UK constitutional convention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK constitutional convention - Essay Example A constitutional convention is an uncodified or unwritten and an informal procedural agreement, which is followed by institutions in a state. Common wealth states for instance states that they follow the British west minister system of government. A constitutional convention is therefore traditional unwritten laws that form the fundamentals of the written constitution. Most states in the modern world are guided by constitutional conventions instead of the written constitutions1. However, in the states that follow constitutional conventions, they have difference in distribution of powers, which are remarkably different from those that follow formal constitutional documents (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2006). Unlike the written constitution, which gives the head of state too much power, constitutional conventions in practice are used only to advice the government. The use of constitutional conventions arose when the exercise of a certain type of power that is not prohibited by law began raising opposition that it became impossible on future instances to take part in additional exercise of these powers. An example of such constitutional convention is that the prime minister of UK cannot continue in office lacking the support of the majority of votes in the House of Commons (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007). Different states have a system whereby they use constitutional conventions only, while others use a system whereby they operate alongside written constitutions. ... They can only be exercised when the parliament or the national assembly passes a decree or constitutional amendment codifying the convention. The above principle UK is viewed as authoritative and acceptable in many other jurisdictions, including the most of the common wealth countries (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2005). Constitutional conventions are not always acceptable due to various reasons. One prominent reason is that they keep on changing overtime as compared to written laws that would require concept and a constitutional amendment. For instance in the UK, the British parliament requested a parliament dissolution from the monarch. Since then, the prime minister in the UK can decide to dissolve the government on his own without consulting the queen. It is of prime importance to note that constitutional conventions have played a huge role in promoting democracy2. This is because they promote equality in the decisions that an individual can make over the other. They also all ow citizens to participate equally in direct representation or through representative democracy (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2004). According to The Economist Intelligence Unit (2003), constitutional conventions have been known to play a major role to promote democracy. UK has the highest number of constitutional conventions unlike other nations since the majority of its laws are not written. The countries constitutional conventions provide key rules and guidelines for the country’s constitution. These conventions add to, or take away from, in at times dramatic was. One of the main conventions in UK includes the convention of individual ministry responsibilities. The unwritten

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business Essay

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business - Essay Example With regard to them, inside cohesiveness is important in that they want to guarantee that there are no betrayals within business. Apart from these attitudes of loyalty and brotherhood in a business, they also tend to have a sense of fair competition which is achieved through agreeing with the competitors and setting the standard of competition. These cultural attitudes towards business are founded on the earlier foundation of Latin business which would be more included to mafia like associations with string completion which went beyond just business competition. Americans have a different culture with regard business which conducts open competition, open membership which mean that the associates of a business do not necessarily have to be close members. Dogmatic loyalty is not necessary as the business are driven by a common agreement which is professional and written on paper as per the ay the business is supposed to be run. The Latin culture has been regarded by Americans as wrong and not good for business. It has also influenced American business in a number of ways. To begin with, most of these businesses have also invested in the American economy. Most mafia-like organizations which are of Latin origin and run in accordance with Latin culture can be seen as establishing their businesses in United States America. Unlike in earlier days where such businesses would operate unofficially and in most cases illegally due to their nature which was more criminal than anything else, today most of these businesses can invest in legitimate businesses such as the real estate (Forbes, Inc). In the modern America, these mafia-like busses own a substantive amount of the real estate wealth in major cities such as Los Angeles. They are able to operate legitimately and to have assets that are legal. This has influenced the way business is done in America, especially

Transforming the balanced scorecard Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transforming the balanced scorecard - Coursework Example tion view intangible assets as a source of competitive advantage as opposed to the view of the 19th century and early 20th-century firms (Kaplan and Norton 88). The Balanced Scorecard was introduced to provide a new framework for describing value-creating strategies that link tangible and intangible assets. It describes how to mobilize and combine intangible and tangible assets to develop differentiating customer-value offering and superior financial results. The program has helped over 200 executive teams. It allows the strategy to emerge from meetings and consultations with the senior executives. Then a general framework for describing and implementing the strategy known as the strategy map is developed. It creates a common and comprehensible point of reference for the company (Kaplan and Norton 92). Apart from its industrial application, Balanced Scorecard has also been adopted by non-profit and government organizations (NPGOs), however, it faces the challenge of a strategy that has not been clearly defined. It is important for the class to note that the Balance Scorecard is not just about performance measurement. It has evolved to become the organizing framework, for a new strategic management system. Its adoption has been observed to deliver good result. The Balanced Scorecard provides a recipe to combine with what exists in the organization for long-term value creation. The following points will be in class; strategic maps, other forms of performance measurement, Balanced Scorecard and NPGOs and beyond performance management (Kaplan and Norton

Martin Luther King Essay Example for Free

Martin Luther King Essay On the 27th of august 1963, the March on Washington took place; its main purpose was to raise awareness of jobs and treatment of African Americans during the 1960s in particular. The event was officially called ‘The march on Washington for jobs and freedom’, involved where the six biggest civil rights groups [1]. The march led 250,000 campaigners through the capital and to the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King (MLK) performed his iconic ‘I have a dream speech’. This quickly became one of the most iconic moments in history, particularly during the civil rights movement. This reputation was helped by the march being the largest political rally in the history of the United States, further giving the march, and those speaking including king more influence on the treatment of black Americans for the rest of the twentieth century. In particular, Martin Luther King’s words energized the fight for equality. He was one of the most established freedom fighters during this time, looking for integration into a predominantly white driven American society. Furthermore he was helped by the work of his own group called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) [2]. However, others accommodate the opinion that Kings short-term influence was minimal, and he in fact did nothing to help the treatment of African Americans twenty years after his speech at the march on Washington. I believe that the most compelling argument that can be made for the short-term influence of MLK is the passing of the civil rights bill of 1964. President L. B. Johnson himself proclaimed the importance of Martin Luther King’s march on Washington in bringing about the civil rights act of ’64. When talking to MLK about his march and the civil rights bill, Johnson says, ‘’I think the greatest achievement in foreign policy – I said to a group yesterday – was the passing of the 1964 civil rights act. ’’ Johnson said this directly to MLK in order to make him recognise how much of an effect his march had upon changing employment law in the US. The civil rights bill of 1964 meant that employers were legally obligated to pick the best candidate for a job regardless of their colour, race or sex [3]. Before the bill was passed, black Americans found it increasingly hard to find employment due to employers discriminating them, causing sit ins and marches such as the one in Washington which made known the problems that they faced, to the world. This was one of the main reasons that the march on Washington took place, which shows on a political level, its major significance. The reliability of this source is very strong because it can be said that Johnson would have wanted to look sympathetic upon Black Americans in order to gain their support, and therefore would want to support their movements. The support of African Americans would have been significant for the 1964 presidential elections taking place on November 3th, which he won with one of the largest landslide victories in American history [4]. An account from a black American called Mr Manley, who participated in the March, further cements the idea that King had a great significance in passing the civil rights bill. It reads, ‘’I believe it electrified the country†¦we felt a warm surge of pride when Dr King addressed the crowds. ’’ Although it does not mention the civil rights bill, it talks of the effect that Kings ‘I have a dream’ speech had on spurring the civil rights movement on, ultimately putting pressure on congress. The source talks of electrifying the country, showing how there was almost an immediate significance of Kings Speech in the march on Washington, as does the quote from L. B. Johnson. This would have helped racial discrimination overall by effecting even those that were not Black Americans, which would have also played a big part in reducing overall racial discrimination due to that fact the majority of the American population where white. So by getting them to sympathise with the cause, more relevant changes such as the civil rights bill would have been made, proving how after the march on Washington, Kings short term significance was overwhelmingly obvious. Another way in which King short-term significance can be seen, is the way that he changed attitudes of people and organizations around America, particularly in Chicago with the Chicago real estate board. After a march in Chicago about the estate board opposing housing laws, they eventually changed their stance. An account from a Chicago tribune in November 1966 reads, ‘’the march led to an accord that year between the protesters and the Chicago real estate board. The board agreed to end its opposition to open-housing laws in exchange to an end in the demonstrations. ’’ The short term significance of the march on Washington can be seen here through the similar ways in which King and his march of 700 people carried out their protest [5]. They achieved the result that they ultimately where aiming for just as they did in Washington which demonstrates the effect that King had on changing rules around the north of America as well as the south. This source is reliable as it is stating facts of the event. It talks of how a once segregated organization had now become desegregated as a result, and therefore holds a great way in helping to make the judgement on whether or not king had short-term significance, in this case it shows how he did to a great extent. In contrast to this view, it can be said that King didn’t have a great significance after the march on Washington because, despite the influences that he had on changing laws, there were still great economic difficulties for Black Americans. Even King himself acknowledged that he had not changed anything about economic problems. Evidence can be found after the march in Watts, a friend of his called Bayard Rustin writes about what King said to him, ‘’you know Bayard, I worked hard to get these people the right to eat hamburgers, now I’ve got to do something†¦ to help them get the money to buy it. ’’ This highlights the main problem that King himself could not overcome. His march on Washington won them equal rights in work and employment however it couldn’t do anything about the unequal pay that Black Americans received. This became a big problem to him, as without money, what he had done for African Americans did not have as big a significance as it could have and meant that discrimination was still very much an issue. King further reiterated the problems that African Americans faced economically when he said, ‘’it is much easier to integrate lunch counters than it is to eradicate slums. It is much easier to guarantee the right to vote than it is to guarantee an annual income, minimal income and create jobs. ’’ This source strongly agrees with the first one, mainly because they are both from King but moreover it shows how he could not do anything to change the ongoing problem of a lack of money being earned by Black Americans. This therefore may show that his short term significance was minimal, although they still say how he has already made a change but just not one that helped them finically. The Georgia state representative from 1980 to the present day, Tyrone Brooks shared these concerns even decades after King identified them. ‘’we’ve won the battle for the right to vote, we’ve won the battle against segregation, we’ve won the battle to go to schools of our choice. But we have no won the battle in terms of money, the economic challenge’’ [6]. This only further implies that King couldn’t influence any economic change even later in the century. However, to say that because of this he didn’t have a great deal of significance is unfair due to the other greatly significant changes that King influenced such as the civil rights bill of 1964. By pressuring congress to pass that bill, he allowed the focus to be changed onto economic problems, which would not have mattered if they did not have equality within the work place. Which on the other hand shows how MLK did have a great significance after the March. Despite the significance that King did have, it must be noted that he also failed to change the views of some more radically thinking Americans, which points to him having less of significance after his March. In an account from the Chicago tribune newspaper, they talk of the civil rights movement being futile. ‘’The ‘civil rights’ marchers are only hurting themselves and their cause. Chicago is retrogressing to the condition of a frontier town in early days, where shots are fired in the air and challenges to combat are hurled. ’’ It is clear to see that from what this source is saying; Kings Influence certainly did not have an effect on Chicago. However, in Chicago King achieved an accord between the Chicago real estate boards. They agreed to end their opposition of new housing laws, which calls in to question the reliability of this source largely in using it as evidence against the significance of King after the march on Washington. The population of Chicago had intended to give King a hostile reception before even arrived. This point is backed up and relived in an article on the daily Kos. It reads, ‘’ When rumours circulated that Dr. King was to lead a march up the middle of the expressway these raging groups literally packed bags with rocks to hurl from overpasses or side streets on to the marchers’’[7]. Although this reiterates the point that King failed to make an immediate impact of those from Chicago, it also makes it clear that the previous source from the Chicago tribune is not reliable. It is obvious from this that the mood in Chicago before King even entered was one of hostility, so it is no surprise the local newspaper did not support him either. This source is from an article written by someone that sympathises with king greatly as he goes onto say, ‘’If this was manhood, I was in no hurry to join them. ’’ This shows that he still had significance ad influence on views of people from the racist areas, as this person disagreed with those that opposed MLKs visit. In conclusion, I believe that King had a great deal of short-term significance after his march on Washington. The most compelling bit of evidence that points to this view is the impact he had on passing the civil rights bill of 1964. The nationwide impact was made clear after his death, when in a speech Robert Kennedy said, ‘’ Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love’’[8]. This underlines the significance of King as such a well renowned figure was encouraging the country to follow in his footsteps, which could be said, is the reason why even more was achieved after his death. As well as the civil rights bill, he also changed the attitudes of some people, which in turn gave him, and the movement more support in order to go on and fight for equality. Therefore, it is impossible to say he had nothing but an incredible influential and significant legacy after the march, which paved the way for future movements and laws to be established. [1]. http://www.infoplease. com/spot/marchonwashington. html [2]. http://www. britannica. com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr [3]. http://www. archives. gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/ [4]. http://www. britannica. com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1964 [5]. http://www. chicagotribune. com/news/nationworld/politics/chi-chicagodays-martinlutherking-story-story. html [6]. https://www. doi. gov/pmb/eeo/AA-HM [7]. http://www. dailykos. com/story/2014/1/17/1270338/-Chicago-Summers-1966-67-Grown-Wary-and-Weary-of-Racism [8]. http://www. powerfulwords. info/speeches/John_F_Kennedy/8. htm

E Books To Replace College Textbooks

E Books To Replace College Textbooks E-learning is today gaining serious grounds as most institutions of learning are fast adopting e-learning methods and techniques, at the same time doing away with the manual learning technique which involves text books in institutions/Universities. With the advent of e-books, textbooks are fast becoming obsolete as Hellman revealed that, it is even more economical using e-books than textbooks as it saves time (11). Methodically, it is observed that it is more economical to acquire E-books than a manual textbook. The general cost of acquiring an E-book is much cheaper or less than a text book. Experts advise that it is much more economical to use e-books in a learning process than textbooks. One can save more when using E-books than when using textbooks. Today, E-books are generally accepted as the generality of students studying in various institutions would prefer to save for other purposes, if they discover that it is cheaper than acquiring a manual textbook. The possibility of the se E-books is another aspect that makes it very feasible to use than the manual textbooks. With the availability of electronic gadgets like the I-Pad, Palm tops and other electronic devices that can effectively aid reading has made the use of E-books feasible and has given it an edge over the manual textbooks, especially considering its cost. Table of Content Page No. Executive Summary.. 1 Introduction . 4 Portability . 5 Cost . 6 Availability 7 Method 7 Data . 8 Conclusion 8 Recommendation.. 9 Works Cited. 10 Introduction The e-book is just a literary work in a different form from the textbook, it is only a digital object that is composed of one or more standard and distinctive identifiers, broad databases as well as monographic body of content that is directed towards published books and accessed through electronic devices. Indiviglio explained that, both the textbooks and e-books receive the same content provided in print textbooks together with their print page numbers for note-taking as well as communication features that can only be obtainable through the internet Students are capable of printing out the pages they require at any particular time. Values in the e-book arena are being developed in five key areas that include e-book formats, digital right management format, digital audio formats, digital rights management systems as well as distribution and promotion. Each of these has an appealing technological aspect, but they are also motivating in terms of the stakeholders who encourage them. Th e internet has allowed us to take full benefit of the accessibility and user-friendly resources obtainable to us. Today, it sure seem like the era of manual textbooks have enjoyed their stay and rule in the learning process, now, the e-book is taking its turn and dominating the learning process. Besides that, at the beginning of fall semester, there is always a plan on how one spends his money and aside food and beer, a greater percentage of funds are always channelled to pounds and pounds of textbooks. Lately, e-readers have decided to set free college students from heaving anything to do with bundles of pages of manual textbooks that most of them drag home from the bookstore at the commencement of every semester. Melissa explained that, from Amazons Kindle DX to Barnes Nobles Nook and even the I-Pad, an age group of digital readers have pledged to restore overflowing backpacks filled with stuffy textbooks with a portable, lightweight slate loaded with every required book one will ever need for the whole semester or even for every semester (Melissa). But can one just go and download the books that are vital for class at that particular time? How expensive are they? Before one would consider going for an e-book, they should note that, the portability, the cost, and availability at any particular time is very critical. Portability Learning process is quite a task; therefore no one would want to make learning more difficult, but simple. Hoofing textbooks to class like a hunch back in most cases is quite a difficult task. Having 30 pounds of textbooks drooping off ones back in a bag that looks like it is about to crack at the seams, the spine definitely surfers (Melisa 23). However, rather than hoof over 30 pounds on the back, when there is an option of a portable e-book reader. Instead of 30 pounds, it will be preferably to use the e-reader in a device that is normally as portable as a magazine. Reading devices like the Kindle DX weigh about 1.1 pounds, while the I-Pad is just about 1.5 pounds. It is observed that, when assessing the cost of e-books they cannot be sold, which strikes a most important drive against any form of media that a lot of people would only presume converting directly to beer money once they are done using that book. However, another important note is that, the E-book cannot be borrowed, unlike the manual textbook. E-books cannot be lent and be destroyed on returned (Bilton). The plan or idea of splitting between two friends is not applicable to e-book and with this feature; the e-book can be preserved for a very long period of time and it also saves cost. Several e-readers claim that, e-book lending is permitted, but this is not quite true. On the other hand, one can lend an e-book, only if the publisher permits it and for a given time period of 14 days and just once ever, for the existence of the book. Some patents do not allow the borrowing of e-books, once an individual buys, it can be tattooed or customized to the individuals taste as nobody else will have right of use to that book except the owner. Cost The internet is a medium or house for enormous potential with several useful functions that are conveniently used to assist people save money in the long run. In this paper, the cost of acquiring e-books and textbooks when compared is much cheaper than textbooks. When discussing the expenses of books in relation to college students, Bilton states that, but it is a very important cost. The average public university student spends $1,122 per year on books, according to the College Board (E-Books: A New School of Thought). Normally, this cost annually is for a public college student which is the least when comparing with a private university student. Comparatively, this is quite expensive relative to E-Books currently selling for $3 to $7 range (Indiviglio). This to a great extent proves the overbearing cost of text, excluding the tuition fee. Students who buy e-books pay significantly less than the cost of either used or new books, with an average savings of about $60, the advantages can extend when the universities decide to select digitally (Hellman 14). Students at the University System of Pennsylvania, for instance, are enjoying great value at a great price, now that the university system has partnered with Course Smart. Course Smart is an online bookstore that bears over 90% of all major textbooks used in Higher Education today as E-Textbooks. The objective is to achieve this particular goal of benefiting as a university, and also acquiring the personal gain that comes with using it (Hellman 14). Availability Today, it really looks like the textbook is more available than the e-book, but no, that is quite not true. E-books require just the electronic devices and the printing it online and not on paper like the textbooks. The textbook requires printing on paper which is extremely expensive. Paper is made from wood that is supposed to be used in other meaningful economic means, but rather waste it on printing textbooks that will get rot after a period of time (Indiviglio). But the e-book is always accessible and can be preserved over a long period of time; it can also be referenced whenever the need arises without it being depleted like the printed textbooks. This really makes the e-book more available than the printed textbooks. Method Today, the e-book has made the very expensive competitive and would soon be decided whether it will continue at its high rates or not, the I-pad and the Apples e-learning devices will cost less than taking a whole pile of textbooks. For instance, Mokey asserted that various schedules supported on books could make a University freshman consider whether he really need it for different introductory courses, he will rather get to consider how much he will be expected to spend on e-books than his normal printed textbooks. After drawing his plans, he will get to decide whether to go for e-books as it will cost him far less than what textbooks will cost him. Though, money might not really be a great cause to look into an e-reader, a student will discover that, buying e-books will cost him less than getting printed textbooks from the stores, he will get to keep the e-books for a long period of time while the textbooks might get rotten over time. Mokey also cited that, two students went to sh op online in online stores, after buying from a normal book store to compare prices; they observed that, the online shopping was far cheaper than the textbooks gotten from the book store. Data When comparing different brands, it is observed that between hefty textbooks and the new e-reader, the e-books can save a full pack. For example, writing systematically would cost about $66.50 brand new textbooks from the US book store, while a simple download of an e-book could cost just $46.30 on the Amazon and one will get a total savings of about $20.20 for just a single book (Bilton). Different factors in the used-book market and savings decline a little more like the portrait for instance. It is observed today in schools that, most students prefer to buy their books online, rather than go to normal stores and get printed textbooks for their learning. Data released from a survey monitoring students behaviour with the likes of books reveal that, the Apple I-Pad tablet is gradually dominating and it is already more popular than the other forms of textbooks used by students. But the easy accessibility to textbooks makes some school administrators question the effectiveness of the e -reader. Also, the resale value of e-books when compared generally reveals that, it is more economical to textbooks. Advantages One of the main advantages of the e-book is the low cost. There are no printing, storage, or postal fees involved with e-books, therefore the product is produced at a lower cost. This is an advantage for the production company and the consumer. Traditional textbook costs have been an ongoing problem for college students worldwide. In an effort to follow the trend of textbooks rising cost, it was found that the average prices rose 186 percent between 1986 and 2005, and continue to shoot up each year far faster than inflation (Jeffrey Young). This price increase has taken on toll on many students pockets with a cost of more than 80 dollars per book on average. In an article discussing the expenses of books in relation to college students, Baumann states, Its a significant cost. The average full-time public university student spends $1,122 per year on books, according to the College Board (Ebooks: A New School of Thought). This is more than twice the amount e-books users are spending. S tudents who purchase e-books pay substantially less than the cost of either new or used books, with an average savings of about $60 per book. That is a huge saving, especially for those who already struggle to pay for their tuition and books. Our objective is to maximize students savings by more than 50 percent. The update function is also an important advantage that the e-book holds. The e-book allows for instant updating of outdated material without having to purchase new material. Traditional textbooks are available in several editions, because the authors continue to add new findings. Since the e-books are a part of an electronic database the information is easily accessed for renewal. This prevents the students from having to purchase new editions, with minute differences from past editions, but sold for a higher cost. This is a factor because if the textbook is a new edition used books arent available; therefore the student must purchase the new book at the full inflated cost. Other advantages of the e-book are the convenience, weight riddance, saving trees, and the bookmarking, highlighting, annotating and search capabilities. E-books are typically purchased and download from the internet; therefore this may be done from home. That saves time for students who may work full-time or half congested scheduled. Also bookstores are known to have long lines causing long wait times. This time constraint could be eliminated with the convenience of purchasing the e-book at your own leisure. Along with that advantage is the withdrawal of carrying these books. Textbooks weight can be overbearing, especially when a student is carrying four to five books at one time. Some books, particularly for economics or the hard sciences, can weigh up to seven lbs. each. This proves that the baggage can get physically exhausting. On the other hand the e-book is baggage free, if assuming students will access information from school. If others choose to carry and alternate device, s uch as a laptop or kindle, it still would not amount to half the weight of carrying even two traditional textbooks. Using the type of devices also saves trees. According to ecology.com, Nearly 4 billion trees or 35% of the total trees cut around the world are used in paper industries. The one-third percent of trees cut down for paper could drastically decrease with the ebook conversion. The environmental friendly paper alternative could be vital to our health and the environment. Although the ebook can be printed if preferred, this is a matter of personal choice. The ebook proves to be environmentally and economically sound. In addition to contributing to the environment, these devices also have capabilities that textbooks does not. They hold the options of bookmarking, highlighting, annotating and searching through text. These are means that could make studying easier. It saves time and relieves the difficulty of searching through material for needed information. Bookmarking, annot ating, and highlighting text is also useful for preserving thoughts and ideas, and organization. This helps maintain a trouble-free studying experience with just a click. Disadvantages The main disadvantage of the e-book is the concern of eyestrain and accessibility. The display resolution of computer screens and electronic devices is considerably less than the print quality produced by a printing press; therefore viewing the material electronically is believed to be a strain on the eyes. This can cause discomfort to the reader which could discourage study habits. The chair of the ophthalmology department at the University of North Carolina disagrees with this notion and went on to explain that it is not the screen causing the strain, but suggest its a variety of other factors that can cause physical fatigue (Dr. Travis Meredith). He then went on to further explain the problem and suggest a solution to the problem. Dr. Meredith states, the ergonomics of reading screens and the lack of blinking when we stare at them play a big role in eye fatigue. The current problem with reading on screens is that we need to adjust our bodies to our computer screens, rather than th e screens adjusting to us. This is something that students should consider when seeking comfort while studying. Another solution to this problem would be using the print option offered. Most e-books offer the option to print text, therefore the student is afforded the option to print the necessary text needed when studying for extended periods of time. This choice integrates the two study habits for the small fee of printing the pages needed. This function is also a solution to the issue of accessibility. Some students do not have access to the needed devices to access the e-books outside of school, others worry of not having ready access to the text in classrooms when needed. Those students could simply print the text from school libraries for home use. This enables the student to have the luxury of both electronic and printed text, if necessary. Other disadvantages of the e-book are the durability and battery-life. E-book readers are more susceptible to damage from being dropped or hit than a print book. This can become a problem when toting around electronic devices. When students are carrying around such sensitive equipment extra precautions should be taken. As with any piece of technology, the reader must be protected from the elements (such as extreme cold, heat, water, etc.). To ensure caution is taken students should protect the device with the proper cover. There is covered protection available to protect against these issues. If an instance occurs that the device is damaged, students may access the information from the online database it was originally purchased from. This solution is also useful to in case of data loss and other hardware or software malfunctions. In addition to the durability problem is the issue of the battery-life. Most laptops and other electronic devices have a battery life of three to four hour s. This may become a problem if the student is mobile with the device. In a situation such as this, students should carry a secondary battery as a back-up or bring along a charger. Most public places have available outlets and are equipped with free Wi-Fi for the purpose of studying and searching the web. This promotes positive study habits from practically anywhere. Conclusion The accessibility and familiarity provided by Apple, Pc and Macintosh computers is a very exciting one that will keep the use of e-books for a longer existence than the textbooks. Having had a great deal of experience through school, I strongly believe that, no knowledge is wasted and at the same time it is much easier to use e-books than it is to use textbooks. In my final school year, I decided I was going to use only e-books and that helped me greatly as I save a lot of money, got easy access to e-books than when I used to buy text books for my studies. Recommendation Today I am very familiar with e-books and nothing has been easier than using e-books for learning purposes. Therefore, I strongly recommend e-books for students in schools today as it saves time; it is easily accessible and always available as well as cost effective.

Issues In Reporting War And Crisis Global Overview Media Essay

Issues In Reporting War And Crisis Global Overview Media Essay The mass media have a powerful influence and control on how people view the world. Mass media sources i.e. newspapers, televisions and radios are frequently the only link to the situations occurring outside of ones vicinity. We live in the global age. We live in a world that has become thoroughly interconnected, interdependent and communicated in the flows of information and culture including, significantly, news journalism.(Cotler, For journalism in America today, the news has been encouraging and dispiriting. At its very best, during a time of crisis or a momentous event, the news media can do a marvelous job of telling the job the news thoroughly, yet quickly then follow up with needed interpretation and explanation to inform and reassure the public. Reporter plays a vital role because how the reporter frames the crisis, war or conflict. A story covered by a journalist or a reporter on an event can be the exclusive information presented to the masses. The news can bias the masses in support of one party, or one solution over another; it can build up the conflict, or cool it down. Whenever, the public think about any news, most of report is crisis and importantly journalists are participants in the crisis they report. However, the journalists main goal is to in form accurately and usually they make every suitable effort and attempt to be objective, but it becomes complicated at best. At times attempts to cover both views equally is actually favoring and supporting one over the other. If the report or news doesnt show that one overview is much more predominate, over another, it is commonly wrongly believed. Globally, if we analyze the situation of journalism there are many hazards and difficulties in this field. The foremost problem is that in the profession of journalism there is lack of training for journalists. Another one of the most pressing problems for the journalist is the question of ethics and the way reporting has to be shaped because of them. So due to these problems most of the complex crisis or conflicts are full of difficulties and hazards for journalists, but the more one understands what is actually going on in a conflict, and the responsibility of the conflict journalist, the better reporting one can do. From environmental change to the global war on terror, from forced migration to humanitarian catastrophe these are just some of the global crises. Global crises are conceived as the dark side of a globalizing world, but how they become reported and covered in the news media can also help maintain growing forms of global consciousness, global citizenship and global civil society. The news media have long been participant in the drama of war. The Spanish-American War of 1898 was provoked in pan by nationalistic press in the United States. Seventy years later, the media were involved in another war: The lack of public support for the US effort in Vietnam was blamed in part on correspondents who adopted a skeptical attitude in their assessment of Pentagon war claims. But rarely has the work of war correspondents come under the kind of scrutiny it does today. Journalists these days are not only accused of aggravating conflicts they are also expected to resolve them. The smaller the war and the wider their reach, the more impact of reporting is believed to have. Advances in information technology have made it possible for journalists to report instantaneously and immediately from remote locations. With the downscaling of conflict in the post-Cold War era, meanwhile, there are more wars to choose from. Some get covered and some dont, and the coverage decisions can be critical. All over the globe, professional editors and reporters define their job as bringing readers and audiences the answers to five ws and one h who, what, where, when, why and how. Due to the advent of new technology, journalists and reporters are able to communicate with one another more easily. So people on location in the desert can talk with those covering the Pentagon or the White House to confirm details. All of this technology was available in the Gulf War, but it was just really primitive, says Bob Murphy, a senior vice president at ABC News. George Seldes once said, Journalisms job is not impartial balanced reporting. Journalisms job is to tell the people what is really going on. A prominent BBC figure said: It will always be a grey area. There are never simply two sides to a story, theres a multiplicity of sides, which stretches out and stretches back. Theres a multiplicity of effects and of whats in the public interest, which will vary from issue to issue, from story to story. I dont see how you can logically, and rationally, impose some sort of blueprint which enables you to know whether its in the public interest or not. The news accuracy, unfortunately, is relative. Hence, one journalists truth is another mans misrepresentation. The public in general differentiate between truth and falsity in the course of a certain sieve they adhere to. And in todays world where there is a mix of religious and spiritual ideologies and philosophies, build out the truth is at best an educated guess unless of course the whole world starts seeing things through a single lens. Furthermore, it is journalists pivotal role that how to differentiate between objective and subjective realities. This confusion aggravated in case of crisis and war since it is not in the nature of the conflict to be unbiased. There will always be, whether its a economic, natural, military or political crisis, at least one party which acts in excess relative to the other party/parties. The media as a watch dog can play considerable role in scrutinizing and examining the public policies through analysis and furthermore with the response of public at large. It is observed that the media reporters are extremely useful sources in providing initial leads to investigate into the crisis, discrimination, conflict and war. CURRENT SITUATION: PAKISTAN Pakistan was born as an unambiguously Muslim state, and the wrestling linking its secular and Islamic natures has never been so evident as in latest years. Its other sources of unrest, including the militarys role as the authority of power, there have been four coups in its 60 years of independence i.e. its uncontrolled corruption and political instability and economic flux have been joined by the rise of Islamic militant groups that control of parts of the countrys western half and launch attacks that have slowly goaded the government to action. The ongoing violence in Pakistan, where over 1000s of people have been killed in terrorist activities, reminds us that journalists face a special challenge-and responsibility-to report accurately and fairly in times of crisis and war. Journalists play a constructive and productive role in places involved in political, ethnic or religious tensions. Pakistan has many problems, most build up after decades of governmental inaction, economic mismanagement, military coups and terrorist insurgencies. The journalists now would be under enormous stress from the complexities and the enormities of the current multifaceted challenges. Pakistans press has developed into a dynamic and significant institution. The Pakistani media have been instrumental in providing breaking real-time coverage of major events affecting the country, including the lawyers movement, the February 2008 parliamentary elections, and the recent flood situation. The number of private media outlets is increasing, and newspapers are more open in their reporting that has ultimately changed the country. It was expected by media organizations that the media especially electronic media following its incomparable development during the last few years would take accumulate its roles and responsibilities. The demanding environments are not encouraging to a culture of informed debate and the growth of sound authoritarian regimes. Nevertheless, there have been noises, pleas and appeals by several viewers, masses, analysts, forecasters and citizens even within the media organizations. From the violence and cruelty of displaying dismembered and mutilate limbs on television screens to creating a panic-oriented news culture and relegating the status of objective anchors to partisan political players, as a result the news were and persistent to be, disturbing and agitate. Against the milieu of the events of March 2009, the responsibility of the media lacked in many areas and far behind the expectations. The self admiring panic that currently pervades the various channels betrays their utter inability to appear back and introspect. In Pakistans crisis and war zones, rival groups seek to dictate the content and tone of news coverage. The country lost eight journalists in 2008, while 2009 has been equally gloomy. The murder of Musa Khankhel while he was reporting on a ceasefire negotiated in the pictorial but unstable Swat valley in Pakistans north-west shocked the country. According to the Report of World Press Freedom 2008-09, a total of nine journalists have lost their lives to violence in different parts of Pakistan. Furthermore, this report also files 23 cases of physical torture, threats and kidnaps that involved journalists and have resultantly greatly affected their work. Taking in concern the latest war zone of Pakistan i.e. operation in Swat Valley it is not just the targeted assassination of journalists and use of threats that are obliterating journalism. As a consequence, journalists they are not safe so they are leaving the region or moving their families to secure and harmless areas. Quite less journalists remain in the war area so there is less reporting from those areas. The biggest casualty of this war are the journalists rather the conflict itself. A renowned journalist Mazhar Abbas, who has for years contributed persistent efforts for the battle of the improvement of the operational circumstances of journalists in Pakistan, protect the judgment of many media professionals to move. He said: They are so poorly paid on an average they draw a monthly pay of less than 200 US dollars and have no life insurance cover that can you honestly expect them to risk their lives? Only one or two TV channels provide their staff with flak jackets and helmets. Until recently, they had no training on how to report from hostile environments. It is the PFUJ, in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists that has trained more than 200 Pakistani journalists working in the conflict zones. News is treated more as a commodity than as a social good, in Pakistani media and it is one of the primary problems. This rudimentary thought direct journalists to use metaphors, fancy expressions, axioms, and emotionally-charged opinions etc which effects the meaning whether they are exaggerated or do not tell the truth. These kinds of writings create distortions. The above described commodity concept also pushes reporters and journalists to use high pitched tones often choosing to report heavily on juicy feature of stories with shock value rather than reporting or informing on more imperative issues to the general public. One might say that if media is reflecting the general public, then these sensational ways of speaking are vindicated, considering that Pakistanis are however loud and emotionally charged people. Although, then there is something called Adab-e-Mehfil: simple things like not speaking before ones turn, not speaking loudly and so forth, that can be clearly seen in various Pakistani Talk Shows e.g. Capital Talk, Point in Focus etc. Rather the guests should be asked to present cultured and educated way of argumentation, based on facts and logic, instead of campaigns of slander, filled with cheap tricks and mocking undertones. To continue this problem it leads to: If It Bleeds, It Leads using the title of Mathew Kerbels famous book. This implies that media in Pakistan is passionate with the short end of the problem, or the symptom as it is quite rightly said. The challenge of social inequities, usually the root cause, rarely gets air best a personalized story or a documentary and then, moves on to something more exciting such as a blast. Pakistani media in general is responsible for factual reporting realities, but it has not met the standard of reporting. In Pakistan, media, abandon responsibility and accuracy for the purpose of sensation and attention grabbing captions. Especially, the print media is accountable for failing to shield the masses from inaccurate information which sometimes reaches public disguised as news. But when coming to the electronic media, it has become the biggest threat to countrys collective confidence. It ultimately thrives on conspiracies and sensational breaking news headlines throughout the entire day. Basically, rest of the media disclaim to grow above excessively vivid and completely overstated reporting of everything that goes wrong in the county, even if it is not correct or worse, or is less important. CRISIS REPORTING: Reporting in a crisis begins with fundamental question that how to report. News representations of crisis now form a key site for the exercise of power, seen as such by primary players and many others besides. This awareness, too, is shared by many beyond the traditional elite. According to an influential critique of reporting of the Great Lakes crisis of 1996-1997, journalists should that understand from the start that warring factions, even if their soldiers wear gumboots, have now acquired a sophisticated military doctrine and techniques for fighting low-level information warfare using manipulation, disinformation, misinformation and obstruction. The coverage of the Long March, also being maintained as a media success, was full of negligent opinion, which resulted in discouragement of elected institutions and glorifying street confrontation, as if parliaments were sheer attachment of power games. A few channels went beyond the norms of objective or even acceptable reporting by posturing that the proponents of the Long March were spouting the gospel truth, and any divergent view was unpatriotic and merited proceedings under Article 6 of the Constitution. Instead of educating the public on the responsibility of institutions and how states function, the entire discourse before and after the Long March remains focused on individuals. It has been completely forgotten that the current President was elected by two thirds of the Electoral College as prescribed under the Constitution. If anything, the degradation of the Presidents role as a usurper is now an image that has been carefully crafted and reinforced by a unvarying media discourse, and now made applicable to a president elected by Parliament. The truth of the matter is that in a parliamentary democracy the assemblies and officials are elected for five years. Accountability of the executive is a must, but not in the manner that is being carried out at the cost of the integrity of the autonomous system. WAR REPORTING: Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism says: Today, war reporting means not that you know whats going on and you make judgments about whats safe and appropriate to report. The military profoundly limits the access of reporters and thus what reporters know Censorship is no longer achievable, now that reporters can carry their means of transmission with them unlike World War II, for example, when reporters dispatches had to be transferred by the military, once they were reviewed. According to Tom Rosenstiel; as a result, A great deal more of what we consider war coverage today occurs in the Pentagon press briefing room. Taking in consideration the Pakistani situation; the Swat military operation, the house of a reporter in Mingora came under fire, apparently from the military. It killed his sister. The reporter was obviously incensed, but when he reported on television he still had to toe the official pro-Army editorial policy. He couldnt risk his job, now more than ever, because he had to support his family who had just relocated from Mingora to Peshawar. Another journalist based in Peshawar managed to get in to Mingora at a time when it was still off limits to journalists. He described horrific scenes of truckloads of dead bodies, and people carrying their loved ones. But these stories werent getting out because the management was censoring them. The ISPR on the other hand was very active in issuing press releases everyday, detailing the number of militants who had been killed and the military personnel who had been martyred (but never any mention of civilians). The military had restricted journalists access to the war zone (other than the occasional ISPR-chaperoned visit) so there was no way for journalists to independently verify any of the claims. So unfortunately, they just repeated the ISPR claims on television as if they were the truth. Pakistani reporters flee fighting in the Swat valley, Zubeida Mustafa reports on the conflicts effect on Pakistans press. Journalists love the thrill of working in conflict zones where they can cover events which change the course of history, says Mazhar Abbas, the former Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). Sadly, this no longer holds true for Pakistani journalists required to cover the war in the Swat valley where they face dire security threats, Abbas continues. Every other day, there is news of journalists being killed or kidnapped, or threats to their families in the war-torn areas. These words concisely sum up the state of war coverage in Pakistan as Bill Clinton in 2000 described Pakistan as the most dangerous in the world. It has become even more unsafe since this statement. The media faced many challenges even before the Pakistan army went on the offensive against the Taliban in Swat. The Swat valley, was in the grip of intermittent violence with the two sides locked in a battle for the hearts and minds of the people, before the region became a theatre of war, It is expected that, the role of the media; press, television and radio assumed imperative importance, as journalism influencing the analysis of the everyday man. These are the least problems that a journalist face during reporting on the war in Swat last year, but rather reporters face more difficulties in covering the more recent wars in Waziristan, Orakzai and elsewhere. It may seem like there is a great deal of news coming from the war zone each day, but in reality it is a great big sanitized black hole in the distance, and we may never know about the civilian casualties. REPORTING CRISIS: An overabundance of TV news networks have set up in recent years. Intensely competitive, they have not avoid from covering shocking aftermaths of suicide bombings, stories of government corruption, or allowing their talk show hosts to be intrusive on air. In crisis situations, the cause of journalism would be better served if reporters and anchors were to err on the side of caution until rumors are confirmed beyond doubt. There was no need to show what looked like bodies as it can be clearly seen in the reporting of Air Blue crash. Many of the journalists while covering the rescue operation at Margalla Hills crash sight used the words dead bodies they werent whole after all. But instead of using these words they would have used parts of bodies that would have been much more effective and convey so much more. However, sentiments dont matter in the business of news anymore. It is a rat race instead of searching for authentic and reliable information, reporters are simply searching f or new ways to add more punch to stories. Victims emotions and personal stories are often exploited by the media to pull at the audiences heartstrings. The past few years, proved to be a critical year for Pakistani media persons who were callously neglected by the media owners, vis-Ã  -vis better wages, security of job and their life insurance, while they were increasingly targeted by the terrorists and other pressure groups in which numerous journalists lost their lives. One of two media trainers who designed a special training program for Internews aimed at journalists who work for media outlets within strife-torn areas named as Fiona Lloyd says: For journalists who live and work on the front line, one careless word or one inaccurate detail can ignite a conflict. But equally, one unambiguous, balanced report can help to resolve tension and neutralize fear. If truth is the first casualty of crisis, then correspondents reporting from regions of conflict face unique challenges in providing accurate and unbiased news.Pakistani journalists are caught in a vice between terrorists who use threats and kidnapping, and local government officials who do not hesitate to take the law into their own hands in order to detain troublesome reporters. PROFESSIONAL PROBLEMS: The main crisis in proper reporting is problems within an organization. The reporters and journalists must be properly educated, professionally trained and intellectually motivated to contribute towards the profession. Experience: Crisis and war reporting requires unique skills and experience, so editors should choose journalists who are competent and mature enough because they are used to crisis situations. The journalists that are covering a war for the first time should not be sent there unaided, but be accompanied by a more experienced correspondent. A collaborated, co-operated and teamwork in the field should be encouraged. Editors should thoroughly debrief staff because when they come back they can learn from their experiences. Preparation: Regular training in how to cope and deal in crisis zones or war areas will help trims down the risk to journalists. Editors should inform staff and freelances of any special training offered by nationwide or globally qualified bodies and give them access to it. All journalists called upon to work in a intimidating environment should have first-aid training and preparation. Every accredited journalism school should disseminate its trainee with these issues. Trainings/Workshops: Conferences, trainings and also workshops on innovation journalism best practices should be conducted. The conferences should be ranged from the models of modernization journalism to how to cover innovation a horizontal topic, crossing the normal invention lines in the news room. Pakistans journalism schools have not adequately met the needs of a rapidly changing and rapidly expanding media through innovation. Specialization: Specialization for journalists in explicit subject areas political, for instance, or military would produce more sophisticated reporting. So, the specialization should be encouraged. Communication Skills: Capacity-building needs range from the most basic to the most complex skills, methods and techniques. Both speaking and writing skills need to be emphasized. Even basic techniques, such as how to deal with visuals or how to balance a story, require far more attention and awareness than they presently obtain. ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS: Equipment: Journalists and their assistants should provide special correspondent working in war or crisis areas with reliable safety equipment (bullet-proof jackets, helmets and, if possible, armored vehicles), communication equipment (locator beacons) and endurance and first-aid kits. Insurance: Journalists and their assistants working in war zones or dangerous areas should have insurance to cover illness, repatriation, disability and loss of life. Concerned media authority should take all obligatory steps to provide this before sending or employing personal on dangerous mission. They should strictly observe and obey with all applicable professional conventions and agreements. Fahad Desmukh, a freelance journalist, says, Something needs to be done to deal with the cutthroat competition that forces journalists, cameramen and even the drivers to take needless risks. Journalists should not be penalized for walking away from a dangerous assignment. Right now, the owners care more about protecting their cameras, vehicles and equipment rather than the lives of their employees. 3. ETHICAL PROBLEMS: Commitment: The media, public authorities, editors and journalists themselves shall systematically seek ways to assess and decrease the risks in war zones or conflict areas by consulting each other and exchanging all useful information. Risks to be taken by staff or freelance journalists, their assistants, local employees and support personnel require adequate preparation, information, insurance and equipment. Newsworthiness: The journalists should evaluate the newsworthiness. When evaluating the newsworthiness of a story or footage the ethics of the situation should be assessed. When it comes to angst there is a simple standard: let mourning be private and when it comes to violence: speech is better visuals. The portrayal of violent or grief images increases the probability of several negative and pessimistic affects. This results in an aggressive and antagonistic behavior. According to a study by James W. Potter on Media Violence there are two prevalent affects desensitization and fear that are increasing due to the unethical treatment of media. Breaking News: It is noted that reporting ethics are involved in reporting of war and crisis. Special trainings to the journalists can play an integral role as reporting is done differently in normal and crisis/war situations. Most of the journalists show tears, dead bodies and interviews with the victims family and this is ethically immoral. 4. SAFETY PROBLEMS: The protection of journalists working on dangerous mission is not always assured, even if law provides adequate protection on paper, because forces these days are showing less respect for that law. News-gatherers cannot get assurances from belligerents that they will be fully protected. Because of the risks they run to keep the public informed, media workers, journalists and their assistants (whether permanent staff or freelance) working in war zones or dangerous areas are entitled to vital protection, reimbursement, compensation and guarantees from their concerned authorities, though protection must never be taken to mean supervision by local military and governmental authorities. A number of journalists while reporting about the situation in the tribal belt, they have been threatened and subjected to the most obnoxious language on telephone by unidentified callers and many of them have been murdered, kidnapped and harassed due to the non prevalent safety measures. 5. GENDER DESCRIMINATION: Despite the existence of high-visibility female journalists in Pakistan, gender barriers and gender-based discrimination in the Pakistan media persist. Every media organization ought to have and faithfully implement a clearly articulated code of conduct forbid gender-based discrimination. 6. NEWSROOM BACK-UP PLANNING: When a crisis hits in that part of the country where the newsroom exixts, newsrooms may be crippled. But planning ahead can enable a news organization to keep broadcasting or publishing even if the newsroom is directly affected. Foremost thing is to back up everything. If the newsroom loses power, computers wont work. Keep back up copies of computer files off site. Keep critically important information on paper and keep copies off site, as well. This includes contact information and the crisis management plan itself as it will greatly help in coping with the situation. Importantly, work out an arrangement in advance to use the facilities of another newspaper for publication or another broadcast station to distribute TV or radio signals in case of emergency. PROBLEMS IN REPORTING: From the crisis reporting we can clearly evaluate that it can lead to problems in reporting. Due to the lack of facilities, trainings and compensation to the journalists it can result in several discrepancies in reporting during war zones and crisis areas. REPORTERS INTENTIONALLY MISLEAD: Reporters we expect to provide objective facts not simply tell us what we want to hear. Currently many of the Pakistani reporters are intentionally changing their reporting to cover up uncomfortable or unpopular facts, infact they are not really reporting at all as they are misleading the audiences. If journalists are deliberately reporting what they think people want to hear rather than what the facts are, an information disorder and chaos results. Unfounded rumors and gossips becomes legitimized when they are repeated on media either on TV or in the newspapers, and then become even more ingrained. It is imperative that journalists report the facts even when these facts are uncomfortable. Otherwise, we will only be building on a foundation of error. PAKISTANS MEDIA SENSATIONALISM As Pakistanis we should now all be well versed with tragedy coverage. Bomb blasts, terrorist attacks, violent protests, military operations, natural disasters you name it and we have seen it all. However, instead of making us more proficient at covering tragedies, the influx of crisis situations seem to have worked in reverse. For media personnel these situations are double disasters. The more serious the disaster is, the worse the situation in the newsroom becomes. There is a way of addressing catastrophe, crisis and violence. And it is unfortunate that those who need to be the most sensitive at such times the journalists, reporters and news agencies end up being the most insensitive. News reporting in Pakistan must move away from the sensational and overly-hyped. The media; both electronic and print must be devoted to more investigative forms of reporting. The media can play a pivotal and constructive role in reporting the crisis as it is and should essentially ignore the conspiracies and anecdotes that may exaggerate the crisis, and harm the people involved in it. BREAKING NEWS SYNDROME: Breaking news or special report is a current event that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming in order to report its details. Many times in Pakistani news channels, breaking news is used after the news network has already reported on this story. When a story has not been reported on previously, the phrase Breaking News is sometimes used its use is often loosely assigned to the most significant report of the moment or a story that is being covered live. It could be a story that is simply of wide interest to viewers and has little impact otherwise. TV channels of Pakistan often provide the oxygen of publicity to the extremist ideology and in a crazy competition for breaking news many channels report events without verifying and confirming the facts and often exaggerated the events and want to win the cat and rat race. SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS: ENHANCE THE REPORTING: According to former Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll, narrative writing should not be confined to massive enterprise stories. Any story should surprise and delight even a short police report. Carroll says todays news audience is bombarded by facts with no context, We need to gratify the readers emotions and intelligence (to help them) makes sense o

What is Cystic Fibrosis? :: essays research papers

Your child is under weight, has greasy, smelly diarrhea, a chronic cough and seems to always be getting pneumonia. He wheezes when he breathes and has impaired exercise ability. He seems to never being growing to the average size of his peers and his skin is very salty (5). The doctor’s first instinct should be to test your child for a disease called cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a disease, which causes the mucus in your body to be thicker in some areas. The most affected areas are the lungs and digestive system. As a result, the person may get chest infections and have difficulty digesting food. When cystic fibrosis is a consideration for a person’s disease the physician will do what is called a sweat test. This is a simple and cheap way to determine if your child has the disease. Because people who have cystic fibrosis (CF) have saltier sweat than others, the sweat test detects the amount of salt in the sweat of the individual (4). This is the best way to diagn ose a person with the disease (5).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CF is a genetic disease, meaning that a person does not â€Å"catch it†, it is inherited in the genes passed down to the person. Cystic fibrosis lasts with the patient for their whole life. This makes it a chronic disease, not communicable (9). All symptoms of CF are caused by a mutation to the single chromosome 7. This particular gene is responsible for the building of the protein called the cystic fibrosis trans membrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Normally, the gene regulates the passage of chloride ions in and out of the cell, but when mutated as in the case of CF patients the chloride ions cannot move throughout the cell membrane because the CFTR does not open. In about three- quarter of CF cases the CFTR is not just broken, but is completely missing from the cell. The missing CFTR has many effects on the human body. One is saltier sweat because as the sweat rises to the skin, cells reabsorb sodium and chloride molecules. The loss of the CFTR does no t allow the body to reabsorb the sodium ions making a CF patient’s sweat five times saltier than that of a normal person. This can lead to irregular heart rhythms. The loss of chloride ions affects the pancreas also. The loss of the CFTR ultimately makes it impossible for digestive enzymes to be sent to the intestines.