Twelfth Night and The Winter's Tale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Twelfth Night and The Winter's Tale - Essay Example These fools are not used for entertainment purpose alone and suggesting that they were frequently employed by Shakespeare to provide a comedic relief to the audience from dark heaviness of the main action is empty mockery. However, this much is also true that in most Shakespearean plays it seems as if the scenes of clowns are almost strategically placed after particularly violent or dark scenes. The purpose of this essay is to contemplate the role of clowns in two very popular comedies by Shakespeare namely Twelfth Night and The Winter’s Tale to analyze if clowning is employed merely for comic relief or it also works to convey the message of the dramas. Feste is the name of clown who appears in Twelfth Night and is especially favored by Olivia who is the very beautiful countess and has given Feste full authority to cross boundaries and say whatever he likes (LitCharts) understanding his knack for humor and intellect. But, is Feste used by Shakespeare to make jokes alone which have no deep meaning to them or convey no meaning as suggested by some critics that clowns are mainly used to provide comic relief? The answer is a clear no because in the beginning of the play when Olivia is introduced terrifically grieving over her dead brother and displaying no signs of moving on with life, Feste makes a very bold gesture by telling Olivia to quite her mopping attitude which has actually become quite ridiculous. He does not only make silly or shallow remarks about the way she cries or stays melancholic, but illustrates a very important message of life by claiming that it is not him but Olivia who is acting like the real fool wasting all her energy in mourning instead of concentrating on her life. This critically important statement is made by no other character but Feste which suggests that the role of clowns is used by Shakespeare in his plays to both calm the readers and highlight the weaknesses of other characters which are otherwise untouchable and cannot be reproached by anyone. In addition to that, he also thinks that witty criticism is his prized prerogative. So, he is frequently seen driving others mad particularly Olivia’s greedy and wasteful uncle Toby Belch who is one of the favorite targets of Feste. Given the nature of his brilliant criticism and the way he digs with acute intelligence into dark aspects of other serious-natured characters, this much is obvious that Feste is no ordinary fool but an exceptionally smart jester who is a genius with punning. Viola (Cesario), another heroine of the play, describes Feste as the wisest cat in the play. Why would Feste be described as the wisest cat in town were his job cracking jokes alone as assumed by some critics to provide comedic relief from tension of the main plot? In fact, he is described in this manner by others because his intellect of smart wordplay is secret to none and everybody, even those who resent him like Olivia’s uncle, acknowledge the brainpower of thi s enormously powerful Shakespearean clown. He not only picks on the clear weaknesses of others around him, but also has a real talent for shrewdly observing grave or serious situations (Geraghty). He makes people laugh over his wise puns and also makes a good living out of it. He accurately measures the ridiculousness of the starting scene where Olivia is dressed up like a nun for grieving purpose and mockingly characterizes her silly attitude as plain unnecessary and stupid

Dog Fighting Essay Example for Free

Dog Fighting Essay Fights between two or more animals have always been popular spectacles. Dog fighting is one of the most in-humane types of animal cruelty out there today; unfortunately pit bulls have been caught in the wrath of it all. Dog fighting is an animal abuse issue. Pit Bulls happen to be the breed most used in dog fights. But if Pit Bulls did not exist, dog fighting would still take place. There is no quenching the blood lust of human ‘kind’. Brutality against animals in the form of staged matches or fights between animals or even between man and animal is an activity almost as old as man himself – it was in existence long before the Pit Bull. History The original, old-time bulldog was used for all manner of stock-related work, particularly as a catch dog: used by the butcher to manage unruly bulls, and by the hunter for help in catching and holding wild boar and other game. The sport of bull baiting became popular in England, having arisen from these functional jobs that the bulldog performed for humans. The modern bulldog breeds descended from these dogs and those re-created through breeding programs include: alapaha blue blood bulldog, American bulldog, aussie bulldog, banter bulldogge, English Bulldog, French bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge, Olde Boston Bulldogge, and Victorian Bulldog. All of these breeds have kept close to the original type and traits of the ancient bulldogs, even when adapting to their local living conditions (Luca, 2010). Pit Bulls are descendants of the original English bull-baiting dog—a dog that was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. Bulldogs were bred to hang on without releasing their grip, until the animal was exhausted from fighting and from loss of blood. When baiting large animals was banned in the 1800s, people then started to fight their dogs against each other instead (ASPCA, 2013). Treatment. With fighting Pit Bulls, they are raised in an environment that reinforces and maintains fighting behavior. All fighting dogs are conditioned from a very early age to develop what dog-fighters refer to as â€Å"gameness. † The scope and method of training varies dramatically depending on the level and experience of the dog-fighter. Dogs are run on the treadmills to increase cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Dogs are put on a manmade machine is called a cat mill or jenny also. Jenny: Apparatus that looks like a carnival horse walker with several beams jetting out from a central rotating pole. The dogs are chained to one beam and another small animal like a cat, small dog, or rabbit, is harnessed to or hung from another beam. The dogs run in circles, chasing the bait. Once the exercise sessions are over, the dogs are usually rewarded with the bait they had been pursuing (Gibson, 2005). People that so called train pit pulls for fighting will also have a spring hanging down from a pole to which a rope, tire, or animal hide is affixed that the dogs jump to and dangle from for extended periods of time. This strengthens the jaw muscles and back legs. The same effect is achieved with a simpler spring loaded apparatus hanging from tree limbs. A variation of the spring pole is a hanging cage, into which bait animals are placed. The dogs repeatedly lunge up toward the cage (Gibson, 2005). Granted these people think they are real dog trainers, they will take care of the dog’s health to a certain extent. Dogs are given vitamins, supplements and drugs to condition them for or to incite them to fight. Commonly utilized vitamins, supplements, and drugs include: iron/liver extract; vitamin B-12; Magnum supplement; hormones; weight-gain supplements; speed; steroids and cocaine. The dogs are trained against one another and against older, more experienced dogs. In the early stages of training, the dogs are incited to lunge at each other without touching and engage in quick, controlled fights called â€Å"rolls† or â€Å"bumps. † Once the dogs appear match ready, they are pitted against stronger dogs to test their â€Å"gameness† or tenacity in the face of exhaustion and impending defeat. If the dogs pass the test, they are deemed ready to fight. Types of Dog Fights All across the country, humans abuse dogs in heinous ways. From nonchalant, impromptu ‘street fights’ to the large-scale organized matches held on a regular schedule at set locations, dog fighting still occurs every day. Most law enforcement experts divide dog fight activity into three categories: street fighting, hobbyist fighting and professional activity. Street fighters engage in dog fights that are informal street corner, back alley and playground activities. Stripped of the rules and formality of the traditional pit fight, these are spontaneous events triggered by insults, turf invasions or the simple taunt, My dog can kill yours. Street fights are often associated with gang activities. The fights may be conducted with money, drugs or bragging rights as the primary payoff. There is often no attempt to care for animals injured in the fight (ASPCA, 2013). Some of the dogs are thrown out the car on the side of the road, left to die. Worst case scenario the dogs are killed immediately with a close range shot from a gun to the head. Hobbyist fighters are more organized, with one or more dogs participating in several organized fights a year as a sideline for both entertainment and to attempt to supplement income. They pay more attention to care and breeding of their dogs and are more likely to travel across state lines for event (ASPCA, 2013). Last but not least Professional fighters. Who would even label themselves as a Professional dog figh ter? People do; Professional dogfighters often have large numbers of animals (as many as 50 or more) and earn money from breeding, selling and fighting dogs at a central location and on the road. They often pay particular attention to promoting established winning bloodlines and to long-term conditioning of animals. (ASPCA, 2013) Punishment and Prevention Dog fighting, despite its felony status in all 50 states, is still a grave concern to animal advocates. Although the Michael Vick dogfighting case, and his recent release from home detention, have focused the national spotlight on dogfighting cruelties, dogfighting has long been a thriving underground industry across the country in both urban and rural areas (society, 2011). Those who make dog fighting a pit bull issue do the dogs a grave disservice. A new bill in the Senate would outlaw spectators’ willful attendance at organized animal fights and impose penalties for bringing a minor to an animal fight. This bill has bipartisan support (society, 2011). The Federal Animal Welfare Act prohibits the interstate transportation of dogs for fighting purposes. A pending federal bill, S. 382, would create the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2005. The Act would amend the United States Code, making it a crime for any person to knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture if any animal in the venture was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Additionally, it would be unlawful for any person to knowingly sell, buy, transport, or deliver, or receive for purposes of transportation, in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal for purposes of having the dog or other animal participate in an animal fighting venture. Finally, it would be a crime for any person to knowingly use the mail service of the United States Postal Service or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the states of the United States. Penalties for violations of the Act would include a fine, up to two years imprisonment, or both. The Act would repeal any conflicting provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (Gibson, 2005). If a person see’s or suspect dog fighting they should not hesitate to report the owner to the authority. Conclusion These dogs are VICTIMS in every sense of the word. Exploited, abused, and tortured for human gain, Pit Bulls are innocent beings caught up in a tragic societal issue. The American pit bull has two powerful enemies: the humane groups working for his extinction, and the modern dog fighter who are producing dogs of dubious genetics and characteristics while keeping them in negative headlines. Dogfighting is tremendously widespread and has reached epidemic levels in America’s urban communities. The devastating impact of social, economic and racial injustice in these communities that are exposed to such cruelty to animals. Are just the tip of the ice berg? America’s finest legal minds, political activists and social advocates have painstakingly dissected the culture of poverty in an attempt to understand the disproportionately high rates of crime, drug use, and social deviance in inner-city communities (Gibson, 2005).

Learning Perspectives in Education

Learning Perspectives in Education Learning: Perspectives, Perceptions and Performance â€Å"Learning† is a vague, important term. When mentioned, common associations are often relegated to the association with young schoolchildren and not so often as one of the most intriguing and inquired upon aspects of psychology. Prior to further elucidation, as if oft the case, the examination of â€Å"learning† merits a definition. Though it seems to be a word of self-evident meaning, because it is hard to study directly, some further refining must be utilized. This self-evident ‘acquisition of knowledge’ can only be measured with behavioral outcomes and should be observationally able to be distinguished from reflexive or instinctive responses. A behavioral outcome might consist of a high test score, a rat that quickly presses a lever, an employee that receives bonus compensation or any other number of commonly conceived examples. In discussing the nature of learning, there are perhaps two or three popularly dominant perspectives which are essential to understand in the formation of any reasonably comprehensive review. These perspectives include the behaviorist, the social learning, and the cognitive schools. Though it becomes apparent that these three influences are not without critique and that, even within each, there exists what might be labeled ‘factions’, their fundamental contributions cannot be ignored. Behaviorism The first of these perspectives is the behaviorist. In this scheme, there are two broad branches: classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning. In classical conditioning, learning occurs by the pairing of the stimulus with a desired response of the subject. Experimentally, this is an example of Pavlov’s famous dogs and the learning that results is a consequence of the learned associative relationship and is not contingent upon any action by the subject. The alternative to this method is instrumental conditioning in which the subject gets to â€Å"choose†. By this, it is meant that the reinforcement is contingent upon what the subject â€Å"chooses† as evidenced by the behaviorally discernibly different response. Within the realm of behaviorism, one key contributor and voluminous icon of psychology in general is Thorndike. As a function of his experiments with cats in boxes for which they had to perform some specific behavior to escape, he concluded that learning was a process of an incremental nature and that their was became a neural link between the stimulus and response. This was evidenced by his successive experiments in which the cats became ‘smarter’, that is, they learned what specific behavior was required in order to be released. As the number of trials progressed, there was an inverse relationship with the time needed to escape. The work of Skinner furthered the science of behaviorism by his greater elucidation of the four broad categories of reinforcement: Application of a positive stimulus – Commonly referred to as a reward, this involves the presentation of something the subject desires. Removal of a positive stimulus – An example of this for children would be â€Å"time-out†. Theoretically and often in reality, this method is useful to extinguish unwanted behaviors. In fact, according to Skinner, the most effective way to eliminate a behavior is to ignore it, thus removing any external reinforcement. Application of a negative stimulus – Typically referred to as â€Å"punishment†, this involves the application of an unwanted or noxious stimulus to shape behavior. Removal of a negative stimulus – This is the be the restoration of â€Å"normal† conditions upon cessation of an undesirable action or commission of some desired behavior. A parenting example would be the removal of a ‘grounded’ condition upon acceptable repentance of some past action. In addition Skinner identified another type of reinforcer that he labeled a â€Å"general reinforcer† due to its wide applicability. Money is one such item and is so labeled because subjects desire it regardless of their state of depravity. This is in contrast to food which is not an adequate stimulus unless one is hungry, that is deprived of food. Another theorist, Guthrie provides yet additional insight into the theories and methods of learning. One of his key contributions to the field is with his â€Å"Law of Continuity†. In this, Guthrie proposes eloquently that, â€Å"a combination of stimuli which has been accompanied by movement will on its recurrence tend to be followed by that movement†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ in other words, an action in a given situation will likely be repeated when the subject finds themselves in a similar situation. The Cognitive Approach While there is the well-known debate of nature versus nuture that runs throughout science, such polarity also exists within the field of psychology and learning. A pure behaviorist would insist that so-called ‘choices’ are really nothing more than an animal-like actions in all behavior is reducible to stimulus and response type mechanisms. As behaviorism has significantly added to our understanding of the human condition, there exist alternative perspectives that are also quite useful. One such branch of the more cognitive division of psychology is referred to a Gestalt psychology. From this perspective, the insight that the brain is not the passive recipient of stimulus but actively involved in the perception and construction of reality is posited. Further, Gestalt psychologists attest that a given stimulus exists not in isolation but in the total context of the perception of the subject. For example, Wertheimer, the father of Gestalt psychology, cited the example of two blinking lights being able to present the perception of apparent motion. This as well as the popular psychology examples in which a certain line has the appearance of being longer than another depending on the lines and figures around it speaks to the tenet of Gestalt psychology that an experience as a whole, is greater than the sum of the individual parts that make it up. From these and other example, the idea that the mind is able to shape its own perspective of reality by virtue of its own beliefs about how things should be or how they are desired to be is a major enduring contribution of t he Gestalt movement. Though not a cognitivist, Piaget’s contribution to learning could arguably be filed in this area. Particularly noted for his contributions to developmental psychology and thus much appropriate for child rather than adult learning, Piaget declared the existence of fairly defined period of development. During these periods, a child was able to learn specific skills and acquire certain abilities with not being able to achieve certain others due to the maturation and innate abilities that of a developing brain. For example, the period of approximately seven to twelve years old is referred to as the concrete operations period. During this range, reasoning and problem solving abilities are generally limited to â€Å"concrete† phenomena that can be seen and observed rather than abstract in nature. Observational or Social Learning Though cognitive in nature, these theories have been treated separately due to both their easy discernment by more ‘pure’ cognitive perspectives and by the distinctness of the contributions of the key theorists. Up to this point, the models of learning that have been postulated, whether behaviorist or cognitive, have been focused on the subject only. Moving somewhat further away from the ‘clean’ and ‘pure’ perspective of behaviorism, social learning theory attests that the focus must extend beyond the subject to the contextual influence on others. In describing the views of social learning, some of the most controversial and informative experiments in modern psychology have be conducted. For example, Bandura’s famed ‘prison experiment’ in which subjects were put into a mock prison with some subjects assigned to be â€Å"guards† while others were simply â€Å"prisoners†. The experiment was terminated early due so me of the subjects ‘taking their roles a bit too seriously’. In another classic experiment, children were shown a film showing an adult acting aggressively by hitting a doll or shown an adult being kind to a doll. These same children later modeled the demonstrated behavior, whether aggressive or not. Such findings are reinforced by LeBon’s work on â€Å"crowd psychology† in which individuals and groups are influenced by others to model or imitate certain implicit behaviors. Implications on Health Well-Being Animals, depending on the species, have a number of unlearned, innate behavioral responses to certain stimuli. Examples such as sea turtles that ‘automatically’ head toward the sea upon birth on a sandy beach to dogs that seek the warmth and scent of their mothers while they cannot see after birth abound in literature. On the other hand, humans seem to come into the world as a blank slate to be written upon by life’s experiences. It is this aspect of humanity that makes learning play such a pivotal role in our development and beyond. Further, after even a short perusal of the various schools of thought, it becomes apparent that the human animal is complex enough to warrant the consideration and application of all perspectives. By doing so, it is possible not only achieve specific learning goals but also to achieve the avoidance of certain other issues that may occur from situations in which learning does not occur. One such example of this is the child who is raised with excessive punishments to shape behavior. According Skinner and other behaviorists, this can produce a ‘maladapted’ adult who has emotional issues. These emotional issues may manifest themselves in any manner of behaviors such as avoidance of others or difficulties in relationships to, at the extreme, sociopaths who ‘act out’ their frustrations upon others. From a cognitive perspective, much of the therapeutic approach of this school is in bringing the â€Å"cognitive errors† that a person commits to their conscious awareness. These â€Å"errors in thinking† occur when a person creates false assumptions or acts utilizing illogical conclusions in choosing their responses to stimuli. Extreme but common examples are those who express feelings of being a â€Å"total failure† and consider suicide. In most cases, such errors are much more subtle but just as insidious with regards to their ability to alter behavior. Clearly, learning plays not just a role in the development of humans but is an ongoing factor in the ‘success’ of daily living. Psychologists, human resource specialists, trainers and managers and supervisors of any business are vitally concerned about learning in the workplace. As the business world grows more sophisticated, new skills are needed. These new skills must be taught, learned and successfully applied for the mutual success of the individual and the enterprise. As such, lessons from all three perspectives are quite relevant. By utilizing key components of each perspective and theorist, one can gain a flexible paradigm by which there is greater understanding and application to additional circumstances. It is with this goal of greater applicability that a number of specific contributions are outlined below: Thorndike on Education Thorndike had much to say in regards to educational process and the efficacy of teaching methods and styles. This insight is relevant regardless of the age of the learner. Consider the situation the student faces. Consider the response the wish to connect with this situation. Form the bond. All else equal, from no bond that will have to be broken. All else equal, from as few bonds as possible. All else equal, form bonds in the way they are required to act later. Favor the situations and responses that naturally occur in life (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, p. 72). The bond that Thorndike refers to is the previously mentioned neural bond that exists between the stimulus and the response. Though these recommendations contain a number of Thorndike’s behavioral precepts, a key ‘learning’ for typical occupational settings is the last advisement. Reminiscent of the idea that if one is going to train for a five-kilometer road race, it is at some point necessary to train by running reinforces the point that training for a specific task should, as much as possible for effective learning, resemble the task itself. Skinner on punishment Just as Thorndike â€Å"lectured† on educational process, the iconic behaviorist Skinner advises in regards to punishment. This topic is perhaps most salient to child-rearing, an occupation in which there exists considerable frustration that might be at least slightly abated by the application of a learning theory. From a behaviorist standpoint, â€Å"punishment† is the application of a negative or undesired stimulus in order to shape behavior. While commonly utilized, Skinner cautions that punishment: Causes unfortunate emotional byproducts Indicates what an organism should not do rather than what it should do. Justifies inflicting pain on others. Being in a situation where previously punished behavior could be engaged in without being punished may excuse a child to do so. Punishment inflicts aggression toward the punishing agent and others. Punishment often replaces one undesirable response with another (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, pp. 92-94). Guthrie on breaking habits Also a behaviorist, Guthrie addressed the issue of â€Å"habits†. From a behavioral perspective, habits are simply a specific response to a large number of stimuli in which the greater the number of the stimuli, the greater the strength of the habit. As habits can be a significant annoyance and possibly quite maladaptive, insight into their extinguishment is valuable. According to Guthrie, the following four methods are useful and valid: Threshold Method – In this method, the technique of ‘warming up’ to an idea is utilized rather than the sudden presentation of the stimulus in order to attenuate the response. Fatigue – This method demonstrates the futility of a response to gain the desired results but simply letting a subject ‘wear themselves out’ when a stimulus is presented. Incompatible Response Method – This method relies upon the pairing of a stimulus which generates an unacceptable response with a stimulus in which the response is not compatible with the unacceptable response. Such action has the effect of lessening the ability of the former stimulus to evoke and undesirable response. Though this is a behavioral percept, it has the net effect of forcing the subject to cognitively â€Å"rethink† the pairing and its meaning. Sidetracking – This method is one in which a habit in not so much eliminated as simply avoided. By removing the stimulation, one can effectively sidetrack the response (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, pp. 220-224). Wertheimer’s Facts versus Principles According to Wertheimer, the father of Gestalt psychology, real â€Å"learning† occurs not by the simple recitation of facts but rather by the understanding of underlying principles. As apt illustration of this idea is the following example: A school inspector who was impressed by the children he had observed but wanted to ask one more question before departing. â€Å"How many hairs does a horse have?† he asked. Much to the amazement of both the inspector and the teacher, a nine-year old boy raised his hand and answered, â€Å"3,571,962.† â€Å"How do you know that your answer is correct?† asked the inspector. If you do not believe me,† answered the boy, â€Å"count them yourself.† The inspector broke into laughter and vowed to tell the story to his colleagues when eh returned to Vienna. When the inspector returned the following year for his annual visit, the teacher asked him how his colleagues responded to the story. Disappointedly, the inspector said, â€Å"I wanted very much to tell the story but I couldn’t. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember how many hairs the boy said the horse had.† (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, p. 281). Enough said. Piaget’s â€Å"Learning depends on failure† Though we generally judge the success of learning by achievement, the noted developmental psychologist Piaget suggests that perhaps this should be reconsidered to some extent. Specifically, Piaget indicated that learning occurs only when the dilemma of ‘not learning’ or a failure to learn is present. To elaborate, the inability or failure of previous learning to account for a given set of circumstances makes it possible for new situations to be assimilated and accommodated, thus providing the raw material for learning to occur. Important to this assimilation and accommodation, or learning process is the ability of the teacher to gradually challenge rather than overwhelm the individual ((Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, pp. 302-303). Bandura: Human Monkeys are Different†¦ In early behaviorist experiments, animal subjects did not â€Å"look† at other animals to learn adaptive strategies. While more recent experiments have indeed demonstrated this phenomena, is was the failure of these early experiments that led Bandura to postulate model learning. In this system, Bandura explained and predicted human behavior by such as means that the stimulus was simultaneously internal and external to the subject. This is, to some extent, a cognitive behavioral approach and aptly illustrates the importance of positive role models and the influence that others can have upon learning and behavior. Conclusion Human learning simply cannot be fully understood by the use of a single perspective. It is not that any one paradigm is incorrect but rather each is only a partial representation of the range and diversity of the human condition. By availing oneself of multiple perspectives, one becomes the beneficiary of significantly more vast knowledge by which life, through work-, school- or home-life can be improved through the application of numerous principles and precepts designed to foster adaptive responses to the stimulation life brings. Works Consulted Hergenhahn, B. and M. Olson. (2005). An Introduction to the Theories of Learning, 7th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, US: Pearson Prentice-Hall. Le Bon, G. (1914). The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. London: T.F. Unwin.

Allergies and Allergic Reactions Essay -- Food Allergies

Healthy humans have two types of immune systems that protect the body from invading pathogens that cause diseases. The Innate Immunity is the first barrier of protection. It is similar to a force field. Its primary purpose is to destroy any pathogen that tries to enter the epidermis cells (the skin cells) and the mucosa (mucus secreting cells found in the GI tract, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and eyes. If the first defense does not work, the adaptive immunity steps in to eradicate the invading microbe. Yet, sometimes the body reacts to harmless agents as if they were pathogens. Every day, more adults develop allergies to things in their environment. Exposure to such things as pollen, grass, mold and pet dander1 can lead to mild or harmful reactions. Other allergens can cause tingling in the throat and mouth, and in many cases severe reaction that lead to death. 2 In the last couple of decades, 75 to 100 percent of asthma and 150 percent atopy have reported.4 17.7 million adul ts and 7.1 million were diagnosed with allergies and hay fever.5 There are no known reasons why people developed hypersensitivity to certain agents, yet, many adults are developing allergies later in life. Statistically, children are the ones who develop allergies the most. About 3.9 percent of children have allergies, whereas 2% of adults have it. 6 Then, why are adults becoming more and more susceptible to this affliction? One possible reason is foods and every day household products are making people sick. Could it be that constant exposure to known hypoallergenic agents are causing allergic reactions to develop in adults who have never displayed any allergic reactions in their lifetime? To understand why the sudden affliction of allergies is occu... ...alian adults: A multi-centre study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2009;150(3):271-7. 4 . Isolauri E, Huurre A, Salminen S, Impivaara O. The allergy epidemic extends beyond the past few decades. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004 07;34(7):1007-10. 5. CDC [Internet]. Allergies and Hay Fever. Atlanta, Georgia: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/allergies.htm [Date accessed 2011, November 18] 6. CDC [Internet]. "Food Allergies - DASH/HealthyYouth." Atlanta, Georgia: : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. 26 Apr. 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/foodallergies [Date accessed 2011, November 18] 7. Laurià ¨re M, Pecquet C, Bouchez-Mahiout I, Snà ©garoff J, Bayrou O, Raison-Peyron N, et al. Hydrolysed wheat proteins present in cosmetics can induce immediate hypersensitivities. Contact Dermatitis. 2006 05;54(5):283-9.

Mind and Consciousness

Mind and consciousness appears to act as inseparable entities. Daily functions  Ã‚   are taken for granted, not given much thought how everyday habitual patterns work. Television programming, selection of music, newspapers, magazines, people we choose to communicate with and the invitation of outside influences has an overall impact on our conscious minds, eventually. Environments, situations and circumstances seem to be   automatic, these conditions arrived without any conscious effort.   All external factors   entering into minds is in the process of becoming a part of the consciousness, but almost always temporarily. Understanding differences between consciousness and mind is crucial to understanding the environment we are living in, and our daily behavior. Many people say, they would never select to live in the conditions they live, or are associate with their friends, or select other situations they are currently in. This is where the consciousness is separate from the mind. The mind or brain would not accept these predicaments, but the consciousness selected these situations. People valuing their freedom to go out dancing in nightclubs, or go chase their kids or dog in the park chooses to stay in the middle, maybe lower financial income. Millionaires have to keep up a certain image, because someone is always watching. Running with a dog in the park is not considered sophisticated behavior of an outstanding citizen. The consciousness chooses financial status, friends, environments depending on beliefs. It has often been said by many motivational speakers, â€Å"you are what you think.† Over time, repeated thoughts automatically reoccurring become part of the consciousness. People start behaving like the actors they see on television without realizing they changed, or they pick up an accent. Once the consciousness accepted the outside messages, these beliefs become a part of the person, or who the person actually is. The difference between the mind and consciousness is the mind changes, but the consciousness is permanent or takes a long time or repeated programming for a temporary change. â€Å"Consciousness (pure awareness) is who you are, and does not have a physical origin† (Morose, 2004).   Consciousness is much more permanent than the mind. The mind brings us into different environments through jobs, relocations, leaving old friends, meeting new people. Through external changes, we keep our same beliefs, values, feelings; our consciousness. When we leave a place physically, our internal, invisible consciousness goes with us. â€Å"Using the example, Alzheimer’s disease, the brain or mind functions do become partially or totally inaccessible, but consciousness never alters† (Morese). Although the physical body changes, the mind does not. The mind and brain are physical external objects. The conscious mind is the actual soul or internal intentions of the person. Outside appearances are usually an accurate reflection of who they are on the inside. The mind is a fascinating mystery. Scientists conduct numerous studies and research trying to find out more about the minds and consciousness. Naturally, diagnosing physical problems, such as Alzheimer’s, and several forms of brain damage are much easier than unraveling the real mysteries of the mind. Scientists and doctors can see a brain. They cannot see the mind. Much of the conclusions of exactly how the mind works is left up to beliefs, opinions, and study’s of similar patterns. Even when external influences alters personality, it is only for brief periods. For example, a well behaved teen getting mixed up with the wrong crowd intentions will become obvious through any type of discipline or counseling resulting from temporarily choosing the wrong path. The conscious mind is permanent, the mind is changeable. Once external conditions change, the consciousness reveals itself. Source: Morose, (2004) The Separation of Mind and Consciousness; retrieved 13 December 2007 Buzzle.com http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-9-2004-57639.asp      

Eating Home and Eating Out Essay

Thanks to eating at home families are able to save more money in the recession. Eating out on the weekends and during the week makes families spend much more money than they expect. But mostly some fast food restaurants have specials going on during the weekday. But many families are starting to cook at home because of the cost of food at restaurants. The money that they are spending at fast food restaurants they can be saves at the grocery store. Eating at home is much cheaper and healthier than eating out at restaurants. When families are eating at home it puts the cooker in control. So they are able to know what kind of ingredients to put in their food. Instead of families going to a restaurant and trying to figure out what they put in their food just in case they get sick. If the families are eating at a restaurant like McDonald’s they do not know if their hamburger have hit the floor before preparing. But they are probably praying that it has not. Have families ever glanced at what a hamburger at a fast food restaurant is made with? There can be tons of ingredients, some with names that people never heard of or cannot pronounce (Steendahl). When parents cook at home, they can keep your foods natural and whole. By families eating at home they have a lot more control. Families in America think that eating at home is healthier than eating at restaurants. Some families go out to eat at restaurants they look at the way the restaurants looks are make them feel while they are eating. Chefs and health inspectors agree that a clean bathroom is usually an indicator of the rest of the restaurant and when visiting a restaurant for the first time it is the first place you should visit (Lempert). Conversely, overflowing trash, stopped up drains, lack of hot water or soap in washrooms indicate that the restaurant is not paying attention to fundamental cleanliness practices. They look at the waiters and the way they welcome their families to the restaurant. The waiters are there hygiene nice and neat. Always remember that they are handling the food you are about to eat. When families are at home they do not have to worry about who prepared their meal and were their hands clean when they cooked it. When families are at home they automatically clean their kitchen once the family is done. Families now days are starting to eat healthier. Some families have become overweight because of eating problems and not eating enough healthy foods. Restaurants have some healthy foods but not a lot because when families go to restaurants they intend to get what they want. For instance, if someone was on a diet and they go to a restaurant they are not going to look in see how many calories are in the meal. They would just eat the meal because it was either good to them or their favorite meal. But if that person was at home they would try to make that dish as healthy as they could for their family. More than 70 percent of consumers believe the food they eat at home is healthier than meals consumed out, according to a national telephone survey of more than 1,000 U. S. shoppers conducted for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention magazine (DeJohn). Some restaurants have healthy foods McDonald’s has their Caesar, Southwest, and Ranch salads that come with grilled or crispy chicken. They also have the fruit and walnut salads, parfaits, and apple dippers that are healthy. But some people do not look at the healthy side of the restaurant. They look at the negative. Restaurants can be particularly challenging to anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet (Kathi). Restaurant food is rich, fatty, salty, and often high in carbohydrates (Kathi). Also, restaurant portions tend to be much bigger than you would serve yourself at home. Families in the world today think about how to save more money than spending more money. Once families think about how much they spend eating out they could have made the same meal at home for much cheaper. When your mother have gone to McDonald’s and bought four Double Cheeseburger meals for $3. 18 a piece she has paid almost thirteen dollars for the family that day. She could have gone to the grocery store and bought some hamburger meat, French fries, and sodas for fewer than fifteen dollars. When you eat at a restaurant families like to be comfortable and feel welcome to be there. At some restaurants families do not feel comfortable being at. For example, when a school has a basketball game and everyone goes to McDonald’s afterwards. No customer would want to come in there after some school children have came in the place. The restaurant would be a mess. But if the family was eating at home after the games they could be more comfortable because they would not have to worry about being in line and seeing the place a mess. Also, when families go to a nice restaurant they have to put on their best clothes in order to go eat and come back home. When you eat at home your children can eat with their pajamas on and be comfortable. Some families have birthdays at fast- food restaurants especially McDonald’s, Chuck-E-Cheese, and the bowling alley. When your children receive birthday party invitations those are the types of restaurants people are having their child parties. So by the time that parent buys all those children Happy Meals or pizza they have spent almost sixty dollars plus cake and ice cream. If that parent would have just cooked at home they would have saved a lot more money than going to different types of restaurants to eat. There are a lot of benefits and thoughts that run through family head in order to save money. Families think about if they save this money by eating at home they could maybe go on vacation. Families have to think about a lot of stuff in order to eat at that particular restaurant or at home. If my family eats here tonight will they be eating healthy and will any of my family break out because of any ingredients they put into the food. Some people wonder if they eat out will they have enough gas money to make it to work tomorrow. But it would depend what grocery store your mother shops in because every grocery store be either lower or higher than the other stores. So eating at home is much cheaper than going out to a restaurant just remember to think about the good things that families could do if they would just stop eating out. Work Cited DeJOhn, Christopher, â€Å"Eating Healthier at Home. † Food. Business, 26 January 2007. Web 1 March 2010. Kathi. â€Å"Healthier Eating at Parties, Restaurants, and During the Holidays. † Lifestyle. MIT, 21 January 2008. Web 1 March 2010. Lampert, Phil. â€Å"The Dangers of Eating Out. † Security World. MIT, n. d. Web. 1 March 2010. Steebdahl, Christine. â€Å"Healthy Reason For Eating In. † Stop the Eating Out Cycle- The Benefits of Eating at Home. MIT, n. d. Web 1 March 2010.

buy custom Cleft Lip or Palate essay

buy custom Cleft Lip or Palate essay Clefts of the lip, alveolus and hard palates are the most common congenital deformities affecting the upper jaw leading to difficulty in feeding. However, cleft lip alone generally doesnt interfere with feeding. There are chances of regurgitation of milk, associated lung infections and chronic otitis media, Conductive hearing loss and delayed speech in the patients of cleft palate. They generally occur as isolated deformities and very rarely are associated with congenital heart disease and genetic conditions such as Aperts or Downs syndrome. INCIDENCE: 1 in 2500 live births. Clefts are highest among Asians and lowest among blacks. cleft lip and palate in conjoint predominate in males. Cleft palate alone is more common in females. ETIOLOGY:- possible etiology include maternal drug exposure during pregnancy, syndrome malformation complex, or genetic . This condition of cleft lip and palate is inherited in a dominant fashion, (van der woude syndrome) Embryology of Normal fetus: the masticatory muscles in conjoint with internal pterygoid Muscle allows the mandibular teeth to forcefully contact the maxillary teeth. When teeth meet simultaneously, the force is distributed over a large are of bone to tooth attachment and resulting to the joining of medial nasal and maxillary processes. Embryo histology: The cleft of the lip appears because of the hypoplasdia of the mesenchymal layer, resulting in failure of the medial nasal and maxillary processes to join. Cleft of the palate appears to represent failure of the palatal shelves to approximate or fuse. Genetic influences more significant in cleft lip/palate than cleft palate alone where environmental factors exert a greater influence. Clinical features: cosmetically looks ugly: Cleft lip may vary from a small notch in the vermillion border to a complete separation extending in to the floor of the nose. Clefts may be unilateral or bilateral and may involve the alveolar ridge. Cleft palate may result to difficulty in feeding, regurgitation ,lung infections, middle ear infections, dental decay and speech delay/hyper nasal speech, inability to whistle, gargle, blow out a candle, of inflate a balloon . MANAGEMENT : COSMETIC SURGERY : the correction of cleft lip is undertaken earlier because Of the obvious cosmetic problems.(three months of age) SURGICAL CLOSURE OF THE DEFECT: restoring the normal anatomy of the cleft palate undertaken later, but before the development of speech(around ten months of age) Treatment of lung infection like pneumonia and atelectasis orthodontic correction, Speech therapy :If surgery is delayed beyond three years of age, a contoured speech bulb can be attached to the posterior of a maxillary denture to accomplish occlusion of the naso pharynx and help the child develop intelligible speech. Treatment of middle ear infection e.g., otitis media and conductive hearing loss. Healthy diet:-feeding can be continued with a Mead Johnson bottle or a cup. Use a crosscut nipple to prevent choking. Any nipple can be crosscut manually using a single-edged razor blade. The crosscut is on the tongue side. CONCLUSION Cleft lip or palate is a congenital developmental deformity probably caused by maternal exposure of drugs during pregnancy Because of this deformity the neonate gets difficulty in feeding along with lung and middle ear infections. The only management remedy is surgical correction of the defect. Buy custom Cleft Lip or Palate essay

Self Harm essays

Self Harm essays Self-harm is a growing and troubling trend. Its a frightening disorder, most common among women, where hurt and alienation are expressed by injuring oneself. There are several kinds of self-harm. Self-mutilation and various eating disorders are among the most common forms of self-destruction. These forms of self-harm often lead to suicide. There are three types of self-mutilation. The rarest and most extreme form is Major self-mutilation. This form usually results in permanent disfigurement, such as castration or limb amputation. Another form is Stereo-typical self-mutilation. This usually consists of head banging, eyeball pressing, and biting. The third and most common form is Superficial self-mutilation. This involves cutting, burning, hair pulling, bone breaking, hitting, interference with wound healing, and basically anything that causes harm to oneself. Its almost unimaginable that one would inflict injury upon oneself. However, cutting, burning, slashing, stabbing, and bruising occurs while apparently no physical pain is felt. As many as three million Americans are believed to be suffering from this psychiatric disorder. (Simpson) The very nature of this problem is shrouded in secrecy. It is no surprise that it has taken some time for people to get wise to this growing problem. There are several different theories as to why one engages in such behavior. One popular theory is that its a control issue. There are also several reasons for a need for control. For instance, when children are abused, they are in a situation of no control. Their abusers can hurt them at anytime, and the children are largely powerless to stop it. When the child grows older and is faced with stressful situations, it is easy to feel out of control. There is often a strong desire or expectation for pain, because pain is associated with stress in that persons mind. People who have had these associatio...

Incorporating Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Incorporating Theory - Essay Example Furthermore, it would minimize risks of associated legal liability. Besides, it would ensure economic valuation of care to the patient, the family and the care facility. In view of this, the Change Theory Fall Model would offer a theoretical framework for the implementation of the proposed change. Despite the fact that there has been conflicting evidence in fall prevention programs strategies in long-term care facilities, there are; however, practical evidence-based programs that can be used in the prevention of patient falls (Simmons, 2012). Nevertheless, in order for these implementation strategies to be effectively employed, there has to be a significant behavioral change at the organizational level. This trickles down from key stakeholders such as the facility administration, the patient, and the patient’s family and health care staff. Herdman, Schubert and Tusa (2011), posit that the Change Theory Fall Model would ensure behavioral changes in the key stakeholders of healt hcare delivery that would ultimately result into a reduction in the prevalence and incidence of patient falls. The Change Theory Fall Model is a conceptual framework that was developed by Advanced Practice Nurse as a modification of Kotter and Cohen’s Change Theory (Frieson, Gargis , Frith, & Wagner, 2013). Herdman, Schubert and Tusa (2011), opine that in order for an organization to achieve an effective outcome, synergy is essential through a combination of interventions. In lieu of this, the proposed change is a multivariate of strategies with the aim of reducing the prevalence and incidence of patient falls. The Change Theory Fall Model is a type of Lewin’s Change Management Model. Its major components entail: preparing the facility to accept the changes required, ensuring stakeholders begin to act in a manner showing support to the proposed solution and ensuring the changes are institutionalized and individualized. In retrospect, the proposed change

Module 3 SLP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Module 3 SLP - Assignment Example Market research is essential in identifying specific market needs, characteristics of such markets as well as strategies to be devised to reach those markets (Jargon 2012). The following report explains the processes that were involved in the planning and execution of market research about the company’s products. The research process stemmed from a SWOT analysis that was carried to determine the company’s ability to take advantage of various opportunities in the market as well as tackling its threats in the market. The process was comprehensive, tackling both the internal and external business environment and providing recommendations on ways to improve the companies effectiveness and competitiveness over its rivals. The main objective in carrying out the research was to find out the specific weaknesses that the company was facing in its operations. In addition, it was also to find out some of the pointers to the company strengths so that it would work on weakness to increase its competitive advantage. In analyzing the company’s internal environment, the research aimed at identifying the influence of specific issues on business activities, as well as their merits and demerits to the business. According to the SWOT analysis that was done, there were pertinent issues of concern to the business that needed research on how they could be addressed to increase the company’s market competitiveness. In reference to the business’ internal strengths, some of the issues relevant for research included the number of staff and their knowledge about company goals and objectives, awareness about company products and their marketing strategies. There was also concern about the communication channels that were used in the company and how they influenced effective performance. As far as the company’s weaknesses were concerned, there was need to research the record keeping process

Some Marketers Believe That The Customer Is Always Right Essay

Some Marketers Believe That The Customer Is Always Right - Essay Example It is evident that all of these approaches cannot be regarded as the most effective strategy. Of course, all of them are to be observed and used while planning company's future. It seems that the third one provides the most favourable basis for creating effective strategy, but it also should be examined and completed. Management is an integral part of the modern society's activity. It is connected to all fields of activity and that is why it is necessary to know as much as possible about its laws and specificity. The directive philosophy in any strategic management development, no matter in the public or in private sector, are about appreciating what changes are required, how to realize and run these changes, and how to produce a schedule for supporting betterments that lead to better presentation. The problems of relationship between economy and ethics are examined and discussed by many scholars at present. More and more experts say about conflicts between these two spheres. But recently some of the most talented economists started to address most relevant problems in society at present. (Hunger) One of the founders of modern economics, Alfred Marshall wrote in his book that poverty and its elimination "give to economic studies... their chief and their highest interest". (qtd in Kabodian)But a complex structure of global economical processes today demonstrates that up-to-day ethical reflection is problematic today. And the statement of various economists to be occupied with making social "value-free" science, became a reason for ethicists and average customers to start a dialogue. (Kabodian) Amartya Sen, a scholar who was awarded Nobel Prize in Economics for establishing links between economy and ethics, states that economic strategies and methodologies are to be estimated in terms of their influence on the ability of individuals to function successfully in the society they belong to. This author points out that individuals should be treated as the agents of morality, possessing such features as responsibility, ability and freedom. The purpose, as defined by this author, is to view economic sphere and all other aspects of life through the scope of moral perspective. He adds the following remark on this topic: "What matters, finally, is how we see each other." (qtd in Hicks) It is not a secret that people are regarded and treated as customers within contemporary society. This concerns not only the sphere of consumption, but many other spheres of life, even those that are far from economy and finance. As Maier states, "In the business sector itself, "customer service," "customer satisfaction," and "customer loyalty" have become watchwords for marketing and strategic growth practices. From their market-based home, these concepts have seeped into other sectors". That is why understanding and evaluating the concept "customer is always right"

Food industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Food industry - Essay Example The company has made great advances in the production of fast foods through their kitchen prototyping, standardizing, self-serving along with fundamental changes in their marketing demographics (Schlosser, 212). The company has been offering fast foods to various classes of customers who include teenagers and the elderly. The beef department of the company is currently being dominated by immigrants who offer cheap labor in the various branches that the company has opened up across the globe. Through the process of recruiting more cheap workers, the organization has been able to expand their activities while at the same time maximizing their profits (Mankiw, 141). In consolidating their activities, Fast food Nation has been able to acquire many other smaller companies in different countries for the purpose of expanding the scope of their activities (Schlosser, 79). For instance, the company has acquired companies that indulge in packing meat such as Kenny Dobbins along with IBP Inc. T hey have been additionally able to ensure that all the outlets deal with uniform franchises (Kroeger, Vizjak, Moriarity, 89). The Omnivore’s dilemma offers a wide variety of foodstuffs for humans that range from industrial and organic foods and the foods we scavenge for ourselves such as meat products (Pollan, 62). The company manufactures the above meals in an effort to diversify their activities while expanding their activities across national along with international boundaries. They have enjoyed economies of scale with their production costs decreasing over the years as a result of using cheaper forms of labor, the use of technology in their activities and advanced production methods (Mankiw, 132). The company acquires its raw materials from many areas, which implies that they rarely have shortages in their production. The company’s production has however faced problems as a result of animal diseases which affect their production along with the

How Taxes Affect Economic Efficiency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How Taxes Affect Economic Efficiency - Essay Example According to Keynesians, tax cuts have a negative impact on the growth of wages (Ryan, 2011). There are some countries where governments encourage international trade while on the other side, some raise barriers. Some governments impose just enough tax to support various government expenditures while some levy taxes which burden the whole population (Kroeger, 2011). Adam Smith is revered in the field of economics because of his remarkable work on free-market economics and taxation. There are many economists of the modern times who consider Adam Smith the best tax economist of all time. According to Smith, the resources of a nation are allocated in the most efficient manner through an 'invisible hand'. According to Smith's view, taxes should be levied in such a way that they optimize and satisfy four variables. These variables include equity, transparency, convenience, and efficiency. According to Smith, by imposing limited taxes, economies can maximize their wealth (Kroeger, 2011). T axes are imposed by a government to support some basic functions. These legitimate functions include education, defense, and the construction as well as maintenance of roads. In a market economy, the allocation of resources depends on the forces of demand and supply. In order to understand the ultimate impact of tax on economics, it is imperative to evaluate this impact in terms of the purchasing power of individuals as well as the economy's aggregate supply. One of the basic concepts of economics is that an increase in demand leads to the production of more goods and services in order to fulfill the demand. It implies that if producers can sell more because of an increase in demand of their products then they need to produce more goods to satiate the increasing demand. The imposition of tax deprives tax payers from a portion of their money that they would have spend on consumption. If it is accepted that the imposition of tax only deprives people from money than it would be conclud ed that taxes have a negative impact on economy. However, by looking at the other side of coin, it can be comprehended that the money which people spend on taxes eventually turns into government's income. Government spends this money on the welfare of the public which in turns enhance the economic growth (Kroeger, 2011). The income of one person depends on the spending of others. When government spends the money, it ultimately turns into the income of the public. Similarly, when the public pays taxes, it becomes the income of the government. So, it is wrong to say that the imposition of taxes drops the aggregate spending in fact it causes it to increase. If tax payers save their money instead of paying taxes, it will impact government expenditures and will decrease the overall consumption and in turn the overall economic efficiency. Similarly, if government saves money and does not spend it then it would ultimately affect the public. It proves that the act of saving money is not ben eficial for the overall economy of a country but it creates problems. This act is really harmful for the economy of the country. A very obvious example of the harmful effects of this act is the Great Depression. The Great Depression occurs because people who could have opted for spending money chose to save it. However, those who wanted to spend money were deprived of it (Kroeger 2011). The long term expenditures of government increase with the growth of population. Therefore government needs money to

IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

IT - Essay Example Its terms and conditions of service, data use and cookie use policy can be estimated to be about 14, 000 words which run over eight pages. Even for a fast reader, this would take one about two hours to go through all the pages. This could be an associating factor as to why most users simply agree to the terms without agreeing to them, not knowing exactly what right they are handing over to Facebook. In order to ensure customer satisfaction, Facebook could try to edit their terms and conditions to a page or so. At least then, there is a chance of someone actually reading the terms before accepting them unknowingly. Definitively for photos and personal videos uploaded to the site, Facebook has the right to use this content any way they see fit according to the terms and conditions. If people actually knew this, what are the chances that they would probably not upload so many personal photos and videos of themselves online? In addition, the terms state that Facebook can hand over its rights over the user’s content to another organization if needed. Ethically users need to understand how these companies intend to use the content handed over to them and have a say in whether or not it is okay if the organizations have access to this information. Furthermore, the terms and conditions stipulate that eve on deletion or deactivation on a users account, Facebook’s licence over the user’s content shall only come to a cessation in a situation where all of their friends also delete their accounts. The possibility of this ever occurring is next to impossible, which in a way is Facebook taking advantage of user’s negligence (Gopalsamy, 2009). Google is not so popular when one thinks of social networking. It is not hard to imagine that Google+ is probably not the first place where most Google users agreed to their terms and conditions of service. Most users almost certainly signed up through one of Google’s

Food industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Food industry - Essay Example The company has made great advances in the production of fast foods through their kitchen prototyping, standardizing, self-serving along with fundamental changes in their marketing demographics (Schlosser, 212). The company has been offering fast foods to various classes of customers who include teenagers and the elderly. The beef department of the company is currently being dominated by immigrants who offer cheap labor in the various branches that the company has opened up across the globe. Through the process of recruiting more cheap workers, the organization has been able to expand their activities while at the same time maximizing their profits (Mankiw, 141). In consolidating their activities, Fast food Nation has been able to acquire many other smaller companies in different countries for the purpose of expanding the scope of their activities (Schlosser, 79). For instance, the company has acquired companies that indulge in packing meat such as Kenny Dobbins along with IBP Inc. T hey have been additionally able to ensure that all the outlets deal with uniform franchises (Kroeger, Vizjak, Moriarity, 89). The Omnivore’s dilemma offers a wide variety of foodstuffs for humans that range from industrial and organic foods and the foods we scavenge for ourselves such as meat products (Pollan, 62). The company manufactures the above meals in an effort to diversify their activities while expanding their activities across national along with international boundaries. They have enjoyed economies of scale with their production costs decreasing over the years as a result of using cheaper forms of labor, the use of technology in their activities and advanced production methods (Mankiw, 132). The company acquires its raw materials from many areas, which implies that they rarely have shortages in their production. The company’s production has however faced problems as a result of animal diseases which affect their production along with the

IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

IT - Essay Example Its terms and conditions of service, data use and cookie use policy can be estimated to be about 14, 000 words which run over eight pages. Even for a fast reader, this would take one about two hours to go through all the pages. This could be an associating factor as to why most users simply agree to the terms without agreeing to them, not knowing exactly what right they are handing over to Facebook. In order to ensure customer satisfaction, Facebook could try to edit their terms and conditions to a page or so. At least then, there is a chance of someone actually reading the terms before accepting them unknowingly. Definitively for photos and personal videos uploaded to the site, Facebook has the right to use this content any way they see fit according to the terms and conditions. If people actually knew this, what are the chances that they would probably not upload so many personal photos and videos of themselves online? In addition, the terms state that Facebook can hand over its rights over the user’s content to another organization if needed. Ethically users need to understand how these companies intend to use the content handed over to them and have a say in whether or not it is okay if the organizations have access to this information. Furthermore, the terms and conditions stipulate that eve on deletion or deactivation on a users account, Facebook’s licence over the user’s content shall only come to a cessation in a situation where all of their friends also delete their accounts. The possibility of this ever occurring is next to impossible, which in a way is Facebook taking advantage of user’s negligence (Gopalsamy, 2009). Google is not so popular when one thinks of social networking. It is not hard to imagine that Google+ is probably not the first place where most Google users agreed to their terms and conditions of service. Most users almost certainly signed up through one of Google’s

The Effects of Diversity in Communities Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Diversity in Communities Essay The concept of diversity in communities includes several nationalities in different fields; thereby the communities will have many advantages. One cause of diversity is immigration. People travel to another country since they are searching for better life in jobs and educations. If immigration law in any country eases regulation for immigrants, the numbers of immigrants will increase. In fact, there are several effects of diversity in communities. The most important effect of diversity is eliminating the discrimination in the community. If the communities have only two races such as black and white people, discrimination will absolutely be exist. Everyone knows the tragedy of the discrimination in every society like civil war and crisis in economy. On the other hand, if there are several races, religious beliefs and political beliefs, the community will adjust to the diversity in every moment of life. In the time, people will deal with different nationalities in market and schools. As a result, the community will live a peaceful life without any problems. Another significant effect of diversity is sharing cultures. Everyone is curious of knowing other cultures. In fact, diversity is a great opportunity of sharing cultures, such as food, religions, languages and history. For example, citizens in the USA can find China Town and Indian village, which have a variety of food, juice and museums, in every big city like Washington, New York and Chicago. As a consequence, citizens go to these towns because they are available in the place where they live. In addition, they might travel to these countries if they have an appropriate chance. More importantly, these villages or towns are exist because of immegration which advocates the diversity. The last effect of different nationalities in communities is enhancing the economic level. Can you imagine that diversity affects the economy of the country? In fact, it affects the economy significantly. It affects the labor costs both in the low-wage jobs and in high-wage jobs. For instance, in my count ry KSA, most of the low-wage positions are taken by immigrants, so the Saudis cannot accept the same wage of the immigrants. Consequently, the Saudi’s wage rate is higher than the immigrants’ in the low-wage jobs. Another example, many universities hire foreign instructors since they have different experiences and different thoughts. Foreign instructors lead to develop the economy by doing different research and innovations. For these reasons, no one can hide the influence of the national diversity in the economy. To conclude, reducing discrimination, being part of cultures and growing economy are the most important effects of the diversity. In my opinion, every country should have diversity because of the positive impact to the community. Moreover, some countries must modify the immigration law since they will have many advantages of diversity.

Introduction Of The Care Quality Commission Social Work Essay

Introduction Of The Care Quality Commission Social Work Essay The introduction of the Care Quality Commission arguably fixes  that which was not broken.   Editorial The Trials of Marriage, The Guardian, Wednesday 1st April  2009.   The CQC came into existence on 1st April 2009. Consider the intended  role of the CQC and evaluate this statement in light of the experiences  of the first full year of the CQCs existence. We need to see tougher action by the commission on poor providers. The commission can impose or vary conditions where older people may be at risk. It can cancel the registration if that is the only way to ensure safety. Areas highlighted as needing urgent attention include record-keeping, medication, care plans and staff supervision. Operating as from April 1st 2009 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) takes over from the role of the former Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) as the registration and regulation body for social care in England, as well as performing the functions of the former Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission. The CQC requires all health and adult social care providers to register their regulated activities. Regulated activities that require registration are declared in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2009, Pt II, s 3(1). The intended role of the CQC is to make the general standard of care better, however concerns have been raised about the poor quality of health care for the elderly as almost one quarter of homes for older people provide inadequate care. The CQC has done a lot of juggling in its first year of existence which confirms the statement that it arguably fixes that which was not broken. First, its staff have had to cr eate an organisation from the merger of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission. In addition, it has had to continue its predecessors functions in assessing adult social care provision, evaluating health services and monitoring the treatment of detained mental health patients. There are several health care regulators namely the Care Quality Commission (CQG), the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Medical Research Council (MRC), the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). The CQG regulates all the health and adult social care in England and also protects the interests of those detained under the Mental Health Act. The most recently devised health care regulator is the CQC which seems to be an attempt at encompassing the role and functions of the other bodies. The CQC has made proposals for its approach to the assessments of quality in 2010/2011 for all institutions in England that provide healthcare and adult social care services, and for the National Health Service (commonly referred to as the NHS) and local authority organisations that commission those services. The proposals were set up in accordance with the Heath and Social Care Act 2008. From April 1st 2009 all organisations that are providers of healthcare and adult social care services in England will be required to be registered by October 1st 2010 with the CQC as stated by the Heath and Social Care Act 2008. Registration is not just about the initial registration. but includes initial registration, monitoring and assessment of ongoing compliance, inspection and implementation. The CQC has to undertake registration activities as well as to perform periodic reviews, and special reviews and studies and to publish information on its findings. A new legal framework has been created to facilitate the new regulation system that is the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Registration Requirement Regulations 2009). The Health and Social Care Act 2008 gives the CQC extended powers. It can issue enforcement notices, withdraw provider bodies rights to provide services entirely or can issue certain conditions of service/registration if it decides it is necessary to do so. Its enforcement options range from minor to very serious sanctions depending on the service affected degree of risk or service disruption. However the CQC stresses it wants the regulatory system to drive and support the healthcare and adult social services organisations to improve and raise standards and to be based on fairness and transparency. On its official website the NHS describes the intended role of the CQC a regulator which makes sure that the voices of people who use health and adult social care services are heard by asking people to share their experiences of care services. It makes sure that users views are at the heart of its reports and reviews. In some cases patients and their carers  work alongside inspectors to provide a users view of services. The reality and whether the CQC has successfully achieved the goals the NHS mentioned is arguable. The CQC is responsible to make sure that essential common standards of quality are met everywhere health care is provided, from hospitals to private care homes and work towards improving health care services. The Commission promotes the rights and interests of people who use services and have a wide range of enforcement powers to take action on their behalf if services are unacceptably below standards The CQC brought together (for the first time) independent regulation of health, mental health and adult social care. Before April 1st 2009, these tasks were carried out by the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection. The aim of the CQC is to ensure that better care is provided for everyone wherever it is provided. The Commission has greater powers and responsibilities to use and take account of peoples views and experiences of services, and this includes evidence from overview and scrutiny committees. In June 2009, a Statemen t of Involvement was published setting out the Commissions approach to involving people in their mission.   Overview and scrutiny committees working on health issues have been an important source of evidence of peoples views and experiences of health services for the Healthcare Commission. The Commission wants to build on this relationship and to encourage committees to develop an ongoing dialogue with them. Scrutiny committees have a fundamental role in bringing together and articulating the views of local people who use health and social care services in their area, and to check whether their needs and concerns are being addressed by service commissioners and providers. In many ways, scrutiny committees operate like a local regulator, holding services to account. During its first year the CQC has faced many challenges which sheds a doubt of whether the Commission has really fixed a prevailing issue or has fixed that which was not broken. The CQC has had to proceed with the roles carried out by its predecessors as stated in the Health and Social Care Bill, Part II. The CQC has also introduced a new registration system for health and social care providers in English which is the first time the NHS has been regulated in that manner. The new core standards imposed by the CQC will replace the regulations and relative National Minimum Standards under the Care Standards Act 2000 which will be void as from September 30th 2010. The regulations introduced by the CQC will apply from October 1st 2010 (the date when the providers must be registered in the new system). Under the new system introduced by the CQC, instead of being individually registered for each service, providers will have to register according to their respective regulated activity. In September 2009, the CQC had to face a serious allegation about manipulating survey findings. The head of the Development for Mental Health, Louis Appleby, accused the CQC of trying to attract the medias attention by portraying a distorted flattering image of the Commissions work hence undermining the intended role of the CQC which is to be factual and balanced and inform the public and patients. Professor Appleby expressed his concerns about the poor performance of the CQC which the Commission did not welcome. In December 2009, Colin Angel, the head of policy and communication United Kingdom Homecare Association and the Registered Nursing Home Association criticised the Commissions failure to communicate effectively over the system of registration: We are extremely disappointed about the handling of the registration process. We fear that CQC isnt adequately prepared for the enormous communication exercise facing them. Colin Angel also identified the fact that the CQC was missing the opportunity to use the extensive technical knowledge available from providers representative bodies which the Registered Nursing Home Association chief executive Frank Ursell approved. Some service providers have expressed their concerns about the fact that the Commission might have embarked on a mission which was too extensive and challenging to them as stated by the joint chair of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services standards and resources network: It has been stretched at senior management level and weve had quite short notice of a number of initiatives. Its been a bit hand-to-mouth in terms of its ability to make decisions. She points to the fact that final guidance on how councils were to be assessed in 2009-10 was only published three-quarters of the way through the year. Colin Angel, head of policy and communication at the UKHCA, says: The CQC has lost valuable time restructuring, leaving insufficient time for over 24,000 social care providers to adapt to new standards before they are required to re-register. But Amanda Sherlock, head of operations at the CQC, says it has been an outstanding achievement to pull together the three commissions, deliver business as usual as well as bring in a new regulatory model, while building a new organisation. She says that some things could have gone better, saying that the CQC has worked on how it handles national announcements, so councils and other bodies face no surprises when these happen. Norman acknowledges the CQC has shown itself willing to listen and accepted the concerns that weve had. On provider registration, Sherlock says: We are keen to hear how we can do things better and how we can tailor our approach and communication. She says the CQC has an absolute focus on making sure providers are clear what is expected between April and October when they must register. National Care Forum executive director Des Kelly says for its part the provider sector needs to work with the CQC to ensure registration succeeds. Sherlock admits the CQC has put a lot of time into organisational development but says this has paid off in establishing an organisation that has an absolute commitment to driving up quality and safety across health and social care without defining any sector as special. A year ago, many in social care, including former CSCI chair Dame Denise Platt, feared the health services high political and public profile would make it special. And since Johnstones departure last autumn, there has been no one with a social care background on CQCs executive team below chief executive Cynthia Bower, who left social services in 1995. Sherlock insists such fears have proved unfounded, but says the CQC has been helped by adult cares rising profile. Sherlock, who worked for the CSCI and its predecessor, the National Care Standards Commission, points to her own centrality to CQCs strategic direction, despite not being on the executive team. She also reveals that the CQC will soon appoint a national social care adviser, to provide external challenge and strengthen links with the sector. Kelly says the issue of social cares priority has gone better than I would have predicted 12 months ago. Concerns have also been raised that the CQC would not maintain the CSCIs focus on user involvement. Sue Bott, director of the National Centre for Independent Living, which provides users to act as experts by experience on inspection teams, says involvement is nowhere near as prevalent as it was in the CSCI. The CQC produced a statement on user involvement last June, pledging to conduct surveys and set up consultative panels. Sherlock agrees there is more to do but says the statement has been implemented and the CQCs user involvement team, led by Frances Hasler, who performed the same role for the CSCI, actively challenges all parts of the organisation. One of the key objectives of the CQC is to support the integration of health and social care. Kelly says he has not seen a great deal of evidence as yet of progress on this front. But Sherlock points to the special reviews that the CQC has been doing on issues that cross the divide, including the quality of healthcare for care home residents, which she says will identify good practice and any gaps. These will report in 2010-11, alongside the roll out of registration for adult care providers and a reformed performance assessment for councils. It will be another busy year. ONE YEAR OF THE CQC April 2009 The Care Quality Commission starts work. Outgoing Commission for Social Care Inspection chair Dame Denise Platt raises concerns over its potential to sufficiently prioritise social care and involve service users. May 2009 Former Association of Directors of Adults Social Services standards lead David Johnstone appointed director of operations at the CQC. He leaves the organisation after only a few months. June 2009 Statement on service user involvement published. The CQC announces series of special reviews for 2009-10, including of healthcare needs of care home residents and impact of recession on services. July 2009 The CQC says NHS trusts are failing to comply with child protection requirements in areas such as staff training in report sparked by Baby Peter case. September 2009 DH mental health director Louis Appleby says the CQCHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/09/29/112717/appleby-accuses-care-quality-commission-of-seeking-headlines.htmHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/09/29/112717/appleby-accuses-care-quality-commission-of-seeking-headlines.htms portrayal of results of an in-patient survey was HYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/09/29/112717/appleby-accuses-care-quality-commission-of-seeking-headlines.htmHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/09/29/112717/appleby-accuses-care-quality-commission-of-seeking-headlines.htmdeliberately distortingHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/09/29/112717/appleby-accuses-care-quality-commission-of-seeking-headlines.htm and simply highlighted negative findings. The CQC says many survey results were poor. October 2009 The CQC publishes draft standards for health and social care providers, and holds meeting with mental health leaders over its presentation of the results of its in-patient survey. December 2009 Adass criticises the CQC for its treatment of eight councils labelled HYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/12/04/113366/adasss-owen-attacks-cqc-over-treatment-of-eight-councils.htmHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/12/04/113366/adasss-owen-attacks-cqc-over-treatment-of-eight-councils.htmpriority for improvementHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/12/04/113366/adasss-owen-attacks-cqc-over-treatment-of-eight-councils.htmHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/12/04/113366/adasss-owen-attacks-cqc-over-treatment-of-eight-councils.htm following annual performance assessment (APA). Councils improve for seventh year running. February 2010 The CQC says  £2bn could be saved a year from reduced hospital admissions if joint working improves between health and social care in first HYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/02/10/113768/cqc-health-and-socal-care-integration-can-save-2bn-a-year.htmState of CareHYPERLINK http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/02/10/113768/cqc-health-and-socal-care-integration-can-save-2bn-a-year.htm report. It promises 2010-11 APA for councils will be tougher. March 2010 Care provider bodies slam the CQC for an alleged lack of communication of the process for registration under its new system. The CQC claims it has engaged extensively. April 2010 The CQC is one year old. It starts process of registering adult care providers under new system. National social care adviser appointed. This article is published in the 8 April 2010 edition of Community Care under the headline Many happy returns?

Albert Camus Philosophy in The Plague Essay example -- Albert Camus P

Albert Camus' Philosophy in The Plague To know ourselves diseased is half our cure. - Alexander Pope As the title clearly suggests, the novel The Plague is, indeed, a story of disease. On the surface, the novel The Plague, may be an accounting of facts detailing the outbreak of bubonic plague in the town of Oran. But on a deeper level, it is a novel that reveals awareness and acceptance of the limits of human existence. And it is also a reminder of our absurd freedom and the choices we make in life, especially when facing death. In writing The Plague we are told that Camus "sought to convey [...] the feeling of suffocation from which we all suffered and the atmosphere of threat and exile in which we lived" (Bree, 1964:128). He was, of course, speaking of the horrors of World War II. But "at the same time [he wanted] to extend [his] interpretation to the notion of existence in general" (Bree, 1964:128). Camus' interpretation of existence is revealed in his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus in which he discusses the absurd and its consequences, revolt, freedom and passion. Some interesting connections can be made between the philosophical discussion in The Myth of Sisyphus and the existential themes found in The Plague. In The Myth, Camus outlines his notion of the absurd and its consequences; in The Plague he brings his philosophy to life. This tale of life and death is told by Dr. Rieux, who maintains that his "business is only to say 'this is what happened', when he knows that it actually did happen, [and] that it closely affected the life of a whole populace [...]" (Camus, The Plague, p.7). Of the novel, Germaine Bree says, "considered in its totality [The Plague] transmits a personal experience ... ..., one way or another, and The Plague is a reminder of that absurd fact. The quote at the beginning of this paper, "To know ourselves diseased is half our cure" has its relevance in the ultimate lesson we learn from The Plague. But there is another lesson to be learned and Camus reminds us of it in The Myth of Sisyphus: "the point is to live" (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, p.65). While facing the horrors of death, the characters in The Plague do an excellent job of bringing that philosophical point to life. Works Cited Bree, Germaine. (ed.), Camus: Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice-Hall: Englewood, NJ. 1962. Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Camus, Albert, The Plague. Vintage: NY, 1991. Ellison, David R. Understanding Albert Camus. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.

A Reassessment of the !Kung San Essay -- Geography Geographical Papers

A Reassessment of the Kung San The !Kung San are a group of hunter-gathers that make their home in the northern Kalahari desert. Although many ecological and cultural changes have occurred within this group throughout the past thirty years, this article examines the gathering and subsistence patterns that characterize these people. Bentley examines the total fertility rate of the !Kung San and hypothesizes that the pattern of female energetics in their subsistence routine has a direct effect upon their fecundity (1984: 79). His perspective explores the topic of fertility in great depth, and represents a viewpoint that is absent from the text written by Richard Lee, The Dobe Ju’/hoansi. In fact, some of the hypotheses proposed by Bentley appear to contradict Lee’s own research, while others are supported by the findings of Lee. One question that remains undecided regarding the low fertility rates of the !Kung is the degree to which this is a result of sociocultural means, or an effect of physiological and biological processes. Bentley examines the "intermediate variables" within Bongaarts’ reproductive equation, which is one means of illustrating and quantifying the mechanisms that may cause the low fertility rate, and demonstrates that this research seems insufficient in explaining fertility. Briefly, Bongaarts’ equation incorporates the following variables: total fertility rate, index of proportions married, index of contraception, index of induced abortion, index of lactational infecundability, and total fecundity (which includes fecundability, intra-uterine mortality, and permanent sterility). In addition to showing that the intermediate variables of Bongaart’s equation are insufficient in explaining th... ...estyle may consist of foods that are more malleable, therefore reducing the amount of time mothers spend nursing their young. As the !Kung make cultural transitions into more sedentary lifestyles, fertility rates will presumably be affected. As Lee points out, in village life the men maintain the mobility while the women become housebound, with more of their time spent alone with the children. Thus, a more sedentary lifestyle may lead to an increase in fertility rates and a subsequent increase in population. In fact, the population of Dove has risen from 35 in 1964 to 165 at the time Lee wrote his book (1994: 154). Another result of such changes is that they may lead to the subordination of women. The new emergence of a sedentary lifestyle has implications for overall fertility, but also threatens to undermine the egalitarian values of this group of people.

Comparing Health Care Systems: The United States and Cuba Essay

For many years, the health care in the United constituted the best that any country had to offer (University of Maine, 2001). But as the facts would tend to display, it is slowly becoming one of the most inefficient in the world (Maine, 2001). The United States health care system may tout itself of being in the category of being the most expensive in the world, meaning a dearth of resources for the care it delivers (Reed Abelson, 2008). But the disparity in the amount that the people spend and the quality of the service attached to that cost is seemingly not parallel to each other (Abelson, 2008). A report released on the United States health care system shows that the country is spending about twice the amount on the health care needs of its citizens is compared to that of the expenditures of other developed nations (Abelson, 2008). But if the prices of health care in the United States, the country is listed at the bottom of countries that in the mortality of people if treated with efficient medical care (Abelson, 2008). This is a growing concern across the social spectrum of the United States (Meena Seshamani, Jeanne Ambrew & Joseph Antos, 2008). The amount that the United States spends annually on health care is truly staggering. In 2006, the United States spent $2. 1 trillion on health care services alone, double what the country allotted a decade back and about half of that is targeted in nine years time (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). The United States currently ranks as the third largest nation in the world, with a population of around 294 million (Samuel Uretsky, 2008). Of this number, it is believed that approximately 75 million Americans have inadequate medical insurance or do not have insurance altogether (Abelson, 2008). It was also found that the quality and the attendants cost of health care greatly varies across the societal spectrum (Abelson, 2008). These costs drain the finances of American businesses, which in turn contribute a quarter of the capital for health care needs (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). The costs to employers in terms of contribution to the health care fund increased by a staggering 98 percent in the span of seven years- from 2000 to last year, which outstripped the increases in wages by four to one (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). In 2007, the cost of employee-based insurance cost about $12,000, nearly matching the wages for minimum wage employment (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). Adding to the burden of high insurance payments is the fact that these have to be paid with higher service and deductions (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). This issue also has an impact on the senior citizens of the United States (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). Elderly Americans, in the current scenario, have to accumulate about $300,000 dollars in non-Medicare covered health costs (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). These costs have contributed to the access of health care by many Americans (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). Citizens who are covered by employer-based health insurance in 2006 fell five percent, from 66 percent to about 61 percent in the six-year period preceding 2006 (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). But how is health insurance in the United States given? The United States offers a variety of avenues of health insurance coverage both from public funds and from the private sector (Uretsky, 2008). In a report released by the United States Census Bureau in 2003, it found that about 6 out of every 10 Americans were covered by employer-based health insurance, about 3 of the 10 from the government, and the remainder with no insurance (Uretsky, 2008). In 2001, it was found that the United States spent more of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than any other developed nation in the world (Uretsky, 2008). For that period, America spent more than 13. 9 percent of its GDP, compared to Japan, which spent about 7. 8 percent; Canada, 9. 4 percent and the United Kingdom, 7. 6 percent (Uretsky, 2008). It should be interesting to note that even if the United States outpaced Japan in terms of health care spending, the United States ranks just 24th in the world for life expectancy (Uretsky, 2008). Life expectancy in the United States is about 70 years old, while the valedictorian on the list, Japan, comes in at about 74. 5 years for its citizens (Uretsky, 2008). Memberships in life insurance and access to adequate health care have been shown to work together (Devi Sridhar, 2005). The availability of health insurance is essential to instances and times that people would be able to rely on medical care in relation to the overall health of the person (Sridhar, 2005). Lack of available health insurance will take a toll on a person’s physical well-being (Sridhar, 2005). The individual will not be able to go to medical facilities for preventive medical treatment, fill out prescriptions, and will likely be receiving that medical treatment in the latter stages of a disease (Sridhar, 2005). Unlike the United States, Cuba, on the other hand, is not prone to the failures of the private and public fund problems found in the United States (Harvard Public Health Review, 2002). Cuban authorities exercise complete administrative, budgetary, and operational responsibility for the delivery of health care services for all its citizens (Harvard, 2002). The Cuban health care model is purely derived from the government, defining it as a public health care system seeking to provide universal health care coverage for all Cubans (Oxford Journals, 2008). It has been seen as a model of matching few available resources with the needs of the people in getting adequate medical care, often getting extremely high marks (Oxford, 2008). Compared to other developed nations, the United States has the distinction of being the only one that does not provide the availability of universal health care to its citizens (John Battista and Justine McCabe, 1999). In the developed world, it is found that 28 of the industrialized nations practice a â€Å"single- payer system, while Germany practices a multi-payer system akin to the proposed system of the President Clinton (Battista, McCabe, 1999). This would lead most observers to take a second look at the health care system of the United States (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In the analysis of the American health system, it is good to debunk some of the fallacies and errors that have been around the effective and quality of the United States system of health (Battista, McCabe, 1999). The United States, though having one of the best health professionals and an exceptional system of delivery and technology, still lags behind some of the industrial world’s health system (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In fact, if several factors in health care statistics are considered, the report card for the United States is a dismal failure (Battista, McCabe, 1999). Several of these factors would evidence how the system of health care in the United States has failed to give an improving system to its citizens. In 1960, America ranked 12th in terms of infant mortality (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In 1990, the United States ranked 21st in the world, settling at 23rd in recent times (Battista, McCabe, 1999). A central issue in the United States health system is the issue of universal health care. A current misconception of arguing against the consideration of universal health care is the prohibitive costs associated with it (Battista, McCabe, 1999). The opponents for the policy of a single payer system are of the belief that institutionalizing the policy avers that the country might end up paying too much (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In fact, the United States is already paying about 40 percent more than any other country in health care spending per capita (Battista, McCabe, 1999). Two of the top priorities currently in the area of health care are the ever increasing costs in the provision of health and the decreasing levels of access to health care (Sridhar, 2005). This fact is continuing to drive a wedge between those that can afford to provide for their health care needs and those that can ill-afford to purchase or do not have the means and the opportunity to be covered by insurance (Sridhar, 2005). This problem of individuals not covered by the health care system in the United States is expected to expand also to affect the insured patients (Sridhar, 2005). The issue seems to be in how the universal system of health care would operate (Sridhar, 2005). Many opponents of the policy are criticizing the system as an added layer of the bureaucracy and might result in the centralization of the health care system (Sridhar, 2005). But the current practice of Americans in purchasing their health-care needs might be more expensive than the provision for universal health care (Sridhar, 2005). At present, and as mentioned earlier, Americans are covered by health insurance in three ways: it is a benefit to workers and retirees, through government programs and the purchase of non-government insurance (Uretsky, 2008). But is the opposition to the universal, or single-payer, heath insurance system justified? The main opposition as again mentioned is the cost of the system (Battista, McCabe, 1999). In addition to the seeming â€Å"overspending† of Americans on health care, the institutionalization of the single payer system could means savings (Battista, McCabe, 1999). According to studies done by the Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting office, it shows that with the practice of the single-payer system, the United States can accumulate $100 to $200 billion a year in health care savings, with the coverage expanding to cover uninsured individuals and improving the quality of services offered (Battista, McCabe, 1999). The Cuban Health System: Making do with less, and then some As mentioned earlier, the health care system of Cuba is completely run and operated by the government (Seshamani, Ambrew & Antos, 2008). This health care system provides not only diagnostic procedures, but also preventive, therapeutic and ameliorative treatments for the people of Cuba (Harvard, 2002). The Cuban health system is also distinguished as the one possessing the highest ratio in terms of people to doctors (The London School of Economics and Political Science, 2003). These health practitioners are trained in the country’s 21 medical educational facilities (London, 2003). In turn, the family physicians, as they are called, 20,000 of them, are tasked to administer the health care system of the Cuban government, one family physician to about 600 people (London, 2003). It should also be noted that these achievements in the field of health acre by the government in Havana have been done in the presence of an economic embargo imposed by the United States since 1961 (Harvard, 2002). The embargo put severe restrictions on the ability of Cuba to source out funding for its health car initiatives (Harvard, 2002). Since these sanctions covered even the importation and food items and medical supplies, the Cuban government practiced a system of preventive cure as a means to cushion the impact of the embargo (Harvard, 2002). In essence, the family physicians, at least in epidemiological terms, serve their fellow Cubans in the best way that they know how (London, 2003). Not only do the family physicians provide excellent preventive care, they also make it a point to provide treatment and diagnostics to prevent the onset of diseases upon the people (London, 2003). These family physicians are usually stationed in the nation’s consultorios, or small clinics situated in small neighbourhoods that they are assigned to. These doctors usually reside in the space above the clinic or just nearby (The Social Medicine Portal, 2006). These physicians attend to the patients who come in the morning to the clinic, then set out in the afternoon for home visitation for patients who are unable to come to the clinic (Social Medicine, 2006). For complicated and more delicate cases, the people can go a facility called a â€Å"polyclinic† (Social Medicine, 2006). These polyclinics, numbering about 400 scattered throughout the nation, function similar to a hospital’s outpatient department (Social Medicine, 2006). Some outpatient procedures are administered here in the polyclinic, but the facility is mainly geared for consultation sessions with specialists (Social Medicine, 2006). Also, acupuncture, physical therapy sessions and ultrasound procedures are conducted in the facility (Social Medicine, 2006). This is the first level of health care in the island nation; the second tier of care being administered by local and regional health care facilities (Social Medicine, 2006). The Cuban health system is one that can be characterized as an undivided, cohesive and devolved system that caters to the health and well-being of the people (Francisco Rojas Ochoa & Leticia Artiles Visbal, 2007). Also, the right to universal health care is guaranteed as a responsibility of the government under existing Cuban jurisprudence (London, 2003). In stark contrast to the Cuban guarantee of the right to free and adequate health care for its citizens, the United States does not obligate the government to deliver universal health care to is people as one of their rights as citizens of the United States (Battista, McCabe, 1999). This resiliency and dedication of Cuba to provide for its citizens was also seen as one of the reasons that health care delivery was not too affected by the economic crisis in the 1990’s (Oxford, 2008).