Academic freedom Essay Example for Free

Academic freedom Essay The playgrounds of any public school in the United States today abound with children from different races. African-Americans, Asians, Latin Americans and Caucasians all populate the diversity rich public school system of America today. Classrooms are filled with different opinions regarding the different races and beliefs (Faegin O’Brien 203). The lunchrooms are full of children all races rubbing elbows with each other without regard for whatever differences in appearances they may have or for whatever the color of their skin may be. This same diversity parallels the situation in today’s world. With all these differences in race, nationality and beliefs, one will be hard pressed to find people who do not feel strongly for or against these differences. While there are rules against the practice of beliefs or convictions, there is no limitation on the right to believe. In relation to this, Universities must not be allowed to banned hate speech as such is against the Freedom of Speech as enshrined in the United States Constitution. See more: Homelessness as a social problem Essay In order to arrive at a better understanding of the issue, there must be a discussion of the Freedom of Speech, particularly in the academic environment. Freedom of Speech has historically been used as a tool of the people to prevent the suppression of their rights by voicing out their opinions. The United States Constitution, and other constitutions for that matter, holds one’s freedom to information in the highest regard (Holmes 198). One will be hard-pressed to find a constitution that does not guarantee this fundamental right. One must also be remember at this point that with every right comes a corresponding responsibility. There is no right so absolute that it oppresses the right of other individuals as well (Holmes 198). In line with this, it must be remembered that the freedom of speech, as a tool against oppression, must be exercised responsibly because of it may also lead to the suppression of the rights of others. In furthering the Civil Rights movements, the Freedom of Speech has proved to be crucial to its success. Without the Freedom of Speech, it is arguable that most of the social legislation that is in effect today would be present (Holmes 198). The power of the Freedom of Speech, in the context of protecting one’s civil and constitutional rights, is that it allows people to bring the attention of the public to their grievances in an attempt to provide a solution to the problem (Holmes 197). The United States Constitution, and other constitutions for that matter, holds one’s freedom of speech in the highest regard. One will be hard-pressed to find a constitution that does not guarantee these fundamental rights. One must also be remember at this point that with every right comes a corresponding responsibility. There is no right so absolute that it oppresses the right of other individuals as well. There are exceptions to this rule such as the secrecy of military information, national secrets, trade secrets, and certain information offensive to the public. These exceptions constitute the reasonable restraints on one’s freedom and under the last category fall the information that is being suppressed from minors in public libraries. As such, the means employed is not an undue restraint but rather a reasonable means to maintain one’s constitutional liberties. This means that while there exists the right to speech, there is a need for certain limitations to exist as well. In the context of the right of Universities to ban hate speech, it must be remembered that while the United States Constitution also grants Academic Freedom, it must not run contrary to the Freedom of Speech. Hate Speech is one of the expressions of speech that is constitutionally protected. As the United States Supreme Court has held in several cases, there is a public interest that must be protected. Individuals must be allowed and cannot be unduly restricted with regard their right to Free Speech. The important issue here is the fact that while such speech may be regarded as offensive it does not contravene the constitution unless such speech is made with the intent to create an uprising or lead to overt acts of hate. Therefore, Universities cannot ban hate speech arbitrarily since this is contrary to the Constitution and such right is protected under certain circumstances. A very integral part of the education process lies in learning to interact with other races and nationalities, especially in the United States which is considered as a melting pot for all cultures and races all over the world. The sad reality is that most Americans are brought up in relative isolation from other races and cultures and only in college does such exposure occur. This leads to undesirable consequences such as the creation of strong stereotypes and racial biases (Richey 204). A restriction on the right of people to free speech only serves to widen this bridge between races. While it is true that hate speech may be offensive, it also serves to educate and enlighten people. Expression is an integral part of learning and as such it must not be stifled at the cost of depriving students not only the chance to speak their minds but also to deal with the real world and cultural differences on a more mature level. Freedom of Speech is a constitutionally guaranteed right. It protects the right of every person to speak his mind with regard to any issue at all even if it is critical of a certain class or even the government. The only limitation, as previously highlighted, is that it must be exercised within the rights of other people meaning that it is constitutional as long as it does not impair the rights of other people. Everyone, therefore, regardless of creed, color or belief may exercise his or her right to Freedom of Speech (Reeve 206) and no university can be allowed to curtail this constitutionally protected right. References: Amar, A. (2000) The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction Yale University Press; New Ed edition. 432 pg Amar, A. (1992) The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment Yale Law Journal The Yale Law Journal Company, Inc Smith, G. (1999) Reconstruction or Reaffirmation? Review of â€Å"The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction† George Mason University. Virginia Spaeth, H J. and Smith, E. (1991). HarperCollins College Outline: The Constitution of the United States (13th ed. ). New York: HarperCollins. The Federalist with Letters of Brutus, edited by Terence Ball, Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought, pgs 447-453.

Project on Product Solar Lamp Essay Example for Free

Project on Product Solar Lamp Essay Abstract of the Project Given India’s size and the sheer number of its farflung or remote villages, rural marketing is always a challenge. And when the product is relatively new, like solar lighting devices, the challenge gets even bigger. Yet the Jaipur-based Frontier Markets, or FM, founded by Ms. Ajaita Shah, has taken up the task and despite the odds to reach out to villages in state of Rajasthan, and seems to be succeeding with their strategy of marketing the new product. * Frontier Market conducted marketing sessions to build demand for products in BOP (Base of Pyramids) households. * Frontier Markets developed a peer-to-peer marketing strategy that is a creative, below-the-line marketing technique that are most likely to succeed among peri-urban and rural consumers. * Frontier Markets gauged the potential of the products through market assessments, and feedback to determine whether market entry for the new product like Solar lamps is viable to enter in the rural areas. Based on the market survey, FM targeted the mass people of the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) which includes 732 million people living on less than Rs. 150,000/year in villages and urban slums throughout India where majority of the people live in darkness without having any light in their house. In order to reach out to people with clean energy products , FM introduced the product SOLAR LAMPS with a concept called â€Å" Spreading Light† with a slogan â€Å" lets light our home this diwali† Later on FM came up with a brand name â€Å" Saral Jeevan† where in they source the solar product in bulk from different manufacture and selling in the brand name of â€Å"Saral Jeevan† . FM also used their trump card for selling the product in villages by Village-level c ommunity workers. The Company has sold already 700 solar lighting lamps in 350 odd villages in Chomu district in Rajasthan. In the detailed case study, it would cover how FM selected the product based on the segments in specific to the BOP population (Base of Pyramid) and target market area and acceptance level of the product in the remote villages and the challenges faced with the following tough nuts : a) Solar lamp are relatively new and explaining their use to Rural Folks is a challenge b) Village dwellers have fickle cash flows dependent as they are on an agri-based economy c) They are extremely price and value conscious d) They have very low brand affinity Introduction * Market Survey The Base of the Pyramid (BOP) includes 732 million people living on less than Rs.150,000/year in villages and urban slums throughout India. The great majority of men and women work in agriculture, animal husbandry, factories or own rural shops.* * Rural consumers total 45% of the country’s total GDP. * Approximately 72% of the total India population live in 600,000 villages; and, about 8% of the total population live in 4,738 semi-urban towns * The median age group is is 27.5. * Average household size is 4.8. * An average of 2.72 children are born to every adult woman. * At 61%, the overall literacy level in India is well below Unesco’s target threshold of 75%. Literacy among women is just over 50%. * There are over 112 â€Å"mother tongues† with more than 10,000 speakers; and, 33 languages spoken by one million or more persons. * Indicators of human poverty suggest that 16.8% will not survive past the age of 40; and, 47% of children between the ages of 0-5 are underweight for their age. * Ernst and Young, The Retailer, October 2009 The BOP customer refers to the estimated 4 billion people around the world who are poor by any measure and have limited or no access to essential products and services such as energy, clean water, and communications. Globally, people in this socioeconomic group earn Rs. 50 to Rs.400 in purchasing power parity (PPP) per day. Yet these households often pay higher prices than wealthier consumers do for lower-quality goods and services because of uncompetitive markets. The rural Indian BoP market as households spend less than INR 3,453 Indian rupees on goods and services per month. This definition represents a market of 114 million households, or 76 percent of the rural population. (CDF/IFMR â€Å"Power to the People† Study). Marketing * Frontier Markets’ marketing field staff conduct marketing sessions to build demand for products in BOP households. * Frontier Markets developed a peer-to-peer marketing strategy that is a creative, below-the-line marketing technique that are most likely to succeed among peri-urban and rural consumers. Market Entry and Product Feedback * FM collects data about its consumers to understand their product demands as well as understand which products to introduce into the market. * FM collects consumer data to provide feedback on products like Solar lamp and its usages. * Frontier Markets also gauge the potential of their products through market assessments, and feedback to determine whether market entry for certain product is viable in urban and rural consumers. Product Concept FM with their market survey and feedback, came up with selling and distributing the Solar lamps in the segment i.e. BOP (Bottom of the Pyramid) segments where there is a need of clean energy in the rural villages. They targeted the base of Pyramid segments which as geographically wise spread in the remote village areas where there is need of the product. Market Segment FM CEO Ms. Shah, said â€Å"Reaching out to rural markets requires a bottom-up approach,† she says. â€Å"they had to identify what rural people need, the price points they are comfortable with, demonstrate the use of the product they are selling, and show them why it is relevant to their lives.† Having earlier worked with microfinance institutions, Ujjivan Financial Services and SKS Microfinance, Shah reveals her expertise that there are many products for which there is latent demand in rural areas, but they do not sell there simply because of distribution problems. With solar lamps, she saw the opportunity to fill a vital gap. FM sources solar products in bulk from different manufacturers and retails them under the brand name ‘Saral Jeevan’. FM’s trump card is the profile of its agents, whom it pays a commission. These are village-level community workers, who are already familiar faces in the region, since they also provide some other service. â€Å"People trust these village representatives as they are known to them,† says Shah. In order to create the demand and to reach out to people in villages, FM worked on the people which include krishi mitras (farmers’ friends) who are employed by the Krishi Vigyan Kendras, an Indian Council of Agricultural Research project, to keep farmers informed about latest agricultural technologies; workers in government-run anganwadis (creches); as well as employees of a privately-owned dairy, which sells milk in rural areas. FM’s current network is confined to Chomu district of Rajasthan, adjoining Jaipur, but it hopes to expand much further in the coming years. Bhagwan Sahai Yadav is one such krishi mitra, who also sells Saral Jeevan products. In a testimonial to the product he sells, he bought one himself. â€Å"I bought a solar lantern from Frontier Markets so that my granddaughter could study in the evening,† he says. The company has 30 such agents and has sold 700 solar lighting products in 214 of Chomu’s 350-odd villages. FM now chasing a target of selling 500 products a month,† says Shah. The plan is to reach out to two other districts, Alwar and Bassi, and all of Rajasthan by the end of 2013. They have also tie-ups with companies making clean energy products such as D.light and Duron Energy in Bangalore, Intelizon in Hyderabad and Greenlight Planet in Mumbai. â€Å" FM CEO Ms Shah wants to replicate the model across three to five other states in the next five years. No clean energy company has yet been able to establish a pan-India presence. Some have tried to rope in microfinance companies to help with the distribution, but the effort has usually failed. And while distributing through village-level community workers seems a viable method, bottlenecks remain. While FM was busy in developing the concept for selling Solar Lamps, following feedback were also gathered: 1) does a customer in a far-off village go if the battery of his solar lamp turns out to be faulty or the switch malfunctions ? 2) One such is product servicing. â€Å"Where does a customer in a far-off village go if the battery of his solar lamp turns out to be faulty or the switch malfunctions. 3) Community workers do not have the specialised knowledge to repair lamps if they stop working. But at least they can, and do, provide corrective feedback to FM and, through it, to the manufacturers. Duron Energy, for instance, stopped production of one of its solar lamps called Duron Pro following reports from FM that its light, though very bright, was too focused and did not cover an entire room. In order to overcome the above issues and FM after 6 months of operations in Rajasthan, Frontier Markets, Saral Jeevan opened up their first retail store as a part of Frontier Market’s channel in Chomu Rajasthan. This retail point will be a concept store providing sales and service for local consumers in and around the Chomu area. Frontier Markets is an exclusive partner to Saral Jeevan, or â€Å"Easy Life,† an Indian branded retail channel created to better relate to low-income households in rural areas near Chomu. After months of understanding villages, and areas, Frontier Markets helped Saral Jeevan build market presence and chose Chomu as a central location for a retail point to ensure accessibility and accountability in service for households. â€Å"Though the model is very scalable, given the huge market at the bottom of the pyramid, execution remains a major challenge,† Case Study 1) FM came up with selling of Solar Lamp targeting the huge market at the bottom of the pyramid. 2) Product selection / Concept : Solar Lamp – need of the people in the remote villages as A clean energy. 3) Market Segment : Rural areas / Villages 4) Strategy and Market Concept : FM launched the product with a different brand name â€Å"Saral Jeevan† or â€Å"Easy Life† as the people in Rural Areas look for local brand as they are not so Brand Consensus. 5) FM also used the local channels such as krishi mitras (farmers’ friends), Angan-wadis for distribution of their product. 6) FM also opened up Branch office concept store providing sales and service for local consumers Prepared by J.K.Nanda Yogi Ballani Suraj Gaikwad Exhibit – I Study on Indian Energy Market India’s growth story is astounding, and has spread into the interior at a rapid pace. Current estimates put the rural market collectively at $425B USD in 2010-2011 (CII-Technopak, November 2009). This estimate doubles the 2004-05 market size of $220 USD. These are collective figures. % Growth in 2006 over 5 years: National Readership Studies Council (NRS) Color TV: rural = 235%, semi urban = 91% Motorcycle rural = 113%, semi urban = 90% Refrigerator: rural = 52%, semi urban= 20% Air cooler: rural = 86%, semi urban =29% The energy market is additionally astounding: US $75 on goods and services per month (known as ‘Base of the Pyramid.’) About 40 percent of India’s rural households do not have access to electricity, and more than 85 percent must depend on â€Å"dirty† kerosene for lighting and firewood for cooking. * Estimates vary, but about 500m poor entrepreneurs need access to finance; while only just over 150m have access (Source: State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report 2009) * Less than 500k clients of MFIs have access to energy loans (Source: Using Microfinance to Expand Access to Energy Services, 2007) * 1.7 billion people globally have no access to electricity and 2.4 billion people rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, producing millions of tons of CO2 (Source: The Next 4 Billion, 2008) A recent study conducted by the Center for Development Finance (CDF) at the Institute for Microfinance Research (IFMR) examined the market size of the social durable market for solar lights and fuel-efficient stoves. The purpose of the study was to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the market. CDF’s initial finding suggest a more conservative estimation for the solar light and fuel-efficient stove market than other previous studies. * The present solar lantern market is estimated to be around $18.5Milion USD (annually, nationally). * The fuel-efficient stove market, $24Million USD (annually, nationally). These numbers were based on the following equation: (Price of least expensive product available in the market) (Number of Households) (Adoption rate) / (Average product lifespan) Previous market sizing estimates may be larger due to errors / differences in calculating and methodology such as ignoring the adoption rate and product longevity variables. Additionally, as adoption rates increase due to lower product cost, customer education, and consumer financing options, the market will naturally become more mature.

The Karl Marx book Wage labour and capital

The Karl Marx book Wage labour and capital Written in 1847 by Karl Marx, the German philosopher, political economist and communist revolutionary,  Wage Labour and Capital is an in-depth text centered around the idea that labour power is sold to capitalists. The book was republished by Engels in 1891 as he believed specific changes needed to be made, specifically the distinction between labour and labour power' (1). Marx who was born in Trier Germany in 1818 (2), had a significant impact in developing ideas based around communism and socialism and published these ideas in various works. This specific piece focuses primarily on how a particular economy (capitalist) works, how those in a capitalist economy are exploited and ultimately how the relationship between capital and labour is dialectically self-destructive (Marx-Engels, pg. 203). In this essay, I will discuss exactly what Marx is trying to explain to us with regard to wage labour and capital, as well as demonstrate why he believes the capital system is flawed. Further more, I will provide my own personal view on the subject by explaining which ideas of Marx I agree and perhaps disagree with.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Marx immediately jumps into the discussion of wage labour by posing two basic questions, What are wages? and How are they determined? (Marx-Engels, pg 204). According to Marx, any worker(s) in a capitalist economy are ultimately selling their labour power to the capitalist for a specific sum of money. Marx uses the example of weaving a yard of linen or type-setting a printed sheet. The capitalist is in theory buying the labour power with money, while workers are selling labour power for money. It is clear, however, that the money that is given to the worker(s) by the capitalist could have been spent on any other available commodity, thus the labour power a worker offers is equivalent to any other commodity. As Marx explains in his example, the two marks, with which he bought two pounds of sugar, are the price of the two pounds of sugar. The two marks, with which he bought twelve hours use of labour power, are the price of twelve hours of labour (Marx-Engels, pg 204). In other wor ds, the workers labour power has been exchanged for an amount of commodities measured by money (1). Why is labour power sold by the worker(s) to the capitalist? It is simple, to be able to live! What Marx explains is the fact that the labour which workers engage in is basically the way in which they live their life. Thus, his life-activity is for him only a means to enable him to exist (Marx-Engels, pg 204). A worker must sell this labour in order to be able to live. Their work is what lets them live. The worker also does not reckon labor as a part of his life, it is rather a sacrifice of his life (Marx-Engels, pg 204). It is evident that Marx is trying to expose the fact that labour was not always wage labour, and that a slave did not sell his labour power to a slave owner ((Marx-Engels, pg 205). The concept of wage labour is the result of capitalism, where workers are free to choose whether or not they want to sell this labour power they posses to any willing capitalists who might be interested in buying. Likewise, capitalists have the free choice to fire workers when they believe profits are not being made. When one worker is worn out he can be replaced by another. I found this section extremely intriguing as Marx exposed me to new ideas that I had never considered prior to reading this piece. At first it was hard to comprehend, but I soon understood what he was trying to say. Originally, when I thought of someone working, thats all it was to me, someone working.   Now, however, I see the relationship between labour power and capital. I can see how Marx tries to show us that man is in essence capital and that the labour workers provide is essentially a commodity like all others. The goal of capitalists is to make the most profit possible while maintaining the lowest costs of production. They dont care about the workers, because they mean nothing. It is easy to mistake the fact that we think we need the capitalist when in reality, we are the ones who posse ss the skill and labour power, so ultimately it is he/she who needs us. Though it was somewhat challenging, I felt that Marx made this section extremely rewarding when understood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  In the proceeding section Marx goes into further depth with regard to capital. He explains that it consists of raw materials, instruments of labour and means of subsistence of all kinds, which are utilized in order to produce new raw materials, new instruments of labour and new means of subsistence. However, these components are merely creations of labour, product of labour, [and] accumulated labour. Accumulated labour which serves as a means of new production is capital (Marx-Engels, pg 207). Additionally, we learn that during production, men must interact between one another, exchanging their activities in order to produce something. Only once a definite connection and relation (Marx-Engels pg 207) has been established can their action of production actually occur.  Ã‚  We also learn that these social relations which are created between men constantly change over time with new innovations and developments to means of production. It is as if all components are intertwi ned, whereby social relations of production make up the social relations, society, and, specifically a society at definitive stage of historical development (Marx-Engels, pg 207). Therefore, any society at any specific point in time is displaying the stage of development by mankind. For example, the bourgeois society is responsible for the production relation that is capital. But what exactly is capital? Capital in itself must be the sum of all material products, commodities, exchange values, or social magnitudes.  Ã‚  So what exactly is happening when this capital grows? In other words, capital thrives solely on exchanging itself with wage labour. When capital goes up so does wage labour, and more wage workers are required, resulting in the capitalist to gaining more power over the worker(s).Growth of productive capital, therefore, means that the capitalists is gaining more power over the workers. Marx then goes on to question what will occur to wages when there is a growth of pr oduction capital. What he tells us here is that when productive capital increases, so does the accumulation of labour. As a result the number of capitals in enabled to increase creating more competition amongst them. This increased competition creates tension amongst to capitalists where one wants to be better then the other. One thing thats clear is when the power of labour armies increases, the capitalists has the ability to try and ruin his competitors. How can he do this? Its obvious, sell cheaper than your competitors. You must however find the balance where you can sell cheap enough without harming yourself, and Marx says this can be done by boosting the productive power of labour. Marx also makes it evident that by improving machinery one can create greater division of labour, which would result in increase productive power of labour. This is because there is more division amongst a larger labour force and more improved machinery, which causes the cost of production for the c apitalist to decrease. Thus, as Marx points out, a general rivalry arises among the capitalist to increase the division of labour and machinery and to exploit them on the greatest scale possible (Marx-Engels, pg 212). The question is what will happen according to Marx if this continues? We can conclude by saying that if capital continues to grow, then the competition between the worker(s) will also grow. However, the growth in competition experienced by the working class will be even larger than the rate of growth experienced by capital. After reading the next few sections, I soon realized that they were even more challenging and testing than the previous ones. Marx goes into such depth with regard to the relations between labour power and capital as well as all the components that make up capital. After reading it several times I soon understood how production was ultimately the relations built between men, whereby men had to come to terms by cooperating with one another in a certa in way and mutually exchanging their activities (Marxs-Engels, pg 207). Marx makes it clear that the capitalist goal is to try and increase their productive power as much as possible at whatever cost possible and figure they can do this by lowering all costs of production. This is something experienced every day. Companys attempting to gain market power by improving machinery to lower costs of production, so that they can sell what is being produced at the lowest possible price. It is also clear that workers have to compete with one another more and more. The capitalist doesnt care about the worker at all. We can see how Marx tries to explain how the capitalists are solely concerned with extending markets, but in doing so are contracting the world market as fewer and fewer new markets remain available for exploitation (Marx-Engels, pg 217). As a result he feels the whole system will come down and cave in on itself. To conclude, I felt this piece on wage labour and capital was extremely insightful. I was able to penetrate into the mind of Karl Marx and uncover his personal views on the capitalistic economy and the way in which he feels it is flawed. As he is a strong believer in the communistic ways, it is clear Marx is determined to expose why we mustnt follow the ways of other economies. Though I felt the work was somewhat demanding to understand, after reading it several times I slowly began to make the connections to what he was trying to say. Personally, I enjoyed learning how a strict communist views capitalism and why he thinks its a bad system.

Andy Warhol Essay -- essays research papers fc

The first superstar of American art, Andy Warhol was obsessed with fame, glamour, and money. He is best known for his images of stars and celebrities and for his reproductions of symbols of the American society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Andrew Warhola’s (he later dropped the â€Å"a†) birth date is uncertain, Andy said himself that his birth certificate had been forged and June 6, 1928 became the date taken as his birthday. Others say he was born December 6, 1930 and then others say it was August 6, 1928. Andy was very mysterious about his private life and was said to be in another world most of the time. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents, Ondrej and Julia Warhola were working-class immigrants from Eastern Europe, his father worked in the coal mines. Andy was the second of three sons. He showed an early talent for art, and from the age of nine, he took drawing classes. When Andy was fourteen, his father died from drinking poisoned water. From that day on Julia Warhola and her boys would be part of a struggle with poverty. In 1945, Warhol left school, and went to study art and graphic design at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and within a year he moved to New York, to expand his career. Soon after his move Andy found work as a magazine illustrator, producing shoe designs for â€Å"Glamour† (the women’s fashion magazine) He produced designs for such movie stars as, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mae West, and Julie Andrews. In the credit line the last â€Å"a† was dropped from W...

Anna Letitia Barbaulds Washing Day Essay -- Washing Day Poem Analysis

Anna Letitia Barbauld's Washing Day In "Washing Day" Anna Letitia Barbauld has done what Romantic poets can do best. She writes of an event that occurs periodically in every-day life, but she elevates the washing day chore to a challenge of epic proportions. Barbauld views the experience of wash day from the perspective of the woman she is and the child she was. At all times she is the poet who relates the Muses' song as a medieval minstrel might. Her skillful use of irony and hyperbole allows this poem to convey to contemporary readers the same humor and insight that an eighteenth-century audience would have appreciated. Â   Barbauld uses classical references and a few archaic words to give the poem an epic feeling. However, since the subject is a rather mundane one, the poem has an ironic mood throughout. The muses of literature and art are now absorbed in the domestic gossip of housewives at work. All the petty subjects of daily life, the delights as well as the annoyances, are replacing the tragedies of the Greek Pantheon. She has the muses trade their bus...

AI :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION Ever since I have read turing test, AI and robotics have always fascinated me. I always wondered how a computer can compete human intelligence. When the first robot, its name, was commercially launched my fascination turned into the passion to take up research in the subject. Thus, I took up AI & Robotics as my research topic. AI is a branch of computer science, which deals with the study, and creation of computer systems that exhibit some kind of intelligence. Intelligent behaviour involves perception, reasoning, learning, communicating, and acting in complex environments. Ai makes use of the human responses, facts and the data from the real world in different situations to make intelligent systems known as Knowledge Based Systems. The field of cognitive science overlaps AI. Cognitive scientists study the nature of intelligence from a psychological point of view, mostly building computer models that help elucidate what happens in our brains during problem solving, remembering, perceiving, and other psychological processes. One major contribution of AI and cognitive science to psychology has been the information processing model of human thinking in which the metaphor of brain-as-computer is taken quite literally. One of major branch of Ai is robotics. A robot is a mechanical device that is programmed to perform using the knowledge, facts and results from either its past experiences or its environment (i-robots). EVOLUTION OF ROBOTS We humans tend to make errors with increasing fatigue. Humans are not capable of working for prolonged hours without taking breaks and hence are not flexible. The idea behind the creation of robots was to create a machine that will do what we tell it. The machine which could perform work with accuracy, and in no time. Also a machine which could do the repetitive jobs of humans without getting tired. Robots were developed keeping in mind that they wont be having any emotions. It would be a simple machine that could move like humans, have arms and legs, grasp things and do work. A machine that works by remote control, like a machine that can be programmed to do. Robots, are as flexible as they can be. One can program them to work 24X7 without taking breaks. HOW AI AND ROBOTICS IS RELATED Robot is a complex structure of different mechanical parts, each part performing a specified function. These parts work in accordance to achieve some predefined goals – construction and manufacturing process in industries, helping humans in daily lives etc.

National Health Service Essay

The NHS stands for the National Health Service, which provides healthcare for all UK citizens based on their need for healthcare rather than their ability to pay for it. It is fully funded by full-time workers taxes. The aim of the health service is to ensure that anyone can receive the medical care they need, regardless of their age, circumstances or financial situation. Advantages * To meet the needs of everyone * To be free at the point of delivery * The NHS provides care free of charge to most UK residents * Depending on the nature of your problem you may be treated by a doctor, dentist or optician * There are is a range of healthcare services offered by the NHS, covering every concern from flu to vaccinations, mental illness to ectopic pregnancy care. * When you seek help because you feel unwell, the medical practitioner you visit will be able to inform you of the care options available to you. * Every person in England having access to his or her own confidential medical records. * Helpdesk service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Disadvantages * Long waiting lists * Your situation of needing care may not be as important as others * They may use low quality equipment on you because you are not paying for the treatment, therefore your health issue may not be resolved as quickly or properly with incorrect equipment. * People will abuse the system by using is too much when it is not necessary or they have not paid taxes sufficiently.- The United States is now the only remaining MEDC country without some form of free access to a medical service, Partly because policy debates are driven by false, self defeating beliefs. One thought of this is that the United States cannot afford to cover the uninsured, when in fact a coordinated financing system is the key tool for holding costs down, and there are affordable ways to do it. Also many believe that the United States is so large and diverse that any lessons one might benefit from a smaller and less diverse countries do not apply here. Universal health care system would mean low salaries, rundown facilities, poor quality, and endless waits to see a doctor, as a good example of this is with the NHS. The current/ new NHS * The plan for the new NHS by the present government is even more ambitious than the transformation by Margaret Thatcher. * The NHS was widely discussed as no longer sustainable or no longer affordable. Therefor the rate of Tax has been increased largely. * Demands are rising, as are costs. And this is all happening at a time when money is tighter than ever. * Two thirds of hospital beds are now estimated to be occupied by the over 65s at any one time. * Nurses have been given a lot more responsibility. * IVF treatment is helping thousands of couples conceive each year. * Organ transplants are now saving over 3,000 lives a year. * Obesity, drinking and smoking. All three cause disease and death, adding billions of pounds to the NHS bill.