Interview with the first gentleman Essay

MANILA -My news editor asked me to interview the husband of the highest official of the land, Mr. Miguel â€Å"Mike† Arroyo. On the day appointed, I was whisked in to the Malacanang palace, where after the formalities, i. e. , being frisked by presidential guards in combat fatigues, I was shown in to the Philippines’ equivalent of the Oval Office. Mr. Arroyo rose to shake my hand. He was not tall, but immense, very fat, and had a bored air about him. With him was an old man wearing glasses, who introduced himself as Jess Santos, a lawyer and the First Gentleman’s spokesperson. The interview went on as follows: Q: I hear you’ve been busy these days, filing libel cases against some journalists. Jess: Yes, that is correct. You know these newspaper guys, they’re a pain in the ass. Always noisy. But of course you can’t help it. We live in a democracy, and the Philippines is the most democratic in Asia. I hope you’ll agree. But when they attack the First Gentleman, using all kinds of defamatory imputation, using the media to spread these lies and calumniate and slur him so as to blemish his clean and untainted reputation, he has to fight back. And there’s nothing wrong in using the courts to seek justice. (The First Gentleman nods gravely.) Q: Are there any truths to these so-called lies against the First Gentleman? Jess: Oh, no! None at all. This allegation about unexplained wealth, it’s absurd. It isn’t wrong to be rich, you know. But the main point here, which you must not miss, and should be emphasized in your column or whatever, is that Mr. Arroyo is a gentleman. I mean, a gentleman in the real sense of the word. You don’t see a gentleman everyday, do you? He is very dignified, punctilious of honor, the epitome of chivalry, gallantry, and respect. (The First Gentleman nods, dozing off. ) Q: Is it true he dared the lawyer of a defendant to a fistfight in court? (The First Gentleman opens his eyes, looks at me, but says nothing. ) Jess: Well, you know how it is with honorable men like the First Gentleman. They are very sensitive when their honor is brought to ridicule. And in order to preserve his honor and integrity, it is but normal for the First Gentleman to react in his defense by calling the offending party to a fight, which shows that the First Gentleman is not a pushover, nor is he a weakling, but a chivalrous man like the knights of old who were not afraid to do battle to defend their honor. Q: I see. What about his rumored liaison with a pretty woman, allegedly his secretary? Jess: (assuming a pained expression): Please, please, do not dignify such baseless, malicious accusations. The First Gentleman would never enter into an unchaste relationship with a woman other than his wife, the President, because a true gentleman will never entertain any immoral thought, much more an illicit affair with a woman. (The First Gentleman looks at the ceiling as if remembering something. ) Q: According to a columnist, the First Gentleman stayed in a $20,000 suite at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas when he went there to watch the fight between your Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales. Jess: That is not true. I doubt if you can find such a room in Las Vegas. And even if he did, the expenses may have been paid by friends. You know the First Gentleman, he has friends from high places. Q: Well, I admit I don’t know him that much. And I notice he isn’t saying anything. Can I interview him? Jess: Oh, sure. There’s nothing to worry about him. He is the perfect gentleman. Q: Well, sir, could you react to the accusation that you have a secret bank account in Germany? FG: (unsmiling)Who told you that? Q: Well, it’s on the papers, sir. Just trying to get your reaction firsthand. FG: Well, um, it’s a lot of shit, I mean, whoever wrote that article is an asshole, I mean, he must be an enemy of the state to say such matters. Why, I know, being the First Gentleman, that there are continuing threats to our national security. Q: I also hear this issue was brought up by a certain Congressman Cayetano who is now running for Senator. And this person has challenged you to issue a waiver so that he could prove who’s telling the truth. FG: (scowling). The worthless scumbag! Scoundrel! Bloody fool! Pardon me, but I can’t help myself. You see, this person has been using his parliamentary immunity to attack me at every turn. I’m sick of him. But I won’t be dragged into this controversy. Q: He also says you brought 50 million pesos in a helicopter in Mindanao to buy votes in the last election where your wife won as President. FG: That is a lie! Don’t believe the goddam son of a gun! Q: And he has just issued a public statement that he is daring you to engage him in a debate at Plaza Miranda to show who is telling the truth. FG: The nerve! I will not stoop down to his level. If he wants, I challenge him to a fistfight (rolls up his sleeves). Q: He also says you are crook and a liar and an adulterer. FG: (roaring). He said that? Tell him to just wait. Tomorrow I’ll file twenty counts of libel against him. I have fifty lawyers to work on that. Jess: Now there, there, please don’t get excited. A gentleman is never riled up. FG: Tell him I will get his goddam ass! Jess: Please sir, you’re a real gentleman. FG: I know that, I know. And I’ll prove to the #@! =* guy that I’m a *&^%4# man of honor! (end of interview).

Evaluation of Maladaptive Behavior Essay

Maladaptive behavior is commonly observed in children who have troubled family lives or low self esteem (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). In this case, there could be several reasons that the child is exhibiting and engaging in maladaptive behavior related to his environment at home. Using a variety of theories of moral development as well as a question-answer evaluation of the parenting styles of the child’s parents, the maladaptive behavior seen in the child as well as a solution will try to be understood. Different types of maladaptive behavior are attributed to different problems. While most parents simply believe that their child is misbehaving, maladaptive behavior is usually classified in groupings such as attention-seeking or revengeful, behavior inappropriateness (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). The child being observed exhibits both types of maladaptive behavior, which can most likely be explained by moral development theories and poor parenting. For the behaviors such as repeating swear words, throwing food on the floor, drawing on the walls, and screaming in public, it is most likely a result of a self esteem or attention-seeking issue. The child is trying to get in trouble to get attention from the parents (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). The child knows these behaviors are bad as Kohlberg states, â€Å"younger school-aged children tend to think either in terms of concrete, unvarying rules†¦or in terms of the rules of society†(Feldman, 2011; p. 311). However, the child also knows that participating in these behaviors will result in attention from the parents. The child is obviously aware that these actions are not societally accepted because it is likely that they have not observed them in their teachers, parents or other powerful authority figures (Feldman, 2011). In this area of maladaptive behavior, it would seem that the parents might have an uninvolved parenting style. To determine if this is true, the parents should be asked questions about their involvement with the child and how concerned they are with aspects of his development other than their role as a provider. The following questions would suffice: Do you believe that your only job is to feed, clothe, and shelter your child? (Feldman, 2011) Is there any child abuse or neglect in the family? (Feldman, 2011) How involved with your child would you say you are on a day-to-day basic, specifically related to disciplining their behavior? (Feldman, 2011) These would all be important to ask because if their answers indicate that they are neglectful, uninvolved in disciplinary as well as other areas of development, or confused on their role as a parent, they may be uninvolved parents. According to the textbook, â€Å"Children whose parents show uninvolved parenting styles are the worst off†¦their parents’ lack of involvement disrupts their emotional development, leading them to feel unloved†(Feldman, 2011; p. 317). This could make them act out in an attempt to get the attention of their indifferent or detached parents. The reasons behind the child’s behavior of hitting other children in daycare and ignoring direct commands from parents may be more along the lines of revengeful maladaptive behavior as it is intentional causation of harm to another student or person (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). According to Piaget, children in the heteronomous stage, which happens in the early years of childhood, believe in immanent justice, â€Å"the notion that rules that are broken earn immediate punishment†(Feldman, 2011; p. 309). For this child, it is possible that he does not understand that his behavior is unacceptable even if he is mad at another student. This is probably the result of permissive parenting by the parents. The student most likely has never known that his behavior is bad because permissive parents such as his â€Å"provide lax and inconsistent feedback†¦and place little or no limits or control on their childrens behavior† (Feldman, 2011; p.316). To determine if this is true of the parents’ style of discipline the following questions could be asked: Do you expect a lot from your child in the areas of behavior? Would you ever be punitive or clear and consistent in your limits with your child? It they answer that they have few expectations, would rarely limit their children, or are inconsistent with their discipline it is possible that their permissiveness is causing the child to act badly in school and disregard their correction when it is given. Based on the observation of the parenting styles the child sees at home as well as the information from the moral development theories, it is clear that the parents are most likely at fault for their child’s maladaptive behavior. If they want their child to correct his behavior, they should engage in more authoritative parenting as children raised in this parenting style â€Å"fare best†¦are independent, friendly with peers, and cooperative† (Feldman, 2011; p.317). The parent should, as a part of this parenting style, be firm and set clear and consistent limits on their children. Additionally, induction, or discipline paired with explanation, can also be used so the child knows what they did and why it was wrong and can correct it in the future (Lee, 2013). References Feldman, R.S. (2011). Life span development: A topical approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lee, M. (2013, April 1). Class #28: Prosocial Behavior, Values, and Spirituality. GPSYCH 160: Life Span Human Development – Section 8. Lecture conducted from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Maladaptive Behavior. (2003). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://disease.disease.com/Therapy/Behavior/maladaptive-behavior.html

1912 Lawrence Textile Strike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1912 Lawrence Textile Strike - Essay Example This strike took place in, â€Å"Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 and was led by the Industrial Workers of the World†.1 The strike has a variety of complex reasons for its establishment, but it’s broadly understood that it occurred as a response to the mill’s decision to lower wages after a law shortening the workweek was enacted. This essay examines a variety of issues surrounding the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike and considers whether the strikers were justified in their actions. The city of Lawrence was founded in 1845 and quickly grew based on its productive textile industry. Even as the textile industry in the region greatly contributed to the region’s development, it’s clear it was also a highly problematic industry. With the turn of the century an influx of mechanization resulted in the gradual release of skilled laborers and an increasingly dangerous and demanding work environment. The large numbers of unskilled laborers, largely women, workin g in the textile industry gave the factory’s considerable leverage, further leading to arduous working conditions. Furthermore, â€Å"divisions between skilled and unskilled laborers were also strongly divided along ethnic lines, further contributing to growing tension in the region†.2 While there were instance of unionization through the United Textile Workers and the Industrial Workers of the World, it was generally recognized that unionization had not taken a strong hold in the area. With growing recognition of the poor working conditions in the region a new Massachusetts law was enacted that â€Å"reduced the number of house of work per week for women and children from 56 to 54†.3 Upon the implementation of the law, employers followed by reducing the weekly wages to match the change in hours. Workers at the Everett Cotton Mills discovered the reduction in pay and immediately left their looms, setting off the early stages of the strike. After this early stage , the Industrial Workers of the World became involved and further organized against the textile mills. Joseph Ettor took control of strike and put together a committee with representatives from each ethnic group working at the mill; the group’s demands were that the textile factories raise wages by â€Å"15% for the newly specified workweek, and provide double pay for overtime†.4 The strike resulted in a large-scale public conflict, with the city calling out a militia to confront the picketers. The militia turned a firehouse on the picketers and they responded by vandalizing many of the mills. These incidents resulted in a domino effect where the strike leaders were framed, the United Textile Workers (UTW) attempted to deter the deliberations, and children and mothers were clubbed for peaceful protest. This last act gathered national attention and resulted in a resolution being reached regarding the strike. Ultimately, â€Å"the textile companies, led by the American Woolen Company, capitulated to nearly all of the strikers’ demands†.5 These actions had a significant impact on labor as other factories in New England followed these policy changes worried about facing similar civil strife. In conclusion, there are a number of considerations that are made when one considers whether the strike was justified. While the strike was ultimately successful in that the workers had most of their demands met, it’s clear that there was considerable civil strife that resulted in these actions. While ostensibly it appears that such actions were not needed and the physical conflicts could have been avoided, one considers prominent civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X who indicated that oftentimes violence was necessary to enact significant public change. In this textile strike, civil change was not simply enacted in

Experimental Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Experimental Design - Essay Example c troponin levels and electrocardiograms were taken at the time of admission and then daily during the first week, subsequently on alternate months and then on a weekly basis, up to the discharge or demise of the patient in all patients that were admitted into the combined fifteen-bed university-affiliated surgical and medical intensive care unit for a period of two months. In addition to this data, additional data was collected from the patient medical chart, the ICU computerized clinical information system, and the hospital laboratory system in case report forms and then entered into an Excel program for statistical analysis. The main constituents of the statistical analysis consisted of the comparing of continuous variables employing the Kruskall-Wallis non-parametric tests and the Mann-Whitney paired test for the purpose of exploring the differences in groups. Categorical variables were analyzed using Pearson Chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact tests depending on appropriateness of the test. Screening investigations of cardiac troponin levels with ECGs helped to detect more myocardial infarction than through clinical diagnosis alone. Yet the length of stay of the patients in the intensive care unit and the hospital and the mortality rates remained the same as was experienced with patients whose myocardial infarction was detected by the ICU team and by screening. The study was conducted only for two month period in all patients admitted into the intensive care unit, which led to getting an evaluation of only of 103 patients. The sample size is too small for getting suitable results that are valid and acceptable. The problem of validity is pronounced, as there is variability of the association of elevated of elevated cardiac troponins in critically ill patients with mortality and other adverse outcomes, which calls for a larger sample size. This problem is accepted by the authors. Elevated cardiac troponin levels are frequently seen in critically ill

The Glass Menagerie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Glass Menagerie - Essay Example Amanda is caught up in the pleasant memories of her youth and the dreams of the Southern belle, hoping to find the same kind of young adulthood for her own daughter and is incapable of considering that her own daughter’s circumstances are vastly different from the circumstances of Amanda’s own youth. Laura, a shy girl with a decided limp as the result of childhood illness, is extremely shy and considers herself incapable of facing the outside world. She prefers to live in the world of her childhood with her music and her glass figurines despite the fact that she needs to find some means of supporting herself in her future. All three of these characters can be seen to live primarily in an internal world of their own creation that directly conflicts with the world outside and makes it difficult for them to confront real-life issues. Despite his attempts to escape his past, Tom tells the audience at the end of the play that he followed â€Å"in my father’s footstep s, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space. I traveled around a great deal †¦ I would have stopped, but I was pursued by something† (VII, 237). That something turns out to be the images, smells, sounds and other reminders of the sister he left behind, proving through the very act of telling the play that memories cannot be escaped regardless of how hard or fast you run. While Tom is now a member of the merchant marine and an accomplished traveler, living out the internal dreams of his youth in a way he had never thought possible while living in his mother’s apartment, this outward show of personal dream fulfillment is revealed as little more than an illusion of its own. In truth, Tom’s heart remains trapped within the small apartment he shared with his mother and sister. In Tom’s case, rather than helping him hide from reality, his memories serve to force reality upon him at odd moments throughout every day.  

Open Skies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Open Skies - Essay Example The modern aviation sector has grown considerably in the past few decades and its emerging commercial perspective has led most people to question whether there should be more intergovernmental efforts and co-operation to respond to the new business environment. Air transport services have experienced the most dynamic recent growth of all sectors in the vitally important transport industry. With regards to the Open Skies Policy it has to be noted that Air transport is crucial to international trade.Eversice the year 1944(under the auspices of the Chicago Conference of 1944) it has been under a complex regulatory system . Overall there are little if any international agreements in this regard and so far the position has been that there have been a lot of bilateral agreements between countries dominating the aviation industry ever since. The success of these open skies agreements depends to a large extent upon the political relationships between countries.Few countries would want to see a rival country save fuel and expenses and attract more tourists and consumers at the cost of its own AirSpace.Therefore even though over the past few decades the some relaxation has taken place in a few countries, Commercial flights are still subject to heavy regulations on their air routes and subject to almost three thousand forms of Bilateral Agreements.This is particularly true with regards to the Pacific regions that poses a great challenges in providing basic transport services in terms of routes and fares.The use of such agreements would indeed eradicate the varying levels of infrastructure development, the high costs and other related problems in this sector.This is because all commercial carriers are facing diseconomies of scale due to not being able to use their air planes to their full potential and are facing increasingl y difficult conditions with competition putting pressure on fares, especially in traditional tourism markets. The cost of fuel and maintenance, and professional staff means that Air services to destinations outside the Pacific and other favourite tourist destinations will be have a volume tourist traffic which will demands long-haul direct routes and larger planes.Economically therefore ,the lack of an open skies agreement could cause a world wide crisis in the arena of the commercial airlines and eventually lead to high costs even for the short-haul services to island neighbours and airlines can be reluctant to make intermediate stopovers. The matter therefore is not economical or legal.The issue is purely political.Consider the tug of war that took place between EU and USA authorities over the recent Open Skies Agreement.The Agreement aims to liberalise transatlantic airspace yet European transport Ministers were reluctant to agree to it at first as they felt it gave the US an unfair advantage over European interests and its major airline and cargo.This was expressed in a statement by the EU commission which remarked that many Member States felt "that EU airlines should have more opportunities to access the

CG Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CG - Case Study Example counting; not permitting enough freedom to the board of directors and sharing responsibility; and common deficiency of shareholders’ interests in the corporate governance ( Abrami et al. 3). Historical old practices of governance are responsible for adhering to different corporate mechanism based on two-tiered approach in most of the Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs). It is the sole reason of differences existing in Chinese publicly traded companies with that of the US or UK companies. Actually, the Chinese corporate structure has been historically impacted by its economic mechanism. In China, most of the large businesses were under state control. Managers in the past had been answerable to both the government policy initiatives and the business aims. The government had been the major stakeholder, therefore, its claim to fulfil its objectives were relevant and reasonable. Powers were also implicit in a firm’s Communist Party Committee, for making decisions in specific fields of governance, such as strategic planning (Abrami et al. 2-3). Change in the Chinese approach to managing listed companies happened later in 1990 in its attempt to practice globally agreed parameters of managing corporations. Thus, these differences existed till 1990 when the Chinese government started two stock exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen. These attempts were made to transform the procedures of corporate governance. Those companies, desiring to become listed companies were supposed to fulfil basic governance and securities law (Abrami et al. 2). Procedures smoothened with the formulation of the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), which observed the functioning of these two exchanges and released a list of solid regulations. The primary job of CSRC is to â€Å"supervise the behaviour of listed companies and their shareholders who are liable for relevant information disclosures in securities markets† (Abrami et al. 2). In the past, there was no practice of

Google in China Analysis 2 Vo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google in China Analysis 2 Vo - Essay Example een identified among the Chinese internet users as they prefer localized search engines over foreign ones, here Google encountered a positioning enigma as well. As for the usage patterns are concerned then Chinese market is substantially different in more than one ways. They do more blogging, a more thorough browsing and more localized way of searching the internet. Apart from these, censorship and repressive strategy over internet browsing are some more barriers that are placed to Google’s progress in the Chinese market. However with a population of more than 1 billion people and one of the fastest internet penetration rates, Chinese market cannot be ignored by a player like Google (Lawrence, 2009). The Chinese Internet market comprised of 103 million internet users in 2005 and this number grew exponentially to 316 million till April 2009. In 2005, entertainment was the main reason for internet usage in China with around 38% of the users identifying it as their sole purpose of browsing; however till 2009 the trend has shifted to more sophisticated browsing habits such as news 79%, Blog 54%, Search 68% and Email 57%. In 2005, 69% of users had internet access at home while 38% at work, in 2009 the scenario has changed and internet cafes and schools have also emerged as centers with internet access (Lawrence, 2009). In 2009 dimensions of entertainment have also developed and gaming and social networking have also become integral components of the category. Internet penetration rate in China is 25% and this makes China a great market for players like Google to capitalize up on. In 2005 one in seven users was above 30 years of age but in 2009 the average age group is 25 years, indicating youth dominance among internet users. In all in all Chinese internet market shows sustainability and signs of growth and further development. In US average internet user age is 42 with annual penetration rate of 3% suggesting that it has reached the saturation level and newer

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 152

Assignment Example Executives should also not walk away empty handed following the collapse of a company since they are not directly involved in the company’s failure. Collapse of major companies during the last economic crunch was caused mainly by external business forces. Such forces are beyond the control of the management staff. A hefty severance packages can also be viewed as a tool for attracting top talent to a company. An ideal business environment operates under the laws of demand and supply, which necessitates competition (Hirschey, 2009). In business, competition not only applies to the market, but also in recruitment and retaining of top talents. In addition, business decisions such as hiring top CEO’s is a form of risk taking, which businesses are compelled to take. The level of risk that a company can accommodate, determines its income margins. Thus, top CEO’s are not responsible for the misfortunes of a company. In any of such occurrences, responsibility should be extended to all top-level managers and supervisors. This is because they are also involved in the company’s decisions making

Educate parent attending accidebt emergency how to manage childs fever Research Proposal

Educate parent attending accidebt emergency how to manage childs fever at home - Research Proposal Example Managing childhood fever, will aid reduce various parental complaints for fever and reduce the chances of children death or complications resulting from unmanaged fever. Ways of maintaining fever at home Parents determine their children fever via behavioral changes they mainly link to fever. Parents realize immunological advantageous impacts linked to fever and some belief that fever is harmful and causes brain damage and convulsion of febrile. Therefore, to prevent adverse effects of fever, parents must monitor body temperatures of their children, use antipyretics, ensure their children wear light clothing and wash them with cold water or tepid. When a baby has a bacterial or viral infection, it is obvious for him to develop a fever and the fever will not harm the child, (Douglas 23). Children under the age of six months should seek medical attention while older children may be treated at home. Nevertheless, they should be presented to the hospital for medical attention if the fever last over two days. Methods of taking a child’s temperature There are various ways of taking a child’s temperature at home, for instance, rectal, oral (mouth), under the armpit and in the ear (tympanic). The correct method depends on the age of the child. The parent should ensure that the measurements are accurate. For example, using rectal method is the most accurate way, but most children under the age of two do not like this method. Even though, using axillary method is not extremely precise, it may help parents to know whether their children have fever, (Berger, Ann, John and Roenn 41). Temperature management Conventional treatment Various over the counter medications can be administered to manage fever at home, for instance, acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen. Parents should avoid aspirin use because aspirin may lead to adverse side effects, such as fatal Reye’s syndrome leading to inflammation of the brain and vomiting. Parents can manage their children ’s fever by utilizing a cold sponge, and encouraging their children to take increased amounts of cold liquids like ice pops. It is healthy to give young children increased amounts of fluids contain electrolytes because fever quickly dehydrates them. The cold liquids aids cool the body and keep the baby hydrated. One can also use a fan. Always set the fan at minimal setting and direct it to have the air circulation around the child and avoid blowing the air directly to him, (Douglas 26). Additionally, reduce clothing layers so that the baby can lose increased eat easily through the skin. In addition, dress that baby in light clothing and let her stay indoors or under shade to reduce body temperature. Similarly, parents can manage fever in children by giving their children a lukewarm spongy bath. The body cools as the water evaporates from the skin, thus the body temperature lowers. For instance, if the body temperatures are too high, place a wet or damp piece of cloth on the f orehead of a child as she rests. In addition, the parent should ensure that the child gets enough rest. Since fever is because of a potential infection, a child’s body requires plenty of rest or sleep to fight off the agent causing the infection. Experts agree also that having fever makes a child feel exhausted and achy. Therefore, during this period, parents should motivate the children to have plenty of rest

Romeo and Juliet Character Sketch - Juliet Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Character Sketch Juliet Essay Juliet Capulet is one of the main characters in Romeo and Juliet, a famous play written by Shakespeare. Juliet is a beautiful, young 13 year old girl. Despite her age, she is pressured from the very beginning of the play to get married, preferably to a young nobleman named Paris who is a relative of the Prince of Verona. During the opening scenes of the play, Juliet seems to be an obedient and naà ¯ve child who always obeys her parents wishes. However, throughout the play we see Juliets sense of independence develop when she makes the outrageous decision to marry Romeo behind her parents backs, and fake her own death. She evolves into someone who is capable of making their own decisions; however her actions are also defiant and rebellious. Juliet is a 13 year old teenager, who will be 14 years old on July 31st, also known as Lammas Eve. I imagine that due to her young age and wealthy family that Juliet is a very small, dainty, well-kept and polished teenaged girl. Juliets appearance is not described in detail in the play, however in Romeos soliloquy at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 2, he describes Juliet as bright when he says It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Referring to her as the sun is a metaphor for her being bright. He gets more in depth and describes her as a fair sun in line 4. Therefore, I imagine she has pale, white skin. Romeo also says in Act 2, scene 2 The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars which proves that she has pink rosy cheeks. Romeos soliloquy in Act 2, scene 2 proves what a beautiful, bright, and fair young girl Juliet is. However, dont be fooled by her dainty appearance; Juliets actions throughout the play would paint a different, more mischievous picture of her in your mind. Juliets actions change quite drastically throughout the play. At the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet seems to be a very obedient teenager who follows her parents orders and does not stand up for what she really wants. For example, in Act 1, scene 3, Lady Capulet asks Juliet Can you like of Paris love? Juliet is quick to agree with her mother by saying: Ill look to like, if looking liking move. This proves that Juliet is naively obedient, and will do as her parents say even if what they want for  her is not what she wants. Juliet has given no thought to the idea of marriage, especially to Paris since she is only 13 years old and does not know him, yet she follows her parents orders to give him a chance. However, after Juliet meets Romeo at the ball, her obedience and loyalty to her family dwindles away. Juliet begins to disobey her family, and evolves into someone who can make their own decisions, whether they are good or bad. She falls in love with Romeo; a Montague, a member of the Capulets feuding family. She makes plans to marry him the day after she meets him without telling her parents and they spend their wedding night together in her room at the Capulet mansion. This shows that she is rebelling against her parents by marrying someone from the feuding family, and someone who is not Paris. Furthermore, Juliet makes another defiant decision towards the end of the play. When Lady Capulet tells Juliet about her wedding arrangements with Paris in Act 3, scene 5, Juliet adamantly and angrily refuses the proposal by yelling He shall not make me there a joyful bride. Shortly after Juliets argument with her mother and father about the wedding, the nurse suggests that Juliet marry Paris to please her parents. Juliet does not take the nurses advice and responds with Ill to the friar, to know his remedy; if all else fail, myself have power to die. Juliet takes matters into her own hands and is finally standing up for what she wants. She is not letting her parents or even the nurse influence her decisions anymore. All of these actions show Juliets maturity, and growing sense of independence, but also her new defiant, disobedient ways. Juliet is quite a courageous, passionate, and dramatic person. Throughout the play, Juliet deals with emotional situations quite dramatically and is quick to make drastic decisions on impulse. For example, the second Juliet lays eyes on Romeo, and in their next few encounters, she is so very passionate about how she feels about him. In Act 2, scene 2, she expresses how much she loves him, which may seem overly dramatic since she barely knows him. Juliet makes the impulsive decision to marry Romeo, without really thinking it through which shows how quick she is to make drastic decisions. Juliet makes an extremely courageous and very risky decision in Act 4, scene 3. She decides to take the poison Friar Laurence made for her which will knock her unconscious for 42 hours, despite all of her worries about it not working or  possibly killing her. She takes the poison because she is so passionate about being with Romeo that she would do anything, even fake her death in order to be free of her family and able to leave Verona to be with him. Despite Juliets young age, she is truly a brave and passionate girl who does not let anything stop her from getting what she wants. Furthermore, one of the major events of the play takes place in Act 5, scene 3 when Juliet stabs herself with a dagger after waking up to find Romeo lying dead beside her. Juliet makes the drastic decision to end her own life after finding Romeo dead. This shows her fast decision making skills, and also her passion and love for Romeo. She did not kill herself out of weakness from what she had just seen, but because she would not feel right living without the man that she loves so deeply. Killing yourself out of passion for another human being shows extreme courage and bravery which Juliet has plenty of. Although Juliet is portrayed as a naà ¯ve 13 year old girl at the beginning of the play, Shakespeare made it a very prominent part of Romeo and Juliet to show how Juliet evolves into an independent, brave and passionate young woman. She begins to rebel like most teenagers do and defies her parents, but nonetheless she did it to stand up for what she wants and believes in and I think that shows extreme courage, bravery, and independence.

Race Relations Essay Example for Free

Race Relations Essay Humanity has been enduring an ongoing battle for centuries: the strained relations among the races. Despite efforts to put the past behind, signs remain at nearly every juncture that there still exists a strong sense of racial dissension. While many Caucasians do not see the problem being as severe as it is represented, African-Americans angrily reply that the lighter skinned race has not had to endure such prejudice and, therefore, cannot begin to identify with the situation. Frank Newport, vice president of the Gallup Poll Organization, says Caucasian Americans do not interpret racism as a big problem, therefore, they do not see a need for government intervention (Anonymous, 1997; 04A). Similarly, Asians, Hispanics and other United States minorities believe they often receive unfair treatment because of their race. However, President Clinton and several organizations including the National Multicultural Institute, whose main focus is to sort out the jumble of expectations and fears that swirl around the initiatives struggle to reconcile ethnicity and difference with the notion of one American nation (Green, 1998; PG) are pushing hard to mend racial tension with a comprehensive program that is designed to bring all races together. Will it work? Or will minorities look upon the effort as nothing more than a Band-Aid covering a much larger issue? To some extent, concepts such as affirmative action have their place in society, yet they will do nothing to alter an individuals perception of one race or another. In the past, children’s racial viewpoints have routinely been shaped by their parents perceptions. This is precisely how racial prejudice is passed down from generation to generation. However, todays teens appear to be breaking free of the antiquated procession by voicing their own opinions about race relations. While racial hate crimes continue to run rampant, the newer generation tends to believe there is less interracial tension than do their parents (Farley, 1997). What has instigated this considerably lax attitude among the younger generation is not quite clear; yet a TIME/CNN poll has discovered that the adolescent population is far more forgiving of racial prejudices than their adult counterparts. Of twelve hundred, eighty-two adults and six hundred one teenagers aged twelve to seventeen; the younger sect demonstrated a considerable amount of racial tolerance toward one another when compared with the older respondents (Farley, 1997). If given the opportunity, children and young adults will not adopt negative views of other races if they are not placed in such an environment that encourages such thought. However, with the deep-seated hatred that has been bred into so many generations, it has become difficult for some of those prejudice intentions not to trickle down the family line. Yet the TIME/CNN poll was instrumental in establishing that a good number of adolescence of all races have successfully moved beyond their parents views of race (Farley, 1997; 88+). To the kids with such an open mind, race is no more important to them in either a social or personal level; yet it is not to be overlooked that these same respondents were still able to recognize the fact that racism was one of Americas biggest problems today. Even so, over one-third said the problem though it exists is insignificant (Farley, 1997; 88+). As it relates to their own lives, eighty-nine percent of the African-American adolescents who responded said the problem was small or did not exist at all. Amazingly, the Caucasian respondents – both young and old considered racism a more dominant issue (Farley, 1997; 88+) than did the African-American adolescent respondents. What does that say about the varying impressions of race relations? Depending upon which race is viewing the issue, it appears the seriousness of the problem could be considerably damaging or an insignificant obstacle. Still, optimism is high that the younger generation deems race relations as being in good standing. This may be a sign of hope (Farley, 1997; 88+) or nothing more than youthful naivete (88+); regardless, it demonstrates a long awaited shift in the social climate relating to race relations and its consequences. Sociologist Joe R. Feagin says the answer may lie with both options. His interpretation of the lack of adolescent racism is that reality has not fully set in for those who have not yet experienced the real world. You have to be out looking for jobs and housing to know how much discrimination is out there (Farley, 1997; 88+). Feagin contends that those who have a better grasp of racial reality are those who are over the age of nineteen. Reasoning behind this is that comparatively few African-American teenage respondents said they had been victimized by discrimination; contrarily, half of the African-American adults admitted they had (Farley, 1997). Experts are concerned that adolescents are being too gullible when it comes to realizing the truth of the matter. Others contend that perhaps they are willfully setting a precedence for others to follow that will ultimately initiate a genuine improvement in race relations. It is not as though contemporary teenagers do not have knowledge of history and its negative treatment of minority races; rather, it appears they have more faith in their own future than their parents did before them. Additionally, todays youth are trying to move away from the typical scapegoating (Farley, 1997; 88+) that has become so commonplace in society. Suspicions arise with poll results, however, in that they do not always reflect the truth; many people are more apt to give socially acceptable (Farley, 1997; 88+) answers rather than what is truly in their hearts. Yet this is not likely to be the contention of teenagers who, for the most part, speak more freely and true to form than adults. A believer in this concept is sociologist Howard Pinderhuges, author of Race in the Hood: Conflict and Violence Among Urban Youth, who firmly contends that teenagers are genuine. Teenagers are a mirror of our souls. They speak plainly about things that adults would like to hide. Political correctness isnt an issue to them. Youre more likely to get what they think unfiltered (Farley, 1997; 88+). Still, through all this optimism, there exists an invisible boundary line that, even though race relations seem to be improving, keeps the races separated. Seventeen-year-old Danny, one of the TIME/CNN respondents, commented that his friends consisted more of African-Americans than Caucasians. This, in and of itself, was not as enlightening as was his admission of the fact that we just talk in school (Farley, 1997; 88+), not allowing the relationship to progress into ones personal territory. It was a normal occurrence for none of Dannys African-American friends to visit him at home or for him to go to theirs; the lines of separation were clearly drawn. Experts consider this to be accountable in large part to the amount of violence that takes place in the crime-plagued housing projects (Farley, 1997; 88+) where many of his friends live. The situation is far from unusual. Even among African-American youths, the interpretation of neighborhood safety has its variations. According to the TIME/CNN poll, forty percent of African-American teenagers claim to have known someone in their age group who has been killed, whereas just fifteen percent of Caucasian teenagers said they had experienced the same. Interestingly, African-American youths believe they are treated unfairly by enforcement officers, while one-third believe they are at risk (Farley, 1997; 88+) of receiving unfair treatment. Just one of five Caucasian youths feels the same. John Hope Franklin, head of President Clintons race relations task force, claims genuine racial betterment will not arrive until you have improvement in the home conditions of kids of all kinds (Farley, 1997; 88+). An intriguing informal study gives an indication of how racial difference runs deep within an individuals psyche. Psychologist and author Beverly Tatum, who recently wrote Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? , routinely poses the following question to psychology students: I am _______. What is most interesting about the answers she receives is the fact that Caucasian students fill in the blank with an adjective describing their personalities or characters, whereas students of other races are more apt to finish the sentence identifying their ethnicity. According to Tatum, such racial recognition is born out of adolescent peer pressure, societal influences and self-reflection (Farley, 1997; 88+). Polls are regularly put to use to determine the public climate on race relations. A recent USA TODAY survey of more than two thousand college freshmen from around the country reported that forty-five percent perceived race relations as having a positive stance within society; in all, two percent thought relations between African-Americans and Caucasians were excellent (Kohen, 1998; PG). A poll in The Independent, a British publication, noted that one-third of the Caucasians believed one should marry only within ones race (Forna, 1998; 1, 2). Granted, views of younger generations may be quite a bit more diverse than those of the older sect, but those younger views are what will ultimately shape the future of the country. Being on campus allows people the opportunity to intermingle more frequently with those of other races, which may give them the false impression that the rest of the world is as friendly with one another as they are at school. Unlike out in the real world, campus life encourages the fraternization of racial groups, attempting to overthrow the narrow- mindedness often found on the streets of reality. Noel Barrion, Asian American Student Union president, observes this difference each and everyday he looks to see who is sitting next to one another in the school cafeteria. Racial discrimination is out there. People just arent aware (Kohen, 1998; PG). Barrion says the AASU works hard to bridge the gap that separates the races as they exist on campus. Naima Stevenson, Black Student Union President, says the solution to combating racial discrimination (Kohen, 1998; PG) is to keep the lines of communication as wide open as possible in order to confront the complexity and richness of in the United States (Delgado, 1997; 39A). Because of this forward moving attitude, the relationship between the two campus racial organizations is in good standing. Says Barrion: The vehicle between us becoming friends is the desire to be involved (Kohen, 1998; PG). Both Stevenson and Barrion admit to the difficulty of establishing just how much race relations have changed for the worse or better during their short stay at college, but they both have reason to remain positive that future change will be for the better. For Stevenson, looking back after several years to find a marked improvement in campus race relations would be ideal. They both believe that if relations continue in the manner they currently are, this would not be such an unexpected occurrence (Kohen, 1998; PG). However, it is not uncommon to find just the opposite opinion from other students. The USA TODAY poll revealed that far more African-Americans sense the negativity with regard to race relations than does any other race. Yet despite actions in place to bridge the racial gap, those like Barrion and Stevenson believe far more can be done than the efforts currently available on American college campuses. While the opportunity is there for expansion, there is just not enough diversity on campus (Kohen, 1998; PG). It looks like it will still be the same problem going into the new millennium. Theres plenty of opportunity to meet someone of another culture or that you would have never known about before (Kohen, 1998; PG). President Clinton has set his sights on bridging the racial gap in an effort to improve the countrys deteriorating race relations (McFeatters, 1997; 68). By using his clout as Chief Executive and standing behind the affirmative action policy, Clinton hopes to turn around some of the prejudice that continues to spread across the land. A speech he gave at the Million Man March in Texas in 1995 effectively forecasted Americas situation as one where an inordinate number of people fear deep down inside that theyll never quite be able to see each other as more than enemy faces, all of whom carry a sliver of bigotry in their hearts (McFeatters, 1997; 68). Clinton contends that America must clean its house of racism; that a house divided against itself cannot stand (McFeatters, 1997; 68). While these words ring true, it is not clear as to what the President intends to do in the long run to curb racism in the United States. One thing he does propose is a more fair system of dispersing wage earnings among African-Americans, of who only one-fourth make upwards of thirty-five thousand dollars a year compared to one-half of all Caucasian Americans (McFeatters, 1997; 68). Speaking on the topic of integration, President Clinton agreed with Franklin who proposed the only way to clear the cloudy air of racism was to encourage open and honest dialogue (McFeatters, 1997; 68) among the races; that it was, indeed, the critical first step (68) in the direction of genuine racial integration. Other critics say it is time to end the reliance on racism as an explanatory concept (Wortham, 1996; 253) for all racial problems and move beyond the black-white paradigm (Gold, 1998; B-2) when the topic turns to race relations. When we say true integration, we mean the opportunity of every American to develop to the fullest extent of his capacity. We mean that every individual regardless then of regardless of religion, regardless of ethnicity, every American has an opportunity, should have an opportunity to move forward as rapidly as his talents, his or her talents, and as rapidly as the opportunities open (Page et al, 1998; PG). BIBLIOGRAPHY Introduction to Psychology; Inner Reality, Outer Reality in Diversity, Jennifer Iljas ISBN: 0-7575-2864-3 Anonymous (1997, June). Poll finds pessimism on status and future of U. S. race relations// Perceptions are black and white. Star Tribune, pp. 04A. Delgado, Richard; Perea, Juan F. (1997, November). Racism goes beyond black and white. Rocky Mountain News, pp. 39A. Farley, Christopher John (1997, November). Society: Kids and race: A new poll shows teenagers, black and white, have moved beyond their parents views of race. TIME, pp. 88+. Forna, Aminatta (1998, August). Bridge over troubled water. Independent on Sunday, pp. 1, 2. Gold, Matea (1998, February). L. A. shares its experiences with race relations panel; Diversity: Video points out what the city has learned and seeks to widen presidential advisory groups discussion beyond black-white issues. Los Angeles Times, pp. B-2. Green, Sharon (1998, May). Washington, DC, Presidents initiative on race: Progress. Talk of the Nation (NPR), pp. PG. Kohen, Rochelle (1998, February). USA Today survey reveals poor perception of race relations. University Wire, pp. PG. McFeatters, Ann (1997; May). Clinton hopes to close racial divide. Rocky Mountain News, pp. 68A. Page, Clarence; Hansen, Liane (1998, June). Race Initiative. Weekend Sunday (NPR),pp. PG. Wortham, Anne (1996, January). Distorting the Dilemma. The World I, vol. 11, pp. 253.

Compression Techniques used for Medical Image

Compression Techniques used for Medical Image 1.1 Introduction Image compression is an important research issue over the last years. A several techniques and methods have been presented to achieve common goals to alter the representation of information of the image sufficiently well with less data size and high compression rates. These techniques can be classified into two categories, lossless and lossy compression techniques. Lossless techniques are applied when data are critical and loss of information is not acceptable such as Huffman encoding, Run Length Encoding (RLE), Lempel-Ziv-Welch coding (LZW) and Area coding. Hence, many medical images should be compressed by lossless techniques. On the other hand, Lossy compression techniques such as Predictive Coding (PC), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Vector Quantization (VQ) more efficient in terms of storage and transmission needs but there is no warranty that they can preserve the characteristics needed in medical image processing and diagnosis [1-2]. Data compression is the process that transform data files into smaller ones this process is effective for storage and transmission. It presents the information in a digital form as binary sequences which hold spatial and statistical redundancy. The relatively high cost of storage and transmission makes data compression worthy. Compression is considered necessary and essential key for creating image files with manageable and transmittable sizes [3]. The basic goal of image compression is to reduce the bit rate of an image to decrease the capacity of the channel or digital storage memory requirements; while maintaining the important information in the image [4]. The bit rate is measured in bits per pixel (bpp). Almost all methods of image compression are based on two fundamental principles: The first principle is to remove the redundancy or the duplication from the image. This approach is called redundancy reduction. The second principle is to remove parts or details of the image that will not be noticed by the user. This approach is called irrelevancy reduction. Image compression methods are based on either redundancy reduction or irrelevancy reduction separately while most compression methods exploit both. While in other methods they cannot be easily separated [2]. Several image compression techniques encode transformed image data instead of the original images [5]-[6]. In this thesis, an approach is developed to enhance the performance of Huffman compression coding a new hybrid lossless image compression technique that combines between lossless and lossy compression which named LPC-DWT-Huffman (LPCDH) technique is proposed to maximize compression so that threefold compression can be obtained. The image firstly passed through the LPC transformation. The waveform transformation is then applied to the LPC output. Finally, the wavelet coefficients are encoded by the Huffman coding. Compared with both Huffman, LPC- Huffman and DWT-Huffman (DH) techniques; our new model is as maximum compression ratio as that before. However, this is still needed for more work especially with the advancement of medical imaging systems offering high resolution and video recording. Medical images come in the front of diagnostic, treatment and fellow up of different diseases. Therefore, nowadays, many hospitals around the world are routinely using medical image processing a nd compression tools. 1.1.1 Motivations Most hospitals store medical image data in digital form using picture archiving and communication systems due to extensive digitization of data and increasing telemedicine use. However, the need for data storage capacity and transmission bandwidth continues to exceed the capability of available technologies. Medical image processing and compression have become an important tool for diagnosis and treatment of many diseases so we need a hybrid technique to compress medical image without any loss in image information which important for medical diagnosis. 1.1.2 Contributions Image compression plays a critical role in telemedicine. It is desired that either single images or sequences of images be transmitted over computer networks at large distances that they could be used in a multitude of purposes. The main contribution of the research is aim to compress medical image to be small size, reliable, improved and fast to facilitate medical diagnosis performed by many medical centers. 1.2 Thesis Organization The thesis is organized into six chapters, as following: Chapter 2 Describes the basic background on the image compression technique including lossless and lossy methods and describes the types of medical images Chapter 3 Provides a literature survey for medical image compression. Chapter 4 Describes LPC-DWT-Huffman (proposed methods) algorithm implementation. The objective is to achieve a reasonable compression ratio as well as better quality of reproduction of image with a low power consumption. Chapter 5 Provides simulation results of compression of several medical images and compare it with other methods using several metrics. Chapter 6 Provides some drawn conclusions about this work and some suggestions for the future work. Appendix A Provides Huffman example and comparison between the methods for the last years. Appendix B Provides the Matlab Codes Appendix C Provides various medical image compression using LPCDH. 1.3 Introduction Image compression is the process of obtaining a compact representation of an image while maintaining all the necessary information important for medical diagnosis. The target of the Image compression is to reduce the image size in bytes without effects on the quality of the image. The decrease in image size permits images to save memory space. The image compression methods are generally categorized into two central types: Lossless and Lossy methods. The major objective of each type is to rebuild the original image from the compressed one without affecting any of its numerical or physical values [7]. Lossless compression also called noiseless coding that the original image can perfectly recover each individual pixel value from the compressed (encoded) image but have low compression rate. Lossless compression methods are often based on redundancy reduction which uses statistical decomposition techniques to eliminate or remove the redundancy (duplication) in the original image. Lossless Image coding is also important in applications where no information loss is allowed during compression. Due to the cost, it is used only for a few applications with stringent requirements such as medical imaging [8-9]. In lossy compression techniques there are a slight loss of data but high compression ratio. The original and reconstructed images are not perfectly matched. However, practically near to each other, this difference is represented as a noise. Data loss may be unacceptable in many applications so that it must be lossless. In medical images compression that use lossless techniques do not give enough advantages in transmission and storage and the compression that use lossy techniques may lose critical data required for diagnosis [10]. This thesis presents a combination of lossy and lossless compression to get high compressed image without data loss. 1.4 Lossless Compression If the data have been lossless compressed, the original data can be exactly reconstructed from the compressed data. This is generally used for many applications that cannot allow any variations between the original and reconstructed data. The types of lossless compression can be analyzed in Figure 2.1. Figure 2.1: lossless compression Run Length Encoding Run length encoding, also called recurrence coding, is one of the simplest lossless data compression algorithms. It is based on the idea of encoding a consecutive occurrence of the same symbol. It is effective for data sets that are consist of long sequences of a single repeated character [50]. This is performed by replacing a series of repeated symbols with a count and the symbol. That is, RLE finds the number of repeated symbols in the input image and replaces them with two-byte code. The first byte for the number and the second one is for the symbol. For a simple illustrative example, the string AAAAAABBBBCCCCC is encoded as A6B4C5; that saves nine bytes (i.e. compression ratio =15/6=5/2). However in some cases there is no much consecutive repeation which reduces the compression ratio. An illustrative example, the original data 12000131415000000900, the RLE encodes it to 120313141506902 (i.e. compression ratio =20/15=4/3). Moreover if the data is random the RLE may fail to achieve any compression ratio [30]-[49]. Huffman encoding It is the most popular lossless compression technique for removing coding redundancy. The Huffman encoding starts with computing the probability of each symbol in the image. These symbols probabilities are sorted in a descending order creating leaf nodes of a tree. The Huffman code is designed by merging the lowest probable symbols producing a new probable, this process is continued until only two probabilities of two last symbols are left. The code tree is obtained and Huffman codes are formed from labelling the tree branch with 0 and 1 [9]. The Huffman codes for each symbol is obtained by reading the branch digits sequentially from the root node to the leaf. Huffman code procedure is based on the following three observations: 1) More frequently(higher probability) occurred symbols will have shorter code words than symbol that occur less frequently. 2) The two symbols that occur least frequently will have the same length code. 3) The Huffman codes are variable length code and prefix code. For more indication Huffman example is presented in details in Appendix (A-I). The entropy (H) describes the possible compression for the image in bit per pixel. It must be noted that, there arent any possible compression ratio smaller than entropy. The entropy of any image is calculated as the average information probability [12]. (2.1) Where Pk is the probability of symbols, k is the intensity value, and L is the number of intensity values used to present image. The average code length is given by the sum of product of probability of the symbol and number of bits used to encode it. More information can be founded in [13-14] and the Huffman code efficiency is calculated as (2.2) LZW coding LZW (Lempel- Ziv Welch) is given by J. Ziv and A. Lempel in 1977 [51].T. Welchs refinements to the algorithm were published in 1984 [52]. LZW compression replaces strings of characters with single codes. It does not do any analysis of the input text. But, it adds every new string of characters to a table of strings. Compression occurs when the output is a single code instead of a string of characters. LZW is a dictionary based coding which can be static or dynamic. In static coding, dictionary is fixed during the encoding and decoding processes. In dynamic coding, the dictionary is updated. LZW is widely used in computer industry and it is implemented as compress command on UNIX [30]. The output code of that the LZW algorithm can be any arbitrary length, but it must have more bits than a single character. The first 256 codes are by default assigned to the standard character set. The remaining codes are assigned to strings as the algorithm proceeds. There are three best-known applications of LZW: UNIX compress (file compression), GIF image compression, and V.42 bits (compression over Modems) [50]. Area coding Area coding is an enhanced form of RLE. This is more advance than the other lossless methods. The algorithms of area coding find rectangular regions with the same properties. These regions are coded into a specific form as an element with two points and a certain structure. This coding can be highly effective but it has the problem of a nonlinear method, which cannot be designed in hardware [9]. 1.5 Lossy Compression Lossy Compression techniques deliver greater compression percentages than lossless ones. But there are some loss of information, and the data cannot be reconstructed exactly. In some applications, exact reconstruction is not necessary. The lossy compression methods are given in Figure 2.2. In the following subsections, several Lossy compression techniques are reviewed: Figure 2.2: lossy compression Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) Wavelet analysis have been known as an efficient approach to representing data (signal or image). The Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) depends on filtering the image with high-pass filter and low-pass filter.in the first stage The image is filtered row by row (horizontal direction) with two filters and and down sampling (keep the even indexed column) every samples at the filter outputs. This produces two DWT coefficients each of size N ÃÆ'-N/2. In the second stage, the DWT coefficients of the filter are filtered column by column (vertical direction) with the same two filters and keep the even indexed row and subsampled to give two other sets of DWT coefficients of each size N/2ÃÆ'-N/2. The output is defined by approximation and detailed coefficients as shown in Figure 2.3. Figure 2.3: filter stage in 2D DWT [15]. LL coefficients: low-pass in the horizontal direction and lowpass in the vertical direction. HL coefficients: high-pass in the horizontal direction and lowpass in the vertical direction, thus follow horizontal edges more than vertical edges. LH coefficients: high-pass in the vertical direction and low-pass in the horizontal direction, thus follow vertical edges than horizontal edges. HH coefficients: high-pass in the horizontal direction and high-pass in the vertical direction, thus preserve diagonal edges. Figure 2.4 show the LL, HL, LH, and HH when one level wavelet is applied to brain image. It is noticed that The LL contains, furthermore all information about the image while the size is quarter of original image size if we disregard the HL, LH, and HH three detailed coefficients shows horizontal, vertical and diagonal details. The Compression ratio increases when the number of wavelet coefficients that are equal zeroes increase. This implies that one level wavelet can provide compression ratio of four [16]. Figure 2.4: Wavelet Decomposition applied on a brain image. The Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) of a sequence consists of two series expansions, one is to the approximation and the other to the details of the sequence. The formal definition of DWT of an N-point sequence x [n], 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ N à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 1 is given by [17]: (2.3) (2.4) (2.5) Where Q (n1 ,n2) is approximated signal, E(n1 ,n2) is an image, WQ (j,k1,k2) is the approximation DWT and W µ (j,k1,k2) is the detailed DWT where i represent the direction index (vertical V, horizontal H, diagonal D) [18]. To reconstruct back the original image from the LL (cA), HL (cD(h)), LH (cD(v)), and HH (cD(d)) coefficients, the inverse 2D DWT (IDWT) is applied as shown in Figure 2.5. Figure 2.5: one level inverse 2D-DWT [19]. The equation of IDWT that reconstruct the image E () is given by [18]: (2.6) DWT has different families such as Haar and Daupachies (db) the compression ratio can vary from wavelet type to another depending which one can represented the signal in fewer number coefficients. Predictive Coding (PC) The main component of the predictive coding method is the Predictor which exists in both encoder and decoder. The encoder computes the predicted value for a pixel, denote xˆ (n), based on the known pixel values of its neighboring pixels. The residual error, which is the difference value between the actual value of the current pixel x (n) and x ˆ (n) the predicted one. This is computed for all pixels. The residual errors are then encoded by any encoding scheme to generate a compressed data stream [21]. The residual errors must be small to achieve high compression ratio. e (n) = x (n) xˆ (n)(2.7) e (n) =x(n) (2.8) Where k is the pixel order and ÃŽÂ ± is a value between 0 and 1 [20]. The decoder also computes the predicted value of the current pixel xˆ  (n) based on the previously decoded color values of neighboring pixels using the same method as the encoder. The decoder decodes the residual error for the current pixel and performs the inverse operation to restore the value of the current pixel [21]. x (n) = e (n) + xˆ  (n)(2.9) Linear predictive coding (LPC) The techniques of linear prediction have been applied with great success in many problems of speech processing. The success in processing speech signals suggests that similar techniques might be useful in modelling and coding of 2-D image signals. Due to the extensive computation required for its implementation in two dimensions, only the simplest forms of linear prediction have received much attention in image coding [22]. The schemes of one dimensional predictors make predictions based only on the value of the previous pixel on the current line as shown in equation. Z = X D(2.10) Where Z denotes as output of predictor and X is the current pixel and D is the adjacent pixel. The two dimensional prediction scheme based on the values of previous pixels in a left-to-right, top-to-bottom scan of an image. In Figure 2.6 X denotes the current pixel and A, B, C and D are the adjacent pixels. If the current pixel is the top leftmost one, then there is no prediction since there are no adjacent pixels and no prior information for prediction [21]. Figure 2.6: Neighbor pixels for predicting Z = x (B + D)(2.11) Then, the residual error (E), which is the difference between the actual value of the current pixel (X) and the predicted one (Z) is given by the following equation. E = X Z(2.12) Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) The Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) was first proposed by N. Ahmed [57]. It has been more and more important in recent years [55]. The DCT is similar to the discrete Fourier transform that transforms a signal or image from the spatial domain to the frequency domain as shown in Figure 2.7. Figure 2.7: Image transformation from the spatial domain to the frequency domain [55]. DCT represents a finite series of data points as a sum of harmonics cosine functions. DCTs representation have been used for numerous data processing applications, such as lossy coding of audio signal and images. It has been found that small number of DCT coefficients are capable of representing large sequence of raw data. This transform has been widely used in signal processing of image data, especially in coding for compression for its near-optimal performance. The discrete cosine transform helps to separate the image into spectral sub-bands of differing importance with respect to the images visual quality [55]. The use of cosine is much more efficient than sine functions in image compression since this cosine function is capable of representing edges and boundary. As described below, fewer coefficients are needed to approximate and represent a typical signal. The Two-dimensional DCT is useful in the analysis of two-dimensional (2D) signals such as images. We say that the 2D DCT is separable in the two dimensions. It is computed in a simple way: The 1D DCT is applied to each row of an image, s, and then to each column of the result. Thus, the transform of the image s(x, y) is given by [55], (2.13) where. (n x m) is the size of the block that the DCT is applied on. Equation (2.3) calculates one entry (u, v) of the transformed image from the pixel values of the original image matrix [55]. Where u and v are the sample in the frequency domain. DCT is widely used especially for image compression for encoding and decoding, at encoding process image divided into N x N blocks after that DCT performed to each block. In practice JPEG compression uses DCT with a block of 88. Quantization applied to DCT coefficient to compress the blocks so selecting any quantization method effect on compression value. Compressed blocks are saved in a storage memory with significantly space reduction. In decoding process, compressed blocks are loaded which de-quantized with reverse the quantization process. Inverse DCT was applied on each block and merging blocks into an image which is similar to original one [56]. Vector Quantization Vector Quantization (VQ) is a lossy compression method. It uses a codebook containing pixel patterns with corresponding indexes on each of them. The main idea of VQ is to represent arrays of pixels by an index in the codebook. In this way, compression is achieved because the size of the index is usually a small fraction of that of the block of pixels. The image is subdivided into blocks, typically of a fixed size of nÃÆ'-n pixels. For each block, the nearest codebook entry under the distance metric is found and the ordinal number of the entry is transmitted. On reconstruction, the same codebook is used and a simple look-up operation is performed to produce the reconstructed image [53]. The main advantages of VQ are the simplicity of its idea and the possible efficient implementation of the decoder. Moreover, VQ is theoretically an efficient method for image compression, and superior performance will be gained for large vectors. However, in order to use large vectors, VQ becomes complex and requires many computational resources (e.g. memory, computations per pixel) in order to efficiently construct and search a codebook. More research on reducing this complexity has to be done in order to make VQ a practical image compression method with superior quality [50]. Learning Vector Quantization is a supervised learning algorithm which can be used to modify the codebook if a set of labeled training data is available [13]. For an input vector x, let the nearest code-word index be i and let j be the class label for the input vector. The learning-rate parameter is initialized to 0.1 and then decreases monotonically with each iteration. After a suitable number of iterations, the codebook typically converges and the training is terminated. The main drawback of the conventional VQ coding is the computational load needed during the encoding stage as an exhaustive search is required through the entire codebook for each input vector. An alternative approach is to cascade a number of encoders in a hierarchical manner that trades off accuracy and speed of encoding [14], [54]. 1.6 Medical Image Types Medical imaging techniques allow doctors and researchers to view activities or problems within the human body, without invasive neurosurgery. There are a number of accepted and safe imaging techniques such as X-rays, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Computed tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Electroencephalography (EEG) [23-24]. 1.7 Conclusion In this chapter many compression techniques used for medical image have discussed. There are several types of medical images such as X-rays, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Computed tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Electroencephalography (EEG). Image compression has two categories lossy and lossless compression. Lossless compression such as Run Length Encoding, Huffman Encoding Lempel-Ziv-Welch, and Area Coding. Lossy compression such as Predictive Coding (PC), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), and Vector Quantization (VQ).Several compression techniques already present a better techniques which are faster, more accurate, more memory efficient and simpler to use. These methods will be discussed in the next chapter.

How important is the setting in the short stories you have read? :: English Literature

How important is the setting in the short stories you have read? In this assignment I will analyse 5 short stories, which are all pre 1914. These are – ‘The man with the twisted lip’, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘The Red Room’, by H.G Wells, ‘The Signalman’, by Charles Dickens, ‘A Terribly Strange Bed,’ by Wilkie Collins and ‘The Ostler’, also by Wilkie Collins. The stories all have an exterior location. For example, in the Red Room, the corridors on the way to The Red Room. The language H.G Wells uses, such as ‘haunted’, ‘darkness’ and ‘shadowy’ create a feeling of tension and suspense. This is even before you have reached the main setting. Compared to The Signalman, the way the settings are portrayed, there is very little difference. Some of the words used by Charles Dickens, such as ‘dark’, ‘gloomy red light’ and ‘cold’. Some similarities are that they both talk about darkness and lack of light. The interior settings play a significant part in most of the stories. The man with the twisted lip, there is an opium den. This sets the scene to a dark and gloomy setting, just as the authors did with the exterior setting. The authors are always using dark and gloomy symbolism. The opium den is described as ‘gloomy’, ‘dark’ and ‘black shadows’. This gets you on the edge, and you want to read on. In comparison to The Red Room which uses shock and surprise. Where it says ‘the young duke had died’, it goes on to say, ‘headlong down the steps’. This immediately shocks you because it is such a horrific death. This therefore is a very important part of the setting. In addition, when the candles start to go out, the character panics. The writer uses phrases such as ‘suddenly went out’, ‘black shadow sprang back to its place’ and ‘darkness was there.’ This excites the reader, and you want to read on. Also the writer uses short, sharp sentences to emphasise the panic and terror, which the character is feeling. Also the sub characters help to portray the eeriness of the story. In The Red Room, there is a man with a ‘withered arm’, and another with ‘decaying yellow teeth’. To the reader this is a very unpleasant and sickening thought. The people who spread the myth of The Red Room help to give out a horrific feeling to the story. In The man with the twisted lip, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle describes the people in the opium den as ‘bodies’, not as people. This shows that he does not see the

Axiologie et Pédagogie du Droit :: French Essays

Axiologie et Pà ©dagogie du Droit ABSTRACT: Le droit, considà ©rà © comme un ensemble de rà ©gles-normes ayant force ogligatoire et contraignante, rà ©git les rappoerts entre les hommes dans une socià ©tà © donnà ©e. En mà ªme temps, il est porteur à   la fois de l'image d'organisation des rapports sociaux familiaux, à ©conomiques et politiques (structure de base de la società ©), et des valeurs. A ce titre, le droit constitue un type-idà ©al qui, inscrit dans les textes (droit positif-objectif) et enracinà © dans la conscience des individus, remplit les fonctions gà ©nà ©rales de la rà ©gulation sociale, de la rà ©solution des conflits, de l'intà ©gration sociale et de la reproduction des structures sociales. En suivant l'enseignement d'Aristotle, le droit en tant que và ©hicule de valeurs peut et doit contenir la valeur suprà ªme de la vertu qui est au principe du bonheur humain. L'État est, donc, tà ¢chà © d'enseigner moyennant la loi (droit positif) la vertu tant intellectuelle qu'à ©th ique. Ainsi, le droit devient un moyen d'à ©ducation et remplit, outre ses fonctions gà ©nà ©rales, les fonctions pà ©dagogique et axiologique en contribuant de cette manià ¨re à   la rà ©alisation du bonheur des citoyens, La vertu, incorporà ©e dans le droit, s'avà ¨re la condition sine qua non de l'actualisation de toutes les valeurs contenues dans le droit, telles que dà ©mocratie, libertà ©, justice sociale, respect de la personne et ainsi de suite. INTRODUCTION polla/ ga para touj e)qismouj kai th fu/sin pra/ttousi dia/ to lo/gon e)a peisqw=sin a)llwj e)xein be/ltion ARISTOTE, Polit., H 7, 1332b7-9 On dà ©finit d'habitude le droit comme un ensemble de rà ¨gles de conduite qui, dans une socià ©tà © donnà ©e, rà ©gissent les rapports entre les hommes de manià ¨re normative, obligatoire et contraignante. (1) Nà ©anmoins, dà ¨s que nous le traitons en tant que discours porteur de l'image organisationnelle du monde social et và ©hicule de valeurs, (2) ses fonctions sociales changent considà ©rablement, Étudier le droit dans l'ensemble de ses fonctions sociales tout en le rattachant au monde des valeurs, c'est quitter l'espace du positivisme juridique pour entrer dans celui de la sociologie et de la philosophie du droit, et rà ©pà ©rer les và ©ritables possibilità ©s du discours juridique. Ainsi, aprà ¨s avoir examinà © les fonction gà ©nà ©rales du droit (I), l'on passera à   l'à ©tude de ses fonctions axiologique et pà ©dagogique (II). Dà ¨s lors, le droit cesse d'à ªtre un instrument d'imposition d'une volontà © à   une autre à   l'aide de l'institution à ©tatique et devient un moyen civilisà © de faà §onner la conscience des hommes. I. LES FONCTIONS GÉNÉRALES DU DROIT Dans le droit est incorporà © l'image que les agents sociaux se font relativement à   l'organisation des rapports sociaux familiaux, à ©conomiques et politiques, qui constituent la structure globale (3) ou la structure de base de la socià ©tà © (4) et qui forment l'objet de la justice.

Failure of Democracy Essay -- American History

Failure of Democracy According to David Herbert Donald in the article Why They Impeached Andrew Johnson, â€Å"Rarely has democratic government so completely failed as during the Reconstruction decade.† As voiced by Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address, the nation is a â€Å"government of the people, by the people, and for the people.† However, during the period of reconstruction, the government was far from this philosophy. Public opinion was all but ignored, and all matters were decided by either President or Congress. Southern voice in government policy was essentially nonexistent, and the former states were compelled by military rule to accept northern laws. Lincoln understood that in a democratic nation, the will of the public was very important, and he strove to act in accordance with their opinions. However, with the death of Lincoln, came a temporary end to these democratic principles. Andrew Johnson’s fundamental flaw was his inability to associate with the public and make decisions that were countenanced by a majority of the population. He was overly concerned with a swift integration of the former Confederacy into the Union. He acted spontaneously and irrationally without regard for other’s beliefs. â€Å"Johnson placed his own judgment over that of the overwhelming majority of northern voters, and this was a great error morally and tactically† (Garraty 421). Another mistake of Johnson was his alienation of the Republicans, the dominant party at the time. He consistently failed to cooperate with party leaders and agree on mutual resolutions to urgent problems that necessitated action. Johnsonian Reconstruction avoided the most controversial topic at the time – black rights. Nearly all Republicans, ranging from moder... ...uction era, democracy in the United States was completely unsuccessful, and most of the reason for this failure can be attributed to Andrew Johnson. A democratic government is meant to be indirectly run by the people, thus it is essential for their views to be considered. However, Johnson completely disregarded their opinions, and strove in vain to accomplish his own objectives. By doing this he alienated potential allies and his entire plan for reconstruction was disastrous. â€Å"Andrew John’s greatest weakness was his insensitivity to public opinion. In contrast to Lincoln, who said, ‘Public opinion in this country is everything,’ Johnson made a career of battling the popular will† (Donald 4). Johnson’s lack of political sagacity, his inability to cooperate with others, and his indifference to the will of the majority ultimately led to the downfall of democracy.

Letter to My Old School Friend Essay

It been has been a long time since we last saw each other, so I took this time to write to you. Remember the time in elementary school when we had the field trip before summer vacation. It was a time when we visited the shopping plaza for the very first time in Manhattan. This was one of the memorable days of my life. It all started in science class when we decide to plan a nice surprise for our teacher for her upcoming birthday, so our enthusiastic principle appeared and said† good morning class, I have a great treat for you† and nasha exclaimed with so much curiosity â€Å"were are o the we going† and he said â€Å"to the new shopping plaza† so he gave out letter with a consent form attached with it, so after I went home and get ready for the trip tomorrow , when getting ready my consent form disappeared so I search saying in my mind I am not missing that so, I was so worried and called my friend nasha and she said â€Å" don’t worry this matter is imperceptible† and replied to her in a melancholy voice† why you saying that? If I don’t have the form I cannot go on the trip, is there a next alternative† she said† yes† so I said to her what† she said â€Å"have your parents to write a letter for me† so I told her that is a good idea. So next day I pack my things kissed my mom and rushed on the school bus ,when I got to my the classmate were all lined up to enter the bus. When we got on the bus I sit near the window. When we got there I saw the most building beautiful and creative place.

Development of the Technology (Tank) From WWI through the Employment in WWII

A store car is a trail armour combat vehicle created to employ enemies face-to-face, via bang-up fire from a large caliber- hoagy and funding fire from auto guns. Heavy arms on top a eminent extent of mobility confer it survival, as the tracks allow it to cross dismantle rough beneathcoat at high moves. The name armoured combat vehicle first came to pass in British eventories making the hulls of the first battle ice chests the workmen were habituated everyplace the nonion they were making tracked piss containers for the British military force, therefore keeping the convention of a struggle vehicle secret.The surgical ope symmetryn began in knowledge base War I. American storeful philosophys from the beginning foc engaged on direct support of the base. American expeditionary Forces (AEF) planners paid subatomic attention to futuristic ideas such(prenominal) as those of British Col one(a)l J. F. C. choke-full for a campaign tail endd on libertine tank s in deep-penetration roles. With the end of the war, the immature Tank Corps was disbanded. Tank building blocks were depute to the infantry, whose experts increasingly warned against their excessive usance as a potential handicap to the riflemans dysphemistic spirit. In 1921 the soldiery possessed ab protrude(predicate) 1,000 copies of the light French Renault FT-17, and carbon or so British Mark octet sinister tanks assembled at Rock Island armoury from parts do for a communicate Anglo-American program that died with the Armistice. What the infantry wanted was a light tank of about 6 tons that could be transported on forces trucks and a fair tank of 15 tons, the weight limit of average roadway and pon aliken bridges. What it got by 1930 were a dozen or so prototypes of various kinds, all too far from meeting branch specifications to be considered for even limited work. Branch emulation proved less intense than expect.While the sawbuck stressed the importance o f speed and range, in-house variety meat such as Infantry ledger produce an increasing number of articles strain the potential of tanks for case-by-case missions, as easy as in the branch-specific roles of leading and nonessential infantry. There was, however, simply non sufficient money to pursue separate spirit tracks of close support and long-range exploitation. Could one vehicle possibly perform some(prenominal) tasks? A potential solution emerged when the fast tank so oft discussed in fit circles became reality in the tendencys of independent inventor J.W demasculinize Christie. The few Christies actually purchased were change integrity between infantry and saw dollar bill and acquire mixed reviews. Their influence was nevertheless hearable in the M2 light tank and its ripe sister the M1 combat car. More than 100 of these 7. 5-ton vehicles were acquired in the mid-1930s. The M1 carried barely two . 30-caliber form guns in a rotating turret the M2 had th e aforementioned(prenominal) armament in two pertinacious turretsa characteristic that promptly realize it the nickname Mae West in watch of the buxom film siren.But the vehicles reli strength make them welcome in the infantrys tank battalions, and the horse cavalry raise its new combat cars an fare to a branchs prayer. In 1932 a fit out cavalry brigade was authorized for forgather Knox. When the dust raised by advocates of the horse settled, the new force emerged as cavalry yellow through and through. Its missions were defined in traditional cavalry call reconnaissance, involvement and exploitation.Its limited maneuver experience generated little serious discussion of a U. S. replica to the Panzerwaffe emerging in Adolph Hitlers Germ all. As posthumous as 1938 twain infantry and cavalry remained committed to mobility and reliability, alternatively than fit and armament, as the fundamental desiderata for tank development. Neither the U. S. organization nor the U. S. armament had any reason to weigh stiff American forces would be deployed afield in a high-tech, high-risk environment. Should such an expedition be necessary, transport distance would be at a premium, as would maintenance facilities on arrival.Even medium-weight tanks seemed a correspondingly risky investment. The same criteria applied in reverse to any possible aggression of the United States. No foe in the Western Hemisphere had any tanks to converse of. Arto a greater extentd forces deployed from Europe were hardly apt(predicate) to reach north America in strength. The United States, moreover, had nonhing like the issue facilities to introduce new tank aims on any scale. The government arsenal at Rock Island, Ill. , had been responsible for building the miniscule be of light tanks authorized under various 1930s programs.Rock Island specialized in artillery. It lacked the room for large tank production lines except by converting from another(prenominal) bouncy re quire guns. Instead, the Army proposed to increase its tank inventory by following plans au whereforetic in the 1920scontracting tank renderion to legal engineering firms, locomotor factories and similar institutions with facilities and experience in heavy assembly work. The emerging doctrines of the new arrayed force combined domestic hereditary pattern and evaluation of foreign experience.Tanks were projected for use in masses, by divisions and in replete(p) corpsas instruments of exploitation, as contend to discovery. More important for available considerations, both the M3 and its designated successor mounted main guns whose outfit-piercing ability ran a distant second to their ability to fire high-explosive shells. That fact reflected armor force doctrine emphasizing the medium tanks reenforcement mission. Production factors played a role as advantageously. The projected mediums were complex, incorporating a substantial spectrum of new technologies.Firms were rec eiving contracts despite the fact that few in their work forces or on their technical staffs had even seen a tank, frequently less knew how to build one. Even a major familiarity like Chrysler had to construct production facilities. The outstanding successes of those novicesChrysler was able to give up the first M3s less than a socio-economic class after submitting its initial bid embrace not a little to the fact that in those primaeval stages of industrial militarisation the outdo was not allowed to become the enemy of the rock-steady.The first Shermans rolled off new constructed production lines in 1942 at the capital of Peru railway locomotive Works, the Pressed Steel elevator car party and the Pacific Car and metalworks Company. By 1943 the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the American Locomotive Company and the Pullman Standard Car Company also were contri safe nowing to increasingly revealing production totals. The U. S. armored force had, however, another ace in the hol e. None of Europes armies think to pit tanks against tanks as a look of course. The favored counter was the antitank gun.High-velocity weapons, ordinarily 37-50mm, with low silhouettes, shields for their mans and motor traction, they were intended to make a motion quickly to threatened points, in company or battalion strength, and knock out tanks as they came into range. Antitank guns were cost-effective compared to tanksso easy to mass produce and so simple to operate they might well be considered expendable, and often were. The U. S. Army had added an only if new version of the weapon to its order of battle of battle. In 1940 the War Department accept the position of General Andrew D.Bruce that attacking tanks were better countered not by mere battalions but by entire groups and brigades of high-velocity guns on self-propelled carriages. Bruces long-term c erstwhilept convolute putting a modern 3-inch gun on a modified Sherman cast. To emphasize their mission of seek, s trike and destroy, the new units were called tank destroyers, or TDs. They received their own bringing up center and what amounted to status as a separate arm that at natural elevation strength had more than 100 battalions.The Army fielded no fewer than 15 armored divisions and 37 independent tank battalions in Yankee Europe. By D-Day, however, only a private armored division deployed in the theater had seen any action at all, and then only briefly. Inexperience, inadequate teaching and problems of sharing experience, particularly among the constantly transferred independent battalions, took precedence over questions of materiel. For infantry support, machine guns were usually the tanks just about important weapon, just as they had been in 1918.Armored divisions in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) were usually distributed among Army corps in a ratio of 1-to-2 or 1-to-3 infantry divisions, and in example would perform much the same roles as their footslogging partners. The Armys new armored field manual, published in January 1944, neither suggested nor implied a need for new tanks in what was cl wee a more modest role than primitively envisaged. The question was not whether U. S. factories could retool to constrain either the M6 or the T20. It was whether a changeover, or even an adjustment, represented the best use of material and technical resources.The M4 was not an optimum armored vehicle. The United States factories could, however, produce it in numbers enough not only for American forces but also for the British, the free French and, not to the lowest degree, the USSR, whose Lend-Lease Shermans organise a significant element of the ablaze(p) Armys armored forces for much of the war. Two Shermans could be embarked for one M6no bagatelle given the massive demands on Allied shipping in 1942 and 1943. The new M18 Hellcat, introduced in former(a) 1943, could make the incredible top speed of 55 miles per hour, but had nearly no protection a nd carried the same 76mm gun that cumber the Sherman.It was possible to maneuver, seeking more endangered sides and rears. There were enough German tanks in Normandy, however, relative to the s pacing involved to offer up higher and more consistent levels of shared support than had been common in North Africa and Italy. American crew losses mounted, and crew morale declined. Omar Bradley and then Dwight Eisenhower were sufficiently discombobu posthumousd that the supreme commander contacted U. S. Army foreman of Staff George Marshall, demanding that tanks and tank destroyers with 90mm guns be do available as soon as possible. The development of a tank with a 90mm gun followed a more tortuous path.The Ordnance Department had recommended as early as May 1943 that pilot models in the T20 series be tested not only with a heavier gun, but with thicker armor and wider treads than either the M4 or the T20 designs. The T20 series had been conceived as a medium tank. In that version, it offered no significant advantages over the Sherman. The 90mm configurations, the T25 and the T26, amounted to introducing a heavy tank through the back door. measure more than 45 tons, with 4. 5 inches of window dressing armor, on paper at least they bode fair to compete with, if not match, the German Panthers and Tigers.Work on the new design did not receive high priority. not until May 1944 was the original order of 50 completed. The first M26, chosen over the T25 for its greater reliability, was not standardized until March 1945. It was not light tanks that were wanted for the close-gripped fighting of the northern Europe campaign. Even during the post-Operation Cobra days of fault and pursuit in the summer of 1944, the Shermans manoeuvrability and high rate of fire were at best stopgaps against German tanks and assault guns whose armor and firepower were ideally suited to the conditions of a fighting withdrawal.To speak of the failure of U. S. tank policy in World War I I is nevertheless a crass overstatement, even if failure is defined in the delimit terms of tank versus tank. Interwar and early-war concepts favoring mobility and reliability, regarding tanks as best suited for exploitation rather than breakthrough and incorporating a counter to mass armor attacks, fitted both the United States military requirements and most of the then-relevant European experience.The Sherman, its light tank stablemates and the tank destroyers supporting them were developed to fit parameters of doctrine and experience. They were also manufactured on a scale and at a pace no other power could forecast to match. That process took time even once a doctrinal base existed that is to offer when the users had reasonably clear ideas of what they wanted. The Armys history of tank design and production possibilities reflects the strong elements of temporary expedient in the U. S. war effort.The German and Soviet doctrines and technologies against which American models ar e so often compared were products of processes begun in 1919. By 1939 the Wehrmacht and the Red Army both had tank inventories in the thousands. U. S. tanks were counted in three figures well after os Harbor. Commanders, crews and tactics had to be introduced by agonistic draft, in hopes of high learning curves that were by no means always forthcoming. It made corresponding sense to standardize comprehensively, rather than keep tinkering with systems in search of an optimum.Not until early 1943 did American armor doctrine and equipment arrive even a limited base of direct experiencewhich by no means pointed in a single direction. Tunisia, Sicily and Italy offered limited opportunities for using armor on a large scale in exploitation roles. Northwest Europe seemed a different proposition. Force-to-space ratios in that theater were expected to allow the Shermans to maneuver as their design intendedif not quite on the scales envisioned in 1940once the infantry and its supporting arm s had broken German resistance.However, even if the Army and its tankers had been generally confident(p) by mid- 1943 of the absolute necessity to alter not merely priorities but attitudes and doctrines, large guns and heavier armor on new chassis were unlikely to have been in unit strength by D-Day in any number. The German Panther offers a useable benchmark. It was developed in response to the overt challenge of the superb Soviet T-34 medium tank and the heavy Klimenti Voroshilov. It received as clear a priority as was possible in the convoluted administrative structure of the Third Reich.Yet it was 18 months originally the first Panthers saw action, and another 10 before the tank was considered satisfactory. Even then Panthers continued to suffer serious problems with engines, suspensions and turret mechanisms. The M26, another wartime design, took a bit over a year to reach operational status, and its bugs were being discovered as late as the Korean War. In terms of doctrine , equipment and mentality, the American armored force of World War II was optimized to win and to batter Operation Barbarossa.Until the wars final 10 months, its shortcomings nevertheless involved acceptable tradeoffs. Even after D-Day, deficiencies in American armor did not involve the kind of crisis the Germans faced in late 1941 on the Russian Front, when they found themselves drastically overmatched in both numbers and quality. Artillery and fighter-bombers, the superior training and improvisational cleverness of American tankers, and overwhelming material imbalances in all categories of armored vehicles combined to keep up a pattern of being good enough. No more was needed. No more was done.