American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union more commonly known as the ACLU is one of the most prominent advocacy groups in contemporary American society. The ACLU is a non-profit and non-partisan organization based in New York.ACLU’s primary advocacy has always been the protection of the constitutional rights of US Citizens. Moreover, it is part of the ACLU’s mission to extend those rights to demographics which have been traditionally denied the same constitutional rights as the average American citizen.These groups include Native Americans, the poor, transsexual and transgender people, and prisoners to name a few. The major activities of the ACLU in advancing its advocacy include   community education efforts, lobbying for desired legislation as well as supporting litigation which seeks to establish protection for civil rights (â€Å"About Us†).HistoryThe ACLU can trace its roots to World War I. A forerunner of the ACLU, the American Union Against Militarism (AUAM), w as established in 1914 to oppose American entry into the war. With the eventual entry of America into World War I, Crystal Eastman, the executive secretary of the AUAM together with Roger Baldwin, a social worker, founded a Bureau of Conscientious Objectors.The Bureau worked to oppose the draft as well as to advise conscientious objectors. In 1917, the AUAM created a new independent organization – the National Civil Liberties Bureau. Eastman and Baldwin then shifted their focus on the NCLB after which the AUAM folded soon after (â€Å"The Roger Baldwin Years, 1917-1950: Finding Aid†).Baldwin continued his opposition to the draft, himself deliberately violating the Selective Service Act which resulted in his imprisonment in 1918. Upon release from prison, Baldwin helped establish the ACLU in January 19, 1920.Unlike the NCLB, the ACLU was established as a permanent organization which shall live on even after the war. At the time of the ACLU’s founding, the US Supr eme Court has failed to uphold even a single free speech claim. The infant ACLU quickly got itself involved in noteworthy cases such as Sacco & Vanzetti, the Scopes Trial and the Scottsboro boys (Cottrell).The early ACLU concentrated on fighting the causes of the labor movement, believing that advancing labor causes would result in their desired changes in society. During the 1920s most of ACLU funding came from Albert Desilver, another founding member of the ACLU and the Garland Fund.Media mileage during the Tennessee Scopes Trial helped the ACLU gain reputation and raise funds for its efforts (â€Å"The Roger Baldwin Years, 1917-1950: Finding Aid†).

Health Campaign Paper Essay

The concept of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health was developed in 1732 when the Philadelphia Almshouse began to provide free hospital care to the poor. According to the City of Philadelphia (2010), the Department of Public Health protects health and promotes healthy lifestyles for all Philadelphians. The Department of Public Health â€Å"provides services, set policies, and enforce laws that support the dignity of every man, woman, and child in Philadelphia† (City of Philadelphia, 2010). There are thirteen divisions of the department that are responsible for providing patient services related to those divisions. Each of the division has a primary focus to use to remain on task to achieve the goals of the division. Core Functions According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011), there are three core functions relating to public health. The three core functions are assessment, policy development, and assurance. Each core function has related essential services that are necessary for each function to be completed. One of the divisions of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is Disease Control. There are seven services of Disease Control which include acute communicable disease control, bioterrorism and public health preparedness, epidemiology, immunization, sexually transmitted disease control, tuberculosis control, and data and reports. Each of these services work together to assess the spread of disease (including the amount and types of diseases spread), researches ways to control disease processes, develops and implements public health plans to control the spread of disease, and provides information based on the recorded observations to both the health care and public populat ions. Reassurance is provided to the population by relaying information via media, health bulletin, and public service announcements regarding disease processes, control, and prevention. There are eight health centers operated by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health that provide care to neighborhood patient populations. These centers accept insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured patient population. Basic outpatient and acute care services, medical management, checkups, women’s health, counseling, lab work, and social work support are all provided by the centers. This additional care allows the burden of care to be shared in the community and not just at the local hospital. When patients register for appointments they have the option to see the same physicians to provide continuity of care for each visit. There are also many federally funded clinics in operation according to the City of Philadelphia (2010). The clinics also work with the local health centers and hospital to provide care to the area residents. Influencing Hospital Setting Public health has directly affected the many things in the hospital setting since its development. The control of infectious diseases is a direct response to the development of public health initiatives. According to the Association of Schools of Public Health (2012), education for both health care workers and general population to increase sanitation has significantly increased reduction of the spread of infectious diseases. Today assessing and monitoring hand washing technique is frequently done hospital wide to prevent spread of infection. Education is provided continually for patients and health care providers as well as reporting of hand washing monitoring statistics related to facility hand washing reports. Continual reassurances of the benefits of hand washing are shared in staff meetings, facility conferences, and performance reviews by administration and management. Risk factor modification for blood pressure control has proven beneficial in decreasing coronary artery disease and stroke mortality rates reports the Association of Schools of Public Health (2012). Public awareness of genetic factors has been promoted via public service announcements, blood pressure/diabetes screenings, and hospital awareness newsletters. Hospitals have incorporated coronary artery disease and stroke awareness into programs to reduce stroke and myocardial infarction mortality rates. Many facilities have added to the awareness by adding public health fairs to promote risk factor awareness, disease prevention, and health promotion. Role of Public Health Workers â€Å"Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or re-occurring through implementing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, regulating health systems and some health professions, and conducting research, in contrast to clinical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured† (Association of Schools of Public Health ,2012). Public health workers can be anyone from a physician to the sanitation worker. Public health workers are responsible for the duties they were trained for professionally as well as collecting data, discovering resources, provides, emotional support, plans for preparedness for disasters, provides education, and provides organization to work toward positive outcomes using the information gathered and plans developed. Researchers, for example, gather the information and collect surveys to assess the public’s health care needs. The information is used to determine the changes that need to be made as well as the public education that has to be provided. Social needs are also addressed by social workers and counselors to provide support and reassurance. Providig reassurance allows many to feel that their questions and concerns will be addressed. Follow up surveys may also be used to assess the education process and obtain long term feedback from the population addressed. Conclusion Public health is a demanding but fulfilling job for many individuals who work together for the good of society. Continually assessing the needs of the communities allows disease processes to be defined and investigated appropriately to gauge its danger to the surrounding population. Researching and developing plans for controlling the disease process allows educational pieces to be developed to relay to the population to provide reassurance of a possible solution or changes that must be made to avoid the disease process all together. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has a large population to provide services to. The Divisions assist by breaking down services into manageable parts to be assessed and developed individually. Working together with local hospitals and clinics provides continuity of care between services while receiving education to better the city for future residents. References Association of Schools of Public Health. (2012). The 20th century’s ten great public health achievements in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.whatispublichealth.org/impact/achievements.html Centers for Disease control and Prevention. (2011, May 25). Core functions of public health and how they relate to the ten essential services. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ephli/core_ess.htm City of Philadelphia. (2010). Public health city of Philadelphia life liberty and you. Retrieved from http://www.phila.gov/health/AboutDPH.html

Cubas Importance in Global Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cubas Importance in Global Marketing - Essay Example In so doing, the role of a country like Cuba in global marketing cannot be overlooked. Cuba, a Caribbean country, qualifies for use as a marketing strategy in the global arena. Cuban products hold special allure in the global context, but this potential is limited by the embargo United States has against Cuba. The limited participation of Cuba in international trade has left millions of consumers across the globe yearning for her locally produced goods. From rum to cigars to coffee, Cuba significantly challenges the United States when it comes to global marketing. Given the limited presence of Cuba in international trade, both domestic and international firms have opted to use Cuba as a strategic factor in global marketing. In other words, Cuba drives global marketing both locally and internationally; especially in the United States context. The U.S-Cuba business factor continues to experience trademark wars. Legal processes are never ending filed from both sides; American and Cuban sides. This has further heightened consumer attention and concern towards Cuba. It appears that the more U.S and Cuban firms engage in trademark wars, the more influenced the consumers get in favor of Cuba. As a result, marketers have moved swiftly to exploit emerging opportunities. Essentially, global marketing has to embrace global diversity and dynamism, aspects that Cuban business fosters. Domestic and international consumers are highly influenced by product uniqueness. Where quality is met, needs are satisfied, and tastes and preferences are accounted for, consumers will go an extra mile to ensure that they manifest their business zeal. This is the case as far as Cuba is concerned in the global marketing context. The Cuban products issue has been highly politicized both at home and away; in the United States.

Water incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Water incident - Essay Example The company is no stranger to such incidents. It has been part of all major oil disasters in thee US for the last five years (Lustgartern). Since the explosion in the deep water rig causing death to 11 persons on April 20, 2010, the oil spill has continued to claim the lives of wild life; it has seriously threatened the travel and tourism plans of the region as well as affected the culture of the gulf coast. The oil rig that cme into causing an accident in the Gulf coast, The deep water horizon was a nine year old rig having a semi submersible mobile drilling unit.and a dynamic positioned drilling rig. The company has taken this rig on lease from Transocean. At the time of explosion, the rig was drilling an exploratory well at a depth of nearly 5000 feet under water The incident occurred on April 20 2010 at approximately 9.45pm. gas from the well under high pressure shot up and out of the well triggering into a huge explosion. Efforts made my ships to bring down the fire proved unsuccesful. The fire lasted for nearly 36 hours after which the platform sank to the deep waters. The spread of the oil was very rapid due to the strong southernly winds that was caused by the impending cold front. Five days from the blast, the spill spread to nearly 580 square miles. And was near to the ecologically sensitive Chandeleur Islands. By April 30, the spread widened to approximately 3850 square miles. The spill reached the Delta national wild life refuge and Bretton national wild life refuge. . By May 19 the spill reached the Loop current which flows around the Gulf of Mexico. It was found that about 35% of the oil leaked would evaporate, 50% will remain in the water and the rest would be dissolved in the ocean. It was also estimated that most of the oil would be floating within one foot of the surface of the water causing serious environmental damage to all living organisms. The

Write plan addressing principal's directives Essay

Write plan addressing principal's directives - Essay Example The responsibilities every affiliate of the family has. I will require from each student an essay on how their family celebrates holidays like, thanksgiving and birthdays. In so doing students get to be grateful for the value of family, and gain invaluable knowledge that is practical and they can put it on paper in case of an assessment test on the subject. My teaching methodology of family history, growth and change, will slightly be off tangent. Each student will be required to research on their family’s history and note down an essay. In the family’s history, I expect them to identify their family heritage and the changes their family has encountered over time. I expect some of my students to contribute their family tales, songs, dances and even legends; this will make the unit highly practical. They will do this in groups, whereby one student volunteers to share a folktale while the classmates will ask relevant questions. The aim is to have students share information freely and respect each other. The concept of communities can be introduced by getting the students appreciate the variety of their communities. They get to know their cultural uniqueness, religious difference, ethnicity and school is what makes them unique. In this unit, I will task my students to try and locate the country, state and country on a map. They should list down geographical features, natural resources, artificial resources and significant symbols that identify their community. Their task will be to try and locate the school from the global perspective, give the cardinal directions, and how the school affects the environment. The last unit will have students getting to know how people satisfy their wants and citizenship. Students ought to know what their parents do for a living to provide for them. They will discuss in groups the types of occupation people carry out. The issues of trade and exchange, science and

Chap 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chap 8 - Essay Example In practice, the audit process has five steps: planning, studying and evaluating controls, testing and evaluating controls, reporting, follow up and reports (Hingarh and Ahmed, 39). Understanding the scope of an audit is fundamental in ensuring that one conducts a successful audit. The scope of an audit is supposed to guide the editor and give him understanding of exactly what is expected of him during the audit (Hingarh and Ahmed, 56). In the case given, the scope of the audit required that the IT manager identifies the causes of bounced checks, unrecorded transactions especially between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. In addition to this, the manager was expected to identify the cause of wrong order of execution of business transactions. Apart from the scope of an audit, IT managers conducting systems audit and supposed to understand the best control environment that will give the best results of an audit. The control environment helps managers to know exactly the best control features to add to a system for better performance (Hingarh and Ahmed, 68). In conclusion, information system audit is an important exercise in any organization’s systems and needs to be done regularly to avoid errors and miscalculations in a system. According to research, system audit saves many companies from losses and ensures steady execution of business activities and transactions (Hingarh and Ahmed,

Care of People with Dementia on Hospital wards ( acute settings) Essay

Care of People with Dementia on Hospital wards ( acute settings) - Essay Example It is yet unclear whether, despite abundant literature on the management of dementia in acute care settings, the training and practice of staff meets the demands of the ageing population. Currently, most of the practice is based on biomedical model (McCloskey, 2004). Due to rise in the elderly population and simultaneous increase in the number of patients suffering from dementia, research and practice of dementia patients in acute care settings is a necessity in order to meet the needs of the patients and their families affected by dementia. The purpose of this essay is to identify current practices in the nursing care of patients with dementia in acute care settings, discuss best practice guidelines pertaining to care of this population, analyse factors influencing the care of dementia patients in acute care settings and evaluate various options pertaining to alternative modes of management. The economic, social and health status of the fast-growing elderly population poses a great challenge to all sectors. The WHO (2006) has projected that the elderly population of the world will cross the one billion mark by the year 2020 and by that time, over 700 million old people will be living in developing countries. It is unfortunate to say that little attention is paid to the enormous needs of the elderly population because the National Health Services are still preoccupied with tackling of the communicable diseases, maternal and child care and thus have no time, money and place for geriatric problems like dementia. According to the Advisory Panel on Alzheimers Disease (1996, p6), health professionals ignore patients with dementia because of "sense of impotence" pertaining to the treatment of their health problems and perception of increased cost of treatment. However, Cherry and Reid (200, p3) opined that nursing staff are aware of the fact that they are unable to deliver app ropriate care to the elderly patient and thus meet their needs specifically. One

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies Essay

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies - Essay Example It is evident from the study that the need to achieve a stable monetary and economic stability for these countries, the need for appropriate rule of law and respect for the human rights and the protection for the minorities, the proper and efficient functioning of the market economy, to enhance the capability of all the countries to work together in the face of economic as well as political crises and pressure of the market forces etc. It was also aimed to achieve full cost transparency and price transparency. These were aimed to achieve for the single market for goods and services as well as for labour and capital. They aim was focused on the achievement of the exchange rate stability and economies of scale in the production process and hence on an efficient market mechanism with efficient market allocation and distribution of resources. Among the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countr ies. The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. ... g the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countries (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). Benefits: The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. It also helped in achieving efficient market outcomes with efficient allocation of scarce resources of the economies along with efficient distributions. The biggest benefit from the adoption was the exchange rate stability and the price stability among the member countries. After the adoption, the Euro pean countries experienced low rate of inflation and lower rate of long-term interest rates (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). There has been a process of convergences with respect to stable long-term interest rates and low inflation rates. After the adoption of the euro, monetary policies became more credible to the markets compared to the pre-adoption period. This was one of the major benefits that the eurozone has acquired from the introduction of a single monetary authority. The monetary policies were initiated with the major goal of reaching price stability and interest rate stability. The targeted inflation rate was mentioned to be within 2 % in the medium run (Schadler, 2005, pp. 106-110). Events, such as oil price shock in the early 1990s, have created great barriers to achieve this price and

Description of business Essay Example for Free

Description of business Essay This entrepreneur will be opening a new business which will operate as a sole trader. The name of this business is CJ’s Seafood joint.CJ’s Seafood joint will operate under the logo â€Å"Come have a mouthful of flavor. Operating as a sole trader would mean that the entrepreneur would make all the descions himself but would also have to carry the responsibilities for himself. The main aim of the business is to have every customer who comes comes through our doors impressed by CJ’s and will be excited to come again,also to create and maintain a surrounding that is comprehensive and exceptional in its attention to every detail of operation. The entrepreneur also wishes to provide a friendly, cooperative and rewarding environment which encourages longterm, satisfying, growth employment.To keep the concept fresh,exciting and on the cutting edge of the hospitality industry. The business will be opened on weekdays 8:00 am to 10:30pm,weekends,9:00 am to 11:30 pm also on public holidays. CJ’s is opened to a variety of different persons and age groups.It would be coveinienient to persons who are working long hours and so does not have the time to prepare a proper meal or even a family who is just looking for somewhere nice and beautiful to have dinner.CJ’s will also serve an as accommodation for catering at dinners,weddings and any other events. Justification of location CJ’s seafood joint will be loctated in Kingston at Ann’s Bay near the sea.The business will do exceptionally well at this location because of its proximity from the sea.Being located near the sea would mean that the raw materials needed for the running of the business would cost less money to transport the raw materials to the business.Also the business will have a dependable source of material this means there will never be a scarcity in production. Secondly, beach scenery would also serve as an attraction for both local and international customers,especially the tourist from which foreign exchange would be gained which means more profits for the business.A beautiful beach scenery would provide a relaxed and calm environment which would entise the customers into returning again and having a god reputation would mean more customers thus more profits. Selection of appropriate labour For this business to be ran successfully,the entrepreneur will need to employ both skilled and skilled workers.The skilled workers in this business will consist of: Two Chefs and one executive chef.These persons will be incharge of the preparation and meal planning of all the sophisticated menus and introducing new ideas which will motivate the customers in returning. 2 Bartenders.These persons would be incharge of making refresging beverages and liquors according to the customers preference. The business will also need 5 Cashiers.They will be incharge of the money made on a daily basis and will play a part in the monitoring of the business’s financial transactions and data. In this business the unskilled are just as important as the skilled workers as they play a vital role in the successful running of the business.The skilled will consist of: 10 Janitors.They will be incharge of the proper maintenance and sanitation of the premises which will give the business a good reputation for its emmaculate maintenance . 4 waiters and 4 waitresses. They will be responsible for satisfying the customers requirements and should try to meet all of them with no animosity and should be patient in dealing with their problems. 10 fishermen.They will be responsible for going out to sea and ensuring that the sea animals needed by the business is always on time and of good quality. Sources of fixed and working capital The business will need both working and fixed capital.The two sources of fixed capital to be used by the business are: A loan of US $300,000 from the National Commercial Bank, to be secured with a mortgage on the entrepreneurs home,which would go towards: the purchasing of new equipement renovating and upgrading the premisis purchasing of more delivery vehicles The second source will be: personnal savings of the entrepreneur of US$10,000 from the Jamaica Mutual Bank which will be used to do the same as the things listed above. The two sources of working capital will be a loan from the bank and personal savings of the entrepreneur .This money will contribute towards: paying salaries paying utility bills pay rent on the premises The money borrowed from the bank will be repaid from the profits accumulated during a period of 10 years of successful business management. Role of entrepreneur The entrepreneur is one who organizes the factors of production to create goods and services. The most suitable location, qualified workers, and the right equipment and machinery will ensure efficient production. It is therefore important for him to make the right decisions concerning the employment of the required resources for his business. He must also make decisions on systems and processes to be applied in the production process.An entrepreneur has many roles/responsibility, three of which are: PLANNING Planning is very important to every venture. It is more important to the entrepreneur’s venture because of the uncertainty of success and less room to make mistake. The entrepreneur’s focus is on the execution side and how to get the product to the market in the shortest amount of time so as to start earning revenue. OPERATING This is where the entrepreneur starts putting all its business ideas into place .He analyzes his ideas and sees if they are going according to planned. Conceptualizing This is where the entrepreneur gains an understanding of the business and what he hopes it will be, Production The action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured.There are three types of production.They include: Primary Production This includes all kinds of extractive industries such as agriculture, mining and fishing. Secondary Production This includes manufacturing such as assembling, refining and construction (building) industries. Tertiary Production This includes all kinds of service industries such as transportation, communication and tourism. The type of production used in the business is primary production.The fishes and other sea animals are extracted from the sea to be made in a finished product to be enjoyed by thousands of customers. Levels of production Production is the action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured.There are three levels of production.These include Subsistence This is the lowest level of production. Subsistence productions refers to output from the production process that is just enough for the survival. This amount of production is therefore not adequate to meet all needs and wants of a family, community or a country. For example, subsistence farming involves the production of crops to feed the family and for survival. Wealth is not created as whatever is produced is consumed. Domestic Production Domestic production refers to production that is more than survival level. It provides output that is enough to satisfy domestic needs and wants. Excess is not available for export. However, production is adequate to supply local demand. Surplus or Export This level of production is adequate to supply local demand and for export. Large industries can produce large quantities of output to satisfy local consumption and earn foreign exchange from export, for example, the sugar and banana industries. The type of production used by CJ’s Seafood Joint is domestic production.The business provides mostly for the local market.There is sufficient demand locally to absorb all the produce. Quality control measures The entrepreneur will make a daily report on the problems or difficulties face on a daily business and implement measures to correct them. The entrepreneur will also be responsible for inspecting the goods carried in on a daily basis to make sure that they are up to standard and are suitable for consumption. Technology In today’s world technology has become one of the fastest advancements.In CJ’s Seafood Joint it will play a vital part in its day to day running. Two types of technology used by the business are a refrigerator and a computer. The refrigerator is responsible for the preservation of foods and beverages.Without the refrigerators,items will start to them rottening resulting in a loss of money and customers due to a bad reputation of rotted foods The computers is most important as it contains all the business’s transactions and data.It provides order and allows information to be accessed easily,without the availability of computers everything will be chaotic. Potential for growth Internally We will be able to expand our initial operation by 80% by our 7th year, however expanding would mean a larger premisis which would require us to go elsewhere for the business to be successful in all its different aspects.We would need to buy additional delivery vehicles also an addition of ten (10) members of staff to share the extra work load.The business would have to move to a similar locatiom,near the sea, so as to not make things difficult in the purchasing and transporting of foods Externally If we can acquire a good record,we might be able to expand internationally,allowing us to open branches in different countries turning CJ’s into a multi-national business .The business would so make more money and foreign exchange,also more exposure for the business. Linkages The business turns raw materials into a delicious produce to be consumed by our customers. Having a backward linkage helps the business in that there is a reduced dependence on imported goods since local suppliers provide the raw materials for the producers.The linkage will allow the business to source fresh produce,to minimize delivery time and transport costs and to maintain a close relationship with the product suppliers to ensure product quality. Government Regulations The business must apply to the Commissioner of Taxes to be a registered taxpayer, the business will earn atleast at least JMD 2,000,000. The application for GCT registration must be submitted within 21 days after taxable activity has started. A temporary GCT certificate will be issued to the company upon receipt of the application for GCT. Documents to be submitted are the following: 1. Completed application for TRN Number Organisations 2. NIS number confirming that the company is not yet liable to National Insurance. 3. Certified copy of Articles of Incorporation 4. Authorisation letter if the TRN application is being made by a third party. The business will be affected by the health and safety regulations ,particulary with regard to oil spills.The entrepreneur must be familiar with all legal requirements for occupational health and safety,and must ensure full compliance. Ethical Issues CJ’s will make the aspect of ethical issues priority as it relates to the development of the business. CJ’S Cuisine will endeavour to do its best in not to be involved in ignoring health, safety and environmental standards. The business will ensure that all these aspects meet the necessary requirement in order to avoid instances such as food poisoning .we will aim to meet a good nutritional standard for all meals,with a balance of proteins and other requirements.

Comparing operating systems Essay Example for Free

Comparing operating systems Essay Operating systems are the programmes that create environment which enable the various programmes to run on a computer. That is why they are also referred to as platforms. The programmes that run on these platforms can range from simple office automation softwares that enable us to do wordprocessing to games and also device drivers. All major companies make their software for multiple platforms. By platform we mean the base environment that enables the communication between the onboard devices like the hard-disk, memory, various ports (input/output) and the functions it will carry out using other programmes that will run in that environment. For example if we look at Microsoft which makes the MS Office software that is used by most personal computers. They make MS Office for not only their own operating system namely Windows but also for MAC and also for UNIX / LINUX. The function of the Operating system is to provide an environment and background on which the other applications will run. This involves the use of Hardware like the display card, network card, sound card, printers, scanners, other input and output devices. The hardware is linked to the computer through ports and communicates with the operating system through special software known as firmware (or drivers as it is commonly known). The most common Operating Systems are:   Windows   MAC   UNIX/LINUX WINDOWS: This is developed by Microsoft and has become a major platform for personal computers around the world. The name Windows was coined for the reason that one can open more than one application at the same time and work on each one independently simply by opening them in different windows. The earlier programmes did not have this capability and it revolutionised the industry. After this popularity, various versions were developed with time and now-a-days, we see the launch of Windows Vista. Before this we had the Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 98 etc. The popularity of Windows has been more so in its marketing strategy in that it has not limited itself to geographical boundaries. As a result of its becoming popular and being the most commonly used operating system also had advantages in terms of support. There were more people who had had experience of using Windows and some were able to even provide expertise and support where more advanced Microsoft support was not available e. g. in the remote areas of Africa and other rural areas. But like its popularity it had other people who liked to know more of the Operating system and who wanted to know more about how it works in the background. This led to a new breed of programmers who liked to tear things apart and learn about the mechanism of the system. These people then found ways of overriding certain functions, disabling certain features and using the system to their own advantage and a term was coined for them to be known as Hackers. Windows has had to deal with this breed of programmers to continue to hold the market and continuously trying to prove that their Operating System is safe and secure. Some of these programmers later on turned to other ways of proving their skills by developing programmes that would install themselves on the system and wreak havoc on the user by destroying the data, playing up with files and hijacking confidential information and sending it to them. These programmes are known as viruses, which like the clinical virus, avoid detection by changing form and then when the opportunity allows, do their bit of destruction. Windows uses the protocol TCP/IP to communicate with other computers. It is also the protocol that is used for communicating with the internet. MAC : This was developed by the makers of Apple Macintosh computers or Apple for short. It has upto now managed to hold a great deal of market share in the USA where it originated and incidentally, Microsoft is also based there. The MAC operating system was developed solely for use in the Apple computers and it was programmed for specific hardware that was on the Apple PCs. Unlike Windows that was developed independent of the hardware, MAC on the other hand remained dependent on the hardware and the various versions that came were designed so as to get the maximum output from the same hardware rather than for other new hardware. This was the reason that AppleMac as it was commonly called failed to capture the global market since people could not afford to buy the hardware and also the level of support was lacking beyond the borders of USA. It did try to market the concept that you need to buy the hardware only once and then just keep upgrading the software but by this time it was too late. Far East especially Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China took on the opportunity and started developing motherboards for PCs for which Microsoft was willing to supply the necessary Operating System. MAC has produced various versions so far and presently we are using MAC OS x10. 5 also nicknamed Leopard just like its previous versions which were also named after the big cats. Except for the first one which was named Kodak after the Grizzly bear. Unlike Windows MAC does not have enemies of the likes of Hackers and Virus creators. It does get them but since MAC is not a popular system of the likes of Windows the Hackers and Virus programmers find it not that worthwhile to work on them. However, it does not mean that they are free from it, some people still do it and MAC also has to work around such people each time and new patches are constantly being developed. MAC uses the protocol AppleTalk to communicate with other computers. However, when it needs to go to the internet, it has to have TCP/IP protocol installed. UNIX/LINUX: Unlike the Windows and MAC this is not only an Open Source Operating System but also Freeware. By Open Source we mean that the main code of the programme on which it is based, is not secret or a property of anyone. Earlier when we talked about the Hackers getting into the operating system and disabling certain functions and enabling others to get it to work the way they want, this is exactly what an Open Source system allows one to do. One does not need to have a great deal of knowledge of programming to be able to manipulate the programme and also one does not need to worry about breaking any law by doing so. The inventors of the programme have given a basic programme along with the freehand to do whatever with it and make it work to your specific requirements. By freeware, we mean that the inventors who have created this programme do not want any money for it and it is free for anyone to download and use. Other terms in this context are the Shareware, this means that the programmer will only give you the software to use on a trial basis for a limited time so that you may evaluate it and see if it suits your needs or not. If it does, then after the trial period you may buy the full version thus avoiding any unnecessary cost that you could have incurred if it was not what you wanted. UNIX or LINUX which are both of similar nature though LINUX is the newer version, have another advantage in comparison to Windows and MAC in that, since these are Open source not many viruses or hackers try to disrupt it. However, UNIX is the main programme that hackers use to hack into either Windows or MAC since it allows you to work on the base level of the programme. UNIX also uses the TCP/IP protocol and thus one does not need to install other protocols to connect to the internet. Due to its popularity the LINUX has been taken by Sun Microsystems which is a major IT company based in Germany and they manufacture Sun computer systems. Sun computers use LINUX as their main operating system. When we run LINUX on a normal PC it is called referred to as a LINUX COMPARISON AT A GLANCE Windows MAC UNIX / LINUX   Popular around the world   Support is available even in remote areas Uses the same protocol that is used to communicate with the internet.   Is very prone to hackers and viruses thus the creators have to constantly develop patches to overcome the threats. Has more variety of programmes available as compared to other operating systems Is only popular in the America Has limited support around the world. Is more secure than Windows in that it is not prone to hackers and viruses.   Uses the protocol AppleTalk to communicate with other Apple computers but needs the TCP/IP to communicate with the internet.   It is freeware so anyone can use it free of cost.   It is an open source system allowing one to customise it to ones own needs and requirements without fear of any legal liability.   It uses the TCP/IP protocol to communicate thus is compliant with the internet.   Most internet servers still use UNIX as their main operating system