ECO MOD 2 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ECO MOD 2 CA - Essay Example This was mainly due to the impairment charges of  £973mn related to ex-Armor Holdings business. BAE: The net operating cash flow has a mixed trend declining by 17.9% in 2008 and then growing by 9.1% in 2009. This is due to the company facing difficulties in generating net income from its operations. Upon examination of note 12 to balance sheet for the year ended 2009 it could be suggested that the machinery and other equipment recorded at historical cost of CHF677.9mn and accumulated depreciation is CHF477.7mn may not be reflective of the current market values as the depreciation amount is quite high that suggests long history of these equipments in use. Similar, reasoning could be made for other non-current assets that have a net book value of CHF53.4mn as compared to their historical value of CHF223.2mn (Sulzer 2009). Balance sheet of year ended 2009 reflects that the company has plant, rental machines and other property at historical cost of $39,596 with accumulated depreciation of $25,431. Under Note H to consolidated financial statement details of assets suggest that the company has land, building and other equipment however they are not distinguished on the basis of their remaining useful lives and no other details are provided (IBM 2009). Accumulated depreciation reflects 64% of the historical value that implies that these assets are quite old but the current values of replacement assets surely going to be higher than these values. From the note 12 it is clear that the accumulated depreciation is more than 50% for plant and machinery and aircraft. This implies that the remaining useful life of these assets is low and their net book values may not reflect the true value of these assets in their book. The depreciation method used for plant and machinery is straight line method that spreads the economic value over 3 to 5 years which means that the accumulated depreciation value implies high number of years

Housekeeping International Hotels Essay Example for Free

Housekeeping International Hotels Essay Housekeeping Standard Manuals define exactly how a room should be presented to hotel guests. This includes instructions on how the rooms should be cleaned, when they should be cleaned and a list of the things to be included in the rooms. The time of cleaning is very important as early or late cleaning could disturb the guests. Clean and presentable rooms attract and keep guests. This ensures order and smooth running of the hotel as there will be minimal complaints and confusion. These Housekeeping Manuals ensure guests are well treated and get what they are paying for. The manuals offer a guide on how to treat hotel guests and how to ensure they are comfortable during their stay. A quality service ensures good publicity on the part of the hotel management. This ensures the guests keep coming back and even recommend the hotel to friends and family members. Housekeeping Standard Manuals ensure safety and comfort of the guests. The Manuals offer instructions on what to do in case of emergencies and how to safely evacuate the guests. Body According to Diamond Edge (2007), â€Å"The guest is always right. †Housekeeping Manuals ensure that guests receive quality service. The Manuals ensure that guests concerns are dealt with swiftly and with a smile. Many studies have shown that clean rooms and public areas are the most important factors that determine whether the guests will return to the hotel. Clean guest rooms make a difference in the success of the hotel and the comfort of guests. (Diamond Edge 2007) The guests need a providence of all the accommodation products of the hotel, according to their requests. The accommodation products of the hotel include a mini bar, internet, room service and in-house movies. This provides comfort and entertainment for the enjoyment of the guest’s stay. Housekeeping Standard Manuals ensure safety of the guests. According to Andrews, one important quality of a room attendant is an eye for detail. The room attendant has to keep checking the rooms in case a guest is ill and needs urgent medical attention (Andrews 2001: 46). On the other hand, the manuals ensure privacy for the guests. This is usually through â€Å"do not disturb† signs and double locks for the guests. The room attendants have to knock in case they need any information from the guests. This makes the guests feel safe and secure in the hotel. The management includes the General Manager, the Front office manager, Housekeeper and Maintenance Manager. The General Manager assists with Marketing plans, reservations, maintenance and grounds keeping, maintains financial records and implement cost control measures. The Front office manager provides coverage as well as night auditor and desk clerks. To offer a high standard of service, the front office staffs have to understand the needs of their guests. The front office staffs need have a full knowledge of the products which the hotel sells, how these products can be offered for sale and the clients to whom these products will be sold (Huyton, Baker and Bradley 2001:29). The ability of front office staff to handle guest’s problem will either make the guest a friend of the hotel for life or chase him away forever. The front office staffs need to be calm, courteous and helpful and understand what the guest is going through when experiencing any difficulty. (Huyton, Baker and Bradley 2001). The housekeeper assists the room attendants who clean and maintain guest rooms and public areas. The Hotel Management is required to develop a competent staff. Management is required to meet the goals of the organization through the employees. Efficiency depends on how well the employees are motivated and instructed to meet the goals and objectives of the plans the general manager and staff have formulated (Bardi 2006). According to Pizam (2005), Housekeeping is the most important department in the hotel. The Housekeeping Staffs inspect rooms, clean rooms and maintains a continuous supply of linen and cleaning supply inventories. Housekeeping Standard Manuals helps in the thorough training of the room attendants. These Manuals also help executive housekeepers to maintain and control an inventory of all the supplies. Housekeepers are expected to ensure that the rooms are spotlessly clean. Anything less than perfect is unacceptable. (Pizam 2005:321-322). The Housekeeping Staff have to follow all the instructions on the Manuals to ensure compliance with the demands of the hotel requirements. Room attendants work in compliance with standard operating procedures that may specify as many as sixty items that must meet a given standard in each guest room (Rutherford and O’Fallon 2006:184). The Manuals enable them to give quality service to guests. It guides them on how to attend to guests and thus ensure guest satisfaction. The housekeeping report is useful to the housekeeping staff as it determines which rooms need to be cleaned, which rooms are occupied and which need special attention. The room attendants need to follow the Housekeeping Standard Manuals instructions on keeping an eye on the guests. This ensures safety of the guests and security on the part of the management. Not all the guests are honest and have good intentions. Some guests could pose danger on the name of the hotel or cause the hotel to loose a lot of money. These include guests who may slip out without paying or guests who may pose danger to other guests through misconduct. Summary The importance of Housekeeping Standard Manuals and the effect they have on guests, Hotel Management and Housekeeping staff has been analysed. Housekeeping Standard Manuals take a lot of time and money but their usefulness is worth so much more. The needs of the guests are so many that they cannot be remembered by either the hotel management or the housekeeping staff. The Manuals makes it easier for the housekeeping staff to provide quality service to the guest without having to worry about forgetting something. The Manuals also make it easier for inspectors and managers to confirm that the room is presentable and everything has been provided for the guest. Housekeeping Manuals have a positive outcome on the guests in that these Manuals keep them coming back. The clean and well presented rooms contribute a lot to the good publicity of the hotel. Guests love clean rooms and other offers like accommodation products which make them feel comfortable and at home. Hotel General Managers use these Manuals to run the Hotel smoothly. These instructions make their work easy because these Manuals are a direct guide on how everything should be presented. There are also guides on steps to take during emergencies and how to address the problems of the guests. The General Manager has to only check with the other Managers once in a while to ensure that everything is running smoothly. The Housekeeping Manuals are most important to the Housekeeping staff. They guide them on the rooms to clean, what to use during cleaning and when to clean the rooms. They also give the exact details on what to include in the rooms and how to present these products to the guests. This helps them to offer quality service to guests and to know how to deal with guests in case of difficulties.

Franklin D Roosevelt Essay -- essays research papers fc

Franklin D. Roosevelt In the 1932 election, the Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt collected 57.4 percent of the popular vote to easily defeat the republican opponent, Herbert Hoover. He strove to be a symbol of confidence and a new hope for the nation, declaring in his inauguration day speech on March 4, 1933, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (Norton, p.727). By incorporating this theory into politics, he attempted to pick America off the ground, and set America back on track with two sets of programs called the First and Second New Deals. During the first hundred days of his presidency, Roosevelt set forth his plan for national recovery, known as the First New Deal. Designed and administered by Roosevelt's core group of advisors, known as the â€Å"Brain Trust† (Leuchtenburg, p.83), the New Deal represented a new era where the government would be able to intervene with the economy. With Democratic majorities in Congress, he was able to push through a large number of measures, making the first hundred days of his presidency an unprecedented period of government action. Roosevelt laid out his strategy for recovery early on, dividing it into three major goals: Banking and Relief for the Jobless, Agricultural Recovery, and Industrial Recovery. The first problem Roosevelt faced in the business side was with the number of bank closures throughout the nation during the early months of 1933. In response, he called for a four-day national bank holiday (Leuchtenburg, p.85), during which time he met with the heads of many of the nation's suffering banks and developed the Emergency Banking Relief Act, passed March 9. This act provided the framework under which banks could reopen their doors with federal support (McElvaine, p.103). On March 31, Congress passed the Unemployment Relief Act, which also created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a program that employed the poor with public work and services (Leuchtenburg, p.92). April was also a successful month, even though less was successfully passed. May, on the other hand, saw the passing of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) to distribute federal aid to farmers and controlled farm production. That same day, the most comprehensive relief bill of the New Deal was passed, the Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA), appropriating $50... ... New Deal lost momentum as a conservative coalition in Congress passed cuts in relief programs and blocked further acts proposed by Democratic New Deal supporters. As a result, Roosevelt proposed few new reform measures during his second term in office. In his January 1939 State of the Union Address, Roosevelt proposed no new domestic programs (Norton, p.747). The New Deal had effectively ended. Bibliography Braeman, John, with Robert Bremmer and David Brody, eds. The New Deal University Press, Columbus: 1975 Freedman, Russell. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Clarion Books, New York: 1992 Joseph, Paul. Franklin D. Roosevelt Abdo & Daughters, Chicago: 2000 Leuchtenburg, William. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932 1940 Harpercollins, New York: 1963 McElvaine, Robert. The Great Depression : America, 1929-1941 Times Books, New York: 1984 Norton, Marybeth. A People and A Nation: The History of the United States Houghton Mifflin College, New York: 1998

Function of Music in Theatre Essay

QUESTION #1 Discuss the dramatic functions of music in two works of Music Theatre, including some consideration of the relationship between music and other elements of the performance event. Music and drama have the capability of not only integrating to create spectacular visual and aural events in theatre, but they have a distinct capacity to support each other – to heighten one-another to innovative, intrepid and even excessive levels. These levels reached are rarely paralleled in real life, at least not as effortlessly as they are in musical theatre. It seems that in some cases, the two elements aren’t complete unless they form a relationship – just as hydrogen and oxygen bond to produce water. ‘Music is created from sound as life is created from matter’ (Reti, 1961). Music in drama is somewhat a broad topic, as this communicates the infinite range of subtleties of music in drama, but the approach to evaluating this form of theatre is particularly important; is the focus upon the effect of the music upon the drama, or the drama upon the music? Is the focus upon the unity of the two, or their distinctions? This report will focus upon the use of music in theatre as an amplifier. The aim of this document is to hold a metaphorical magnifying glass over two individual pieces of drama: Lionel Bart’s music in ‘Oliver!’ and Elliot Goldenthal’s music in ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within’. The two pieces of drama are poles apart when relating the plots, themes, settings and a great many others, but although the two works have over 30 years between them in production, there are particular conventions to be found within the composition of their music scores, which both illustrate the effectiveness of the basic systems in music to develop the drama, and the revolutions occurring in the new generation of drama for today’s new generation of audience. Although the music analyzed in this report can be easily disregarded by the audience as ‘backdrop’ music, there is a much deeper and arousing basis to the composer’s production of this music, which is there for much more than simply saying to the audience â€Å"This is where the character is†. ‘The great composers were fully aware both of the thematic principle and of the technique through which they materialized it.† – (Reti, 1961) The music used in these examples were not used simply for a pleasing auditory ‘spanner in the works’, but to achieve a new level of understanding especially from the point of view of particular characters. The music of the composers Bart and Goldenthal, successfully achieves a more intense portrayal of their characters featured, through the use of both subtlety and supplement. ‘Oliver’ will be the main focus for the initial component of this report, so that the two pieces of drama can be analyzed chronologically. ‘Oliver!’ is a musical interpretation of Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’ and is a tender account of an orphan boy who runs away from the orphanage and journeys to London. He endeavors to â€Å"pick-a-pocket-or-two† for his new lodger Fagin, but gets caught. As Fagin tries to save him, Oliver decides that all he wants now is go to his newly discovered uncle, and live a good life. Oliver premiered on Broadway in January of 1963 and ran for 774 performances. It was converted into a film later that decade and subsequently won 6 academy awards including best picture for 1968. Throughout the duration of the Musical, the audience is drawn into Oliver’s world – hauled into his story through the use of melody and song. The initial scene where Oliver Twist first enters London is a defining component of the Musical, where (in film version) you see him gaze adoringly out at the clock tower above from underneath a dozen cabbages – the symphony slowly building as he pulls together the impulse to jump out form the basket and then stumble out into the middle of the street to view this living, breathing city before him. The music now escalates at this point and creates a strong resonance whilst he gawks with innocence and naivety at every moving spectacle around him. A brass fanfare erupts in unison with Oliver’s eruption from the basket and strongly accompanies the other sounds of the city such as the hustle and bustle of loaded carriages, trains blasting their whistles, people rich and poor alike scurrying about busily like ants – oblivious to the music unlike Oliver. This scene captures almost every conceivable aspect of the city from Oliver’s eyes and packs it tightly into song with The Artful Dodger’s swift introduction, reception and invitation in the song â€Å"Consider Yourself†, at which point he takes Oliver on an excursion around the busy city. A humorous contrast is provided here in this scene – where Dodger sings the lines â€Å"Consider yourself at home, consider yourself one of the family† whilst at the same time, both he and Oliver are being scrutinized by policemen and chased by merchants as they weave and bob their way through the immeasurable stream of dancing butchers, grocers, paperboys, fishmongers, etc. Soon after this scene, Fagin gives Oliver a lesson on how to â€Å"Pick a Pocket or Two†. The music in this scene is lighthearted and comedic but offers many subtleties to be investigated, such as the deep brass used to convey the sense of danger, the sense of capture or discovery, but the underscore of flutes happily tooting away at Oliver’s new found conception that the art of thievery is all just a game – not something evil or punishable at least. Interestingly, when you meet up with the character Bill Sikes (a fiendish henchman with a violent and deadly temper) there is an immediate shift in music, just as if his entrance creates a wind that pushes the high-spirited music out of the room to make space for his deep, rich and threatening score. Although Oliver is a high-spirited production, there are strong hints of the dilemmas of poverty and violence brought into three dimensions with song, but more contemporary dramatic works have required more than these fundamental methods to bring the characters and scenes to life – literally. ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within’ was released as a full-length feature film in 2001. This feature however was different to any other as the entire film was animated. The story of ‘Final Fantasy’ is set in the year 2065 where the remaining inhabitants of earth are locked in a battle to take back the Earth from marauding alien invaders. Led by a strange repeating dream, Dr. Aki Ross may be the only one who can save the human race from extinction. Elliot Goldenthal was provided the challenge of bringing the synthetic characters to life through his musical composition. ‘There seemed to be only one logical answer for me, which was to amplify the humanness in any place that was dramatically possible. I wanted to treat the character’s emotional interactions, for example, as one would treat them in normal drama, with a lyrical sweeping melody.’ (Goldenthal, 2001). Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Goldenthal’s music for ‘Final Fantasy’ attempted at every point to bring life to the characters in the story both emotionally and physically. This is evident in the very first scene of the film where the audience is introduced to Aki, when she is having her repeated dream. The introduction of the accompanying piece is led by the sound of a glass harmonica to convey the potential sensitivity and fragility of Aki’s character. She wakes from the dream and finds herself on her spacecraft, revolving across the surface of the earth. In the next scene, she descends to earth accompanied by an almost military fanfare of brass and strings coming together on a strong Eb chord, giving a feeling of purpose and decision to this descent. Her ship touches down on the desolate, empty streets of New York, and the music instantly stops in a parallel with the apocalyptic emptiness of the long-dead city. Further on in the movie, Aki’s love interest Gray Edwards becomes critically infected by one of the aliens and is given only a matter of minutes to live unless treated immediately. Aki is forced to work against time in an attempt to save Gray, The dramatic tension in this scene is heightened by Goldenthal’s Score â€Å"Code Red†, composed basically of intense strings and strong percussion symbolizing a clock, and also signifying the value and importance of time. The music steadily builds in pitch, volume and intensity as the timer next to the operating table nears 0:00, but the tempo remains the same due to the fact that the time on the clock cannot speed up or slow down. At the climax of the scene, Aki saves Gray with only seconds to spare and as soon as the operation finishes the music abruptly ends, leaving the audience somewhat temporarily suspended in a moment of heightened tension. In a later scene, Gray and Aki are engaged in a private conversation where Aki speaks of a terminally ill eight-year-old girl she once spent time with before her death. In this scene where Aki reveals her emotional vulnerability for the first time, Goldenthal chose for this to be the first moment in the film where a piano is used. He decided on this due to the fact that the characters are so far away from any type of home in a desolate land, instead of going high-tech, a more earthy instrument is needed, something not basic, but elementary in musical design. The piano in this scene reminds the audience of home and connects the animated characters with images of a soft and sympathetic reality. A scene later in the film shows General Hein, (the villain of the film) in his office speaking of how his wife and child were killed by the aliens. Throughout the earlier scenes of the movie, the General is composed in a gloomy light, but in this particular scene, he is viewed musically in a sympathetic light. The music is tender and wistful as he unconsciously shows why his contempt for the aliens proves to cloud his judgment. There is a reference in the music that although there is compassion within this character, it is somewhat suppressed to an almost dormant state, overshadowed by hate and resentment. ‘We must always rely on the music as our guide toward our understanding of the composer’s conception of the text. It is this conception, not the bare text itself that is authoritative in defining the ultimate meaning of the work.’ (Kerman, 1989). The function of this music being strategically used in drama is for the benefit of the audience not only because it has the ability to paint a scene, but it also opens up the dialogue and opens up the characters and lets the audience see what is going on inside of them. The function is ‘to supply certain kinds of meaning to the drama, meanings that enrich immeasurably, and enrich dramatically, and that cannot be presented in any other way’ (Kerman, 1989). Drama alone can hopelessly attempt to convey some of the aspects of life that music can convey in just a few notes, and music can ridiculously hope to fulfill all the needs of a script without any real actions or dialogue, but in the end, the two combined provide an infinite array of possibilities and interpretations to be searched. In conclusion, if the composer is faced with the challenge of creating music to accompany drama, there is no unambiguous method of composition that one has to follow, but the impartiality between the two elements requires a strong correspondence at every point where they meet, or else the implication, sensation or meaning you are trying to convey will become caught in some redundant crossfire and the audience will lose the chance of gaining something extra from a piece of theatre capable of reaching outside of it’s three dimensions. – B. Daly Clark REFERENCES Goldenthal, E. (2001) The Composer’s Challenge. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, New York: Marca Registrada Kerman, J. (1989) Opera as Drama, London: Richard Clay Limited. Lippman, E. A., Hatch, C. (1999) The philosophy & Aesthetics of Music, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press Reti, R. (1961) The Thematic Process in Music, London: Faber and Faber Limited.

Gender roles Essay

Gender roles refer to the set of social, attitudinal and behavioral roles, norms and expectations that, within a definite culture, are also formally or informally required or widely measured to be socially appropriate for persons of a precise gender identity. They are constructed for a variety of genders in order to channelize their energies towards some socially intended goals, which are either frequently shared or affixed from many of the experimental differences in behaviors, attitudes and personalities, amid various genders, come naturally, a lot of of these characteristics are, either in part or wholly, socially constructed, therefore, a product of socialization experiences. Qualities of a meticulous gender identity do not need to be imposed through rules and norms, while artificial roles have to be ‘enforced’ on people throughout some kind of psycho-social mechanism. Gender roles of a particular sex may not always be in accordance with the normal or biological traits of that gender, and they may turn out to be too strict or constricting so as to cause in the oppression of that gender. This is because of the potential of the gender roles to manage the behavior of people that these roles have been tremendously politicized and manipulated with the ruling forces, for several millenniums now, resulting in severe oppression of every gender of humans. Gender has numerous valid definitions, but its here in reference to an individual’s inside sex or psychological sense of being a male or female irrespective of one’s (outer) sex identity as determining one’s sexual organs. We find three major genders: masculine (inner male identity), feminine (inner female identity) and neutral (a balance of inner male and female identity). In conclusion gender roles of women have been enforced on them through force, and have thus been extra visible. Men gender roles are difficult to enforce but are indirectly enforced. References Bem, S. L. (1981). Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex typing. Psychological Review 352-365. Connell, Robert William: Gender and Power, Cambridge: University Press 1987.

buy custom Public Smoking essay

buy custom Public Smoking essay Public smoking exposes non-smokers to cigarette smoke. It occurs involuntarily and is known as a secondhand smoke (Romp, 2011). Secondhand smoke has various health hazards to people who do not use tobacco (Christensen, 2003). In some circumstances, its effects are similar to those experienced in smokers. Secondhand smoke in enclosed places has almost same effects as smoking. It results in involuntary smoking and thus causing detrimental health effects. Tobacco affects people in varying ways. This occurs because human bodies react to foreign substances differently due to the differences in the genes (Oaks, 2001). Either way, effects of secondary smoke should be avoided since it occurs involuntarily (Kabat, 2008). Many of the non-smokers do so voluntarily. They do so due to various reasons most of which are health related. Bans on public smoking thus should be implemented to protect innocent people from smoke related health dangers (Romp, 2011). Various health complications, which may even lead to death, are caused by secondhand smoke. Effects in infants Severe health effects occur in infants because of secondhand smoke. This is attributed mainly to their tender bodies, which cannot withstand the smoke (Oaks, 2001). These effects are so serious that they even lead to the death in some cases. A myriad of complications occur in infants because of public smoking (Kabat, 2008). Apart from causing death, effects of the secondhand smoke cause various detrimental consequences (Christensen, 2003). Some of these effects affect the individual even in adulthood. Secondhand smoke increases risk of asthma in infants. The smoke affects the respiratory system and thus causing asthmatic reactions (Romp, 2011). Asthmatic children, who are exposed to smoke, experience more serious asthmatic conditions. This occurs because of the chemicals in the smoke, which interfere with respiration (Romp, 2011). Serious asthmatic attacks can lead to death in infants. Secondhand smoke triggers such attacks and thus may lead to death of infants. Infants in families where smoking occurs get such attacks more often than in families of non-smokers. It also results in sudden infant death syndrome (Oaks, 2001). The smoke causes coplications in the lungs resulting in death. This is very common in the US and other countries where smoking is widely practiced. The syndrome may also occur due to a combination of complications in the system of the infant (Romp, 2011). The chemical in the smoke triggers these complications. Secondhand smoke causes over four hundred deaths of infants in the US per year (Kabat, 2008). This unwanted loss of innocent lives calls for action against the secondhand smoke. This can be reduced by banning public smoking hence such bans are welcome. The smoke exposes these young ones to the lung infections (Romp, 2011). These result in diseases such as bronchitis. These diseases cause serious health conditions, which are even fatal to infants. The infections increase the risks of contracting tuberculosis in infants (Christensen, 2003). Various infections thus occur because of the lung infections. Even not taken care of, these infants may end up dying. It also causes impairment in the breathing system. This occurs mainly because the smoke has the effect of slowing the growth of the lungs (Kabat, 2008). The smoke has other various effects in infants. It is known to cause allergies in infants. They occur due to the reaction against chemicals such as nicotine present in the smoke (Romp, 2011). It also affects the nervous system of the young (Kabat, 2008). This causes nervous disorders, which are carried on even to the adulthood. These may cause difficulties in learning and coordination as well. Its effects are also known to cause the middle ear infections. This is related to the effects caused by the smoke to the lungs. Such serious health issues cannot be overlooked. This calls for bans on public smoking since it will help to reduce such cases. Smoke is a major cause of the cancer today. It is mainly associated with lung cancer (Oaks, 2001). It also causes the breast cancer and more so on women who have not yet reached the menopause (Kabat, 2008). Secondhand smoke is a significant contributor of cancer cases. Passive smoking damages lungs of non-smokers leading to complications, which result in cancer. This is attributed to chemicals present in the smoke, more so nicotine (Christensen, 2003). It damages the lung tissues resulting in cancerous cells. Passive smoking is also known to be a major cause of brain tumoors in non-smokers. Cancer is difficult to cure particularly in its later stages. Today cancer is one of the major killers and most deaths are smoke related. This calls for ban of public smoking to protect those who do not use the product (Oaks, 2001). Secondhand smoke results in coronary diseases in non-smokers. This occurs mainly to those exposed to the smoke in enclosed places. Smoke is known to cause obesity and thus resulting in the heart complications (Kabat, 2008). This smoke also increases the risk of stroke upon exposure. Stroke causes deaths and thus involuntary smoke may result in deaths. The smoke also increases the heart rate in people particularly in those with heart problems (Kabat, 2008). This increases the risk of heart attack and deaths of people exposed to the secondhand smoke. Passive smoking causes premature birth (Oaks, 2001). This occurs when a mother is exposed to the smoke while pregnant. Premature births may be a reason of the death of newborns. Passive smoking of pregnant mothers also leads to the birth of underweight babies. It also affects the spine of the fetus during its development. This results in back pains of the victims during their adulthood (Oaks, 2001). Tobacco business is known to create huge revenues to governments. However, the gains are eroded by the health implications of smoking. Cancers and other diseases caused by smoking are difficult to treat (Christensen, 2003). They require expensive equipments thus call for significant investments. A big fraction of health budgets in many countries are devoted to treatment of these diseases. To reduce these economic effects, ban on public smoking is needed. This will reduce the number of such diseases hence saving the governments money (Kabat, 2008). Passive smoking has various health effects to non-smokers. They are similar to those experienced by smokers. This results in people involuntarily suffering from smoke related diseases. These diseases have negative impacts to human health (Kabat, 2008). They lead to millions deaths annually in various countries. They also account for large amounts of medical expenditure. I therefore agree that smoking in public places should be banned because of the health risks for non-smokers. Buy custom Public Smoking essay

The Flowering Chanticleer Callery Pear Tree

The Flowering Chanticleer Callery Pear Tree The Chanticleer Callery Pear was selected as the Urban Tree of the Year in 2005 by trade arborist magazine City Trees  for its unique combination of resistance to blight and limb breakage, bright foliage, and great form. Compared to some of the pears relatives like the commonly planted Bradford pear tree, the Chanticleer Pears limb strength and strong branching make for a more reliable urban plant as its unlikely to require city maintenance like limb clean-up or installing reinforcing poles to keep the trees from breaking.  The tree also produces small white flowers in the spring, and its leaves turn a rich, plum color tinged with claret in the fall, making it a popular  fall foliage  plant. The Chanticleer Pear was first discovered during the 1950s on the streets in Cleveland, Ohio, and noted for its desirable characteristics. The tree was commercially introduced in 1965 by the famous Scanlon Nursery, which first called it the Chanticleer Pear. It has until recently been one of the most recommended trees suggested by municipal arborists.   The Flowering Pear Pyrusis is the botanical name for all pears, most of which are valued for their blossoms and delicious fruits and cultivated commercially throughout much of the U.S. and Canada; however, Callery Flowering Pears do not, however, produce an edible fruit.   Pears can be grown throughout the temperate regions where winters are not too severe and there is adequate moisture, but pears do not survive where temperatures fall lower than 20 F below zero (-28 C). In the warm and humid southern states, planting a pear should be limited to blight-resistant varieties such as many of the Callery Pear varieties. The variety named Chanticleer is a mostly ornamental tree that reaches a height ranging from 30 to 50 feet that can withstand pollution and be grown along roads due to their ability to process higher levels of car exhaust. In the spring, clusters of 1-inch white flowers cover the tree, and pea-sized, inedible fruits follow the flowers; in the fall,  the leaves of this tree turn shiny dark red to scarlet. Unique Features of Chanticleer Pear Trees Mark Burstyn/Getty Images The Chanticleer Pear is an upright-pyramidal tree that is much narrower than other ornamental pears, making it a valuable addition to landscapes where lateral space to spread is limited. It has attractive flowers, foliage, and fall color, and the bark is at first smooth with numerous lenticels, light brown to reddish-brown, then later turning grayish brown with shallow furrows. The Chanticleer Pear is less susceptible to early freezes than other pears, very adaptable to many different soils, and resistant to fireblight, and tolerates drought, heat, cold, and pollution, though it cannot survive in dry, waterlogged, or alkaline soil. Chanticleers should be grown in a location with full sun exposure and do require pruning and trimming in the winter or early spring for optimal growth. Because of its shape and branching structure, the crown is less prone to branch breakage with heavy winter snow.   Arthur Plotnik, in The Urban Tree Book, suggests the Chanticleer cultivar is one of the most promising...it is disease resistant, exceptionally cold-hardy, heavily flowered, and richly colored in autumn; reportedly, it even offers a few bonus flowers in fall. The Pear's Downside Some cultivars of the Callery Pear, usually the newer varieties, have the ability to grow fruit that produces viable seed. However, there are many states that are now dealing with non-native species invading their environments. According to Invasives Invasive and Exotic Trees list, states now dealing with escaped invasive pears include Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Many cultivars are generally unable to produce fertile seeds when self-pollinated or cross-pollinated with another tree of the same cultivar. However, if different cultivars of Callery Pears are grown within insect-pollination distance, about 300  feet, they can produce fertile seeds that can sprout and establish wherever they are dispersed. Another primary concern for this variety of pear tree is that Callery Pears in full bloom produce an undesirable odor. Horticulturist Dr. Michael Durr calls the smell malodorous but gives the tree high marks for beauty in landscape design.

10 Things You’ll Find Yourself Doing in your Freshman Year

10 Things You’ll Find Yourself Doing in your Freshman Year 10 Things You’ll Find Yourself Doing in Your Freshman Year Your first year at college can be a daunting time. Hopefully you’ll be busy learning all sorts of interesting thing on your chosen course, but you’re bound to get a few life lessons too 1. Unexpected Seminars Colleges are big and confusing places and everyone has gotten lost at some point in the freshman year. Have you turned up in the wrong lecture hall yet? Join the club! 2. Pasta with Pasta Garnish Don’t worry: A lot of your fellow college students will be new to cooking too. The best tip we can give is start with frying an onion and then look around the kitchen to see what else you can add! 3. Creating New Species Even if you aren’t studying biosciences, you might find a few new life-forms growing in your dirty dishes. In time, you’ll get used to using the washing-up as a way to avoid studying! 4. Food Fight! No need to grab your mashed potato catapult just yet. There comes a point in every freshman’s first year when you need to figure out a food sharing system with your roommates. Either share your food or don’t, and be clear. Don’t write angry notes unless you want all your Doritos swiped in the night! 5. Snoozing at the Library Ah†¦ so relaxing, a nice big book to hide your hangover hair. Just try not to snore! 6. Deadlines As Douglas Adams once said: ‘I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.’ This sound will get really familiar this year†¦ 7. What am I Doing with my Life? Hey, take it easy. You’ve made some big life decisions. Everyone questions their choices in their first year. But don’t jump ship too soon, ride it out. Talk to some friends and you’ve soon realize that you aren’t the only one worrying. 8. Setting a Trend When you run out of clean clothes, its time to get creative. Whoever thought blue pants would go with a bright orange sweater?! 9. Drunken Mistakes Waking up in the morning with that awful feeling†¦ what have I done? We’ve all been there and whoever you were with last night is probably waking up with a similar feeling†¦ 10. Home Sweet Home You couldn’t wait to get away and now you just can’t stop thinking about Mom’s homemade dinners. Make sure you book in time for regular trips home, since moving out can be pretty hard. If you are really far away from home, write a letter or a postcard. Getting mail back can really brighten up your day.

Uniquely Feminine Action Scenes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Uniquely Feminine Action Scenes - Research Paper Example When she was attacked, she held her leg up to the throat of her opponent while the camera was positioned on the floor looking up. Her crotch was right on the center and it made her legs look even longer. Barb Wire and Sucker Punch follow the model of Charlie’s Angels. These movies emphasize the curves instead of the muscles. In Sucker Punch, one of the most popular fight scene is the Samurai Battle. Babydoll (Browning) was dressed as a female sailor with a hemline that barely covers her butt. In more than one occasion, she slid through the air. Her body was parallel to the floor and the camera was just several inches away from body, locked in one position. It created an illusion that her body was sliding through the camera which put the audience in the closest possible proximity with her breasts, abs, crotch and legs. There are those who criticize Snyder for this, calling it a failed interpretation of feminism (Mencimer 4). Her argument is that the critics on the feminist fron t are correct. There are still specified parameters wherein violence for women is allowed and these parameters are generally set according to what men are able to put up with. Gina Arnold’s (3) view is very different and subscribes to the idea that the evolving female character is an inspiration and is a positive influence on women. According to Arnold, if we look at the elated reception received by Charlie’s Angels in shopping centres all over America, we can rightly assume that the viewing public are overjoyed to see women attaining a physically superior position when it comes to men. Also according to Arnold, a number of these movies present a more elegant approach when it comes to violence. She also writes that, without the... You will find that the way that Ripley in Alien has been portrayed affected how women are portrayed in general in action movies. Ever since the release of the first movie in 1979, there have been a strong wave of strong female heroines – â€Å"Terminator 1’s† – Linda Hamilton; â€Å"China O’Brien’s, Lady Dragon’s† Cynthia Rothrock; â€Å"Resident Evil’s† MillaJovovich; â€Å"Kill Bill’s Uma Thurman† are just a sampling of some of these. Unfortunately, Weaver’s talent is often eclipsed by her onscreen image. A number of websites take more notice of what she looks like than how she acts. It is not surprising for producers to use the beauty of women to in action movies. In Charlie’s Angels, there is the undeniable concentration to shoot from a lower angle, possibly to show that the women are superior to the scene and audience but, and this is more likely, to put emphasis on their breasts. There are a number of gratuitous shots of the women’s body and tight shots on their abs, legs, and lips. The fight scene has a high sexual element to it. They roll across the floor with open legs a number of times. In another shot, they are on their back struggling with their legs open. You could compare this shot to a rape scene. Even their exaggerated grunts, screams and moans are louder than any non-diagetic music in the scene.

Western Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Western Civilization - Essay Example The Lutherans, according to Alles & Ellwood (pp.270), believe that salvation of the human race comes from the grace of God. The same applies in the case of Calvinism, whose basics are of the belief that God’s grace is the final, and that He chooses who save unconditionally. Catholicism is also of the belief that through God’s grace, human beings are spared from destruction (Kielbasa & Singer-Towns,  pp.7). The three religions also hold the view that there is life after death. More so, the believers of the word are bound to have an eternal life that is rewarding. In this context, therefore, these religions advocate for building a lasting rapport between the followers of the religion and God. On the contrary, Lutheranism does not advocate for total reliance on the church. Though Lutheranism has churches and ministers of the word, this religion is of the opinion that the church need not be there for the individuals to develop a relationship with God. Both Calvinism and Catholicism believe in the church and the need to have total discipline whilst in the house of the Lord. Catholics, for instance require their members to attend mass on the Lord’s Day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ (Kielbasa & Singer-Towns,  pp.8). Lutheranism believes that it is only God who can save. Lutherans have the permit to pray to God directly, without confessions to a person. Catholics believe that the pope has some form of powers on the lives of the individuals. Through these persons- the pope and saints- the followers hold the view that God will pardon their sins. They also believe in confession of sins and praying on behalf of ‘pure’ persons (Kielbasa & Singer-Towns,  pp.8). The same would apply in the case of Calvinism, which believes that specific persons have been called to save the others from sin. From a critical view of the beliefs of the religion, the differences are more than the similarities. The concept of

Taste and design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Taste and design - Essay Example Taste and color in design are two components that need to be studied in order to understand how design can take different meanings and appeal among different people. Taste and Color, both are part of the design process that cannot be objectively labeled as good and bad. In order to differentiate between good and bad, we need to understand the role taste and color play in the design process. In this paper, both taste and color would be discussed in detail. Every person has a different taste towards design. Every few pieces of design have universal appeal among the people. People’s perception of good design changes with their personality, their culture, their status and even the socio-economic group. For instance, in India people tend to prefer red dresses for their weddings while in America, the most preferred color is white. Even the styling of these dresses change from one country to another. It is almost impossible to make people agree over one taste in design. A person’s individual personality also plays an important role in defining his taste in design. Some people prefer simple minimalist designs while others prefer opulent designs. It cannot be argued which design is better. A room with minimalistic design may appeal to one designer but not to the other. Design taste also changes with changing cultures. People in different cultures decorate their homes in different ways. Taste in Design is not a universally accepted principle. It is difficult to develop a tasteful design based on a set of principles. This is mainly because taste in design tends to differ from person to person. Cultures, age, time, personality, mood and almost everything changes a person’s perception of tasteful design. Design Tastes also vary with time. It is easy to observe this if one goes back and observes how fashion has evolved with time. What our parents perceived as good design is

Curriculum for the gifted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Curriculum for the gifted - Essay Example A major shift in the curriculum design for the gifted was introduced by Van Tassel-Baska and Little when they suggested that the curriculum design should be a performance-based model which gives emphasis on the level of functioning of the individual to determine whether he is ready to go up the next level (Chapter 1 - Curriculum for the gifted: Past, present and future directions). This new development changed the view that the curriculum should have an optimal match with the characteristic of the gifted learner. With this new approach therefore, the curriculum design becomes more responsive to the needs of the gifted learner. There are several issues in developing a curriculum for gifted learners. A major issue which confronts a teacher in developing a curriculum for the gifted is that not all gifted learners are alike with regards to their characteristics and needs (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted). The background of the student, like income level, must be taken into consideration so that the curriculum can be adapted accordingly. Another issue that faces the curriculum developer is the choice of content and the process design (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted). A decision has to be made on whether the topic will be of interest to the gifted. The content should be meaningful and challenging enough so that the students will be interested to explore it. The teacher who will be discussing the topic must be appropriately knowledgeable of the topic, else the gifted student might lose interest in it. The strategy to be used in teaching the content is another issue that must be tackled by the instructor of gifted individuals. A single strategy may not work for all learners. The issue is determining what combination of strategies must be applied so that the gifted learners get the maximum benefit from the curriculum (Chapter 2 -

Evidence-Based Practice among Hospital Nurses Term Paper

Evidence-Based Practice among Hospital Nurses - Term Paper Example In this light, the healthcare leader was categorical that the final decision arrived at must be premised on available data and the rightful conviction that the decision made will elicit the most optimal patient outcome. The healthcare leader was also very categorical that the foregoing differentiates EBP from research-based practice (RBP). This is the case since, unlike EBP; RBP is a scientific method which involves the collection and analyzing traditional practices that are sustained within standards of care.   The import of this is that in RBP, the care being advanced towards the patient has to have been identified as the most effective. This identification is normally carried out by comparing available research with and the established methods. The results available are thus to change the delivery of care, upon the changes having been deemed medically appropriate. Also, the changes that are being made must have been proven to have the capacity for improved outcome. During the in teraction with the healthcare leader, it became very palpable that he felt strongly about the topic. The strong conviction that the health care leader harbors are pegged on the belief that evidence-based research study will pave way for more efficient and productive services delivery in a medical institution and the healthcare sector in general. This is mainly because, according to him, an evidence-based research study is likely to herald certain values. Particularly, employing the use of evidence-based research studies in healthcare puts focus on health care and scientific literature. All this consideration of medical and scientific literature is underpinned by the need to improve: treatment modalities such as appropriate medical technology; safety and quality (including prevention of accidents, errors, and infections); and exercises (as a way of encouraging rehabilitation and exertion).

Curriculum for the gifted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Curriculum for the gifted - Essay Example A major shift in the curriculum design for the gifted was introduced by Van Tassel-Baska and Little when they suggested that the curriculum design should be a performance-based model which gives emphasis on the level of functioning of the individual to determine whether he is ready to go up the next level (Chapter 1 - Curriculum for the gifted: Past, present and future directions). This new development changed the view that the curriculum should have an optimal match with the characteristic of the gifted learner. With this new approach therefore, the curriculum design becomes more responsive to the needs of the gifted learner. There are several issues in developing a curriculum for gifted learners. A major issue which confronts a teacher in developing a curriculum for the gifted is that not all gifted learners are alike with regards to their characteristics and needs (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted). The background of the student, like income level, must be taken into consideration so that the curriculum can be adapted accordingly. Another issue that faces the curriculum developer is the choice of content and the process design (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted). A decision has to be made on whether the topic will be of interest to the gifted. The content should be meaningful and challenging enough so that the students will be interested to explore it. The teacher who will be discussing the topic must be appropriately knowledgeable of the topic, else the gifted student might lose interest in it. The strategy to be used in teaching the content is another issue that must be tackled by the instructor of gifted individuals. A single strategy may not work for all learners. The issue is determining what combination of strategies must be applied so that the gifted learners get the maximum benefit from the curriculum (Chapter 2 -

Cooperative learning groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cooperative learning groups - Essay Example The researcher states that scholars, educators, and school officials have become more and more interested in students’ performance in mathematics. Several studies have reported that, starting from middle school, girls are prone to develop more unconstructive attitudes towards math and score low on standardized exams. Moreover, a significant relationship has been found between performance and attitudes. Certain factors that are associated with performance of students in math comprise learning experiences, sense of belongingness, racial or ethnic affiliation, gender, self-worth, stereotyping and attitudes. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics claimed that instruction, competent educators, high expectations and equity should be awarded to every learner. By doing so, performance of students in math has a better chance to progress. The topics crucial for every student are usually included in Geometry, Algebra I and Algebra II subjects. However, only 62 percent of the overall population of high school graduates in 2000 finished three years of math in a manner that successfully introduced them to this integral content. This figure implies that students are not gaining the knowledge and proficiency they should possess to perform well in the world outside schooling. In fact, of roughly 70% pupils who promptly advance to college, approximately 28% should enroll in refresher or remedial programs in math or English. Moreover, a significant number of fourth grade and eight grade students poorly performed in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2003. (DiMaggio, 2001, p. 5). Every state that participated in the NAEP 4th grade math assessment test in 2000 and 2003 reported improvements in mean scores. Among the states that participated in the NAEP 8th grade assessment test in 2000 and 2003, the mean scores improved in numerous states (DiMaggio, 2001, p. 5). In a nutshell, the mean scores at all grade levels improved. Such progress is inspirin g and rewarding but the scores still show the unsatisfactory outcome of collaborative attempts to greatly improve the performance of all students. To sum up, the performance of students in math is not where they should be when measured up to the nation’s standards, the achievement levels of their international counterparts and their capacity to function well beyond high school (Strebe, 2009). The nation needs individuals that is capable of performing in the contemporary world, which implies that new teaching and learning strategies are needed to achieve the desired outcomes in math and other major subjects. Cooperative Learning Groups Learning has traditionally been focused on ‘competition’, hence, the emergence of cooperative learning. Cooperative learning is a model of instruction where small groups composed of learners of distinct capability levels team up to achieve common objectives and take full advantage of their potentials. Cooperative learning facilitate s individual responsibility within the framework of cooperation or group dynamics (Williams, 2002). Teamwork is an important component of the attainment of learning objectives of the course. In the context of cooperative learning, the learning is planned and organized to ensure that learning is actually occurring (Kagan, 1994). The teacher picks the groups to think about a multitude of perspectives, capabilities, ethnic/racial affiliations, gender and other attributes. Furthermore, cooperative learning builds a classroom partnership and harmonizes individual responsibility and interdependence. Because the task of the group is incomplete until every member has accurately and clearly understood the topic, every student is contributing to the attainment of a shared objective. With every student accountable to a specific part of the

Different Approaches to the Meaning of Life Essay Example for Free

Different Approaches to the Meaning of Life Essay The question what is the meaning of life? is often treated as a paradigmatic head in the clouds sort of philosophical question that more practical people shouldnt have the time for, but its actually a question of tremendous practical importance. Further, it is a question to which most people, even those who claim to have no interest in such questions, answer implicitly with the lives they chose to lead. So if you don’t want to bother with such questions, and just want to enjoy yourself, you are effectively saying that enjoyment is the ultimate point of human life. If you spend your life pursuing one of, say, money, power, pleasure, or religious understanding, then you implicitly commit yourself to such organizing principles representing what is really important in life. The choices we make in our lives are often governed by such implicit conceptions of what is most important to us, and while it may be that, say, being happy is the most important thing, it may take a certain amount of reflection on these larger questions to become clear about this. Some might think that thinking about questions like the meaning of life is itself the most important thing for us to do, but even if we don’t, we can still see that it is very important to spend at least some time doing, since such organizing principles are too important for us to accept without reflecting on them at all. Further, if there really is a point or meaning to our lives, and we live our lives according to a different principle (say if we live for enjoyment when serving God is the real purpose of life, or (conversely) if we spend our lives in prayer when enjoying life is its real purpose) then we may have literally wasted our lives. Since that is something we shouldnt want to do, it seems that, if life does have a purpose, we would do well to know what it is. On the other hand, if life doesnt have a purpose, it might be good to know that rather than spending it serving some illusory ideal, though this latter point is more controversial. If life did have no meaning, and there was no point to anything we did, then it might seem better not to investigate this topic at all, since looking in to it would only cause us distress. (Though if life really were meaningless, the fact that we were so distressed would not really matter. ) 2. Four Approaches to the question of life’s meaning. While the authors covered in the class give many varied answers to the question of what the meaning of life is, and some dont give a clear answer to it at all, they all fall into one of four groups when it comes to thinking about that kind of answer the questions should have. That is to say, there are four different approaches to the question: What is it that determines the meaning of our lives? 1 I. Radical Objectivists. This first group (which includes Plato, Epictetus, Schopenhauer, as well as James and Tolstoy in their post-crisis periods) take what really matters to be determined by factors that are completely independent of us (be it God, Reason, Nature, the Form of the Good or just the way things are). Its our responsibility to live up to these standards, but there is no sense in which these standards come from us. (Schopenhauer, while he denies that God exists, has a touch of this when he insists that a life of intellect just is objectively better (and not just happier) than a life of passion and willing). This might, of course, seem to make lifes purpose too remote from our actual lives, which might lead one to become one of the II. Theorists of Human Nature In this second group we can include Aristotle, Marx and Epicurus. Like the radical objectivists they take the purpose of life to be something given, that is, its an objective fact that we arent at liberty to change, but unlike the radical objectivists, they think that this fact is grounded in objective facts about our own natures. Our shared human nature is what determines what is the best life for all of us. Still, it may be hard to defend this sort of view unless one were already a radical objectivist, since without such an overarching framework, its much harder to think of humans as having a such a fixed essence or nature, which might lead one to become one of the III. Constructivists This third group (which includes Nietzsche, Sartre, Hare, and Nagel (from his more subjective perspective)) ground the purpose of our lives in our own drives, desires and wants. However, unlike the theorists of human nature, they dont take such drives to be objective in the sense of being independent of our attitudes towards them. For these philosophers, the drives etc. that ground the purpose of our lives can change, and are (to a certain extent) under our (not always conscious) control. Because of this, the meanings of our lives, such as they are, are things that we make. Unfortunately, one might doubt that transient creatures like ourselves are up to the task of making such meanings, in which case one might become one of the IV. Nihilists This last group (which includes Camus, Nagel (from his more objective perspective) and James Tolstoy (when they were in crisis mode)) agree with the constructivists that there are no objective facts which could determine a purpose to our lives, but also believe that something as ephemeral as our passing desires and drives is not enough to make a life really meaningful. Consequently, in the absence of any objective meaning, life must ultimately have no meaning at all, and there is, ultimately, no ‘point’ in doing anything. This final spot is not a happy one to be in, and its perhaps not surprising that James and Tolstoy both bounce from #4 back to #1 when the prospect of living with #4 becomes too bleak. Still, while it can seem natural to slip from 1 to 2, from 2 to 3 and from 3 to 4, and 4 to despair, lots of people have argued that the slide can be stopped at various points along the way. 1 As a result, every point on the spectrum has it supporters, though no position on it seems completely stable, which is why the question will probably always continue to be debated. 1 H a r e , f o r in s ta n c e , c a n b e u n d e r s to o d a s a r g u in g th a t th e th r o u g h th a t 3 le a d s to 4 c o m e s f r o m a c o n f u s io n a b o u t w h a t it is to m a tte r .

Inclusive Infinity and Radical Particularity: Hartshorne, Hegel and Nis

Inclusive Infinity and Radical Particularity: Hartshorne, Hegel and Nishida ABSTRACT: God, or in Nishida’s case Buddha-nature, is frequently conceptualized as relating to the world by including it within the Infinite. Particular elements within the world are not seen as existing in absolute differentiation or total negation from Spirit, God, or Absolute Non-Being. The Many are not excluded but are, on the contrary, included within the One. The logic by which the One includes the Many is a logic of manifold unity, or, as Hegel quite confidently puts it, true infinity as opposed to spurious infinity. I will argue that such a logic of inclusive infinity is operative in Hartshorne, Hegel and Nishida. Each uses different terminology and writes with different systemic emphases, but as applied to God or the Ultimate, the function and consequences of the logic of inclusivity are strikingly similar for all three philosophers. Although infinite inclusivity provides a way of unifying the chaotic diversity of existence into a rational totality, there are central questions that have remained unanswered in the three metaphysicians. Primary among them is the question that sums up within itself many of the others: the problem of radical particularity. The particular elements of the world which are claimed to be included within the parameters of the Ultimate are just that: particular fragments of reality. I argue that their particular nature makes it impossible for the Infinite to incorporate them within its purview without raising serious difficulties. God, or in Nishida's case Buddha-nature, is frequently conceptualized as relating to the world by including it within the Infinite. Particular elements within the world are not seen as ex... ...oblem of including evil but of including within God's essence contradictory experiences such as joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure at the same time. Is it really possible that the Ultimate fully experience each element it contains even when there are a myriad number of elements of the opposite type? Yet the problem of radical particularity is even deeper. It is not just a matter of including evil, nor of including contradictory experiences, but of including any finite experience within the Ultimate. The Infinite cannot become finite because finite things are finite. I will concede that there may be a metaphysical solution to the problem of radical particularity that may have eluded the present analysis. I have not proven that inclusive Infinity is impossible, merely that there is a significant problem with its conceptualization that has not been adequately addressed.

What is the challenge in the healthcare

Improving the quality of the health care system is among one of the prevailing challenges that United States. The health care system plays a major role in the society because the lives of the people depend on it. Improvement in the standard quality of health care as well as increase in medical knowledge enables people to live a fuller lives (Bernanke, 2008). Health care involves the prevention and treatment of ailments as well as the preservation of mental and physical well-being through services offered by the health and medical profession (The Free Dictionary, 2004). The quality of health care is a very significant aspect which affects the country scientifically, socially and economically. Health care is not only confined to the prevention and treatment of sickness but it also covers the health care organizations and associations. Lack of health care access is among one of the many challenges that the health care reform must address. As of 2006, studies show that almost forty seven million Americans or sixteen percent of the population lacks insurance which means to say that they get less health care attention than those people with insurance thereby causing their health to suffer. It is a well-known fact that the quality of medical technology and research in the United States is very high, however, the highest level of effectiveness may only be achieved if there is information dissemination and consistencies in policy implementation(Bernanke, 2008). Since the quality of health care is a global concern, then the answer to the problem should be apt to encompass global barriers. Countries from around the globe should gather to surpass economic and political barriers and unite to form a strategic plan in order to overcome and address this problem.

The Rise of the West and the Western Dominated Economy: The Atlantic Slave Trade

Much of Africa followed its own lines of development between the beginning of the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. The rise of the West and the Western-dominated economy, however, was a powerful force in influencing the course of African history. The Atlantic slave trade predominated in economic affairs after the middle of the seventeenth century. The forced removal of Africans had a major effect in some African regions and was a primary factor contributing to the nature of New World populations. African culture became one of the important strands in the development of American civilizations. Despite the rise of the West and the slave trade, nearly all of Africa remained politically independent and culturally autonomous. Among the important trends, Islam consolidated its position in sub-Saharan and East Africa, while in many parts of Africa, independent states formed and expanded. The Atlantic Slave Trade. The Portuguese inaugurated the pattern for contacts along the African coast. They established trading forts (factories); the most important, El Mina, received gold from the interior. Most forts were established with the approval of African authorities desiring trade benefits. Some of the forts allowed trade to interior states. Portuguese and Afro-Portuguese traders (lancados) followed routes to the interior to open new markets. Missionary efforts followed, particularly to the powerful states of Benin and the Kongo. King Nzinga Mvemba of the Kongo accepted Christianity and, with Portuguese assistance, sought to introduce European influences to his state. The ravages of the slave trade were a major reason for the limited success of the policies. Africa, in general, tried to fit the European concepts they found useful into their belief structures. The Europeans regarded Africans as pagan savages who could adopt civilized behavior and convert to Christianity. The Portuguese continued their southward ventures, in the 1570s establishing Luanda on the Angolan coast among the Mbundu. In the Indian Ocean, they established bases on Mozambique Island and other towns in an effort to control the gold trade coming from Monomotapa. On both coasts, few Portuguese settled permanently. Other Europeans followed Portuguese patterns by creating trading stations through agreement with Africans. In almost all instances, slavery eventually became the principal focus of relationships. Added impetus came from the development of sugar plantations on Portuguese and Spanish Atlantic islands and their subsequent extension to the Americas. Trend Toward Expansion. Between 1450 and 1850, about 12 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic; about 10 or 11 million arrived alive. A number equal to one third of those shipped might have died in the initial raiding or march to the coast. The volume of the trade increased from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, with 80% of the total coming in the latter century. Brazil received more than 40% of all slaves reaching the Americas. The continued high volume was necessary because of high slave mortality and low fertility. Only in the southern United States did slaves have a positive growth rate. Other slave trades—trans-Saharan, Red Sea, and East African—under Muslim control, added another 3 million individuals to the total. Demographic Patterns. The Saharan slave trade to the Islamic world carried mostly women for sexual and domestic employment. The Atlantic trade concentrated on young men fit for hard labor in the Americas. African societies who sold slaves might keep women and children for their own uses. The Atlantic trade had an important demographic effect on parts of western and central Africa; the population there in 1850 might have been one half of what it would have been without the trade. The women and children not exported skewed the balance of the sexes in African-enslaving societies. The introduction of American crops, such as maize and manioc, helped suffering regions to recover from population losses. Organization of the Trade. Control over the slave trade reflected the European political situation. Until 1630, the Portuguese were the principal suppliers. The Dutch became major competitors after they seized El Mina in 1630. By the 1660s, the English worked to supply their plantation colonies. The French became major carriers in the eighteenth century. Each nation established forts for receiving slaves. Tropical diseases caused both resident Europeans and the crews of slave-carrying ships high mortality rates. The Europeans dealt with local rulers, calculating value in currencies composed of iron bars, brass rings, and cowry shells. The Spanish had a system in which a healthy man was considered a standard unit called an â€Å"Indies piece. Slaves arrived at the coast as a result of warfare and of purchase and movement by indigenous traders. Dahomey had a royal monopoly on slave flow. There have been arguments about the profitability of the slave trade. It has been suggested that its profits were a key element for the rise of commercial capitalism and the Industrial Revolution. Individual voyages certainly did bring profits to merchant s and specializing ports. But considerable risks were involved. English profitability in the late eighteenth century was about 5% to 10%, about equal to other commercial ventures. The full economic importance is difficult to determine because of its direct links to the plantation and mining economies of the Americas. Goods were exchanged among Europe, Africa, and the Americas in complex patterns. The slave trade surely contributed to emerging Atlantic capitalism, while at the same time making African economies dependent on European trade and linked to the world economy. African Societies, Slavery, and the Slave Trade. The Atlantic trade transformed African patterns of slavery. Africans had developed many forms of servitude in their nonegalitarian societies. With land controlled by the state, slaves were an important way for individuals and lineages to gain wealth and status. Slaves held many occupations. Their treatment ranged from the relatively benign, when they were incorporated into kinship systems, to severe economic and social exploitation, when ruling hierarchies exercised power. The Atlantic trade opened new opportunities to slave-holding societies for expansion and intensification of slavery. Enslavement of women was central to African society. The Sudanic states had introduced Islamic concepts of slavery. The existence of slavery allowed Europeans to mobilize commerce in slaves by tapping existing structures with the assistance of interested African rulers. Slaving and African Politics. Most of the states of western and central Africa were small and unstable. The continuing wars elevated the importance of the military and promoted the slave trade. Increasing centralization and hierarchy developed in the enslaving societies; those attacked reacted by augmenting self-sufficiency and antiauthoritarn ideas. A result of the presence of the Europeans along the western coast was a shift of the locus of African power. Inland states close to the coast, and thus free from direct European influence, through access to Western firearms and other goods, became intermediaries in the trade and expanded their influence. Asante and Dahomey. Among the important states developing during the slave trade era was the empire of Asante among the Akan people. Centered on Kumasi, Asante was between the coast and the inland Hausa and Mande trading regions. Under the Oyoko clan, the Asante gained access to firearms after 1650 and began centralizing and expanding. Osei Tutu became the asantehene, the supreme civil and military leader, of the Akan clans. By 1700, the Dutch along the coast were dealing directly with the new power. Through control of gold-producing regions and slaves, Asante remained dominant in the Gold Coast until the 1820s. In the Bight of Benin, the state of Benin was at the height of its power when Europeans arrived. The ruler for a long period controlled the trade with Europeans; slaves never were a primary commodity. The kingdom of Dahomey among the Fon peoples had a different response to the Europeans. It emerged around Abomey in the seventeenth century; by the 1720s, access to firearms led to the formation of an autocratic regime based on trading slaves. Under Agaja (1708-1740), Dahomey expanded to the coast, seizing the port of Whydah. The state maintained its policies into the nineteenth century. Too much emphasis on the slave trade obscures creative processes occurring in many African states. The growing divine authority of rulers paralleled the rise of absolutism in Europe. New political forms emerged that limited the power of some monarchs. In the Yoruba state of Oyo, a council and king shared authority. Art, crafts, weaving, and wood carving flourished in many regions. Benin and the Yoruba states created remarkable wood and ivory sculptures. East Africa and the Sudan. On Africa's east coast, the Swahili trading towns continued a commerce of ivory, gold, and slaves for Middle Eastern markets. A few slaves went to European plantation colonies. On Zanzibar and other islands, Arabs, Indians, and Swahili produced cloves with slave labor. In the interior, African peoples had created important states. Migrants from the upper Nile valley moved into Uganda and Kenya, where they mixed with Bantu-speaking inhabitants. Strong monarchies developed in Bunyoro and Buganda. In western Africa, in the northern savanna, the process of Islamization entered a new phase linking it with the external slave trade and the growth of slavery. Songhay broke up in the sixteenth century and was succeeded by new states. The Bambara of Segu were pagan; the Hausa states of northern Nigeria were ruled by Muslims, although most of the population followed African religions. Beginning in the 1770s, Muslim reform movements swept the western Sudan. In 1804, Uthman Dan Fodio, a Fulani Muslim, inspired a religious revolution that won control of most of the Hausa states. A new and powerful kingdom developed at Sokoto. The effects of Islamization were felt widely in the West African interior by the 1840s. Cultural and social change accelerated. Many war captives were dispatched to the coast or across the Sahara for the slave trade. The level of local slave labor also increased in agricultural and manufacturing enterprises. White Settlers and Africans in Southern Africa. By the sixteenth century, Bantu-speaking peoples occupied the eastern regions of southern Africa. Drier western lands were left to the indigenous Khoikhoi and San. Migration, peaceful contacts, and war characterized the relations between the groups. The Bantu peoples practiced agriculture and herding, worked iron and copper, and traded with neighbors. Chiefdoms of various sizes, where leaders ruled with popular support, were typical. New chiefdoms continually emerged, resulting in competition for land and political instability. In the Dutch colony at Cape Town, established in 1652, the settlers developed large estates worked by slaves. Colonial expansion led to successful wars against the San and Khoikhoi. By the 1760s, the Afrikaners crossed the Orange River and met the Bantu. Competition and war over land resulted. Britain occupied the Dutch colony in 1795 and gained formal possession in 1815. British efforts to limit Afrikaner expansion were unsuccessful, and frequent fighting occurred between the Afrikaners and Africans. Some Afrikaners, seeking to escape British control, migrated beyond colonial boundaries and founded autonomous states. The Mfecane and the Zulu Rise to Power. By 1818, a new leader, Shaka, gained authority among the Nguni people. He created a formidable military force of regiments organized on lineage and age lines. Shaka's Zulu chiefdom became the center of a new political and military organization that absorbed or estroyed rivals. Shaka was assassinated in 1828, but his successors ruled over a still-growing polity. The rise of the Zulu and other Nguni chiefdoms marked the beginning of the Mfecane, a time of wars and wandering. Defeated peoples fled into new regions and created new states—among them the Swazi and Lesotho—by using Zulu tactics. The Afrikanersâ⠂¬â„¢ superior firepower enabled them to hold their lands. The Zulus remained powerful until defeated during the 1870s by the British. The basic patterns of conflict between Europeans and Africans took form during this era. In Depth: Slavery and Human Society. Slavery has existed in both complex and simpler societies from the earliest times. Coerced labor took different forms: indentured servants, convict laborers, debt peons, chattel slaves. The denial of control over an individual’s labor was the essential characteristic of slavery systems. It was easier to enslave people outside one’s own society, to exploit differences in culture, language, and color. The attitude of Europeans and non-African Muslims thus contributed to the development of modern racism. The campaign against slavery that grew from Enlightenment ideas was an important turning point in world history. Slavery has persisted in a few societies until the present, but few individuals openly defend the institution. African slavery was important in shaping the modern world. It was one of the early international trades, and it assisted the development of capitalism. Vociferous debate continues about many interpretations of the effect of the trade on African and American societies. The African Diaspora. In the Americas, slaves came in large enough numbers to become an important segment of the New World population. African cultures adapted to their new physical and social environments. The slave trade linked Africa and the Americas; it was the principal way in which African societies joined the world economy. Africans participating in the commerce dealt effectively with the new conditions, using the wealth and knowledge gained to the advantage of their states. Slave Lives. The slave trade killed millions of Africans; family and community relationships were destroyed. As many as one third of captives may have died on their way to shipping ports; shipboard mortality reached about 8%. The trauma of the Middle Passage, however, did not strip Africans of their culture, and they interjected it into the New World. Africans in the Americas. African slaves crossed the Atlantic to work in New World plantations and mines. The plantation system developed on Atlantic islands was transferred to the Americas. Africans quickly replaced Indians and indentured Europeans as agricultural laborers. Slaves also mine d gold and silver and labored in many urban occupations. In early seventeenth-century Lima, Africans outnumbered Europeans. American Slave Societies. In all American slave societies, a rough social hierarchy developed. Whites were at the top, slaves at the bottom. Free people of color were in-between. Among the slaves, owners created a hierarchy based on origin and color. Despite the many pressures, slaves retained their own social perceptions: many slave rebellions were organized on ethnic and political lines. Slave-based societies varied in composition. Africans formed the overwhelming majority of the population on Caribbean islands; high mortality ensured a large number of African-born individuals. Brazil had a more diverse population. Many slaves were freed, and miscegenation was common. Slaves made up 35% of the population; free people of color were equal in number. The southern British North American colonies differed in that a positive growth rate among slaves lessened the need for continuing imports. Manumission was uncommon, and free people of color were under 10% of Afro-American numbers. Thus, slavery was less influenced by African ways. The People and Gods in Exile. Africans worked under extremely harsh conditions. The lesser numbers of women brought to the New World limited opportunities for family life. When a family was present, its continuance depended on the decisions of the owner. Despite the difficulties, most slaves lived in family units. Many aspects of African culture survived, especially when a region had many slaves from one African grouping. African culture was dynamic and creative, incorporating customs that assisted survival from different African ethnicities or from their masters. Religion demonstrates this theme. African beliefs mixed with Christianity, or survived independently. Haitian vodun is a good example of the latter. Muslim Africans tried to hold their beliefs; in 1835, a major slave rising in Brazil was organized by Muslim Yoruba and Hausa. Resistance to slavery was a common occurrence. Slaves ran away and formed lasting independent communities; in seventeenth-century Brazil, Palmares, a runaway slave state under Angolan leadership, had a population of 10,000. In Suriname, runaway slaves formed a still-existing community with a culture fusing West African, Indian, and European elements. The End of the Slave Trade and the Abolition of Slavery. The influences causing the end of the slave trade and slavery were external to Africa. The continued flourishing of slave-based economies in Africa and the Americas makes it difficult to advance economic self-interest as a reason for ending the slave trade. Africans had commercial alternatives, but they did not affect the supply of slaves. Enlightenment thinkers during the eighteenth century condemned slavery and the slave trade as immoral and cruel. The abolitionist movement gained strength in England and won abolition of the slave trade for Britons in 1807. The British pressured other nations to follow course, although the final end of New World slavery did not occur until Brazilian abolition in 1888.

Gattaca and Orwell’s 1984 compared Essay

Although the distopias of Orwell’s Oceania and Niccol’s not to distant American city are in many ways similar in the sense of totalitarianism. The systems of control are quit different. Orwell’s world seems to be an overbearing socialist police state where as, the world in Gattaca is almost total control by science. The two pieces were written decades apart from one another, but both the film and the novel send a clear message; to enjoy the social mobility and freedoms of modern life and to be aware of how fragile they are. Both Orwell’s and Niccol’s worlds are dependant upon a class or cast system to divide the powers and freedoms of the people in their respective worlds. Oceania as far as we can tell has three maybe four classes. The Proles are the group of people who hold the worst of the jobs within Oceania. They work as laborers and as prostitutes but their idle time is spent like many undergrads in the modern world; listening to music, drinking beer, and fornicating. The second and arguably the lowliest of Orwell’s classes is the outer party, to which our main character Winston is a member. The outer party is subjected to all the evils of the inner party. Their inner most personal thoughts and feelings are monitored by the thought police and even the slightest inclination of disloyalty is punished by being vaporized. They work mostly as desk jockeys, and their free time is to be spent doing activities for the party. The inner party is closely related to an upper management class within a perverted militant socialist world where all business is run by the state. Compared to the outer party the inner party does seem to enjoy a few more modern comforts but, they are still being subjected to tellascreens and thought police. Arguably the fourth class would only consist of one man a ruling dictator who goes by the name of Big Brother his existence is questionable but if he were to exist it is presumable that he would enjoy every possible comfort. Gattaca has a class system as well but, it is a much simpler one controlled by science. Depending upon Gene manipulation a citizen is either a valid or they are an invalid. The days discrimination because of race, religion, or  sexuality are gone, in this world all that matters is the results of a blood test. The lead character portrayed by Ethan Hawk is Vincent/Jerome Morrow. He is what they call a faith birth, his parents conceived him in the traditional way, in the back of a Chevy Rivera. At his birth he did have ten fingers and ten toes but now that’s not all that mattered. After testing one drop of blood the doctors new that he had a 60% probability of having a neurological condition, 42% probability of manic depression, 89% probability of attention deficit disorder, and a 99% probability of having a heart disorder his life expectance only 30.2 years. Vincent, an invalid, was condemned at birth to live a short life of turmoil. These two very rigid and well structured societies whose purpose was to create order over universal individual freedoms for its citizens freewill was not something that was desired. What Vincent and Winston have in common his that they used their freewill and determinations to resist the status quo.

In what ways has 'Globalisation' affected the international system Essay

In what ways has 'Globalisation' affected the international system - Essay Example This is done in the situation where the comparative advantages in manufacturing said component are high. Globalization of financial markets refers to the integration of financial systems between countries to achieve unrestricted flow of capital-seen in the trade in financial securities-between the member states. In defining politics and, by extension, understanding what global politics is, we should first separate as between politics and governance. The purpose of this clarification is to separate between an emerging term of global governance , which is used incorrectly in reference to global politics. Governance typically refers to managerial functions of controlling, coordinating, directing, and planning. Therefore, it is associated with proper legislations and policy - engineering by relevant authorities that help constitute proper administration by a government in power. However, politics is concerned with the power relations that circumvent these corridors of governance giving s hape to the styles or structure of governance adopted by the duly people in power1. In practice, politics is closely linked globally to actions of powerful groups who are in control-at least for a predefined period of time-of relatively vast territorial entities called countries. Synonymous with these territorial entities is the ability to willfully, conduct internal affairs (subject to certain exemptions) without external influence. The extent to which this rule is successfully adhered to is a subject that can be well assessed under global politics, present even today. Another point of clarity is required as between global governance and international relations both of which are pertinent active factors in global politics. Global governance, which is merely a trendy term to explain the constant transformation in the international political system and international relations , which is also a euphemism for the nation's policy in dealing with others similar based on an unquestioned b ias in favor of that particular nation0002. Global governance recognizes other forms of social organizations and political decision-making do not arise from a state or directed to it. According to Klaus Dingwerth and Philipp Patberg, global governance differentiates from the traditional view on international relations in four ways: The crux of international relations is the politics as between nations without paying attention to other non-state actors. Global governance considers the impact and influence of non-governmental organizations, scientific actors, and trans-national companies. The term suggests that an analysis on international interactions is done separately from other levels of social interaction. Global governance assumes world politics as a multi-level system in which all local, regional/state, national/federal and global political processes are interlinked. That, international relations traditionally is associated with power play and role of advocacy networks as insti gators and sustainers of politics beyond the state. Global governance recognizes the existence and interactions between various forms of governance in which none is superior to the others. The focus of researchers into international relations is the authority and legitimization in the states desire to pursue self-interests. Global governanc

Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Business Management - Essay Example Ownership types Lloyd pharmacy is owned by a pharmacist who has a registration certificate as per the state laws. These State requirements are disapproved always by large business selling ventures, and the concern has been raised in the perspective of Hilmer Competition Reforms. They oblige each state to spot and do away with any legislative fundamentals which are not competitive except public opinions that are of advantage. The presented structure of pharmacy possession takes care of: accountability and liability by those who own pharmacies– through the State along with Territory Pharmacy Acts, quality utilization of drugs, value-added key health care services for instance, management of asthma and diabetes, management of wound care, management of medication, allocation of public health teaching and material for information, methadone and exchange of needle programs (Kayne, 2005). Conversely, at MacDonald’s it is either a franchisee, the firm itself or a partner who op erates it. MacDonald’s corporation obtains their revenues from rent, fees paid by the franchisees plus company-operated restaurants and sovereigns. The UK business mode is diverse since fewer than 30 % of restaurants are under contract, with mainstream under the company ownership (Ahuja, 2012). Organizational Structure In Lloyd Pharmacy, the pharmacist, clerk and technician form the central part of the pharmacy team. Those who prescribe, nurses, and other health care employees are part of the extensive pharmacy team. The Lloyd pharmacy team shares a general objective, to offer good medical care to those who are sick. Every member has specific duties to achieve, but each share some tasks with other members of the team. Each of them rely on others to do their work; being aware of members of team’s distinctive function regarding one’s own will help in doing ones work in a well-organized and satisfying way. As a pharmacy clerk, one has a significant involvement to m ake to the team. In the contrary, at The MacDonald’s there are two structures, the senior management and the restaurant side. The senor restaurant include the general manager, assistant manager, shift running manager, floor manager, staff training crew and crew members. The general manager is answerable for the everyday function of the MacDonald’s fast food restaurant together with employing, instructing and supervising the employees, ensuring that the restaurant remains in proper working situation and guarantee that things run efficiently when the restaurant is open. They also do the totaling up the daily receipts, ensuring that the restaurant abide by all legal prerequisites and communicating with the General Manager. The assistant managers’ duty is to assist the general manager. The Shift Running Manager’s main task is to organize and control the way the staff work in shifts. The Staff Training Crew’s main task is to take charge of all trainings within the premise. Whereas Crew Members work all the way through the Crew Development Programme and this is McDonald’s standard training system. They get trainings both on and off the floor by use of a combination of shoulder-to-shoulder training and self learning. Responsibilities At Lloyd pharmacy, vending pharmacists offer counseling patients, respond to their