John Ericsson - Designer of the USS Monitor

John Ericsson invented an early locomotive, the Ericsson hot-air engine, an improved screw propeller, the gun turret, and a deep-sea sounding device. He also designed ships and submarines, most notably the USS Monitor. Early Life of John Ericsson in Sweden John (originally Johan) Ericsson was born on July 31, 1803, in Và ¤rmland, Sweden. His father, Olof Ericsson, was superintendent of a mine and taught John and his brother Nils the skills of mechanics. They received little formal education but showed their talent early. The boys learned to draw maps and finish off mechanical drawings when their father was director of blastings on the  Gà ¶ta Canal  project. They became cadets in the Swedish Navy at ages 11 and 12 and learned from instructors in the Swedish Corps of Mechanical Engineers. Nils went on to be a prominent canal and railway builder in Sweden. By age 14, John was working as a surveyor. He  joined the Swedish Army at age 17 and worked as a surveyor and was noted for his mapmaking skill. He began constructing a heat engine in his spare time, which used the heat and fumes of fire rather than steam. Move to England He decided to seek his fortune in England and moved there in 1826 at the age of 23. The railroad industry was hungry for talent and innovation. He continued to design engines that used airflow to provide more heat, and his locomotive design  Novelty  was barely beaten by the Rocket designed by George and Robert Stephenson in the Rainhill Trials. Other projects in England included the use of screw propellers on ships, a fire engine design, large guns,and a steam condenser that provided fresh water for ships. American Naval Designs of John Ericsson Ericssons work on twin screw propellers attracted the attention Robert F. Stockton, an influential and progressive U.S. Navy officer, who encouraged him to relocate to the United States. They worked together in New York to design a twin screw-propelled warship. The USS Princeton was commissioned in 1843. It was armed with a heavy gun 12-inch gun on a revolving pedestal that Ericsson designed. Stockton worked to get the most credit for these designs and designed and installed a second gun, which exploded and killed eight men, including Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur and Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer. When Stockton shifted the blame to Ericsson and blocked his pay, Ericsson resentfully but successfully moved on to civilian work. Designing the USS Monitor In 1861, the Navy needed an ironclad to match the Confederate USS Merrimack and the Secretary of the Navy convinced Ericsson to submit a design. He presented them with designs for the USS Monitor, an armored ship with guns on a rotating turret. The Merrimack had been rechristened the USS Virginia and the two ironclad ships did battle in 1862 to a stalemate that nonetheless aved the Union fleet. This success made Ericsson hero and many Monitor-type turret ships were built during the rest of the war. After the Civil War, Ericsson continued his work, producing ships for foreign navies and experimenting with submarines, self-propelled torpedoes, and heavy ordnance. He died in New York City on March 8, 1889 and his body was returned to Sweden on the cruiser Baltimore. Three U.S. Navy ships have been named in honor of John Ericsson: the torpedo boat Ericsson (Torpedo Boat # 2), 1897-1912; and the destroyers Ericsson (DD-56), 1915-1934; and Ericsson (DD-440), 1941-1970. Partial List of John Ericssons Patents U.S. #588   for a Screw Propeller patented February 1, 1838.U.S. #1847 for a Mode of Providing Steam Power to Locomotives patented November 5, 1840. Source: Information and photos provided by U.S. Naval Historical Center

The Problem Of Homelessness And Drug Addiction - 1224 Words

Anthropology is critical in order to understand many pressing contemporary issues such as social inequality, homelessness, drug addiction, structural, symbolic and interpersonal violence, and illicit economies. While all of these issues are important to understand, the public concern that is of the utmost importance is homelessness as well as the issues that correspond with this public concern. Homelessness is a very serious and pressing contemporary issue and it is strongly linked to another very serious contemporary issue, that being, drug addiction. Through the conduction of ethnographic research such as that found in Bourgois and Schonberg’s Righteous Dopefiend as well as Shandy’s â€Å"The Road to Refugee Resettlement,† it is possible to†¦show more content†¦Felix tried to urinate into the plastic water bottle that he kept next to his blankets, but his body Averkiou 2 was shaking too hard. He stood up, but his leg muscles spasmed and he fell down the highway embankment. He had to drag himself on his hands and knees to get back up to his mattress, pausing twice to retch† (Bourgois Schonberg 80). As this whole book was very graphic and depictive, this segment alone is enough to portray just how dangerous drug addiction is and how harmful withdrawing from drug usage can be on the body. It is too easy to get hooked, but very difficult to remove oneself from the utilization of drugs, so it is best not to begin using drugs in the first place. Why are these people using drugs in the first place? They are homeless. This excerpt poses one great example of how homelessness is directly related to drug addiction. In addition to attempting to remove themselves from heroine injections, receiving access to an emergency room was highly appreciated by white people who had contracted septic infections. â€Å"Ethnically distinct techniques of the body resulted in very different patterns of interaction with medical institutions. Most notably, each one of the whites was hospitalized for septic infections on multiple occasions during our fieldwork because skin-popping heightened their susceptibility to abscesses. The whites had enormous medical files at the county hospital. They

Women’s Rights Free Essays

Women are increasingly under attack in Afghanistan as far as women’s rights are concerned. The Taliban overthrew the afghan government in 1996, and ruled from 1996-2001, and during that time; strict restrictions had been executed on women. Women and girls were not allowed to work or receive education. We will write a custom essay sample on Women’s Rights or any similar topic only for you Order Now There was an exception to the rule if a woman was widowed, and had no other source of income, and then she could work. Women could not go outside, unless they were covered in a head to toe â€Å"burqua,† which is their traditional attire, and a male relative had to accompany them. The burqua only has a small mesh opening over the eyes allowing limited vision, and many of the women had been injured due to poor visibility. If a woman showed a bit of her ankle or had noisy shoes, she would be beaten. In addition, women had no voice, so they are were not allowed to speak in public. From puberty until death, women could only speak to men who were relatives. Once â€Å"The War on Terrorism† began, it gave the Afghan and Iraqi women hope to reform their nation and improve the social situation. The Taliban were chased from the country by U. S. military forces in 2001, and there have been some improvements in women’s rights concerning education and employment although many still suffer the hardships they did before the war. Most improvements have happened in major cites of Afghanistan such as Kabul, leaving rural areas with very much change at all. The police still enforce the wearing of the â€Å"burqua† by the women, but in Kabul, many professional women no longer wear the burqua, but many still do. According to a July 2003 Human Rights Watch report, the Southeast Afghanistan army and police practice of kidnapping, robbing and raping is so prevalent that women and girls are staying home as a means of protection. The fear of assault and political intimidation prevents the women and girls from gaining an education, employment and political influence. † (National Organization for Women, 2008) There is no abiding law and order in Afghanistan by the police o r local authorities. The NATO forces do not have enough manpower to offer protection. However, armed fathers, husbands and brothers do all they can to protect the women. Afghanistan is also known for child brides and marrying off girls as young as eleven to men in their thirties and even older. â€Å"True, women hold 27 percent of the seats in the National Assembly and one-sixth of the seats in the Upper House. But most Afghan women remain illiterate, impoverished and vulnerable to political and criminal violence. Only 15 percent of Afghan woman can read. The United Nations has described Afghan women as being â€Å"among the worst-off in the world. On average, women in Afghanistan die at least 20 years younger than women elsewhere. †(Women in Afghanistan, 2006) In Herat, which is Afghanistan’s second largest city, the government has given women and girls limited educational and employment opportunities. Women groups have been censored, and derailed from the governments’ administration. It is bad enough that the government is threatening womenâ₠¬â„¢s rights, but society has imposed other means by handing out pamphlets in communities encouraging parents not to send their daughters to school, and many of the girls schools have been firebombed and burned. Some girls have been poisoned to death for going to school. Parents that often deny education for their daughters, force their young girls into marriage. Girls are forced into marriage as young as eight years old. Other restrictions that Afghan women face as a violation of women’s rights is a ban on outside employment, strict dress code for women, very limited medical care, threats of violence if seen without a husband, father or male relative and rejection of humanitarian aid. Women are denied any share of humanitarian aid delivered to their country under the assumption that the men will take care of the women. Before the Taliban takeover in 1996, the Afghanistan women were scientist, members of parliament, cabinet members, and university professors. They led corporations, non-profit organizations and local communities. Many of these women are more than qualified to lead Afghanistan back to democracy. In November 2001, shockingly, Afghan women marched for their rights in Kabul. For the first time in more than six years, Afghan women rallied for their rights. Hillary Clinton established a campaign for women in Afghanistan and in 1999; she spoke out on their behalf about the abuse and the wearing of the burqua of the women in Afghanistan. Over the years, some schools have reopened in Afghanistan allowing boys and girls to attend. Several women have also been appointed or elected to important political roles. In the past five years, in the southern city of Kandahar at least five thousand women have graduated from special literacy courses, where they learned how to read and write and were taught skills such as dressmaking or computer knowledge. There is a woman minister of public health, a woman minister of women’s affairs and a woman heading the human rights commission. Women are also now able to travel more freely, and they have returned to work. Although progress is being made, there is still much more turmoil. â€Å"Registered cases of physical violence against women and girls in Afghanistan have increased by about 40 percent since March 2007. Some women seek escape by self-immolation, resulting in death or disfigurement. Last year, at least 30 women committed suicide in the western Farah Province alone, most of them by setting themselves on fire, according to Afghan media reports. † (Afghanistan Online, 2008) The Afghanistan government announced a plan to give nearly one third of jobs to women by 2012. I hope that this will lead to greater things, and that the women’s rights of Afghanistan will improve and that every woman will be included throughout the country, and they can move forward. Women’s Rights How to cite Women’s Rights, Papers Women’s Rights Free Essays Should all women be equal to their status, opportunities and rights? Every woman should have the ability to express their freedoms and rights, deserve equal treatment within their society and region, and every country needs to reinforce the rules for women. There is no dignity and respect for women universally. Gender equality is still out of reach for many women worldwide. We will write a custom essay sample on Women’s Rights or any similar topic only for you Order Now Presently, women have gained legal rights throughout the world. The women’s rights movement changed society into what we know today. They have allowed Canadian women to obtain a certain formal equality. They have also allowed women to vote and been given equal pay for equal work, however; women had to fight through difficult times to get through discrimination in the 19th century. In the past, women did not have the rights and freedoms as most men and were treated harshly. In other words, women had almost no rights at all. They were not allowed to vote, they could not hold in public offices, and were not given custody of their children if the couple had a divorce agreement. As a result, they were mainly seen as homemakers. Women were inferior to men in many different ways. Women did not have any property rights and once she was married, she was no longer allowed to own any land or property. A man could sell his house and take all the money for himself, and leave his wife and child behind with nothing. Womenfolk were not considered as people. The women’s rights movement helped them throughout the country by passing laws stating that women could own a part of her husband’s estate. Women were observed as socially and politically inferior and unable to function at the same level as men, however; with the rise of the civil rights movement, this finally made women equal as men. In the 1920’s, the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† spread gender equality dramatically. They began to take on more jobs, and wear more daring clothes. Rebellious and bold women, known as flappers, managed to exemplify women’s role in a social change by expressing equality with men. They proved that they could be more sophisticated than men and can achieve greater success. However, women were still paid less than men because they were cheaper to employ. In 1917, the military voters act gave women, who worked in the military, the right to vote. In 1927, the â€Å"Famous Five†, which included, Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louis McKinney and Henrietta Edwards, asked the Supreme Court of Canada one question; â€Å"Are women considered to be people? † The term â€Å"people† did not include women, thus the court announced that women were indeed people too. This legal ruling established that women were to be regarded as equal to men under the law. The â€Å"Famous Five† is the reason why Canada is able to have women vote, thus they are very important for women’s rights. All women have the right for freedom, justice and the pursuit of happiness. They must be considered equal and that they deserve the respect and dignity as all humans get. Women throughout the world are suffering because of the rules that are enforced in a specific area and region. If countries reinforce the rules for women, the world will be a better place for women all around the world. Countries can reinforce the rules by educating women further. Those who are well educated will have fewer children, earn more money, and will get more job opportunities. Their educational achievements can have ripple effects within their family and across the generations. Women with equal access to education, training and means can become a great resort. They can raise the living standards of their families and inject new life into the local economy. Also, investing in women’s education reduces poverty. Countries can also aid and support women by providing them with new job opportunities. Women who stay home become mentally sick and tired. Women who have a job will have new experience and will earn money to survive. It also improves self-value and will improve self-confidence. It will also help the government and the economy to grow exponentially. Also, all women should get equal pay for equal work. In nearly every country, women work for longer hours yet get paid less and are more likely to live in poverty. Economic disparities persist partly because of the unpaid work within families and communities and that becomes their downfall because they face discrimination in the economic sphere. Women in many countries still lack to own property because of gender discrimination. Most countries should reinforce these rules and make women live in a better civilization. Every woman deserves equal treatment within their society. Women in other countries continue to have lower education, fewer rights, and less income. Despite the successes of empowering women, numerous issues still exist in all areas of life, ranging from the cultural, political to the economic. They suffer verbal, emotion, physical and sexual abuse. In Saudi Arabia, women are lacking the rights that they are as human beings because of the Sharia Law. The Sharia Law is a law that neglects the rights and freedoms of every woman in Saudi Arabia. The law makes it hard to live. They are not allowed to drive and cannot dress in public with anything except for a burka. If a woman was caught without a burka, she could obtain a severe punishment with 40 whip lashes. No foreign based law or religious law should be allowed to encroach on women’s rights. India also discriminates against women. In India, lots of women die because of rape. It is an unforgettable moment that everyone would like to avoid at all cost. They will not be able to live a normal life and deal with anxiety for the rest of their life. Women are treated as a sexual object because men do not respect and value women in India. Dowry is another problem in India. This is when the property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage, however; if the bride is unable to pay, she is usually married off and mentally and physically tortured by their husband. Afghanistan is another country that disrespects women’s rights. Under the Taliban rule, women were stripped of all human rights. Women cannot seek for education because the Talibans don’t educate them in any way. They do not want them to be educated and intelligent because it would threaten the male dominance. Women are also not allowed to go to work and are forced to stay home. Afghanistan has the highest rate of violence towards women. The Taliban permits and encourages marriage for young girls under the age of 16. Most women in foreign countries, such as India, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, are forced to give up their ambitions, simply because the men feel that it is right to leave it as is. They cannot express themselves freely and are treated unlawfully. Women have endured many hardships and unfathomable oppressions. Despite all the troubles throughout each country and society, women have shown a tremendous resilience and human spirit. In conclusion, each and every woman deserves respect and dignity. Every woman should have the ability to express their freedoms and rights, deserve equal treatment within their society and region, and most country needs to reinforce the rules for women. Women continue to have lower education, fewer rights, and less income within their society. In the 19th century, women were not allowed to hold in a political office and married women had no property of their children and had no role in society. Womenfolk in foreign countries are treated wrongfully and improperly. If countries reinforce the law, they can live a better life so that they can succeed as much as men. All women and men are created equal and that they have equal value and should be accorded to equal treatment eternally. How to cite Women’s Rights, Papers Women’s Rights Free Essays Women Rights No Rights? Are You Kidding Me? In the early 1900s, women barely had any kind of rights. There were many laws that prevented us from doing anything. For one thing, women were EXPECTED to stay at home and take care of the cooking and cleaning. We will write a custom essay sample on Women’s Rights or any similar topic only for you Order Now Women were also considered as the â€Å"property† of men once they got married. They couldn’t do anything without the permission of their husband. Women couldn’t sign any contracts, and so they wouldn’t be able to start any businesses without their husbands. Women didn’t even have any property or inheritance rights once they got married, so they couldn’t own any kind of land, couldn’t keep any kind of money, and they didn’t even have legal custody rights for their children, the father had ALL the rights. The worst part of it all? Well, we didn’t even have the right to take our husband to court if they abused us! So basically, they can just hit and slap us all they want, and we couldn’t do anything, at all. Basically, at that time, it was die alone, or have no rights or respect for the rest of your life. We ARE People! In the 1900s, a woman wasn’t even considered a person! Since they weren’t considered as people, they didn’t get a single say in politics of anything else. One of the main focuses for women was the right to vote. They didn’t get this right for a long time. The Valiant Five, which was a group of women, were the people who helped women be recognized as people. In 1927, they went to the Supreme Court of Canada, and asked them if women were persons. After many weeks of debates and disagreements, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that the definition of â€Å"person† did NOT include women in any way. The Valiant Five wouldn’t accept this and so they took the Persons Case to the highest court of Canada, The Privy Court, in England. They worked hard, and so on October 18, 1929; the Privy Court had announced that women were indeed persons. This was a HUGE milestone in women history. Women’s Rights Movement After being treated unfairly for many years, women still didn’t give up on their quest for respect and equality. They were very determined, hence their many organizations. These groups arranged many protests, riots, and seminars. They caused lots of problems for the government and authorities, but they never once gave up. One of these wonderful organizations was the Women’s Rights Movement. They changed society for women, for the better. With the help of the Women’s Rights Movement, and many years of hard work and devotion, women finally got the respect and rights that they deserved. The Women’s Rights Movement passed many laws throughout the country stating that women should be able to own at least half of their husband’s land. Many provinces agreed, and so they announced that women are entitled to part of their husband’s land. This gave many women confidence because it showed that they didn’t need a husband to depend on to be able to do things. Give Us A Chance! In the 1990s, no one would hire women to work for them. In that time, everyone thought that the only job for a woman was to be a wife and mother. They thought that women were only meant for that, and nothing else. However, women did get jobs, but only the jobs that men didn’t want, so if the employer was really desperate, and even if they did get a job, they would get a LOWER salary than a man who would be doing the same exact job as them. Many women had to turn to prostitution to survive. Many employers would also bring up the fact that women didn’t have a great education. However, that wasn’t their fault at all. In that time, women would only be allowed to stay in school until the age of 12. The only girls that were permitted to take their education higher than that age were the wealthy ones. Want to know the stupidest thing ever? Many doctors claimed that a woman’s health would be damaged if they had a higher education! Can you believe that? So You’re Just Going To Fire Us Now That They’re Back? During the World War I, the women worked in the factories to keep them going while the men went off to fight. They did all the things that men did, and what they wouldn’t have been able to do while they were there. That should have showed the employers that women CAN do whatever men can do, but as soon as the men came back from the war, the women were all let go so the men could have jobs. I don’t get how that’s fair! After all the hard work that the women did while the men were gone! After all they did for the employers! How can they just fire them because the men were back? However, this made women be more determined to get rights. They wanted equality, and the right to work. They shouldn’t have been fired just because they were women. They did just prove that they can do what men can do. We Deserve A Say! The right to vote was the main focus for the Women’s Rights Movement. It took many years to get all of Canada on board with the idea, 1917-1940, but all the hard work and devotion paid off, and now women all across Canada have the right to vote! The Toronto Women’s Literary Club, which was formed by Emily Stowe in 1876, was the first Canadian group to protest to try to get women the right to vote. Then finally, on June 19, 1917, the House of Commons finally voted to accept the bill. The women who were a part of the suffrage were surprised by the amount of support given to them by the ALL-male Commons. Some say that the Commons voted for the women’s suffrage because they were thankful for all the work women had done while the men were at war. However, many others have said that the amount of work that the women had done was over stated because in France, the women did the same amount of work, but didn’t get a suffrage for a long time. AFTER LEARNING SO MUCH ABOUT THE HISTORY OF WOMEN, AND HOW HARD THEY WORKED SO WE COULD GET EQUALITY, RIGHTS AND RESPECT, I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE PROUD TO BE A FEMALE. I AM SO APPRECIATIVE FOR ALL THOSE WOMEN WHO FOUGHT FOR ALL OF US. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL MANY PEOPLE TODAY, WHO DISCRIMINATE WOMEN, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT US FEMALES ARE STRONG AND WE CAN FIGHT FOR OURSELVES, AND FINISH UP WHAT THE OTHERS STARTED. WE CAN STOP THIS GENDER DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE WE DESERVE EQUALIITY, AND WE’RE GOING TO GET IT! Bibliography for Information * Canada: The Story of A Developing Nation Grade 8 History Textbook * http://socyberty. com/history/the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-1920s/ * http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/world_war_one_and_women. htm * http://www. warandgender. com/forums/WarGen/posts/515. html Bibliography for Pictures * http://www. choosingraw. com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/womensrights. gif * http://myhero. com/images/guest/g189562/hero42988/g189562_u47597_famous5. pg * http://img. photobucket. com/albums/v239/mnpeach/womens_rights_logo-1. jpg * http://rebelgrrrl. files. wordpress. com/2008/02/feminist. jpg * http://www. fromthevaultradio. org/home/wp-content/images/FTV084_Feminist%20Journer/feminist%20journerys%2001%20women’s%20day%20b-w%20march. jpg * http://www. psea. org/uploadedImages/HomePage/Rosie. jpg * http://img. tfd. com/wn/B9/65485-unfairness. gif * htt p://www. congressforkids. net/images/unclesam_women. gif * http://mbonillo. xavierre. com/httpdocs/exercises/imageshp/USelections/women-rights. jpg How to cite Women’s Rights, Papers Women’s Rights Free Essays Over the centuries, women have faced numerous difficulties in a male supremacist infested society who places gender as the main determining element of human capacity. Despite the rise of liberal, secularist ideologies that express support for women’s rights in the 08th and 19th centuries, the problem remains chronic as there remain social prejudices and blind convictions on the weaknesses and shortcomings of women as members of society. . We will write a custom essay sample on Women’s Rights or any similar topic only for you Order Now During the 50s, the media projected women as undignified citizens who do not have the right to exercise free will. Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin recall Seventeen Magazine to have advised their readers about the role of women in a relationship. That the woman’s role was to function as partners and not rivals, enemies, and playthings, and that the relationship between women and men should create a heaven, a home that should serve as a place of sanctuary and peace (Isserman Kazin, 2000, 13). The 1960s proved, on the other hand, to be one of the biggest turning points of women’s rights in the United States and across the world. Apart from the emergence of the second wave of feminists, the Vietnam War provided opportunities for women to show their capabilities as members of the working class. The entrance of women to the realm of the paid labor force were led by women who at the time were over the 40-year old mark Despite such remarkable turn of events, women remained to be deemed as underrated second class citizens. Primarily, tradition norms hold that women should not be granted education and right to labor as their capabilities are not equal to those of their male counterparts. As a result, society failed to acknowledge the statistical proliferation of women in the labor sector because of traditional belief and practice. In doing so, society also failed to look at the fact that the entrance of women in the labor force meant that women as unrecognized members of society have finally broken the domestic ideal that women are supposed to show their supremacy as homemakers and housewives. For the African American woman however, the deprivation of rights were enveloped in the concepts of gender and ethnicity. While African-American women enjoyed the rights to having paid labor similar to those of their male counterparts, they were always compared to white women (Isserman Kazin, 2000, 26). And considering the rampant racial discrimination during the 20th century, the comparisons between African-American women and Caucasian women implied negativity. Likewise, the right to purity for African American women was among the most alarming concerns as the accepted norm regarding women who take pleasure for sensual activities were only ascribed to African American women. Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin (2000, 27) write that white American Writer Willie Morris was shocked by the fact that a woman of his own skin tone does actually enjoy sexual intercourse. Morris added more insult to injury as he denoted his personal thought that â€Å"only Negro women engaged in the act of love with white males just for fun (Isserman Kazin, 2000, 27). † Women’s rights over the years have been hindered by male supremacists who only believed in the capabilities of their own ego. However, it has also been apparent that apart from gender, skin tone and other physical features are also factors that hinder women from proliferating and being part of a prejudice-free society. But putting all the obstacles that gender issues bring forth, such obstacles should not be the cause of disheartening but a beacon of hope that women would one day face a world free of blind prejudice and mindless conformity. How to cite Women’s Rights, Papers

Branding startegy adopted by addidas free essay sample

Adidas’ mission is to be the leading and most loved sports brand in the world. One major lever to achieve this is the brand’s broad and unique product portfolio, Through Global Brand strategy The primary objective of this portfolio strategy is to ensure that our brands seize market and category opportunities through well-defined and coordinated go-to-market strategies. Each brand is responsible for the execution of its strategic focus by creating a constant stream of innovative and inspiring products and generating communication strategies that represent each brand and category in an engaging and compelling way . OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To determine the role of global brand strategies on the brand addidas RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Data Collection Method: Secondary Data With the help of magazines, newspapers, journals, books and internet. INTRODUCTION Since it was established in Germany in 1949, by Adolf Dassler, adidas has been synonymous with the sporting industry. Today, adidas is a global public company and is one of the largest sports brands in the world. It is a household brand name with its three stripes logo recognized in markets across the world. The company’s product portfolio is vast, ranging from state-of-the-art sports footwear and clothing to accessories such as bags, watches, eyewear and other sports-related goods and equipment. Employing over 46,000 people worldwide, the adidas Group consists of around 170 subsidiaries including Reebok, TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Rockport and CCM-Hockey. The Groups headquarters are in Herzogenaurach, Germany. In the second quarter of 2013 the Group ’revenue was â‚ ¬3. 383 billion. GLOBAL BRANDS STARTEGY Global Brands is responsible for all the product and marketing functions and long-term development of the adidas and Reebok brands. The primary objective of this portfolio strategy is to ensure that our brands seize market and category opportunities through well-defined and coordinated go-to-market strategies. Each brand is responsible for the execution of its strategic focus by creating a constant stream of innovative and inspiring products and generating communication strategies that represent each brand and category in an engaging and compelling way. DRIVING THE LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT OF ADDIDAS REEBOK To secure long-term sustainable growth for the Group, Global Brands is focused on driving the development of the adidas and Reebok brands. Global Brands played a central role in the creation of Route 2015, the adidas Group’s strategic business plan that was unveiled in 2010. The adidas and Reebok brands are expected to deliver more than 80% of the targeted growth for the Group until 2015. Areas within adidas and Reebok that were identified as key contributors and game changers for the adidas Group include: Gaining sales and market share in the key global categories running and basketball with adidas Sport Performance. Expanding adidas Sport Style into fast fashion with the adidas NEO label. Maintaining adidas Originals’ strong momentum with the fashion driven lifestyle consumer. Establishing Reebok as the leading fitness brand FOCUS ON THE CONSUMER The consumer is at the heart of everything we do. This is the first and most important realization, and we must adhere to it to ensure the long-term success of our brands to be successful across consumer segments, we acknowledge that a strategy of mass production or mass marketing is no longer sufficient. Only by identifying and understanding consumers’ buying habits, their fitness level, their motivations and goals for doing sport and their individual lifestyle can we create meaningful products, services and experiences that build a lasting impression. In this respect, we have identified five key global trends which will be important to address with our brands and sub-brands over the duration of Route 2015: Fit for life:- Sport is no longer just about competing and winning. Sport is becoming more embedded in consumers’ everyday lifestyles. Motivations and goals are becoming more holistic, fun, socialising and life-enhancing. You are what you know and what you do: -Society is embracing a life-long learning attitude, and placing more emphasis on what we know and do versus what we have and where we come from. Celebrating individuality:- Consumers increasingly fulfil their desire to differentiate themselves from one another by being more creative – on the one hand mixing and matching products and services they need, and on the other hand seeking personalised offerings tailored for them. The growth in social media continues to fuel more and more opportunities to display individuality, making it even more important. Together is better:- There is an increasing need for meaningful social interaction, both online and offline, as consumers become more mobile, and digital technologies and social networks make it easier for them to connect with like-minded people. Back to basics:- For everyday life, products and services are desired to be simple and authentic, making consumers’ lives easier. There is a growing interest in outdoor activities and minimalistically designed products, reflecting the desire to reconnect and be in tune with nature. BRAND ARCHITECTURE AND DIFFERENTIATION We believe that our Group’s multi-brand structure gives us an important competitive advantage. Through our brand architecture, we seamlessly cover the consumer segments we have defined, catering to more consumer needs, while at the same time keeping clarity of brand message and values. This sub-brand is the multi-sport specialist. Our positioning in this respect clearly starts in producing the best products to help make athletes better, with a strong focus on football, basketball and running. The sub-brands, adidas Originals and Sport Style, strive to take the brand’s unique heritage and design leadership to capture further potential in the sports lifestyle and fashion market. Reebok, in contrast, is an American-inspired global brand with the clear objective to become the world’s leading fitness brand. With Reebok, we aspire to make our consumers â€Å"fit for life†. Innovation is rooted in developing products, technologies and programming which enable consumers to live a healthy lifestyle and have fun doing it. Reebok connects with the fitness consumer wherever they are and however they choose to stay fit – whether it’s training, running, walking, dance, yoga or aerobics. In addition, Reebok Classics leverages the brand’s fitness heritage and represents the roots of the brand in the sports lifestyle market. LEADERSHIP IN PRODUCT INVOVTATION TO EXCITE INSPIRE THE CONSUMER Through Global Brands, we are determined to address every consumer in a specific and unique way – with product initiatives that generate trade and consumer interest. We believe that technological innovation is essential to sustainable leadership in our industry. By leveraging the extensive RD expertise within the Group, adidas and Reebok continuously challenge the boundaries of functionality and performance. In addition, innovation plays a significant role in differentiating the adidas and Reebok product offerings in the minds of consumers. For example, at adidas, we focus our RD efforts on advanced cushioning solutions, lightweight and digital sports technologies as well as sustainable product innovation to ensure we continuously improve the consumer’s experience with our products. At Reebok, the innovation focus is on fitness, where the priority is creating products that enhance and improve the consumer’s fitness activities and help them reach – or exceed – their fitness goals. By creating inspiring product and brand experiences, adidas and Reebok strive to enhance their positions as premium brands. MARKETING COMMUNICATION LEADERSHIP To be competitive in the sporting goods industry, brands must have a clear profile towards their target consumer. To achieve this, adidas and Reebok are focused on creating inspirational and innovative brand marketing campaigns and developing communication techniques that strengthen their positioning, build brand equity and thus support the achievement of the Group’s commercial goals. In addition, Global Brands also Endeavour’s to ensure all of its brands are at the forefront of new communication techniques, particularly as the information flow becomes faster and faster. To increase the pace and relevance of our brands’ communication with the consumer, digital marketing now acts as a backbone for all brand marketing activities. Whether through in-store or online customization platforms, digital social networks, mobile apps or digital broadcast mediums, these methods are providing a new scope of consumer experience in a real-time and cost-efficient way. In 2012, adidas celebrated the breadth and depth of the brand across sports, street and style through several brand campaigns. These campaigns focused on increasing engagement with our core audience by leveraging multiple digital platforms, including the launch of the new adidas. com â€Å"go all in† platform, providing new levels of access to our products, athletes, celebrities and events. In 2012, Reebok launched one of its largest integrated marketing campaigns in recent years: â€Å"The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived†. This multi-touch point campaign leveraged traditional media such as TV, print and in-store, but carried an even higher emphasis on digital and social media elements, including a re-launched Reebok. com site, as well as a number of impactful grassroots activities. In 2013, Reebok will speak with a united voice for all its Fitness categories and Classics. The global campaign â€Å"Live with Fire† aims to inspire people to join the community of movement and demonstrates the positive impact being fit can have on people’s lives. ADIDAS SPORT PERFORMANCE: TO MAKE ATHLETES BETTER No other brand has a more distinguished history and stronger connection with sport than adidas. Adidas is where the best meet the best, such as at the Olympic Games, but also everywhere else around the world where sports are played, watched, enjoyed and celebrated. The main objective is simple: to make athletes better. Innovation is at the core of all adidas Sport Performance products. The brand innovates through its five performance benefits (faster, stronger, smarter, cooler, more natural). The target consumers are active in sport, inspired by sport or simply love sport. While adidas has a pivotal strength with the 20- to 29-year-olds, a clear focus is on strengthening its resonance with 14- to 19-year-olds, in particular the high school athlete. ADIDAS SPORT STYLE: STYLE YOUR LIFE Street wear and lifestyle sports fashion represents a unique opportunity for sporting goods companies. What once started as a niche business now makes up more than 28% of adidas brand sales globally. To best tap the potential of the sports fashion market, adidas Sport Style targets this market with a clear multi-label strategy CONCLUSION we have concluded that the brand addidas is global brand it is most loving brand . we have studied the global brand strategies of addidas brand very usefull in promoting this brand at higher level the g five points in which the brand think for the consumer widely and also according to today fashon they design according to the likings of there custmor . in sports No other brand has a more distinguished history and stronger connection with sport than adidas. Adidas is where the best meet the best, such as at the Olympic Games, but also everywhere else around the world where sports are played, watched, enjoyed and celebrated. The main objective is simple: to make athletes better.

RFP Software Breaking Down the Options - The Writers For Hire

RFP SOFTWARE: BREAKING DOWN THE OPTIONS Several of our RFP clients have asked us if there’s any good proposal software out there. Software that can help them make the proposal writing process a bit easier. Software that can help them keep track of deadlines, rules, forms, and updates. Software that makes it easier to manage feedback from multiple reviewers and balance several time-sensitive moving parts. That’s a tall order. But we thought it was a great idea for a blog. We haven’t used a lot of proposal-specific software, so we decided to embark on a little research to learn more about the proposal management software available today. We reached out to several RFP software companies that were all kind enough to provide us with details of their programs and walk us through their best features. 1.Expedience Software Expedience Software’s RFP response package functions as an add-on to Microsoft Office.It allows users to access features directly through Word, via an additional set of menus that appear within the word-processing program itself. This approach has clear advantages.It takes advantage of Word’s status as the most widely used word-processing software in the world, thereby allowing users who are already familiar with the platform to remain in a comfortable environment.Additionally, it piggybacks on Word’s ability to co-operate with other programs in the Office suite, particularly Excel.In short, it requires users to learn a limited set of new menu options and commands rather than an entirely new program, with a different location on the home screen, a different interface, and different internal logic. As Jason Anderson, vice president for sales at Expedience Software, explained: â€Å"Being in Word brings us lots of advantages, mainly that i t’s known.† Sticking to this familiar platform helps users save time, reduce the learning curve and make fewer mistakes along the way, he said. Expedience Software adds new tabs to the Word menu at the top of the screen – namely, Style Palette and Content Portfolio.The latter is likely to be the first destination when generating a new response to RFP, as it allows users to open proposals and access relevant company information and data through the selection of a content portfolio (i.e., a library of stored content from completed proposals and related documents). It lets them search the content portfolio and use the results of the search to add boilerplate text to documents. Additionally, it gives users the ability to add metadata tags to items within the portfolio to facilitate future searches. Style Palette allows users to format proposal documents, using familiar Word features such as style settings, tables and text boxes.It can apply previously used formatting and styles, so that new documents don’t have to be built from scratch. This approach has clear advantages.It takes advantage of Word’s status as the most widely used word-processing software in the world, thereby allowing users who are already familiar with the platform to remain in a comfortable environment.Additionally, it piggybacks on Word’s ability to co-operate with other programs in the Office suite, particularly Excel. In short, it requires users to learn a limited set of new menu options and commands rather than an entirely new program, with a different location on the home screen, a different interface, and different internal logic. As Jason Anderson, vice president for sales at Expedience Software, explained: â€Å"Being in Word brings us lots of advantages, mainly that it’s known.† Sticking to this familiar platform helps users save time, reduce the learning curve and make fewer mistakes along the way, he said. Expedience Software adds new tabs to the Word menu at the top of the screen – namely, Style Palette and Content Portfolio. The latter is likely to be the first destination when generating a new response to RFP, as it allows users to open proposals and access relevant company information and data through the selection of a content portfolio (i.e., a library of stored content from completed proposals and related documents). It lets them search the content portfolio and use the results of the search to add boilerplate text to documents. Additionally, it gives users the ability to add metadata tags to items within the portfolio to facilitate future searches.Style Palette allows users to format proposal documents, using familiar Word features such as style settings, tables and text boxes.It can apply previously used formatting and styles, so that new documents don’t have to be built from scratch. The newest version of Expedience Software’s package also features an Excel Connect tab (not sho wn in the images above). This tab allows users to move easily back and forth between Word and Excel, a handy feature when responding to RFPs that require bidders to submit their responses in spreadsheet format. One drawback of the tie-in with MS Office is that Expedience Software does not have built-in scheduling or calendar capabilities, so it doesn’t give users the ability to set target dates and arrange for automatic reminders of upcoming deadlines.And, since it focuses primarily on document creation and editing, Expedience Software doesn’t offer as many project management as other software. But Expedience Software does feature an intriguing approach to security and user access. Most of the providers we spoke with used a full licensing system that required each user within a company to have an individual license to access the program. But Anderson explained that Expedience Software issues licenses only to users who need to access every part of the content portfolio. License holders can then grant outside experts and consultants limited access to basic viewing and editing functions without the need to acquire additional licenses, he explained. â€Å"Most other software wont let you control access to content in this way, but we do,† he said. Anderson also stressed that license holders had the ability to prevent unlicensed users from accessing every part of the company’s library. â€Å"You can restrict authorship,† he said, explaining that this option preserved the security of company records while ensuring that lower-level employees and outside consultants could still view and edit proposal documents as necessary. He further noted that these security provisions allowed managers to protect confidential information without setting up additional storage infrastructure. License holders can restrict authorship to documents on existing company servers or any other storage solution, he said. â€Å"If there’s a firewall, it can be behind that. It can be on a network drive [or] in the cloud,† he said. The bottom line: Expedience Software provides advanced document-management options in a setting that is both familiar and easy to access. Main pros: Based on familiar Word platform and has a low learning curveTies directly into ExcelMain cons: No scheduling or calendar features Few project management features 2.Qwilr Qwilr is quite different from Expedience Software. This is not just because it is a stand-alone program with no explicit link to existing platforms, but also because it aims to turn out a different type of product. Responses to RFPs typically follow one of two formats: Word-type documents that describe a given company’s ability to provide goods and/or services, as well as its compliance with requirements Spreadsheets that contain the same type of data and information in a pre-formatted, Excel-type format By contrast, Qwilr allows users to generate a dynamic response that bears more resemblance to a web page than to a stack of paper. Finished Qwilr products are web-based and have website-like elements such as hyperlinks, video content and online quote acceptance. Additionally, they can be built, edited and viewed on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The software appears to be easy to navigate, with a straightforward, point-and-click interface. â€Å"In terms of ease of use, we’re up there. The software is even pleasant to use,† said Jomar Gomez, a sales and customer success representative for Qwilr. Moreover, he said, the end product is easy to navigate, â€Å"as it’s more like a web page with design elements.† Qwilr’s main focus is on this type of dynamic presentation. But users can also generate RFP responses in several formats, including text, and can save files as PDFs. Additionally, Qwilr makes plenty of design and graphic elements available to users seeking to craft dynamic responses.It incl udes multiple pre-set templates, each with a different look and feel, and also lets users access a library of stock photos. The software also offers a built-in quote acceptance tool that allows for a rapid response from contracting organizations.This easy-to-use tool features sliders that can be activated with the click of a mouse or the tap of a finger. Another handy tool is the Analytics feature, which helps users keep track of the progress of a project, from the creation of the initial document to responses from contracting organizations Despite its forward-looking features, Qwilr does not lose sight of the fact that users need more than attractive graphics and design. It gives users the ability to create and access a library of boilerplate texts, and its Clone feature streamlines the process of using previous documents as a model for new responses. Qwilr uses a standard licensing model, with each individual user required to obtain a license. It also includes security features su ch as Block, which restricts access to and editing capabilities, making it a good fit for companies that bring in outside consultants or experts when drafting proposals. There are some downsides to this software, however: Qwilr does not tie directly into Excel, so it offers no advantages to users responding to RFPs in spreadsheet format. It does not appear to have a calendar function, though it does have an audit trail that lays out the timeline for each project. The bottom line: Qwilr allows users to craft proposals that will stand out from the crowd. Main pros: delivers visually striking content, includes useful toolsMain cons: doesn’t help with spreadsheet RFPs, no scheduling or calendar features, more suited to smaller companies that can present proposals in person 3.Loopio and RFPIO Both Loopio and RFPIO allow companies to compile and draw on examples of past work, thereby simplifying tasks such as retrieving standard boilerplate text or duplicating existing formats.B ut they each offer unique takes on RFP response software.Loopio and RFPIO do not piggyback on MS Office like Expedience Software; and they don’t emphasize web-style, graphics-focused content like Qwilr. Instead, these stand-alone packages bear a strong resemblance to project management systems, as both have dashboards and group projects into folders. Their folders and menus help companies to build on previous proposals and to compile boilerplate text, as both employ templates and metadata tags, as well as document and answer libraries. Additionally, both are cloud-based platforms that use a standard licensing model. Both can be used on mobile devices as well as PCs. There are differences between the two, though. The most noticeable of these is that RFPIO appears to have a wider range of capabilities than Loopio. For example, RFPIO does not require users to work from templates, although it does offer them that option. It allows users to fill out a form with the relevant infor mation (or with a command to retrieve specific information from the content library) and then generates a proposal on its own. RFPIO also offers a predictive text function based on artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This reduces the time needed to search for and retrieve relevant information, said Chris Pulley, an account executive at RFPIO. â€Å"There’s not even a need to cut and paste. That’s a huge component of the software,† he said. â€Å"RFPIO automatically saves answers to questions. It will also suggest answers for you using key words, without any prompting. [This feature] is a key way to save time.† Additionally, the program allows users to import questionnaires and MS Office files with only one click of the mouse. As such, it facilitates replies to spreadsheet-based RFPs while also streamlining the process of drawing on document files in Word or Excel format. Both types of software allow companies to customize access levels for multipl e users in order to guard confidentiality. However, Loopio only grants access to license holders, which means that companies using outside experts or consultants must obtain an additional license, explained Allison Russell, a sales development representative for the company. â€Å"The software is designed to serve a group of people collaborating and working on the same response toward a common goal, but it keeps confidential information secure,† she said. â€Å"We have different settings for that, and they’re up to the discretion of the user. The settings can be made different for each license user.† RFPIO, by contrast, gives users the option of granting outside consultants and experts access to content portfolios without additional licenses. It also lets users set custom security levels to ensure that these contributors can access the information they need and no more. â€Å"There are different levels of access – administrator, member, and guest,† Pulley said. â€Å"The guest feature lets any employee be set up as a member of the team working on the response.† RFPIO and Loopio also differ significantly with respect to scheduling oversight. On this front, RFPIO clearly comes out ahead, as it includes a calendar function that allows users to set specific deadlines and arrange for automatic reminders. And as Pulley emphasized, these notices and reminders are not just for major projects involving an entire team, but also for sub-tasks, assignments and questions directed to individuals, smaller groups and outside contributors. Loopio, by contrast, follows Expedience Software and Qwilr in offering few options for scheduling. Russell did note, though, that the package included useful features for users seeking to comply with deadlines. â€Å"Project managers can have control over notifications,† she said. â€Å"They can send prompts and reminders to team members, using Loopio to send out emails with their message.â⠂¬  The bottom line: RFPIO and Loopio provide users the ability to generate and manage proposals in a project-management setting. RFPIO pros: calendar feature, tracks project progress in a manner similar to Qwilr’s Analytics tool, easy integration with MS Office files RFPIO cons: smaller companies may not need or use all features Loopio pros: offers consistent branding through easy formatting options, builds strong library of boilerplate text and answers to previous questions Loopio cons: no scheduling or calendar features, does not have same level of integration with MS Office files Making the Decision Of the two cloud-based software packages reviewed here, RFPIO appears to be a better option than Loopio. While the two systems are similar in visual presentation and basic functionality, the former gives users more options for managing content and access. Among the other two, there is no obvious winner. Expedience Software offers the lowest learning curve and the best integration with MS Office, but it is not an ideal platform for project management or scheduling. One online review[i] also indicates that it works best for users who are already familiar with Word’s most advanced options. For its part, Qwilr delivers the most attractive responses for companies seeking to stand out from their text-focused competitors, but its finished products will not satisfy all potential customers – especially large contracting organizations that require proposals to be submitted in the form of a spreadsheet. Instead, its web-based proposals probably pack the biggest visual punch in small, face-to-face settings. The choice of RFP response package would seem to hinge, then, on the individual needs of potential buyers. Companies seeking to simplify and improve the RFP response process should, therefore, strive for a match between their resources and the software’s capabilities.Tweet this [i] 1. https://www.capterra.com/p/141108/Expedience-Software-Suite/#reviews: Scroll down to review by Crawford R.

Phosphorylation and How It Works

Phosphorylation and How It Works Phosphorylation is the chemical addition of a phosphoryl group (PO3-) to an organic molecule. The removal of a phosphoryl group is called dephosphorylation. Both phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are carried out by enzymes (e.g., kinases, phosphotransferases). Phosphorylation is important in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology because its a key reaction in protein and enzyme function, sugar metabolism, and energy storage and release. Purposes of Phosphorylation Phosphorylation plays a critical regulatory role in cells. Its functions  include: Important for glycolysisUsed for protein-protein interactionUsed in protein degradationRegulates enzyme inhibitionMaintains homeostasis by regulating energy-requiring chemical reactions Types of Phosphorylation Many types of molecules can undergo phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Three of the most important types of phosphorylation are glucose phosphorylation, protein phosphorylation, and oxidative phosphorylation. Glucose Phosphorylation Glucose and other sugars are often phosphorylated as the first step of their catabolism. For example, the first step of glycolysis of D-glucose is its conversion into D-glucose-6-phosphate. Glucose is a small molecule that readily permeates cells. Phosphorylation forms a larger molecule that cant easily enter tissue. So, phosphorylation is critical  for regulating blood glucose concentration. Glucose concentration, in turn, is directly related to glycogen formation. Glucose phosphorylation is also linked to cardiac growth. Protein Phosphorylation Phoebus Levene at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research was the first to identify a phosphorylated protein (phosvitin) in 1906, but enzymatic phosphorylation of proteins wasnt described until the 1930s. Protein phosphorylation occurs when the phosphoryl group is added to an amino acid. Usually, the amino acid is serine, although phosphorylation also occurs on threonine and tyrosine in eukaryotes and histidine in prokaryotes. This is an esterification reaction where a phosphate group reacts with the hydroxyl (-OH) group of a serine, threonine, or tyrosine side chain. The enzyme protein kinase covalently binds a phosphate group to the amino acid. The precise mechanism differs somewhat between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The best-studied forms of phosphorylation are posttranslational modifications (PTM), which means the proteins are phosphorylated after translation from an RNA template. The reverse reaction, dephosphorylation, is catalyzed by protein phosphatases. An important example of protein phosphorylation is the phosphorylation of histones. In eukaryotes, DNA is associated with histone proteins to form chromatin. Histone phosphorylation modifies the structure of chromatin and alters its protein-protein and DNA-protein interactions. Usually, phosphorylation occurs when DNA is damaged, opening up space around broken DNA so that repair mechanisms can do their work. In addition to its importance in DNA repair, protein phosphorylation plays a key role in metabolism and signaling pathways. Oxidative Phosphorylation Oxidative phosphorylation is how a cell stores and releases chemical energy. In a eukaryotic cell, the reactions occur within the mitochondria. Oxidative phosphorylation consists of the reactions of the electron transport chain and those of chemiosmosis. In summary, redox reaction pass electrons from proteins and other molecules along the electron transport chain in the inner membrane of the mitochondria, releasing energy that is used to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in chemiosmosis. In this process, NADH and FADH2 deliver  electrons to the electron transport chain. Electrons move from higher energy to lower energy as they progress along the chain, releasing energy along the way. Part of this energy goes to pumping hydrogen ions (H) to form an electrochemical gradient. At the end of the chain, electrons are transferred to oxygen, which bond with H to form water. H ions supply the energy for ATP synthase to synthesize ATP. When ATP is dephosphorylated, cleaving the phosphate group releases energy in a form the cell can use. Adenosine is not the only base that undergoes phosphorylation to form AMP, ADP, and ATP. For example, guanosine may also form GMP, GDP, and GTP. Detecting Phosphorylation Whether or not a molecule has been phosphorylated can be detected using antibodies, electrophoresis, or mass spectrometry. However, identifying and characterizing phosphorylation sites is difficult. Isotope labeling is often used, in conjunction with fluorescence, electrophoresis, and immunoassays. Sources Kresge, Nicole; Simoni, Robert D.; Hill, Robert L. (2011-01-21). The Process of Reversible Phosphorylation: the Work of Edmond H. Fischer. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 286 (3).Sharma, Saumya; Guthrie, Patrick H.; Chan, Suzanne S.; Haq, Syed; Taegtmeyer, Heinrich (2007-10-01). Glucose Phosphorylation Is Required for Insulin-Dependent mTOR Signalling in the Heart. Cardiovascular Research. 76 (1): 71–80.

The Child Left Behind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Child Left Behind - Essay Example The increased emphasis that the NCLB Act places on the subjects of math and reading undermines the importance of all other subjects that are either equally or more important for the inculcation of the required academic and professional skills in the children. The goals that schools in conventional practice set for the students are not limited to the inculcation of general reading and math skills but also extend to the development of appropriate critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, self-discipline and the health and safety habits in the students. When there are sanctions to threaten the schools just in case they do not meet their expectations with respect to one particular goal, the schools are bound to have their attention diverted from the rest of the goals that are equally or more important than that one goal. Having been educated in the NCLB culture, my knowledge of or skill in arts, science, music, social studies and exercises is close to negligi ble. This is so because my teachers could not afford to spend time on such subjects because they feared they would have to face the most unfavorable consequences if they did. The problem of goal distortion has been recognized at various levels. Even the former education assistant secretaries Diane Ravitch and Chester Finn have realized the negative impact of overemphasis on one area upon the others. They said, â€Å"[If NCLB continues,] rich kids will study philosophy and art, music and history, while their poor peers fill in bubbles on test sheets. The lucky few will spawn the next generation of tycoons, political leaders, inventors, authors, artists and entrepreneurs. The less lucky masses will see narrower opportunities† (Ravitch and Finn cited in Rothstein). NCLB assesses the students’ learning from the annual test which can in many ways be quite misleading. On certain days in the year, a child’s performance may be outclass while on others, his/her performan ce may be below average. It is not just the studies that are there in a child’s life after all. The child may be upset because of some familial reason. The child may not be feeling well on the exam day. There can be hundreds of reasons for the declined performance on certain days. Taking this into consideration, there is dire need for multiple retesting in order to have an accurate assessment of the child’s learning. In addition to that, the number of subgroups in a school also has an impact upon the child’s academic performance. The margin of error for the academic achievement of a subgroup is enhanced because of the smaller size of the subgroups in a school in comparison to a full-grade cohort. Accountability becomes increasingly inaccurate as the subgroups in a school integrate in increased numbers. Students cannot be sure that all students are proficient at the challenging level as is expected of them even if the math and the reading are paid excessive atten tion towards. The variability in human nature and skills prevents such proficiency irrespective of the disparities originating in the socioeconomic statuses of the students. The normal intelligence quotient (IQ) of the humans that accounts for about 66.66 per cent of the total human population starts from 85 and ends at 115 (Rothstein). What the