Creationism Vs. Evolution Essays - Creationism, Pseudoscience

Creationism vs. Evolution In my short life on this planet I have come to question things that many take upon blind faith. We all know that we must some day die; yet we continuously deny the forces at work inside ourselves, which want to search out the answers of what may or may not come after. It is far easier for humanity to accept that they will go to a safe haven and be rewarded for their lives with pleasures and fantasies of an unfathomable scale than to question the existence of a supposed omnipotent being. Yet, there are a few of us humans who tend to question the why's and wherefore's that society puts forth to us. We question the existence of God, or the creation of mankind rather than blindly accepting faith-filled beliefs we may received from our parents as children. Perhaps it is because we live in a nation filled with many peoples of different beliefs whose Gods are all so varied and different that it is difficult to fathom that they are all the same divine being. It is also plausible that we just have a desire to quench the thirst for knowledge that lies deep within ourselves. As for myself, I cannot believe in a being which created a universe and a multitude of worlds in a rather short period of time then deigns to lower itself into becoming a puppet-master and "pulling the strings" of the Earth and all of the people therein. Since this paper touches upon many scientific terms, I feel that in order for the reader to correctly grasp the content I must first define three words: Theory, Law, and Hypothesis. The definitions will allow for a greater underezding of this essay and give us an even ground upon which to begin. --- Theory; noun 1. a. Systematically organized knowledge applicable in a relatively wide variety of circumezces, especially a system of assumptions, accepted principles, and rules of procedure devised to analyze, predict, or otherwise explain the nature or behavior of a specified set of phenomena. b. Such knowledge or such a system. 2. An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture. Law; noun 1. a. A formulation describing a relationship observed to be invariable between or among phenomena for all cases in which the specified conditions are met: the law of gravity. b. A generalization based on consistent experience or results: the law of supply and demand; the law of averages. Hypothesis; noun 1. A tentative explanation that accounts for a set of facts and can be tested by further investigation; a theory. 2. Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation; an assumption. --- It is important that you thoroughly read the above definitions or you will be at a disadvantage if you do not. You will note that there are several different definitions to each word. I felt it was important to include the added definitive statement to theory because it shows the difference between a scientific theory and an "everyday" theory based upon conjecture. The additional definitions to law and hypothesis are both added for a further underezding of these words. The definition of creationism is somewhat more complex. One must start by saying that the belief in the creation of the universe given at the beginning of the Bible is literally true. Creationism is a belief based solely upon faith (which is a belief in and of itself). There are no scientific facts as a basis for this belief, solely conjectural theories and speculations. It is ingrained into our minds, as children that a belief of a force, or supernatural entity, which is all powerful and all knowing, is watching over us and taking care of our needs. Yet, to me, saying this very sort of thing is heretical in its very essence. To be so crude as to think that some being which created the universe itself and all things in it would take the time to care for each and every individual is incomprehensible. In practically all ancient cultures, the biblical included, the universe was thought of as an original chaos into which order had been introduced by a creative hand: This was the essence of creation.1 In this statement alone we

How To Plan Your Product Roadmap Like CoSchedule (+ Free Template) - CoSchedule Blog

How To Plan Your Product Roadmap Like (+ Free Template) Blog We just completed our second ever product roadmap summit  here at .  This is where a group of us spends a full day locked in a conference room fighting relentlessly for the features that you need and deserve in your favorite editorial calendar. During this process, we review recent (and some older)  feature requests, balance maintenance needs, and read through our ever-growing wish-list of features for . The goal? Decide what were going to build over the next six months. It’s sort of like decide who we want to be when we grow up twice a  year. For us, it follows a simple 6-6-6 framework. This covers planning in three timeframes after  the day of the summit: 6 weeks, 6 months, and 6 years. We hold product roadmap summits twice per year and use them to think about our future (6 years), our next two quarters (6 months), and some of our immediate goals (6 weeks). How To Plan Your #ProductRoadmap Like (+ Free Template)So, why do we do this? If there is only one truth in business, it’s that there is never a shortage of ideas. Plus, our customers are awesome and send us a ton of ideas that we usually love and want to build immediately. But, alas, there are only 25 of us. We just can’t do it all. With so many inputs, its important that we balance the things that we  could do, to actually realize the things that we can do. And so, we have a product roadmap summit and  pick a handful of things that will bring the most results. We all need a system for prioritizing our work. This is how we do it at . Its important to balance what you could do, to realize what you can do.Get Your Free Product Roadmap Template To Plan Now This blog post walks you through the exercises that work for choosing the ultimate best features for you to plan into your project development roadmap. Get your free kit now to plan your roadmap as you read this post. Your kit includes: Product roadmap summit Word doc template to help you run an efficient planning session with your team. Product roadmap template Excel spreadsheet to help you prioritize the projects you choose to tackle in the next six weeks to  six months. Step #1: Establish Your BHAG (6-Year Goal) BHAG stands for big, hairy, audacious goal. It’s  an idea from the book, Built to Last  by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of a business' existence. At the beginning of every product roadmap summit, we start with this goal. We review the BHAG from the previous summit and do a few brainstorming exercises. We allow for general team discussion about the goal. Does this still reflect where we want to go? We brainstorm some of the big things that we will need to accomplish in order to reach our BHAG. We list the threats that will prevent us from ever reaching our BHAG. The entire goal here is to set the stage for our roadmap planning by considering where we want to go and working backward. It’s a favorite strategy of mine. Deciding WHAT NOT to do is way easier than deciding WHAT to do. Say no, then work backwards from there. #startup pic.twitter.com/2RTWsO1fgI Garrett Moon (@garrett_moon) June 24, 2016 The hope is that by bringing this goal to mind, we will continuously refer back to our BHAG as we do our planning. You should always  be using your BHAG to evaluate the things you're doing in the present. Are you doing what you need to do to get there? Step #2: Put It All On The Table The next, and most exciting, portion of our product roadmap summit includes the airing of many grievances, err†¦ feature requests! The goal here is to get everything on a Post-It note on the wall so you can see it together. We like to have one person from each of our core teams (product, marketing, and success) share a list of feature requests, customer comments, growth opportunities, and smart things that we could build. Let every idea be a good idea as you brainstorm.Here’s how it works: Lance from our customer success team shares the list of feature requests from our customers. This list is pre-sorted by the entire customer success team and should show us the key areas where our customer would like to see us improve. Next, we have Justin, our CTO, share a list of platform and maintenance projects that need to be completed in order to maintain the quality of service that our customers demand and deserve. This list usually includes foreign sounding things like database maintenance, spindle logs, and very excited engineers. We don’t always understand it, but we do love it. The third thing we cover is sales and marketing needs. These are usually covered by myself and usually include improvements that we want to make to our billing system, onboarding/first-run experience, or other areas that are related directly to our core business metrics like trial to paid conversions, user churn, and product growth. The fourth thing we like to cover is our feature backlog. This backlog is lengthy and includes a mixture of features that we want to see and ideas from one of our previous summits that had to go on the back burner. During this phase, it's important that you don’t get carried away categorizing and prioritizing things. There will be time for that later. Just get it out there, let every idea be a good one, and move forward. Step #3: Team Lunch Next, lunch. There are usually only two rules for team lunch. Leave the meeting room behind. We think it's important to get out of the building to  clear our heads for a bit. You don’t have to talk about business. It doesn’t mean you can’t, but we like to allow the conversation to take us wherever it goes. It’s a good way to break up a busy day. Step #4: Prioritize This is the hardest part of the process. This is when we take all of the ideas on the table, evaluate them against the BHAG, and prioritize them based on what we would like to accomplish in the next six  months. We use several methods for breaking things down. We break things down into roadmaps. Rather than trying to prioritize apples against oranges, we like to break things into a few different groups. For us, this means that we build three distinct roadmaps for our team: Features, Success, and Platform. Each of these roadmaps has their own goals. We are only trying to figure out what to build next in each of these categories. We prioritize ideas based on potential customer value.  We like to place each feature idea on a simple X/Y table that looks like this: In this example, the Y axis represents the amount of value we believe that a feature or idea can bring our users. The X axis represents the total number of users, or percentage of users, who will be able to take advantage of the mentioned improvement. Plotting this out is usually the most taxing part of our entire day. For every single Post-It note, we debate and decide where the idea falls in the spectrum. We try not to overthink it, but it can still take awhile. Plot ideas on an X/Y table to choose features with the best value for the  most users.The efforts always result in a ton of useful dialogue and debate across our team. This process  also weeds out any â€Å"pet features† that someone on our team may have. The more we concentrate on user value, the less likely we are to make a call based on personal bias. When we are done, it will look something like this. In this case, one thing is for sure, the customer is always right! Step #5: Assemble The Product Roadmap Once everything is plotted out, we draw a (figurative) line across the X/Y axis. Anything that falls below or to the left of the line probably won’t get done. One thing that I want to emphasize is that this doesn’t mean those items aren’t important, or that they will never get built. It simply means that they aren’t important in relation to the other items on the list. We always re-review the cut ideas at the next product roadmap summit. At this point, we begin dividing things in to 6-week and 6-month groups. What things do we want to get done right now (six weeks), and what things needs to get done soon, but not right away (six  months)? There is plenty of additional discussion at this point, but by and large, most of the team will be on the same page because of the previous exercise that ranked features by user value. While I am not going to go too far into it here, we also use a point system to define how large a feature is, or more importantly, how much time and resources it will require to develop. For us, this is a simple 1, 2, 3 point system. You could adapt them for your team as needed. And that’s how we plan features at ! When it’s all said and done, we have a product roadmap, a happy team, and customers who are getting the features that will help them the most! Before I wrap things up, I want a cover a few additional things just in case you decide to try and hold your own roadmap summit. Lessons Learned From Successful Product Roadmap Summits Quick Tip #1: Our Roadmap Summit Has Some Rules We use a few basic rules to ensure that we stay focused and on topic. You can add/remove as necessary, but here are the rules we use: We are brainstorming projects of the purpose of the product team, no other team projects can/should be added. All ideas are necessary for good brainstorming. Avoid shooting things down. Keep laptops closed and phones down. No email, HipChat/Slack, or Snapchat allowed! Someone should be designated to write things down. Don’t get too deep into features. We’re not building them here. Quick Tip #2: Everyone Has Veto Power During roadmap planning, we give everyone veto power. If they are absolutely convinced that a feature should not be completed, or want to call shenanigans on the group, they can. While Justin and I tend to use this rule more than others (oops!), it applies to everyone on the team equally. Quick Tip #3: Bring Snacks We like to leave a few piles of red starbursts on the tables for added sugar, but we also provide fruit, snacks, and refreshing drinks to keep everyone going. Quick Tip #4: Leave Time To Retro The last two things that we do after any roadmap summit are related to review and reflection. First, we spend at least 10 minutes reviewing our newly formed product roadmap against our BHAG and our earlier discussions. This is designed to ensure that we will actually be executing against the goals that we outlined. Is everything on our roadmap necessary in order to reach our BHAG? Is it in alignment with where we want to go? If it isn’t, now is the right time to reflect and adjust our plan. The second thing we do is an immediate retrospective on the meeting itself. The goal here is to identify potential improvements that we can implement to make to the process better during the next summit. We like to cover three questions: What went well? What didn’t go so well? What can we do to ensure things go (even) better next time? Best of luck to you and your team at your own product roadmap summit! If you give it a try, please let us know how it goes in the comments.

Global Teams Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Teams Case - Essay Example In this regard, correspondence between various parties and the customers could not work out. The crashing of the server for two hours also caused the customer outrage (Neeley and Delong, 2009). Additionally, the Sun global working schedule protocol had a problem. For instance, the weekday and weekend call protocols were not clear to every team member. Open work environment served to provide every member of a Sun Microsystems Inc team with an opportunity to innovate, create and make technological discoveries to boost the performance of the esteemed information technology company. It  enabled the various teams on a global scale to be innovative and manage any problem related to the company’s products and services instead of relying on few personnel. Diversity served to meet unique customer demands. Additionally, diversity served to resolve the language barrier problem because the sales team from every region could perfectly meet the needs of customers hailing from such places. Neeley and Delong (2009) assert that diversity also served to give Sun Microsystems a global image. This aspect also enhanced the creation of new marketing niches for the company hence increase of revenue. Greg James should resolve the protocol problem and ensure synergy among his team members in the long-run. Synergy will eliminate friction in correspondence between the customer and Sun Microsystems company sales team. The company should also ensure that clients are informed of any emergency in good time to avoid

Matrix Organization Structure in Jebal Ali Harbor Case Study

Matrix Organization Structure in Jebal Ali Harbor - Case Study Example The whole project was very complex, owing to the nature of the land terrain on which the project was undertaken, coupled with the immense risks involved, such as the risk of gulf fall. The Jebal Ali Harbor project was characterized by lack of bureaucracy, where the major decisions that were made impromptu, did not require bureaucratic procedures to be approved but were immediately rendered to tests and assessments, after which they were easily approved if they proved economical and feasible. Communication among the project team members was also smooth, despite the fact that the project comprised of diverse experts and contractors with different experiences and specializations. This enhanced the team coordination and promoted the project success. â€Å"Matrix organization structure† refers to a structure of an organization that has operations running from different locations, but the structure of the management team is arranged such that the top management is only located in the organization’s major office or headquarters, while the low-level managers are based on different site locations, where the organization has some businesses running, and the chain of command flows from the different locations. Pauling plc. is a good example of a contractor operating a â€Å"matrix organization structure†, with the top management of the company; the managing director based in London, the general manager based in Dubai, and the manager of the project based at the site location; Jebel Ali, where the construction process is ongoing. In the Pauling’s case, the chain of command is such that, the Managing Director based in London makes crucial decisions regarding the project, while the general manager implements th e decisions through delegating the same to the manager of the project on site. Nevertheless, both the project manager and the general manager make relevant decisions, based on the project situations, while consulting the same with the managing director.  Ã‚  

Policy analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policy analysis - Assignment Example The second CPI-W is used to measure the wages for clerks and urban workers. These CPI do not account for substitution leading to the eventual overstatement of inflation (Cagan & Moore, 1981). Consumers change their spending pattern in response to relative price changes over time. This may be due to substitution of one commodity for another as the relative prices change. This result to changes in weights and therefore the price index that fails to note that change overstates the real and true variation in the cost of living. The economic value of life as non-economists think is not to be measured using the accounting measures such as the present value of lost earning. The value of life on the basis of preventing accidental deaths cannot be speculated using accounting measures. The economic value of life of an individual drawn from statistical analysis is higher than the actual present value of the earnings of the same individual when exposed to risk. Willingness-to-pay measures based on surveys may overstate the true willingness- to pay of the respondents because the surveys are based on samples from population which have a margin of error. Besides this respondents in surveys do not often respond to questions out of stability or preferences and are mainly inventing answers (Piros, 2013). As a result, the analysis shows bias on the true willingness-to-pay. Most smokers prefer to smoke presently while deferring the disadvantages in the future despite the cost increments in the cigarettes. This is because of the time value of money which entails the concept that money has value in the present than in the future. The cost benefit analysis of policies to reduce the smoking rate shows that consumers benefit less from smoking than the gains they receive. In this case, most smokers have future health problems resulting from smoking.

Priority Pollutants and Their Health Effects

Priority Pollutants and Their Health Effects INTRODUCTION The Priority Pollutants are a set of chemical pollutants EPA regulates, and for which EPA has published analytical test methods. the Priority Pollutant list published at 40 CFR 423, Appendix A,An estimated 25% of death and disease globally, is linked to environmental hazards. The WHO, EPA have listed the persistent pollutants, which are included in this article along with the major and few minor health hazards of the vivid categories of pollutants. [1,2] The UK environmental protection act (EPA) 1990, ‘pollution of the environment’ means pollution of the environment due to the release (into any environmental medium) from any process of substance which are capable of causing harm to man or any other living organism supported by the environment. The escape of any substance capable of causing harm to man or any other living organism supported by the environment. [3] The priority pollutants can be classified on the basis of:- chemical and physical nature source of the pollutant environmental pathway used target organism affected gross effect on the Earth [3] The Environmental Pollution Agency have short listed the priority pollutants. [4] In addition to this comprehensive list Asbestos, Barium, HCB, Cadmium, Tin and Petroleum Hydrocarbons are also included under the broad title of ‘PRIORITY POLLUTANTS’. [5] Priority pollutants can be divided into 3 categories:- Metals Pesticides Volatile and non volatile organics [4] DETECTION OF PRIORITY POLLUTANT (METALS) Atomic Absorption spectroscopy, a very sensitive method used to analyse the priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Due to a few limitations in this methods the ability of dibenzyldithiocarbamate (DBDC) to form complexes with the priority is used, this is then followed by liquid chromatography, on a C18 column and using 64% methanol, 12%acetonitrile,5%tetrahydrofuran and19% Ph 5 acatate buffer as the mobile phase, which is quantified using ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry. (10 out of the 13 priority pollutants are detected using this method.) [6] Health hazards of heavy metals The major and general health hazard due to metals is their direct influence as a carcinogen.[7,8] Health hazards due to Arsenic The primary concerns are carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Chronic exposure can result in poisoning of the nervous system, liver damage, and peripheral vascular disease, leading to gangrene of the lower limbs. This condition is commonly known as `black foot disease’. Chronic exposure to As is also associated with leukaemia, kidney and bladder cancers, dermatitis, hyper pigmentation, and arsenical keratosis. Arsenic acts as a non-genotoxic carcinogen. However, it affects DNA methylation and repair. Vomiting, diarrhea Peripheral nervous system problems Decreased intelligence Beathing problems [7,8,9] Cadmium The organs affected the most are:- Kidney : impaired renal functions, Increased excretion of low-molecular weight proteins in the urine. Increased risk of Lung cancer. Bone disorders: Osteomalacia, Osteoporosis and spontaneous bone fracture. Irritation Of The Lungs And Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer Of The Prostrate [8,9] LEAD Impaired Neurological Development (memory and learning difficulties, behavioural problems, reduced IQ) High blood pressure Kidney Failure Miscarriage Decreased sperm count Supression Of Haematological System [9] MERCURY Gastro-Intestinal Disorders (digestive problems) Respiratory Tract Irritation Renal Failure Neurotoxicity Blindness and deafness Lack of co-ordination Mental retardation[9] Pesticides Pesticides enter the food chain through water. This includes the derivatives of chlorinated hydrocarbons, herbicides and insecticides used on the soil. The mentioned categories of pesticides are very resistant and persistent in the environment, and have become ubiquitous over the years. The regularly used pesticides are mentioned.[5,13] DDT(Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane) AldrinandDieldrin, ChlordaneHCBor hexachlorobenzene Heptachlor Lindane Methoxychlor [4] HEALTH HAZARDS DUE TO PERSISTANT PESTIDICES AND INSECTICIDES Pesticides are designed to kill and because their mode of action is not specific to one species, they often kill or harm organisms other than pests, including humans. The health effects of pesticides depend on the type of pesticide. Following are the health hazards caused due to Organophosphates, DDT, Lindane, Carbamate and Pyrethroids. [5] The major health hazards of pesticides are:- Neurological Health Effects Carcinogenic Hormone Disruption Impaired Reproductive Developments Decreased Sperm Count And Motility [10] NEUROLOGICAL HEALTH EFFECTS Memory Loss Loss Of Coordination Reduced Speed Of Response To Stimuli Reduced Visual Ability Altered Or Uncontrollable Mood Reduced Motor Skills. Convulsions And Seizures [10,11] OTHER POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS Asthma Allergies ( skin allergies that are toxic) Hypersensitivity to light, sound and touch Nausea Fatigue [10,11] Acuteorganophosphateandcarbamateexposure causes signs and symptoms of excess acetylcholine, such as increased salivation and perspiration, narrowing of the pupils, nausea, diarrhea, decrease in blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue. Some organophosphates also have a delayed neurological reaction characterized by muscle weakness in the legs and arms. [11] SEMI VOLATILE AND VOLATILE ORGANICS This group of Pollutants is wide ranging and consists of :- Chlorinated Alkanes (Carbon Tetrachloride) Chlorinated Ethenes (Polyvinyl Chloride Or Pvc) Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Naphtalene, Coal Tar), Pesticides, Herbicides And Fumigants (Ddt, Endrin, Aldrin, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Toxaphene And Silvex), Mono-Dichlorobenzenes (Solvents), Benzenes (Benzene, Toluene) Phenols And Chlorophenols And Trihalomethanes (Chloroform, Bromoform). [5] HEALTH EFFECTS DUE TO ORGANICS Vinyl chloride is associated with cancer. PAH, induces cancer lung being the main target, [10] Phenols and chlorophenols lead to alterations in hepatic enzyme activities, gross increased liver weight and histopathological (hypertrophy, vacuolization, hyperplasia, fibrosis, necrosis and degeneration) effects is found following acute, intermediate and chronic oral exposure to PCP, Hepatocyte degeneration and centrilobular hypertrophy, Significant alterations in thyroid hormone levels have been observed, decrease fertility, and growth, signs of chloracne and minor disturbance of lipid metabolism., neurodevelopmental effects in infants. [3,whatever is the rest of the part] [10] Trihalomethanes can lead to colon cancer. [14] CONCLUSION Knowing about pollutants and their health hazards is not the end of it. Research has to be done on ways to curb this disaster and irreversible damage that has lured on our environment. Effort has to be made to find ways to tackle this pollution and PRIORITIZE Our Mother Nature and Human Health rather than POLLUTANTS! REFERENCES. The health and environment linkages initiative, world health organization, UNEP, http://www.who.int, accessed on 02-05-2015. EPA, http://www.water.epa.gov, accessed on 3-05-2015. Gareth Evans and Judith Furlong (2003), Environmental Biotechnology Theory And Applications, John Wiley And Sons Ltd. USEPA Priority Pollutants, http://www.accutest.com, accessed on 3-05-2015. Fishery harbor manual on the prevention of pollution, http://www.fao.org, accessed on 3-05-2015. James H. Shofsthal and James K. Hardy, Method For The Determination Of The Priority Pollutant Metals By HPLC, Journal of Chromatographic Science, Vol 28, Issue 5, Pg 225-229. WHO, Europe, Health Risks Of Heavy Metals From Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, World Health Organization, 2007, http://www.euro.who.int, accessed on 13-05-2015. Heavy metals; Mercury, Arsenic, Lead, A Century’s Old story http://pollutioninpeople.org/toxics/metals Lars JÃ ¤rup, Hazards of heavy metal contamination, J Epidemiol Community Health2002;56:824-825 UNEP (Urban Environmental Unit United Nations Environmental Programme), Environmental pollution and impacts on public health. Health Risks Of Persistent Organic Pollutants From Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, WHO Europe, Peter Orris, Lin Kraatz, Karen Perry and Joe Asbury, Persistent Organic Pollutants and Human Health,May 2000, published by World Federation Of Public Health Associations. Effect of pesticide on human health www.toxipedia.org,15/05/2015 Pereira and Michael A., Health Risk of the Trihalomethanes Found in Drinking Water Carcinogenic Activity and Interactions, Medical College of Ohio,2000.

What makes a good teacher? :: essays research papers

There are many things which make a teacher great and they all can`t be defined.However i`ve always considered several of them essential.In my opinion a good teacher is someonewho first of all creates interest in studying,doesn`t underestimate the children,has equal expectations of siccess from everyone and last but not least likes his job. A good teavher always has a sense of purpose.He chooses very carefully the teaching programme and adjusts it to the needs of his students.Children always come first and that`s why the decision he makes are based on how they will affect them.He shares experience with other teachers and thus is always learning new things. It is very important for a teacher to be a good communicator.He doesn`t just stand in front of the class and lecture but tries to establish a dialogue and tofind the best group activities in which every child to be involved.Discussion,peer-to-peer coaching are the things which make the process of teaching more interesting and challenging so that all students attend classes and participate actively. The good teacher works with all students.A friend of mine told me how her maths teacher tolerates only students who are good at mathematics or those who have special interest in the subject.Towards the rest of the class my friend says she`s very exacting.She gives homeworks and tests without bothering to ask about difficulties.She doesn`t try to explain it and as a result many students keep getting bad marks. I firmly believe teachers shouldn`t forget that all students no matter of their colour,race or gender have equal ability to study.Different students have different learning systems.Some can learn things easily while others need to spend more time over a given task.