Asthma in Pediatric Patients - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2437 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Asthma Essay Did you like this example? Abstract Asthma is a leading chronic condition in the pediatric population within the United States. The prevalence of asthma has increased in modern times likely due to an increase in air pollutants in the environment. Asthma also has an economic burden associated with an increased number of missed school days per year and high emergency department admission rates. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Asthma in Pediatric Patients" essay for you Create order Genetic and lifestyle factors have been shown to predispose people to the development of asthma. A tertiary prevention program that involves the comprehensive use of the Asthma Action Plan, developed by the American Lung Association, can help gain better control of a patients asthma and reduce the number of asthma related emergency department visits. This plan requires the cooperation of school nurses, physicians and parents in order reach its maximum potential. This program can also help patients and their families gain more control of their health at a relatively low personal and economic cost. Epidemiology of Asthma in the Pediatric Population Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood in resource-rich countries, including the United States (Sawicki, Haver, 2018). It is estimated that 14 million days of school are missed due to asthma in the United States each year (Sawicki, Haver, 2018). The prevalence of asthma can be contributed to a genetic component in addition to several environmental factors. These environmental factors include: diet, air quality, smoking, antibiotic use, and allergies (Patel, Henderson, Jeffreys, Davey, Smith, Galobardes, 2012). If asthma is left uncontrolled, this disease can become costly due to the potential for life-threatening symptoms that may require admission to an emergency department or hospital. By implementing a structured program with coordination from the patients, parents, school and provider, these costs can be minimized. Epidemiologic Parameters and Significance of Disease (Shafer) Asthma has been an increasing problem in the United States over the last two decades, particularly in children under 18 years old. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, asthma rates of the total population increased by 12.3% from 2001-2009, making the prevalence of asthma in the United States 8.2% (2011, p. 547). The prevalence of asthma in children jumped and then plateaued (Sawicki Haver, 2018). Data collected by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention between 2001-2009 showed that the prevalence of asthma in children was at 9.6%, which was increase from previous years (2011, p. 547). With increased awareness and intervention, the prevalence of asthma in children did show a decrease to 8.3% from 2013-2016, especially in children under the age of 5 (Sawicki Haver, 2018). Asthma is a serious, chronic disease that comes with a lifetime need for medical treatment. Poor asthma management can result in hospitalization and sometimes death. According to the American Lung Association, asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15 years (2018, para. 7). Although asthma-related death is rare in children, there were 169 children who died in 2016 due to complications of asthma (Asthma and Children Fact Sheet, 2018). The American Lung Association also reported that in 2010 there were approximately 640,000 emergency room visits due to asthma in those under 15 years of age (2018, para. 8). Asthma continues to be a prevalent chronic disease in the United States, particularly in the pediatric population. Due to its multifactorial development, additional research must be conducted to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease. Genetic Markers of Asthma (Hubacek) Asthma is a common disease that is known to develop due to genetic and environmental factors. Many studies have been completed and further research is still being done to determine which genes are responsible for genetic inheritance of asthma. Asthma does not follow a typical Mendelian path of inheritance, instead the asthma phenotype is expressed non-linearly and is highly variable so it is more difficult to make predictions of the rate at which it is passed down to offspring (Thomsen, 2015, para. 2). Important factors for determining the inheritance of asthma include: degree of genetic relation to the relatives with asthma and the severity of the asthma and the age at which the relative developed asthma (Thomsen, 2015). The recurrence risk of asthma in children with one affected parent is around 25%, whereas the risk if both parents are affected is around 50% (Thomsen, 2015, para. 3). Ober Yao found that asthma has significant genetic contributions, with heritability estimates varying between 35% and 95% (2011, p. 10). Thomsen brings to light that twin studies have shown there is an increased chance of developing asthma if someone who has very similar genetic composition has the condition (2015). For example, the risk of asthma in both identical twins is much higher than that of fraternal twins (Thomsen, 2015). At this point in time, there are several genes that have been found to correlate to the inheritance of asthma. In 2010, the largest study regarding the genetics of asthma was conducted genotyping 26,475 participants, over half of which had asthma (Thomsen, 2015). This study revealed 9 genes that are responsible for the asthma phenotype. The genetic markers involved in the inheritance of asthma include: the gene for nonmuscle isoform of myosin light chain kinase (nmMLCK), ADAM33 on chromosome 20p13, ILIRL1 and IL18R1 on chromosome 2, HLA-DQ on chromosome 6, IL33 on chromosome 9, SMAD3 on chromosome 15, ORMDL3 and GSDMB on chromosome 17, and IL2RB on chromosome 22 (Ober Yao, 2011; Zhou, Wang, Garcia, 201 5; Thomsen, 2015). The study conducted by Zhou, Wang, Garcia demonstrated nmMYLK dependent gene expression differentiates the severity of asthma in patients (2015). The ADAM33 gene has been specifically linked to the bronchial hyperresponsiveness in asthma in addition to airway remodeling (Thomsen, 2015). The ORMDL3 gene, in particular, was associated with childhood onset, whereas the HLA-DQ gene was related to later-onset asthma. Further, the results showed that 38% of all cases of childhood-onset asthma were attributable to a combination of the identified genes (Thomsen, 2015, para. 11). The extent of research completed thus far does indicate that genes are responsible for the development of asthma. However, additional research still needs to be done in order to better predict the inheritance pattern of asthma. Family Genogram of Asthma (Hubacek) This genogram illustrates there is an increased probability of developing asthma if a close family member has asthma. This is seen as b oth twins inherited asthma from their mother, likely due to their similar genetic makeup. In addition, this genogram demonstrates with Aimee and Jeromes children that there is a 25% recurrence rate of asthma when one parent is affected. Environmental and Lifestyle Factors (Shafer) Asthma is a multifactorial disease that is affected by genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle choices. There are a multitude of environmental factors that are said to exacerbate asthma, including diet, air quality and pollution, smoking, antibiotic use and exposure to different allergens (Patel, Henderson, Jeffreys, Davey Smith, Galobardes, 2012). According to Kravitz-Wirtz et al., there is evidence showing that exposure to air pollutants in utero and in the postnatal years can have an effect on the development of asthma later in life (2018). The fetal lungs begin to develop in the later trimesters of pregnancy and continue to mature until 3 years of age (Kravitz-Wirtz et al., 2018). The lungs are highly susceptible to environmental toxins due to the permeability of cells lining the respiratory tract (Kravitz-Wirtz et al., 2018). The absorption of toxins via the respiratory tract endothelium seems to contribute to the development of asthma later in life (Kravitz-Wirtz et al., 2018). There is also a correlation of the development of asthma in children with lower socioeconomic status (Kravitz-Wirtz et al., 2018). According to Kravitz-Wirtz et al., children in under-resourced neighborhoods lack access to proper health care, therefore increasing their stress levels, contributing to poorer nutrition status and exposing them to more air pollutants (2018, para. 6). The combination of these lifestyle and environmental factors seem to have an increased risk of asthma in children across the United States (Kravitz-Wirtz et al., 2018). Another significant risk factor for developing asthma is obesity (Asthma Risk Factors, 2018, para. 7). Reasons for this correlation are still unknown, but inflammation is suspected to play a key role (Asthma Risk Factors, 2018, para. 7). According to the American Lung Association, obese patients often use more medications, suffer worse symptoms and are less able to control their asthma than patients in a healthy weight range (2018, para. 7). The growing obesity rates in the United States, especially in pediatric patients, put more children at risk for developing asthma. Tertiary Prevention Program for Asthma At this point in time, asthma is a well-known diagnosis among the pediatric community. However, many pediatric patients suffer from uncontrolled asthma. Uncontrolled asthma increases the number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions, costing families thousands of dollars yearly. We would like to implement a tertiary prevention program to ensure better control of asthma in pediatric patients. This would reduce the number of asthma related emergency department visits and hospital admissions. The American Lung Association has created an Asthma Action Plan to be used for all patients with an asthma diagnosis. This plan includes three zones (green, yellow, red) to guide patients with their home asthma care when their symptoms are controlled, moderately uncontrolled, and severely uncontrolled, respectively (American Lung Association, 2018). In order for this plan to be effective, patients must receive education on how to use a peak flow meter, what the results mean, and how often they should test their lung function using this device at home. Upon diagnosis, providers should review this information with the patient and parents and have them demonstrate before the end of the appointment. Providers should also review when patients should return for a follow up appointment. The current form recommends following up within 24 hours of reaching the yellow zone (American Lung Association, 2018). This tool is not being widely used among pediatric patients with asthma. We would like to fully implement the use of the Asthma Action Plan form, Figure 2, within pediatrician offices and schools. This requires full cooperation of school nurses, patients, parents and the provider. Patients with asthma who attend public school will be required to have a follow up visit regarding their asthma treatment before the school year starts. The school will require the Asthma Action Plan to be completed and signed by the parent and provider. Spirometry should also be completed at this follow up visit to monitor lung function and determine whether or not the current treatment plan is effective for the patient to use during the school year. Two peak flow meters will be given to the patient to keep one at home and one at school along with duplicate controller and rescue medications. If the patients asthma is not well controlled, they should follow up monthly and update their Asthma Action Plan until their symptoms consistently stay within the green zone. When a patient remains in the green zone, they should plan to follow up every 6 months. Ethical and Cost-Benefit Considerations (Hubacek) Monitoring asthma in previously diagnosed patients is fairly cost effective and non-invasive. There are not any ethical conflicts in our proposed tertiary prevention program for asthma due to its necessary and non-invasive nature. Asthma is most commonly tracked with the use of lung function tests such as peak flow and spirometry in order to determine the patients baseline lung function and reevaluate the effectiveness of their prescribed treatments. According to Alliance Tech Medical, the typical cost of a peak flow meter for CPT code A4614 is $21.95 (2018). The cost may amount to even less depending on insurance coverage. Once a patient pays for a peak flow meter, they are able to reuse this device to evaluate their lung function at home and school. The use of this device outside of the medical office can help the patient determine whether or not their asthma is well controlled and help the patient decide if they need to make additional appointments to follow up. Spirometry is also another non-invasive procedure that has the ability to diagnose asthma and determine the effectiveness of asthma medications, particularly inhaled corticosteroids, with repeat tests. Alliance Tech Medical also suggests that this is an affordable test with a cost of $35 for CPT code 94010 and $65 for CPT code 94060 (2018). Compared to the cost of most tests in health care, these tests are fairly affordable and essential for managing asthma treatment. The Asthma Action Plan forms from the American Lung Association can be downloaded for free to be filled out by a healthcare provider. Most common diagnostic methods and repeat follow ups are covered by insurance due to the high prevalence of this disease. The cost of purchasing a peak flow meter, asthma medications, and follow up appointments can add up, but they are necessary to prevent life threatening asthma attacks. Overall, the benefits of appropriately maintaining control of the patients condition outweigh the cost of the associated medical fees. Conclusion Asthma is a serious and life-threatening disease that affects the population on a global scale. In 2016, the prevalence of asthma in children under 18 years old was 8.3% (Sawicki Haver, 2018). Asthma is prevalent in highly developed countries and accounts for hundreds of emergency department visits, hospital admissions and missed school days (Sawicki Haver, 2018). Parents diagnosed with asthma have a high chance of producing children with asthma, suggesting a genetic correlation (Thomsen, 2015). Some of the known genetic markers include ADAM33, ORMDL3, and HLA-DQ (Thomsen, 2015). Environmental factors and lifestyle choices also play a role in the development of asthma. Air pollutants, smoking, diet, antibiotic use and exposure to allergens have been shown exacerbate or trigger the development of asthma (Patel et al., 2012). Early life exposure to environmental toxins, low socioeconomic status, and childhood obesity put children at greater risk for becoming asthmatic (Kravitz-Wirtz et al., 2018; Asthma Risk Factors 2018). We chose to implement a tertiary prevention program using the Asthma Action Plan, an existing screening tool developed by the American Lung Association (2018). The Asthma Action Plan includes three zones (green, yellow, red) that correlate with the level to which the patients asthma is currently controlled (American Lung Association, 2018). Our goal is to increase education and use of the Asthma Action Plan in primary care clinics. We also would require all public-school children diagnosed with asthma to have a clinic visit before the start of the school year, where they can fill out their Asthma Action Plan and receive extra medications and supplies. Our goal is to prevent severe asthma attacks and the costs associated with them. We identified that there are several major benefits of implementing this tertiary prevention program, including reduction of emergency department visits and hospital admissions, reduction of missed school days and earlier detection of asthma exacerbations. We did not identify any ethical dilemmas associated with this intervention. Asthma continues to be an ongoing problem in our country. It is imperative to control asthma at an early age to prevent complications. Implementation of the Asthma Action Plan could be extremely beneficial to help patients and parents manage asthma at home. Proper asthma management will reduce hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and the nationwide cost associated with asthma.

Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - 955 Words

Symbolism is a literary technique used in the classic medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that is used to form a more captivating story and construct a deeper meaning to the plot. The color green certainly is a prominent color in the poem, especially with the Green Knight, who is literally green from head to toe. The Green Knight makes quite the entrance on his horse as he rides into Camelot disrupting King Arthur and his knight’s New Year’s Feast. The Green Knight has come to find out if the Knights of the Round Table are as loyal and honest as he has heard. The importance of the knight’s unusual color is obscure at first, but the significance of the color unravels the true meaning behind the peculiar knight. When Gawain accepts the Green Knight’s challenge, he begins a metaphorical journey that incorporates the traits that the color green symbolizes: ambition, growth and harmony. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge from the Green Knight when no ot her knight would step up. King Arthur originally offers to face the knight but Sir Gawain objects and says his life is much less significant than the king’s, therefore, Sir Gawain will risk his life. Even though Sir Gawain admits he may be the weakest knight, it is apparent that he is now seen as the bravest knight by taking the place of the king (Raffel 354-357). Sir Gawain certainly has a reputation to uphold and he takes this opportunity to show himself worthy of King Arthur’s knight. He appears to be fearless andShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay2387 Words   |  10 Pagesthe fourteenth century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem opens with allusions to Greek and Roman history and eventually sets the story on Christmas in Camelot with King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew and a knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, faces trials and temptations that one would typically expect from a knight of the round table. 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International Policing free essay sample

What is the usefulness of the Structure-Agency Debate in the understanding and policing of global terrorist threat? Use concrete examples to develop your discussion.The main purpose of this essay is to discuss the usefulness of the Structure-Agency debate in the understanding and policing of the global terrorist threat. Concrete examples would also be used to develop the discussion. The essay will start by defining the key terms as used in the question. Secondly it will discuss the usefulness of the Structure-Agency debate in the understanding and policing of global terrorist threat using concrete examples. A conclusion would then be drawn from the aforementioned points.DEFINITION OF KEY TERMSAccording to Huystteen (2003) structure is a multifaceted framework which makes up society including all institutions, groups, etc where human beings interrelate and engage with each other. Agency on the other hand is defined as the ability of individuals to make autonomous decisions as well as their ability to put these actions and plans into motion (Huystteen, 2003). Some sociological theorists believe that social structure and agency complement each other in such a way that social structure influences actions of individuals and individuals can similarly influence social structure with their activities (Stones, 2009). Structure-Agency debate as such is defined as the debate between social factors and individuals and how these social factors influence individuals decision making and to the extent it does (Giddens, 1984). The Structure-Agency debate asks the question whether individuals are free to act as they please or if their actions and plans are shaped and governed by the social structures in place. Some structuralists as such argue that individuals determine their attitudes and actions while others argue that structure and agency are jointly dependent rather than opposed (McLennan, 1984). This is where the debate arises.Terrorism is defined in the Global Terrorism Database as the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by non state actors, in order to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation (LaFree, 2012). Global terrorist threat as such means the threatened or actual use of violence or force by individuals or groups direct ed towards the government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, intended to instil fear as well as coercing other to change views (Lafree, 2012).THE USEFULNESS OF STRUCTURE-AGENCY DEBATE IN UNDERSTANDING AND POLICING GLOBAL TERRORIST THREATThe agency approach of structure-Agency debate expresses that individuals actions or deeds can be clasped not classes and as such structural forces are not seen as real. This then entails that the different classes that exist in the society cannot be looked at to explain the behaviour of individuals. Giddens (1984) proposes that an actor is an embodied unit that carries causal powers and as such may choose to interfere or not interfere in ongoing sequence of events in the world thus tying the agency approach to power. This then suggests that individuals make rational and independent decisions whether to take part in terrorism activities or not. These individuals have the ability to resist or agree to intervene in the terrorist threats across the globe (Bryant, 1992).This point from the agency approach is useful in the understanding of global terrorist threat because it addresses why some people engage in terrorism and why others do not. A person or an individual according to this agency approach can choose to act otherwise as opposed to engaging in terrorism. This essentially means we are able to understand why certain individual may choose not to j oin or assist the terrorist groups and why others will choose to assist and or join terrorist groups to perform acts of terror across the world (Thiel, 2009). This is because the agency approach proposes that individual makes rational decisions to execute their actions and plans.The idea that people choose to engage in terrorism and not to can also be useful in policing terrorism because it may depict the kind of punishments to be afforded to those individuals who intentionally indulge in global terrorist threat and those who are coerced into participation (Smith, 2011). For example, those individuals who choose out of their own free will to commit acts of terror such as lone wolfs terrorists can be given harsher and strict punishments as opposed to those who are forced to partake in the terrorism. This is vital because other individuals choose to commit terrorism at their own expense while others are coerced into it. They do not voluntarily agree to engage in such activities hence there is a need to ensure stricter sanctions to those who force others to participate in order to do away with the root cause of terrorism (Smith, 2011). Addit ionally this point may also be useful in policing terrorism as policing agencies can also look at the root causes i.e. unemployment issues, frustration issues, religious issues, etc that make individuals susceptible to the influence of terrorist groups and find ways that can best address those problems to avoid those individuals from being influenced into terrorism (LaFree, 2012). By addressing these root problems of individuals, the terrorist groups will not have many recruiters to enlist into their groups hence this will help reduce terrorist threat magnitude.Additionally the agency approach entails that an individual should be seen as a voluntarist to human action. Thus, by looking at an individual, what they reflect and what they tell us we can be able to analyze them (Emirbayer, 1998). Individuals as such are able to account for their actions and be aware of the reasons for their actions and the implications that their actions create. This notion of the structure agency debate is useful in understanding lone-wolf terrorists. Lone-wolf terrorists are those individual terrorists who commit acts o f terror on their own. According to Thiel (2009) lone-wolf terrorists tend to feel isolated from the rest of the society and are the most deadly group of terrorist. They usually carry terrorist activities against governments and as such government structures are usually targeted since they enacted policies or initiatives that caused the lone wolf terrorists to feel marginalised and not feel as belonging to the society (Burleigh, 2008). These terrorists are aware of their violent activities and the implications of these actions but because they feel inferior they feel they must do something about their marginalization to effect change.Moreover, terrorists tend to account for their actions by stating that the violence employed during terrorism or terrorist threat activities is essential for the achievement of social change. Terrorists as such like to use moral claims to legitimise their violent activities and attract support for their foundation from various members and institutions (Burleigh, 2008). For ex ample, terrorists like to use the idea that the violence they use for their terror activities is vital to effect change to that which they are attesting to.This information can be used in policing global terrorist threat as the law enforcement agencies will know why these terrorist groups use force and the extent of the force used that is necessary to effect change. This information about individuals accounting for their actions will help to come with the policing strategies that can best address those moral claims more especially by state-counter terrorism and the policing agencies employed to police terrorist groups (Richardson, 2006). For example, the United Kingdom have implemented the use of targeting hardening activities such as stop and searches and screening practices to individuals suspected to be terrorists or in possession of materials that may be used in terrorist activities such as ammunition, etc. Additionally, Sageman (2004) the surveillance and intelligence mining operations have also been utilized to monitor, capture and subvert potential terrorists hence fighting against global terrorist threats.The structuralist approach of the structure agency debate tends to focus on social structures in place that influences individuals behavior. This approach recognizes that there are explicit conditions that are prevalent in the society which produces and encourages human actions and behavior (Radcliffe-Brown, 1940). This approach shifts the ultimate reality from the human actor and instead focuses on the situated human actor. Thus, individuals in this approach are not believed to be acting on their own free will but instead as a result of the inequalities that restrict their agency and the constraints and structures in which they exist (Lopez, 2000). Structure present the social world as a world with norms, rules and beliefs pertaining to age ,gender, class and ones cultural identity and as such the inequalities that exist in this social structure restrict individuals action in terms of nationality, geographical location and class. Thus, according to Barnes (2001) individual behaviour in this approach is explained as a product of structural factors.This is useful in the understanding of global terrorist threat since in such a way that through this approach we explain the action of terrorism through the structure or the context in which it takes place. Thus terrorism should be understood as violent activities that are carried out to demand an action or a response from the government regarding a certain issue that the terrorist groups are aiming to achieve (Rosenfeld, 2004). Consequently terrorism in this essence takes place in this context to demand an effect or a change from the governments and as such governments after terroris t attacks should be seen doing something to address the motive for the terrorist threat or attack. Terrorist attacks and terrorist threats should as such provoke fear among those subjected to it and provoke action as a result (Sageman, 2004).Terrorist groups are unique organizations with unique motives advocating for different change. Terrorists as such are divided into different typologies based on their motivation. Some terrorists group are rationally motivated in that they consider their goals and possible consequences of their actions (Rosenfeld, 2004). Some are psychologically motivated and as such they feel inadequate hence seek revenge. Some are culturally motivated in such a way that they fear damage to their way of life. They are mostly often associated with religion. Thus terrorism takes place in this case because individuals or the terrorists feel restricted by the structures in place. The terrorist threats according to Richardson (2006) as such are directed to governments and or structures or segments that came up with the objectives that go against the terrorist population and or the population at large (that which they effecting change for). The actions of terror therefore respond to the structures of dissatisfaction in which individuals have been situated.This is useful in policing global terrorist threats as it explains why individuals first and foremost engage in terrorist. By understanding why terrorism occurs, what causes it, what perpetuates it, law enforcement agencies are able to come up with better strategies and purposeful strategies that can help address the problem at hand (LaFree, 2012). For example, the United Kingdom instead of using counter-terrorist policing techniques such as target hardening, surveillance, and intelligence-mining operations to police terrorist threats should also look at the structuralist approach of structure agency debate and what it says. They should not focus too much on policing terrorist groups and their behaviours but should also look at how the structures in place in the social structure influences individual actions so as to better control global terrorist threat (Hay, 1995). Countries should understand that people engage in terrorist attacks to respond to the structures in place that are constricting their goals; making them feel like they are not part of the society and those that threaten their way of life and as such the policing strategies in place should not only be directed to the individual terrorist groups behavior and actions but also be focused on the structures that exists in the society that produce and perpetuates terrorism and terror related activities. This however does not essentially mean individuals do not act without reasons but the reasons are taken in response to structures individuals have been situated in (Aston, 2012). As a result the structure agency debate proposes that the policing initiatives directed at policing global terrorist threat should be focused on tackling the social structures in place that create dissatisfaction among individuals leading to terrorism. Policy frameworks and government initiatives that are implemented in various social structures in the society should not negatively impact anyone or go against other peoples goals, way of life and make others feel like they are not part of the society so as to help reduce the use of force by aggrieved individuals in the society to instil and effect change towards those ideologies.Wrapping up, structure agency debate is useful in the understanding and policing of global terrorist threat as it allows us to acknowledge the influence of structures and agents in the global terrorist world. It is an important way of considering and analysing issues as they relate to global terrorism. The governments, civilians or any segment of the society that proposes ideas that impacts other groups negatively in the society are actors who make key decisions that lead to the violent activities that terrorists carry out. The structure agency debate is in so far useful in understanding and policing terrorism as it provides a framework within which to explain social change, thus in the case the existence of terrorism, why it occurs and how to address it. It suggests that individuals through agency can act as they please and also that social structures in place can shape and govern individuals behaviours hence influencing them to act in a certain way. And as such, the structure agency debate is useful in understanding and policing global terrorist threat as it explains why individuals act the way they do i.e. engage in terrorist activities and how the structures influence them. Furthermore, this helps in policing terrorism as governments know who they should hold responsible in various situations and who to police; whether terrorists or institutions/social structures influence individuals behaviours and actions to carry out terrorist threats depending on the causal factors of terrorism.

The Country of Spain free essay sample

The fascinating and beautiful country of Spain is one of the largest countries in Europe. The history that Spain has had has left great stories to tell and remarkable landmarks to visit. Spain is located in the south west corner of Europe, with its neighboring countries, Portugal and France. It has a population of forty million plus people, but almost one-third of the nation’s population is foreigners that reside in its territory. One of the most important facts about Spain is that its economy is one of the largest in the world. Spain is currently in a recession, with low employment rates and poverty. Sports and games are a very important and popular pastime of Spain. The Spaniards have traditional and regional games, which include soccer and the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Soccer is the most popular sport in Spain. La Liga (The Spanish League) is known to be one of the world’s best competitions. Spain’s world famous teams like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have dominated this competition in the past and continue to do so. Spain’s National Soccer Team has qualified for the Fifa World Cup tournament thirteen times since 1930. In 2010 Spain won the Fifa World Cup for the first time, defeating Netherlands in the final. In the European Championship soccer tournament, Spain has won three times, in 1964, 2008, and 2012. Spain has won two medals in the soccer Olympic games tournaments. Spain is currently ranked number one in the world for soccer. Although Spain is world renowned for its capabilities in soccer, they also have great achievements in others sports like tennis, basketball, cycling and motor sports. Spain has produced a number of tennis champions. For example, Rafael Nadal, considered to be the best Spanish tennis player of all time. Rafael Nadal has won 11 Grand Slam trophies, seven French Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, one US open title and one Australian open title. The Spanish ACB is one of the major European basketball leagues. A number of Spanish players, like Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol are currently playing in the world famous NBA. Cycling has been an important sport in Spain since the 1940s. The Tour of Spain is one of the most important ycling events in the world, along with the Tour of France and the Tour of Italy. Several Spanish cycling athletes have won the world famous cycling event, the Tour of France. The regional pastime of the running of the bulls in Pamplona is an exciting tradition that involves a group of bulls that are lets loose in the streets of Pamplona. The main purpose of the run is to transport the bulls from the corrals into the bullrings, where th ey will be killed. This run takes place for seven days in San Fermin, Pamplona in Spain. It started in the 14th century. Today the running of the bulls attracts many tourists from around the world that like to participate. Many participate by joining the bulls, and running along side of them. This is very dangerous, many are injured and some are even killed. Others participate by dressing the part and cheering. Runners wear the traditional outfit of a white shirt and pants. Some have a red scarf or handkerchief, some wear red belts. Runners also have with them a newspaper to draw attention away from the bulls just in case. The food and eating habits of Spain are unlike any other country in the world. Spain has the longest working week in Europe, which calls for very long working days. The Spaniards call for eating well throughout the day. The eating hours in Spain are loosely defined and restaurants are open later hours. Unlike in America where it is considered that breakfast should be the most important and filling meal of the day, Spaniards have a quick breakfast. It will usually consist of a glass of orange juice or coffee, accompanied by a pastry, for example a croissant or the very delicious churro. Most Spaniards have their breakfast out at a cafe or bar, it is unusual for them to have it in there own home. At around 11am a Spaniard has a â€Å"merienda†, which is Spanish for a snack. Almost usually it is a â€Å"bacadillo†, which is Spanish for sandwich. This sandwich can be filled with anything from tuna fish, to cured ham, cheese or meat. This merienda means that lunch is a couple hours away, even though midday is near. In Spain, lunch is a big deal. At times it can last well over an hour. Depending on what region of Spain, and the time of year, lunch comes with a â€Å"siesta†, which is Spanish for nap. Because of the daily siesta, many shops and establishments close for a couple of hours. Lunch is a great time to go out to eat at restaurants. All Spanish restaurants are required by law to have a â€Å"menu del dia†, a 3 course menu that has a fixed price, it is economical compared to the actual menu. The â€Å"menu del dia† usually consists of two or three starters and mains courses to choose from. There are options for dessert; usually it is something simple like yogurt or fruit. The working day ends late, usually at around 8pm. Many Spaniards stop at a bar to socialize with friends before heading home. When at the bar, â€Å"tapas†, a free snack is given to patrons with their drinks. The evening meal can start as late as 9 or 10 pm. The most famous dish from Spain is La Paella; a rice dish with seafood, Jamon Serrano; Spanish ham, Gazpacho; a cold tomato soup, and Tortilla; an egg and potato omelet. Spain is a country that is very interesting. Its beauty, culture, and cuisine make it very appealing and enticing.

Carbon dioxide free essay sample

The current downturn of the business and the rapidly rising prices of gas and electricity are focusing the company to find ewe ways of reducing and minimizing energy costs and the effect of price increase towards its operations. Introduction Fuel and Energy efficiency are a type of thermal efficacy. This means that the efficiency of processes that convert the potential off chemical energy in fuel carrier to work or kinetic energy. Energy efficiency means the use of low level of energy in the provision of the same energy service. Tumble is faced with the challenge of increased cost from the escalating gas and fuel prices.It has to find ways to minimize costs and impact of fuel prices to its operations. If endings Tumble has succeeded in improving energy efficiency. It has established the use of retro-fits that are simple and quick. The company has also adopted the use of low-energy bulbs and dimming lighting of hallways at day time. We will write a custom essay sample on Carbon dioxide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The low-costs policies of the company in turning down electricity and maintaining cleanliness have resulted to major savings. As an office building, the energy consumption rate is as follows 25% heating, 27% cooling, 18% lighting, 30% office equipment, 8% ventilation and 1 % cooking.Despite of the improved energy efficiency strategies that Tumble software has used, there is still need o generate ways of dealing with the increasing costs of fuel and gas prices and how these escalating cost impact on the companys processes Conclusion The soaring prices of gas and fuel are likely to make Tumble software to face serious business operations problem. This rising costs of gas prices are also likely to pass the prices to its customers, and this will make the businesses lose its customers, sacrifice profit margins or absorb costs. The price of gasoline determines the impact of gas prices.It is essential for Tumble software to determine the factors that lead to high level of power institution. This can be done through increasing awareness on the need to save energy among employees. This is a method that involves changing employee behavior, altering process and buying efficient equipments that will cut down waste. Reduction of carbon emissions will require the company to follow strict grants and regulations to reduce its impact to the environments. Transportation is also another aspect that will require this company to train its staff members on efficient driving techniques that reduce energy spending.Recommendations The company has to generate new ways that support and encourage the involvement of staff members in energy efficiency. Tumble software needs to establish options of offsetting and reducing the emission of carbon dioxide. The company has to have feasible sources for renewable energy and other benefits. The company has to have a schedule for long term and short-term measures of saving energy. The company can also consider other measures that aim at establishing sustainable business strategy such as the management of waste, transportation and water conservation and product packaging.

Free Essays on Dark Matter

There is perhaps no current problem of greater importance to astrophysics and cosmology than that of "dark matter". The controversy, as the name implies, is centered on the notion that there may exist an enormous amount of matter in the Universe that cannot be detected from the light that it emits. The evidence of dark matter is from the motions of astronomical objects, specifically stellar, galactic, and galaxy cluster/super cluster observations. The basic argument is that if we measure velocities in some region, then there has to be enough mass there for gravity to stop all the objects from flying apart. When such velocity measurements are done on large scales, it turns out that the amount of inferred mass is much more than can be explained by the luminous mass. Hence we infer that there is non-luminous matter in the Universe, i.e. there is dark matter. Dark matter has important consequences for the evolution of the Universe. According to standard cosmological theory, the Universe must conform to one of three possible types: open, flat, or closed. A parameter known as the "mass density" - that is, how much matter per unit volume is contained in the Universe - determines which of the three possibilities applies to the Universe. In the case of an open Universe, the mass density is less than unity, and the Universe is predicted to expand forever. If the Universe is closed the Universe will eventually stop its expansion and re-collapse back upon itself. For the case where the universe is exactly equal to one, the Universe is delicately balanced between the two states, and is said to be "flat". Dark matter candidates are usually split into two broad categories, with the second category being further sub-divided: baryonic and bon-baryonic. Then, under non-baryonic, hot dark matter (HDM) and cold dark matter (CDM) are its types. Depending on their respective masses and speeds, CDM candidates have relatively large mass and travel at ... Free Essays on Dark Matter Free Essays on Dark Matter There is perhaps no current problem of greater importance to astrophysics and cosmology than that of "dark matter". The controversy, as the name implies, is centered on the notion that there may exist an enormous amount of matter in the Universe that cannot be detected from the light that it emits. The evidence of dark matter is from the motions of astronomical objects, specifically stellar, galactic, and galaxy cluster/super cluster observations. The basic argument is that if we measure velocities in some region, then there has to be enough mass there for gravity to stop all the objects from flying apart. When such velocity measurements are done on large scales, it turns out that the amount of inferred mass is much more than can be explained by the luminous mass. Hence we infer that there is non-luminous matter in the Universe, i.e. there is dark matter. Dark matter has important consequences for the evolution of the Universe. According to standard cosmological theory, the Universe must conform to one of three possible types: open, flat, or closed. A parameter known as the "mass density" - that is, how much matter per unit volume is contained in the Universe - determines which of the three possibilities applies to the Universe. In the case of an open Universe, the mass density is less than unity, and the Universe is predicted to expand forever. If the Universe is closed the Universe will eventually stop its expansion and re-collapse back upon itself. For the case where the universe is exactly equal to one, the Universe is delicately balanced between the two states, and is said to be "flat". Dark matter candidates are usually split into two broad categories, with the second category being further sub-divided: baryonic and bon-baryonic. Then, under non-baryonic, hot dark matter (HDM) and cold dark matter (CDM) are its types. Depending on their respective masses and speeds, CDM candidates have relatively large mass and travel at ...

Labor Relations MGT 402 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Labor Relations MGT 402 - Essay Example cement of immigration laws would mean more deportations and make being an illegal immigrant a felony, and just because an illegal immigrant has a temporary worker pass does not mean that the worker will become an American citizen. The question is how would new immigration law effect labor relations in the U.S.? Some labor unions oppose the passing of these new immigration laws. The most prominent is the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations). The AFL-CIO is not opposed to new immigration laws, but wants only for responsible immigration laws to pass. The AFL-CIO states that any responsible immigration laws must contain the following elements: 5. Reform of immigration laws must consider the root causes of migration, and must take into account the global economic policies, as well as U.S. foreign policy that are pushing workers to migrate. (â€Å"Responsible Reform†) A prominent organization that wants the current immigration law proposal to pass is SEIU (Service Employee International Union), one union under the umbrella organization Change to Win. Change to Win not only includes SEIU, but also Laborers, Teamsters, UNITE HERE, Carpenters, United Food and Commercial Workers, and United Farm Workers. Establish an Earned Path to Citizenship for Hardworking Taxpaying Immigrants. The following list show why the SEIU is for the proposed immigration reform: Immigration reform is important to American workers, illegal workers working in America, and the industries employing them all. It is estimate that 5.8 million illegal workers were in the U.S. as of March 2005 (Camarota). Advocates of harsher immigration reform argue that if the millions of illegal immigrants are deported, more Americans would be employed, especially in jobs which require less education requirements. This is not exactly true. Illegal immigrant workers work along side Americans equally in lower paid jobs (Camarota). 84% of illegal immigrants do not

Classical and Modern Rhetoric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Classical and Modern Rhetoric - Essay Example Classical rhetoric can be traced back to the ancient times beginning with Homer who is thought to be the father of oratory having inspired many in the art. Athens in 510BC consisted of democratic institutions that forced citizens to engage in public service and making oratory skills necessary. This decree gave rise to the formation of an assembly of scholars called Sophists who strove to educate people in the art of speaking and make them better speakers. Protagoras one of the first sophists taught his students the method in making the weaker part of speech or discussion the stronger argument. In 5th century BC, Corax of Syracuse described rhetoric as the art of persuasion. He wrote the first book on rhetoric and is thought to be the actual originator of rhetoric as a science. Pupils of Corax such as Tisias also mastered the art of rhetoric. Others included Gorgias, Thrasymachus and Antiphon who was the first to unify the theoretical and practical aspects of rhetoric. The 4th century great orator Isocrates developed the art of rhetoric into a cultural academic work, a doctrine having practical objectives. He lectured on public speaking as a way of self improvement. He aimed to distance himself from the Sophists whom he viewed as pretending to know more than they did. He accepted oratory as an art to be learned and excelled in, but also that it relied on ones own personal inclinations and interest to progress in the field and this included persistence, practice and following role models. He opined that public speaking was of more value when the speaker talked on noble ideas and posed critical questions that made people think. This had the effect of improving the character of the speaker and audience as well as providing them food for thought. His written speeches were models for his students to emulate. He wrote no handbooks on the subject of oratory but his speeches 'Antidosis' and 'Against the Sophists' are considered to be models of oratory, influencing later orators such as Cicero and Quintilian (Corbett p.496.) Greek philosopher Plato highlighted a technical approach to rhetoric. His work titled Gorgias debated the Sophistic view that persuasion could be independent from the art of dialectic. Plato emphasised truth over persuasion and noted that audiences will not improve simply by listening to flattering and coercive statements. In Phaedrus, he explained the underlying conventions that comprised the substance of rhetorical art. He indicated the differences between true and false forms of rhetoric. He suggested that dialectic produced true form of rhetoric where logic and rational arguments with persuasive power seemed much more effective and genuine way to get the message across and sway audiences. Plato's coinage of the word 'rhetoric' was his way of criticizing the Sophists assertions about teaching virtue through persuasive oratory. Plato's student was Aristotle (384-322 BC) whose work on rhetoric continues to be a subject of study. Aristotle described the purpose of rhetoric as being rather than persuasion. It was a process of uncovering all possible means of persuasion. Greater emphasis was placed on a persuasive gathering of truth to win an argument rather than swaying audiences by rousing their emotions. Aristotle considered rhetoric as the opposite of logic or as he describes it, the antistrophe of dialectic.

International Human Resource Management - International competition Essay

International Human Resource Management - International competition - Essay Example Differential payment is not just a business tactics but a whole some strategy developed by new international human resource management for multinational corporations. Yet, the reality of pay differentials among the international staff does not normally lead to grievances among them. Multinational corporations usually stick to a number of principles of international compensation strategies in order to overcome the ill-effects of pay differentials. The present study is an effort in delineating the mechanism of pay differentials followed by multinational corporations and its effect over the employees from different national environments. The practices of multinational corporations aim to get rid of the resentments and motivational issues pertaining to pay differentials among the international staff would be examined in detail and with theoretical rigour. There is no consensus among the theorists of international compensation strategies over the question of the correct approach to the understanding of pay differentials, related grievances and appropriate compensation strategies (Scullion and Linehan, 2005). Rather than adhering dogmatically to a single approach, the paper tries to synthesise the wisdom each approach in understanding and defining the subject-issue. The paper would primarily give a clear picture of the existing practices of international compensation and multinational common and theoretically validated reactions for addressing the possible and real negative effects of pay differentials among the international staff. The issue of performance management, especially the difficulty of neutral performance appraisal would be examined with special emphasis. Moreover, the paper would be a comprehensive and introductory appraisal of a complex issue which is an important matter of debate in the present business world. Pay Differentials and Compensation Strategies of Multinational Companies International compensation as a concept encompasses the issues and concerns regarding the defining aspects of international compensation, the determining factors of international compensation strategy, reforming compensation along with international transfer within MNCs, and disparities in international compensation (Dowling and Welch, 2004). Performance appraisal is vital in performance management as a core human resource management activity. Revealing the importance of compensation strategy in the practices of multinational companies, Fenwick defines the compensation system of an organisation as "the usual means by which employee rewards are planned and administrated" ( 2004, p. 308).Compensation strategy is increasingly becoming integral to the conduct of organisational strategy as globalisation of market became a reality with an unprecedented pace and intensity (Tayeb, 2005). It is important to not that no distant corner of the world is out of the reach of the twenty first centu ry globalised market. For Fenwick, international compensation is "the provision of monetary and non-monetary rewards, including base salary, benefits, perquisites, long- and short-term incentives, valued by employees in accordance with their relative contributions to MNC performance"( 2004, p. 308). The very structure of organisation itself has become transformed in great deal to get adapted with

Naturalism The Open Boat To Build A Fire English Literature Essay

Naturalism The Open Boat To Build A Fire English Literature Essay Naturalism is a form of literature that strives to achieve the reproduction of the human characters with the involvements of environment, heredity, instinct, chance, and also the present social conditions of the particular time in which the work was written. American literary naturalism is closely associated with literary realism, and is heavily influenced by determinism: which states that a persons behaviors are swayed by heredity and environment. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naturalism) In these short stories authors Stephen Crane and Jack London try to portray their characters accurately through their characters internal thoughts and actions influenced by the indifferent forces of nature. Instead of the characters having free reign in the short stories, the naturalist authors portray the characters action and thoughts being heavily influenced by uncontrollable environmental forces. The characters in the authors short stories struggle to survive against an inhuman and an insensitive universe. The authors strive to gain meanings within their own writings of the experience, which in return establishes authenticity of the characters human endeavor. In Stephen Cranes short story, The Open Boat, Crane writes of four mens thoughts and actions while fighting to survive against the brutal forces of the open sea. Crane reveals mans conflicts with an indifferent nature; that isnt necessarily concerned with human actions and humanity desire to live. As the moon falls, and the sun begins to beam the light of day the men began to grasp the full aspects of their situation. As the men look ashore for safety, the four crew members are prone to mistakes and confusion on thoughts of safely making it ashore. The correspondent is presented to readers as inquisitive, curious to know the reason for the situation he seems to be trapped in. The cook is seems to be almost light-hearted and sure of life. The captain is constantly struggling to find a successful plan for bringing his crew successfully ashore. The oiler is presented as the most composed, and also most skeptical of there success of reaching the safety of land. Crane develops the brotherhood of the four men crew as an opposing force against the destructive and indifferent forces of the ea surrounding them. The world around the four men battling against the seas harsh nature is dramatically and constantly referred as indifferent to their attempts at humane survival. The cook states he believes that they will be saved by people ashore, who will recognize the danger theyre in, and send a rescue party to save them. Cook, remarked the captain, there dont seem to be any signs of life about your house of refugee. No, replied the cook. Funny the dont see us!(pg.191.ln.59-60) Crane seems to be suggesting the uncertainties of life that we believe in things not realistically possible and hope for things not there. True to the naturalistic style of literature, the men almost never seem to be free of the grasp of the menacing sea around them. Recognizing that they are unlikely to be rescued the captain plans bring the boat into the shore themselves. As they come near to shore, fierce waves force all four men out of the boat.Only the oiler does not survive. Crane suggests that this life and death struggle with the ocean must demand some price. In this tale, the price to be paid for battling against nature and emerging victorious is that one man must die. Crane seems to choose the oiler as the sacrificial lamb since he is the least friendly of the crew and the closest to living as if dead when he was alive. To battle the sea a man must be willing to give his all and choose life.  Crane ends his extraordinary tale with the same compressed elegance with which it began. None of the men may have known the color of the sky as they sat in the dinghy for hours tossed on the sea, but they intimately learned the colors of the sea. the captain, the cook and the correspondent know that they have acquired new knowledge. They have survived to become interpreters of the sea, its sounds, rhythms and cruelties. The oiler has vanished but the cheerful cook was able to float ashore with a lazy grace desiring to eat another slice of the pie of life. Nature is always pushing man to his limits. When man heeds the warning signs that nature has to offer and those warnings of other men, he is most likely to conquer nature. When he ignores these warnings, nature is sure to defeat man. To build a fire is a prime example of this scenario. In the short story, To Build a Fire by Jack London, an inexperienced traveler in the Yukon travels alone with his dog, even though it is ill advised to do so. The man is strong and smart but nature humbled him during his quest to reach his friends. The mans inexperience with traveling in the cold subzero temperatures doomed him from the beginning, but his strong focus under extreme pressure and his keen sense of observation are what allows him t o survive as long as he did. The ignorance of the old-timers words of wisdom slowly haunts him and catches up with him in the end. The mans disregard for natures power is his demise during his journey.  Although the mans inexperience is his demise, he has very keen observing skills and strong focusing abilities. London writes, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and bends and timber-jams, and always he sharply noted where he placed his feet.(Pg.117.  ¶.2,ln.1)   The dog, on the other hand, although guided by his learned behavior still has its instincts. The dog follows the man throughout the ill fated journey, but after the man dies he relies on his instincts to survive the brutal forces of nature on the journey through the Yukon. Then it turned and trotted up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where there were other food providers and fire providers (129). London chose to use nature as the antagonist, a force working again st the main characters will to survive. Very similar to the use of the environment in Stephen Cranes The Open Boat. London accomplishes his personification in the story by giving the environment many humane characteristics. He had to accept the inevitable. Not only did he have to accept death, he had to acknowledge that the Old-Timer was right when warning him about traveling alone.   While the man was dying, he was angry at the dog because of its natural warmth, instincts that he had, and the survival skills that the dog used. Those were the elements that the man lacked. It was a shame that the protagonist had to suffer and die in order to find out that mans frail body cannot withstand natures harsh elements in spite of his over-confident, psychological strength.   Naturalistic writers Stephen Crane and Jack London focus on qualities of men usually associated with the heroic or adventurous, acts of violence, bodily strength, and desperate moments usually attached with acts of survival. The authors seek not only to reproduce stories of real life, but journey into the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters in their stories. The stories deal with the raw and unpleasant experiences while struggling for survival; which helps with the understanding of the intermingling in life of the controlling forces of nature and individual worth, without dehumanizing their characters. Beaver, Harold. Realism and Naturalism in Nineteenth-Century American Literature.  Modern Language Review  83.2 (1988): 423-424.  Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

M. Butterfly Essay -- Literary Analysis, David Henry Hwang

At the end of the play M. Butterfly, a jailed French diplomat turned spy named Gallimard says, "There is a vision of the Orient that I have" (Hwang 3.3.7). In that moment he is implying that there are still beautiful women, as he thought his "Butterfly" was. This is suggestive of the colonial appeal. Colonization is made possible by one society characterizing another in a way that makes it seem like a good idea. The characterization of these cultures, such as the Orient or Africa, is carried out through literature, works of art, and drama. Certainly, plays, poems, books, and stories are only a few of the ways used to convince the masses of a modern nation of the justification to colonize. If one wants to rebel against colonization, one would need to place corruption upon the colonizer so to support the liberation. This approach looks to be accepted in drama, where there are two excellent illustrations of postcolonial literature, M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, and A Tempest by Aime Cesaire. Both plays are re-worked versions of and Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly and Shakespeare's The Tempest, and retain similar characters and basic plots. Shakespeare's and Puccini's works created symbols of other cultures. Caliban is the black devil, and Cio-Cio San is the timid and beautiful "Butterfly." These symbols have become stereotypes in Western culture, and formed, the justification for colonization. To pin these works against the idea of colonization, Cesaire and Hwang must greatly alter the content. They do so, but they also mimic the styles of the original versions. A Tempest is written in modern English, and Shakespeare's songs are substituted with slave tunes. Hwang dr... .... And in imagination I will remain† (Hwang 2.2.137-138) Song ends up winning in the end by reversing the roles and possessing the power. The only actual effect of the victory is Gallimard's suicide, which seems to hurt Song. The inconclusiveness in both of these endings could be a result from the unknown quality of the postcolonial world. Colonization forces us to endure and incorporate the unknown and unwanted. What follows cannot be a simple return to native ways. Whatever society arises will be a combination of the old and the new, set free to make its own way. Our world is made up by the stories that are told. The Tempest and Madame Butterfly constructed characters that became symbols of entire cultures. These symbols are carried on in M. Butterfly and A Tempest, showing us how the underlying issues might look different, but they never really change. M. Butterfly Essay -- Literary Analysis, David Henry Hwang At the end of the play M. Butterfly, a jailed French diplomat turned spy named Gallimard says, "There is a vision of the Orient that I have" (Hwang 3.3.7). In that moment he is implying that there are still beautiful women, as he thought his "Butterfly" was. This is suggestive of the colonial appeal. Colonization is made possible by one society characterizing another in a way that makes it seem like a good idea. The characterization of these cultures, such as the Orient or Africa, is carried out through literature, works of art, and drama. Certainly, plays, poems, books, and stories are only a few of the ways used to convince the masses of a modern nation of the justification to colonize. If one wants to rebel against colonization, one would need to place corruption upon the colonizer so to support the liberation. This approach looks to be accepted in drama, where there are two excellent illustrations of postcolonial literature, M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, and A Tempest by Aime Cesaire. Both plays are re-worked versions of and Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly and Shakespeare's The Tempest, and retain similar characters and basic plots. Shakespeare's and Puccini's works created symbols of other cultures. Caliban is the black devil, and Cio-Cio San is the timid and beautiful "Butterfly." These symbols have become stereotypes in Western culture, and formed, the justification for colonization. To pin these works against the idea of colonization, Cesaire and Hwang must greatly alter the content. They do so, but they also mimic the styles of the original versions. A Tempest is written in modern English, and Shakespeare's songs are substituted with slave tunes. Hwang dr... .... And in imagination I will remain† (Hwang 2.2.137-138) Song ends up winning in the end by reversing the roles and possessing the power. The only actual effect of the victory is Gallimard's suicide, which seems to hurt Song. The inconclusiveness in both of these endings could be a result from the unknown quality of the postcolonial world. Colonization forces us to endure and incorporate the unknown and unwanted. What follows cannot be a simple return to native ways. Whatever society arises will be a combination of the old and the new, set free to make its own way. Our world is made up by the stories that are told. The Tempest and Madame Butterfly constructed characters that became symbols of entire cultures. These symbols are carried on in M. Butterfly and A Tempest, showing us how the underlying issues might look different, but they never really change.

Don’t Blame the Eater Essay

In his article â€Å"don’t blame the eater† Zinczenko blames the food industry for the obesity epidemic. Zinczenko opens his articles with a personal story about growing up eating fast food because his parents split up, his mom had to work and he had no other options. He goes on to give statistics on childhood diabetes due to obesity. Zinczenko then insists that â€Å"complicating the lack of alternatives is the lack of information about what exactly we’re consuming. over all Zinczenko is advocating changes in the fast food industry because he believes there is a direct link between obesity, monies spent on fast food advertising and the costs of health care. I agree with Zinczenko that the fast food industry needs to change by as Zinczenko put it â€Å"providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products†. However I question his claim of not blaming the eater & that the food industry is to blame for today’s rate of childhood obesity. After all I do believe as Zinczenko states â€Å"shouldn’t we know better than to eat two meals a day in fast food restaurants? † Growing up my parents divorced and, like Zinczenko, I was a latch key kid. Everyday my parents made sure my brother and I had lunch for school and dinner that night. As a parent today I understand the pressure of taking care of things, kids, school, work, extracurricular activities, laundry, making dinner and then trying to squeeze in quality time with the family and possibly a social life. With all that going on we always have a choice. I make my family and what they eat a priority, so I make it a point to buy health easy snacks like fruit, yogurt, cheese sticks, and granola bars. Don’t get me wrong we buy and eat cookies, and on a Friday night dinner is takeout. But the rest of the week I make it a priority to cook and eat at home. This means planning ahead, it may mean I cook in advance during a really busy week, we will have leftovers once a week and the crockpot at times is my best friend. I do it because the health of my family is important to me and I choose not to feed them fast foods. Over all I believe it is the responsibility of the individual and the parents of children to make the right choices and to educate themselves and their children about making the right choices and typo educate themselves and their children about healthy eating habits. Hopefully with education and the help of government regulations we can help guide people into making better choices and help fight disease due to obesity, after all as Zinczenko said â€Å"the problem isn’t just there’s – it’s all of ours. â€Å"

Welcome to The City of God Rethinking the Movie Experience

Welcome to The City of God Rethinking the Movie Experience Whenever there is a major feature film interpretation of a painfully topical issue, the audience takes the on-coming film with a grain of salt, which is quite understandable – there is practically no way in which the movie director can handle the complex issue; as a matter of fact, a movie adaptation is often not about how good the directors’ interpretation is, but how much the movie twists the original idea.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Welcome to The City of God: Rethinking the Movie Experience specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, much to the audience’s surprise, The City of God turned out not as much palatable as the source material, i.e., the numerous criminal reports on the Rio de Janeiro suburbs, but also quite unique and different from the original in its own way. With the help of elaborate planning and the use of various technical approaches, as well as the casting choices and oth er essential elements that make a bulk of a good movie, The City of God manages to convey a number of messages concerning essential social issues in the Latin countries, as well as stet the existing problems within a typical Latin society. The first and the foremost planning element to speak about are the actors. The cast defines the movie, shaping it and giving it additional shades. In the given case, the cast was truly brilliant. Taking into account that the movie was shot as a crime drama, it was crucial to pick the cast who would not overact yet add drama to the movie, and Alexandre Rodriguez handled this task perfectly well. He obviously knows what to say and when to: â€Å"The sun is for everyone, the beach is for those who deserve it† (The City of God), yet he does not have the answer to every question, which makes him a believable character. The rest of the cast leaves rather vague impression, yet there is also nothing terrible about their performance. Like any crime movie, this one is packed with all sorts of stunts and smooth movements. However, the tricks in The City of God concern not the artists, but the movie itself, or, to be more exact, the way in which different eras are switched. The transition between the epochs is rather smooth, which is achieved with the help of rather unusual means. For instance, I one of the transitions, the gap between the two epochs is marked near a car passing by (The City of God). In addition, it is still questionable whether the level of the stunt performers matches the existing standards. The given edits make one think of the gaps between different social groups, which are as hard to cross as the time boundaries. Speaking of the way in which the movie floats between two time periods, the visuals of the two worlds are quite stunning, too. Meirelles managed to capture the striking reality of both eras in a bottle. The Rio de Janeiro suburbs are your typical Rio de Janeiro suburbs, the way an average stranger w ould think of them, yet the stylization of the background does not stretch to the point where an average Rio de Janeiro dweller will consider it offensive.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In regard to the settings, the color cast of the movie is to be mentioned as well. It is rather peculiar that the color balance is shifted in the movie in such a way so that every single detail in it looks extremely sharp. The given shift is especially obvious in the scene where one of the kids during the conversation asks another one, â€Å"Shall I shoot you in the hand or in the foot?† (The City of God). Adding much to the atmosphere in general, the sharpness of the colors allows to stress the tension within the society and the anger that has been brewing there for the last few decades. The sound effects and the sounds in the background are not to be forgotten, either. It is e ssential that the movie uses the traditional Latin American music for the background in most of the scenes; adding the unforgettable genuine effect, it helps create the atmosphere and allows to plunge into the Latin world completely. Finally, the story comes as the most important element of the movie planning. Helping to reveal even more ideas which the director and the author of the book wanted to convey, the plot must be on par with the visuals, i.e., the most important detail of the entire movie. It is quite impressive that the reference to the book by St. Augustine of Hippo is there in the movie, which makes the latter all the stronger. On the other hand, the comparison of the modern movie about the gangs of Rio de Janeiro to the book written centuries ago with a completely different idea in mind and for completely different purposes might seem inappropriate, there is still a common thread in the two. Both convey the idea of justice as it should be. The only difference is that A ugustine’s work conveys the message of ideal state showing what the perfect order must look like (St. Augustine), while The City of God, the movie states its moral grounds by showing the audience the lowest of the low. Hence, the idea of what the City of God must not be, is shaped. Indeed, the negative imagery can be as impressive as the positive one; sometimes, the effect of the former can be even stronger, since it does not possess the loathsome taste of moralizing. Moreover, when referring to Augustine’s work, it is necessary to keep in mind that Meirelles did not go with taking all the ideas from the book by Augustine – on the contrary, Meirelles created a modern story only slightly seasoned with the moral concerns which have been voiced in St. Augustine’s book. Hence, Meirelles managed to locate the movie in the present-day reality and add a couple of modern features to it, keeping the key characteristics of the genre intact.Advertising We wi ll write a custom essay sample on Welcome to The City of God: Rethinking the Movie Experience specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hence, it is obvious that the specifics of the movie planning, especially the ones concerning the visual elements, contribute to the effect that the movie makes considerably. With the help of a careful, well-developed planning, the movie conveys such social issues as the reasons for high criminal rates in Rio de Janeiro, as well as explains the specifics of the city development, touching upon its history. Therefore, the background for a number of current social issues which are extremely topical for the present-day Brazil is being set as the plot of the movie unwraps. Unmasking the social and political flaws of the existing system, the movie sets a number of moral dilemmas for the audience, leaving the latter to guess whether the leading characters have chosen the right track. The City of God. Ex. Prod. Fernando Mei relles. New York City, NY: Miramax Films. 2003. DVD. St. Augustine. The City of God. Edinburgh: TT Clark, 1871. Print.

Alcoholism Example

Alcoholism Example Alcoholism – Term Paper Example Your full full May 02, Alcoholism Alcoholism or Alcohol Dependence Syndrome is a type of chronic disease which is associated with excessive use of alcohol. â€Å"Alcoholism, also called alcohol dependence or alcohol addiction, is a destructive pattern of alcohol use that includes tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance† (Dryden-Edwards). Some of the main elements of alcoholism include craving, physical dependence, tolerance, and loss of control. According to Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley, a person suffering from this disease loses self-control at times, as well as creates various psychological problems for himself/herself. Some key symptoms of alcoholism include shakiness, sweating, neglecting home and job responsibilities, and uncontrollable need for alcohol. Researchers have proved alcoholism to be the major cause of violence and increase in the number of car accidents all over the world. A number of factors make people consume alcohol. Some of those factors include into xication, social influence, mental relaxation, nice taste, and decrease in depression and boredom. The level of intoxication associated with alcohol and the relaxation that people get through alcohol are two of the major factors that make people alcohol addict.Although stopping alcohol addicts from taking alcohol is difficult, but there exist some treatment methods that can be used to make people come back to normal life by leaving alcohol. Some of those methods include relapse prevention, individualized drug counseling, cognitive-therapy techniques, motivational enhancement therapy, and use of stimulus control and urge control techniques. The outcome of these treatment methods is positive most of the times as alcohol addicts start changing their life patterns by stopping or reducing the use of alcohol and alcoholic products.Butcher, James, Susan Mineka, and Jill Hooley. Abnormal Psychology. 14th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2009.Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. â€Å"Alcohol Abuse and Alcoh olism.† Medicinenet.com, n.d. Web. 02 May 2012.

The iliad and the odyssey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The iliad and the odyssey - Essay Example Composed in the dactylic hexameter poetic style, this too is a lengthy poem, stretching to 12,110 lines. The plot of Odyssey is centered on Greek war hero Odysseus and his beautiful wife Penelope. Although both these masterpieces of Western literature were written in pre-Christian times when the written tradition was still in its infancy, they still remain relevant today. Events such as war, love, betrayal, bravery, etc are universal human experiences than span centuries and continents. While some of the specific details of the two epic poems might be irrelevant in contemporary times, their essence remains highly relevant. What it shows is that Western civilization has not changed drastically since the beginning of recorded history; and that societies continue to be disturbed by greed, war, lust, betrayal, etc. In other words, some of the vices and failings displayed by characters in the two poems are still afflicting humanity today. In this respect, a careful study of the interpersonal, social and political aspects of the two epic poems can lead us to insights into human nature. Apart from this practical utility of the two great epics, the literary techniques employed by Hom er in composing the works are very instructive for current generation of writers. For example, the non-linear plot structure employed by Homer is a highly sophisticated narrative structure, which finds application in plays, motion pictures and novels of

PRSP as an Indicator of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PRSP as an Indicator of Change - Essay Example The PRSP approach has five principles--country driven, results-oriented, comprehensive, partnership-oriented, and long-term perspectives. The intention of these papers was to give developing countries the opportunity to become involved in their own poverty reduction strategies. As of 2002, an overview of the papers indicated that more monitoring was needed for the studies. Instead of being nationally derived, content across countries showed little variation, with external advice from outside sources and, in this respect, was not very different from the previous SAPs. The report called for more engagement between government and civil society. In addition, it was noted that countries were concerned primarily with stabilisation and only secondary with growth ("Overview"). Critics note that the similarities between SAPs and PRSPs show that the banks, and the countries that fund them, are still overly involved in the policy making process. It is difficult to determine the success or failure of PRSP as an instrument of significant change within the International Financial Institutions without exploring the various areas covered by PRSP as well as defining poverty as it affects the world. The Eldis Poverty Resource Guide supports analyses of poverty and related implications of social and economic policies within Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where large pockets of poverty exist. The focus of this essay will be on these three areas plus Eastern Europe to determine whether any significant change has been noted in the fight against poverty. Some areas explored by Eldis are urban poverty, rural poverty, human resources and education, as well as second generational poverty. Poverty, however, cannot be measured primarily in income or expenditure terms. It has multiple dimensions and different levels, as follows ("World Bank"): Monetary poverty - The World Bank regularly estimates poverty based on the $1 a day poverty line, converted to local currency at latest exchange rates. Income and consumption are examples of monetary indicators of poverty. Illiteracy - Lack of education as a precursor to poverty is one of the dimensions to be considered in a study of poverty. Skilled workers are more apt to be hired than unskilled workers, who have trouble finding secure employment. In a society more and more dependent on information technology, lack of education is very much a part of the poverty overview. Social exclusion - Those excluded from development and forced to live on the margins of society. When a country has been excluded for a long period of time, it is difficult to change attitudes which have led to that exclusion. Absolute poverty - This can be defined as the number of people living below a certain income level, based on a specific poverty line. Relative poverty - It measures the extent to which a household's financial resources fall below an average income threshold for the economy. Objective - Indicates people's access to different kinds of resources. Subjective - Indicates standard of living people actually enjoy. Each facet of poverty needs a different approach and, depending on type of poverty, each phase of financial assistance for individuals falls under different or multiple

The color purple; shades of gender discrimination Annotated Bibliography

The color purple; shades of gender discrimination - Annotated Bibliography Example t of Alice’s work appears to be due to the fact that she herself was brought up in an area where there was forceful gender and color discrimination. Alice’s work stresses indirectly or directly upon the significance of women being independent within the male oriented society. The whole idea of the work according to Bates was depending upon vulnerability, behaviors and decisions which women envisage when held or caught up during challenging situations and there is clear appreciation for the kind of women who stand up for themselves and their own betterment. Harold bloom inspects the practical tone of Alice Walkers writing and points out the negligence of romanticism from her work unlike any other female author which makes her writing style rather straight forward and to the point. Harold considers her work portraying the strength of family and blood, self esteem, and spiritual bonding. Her work shows the difference between the circumstances faced by women in that time and women of this global era. Alice’s work shows her feminist nature by sketching a woman producing divergence in her duties of being an obedient and sacrificing wife, this attitude displayed in some of her characters created a hunger among African American women to become equal to men in society. Merriam Webster provides a good definition of deviant behavior as the one which is accepted as a norm. The use of it eludes the difference between the attitudes shown towards male and female. As females being considered, something disgustingly different from the norms of the society .Even though women at that time had started to recognize the powers and potentials gifted by God to herself having no proper rights of their own they were always in an arguable position. This study focuses on the importance of arts and its impacts on the relationships among men and women. This study scrutinizes the significance of arts even affecting the literary champs to produce some resistance against the silence

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay Example for Free

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay Take a moment and imagine a family of six traveling from city to city in order to survive, their only home, a car. Suddenly as their driving along a women speeds into them crashing, and wrecking their home. They are all then taken to a hospital, where the family discovers that the mother has progressive cancer in her lymph nodes. After this discovery, the father decides to skip town leaving his wife, three young children and elderly mother homeless. Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is an exceptional novel. Endicott won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best book in Canada and the Caribbean for Good to a Fault. Why might you ask? Each character is so extraordinarily developed and so well described it feels as if you know them yourself. Their emotions, thoughts and actions are so personal that at the end of the novel Endicott has created a wonderful and realistic person. Their conflicts are so profound, that they are crippling to the characters that suffer under them. And a theme that so important that the book is named after it. Like most novels Good To A Fault has a variety characters with an array of personalities, thoughts and behaviors. What sets it aside from others, is the vivid characterization of not only the fundamental characters of the story, but even the characters that are only introduced once. The rotation of perspectives gives the novel a whole new view on each characters true personality and on the conflicts they face. As Mary Jo Murphy from the New York Times said, â€Å"it’s the quieter introspective dramas, provided by Endicott’s skillful rotation among the characters’ points of view, that hold your attention.† Each characters thoughts are described by the author in exact correspondence with their personalities. For example; Paul, who is a pastor, often indirectly makes allusions to faith. Like when he and Darwin are fixing up Claras basement Paul says, Today is a time for rejuvenation pg.153 or when he is speaking to Clara about her generosity towards the Gages he says You sacrificed yourself for others pg.329 Through this, Endicott solidifies Pauls personality, tying him to his religion. Making Paul a symbol of Christianity which brings into question the faith of many characters. Allowing the reader to experience the many sides of faith. Apart from that , appearance and reputation help to build complete characters. Take the protagonist Clara , Paul describes her as single, childless of course, took care with her appearance, fortyish, Christian, and not in good spirits for some time since her mothers death. pg.26. This information helps develop a rounded character. It isnt enough just to say that Clara is a nice person, so that is why she takes care of the Gage family. The author uses her faith, age and relationship status to give reason for her generous actions. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of Claras personality, and accordingly builds a relationship between the reader and the protagonist. Above all things what sets this book aside from any other is the conflicts. Unlike most books the conflict of this story introduces itself in the very first paragraph, â€Å"The other car came from nowhere, speeding through on the yellow, going so fast it was almost safely past when Claras car caught it.†pg. 7. Because of this you would think that there would be no rising action, no excitement and no great lesson for the protagonist to learn, but you would be wrong. This conflict originally appears as if it will have the most impact, but it does not. In fact it stems off into several other conflicts that characters struggle with individually, and as a group. For instance, Lorraines diagnosis with cancer. This leads to her husband, Clayton, struggling to find his family a safe home, which he fails to do on his own. This leaves him bitter because instead of him finding a solution through hard work, he is left to stay with the very women who put them in the situation, Clara. As he says when confronting Clara at the hospital, â€Å"Hard on you? Hard to sit and watch the results of what you did?†pg23. He decides to deal with this by leaving the family. His actions burden Clara with the care of the family he left behind. Leading to Claras guilt of driving the childrens father away and leaving the mother all alone. Ultimately she struggles with the idea that she cares for the Gage family either out of guilt or to fill the empty spaces not only in her spare rooms, but in her life. It only took Endicott one simple incident to create a million other problems throughout the novel. Each conflict faced, allows the reader to understand more about each characters role in the story. Finally molding the novel into the theme. The theme I took from this novel was ; personal satisfaction of goodwill is the only payment for charity,for if its not, the deeds bring no true meaning. However when I contacted Marina Endicott on twitter she described the theme as follows; How the debt of charity is redeemed; Love your neighbour as yourself. After Clara divorces her husband, she is left wounded by their short, detached marriage. Her parents then become ill and she must care for them. But soon they both die leaving Clara alone with all their possessions and burdens. When Clara opens up her home to the Gage family and a friends daughter, she must decide whether her actions are truly pure and for others benefit, or greedy and only being used to fill the void left by her parents and husband. So she questions herself, â€Å"I see what they need, but I am unwilling to help.†pg 25 When Clara takes in the Gage family she originally believes she is doing it to make up for the car accident she caused. As the visit becomes longer Clara grows more and more attached to the family as she brings them into her life. Caring for them soon becomes less of an obligation, and more of a desire as she grows to truly love the Gages like they were her own. She becomes so attached that she does not wish that they leave her home, and when they do she is deeply angered. â€Å"She did not want anything, except Pearce back, and Dolly, and Trevor; except the life she had left this afternoon, to run over and help Lorraine- to help her again!†pg.327 .This theme is a great topic that adds depth the novel. The whole story Clara is faced with deciding whether what she does is out of loneliness or out of good will. It is a topic that we should all consider when we decide to do something charitable. And yet another reason why I believe this is a wonderful piece of litterature. Ultimately this book incorporates everything that makes a good, memorable novel . Its realistic, likeable and relatable characters keep the reader the attached to the story. These characters face conflicts that challenge them physically and emotional but lead them to fulfilling rewards. Finally these elements are all summed up to create a concrete theme of charity versus selfishness, a topic rarely touched on in our society. These elements of the novel piece the story together as a whole and make it strong enough to last the test of time. This is a great novel.