Financial implications of disaster management Case Study

Financial implications of disaster management - Case Study Example This paper discusses all the financial aspects of disaster management in the context of organizational settings. Donor Fatigue – with the global economy still in the doldrums and recovery mostly uncertain, major donor countries are now often reluctant to give bigger amounts although the said countries pledge much larger donations but come up short with the actual monies. Series of successive natural calamities had likewise depleted the financial resources of most donors and there is a feeling of fatigue among them, of constantly sending aid with little results. The governmental aid sent by developed countries are now often supplemented by private donors. Non-governmental organizations which are mostly private initiatives must now realize that a fountain of goodwill is not unlimited and must therefore spend their financial resources well. When the next disaster strikes, there might not be enough money for an adequate response. A consequence of donor fatigue is worsening of the situation and drop in funding due to apathy. Politics – humanitarian assistance is the usual international response whenever there is a natural calamity or a man-made disaster (such as regional conflicts and genocidal wars).

Computers and Their Impact :: Technology Papers

Computers and Their Impact The extreme increase in the use of computers has drastically changed the lives of many people. Computers, as Sherry Turkle in "Who Am We" discussed, initially were used as simple calculators, but through the years they have come to be valued as more than simple machines (442). "The computer has gained new qualities, it is not only used as a calculator, but now it entails simulation, navigation, and interaction" (443). With the increase in computer usage, comes new software that attracts people's attention even more. Adults, adolescents and even children find themselves "losing track of time" when they sit down and play on the computer for half an hour and suddenly realize that thirty minutes has turned into a couple of hours. As changes occur in technology, we must also contemplate the effect these changes will have on individuals. We must realize that individuals are vulnerable to the virtual world and that they can get lost. "Our need for a practical philosophy of self-knowledge ha s never been greater as we struggle to make meaning from our lives on the screen" (456). The computer can serve many purposes, such as an aid for research, finishing homework and even as a means for keeping in touch with loved ones, but it can also cause an individual to get lost in the "virtual world." This topic sparked my interest when aclose friend of mine began to notice changes in her boyfriend's attitude. Her problems began when her boyfriend bought a laptop computer. He had never had a computer before, so this was something new and exciting for him. Within a couple of weeks my friend began to notice changes in his attitude. Suddenly, she noticed he spent hours a day in front of a computer screen. He was fascinated by the internet and the immense amount of resources it had to offer. His free time no longer consisted of spending quality time with his friends and significant other, rather he found browsing the web more fascinating and worthwhile. My friend suddenly found herself competing against a machine for her boyfriend's attention. My friend is not the only one who has experienced problems due to the amount of time her boyfriend spends on the computer. My cousin for example, can spend hours a day playing computer games and surfing the net. Interestingly enough, he denies spending so much time on the computer.

Kant Metaphysics

The Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals Immanuel Kant’s â€Å"Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals†, argues upon the basis of morality introducing the ideals of the categorical imperative as the central concept of moral philosophy. The definition of the categorical imperative leads Kant towards the critique of pure reason arguing that without a goodwill one can’t even be worthy of being happy. Kant introduces goodwill, treating people as means rather than ends and doing the right thing for the right reason.Making a distinction between science and knowledge and eliminating common sense on a route to the philosophical, Kant defines reason as reason a practical faculty to influence will and also being essential to will. Kant argument in the Groundwork focuses upon the basic idea of what makes a good person good. It is the possession of a will that is a way determined by, or makes decision based of moral law. This goodwill is supposed to be the idea of one who onl y makes decisions that she holds to be morally worthy, taking moral considerations in themselves to be conclusive reasons for guiding her behavior.This sort of disposition or character is something we all highly value. Kant believes we value it without limitation or qualification. Formulated by pure reason, the categorical imperative according to Kant underscores his argument. The value of a good will thus cannot be that it secures certain valuable ends, whether of our own or of others, since there value is entirely conditional on our having and maintaining a good will. Kant’s categorical imperative argues that ones actions should be done from duty in order to obtain true moral worth. It is not the result of ones actions but rather means of that duty that leads humanity to happiness.The goodwill â€Å"of this person would sparkle like a jewel all by itself, as something that had its full worth in itself† (Kant, 1). Humanity is very much determined by strive for excelle nce in order to obtain the ultimate good. Kant’s hypothetical imperative stresses how indications and determination for the result are the goal for people to act. Juxtaposing with the ideals of the categorical imperative the latter is motivated by the result rather than acting from duty. Acting in such a way that ones actions can become a universal law is what I consider the road to happiness.It is not primarily doing good to oneself in order obtain a desired result. Doing good to others and treating these as means rather than ends is what I define as true happiness. Goodwill will â€Å"needn’t be the sole and complete good, but it must be the condition of all others, even of the desire for happiness† (Kant, 1). So we have to develop the concept of goodwill that is determined and esteemed as good in it without regard to anything else, judging the total worth of the actions we commit and with the entirety depending on it searching for the unconditional good.

American History Timeline - 1701 - 1725

The first quarter of the 18th century in America can be characterized as a time of conflict, with different European colonies—English, French, and Spanish—waging fierce and political battles against each other and the Native American inhabitants over new territories and colonization strategies. Slavery as a way of life became entrenched in the American colonies. 1701 Fort Pontchartrain is built by the French at Detroit. October 9: Yale College is founded. It will not become a university until 1887, one of nine universities established in Colonial America. October 28: William Penn gives Pennsylvania its first constitution, called the Charter of Privileges. 1702 April 17: New Jersey is formed when East and West Jersey are united under the authority of the New York governor. May: Queen Anne’s War (The War of Spanish Succession) begins when England declares war on Spain and France. Later in the year, the Spanish settlement at St. Augustine falls to Carolina forces. Cotton Mather publishes The Ecclesiastical History of New England (Magnalia Christi Americana), 1620–1698. 1703 May 12: Connecticut and Rhode Island agree upon a common boundary line. 1704 February 29: During Queen Anne’s War, French and Abenaki Indians destroy Deerfield, Massachusetts. Later in the year, New England colonists destroy two important supply villages in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). April 24: The first regular newspaper, The Boston News-Letter, was published. May 22: The first Delaware assembly meets at the town of New Castle. 1705 The Virginia Black Code of 1705 is passed, restricting the travel of enslaved persons and naming them officially as real estate. It read in part: All servants imported and brought into the Country...who were not Christians in their native Country...shall be accounted and be slaves. All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion...shall be held to be real estate. If any slave resist his master...correcting such slave, and shall happen to be killed in such correction...the master shall be free of all punishment...as if such accident never happened.   1706 January 17: Benjamin Franklin is born to  Josiah Franklin and  Abiah Folger.   August: French and Spanish soldiers unsuccessfully attack Charlestown, South Carolina during Queen Anne’s War. Chattel  slavery  is introduced by French colonists in  Louisiana after they raid Chitimacha settlements. 1707 May 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain is founded when the Act of the Union combines England, Scotland, and Wales. 1708 December 21: The English settlement at Newfoundland is captured by French and Indian forces. 1709 Massachusetts is becoming more willing to accept other religions, as evidenced by the Quakers being allowed to establish a meeting house in Boston. 1710 October 5–13: The English capture Port Royal (Nova Scotia) and rename the settlement Annapolis. December 7: A deputy governor is appointed over North Carolina, although the Carolinas are considered one colony. 1711 September 22: The Tuscarora Indian War begins when North Carolina settlers are killed by the Indians. 1712 The separation of North and South Carolina is officially enacted. June 7: Pennsylvania bans the import of slaves into the colony. 1713 March 23: When South Carolinian forces capture Fort Nohucke of the Tuscarora Indians, the remaining Indians flee north and join the Iroquois Nation, ending the Tuscarora War. April 11: The first of the peace treaties under the Treaty of Utrecht is signed, ending Queen Anne’s War. Acadia, Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland are given to the English. 1714 August 1: King George I becomes the king of England. He would reign until 1727.   Tea is introduced to the American colonies. 1715 February: Charles, the fourth Lord Baltimore successfully petitions the crown for return to Maryland, but he dies before taking control of the colony. May 15: Maryland is restored to William, the fifth Lord Baltimore. 1717 Scots-Irish immigration begins in earnest due to higher rental rates in Great Britain. 1718 Spring: New Orleans is founded (although not recorded, later the traditional date becomes May 7). May 1: The Spanish found the city of San Antonio in the Texas territory. The Valero  mission is established  at San Pedro Springs in present-day San Antonio by Fray Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, a Franciscan missionary of the College of Santa Cruz de Querà ©taro. It would later be renamed the Alamo. 1719 May: Spanish settlers surrender Pensacola, Florida to French forces. Two ships of African slaves arrive in Louisiana, carrying rice farmers from the West Coast of Africa, the first enslaved Africans brought into the colony. 1720 The three largest cities in the colonies are Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. 1721 South Carolina is named a royal colony and the first provisional governor arrives. April:  Robert Walpole becomes the English Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a period of â€Å"benign neglect† begins, which will have huge ramifications in the years leading up to the American Revolution. 1722 The building later known as the Alamo is erected as a mission in San Antonio. 1723 Maryland requires the establishment of public schools in all counties. 1724 Fort Drummer is built as protection against the Abenaki, forming what would become the first permanent settlement in Vermont at present-day Brattleboro. 1725 There are an estimated 75,000 black slaves in the American colonies, out of a half-million non-Native American residents. Source Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M., ed. The Almanac of American History. Barnes Nobles Books: Greenwich, CT, 1993.