CRITICAL ANALYSIS on THE SHAWL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRITICAL ANALYSIS on THE SHAWL - Essay Example As the story develops, the reader is compelled to ask several questions. How does Rosa tolerate the sight of her daughter in pain? Why did Rosa think that her daughter would die very soon? What is the significance of â€Å"the shawl† in the eyes of the narrator? While attempting to answer these questions, one will learn that Rosa is obsessed with her past. The description of her situation at the start of the story explains why her daughter, Magda, is suffering and why Rosa cannot be of any help to her own child. They are all captives of the concentration camp, cold, exhausted and starved. They live in â€Å"a place without pity† where even struggling to acquire the basic necessities can cause them death penalty. Being only fifteen months old, her daughter was not getting the nourishment she needed from her mother. She struggles to suck milk from her mother’s breast but gets nothing in return except the feel of the dry and cracked surface. She eventually takes ple asure in suckling on her mother’s shawl which tastes like cinnamon and almond. ... In the story, the reader finds several instances where the narrator vividly conveys the unspeakable atrocities that occurred in the concentration camp. The sights and the smells of terror are muddled up together in â€Å"the coldness of hell†: Stella, cold, cold, the coldness of hell. How they walked on the roads together, Rosa with Magda curled up between sore breasts, Magda wound up the shawl. Sometimes Stella carried Magda. But she was jealous of Magda. A thin girl of fourteen, too small, with thin breasts of her own, Stella wanted to be wrapped in a shawl, hidden away, asleep, rocked by the march, a baby, a round infant in arms. Stella’s desire for the baby’s shawl leads to Magda’s death. Ozick’s abundant use of symbolism allows the reader to envision the setting. She refers to the baby as angel throughout the novel; "smooth feathers of hair nearly as yellow as the Star sewn into Rosa's coat" and as "someone who is already a floating angel". Whe n her shawl is taken away from her by Stella, Magda suddenly begins to cry and wobbles out into the yard where she is picked up by a guard and thrown on the electrified fence to meet her death. The story reaches its climax through the flat character, Stella, who remains cold and cruel till the end because, being a child herself, she does not recognize the sentiments of the others, except satisfying her own need. Cynthia Ozick uses figurative language masterfully in her work The Shawl. She believes that such language is critical for literature understanding. The story is noteworthy because of its meticulous control over the view point. It requires great attention, as the details appear to be filtered through the

Roles in the Courtroom Essay Example for Free

Roles in the Courtroom Essay Everyone has been in or seen a courtroom. If not personally, they have definitely seen one on television. Shows like Law Order and the First 48 gives the generalization of how a criminal is caught, brought to justice and it’s done all within one hour. Then there are civil court shows like Judge Judy and Judge Mathis, where you can see what actually happens in a court of law when someone is sued. All in all, when you watch these shows you never get the full effect of the roles each person in a courtroom plays to bring a person to justice. Some roles are more important than others, but people like Bailiffs, Judges or even Jurors all share an amount of responsibility in making sure that justice is served. In any courtroom you will see a Bailiff, Prosecutor, Defense Attorney, and a Judge. The Bailiff is usually a sheriff or a high- ranking police officer. Their presence alone keeps order in the courtroom amongst the audience all the way to the judge. A Bailiff’s role is simple. They swear in witnesses and they also play the go between man with the judge and jury. They call court to order and announce when the Judge enters the room. Their role is minimal but important still in its own way. Next are the Defense Attorney and the Prosecution whose duties and responsibilities are basically the same. They must gather and present evidence to the jury to discredit or give reasonable doubt that a crime was or wasn’t committed. The Defense is there to advice his client on the right plea to take. He is also there to make sure his client understands what is going on and make sure his client gets a fair and speedy trial. Other than that their duties are the same. They both are there to discredit the other. They both participate in jury selection and establish witnesses that will benefit their case. Both are responsible for presenting their case to the Judge and Jury, but if the case never reaches a trial it’s usually due to both sides plea-bargaining. This is ultimately the Judges decision but is usually the reason why some cases don’t go to trial. The Judge has a key role in the criminal justice system. He is elected into office by his peers and is ultimately the last person to make any decision in regards to a case. Although they don’t say much a Judge has a lot of duties and responsibilities and is one of the most important people needed in a courtroom. They are there from start to finish in any case. At the preliminary hearing they are responsible for making sure the accused is aware of their rights, they enter a plea of either guilty, not guilty or no contest, and the Judge also sets the bail. During the trial they decide what evidence will be allowed. Their understanding of the law is important when keeping order and how the court proceedings will be handled. During the trial the judge makes sure the accused rights aren’t violated. The Judge also makes sure that the jury understands what a person is charged with whether it is First –degree or second-degree murder. It is the Judges responsibility to make sure the Jury knows the difference. Last but not least they have control over the sentencing. This is the most important part aside from the Jury decision on whether or not the accused is guilty. Although The Judge’s role and responsibility seems to be the most important in the court, it is the role and respon sibility of the Jury that is needed more than anything. Everyone has the right to a trial by an â€Å"impartial† jury, which means that the trial will be fair. To be fair, some believe a person must be tried amongst a group of one’s peers. This means that they are from the same community/area. Sex, race and ethnicity have no bearings in any case, as far as jury selection. Jury’s bring diversity, different perspectives and views. It is up to the Defense and the Prosecution to make sure the right people are chosen, and that they will be more in favor of their case when presented in court. This is why Juror’s must go through a jury selection. People who will be beneficial to either the Prosecutions or Defenses case are kept and those who appear to have no bearings on the case aren’t selected. Once on the Jury they are given instructions by the judge on how the case will go, what they are to listen for, and what a person is charged with. Then they listen to the case and they are to determine if the accused i s responsible for their actions by a reasonable doubt. Meaning if there is any doubt in their mind that the accused is innocent, then the doubt is placed, and either they must be convicted of a lesser crime or the case must be dismissed period. All the evidence and witnesses presented in court is done with wondering how the jury will perceive it. Their impression on the evidence has the greatest impact and is ultimately what will determine the fate of the accused in all cases. That is why it is important that the Judge gives the verdict choices to the Jury and that he makes sure that the Jury understands them when they go to deliberate. They then return and give their verdict of guilty, not guilty to the offense the accused was charged or to a lesser charge period. Anyone can see that the Jury is important in any court proceedings. Jury’s will always have a key role in the court system and their role is most important. There are many roles and responsibilities in the court system. There are bailiffs, prosecutors, defense attorneys but the most important is the jury. Their roles and responsibilities are important and are needed to ensure that the criminal court system is run appropriately. That is why there is so much put into jury selection. They are the deciding factor in determining how long a person will be spending of their life in jail.

Embodied Ideology Walpoles Expression Through Characters in Castle of

Embodied Ideology: Walpole's Expression Through Characters The description of the eighteenth century gothic as ?a confused and contradictory form, ambivalent or unsure about its own aims and implications? (Kilgour 5) is an entirely fitting one for Otranto - especially with regard to domestic and gender ideology. Valdine Clemens tells us that at the time of Otranto?s publication, ?cultural conditions [?] were highly repressive for women? (31). Women were vulnerable and defenseless, unable to exercise control in most areas of their lives. Men were allowed to control where their children went to school, where they worked, and to whom they got married ? all without any input from their mother. As well, it was much easier for a man to divorce his wife than for a woman to divorce her husband. Clemens cites Lawrence Stone to give us just such an example of the inequalities women had to suffer: [?] a Lady with numerous aristocratic connections sued for divorce from her husband, who ?had been unfaithful to her on their wedding night, had debauched all the maidservants in the house, had given his wife venereal disease, and was constantly drunk.? Her application was defeated after considerable parliamentary debate on the grounds that ?divorce by act of Parliament had traditionally been restricted to husbands, except when there were peculiarly aggravating circumstances like incest.? (34) Walpole?s novel can be seen as having a feminine bias and being subversive of these social norms. There is, however, evidence that supports a conservative ideology as well. This makes it particularly difficult to give a definitive answer to the long-debated question of whether or not Walpole was trying to be conservative or subversive of societal nor... ...ranto and subsequent revelation of authorship points to a conflicting desire to circulate and to not circulate his work at the same time. It is not improbable that Walpole was also unsure about what he wanted the implications of his novel to be. Like the incongruous and ambiguous nature of the gothic (discussed in IncongruousCorpus), Walpole himself was ?unsure about [his] own aims?, whatever his views on society were. Works Cited Clemens, Valdine. The Return of the Repressed: Gothic Horror from The Castle of Otranto to Alien. New York: SUNY P, 1999. Ellis, Kate Ferguson. The Contested Castle. Chicago: U of Illinois P, 1989. Kilgour, Maggie. The Rise of the Gothic Novel. London: Routledge, 1995. Marcie Frank. ?Horace Walpole?s Family Romances.? Modern Philology 100 (2003): 417-35. Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.

Vioxx and Merck & Co. Essay -- essays research papers

Vioxx/Merck Summary The painkiller Vioxx was introduced in 1999 by Merck & Co. It has been used by over 20 million Americans since it was put on the market. Vioxx remained on the market for approximately five years without adequate warnings about its risks. In September of 2004, Merck took Vioxx off the market after a study revealed that it doubled the risk of heart attack or stroke for patients that used it for more than 18 months. Although Merck claimed that they had no idea of these possibly lethal side effects, some internal documents imply that they had been aware of the problem for years and had not made moves to change it. Over 300 lawsuits have been filed against Merck, and it is expected that thousands more will arise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further studies were conducted on the drug, but Merck adamantly fought Vioxx findings. Even thou Merck funded and agreed with the design of the study, it publicly discredited its findings. Other reports showed that in older patients, Vioxx made no provide as much protection as it is expected to. One study links Vioxx to 88,000 to140,000 cases of heart disease. Most of this information had been kept private for quite a long time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite the obvious health risks, in February of 2005, government advisers concluded that the benefits of Vioxx outweighed the dangers and that it was the patients decision whether or not to keep using the drugs. They stated that the prescription products should ... Vioxx and Merck & Co. Essay -- essays research papers Vioxx/Merck Summary The painkiller Vioxx was introduced in 1999 by Merck & Co. It has been used by over 20 million Americans since it was put on the market. Vioxx remained on the market for approximately five years without adequate warnings about its risks. In September of 2004, Merck took Vioxx off the market after a study revealed that it doubled the risk of heart attack or stroke for patients that used it for more than 18 months. Although Merck claimed that they had no idea of these possibly lethal side effects, some internal documents imply that they had been aware of the problem for years and had not made moves to change it. Over 300 lawsuits have been filed against Merck, and it is expected that thousands more will arise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further studies were conducted on the drug, but Merck adamantly fought Vioxx findings. Even thou Merck funded and agreed with the design of the study, it publicly discredited its findings. Other reports showed that in older patients, Vioxx made no provide as much protection as it is expected to. One study links Vioxx to 88,000 to140,000 cases of heart disease. Most of this information had been kept private for quite a long time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite the obvious health risks, in February of 2005, government advisers concluded that the benefits of Vioxx outweighed the dangers and that it was the patients decision whether or not to keep using the drugs. They stated that the prescription products should ...

Sexual Stereotypes In Advertising

A stereotype is a standardized character, of appearance or lifestyle which people expect. For example most people if asked to describe a ‘Super Hero' would reply with, ‘strong, tall, brave and good looking,' but is this always the case? Therefore sexual stereotypes are about how people expect a person to look or act because of their gender. Men are thought of as successful businessmen in suits and striped shirts, which is a sign of wealth. In some cases the male is seen as the father figure in a family of four, but in both of these cases his is attractive to the opposite sex. Young boys are often cheeky and mischievous, they tend to wear blue as it is though of as a ‘boy's' colour. In the majority of cases they are portrayed as been sporty and even from this early age show a keen interest in cars. In advertising, a woman is seen as the mother of a family who does all of the housework and cooking for the other members of the family. They wear purple or pastel blue, which brings across the message that they are soft and feminine. If they are acting the housewife they are usually slim, attractive and extremely good-looking. The reason for this is that the company will try and sell the product using a ‘sex appeal' method which can be very effective. If this is the case, bright, bold colours such as red and pink are used so that the model stands out. Little girls are often portrayed as cute and gentle, so that viewers get emotional when they are watching. In most cases they are dresses in a pink dress, with a doll and their hair is styled into little curls. I have decided to use three ‘OXO' advertisements, which are advertising gravy to show how different sexes are addressed in different circumstances. In the first advertisement a women is cooking in a kitchen with a big grin on her face, this suggests that she is happy with what she is doing and feels at ‘home' with cooking. She is wearing a light purple top, the reason for this is that it helps the bright colours of the ‘OXO' logo to stand out. The young girl who is most probably the lady's daughter is helping her mother happily and brings across the message that she will one day become the mother and cook for her own family. Finally the little boy is watching his mother but not taking any part in the cooking. He has a big smile on his face, as he waits for his lunch to be made. The fact that he is not helping is significant because this is the case in most advertisements that include males and cooking. On the whole this is a stereotypical advertisement with the mother cooking the dinner and the male not taking part. The text in the advert is emboldened and bright, this is so that the logo stands out and if someone has a quick glance at the poster the logo is the image that will stay in their mind. The second advertisement is different from the first for the simple fact that this time it is the farther in the kitchen not the mother. The father has done the cooking for his two sons but he has made a mess, this shows that most people have the idea then men can not cook but women can and this is another stereotypical idea which is obviously not true at all. The two sons are looking at their father in disgust and as most likely thinking, ‘What will mum do?' The advertisement shows that even though the father does not know how to cook he still knows that ‘OXO' is the best and if a man who can not cook knows this, its obvious to a woman who can cook that ‘OXO' is the best gravy to use. There is no ‘OXO' logo on this advertisement and I think that is because it is a ‘still' from a television advertisement unlike the first which was a poster. The third and final ‘OXO' advertisement uses both male and female characters. It contains a stereotypical image of a women who has done the cooking and serving the food to the other three family members two of which are male and are sitting at the table waiting for their dinner. The father figure, in the scene is just reading his newspaper and the fact that he is doing nothing else is a stereotypical idea of a father waiting for his dinner. All of the family is smiling as they receive their dinner and this is because they are about to receive ‘OXO' gravy, which brings across the message that it is good. The way in which the advertisement uses both male and female characters in a stereotypical form is important because it sets a common family scene and people think that it also applies to their family. On the whole all three of the advertisements used both male and female characters and I think that is because the product is for both sexes but I also think that even though this is the case women are still portrayed as the cook. There are some adverts, which use only male models, and these usually advertise products such as cars, aftershave, DIY products and shaving equipment. One example of an advert, which uses just a male character, is advertising Hugo Boss Aftershave. The man in the advert is brought across as a successful businessman and we can tell this by the way he dresses. I think that the striped shirt, which he is wearing, is a sign of wealth and success. The man's hands are clean and his nails have been professionally manicured which suggests to me that he has a surplus of money. He is holding a file-fax in his hands, which would mean that he, is heading for a meeting and therefore adding to the ‘Businessman Image'. The advert contains a typical stereotype image of a man and I think that he dresses like this so that a man will buy the aftershave because he will think that it will make him rich and successful. If this is not the case and the mans wife or girlfriend is buying him a present she may buy this because her sub-conscious will tell her that her man will end up looking like the model in the advert. In the same way that men are used solely in advertisements, women are also used in order to sell products to males using sex appeal or to sell products to women through a sub-conscious method. In an advert for ‘Hot Choc Drinks' an attractive woman is dressed in red and has a slim figure and this is another example of stereotyping. The reason that the woman is dressed in red is to attract the customers' attention and the colour red is good at doing this. The attractive face and slim figure suggests to other women that if they drink ‘Hot Choc' they too will get a body like the model, which unfortunately is untrue. To a male buyer it suggests to his sub-conscious that he will be likely to encounter girls like the model. The cup in the model's hand is the same shape as her body to remind the customer of what's in store in the unlikely event that they will forget. After looking at the five different adverts I have decided that companies use different types of models and stereotype these models to grab the customers attention or to act on their sub-conscious, which will hopefully result in an increase in sales. Nowadays most advertisements are shown on television and here are two examples showing how television also uses stereotyping. The Yorkie advert has a slogan, which states, ‘Yorkie; it's not for girls.' This shows that the chocolate is so big and chunky that it is only for men. The idea of the big chunks of chocolate suggests that women are too small and weak to handle this. It may be also portraying the same message as in the ‘Hot Chocs' advertisement meaning that women are not allowed it because it will cause them to become fat and unattractive. During the adverts a women dresses as a man in order to purchase the chocolate, she wears male clothing and a fake beard as it would be extraordinary for a woman to have so much facial hair. The woman also speaks in a deep voice so that the shop owner does not realise because women are expected to talk in a soft voice and doing so would give her game away. This is an example of sexual stereotyping saying that men have facial hair and speak in deep voices, which may not always be the case. Towards the end of the advertisement the women's real identity is revealed which is another example of sexual stereotypes. The second television advertisement that I have chosen is advertising an insurance company, which is just for women. The company says the if you chance your insurance to them it could be cheaper because it is just for women. This brings across a stereotypical image that males, young and old, are dangerous drivers who push their car it its limits. This of cause is untrue and there, as just as many bad female drivers as there are bad male drivers. In the advertisement there is a women who is presenting the information and the company logo contains the colour pink, these two points are significant if the company wants to keep with the idea that women are better drivers. The reason for this is that the people who are watching the advertisement will be getting the information from another women, which they will probably value more. Pink is a stereotypical colour which as always been associated with females of every age. Both of these advertisements express stereotypical images of men and women in completely different ways, but these are just a small selection of the many ways men and women are portrayed. The roles of men and women have changed considerably over time, but in peoples sub-conscious they appear to have stayed the same and therefore have also not changed in advertising. For example most males are portrayed most successful businessmen and nowadays women go to work rather than staying at home doing the housework.

Analytical Essay Sample on the Impact of Human Activities on Natural Hazards

Analytical Essay Sample on the Impact of Human Activities on Natural Hazards Natural hazards are naturally occurring phenomena that have disastrous impact on humanity. These phenomena had been in existence even before the advent of humanity. The hazardous dimension of these natural phenomena are in the context of the impact that such a phenomenon would have on human population in the area affected by that phenomenon. In this essay, the effect that human activity has on these natural hazards would be analyzed. Some human activities may be exacerbating the factors that cause the natural hazard, like the impact of excessive and unplanned logging on floods and droughts. In certain other cases the human activities may cause subsequent or supplementary hazards to a primary hazard event, like building dams in earthquake prone zones may lead to flash floods and landslides in the event of a rupture. A hazard can be defined as an event that has the potential to cause harm. This potential may be on account of its unexpected timing of occurrence or the actual intensity of the event itself. Human societies can withstand these events within a normal scale of occurrence. However, human societies become vulnerable when these events occur unexpectedly or are of an intensity or duration that falls beyond that normal scale (O’Hare and Rivas, 2005). Natural hazards can be broadly classified under the heads of geological, hydrological, climatic and diseases. This essay would limit its scope to analyzing causal relationships, if any, of human activities on landslides, floods and drought and the secondary hazards triggered by those activities in the event of an earthquake. Of all human activities that have a direct or indirect impact on natural hazards, deforestation is by far the most significant. Deforestation is the removal or destruction of forest cover of an area. It may occur due to unscientific logging practices without regeneration and may be accompanied by subsequent conversion to non-forest usage like agriculture, pasture, urban, mining or industrial development, fallow or wetland. At a very broad level, it has been argued that deforestation is a major cause of global climatic changes. It has been predicted that removal of forest cover will lead to violent and unpredictable environmental fluctuations. At a smaller landscape, deforestation has a direct bearing upon the climatic, hydrological, edaphic and biological aspects of that area. Deforestation is associated with higher levels of soil erosion and landslides, sedimentation in river beds and changes in fluvial geomorphology (Haigh, 1984). Quite a few of these effects of deforestation have a direct bearing on the natural hazards that will be covered in this essay. One of the major functions of a forest is to maintain the humidity level in the atmosphere. Trees withdraw groundwater through their roots and transpire the excess water through their leaves. Forests return a major part of the rainfall received by them through evapotranspiration. Annual evapotranspiration in tropical moist lowland forests ranges up to 1500 mm per year, with transpiration accounting for a maximum of 1045 mm per year (Bruijnzeel, 1990). This process of evapotranspiration in the leaves of trees takes the latent heat of evaporation from the surrounding atmosphere. Thus evapotranspiration has a cooling effect on the atmosphere that aids precipitation. Deforestation denies the atmosphere of this cooling effect and is thus a contributing factor to lowering of annual rainfall in an area. Further, the effects of deforestation generally compound the severity of drought. Lack of trees translates to the lack of root fibers that hold the topsoil. In the event of a drought, the topsoil flakes and gets blown by the wind, leading to severe dust storms. This phenomenon had devastated the American Great Plains for close to a decade in 1930s. The dust bowl covered farming areas in Colorado, Kansas, north west Oklahoma, north Texas and north east New Mexico. The fertile soil of the plains was exposed due to lack of vegetation cover and actions of the plow. These farming techniques that led to severe soil erosion, coupled with prolonged periods of extremely low rainfall, led to a series of severe dust storms that ranged up to the Atlantic coast. Much of the fertile topsoil was lost in the Atlantic (Cartensen et al., 1999). Direct causal relationship between human activity and drought is yet to be conclusively established. However, there are studies available that point to a positive correlation between the two. For example, climate-modeling studies have indicated that the 20th century Sahel drought was caused by changing sea surface temperatures. These changes were due to a combination of natural variability and human induced atmospheric changes. The anthropogenic factors in this case were rise in greenhouse gas levels and aerosols (GFDL Climate Modeling Research Highlights, 2007). The effect of human activities like deforestation is rather more direct and pronounced in case of hydrological hazards like fluvial floods. Fluvial floods occur when the discharge of a river exceeds its bankfull capacity. Forests create deep, open textured soils that can hold large quantities of water. When the forest cover is removed through logging, the soil becomes compacted. More rainwater is converted to runoff or near surface flow and less proportion percolates as groundwater. Research has shown significant increase in monthly runoff following logging activities (Rahim and Harding, 1993). The runoff rainwater carries with it considerable amounts of loose soil particles. Removal of vegetation cover through excessive logging activities or overgrazing leaves the soil bare. In such a situation, the upper layer of the soils becomes susceptible to erosion by surface runoff. These suspended soil particles are deposited on the riverbeds. The effect of this type of soil erosion by surface runoff is even more pronounced when the deforestation happens in the riparian zones as well. With time, this sedimentation decreases the depth of the riverbed and, thereby, the water carrying capacity of that river. When the flow of water in the river increases due to a variety of reasons like rainfall, seasonal melting of ice etc, that river can no longer contain the flow within its channel due to reduced drainage efficiency. This excess water inundates adjoining areas causing floods. The effect of soil erosion and subsequent sedimentation of the riverbeds enhances both the occurrences of floods and the area affected by floods. The impact of deforestation driven soil erosion is particularly severe in mountainous terrain. In the western Himalayas, comparison of bedload sediments trapped from parallel streams found that the sediment loads from undisturbed forest were five-seven times smaller than from deforested areas covered by grass and scrub. Deforested areas had a much smaller depth of soil and in many places large patches of underlying bedrock had become exposed ( Haigh et al., 1998). The result of this type of soil erosion on floods is amply demonstrated in the river systems in peninsular Malaysia. Malaysia is located in the equatorial belt and receives very heavy rainfall throughout the year. Peninsular Malaysia has a dense river network. The largest of around one hundred river systems is the Pahang. The runoff along exposed hillsides on the upper courses of the rivers lead to heavy soil erosion and major silting in the lower courses. Peninsular Malaysia has a major tin mining industry and disposal of unwanted tin mining tailings in watercourses has greatly accentuated the silting process. This has majorly worsened the flood situation, both in terms of inundation area and duration of flooding. The effect is particularly severe in Perak and Selangor (Chan and Parker, 1996). The type of natural hazard that is most closely linked to human activity is the landslide. A landslide can be defined as the movement of a mass of rock, soil or debris downward a slope. These occur on steep slopes of hilly terrains that demonstrate certain inherent factors like susceptible rock structure, weak material or slope form. The preparatory factors actively produce the changes that make slopes more vulnerable to a slide, without actually causing it. Some preparatory factor may ultimately become the triggering factor and start the landslide. In some other cases, geological or climatic events like earthquakes or rainstorms initiate the movement. Human activities cause some of the more widespread preparatory factors. Removal of forest cover from mountain slopes deprives the soil of the binding force of the roots of vegetation, thereby making it more vulnerable. Removal of the toe of the slope renders the mass above, unstable. This is because the lateral buttressing support for the bulk of the slope that lies on top of the excavated area is removed. Human activities like building of roads or quarrying of minerals are responsible for this type of preparatory factor. In many cases, human settlement on the slopes alters the original surface drainage of that area, eventually rendering it hydrologically unstable. The effects of human activity in the preparatory factors of a landslide were demonstrated in the landslide at Abbotsford, South Island, New Zealand on 8th August 1979. Deforestation, quarrying and modification of surface drainage further endangered the geologically unstable slope. Heavy rainfall and leakage from city water supply pipeline finally triggered the massive landslide (Pacione, 1999). Human activity like construction of roads can have a major impact on the vulnerability of a mountain slope. For example, the Indian Central Himalayas have seen major increase in road construction activities after the war with China in 1962. Many of these roads are poorly designed and constructed. This has dramatically increased in the occurrences of landslides in the region (Ives, 2004). Human intervention on the natural drainage of a slope as a major contributing factor to a landslide is amply demonstrated in the multiple occurrences of landslides on the hill slopes of La Paz city in Bolivia. La Paz region has considerable human settlements that are on unconsolidated slopes. These slopes are frequently wetted to saturation and forced to move. Some of these factors are natural, like seasonal convective showers of high intensity, flooding of lowers slopes by the rivers and streams draining that rainfall and water seepage from fluctuating water tables of adjoining lake Titicaca basin. However, the water saturation of the slopes is exacerbated by the human settlement on the slopes. Much of such settlements are unplanned, self-help housing that have no access to public sanitation and drainage systems. Waste water from such houses are drained directly on to the slopes. These factors have led to repeated landslides in the La Paz region in the past (O’Hare and Rivas, 2005). Another type of mass movement that is seen in plain areas is subsidence. Subsidence is vertical sinking of materials. In many unplanned cities, the city has sprawled into areas not covered by municipal water distribution network and indiscriminate ground water usage through bore wells have severely depleted water tables. In some cities like Mexico and Bangkok, the drained soil has compacted, leading to subsidence. In some other regions like the Raniganj – Jharia coal belt in India, improper mining excavations and inappropriate filling of excavated tunnels have led to widespread subsidence. In certain cases, though human activity does not cause a natural hazard, it may lead to secondary hazard events subsequent to the occurrence of a primary hazard. A case in point is the building of a very high multipurpose dam at Tehri in the Himalayan region in India that may be susceptible to seismic activity. In the eventuality of an earthquake and subsequent rupture of such a high dam, a tremendous flash flood is inevitable on the lower courses of the river, accompanied by major landslides as well (Ives, 2004). Thus, it can be concluded that human activities have some impact on occurrence of natural hazards. For some hazards like landslides and subsidence, there is direct, causal relationship between human activity and hazard occurrence. In some other cases like drought and floods, unscientific and unplanned exploitation of natural resources exacerbate natural hazards. In yet other cases, human activity compounds the effect of a natural hazard by triggering other hazard events that follow.

Writing in the Electronic Age essays

Writing in the Electronic Age essays Although Lev Manovich presents several relevant issues in his essay, his work was utterly impossible to understand. After days of blank stares at incomprehensible words, I finally had a breakthrough. Could he be discussing databases in relation to our everyday lives and new media? That is exactly what he is saying, just in ten pages longer than it really had to be. In the first few dozen pages of his work, Manovich discusses narrative style. Narrative style tends to be a linear, or chronological, way of explaining an event or process. Typically this is done orally in the form of a story. Narrative style is syntagmatic, or following a natural order. The story is easy to understand and normally is arranged chronologically. For example, when someone is describing their day, they would explain the highlights in chronological order using narrative style. Another way Manovich thinks we present information is by the use of database. He defines databases as a structured collection of data. Databases can be linear or non-linear. Simply put they are files of information stored in a computer. The information is easily retrievable, but is not in chronological order. Instead it is situated using paradegmatic form, which is organization into natural categories. For example, if a database were used to organize my life story, there would be individual files for my birth, childhood, public schooling, and college. Of course more would be added as my life went on. There are few similarities between narrative and database forms. They both communicate to the reader, or viewer, with words or images and try to, as Lev Manovich states, "make meaning out of the world." Being competitors they tend to contrast each other in many aspects while fighting for dominance in the field. Narratives follow a certain order, usually linear, and have explainable reason behind that particular order. Databases have a random order, but all the individual files have so ...

Classical Music on Public Radio essays

Classical Music on Public Radio essays All of the music I listened to for this assignment came from www.allclassical.org. All classical 89.9 KBPS-FM is a Portland, Oregon area classical radio station that broadcasts music on their website as well. The first day I listened to the music was Monday, October 18 at 10:00 p.m. The name of the program was "Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin." Although the program had a host, the only time he came on the air was to introduce the one piece of music that was played during the hour. The composer of the piece was Edward Strauss Delius. The piece name was Polka Schnell, "Ohne Burmese," Opus 238. This music was longer than I had bargained for, about 1 hour and 3 minutes to be exact. This music sounded just as it was named, polka. A very fast polka beat, and it sounded as if it was meant to be a dance polka if there is such a thing! The composition of the music was very elaborate, and the music was well-played. Me not being a big fan of polka, I did not enjoy this piece all that much, although I did stick it out and listen to the entire piece. My second listening experience took place on Monday, October 25 at 5:00 pm. The program had no name, but the name of the host was John Pitman. Once again the host of the show proved to be one of the most boring men on the planet because the only time he came on the air would be to announce the name of the music. In this hour of listening, I heard a total of four pieces of music. In order, they are Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Opus 33. Mozart – Symphony No. 24 in B-Flat Major, K.182. Mendelssohn – String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major. Vivaldi – Trio for Violin, Lute, and Continuo in C-Major. In these pieces of music, all the composers were familiar to me thanks to my excellent Music Appreciation teacher, Mrs. Bradley. I enjoyed all this music completely because it was all familiar music of the past chapters we have studied in class. I beli...

Relationships between Children and Parents. Write Me Sometimes and Essay

Relationships between Children and Parents. Write Me Sometimes and Hamlet - Essay Example They bond over a shared love of food and indulge themselves with all types of food when they meet up. They enjoy debating over restaurant choices and evaluating the food they eat, even when the protagonists’ sister begins to join them for their lunch dates, â€Å"The images I have in my head of these Saturdays are blurry, happy pictures† (Ng-Chan, Year). However, the relationship between father and daughter slowly changes for the worse as the daughter ages. Throughout her college life and subsequent years, she develops as her own individual identity and thus makes choices and forms opinions of her own which do not necessarily resonate with her father. Their weekly meetings almost stop completely, and when they do meet, it is evident that they have grown apart. What makes this even worse is a lack of effort on the part of the father. Though the protagonist writes regularly to her father in an aim to keep in touch and to keep him him informed of her life, the father merely rings very occasionally and never writes back, despite the fact that he promises to do so every time they speak. When they eventually arrange to meet in person again, the father is insistent that they meet for lunch, even though the daughter has made it clear she would prefer something else. The fact that the daughter is now vegetarian and her eating habits have changed drastically seems an issue her father cannot adapt to. He constantly questions her eating habits, encourages her to eat more and insists on buying her groceries constantly despite her protests, and their conversation is stilted, â€Å"The rest of the lunch was spent in polite enquiry† (Ng-Chang, Year). The father appears to be attempting to revert back to their childhood relationship through food and refuses to acknowledge that his daughter has changed. Paragraph 2 (Hamlet) In the Shakespearean play â€Å"Hamlet†, the reader is witness to tragic story in which the protagonists parents and their actions and weaknesses, ultimately lead to his demise. To begin with, after his father King Hamlet dies, the character of the younger Hamlet is immediately disturbed by the actions of his mother. Not long after his father’s death, Queen Gertrude engages in a relationship with and marries Claud ius, Hamlets uncle. This causes Hamlet to be distrustful and avoidant of women, as he believes that his mothers disrespect toward his father’s death and overt sexuality is characteristic of all women. It is as a direct result of this that he does not declare his love for Ophelia until she dies, â€Å"By what it fed on / and yet, within a month / let me not think on’t / Frailty, thy name is woman! / A little month; or ere those shoes were old / with which she followed my poor father’s body...† (Shakespeare, trans. 1992, 1. 2. 145-148). At the beginning of the play, the ghost of Hamlets father visits him and demands that he avenge his death as he asserts that it was Claudius who killed him. This immediately puts a huge pressure and sense of foreboding on Hamlet as his father has made it Hamlets mission to murder his uncle. It is in this preoccupation with deciphering Claudius’s guilt in the death of his father, that ultimately leads to Hamlets demise . Were it not for this idea of attaining revenge, Hamlet would not have engaged in the activities which led to his death. As Hamlets stepfather, Claudius plays a very central role in the death of Hamlet. Suspicious and afraid for his life, he arranges Hamlets death, as he did Hamlets father, and it was these actions which eventually led to the death of almost all of the characters in the play. Were it not for t

Color and Light Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Color and Light - Research Paper Example On the other hand, black objects absorb all colors thereby reflecting no colors at all. This is the reason the eyes only see the black color. This is the main reason scientists consider black, not a color since it is a representation of no color. Therefore, the human eye can see the various colors due to the reflection caused by the lit objects. In other word, there would be no color if there were no light since it is through the light that objects can reflect color. Everything seems black at night due to the absence of light. Light is a term commonly used to refer to the visible spectrum. This spectrum is a range of wavelengths that form the part of electromagnetic spectrum. That visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum ranges from 380 nm to 750 nm. Each and every wavelength corresponds to a color of the spectrum. Notably, light rays contain colors. The electromagnetic light waves travel at tremendous speeds of about 186,000 miles per second. However, the different colors have different wavelengths .The longest wavelength any human eye can see is red while the shortest is violet. However, some animals such as bees and birds can see longer wavelength such as the ultraviolet light. Human eyes cannot see such light since they cannot feel the heat generated by such wavelengths. In inertia, color is carried by light, the electromagnetic waves but the color sensations are subject to many other influences that make the quantitative description complex to describe. Light wavelengths differ and therefore they result in the production of different colors (Riley, 76-100). For instance, X-rays have short wavelengths. On the contrary, these shorter wavelengths constitute vast amounts of energy. Light constitute visible light that moves in a more medium wavelength, a reason people can see the light. People tend to think of objects as containing

Carry out a critical and comparative analysis of early chidhood Essay

Carry out a critical and comparative analysis of early chidhood education and care in the united kingdom and Denmark or Sweden - Essay Example Different areas of early education will be critically analyzed, and a concluding solution will also be given. Statements supporting different early education systems will also be provided along with its limitations. Differences in curriculum, welfare, readiness for school, learning for school and construction of early education institutions will be discussed. How childhood is constructed in both these areas will be the main discussion, in which different arguments will be supported or refuted using various sources. When two years of age, a child starts developing attachment with parents or guardian. Therefore, early childhood care and education carries great importance. At the same time, the child starts learning after he is seven months of age. Thus, providing children with right blend of education and care in early ages can help mould them in well educated and nurtured individuals. UK and Sweden, both countries provide pre-school nursing and education. However, differences lie in other factors such as curriculum, structure, welfare, family care and society. Comparative analysis is made of both the countries based on various articles by BBC, national and UNESCO reports, national surveys, journals and views/comments and articles of residents of UK and Sweden. Reports and surveys by authorized and trusted sources are used as they are authentic. While articles of residents and their views are considered as they provide first hand knowledge. Where national reports have a tendency to be biased, articles by individuals are expected to show a more realistic picture. While carrying out Comparative analysis, difficulties are involved, such as authenticity, relevance and contradictions among different sources. Some case studies used are quite old and there relevance maybe questioned, however, they are used in order to support other arguments. Childcare in Sweden makes up the children belonging to the

Managing, Evaluating and Developing Human Resources Case Study

Managing, Evaluating and Developing Human Resources - Case Study Example However, owing to rising stiff competition the company has had to rethink its strategies. The senior manager, Sam Mulgrew, faced challenges integrating performance management into achieving the strategic direction of the company as his area of expertise is accountancy. Performance management came into focus as an aspect of Human Resources in the 1990s and can be said as being responsible for rating, rewarding, monitoring, developing and planning of employees in order to ensure their efficient and effective performance (Armstrong &Baron 2005). Because performance management process is a broad domain that encompasses various levels along with functions within an organization, performance management is a process that calls for managers to look into its individual components and integrate them into the strategic goals of the organization accordingly. Its individual components essentially bring out the fact that performance management is associated with improvement; this implies that one must undertake an assessment and receive feedback to identify which areas need improvement and how this improvement would occur (Grote 2005). Nonetheless, the process is much wider than merely carrying out an assessment and receiving feedback, as there are other steps including the manager tasked with performance management having an understanding of the organizational context. This means that even before the manager begins carrying out an assessment of how employees are performing and receiving feedback from managers, he must understand the organizations’ strategic objectives as well as its core values. Once the manager has grasped these contextual factors, he begins by finding out if the right employees have been brought on to the organization (Cardy &Leonard 2011). Sam Mulgrew has been tasked with lifting the performance management standards at Money4U to make it more meaningful and

Journalism and Communication - Screen cultures Essay

Journalism and Communication - Screen cultures - Essay Example Does video gaming portend any detrimental implications on those persons who are fanatics of constantly playing an assortment of diverse video games? Most researchers and writers typically address this concern with regard to reference to violent themed games (Melisa 2002). Moreover, it is overtly a pertinent prospect for the upcoming field of persuasive video games. These games encompass a diverse assortment of games that their authors design for educational, political and advocacy among other critical areas in the daily life. These video games seek to purposely influence and alter behavioural and notional perspectives of individuals who take an interest to play them (Ruth 2011). Moreover, it is critically consummate to determine the effective aspect of these games as potential vectors of persuasion on the persons who take an active role in gaming. With regard to various pertinent interrelationships of aspects such as intent, messages conveyed, player predisposition and quality of gam e among others, it is complicated to generalize regarding their implications and relative effectiveness. With use of a persuasive video game that I have designed, I intend to prospect and gauge its effectiveness as a social backing applet while isolating the various issues that put in to that (Gilles 1992). Introduction In the fresh past, in the year 2006, Gill, a 25 year old person murdered a woman and critically wounded nineteen other persons in a grave shoot out spree at a college affiliation in Montreal and eventually committed suicide. In his specific outline journal entries, he scribbled about his unconditional love and fanaticism for certain films, television shows among other constituents of popular, contemporary media and entertainment culture. However, he mentioned various video games, especially Super Columbine Massacre, that captured most of the entire media nerves to attention and raised the subject of how much mental and character influence various computer games can i mplicate on their players (Film Philosophy 2010). Moreover, this was nevertheless the initial time the matter was raised to publicity. The truth that the masterminds of the massacre game played doom and additionally modelled their own doom rankings was immensely criticised, as was the intelligence that a driver associated with a fatal motor accident had a copy of the violent street racing game, NFS, on the frontage seat of his carriage. These happenings among others resulted into various media critics and political figures arguing that by merit of their fascination, violent and realistic images and graphics with the aptitude to allow the players to practice diverse tasks and scenarios, video computer games could implicate on behaviours and attitudes. This would be for good or worse, though in the viewpoint of critics, it is typically for ill (Patrick 2011). The row that Calgary Sun correspondent Mike presented is archetypal. He questions the readers why they have to wait and witness assorted video games being evidence in several crime occurrences. He pickles the people to wake up and take an initiative to have control over such a situation which would be detrimental in society owing to the ill bizarre situations that arise when gamers take too much dose of typically murderously themed video games. Purportedly, Gill’s obvious signoff in blogs would state that life is a video game and that

Managing, Evaluating and Developing Human Resources Case Study

Managing, Evaluating and Developing Human Resources - Case Study Example However, owing to rising stiff competition the company has had to rethink its strategies. The senior manager, Sam Mulgrew, faced challenges integrating performance management into achieving the strategic direction of the company as his area of expertise is accountancy. Performance management came into focus as an aspect of Human Resources in the 1990s and can be said as being responsible for rating, rewarding, monitoring, developing and planning of employees in order to ensure their efficient and effective performance (Armstrong &Baron 2005). Because performance management process is a broad domain that encompasses various levels along with functions within an organization, performance management is a process that calls for managers to look into its individual components and integrate them into the strategic goals of the organization accordingly. Its individual components essentially bring out the fact that performance management is associated with improvement; this implies that one must undertake an assessment and receive feedback to identify which areas need improvement and how this improvement would occur (Grote 2005). Nonetheless, the process is much wider than merely carrying out an assessment and receiving feedback, as there are other steps including the manager tasked with performance management having an understanding of the organizational context. This means that even before the manager begins carrying out an assessment of how employees are performing and receiving feedback from managers, he must understand the organizations’ strategic objectives as well as its core values. Once the manager has grasped these contextual factors, he begins by finding out if the right employees have been brought on to the organization (Cardy &Leonard 2011). Sam Mulgrew has been tasked with lifting the performance management standards at Money4U to make it more meaningful and

Health care operations management roles and goals Essay

Health care operations management roles and goals - Essay Example Controlling is the function that monitors the progress towards the goals and taking the necessary corrective action, should the progress be unsatisfactory (Langabeer, 2007). Managers in health care operations thus have to play several roles. These roles can be classified as the informational roles, the decisional roles, and the interpersonal roles. The informational role consists of collecting, monitoring and disseminating information that is garnered from internal as well as external sources relevant to the efficient functioning of the organization. The decision roles consist of making critical decisions in the organization. These decisions include the appropriate allocation of resources of the organization either in manpower, finance or materials to the disparate units in the organization. Rewarding employees for good performance and punishing employees for poor performance, and negotiating between employees and others in the organization. The inter personal role involves training and motivating employees, serving s their spokesperson, facilitating communication and the exchange of information between the various units and professional present in a he althcare organization, and acting as a liaison between these units and professionals (Langabeer, 2007). Operations managers thus play several roles in an organization. However, it must be remembered that a health care organization differs from other organizations. Within a health care organization service is provided by personnel, who are extremely specialized in their tasks, governed by a set of professional principals and values. In other words for achieving the quality and service objectives of the organization disparate specialized professionals need to work as a team to meeting these objectives. Furthermore there is call for highly specialized equipment and devices in the delivery of

Handstar Inc Essay Example for Free

Handstar Inc Essay Handstar Inc. was created a little over four years ago by two college roommates to develop software applications for handheld computing devices. It has since grown to ten employees with annual sales approaching $1. 5 million. Handstar’s original product was an expense report application that allowed users to record expenses on their handheld computers and then import these expenses into a spreadsheet that then create an expense report in one of five standard formats. Based on the success of its first product, Handstar subsequently developed three additional software products: a program for tracking and measuring the performance of investment portfolios- a calendar program, and a program that allowed users to download their email messages from their PC and read them on their handheld computers. The two founders of Handstar have recently become concerned about the competitiveness of their offerings, particularly since none of them has been updated after their initial launch. Therefore, they asked the directors of product development and marketing to work together and prepare a list of potential projects for updating Handstars current offerings as well as to develop ideas for additional offerings. The directors were also asked to estimate the development costs of the various projects, product revenues, and the likelihood that Handstar could retain or obtain a leadership position for the given product. Also, with the increasing popularity of the Internet, the founders asked the directors to evaluate the extent to which the products made use of the Internet. The product development and marketing directors identified three projects related to updating Handstars existing products. The first project would integrate Handstars current calendar program with its email program. Integrating these two applications into a single program would provide a number of benefits to users such as allowing them to automatically enter the dates of meetings into the calendar based on the content of an email message. The directors estimated that this project would require 1250 hours of software development time. Revenues in the first year of the products launch were estimated to be $750,000. However, because the directors expected that a large percentage of the users would likely upgrade to this new product soon after its introduction, they projected that annual sales would decline by 10 percent annually in subsequent years. The directors speculated that Handstar was moderately likely to obtain a leadership position in email/calendar programs if this project were undertaken and felt this program made moderate use of the Internet. The second project related to updating the expense report program. The directors estimated that this project would require 400 hours of development time. Sales were estimated to be $250,000 in the first year and to increase 5 percent annually in subsequent years. The directors speculated that completing this project would almost certainly maintain Handstars leadership position in the expense report category, although it made little use of the Internet. The last product enhancement project required enhancing the existing portfolio tracking program. This project would require 750 hours of development time and would generate first-year sales of $500,000. Sales were projected to increase 5 percent annually in subsequent years. The directors felt this project would have a high probability of maintaining Handstars leadership position in this category and the product would make moderate use of the Internet. The directors also identified three opportunities for new products. One project was the development of a spreadsheet program that could share files with spread-sheet programs written for PCs. Developing this product would require 2500 hours of development time. First-year sales were estimated to be $1,000,000 with an annual growth rate of 10 percent. While this product did not make use of the Internet, the directors felt that Handstar had a moderate chance of obtaining a leadership position in this product category. The second new product opportunity identified was a Web browser. Developing this product would require 1875 development hours. First-year sales were estimated to be $2,500,000 with an annual growth rate of 15 percent. Although this application made extensive use of the Internet, the directors felt that there was a very low probability that Handstar could obtain a leadership position in this product category. The final product opportunity identified was a trip planner program that would work in conjunction with a PC connected to the Web and download travel instructions to the users handheld computer. This product would require 6250 hours of development time. First-year sales were projected to be $1,300,000 with an annual growth rate of 5 percent. Like the Web browser program, the directors felt that there was a low probability that Handstar could obtain a leadership position in this category, although the program would make extensive use of the Internet. In evaluating the projects, the founders believed it was reasonable to assume each product had a three-year life. They also felt that a discount rate of 12 percent fairly reflected the companys cost of capital. An analysis of pay-roll records indicated that the cost of software developers is $52 per hour including salary and fringe benefits. Currently there are four software developers on staff, and each works 2500 hours per year. Which option should they choose?

History and background of medical tourism

History and background of medical tourism CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The practice of travelling abroad to obtain medical and health care services is called as medical tourism. The benefits of medical tourism are getting widely popular among people because people are getting aware about the benefits of medical tourism like the lower cost of the medical procedures and can enjoy their holiday in a exotic location during the recovery period. This outsourcing for health care is grown as a new trend and many American and European tourists prefer medical tourism for cosmetic and medical procedures. The countries which are lack of advanced medical procedures leads the people living there to fly abroad to get appropriate medical services. The practice of travelling abroad is a trend which developed from the ancient period and there is a long history of people travelling to other countries for health purposes. In Italy and throughout the Roman provinces, the Ancient Romans constructed resorts with thermal health spas, and the Ancient Greeks would travel to [on the Saronic Gulf] to visit the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios, who revealed remedies to them in their dreams (Bookman and Bookman 2007: 4-5). From the 15th to 17th centuries, the poor sanitary conditions in Europe prompted an interest by the rich in medicinal spas, mineral springs and the seaside for health purposes. These wealthy individuals would also travel to renowned medical schools for medical assistance (Swarbrooke and Horner 2007: 16, 33). This continued into the 18th and 19th centuries where spa towns, particularly in the south of France, became popular for health cures, the sun, and escaping the cold climatic conditions in the north of Europe (Holden 2006: 21-23). The rapid urbanisation and social change experienced during Industrialisation aggravated the unsanitary and poor living environments in Britain and some sections of Europe, with anti-urban values and a growing concern for health developing as a result (Holden 2006: 30). The formation of the railways allowed increasing and diverse flows of people to more distant seaside and coastal resorts, which provided a distinctive and escapist environment from urban isation, and the opportunity to practice what was viewed as a healthy pastime of sun-seeking (Holden 2006: 30; Swarbrooke and Horner 2007: 16,33) Spa tourism and sun-seeking persisted into the 20th century. Medicinal springs, spas, Beaches and resorts, particularly in warm and dry climates, continued to be considered therapeutic through long exposures to the sun, fresh air and water (Swarbrooke and Horner 2007: 33).Thus it is easy to understand that the health tourism has developed from the ancient age with myths and beliefs and as cure from natural resources to the current stage of various medical and surgical procedures and cosmetic therapies and for alternative therapies like yoga, naturopathy and ayurvedic medicine. Michael Moody (2007) indicates that the medical tourism trend began when residents of one country would go to another country to have cosmetic or dental procedures completed while on vacation or to recover from such procedures in a vacation like destination. Today, countries like India, the East Indies, South America and South East Asia offer treatment facilities at par with international standards at just a fraction of cost. The factors such as high cost of healthcare in developed countries, long waiting list in government medical facilities and the reduction of air fare are the majority of reasons which contributed for the growth of the medical tourism. The hospitals in India, the East Indies, South American countries and South East Asia offer a high quality medical care which is par with international standards in very cheap money compared to developed nations. India is one of worlds favorite tourist destinations and has many hospitals of international standard and English speaking staffs and therefore there are less chances of language barrier for the western patients. India has alternative therapies like Yoga naturopathy siddha and ayurvedic medical practices. One of the recent survey conducted in India on the healthcare indicates that the medical tourism in India will grow to US $ 125 to 250 million in the year 2012.(CII McKinsey study).The low cost and high standard treatment and care are the reasons which accelerates the medical tourism in India. The following example will illustrate about the economical as well as tourist benefits of medical tourism in India. Howard Staab, a self-employed carpenter from North Carolina, flew to India for his medically necessary heart surgery, scheduled a side trip to the TajMahal, and returned home to work in North Carolina. He spent a total of less than $10,000, instead of the $200,000 required from t he local hospital ( Milstein and Smith 2006).This indicates that India has patients for procedures like heart surgery which requires state of art facilities and highly skilled medical team. Other than that it also shows the money difference when compared with developed nations. Kerala like any other states in India also has lot of potential to be a market leader in medical tourism. Kerala often described as Gods own countryis one of the favorite tourist destinations in India. The geography of Kerala is embellished with lush green coconut groves, scenic beaches, tranquil backwaters and enriched culture. There is a pride of place in the field of medicine for this Indian state and medical tourism is the new facet of Kerala. Medical tourism is very popular in some states of India and this study focuses on a city of Kerala state. Kerala is considered one of the most favorite tourist destinations in India because of its beaches, hills, lagoons, backwaters and enriched culture. This state has tremendous potential to boom its medical tourism and the tourism industry is promoting itself with several ayurvedic and health packages. This study focuses on the trends of medical tourism in the city of Trivandrum which is located on the southernmost state of India called Kerala. This city is the current capital of the state of Kerala and it is known for its scenic beauties and beaches.This city also has several international standard hospitals and traditional ayurvedic resorts and clinics. Objective of the Research Study The principle aim of this study was to investigate and critically analyse the recent trends in the medical tourism in the Trivandrum, the southernmost city of India. This study also analyses the behavior of the medical tourist and their expectations in the services provided by the hospital or the clinic and the tourist operators or agencies. This study also focuses to address the a gap that exists in similar study conducted before. The aim was to address the gap between available literature and demand for further research on the subject by adopting a clearly defined and structured research design, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Find the factors that drive Medical Tourism in Trivandrum Analyse the issues which determine success of medical tourism in Trivandrum Identify the problems faced by Medical Tourism in Trivandrum Make suitable suggestions for improvement of Medical Tourism in Trivandrum Rationales The first and foremost reason for choosing the topic of the study is to lay out before the readers the state of the Indian medical tourism sector at a moment in time when it is in great flux. Moreover the author was working in one such hospital which was market leader in medical tourism in the city of Trivandrum. The medical tourism sector is believed to be a great boon of economical growth in Kerala and therefore by doing a study at this particular time may give readers awareness about the situation challenges and scopes. Other than that medical tourism it is an area of interest of the author as he wants to analyse the trends and issues involved in the medical tourism industry in Trivandrum city. The purpose of this research note is to outline some of the challenges and opportunities ahead, as health tourism finds its prominence in the practical and conceptual domains of tourism. Further there are predictions for Trivandrum city to flourish with medical tourism in next five to ten y ears and it is right time to analyse the challenges and scopes ahead. Structure of the study This study explores the trends of medical tourism in Trivandrum city and the issues around it. The need for further research on the topic has been established with carrying out a secondary research followed by primary research and by comparing evaluating the primary and secondary research. According to McDaniels carrying out exploratory research will gave the researcher clarification to understand the magnitude of topic area and thereby permitted a clearer and stronger perception of the environment and the situation which arise within it. (McDaniels, 2001). CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The medical tourism has an advantage of providing cost effective medical care collaborating with the health care industry and with the travelling industry to the patients who need medical treatment in a location different to their home town. Thus medical tourism occurs with the combination of healthcare services and tourism and travel domain. The facts that led the growth of the medical tourism are the availability cheap and high quality medical care in one geographical location and existence of long queue of patients for medical procedure and high prices of medical care in one geographical region. The outcome of these factors is the growth of medical tourism resulting in people moving to another geographical location for health care. DEFINITION The term medical tourism is a term coined in recent period but the practise seems to exist from ancient period and the trends in medical tourism have changed with the time. The health tourist travel to their favourite destination for different medical and surgical procedures, cosmetic surgeries, alternative medicine, and spas and health resorts. The considerations and risk for different procedures vary accordingly. The medical tourism has gained social, economical and political interest but it has gained scant attention in tourism literature generally. Bookman and Bookman (2007) define medical tourism as travel with the aim of improving ones health, and also an economic activity that entails trade in services and represents the splicing of at least two sectors: medicine and tourism. The health tourism is seen as means of leisure oriented and stress relief as many people opt for sun and spas. Although there is no single definition for health tourism, it could be broadly defined as people traveling from their place of residence for health reasons (Ross 2001). Several demographic, economic, and lifestyle factors are driving such tourism (Handszuh and Waters 1997; Ross, 2001). Bennett et al. (2004: 123) acknowledge a liberal definition of health tourism would be any pleasure-orientated tourism which involves an element of stress relief, meaning it is an enjoyable and relaxing activity Pollock and Williams (2000: 165), Laws (1996 in Henderson 2004: 112) and tries to see the health tourism with the view that it is a separation between the ordinary and the extraordinary; the everyday world of work and home versus the combination of health and tourism in leisure, recreational and educational activities. Then Schofield has a view that health tourism is a means to achieve improvement in physical, mental and social well being. (Schofield 2004: 137). The above all definitions try to define health tourism as a means to escape from every day routine and improve stress free healthful life. Henderson (2004: 113) insists that health tourism as travel where the primary purpose is treatment in pursuit of better health that may involve hedonistic indulgences of spas and alternative therapies, while medical tourism incorporates health screening, hospitalization, and surgical operations. Ross (2001) after analysing various factors and literature tries to define health tourism as any kind of tourism that involves a person or his family member for the purpose of wellbeing and he considers that health tourism mainly focuses on two main domains as pampering and wellness. Pampering are services like massage, herbal wraps and exfoliating scrubs whereas wellness involves with improving physical and mental state and sometime it may involve with the treatment. MEDICAL TOURISM AND ITS TRENDS The concept of medical tourism have undergone many changes in recent times and there is a change in the trends like people from developed countries moving to developing countries for medical procedures for the difference in the cost. The global medical standards and regulations have been implemented in different countries and this in turn raises the number of people seeking cost advantage and best treatment in their preferred destination. The market of medical tourism depends on awareness and application of significant issues such as social diversities, consumer benefits, branding of products, legal frame work infrastructure, target markets, the actual product and communication channels (Dannell Mugumba).Therefore it is understood that the people from developed countries choose their destination after analysing various features and therefore there exist high competition between the countries to promote medical tourism. The one more key component in this medical tourism is the medical concierge services. These are medical travel companies that provide service to the traveller and they act as a link between tourist and the destination (Lagiewski, 2007).They have a vital role in the tourist experience from planning, stay, and post stages of the trip. The medical travel guide meets the tourist at the airport and he is the local agent who works as interpreter, guide and assists the tourist to stay in communication with his loved ones in his home. (Smith and Forgione, 2007). According to Connell (2006) the ability to the countries to ensure the medical tourist that healthcare is of safe quality is a vital factor and this will be the main barrier for a destination to promote itself as most favourite destination In order to combat this concern, international accrediting agencies are in the process of certifying the quality and safety of global healthcare delivery. The tourist decides to engage in medical tourism on the basis of five a factor identified by Lagieweskii.Her study identifies the first and foremost as the alternative healthcare facility to their countrys facility which should be of high standard and at affordable cost. This factor is the main factor and when the tourist is satisfied with first factor the next will be cost of treatment and travel of great importance. The tourist may seek other country because of the e big waiting list in their home country. There may be some reasons like remote destination for tourist for certain cosmetic proced ures. The nature of the country is also an important factor because tourist seeks a country free from risk factors associated with safety, security and actability. ( Lagiewski,2007). The country trying to make itself as most preferred destination for medical tourism it should emphasize on the fact that its overall appeal and the experiences offered to the other competing destinations. (Dwyer and Kim 2003).Dwyer and Kim insists that the destination should have the competitive advantage to become successful in the medical tourism industry. According to Dwyer and Kim the existence of two type of resource group may lead to achieve competitive advantage. They are the endowed resources and created resources. Endowed resources are natural heritage and cultural attributes to a specific destination and created resources are services associated with the tourist such as accommodation, food and beverage establishments, and manmade attraction. There can be created resources such as special events entertainment and shopping which adds extra value to he destination. There can be supporting factors such as general infrastructure; quality of service; accessibility of the destinat ion; hospitality of the host population; and market ties. Growth has been facilitated by the rise of the Internet, and the emergence of new companies, that are not health specialists, but brokers between international patients and hospital networks. It has also grown because of rapidly improving health care systems in some key countries, where new technologies have been adopted. Above all it has followed the deliberate marketing of health care (in association with tourism) as medical care has gradually moved away from the public sector to the private sector, ensuring that a growing majority of people, especially in the richest countries, and particularly in the United States, must pay-often considerably-for health care Finally, the factors like growth in medical tourism is done by the changing life style where people are ready to undergo cosmetic surgery, involving such elective procedures as rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast enhancement or reduction, LASIK eye surgery and so on, or more simply the removal of tattoos, have created new demands. Various forms of dental surgery, especially cosmetic dental surgery, are not covered by insurance in countries like the UK and Australia; hence dental tourism has become particularly common. In Asia these trends are the unlikely child of new global realities: the fallout of terrorism, the Asian economic downturn, internet access to price information, and the globalisation of health services (Levett, 2005) India and medical tourism India is a country of rich culture and heritage and one of the most favorite destinations for tourism. It is one of the existing oldest civilizations in the world for a period of more than 4000 years and it has fusion of traditions, customs and diversity. (myindia).The survey conducted by lonely planet about the worlds favourite tourist destination among 134 countries ranks India as one among the worlds top 5 tourist destination.(lonelyplanet) There are similar surveys and rankings for India as National Geographic describes India as Land of mystery and majesty. The company i explore also ranks India as one of the tp 5 destinations in world. The Forbes traveller states India as one the fast growing travel markets. (ICRImedical tourism) A number of destinations within India developed as havens for rest and recuperation such as hill stations at Darjeeling and the lakes in Kashmir where during the colonial era members of British era would retreat for cool breeze and a change of scenery. Late during the 19th century people began travelling India in search of alternative life style often focusing on yoga or meditation and following the footsteps of celebrities. India is building on these traditions as a wellness destination by a developing expertise in medical tourism (Garcia Altes 2005: conell 2006a). The main marketing segments for medical tourism in India are patients from USA and European and middle east nations, while growing niche is formed by Indian expatriates ,particularly those live in USA and the UK.(Conell 2006), who combine medical treatment with visits to family and friends. Medical tourism as a niche has emerged from the rapid growth of what has become an industry, where people travel often long distances to overseas countries to obtain medical, dental and surgical care while simultaneously being holidaymakers, in a more conventional sense. It has grown dramatically in recent years primarily because of the high costs of treatment in rich world countries, long waiting lists (for what is not always seen institutionally as priority surgery), the relative affordability of international air travel and favorable economic exchange rates, and the ageing of the often affluent post-war baby-boom generation. Growth has been facilitated by the rise of the Internet, and the emergence of new companies, that are not health specialists, but brokers between international patients and hospital networks. It has also grown because of rapidly improving health care systems in some key countries, where new technologies have been adopted. Above all it has followed the delibera te marketing of health care (in association with tourism) as medical care has gradually moved away from the public sector to the private sector, ensuring that a growing majority of people, especially in the richest countries, and particularly in the United States, must pay-often considerably-for health care Medical tourism is an important part of the Indian tourism industry and holds immense growth potential. The medical tourism sector had experienced a phenomenal growth in the flow of medical tourists from10,000 patients in 2000 to stupendous 180,000 by 2005. (Source: RNCOS report on Indian Tourism Industry Forecast (2007-2011) The Indian government takes meticulous steps in promoting medical tourism and it tries to increase the growth of foreign medical tourist by providing medical visas called M visas. These M visas are valid for one year and it is issued for the accompanies and Indian ministry of tourism has stocked its 13 overseas offices with information regarding these visas.( Meleigy) In 2002,2.2 million foreigners visited India :those numbers increased by 20 percent the following year(Mathew 2004).The tourist literature produced by the Indian government portrays India as a country rooted in tradition and also sufficiently modern to offer western style amenities (Bandyoupdhay and Morais 2005) A study by McKinsey and Confederation of Indian Industry says that at its current pace of growth, healthcare tourism alone can rake over 8,000 crore additional revenue by 2012.(cii mckinsey study) There are several states in India and the private hospitals in India target for the medical tourist other than the home patients. The southern state of Kerala which is very rich in culture and heritage and ancient medical practice like Ayurvediac ,Siddha and Yoga leads in attracting the foreign tourist for medical health and leisure tourism. Kerala Kerala is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations, a place that offers real hope for the future of the Third World. Consider: This small state in India, though not much larger than Maryland, has a population as big as Californias and a per capita annual income of less than $300. But its infant mortality rate is low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth, and its birthrate below Americas and falling faster. Keralas citizens live nearly as long as Americans or Europeans. Though mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, statistically Kerala stands out as the Mount Everest of social development; theres truly no place like it. The National Geographic Traveler, which once made Kerala the cynosure of all eyes in the world travel circuit by describing it as one of the 50 paradises in the world. (National Geographic) Kerala is one of the most visited tourists destination of India. It is globally famous for its enchanting tourists attractions that are off beat than any other tourists places in the world. Every year hundred and thousands of tourists from all over the world come to Kerala to enjoy holidays in splendor. The state is endowed with palm fringed beaches, verdant hill stations, captivating beaches, emerald paddy fields, historical churches and more of all picturesque backwaters. This makes the marketing medical tourism easier in Kerala. Accreditation of health centers The quality of the medical care is the first and foremost factor considered by the medical tourist. According to the medical tourism association the accreditation is the means of way to attain safety and overall positive results to the patients who travel from one country to another for treatment purposes. The medical tourist can look into the accreditation to ensure the safety of the treatment in the hospital. The accreditation program is very essential to help patients, employers and insurance companies who can look into the accreditation status and thereby can find the hospitals with highest quality of care during their entire patient experience. The medical tourism industry grows day by day and therefore there is a necessity to ensure that hospitals, clinic and rehabilitation centers entering medical tourism posses proper infrastructure to meet the medical tourist. There is a need to certify that the center has proper communication facilities, transparency in quality and pricing, informed consent, proper medical care and further follow up facilities. The accreditation is focused on the fact that international patients have special needs and requirements than domestic patients. The accreditation is usually given by bodies which may by government or non government with the panel of expert members to examine and find whether the organization meets the requirements.(medical tourism association) The accreditation to the allopathic medical practice in Trivandrum is provided by the international accreditation bodies such as Joint Commission International (JCI), ISO 9001 2000 etc. Other than the international bodies Trivandrum city has hospitals certified by NABH, a board set up by government of India. (See appendix).These are the major accreditations of medical service in India. The ayurvedic practice is the unique specialty and most popular medical practice in India and they have accreditation done by Body set up by Government of Kerala as Green leaf and Olive leaf and green leaf is the highest degree of accreditation and its followed by olive leaf and these accreditation ensures the quality of ayurvedic treatment in Kerala. (expresshealthcare) Ayurvedic tourism in Kerala Kerala is usually marketed as a health destination for its ayurveda packages. Medical tourism is marketed along with ayurveda and other health packages. Kerala ayurveda tourism has becoming a huge selling point for Kerala tourism industry. State promotes Kerala ayurveda tourism as a part of medical tourism to the world. Today popularity of Kerala ayurvedic treatment has gained such a momentum that tourist from across the world come to Kerala to rejuvenate and for therapeutic treatment. Ayurvedic medical practice is the most ancient medical system originated in India before 10,000 years ago and in India the ayurvedic practice is more popular in kerala where it is practiced in traditional way. As per ayurveda specialists, the rainy season (June August) is the best time for ayurvedic treatments as the atmosphere remains dust free and cool, which helps open the pores of the body to the maximum.(Messerli and Oyama 2004) Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but the individual as a whole. Kerala ayurvedic treatments and rejuvenation therapies are natural way to refresh and eliminate all toxic imbalances from the body and to regain resistance and good health. Most of the ayurvedictherapies help to strengthening the immune system, preventing and curing diseases without any side effects. There are number of resorts and hospitals throughout state which are integral parts of Kerala ayurveda tourism and offering customized ayurveda holiday packages which help you to rejuvenate the body and soul and to start a fresh life. Kerala ayurveda provides number of treatments ranging from de-stressing, anti-ageing, weight loss, joint pains and general rejuvenation. Elements of medical tourism in Trivandrm Review of similar studies.

Characters in A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger Essay

Characters in A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger The characters in Salinger?s ?A Perfect Day for Bananafish? seem to exist in opposite worlds. On one hand, Salinger creates Muriel to represent materialism and superficiality and on the other hand, he creates Sybil to provide justification of the child-like innocence rarely found in society. Salinger?s main character, Seymour, is aware of the superficiality expressed in Muriel?s world and chooses not to be apart of it. Seymour wants to be a part of the simple immaterial world that Sybil represents. Nevertheless, Seymour find himself trapped between two worlds unable to regain the one he desires. Therefore, Salinger bases ?A Perfect Day for Bananafish? on Seymour?s disillusionment with life and his inability to regain a child-like perception of the world. Salinger?s portrayals Seymour and his world are described below. Sybil is composed of all the characteristics Seymour is seeking. She is young, innocent and childlike and therefore not polluted by the materialism, mistrust and snobbery known to society. Furthermore, her actions suggest that she relates to Seymour because he seems to act like a child somewhat similar to herself (for example Sybil feels secure around Seymour but feels insecure when sitting with her own mother). This would imply that Seymour does not appear abnormal to her because she, unlike most, she has the ability to see through his exterior and is not intimidated by what she has found. In the later part of the story she continually repeats the phase ?see more glass?(10) using the term ?glass? to describe her own unique ability to see through the transparency of superficial people (much like her own mother). What Seymour respects... ...g that was originally molded to portray the image society would expect of a ?Lady? of her caliber. In turn, it does not seem to matter who Muriel is in Salingers?s story but what she represents. In conclusion, Seymour is similar to the bananafish as he swam his way up the stream of life ingesting the materialism and superficiality that past him on his journey. Half way up the stream he stopped pondered why he had even bothered in the first place. Now he cannot go back down the stream (to Sybil) against the current and cannot bear to continue (with Muriel). At this point Seymour is described as having ?banana fever? or becoming so engulfed in materialism. His only rational option would be to stay in the banana hole and die. Work Cited Salinger, J.D. Nine Stories: A Perfect Day for Bananafish. United States: Little, Brown and Company Limited, 1991.

Transcendentalism In Movies Essay -- essays research papers

Perhaps one of the most meaningful maxims Emerson wrote would have to be "Insist on yourself, never imitate." This statement captures the total essence of transcendentalism; deny the will and aspirations of others, and follow your own heart.The movie Dead Poets Society begins by introducing the viewers to Todd Anderson, a very subdued and quiet young man. Todd has the average inferiority complex. He is a very bright young man with exceptional abilities. Todd is unwilling to speak his mind for fear of non-acceptance. Charles Dalton is a seemingly average student with a rebellious attitude. He has already realized that the students are being "brainwashed" into living a preordained life. Neil Perry is another young man who realizes that his life is being planned out in front of him. He feels that he has no voice in his life. Their English professor, Mr. Keating, radically changes the lives of all of these students. Mr. Keating encourages Todd to speak up and voice his opinions. He makes Todd realize that the world will accept him because his thoughts and feelings are so deep and heartfelt. Charles Dalton receives just the spark he needs for action from Mr. Keating. He reforms a group called the Dead Poets Society. Nothing really happens at the meetings other than the reading of poetry for inspiration in life. Neil, perhaps the most perplexing character in the movie, discovers his dream in life is to be an actor. His father, for a reason none other than...

Helen Essay

1. Helen’s responsibilities to each of the following groups: a. The Accounting   Department and the University –Helen’s responsibility to the Accounting   Department and the University is to uphold honour and pride. Every student is an emissary and a reflection of his or her alma mater. b. Other students in the class and in the department- Helen’s responsibility to the other students in the class and in the department is to encourage truthfulness. Being one of the top students, it is inevitable for the other students and the department to look up to her. c. Big & Apple LLC-Helen’s responsibility to the Big & Apple LLC is to uphold integrity, trust and loyalty. The accounting firm invited her to join them with the intention and hope to hire the best and well-suited person for the job. d. The professor of Accounting 544- Helen’s responsibility to the professor of Accounting 544 is to maintain credibility and respect to his teachings. e. Her bestfriend- Helen’s responsibility to her bestfriend is to promote trustworthiness. Someone who cannot be trusted with little cannot be trusted with much. f. Herself- Helen’s responsibility to herself is to defend her integrity. Cheating is simply a deception of one’s self. 2. From an integrity perspective, Helen should walk away from the opportunity to take a copy of the final exam from the professor’s mailbox.   Because once she gets caught, she might end up not graduating at all aside from totally losing her summa cum laude standing. In other words, she will get expelled. However, if she doesn’t get caught, she might repeat again this mistake and ruining her integrity and somehow degrading her dignity as an accountant. 3. If I were Helen and I have a goal of qualifying for summa cum laude, I would reconsider my priorities and curb time for some things that would not contribute to the attainment of my goal. I would rather consult my professors should I have a hard time dealing with my courses. I would devote more time to studying so as not to compromise the ethics that I stick by. 4. Assuming that the Empire State University provides a $5,000 award to all students who graduate summa cum laude, I will stand by my decision to uphold integrity. Because integrity is not something that you do today and forget tomorrow should the circumstances change. Integrity is the code of value that you stick by. Integrity is who you are no matter what. 5. There should be a consequence for the student who provided the exam to Helen. Because the very act of getting the exam from the professor’s mailbox is stealing and cheating. 6. Should the Empire State University have an honor code my answer would be the same. Because I personally believe in integrity and as I’ve said in my previous answer (number 4) integrity is not something that you do today and forget tomorrow should the circumstances change. 7. As a fellow student in Accounting 544 with Helen, I might feel cheated on and disappointed if I found out about what she did. I might feel that way because I could have been doing things truthfully, looking up to her, and believing that she has done things honestly to get the highest academic honor only to find out that it should not be hers. It would simply be unfair to the class,disrespect to the professor, dishonour to the university, and unethical to accounting.

Facebook’s Stock? Essay

Social networking has played a prominent role in allowing users to connect with each other around the world over the past decades. Social network sites are used in order to improve intimate communication and build better relationships with family, old and new friends. Facebook in particular is one of the most popular social networking sites. It provides a wide range of connection methods for users to interact with those people that they care about and to update status or photos on the website. The website was established by Mark Zuckerberg and his college friends in February 2004. It is owned and operated by Facebook Inc. The company has continued to develop and increase potentiality over the last eight years (PrivCo, 2011). As of March, 2012, there were more than 900 million Facebook users, more than 125 billion friend connections and there were an average of 300 million photos uploaded each day on the website (Facebook’s S-1 Filing, 2012). In this sense, Facebook has become the largest social networking sites in the world. Additionally, when the company started trading stock to public on 18 May, 2012, it was also recorded as the third largest IPO in the history of the United States (Hammond, 2012). However, the stock price has been significantly falling since selling the stock to public. Although social networking is a growing market and the company plans to continue developing its productions and services, investors remain worried about the ability of the company and they have doubted that the stock will not be able to turn profit margins in both short-term and long-term period. Therefore, the stock of Facebook should not be invested in because it is overvalued and overpriced and the company might struggle with commercial revenue and be restricted in many areas. This paper will describe the stock market and Facebook’s situation before and after trading to the public and will also discuss the question of investment in the stock of the company. It will then anticipate the future of Facebook.