My Mother Essay

The film centers on Manuela, a nurse who oversees donor organ transplants in Ramà ³n y Cajal Hospital in Madrid and single mother to Esteban, a teenager who wants to be a writer. On his seventeenth birthday, Esteban is hit by a car and killed while chasing after actress Huma Rojo for her autograph following a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire, in which she portrays Blanche DuBois. Manuela has to agree with her colleagues at work that her son’s heart be transplanted to a man in A Coruà ±a. After traveling after her son’s heart, Manuela quits her job and journeys to Barcelona, where she hopes to find her son’s father, Lola, a transvestite she kept secret from her son, just as she never told Lola they had a son. see more:speech about my mother In Barcelona, Manuela reunites with her old friend Agrado, a warm and witty transsexual prostitute. She also meets and becomes deeply involved with several characters: Rosa, a young nun who works in a shelter for battered prostitutes and is pregnant by Lola; Huma Rojo, the actress her son had admired; and the drug-addicted Nina Cruz, Huma’s co-star and lover. Her life becomes entwined with theirs as she cares for Rosa during her pregnancy and works for Huma as her personal assistant and even acts in the play as an understudy for Nina during one of her drug abuse crises. On her way to the hospital, Rosa asks the taxi to stop at a park where she spots her father’s dog, Sapic, and then her own father, who suffers from Alzheimer’s; he does not recognize Rosa and asks for her age and height, but Sapic is cleverer and knows Rosa. Rosa dies giving birth to her son, and Lola and Manuela finally reunite at Rosa’s funeral. Lola (whose name used to be Esteban), who is dying from AIDS, talks about how she always wanted a son, and Manuela tells her about her own Esteban and how he died in a car accident. Manuela then adopts Esteban, Rosa’s child, and stays with him at Rosa’s parents’ house. The father does not understand who Manuela is, and Rosa’s mother says it’s the new cook, who is living here with her son. Rosa’s father then asks Manuela her age and height. Manuela introduces Esteban (Rosa’s son) to Lola and gives her a picture of their own Esteban. Rosa’s mother spots them from the street and then confronts Manuela about letting strangers see the baby. Manuela tells her that Lola is Esteban’s father; Rosa’s mother is appalled and says: â€Å"That is the monster that killed my daughter?!† Manuela flees back to Madrid with Esteban; she cannot take living at Rosa’s house any longer, since the grandmother is afraid that she will contract AIDS from the baby. She writes a letter to Huma and Agrado saying that she is leaving and once again is sorry for not saying goodbye, like she did years before. Two years later, Manuela returns with Esteban to an AIDS convention, telling Huma and Agrado, who now run a stage show together, that Esteban had been a miracle by not inheriting the virus. She then says she is returning to stay with Esteban’s grandparents. When asking Huma about Nina, she becomes melancholic and leaves. Agrado tells Manuela that Nina went back to her town, got married, and had a fat, ugly baby boy.

ELL Schools and Families Essay

The population of English Language Learners (ELL) are increasing in educational institutions primarily influenced by globalization and immigration. It has been projected that within the coming years, the percentage of children attending educational institutions in the country shall be non-English speakers. The term ELL is brought about by the shift in the English language-learning paradigm that represents the trend in language acquisition. (Bank Street) The increasing population of ELL’s are putting pressures on the educational atmosphere as educational institutions are forced to alter their curriculum to accommodate the needs and concerns of the learners. (Abedi, 2002) Integrating a program for ELL’s in the school setting is a great challenge for the educational institution, the teacher, the learner, and one’s family. Teaching non-English speakers who are not able to both understand and speak the language is more difficult than teaching English speakers the rules of the language are, for instance. Challenges include the need for educational institutions to implement a curriculum that fits the requirements of the ELL’s. Teachers, on the other hand need to be aware of the appropriate techniques and strategies that would be efficient in the success of language accommodation and acculturation. For learners, engaging in an unfamiliar environment is not motivating them to eagerly learn. (Mercuri, 2003) To address the problems and concerns that ELL’s face in the learning environment, society looks to the involvement of the family in order to strengthen the school as an institution that fully supports English language learners. (Collier & Thomas, 1999) Family involvement play a significant role during the learning process of ELL’s. According to a research conducted in order to determine guidelines that the No Child Left Behind Act shall implement, the involvement of family members to school activities such as programs that aims to promote development of academic standing and preparation for the next level of English language learning increases the chance of successes that a learner shall be able to accomplish. This is because families understand the needs and the difficulties of their children, and are also able to see their progress with regards to academics, pushing them to encourage, support, and value learning as an integral part of their children’s success. (Epstein, 2004) Moreover, it is the responsibility of the school to build a relationship with the family of the learner in order to inform them of the developmental stages and the changes that the children are going to experience, as they grow older. This particular knowledge gives families the idea of how to build a supportive home environment that boosts learning. This particular interaction between the school and the family allows the educational institution to understand the cultural background of families and determine their goals and objectives for their children when it comes to English language learning. (Epstein, 2004) Providing a supportive sociocultural environment is at the heart of tapping into the potential of ELL’s to benefit largely from the English language learning program. Interaction between the educational institution and the families contributes to this objective. Looking at their parents interact with the members of the educational institution motivates learners to build relationships with the institution as well, without any apprehensions as brought about by fear of cultural rejection. (Collier & Thomas, 1999) An article written by Rhona Barton for the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory discovers cases wherein active involvement of parents leads to academic success of the learners, especially in socially interacting within the school environment. (Barton, 2006) Educational institutions with English language learning programs do not necessarily implement the use of the English language at home, as decisions regarding the matter are based on cultural considerations. Schools should consider the importance of native language to ELL’s and their families. However, the continued use of English at home and the support of the family when it comes to home language speeds up the learning process, schools still acknowledge that the ELL’s are aware of language learning based on their knowledge of their native language. (Ortiz, 2001) Schools should also provide alternatives for families in order for them to adjust or cope with the changes that ELL affects within their family life. Schools should inform them of educational options such as tutorial services that are made available at home or in schools, support groups within the community that assists families in their needs and concerns regarding the issue of English language learning. Family counseling is also an option as it allows medical professionals to help in determining problems or obstacles that the family shall be facing, and strengthening family relationships in order to withstand the challenges of immersing into a community and cultural environment that they are not familiar with. For specific problems such as financial aspect of English language learning, the federal government entitles families to funding as authorized by the federal Title I funding program. (Ortiz, 2001) Partnership of educational institutions with families are best established through communication and social interaction. Schools should be able to develop and maintain a stable relationship with the families that is primarily grounded on the objective of affecting learning and making ELL’s experience success within the unfamiliar learning environment. Moreover, through this, schools are enriched and enlightened with the knowledge of different cultural backgrounds within the school environment and be able to modify the learning atmosphere to fit the culture, beliefs, and traditions of non-English speakers. Teachers should be able to communicate the needs and concerns of ELL’s to their families, in order for them to understand how they are going accommodate the needs of their children who are involved in English language learning. Schools should establish regular meetings with the teachers, and ask them to get involved with programs and school activities that harness English language learning and support the need of their children to learn the English language. If possible, home visitations are one of the best ways to establish a strong foundation of relationship between the school and the families. (Barton, 2006) References Abedia, J. (2002). â€Å"Assessment and Accommodation of English Language: Issues, Concerns, and Recommendations. † Retrieved May 1, 2008, from NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. Website: http://www. ncacasi. org/jsi/2002v3i1/assessment Bank Street. (2008). â€Å"English Language Learners: Working with Children Whom English is a New Language. † Retrieved May 1, 2008, from Bank Street. Website: http://www. bnkst. edu/literacyguide/ell. html Barton, R. (2006). â€Å"Forging Family Ties. † Retrieved May 2, 2008, from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Website: http://www. nwrel. org/nwedu/11-03/forge/ Collier, V. P. & Thomas, W. P. (1999). â€Å"Making U. S. Schools Effective for English Language Learners, Part 3. † TESOL Matters, Vol. 9, No. 6. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from TESOL. Website: http://www. tesol. org/s_tesol/sec_document. asp? CID=196&DID=826 Epstein, J. (2004). â€Å"Meeting NCLB Requirements for Family Involvement. † Middle Ground, Vol. 4, No. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from National Middle School Association. Website: http://www. nmsa. org/portals/0/pdf/publications/On_Target/family_involvement/family_9. pdf Mercuri, S. (2003). â€Å"Helping Middle and High School Age English Language Learners Achieve Academic Success. † NABE Journal of Research and Practice. Retrieved May 1, 2008. Website: http://www. uc. edu/njrp/pdfs/freeman. pdf Ortiz, A. (2001). â€Å"English Language Learners With Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. † Retrieved May 2, 2008, from CAL. Website:

A Stylistic Study of Netspeak in Internet Chatroom

The Internet is one of the most remarkable things human beings have ever made. It has exerted great impact on various aspects of people’s lives, among which the change of language is obvious. Netspeak is a young topic, so it is of great necessity for us to have a systematic analysis, which will meet the need of the development to netspeak.The present descriptions are not able to account for or accommodate chatroom netspeak in an all-round way. Some of the researches are prescriptive rather than descriptive and there is little stylistic analysis on the distinctive features of netspeak. Therefore, some deeper approaches are required. This thesis provides much-needed descriptions of netspeak in Internet chatroom from the perspective of stylistics. Stylistic theories are then the major theoretical basis for this thesis. The current situation inspired my enthusiasm in this relatively new and unexplored area of netspeak studies. Research Objectives The present study is conducted in the hope that it can arouse people’s attention and help people to develop an interest and appreciation for netspeak in Internet chatroom;It is aimed to reveal the stylistic distinctiveness of netspeak in Internet chatroom;It is hoped that this study will be helpful and beneficial to the evaluation of netspeak and the development of online-learning or the foreign language learning and teaching; This paper is also hopeful of having some practical value, and making theoretical contributions to further study of netspeak.Research QuestionsIt is the design of this paper to answer the following questions:1.   What are the stylistic features of netspeak on different levels?2.   What are the implications for the development of online-learning, and the future of netspeak?Research DesignThe basic methodology adopted involves both qualitative and quantitative study.There are two main sources used in this study in the collection of samples and material s.   The first resource is from related books, newspapers and magazines.   The second is a group of randomly selected contributions from Internet Chatroom.   The method used is mainly a descriptive approach supported by statistical analysis on the samples selected.The organization of this thesis will be in two parts: Literature Review and Stylistic Description and Analysis followed by a summary and conclusion.

NoTopic Needed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NoTopic Needed - Essay Example The first factor is culture. Culture has been termed as a people’s way of life comprising of people’s beliefs, values and norms. Culture affects consumption habits, people’s lifestyles and even access to information. Obesity educators in order to solve this barrier have to understand a community culture before they can propose any strategy to deal with obesity. A cultural assessment must be done to elicit beliefs, values, norms and language in order to design effective obesity education programs (Tripp-Reimer, Skemp, Choi, & Enslein, 2001). The second barrier is the content of the programs such that these provide too much detail on the pathophysiology and too little regarding the daily management of the illness. To solve this, educators must engage with the community in focus groups before initiating programs to address those areas of greatest concern (Tripp-Reimer, Skemp, Choi, & Enslein, 2001). Third is learning styles such that different communities and people require different learning styles. Some cultures have a strong oral tradition and therefore patient education should be centered on metaphors, storytelling etc. to convey health messages (Tripp-Reimer, Skemp, Choi, & Enslein, 2001). Obesity can be prevented with through the use of effective strategies. The best approach or strategies that can be used in the prevention of obesity are the primary prevention strategies. These aim at addressing the root cause of the problem, reducing the likelihood of development of a disease or disorder. Disease prevention aims at reducing the likelihood that a disease will affect a community or individual, interrupting or slowing its progress or the reduction of disability (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005). The first of such strategies is the activity. Physical activity has been found to be one of the best strategies to prevent obesity. Running, jogging and walking, engaging in sporting activities all help in burning access calories

Personal Reflection on Importance of Nursing Theory Research Paper

Personal Reflection on Importance of Nursing Theory - Research Paper Example Self-Care Theory can help Registered Nurses (RN) in practice, education, and in a research organization. The nurse theory can assist RN to explain, predict, and describe daily experiences that arise concerning self-caring or while caring for others. RN can be guided in assessing and evaluating favorable nursing cares essential for healthcare services and treatment. The theory can be used to collect data on the client's health status and be used by RN in making nursing decisions and implementing them. Nurses gain terminologies that are used in communication within healthcare organization or institutions. If registered nurses study the theory, they are capable of developing ideas and clearly define some words. The theory can assist RN to have autonomy of nursing by considering its functions of providing care to the patients and other people. Orem’s theory can assist me as a registered nurse in doing research on how to develop self-care behaviors in a hospital or health organization, as well as, amongst the public. Using her theoretical concept, I can generate new ideas, skills, and knowledge essential in advancing my career as a nurse. If a research is done appropriately, it is possible to identify knowledge gaps in Orem’s theory and provide a methodical approach to identifying questions for study. It can be done through selecting some variables, validating nursing interventions, and interpreting findings. Ideas can be borrowed from other disciplines for conceptual frameworks and assist nursing practice among the RN.

A Inter Industry and Intra Industry Trade The Hackescher-Ohlin Model Assignment

A Inter Industry and Intra Industry Trade The Hackescher-Ohlin Model - Assignment Example On the other hand, the intra industry trade refers to the exchange of the products of the same kind of products and services between different countries. The intra industry trade could occur between the countries that have similar relative amount of factor of production whereas the inter industry trade occurs between the countries that have different production factors. Intra industry trade results in the economies of scale and allows lower cost of production while providing the customers wide range of choices. It is not focused on gaining competitive advantage. The standard industrial classifications have provided the estimated that around 25 percent of the volume of world trade has been contributed by the intra industry trade. The inter industry trade is the trade between the countries where the export and import of different types of goods and services occur between the countries. The inter industry trade us based upon the differences on the production factors held by the industries of different countries. The countries export the products that they could produce in relative large amount due to intensive capital whereas they import the products that they could not produce themselves due to lack of intensive capital and production factors required for the production of these products. The inter industry trade does not include the exchange of goods between the countries in the same classification. The intra industry trade refers to the trade of the goods and services of the same classification between the countries.... The inter industry trade us based upon the differences on the production factors held by the industries of different countries. The countries export the products that they could produce in relative large amount due to intensive capital whereas they import the products that they could not produce themselves due to lack of intensive capital and production factors required for the production of these products. The inter industry trade does not include the exchange of goods between the countries in the same classification (Bela, 1981, p1109). The intra industry trade on the other hand refers to the trade of the goods and services of the same classification between the countries. The products of same classification are exported and imported by the countries in the process of intra industry trade. The notion of intra industry trade is based upon the economies of scale and similarity of the production factor endowment. The intra industry trade is lead by different factors for instance, the countries use to important a product in some season and then export the same product in another season during which they could product it abundantly. Similarly, some countries export a product from one border and at the same time it import the same product at another border due to the cost involved in the transportation of these products within the country from one end to another (Aquino, 2000, p275). The intra industry trade focuses upon the economies of the scale because it proposes the import of the goods from the other countries they could be manufactured at home but their production cost would be greater at home and from other countries the same products could be attained at comparatively lower rates. The world community is witnessing growing

American History Symbolism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American History Symbolism - Essay Example Republicanism, a political philosophy which will be defined further, is, in history, a long tradition of writings which express common concerns about â€Å"the importance of civic virtue and political participation, the dangers of corruption, the benefits of a mixed constitution and the rule of law, etc† (Lovett). Combining the two concepts, a symbol of republicanism is an object which stands for or suggests the ideals of historic republicanism—values of liberty, individual rights, rule of law, and so on—by reason of relationship, association, convention, and so on. In early America, the symbolism was needed to retain loyalty to the ideals which caused the colonists to fight the tyrannical rule of the King; such a symbol would need to remind these individuals of the momentous nature of their endeavor. To do this, the symbol should draw a direct connection between this endeavor and the glorious histories of the greatest civilizations of mankind, bypassing the ages of Darkness and ushering in the Enlightenment. First of all, however, it may be instructive to explore the history of republicanism in order to define it: to contrast both classical and modern versions of the philosophy. In Ancient Rome, the Roman Republic existed from 508 B.C. to 27 B.C., when the government was structured by a complex constitution, forming a mixture of three types of government. It was only during the Enlightenment that we see the strong emphasis on civic virtue and the common good (Lovett).

Ethical Considerations of Health Information Management Essay

Ethical Considerations of Health Information Management - Essay Example Naturally, human beings are secretive and tend to limit the extent to which certain information concerning their social and health status should reach the public ear. Societal response to healthcare services often depends on the extent to which the health care service would infringe their civil liberty. This research examines possibility of privacy violation among the medical professionals as well as the effects of such violations to the patients. Problem Statement Handling of patients’ information is critical concern in the medical practice because it affects the liberty of the patient in one side and on the other side, it dictate the ability of the healthcare profession to discharge his duty. The consequent of the above phenomena is the need to create ethical codes that define the manner in which healthcare professionals should handle the patients’ information. In practice, medical officer often request clients to volunteer information concerning their health or perso n problems. This data is instrumental in discharging the right service to the patient as well as designing of an intervention mechanism to a disease outbreak in the society (Harman, 2001). Nevertheless, protection of the patient liberty is critical in ensuring effective service delivery. In this sense, handling of the patient’s information within the stipulated codes necessary, but the code should not bar the medical professional from protecting life. Summary of Research Sources Some critics have demonstrated concerns about the use of social network among medical professionals (Thompson et al., 2011). The fact that the medical professionals use social network aggravate the danger of violation of patient’s privacy. Recent studies indicate that medical institutions have established that some unprofessional medical students post medical information in the social network thereby breaching the patient’s privacy rights. Various laws defining medical practice tend to o utlaw activities or engagements between the medical professional and the public that would lead to breach of patient’s privacy. The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act define the extent to which the medical professional can share confidential information of the patients. The relationship between medical professionals and the patients is not only instrumental in defining the nature of the service delivered to the patients, but also affects the societal perception to the medical practice. Some critics show that patients are unwilling to visit healthcare facilities if their personal information were to reach the public ear (Neurodiagn, 2012). Arguably, this finding does not only affect the patient, but also the societal values establishing the medical practice. Some studies have sought to establish the influence of trust in medical practice (Thompson et al., 2011). Such studies shows that trust between the medical practitioner and the client dictate the nature of response that the patient would give to the medical officer. Information dissemination is a critical component of the medical practice. The medical practitioners rely on the information given to them by the patients. It follows that, lack of trust or breach of trust between the parties involves elicit poor service delivery. The handling of patient’

The IMFs Approach to Economic Stabilization Essay

The IMFs Approach to Economic Stabilization - Essay Example In order to truly diagnose the situation, and properly understand the IMF and its current position in the world, we must ask the following questions: Founded in the turbulent era of the 1940s to stabilize the world economy, and based in Washington, D.C., the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is "an organization of 184 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial security, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty." ("IMF", 2006). The IMF's original purpose was "to establish a code of conduct that would enhance economic cooperation, and avoid the 'beggar-thy-neighbor' policies that led to the economic turbulence of the thirties." (Babb & Buira, 2005). In short, the IMF is a multilateral institution that lends money to governments in order to stabilize currencies and maintain order in international markets. Since the IMF was established its purposes have remained unchanged, but its surveillance, financial assistance and technical assistance operations have developed regularly in order to "meet the changing needs of its member countries i n an evolving world economy." ("IMF", 2006). The IMF "plays a key role in defining how much governments can spendThe Fund's view of what defines the macro economic stability of a country is the authoritative one for all development partners." ("Eurodad", 2003). What are the Main Components of the IMF's Approach to Economic Stabilization Particularly so in recent years, the IMF's quantitative approach to economic stabilization "has been the subject of considerable controversy." ("Survey", 1999). Considered as "the creator of the 'moral hazard'," (Monsod, 1998), the IMF consists of many programs which are often characterized as being "unnecessarily damaging to growth, harmful to the poor, unduly inflexible and unresponsive to the differing needs and circumstances of member countries, and based on rigid application of outmoded and discredited economic principles." (Mussa & Savastano, 1999). In order to understand the IMF's approach to economic stabilization and how it functions in all aspects, one must first understand the process of an IMF supported program: typically an IMF supported program is not permanent or 'set in stone' at the beginning of operations, but rather begins with the seemingly simple a request of a member. It is only then that the IMF staff prepares a blueprint of a program that is used for the actual basis of negotiations. After this, when an agreement is reached, the arrangement is cleared by IMF management and then approved by the IMF Executive Board. Disbursements proceed immediately after this if all performance

Banana Heart Summer Essay Example for Free

Banana Heart Summer Essay IV. Choose your favorite lines/quotations. Explain and justify. * Floating faith made us brave, made us endure consequences. I love this line because it is true that faith made us brave. I have my own faith that truly makes me strong and continue my life even lots of consequences come. I know that having faith gives grace in your heart and soul that keeps you to fight. * The journey of life is not any easy. Yeah, so true, that life is not any easy because we do not know what will come tomorrow or later. There are lots of things that may happen. Good or bad we can never say. But if we have faith, life will be at ease and enjoyable enough. Your faith will guide you and gives you inspiration to continue your life no matter what problems come. * Pride is a sin, dignity is salvation. I am my mother’s daughter. This one is kind of reflective one. It makes me to realize something. I believe that this justifiable self-respect is a sin especially if you are hurting somebody in a simple or hard way. And this dignity or the honor that you keep will save you from your sin like pride. The last line saying, I am my mother’s daughter gives me joy that Nenita shows great love because she’s proud that she is a daughter of her mother no matter what people say and even if her mother expresses disappointment towards Nenita. * â€Å"I’m afraid I could never find the balance between love and anger.† These two strong emotions are sometimes hard to control. I like this line because I can relate my own experience. Like being in love somehow gives happiness that can drive you crazy, do everything, sacrifices and all like. While being angry which I am scared of is really uncontrollable sometimes. It’s so confusing that you do not what will happen next if love and anger collides. * It was just rain, just water. Without sweets or spices or condiments, without our expert or fumbling interventions to make it taste better, without our need to disguise its nature, but how we reveled in each drop. It explains the significance of water in our lives. I love these lines because it expresses simplicity likewise in having simple life. Being satisfied even if you only have enough. * Sadly love is not just water; we do things to it. I laughed in this line because as to compare love in water, it is really different. Unlike in having water in your hand is so easy to possess and have it forever in just for example buying it while in love you need to give attention and effort until the end just to save and nourish it. * We understand that the devil and the angel were equal partners in the balance of the universe. I believe that there is devil and angel in this world. That is why there is good and bad, happy and sad, light and dark, love and hate. Sometimes we find our lives more meaningful if we realize that we do mistake and change it and be better next time. * First love is too confusing. As a saying, True love never die because this was the first time you fall in love to someone who you think is the best person ever that you want to be with forever and the last. It is true that first love is too confusing because it surely drives you crazy. Unstoppable care and worries at the same time. * They say there is love at first sight between a mother and her firstborn. A great blessing it is to have a baby. The most awaited gift from God that a couple want and need to. Yes, I believe that there is love at first sight between the mother and her first baby simply because they are alike. Having this powerful feeling that you can only find, Love. V. Think of the most appropriate sound track for Banana Heart Summer, state reason by giving ten lines or more from the song.

Wi-fi Wireless Technology

Wi-fi Wireless Technology Business data network and telecommunications Wi-fi has entered in to our lives some years now. It solves some problems that wire networks have but generate new. At the moment there are few advantages and a lot of disadvantages. Wi-fi can be very useful in many cases and I think it deserves a deep look in to it. Also wi-fi has many prospects for further development. Wi-fi needs specified devices in order to work properly. History The term wi-fi (wireless fidelity) is used in order to determine the appliances that are based on specification IEEE 802.11 and faction of ISM band, that is frequencies 2.4Ghz for Europe .Wi-Fi uses single carrier DSSS (direct sequence spread spectrum) radio technology but also multi-carrier OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) radio technology. These regulations that enabled the development of Wi-Fi, are HomeRF, and Bluetooth. Unlicensed spread spectrum was available for first time by the Federal Communications Commission in 1985 and the FCC regulations were copied later with some changes in other countries and made the use of this technology enable in all major countries. Michael Marcus of the FCC staff proposed the FCC action in 1980 and the subsequent regulatory action in 5 more years. It was part of a proposal to allow civil use of spread spectrum technology and was opposed by the mainstream equipment manufacturers and many radio system operators. (Federal Communications Commission. 1985). The Wi-Fi was invented in 1991 by NCR Corporation/ATT. Initially the use was for cashier systems. The first wireless products that were brought on the market was under the name â€Å"WaveLAN† with speeds of 1 Mbit/s up to 2 Mbit/s. Vic Hayes, was involved in designing standards such as IEEE 802.11b, and 802.11a. He has been named as â€Å"the father of Wi-fi†. (Vic Hayes at 1st Home Networking Conference, 2007). Uses A device with Wi-Fi enabled, such as a PC, PDA, cell phone, game console, or MP3 player can connect to the Internet within the range of a wireless network connected to the Internet (Access point). The interconnection between one or more access points in a certain area is called a hotspot. Hotspots can cover a single room up to many squares covered by overlapping access points. The devices can network each other and connect to the Internet, share files and digital cameras can transfer video wirelessly. Wi-Fi also allows devices to connect directly with each other (peer-to-peer mode). This connectivity mode is useful most in gaming applications. When the technology released in the market there were many problems because consumers were not sure if the products from companies would work together. The Wi-Fi Alliance began as a community to solve this and to address the needs of the end user and allow the technology to mature. The Alliance created the branding Wi-Fi CERTIFIED to show to the consumers that products are interoperable with other products displaying the same branding. (Wi-fi alliance, 2000). Routers and Wi-Fi access points are used most in homes to provide Internet access and networking to all devices that are connected wirelessly or by cables into them. Devices can also be connected in ad-hoc mode for client-to-client connections without using a router. In Business and industrial environments, as increasing the number of Wi-Fi access points we get faster roaming and increased network capacity by creating smaller cells or by using more channels. Wi-Fi can enable wireless voice applications such as WVOIP. Wi-Fi installations can provide a secure computer network, firewall, DHCP server and other functions. In addition to home and office use, Wi-Fi is publicly available also at Wi-Fi hotspots provided either free of charge or under a certain price. Sometimes free Wi-Fi is provided by organizations or authorities who wish to promote business in their area. Metropolitan-wide WiFi (Mu-Fi) already has more than 300 projects in process. (Muniwireless, 2007). Standard devices Wireless access points can connect wireless devices to a wired LAN. An access point is something like an Ethernet hub, relaying data between the connected devices. Wireless adapters are connecting in the devices, externally or internally such as usb, pci and allow devices to connect to the wireless network. Wireless routers integrate a firmware application that provides IP Routing, NAT, and DNS forwarding through an interface. Wireless range extenders (repeaters) can extend the range of the wireless network. Ig the repeaters are placed in the area smart then the signal can be excellent. The devices that are connected through repeaters may have an increased latency for each hop. Each device will get signal from the device that gives better signal. With wireless bridges we can connect two or more networks between them. This is different from an access point because an access point works at the data-link layer. We can use two wireless bridges when a wired connection may be unavailable, such as a connection between two separate buildings. Most devices (routers, access points, bridges, repeaters) are designed for home or business environments. Pci cards use antenna connectors and usb only have internal antennas while some have external connections in addition to an internal antenna. In laptops it is commonly used mini pci cards. In a network between two buildings that the distance is a matter it is usually used big antennas in the roof of the buildings, so the signal can be remain strong enough. Advantages of Wi-Fi Wi-Fi allows LANs to be deployed while it reduces the cost of the network deployment. WLANS can be hosted in areas that cannot be run by cables, such as outdoor areas or even historical buildings. The prices for wireless products continue to drop, making it a fair networking option. Wi-Fi has become widespread and more and more devices obtain wi-fi technology. Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Products designated as Wi-Fi Certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards inter-operable. Except mobile phones, any device with wi-fi standard will work anywhere in the world. Wi-Fi use WPA encryption and it is not easily cracked if the passwords are strong enough. Nowadays it is used WPA2 also, an encryption that has no known weaknesses. A new protocol for Qos is WMM and makes Wi-Fi better for voice, video applications, and power saving methods. To make enable the WMM feature all devices in the network must support it. Disadvantages of Wi-Fi Wifi in Europe use for the 2.4 GHz band (1-13) channels, in US (1-11) and Japan (1-14). A Wi-fi signal occupies around five channels in the 2.4 GHz resulting in only 3 non-overlapped channels in the US: 1, 6, 11, and four in Europe: 1,5,9,13 Power consumption is too high compared to with other low bandwidth standards, such as Bluetooth, making a concern about devices batteries life of the. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is the most usual wireless encryption standard that is used, but shown that can be easily breakable. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), solved this problem and its available on most products. Most Wi-Fi Access Points have default the security disabled thought, providing open wireless access to their LAN. You can always turn on the security by configuring the device, usually via the graphical user interface (GUI) of the router/access point. Unencrypted networks can be used to read and copy data that are transmitted over the network, unless we have a security method to secure the data, such as VPN The wireless networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11g with a stock antenna might have a range of 35 m indoors and 95 m outdoors. Range also varies with frequency band. Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz frequency block has slightly better range than Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency block. Outdoor range with improved (directional) antennas can be several kilometres or more with line-of-sight. IEEE 802.11g-(2003) When the range increases the performance of a wireless network is decreased. Ethernet or other cables are more reliable then wi-fi. An Ethernet connection can reach speed up to 1Gbit/s and in the other hand 802.11g networks have a maximum of 54 Mbit/s. Protocol 802.11n try to improve the speeds, but still does not achieve Ethernets reliability. People with adsl2+ can understand an increase in performance using wired connection rather than WiFi. Wi-Fi in many cases has problems with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). SNR compares the level of the desired signal to the background noise. This can be a huge problem in high-density areas. All the devices must support the same protocol for example 802.11g. And in case there are other access points in the network, the name (SSID) must maintain the same. In Wireless networks there are many times incompatibility problems between brands. Different standards may disrupt connections or low speeds. The new protocol 802.11n use 5 GHz band and have more channels available. Each node (access point, repeater) on the network is able to see the communication between other devices, allowing network traffic to be easily captured. When a WiFi network is not encrypted it is vulnerable to attacks. Wi-fi is a new technology and still under development. Many people may adopt it cause it produce a non wire environment and others not. I think wi-fi will give better quality in the future and maybe it will get pass some main problem that it have at the moment. References Authorization of Spread Spectrum Systems Under Parts 15 and 90 of the FCC Rules and Regulations (TXT). Federal Communications Commission (June 18, 1985). Retrieved on 2007-12-01. Wi-Fi Alliance Certified Products. (2000) certifications.wi-fi.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-01. from http://certifications.wi-fi.org/wbcs_certified_products.php V.Hayes at (November 04 2007). 1st Home Networking Conference Retrived on 2007-12-03 from http://lirne.net/2007/11/vic-hayes-at-1st-home-networking-conference/ Muniwireless (2007). Muniwireless-technology Retrieved on 2007-12-01 from http://www.muniwireless.com/ IEEE 802.11g-(2003) 802.11g Retrieved on 2007-12-03 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11g-2003

What Is Peace Journalism Media Essay

What Is Peace Journalism Media Essay How could the media contribute to peace building? Most of the peace settlements even with the Oslo peace Accords in the Middle East, the Dayton Accords which ended the Bosnian War took place as far away from the media as possible. It is known to the related partied of the world situations that media is usually seen as a threat. On that perspective this study will measure the importance of Peace Journalism as new concept of journalism and its acceptance to the audience as one of the tools for world peace. Peace is always related with conflict as its nature, so this study will find the attitude of audience to Peace Journalism. Key-Words: Peace Journalism, War Journalism, Conflict resolutions, audiences of media. Introduction: When some journalists and researchers like David Loyn, Philips argued against peace journalism then Jack Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick argued in favour of it. They tried to find the real distinctions, debated over right or wrong points of peace journalism. Academic writers and scholars also commented on the topic. Some thought it was critical, some thought its not critical enough and some thought its better than war journalism as journalism. This study will find the reality and necessity of peace journalism in the contemporary civilised world when the planet earth is facing undeclared world war with different battle fields and the manipulation of media publicity with propaganda. Background: Peace journalism follows a long history of news publication originating in non-sectarian Christian peace movements and societies of the early 19th century, which published periodicals. Sectarian organizations also created publications focused on peace as part of their proselytizing in the 19th century, as did utopian communities of the period. From the 20th century, a prominent example of sectarian journalism focused on peace was  Dorothy Days  Catholic Worker. Besides being an element in the histories of  pacifism  and the  social movement  press, peace journalism is a set of  journalism practices that emerged in the 1970s. Norwegian sociologist, peace researcher and practitioner  Johan Galtung  proposed the idea of peace journalism for journalists to follow to show how a value bias towards violence can be avoided when covering war and conflict.  Christian organisations such as The  World Council of Churches  and The  World Association for Christian Communication  also practice peace journalism. Professor Johan Galtung, a professor on Peace Studies and director of the TRANSCEND network, started using the term, Peace Journalism in the 1970s. Conflict and Peace Forums, a think-tank developed Galtungs original ideas in a series of international conferences from 1997-99, and in publications: The Peace Journalism Option (1998); What Are Journalists For? (1999), and, Using Conflict Analysis in Reporting (2000). Former BBC journalists Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick adopted the Phrase Peace Journalism and they became scholars and educator in peace journalism. What is peace journalism? As Lynch and McGoldrick describe the word peace journalism is misunderstood as advocating peace. They agree that the phrase Peace Journalism would not appeal to all. They also tried to make a definition which was Peace Journalism is when editors and reporters make choices- of what stories to report and about how to report them- that create opportunities for society at large to consider and value non-violent responses to conflict. (Lynch and McGoldrick, 2005) Today, journalists often write and report from a third-person perspective and it seems like they just report the facts. If journalists compete not to distort any report to publish the facts as they are, while maintaining awareness of the reporting impact, then it may fall in step with the ideals of peace journalism. But journalism is not only reporting. In a feature or article a journalist could express every truth of fact even from a first-person position. Characteristics of Peace Journalism Lynch and McGoldrick versioned that journalists would not do just for the idea and practice but they should know the differences between Peace and War Journalism and how they could avoid from engaging the war journalism as always its character is propaganda. Understanding peace is very important. Without knowledge no journalist could engage with the mission. The first condition to seek peace is conflicting situation. In my understanding, if the situation is peaceful from beginning then no advocacy on peace is needed. Because there is already peace there. They need development journalism rather peace. So within a conflicting situation if the question of peace arises then the journalist does their mission with their understanding first. Then as part of peace journalism they need to measure the conflicting stories and the role of disputed parties. For a greater knowledge, Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick prescribed 17 tips for better peace journalism. They described what to avoid and what to accept. Whos benefit? Some western journalists advocate through their reporting to justify the aggression by the super powers on any sovereign (?) country and nation, destructions on their assets and killing their citizens for the greater interest of world peace (?).Any destruction and mass killing is treated as collateral damage. For their own survival media often overlook the reality. Reporters must continue with embedment (a big joke on neutral journalism) otherwise they could easily end up dead. There is no peace journalism without a conflicting situation or a war or damages against any civilisation. So any conflicting situation is a pre-requisite for peace journalism if any media desires that. And it always depends on the choices by the editor or authority of the media not to the reporter. But peace is made neither by culture alone, nor by politics and economics alone.  Ã‚  It is made by all three, synergistically.  Ã‚  The formula for peace is always equality, equity, and mutual respect.  Ã‚  We have to learn to celebrate not only the peace elements in our own culture but also in others. (Galtung, 2003). Peace is always for the benefit of the people and they are the audience. Peace is act of non-violence with creativity which was described by Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick as followers from the life of three greatest personalities of human race: Mohammed laid down his cloak in the Kaba at Mecca to forestall violence in a quarrel over who had the right to carry a sacred black stone. It meant everyone could lift a corner of the cloak with the stone placed in the middle. Christ intervened to prevent the stoning of an adulteress by saying, let him who is without sin cast the first stone. The Buddha intervened to prevent a war breaking out over water. She reminded the parties that the water was worth very little. Whereas the lives of their warriors were beyond price. Peace to be peace, must give something to every one. If it is for one party/person and against another, it cannot be peace. (Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick, 2000) Objectivity and Discontents Objectivity and peace journalism totally depends on the authority of media. A freelance could cry on social media for peace and pro-fare objectives but people always use to depend on the main media of the world. But the freelance cannot change anything through his crying. David Loyn criticised peace journalism not only as his believe but also attacked it as meaningless, worst and misleading journalism. He wrote reporting wars in the way of encouraging peacemaker rather than warriors are the most dangerous part of peace journalism as it became as a new orthodoxy. How does objectivity work in practice? Anyone who has ever interviewed two observers of the same incident knows that there is no perfect account. Each reporter takes a view from somewhere. When a Russian armoured infantry company arrived in Kosovo out of the blue in 1999, after the NATO bombing campaign but before NATO ground troops, and seized the airport in a sneak raid, a British and a Russian journalist would have covered the same event completely differently. There could be no agreed narrative- but both would use the tool of objectivity to tell the story in their own terms, and in the terms understood by their viewers, listeners or readers. Here this study only could observe the debate between the scholars in favour or against peace journalism. It is also seems quite dangerous to determine the right or wrong of the both sides. Both Lynch and Loyn argued on the theory rather than practicality of the circumstances of journalism of this time. Media has become more visible, readable, and audible than ever in human history. Beside the reality its importance also realised by the powers who are doing everything against peace. In every country where there is a government that has their own interest at heart rather than the peoples. Either the supporter of peace or war loves to use media as their propaganda mechanism. So that they invisibly control over the media authority thus they control the reporting. Direct conflict or war reporting is not possible without an embed or attachment situation which ultimately paralyses the life of a true journalism. Media authority also dont want to take any risk on the life of a journalist where there is a greater chance to assassinate the reporter even in a friendly fire scenario for his truth. These types of practice are already taking place. It is a fact that to continue with a huge establishment no media authority would take any risk to stand against the powers of the world. Only a few but they are also backed by some other powers. There is no neutrality. Peace journalism creates some questions. Why peace and for whom? When does the topic of peace arise? How could we define peace as a peace not as a trick? Critical peace journalism There are some other types of journalism which are also not branded as peace journalism but their actions ultimately goes to the benefit for peace journalism. Noam Chomsky and Robert Fisk are two of them. This study found both of them as critical peace journalists. But they are not recognised as peace journalist at all. This study will evaluate their recent published articles on the assassination of Osama Bin Laden which brought their reactions to the audience and it carries the message of world peace in final. Robert Fisk: So now for a reality check. The world is not safer for Bin Ladens killing. It is safer because of the winds of freedom blowing through the Middle East. If the West treats the people of this region with justice rather than military firepower, then al-Qaida becomes even more irrelevant than it has been since the Arab revolutions. (Independent, 4/05/2011) Noam Chomsky: We might ask ourselves how we would be reacting if Iraqi commandos landed at George W. Bushs compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic. There is also much media discussion of Washingtons anger that Pakistan didnt turn over bin Laden, though surely elements of the military and security forces were aware of his presence in Abbottabad. Less is said about Pakistani anger that the  U.S.  invaded their territory to carry out a political assassination. Anti-American fervour is already very high in Pakistan, and these events are likely to exacerbate it. The decision to dump the body at sea is already, predictably, provoking both anger and skepticism in much of the Muslim world. (guernicamag.com, 6/05/2011) The two above cases clearly indicated that both the articles warned the related parties about the situations from the perspective of audiences and its target against the conflict in favour of peace. The author of this study finds those as critical peace journalism which was not widely accepted e or circulated as peace journalism rather than criticism. The way the media present conflict and violence will be a major factor in determining the reaction: war, or peace. One assumption is readiness to identify the legitimate goals of the other. Most parties are carriers of mixed bags of goals, so the task is to provide an umbrella for all legitimate goals. Sufficient prominence of such possible outcomes in the media is a basic necessary, if not sufficient, condition. (Galtung, 2006) War Journalism -VS- Peace Journalism The common understanding on war journalism is that its violence oriented where the elits or power based forces use media as their propaganda mechanism. All the related parties want to see their possible victory in the war reporting. Also the national media have the same desire as their audience in a conflicting situation. In the same way Peace Journalism is based on conflict but peace oriented and reports should be truth oriented and reports mostly cover both parties in the conflict for a better solution or outcome avoiding a more disasturus situation. In a phrase, Peace Journalism is a broader, fairer and more accurate way of framing stories, drawing on the insights of conflict analysis and transformation. The Peace Journalism approach provides a new road map for tracing the connections between journalists, their sources, the stories they cover and the consequences of their reporting the ethics of journalistic intervention. It opens up a literacy of non-violence and creativity as applied to the practical job of everyday reporting. (Lynch and McGoldrick, 2001) As Lynch mentioned war journalism is Violence/war Oriented Propaganda-oriented Elite- oriented Victory- Oriented And peace Journalism itself is therefore Peace/conflict oriented Truth- oriented People- oriented Solution oriented Problems for reporting on a conflict situation is that when two nations start fighting each other, both sides automatically become involved in psycological warefare also. In that situation side wants to see their victory. Here is the success of war journalism. To capitalise on that position, super powers allow journalism with attachment just to control the media for propaganda. In a conflicting situation to overcome human disaster there is no alternative but peace reporting for a possible calm situation. But it may not possible all the time. Kathleen OToole of Stanford University news service quoted from James Schear, deputy assistant secretary of defence for peacekeeping and humanitarian affairs that for most of the parties in most of the conflicts, war is a safer bet than peace. James Schear told the campus audience and described it as a brutally depressing fact. Schear previously worked for the United Nations in Cambodia and Bosnia. War is often safer, he said, because it has a familiar pattern; it imposes order, stifles dissent, generates profits in Angola and other places, provides employment, provides a pathway to advance. (OToole, 1997) Role of social media for peace Social media plays a major role in the field of mass communication. That role could recognise as one of the event of journalism also. When journalists fail to publish any report to their respective media they are leaking the topic or report to the public through social media. Any member of the public could have the chance to publish any news in the social media as well. In terms of peace journalism there is a huge opportunity to serve the people targeting a peaceful environment avoiding any conflict or war situation. A Reporter could avail of the advantage of wider publicity of social media to reach the audience and to get a prompt response from the audience. Journalism of Social Media now is a reality. The web has changed everything. Anybody with a blog can be a reporter, with a mobile phone can be a camera man, and even on Facebook, Twitter or a thousand other platforms can be a news editor or at least a  curator. So its easy to see the power that lies in the future of social media. The future of social media in journalism will see the death of social media. That is, all media as we know it today will become social, and feature a social component to one extent or another. After all, much of the web experience, particularly in the way we consume content, is becoming  social and personalized. ( Lavrusik 2010) So its possible that traditional media could be merge with social media meaning the content of Peace Journalism would be different from now. Journalists would be more realistic and even free to serve their ideas for audience without any type of super-power pressure which could distort the news content. But still its difficult to know whether the audience would accept more peace journalism than war. Though it differs the mind of audiences is still more or less captured by violence. They love to play violent videogames, watch violent movies, documentaries even bloody sports they like more than anything. They like to see the victory over others, its a psycological matter but on that reason nobody could be definitive whether audience would accept peace journalism or not. Audience of Peace Journalism War may be pointless for mankind but peace never will be pointless. If peace journalism is a mission then it could not be a pointless topic. It is very hard to see how it could be a popular one and how to get journalists to view the topic as one of the most important requirements for mankind. Theoretically there is no alternative but peace journalism at this stage for the audience, but other researchers, academic and journalists argued on that point that its not possible to find a solution of conflicts worldwide but beyond the conventional duties of journalism. The mass media dont parrot militaristic arguments as bluntly as bloggers, but theres no great taste for peace there, either. I cant name a single major columnist who advocates massive military cuts. Nor a single one who has openly sided with the peace movement. The opinion elites have gradually allowed the concept of immediate withdrawal from Iraq on to the front page, without taking the radical step of turning the U.S. away from being a threatening bully on a global scale. (Chopra, 2005) Who cares? This moment the most circulated news of the planet of earth is the killing of unarmed Osama Bin Laden the famous leader of CIA created terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda. This killing news captures whole media attention. The Noble Lauriat on Peace US President Obamas popularity already increased with his successful killing mission of an unarmed terrorist (their creation). It is now very tough to define the reporting character whether those are reflecting peace journalism or propaganda journalism. Some people accept the killing as an act towards peace and some are totally reversed. For example journalist Robert Fisk is a successful media personality, who is continuously criticising the aggressions and imperialistic activities of superpowers. The view of this author is that Robert Fisks articles are the latest version of journalism and the ultimate target is to reduce conflict if the conflict creators realise the message of his articles. This type of article which was criticising the conflict makers might not be acceptable by the super powers or by some others audiences who like to watch thrill and war. Fisks articles always bring some messages which never in favour of War Lords or War super powers. So it is tough to measure the peace journalism without a definite standard to compare with anything. Conclusions: At this stage of the planet earth where the Homo sapiens are living for a consecutive period might enter in a dangerous band of time cycle. People are used to watch wars and conflicts through news media and movies. New generations love to see thrill and suspense with fighting. Even people are enjoying the latest video game of the assaasination of Osama Bin Laden. Huge people gather around any show on armaments in different countries of the planet. They love to see the heroes till the disaster falls into their own life. This is reality. But it varies with time and circumstances. Though peace journalism faced controversy from the beginning, its existance now also the reality of journalism. Peace Journalism basically exist on research, academic and theory rather than practical. Audience also like to see war journalism but like the idea of Peace Journalism for all mankind. But for Peace Journalism to become a reality it requires a complete shift in the thinking of the media machine, at t he moment there are few voices speaking out in favour of it. Only when that changes can there be any hope for Peace Journalism. For audiences to accept it all of our mainstream media sources must do it. Acknowledgement: This eassy has been read by Mr. Joseph Coffey my classmate and I acknowledged his extended cooperation to correct my mistakes.

Essays --

Human beings have to made decisions right from childhood stage but the complexity of the decisions to be made or the circumstances preceding a decision vary from simple personal decisions to being in a group making corporate decisions. Individual Decision Making involves arriving at the decision at a personal level without involving external persons or making the decision regardless of an external or group's view point. This is the common method of making decisions and it has been observed to be effective when input from external parties is not necessary or in circumstances when a person might find themselves in need of immediate decision in order to tackle a particular situation. For example a person who is driving a car needs to make decisions about what action to take as he drives along the road with regards to following the driving laws and how to respond to actions by other road users. In this situation, an individual utilizes the intuitive decision making process (Cottrell, 2 009) which is based on the experience that he has gone through. According to Buchanan and Huczynski (2013), an individual’s quality of decisions can be influenced by how they perceive the surrounding circumstances in a given situation. This process falls in the â€Å"rational decision-making model† whereby an individual rationalizes and makes a decision based on the rational circumstances. For example a manager might be required to make a decision on whether to punish or pardon an employee who has made an error but his decision is based on the circumstances surrounding the event. If two managers were to independently evaluate the situation, one person might decide to punish while another might decide to pardon because it will depend on the personal interpre... ...decisions than can be arrived at and their consequences. An example of how this decision making process can be used is when a jury is unable to make a common decision mostly due to group polarization, one of the jurors can play the devil’s advocate by presenting an argument from the ‘other’ perspective opposite to what he rest of the group are focusing on in order to help them to make a decision. According to Berniker and McNabb (2006) the dialectical inquiry method can also be used by a group to help them make a decision. In this methodology, two alternatives are presented to the group for evaluation and they are discussed and then the group evaluates the two options and chooses whether to pick one of the options or to combine the two and use that as the final solution to the debate. This decision making process closely mirrors the devil’s advocacy method.

Automotive Fuel Vehicles :: essays research papers

INCENTIVES AND LAWS The main federal incentives for the purchase or conversion of individual alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are the federal income tax deductions of $2,000-$50,000 for clean fuel vehicles, and the income tax credit of up to $4,000 for electric vehicles (EVs). An income tax deduction is also available for the installation of refueling or recharging facilities for AFVs. Except for the federal tax credits and deductions, most of the federal incentives are programmatic grants oriented toward large investments such as infrastructure and larger purchases. The lead federal agencies for AFV programs are the U.S. Department of Treasury (i.e., IRS), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Federal Tax Deduction This is a deduction for clean fuel vehicles and certain refueling properties. A tax deduction for the purchase of a new original equipment manufacturer (OEM) qualified clean fuel vehicle, or for the conversion of a vehicle to use a clean-burning fuel, is provided under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), Public Law-102-486, Title XIX-Revenue Provisions, Sec. 179A. Electric Vehicle Tax Credit.A tax credit for the purchase of qualified EVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is provided under EPAct Public Law-102-486, . The size of the credit is 10% of the cost of the vehicle, up to a maximum credit of $4,000. Beginning in 2001, the size of the credit is reduced by 25% per year until the credit is fully phased out. To qualify for the credit, the vehicle must be powered primarily by an electric motor. Clean Cities Program DOE's Clean Cities Program coordinates voluntary efforts between locally based government and industry to accelerate the use of alternative fuels and expand AFV refueling infrastructure. Federal Incentives EPAct establishes an incentive program for the purchase of AFVs and conversion of conventional gasoline vehicles to alternative fuels. Through federal tax incentives, companies and private individuals can offset a portion of the incremental costs associated with the purchase or conversion of an AFV. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 The Clean Air Act (CAA) was passed in 1970 to improve air quality nationwide. Congress amended the law in 1990, passing the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and thus creating several initiatives to reinforce one of the original goals of the CAA to reduce mobile source pollutants.