Social Network criminal Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social Network criminal Investigation - Essay Example It was owing to their usability that their use was taken into accordance for every possible usage. As a result of this presently we see information and technology based devices around us everywhere. Human beings cannot execute even a few hours of their lives without the involvement of their personalized high tech devices. Since the use of everything is prone to both use and misuse it is imperative that certain ethical and moral boundaries be marked with respect to actions demonstrating a line between what actions and permissible and which are not. When these demarcations are done officially, they are referred to as laws. Laws govern each and every mode of life. Since information technology and more specifically computing based device are well knit with human daily routines, the use of these devices must also be governed by laws. What Is Law? Officially in the words of the Department of Justice, Canada, law can be quoted as, â€Å"Rules made by government are called "laws." Laws are meant to control or change our behaviour and, unlike rules of morality, they are enforced by the courts. If you break a law - whether you like that law or not - you may have to pay a fine, pay for the damage you have done, or go to jail.† (Department of Justice- Canada, 2009) The HISTORY of law dates back to the history of mankind. Ever since man has existed, so have laws. They have evolved with the evolution of man himself. Each law was formulated every time its need would arise. The modern society has its own set of laws that govern it. Though they may not be entirely different from those dating back to a few hundred years they sure have innumerable new additions to them. These new developments have emerged with the evolution of man himself. The present technology prone human society should have in itself a number of laws that govern it. Since the technology based world uses computing devices everywhere it is the need of the hour that the misuse of the same be taken into not ice and limited by enforcing relevant laws. The present study is an attempt to enlighten the need for laws with respect to social networks. SOCIAL NETWORKS What are social networks? For a novice it may be really hard to explain what this terminology refers to, however for a technology literate it may be said that, A social Network is a virtual Social structure that is composed of different nodes. These nodes are connected together via a network. The internet is the most widely used network of the current times since it is universally accessible. Thus each computing device may serve as a node when connected to the internet. There are various websites over the internet that offer their web portals as domains upon which each of these nodes can register themselves and maintain their virtual profile. It is then via these personalized profiles that social networks flourish and contacts establish. This entire domain of social networking has a number of pros and cons. Though its pros outnum ber the cons associated with it but the pros themselves are immensely grave in nature. Where social networks assist in globalization and make physical boundaries immaterial, they are also responsible for the development and flourishing of a number of criminal activities. These activities often go unnoticed when they are in relation with the very adored social networks and this makes them even more dangerous and harmful. Figure 1: (Levy, 2011) False profiles can very easily with

Influencing Practice For Service Improvement In Primary Care Nursing Essay

Influencing Practice For Service Improvement In Primary Care Nursing Essay Innovation and change are currently seen as an integral part of the NHS, and nurses have an increasing responsibility in the delivery of healthcare (DOH 2004). With the introduction of clinical governance many NHS Trusts are examining the standard of care being given and are implementing new initiatives to bring the care up to standard. This essay will aim to discuss and explore the implementation of an initiative to change practice in a clinical area of a primary care setting within an NHS trust. The proposed change is that of an orientation pack for new staff. This change can be linked to one aspect of clinical governance, staff and staff management, as it was felt that this was an area that needed developing. It will explore the reasoning for the change and the leadership style that was utilised for to implement a change. It will analyse the change theory developed by Kurt Lewin (1951) and how it will influence the implementation. Key strategies for effective clinical governance involves effective teamwork, leadership, ownership, openness and, most importantly, communication. The additional recurring theme is that the public and patients need to be involved in all aspects of the planning, organisation and environment of care. Since 1999, it has been at the top of the agenda for the NHS (Sale 2005). Scally and Donaldson (1998) define clinical governance as: A system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continually improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish (p61). There are many key elements in clinical governance these have divided into seven pillars. The pillar that will be focussed on in this particular instance will be pillar 4: Staff and staff managing, it has many crucial elements essential to the structure of a trust, specifically workforce planning. Without planning there will be a lack of staff skills, knowledge and empowerment which could threaten the provision of quality clinical care (Sale 2005). An orientation pack is vital in any organisation setting. It can be overwhelming when starting a new role, and people can experience many emotions therefore there needs to be a structure in place to aid with this transition. Ward (2009) explains an orientation pack may impact retention within the nursing profession as well as increasing self confidence it will also impact staff with greater productivity and sense of direction in the work group. This is due to new employees getting to know the alignment between their role and the organisation expectations of them (Brown 2000). The primary care trust was having difficulty in retaining their staff, and had been experiencing a high turnover; there had also been some difficulties in filling the vacancies. Recruitment is ongoing, and costly the official cost is 32% of nurses annual salary, but including the building up of new staff and productivity deficit in the process it can be four times this (Foster cited by Agnew 2004). He goes on to explain in the first year if the new employee has a sense of belonging by being effectively bonded to the setting then this significantly reduces turnover. Despite these obvious advantages, it was found that there was only a general induction to the trust which every employee has within the first three months of their new employment; however no formal structure had been developed in the specific clinical area. By not having a formal orientation to the clinical area made it makes it difficult to establish the roles of the already existing team. The team is split into clusters; these clusters cover different general practices around the area, however trying to establish which cluster covered which practice was confusing. There was also found to be a lack of clarity when it came to the caseload, it was difficult to identify client groups and information was limited, this in turn was also putting possible risk to patient care. Furthermore there was no opportunity for new staff to ident ity their objectives and how to develop themselves within their role. When an initiative is being introduced to staff, they need to be aware of the reasons for the implementation. To enable successful integration into a new work place there needs to be a structured form of induction to alleviate barriers in communication and to enable a smooth transition. The proposed idea of a staff orientation pack (appendix 1) was the result of planned change. Planned change is a deliberate application of knowledge and skills by a leader, to bring about a change requires the leader to have the skills of problem solving, decision making and interpersonal and communication skills (Marquis and Huston 2006). Warrilow (2009) and Oliver (2006) both recognise that transformational leadership is focussed on, and embraces change, as it involves both the leaders and followers engaging on a common aim. They also recognise the leader to be a key element of successful strategies for managing change. Transformational leadership would be the most appropriate style to utilise when introducing the orientation pack as the underlying goal of transformational leadership is to bring about some type of change (Grimm, 2010, p76). The leaders who use this style are also regarded as change agents. A change agent should be a person skilled in the theory and implementation of planned change to be able to deal appropriately with the very real human emotions, including resistance that planned change can bring about (Marquis and Huston 2006). They can achieve this by using qualities such as charisma to motivate their followers to be able to achieve their goals, share visions and empower them (Grimm 2010). Change can be an intricate process which can have barriers which can threaten a successful implementation (McCrery and Pearce 2002). Sullivan and Decker recognise that Nurse Leaders must initiate the changes they believe are necessary to strengthen nursing practice, provide quality care, and create a better system (2005, p.217). In an organisation, to implement change they would need to follow a change theory.   There are many theorists who have developed processes of change, but Lewins theory is perhaps the one that is most recognised, user friendly and uncomplicated. The aid of a change model can be beneficial in overcoming certain obstacles. His theory of change provides the structure for understanding nurses behaviour during times of change and ways to improve the behaviour when introducing change into the workplace (Bozak 2003 p83). The model encompasses a three strep process this can be found in appendix 2. Lewins normative model of change is based on team participation, including all staff that will be affected by this change. This then increases their approval and implementation of change through a bottom-up method (Murphy 2006), furthermore identifying that achieving durable and efficient change entails the collaboration and involvement of the whole team not isolated individuals. Nevertheless, before any change is considered a plan is required that identifies the need. Baulcomb (2003) suggests guidance from Lewins (1951) force field analysis (FFA) demonstrates the complexities of the change process and how driving and resisting forces were incorporated within the planning and implementation phases'(p275). It is pertinent that the driving and restraining forces must be analyzed before implementing a planned change. Cork (2005) further explains that when implementing any change there are a number of factors that help to achieve change, this would be the driving concept for example the aim to improve orientation to the work place. Conversely, a restraining factor could be unwillingness to change or poor staff morale. Change can then only occur when one force outweighs the other, ideally for positive change the drivers must outweigh the restraining forces. The FFA for the proposed change can be found in appendix 3. The focus of the unfreeze stage is to change the status quo of the existing practice. The change agent needs to prepare the staff by identifying and challenging the need for change. The identification is necessary because changing for the sake of changes sake can cause unnecessary stress and the feel of manipulation (Marquis and Huston 2006). Involvement of colleagues from the very beginning empowers staff and makes them feel more valued. Sale (2005) identifies that staff are empowered when an environment has been created which encourages them to be actively involved in the decision making processes. However it is inevitable that there will be resistance when trying to implement a change especially when involving humans. Emotions can run high and change can be held as threatening. Conflict can also arise as it is making something different to what was (Sullivan and Decker 2005). To be able to start to overcome resistance the change agent needs to start to utilise their qualities as a leader and focus on valuing creativity and innovation form their staff (Marquis and Huston 2006). Informal discussions took place with different members of staff at various levels to explain problem had been identified and that there was a need for change. This allowed for the change agent to find common ground and start having a sense of connection with the staff (Tyrrell 1994). Staff appeared quite unsatisfied with the current status quo, however it was found that time was a resisting factor due to busy workloads. An issue that the change agent could bring to the attention of the staff is that the in the current climate workloads would not improve if there is low retention in staff, which in turn can be caused by not feeling integrated into the team properly. Part of this stage may involve making people feel uncomfortable. Another factor that would need to be considered would be a possible cost implication and who would carry it, management may feel reluctant to participate in fu nding. In the clinical setting the change agent could start to communicate their desired change via email which all staff have access to. This can give the staff the opportunity to convey their opinions on the change, which can then be reinforced with a formal team meeting which will allow the change agent to convey their purpose for change and give the staff a sense of direction, and also allowed for them to be open and honest within the team (Grimm 2010). It can also give the change agent an idea of how change may be perceived by the whole team, and possible resistance. Once the need for change has been perceived by others and the status quo has been disrupted then the change agent can go on to the next stage in the change model (Marquis and Huston 2006). Marquis and Huston (2006) states that In movement, the change agent identifies, plan and implements appropriate strategies, ensuring that driving forces exceed restraining forces (p173). It also allows for problems to be undertaken and for goals and objectives to be set, and opportunity to scope out for alternative solutions. This stage can take time as there are many factors to take into account. In appendix 2 the FFA for the proposed change identifies that restraining forces appear to have an undercurrent of human behaviour. This can be extremely difficult to overcome especially when nurses have always done something in a particular way and are reluctant to make change. As previously mentioned communication is the key to successful change and the change agent needs to keep an open line of communication when implementing the plan. A transformational leader uses effective communication to increase the motivation, morale and performance of their staff members as opposed to the usual c ommand and control staff supervision style (Lorraine 2010). Trust is also a key issue; it arises from a mutual understanding that the change would not be detrimental to the staff (Hein 1995). Hence the change agent will require the ability to communicate effectively and encourage motivation amongst the staff. According to Clark (2009) a leader needs to develop a high degree of emotional intelligence. This allows for an understanding of the emotions of their staff and manages them in a positive way to achieve the best possible outcome. Hein (2007) then continues and says it enforces the problem solving and decision making skills of the change agent allowing for staff to become more relaxed, less stressed and more open for change. If there is a continuation of motivational struggles and unwillingness to change motivational interviewing would be a preference to over overcome this. This looks at encouraging and supporting people in adopting new behaviours. The change agent would support the staff member whom is struggling with ambivalence about change. Encouragement is used so that there is recognition of the alternatives to the status quo (Bundy 2004). However, Bundy (2004) does go on to say this can be seen as quite challenging and can have elements of being confrontational. This process needs to be executed wisely. For a successful implementation education would also be a key factor. The change agent would need to educate staff on the new pack and clarify the expectations of the staff for the pack to continually be used and developed. Spencer (2001) suggests that this will give staff the confidence that they are doing the right thing and that practice is successful and sustainable. Once the plan has been established and implemented into practice, leaders need to ensure that there is maintained equilibrium. By including staff in the change, the change agent has invited them to become more attached to organisation, which leads to greater commitment, willingness and motivation (Hein 1995). Additionally it is imperative that continual support and guidance is given so that acknowledgments that all staff has embrace and understood it. Nevertheless no change should ever be frozen solid there needs to be scope for re-thawing to allow for continual changes to improve practice, however initially stabilization needs to occur for staff to reap the benefits. Refreezing actions include defining standards, documentation, training, processes and so on. The change agent would need to continue to monitor over a period of time as it can take three to six months for a change to be to be accepted (Marquis and Huston 2006). There will also be the need to make sure that people are no t pulled back to the previous stage. Ways of doing this is removing any method by which people can return, so there is nothing to return to (Straker 2010). The change agent can try to do this is by making it part of everyday practice. Once a norm is developed and there have been significant signs that it has had a positive impact such as greater staff retention then people are more inclined to use it. If the change was found to be successful then a possible scope for development would be to start to look on a wider scale and try to implement the pack into other clinical practices within the PCT. Again there will be barriers to overcome, although from the experience that the change agent had encountered in the clinical area, these barriers could seem less daunting. There would have also been greater development in their leadership skills allowing for the growth of confidence in implementing change. Change is an essential dynamic in positive growth and development; although some may be resistant to it others may embrace it and feel empowered. A recurrent theme that has appeared through the here may change process is that of communication. Excellent communication skills allow those affected by change to have their say, thus allowing barriers and resistance to be overcome. Although it may not be possible to fully eliminate barriers there may be ways to move the barriers to make them a positive. Saver (2009) also states that constant communication helps new and current staff feel valued (p19). In conclusion nurses in the present working climate have to accept necessary changes with an open mind and motivation arms. Not only should they accept changes as they take place, but should also be constantly reviewing working practices and being proactive in implementing changes as and when necessary. Change is not always welcomed, however it will allow for eradication of stagnation within the working environment (Ootim, 1997). References Agnew, T (2004) Support for staff reduces cost of recruitment. Nursing Standard. May 2004 18(35) p7 [online]: Available from Ovid URL [Accessed 11th November 2010]. Baulcomb, J (2003) Management of change through force field analysis. Journal of nursing management. Jul 2003 11(4) 275-80 [online]: Available from: EBSCO URL [Accessed 10th November 2010]. Bozak, M (2003) Using Lewins Force Field Analysis in Implementing a Nursing Information System. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. 21(2):80-85, Mar-Apr 2003. [online] Available from: Ovid URL [Accessed 30 October 2010] Brown, J. (2000) Employee Orientation: Keeping New Employees on Board. [online] Available from: http://humanresources.about.com/lr/new_employee_orientation/189518/1/. [Accessed on 30th October 2010] Bundy, C. (2004) Changing behaviour: using motivational interviewing techniques. Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine. 97 (44):43-47, 2004. [online] Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1308798/pdf/15239293.pdf [Accessed 30 October 2010] Clark Chambers, C (2009) Creative nursing leadership and management. London: Jones and Barttlett Publishers International. Cork, A. (2005) A model for successful change management Nursing Standard Mar 2-8 19(25):40-42 [online]: Available from EBSCO URL [Accessed on 30th October 2010]. Department of Health (2004) Standards For a Better Health. London: DOH Grimm, J. (2010) Effective Leadership: Making the Difference. Journal of Emergency Nursing. January 2010 36(1):74-77, [online]. Available from: Ovid URL [Accessed 29 October 2010] Hein, E. (1995) Contemporary leadership behaviour. 5th ed Philadelphia: Lippincott Company. Hein, S. (2007) Emotional Intelligence. [online] Available from: www.http://eqi.org. [Accessed 14th November 2010] Lorraine, C (2010). Nurse Leaders Effective Communication. [online] Available from: Nurse Leaders Effective Communication | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6677338_nurse-leaders-effective-communication.html#ixzz15Cdizzvg. [Accessed on 14th November 2010] Marquis, B and Huston, C (2006) Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and application. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Mullins, J (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. UK: Pearson Education Murphy F (2006) Using change in practice: a case study approach. Nursing Management. May 2006 13(2): 22-25. [online]. Available from: Ovid URL [Accessed on 30th October 2010] Oliver, S (2006) Leadership in health care. Musculoskeletal Care. 2006 4(1): 38-47 [online] Available from: www.interscience.wiley.com. [Accessed on 30th October 2010] Ootim, B (1997) Effective change. Nursing Management. May  1997 4(2):10. [online] Available from: Ovid URL [Accessed on 30th October 2010] Sale, D. (2005) Understanding Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance: making it happen. Basingstoke: Palgrave: Macmillan. Saver, C (2009) Closing the revolving door for OR staff. OR Manager. Mar 2009 25(3):18-19 [online] Available from: EBSCO URL [Accessed on 30th October 2010] Scally G and Donaldson LJ. (1998) Clinical governance and the drive for quality improvement in the new NHS in England. British Medical Journal 317(7150) 4 July pp.61-65 [online]. Available from: Ovid [Accessed 29 October 2010]. Spencer, S, (2001). Education for change, in: Spencer, S, Unsworth, J and Burke, W. (eds) Developing community nursing practice. Buckingham: Open University Press, pp.116-113. Straker, D. (2010). Lewin Push and Pull. [online] Available from http://www.syque.com/quality_tools/tools/Tools54.htm [Accessed 14th November 2010] Sullivan, E Decker, P (2005) Effective leadership management in nursing. 6th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Tyrrell, R (1994) Visioning: an important management tool. Nursing economics. Mar-Apr 1994 12(2): 93-94. [online]. Available from: EBSCO URL [Accessed on 10th November 2010] Unsworth, J (2001). Managing the development of practice, in: Spencer, S, Unsworth, J and Burke, W. (eds) Developing community nursing practice. Buckingham: Open University Press, pp. 69-92. Ward, CW (2009) Enhancing orientation and retention: one units success story. Journal of continuing education in nursing. Feb 2009 40(2):87-90 [online]. Available from: EBSCO URL [Accessed on 30th October 2010] Warrilow, S. (2009) Transformational Leadership Theory The 4 Key Components in Leading Change Managing Change. [online] Available from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Transformational-Leadership-TheoryThe-4-Key-Components-in-Leading-Change-and-Managing-Changeid=2755277. [Accessed on 5th November 2010]. Appendix 1 Proposed Induction pack guidelines Appendix 2 Kurt Lewins Change theory Unfreezing reducing those forces which maintain behaviour in its present form, recognition of the need for change and improvement to occur Movement development of new attitudes or behaviour and the implementation of change Refreeze stabilising change at the new level and reinforcement through supporting mechanisms, for example policies, structures or norms Mullins (2007 p736)

How to Unload Your Unwanted Collectibles via the Internet :: Process Essays

How to Unload Your Unwanted Collectibles via the Internet Trying to rid yourself of that box of old comics? Sick of all the CDs cluttering up your shelf space? While secondhand stores will do for some people, finding one that'll give you a good deal is next to impossible. If you need to unload what your particular hobby produces, whether it be rare books, old records, or baseball cards, the Internet provides the best opportunity for you to reach your market. Granted, selling a large volume of material yourself isn't easy: I discovered this the hard way when I first put my large collection of old CDs up for sale. But with the right preparations, running an e-sale is profitable, fun, and can provide you with contacts that prove useful for future sales. Step 1: The Sale Setup Your first concern should be cataloguing your collection. Make a note of each item you want to sell, as well as the price. It'd be a good idea to visit a shop that specializes in selling the collectible secondhand, such as a used bookstore or music store. Since buyers on the Internet usually expect to find a deal better than they could get otherwise, setting the item price slightly (around %10 or so) lower than a thrift shop will prevent them from clicking past you. Find a notebook, one that pages won't rip out of; this is your sale ledger. Keeping a tangible record of each item, price, buyer, buyer's mailing address, and shipping number in your ledger will prevent mistakes before they start. Believe me, dealing with an irate customer who claims you've mailed her the wrong CDs is much easier when you can prove the opposite. Finding an appropriate forum for your advertisement is probably the most important part of your setup. Usenet, a distributed bulletin board system that most Internet service providers and academic institutions make available to their users, is your best bet for reaching potential buyers. Usenet is divided into several hierarchies, or groups of bulletin boards (known individually as Blogs) that feature similar topics of discussion. For example, the alt.marketplace hierarchy contains the alt.marketplace, alt.marketplace.books, alt.marketplace.cassettes, and alt.marketplace.videotapes Blogs. However, when staging your sale you must choose the appropriate Blog. Posting daily sale updates to an off-topic Blog can get you flamed, mailbombed, or worse. Research your options thoroughly and well; read the news.answers Blog or set your web browser's URL to ftp://rtfm. How to Unload Your Unwanted Collectibles via the Internet :: Process Essays How to Unload Your Unwanted Collectibles via the Internet Trying to rid yourself of that box of old comics? Sick of all the CDs cluttering up your shelf space? While secondhand stores will do for some people, finding one that'll give you a good deal is next to impossible. If you need to unload what your particular hobby produces, whether it be rare books, old records, or baseball cards, the Internet provides the best opportunity for you to reach your market. Granted, selling a large volume of material yourself isn't easy: I discovered this the hard way when I first put my large collection of old CDs up for sale. But with the right preparations, running an e-sale is profitable, fun, and can provide you with contacts that prove useful for future sales. Step 1: The Sale Setup Your first concern should be cataloguing your collection. Make a note of each item you want to sell, as well as the price. It'd be a good idea to visit a shop that specializes in selling the collectible secondhand, such as a used bookstore or music store. Since buyers on the Internet usually expect to find a deal better than they could get otherwise, setting the item price slightly (around %10 or so) lower than a thrift shop will prevent them from clicking past you. Find a notebook, one that pages won't rip out of; this is your sale ledger. Keeping a tangible record of each item, price, buyer, buyer's mailing address, and shipping number in your ledger will prevent mistakes before they start. Believe me, dealing with an irate customer who claims you've mailed her the wrong CDs is much easier when you can prove the opposite. Finding an appropriate forum for your advertisement is probably the most important part of your setup. Usenet, a distributed bulletin board system that most Internet service providers and academic institutions make available to their users, is your best bet for reaching potential buyers. Usenet is divided into several hierarchies, or groups of bulletin boards (known individually as Blogs) that feature similar topics of discussion. For example, the alt.marketplace hierarchy contains the alt.marketplace, alt.marketplace.books, alt.marketplace.cassettes, and alt.marketplace.videotapes Blogs. However, when staging your sale you must choose the appropriate Blog. Posting daily sale updates to an off-topic Blog can get you flamed, mailbombed, or worse. Research your options thoroughly and well; read the news.answers Blog or set your web browser's URL to ftp://rtfm.

Choosing a Right Major to Create My Future

Rupeng Yang Choosing a right major to create my future Undergraduates have the higher educational level than high school student, but have the lower educational level than graduates. The time we spend in college is the most important time in our lives. During this period of time, we have been changing ourselves a lot. Because we get more information from our professors and our schoolmates to make us to become â€Å"critically thinking adults†(P85). We do not want to dependent on our family very much. We are trying to think about our future independently. We want to be more independent.So we obtain a lot of information from outside world, ignoring the information is good or bad. The most important thing we are thinking about is our majors. We are lack of experiences how to make a right choice on our majors. We do not know what we can do in our future. Now we are suffering from selecting majors. We really need to get help from professors or tutors in our college. Last semester w as my first semester in baruch college. When I met new classmates or new professors, the most question to me is what my major is. My answer was always I do not decide or I do not know.Many freshmen have the same situations as me, even some second year students. Why do not we choose majors? We Yang 2 want, but we do not know what we can choose. In baruch, the first two years classes have not any relationship with our majors. We have few chances to get information about majors from our classes. Because we are always busy with studying. Some students have part time jobs. They need to focus on not only their study, but also their jobs. Because they need to make money to support their education. They have little chance to know about their majors.Why do we want to attend to college? Because we want to know about our world well and obtain more knowledge to know what we are able to do or what we are interested in doing in the future. I know we have advisers in baruch. But that is not enough to so many students. We need more professional advisers to help us to analyze what the employment situations in the world now and what it will be like after we graduate, or help us to find out what are really interested in. Baruch college is famous at accounting major. But not everyone comes here for becoming an accoutant.I do not want to be an accountant too. I hope my major is about finance. Finance comprises many branches. I need a more specific major. My question is how I can use my advantages better if I choose a major. I am good at math, but I do not want to be an accountant. What can I do in the future? Baruch college pays a lot of money to the library resources every year to give students more knowledge and help us to study well. But if we do not know what we will do, or what our life will be like in the future, what is the destination for studying well? Our majors are like our dreams about our life.We need to spend a lot of time on our major. Because our majors connect wit h our working, Yang 3 and our working connects with our life and family in the future. That is why I am really concerned about choosing a right and propriate major. Many of my family members and friends told me that the major I choose is what I am really interested in. Because I need to spend more than four years on the major, and the first formal job I find is about my major. With an old saying in China, â€Å"Man needs to select the right major, and woman needs to get married with the right man. As far as I know, it is not easy to change major in college. If you did, it really takes time to finish another major. So we hope we can make right decisions at the first time. We do not need to change our decisions and use more time and energy to finish our education. â€Å"A more serious problem for faculty at many state and city colleges is the scarcity of resources. Because schools cannot easily hire more faculty members, they increase the workloads of those they have. †(P86) B aruch college does not have that problem.We have enough and professional faculty members, and good resources and computers in the library. Every student would not say, â€Å"There is no class for me to choose. † Every student can become full time student. If baruch college can put more professional advisers in it, that would be better. We have a good student academic consulting center. There are good professors and tutors to help students with their study, such as English, mathmatic, foreign language and so on. But few people think about if we have professional advisers to help us with our majors, we can get the best benefit.Yang 4 If I know what my major is, I will make my goals clearly for my life. I can make sure what I need to learn, what I do not need to waste time on. That makes my study more efficient. Although my parents and friends gave me some suggestions. those are not professional enough. I need a professional adviser to help me clear out my struggle. I appreciate that baruch has enough faculty members, good resources and beautiful basketball playgrounds. I hope baruch can add more professional advisers in it to help our students with their majors.

Cloud of Sparrows Short Summary Review

Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka 1. The book takes place in 1861, after Perry opens the door to Japan. After centuries of isolation, Japan is lagging behind in ways of science and weaponry. The main character, Lord Genji, is Lord of the Okumichi Clan. He and his family are cursed with visions of the future. His uncle, Lord Shigeru, sees the coming bloodshed and massacre in Japan’s future and slaughters his wife and children to prevent them from suffering through it. Heiko, another character, is a ninja who masquerades as a geisha. She falls in love with Genji, and later confesses to him.He explains that he already knew of her dubious nature and returns her love. Though later, after learning of her irredeemable origins, Genji can no longer feel the same toward her and sends her to America. Brother Zephaniah is a priest wishing to save the â€Å"crude heathens,† but dies shortly after arriving from a gunshot meant for Genji. Emily, an American missionary engaged to h im, is running away from her destructive beauty to Japan, where she is thought of as repulsive. She felt no feelings of love toward him, but agreed to the proposal because he protected her from the horrible men who sought to ake advantage of her. Stark accompanies Emily and Zephaniah, but instead of hoping to spread the â€Å"True Word,† he is after revenge. He is in pursuit of Ethan Cruz, who murdered his beloved Mary Anne and her two daughters. Ethan murdered them because Stark murdered his father-like mentor who ran the whorehouse when he wouldn’t let Mary Anne leave. Kawakami is Genji’s enemy and despises him above all things. He takes great pleasure in knowing what others do not. They are enemies because years ago, there was a great battle at Sekigahara and their families were on opposite sides. Both sides re convinced the battle is not truly over and seek to eliminate each other completely. Genji takes the missionaries into his care in the capital of Edo, but when foreign ships fire on Edo, they travel to the well-fortified Cloud of Sparrows castle. 2. Shigeru has visions of the coming bloodshed and mutilation of Japan. This takes place before the wars and defeat of Japan by the British and later, the Russians. I was surprised by the loyalty the characters exemplified, and how easily they shed the blood of those they had known for years. 3. The author is trying to show how honorable Japan was, and how tragic the all of the old ways. He wanted the reader to understand how the Japanese felt and thought, and what a dramatic effect the introduction of guns had on their society. He wanted the reader to feel the depressing sadness and most of all, the painful loss of centuries of history and tradition. I feel that he conveyed this very well. I really cared about the characters and genuinely wanted them to prevail and maintain their way of life, so it was really hard for me to know that in the end, no matter what, history would remain the s ame. They would be defeated, and their country would forever change.