated check on the past so as to find historical links to the important event. Aside from that however, media events also allow us to assess the development of television, in accordance to its relevance to the life of the television viewing society. Overall, the authors introduced the nature of media events by linking it with other events that we are more familiar with. After the overview, a through description of media events is delivered as its similarities and differences to other television genres are explored. Towards the end, the authors then establish the importance of media events and the need to study such. References: Dayan, Daniel and Katz, Elihu. Media Events: The Live Broadcasting of History (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992) Media Event. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000)

SAS Institute Case Study Answers

The SAS institute was founded in 1976 by Dr. James Goodnight and Dr. John Sall, both professors at North Carolina State University, SAS Institute, Inc. provides business intelligence (BI) software and services at more than 40,000 customer sites worldwide, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. SAS, which stands for â€Å"statistical analysis software,† is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina. It is the world’s largest privately held software company, having over 100 offices worldwide with approximately 10,000 employees. With an unbroken record of growth and profitability, SAS had revenue of $1. 18 billion in 2002 and invested about 25 percent of revenues into research and development. SAS has been widely recognized for its work-life programs and emphasis on employee satisfaction. The company’s various honors include being recognized by Working Mothers magazine as one of â€Å"100 Best Companies for Working Mothers† and by Fortune magazine as one of the â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work for in America. † The Working Mothers recognition has been received 13 times and the Fortune recognition has occurred for six consecutive years. . Critically analyse the basic management philosophy that governs employee relation management at SAS. The management culture is a very important factor in the imprinting of a company: it shapes the relationship between working environment and employee satisfaction. SAS’s particular strategy of running the business in which the employees are unbelievably loyal, as a software developer himself, SAS CEO Jim Goodnight knows well that designing software is a creative process, and that SAS’ continued success is built on â€Å"products of the mind. The creativity and puzzle-solving behind great software and the caring professionalism behind great customer service are the most essential resources in an intellectual property enterprise. SAS management believes that workplace culture, company values and employment practices can transform the work experience in ways that are not only good relations but good business. Focusing on people and relationships making employees a top priority leads to more productive, satisfied and dedicated employees. They take care of the company that takes care of them. To achieve that ideal, employees must be stimulated, engaged, appreciated and supported. They need to be trusted and valued, to feel that they make a difference. To support the creative process and balance work and family, they must be offered a flexible work environment that allows them to be the most productive. And they should be freed from many of the distractions and difficulties of day-to-day life, so they can focus on doing their best work. They want good results so they pay their employees competitively, targeted at the average for the software industry. SAS does not provide stock options like other companies in the industry. Instead of relying on high salaries and stock options to attract and retain workers like many software companies do, SAS takes a very different approach. SAS focuses on providing meaningful and challenging work, and it encourages teamwork. SAS also provides a host of benefits that appeal to the employees and help keep them satisfied. As one employee who took a 10 percent pay cut to join SAS said: â€Å"It’s better to be happy than to have a little more money. Employees are given the freedom, flexibility, responsibility, and resources to do their jobs, and they are also held accountable for results. Managers know what employees are doing and they work alongside them, writing computer code. The company employs very few external contractors and very few part-time staff, so there is a strong sense of teamwork throughout the organization. SAS employees are clearly involved in their work. One employee, Kathy Passarella, notes that: â€Å"When you walk down the halls here, it’s rare that you hear people talking about anything but work. Clearly, human resource management at SAS is a two-way street. SAS has an HR strategy and related policies and practices that attract, motivate, and retain highly capable workers who make significant contributions to the ongoing success of the company. Goodnight and the other SAS leaders expect nothing less than superior performance from the employees, and they continue to get it. The employees are loyal a nd committed to the company, and they are productive; so loyal, committed, and productive, in fact, that only a small percentage of the employees ever leave once they have been hired at SAS. They have the employees who don’t want to leave the work even if they get little more money somewhere else as they want the peace they get in SAS. (Drucker 1974, Chaffee 1985) 3. Critically evaluate how SAS’s have ethically played its role in providing for the needs of its employees and how its human resource strategy policies, and practices affect the company’s ability to attract, develop, and maintain a quality workforce. This Corporate Social Responsibility Report reflects the core values and achievements of how SAS does business as an employer, a software provider and a corporate citizen. The guiding principles that launched the company in 1976 are still the foundation of the enterprise. The company strives to be approachable, so customers recognize SAS as a reliable partner and not just a vendor. It is about being customer-driven, engaging with customers to find out what they want and helping to solve their problems. It requires swiftness and agility, to adapt to changing technology and global conditions. It relies on the kind of innovation that grows in a workplace culture where employees feel valued, vested and inspired to excellence. And it demands that SAS be trustworthy, an ethical business partner that customers can count on for their critical decision-making processes. Overarching these guiding principles is the commitment to sustainability to drive operational efficiency, spawn innovation, and satisfy the expectations of customers, employees and society. This commitment and understanding are driven from the top. Through the SAS Executive Sustainability Council, top executives ensure that sustainability goals and priorities permeate every aspect of the company’s operations. Externally, SAS senior management is represented on the boards of leading conservation organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, and provides influence on the global stage through such organizations as the World Economic Forum, World Resources Institute and the Environmental Defense Fund. Responding to the growing need for companies to measure their performance, SAS introduced SAS for Sustainability Management software in 2008 to enable organizations of any size or industry to measure, manage and report on sustainability indicators. This groundbreaking solution led to Jim Goodnight, SAS CEO, being named among the â€Å"100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics† in 2008. This 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, the third published by the company, highlights SAS’ commitment to, and leadership on, sustainability across all business units – in terms of governance and management, employees, community engagement and the environment. Employees are given the freedom, flexibility, responsibility, and resources to do their jobs, and they are also held accountable for results. Managers know what employees are doing and they work alongside them, writing computer code. The company employs very few external contractors and very few part-time staff, so there is a strong sense of teamwork throughout the organization. SAS employees are clearly involved in their work. One employee, Kathy Passarella, notes that: When you walk down the halls here, it’s rare that you hear people talking about anything but work. (Cooper 1991) Included among the various employee benefits that SAS provides are: an employee fitness and recreational center, an employee laundry service, a heavily subsidized employee cafeteria, live piano music in the employee cafeteria, subsidized on-site childcare, and a free health center. All of these benefits are geared toward employees having a better work experience and/or a better balance between their work lives and their personal lives. The company’s commitment to work-life balance is evident in SAS’s 35-hour workweek, which clearly recognizes the importance of employee’s personal lives. That strategy is intended â€Å"to make it impossible for people not to do their work. † The owners of SAS want employees to be satisfied because they believe satisfied employees will be excellent performers and will provide exceptional service to the company’s customers. If you treat employees as if they make a difference to the company, they will make a difference to the company. Satisfied employees create satisfied customers. † This viewpoint might be described as a form of enlightened realism and enlightened self-interest on the part of the company. Satisfied employees make for satisfied customers, and satisfied customers make for an ongoing stream of revenue and profits for SAS. . In commenting on the company’s performance expectations for employees, Goodnight says: â€Å"I like to be around happy people, but if they don’t get that next release out, they’re not going to be very happy. Pondering the likelihood that SAS employees would take advantage of the company’s relaxed atmosphere, John Sall, co-owner of SAS, observes: â€Å"I can’t imagine that playing Ping-Pong would be more interesting than work. † David Russo adds some additional perspective. He says: â€Å"If you’re out sick for six months, you’ll get cards and flowers, and people will come to cook dinner for you. If you’re out sick for six Mondays in a row, you’ll get fired. We expect adult behavior. † David Russo, SAS’s head of human resources says: â€Å"To some people, this looks l ike the Good Ship Lollipop, floating down the stream. It’s not. It’s part of a soundly designed strategy. † That strategy is intended â€Å"to make it impossible for people not to do their work. † (Buzzell 1987) 4. Critically evaluate SAS employees’ moral duty to the organization towards the achievement of its goal. As the company is doing its best to keep the employees happy it also expects the employees to give their best to the company. The owners of SAS want employees to be satisfied because they believe satisfied employees will be excellent performers and will provide exceptional service to the company’s customers. So by treating the employees well they know that they will get ga good return as the employees will treat the customers well. They follow the strategy that satisfied employees create satisfied customers. † This viewpoint might be described as a form of enlightened realism and enlightened self-interest on the part of the company. Satisfied employees make for satisfied customers, and satisfied customers make for an ongoing stream of revenue and profits for SAS. SAS’s leaders recognize both the benefits and costs associated with keeping employees satisfied. One of the most significant benefits for SAS is a very low annual turnover rate. The company’s turnover rate is less than four percent, as compared to approximately 25 percent for the industry as a whole. This low turnover saves the company about $70 million annually in employee replacement costs. On the cost side, of course, is the company’s monetary outlay for the various programs. David Russo, the human resources director, argues that the employee replacement cost savings more than pays for the company’s generous benefits. Perhaps of more concern on the â€Å"cost side† is the potential for employees failing to perform. In commenting on the company’s performance expectations for employees, Goodnight says: â€Å"I like to be around happy people, but if they don’t get that next release out, they’re not going to be very happy. † Pondering the likelihood that SAS employees would take advantage of the company’s relaxed atmosphere, John Sall, co-owner of SAS, observes: â€Å"I can’t imagine that playing Ping-Pong would be more interesting than work. † David Russo adds some additional perspective. He says: â€Å"If you’re out sick for six months, you’ll get cards and flowers, and people will come to cook dinner for you. If you’re out sick for six Mondays in a row, you’ll get fired. We expect adult behavior. † The system of SAS is a two-way street. SAS has an HR strategy and related policies and practices that attract, motivate, and retain highly capable workers who make significant contributions to the ongoing success of the company. Goodnight and the other SAS leaders expect nothing less than superior performance from the employees, and they continue to get it. The employees are loyal and committed to the company, and they are productive; so loyal, committed, and productive, in fact, that they are giving the best to the company. Borgerson 2008). 5. Conclusion: SAS has proved to give the best quality of working atmosphere to its employees. They motivate their employees and help them to give their best to the company. They don’t interfere in the family life of the employees instead they tray to make their lives better in every way by creating things around them that make th em feel comfortable. Clearly, human resource management at SAS is a two-way street. SAS has an HR strategy and related policies and practices that attract, motivate, and retain highly capable workers who make significant contributions to the ongoing success of the company. Goodnight and the other SAS leaders expect nothing less than superior performance from the employees, and they continue to get it. The employees are loyal and committed to the company, and they are productive; so loyal, committed, and productive, in fact, that only a small percentage of the employees ever leave once they have been hired at SAS, as they feel so comfortable that even if they are offered a little more money in some other company they don’t prefer more money.

Legal Issues in the Criminal Justice Administration Research Paper

Legal Issues in the Criminal Justice Administration - Research Paper Example Eventually, they credited her good work in the sexual assault unit and considered as â€Å"one of the boys.† Officer Rowdy uses colorful language when dealing with fellow officers. One day, following a brutal child sexual assault investigation, she joined with fellow officers to the bar and got pretty drunk. The males called Rowdy a â€Å"jap† and laughing about J-date and in returned, Rowdy joked about circumcised versus uncircumcised males. She seemed not offended. Rowdy’s immediate supervisor was with them and he blatantly told her that she can be promoted as a detective provided she will do something sexual for him. Offended, she called him several derogatory names and he left her alone, but not before he called her a â€Å"disgusting Jew.† A week later, a neighbour of the bar where the officers were drinking reported to the Sheriff that her officers were an embarrassment to the town and that there was one female officer who was particularly offensive because she was using foul language and telling sexually explicit jokes with the male officers. The Sheriff called Rowdy’s attention and investigated her about the incident. The Sheriff apparently considered her for the detective division but professed having second thought as complaint was mounted. Rowdy explicated that she endured verbal abuse from her fellows and perceived that she tolerated it so that she will not get fired. She related the supervisor’s offer of a promotion and the offensive Jewish jokes she’s had to put up since starting the job. She does not want to lose her job and don’t want to alienate fellow officers as they might retaliate and shun her again. She asked if this incident happened because of her Jewish religious practic e which has become a subject of amusement for fellow officers. c. If she disciplines Officer Rowdy for her behaviour in the bar to satisfy the citizen complaint, will she have a legitimate claim against the Sheriff? If she is

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Quiz - Coursework Example consumption behavior, tastes and preferences, and change behavior. The model is action oriented and is mainly used by marketers in order to improve the presence of the business in the market. Matrix Model-In economics, matrix model is a reflection of various interrelationships between different economic elements. The model brings together into a single table the balance of output distribution and that of inputs for better analysis. Virtual Model-It is a digital description of a physical object. The model is mainly used in creation of 3D features for the purpose of virtualization. This is mainly used in the film industry and architectural sector. Focus group-It is a strategy used in qualitative research which entails identifying a specific group of study to be analyzed over a specified period of time. The researcher uses the group to study their behavior, perception, or any other topic of study. On-the-job training-It is training that takes place in the normal working situation. It entails one person showing the other on how to complete a specific task more effectively. It is also referred to as direct instruction. Apprenticeship-It is a form of training the new generation of practitioners which occurs in the normal working environment. It occurs while one is working for an employer who helps the trainee (apprentice) to learn new skills. Behavioral Modeling-It is an approach to control theory which aims at reducing inconsistencies. Of importance to note about the approach is that it does not differentiate between input and output variables. Cultural diversity-It is having various cultures which respect each other’s differences. It is having different people who emanates from different cultural backgrounds but tolerates each other’s cultural aspects. Diversity Training-It is an instructional course that aims at increasing people’s awareness on diverse

The Representation of Youth Through the Media Essay

The Representation of Youth Through the Media - Essay Example Even though both boys and girls are exploited for visual media advertisements, the number of girls used for this purpose seems to be extremely more than that of the boys. Female body is considered as one of the most beautiful things in this world and the exploitation of female body shapes for business purposes is growing day by day. In most of the films and television series, the story line would be something related to the teenagers. All the people, irrespective of age difference or sex difference, are interested in viewing programs related to the teenage community. In fact teenage is the golden era in the life of a person and therefore even old people like to see television serials and films related to teenage life to go through their beautiful memories. Media business people know this psychology very well and they often make films and TV serials which exaggerate teenage life styles and their life philosophies. Thus, in most of the visual media, teenager representation or youth rep resentation seems to be far from reality. This paper analyses teenage representation in media, especially in the visual media, like television programs and films. Representation of youth in visual media According to Taylor & Lisa Taylor (Author) †º Visit Amazon's Lisa Taylor PageWillis (1999), â€Å"Both television programs and films are produced with their contrasting contexts of consumption in mind† (Taylor & Lisa Taylor (Author) †º Visit Amazon's Lisa Taylor PageWillis, 1999, p.3). It should be noted that both television programs and films are viewed by people of different kinds. However, television programs are mostly viewed by a family as a whole whereas films are viewed individually in most of the cases. For example, people like to see adult movies or films privately rather than publicly. On the other hand television serials are mostly watched in groups. Thus, television program producers usually avoid the intrusion of sex contents as much as possible whereas film makers may not obey such unwritten rules. In short, both television programs and films are made in different contexts. For example, Saved by the Bell is an American television program that telecasted between 1989 and 1993. This TV series followed the exploits of several students along with their principal at fictional Bayside High School. Each season of the series basically represented a year of high school for the students, plus summer vacations, ending with their graduation. The sitcom name is an idiom for being saved, by a school bell ringing, when a student is unprepared to answer a question asked near the end of a classroom period (Mashable, 2012). Even though the major theme of this serial was the stupid things performed by teenagers during their school days, it attracted all people because of the comedies involved in it. It should be noted that all people may experience such stupid things in their teenage life and old people was very much interested in viewing this TV se rial because of their interests in rewinding their old memories in teenage life. â€Å"While for some reason the main characters here are like the most popular people in school you might or might not relate with that but you could at times relate with what's going on in their lives† (Saved by the Bell, n.d.). All people like to see the stupidity others. For example, most of the people like to see the slipping and falling of another person even though they may not

Ethnic group Essay Example for Free

Ethnic group Essay Race in America is one of those subjects that scholars rarely broach and are heavily criticized for these omissions by their constituents. For this reason, the subject of race and urbanization felt a proper choice for this final paper. Following, we will incorporate data from multiple sources including Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, a novel that examines the harrowing trials of different groups in Afghanistan and what happens to the ones lucky enough to escape the violence of their homeland into the safety net of American soil; in an attempt to show the inalienable link between race and urbanization. This discussion on urbanization and race in American will also include a brief discussion on classism. Classism is a part of the structural organization of society that can be measured as part of the contributing factors to the socioeconomic divisiveness experienced in this urbanized world. Some argue that gentrification, in all of its wonders is class based. Others argue it more a matter of ethnicity and race, both may be correct. Nevertheless, the issue of race, as aforementioned should be granted a closer look. By examining the ideas and experiences of anthropologists and sociologists past and present this paper will attempt to specify on how classism, racism, and urbanization are connected. Growing Cities and Ghettos The Industrial Revolution sparked an enormous wave of migrants and immigrants into American cities creating an urban ecology. Chapter 3 of the Giddens et. al. text, describes the social movement from Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft; from a community based ideology in society to a more individualized world. Afghanistan is an agriculturally based society. Urbanization is a global process that draws people away from rural areas and into the cities. Once in those cities, people tend to gravitate to areas that are inhabited by people of their same cultural fabric. In discussing theories of urbanization, gentrification and displacement, John Bentacur (2010) in Gentrification and Community Fabric in Chicago points out how people are drawn to areas that have a cultural/ethnic connectivity, â€Å"immigrants with different characteristics compete for space until they get accommodated with alike others in locations that correspond to their competitive strengths† (p 384). In the novel, The Kite Runner, Amir and his father make the arduous migration from Kabul, Afghanistan to Fremont, California. Their low income neighborhood of Fremont is ethnically diverse but with a notable concentration of Afghani residents. It makes sense that when people leave their countries of origin to settle in a new place, they will be drawn to people and areas that are familiar to them. Even with familiarity problems arise, urban studies reveal several difficulties that plague densely populated urban neighborhoods; poverty, crime and dilapidated conditions to name a few. In Afghanistan Baba, Amir’s father, was rich and even wielded some power for being a respected business man and serving the community by creating an orphanage that would later be destroyed by the Taliban regime. In America, there would be no such accolades to speak of for their family. In fact, they would live in a type of poverty, they had never experienced nor hardly imagined. They would experience the existence that many black Americans face with no end in sight. A growing world population combined with globalization and the heightened mobility that comes with it has led to the creation of cities and a scramble for affordable housing. Gentrification also known as ‘urban regeneration’ or ‘re-urbanization’ is the process that happens in a community when it becomes urbanized and consists of the higher income families moving into lower income areas. During this process demographic changes are notable; in America, gentrification is notably marked by white families moving into black neighborhoods. Race and Ethnicity America is a multicultural nation. Our history of slavery created the black and white groups and the immigrant populations from around the world contributes to a high variety of culture and ethnic background. The macro-sociological issue of race and ethnicity has been the source of much debate and discussion. The reason for this is that the issue of race has been the root cause of social and political turmoil. Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton provide the backdrop in history when segregation by race was created in America in their book American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. Massey and Denton edify that racial segregation was not always a fact of life in American society and that in fact; blacks and whites lived in close proximity to each other, albeit in the alley ways of the big homes occupied by their white neighbors, â€Å"industrialization in the north unleashed a set of social, economic and technological changes that dramatically altered the urban environment in ways that promoted segregation between social groups† (1993:19-26). Urbanization and technological advancement (causing blacks in the south to migrate to northern cities by the tens of thousands) would be the foundation for residential segregation where blacks and other minorities would be relegated to the outskirts of town. Black ghettos would remain isolated from society in a manner that was rarely, experienced by the European immigrants that came to this country during industrialization. Blacks and later, Latinos, would be destined to live isolated and neglected from social organizations and deprived from many of the benefits enjoyed by white communities with little hope of escape, â€Å"not only was the segregation of European ethnic groups lower, it was also temporary. Whereas Europeans isolation indices began to drop shortly after 1920, the spatial isolation characteristics of blacks had become a permanent feature of the residential structure of large American cities by 1940† (Massey and Denton 1993:57). In America, race and ethnicity is more clearly defined than in places like Afghanistan. According to data gathered from the PBS News Hour website, Afghanistan has nine different ethnic groups that reside in different territories of the country. They have fought and continue to fight civil wars, over culture (religion), legislative power and territory. Afghanistan and the U. S. are similar in their historical oppression of one ethnic group over another. In Afghanistan, the Pashtun/Sunni have for a long time ruled the land and claimed dominion over the Hazara/Shites. The Hazara group can be considered the equivalent to the Black demographic in America where historically they were the slave class, but are currently represented in government. Statistics In a rapidly modernizing world, Afghanistan is among the severely underdeveloped countries of the Middle East. As previously mentioned, Afghanistan is a multiethnic/multifaith, agriculturally based democracy, with a history of violence. And it perhaps it is this history, in addition to deep religious belief systems that have kept this land from joining the rest of the modern world. In reviewing the Millennium Development Goals indicators, data collected by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), I reviewed several indicators that point to the fact that Afghanistan has a long road ahead. Afghanistan is making slow but sure progress trying to bring itself into a socially, politically and economically stable place. The first indicator measured the number of underweight children less than 59 months. The UNSD defines this indicator as a high number of moderately to severely underweight children, â€Å"whose weights for age are less than two standard deviations†. According to the report a healthy population will have 2. 3 percent of their children in this category. In 2004, 32. 9 percent of Afghanistan’s children were reportedly underweight, compared to 44. 9 percent in 1997. This indicator points to the poverty level and lack of nourishment recorded within a seven year period in Afghanistan. A second indicator measures women’s rights and representation in government. This indicator is defined as, â€Å"the portion of seats held by women in national parliament† increased from 3. 7 percent in 1990 to 27. 3 percent in 2006. The measurement was sustained through 2012 at 27. 7 percent. More work needs to be done and educating the population should be the place to start. Theological Link The Modernization Theory discussed in the text looks to explain the underdevelopment of countries like Afghanistan. Marx worried about capitalism and the effects it had on the lower-class population and thereby, the democratic process. Marx’s Conflict Theory dictates that societies are ruled by a small group of elite that create social order for the larger population. In this, we have the creation of divisions by class (division of labor), a central topic of discourse since the beginning of industrialized times. The French Revolution of 1787 (also known as the revolt of the bourgeois or middle-class society) creating capitalism and thereby usurping government power from monarchs. Karl Marx hated democracy. â€Å"Democracy is the road to socialism† (Karl Marx) Capitalism created tensions between the working and bourgeois classes. Summary Race and urbanization are indivisibly linked. Marxism and Class Conflict is the most applicable theory of today’s society. Considering the current events and status of world order, it is undeniable; capitalism continues to be the most powerful ideology in the world. The United States is a powerful country and the way it retains power is by unwaveringly maintaining capitalistic ideology and participating in global conflict around the world in defense of this ideology, â€Å"power, ideology, and conflict are always closely connected† (Giddens 2012:20). Societies are based on trust and these trusts are broken by the people that create and uphold unjust rules for the population of color and the poor. Works Cited Betancur, John. 2010. â€Å"Gentrification and community fabric in Chicago. † Urban Studies Journal Foundation. Sage 48(2): 383 407. Retrieved from http://usj. sagepub. com/content/48/2/383 Giddens, Anthony, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Applebaum and Deborah Carr. 2012. â€Å"Introduction to sociology. † New York: W. W. Norton and Company. Eighth ed. , pp. 15-78. Massey, Douglas and Nancy A. Denton. 1993. â€Å"The construction of the ghetto. † Pp 17-59 in American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making for the Underclass. Harvard University Press. Retrieved from http://ereserve. baruch. cuny. edu. remote. baruch. cuny. edu/eres/coursepage. aspx? cid=3155page=docs United Nations Statistics Division. (1991-2011) [Table Data on Gender Parity Index in Primary Enrollment retrieved November 5, 2012. ] Millenium Development Goals Indicators. Retrieved from http://mdgs. un. org/unsd/mdg/Metadata. aspx? IndicatorId=0SeriesId=559 United Nations Statistics Division. (1991-2011) [Table Data on Gender Parity Index in Primary Enrollment retrieved November 5, 2012. ] Millenium Development Goals Indicators. Retrieved from http://mdgs. un. org/unsd/mdg/Metadata. aspx? IndicatorId=0SeriesId=557.

U.S. Transportation Energy Analysis of Modal Use and Trend

U.S. Transportation Energy Analysis of Modal Use and Trend Joe Willie   U.S. vehicles travel over three trillion miles per year. The vast majority (99.64%) of these miles are traveled on U.S. roads, with the greatest portion of these miles attributed to passenger and light-duty vehicles (US Dept of Transportation, 2014). Transportation accounts for 28% of the energy used in the U.S. (US Energy Information Administration, 2016) and 26% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions equaling 1.786 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.(EPA 2016). U.S. vehicle travel increased from 724 billion miles in 1960 to the current level by 2006, at which point the total vehicle miles stabilized (US Dept of Transportation, 2014). 90% of the fuel used for transportation in the U.S. is petroleum based (US Energy Information Administration, 2016). Transportation has become the leading and most-rapidly increasing contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions both globally and the U.S (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Between 1991 and 2006, nearly half of the growth in U.S. carbon emissions was attributable to transportation. CO2 emission growth due to transportation has been driven by several factors, including increasing demand for passenger and freight transport, urban development and sprawl, lack of rail and bus transit and cycle infrastructure in many regions, fuel-inefficient vehicles, relatively low oil prices, and the limited availability of low-carbon fuels (Brown, Southworth, Sarzynski 2008). Given the scope and growth of transportation and associated emissions, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and quantify impacts and trends in various transportation modes. Light trucks (pickups, minivans, and SUVs) and passenger cars account for 34% and 24% of U.S. transportation fuel usage, respectively (US Energy Information Administration, 2016). Light trucks and passenger cars combined contribute 59% of U.S. transportation carbon emissions (U.S. Department of Energy, 2014). Fuel efficiency standards in the U.S. were initially established by Congress 1975. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards set the average, sales-weighted, fleet fuel economy for new vehicles starting with the 1978 model year, with the intention of doubling average fuel economy to 27.5 mpg by 1985. The Department of Transportation also established CAFE standards for light trucks ( pickups, minivans, and SUVs) beginning with the 1978 model year. In 2007, CAFE standards for light trucks were increased to 22.2 mpg, with further increases scheduled. No increases were made beyond 1985 levels for passenger cars until until 2007, when the Energy Independence and Security Act ra ised the fuel economy standards of Americas cars, light trucks, and SUVs to a combined average of at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020 (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2017). However, it seems likely that this standard will be scaled back by the current administration before it is implemented. Minimum fuel efficiency standards for cars and light cars are set at different levels. A passenger car is any 4-wheel vehicle not designed for off-road use that is manufactured primarily for use in transporting 10 people or less. A light truck is any 4-wheel vehicle which is designed for off-road operation (has 4-wheel drive or is more than 6,000 lbs. gvwr and has typically truck-like physical features); or which is designed to transport more than 10 people, provide temporary housing, provide open bed transport, permit greater cargo-carrying capacity than passenger-carrying volume, or with the use of tools can be converted to an open bed vehicle by removal of rear seats to form a flat continuous floor (NHTSA, 2006). The ambiguity of this definition enables manufacturers to define vehicles as trucks or cars at their discretion. Many sport utility vehicles (SUVs) produced today which seem to meet the passenger car definition above are classified as light trucks, allowing their manufact urers far greater leeway to meet CAFE standards . It is useful to analyze vehicle carbon intensity for cars and light trucks. This is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide emission per vehicle distance traveled. Carbon intensity is inversely proportional to fuel economy. From 1973 to 2008 carbon intensity decreased 33% per vehicle mile and 15% per passenger mile. After 1973, new cars became much lighter, less powerful, and gradually more efficient. By 2007 a new cars and light trucks used half as much energy per unit weight as ones sold in the 1970s. However, new car weight had increased to 80% of the 1975 values for cars, and light truck weight increased above 1975 values. As a result the decline in fuel usage per mile of new cars and light trucks sold in the 1990s was closer to 33% less than those sold in 1973 (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Low-density suburban development, or urban sprawl, has dominated development in the U.S. since World War II. This also includes scattered and commercial strip development, as well as large expanses of single-use development . Suburban households drive 31 percent more than urban households, while western households drive 35 percent than northeastern households (Kahn, 2000). Whats more, households in low density areas tend to own more cars, are more likely to own less fuel efficient vehicles such as SUVs and trucks, have lower vehicle occupancies, and use public transportation less than households in high density areas (Brownstone, 2008). Domestic air carrier service accounts for 6% of the total U.S. transportation energy use and 11% of the U.S. transportation carbon emissions. U.S. planes traveled 6 billion vehicle miles (608 billion passenger miles) for such travel in 2014. Domestic airline mileage increased from 858 million vehicle miles (31 billion passenger miles) in 1960 to 6.7 billion vehicle miles (588 billion passenger miles) in 2006 before decreasing to current levels. (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2016). It is interesting to note that although total vehicle miles have decreased by over 10% since 2006, total passenger miles have increased 3.4% during the same period. This is likely due to efforts by airlines to increase cost efficiency by increasing plane occupancy. While automobile fuel use was affected by efficiency standards, there were no similar policies for air travel. Instead, technological progress and efforts to support profitability have led to reduced carbon intensity in air transportation. Many unprofitable non-stop flights between smaller cities have been eliminated in favor of hub-and-spoke patterns developed by the major airlines, which increased plane loads. In addition, air travel intensity declined as plane occupancy increased to about 80% capacity in 2006 from around 50% in the early 1970s. This created more crowding on aircraft, but led to considerable reduction in fuel consumption. As a result, the carbon intensity of air travel declined by 60% between 1973 and 2006, greatest for any major mode of transportation (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Rail and bus shares of U.S. transportation decreased from just over 7% in 1960 to around 4% in 2008, in terms of passenger miles. This is disconcerting given that the carbon intensities of bus and rail travel are (potentially) significantly lower than both passenger cars and air travel. Rail intensity can vary considerably. Heavily used intercity passenger (Amtrak) or commuter rail lines (Metro North, LIRR) typically have very low energy intensities, well below that of auto or air travel. Unfortunately, only a few large urban transit systems provide energy intensities that are competitive with automobile travel. As a result, North American public transportation service is overall not very energy efficient (energy consumption per passenger-mile). Under current conditions, U.S. transit vehicles consume about the same energy per passenger-mile as cars, although less than vans, light trucks and SUVs (Litman, 2015) . Bus travel, including intercity buses, school buses, and urban buses, has a mixed record. In fact, because buses carried so few passengers, city buses released more CO2 per passenger-mile on average than cars/light trucks during periods in the 1990s. But by 2000, newer, more efficient buses used progressively less fuel/mile, to the point where the intensit of a bus with an average of 9 passengers fell below that of automobiles again. (Steiner Mauzerall, 2006). Efficiency of public transit vehicles is highly dependent on passenger occupancy. A bus with seven passengers is about twice as energy efficient as an average automobile, while a bus with 50 passengers is about ten times as energy efficient. Rail transit tends to be about three times as energy efficient as diesel bus transit. New hybrid buses are about twice as energy efficient as current diesel buses. Chester and Horvath (2008) and Chester, et al. (2013) calculate life cycle energy consumption and pollution emissions for vari ous modes of transportation, including fuel used in their operation, and energy used in vehicle and facility construction and maintenance. While, public transit typically uses less than half the energy of a passenger car and a quarter of the energy of a light truck or SUV, these efficiencies vary significantly with on travel conditions. During peak periods, when occupancy is high, buses are the most energy efficient mode, but during off-peak, when occupancy ise low, buses are least efficient. (Litman, 2015) Although public transit is on average only modestly more energy efficient than automobile travel, and less efficient than some commercially available cars, this reflects the relatively low occupancies of transit vehicles. Transit services with high passenger occupancy rates are relatively energy efficient. Public transit improvements can provide significant energy savings and emission reductions by increasing operation efficiency, reducing traffic congestion, and substituting for automobile travel. Residents of transit-oriented communities tend to drive significantly less than they would in conventional, automobile-oriented locations. Transit improvements support other energy conservation strategies, such as efficient road and parking pricing policies. Without high quality transit such strategies are less effective and less politically acceptable. Current demographic and economic trends are increasing demand for high quality public transit and transit-oriented development (Litman, 20 15). American railroad passenger traffic grew steadily from the late 1800s until the 1920s, when long distance travel shifted to private automobiles and rail travel began a long decline. This decline was interrupted briefly due to gasoline rationing and the suspension of auto production during World War II when railroads were put back into service to transport the great volume of soldiers and war workers. Intercity bus service, which had been very limited before 1940, expanded during this period, as well. After the war, however most rail companies discontinued passenger service entirely. Passenger stations were demolished or abandoned, and railroad cars were taken out of service. In an effort to preserve rail service, Congress created Amtrak in 1970 and provided federal funds to support the new rail system. Commuter lines provided the remaining service. This was followed within a few years with the federal governments deregulation of U.S. airlines. The great increase in air travel that be gan after mid century is projected to continue indefinitely, offering speedy and safe transportation that strain air transit facilities. Bus travel provided a low-cost alternative airplane or train travel and has retained a small but relatively stable niche (Caplow, Hicks and Wattenberg, 2000). The MTA, which is the New York Metropolitan areas transit system, is a noteworthy case study of a large-scale US public transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North Americas largest transportation network, providing service for 15.3 million people in 5,000 square miles including New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. MTA subways, buses, and railroads provide 2.73 billion trips each year to New Yorkers, including about one in every three users of mass transit and two-thirds of the rail riders in the U.S. While 15 percent of the nations workers use public transit to get to their jobs, four of every five of New York Citys central business district rush-hour commuters use transit service, most of it operated by the MTA (MTA, 2017). The MTA accounts for 65 percent of all New York City commutes while using just 5 percent of New York Citys total energy consumption (MTA, 2008). The MTA also boasts the largest bus fleet in the U.S. and more subway and rail cars than all the rest of the countrys subways and commuter railroads combined. According to the MTA, ridership on its mass results in a 15 million metric ton net reduction of pollutants, making New York the most carbon-efficient state in the nation (MTA, 2017). New Yorkers consume one quarter as much energy per capita as the average American, largely attributable to the MTA system (MTA, 2008). While the energy and carbon emission efficiencies of the MTA system is impressive, the economy of such an operation poses significant ongoing challenges. Fares and tolls provide 53% of the MTAs $14.6 billion dollar annual operating revenue, but the system relies on taxes and subsidies for the remaining operating funds (MTA, 2015). In addition the agency relies heavily on debt to fund capital projects, with debt payments consuming a growing share of the MTAs annual operating budget, increasing the likelihood of fare increases and, creating an estimated debt service cost of $3.5 billion a year by 2030 (Tri-State Transportation Campaign, 2017). It seems that the inspiring environmental and fuel efficiency gains attributed to a large-scale public transportation system comes with a burdensome cost. Freight accounts for about 26% of all petroleum-based fuels consumed in the U.S. transportation sector. Freight transportation demand is typically measured in tons, ton-miles, and value (dollars) of goods moved by the freight sector. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that 18.5 billion tons of goods worth $16.7 trillion were moved in the United States in 2007, for a total of 5.4 trillion ton-miles of travel (U.S. DOT). Trucks moved about 72% of all freight tonnage, accounting for 42% of all ton-miles and 70% of freight commodity value. Rail accounted for only 11% of tons moved, but 28% of ton-miles and 3.5% of total value, reflecting rails cost effectiveness in hauling heavier, but generally lower-value, commodities, such as coal and grain, over long distances. Excluding international maritime shipments, waterborne transportation accounted for a smaller percentage of tons and ton-miles. Air freight transportation constituted an even smaller share, except when measured by va lue (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). Between 1960 and 2008, the share of trucks to almost 42% of ton-miles, while rail fell from 36% of freight in 1960 to 33% in 2008. The share of waterborne freight decreased significantly while air freight grew ten-fold over the entire 48 year period, despite accounting for less than 1% of total freight travel in 2008. Disconcertingly, the modes of travel and freight that consume the most energy per unit grew faster than those that use the least energy. Freight demand is estimated to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040 and to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050, requiring ever-increasing amounts of energy. In the coming decades, all modes of domestic freight transportation are expected to increase significantly, but truckings share, when measured in both tons and ton-miles, is projected to continue to grow at the expense of rail and waterborne freight (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). The cost and volatility of fuel prices in the past decades as well as increasing interest by shippers in decreasing fuel costs and carbon emissions from goods movement have led the motor carrier industry to search for better fuel efficiency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) SmartWay Transport Partnership program works with the shipping and trucking community to reduce fuel use and emissions by promoting cleaner and more efficient engines and transmissions, more aerodynamically clean truck shapes (including nose cones, skirts and gap fairings), idle reduction technologies, low rolling resistant and single-wide tires, lower weight components and aluminum wheels, driver training, and more efficient routing and dispatching (EPA 2011). Railroads spend relatively less than trucks on fuel, due to the economies of scale and fuel savings by hauling very large volumes of freight over long distances. In 2008, railroads consumed approximately 320 Btu per ton-mile, compared to trucking, which used approximately 1,390 Btu per ton-mile. The difference in fuel use is reflected in the generally higher price of trucking services and the generally lower price of rail services, but the services provided by truck and rail also differ substantially in load capacity, routes and destinations served, frequency of service, transit time and reliability of travel time (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). Understanding trends in fuel consumption by mode of travel merits an analysis of public investment in transportation and transportation infrastructure. In the U.S., transportation infrastructure is funded primarily by user-related taxes and fees which support construction and maintenance. Congress created the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) in 1956 to provide money for construction and maintenance of the Interstate Highway System. In 1982, the Mass Transit Account (MTA) was created to invest in public transportation systems. Taxes paid by highway users are credited to the HTF and are used solely to pay for highway and mass transit improvements. Currently, a federal excise taxes on gasoline, gasohol, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas, and taxes on heavy trucks and truck tires provide revenue for this fund. Revenue from motor fuel taxes are divided between the Highway Account (HA) and the Mass Transit Account, while all revenues from heavy truck taxes are dedicated to the Highway Account. I n recent years, revenues have totaled $38 billion to $42 billion per year, with about $5 billion for the Mass Transit Account and the rest for the Highway Account. In 2015, Congress passed the $305 billion Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five year plan to increase highway investment from $40 billion per year to $46.4 billion per year and increased public transportation funding from $10.7 billion per year to $12.6 billion per year (The American Road Transportation Builders Association, 2016). There is also a federal Airport and Airways Trust Fund, financed by fees on air travelers and taxes on aviation fuels.which finances airport improvements and the air traffic control system. State governments finance highway construction and maintenance through a variety of primarily user-related taxes and fees including taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, vehicle registration fees, driver license fees, sales taxes on motor vehicles and heavy trucks, and traffic violation fines (The American Road Transportation Builders Association, 2017). Given the considerable and increasing concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, understanding and adapting energy use seems increasingly urgent. The transportation sectors share of energy usage and carbon emissions makes it ripe for such analysis. While improvements in fuel efficiencies in all modes of transport, conservation efforts, and expansion of non-carbon based fuels provide hope for long term sustainability of transportation in the U.S., fundamental underlying factors make significant and meaningful improvement difficult to achieve. A U.S. landscape and infrastructure which was initially designed with an emphasis on rail-based public transportation has shifted over the last century to an auto-based transportation system. The Northeast United States is littered with bike paths that used to carry an extensive rail network that has been largely abandoned. Remaining public transit systems such those run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority have provided exte nsive, well utilized bus and subway service, and salvaged right of way remnants to recover rail for commuter service that is also heavily utilized. Unfortunately, high operating and capital costs combined with a dependence upon public funds make them difficult to sustain, particularly during periods of economic difficulty. Whats more, the cost of maintaining the nations extensive highway, road, and bridge infrastructure is becoming increasingly burdensome, crowding out funding for public transit systems. Similarly, shifts in freight transport modes to more carbon-intensive forms such as heavy trucking, and the rapid expansion of air travel over the last 60 years have led to an increase in fuel usage and carbon emissions in trends that are difficult to reverse. And while the introduction of CAFE requirements for autos and trucks have improved efficiency, increases in vehicle and passenger miles and vehicle weights have limited these benefits. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 promises a future fleet of significantly more efficient cars and trucks by 2020, but this gain could be abandoned by the current Congress and President. Despite great advances in technology and awareness, sustainable transportation in the U.S. will require greater initiative on the part of the public and government. Until that occurs, transportation sustainability will remain elusive. References American Road Transportation Builders Association Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act A Comprehensive Analysis 2016 http://www.artba.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FASTAct_Publication.pdf Ben Steiner Professor Denise L. Mauzerall. Achieving Vehicle Fuel Efficiency: The CAFE Standards and Beyond May 10, 2006 Brownstone, David, and Thomas F. Golob. The Impact of Residential Density on Vehicle Usage and Energy Consumption Journal of Urban Economics, 2008 EPA. 2011. EPA and NHTSA Adopt First-Ever Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improve Fuel Efficiency of Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. EPA-420-F-11-031. Washington, DC: Grenzeback, L.R.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M.J.; Hutson, N.; Lamm, C.R.; Pei, Y.L.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A.D.; Winebrake, J.J. (March 2013). Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future. Transportation Energy Futures Series. Prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO) for the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC. DOE/GO-102013-3711. 82 pp. Jay Young Infrastructure: Mass Transit in 19th- and 20th-Century Urban America Subject: 20th Century: Pre-1945, 20th Century: Post-1945, Urban History, History of Science and Technology Online Publication Date: Mar 2015 DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.28 PRINTED FROM the OXFORD RESEARCH ENCYCLOPEDIA, AMERICAN HISTORY (americanhistory.oxfordre.com). Oxford University Press USA, 2016. Kahn, M. E., 2000. The Environmental Impact of Suburbanization. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19, 569-586. Lee Schipper, Calanit Saenger, and Anant Sudardshan. Transport and Carbon Emissions in the United States: The Long View. Energies 2011, 4, 563-581; doi:10.3390/en4040563 Marilyn A. Brown, Frank Southworth, Andrea Sarzynski Shrinking The Carbon Footprint Of Metropolitan America. Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, May 2008 Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Greening Mass Transit Metro Regions: The Final Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Sustainability and the MTA, 2008 http://web.mta.info/sustainability/pdf/SustRptFinal.pdf Metropolitan Transportation Authority Adopted Budget February Financial Plan 2015 2018, 2015 http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/ Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2017 http://web.mta.info/mta/network.htm Mikhail Chester and Arpad Horvath (2008), Environmental Life-cycle Assessment of Passenger Transportation: A Detailed Methodology for Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Inventories of Automobiles, Buses, Light Rail, Heavy Rail and Air v.2, UC Berkeley Center for Future Urban Transport, Mikhail Chester, Stephanie Pincetl, Zoe Elizabeth, William Eisenstein and Juan Matute (2013), Infrastructure And Automobile Shifts: Positioning Transit To Reduce Life-Cycle Environmental Impacts For Urban Sustainability Goals, Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 8, pp. (2013) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. CAFE Overview. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/cafe/overview.htm, 2006. The American Road Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) 2017 http://www.artba.org/ Theodore Caplow, Louis Hicks and Ben J. Wattenberg, The First Measured Century: An Illustrated Guide to Trends in America, 1900-2000, American Enterprise Institute Press, 2000, 2000 Todd Litman. Evaluating Public Transit As An Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Strategy 17 April 2015 Victoria Transport Policy Institute Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Transportation 101: Whats up with the MTA? 2017 http://www.tstc.org/101/mta.php Union of Concerned Scientists, A Brief History of U.S. Fuel Efficiency Standards, 2017 http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy U.S. Department of Energy. Transportation Energy Data Book, Table 2.5, 2014. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database, http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/data.htm Apr. 26, 2016. US Energy Information Administration. Monthly Energy Review, April 2016

Making Utilities for MS-DOS :: Microsoft Computers System Software Essays

Making Utilities for MS-DOS These days, when computers play an important role in virtually all aspects of our life, the issue of concern to many programmers is Microsoft's hiding of technical documentation. Microsoft is by far the most important system software developer. There can be no argument about that. Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system has become a de facto standard (IBM's PC-DOS is actually a licensed version of MS-DOS). And this should be so, because these systems are very well written. The people who designed them are perhaps the best software engineers in the world. But making a computer platform that is a de facto standard should imply a good deal of responsibility before the developers who make applications for that platform. In particular, proper documentation is essential for such a platform. Not providing enough documentation for a system that everyone uses can have disastrous results. Think of it, an operating system is useless by itself, its sole purpose is to provide services to applications. And who would be able to develop applications for an operating system if the documentation for that system is confidential and available only to the company that developed it? Obviously, only the company that has developed that operating system will be able to develop software for it. And this is a violation of the Antitrust Law. And now I start having a suspicion that this is happening with Microsoft's operating systems. It should be no secret to anyone that MS-DOS contains a lot of undocumented system calls, data structures and other features. Numerous books have been written on this subject (see bibliography). Many of them are vital to system programming. There is no way to write a piece of system software, such as a multitasker, a local area network, or another operating system extension, without knowing this undocumented functionality in MS-DOS. And, sure enough, Microsoft is using this functionality extensively when developing operating system extensions. For example, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Network, and Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions (MSCDEX) rely heavily on the undocumented internals of MS-DOS. The reader can ask, "Why do they leave functionality undocumented?" To answer that question, we should look at what this "functionality" actually is. In MS- DOS, the undocumented "functionality" is actually the internal structures that MS-DOS uses to implement its documented INT 21h API. Any operating system must have some internal structures in which it keeps information about disk drives, open files, network connections, alien file systems, running tasks, etc. And MS- DOS (later I'll call it simply DOS) has internal structures too. These structures form the core of undocumented "functionality" in MS-DOS. This operating system also has some undocumented INT 21h API functions, but they

Analyzing John Mayer :: essays research papers

Often, lyrics are created for people to relate to them. It is common for many individuals to feel as though they found a â€Å"common ground† with the artist who wrote the lyrics. In John Mayer’s song. â€Å"Split Screen Sadness†, it is very easy to relate to. The music to the song is very influential in setting the mood for the lyrics. Violins and other string instruments add to the sad tone of the song. The theme of this song is that the speaker is explaining how he broke up with his girlfriend (â€Å"And I know well it’s me who called it over...†), but now he regrets it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The speaker of the lyrics could either be a man or a woman, who is in love with somebody who lives far away from them. Mayer uses colloquial language to set the â€Å"common† tone of the song. John Mayer uses quotes from other songs (â€Å"’All you need is love†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ) to express how other songs express how the speaker is feeling. Inside, he wishes that his significant other would have fought for him to not end it and not let him get away. The speaker can not figure out why he isn’t the way he was when deep down inside, he knows it’s because he doesn’t have the person he depended on most.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the lines, â€Å"I called†¦because†¦I just†¦need to feel you on the line†, the speaker is expressing how he takes comfort in hearing her voice. She was most likely the stability in his life and now he doesn’t have that anymore. The speaker is sick of fighting the feeling of longing he has for her and wishes that they were still together since their love was so strong. Mayer uses the repetition of certain lines to form a general refrain (â€Å"Two wrongs make it all alright tonight†).

Gullivers Travels †Innocent Nature Essay -- Gullivers Travels Essay

Gulliver's Travels – Innocent Nature I disagree that Gulliver is a naive narrator and therefore doesn't see a connection between knowledge and the acquisition of power. As R.Davis and R. Schleifer wrote, "Gulliver, gullibly suited like the rest of us, never quite understands the ... relationship between knowledge and power." There is a very close relationship between knowledge and power. With them being such important traits, each one seems to be included with the other. In Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, the use of satirical writing on both the island of Lilliput and Brobdingang serve to make the narrator a gullible character therefore excusing critiques of English government and politics. On the island of Lilliput, in Jonathan Swift's book, Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver's innocent nature satirize the story. Upon arriving mysteriously on Lilliput, Gulliver was tied down and his weapons taken away. To his surprise his captors were only six inches tall. Gulliver's pacifist attitude allowed him to befriend the Lilliputians,...

Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory Essay

Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory fits best with my philosophy of nursing and my current work environment. As a hospice nurse comfort is the top priority. The goal of hospice care is to provide comfort and dignity at the end of life. The technical term for comfort for health care is the immediate state of being strengthened by having the needs for relief, ease, and transcendence addressed in the four context of holistic human experience: physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environment. The change goal would be to implement Kolcaba’s taxonomic structure of comfort as a way for the hospice unit staff to measure comfort. Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory Kolcaba was born as Katherine Arnold on December 8th, in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her diploma in nursing from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. She graduated from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University in 1987. She graduated with a PhD in nursing and received a certificate of authority clinical nursing specialist in 1997. She specialized in Gerontology, End of Life and Long Term Care Interventions, Comfort Studies, Instrument Development, Nursing Theory, and Nursing Research. She is currently and associate professor of nursing at the University of Akron College of Nursing. She published Comfort Theory and Practice: a Vision for Holistic Health Care and Research (Nursing Theories, 2011). Description  Comfort Theory is a middle range theory for health practice, education, and research. Comfort is viewed as an outcome of care that can promote or facilitate health-seeking behaviors. Increasing comfort can result in having negative tensions reduced and positive tensions engaged. Kolcaba (as cited in McEwin & Wills, 2011) defined comfort within nursing practice as â€Å"the satisfaction of the basic human needs for relief, ease, or transcendence arising from health care situations that are stressful† (p. 34). Purpose According to Kolcaba, (2010) â€Å"the overall purpose of Comfort Theory, was to highlight the importance of comforting patients in this high tech world. It is what they want and need from us. † Origin. To describe the origin or development of Comfort Theory, Kolcaba conducted a concept analysis of comfort that examined literature from several disciplines including nursing, medicine, psychology, psychiatry, ergonomics, and English. First, three types of comfort (relief, ease, transcendence) and four contexts of holistic human experience in differing aspects of therapeutic contexts were introduced. A taxonomic structure was developed to guide for assessment, measurement, and evaluation of patient comfort (Nursing Theories, 2011). Major concepts. Major concepts described in the Theory of Comfort include comfort, comfort care, comfort measures, comfort needs, health-seeking behaviors, institutional integrity, and intervening variables (Kolcaba, 2010). Propositions. Kolcaba (as cited in McEwin & Wills, 2011) defines eight propositions that link the defined concepts: * Nurses and members of the health care team identify comfort needs of patients and family members * Nurses design and coordinate interventions to address comfort needs * Intervening variables are considered when designing interventions * When interventions are delivered in a caring manner and are effective, the outcome of enhanced comfort is attained * Patients, nurses and other health care team members agree on desirable and realistic health-seeking behaviors * If enhanced comfort is achieved, patients, family members and/or nurses are more likely to engage in health-seeking behaviors; these further enhance comfort * When patients and family members are given comfort care and engage in health-seeking behaviors, they are more satisfied with health care and have better health-related outcomes * When patients, families, and nurses are satisfied with health care in an institution, public acknowledgement about that institution’s contributions to health care will help the institution remain viable and flourish. Evidence-based practice or policy improvements may be guided by these propositions and the theoretical framework (P. 234). Population According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, (NHPCO, 2012) in 2011, an estimated 1. 65 million patients received services from hospice and an estimated 44. 6% of all deaths in the United States were patients under hospice care. In 2001, an estimated 36. 6% of cancer patients accessed three of more days of hospice care. The median length of service in 2011 was 19. 1 days. 56. 4% of hospice patients were female and 43. 6% were male. 83. % of hospice patients were 65 years of age or older, and more than one-third of all hospice patients were 85 years of age or older. 82. 8% of hospice patients were white/Caucasian. Patients of minority (non-Caucasian) race accounted for more than one fifth of hospice patients. Today cancer diagnoses account for less than half of all hospice admissions (37. 7%). Currently less than 25% of U. S. deaths are now caused by cancer, with the majority of death due to other terminal diseases. The top four non-cancer primary diagnoses for patients admitted to hospice in 2011 were debility, dementia, heart disease, and lung disease (NHPCO, 2012). Level of care  There are four general levels of hospice care: routine home care, continuous home care, general inpatient care, and inpatient respite care. The facility where I currently work is a unit for general inpatient care. General inpatient care is care received in an inpatient facility for pain control or acute or complex symptom management which cannot be managed in other settings. In 2011, 2. 2% of hospice patients received general inpatient care. The percentage of hospice patients receiving care in a hospice inpatient facility increased from 21. 9% in 2010 to 26. 1% in 2011 (NHPCO, 2012). The main reason for a general inpatient admission is for comfort care that cannot be achieved at home or in another setting. Nursing Role  My current role at the hospice unit is one of a staff nurse. I work three, twelve hour shifts on the dayshift. My responsibilities include the day to day care of the patients that I am assigned. I provide the patients with comfort care and symptom management based on the physicians orders. I do have certain standing orders that can be put in place without making a call to the physician and using my nursing judgment alone. I report directly to the unit manager on my unit. Power I feel that I have informal power at my facility. I have been there the longest of all the nurses, including the manager. I am the person that all the nurses turn to when there is a question regarding policy and procedure. I am the person that others seek out for advice and unfortunately the person that most nurses vent to. I am always willing to pick up extra shifts without complaining. I continually hear from the other nurses, â€Å"you never complain. † I love what I do! I love providing comfort care for patients in need. Are there days when things get crazy? Are there things I wish I could change? Absolutely, but complaining doesn’t change anything and I feel that being around someone that complains all the time bring others down as well. I always try to stay positive and encourage others. The management team comes to me as well to ask me my opinion about certain changes. I feel that I could be a positive influence for change, but ultimately the decision would not be mine to make. Any decision has to go through my unit manager and then up the chain of command to the clinical director, and executive director. Comfort Theory â€Å"Best Fit† for Hospice According to Kolcaba, (2010) health is considered to be optimal functioning, as defined by the patient, group, family, or community. There are several major assumptions in Comfort Theory. Human beings have holistic responses to complex stimuli. Comfort is a desirable holistic outcome that is germaine to the discipline of nursing, human beings strive to meet, or to have met, their basic comfort needs. It is an active endeavor. When comfort needs are met, patients are strengthened (Kolcaba, 2010). The mission statement of the company that I work for includes: * Recognize that individuals and families are the true expert in their own care; * Support each other so we can put our patients and families first; * Find creative solutions which add quality to life; * Strive for excellence beyond accepted standards, and; * Increase the community’s awareness of hospice as a part of the continuum of care. I feel that the mission of my company falls in line with the assumptions of Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory. The main goal of hospice care is comfort care. Currently we assess pain using a number scale or a face/FLACC cale depending on if the patient is able to verbally respond. The majority of our patients are unable to communicate. Pain using a face or FLACC scale can vary from nurse to nurse. The FLACC scale measures pain using face, legs, activity, cry, and consolability. Kolcaba’s taxonomic structure would be an excellent way to measure comfort on a hospice unit such as the one where I work. Development. Katherine Kolcaba developed an interest in the concept of comfort during her practice as the head nurse of a dementia care unit. Her understanding that comfort lead to optimal functioning of the dementia patients, was the beginnings of her comfort theory. Kolcaba realized the relationship between behaviors such as aggression, fighting with others, refusal to cooperate, or tearing up the environment and a patient’s comfort level. Interventions to reduce these behaviors were called comfort measures (Kolcaba, 2003). Since that time, the theory has been utilized in the fields of hospice (Kolcaba, Dowd, Steiner, & Mitzel, 2004; Vendlinski & Kolcaba, 1997), orthopaedic care of adult patients (Panno, Kolcaba, & Holder, 2000), pediatrics (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005), and perianasthesia nursing (Kolcaba & Wilson, 2002). Kolcaba (1994) stated, â€Å"the first dimension of the theory of comfort consists of three states of comfort called relief, ease, and transcendence† (p. 1179). Relief is having a specific comfort need meet. An example would be relief from pain. Ease is the state of calm or comfort (Kolcaba, 1994). Individuals who feel ease are in a relaxed state. Ease can add to an individual’s health seeking behavior. Transcendence is each individual’s ability to rise above one’s pain or trouble (Kolcaba & Kolcaba, 1991). The second dimension of the theory consists of the contexts in which comfort occurs. This is a holistic concept. It can be examined in the physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental perspectives. Physical comfort pertains to the body. Musculoskeletal pain, urinary discomfort, gastrointestinal upset would fall into this category. Psychospiritual comfort pertains to self-esteem, the meaning of one’s life, and one’s connection with a higher power. Sociocultural comfort pertains to family, personal relationships, and one’s cultural background. Environmental comfort pertains to the external surrounding (Kolcaba, 1994). The theory consists of three parts. Part one describes how comfort needs are assessed, appropriate nursing interventions are implemented, and the patient experiences increased comfort. The second part of the theory describes the relationship between comfort and health seeking behaviors. Kolcaba reports that patients whose comfort needs are meet are better able to participate in positive behaviors, which promote health and well-being. The third part of the theory describes the relationship between client’s health seeking behaviors and the integrity of the institution (Kolcaba, Tilton, & Drouin, 2006). Outcome measures for institutions can be improved when staff utilizes comfort measures. It is desirable that nurses caring for hospice patients are skilled in the art of comfort. Providing physical comfort such as managing pain, positioning an individual with advanced musculoskeletal problems, keeping bowel patterns regular, assisting residents in a toileting program to avoid incontinence, and protection fragile skin are skills used on a daily basis. Nurses in hospice care must address psychospiritual concerns such as depression, the loss of physical functioning, as well as the loss of loved ones and friends. Most patients in hospice care have been forced by illness and debility to give up their homes and independence. Sociocultural comfort is provided when nurses understand a person’s cultural background. Encouraging family support and understanding a resident’s background and accomplishments assist nurses in developing interventions to support comfort. The environment also plays a part in an individual’s comfort and well-being in the long-term care environment. Providing a home-like, active, and joyful environment filled with children, animals, and treasured items from home are very important. Comfort theory has been utilized as a framework for hospice nursing (Vendlinski & Kolcaba, 1997).

Harmonium and Nettles Essay

Harmonium and Nettles both highlight the theme of memory. As they both are looking back over past memories that are painful, the poems feature the feelings of being helpless in stopping the hurt that was caused. The writer in Harmonium feels remorse for the things he hadn’t said to his father as Armitage states â€Å"then mouth in reply some shallow sorry phrase or word too starved of breath to make itself heard†. The writer in Nettles is protective of the recurring threat to his child that he can’t destroy. â€Å"rain had called up tall recruits behind the shed,† this quote shows the father cannot destroy them .They differ in the way they felt powerless however as in Nettles the father is feeling powerless because of a physical threat whereas in Harmonium it is an emotional threat of the inevibility of death and unspoken feelings that makes the writer feel powerless. Furthermore they both include the reality of family life as the poems are realistic and the poems, especially Nettles, have both the love and misery of family relationships. In Nettles the love in the poem is the protective instincts of a parent towards his son but the misery is the Nettles that had hurt his child and the fact that being protective isn’t enough to stop him from getting hurt. The realistic relationship in Harmonium is the family resentment and frustration from a son to his father. We can tell that the writer resents and is frustrated by his father as it says â€Å"and he being him can’t help but say†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. and I, being me† which shows that he is frustrated at their relationship. However the Harmonium is used to describe his father so therefore his family life whereas in Nettles it is reversed. The Nettles, that had caused pain for the boy, is actually describing soldiers and war therefore the underlying message is not about family b ut about war and the underlying message in Harmonium is not about the Harmonium but about family.