Smart Cities Big Data, Civic Hackers, And The Quest For...

â€Å"We live in a world defined by urbanization and digital ubiquity, where mobile broadband connections outnumber fixed ones, machines dominate a new internet of things, and more people live in cities than in the countryside.† –Anthony M. Townsend, â€Å"Smart Cities† Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and the Quest for a New Utopia was written by Anthony M. Townsend who is an American researcher who specializes in research on the implications of technology on cities and public institutions. His book provides incredible historical context and finishes off with well-grounded perspectives and recommendations about the future of our cities. From start to finish he gives us the historical layout of â€Å"smart cities† and the many failures that have shaped the notions of how technology can improve the lives of urban dwellers. Anthony M. Townsend brings together trends and patterns in technology and cities, arguing for divergent futures based upon the pat h taken, while also describes corporate and government efforts that work against citizen-based action. He tells a story about how technology will change city planning and management. The concept of the book felt more as, corporations are making advances on planning smart cities, but do not surrender the entirety of the projects to them, make space for organic innovation and integration of the average citizen. For Townsend to make his argument he combines his own substantial experience in government and technology with interviews andShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesS.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, HistoricalRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesothers who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysisRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesAffirmative Action Plans 59 Demonstrating Comprehension: Questions for Review 80 Key Terms 80 81 HRM Workshop Linking Concepts to Practice: Discussion Questions 81 Developing Diagnostic and Analytical Skills 81 Case Application 3-A: Diversity Is the New Color This Year 81 Case Application 3-B: When Oversight Fails 81 Working with a Team: What’s Your Perception? 82 Learning an HRM Skill: Investigating a Harassment Complaint 82 Enhancing Your Communication Skills 83 DID YOU KNOW?: Suggestions for

The Issue Of Sex Work - 1715 Words

Sex Work, the term is prevalent indeed and also an extremely controversial topic in our society today. It drives men to pay for it, and women to sell it. Sex work can include phone sex operations, exotic dancing, nude webcam modeling, escort services, adult film performances, nude peepshows, massage parlor work, brothel work, prostitution and many more. Sex work comes in different forms and has been a familiar practice since ancient times. However, there are constitutional challenges in every country regarding sex work. For example, Canada’s sex work laws are persistently being challenged. In week five, we discussed the Canada’s sex work laws in the court case regarding Bedford v. Canada and Lauren Sampson’s proposals for change. Sex work is a phrase that many groups prefer to use instead of the term prostitution as it carries a lot of social stigma. As Sampson reflects in his work, the possible options available for reform in prostitution law in Canada in the af termath of the Bedford case, I will further analyze the competing models proposed and reflected upon Sampson’s proposals for change and whether I agree with these approaches. Firstly, it is important to know the history and background of prostitution in Canada. Before the Bedford challenge, sex work in Canada was actually legal. However, what seemed disconcerting and contradicting was the fact that most of these laws showed that any activity related to prostitution is illegal. The stigma shown here discriminatesShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Sex Work Essay2586 Words   |  11 Pagesawareness of the details of sex work create this ongoing hate towards sex work, which continues to stigmatize sex workers. Regardless of changing laws, regardless of changing policies, why is it that sex workers are still afraid to proudly announce that their job is in fact the job of a sex worker? Unfortunately, it seems as though the idea of sex work that seems to be such a terrible one is not what bothers sex workers the most, it is the social misconception of what sex work is like that leads theseRead MoreThe Issue Of Legalizing Sex Work2819 Words   |  12 Pagesthe term ?sex work? in 1979. She said of this change from the term ?prostitute? as, ?[The] beginning of a movement? [the change to the term sex workers] knowledges the work we do rather than defines us by our status [as the pejorative ?prostitute?].? (qtd. NSWP, Leigh). A staunch advocate for decriminalizing prostitution Leigh stated on NPR in 2002, ? Whatever ills are attendant to prostitution, criminalization of prostitutes exacerbates the abuse.? (qtd. ACLU, par. 2). Legalizing sex work or decriminalizingRead MoreThe Legal Regulation Of Sex Work Essay1473 Words   |  6 PagesThe legal regulation of sex work has become a key issue for many governments in an attempt to tackle the many issues and harms of the industry, many partially or fully decriminalising the industry. Sex work is an intensely complex issue, and even the concept of sex work as a ‘job’ is a contentious issue. Some feminist academics perceive sex work as inherently violent regardless of any regulations and t herefore should not be legalised at all. However this in an idealistic notion as inaction and furtherRead MoreThe Legal And Social Implications Of Prostitution1039 Words   |  5 Pagesthe issue has been heavily debated, a proper answer to its legalization or criminalization has not yet been defined in many countries throughout the world. While some view that â€Å"sex work† is a justifiable occupation that should be protected under human rights, others argue that it’s legalization would do more harm than good. According to the Health and Human Rights Journal (2014), the Russian Federation has little justification for its criminalization of sex work, and the vulnerability of sex worker’sRead MoreQuantitative Critique On Female Sex Work And International Sport Events1532 Words   |  7 PagesQuantitative Critique on Female Sex Work and International Sport Events This paper is a quantitative critique on the article Female sex work and international sports events- no major changes in demand or supply of paid sex during the 2010 Soccer World Cup: a cross-sectional study, written by Marlise Richter et al. The article goes into detail on whether or not there is a true increase in the supply and demand of sex workers during the elicit 2010 Soccer World Cup that was held in South Africa (RitcherRead MoreThe Need For Sex Therapy929 Words   |  4 PagesThe Need for Sex Therapy As research suggests, sex therapy can be an effective mode of treatment for many issues in regards to sexual activity. From an outsider’s perspective, it may be hard to understand the process of sex therapy ad what it is used for. I would assume that people might think sex therapy is for pedophiles or rapist, trying to control their â€Å"urges†. However, sex therapy is more than just for that reason, it can be a healing process for those who have been abused or even a buildingRead MoreLegalization Of Prostitution And Prostitution1612 Words   |  7 Pagesand between jurisdictions within a country. 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However, sex workers will disregard this information because they have no other choice. The government also tried supplyingRead MoreThe Laws That Sex Workers Really Want By Toni Mac1168 Words   |  5 PagesIn â€Å"The Laws That Sex Workers Really Want,† Toni Mac discusses the reality of legalization in regards to sex work and their effects. Mac’s purpose is to show the audience the four legal models that are being used around the world and demonstrate why they don’t work. Then, explain the model that sex workers themselves think would work best, decriminalization (â€Å"The Laws†). She shares her own stories and experiences to help make her argument and to add to the effectiveness of her use of the rhetoricalRead MoreShould Prostitution Be A Legal Occupation? Essay1146 Words   |  5 Pagesdrug-related and sex trafficking crimes, and new source of tax to help the country s debt. To begin, prostitution can be a very secretive and underground job, due to the prohibition on sex work. Workers are not receiving benefits such as a sense of security from police and health care. Prostitutes can often be raped and transmitted diseases, but because of the laws against this occupation the workers will never step up to receive the help they need in fear of backlash. Legal sex workers in other

Pakistan’s War on Terror Up to and Beyond 2014 Free Essays

While Pakistan continues to be a frontline state in the global war on terror, it is simultaneously fighting domestic terrorism in a war that will seemingly continue well beyond 2014. In recent months, terror attacks targeting the Shia Hazara minority in Baluchistan indicate a transformation of the terror problem in Pakistan. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi present two different sides of Pakistan’s terrorism problem, however, the two organizations have increasingly converged operationally to the extent that Pakistan cannot eliminate one without simultaneously confronting the other. We will write a custom essay sample on Pakistan’s War on Terror Up to and Beyond 2014 or any similar topic only for you Order Now BACKGROUND: The September 11 terrorist attacks on the U. S. in which thousands of innocent lives were lost led Pakistan to join the U. S. -led global war against international terrorism in which Pakistan has over the years made an invaluable contribution. However, with the passage of time, Washington increasingly came to view Islamabad as part of the problem rather than the solution. Most U. S. and European policy makers believe that Pakistan is providing a safe haven for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Western media is full of stories about a presence of the Taliban leadership in Pakistan, including of Mullah Omar’s alleged base in Quetta. Since the summer of 2008, U. S. military and intelligence agencies are sharing minimal intelligence with its Pakistani counterparts, instead focusing on drone attacks against suspected terrorist movements and hideouts. Pakistan is a signatory to the UN’s Palermo Convention. At the regional level, Pakistan has signed and ratified SAARC Regional Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism and the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs Substances and the ECO Protocol against drugs. It has extradition treaties with 29 countries and bilateral agreements or MOUs on terrorism with 50 countries. Pakistan has played a major role in eliminating a number of terror networks such as the Al-Qaeda Anthrax network, the Alghuraba network, the UK-based Anglo-Pakistani group and Jundullah. Prominent targets captured include Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, Abu Alfaraj Alibi, Al Shib, Abu Zubaida, Abu Talha, Khalid bin Attash or Walid bin Attish, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, Abu Laith al-Libi, Hasan Bana, Hamza Rabbi, Sharif Al Masri, Abu Mushab Masri, Jaffar Uttayyar Alkashmiri Yassir Al-Jaziri, and Abdul Rehman Al-Masri. Umar Patek was arrested in Abbottabad by Pakistani forces and may have provided important leads to Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts. Since 9/11, Pakistan has also become a victim of terrorism. The direct and indirect cost suffered by Islamabad in the war on terror has been around US$ 35 billion. There has been a constant increase in the number of terror attacks in Pakistan since 9/11 and a number of prominent Pakistanis have lost their lives in such attacks. These include the two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and the former head of the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Ameer Faisal Alvi. Most of the jihadists in Pakistan, especially the splinter groups of various organizations, are now operating under the umbrella of TTP, a Deobandi Sunni organization established in December 2007. TTP’s objectives include cleansing Pakistan of foreign, meaning the U. S. and overall Western, presence, implementing Sharia and establishing a Caliphate. Over the years, TTP has been involved in a number of suicide bombings, rocket attacks, remote controlled bombs, abductions, and beheadings. It has widened its area of operations beyond Pakistan’s tribal areas and targeted a number of government installations and organizations in the mainland, including the Federal Investigation Agency’s Lahore office, the Naval War College in Lahore, the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, the Wah ordinance Factory, the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, a police training school, the GHQ Rawalpindi and the Navy’s Mehran base in Karachi. It is also involved in kidnapping for ransom, bank robberies, forced taxes and drug trade. IMPLICATIONS: Since 9/11, the TTP has increasingly converged with the staunchly anti-Shia militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. A number of prominent TTP operations were conducted by known Lashkar-e-Jhangvi operatives. In recent months, the Hazaras in Baluchistan are increasingly becoming a prime target of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Both TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi consider Shias kafirs (infidels) and hence legitimate targets. Terrorist activities showed no sign of receding in 2012, indicating that after more than a decade of fighting terror, Pakistan is nowhere close to the finishing line in this war and the problem is taking an even uglier shape. According to various sources, Pakistan suffered more than 6000 casualties in different terror attacks in 2012. More than 450 terror attacks were recorded in 2012 in which at least 39 were confirmed suicide attacks. Another important development in 2012 was the increasing operational alliance between the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, although the two groups have cooperated with each other also in the past, the group led by Amjad Farooqi in 2003-2004 being a case in point. However, in 2012 the two groups largely converged operationally in the sense that they declared a war against Shias. This convergence has resulted in the worst attacks to date against Shias, especially the Hazaras in Baluchistan. In 2012, Shias were targeted in 113 attacks in which 396 people lost their lives, indicating the increasingly sectarian features of Pakistan’s terrorism problem. So far, more than a thousand terror-related deaths have occurred in 2013. Apart from a closer alliance emerging between TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, TTP has also established Ansar Al-Aseerian (Helpers of the prisoners) in partnership with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. According to media reports, Adnan Rasheed has been appointed the head of this group. The purpose of this group is to free all militants held in custody by Pakistani security forces and in various jails. TTP is also attempting to expand its activities and area of influence to Karachi, Pakistan’s major financial hub. Karachi, which is also considered to be Pakistan’s major Pashtun center, has been a preferred hideout for TTP, while some TTP and other jihadi activists have received medical treatment in Karachi. 2013 also witnessed two developments that will have long lasting effect on Pakistan’s war against terrorism. Firstly, Pakistan’s national Assembly unanimously passed the National Counter Terrorism Authority Bill 2013 on March 8, 2013. The establishment of a National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA) will play an important role in the efforts to combat terrorism. According to the mandate given to NCTA, it will â€Å"coordinate counter terrorism and counter extremism efforts in view of the nature and magnitude of the terrorist threat; and to present strategic policy options to the government for consideration/implementation by the stakeholders after scientifically studying the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism in historic and professional perspective. † Secondly, Pakistan’s army is taking a tougher stance and increasing its attention to the terrorism problem, as indicated by the decision of Pakistan’s army chief to treat the problem of terrorism as an operational priority. 013 is also an election year in Pakistan, with national and provincial elections scheduled for May 11, 2013. TTP has already targeted a number of political events in Khyber Paktunkhwa and especially the Awami National Party’s election campaign. The political party or parties that will form the next government will not only inherit a crisis in the energy and financial sectors but will also have to make hard decisions about the country’s war against terror. CONCLUSIONS: Developments in Pakistan suggest that the country’s terror problem will only increase in the lead-up to 2014 and Pakistan will have to fight its war on terror well beyond 2014, if concrete and decisive steps against TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi are not taken. Both organizations want Pakistan to be a Sunni state and are increasingly targeting Shias. The Pakistani people and armed forces have paid a huge price in people and material in this ongoing war. Unless Pakistan addresses the root causes of the problem, it will not only persist but also get worse. How to cite Pakistan’s War on Terror Up to and Beyond 2014, Essays

Funding Models for Normative Pricing and Structure- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theFunding Models for Normative Pricing and Quality Structure. Answer: As Eagar et al. (2013) put, there are four funding models that are important in funding the healthcare system. The models include payment for performance (P4P) best practice pricing, normative pricing, and quality structure pricing models. However, this paper would focus on payment for performance, and it is applied in Australia. P4P or sometimes it is identified as safety and quality pricing operates on incentives and disincentives that a hospital gets depending on the outcomes of their services (Eagar et al, 2013). This model pays the institutions based on their practices or services and the areas of concern in this model are safety and quality. Hospitals whose services are easily accessible and their quality is commendable, get incentives, while those who do not, do get any incentives. The Australian public hospitals use the payment for performance model, to support their operational needs. To add further to the description of this model, its principal objective is to establish an express link between quality and safety and funding. If the patient outcomes are found to be good, definitely a hospital facility would be rewarded for the wonderful job done. Unfortunately, those hospitals that would have bad patient outcomes are likely to be penalized. In a nutshell, the model seeks to reward good quality and penalize poor quality (Lagarde, et al, 2013). In the Australian experience, there is a direct link between safety and quality and pricing and funding. Today, the Queensland Health, Australia is seeking to employ the normative strategies to introduce incentives ("Australian commission on safety and quality in healthcare", 2013). At the facility, the strategy is to incentivize case surgery conducted during the day, to reduce time spent at hospitals. Ideally, providing incentives for the day case surgery is to reduce stay at the hospital aims at improving performance. Thus, when incentives are offered due to excellent performance, definitely the funding model becomes P4P. Also, Queensland introduced a practice called CPIP (Clinical Practice Improvement Payment System) which seeks to provide incentives for better performance. Furthermore, it is reported that in 2007, Australia adopted a case-mix payment whose main objective was to achieve excellent performance. This is a confirmation that Australia is applying the P4P in its public hospitals to enhance their performance. In essence, to know that a country is applying the P4P model, the main focus should be to establish if there are incentives offered to achieve some desired performance. In Australia, there are efforts that are seeking to improve performance, by directing giving incentives to hospitals to achieve to improve their performance. Furthermore, in Western Australia, there are reports that between 2010 and 2011, WAHD (Western Australian Health Department), is implementing funding that is centered on activity carried out. For instance, is reported that health facilities handling in-patients cases that are acute received more funding, to boost their FOC (full operational capability). Ideally, there has been some significant increase in initiatives seeking to enhance safety and quality at Australian hospitals to bolster their performance for the benefit of patients (Norman, et al, 2014). Thus, due to the increased efforts in Australia to enhance the performance of their hospitals, it is imperative to state that they are employing the payment for performance model in her public hospitals. Manifestation of P4P Nevertheless, the payment for performance is likely to manifest in four areas that include: Pay-for- results, pay-for-transparency, gain sharing and pay-for-competence. For pay-for-results, this kind of initiative offers the healthcare providers some bonuses if they are able to serve their patients within a certain a short period of time so that they can go back to work. But, for pay-for-competence is where health providers, receive some excellent financial bonuses for having structured that are functioning to capacity, hence guaranteeing good performance (Mannion, Davies, 2014). In most cases, health service providers working at facilities that have achieved pay-for-competence are likely to be entitled to a better pay as compared to their counterparts in other facilities lacking the kind of structures they have in place. On the other hand, pay-for-transparency, is where those hospitals with proper documentation and processes are receiving financial bonuses, while those without are punished (Standard, 2012). Finally, gain sharing manifesting P4P, where healthcare providers are working in a complex system, where they are both striving to offer patient care, and in case they do a good job they share the incentives. On the other hand, if disparate providers fail to meet some desired performance they share the penalties imposed on them. National Efficient Price It is notable that NEP is activity-based. The concept of activity-based aims to determine how hospitals are funded depending on the activities they are carrying out. Thus, I am in agreement to the large extent that National efficient price is seeking to improve the health status in Australia, by having those hospitals that deal with more complicated disorders have a better funding than other hospitals. The idea perpetuated in this concept of NEP is that for public hospitals to achieve efficiency or desired performance then it is cogent to fund them depending on the activities they carry out. Furthermore, the NEP seeks to classify hospitals based on the services they offer so as to determine their funding (Downie, 2017). Hospitals that offer same services receive the same kind of funding and this to some level seeks to promote social equity (Downie, 2017). It promotes social equity in the sense that any hospitals across Australia receive same funding based on their services, so as to seal situations of funding variations that can be construed as discriminatory or injustice. Nevertheless, NEP in all probability seeks to improve the performance of public hospitals in Australia based on the services, they offer hence this kind of funding still falls under P4P. In conclusion, the main objective of payment for performance is to ensure that safety and quality are factored in determining the incentives or disincentives the hospitals receive. However, to some extent, the model does not give a model for growth, since it does not give room for improvement beyond a certain level (Merilind, 2016). Also, penalizing some hospitals due to their failure to meet some desired performance to some extent stifles them from performing well because of the demoralization that comes with disincentives. References Eagar, K., Sansoni, J., Loggie, C., Elsworthy, A., McNamee, J., Cook, R., Grootemaat, P. (2013). A literature review on integrating quality and safety into hospital pricing systems. Australian commission on safety and quality in healthcare. (2013). Retrieved 12 October 2017, from https://file:///C:/Users/ben/Downloads/Supplementary-Briefing-and-lit.pdf Standard, Q. I. G. (2012). Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Mannion, R., Davies, H. T. (2014). Payment for performance in health care. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 336(7639), 306. Norman, A. H., Russell, A. J., Macnaughton, J. (2014). The payment for performance model and its influence on British general practitioners' principles and practice. Cadernos de saude publica, 30(1), 55-67. Merilind, E. (2016). The impact of payment for performance on number of family doctors visits, specialist consultations and hospital bed occupancy. A longitudinal study. Quality in Primary Care. Lagarde, M., Wright, M., Nossiter, J., Mays, N. (2013). Challenges of payment-for- performance in health care and other public servicesdesign, implementation and evaluation. Downie, J. (2017). More than just activity: pricing and funding for quality and safety.