Essay on the Book Night

Night Night narrates Ely Wiesel's test of faith and struggle for life through the horrors of the Holocaust. Twelve-year-old Elie and his family are packed into crowded cattle carts and shipped to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps. This is where Elie survives tragic events that cause him to question God who could let such suffering occur. In the memoir Night, three events that lead to Elie’s victory over death and questioning of the existence of God are when Elie and all the Jews are separated into different carts, Elie’s struggles in the concentration camps and the final death march.Elie’s former teacher, Moshe the Beadle, comes to warn Elie and his family to not be tricked by the Germans, for they were taking control of trains and transporting them to death camps. Elie’s family doesn’t believe Moshe because his stories seemed exaggerated. Soon after, Elie’s family is forced to live in small ghettos in the center of the town. When the trains pulle d up, there was no turning back. â€Å"The Hungarian police made us climb into the cars eighty persons in each one. They handed us some bread and a few pails of water† (Wiesel 22).Elie realizes he and his family are not going to safety. When the train wheels stopped, there was a wretched stench of corpse bodies. They were in Birkeneau. He was shortly separated from his mother and sisters. This momentous event will forever change his family. His faith is massacred, â€Å"Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes† (Weisel 34). Elie and his father go through many horrific obstacles in the concentration camps.One afternoon, Elie and his father are forced to watch a hanging of three condemned prisoners, two of which were grown men and the other an innocent child. The two men were no longer alive, but the child’s rope was still moving for he was to light and was still breathing. Elie questions himself, â€Å"How could I say to Him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch our fathers, our mothers, our brothers end up in the furnaces† (Weisel 67).After watching thousands of Jews die each day, Elie loses his faith in God completely. Before the war is over, the Germans try to eliminate as many Jews as they can before the Americans invade and free the Jews. Elie has just gotten out of the infirmary because of his infected foot. Elie is about to give up at this point, but he sticks through and survives the death march. After the death march had finally come to a rest, Elie’s father becomes very sick with dysentery.After Elie’s father passes away, Elie is upset but is relieved. Elie is struck with food poisoning and spends weeks in the hospital, deathly ill. When he finally raises himself and looks in the mirror—he has not seen himself in a mirror since leaving Sighet—he is shocked: â€Å"From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. † Elie comes to realize, in the process of separating himself from the corpse, he has become, as a result of his time in the concentration camps, can coexist with faith, both in God and in man.In each of the three events described, Elie must face major traumatic life changes that force him to question his belief in God. Despite these terrible struggles, Elie does not allow himself to be consumed with revenge and evil. He maintains goodness in his spirit. Ellie says, â€Å"And even when we were no longer hungry, not one of us thought of revenge† (Wiesel 115). If God is good and Elie is still (good) inside despite his sufferings, then God must still exist.

Minimising faiulures in the homeland intelligence security Essay

An intelligence community is a group or a coalition of organisation in the United State of America. It is part of the executive branch that is autonomous and works indipendently in matters related to security and investigation of crimes. The intelligence community is accountable to the president, the policy makers and other senior departments in the government of the united states to collect and gather the necessary information to ensure maximum security is maintained within the country as part of executing their mandate (Noftsinger at el, 2007). The intelligence community has a definate method of carrying out their duties. The first step involves the identification of the problem that need to be sorted as a matter of security concern. Then a plan is laid on how the process is to go and the necessary data is collected. The collected data is put under scrutiny and strictly analysed by the intelligence experts. Later a report is compiled giving the reccomedations and suggestions regarding the security concern matter. The report is then given to the president or the policy makers or even the millitary commanders depending on who required the investigation. However the intelligence community and especially the homeland intelligence security has not been without failures. To decreas the number of these failures the secrecy within the intelligence agents becomes very critical (Kivett, 2006). In this case the transmission of information from one point to the other should be guarded to the maximum to ensure that no leakage of information takes place. Consequently it is prefferd that information should not be transmitted at all if it is not secured. Nevertheless, the secrecy that should be maintained is not wholly on all facets of the government. The intelligence community needs to share some neccessary ideas with other experts and organisations all over. The sharing of corporate ideas does not pose any danger to the security agencies as it reveals more of the other rival intention. Sharing of ideas should only be restricted for the millitary concepts and guarding as well as security matters. Sharing of technological knowhow does not make the rival better than the intelligence community agencies in place (Beyer, 2004). The intelligence community in the united state have been very keen on the collection and sharing of the information. But the major failure is now involving connecting and understanding the intelligence. This failure can be reduced by ensuring that all high priority threats investigation are specifically and stictly assigned so that the responsibility can be shouldered on certain capacities. The investigation should be a an all time process. A gap also exists between the report by the inteligence community and the distribution of that information therefore leading to a failure in the intelligence service. This failure can be reduced by ensuring that any report which has potential threat is distributed more effectivelly and measures taken. Furthermore the analytical process for the reports given should be strengthened with the incorporation of the intelligence experts to enhace more reliable information for execution. A failure in the homeland security intelligence is also experienced due to the lack of up to date technological equipments. This leaves a gap for the threats and should be reduced by more advenced explosive detection capabilities at all points of interaction with other nations like the airports, the ports, and the boarder. For this to come to reality a great investment by the U. S government need to be done for the installations. The homeland intelligence security should also improve aviation screaning and security towards the international partnership. An improvement in the organisational or agencies system is also important for information to move smoothly and timely for actions to be taken before the damage occurs.

Bone Cancer

Bone cancer is bone cancer, the cause is unknown. Researchers are working hard to find new ways and remedies for treating this type of cancer. In order to better understand new research and new treatments, some background information is presented. Bone cancer may be diagnosed as primary or secondary bone cancer. Primary bone cancer is the time when bone cancer begins to occur. Secondary cancer is diagnosed when cancer begins elsewhere and spreads to bone. For example, if someone has breast cancer, prostate cancer, or lung cancer, cancer spreads to the bone and finally develops bone cancer, it is explained as secondary bone cancer. Bone cancer is a very rare invasive cancer that causes considerable pain in the patient's bone. Bone cancer is a disease that occurs on or in the bones. In most cases, bone cancer usually contains tumors filled with abnormal cells appearing outside the bone. As with other types of cancer, bone cancer can cause a lot of pain and potentially life-threatening. My mother was diagnosed as primary bone cancer last year. And that is a long and difficult process for her and her family. Bone cancer is a malignant tumor arising from the cells that make up the bones of the body. This is also known as primary bone cancer. Primary bone tumor is a tumor that appears in the bone tissue itself and is benign or malignant (bone cancer). Benign benign (noncancerous) tumors are more common than bone cancers. When cancer occurs in bone, the cancer occurs in bone (like primary bone cancer), or it occurs in other parts and then transfers to bone (metastasis or secondary metastasis to cancer ). In fact, when cancer is detected in the bone it usually starts with another organ or part of the body and then spreads to the bone. This cancer that metastasizes to the bone is named after the name of the site where the original cancer began (for example, metastatic prostate cancer metastasized to bone). Breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer are types of can cers that metastasize to the bone at an advanced stage. Osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma is the most common form of bone cancer. In this type of tumor, cancer cells make bones. This type of bone cancer most commonly occurs in children and young people, bones of feet and arms. In rare cases, osteosarcoma may occur outside bone (exoskeleton osteosarcoma) Bone cancer is a rare type of cancer derived from human bone structure. Bone cancer can occur in every human bone, but it usually occurs in the long bones of the upper limbs and lower limbs of humans. Several types of bone malignancies are known, some affect the children, others primarily affect adults (Mayo Clinic, 2015, page 1). The more common types of bone malignancies are: (A) osteosarcoma, a type of malignant tumor. Bone Cancer Bone cancer is bone cancer, the cause is unknown. Researchers are working hard to find new ways and remedies for treating this type of cancer. In order to better understand new research and new treatments, some background information is presented. Bone cancer may be diagnosed as primary or secondary bone cancer. Primary bone cancer is the time when bone cancer begins to occur. Secondary cancer is diagnosed when cancer begins elsewhere and spreads to bone. For example, if someone has breast cancer, prostate cancer, or lung cancer, cancer spreads to the bone and finally develops bone cancer, it is explained as secondary bone cancer. Bone cancer is a very rare invasive cancer that causes considerable pain in the patient's bone. Bone cancer is a disease that occurs on or in the bones. In most cases, bone cancer usually contains tumors filled with abnormal cells appearing outside the bone. As with other types of cancer, bone cancer can cause a lot of pain and potentially life-threatening. My mother was diagnosed as primary bone cancer last year. And that is a long and difficult process for her and her family. Bone cancer is a malignant tumor arising from the cells that make up the bones of the body. This is also known as primary bone cancer. Primary bone tumor is a tumor that appears in the bone tissue itself and is benign or malignant (bone cancer). Benign benign (noncancerous) tumors are more common than bone cancers. When cancer occurs in bone, the cancer occurs in bone (like primary bone cancer), or it occurs in other parts and then transfers to bone (metastasis or secondary metastasis to cancer ). In fact, when cancer is detected in the bone it usually starts with another organ or part of the body and then spreads to the bone. This cancer that metastasizes to the bone is named after the name of the site where the original cancer began (for example, metastatic prostate cancer metastasized to bone). Breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer are types of can cers that metastasize to the bone at an advanced stage. Osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma is the most common form of bone cancer. In this type of tumor, cancer cells make bones. This type of bone cancer most commonly occurs in children and young people, bones of feet and arms. In rare cases, osteosarcoma may occur outside bone (exoskeleton osteosarcoma) Bone cancer is a rare type of cancer derived from human bone structure. Bone cancer can occur in every human bone, but it usually occurs in the long bones of the upper limbs and lower limbs of humans. Several types of bone malignancies are known, some affect the children, others primarily affect adults (Mayo Clinic, 2015, page 1). The more common types of bone malignancies are: (A) osteosarcoma, a type of malignant tumor.

Information Security White Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Security White Paper - Essay Example Information security systems also assists in data recovery in cases where businesses accidentally losses vital data. Information security system would always eliminate damage or distress that result from data loss. Besides, proper storage of company data would instill customers’ interest in the respective business entity as the later maintains higher levels confidentiality of customers’ information. Such businesses win the attention of customers and attract larger profit margins. Information security software’s would also restrict movement of company’s confidential information to the public. Such information if relayed to the public may damage the company’s reputation. The most common information vulnerabilities include software bugs the affect software systems in different computers. Broken processes, hardware flaws, human error, and business change also constitute some of the most common vulnerabilities that associate with computer networks. Computer usage and relay of information also contributes to a vast number of threats that may completely damage computer software’s or lead to loss of data. The threats posed by the computer information network include terrorists, competitors, hackers, or criminals. Other most eminent threats include dishonest employees, angry employees, and nature. Confidentiality relates to the condition of limiting informational access or resources to certain authorized individuals. Those who reveals non-public information normally compromises the confidentiality of such systems. Confidentiality therefore refers to protection of information from unauthorized persons. Often refers to ensuring that only authorized personnel gain access to certain information. The power of information relies on the possibilities of the information being in the right hand. Constant backup helps in ensuring data availability. Non-repudiation relates to the implications of an individual’s

The Weary Blues and The Negro Speakers of Rivers by Langston Hughes Essay

The Weary Blues and The Negro Speakers of Rivers by Langston Hughes - Essay Example The narrator is occupied with the sadness of the notes and tones of the blues music. The narrator feels as if the piano is moaning (lines 10, 18), which shows the extent of sadness that is being depicted from the musician’s state of mind and his selection of the blues song. The song is about how the musician is going to survive and be happy instead of all the miseries, sadness, and worries he possesses, like when he sings, â€Å"I's gwine to quit ma frownin'/ And put ma troubles on the shelf† (lines 21-22). But all of a sudden, he again becomes depressed, and says that his anguish is going to be so stressful that he wishes he could die, like he says, â€Å"I got the Weary Blues/ And I can't be satisfied./ Got the Weary Blues/ And can't be satisfied--/ I ain't happy no mo'/ And I wish that I had died† (lines 25-30). This change of mood tells that he is not being very effective in putting off his worries, despite all his efforts to stay happy. He keeps on playing t ill late night; and, when he goes to bed, he dreams of himself as a rock with no emotions or a dead man. The musician is a Negro in the poem. And he is sad. This refers to the poet himself, because Hughes was an African-American, and was also a victim of racism. Hence, the poem talks about his own gloom and shattered state of mind, because he has to go through emotional turmoil due to his race. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† Langston Hughes, being an African-American poet, suffered from racial discrimination in the early twentieth century in America. However, he tried to survive the currents of racism, and struggled to spread the message of love and equality through his poetry. This poem speaks about the unity of people through the imagery of river. The poem starts with the poet mentioning that he has known rivers since ages. Starting lines, â€Å"I've known rivers/ I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins†, hold t he imagery of river, which the poet uses to show the connection of all human life on earth. He mentions Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and Mississippi, which shows that he is talking about life from the beginning of civilization till the American Civil War. Euphrates shows the origin of civilization â€Å"when the dawns were young†. He claims to be united with the whites living near the Congo, when he says that he built his hut â€Å"near the Congo†. The white race also served as slaves of the Egyptians who built the pyramids, and the poet mentions his looking at the Nile and raising the pyramids, trying to associate himself with the whites. His mentioning of Mississippi and Abe Lincoln going down the New Orleans reminds us the setting free of the slaves, with the Mississippi river symbolizing human blood belonging to all races. The poet repeats that, â€Å"My soul has grown deep like the rivers†, which means that he has identified his true identity, because one who be comes familiar with his soul recognizes who he actually is. Since, the river symbolizes human life in this poem, and its flow symbolizes the flow of blood in the veins of all humans, this refers to the fact that all humans are linked to each other, since all of them have the same blood in their veins, because they have the same father, Adam, and the same mother, Eve. Hence, the poet has tried to link himself with all races on the

Diseases and Genetic Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Diseases and Genetic Disorders - Essay Example Unfortunately there are many different factors that can affect the functionality of the system; ranging from our family history, to the environment that we live in. That is why it is important to be aware of our surroundings, and environmental factors. It is also very imperative that we pay attention to what our body systems are telling us. For example if one begins to experience unexplainable pain, or notice a lump in an area that does not go away, then it becomes important to get a check up and to see what is causing the problem. Many look over the warning signs and they get to the point of experiencing so much pain, or to the point where they notice that something is not right, then it is too late, and there is nothing that can be done to reverse what has occurred within the particular system. Our Cardiovascular system is one of the systems that are very important to paying close attention to what we are feeling. Our cardiovascular system is also known as the circulatory system. Our heart is within the system, which is responsible for pumping the blood throughout our bodies. The heart is a muscle that is about the size of one's fist. If the heart is not functioning properly then there will be problems with the other systems within the body. There are multiple problems that can occur with the heart. Some can be genetic and present at birth while other conditions can occur as we live from day to day. Carotid Artery disease is one of the heart diseases that can occur. We have two arteries on either side of our neck, and they are called our carotid arteries. The function of these two arteries is to take blood that is rich in oxygen outside the heart and to bring blood to the frontal section of one's brain, which is responsible for such things as thought, speech, who we are, s enses and motor skills. When you place your hands on either side of your neck, the pulsation that you feel is from your carotid artery. Another function of these arteries is to create deposits which contain fat and cholesterol. The scientific term for these deposits is plaque. As time passes the plaque begins to collect on the arteries, and as a result the amount of blood that is able to pass through the arteries decreases and the amount of blood that is able to get to the brain also decreases, and can result in a stroke. A stoke can occur is the artery becomes too narrow for blood to pass through, if some of the plaque breaks off and enters into the blood stream and travels to the brain, or if a lump forms, also called a clot, and the clotted artery has already become narrow. It has been discovered that one with carotid artery disease can also become susceptible due to a family history. Other factors are how old you are, rather or not one smokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol problems. If ones notices and pays attention to the signs of carotid artery disease and seeks treatment in time then there are various steps that can be taken to keep carotid artery disease from having a bad end. Some of the treatments are changing one's lifestyle, such as completely stop smoking, and take control of diabetes and high blood pressure, by taking medications and watching one's diet. There are also various medications that can be taken, as well as treatments that can be done by the patient's doctor.

Crime and Punishment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Crime and Punishment - Assignment Example As a result, countries like America reflect increasing number of prisoners as recorded over the years. However psychologists are still continuing their researches on the causes of crimes and trying to decipher why individuals are entering the criminal justice system (Benson 2003). The basic roles of a prison system include: social isolation and confinement, repentance, punishment and deterrence, protection and reformation. A prison system leads to an isolation of the prisoner from the society such that the man’s violations of the legal system do not affect the lives of the common people. It is expected that he would repent on his wrong deeds if kept isolated. Also, with some pain and suffering, it would create some fears among the criminals. It is also the role of the prison system to protect the society from criminals which can be achieved through captivating the criminals. Reformation is the role that is focused on changing the attitude and mental condition of the individual s such that they do not repeat crimes (Bura 2012). Rehabilitation proves to be an essential role of the prison system since it is the prime motive of the justice system to rehabilitate the individuals who have committed crime. If rehabilitation is not focused, then bad people would only turn into worse. Instead, rehabilitation functions to restore the lives of the criminals by changing their mental condition, health conditions and their attitudes trying to prevent them from committing crimes again. Only then these individuals would be able to live normal lives once they are back into the society (Tanner 2012). Effectiveness of Prisons for Rehabilitation: The Present Day Situation: With the rates of punishment being increased and less focus being given on the resettlement needs of the criminals, the rehabilitation of the offenders in the prison system has become less likely to achieve in the present times. It is observed that most of the prisoners who are released are re-offending an d are taken back to prisons. This reflects the fact that the present day prison system is not proving to be effective in rehabilitating the prisoners and instead turning the mental state into worse through punishment measures (Cavadino 2006). Conclusion: Thus from the above study, it can be realized that although it is the role of the prison to make the criminals realize of their wrongdoings and rehabilitate them such that they can lead normal lives without affecting the society, yet in the present times the prison systems have proved not to be effective enough for rehabilitation of individuals, with their focus being more eon punishing the criminals and not correcting them as is needed. Task 2: Prison Does Not Work: Introduction: Prison punishments have been expected to prevent crimes and correct the mental attitudes of the criminals. Yet in the present times it is observed that prison overcrowding has become one of the major causes of concerns, particularly in countries like the A merica. Similar situation is observed in other countries as well presenting a doubt on whether the modern day prison system works or not (Big Question: Does the modern prison system work? 2013). Prison: The Dominant Form of Punishment: The use of prisons for punishing criminals had been into existence since over 200 years ago. Before

Exhibition review interview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exhibition review interview - Assignment Example â€Å"High Noon† is also about betrayal and loyalty. For Kane’s part, it is loyalty even when everyone leaves him; he maintains his grounds, although it seems predictable that his action might lead to his death (High Noon). On the town’s part, it is betrayal. Most people in town agreed that they owe their success to Kane, but not help him because they believe that he is hopeless. In the film, the villain is Frank Miller and his gang who strive to revenge on Will and anyone person who is against him. In this film, the villain is the one who revenges. Miller’s gangs are Jack Colby, Ben (younger brother) and Jim Pierce who wait for Miller at the station. Will and Army have to fight Millers gang at all cost and secure the townspeople (High Noon). Towards the end of the story, Miller (villain) and his gang face Will and Amy. Amy and Will manage to kill Miler and his gang while the townspeople stare in amazement. â€Å"Un-forgiven† film is an entertaining western that pays homage to traditional western while expressing skepticism. The film was set in the 1880’s and the standard setting is BIG whiskey, somewhere between San Francisco and St. Louis. The film also demonstrates the existence of villains, who are a couple of cowboys. The cowboys slashes Delilah’s face (the prostitute). Instead of the sheriff, Little Bill Dagett, arresting the cowboys, he lets them go. The victim’s best friend, Strawberry Alice, becomes outraged. Delilah, Alice and the other girls offer a $1000 bounty for anyone who kills the cowboys. This film turns out to be a revenge of whores against the villains (Unforgiven). A group of men set out to collect the bounty, prompted by various economic necessities to kill the cowboys (villains). Among the hunters set to kill the villains is Bill Munny who is a widower. Munny is still striving to live down his

The 60's Societal customs and norms of the period (such as gender Essay - 1

The 60's Societal customs and norms of the period (such as gender roles, and. Also what is the collective view on God during this era) - Essay Example The evident changes ranged from values, education, laws, lifestyles, and entertainment. As the article The groovy 1990’s discusses, the 1960’s was a decade in which gender roles were thoroughly questioned. Inspired by the success of the civil rights movement, women in America and elsewhere around the world had set out on a quest to convert the ensuing quest for racial equality to a pursuit for women’s rights. Access to a credit, equal pay, and equal rights amendments were some of the agendas that were being pursued. A notable feature of this era was the escalation in the popularity of the birth control pill. Besides being an affordable tool for curbing unwanted pregnancies, the pill became a symbol of female emancipation. Having acquired unrestricted access to the pill, women had finally managed to gain increased control over their future. Not only did they now have the power to pursue long term jobs, they also had the ability to pursue higher education and compete for careers previously preserved for men. Besides the pill, the rise of feminisms wa s another notable feature in the fight for a shift in gender roles: Throughout the 1960’s, women groups such as New York Radical Women and the New York Radical Feminists emerged to challenge male supremacy both within the family and the political arena. According to the book The Age of Contradiction, the first two years marked the emergence of the phenomenon, â€Å"radical feminist† (â€Å"1998 Howard Brick†). Musically, it was a decade characterised by a surge in the celebrity culture and celebrity worship. Taking a departure from earlier decades in which great musicians were merely appreciated, the 1960’s ushered in a new era in which musicians became the ideal representation of success and fame; musicians were now the only standard against which one’s fame could accurately be measured. It was thus a decade in which musicians such as Elvis Presely, Jack Kennedy

Employee Training and Career Development Essay Example for Free

Employee Training and Career Development Essay There are many elements within an organization that can ensure its success, two of which are the training and the development of its employees. Training and developing employees effectively would provide all employees at all levels the tools and information they will need to perform their jobs successfully within the company. Implementing effective employee development methods can be a benefit and can ensure that changes in the daily routine are accomplished. Programs can be made available to meet the needs of the company with the involvement of the human resources department. These programs are very important for the development and training of the career minded employee. Role of Training in an Organizations Development DeCenzo and Robbins (2007) indicate that employee training is the present-oriented training that focuses on an individuals current jobs.  This indicates that developing employees knowledge and skill set is a key factor in assisting employees in performing their job functions more effectively. While organizational development is contingent on how employees will perform in their daily job functions, employee training offers the opportunity to further develop the employees attitude, skill set, knowledge, and reactions to possible stressors. When workers become open to new training techniques and become more experienced in performing new job requirements the company benefits along with the employee. Employee training aids in more viable production, and even though employee training can cost an organization financially the long-term effects of properly training its employee is more valuable to the organization than the overall cost it incurs. The company can further the development of its employees by providing additional training which puts value in the employees personal stock, increases the talent pool and increases the duties the employee can perform. Employee Development Methods and Benefits According to DeCenzo and Robbins (2007) career-oriented training assists companies by focusing on an employees personal growth. These types of methods consist of assistant-to positions, job rotation, committee assignment, and off- the-job development. The assistant-to positions method assists an employee who is seeking a management position. The method involves providing the employee with the opportunity of working side-by-side with experienced managers. Working as an assistant to a manager provides much needed experience in various activities and the opportunity to perform duties at a higher caliber. Employee development by implementing the job rotation method assists in cross-training employees in various positions within the company. This method offers employees an opportunity to sharpen skills in various positions. Job rotation consists of two forms of rotations; one form is referred to as the vertical rotation which consists of promoting an employee to a new position. The second form is called the horizontal rotation which provides employees an opportunity to perform duties in various positions  within the companys daily operations. Job rotations can be extremely beneficial because they can increase an employees skill set within the company, allowing them to have hands on knowledge of the daily operations of many job positions (DeCenzo Robbins, 2007). Committee assignments are another method of employee development. Committee assignments benefit both the company and employees as it permits an employee to develop his or her skill set by watching other employee, it aids in the investigation of organizational issues, and assists in the organizational decision making process (DeCenzo Robbins, 2007). The committee assignment can also help in develop employees skills. Assigning employees to permanent committee assignments can assist the company in the decision-making processes as well as researching long-term goals. The off-the-job method of employee development consists of simulation exercises, seminars, lecture courses, and outdoor training that the employee would be involved in. Simulations are beneficial because they provide each employee the opportunity to be involved in a realistic work experience by completing certain work-related exercises. These exercises consist of role playing, case studies and games based on decision making (DeCenzo Robbins, 2007). Simulations are beneficial because they can prepare employees with possible ways to handle stressful situations in the workplace with co-workers and in customer service situations. Seminars, lecture courses, and outdoor training are other kinds of employee development. Seminars and lectures benefit a company by helping employees develop and acknowledge the analytical and conceptual abilities they have concerning the employees profession. There are various methods of putting on lectures and seminars. These methods are via distance learning and a less cost-efficient method of using the Internet. Outdoor training is beneficial to an organization as it teaches employees team building skills. An employee performing several physical challenges in the wilderness is what the outdoor training entails. Performing these physical challenges helps organizations understand how they will respond under pressure, and how they work as a team. These challenges empower employees to work together as a team and it  encourages employees to build relationships by accomplishing these stressful challenges within a group setting. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT To allow companies to focus on making improvements, management must focus on the importance of developing a relationship between the employee and organizational development. According to DeCenzo Robbins, Organizational development consists of addressing changes within the organization. (2007). Organizational and employee development is important when implementing new processes and procedures within a company. To perform new processes, management will need to train department employees on new production methods and the procedures and skill sets to perform these new processes. To accomplish these processes the company and employees will have to adjust to operational changes. Human resources management will first need to identify these changes and create training programs to improve the employees skills on the new processes. Human Resources Managements Role in Career Development Human resources managements role in career development has increased of late. To assist employees in achieving their career goals, human resources management strives to provide employees with the tools needed to accomplish these goals. The current career development programs of the Human resources management department help HRM give employees the self-confidence to further their education. This is done by communicating the plans and goals, tuition reimbursement, growth opportunities, and scheduling educational classes. Developing employees careers is extremely beneficial to the company. Developing an employees career helps to retain and promote highly talented employees within the company along with assisting women and other minorities by giving them the opportunities to grow within the organization. It will also help to create cultural diversity in the workplace while improving the quality and performance of the employees work skills. (DeCenzo Robbins, 2007). Creating and implementing a career development plan will help human resources management deliver the organizations main goals in attracting,  retaining, and promoting employees within the company. PERSONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT REFLECTION My personal career development involves successfully completing my education by earning my degree in Business Management focusing on Human Resources Management. I have a great career currently with a company that supports my desire to earn a degree and has encouraged my efforts and has promoted me as I have progressed in my knowledge and abilities. I see my career in five years with this same organization, which offers me the ability to continue with my education and also continually offers career oriented training through my employer. My employer has promoted me as I have advanced in my educational efforts, and encourages all of its employees to further their education. They provide great benefits and a 401(k) along with profit sharing, so this is a company that I plan to utilize my degree with. My companys career developments opportunities will be sufficient because I currently monitor the Human Resource needs in our office and as our office grows, my duties will continue to grow, and as my knowledge expands, I will be more valuable to my company. My company believes in investing in its employees, offering seminars, online training programs, and promoting from within. My company is constantly offering trainings to keep all employees up to date on our job functions, and invests in updating software and computers to ensure we have the tools to do our jobs. The company that I work for has proven that it is committed to developing and promoting talented and career minded employees. I believe that when a company offers employees the opportunity to advance and that company invests in its employees, the employees have a duty to give their all to the company. CONCLUSION The human resources managements role to career development and employee involves many steps. These steps consist of many beneficial methods of training employees while helping develop their career. The growing relationship between employees and organizational development involves educating employees on changes in the organizational process. Human  resources managements role in career development is providing employees with the tools to successfully reach their goals and career achievements and to develop additional skill sets and gain more knowledge to become a well-rounded and more seasoned employee who can function in any job within the company. Resources DeCenzo, D.A., Robbins, S.P. (2007). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (9th ed.) . Retrieved from https://portal.phoenix.edu/classroom/coursematerials/hrm_300/20110322/

Case study: Mental Retardation

Case study: Mental Retardation Introduction When you go out from your house today, try to observe the people around our environment, and we will found that not everyone cans physically function like us or at normal level. For instance, there are individual who blind, deaf are, and also who are not able to speak or move around. Generally, people refer them as physically disabled, so we will see this group of people having the special privilege such as in the shopping complexs parking space, special parking was prepared with the label disable. On another hand, there are people who cant mentally function at normal level like most of us. They might have not able to control their body movement, their intelligence, social interaction as well as language since the birth or early childhood. In this case, we are referring them as mental retardation. The American Association on Mental Retardation (2002) defined mental retardation as a particular state of functioning that begins in childhood and characterized by limitation in both intelligence and adaptive skills. According to National Information center for children and youth with disabilities (2002), we label a person with mental retardation when he or she has specific limitation in mental functioning and also in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself as well as social skills. All of this limitation will cost the children in their learning, such as slow in learning and development comparing to others typical child (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). Mental retardation also reflects the fix between the capabilities of individuals and the structure and expectation of their environment (The American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). In specific example, children with mental retardation may need longer time in le arning to speak, walk, and take care of their personal needs such as eating or dressing (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). They are more likely to have problem learning in normal school (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). They can learn, but probably needed a longer time or else there are something that they just cant learn (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). Mental retardation is sub-average general intellectual functioning that related with concurrent impairments in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmental period (Southern association of institutional dentists, 2010). Mental retardation is an effectual theoretical intelligence, which is congenital or acquired early in life (Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska, 2010). Children with mental retardation have the low rate of understanding and limited domain of attention (Rezai yan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). The 34 Code of Federal Regulations 300.7(c)(6) of The United States Department of education defined mental retardation as significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a childs educational performance (Federal registration, 1999). The statistic showed that averagely, 3% of the general population will be suffered from mental retardation (Southern association of institutional dentists, 2010). Most people with mental retardation are diagnosed before or during first years of school (Southern association of institutional dentists, 2010). The prevalence provided by statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition text revision [DSM-IV-TR] (2000) mentioned that mental retardation has been predictable at roughly 1%. In term of gender, the ration for male to female is 1.5 to 1 (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). This shown that mental retardation affect more male. The misconception about how people perceive what is mental retardation also being pointing out. According to a case study from World Health Organisation (2006), a special education teacher who teaches the disable children is advised by the family and also neighbours to resign from her work when she is pregnant after 12 years of marriage. The reason given is that they want her to avoid contact with these types of children (means disable), concerning her unborn child will be like them. Acknowledged that this is superstitions, and with the support from her husband, she continues to help the children at the centre, and now her new born daughters intelligence is above average. Mental retardation is not something such as you having green eyes, bad heart, or you are born short or thin, it is also not medical disorder, nor a mental disorder (The American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). Criteria Definition Referring to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition text revision (DSM-IV-TR), published by American Psychiatric Association, there are three components of feature of mental retardation, which all of the component must be present to diagnose a patient with mental retardation (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). The three diagnostic criteria for Mental Retardation are as below: Criterion A. Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning: an IQ of approximately 70 or below on an individually administered IQ test (for infants, a clinical judgment of significantly sub-average intellectual functioning). Criterion B. Concurrent deficits or impairments in present adaptive functioning (i .e., the persons effectiveness in meeting the standards expected for his or her age by his or her cultural group) in at least two of the following areas: communication, self-care, home living, social / interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health, and safety. Criterion C. The onset is before age 18 years. In Criterion A, IQ or Intelligence quotient test had used to administer the general intellectual functioning of an individual. Intelligence is the general mental capability. It included the ability in reasoning, problem solving, abstract thinking, understanding complex ideas, quickly in learning, and also experience learning (American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). The commonly IQ test such as the 3rd edition Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children; 4th Edition Stanford-Binet; and also Kaufman Assessment battery for children. All of this is an individually administered intelligence test. The cut-off score is IQ test scored 70 or sub-average intellectual functioning is IQ score of about 70 or below, which are two standards deviation below the mean. However, in some cases, although the individuals IQ score is below 70, he or she should not be diagnosed as mental retardation if there is no obvious disturbance in adaptive functioning. Adaptive functioning will be explained i n Criterion B. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition text revision (DSM-IV-TR) (2000), some others factor that may result an individual score poorly should be taken into consideration. For example, some of the factors include the socio-cultural background of an individual; the problem with native language; as well as related communicative, motor and sensory handicaps (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). There is four degree of severity of mental retardation. The degree of severity is determined by the IQ scores. The summary of the retardation and IQ level are as below: Mild mental retardation IQ level 50-55 to approximately 70 Moderate retardation IQ level 35-40 to 50-55 Several mental retardation IQ level 20-25 to 35-40 Profound mental retardation IQ level below 20 or 25 (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000) About 85% of the mental retardation patient is fall under Mild Mental Retardation, which their IQ level through IQ test is about 50-55 to approximately 70 (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Normally, they cant be differentiating with normal children at the age of 0-5 years old. This is because; the social and communication skills are developing at the age of pre-school (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). At this stage, they have minimal disturbance in sensor motors areas (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). The characteristic representing this category is the role of Forest in the movie Forest Gump. In the movie, Forest ever said that I been an idiot since I was born. My IQ is near 70, which qualifies me, so they say. (Smith, 2006). With the appropriate support, patient with mild mental retardation can live successfully. Forest, who always being classified as retarded used chocolate to contrasting portrait of his struggle until he become a football star in the college, Vietnam war hero, and a successful business man (Smith, 2006). . On patients with moderate mental retardation, we usually refer them as trainable (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). About 10% of the mental retarded patients fall under this category (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). They learn communication skills at the early childhood, so that they can benefit from vocational training. With moderate supervision, patient with moderate mental retardation can actually fulfill personal care. They are able to travel by them self in a familiar setting; however they cant progress beyond the 2nd grade level in the academic subject (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). In a supervised condition, patient can function well with the community around them. For patient with severe mental retardation, they are actually 3-4% of the mental retardation population (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). During pre-school period, they might learn a little or no communication skills. During the school period, they learn talking at secondary level, they can be teaches in self-care. In a closely supervise condition, they can function well in life if they do not involve in any handicap. Patient of mental retardation who falls under the profound mental retardation is 1-2% (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Most of the patient has a neurological condition that result their mental retardation. Their motor development, self-care, and communication skills can be improve if there is a proper education being given to them. If a mentally retarded patient who cant be categories within this four degree of severity, they will be put under the category mental retardation, severity unspecified. In Criterion B, impairment in adaptive functioning is the focus. Impairment functioning is the effectiveness of a person coping with daily life events and also how well a person achieve the standard of self independence expected by their age group in a particular socio cultural back ground as well as community setting (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Yet, there are various factors that might influence the adaptive functioning of a person with mental retardation. Some of the factors are education, motivation, a persons characteristic, social and vocational opportunities and the mental disorder and general medical conditions (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). The areas of adaptive functioning concerning is communication, self-care, home living, social social / interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health, and safety. A person can only be diagnose with mental retardation if he meet any 2 of the area concerning in criterion B. For example, at the age of 16 years old, a person could not speak and poorly performance in academic. In criterion C, age is the focus. The onset must be before 18 years old. Intervention Programme Intervention programme are to believe will help the children with mental retardation to cope better in their daily life as well as future life. Intervention program for the mentally retarded children usually take part by the government, non-governmental organisation, school and also psychologist or expert in the field. Although it was take part by many organisations, but we have to aware that the intervention program cost a large sum of money. Medical news today (2006) reported as in years 2000, money spend for patients with mental disorder is about 51 billion dollars. However, the intervention program is still necessary to provide the patient another part of life. One of the intervention programs for children with mental retarded is occupational therapy. In occupational therapy, thought about daily life functioning being discuss and share with the children (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). This therapy leads the children to perform the daily life task that the child would like to, or the task which is expected by the society or cultural back ground (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). The most important aims of occupational therapy are to lead the children to have meaningful and purposeful occupations through the intervention (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). Occupational therapy also focuses to help the child with mental retardation to develop fine motor control (Reynolds Dombeck, 2006).This fine motor skills is needed by the children with mental retardation to perform concentrated tasks (Reynolds Dombeck, 2006). Some of the concentrated tasks are like writing or drawing. All of this basic concentrated ta sk is important for self-help and academic skills in the later life of the children (Reynolds Dombeck, 2006). Researcher found that occupational intervention program had a positive feedback (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). Patient can carry out activities of daily living in a safe and efficient manner. (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). In summary, Occupational therapy intervention program for children with mental retardation, aims to help the children to meaningful and purposeful activity. The activity include self-care, care for others, appreciate life and socially active in various situation. Mental retarded children who went through this therapy will able to use the skills learned in future. Another intervention program for children suggested by researcher is tooth-brushing intervention program. In a study done by Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska (2010), they designed a 6 month intervention program that focus on the encouragement of independent manual skills looking after personal oral hygiene.100 school children at the age of 9-16 with low and moderate mental retardation in Skopje. Althought tooth brushing seems to be very easy for us, but it actually is a voluntary activity that requires motivation and physical ability. In term of motivation, the children with mental retardation are require to understand what is needed and also the reason or benefits of tooth brushing; and also the desire to achieve the benefit (reducing the plaque). Yet, they found that children with mentally retarded are not capable in understanding the oral hygiene procedures but they accept the change (Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska 2010). According to the researcher, patient of mental retardation normally suffered from periodontal disease. The result of their study showed that this six month program was effective in reducing the plaque and gingivitis scores and the long term success of the program is to maintain the childrens motivation to brush their own teeth and make this part of their daily routine (Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska 2010). Calculated the long term benefit, tooth brushing is actually cost effective ways of reducing plaque, reducing the needs to see dental doctor and others. The mentally retarded children are able to brush their own tooth with proper encouragement and motivation. Besides that, Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah (2007) proposed that computer game as an intervention instrument focusing on the attention capacity of the mentally retarded children. In their experiment, 60 male mentally retarded children were recruited from two 24 hours care centers in Tehra. All of them had an IQ level between 50 and 70 with no physical disability. The result of their study indicated that intervention of computer games increased the attention span of the mentally retarded children (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). Not only that, intervention of computer game also help in increasing the internal motivation and activity if the children (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). The mentally retarded children was attracted by feature of the computer games such as competition, laugh, curiosity and others, and all of this helped in improving the ability to pay attention (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). The children also learned problem solving skills through the games Rezaiy an, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). In order to complete the game, the children need to practice and keep repeating the same process, this had help the children in self understanding skills, while paying attention to an object or location will improve the nervous system process (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). In summary, as we can see, the main function of the computer games is to help the children in understand and paying attention. The two benefits are actually interrelated to each others, to pay attention you need to understand, understanding help you in paying attention. The mentally retarded children need both of this skill. However, we should also consider the side effect of using computer. Special education is another intervention program for the children with mental retardation. In Malaysia, a Non-governmental organisation, Lions Club of Kota Bharu operates a Down syndrome centre to give pre-school education to the Down syndrome children ages there to six years (Dahari, 2009). Down syndrome cause by the non-disjunction of chromosome 21and is the leading genetic cause of mental retardation (Ghosh, Sinha, Chatterjee Nandagopal, 2009). After graduated from the canter, the Down syndrome children will be sending to the special classes in the government school. They adopt the Macquire Small step curriculum as teaching guide or you may called it as early intervention program. The term intervention is used to cover physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and special education help. There are several type of intervention provided such as home based, centre based, and nursery based. Parents with Down syndrome children might send their children to this centre for ea rly education. Mentally retarded children are educable (Demirel, 2010). Another intervention in term of education being done in Turkey, the curriculum for children with mental retardation was designed at primary school level, attending private class, focusing on improving the skills of understanding, showing positive social relations, adjusting to the social, technological and physical environment and surviving independently (Demirel, 2010). From two of this example, we can see that education actually help the mentally children to make their life better. As a psychologist, we should support all kind of effort in coming out with special education for the mentally retarded children. Education is one of the best intervention programs for the children. In conclusion, no one is this world choose to be born mentally retarded; mentally retarded is a give but not a choice. As a normal human, we should not discriminate them yet give them the best of what we can do. Intervention program had being proven able to help the children with mental retardation to have a batter life. Every one of us should play our roles in supporting all kind of intervention program. As a psychologist, we actually can do many things for them as there are within our area of study, we can contribute idea regarding their well fare, education and in others issues. They had born unlucky, why not we shown them another part of life?

Abortion Should Remain Legal Essay -- Argument For Abortion

The average woman is pregnant for 38 weeks. However, what if a woman decides she no longer wants to follow through with her pregnancy? If a woman chooses to no longer be pregnant; abortion has become a popular way to terminate a pregnancy. There can be many reasons as to why a woman might have an abortion. It may be due to an unwanted pregnancy, health issues with the mother that will cause her sickness throughout the pregnancy, inability to care for a child, ectopic pregnancy, and even awareness of life threatening illnesses that will not allow the baby to live outside of the womb. Abortion has been a controversial subject for decades. Not only has abortion been controversial in the United States, but it has been an issue around the world. There are many powerful reasons as to why some people are against abortion; and there are also numerous reasons as to why some people advocate abortion. Some people feel that abortion is an act of murder, evil, and selfishness; while many others feel that it is a womans decision and right to do what she wishes with her body; as well as the decisions that she makes. To those who are unaware of exactly what an abortion is; it is when a pregnant woman has a fetus removed from her womb. To this day, there are 682 abortion clinics in the U.S; and there are numerous methods to abortion; although the aspiration method is most popular. The aspiration method, also known as the vacuum method, takes place within the first trimester of pregnancy. According to lifesitenews.com, a website that discusses abortion, the methods of abortion depends on the stage the pregnancy is in, as well as the size of the fetus. Due to health concerns and less chance of complications, abortions are usually performed within t... ...s." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. . "Roe v. Wade." Roe v. Wade. N.p., 13 Dec. 1971. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. . "Share." The Bible's Teaching Against Abortion. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. . Sifferlin, Alexandra, and Alexandra Sifferlin. "Study Linking Abortion to Mental Health Problems Is Flawed | TIME.com." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. . "Surgical Abortions." LifeSiteNewscom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. . Abortion Should Remain Legal Essay -- Argument For Abortion The average woman is pregnant for 38 weeks. However, what if a woman decides she no longer wants to follow through with her pregnancy? If a woman chooses to no longer be pregnant; abortion has become a popular way to terminate a pregnancy. There can be many reasons as to why a woman might have an abortion. It may be due to an unwanted pregnancy, health issues with the mother that will cause her sickness throughout the pregnancy, inability to care for a child, ectopic pregnancy, and even awareness of life threatening illnesses that will not allow the baby to live outside of the womb. Abortion has been a controversial subject for decades. Not only has abortion been controversial in the United States, but it has been an issue around the world. There are many powerful reasons as to why some people are against abortion; and there are also numerous reasons as to why some people advocate abortion. Some people feel that abortion is an act of murder, evil, and selfishness; while many others feel that it is a womans decision and right to do what she wishes with her body; as well as the decisions that she makes. To those who are unaware of exactly what an abortion is; it is when a pregnant woman has a fetus removed from her womb. To this day, there are 682 abortion clinics in the U.S; and there are numerous methods to abortion; although the aspiration method is most popular. The aspiration method, also known as the vacuum method, takes place within the first trimester of pregnancy. According to lifesitenews.com, a website that discusses abortion, the methods of abortion depends on the stage the pregnancy is in, as well as the size of the fetus. Due to health concerns and less chance of complications, abortions are usually performed within t... ...s." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. . "Roe v. Wade." Roe v. Wade. N.p., 13 Dec. 1971. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. . "Share." The Bible's Teaching Against Abortion. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. . Sifferlin, Alexandra, and Alexandra Sifferlin. "Study Linking Abortion to Mental Health Problems Is Flawed | TIME.com." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. . "Surgical Abortions." LifeSiteNewscom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .

The Future of Social Security :: Papers Politics Welfare Essays Papers

The Future of Social Security Social Security is a system that was set up in 1935 after the Great depression to help people get through tough times. "Social Security is now used by nearly 44 million Americans"(policy.com). Only people who payed into social security are eligible to collect when they retire. Many people think that they receive the money they pay in but that is not total true. The money that you pay in is used for the people that are receiving it now. "In 1950 there were 16 workers for every beneficiary; today there are only three workers per beneficiary"(policy.com). There is more money going into social security then coming out now. The extra money goes into a trust to be used when it is needed. By the year 2032 those numbers are going to drop. By this time most baby boomers will be retired and collecting social security. This will put a big strain on the funds. There will be more money going out then coming in. And it will not take long to use all the money that is in the trust. By th e year 2034 they will only be able to pay 75 percent of the beneficiaries. "The projected average monthly Social Security benefit in 2032 of about 1,100 (in 1998 dollars) would fall to about $800, and would drop further in later years. Average benefits for low-wage earners would drop from $670 to $480"(www.ssab). Theses cut would effect the people just starting to receive benefits and those who are already receiving benefits. And with each year these benefits will decrease. As these benefits continue to decrease "the percentage of aged people living in poverty would rise"(www.ssab).Most people believe this is happening because of the baby boomers generation. There will be more people taking from social security then giving in. By the time my generation is eliable to receive social security there may not be any money to give. Everyone is worried about the future of the social security system. They wonder how long it can last after the year 2030. There are many ways people are suggesting to deal with the problem. Some suggest to raise taxes on social security "In order to continue paying full benefits in 2032 and for about 40 therefore, the law would have to be changed to increase social security taxes by almost one-half, from the current 12.

Gang Intelligence Methods in Law Enforcement Essay -- essays research

GANG INTELLIGENCE METHODS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT The American headlines of any large city will site killings on street corners, robberies, assaults, intimidation, and drug interaction. While not all-criminal activity is associated with gangs, the 780,000 strong members do account for a large majority of the problems that are plaguing America. There is no one-way to stop gang activity in one single swipe, but through a combination of cooperation, education, and training techniques law enforcement can minimize the gang’s movements and even stop a crime before it is committed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A gang is defined as a group of individuals with the same objective that are bound together by a bond of trust. The majority of gangs are young people, but not every gang member is in his prime. The people that make up a gang are usually trying to achieve something, either money, respect, freedom from the oppression of another gang or law enforcement agency, the need to belong to something greater than themselves, or a combination of any of these. The individual that joins a gang is usually after the same goal that the gang is seeking to obtain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Different gangs have different characteristics, but all gangs possess at least one: A hierarchy. Whether the gang is a small local crew that never moves out of the neighborhood or a larger well organized team that controls an entire district, there will always be a leader. The leader of the group is the focus of gang-related law enforcement intelligence investigations. Often times the leader of a gang may already be incarcerated, and is still communicating and giving orders from within the walls. The leader is the individual that is usually the strongest member of the group with the most charisma, not necessarily the smartest member of the group or the member that has been in the group the longest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Membership in a gang does not necessarily mean that the person is uneducated. Some gang members may have positions within the law enforcement communities (Sulc, 65) and some gang members earn college degrees in business, law enforcement, finance, etc. This type of education whether formal or on-the-job will make the gang even stronger. If an individual cannot afford to go to college, this type of scholarship program could be an incentive to stay or join up with ... ...mericans understand that catching criminals and bringing down a gang ring is not an easy task. As long as there is an active show of interaction between law enforcement and the public, than the likelihood of information sharing is always greater.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gang related activity of America cannot be extinguished overnight, but understanding that the fight against such crime is not an easy task will help win the American people’s support. The average citizen is enraged as well as discouraged by the acts of criminal gang forces, and the majority of Americans stand behind law enforcement already. The only way to put a dent in the criminal gang forces of America is through a combination of cooperation, education, and training techniques. WORKS CITED Lowenthall, M.M. INTELLIGENCE: FROM SECRETS TO POLICY. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2000. Peterson, M.B. APPLICATIONS IN CRIMINAL ANALYSIS. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. Peterson, M.B. INTELLIGENCE 2000: REVISING THE BASIC ELEMENTS. Sacramento, CA: LEIU, 2000. Sulc, L.B. LAW ENFORCEMENT: COUNTER INTELLIGENCE. Shawnee Mission, KS: Varro Press, 1996.

Marketing and Citibank Essay

ACKNOWLEDGMENT Alhamdulillah, first of all i would like to thank God as finally I was able to finish my assignment that have been given by Marketing lecturer to me. Besides that, not forget also a to my friends Muhammad Kharusani because without his guide me assignment cannot be done properly like this. He always gives supports and guide to me how to do the assignment in purpose to produce a good outcome from research that been studied. Credits also are given to friends class HND1B which help each other to complete this task. Topic that been given by me are regarding concept and process of marketing citibank company. Finally, thank to our beloved friend that always stick together and also work hard to produce a good assignment with all afford and responsibility. Hope that all the effort will give a lot of benefits to me . Not forget also for those who help me complete this assignment direct or indirectly. ABOUT CITIBANK Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York. As of March 2010, Citigroup is the third largest bank holding company in the United States by total assets, after Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. Citibank has retail banking operations in more than 160 countries and territories around the world. More than half of its 1,400 offices are in the United States, mostly in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Miami. More recently, Citibank has expanded its operations in the Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, and Dallas metropolitan areas. In addition to the standard banking transactions, Citibank offers insurance, credit cards and investment products. Their online services division is among the most successful in the field, citation needed claiming about 15 million users. As a result of the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 and huge losses in the value of its subprime mortgage assets, Citibank was rescued by the U.S. government under plans agreed for Citigroup. On November 23, 2008, in addition to initial aid of $25 billion, a further $25 billion was invested in the corporation together with guarantees for risky assets amounting to $306 billion. Since this time, Citibank has repaid its government loans in full. Q1. Present two definitions of marketing and compare both definitions. Provide relevant examples which relate to Citibank case study. Based on Philip kotler definition, Marketing is a social and managerial process whereby individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. In other words, customer will exchange what their value (e.g money), only if their want is met. Based on my opinion, Philip kotler saying that people change what they want is to gain profit and use their valuable item to change it. In daily life also, we need to satisfy our demand by used exchanging process otherwise we cannot improve in a way of how we live. In wanting to possess such a product, we have to pay a price (cost). Hence, in making a decision to purchase an item, the customer will consider both the value and the price. After we have decided on the product, it can then be procured via the process of exchange or transactions. Based on Citigroup, they are using this strategy to satisfy their customer needs and wants. Based on Rochelle Rucker, Citibank faced a few problems to initiate manual fund problems. When they want to send money from their accounts, they call their banker and then fax, phone or mail in requests to have the transaction processed. Because the process was so complicated, customers complained. Most of the complaints lodged with the department dealt with the time it took to complete the process. So, in order to overcome this problem, Citibank use six sigma program methods to solve it. Six Sigma is a business management strategy seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. Six sigma used a simple method which is Pareto chart. This chart gives data which has the highest problem occur most often. A team composed of bankers and operations people identified the entire funds transfer process, tabulating defects and analyzing them using a Pareto chart. One of the methods is using internal call-back procedure, which required staff to call the person requesting the funds transfer to make sure that the instructions were correct and hadn’t been altered. So in this way, Citibank can ensure that their customer has no problem and problem solved. By using this six sigma method Citibank strives for perfect processes to satisfy customer. In Citibank Malaysia, they have proved their commitment for their customer and community live. A large aspect of Citibank’s corporate citizenship in Malaysia focuses on helping people of all ages better understand and practise financial management. In 2010, Citibank Foundation allocated grants totalling USD208,000 for their community-based projects. They have worked with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and invited a new collaboration with ERA Consumer Malaysia to launch the second season of the â€Å"Stretching Your Ringgit† program on TV1, TV2 and Radio RTM. The initiative followed encouraging survey findings that showed more than 70% of Malaysians polled realised the importance of financial management, especially those in the low-middle income bracket. According to American Marketing Association Board of Directors Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customer s, clients, partners, and society at large. In this case, AMA said that marketing occur when both of the company involve when there is activity among them. Citibank use the same concept which they provide services to their customer to save the money and make it easier. Citibank also provide bank loan, Credit card, Deposits, Investment, Citigold which gives benefit to customer. Citibank also use communicating to contact with their customer to provide services or solving problem. Citibank provide services to customer which can give both benefit. for example Citibank provide bank loan and this can reduce burden for people which has low income. As for the Citibank also, they make interest for those who borrow bank loan and this will give benefit to the firm. Both of definition gives the same meaning in different way. Philip kotler emphasize of the customer needs and wants. We can say Citibank really care about their customer so they will try the best to overcome any problem that customer faced. In india Citibank care their customer, this can be shown by their customer â€Å"I can safely say that Citi provides the best card services for India, which is why most of my spend is on Citi and I recommend it to my friends. A lot of the success is the result of having passionate, committed, service oriented people like Manish. My kudos to him†. (J sajeev, 2011).American Marketing Association which more to creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society. The difference between this concept is AMA is more to set of activity which no related to customer needs and wants. Citibank satisfy their customer and this is the key of how Citibank more success than the others banker in Malaysia. Compare to Maybank Malaysia, Citibank is much older than the others banker in Malaysia. We can say that Citibank is more experience in handling money. Q2. Identify at least three main characteristics of a marketing-oriented organization of Citibank case study and provide an examples for each characteristic. What is marketing orientation? Marketing orientation is a philosophy focused on discovering and meeting the needs and desires of its customers through its product mix. Unlike past marketing strategies that concentrated on establishing selling points for existing products, market orientation works in reverse, attempting to tailor products to meet the demands of customers. In essence, market orientation can be thought of as a coordinated marketing campaign between a company and its customers. Nowadays, business firm use this concept to make their customer stick with their product. We can say that the idea that companies can create a product and sell its features to an eager buying public is no longer concrete. With an increasingly global economy and more and more choices for consumers, companies must be willing to adapt their mark et orientation to stay competitive. Based on my opinion, nowadays in Malaysia, we can see a lot of bank is available. So the competition becomes higher than before. In order to attract more people to use their services, Citibank has to adapt with current situation. Citibank use marketing oriented business to identifying customer, consumer needs and wants. In Malaysia, Citibank provide Islamic banking way to satisfy their customer. By using PEST analysis, we can say that Malaysian people are majority muslim and the idea of Citibank to provide Islamic banking which satisfy customer are brilliant. So people can enjoy with low interest rates given. Citibank in Malaysia facing a problem regarding high interest rate offered, so they make a research and develop a new system which enable customer use their Islamic banking. Another services that they provide is Citibank Guard Savings is The first savings account in Malaysia that’s enhanced with free Takaful coverage against critical illness. Citibank Home i Partner provide Capped Rate, Flexible Payment and Daily Calculation, Citibank Checking Account I is a system provided by checking account that honours the Islamic banking principle of guaranteed safe custody approved by the Shariah body. Based on the services provided by Citibank, we can conclude that Citibank care about their customer needs and develop a new system according to community lived. Just like the others bank, Citibank online will make all the transactions become much easier as customer can save valuable time and money. No more hassles with long queues, parking and travelling. As we can see, Citibank developing products to meet customer needs and wants. So they come out with product and services which give benefit to their customer Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Home Loans, Loans, Deposits, Investments, Insurance, Islamic Banking. So this is basic need in any of bank in Malaysia. What is the differences between Citibank and the other bank? So let’s take an example of Citibank ready card. Citibank Ready Credit is an Unsecured Personal Overdraft with Checking Facility that allows you to access cash easily in any amount in excess of your credit balance up to the approved overdraft limit. With ready card, we can access our balance in credit card even if the amount has exceeds the limits. As a fact, Maybank did not have their owned ready card. Citibank ready card is benefit to their customer as it is convenient to pay, pay for amount that we use. Another characteristic of a marketing oriented business is making the product is available to customer at a righ t time and place. We already know about product and services of Citibank as Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Home Loans, Loans, Deposits, Investments, Insurance, Islamic Banking. Let’s take an example of Credit cards, before this Citibank only produced normal credit for their customer only. But now, Citibank produced a new credit card Citibank at work. Citibank at Work takes Citibank’s world-class consumer banking products and services right to the doorstep of employees at their workplace. Apart from enjoying customized privileges across a wide range of products including banking accounts, credit cards, loans, deposits and insurance on-site, employees of these companies also have access to financial seminars and lifestyle events, tailored to their specific profiles and needs. By using Citibank at work, business company can do their job efficiently as they have their own business credit card. Q3. Explain four elements of the marketing concept and relate your answer with Citibank case study. FOUR ELEMENTS OF MARKETING ORIENTED ORGANIZATION Production Concept is a concept where goods are produced without taking into consideration the choices or tastes of your customers. It is one of the earliest marketing concepts where goods were just produced on the belief that they will be sold because consumers need them. It holds that customers will prefer products that are widely available and inexpensive. Manager focusing on this concept concentrate on achieving high production efficiency, low cost, and mass distribution. From my opinion, production concept emphasize on distribution of product. This type of concept are easier to use. Based on the case study, Citibank provided more credit card for their customer. Each customer could have more than one credit card. Product Concept holds that consumers will favor those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. Managers focusing on this concept concentrate on making superior products and improving them over time. They assume that buyers admire well-made products and can appraise quality and performance. However, these managers are sometimes caught up in a love affair with their product and do not realize what the market needs. Related to the case study, Citibank improved their product to satisfy customer need. Before this, customer got problem to use their credit card where credit card can be used for loan only. But after an improvement, Citibank come out with Citibank Premier Miles card, Platinum, Citi business, Air-Asia Citibank gold. Next elements use is selling concept. It holds that consumers and businesses if left alone, will ordinarily not buy enough of the selling company’s product. Selling concept also is an idea in marketing that if customers are left to themselves, they will not make the effort to buy a company’s products. Therefore, it dictates, companies must be aggressive in pushing their sales. Based on my opinion, if company want to sell their product by using selling concept, they have to be aggressive in promoting their product. Not like the older ways where they promote their product by using agents. As for the Citibank case study, nowadays they advertise their product through internet and media more efficiently. Marketing concept is a business philosophy that combines above three business orientation. It holds that the key to achieving it’s organizational goals consists of company being more effective than competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating customer value to it’s selected target customers. These three philosophies are the product, selling, and marketing philosophies. Even though each philosophy has a particular time when it was dominant, a philosophy did not die with the end of its era of dominance. In fact, all three philosophies are being used today. The best way to meet the organization’s goals is also by meeting customer needs and wants. The marketing concept’s emphasis is to understand the customers before designing and producing a product for them. With the customer’s wants and needs incorporated into the design and manufacture of the product, sales and profit goals are far more likely to be met. What are Citibank do to satisfy their customer needs based on marketing concept is they make swot analysis to know what can be done to attract more customer in Citibank. Citibank (2009) has mention that their customers can have their banking activities in the Islamic principles. This not only able attracts more customer but Citibank are show that they understand their customer need in the daily banking activities. This principle have apply in Citibank branch in Malaysia. â€Å"What are the reasons behind the recent growth in Islamic finance? One is the strong demand from a large number of immigrant and non immigrant Muslims for Sharia-compliant financial services and transactions.† (Low chee hua, 2010) In order to compete in the rising of the demand of Islamic Banking, Citibank has introduced the Islamic Banking to their customers. So basically, marketing concept is satisfy customer problem and solved it by looking of what customer need. The societal marketing concept was an offshoot of the marketing concept wherein an organization believes in giving back to the society by producing better products targeted towards society welfare. Some have questioned whether the marketing concept is an appropriate philosophy in an age of environmental deterioration, resource shortages, explosive population growth, world hunger and poverty, and neglected social services. The marketing concept possibily sidesteps the potential conflicts among consumer wants. Citibank also take part in their societal marketing. Citibank became a major sponsor of the Sydney Swans in 2005, who is play in the AFL. The marketing concept is about matching a company’s capabilities with customer wants. This matching process takes place in what is called the marketing environment. Businesses do not undertake marketing activities alone. They face threats from competitors, and changes in the political, economic, social and technological environment. All these factors have to be taken into account as a business tries to match its capabilities with the needs and wants of its target customers. An organisation that adopts the marketing concept accepts the needs of potential customers as the basis for its operations. Success is dependent on satisfying customer needs. So basically, Citibank use marketing concept to attract more customer to use their services. One of the techniques used is credit card promotion such as Instant Rewards at Shell, Domino’s pizza, Samsung S3, Asia web direct. Before this, if customer wants to pay bill or loan they have to go to Citibank. But nowadays, they upgrade their system to online banking so that customer can pay instantly and reduce waste time. Q4. Provide an indication of the likely costs and benefits to Citibank case study in adapting a marketing approach. In Citibank, there are many advantages and disadvantages of a marketing approach. Customer Satisfaction In customer satisfaction, it refers to which a product’s perceived performance matches a buyer’s expectation. It is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. We can see based on their services of Citibank do for their customer. In Malaysia, Even the Citibank atm machine is less than the other bank, but their services to customer is good. Citibank will try their best to solve problem of customer credit card so that they will not lose their customer. Customer Care Customer care is a phrase that is used to describe the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner. The term is used in place of complaint handling due to its positive focus, and is a reminder that customer satisfaction is a priority. Related to Citibank case study, they care about their customer. we can see that Citibank provide customer services so they will know any problem of customer faced. There is a few customer having problem regarding Citibank delay card. As banks are losing their customer fast, they are coming up with different strategies to retain their customers. ‘When/where was the last time you made the transaction with the card?’; I told him I don’t remember anymore since I have a few cards and I have not been using Citibank Card for a while. He insisted me to answer that question before he can proceed, and I insisted I that I don’t remember and suggested him to ask another verification question†. (Kclau, 2010) Quality of services and products. In company, they must have their own quality of services and products. It is designed to constantly improve the quality of their products, services and marketing concept. In Citibank, their main objective at Citibank is to provide reliable and quality services to our customers. Our customer service policy has the overall aim of ensuring that our customers are provided with services which are reliable and best suited to their needs. They have to manage and ensure that quality control standards for services are met. Citibank also have online credit card services so they can login anytime, anywhere to view their account details and activities. DISADVANTAGES OF CITIBANK There is one reason and one reason only that it’s so easy to get a store credit card: they are confident that they will make money off of customer purchase. The interest charged on store cards, as compared to bank credit cards, is at least several percentage points higher and often as much as 10-15% higher. As well, annual fees or sign-up fees may run twice as much as those of standard credit cards. Means that, Citibank charged is higher than the other banks in Malaysia, so that’s why only businessman use Citibank. It involved high cost in retaining the customers. And also, the target market for Citibank is higher because they only target their customer on businessman. CONCLUSION As overall conclusion, Citibank is one of the multinational companies that successful in online based financial institution that operate in Malaysia. Citibank able to understand the culture of local citizen (promo Islamic Banking Services), able to gain their market share by solved the geographical problem (online banking services), able to cost cutting by promo the online banking culture to their customer, and able to compete with the local financial institution. We know that Citibank is really cares about their customer and try their best to satisfy customer needs and wants. Based on this concept of marketing, Citibank now are well known in all around the world. Although it is a foreign company but Citibank is a good model to local financial institution to learn their strategies to increase their competitive capability to compete in the global market.

Meteors Case Study Essay

Meteorites are rocks from space, which land on Earth, attracted by her gravity. The shooting stars that you see at night, are actually burning meteors that fall on Earth from outer space! This is the first of many interesting facts that are going to follow. Why do meteorites fall? For the same reason why anything falls on Earth – ‘Gravity’. Very few can escape it! Meteorites have their origin in outer space. They are relatively small pieces of dust and debris, usually left behind in the wake of a comet. Meteorites, that are huge in size, have their origin in space, as asteroids. They are left over pieces of matter from formation of the solar system, which could not clump together to form a planet like our Earth. There is a dense belt of such asteroids outside the orbit of the planet Mars, called the ‘Asteroid Belt’. Asteroids are huge in size and their lengths can number to kilometers! Once in a while, small pieces of rock or dust, come into range of Earth’s gravitational pull and fall on Earth as shooting stars. An asteroid dislodged from its trajectory and falling on Earth is also called a meteorite. However, an asteroid being huge in size, causes a cataclysmic explosion on Earth on impact. Origin ‘Meteor’ and ‘Meteorite’ facts are interchangeable terms and we shall see why they are so. When these rocks and pieces of dust are floating in space, they are called ‘Meteoroids’. When they make a blazing entry into Earth’s atmosphere, they are called ‘Meteors’. Finally, if they survive the burning entry into Earth’s atmosphere and fall on Earth, they are called ‘Meteorites’. So a meteorite could originate from comet debris called meteoroids or larger objects called asteroids! Here are some basic facts about meteorites, meteors and meteoroids. Comets leave tons of dust and debris in their trail as they travel along long orbits round the Sun. When Earth, while revolving around the Sun, passes through some patches of this comet debris, it enters the Earth’s atmosphere causing meteor showers. Meteor showers are periodic events. One can see thousands of meteors or shooting stars, as they are called, dur ing such a shower. The most popular meteor showers are ‘Perseids’ (which peak around August 12) and Leonids (which peak around 17 November). During these showers, you can observe a shooting star at the rate of 1 meteor per minute on an average. A falling meteor can travel at speed of as much as 44 miles per second ! One of the facts is that they have some of the oldest rocks in the solar system among them. They could be older than the Earth and date from the period when Sun was forming! Every day, about 4 billion meteoroids fall on Earth! Majority of them are very tiny and therefore do not cause much harm. If a meteorite is observed while falling and recovered from the place of fall, it’s called a ‘fall’ meteorite. If a meteorite is not observed while falling, but found from any location, it’s called a ‘find.’ Till 2006, there have been roughly 1,050 witnessed falls while there are about 30,000 documented ‘Finds’. Falling meteors which are large in size, can create an intense electromagnetic pulse, which temporarily disrupt radio communication in the region of fall! With a properly designed radio antenna, you can actually ‘hear’ meteorites falling as radio noise. Types and Composition Here are some facts about their types and composition, that you should know about. Recovered meteorites are classified into three main categories which are ‘Chondrites’ (Make about 86% of all recovered meteorites), ‘Achondrites’ (8%) and ‘Iron’ meteorites (6 %). The name ‘Chondrites’ comes from features called ‘Chrondules’, which are melted silicate materials from their past. Chondrites are about 4.55 billion years old and are the types of rocks from which our own planet formed! Certain chondrite meteorites fallen from outer space contain traces of amino acids and organic matter, bolstering the theory that life may have been planted on Earth! This is one of the most astounding facts. Achronidtes are relatively younger meteorites of the igneous rock type and are pieces of asteroids, the Moon and Mars! Iron meteorites are composed of iron-nickel alloys and silicate materials. They are also thought to be pieces of asteroid s! Every one of these meteor facts are intriguing. Earth has been pounded by the impact of many meteorites, ranging from the very tiny to gigantic meteorites. The meteorites impact craters that are found on earth are testimony to this. It is time for the last of our facts. One gigantic meteorite impact occurred millions of years ago on Earth which brought on the extinction of dinosaurs! One question that may come to your mind is, ‘Where do meteorites fall?’. They could fall anywhere on Earth. Meteors have been found all over the world. The recent findings have been mostly in Africa and accessible parts of Antarctica. If you could find one, you are bound to be rich as private collectors and museums pay millions of dollars for them! The reason is that they are very rare and are made up of minerals, which are never found on Earth! So keep looking! You may never know, when one might pop out of the sky, making you rich. So it’s actually profitable to know some meteor facts. Originating in the outer space, an object reaches Earth and gets a place in the list of meteorites. There have been many instances of extraterrestrial bo dies impacting the Earth’s surface while some have only passed through the Earth’s atmosphere before they were destroyed. Meteorites have been arousing interest of the masses as there is an element of mystery that surrounds them. Where do they originate? What makes some of them enter the Earth’s atmosphere? How dangerous can they get? Space research and astronomy have revealed some interesting information about some of these questions and researched thoroughly on the different types of meteorites. Most of the meteorites disintegrate before reaching Earth while some reach the planet’s surface. Huge meteorites form craters on Earth while the smaller ones involve less danger. Meteorites containing small round particles are known as chondrites and form about 86% of those falling on Earth. Those similar in appearance to small igneous rocks are called achondrites and believed as being the crustal material of asteroids. Meteorites originating from the core of asteroids are known as iron meteorites and form about 5% of the meteorites, which fall. History has recorded a number of instances of meteorites impacting the Earth. ALH 84001: It was found in the Allan Hills, Antarctica in December 1984. Meteorite hunters of the United States working on ASMNET project discovered this meteorite. When discovered, its mass was 1.93 kilograms and its rock was reportedly one of the oldest forms. This meteorite was supposed to have come from Mars. Later it was believed to consist of some traces of the life on Mars and this made ALH 84001 more famous than ever. Hoba: This meteorite lies on the farm Hoba West in Namibia and has never been moved elsewhere because of its exceptionally greater mass. With a mass of about 60 tons, it is the largest meteorite known to mankind. It is tabloid in shape and composed of metal. It is believed to have landed on Earth about 80,000 years ago. In 1955, it was declared as a national monument and has since then been attracting visitors from different parts of the world. Tunguska Event: The Tunguska explosion took place in June 1908 near Tunguska River, now a part of Russia. Most probably, the air burst of a large meteorite caused this explosion. The energy emitted from this explosion was about 1000 times greater than that of the bomb blast of Hiroshima. According to the eyewitnesses of this explosion, the event started with a flash of bright blue light and a sound originating from east and moving northward. Later the sound was accompanied by shock waves that broke windows miles away. This was one of the famous disintegrating meteorites that remain in the list of world’s most famous meteorites. Willamette Meteorite: This is an iron-nickel meteorite that was discovered in the United States near Oregon. It is the largest of the meteorites found in the United Sates as also the sixth largest in the world. Probably the meteorite had landed in the region, which is now known as Canada. This meteorite weighing about 15.5 tons is one of the very large meteorites of the world. Orgueil: This meteorite fell in France in 1864 and is a relatively older meteorite. The fall of this meteorite consisted of small stones that covered a massive area. This is one of those eight meteorites that belong to the CL chondrite group. A striking feature of this type of meteorite it that its composition is similar to that of the Sun. This meteorite is one of the most researched ones. For purposes of deeper study of the composition of this meteorite, it was split into pieces. Currently, it exists in the form of pieces kept in different museums in Europe and the United States. These were some of the famous meteorites of the world. They have always been a subject of interest for researchers around the world. Meteor showers A meteor shower is a celestial event wherein it is observed that a group of meteors radiate from anyone point in the sky. This phenomenon is also known as ‘Meteor Storm’ or ‘Meteor Outburst’. The meteors that are present in the showers are actually cosmic debris that enter the Earth atmosphere at very high speed and vaporize very quickly due to friction leaving behind a streak of light which is known as the meteor shower. An identified meteor shower is usually an annual affair as the Earth will encounter the same meteors at approximately the same time and same speed every year. Causes Meteor showers are a result of interaction that takes place between the planet Earth and a comet. Comets consist of ice and rocks (often termed dirty ice balls) that orbit around the sun like planets. Every time the comet gets close to the sun, some of the ice present in the comet melts which produces a large amount of debris. This debris moves away from the comet and becomes a part of its tail which is visible part of the comet. The solid parts of the tail are the meteoroids and they spread along the entire orbit of the comet which is termed as a meteoroid stream. As the Earth orbits around the sun, its path may cross the meteoroid stream and a meteor shower follows. When the meteoroid stream is particularly dense, then we get to witness the meteor storm and having witnessed one myself, I can guarantee that the sight is truly spectacular. People Behind the Concept It is believed that Irish astronomer George Johnstone Clooney collaborating with the British astronomer Arthur Matthew Weld Downing and Adolf Berberich belonging to the Royal Astronomical Computation Institute in Berlin, Germany offered the very first idea of the meteoroid stream in the 1890. They were able to calculate as to how the meteoroids once freed from the comet would travel at low speeds when compared to the comet itself would start drifting after completing one orbit. This effect was attributed to simple orbital wherein the materials drift laterally away from the comet as some particles make a wider orbit when compared to other particles. The gravitational pull of the Earth’s atmosphere would decide where the dust trails would pass the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a fair possibility that some years, the dust particles can completely miss the Earth’s orbit. Major Meteor Showers If you want to watch meteor showers then the best time of the year is the night of January 3. The shower has been named Quadrantids and this particular shower can produce over a close to 140 meteors per hour. The source of this shower is not a comet but a minor planet, 2003 EH1 which suffered a catastrophic breakup in 1490. However, the showers are very faint and the peak hours last only for a few hours. Hence, you will have to be in a good spot and at an ideal point to watch the shower in all its glory and the best place to watch this particular shower is from the Northern Hemisphere. But people in Southern Hemisphere need not be disappointed. As a matter of fact, they get to witness a meteor shower termed Eta Aquarids which consists of debris from the famous Halley’s Comet. This shower peaks on the night of May 5 and the rate of meteors is about 30 per hour. The meteor shower ‘Geminids’ is considered to be the best annual shower. It peaks around the night of December 13 and the rate of meteor is around 70 per hour. The source of this shower is also a minor planet, 3200 Phaethon. It is best visible from the Northern Hemisphere and it is believed that due to the extreme cold conditions, the air tends to be more transparent and this is the reason as to why this particular shower is spectacular. Sporadic Meteor Showers When the meteoroids collide with each other and can become a part of the sporadic meteors background. They form isolated meteors and are not a part of any shower. Asteroids Asteroids are considered to be remnants of an early broken planet of the solar system. Asteroids have no fixed shape and are too small to be spherical in shape. They are ellipsoids (two dimensional figure), dumbbell or irregularly shaped. As they have different shapes, they also vary in their size. The first asteroid Ceres, discovered in January 1801 by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi, is the largest known asteroid and is 940 km in diameter. Some of the smallest asteroids are just 6 meters in diameter. The mass of all the asteroids added together, is believed to lesser than the mass of the Moon. Only 200,000 asteroids have been discovered so far, but billion more undiscovered asteroids still exit in our solar system. Asteroid Belt Most asteroids lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, however there are more belts in the solar system, namely the ones beyond Neptune’s orbit. The belt itself has interesting origination theories. Most astronomers believe that the belt is a broken planet, while some say that the belt is primordial material that never coalesced into a planet because of Jupiter’s gravitational pull. The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and contains more than 200 asteroids larger than 100 km in diameter, and more than 750,000 asteroids with diameters larger than 1 km. Most asteroids are found in this belt because of the gravitational interaction between the solar system and the celestial bodies in it. As opposed to the fiction made popular by various depictions of the asteroid belt, it is not at all dense. The region is so vast that asteroids are hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from their closest neighbor. The asteroids are so small and far away from each other that they appear as faint stars, and except for Ceres, are not bright enough to be seen without some telescopic aid. Only the asteroid Vesta, on rare occasions of an extremely clear dark sky can become visible to the naked eye. What are Asteroids Composed Of? Asteroids are made of different minerals and substances. This depends on the planet they broke away from in a collision, as well as the chemical reactions they might have experienced while orbiting in the solar system. The asteroids closest to the Sun are mostly carbonaceous and the ones further away are composed of silicate rock. The metallic asteroids are made of 70-80% iron and the remaining is nickel with many other metals such as iridium mixed in. Some are also made of half silicate and half metallic. The asteroid Ceres is composed of a rocky core covered by an icy mantle, whereas Vesta has a nickel-iron core, basaltic crust and a covering of magnesium iron silicate (olivine mantle). Asteroids composition has been classified as the following: C class asteroids: They are found in the Earth’s outer belt and are darker and more carbonaceous than the ones found in the S class. D class asteroids: They are also known as Trojan asteroids of Jupiter and are dark and carbonaceous in composition. S class asteroids: They are found in the Earth’s inner belt, closer to Mars and are composed of mostly stone and iron. V class asteroids: They are a far-out group of asteroids that follow a path between the orbits of Jupiter and Uranus, and are made of igneous, eruptive materials. A near-Earth asteroid collided with the Earth about 65 million years ago, which triggered environmental changes, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs. This asteroid created a huge circular depression called the Chicxulub Basin and is centered in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, a major tourist attraction. Though the chances of asteroid collision with the Earth is very rare, they do come very close to our planet due to collisions and gravitational tugs on the highly elliptical Sun’s orbit. Most asteroids burn up in the atmosphere and never reach the Earth. NASA projects, such as the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) and the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) main objectives are to detect and intercept asteroids or other celestial bodies coming close to the Earth before they cause untold damage to our planet. Asteroids are small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal, that revolve around the Sun. Their size can vary: some asteroids are large and roughly spherical in shape, due to which they appear like miniature planets; while the others are small and irregularly shaped. The matter of these celestial bodies also differs. The asteroid ‘Vesta’, is believed to have a nickel-iron core, olivine mantle and basaltic crust, while the asteroid ’10 Hygiea’ is composed of carbonaceous chondrite. Most of the small asteroids are piles of rubble held together by gravity. Some asteroids supposedly have traces of amino-acids and other organic compounds, and it is assumed that the impact of asteroids on the Earth could have initiated life on the planet by seeding it with the necessary chemical substances. Although, it is believed that the asteroids may have planted life on the Earth, they are capable of having catastrophic effect on the planet as well. Asteroids with a diameter of 5 to 10 meters, and energy equal to 15 kilotons of TNT, enter into the Earth’s atmosphere approximately once every year; while, those with a diameter of over 50 meters enter the Earth’s atmosphere approximately once in a thousand years. Their impact can be devastating if they hit the Earth, but they disintegrate in the upper atmosphere and most of the particles are vaporized, thus rendering them harmless. In the distant past, our planet has experienced a massive climate change and large-scale extinction of animal and plant species, ascribed to the impact of some large asteroids on the planet. The exogenesis theory suggests that origin of life on the Earth must have been triggered by the impact of some asteroid, carrying organic chemicals needed to initiate life form. The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, which led to the end of dinosaurs and the Permian-Triassic extinction event that led to the end of the Permian period finishing off 90% of the species on the planet, are believed to be the result of an asteroid impact on the Earth. The craters on the solid bodies in the solar system, which were attributed to volcanic activities till 1960s, were actually formed due to the impact of celestial bodies. Researchers have determined that in the last 600 million years, 60 objects with a diameter of five km or more, have struck the Earth. Even the smallest of these object possessed energy of ten million megatons of TNT, and would have formed a crater, approximately 95 km in diameter, on the surface of our planet. The Rio Cuarto craters in Argentina are believed to have formed due to the impact of asteroids that struck this area around 10,000 years ago. In 1490, ten thousand people reportedly lost their lives due to a hail of stones from the sky. This hail of stones is assumed to be result of the disintegration of a large asteroid, after it entered the Earth’s atmosphere. In 1908, a mid-air explosion of an asteroid destroyed 80 million trees, within an area of 830 miles, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, in Si beria. In many cases, the sighting of a foreign body, such as an asteroid or a meteoroids is reported as a fireball in the sky. Millions of asteroids will pass by the Earth in the years to come. Though, they are unknown now, they are detectable as they come closer to the planet. The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) and the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) are projects initiated by NASA to detect asteroids or other such foreign bodies coming close to the Earth. The need of the hour is to develop an intercept system in space, to destroy or deflect foreign objects heading towards our planet, before they prove catastrophic. Asteroids are celestial bodies consisting of rocks and metals. They are mainly concentrated in the region known as the asteroid belt which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids can be as big as Ceres, which is close to 1000 kilometers in diameter, or can be just a few feet in diameter. Whatever the size, asteroids are neither big enough to be called planets nor are they as small as comets. They are classified as minor planets that include the Kuiper Belt Objects. Discovery On January 1, 1801, Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the first asteroid which he initially thought to be a comet. He named this asteroid Ceres, after the Sicilian Goddess of grain. Ceres is also the largest asteroid to have been discovered so far. Soon, other large asteroids like Pallas, Juno and Vista were discovered. By the end of the 19th century, several hundred asteroids were discovered. Formation of Asteroids It was once believed that asteroids were formed by the explosion of a planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. However, according to present day astronomers, asteroids are debris left behind by the Big Bang that could not come together to form a tenth planet because of the effect of Jupiter’s gravitational pull. Asteroid Hits Asteroids have been hitting the Earth since millions of years. However, due to the friction with Earth’s atmosphere most of the asteroids get burnt. The asteroids that enter the Earth’ s atmosphere are called meteors while the ones that get burnt and appear as shooting stars are called meteorites. According to the Giant Impact Theory, the Moon was created when Theia, an asteroid of the size of Mars, collided with the Earth in the early days of the solar system. However, some consider Theia to be more of a planetoid than an asteroid. The largest crater caused by an asteroid hit is the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico that is 180 km in diameter. The asteroid that formed the crater had a diameter of 10 km. This collision is supposed to be responsible for the extinction of a large number of flora and fauna including the dinosaur. However, the evidence of the largest asteroid hit is in the Vredefort crater in South Africa that is 300 km in diameter. Impacts of Asteroid Hits The damage that an asteroid’s impact can cause depends mainly upon its mass and velocity, as these are the two factors that determine the energy that is released when an asteroid hits the Earth. While some asteroids are capable of sending thermal waves that can incinerate most flora and fauna within a few hundred kilometers, some larger asteroids can create huge impacts causing magma to cover areas as big as continents. The worst effect of an asteroid hit is the blocking out of sunlight for months together due to formation of dust clouds and soot in the upper atmosphere. This would hamper the green plants’ ability to prepare food through the process of photosynthesis and the food chain would be disrupted. Near-Earth Asteroids Near-Earth asteroids are those that have moved closer to the Earth’s orbit as they have been knocked out of the asteroid belt due to collision with other asteroids or comets, or due to the gravitational forces of Jupiter. They are classified into the following three groups: The Amors: These are near-Earth asteroids that cross the orbit of Mars but do not go out of the Earth’s orbit. The Apollos: The orbits of these near-Earth asteroids cross the Earth’s orbit but have an orbital period of greater than one year. The Atens: These near-Earth asteroids have orbits that cross the Earth’s orbit but have an orbital period of less than one year. Asteroids are currently being monitored for their probability of colliding with the Earth. Such studies have predicted that asteroids may hit the Earth on February 1, 2019 and March 16, 2880. The probability of the 2880 collision is as high as 1 in 300. A number of projects in the field of astronomy, like Spacewatch, Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking and Catalina Sky Survey are being carried out to detect any threat of such catastrophes. Comets A comet is a small body in space. It was matter of great interest to astronomers like Sir Edmond Halley. Many decades later, comets still remain a challenging mystery for the field of astronomy. Space research institutes around the world have reported the existence of 3628 comets that are known and studied. Annually, an average of one comet is sighted by the naked eye from the surface of the Earth. According to the definitions given by the various space research organizations, a comet can be defined as a space body that travels in an elliptical orbit around the sun. Most of the comets travel in elliptical orbits. When the comet comes in the vicinity of the star it is orbiting around, its comma-like tail gets illuminated. A majority of comets are visible only through telescopes and other aids. There are however, some comets which are also visible to the naked eye. What is a Comet Made Up of? A comet is principally made up of ice, dust and different forms of gases. The nature of the components differs from comet to comet. The central part of a comet that looks like a ball is termed as the nucleus. The nucleus is principally made up of ice and frozen gases. The frozen components also include many other compounds like ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide. Rocks are another component of the nucleus. Due to such composition, the nucleus of the comet often resembles a huge ball of dirt and snow. It is also believed by some astronomers, that the nucleus of a comet is rather fragile because several comets have split into parts without any explainable reason except immense velocity. The huge elliptical orbit takes the comet in the range of heat of the star around which it is orbiting. When the comet enters the inner parts of the solar system, the frozen content of the nucleus starts melting. The gases and water within the nucleus vaporize as a result of radiation from the star and the solar wind. The immense velocity of the comet and the solar wind, push the vaporized matter away from the nucleus. This gives the comet it’s distinct tail and the comma-like appearance. The high amount of heat and the ions (charged particles that are formed due to the heat of the sun) cause the tail of the comet to glow. How are Comets Formed? According to their formation or birth, the comets can be classified into two types. The first type is short-term comets which originate in the Kuiper belt as space bodies beyond the orbit of Pluto. The gravitational pull of the planets in the solar system, causes the origin of short term comets. These comets enter the solar system and take the form of active and glowing comets. Long term comets originate as traveling bodies in the Oort cloud (located around 50,000 light years away from the sun). The gravitational attraction of the planets in the solar system and other gravitational forces cause these comets to form elliptical orbits. Death of a Comet The study of comets has revealed that they have a fragile structure. Sometimes, comets split into parts due to sheer velocity. The entry and exit of comets in the solar system in course of its orbit, reduces the amount of matter (ice and frozen gases) in it. Due to this reduction in matter, the comets break-up and disperse into clouds. A dead comet is nothing but an asteroid or a similar form of a space body. Sometimes the comets also crash in other planets when their orbits cross each other. The most famous example of such a comet is the Shoemaker Levy 9, that crashed into Jupiter. For astronomers who have spent their lives studying comets, it a very heart-breaking moment to gaze at a dying comet. The Halley’s Comet is said to be one of the most beautiful comets. Another very beautiful comet is the Hale-Bopp, that was discovered in the year 1995, on 23rd July. It was predicted by astronomers that the Halley’s Comet would be sighted in the November of 1835. Mark Twain, the famous writer, was born just two weeks after the sighting. He developed a very special liking towards the Halley’s Comet. In his biography he comments,†I came in with the Halley’s Comet, and expect to go with it. The Almighty has said no doubt, Now here are two unaccountable freaks; they came in together; they must go out together.† Halley’s Comet was next sighted on 20th April, 1910. Twain ended the journey of his life the very next day. The journey of any comet is indeed like that of Mark Twain. It is remarkably long, fast, adventurous as it streaks across the dark sky. Haley’s comet Historical Spottings British scientist, Edmond Halley who observed the comet in 1682, was the first person to establish its periodic reappearance after every 75-76 years. He studied the comet and quite accurately predicted that it had earlier appeared in 1531 and in 1607. It was named ‘Halley’ in his honor and was observed again in 1758 as stated by him. It was last seen in February 1986. However, this was not the first time the comet was in focus. The first sighting recorded, was way back in 240 BC, by the Chinese and was mentioned in a chronicle, ‘Records of the Great Historian’. The comet also finds a mention in a Babylonian clay inscription of 164 BC. It has always been a subject of great interest, since it was believed to have an influence on the contemporary events. Armenian king Tigranes II, had its image printed on the coins issued in his regime after it was sighted in 87 BC. Therefore, even though the recurrence of the comet was an unknown fact, people were fascinated b y its appearance. The bright star that appeared in the night sky in 12 BC, coinciding with the birth of Jesus, is widely believed to be the Halley’s comet. Giotto Di Bondone, the famous Italian painter, who lived before the renaissance era, painted it in his work ‘The Star of Bethlehem’ in the Nativity, in 1305. He had seen the comet appear in 1301 and was impressed by the spectacle. In the middle ages, the appearance of a comet was considered to be a warning sign of a forthcoming danger. The most famous incident of spotting a comet during this period, was in 1066, before the Battle of Hastings. King Harold who had lost the battle, was believed to have seen the comet due to which he was cursed. In fact, the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy, France, signifies the Norman victory in this battle with an image of King Harold looking at the comet in the sky. In 1456, Pope Calixtus III had condemned its appearance considering it to be an evil omen. Three years prior to this, Europe was defeated by the Ottoman Empire. Human beings have always blamed celestial phenomena, whenever they have not been able to explain the causes of certain unfavorable events. Historically, the presence of a comet in the night sky was commonly cited as the reason behind difficult situations that were beyond the reasoning of common man. A French physician, Ambroise, had described the pitiful conditions of middle ages, when a comet was seen just before the spread of a big epidemic. According to him, some people were scared to death while others fell sick on seeing the comet. It was believed to be some ‘evil form’ leaving behind a trail of blood, believed to be a sign of misery. Recent Spottings In the 16th and the 17th century, scientists learned to calculate the speed and distance at which comets travel around the Sun. Once, Edmond Halley had established the year of its reappearance, Halley’s comet became a matter of great interest. Although, he didn’t live to see his prediction coming true, his observation had a significant impact on the way society perceived comets. The sighting of a comet, especially Halley’s comet became less of a concern and more of a curiosity among people. Once people realized that comets are orbiting bodies just like planets, they became less apprehensive on the arrival of a comet in the Earth’s visibility zone. The change in the attitude of the people was seen in the depiction of the comet in the contemporary pictures. Halley’s comet was a subject of scientific study and was depicted as a beautiful heavenly body in the sky. Famous American writer Mark Twain was born in 1835, the year when Halley’s comet ha d appeared. He predicted in 1909 that since he had ‘come’ with the comet he will ‘go out’ with it. Sure enough, he passed away a year after the comet reappeared in 1910. In the 1900s, it had appeared twice; once in 1910 and then in 1986. Further studies gave us a deep insight into the structure, composition and orbital journey of many different comets. Halley’s comet has one of the shortest orbital paths. It is classified as a short period comet, i.e. comets having an orbit period of 200 years or less. Once upon a time, it belonged to the long period class, but due to the gravitational force of planets, its orbit shortened over a period of time. Today, it is known that comets like ‘Hale Bopp’ which appeared in 1997, will reappear after 4200 years! Thus, Halley’s comet is the most frequently spotted one. Recently, it was seen in February 1986. During this visit, it was subjected to its biggest scrutiny ever. Five spacecrafts from The European Space Agency, Japan and the USSR were launched to study its surface. Structure and Composition of Halley’s Comet Halley’s comet is a big mass of ice and dust, having an elliptical orbit and shaped like a peanut. It has a highly elongated orbit, taking it very close to the Sun. It flings off far in the outer solar system, similar to a slingshot motion. The composition is mainly of water, sodium monoxide, methane, ammonia, hydrocarbons, iron and sodium. Its closest distance from the Sun was found to be just 0.6 AU (astronomical unit) and the farthest distance was calculated to be 35 AU, roughly the same distance as that of Pluto. It orbits the Sun in a retrograde or in the direction opposite to that of the planets’ revolution. The speed with respect to the Earth is quite high, since it is highly eccentric and inclined. The day time is relatively more on its surface and its maximum temperature rises up to 77 degrees celsius. Due to its large size and a well-defined and regular orbit, it was easy for the probe missions photograph it closely and study its surface. The mass of the comet is 1.7Ãâ€"1015 kilograms and the size of the nucleus has been estimated to be 15 km Ãâ€" 7 km Ãâ€" 7 km. Winds blowing near its surface are so strong that 1 gram particle of dust which hit the Giotto space probe, briefly destabilized it. Halley’s comet will next appear in 2062. Comets have always been a fascination for human beings and will continue to mesmerize generations to come, as we discover more interesting facts about these spectacular fireballs, the comets. Comet lullin Comet Lulin was discovered on July 11, 2007, by the duo of Ye Quanzhi and Lin Chi-Sheng. A non-periodic comet, Lulin appears to be greenish in color. This green color is attributed to the presence of gases such as cyanogen and diatomic carbon, which produce a green glow when illuminated by sunlight in the vacuum of the space. Officially designated as C/2007 N3 (Lulin), it is also known as the ‘Comet of Cooperation’ in China and Taiwan, as the two individuals involved in its discovery, were from these two countries. This comet was first photographed by Taiwanese astronomer Lin Chi-Sheng on July 11, 2007, while he was working on the Lulin Sky Survey Project (LUSS) at the Lulin observatory in Nantou, Taiwan. The Lulin Sky Survey Project aims to identify the numerous small objects in the solar system, particularly those that pose possible hazards to our planet. Lin used a 16-inch telescope to photograph this comet, which was initially assumed to be an asteroid. A few days later, Ye Quanzhi, a 19-year old student of meteorology from Sun Yat-Sen University, China, recognized this comet while going through Lin’s photographs. Its status of being a comet was confirmed after the presence of coma, the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of the comet, was noticed. Both, Lin and Quanzhi were accredited with the discovery of this new comet. As it was first noticed from the Lulin Observatory, it was named as Comet Lulin. Comet Lulin was seen in the Libra constellation from January to March 2009. In January, it was getting brighter and could be seen just before dawn; while in February, the brightness reached its peak. Eventually, in March, it started to fade as it went farther away from the Earth. While it was approaching the Earth, it had a typical tail pointing away from the Sun, as well as an ‘anti-tail’ which was directly pointing towards the sun. Although, it was assumed that this anti-tail was observed only in photographs, so me observers reported that it was visible even from a telescope in February 2009. According to Brian Marsden, an astronomer at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Massachusetts, this comet’s closest approach to the sun was on January 10, 2009 when it reached a distance of 113 million miles from the sun. He noticed that the comet was moving in a retrograde orbit that is near-parabolic. On February 24, Comet Lulin came the closest to the Earth, at a distance of 0.41 AU or 38 million miles to be precise. On February 4, 2009, a team of Italian astronomers, under the leadership of Ernesto Guido, witnessed a strange phenomenon taking place in comet Lulin. While photographing the comet with a remotely controlled telescope in New Mexico, they saw that its tail suddenly disconnected. Ernesto attributed this odd phenomenon to magnetic disturbance of the solar wind hitting the comet. Earlier, this had been observed with Comet Encke too, when coronal mass ejection occurred, due to such magnetic storms. Photographs taken by NASA’s Swift Gamma-ray Explorer satellite in ultra-violet and X-rays show that Lulin is shedding 800 gallons of water every second. Observations by NASA also revealed that the surface material of the comet was burning away due to sun’s heat. This sighting of Comet Lulin was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the whole world, as there is no possibility of this comet returning to the inner solar system, at least not for the next thousand years. Human kind has always looked to the heavens in awe and wonder, and sometimes in fear. Perhaps no other astronomical phenomenon except a total solar eclipse has historically evoked as much fear as comets. When the specter of fear is removed, however, they emerge as strikingly beautiful objects in the sky. It was once believed that if earth passed through a tail of a comet, its inhabitants would die; this theory has been discredited. Comets are messengers from a time long past. Most are chunks of dirty ice, locked away in the Oort cloud for billions of years. (Oort cloud: – It is the source for long period comets, with orbital periods of greater than two hundred years.) Comets are familiar to nearly everyone as striking star like objects with long tails stretching across a wide band of the sky. The most famous comet, Halley’s comet makes its return to the skies every seventy-five years. The word â€Å"comet† is derived from a Greek word meaning â€Å"long haired† Comets were greatly feared before the twentieth century as bad omens. Since then, they have been identified and cataloged as objects that come from deep space. Most of them occupy orbits that carry them far outside the solar system. Many of them make only a single approach to the sun and never return again, while others exist in stable, but highly elliptical orbits that allow them to return after an extended period of time, su ch as the Halley’s comet. In 1986, the European space probe Giotto passed about 600 kilometers from the Comet Halley as it made its close approach to the sun. The probe verified existing theories that comets are made up of ices covered by black dust or soil. The spacecraft confirmed a theory that had been advanced prior to the reconnaissance that described comets as â€Å"dirty snowballs.† Using data taken by the spacecraft, scientists determined that the dust is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Other metals have also been discovered in comets, such as iron, calcium, nickel, potassium, copper and silicon. Halley’s comet was one of the darkest objects ever seen in the solar system; it was basically flat black. Comets are composed of a mixture of ices and dust. As a comet approaches the sun, it absorbs the suns energy and warms up. The main body of the comet is called the nucleus. As the nucleus warms, the ice beneath the comets soil evaporates. Because the comet has no atmosphere, the evaporated substance (also called a volatile) escapes into the vacuum of space as a gaseous envelope that surrounds the comet called â€Å"coma.† As the coma grows, it forms a plume of vapor that carries away some of the comets surface as well. This mixture of evaporated volatile particles and dust is carried away from the comet by solar wind, is ionized by high-energy particles, and creates the spectacular tail of the comet. The comet’s tail, glowing in the solar wind, can stream behind the comet for millions of kilometers. The nucleus of the comet consists of mostly volatile ices and dust. The ice is nearly all water ice, but there is also evidence of ices composed of carbon dioxide and methane. More elementary compounds of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon monoxide may exist as volatile ices. Comets are typically small bodies (comparatively!!). Halley’s comet is a potato shaped object, 14 by 17 kilometers. The largest known comet is Chiron, which is estimated to be approximately 200 kilometers in diameter. Comets are thought to have formed as the solar system evolved. The material of which comets are composed was constructed by accretion at the outer edge of the disk of material that ultimately became the sun and planets. Because the comet material was fashioned at the outer edge of the solar system, the sun did not evaporate the volatiles in the cometary material. At the same time, the giant planets of the solar system formed at what would become the outer orbits of the solar system. These massive planets encountered the newly formed comets, and the ones that were not engulfed by the giant planets were, over the first billion years, catapulted into interstellar space by the planets massive gravitational fields. Not all comets met that fate, however. Some were gently nudged into stable orbits closer to the sun. Others were flung into the inner solar system and impacted the inner planets. Relevance: – The study of comets involves detailed knowledge of its composition of the outer regions of the solar system and the space between the last planet and 100,000 astronomical units onwards. Cometary study also seeks to understand complex gravitational interactions between bodies separated by wide distances and even gravitational interactions between tiny comets, their behavior when approaching the sun, and something of the makeup and evolution of the early solar system. New comets approaching the sun for the first time have been held in deep freeze in the Oort cloud and are thought to be composed of primordial material of the newly forming solar system. They have been tied up in the Oort cloud for billions of years at temperatures slightly above absolute zero. As they approach the sun, their internal gases begin to steam away. A detailed study of an approaching comet may tell cosmologists about the composition of the early solar systems. Comets and their approach have also hinted at the existence of the elusive brown dwarf, thought to be one of the most common bodies of interstellar space. Because they are so dim, they are all but invisible from Earth. On the other hand, because brown dwarfs are thought to be so plentiful, the study of comets and their orbits may give the first real clues to the former’s reality and abundance. In the early 1980s the existence of the galactic tidal action was merely speculation. Since then, careful study of cometary orbits and approaches has favorable supported the theory of galactic tides. In the close approach of Halley’s comet by an unmanned spacecraft in 1986, a wealth of information was recovered on the shape, behavior, and composition of comets. The existence of the Oort cloud and the concept gravitational interactions by passing objects in space have led to the theory of periodic comet showers. Such comet showers, separated by periods of tens of millions of years, may be responsible for the mass extinction on Earth. There is a wide speculation that Earth was struck by one or more comets 70 million years ago, which wiped out the dinosaurs. Some scientists have speculated that this extinction was the result of a shower of comets from the Oort cloud, sent on their close approach to the sun by a passing star or brown dwarf through the Oort cloud. Comets have been used to judge vast distances, evaluate the composition of the solar system as it was being born, and even test the idea that the gravity of the entire galaxy can make a difference to the smallest objects in space. Comets have been used as yardsticks to evaluate what may be the most type of star in the galaxy-the brown dwarf-which ironically is one that may never be seen. They have also been called dirty snowballs. Halley’s comet was so black that it was the darkest object ever seen in space. Yet, from these dirty specks of ice, cosmologists have witnessed some of the most spectacular light shows. Ultimately comets may also generate clues to some of the most fundamental secrets about the solar system and planets. From these tiny messengers, cosmologists may unlock and examine pristine elements from creation itself.