Global Warming: Confronting the Realities of Climate Change Essay

Sea level rise is accelerating. The number oflarge wildfires is growing. Dangerous heat waves are becoming more common. Extreme storm events are increasing in many areas. More severe droughts are occurring in others. These are just some of the consequences of global warming, which are already having significant and harmful effects on our health, our environment, and our communities. Unless we take immediate action to address global warming, these consequences will continue to intensify, grow ever more costly, and increasingly affect the entire planet – including you, your community, and your family. GLOBAL WARMING IS HAPPENING NOW. The planet’s temperature is rising. The trend is clear and unmistakable. Every one of the past 37 years has been warmer than the 20th century average. The 12 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998. 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded for the contiguous United States. Globally, the average surface temperature has increased more than one degree Fahrenheit since the late 1800s. Most of that increase has occurred over just the past three decades. WE ARE THE CAUSE. We are overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which traps heat and steadily drives up the planet’s temperature. Where does all this carbon come from? The fossil fuels we burn for energy – coal, natural gas, and oil – plus the loss of forests due to deforestation, especially in the tropics. THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. Within the scientific community, there is no debate: An overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that global warming is happening and that human activity is the primary cause. This broad consensus – and the extensive scientific evidence that supports it – is often downplayed or distorted by a small but vocal minority of special interests that have a vested interest in delaying action on climate change. WE HAVE A CHOICE. We can act now to reduce our carbon emissions, slow the pace of global warming, and pass on a safer, healthier world to our children. Or we can choose to do nothing, continue pumping massive amounts of carbon into an already overloaded atmosphere, and suffer the increasingly costly consequences. At UCS, we believe the choice is clear: WE MUST TAKE STEPS NOW TO REDUCE OUR GLOBAL WARMING EMISSIONS. TOGETHER WE CAN TACKLE GLOBAL WARMING. We have the practical solutions and technologies at hand to substantially reduce our emissions, create a clean energy economy, and establish the United States as a global leader in innovation.

A Reflection Paper on Gintong Pamana

The evidences that will prove that Filipinos have a rich culture in pre-colonial period are the gold Jewelries and their technology. Firstly, Gold is a precious metal that surpasses all ores in the world. It is the most expensive to the point people search for it, fight for it, and even kill for it. But that wasn't the case in pre-colonial period. All classes?the nobles, freemen and the two types of slaves (lapping Mahayana and lapping salesgirl)?wore gold Jewelries.There are many uses of gold back then, but hey were Just an ornament on their bodies, utensils, decorations, orifice ornaments for the deceased when they laid to rest, and more. Lastly, their manual technology on how they molded the gold. In the video, seeing the belts, figurines and the stunning over the shoulder â€Å"halter† weighing four kilos of pure gold made me gasp and deeply think. â€Å"Just how on earth they made those ornaments? † I thought. They made it manually and with the only help of a cruci ble to melt the gold and so they were able to produce works that are superior.The film definitely challenged my assumptions. I assumed that the Filipinos have poor culture because they don't have the modern technology but I was completely wrong. The folks who inhabited the islands nearly a millennium ago were already so advanced In their craftsmanship which was also true at different points of our history in the beautiful textiles, baskets, embroideries, etc. Watching the video made me realize that I do not such grand material heritage In my house but I do have the heritage of knowledge and values.I already gained It at the time I had my consciousness. I believe that I can preserve them by passing It down to future generations. At least for me, knowledge and values are the most Important heritage because It teaches you moral lessons and It can lead you too better life. We Filipinos are always searching for our Identity. People are complaining that we are not pure or natives, uncivil ized and messiest but at the time when we see the Surreal treasures, we realize that Is already the core, which Is who we are.

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 17

Not for the dragon. She jumped for the tree. It was a good, tall loblolly pine, whose drooping lower branches didn't look as if they could support a kitten. But Keller didn't need support. As she leaped, she changed, pushing it as fast as she could. She reached the tree with four paws full of lethal claws extended. And she ran straight up the vertical surface. Her claws sank into the clean, cinnamon trunk, and she shot up like a rocket. When she got high enough to be obscured by the dull-green needles on the droopy branches, she launched herself into the air again. It was a desperate move, betting everything on one blind spring. But it was all she could think of. She could never take the dragon in a fair fight. She was betting on her claws. In the wild, a panther could shear the head off a deer with a single swipe. Keller was going for the horns. She came down right on target. The dragon made the mistake of looking up at her, maybe thinking that she was trying to get behind it, to land on its back again and kill it. Or maybe thinking that she might see the pale face of an innocent girl and hesitate. Whatever it thought, it was a mistake. Keller was already slashing as she landed. A single deadly swipe with all her power behind it. Her claws peeled the forehead off the creature in a spray of blood and flesh. The screaming roar almost burst her eardrums. It was the sound she'd heard before in the mall, a sound so deep in pitch that she felt it as much as heard it. It shook her bones, and it reverberated in every tree and in the red clay of the ground. And that was another mistake, although Keller didn't know it at once. At the same instant as she heard the roar, she felt the pain. The dark power crackled through her like a whiplash and tore her own involuntary scream from her. It was worse than the first time she'd felt it, ten times worse, maybe more. The dragon was much stronger. And it followed her. Like a real whip, it flashed across the clearing after her. It hit her again as she hit the ground, and Keller screamed again. It hurt. She tried to scrabble away, but the pain made her weak, and she fell over on her side. And then the black energy hit her right shoulder-exactly where it had hit the first time in the mall. Keller saw white light. And then she was falling in darkness. Her last thought was, I didn't get it. I couldn't have. It still has power. Diana, I'm sorry†¦ She stopped feeling anything. She opened her eyes slowly. Hurts†¦ She was looking up at the dragon. It had dropped Iliana; Keller couldn't see where. And it was staring down at her in malevolent fury, obviously waiting for her to wake up so she could feel it when it killed her. When he killed her. He'd taken on the shape he'd been wearing in the beginning. A young man with clean, handsome features and a nicely muscled if compact body. Black hair that shed rainbow colors under the moonlight and looked as fine and soft as her own fur. And those obsidian eyes. It was hard to look away from those eyes. They seemed to capture her gaze and suck her in. They were so much more like stones than eyes, silver-black, shiny stones that seemed to reflect all light out again. But when she managed to drag her gaze upward, she felt a thrill of hope. His forehead was a bleeding ruin. She had gotten him. Her slash had carved a nice hamburger-sized piece out of his scalp. Somewhere on the ground in the clearing were two little stubby horns. But only two; there were three left on his head. He must have turned at the last instant. Keller would have cursed if she had a human throat. â€Å"How're you feeling?† the dragon said, and leered at her form under the gory mess of his scalp. Keller tried to snarl at him and realized that she did have a human throat. She must have collapsed back into her half-and-half form, and she was too weak to change back again. â€Å"Having trouble?† the dragon asked. Keller croaked, â€Å"You should never have come back.† â€Å"Wrong,† the dragon said. â€Å"I like the modern world.† â€Å"You should have stayed asleep. Who woke you up?† She was buying time, of course, to try and regain some strength. But she also truly wanted to know. The dragon laughed. â€Å"Someone,† he said. â€Å"Someone you'll never know. A witch who isn't a witch. We made our own alliance.† Keller didn't understand, and her brain was too fuzzy to deal with it. But just at that moment, she noticed something else. Movement behind the dragon. The figures that had been lying on the ground were stirring. And they were doing it stealthily, in ways that showed they were awake and with their wits about them. They were alive. She could see Galen's head lift, with moonlight shining on his hair as he looked at her. She could see Winnie turn toward Iliana and begin to crawl. She could see Nissa's shoulders hump and then fall back. Later, when they were asked, they would all say the same thing had brought them to awareness: a deep rumbling sound that vibrated in their bones. The dragon's roar. Or, at least, three of them would say that. Galen would always say that all he heard was Keller's scream and his eyes came open. The surge of hope she felt made Keller's heart beat hard and wiped away the pain-for the moment, at least. But she was terrified of giving the dragon some clue. She didn't dare look at Galen any longer. She stared at the dragon's black stone eyes and thought with all her strength, Get away. Get away, take the Jeep, take Diana. He may not be able to follow you. Run. â€Å"Your time's over,† she told the dragon out loud. â€Å"The shapeshifters don't want you anymore. Everything has changed.† â€Å"And it's changing again,† the dragon said. â€Å"The end of the world is coming, and the beginning of a new one. It's time for everything that's sleeping to wake back up again.† Keller had a horrified vision of hundreds of dragons being dug up and brought back to life. But there was something going on in the clearing that was even more horrifying to her. Galen wasn't getting away. He was slithering on his stomach toward her. And Winnie, the idiot, was beside Diana nowbut she wasn't dragging her to the Jeep. She seemed to be whispering to her. Keller felt a hot wave of utter desperation. What can I do? If the dragon sees them, they're all dead. There's nothing any of them can do against him. Galen's not a warrior-he can't change. Nissa looks too hurt to move. Winnie's orange fire won't even singe the dragon. And Diana will get swatted like a butterfly. They can't do anything. I have to. She was so tired and hurt, and her claws were much less lethal than in her full panther form. But she had to do it, and she had to do it now. â€Å"Go back where you came from!† she shouted. She bunched her muscles and jumped. Right for him. Straight on. That was what took him by surprise, the sheer insanity of the attack. He threw the black energy at her, but he couldn't stop her leap. Her claws ripped into his forehead again, and then she fell back. The dragon's scream split the heavens. Dizzy with pain and shock, Keller stared at him, hoping desperately†¦ But she'd taken only one horn off. He still had two. He thrashed around in wounded fury, then threw the dark power at her again. Keller shuddered and lost her balance. She crashed to the ground and lay there, limp. â€Å"Keller!† The scream was full of such raw anguish that it hurt Keller's throat to hear it. It made her heart throb hard and then fall in sick dismay. Galen, no, she thought. Don't bother with me. You have to get Iliana away. â€Å"Keller!† he screamed again, and then he was beside her, holding her. â€Å"No . ? .† she whispered. She couldn't say more than that. She looked at him pleadingly with the eyes of a dumb beast. If he died, too, it would make her own death meaningless. The dragon was still screaming, both hands to his forehead. He seemed to be too angry to attack. â€Å"Keller, hang on. Please, you have to hang on.† Galen was dripping tears on her face. â€Å"Run†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. Instead, he did the most gallant thing she had ever seen. He was already holding her, his shaky hand stroking the hair off her face, brushing one of her tufted ears. Now, suddenly, he gripped her hard, and his expression changed. His jaw tightened, and a white line showed around his mouth. And his eyes†¦ seemed to darken and glow red. Too late, Keller realized. He was taking her impression. Learning her shape. No. You were meant to be something gentle. Galen stood up. And changed. But something was a little off. Maybe it was the fact that he had to hurry when he took the impression, or some extra twist from his own genes. Because, instead of becoming a soot-black panther, he became a gleaming golden leopard. The same animal. Different colors. This leopard was the dark rich gold of Galen's hair, and its eyes were the incredible green of his eyes. He was marked with perfect black rosettes, each with an even darker gold center. His body was sleek and supple and almost seven feet long with the tail. He was a big leopard, at least a hundred and sixty pounds. And before Keller had time to think, he was in motion. A good spring. Untutored but full of the real killer instinct. The coughing yell he let out as he jumped was the kind a cat makes when its fury is too great to hold in. The dragon whirled to face him. But it was too late. Once again, the crackling dark power hit but couldn't stop the rush. The dragon's human body couldn't fend off a hundred and sixty pounds of solid feline muscle. Keller saw Galen swipe. The dragon bellowed, clapping a hand to his head. And Keller wanted to cheer. She couldn't. She didn't have the strength left. But her heart was singing inside her with sheer pride. You did it. Oh, Galen, my prince, you did it. She saw his body falling, struck by the black energy. She saw it hit the ground and lie still. And she was sorry that they were both going to die. But with the dragon dead, too, and Iliana alive, there would still be hope. There would be people to carry on. Then she looked at the dragon, and time stopped, and her heart turned to ice. He still had a horn left. The one right in the middle. They hadn't done it after all. He still had power. He was going to kill them now, and Iliana, too. And neither she nor Galen could do anything to stop him. The noises the dragon was making were beyond description. He seemed to be out of his mind in pain and fury. And then Keller realized that it was more than that. He was screaming in sheer blood-lust-and he was changing. So strange-she hadn't even thought about the dragon changing before. But she could take on most animals. She knew to go for the juncture between head and neck for rhinos, the belly for a lion. But this†¦ what it was shifting into†¦ No. I don't believe it, Keller thought. It looked more like a moth being born than a shapeshifter changing. It split its human skin like a chrysalis. More of the yellowish liquid she had seen on Jaime's cheek oozed from the splits. And what was revealed underneath was hard and greenish-yellow, flat, smooth. Scaly. The smell was the smell from the basement Sickly-sweet, pungent, an odor to make your stomach lurch. Powerful back legs bunched, and the figure grew and stood against the moonlit sky. It was huge. In her mind, Keller saw a scene from the past. Iliana, her violet eyes huge, saying, â€Å"He can turn into a dragon?† And Keller's scornful answer, â€Å"No, of course not. Don't be silly.† Wrong, Keller thought. It actually looked more like velociraptor than a dragon. Too big-it was more than fifteen feet long, counting the powerful tail. But it had the same look of alien intelligence, the same reptilian snout, the same saberlike hind claws. It's not a mindless animal, Keller thought. It's smart. It even has things like hands on its forelegs; It's where evolution took a different turn. And it had power. Maybe more power this way than in its human form. Keller could feel its mind even at this distance, the terrible ancient core of hatred and malice, the endless thirst for blood. It opened its mouth, and for an instant Keller expected to see fire. But what came out was a roar that showed huge spiky teeth-and a flood of black energy. The dark power crackled around it like an aura of lightning. Nothing-no shapeshifter, no witch, no vampire-could stand against this creature. Keller knew that absolutely. That was when she saw Iliana getting up. Stay down, you idiot! Keller thought. Iliana stood straight. There's no point, don't attract its attention†¦ â€Å"Azhdeha!† Iliana shouted. And the monster turned. There they were, the maiden and the dragon, face to face. Iliana looked twice as small as ever before in contrast to this giant. Her silver-gold hair was blowing loose in the wind, and her dress shimmered around her. She was so delicate, so graceful-and so fragile, standing there like a lily swaying on its stalk. I can't watch, Keller thought. I can't see this. Please†¦ â€Å"Azhdeha!† Iliana said, and her voice was sweet but ringing and stern. â€Å"Hashteher! Tiamat!† It's a spell, Keller thought. Winnie taught her a spell? When they were lying there, whispering together? But what kind of spell would Winnie know against dragons? â€Å"Poisonous Serpent! Cold-blooded Biter! Rasta-ban! Anguis!† No, they're names, Keller realized slowly. Its names. Dragon names. Old names. â€Å"I am a witch and the daughter of a witch. Mine was the hand that took your power; mine was the hand that buried you in silence. Hecate was the most ancient of my mothers. Hecate's hand is my hand now.† Winnie couldn't have taught her that. Nobody could have taught her that. No witch alive today. Keller could see Winnie's pale face watching in surprise from beyond Iliana, her eyes and mouth dark O's. â€Å"Mine is the hand that sends you back!† Diana's palms were cupped now, and orange fire crackled between them. Keller's heart plummeted. Golden-orange fire. Witch fire. It was impressive, from a girl who'd never been trained, but it wasn't nearly enough. It was about as dangerous to the dragon as a firefly. She heard Winnie's voice in the silence, small and frightened but determined. â€Å"Aim for the horn!† The dragon threw back its head and laughed. That was what it looked like, anyway. What came out was a roar like all the other roars and a belch of black energy that fountained skyward. But in her head, Keller heard maniacal laughter. Then it swung its head back down and pointed the horn straight at Iliana. Die! it said. The word wasn't spoken but sent on a cold wave of pure energy. â€Å"Mine is the power of the ages† Iliana shouted back. â€Å"Mine is the power-â€Å" The golden flare in her palms was changing, blazing white, blinding hot†¦ â€Å"-OF THE END OF THE WORLD!† Something like a supernova was born between her hands. The tight shot up and out, exploding. It was impossible to look at. And it was no longer white but dazzling, lightning-brilliant blue. The blue fire. The Wild Power had awakened. I knew it, Keller thought I knew it all along. Keller couldn't see what happened to the dragon; the light was simply too bright. While it flared around her, she was bathed in radiance that seemed to shine through her, humming inside her and lighting up her bones. She tried to lift her own hand and saw nothing but a vague rainbow shape. But she heard the dragon's scream. Not low like the roar but high and squealing, a sound like icicles driving into her ears. It went up and up, higher in pitch until even Keller couldn't track it. And then there was a thin sound like distant glass shattering, and then there was no sound at all. There were shooting stars in the blue-white light. For the second time that evening, Keller fainted. â€Å"Boss! Please, Boss, hurry. Wake up!† Keller blinked open her eyes. Galen was holding her. He was human. So was she. And Winnie and Nissa were trying to drag both of them somewhere. Keller gazed up into those gold-green eyes. The exact color of a leopard's, she thought. Only leopards don't cry, and his were brimming with tears. She lifted a languorous hand and stroked his cheek. He cupped his own hand over it. Keller couldn't think. There were no words in her mind. But she was glad to be here with him, for this last moment in the moonlight. It had all been worth it â€Å"Boss, please!† Winnie was almost crying, too. â€Å"Let me die in peace,† Keller said, although she didn't realize she was saying it aloud until she heard the words. Then she added, â€Å"Don't you cry, Winfrith. You did a good job.† â€Å"Boss, you're not dying! The blue fire did something-it healed us. We're all okay. But it's almost midnight!† Keller bunked. She blinked again. Her body didn't hurt anymore. She'd assumed it was the blessed numbness that comes just before death. But now she realized that it wasn't. Her blood was running in her veins; her muscles felt firm and strong. She didn't even have a headache. She stared beyond Winnie to the girl in white. Diana was still slight and childlike, almost fairy-like of figure. But something had changed about her. At first, Keller thought she looked as distant and beautiful as a star, but then she smiled and wasn't distant at all. She was simply more beautiful than the dreams of mortals. And really shining with her own light. It pooled around her in soft, silvery radiance. Keller had never seen a Wild Power do that before, not on any of the tapes. But she's not just a Wild Power, the voice in her head whispered. She's the Witch Child. And Goddess alone knows all that she's meant to do. For a moment, Keller felt so awed that it was almost like unhappiness. But then Winnie's message finally sank in. She snapped her head up. â€Å"Midnight?† â€Å"Yes!† Winnie said frantically. Keller bolted upright. â€Å"Nissa?† â€Å"Right here, Boss.† Keller felt a flood of relief. Nissa was the one who had seemed closest to death on the ground there. But now she was standing on her own two feet, looking cool and imperturbable, even though her shirt was bloody and in rags. â€Å"Nissa, can you drive that Jeep? Can you figure out how to get to Charlotte?† â€Å"I think so. Boss.† Keller had never been so grateful to hear that calm voice in her life. She jumped up. â€Å"Then let's go!†

Law in a Business Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law in a Business Context - Essay Example This was then followed by the Occupier's Liability Acts 1984, which set out the duty owed by occupiers towards those who enter their land without permission or unlicensed trespassers (Elliott & Quinn 2003, p.157). However, neither or the Acts provided a deification for the tern ‘occupier’, other than that it would be given the same meaning as under common law. An occupier under common law is a person who has some degree of control to exercise a sufficient degree of control to allow or prevent other people from entering, though they dun have to be a physical occupier not the owner of the premises. The Occupiers Liability Act imposes a â€Å"duty to take such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable† upon the occupier of a property. With both Occupiers Liability Act’s in place, the Occupiers Law under the Law of Tort covered  injuries suffered by entrants while on the private  land of the  occupier. The introduction  of the 1995 Act that came into effect on 17th July 1995 radically altered the liability of the occupier in a way that more obligations were placed on the side of the occupier to ensure the safety of land users. â€Å"In the 20 years prior to this enactment, the common law was characterised by the courts’ benevolent attitude to persons who entered land without permission and subsequently suffered injury† (Burke & Corbett 2003, p. 95) In the  Supreme Court  case McNamara v.  Electricity Supply  Board (1975), an infant suffered serious injuries from trespassing onto one of the defendant’s sub-stations. The defendants were found liable for not showing the infant a duty to take reasonable care for his safety even though there was a benevolent attitude before this case towards trespassers. The decision of this case was the basis of  the creation  of the Occupiers  Liability Act  1995. Initially, under the traditional common law system, entrants upon a premises were di vided into four categories; that being contractual entrants, invitees, licensees and trespassers. Under the Occupier’s Liability Act 1995, three new categories were created, that being visitors, recreational users and trespassers. In cases where there is more than one occupier, such as a landlord and a tenant, real estate agent or in the case of shared spaces it is usual for liability to be shared but the liability of each party depends on the circumstances of the loss. An estate agency is considered the Occupier for the purposes of both the â€Å"Occupier’s Liability Act 1957† and â€Å"Occupier’s Liability Act 1984.† According to Canadian author Allen Linden, with regards to liability and the term 'occupier', states that "the status of occupier is not dependent on ownership of the premises, but rather is based on control over the premises. A person who has the immediate supervision and control of the premises and the power to admit and exclude th e entry of others is without doubt an occupier. Thus, a  tenant  in possession is an occupier. However, complete or exclusive control is not necessary. An auctioneer hired to conduct a sale on the vendor's premises may be considered an occupier of those premises. An independent contractor carrying out building or repair work may qualify as an occupier. Moreover, it has become apparent that in many circumstances there may be more than one occupier of premises." Therefore, an estate agent is also deemed to be an occupier because the estate

History of Nike Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Nike - Research Paper Example The initial name adopted for the company now known as NIKE, was Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), whose dual founders were Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman in January 1964 (Quinn, 60). While Philip Knight was a track athlete at the time, the latter was his coach during that period (Quinn, 60). The duo initially started business by distributing the products of Japanese shoe maker  (en.wikipedia.org) Onitsuka Tiger and this was carried out by selling shoes in Knight’s car trunk at occasional track meets (Frisch, 8). This gave them an interesting opportunity to promote the products in front of athletes and the likes. With antics such as these, the company earned large profits and 1967 saw the opening of the first ever retail store of the BRS, in Santa Monica, California (Frisch, 8). Around 1971 BRS called it quits with their primary distributer and took the plunge of launching their own line of footwear (Frisch, 16). June 18, 1971 was the first time ever when one of BRS’s product s, a soccer shoe named ‘NIKE’, deriving its name from the Greek goddess of victory, bore the design Swoosh, by Carolyn Davidson (Carbasho, 9). The next year BRS introduced its first line of NIKE shoes and eight years later BRS, Inc. officially came to be known as NIKE, Inc., (Wong, 220). Initially the advertising for trading companies was done through mail order as was the norm in the first half of the twenty first century. However post 1970, whenever companies intended to give out any sort of discounts or inform of any new arrivals, Newspaper advertisements was the medium chosen. Radio and television were also considered as other ways which have been used since the beginning of NIKE to market its products, but Ingham (314) provides proof that a print ad from the 1970s suggested that "word-of-foot" advertising was causing more people to like the products of BRS/NIKE rather than television ads. According to Wahl

Industrial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Industrial Economics - Essay Example Kenneth J. Cook wrote, "Many small business owners and executives consider themselves at worst victims, and at best observers of what goes on in their industry. They sometimes fail to perceive that understanding your industry directly impacts your ability to succeed. Understanding your industry and anticipating its future trends and directions gives you the knowledge you need to react and control your portion of that industry. However, your analysis of this is significant only in a relative sense. Since both you and your competitors are in the same industry, the key is in finding the differing abilities between you and the competition in dealing with the industry forces that impact you. If you can identify abilities you have that are superior to competitors, you can use that ability to establish a competitive advantage." (Cook, 1995) An industry analysis consists of three most key fundamentals: the causal forces at work in the industry; the on the whole magnetism of the industry; and the critical factors that establish a company's success within the industry. In 1980, Michael E. Porter developed a leading model for analyzing the arrangement of industries. A complete industry analysis necessitates a business owner to make an objective examination of the underlying forces, attractiveness, and success factors that establish the composition of the industry. ... Collecting and evaluating information on competitors is essential for successful strategy formulation. Porter wrote, "Once the forces affecting competition in an industry and their underlying causes have been diagnosed, the firm is in a position to identify its strengths and weaknesses relative to the industry. An effective competitive strategy takes offensive or defensive action in order to create a defendable position against the five competitive forces." (Porter, 1980) The first step in carrying out an industry analysis is to evaluate the impact of Porter's five forces. "The collective strength of these forces determines the ultimate profit potential in the industry, where profit potential is measured in terms of long term return on invested capital," Porter stated. "The goal of competitive strategy for a business unit in an industry is to find a position in the industry where the company can best defend itself against these competitive forces or can influence them in its favor." (Porter, 1980) Beer Industry The beer industry has been seeing a lot of globalization lately, although consumers all around the world continue preferring local brands over the imported ones. Besides, the cost of manufacturing at one place and then shipping to other parts of the world is costlier than brewing it regionally. As the millennium came in, the international brewers began extracting positive cash from their regional acquisitions in the 80s and 90s. The beer industry stands global today. Heinkin and Anheuser Busch, the two giants in the beer industry took drastic and significant steps towards becoming global. These companies either acquire breweries in other countries or contract with them and then brew and

King Kong (1933) and Scarface (1932) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

King Kong (1933) and Scarface (1932) - Essay Example But for film makers to present their stories in an excellent manner there are a couple of factors they need to be considered. These factors may be numerous but are highly interrelated and thus they have to ensure that each of them is well connected to the total make up of the film. Three of these factors are story structure, cinematography and editing. In instances where any of these three pillars is misplaced, there is a very high tendency that the whole story of the film will be misplaced and this would affect the subtext stories used in the film production. The present essay therefore looks at how makers of the two films King Kong (1933) and Scarface (1932) used the elements of story structure, editing and cinematography to bring out the subtext of their films clearly. Story structure of the two films The story structure of King Kong (1933) is set around the theme of love. Indeed, in the plot of the film, the producer is careful in presenting the theme of love in a clear cut manne r without ambiguity right from the start of the film. One of the major strengths in the film’s story structure would perhaps have to do with the fact that the film depicts the theme of love from several angels including love affair that was not built between two human beings. This is because at the beginning of the story structure, there is an indication of love for a person’s job when Carl Denham decided to look for a female actress by himself after Charles Weston refused to do so. The eagerness with which Carl set off in the search gave a strong undertone of a story of love for his work. Consequently, there is another story of love told between Ann and Driscoll, who until meeting Ann had said that a woman had no place on his ship. Indeed, Driscoll would throw his personality of toughness away to embrace love. As if this was enough on the subject of love, the gigantic beast known as Kong is introduced into the movie, only to come and also fall in love with the beautif ul Ann. Indeed, this was a mighty beast, which had the power of destroying the whole world at a go. But the only thing that would make it calm was the love of a beautiful woman. Without any doubt, the subtext in King Kong is the power of love in suppressing human personality. The story structure in the film Scarface (1932), was quite different from that of King Kong. This could greatly be blamed to the story line and the theme selected by the writer. Unlike King Kong, which had a central theme of love, the central theme in Scarface was power and authority. This was contrasting only in terms of how it was presented in the story structure. This is because King Kong also had a theme of power and authority vested in the character and personality of the Kong. However, this was not made to be the major running theme in the story structure of King Kong. Yet again, there was a theme of love in Scarface when Tony’s sister Cesca married Guino, who was Tony’s friend. Indeed, the writer had an option of making that love relationship a central theme in the story structure but that was left to the power and authority struggle that Tony and Lovo was going through. It was not for nothing that in the plot, the marriage ceremony between Cesca and Guino was made to be a secret one (Sanghi, 2007). In all this, the writer made the topic of love to the subtext of Scarface because at a time when Tony had deeply offended his sister and

The great pacific patch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The great pacific patch - Essay Example The western and the eastern garbage patches form the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Larger proportion of the patch consists of the plastic that is not bio-degradable but instead, photodegradable releasing small plastic particles that are harmful to marine animals. The particles act like sponge that soak toxic chemicals in the sea and suspend on the sea water and seabed sediments. When fish and other marine animals feed on them, they may die and their predators may have less to feed on causing successive deaths (Curtin & Belcher, 2008). Changes in the sea life for algae and other marine life also affect human life. For example, changes in water temperatures disturb the numbers of bacteria and fungi in the waters with negative consequences on marine animals and fish. Fish is essential for the growing human population and diseases arising from microorganisms affect food attainability. Wastes from factories cause harm to these organisms and can as well poison wildlife and humans. Wastes from industries also lead to declining of the sea grasses and reduced pathogenic potentials. Sea skaters also lay their eggs on flotsam objects such as pumice and seashells. Increased number of plastic wastes in the seas and large water bodies has increased egg concentrations in the gyre area because the plastic garbage provides surface for laying of these eggs. The marine wastes can also disturb the food webs at the sea in the north pacific gyre. Planktons and algae on the basement of the sea use sunlight to make their own food. The trash that collects on the surface of water blocks the sunlight from reaching planktons and algae which are the most common autotrophs in the food web. The entire food web may change because fish and other small animals that feed on the planktons and algae will have less to feed on and as a result may die. The predators that feed on these fish will also be affected and the food web will be affected in whole (Bowler, Karl, & Colwell,

What an IT manager must do to create and maintain a successful project Essay

What an IT manager must do to create and maintain a successful project team - Essay Example Additionally, it is an arrangement of activities those are formulated for of planning, initiating, managing and executing resources with the objective of completing specific project or task deliverables inside allocated timeline and budget constraints (Ahn, 2012; Kerzner, 2006). In addition, a project manager is assigned to a project. A project manager is responsible for managing projects tasks. In this scenario, a skillful and qualified project manager is one who is able to foresee the entire project from initialization to completion, as well as have the ability to realize the project vision. For better project management especially in information technology sector, IT project managers are required to make administration skills and capabilities more flexible (Ahn, 2012). This report discusses the role of a project manager in creating and maintaining a successful project team. In this scenario, this report will outline some of the fundamental aspects regarding project management such as basic skills and capabilities required by an IT Project Manager for developing and controlling a successful project team. Given below are some of best practices those are fundamental for of a successful project manager: Effective communication is one of the fundamental aspects of every project management practice. Additionally, for the efficient and effective project management IT project managers need to keep in mind a number of fundamental aspects. In IT project management, project managers need to improve the communication with their team mates using latest tools and technologies. The constant communication and efficient interaction among team members make the overall project easy to handle and deal out. In this way they are able to discuss and resolve project issues and problems. Hence, the project manager is also able to assess the level of the project and possible decision needs to make the project successful (MindTools, 2012). Professionalism is also one of the

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 8

International Marketing - Essay Example , this often calls for a market response speed coupled with flexible marketing planning and control mechanisms as these are key elements that enable a business to gain competitive advantage. A lot of companies have their roots as domestic firms concentrating on their own domestic markets before expanding their portfolio to the international level. As a company embarks on the process of internationalizing its market base, it is supposed to move from being sporadic exporters to frequent exporters before setting up its own manufacturing plant abroad. This process is often referred to as internationalization. Of concern is how a business can determine whether it has attained a global market and/or global audience. For a company such as McDonald’s India to achieve this milestone there are various strategic issues and decisions that have an impact on the efforts towards market internationalization. The strategic issues affecting the efforts towards market internationalization include: where to compete, resourcing and delivering the product or service at a competitive price in different locations across the globe, and how McDonald’s India should organize itself so as to have a grip of its international activities (Rao et al 2006). As for the company determining where best it should compete, it is dependent strategic objectives for any global strategy and sources of potential competitive advantage derivable from a global strategy. Efficiency, innovation, and risk management are the basic strategic objectives that affect the selection and configuration task. Efficiency, as part of market internationalization involves the process of carrying out all value chain activities to a required quality at the lowest cost. Innovation, learning, and adaptation is often an opportunity to learn from the different societies, cultures and markets in places where the company intends to internationalize its markets. This process often has a positive impact on the process of market

Saving the Pacific Salmon Essay Example for Free

Saving the Pacific Salmon Essay Salmon are one of the most important fish species in the world, and in the Pacific Northwest the fish are a way of life for many species of plants and animals, including humans. The major problem that humans are facing is that the population of wild salmon is dangerously low as compared to historic numbers due to over-fishing and human degradation (including dams, chemical pollution and land use impacts. ). Pacific Salmon are now extinct in forty percent of the rivers they once thrived in (Four Fish). Zoologist George Suckley stated in 1854, that the Pacific coast salmon were â€Å"one of the striking wonders of the region these fish. astonish by number, and confuse with variety. †(In a Sea of Trouble) and that â€Å"The quantities for salmon which frequent these waters is beyond calculation, and seems to be so great as to challenge human ingenuity to effect it in any way. † (In a Sea of Trouble). In order to get a better grasp on the problems humans are causing we need to first understand the salmons life cycle. In the Pacific Northwest there are five different species of salmon: Chinook, Pink, Dog, Coho, and Silver. All of which are anadromous basically meaning that they live in both fresh and salt water. These fish start life hatching many miles upstream on the gravel beds in rivers on the pacific coasts of North America, and Asia, were they grow into smolts as they are carried downstream to the sea. Once at sea the salmon spend one to seven years maturing. Then for reasons unknown to scientists, a homing impulse triggers them to make an astonishing journey back to the very river or tributary they were hatched in (Salmon). At least that is how it is supposed to work. When Lewis and Clark made their famous expedition nearly two centuries ago they marveled at the â€Å"great quants. of Salmon† they had seen in the Columbia River in Washington State, which in 1860 produced sixteen million salmon annually. Today the figure has dropped to less than one million respectively (Where the Salmon Rule). In 1990 not one sock-eye salmon out of a population of thousands made its way back to its spawning area in Redfish Lake, Idaho (In a Sea of Trouble). The brutal decline is emblematic of the problem. Biologists Willa Nehlen, Jack Williams, and James Litchatowich reported that of the hundreds of distinct native populations that were once common to the Pacific Coast are disappearing. Of the original stocks 106 are extinct, 102 definitely face extinction, fifty-eight are at moderate risk, and fifty-four are a matter of concern. All in all the report said that 214 natural spawning routes are in very serious trouble (Fish-eries Mar. /April issue). What possibly could be the reason for the sharp decline of this life giving species of fish? HUMANS. Let’s start with dams. The first half of the twentieth century, in order to harness the power of the rivers in the Pacific Northwest for producing electricity, and producing water for irrigation in the semi-arid valleys, countless dams were built. The engineers that built these structures had the salmon in mind during the design phase. They constructed fish ladders and artificial falls designed to allow the upstream passage for the salmon past all the concrete now blocking the rivers vital to the species. On the Columbia River alone eight major dams were built, while a spattering of additional smaller dams were plugging up the tributaries. There was something that the engineers did not account for and that is for each existing dam five to fourteen percent of adult salmon moving upstream cannot find the fish ladders, or if they do end up getting lost in the vast reservoirs created between dams. And worse yet the engineers designed the ladders and artificial falls for fish moving upstream, not the smolts making their way downstream to the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated that we lose ninety percent of the smolts that count on the flow of the river to carry them to the Ocean. Instead the juvenile fish get caught and mutilated in the screens or die due to predation in the reservoirs (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife). Another huge problem to the choked rivers is land degradation. Every year the U. S. Forest Service sanctions timber and grazing practices on the national forest lands in the regions that are ecologically prudent to native salmon populations. The clear cutting, roadways, and destruction harm the salmon that make it through the dams indefinitely. Salmon need cool clean water to survive the journey to their spawning grounds, and the logging industry cuts all the trees down, which in turn lets more radiation from the sun hit the water and heat it up. The trees being cut down speeds up the erosion of the soil, which pours into the streams making them very dirty which suffocates the eggs and alevins. Road and rail construction causes land-slides that block rivers (The Plundered Seas). A study conducted by the Forest Service looked at several hundreds of miles of streams in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho counting cool clean pools that are critical to wild salmon. They found that fifty to seventy-five percent of the pools were gone in the most heavily logged areas. Those areas that were spared still remained stable or even gained pools over the last fifty years. One of if not the largest problem is that of overfishing. Humans with their large boats and drift nets sometimes spanning thirty miles in length, gill nets and fish wheels can catch salmon by the millions. Alaska alone harvests 200 million fish annually to keep up with the demand. The United States, which is limited by strict total allowable catch quotas (TAC’S) that monitor and limit the overall weight of fish which fishermen may land, based on advice by scientists, and is enforced by the U. S. Fish and game Service. Although sometimes the TAC is wrong, and the U. S. takes to many fish we are not the main problem here. It is the other countries that illegally set their nets in our waters to poach salmon by the millions. Specifically the Taiwanese fishing fleets whose thousands of miles of netting plucked at least by estimate of the NMFS eight million illegal salmon last year (NMFS). Also the NMFS estimates that at least twenty million West Coast salmon are caught illegally every year. As it stands now according to 1996 study Factors Contributing to the Decline of Chinook Salmon estimates that in recent years harvest impacts on Puget Sound Chinook salmon stocks have been quite high on average sixty-eight to eighty-three percent of the wild stock has been taken by fishing. And that is a problem when you consider the other factors that man has created that impede or harm native stocks. Pollution from pulp mills, industry and agriculture has also had a devastating effect salmon. Aluminum pollution has had a particularly horrible effect on the gills of the salmon. The aluminum mutates the thin mucous membrane from which the fish takes its oxygen and keeping out potentially damaging microbes into a crusty damaged organ that inhibits the fish’s ability to transition from fresh to salt water (Nature’s Crusaders). Also it has been found that mixtures of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides that are commonly detected in freshwater streams and reservoirs that support endangered species of salmon. What happens is the pesticides can inhibit the activity of acetyl cholinesterase which is a hormone secreted to aid in neural function (The Synergistic Toxicity of Pesticide Mixtures). Several of these chemicals when mixed together in relatively low doses have proven to be fatal for the salmon, whereas individually the chemicals in the same doses are non-lethal. In the late nineteenth century man noticed that there were less salmon in the waters of the Pacific Northwest and something had to be done to supplement the commercial fishermen’s catch. Thus came the idea of hatcheries. Hatcheries work like this: Salmon that are returning to spawn in their home rivers are captured. These captured fish contain both males and females. The eggs are taken from the females, and the sperm is taken from the males and mixed together to form fertilized eggs. The eggs are then incubated, where the hatched fish are placed in holding tanks to grow and develop. When adequate growth is reached the fish are released into the river where they make their way to the ocean, mature and return back to the hatchery or spawning grounds. This practice makes the survival rates increase because there are no predators in hatcheries and their environment stays constant plus food is abundant. So what is the problem with hatcheries you might ask? The answer is genetic diversity. The fish that come to the hatcheries (which are set up along rivers) get a lot of the same fish back every year. Currently, most of the fish in the hatcheries are fourth, fifth, and sixth generation stocks from the hatchery. These fish keep being bred with genetically similar fish, which weakens the population as a whole. On the Columbia River in 2006 8,157 oho salmon were caught for a study to determine how many were hatchery fish, and the results were shocking. Of those fish 6,234 were hatchery fish leaving only around 1900 as wild stock (The End of the Line). Without genetic diversity the salmons’ immune systems get weakened and they become more susceptible to diseases that normally wouldn’t affect them. Also a concern for hatcheri es is that they grow larger than their wild counterparts and evidence suggests that the larger hatchery fish kill wild stock due to predation (Northwest fisheries Science Center). Hatcheries are also known to have disease outbreaks that can be transmitted to wild stock. Now that I have shown that there is a problem let’s take a look at what lower numbers of salmon effect in their environment. When Salmon make their epic runs up the rivers of the Pacific Northwest not all survive. Bears numbering in the hundreds stand in the rivers plucking fish out of the water trying to put on pounds and pounds of fat to get them and their cubs through the long northern winters, and the salmon are the bears’ main source of calories (Planet Earth). When the salmon runs are abundant the bears only eat the skin, brain, and eggs of the fish because they are the parts with the highest calorie content. So along the shores of the rivers lie thousands maybe even hundreds of thousands of carcasses that are free for the taking by wolves, coyotes, fox, raptors, insects and any other opportunistic animals. These remains are vital to the overall health of many different species of land animals, not to mention plants as well. Even after the animal kingdom has had their way with the carcasses there is still rotting flesh and bone that gets left behind. A study of fifty different watersheds in the Great Bear Rainforest on British Columbia’s central coast says that the predation of salmon provides a â€Å"potent nutrient subsidy† that drives plant growth in the surrounding forest. Numbers nearing fifty percent of the salmon are getting carried to the forest, with the remaining fish that make it to the spawning grounds to reproduce and die ending up decomposing on the banks. The study observed everything from lichens to shrubs and found that nitrogen loving plants were thriving in these areas (The Vancouver Sun Mar. 25, 2011). The areas that did not have the salmon were not as robust. When the salmon decompose carbon and nitrogen get released into the soil. That coupled with animal scat makes for very rich fertilizer making the forest grow thick and lush (Hanley and Schnell 1998). When dealing with an issue of this scope one must take into consideration the many obstacles that will present themselves, such as how to regulate the many countries that have access to the Pacific Ocean. How will funding be provided for the operation? How to peacefully find an alternative for those who depend on salmon for their family’s livelihood. Continuing research for hatcheries and the money that will be needed and so on and so forth. My plan to preserve the pacific salmon is multi-tiered and complex, but if the people involved can be agreeable a sacred and valuable species can be saved. First the issue of regulating all the coastal countries for poachers must be addressed. I propose that these countries involved start a salmon fishing enforcement bureau that is a combined and comprehensive unit tasked to regulate, seek out, and enforce the laws and regulations with steep penalties decided by a committee comprised of representatives from each respective country. Secondly I propose that all commercial fishing be halted until the populations of salmon can recover. Once recovered then commercial fishing can be continued at a reasonable rate as advised by the bureau’s biologists. Doing this would outrage the fishermen who depend on salmon for their income, but there is a solution to this as well. The misplaced fishermen will have the option to be trained free of cost, (made possible by government funding) and assigned jobs at salmon farms and hatcheries, also the processing plants that butcher and package the salmon. While the fishing ban is in effect the nation will rely on fish farms to provide salmon for consumption by humans. Except those indigenous peoples (such as the Indian Tribes and Inuit) that will be given rights to a predetermined number of fish for their freezers to be consumed. To address the problem that the hatcheries and farms produce regarding disease and inbreeding the government will redirect money in the national budget to enlist the help of the foremost experts in the field to figure out ow to eliminate disease and genetically diversify the stocks coming from the farms and hatcheries. Next the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers will demolish dams at strategic locations to allow the salmon free passage up their streams and rivers. To supplement the cheap electricity that will be lost, wind and solar farms will be set up to get electric to customers that the dams supplied electric to. Also we will utilize available technology to modify the dams in a way that all migrating fish will know where to go, and receive safe passage through the structure. Logging companies will be mandated to not build roads or clear cut trees any closer than 1 mile from a salmon spawning river or tributary unless it is deemed necessary by the U. S. Division of Parks and Recreation. Enlisting the help of the EPA would be a priority. The EPA could ban the use of certain pesticides that contain aluminum in their chemical makeup, and test farmers land to regulate and arrest (if necessary) those in violation. In closing I would like to state that the future of the Pacific salmon is clouded by all of the problems I listed in the above paragraphs. And it was we who have created this problem, so it has to be we who fix it. Implementing the plan I have devised will be challenging, tough and expensive, but if the American people can be patient and understanding I know we can come together as a country and fix our mistake and save the salmon. We have to. Salmon are more than fish; they are one of the last great symbols of the west, and givers of life to so many people, plants, and animals. To lose them due to non-natural causes (like we did the bison) would be a travesty. The world would quite literally be a lot less beautiful without them, and I cannot imagine it. Can you?

Greek Mythology and Athena Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Athena Essay On the top of Mt. Olympus lived one of the greatest g o d d e s s e s , A t h e n a . A t h e n a w a s k n o w n a s a g o d d e s s o f w a r, w i s d o m a n d a r t s . S h e i s p o r t r a y e d a s s t r o n g , f a i r a n d m e r c i f u l . S h e h e l p e d m a n y w a r r i o r s o n t h e i r j o u r n e y s . S h e w a s g r e a t l y a d m i r e d b y h u m a n s f o r h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o m a n . A t h e n a w a s a l s o v e r y i n t e l l i g e n t a n d t h o u g h t f u l ; s h e r a r e l y l o s t h e r t e m p e r  a n d p u s h e d f o r a s o l u t i o n t h a t w a s b e n e f i c i a l . A s y o u r e a d o n y o u w i l l f i n d t h a t A t h e n a w a s a g r e a t a s s e t t o t h e O l y m p i a n s a n d h a d f a r m o r e p o s i t i v e a t t r i b u t e s t h a n o t h e r g o d d e s s e s . The birth of Athena was more than an unusual one. Her m o t h e r w a s M e t i s a n d h e r f a t h e r Z e u s . Z e u s r e i g n e d o v e r a l l t h e gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus. It is no wonder that a god this powerful and dominant would need no woman to bear his  o f f s p r i n g . Z e u s w a s t o l d b y h i s m o t h e r a n d F a t h e r t h a t M e t i s w o u l d b a r e c h i l d r e n . Z e u s w a s n o t h a p p y a b o u t t h i s ; h e f e l t i t w o u l d j e o p a r d i z e h i s p o s i t i o n a s r u l e r. W h e n M e t i s w a s a b o u t t o g i v e b i r t h , Z e u s s w a l l o w e d h e r a n d i n t h e p r o c e s s g a i n e d h e r i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d w i s d o m . A t t h e t i m e Z e u s t h o u g h t i t w a s a g o o d i d e a b u t i t w a s n o w c a u s i n g h i m p a i n . H i s h e a d a c h e b e c a m e s o s e v e r e t h a t h e w o u l d d o a n y t h i n g t o r e l i e v e i t . H e gave permission for another god to hit him in the head with an axe. When he did this, out popped Athena full grown and w e a r i n g a s u i t o f a r m o r . A t h e n a b e c a m e h e r f a t h e r ’s f a v o r i t e . S h e r e m a i n e d h i s a l l y b u t a l s o h i s p r o t e c t o r. S h e p r o m o t e d h i s i n t e r e s t s a n d s e r v e d a s h i s a d v i s o r. A t h e n a a l s o i n h e r i t e d s o m e  i m p o r t a n t t r a i t s f r o m h e r m o t h e r a s w e l l ; w i s d o m a n d j u s t i c e were two of the big ones. A t h e n a w a s t h e g o d d e s s o f w i s d o m a n d w a r . S h e w a s normally depicted holding a spear, but she was known more for h e r r o l e a s m e d i a t o r a n d d i p l o m a t t h a n f o r a c t u a l l y f i g h t i n g i n b a t t l e . H e r d e c i s i o n s w e r e h i g h l y e t h i c a l a n d s e l d o m m o t i v a t e d b y h e r s e l f i n t e r e s t o r b e l i e f s . M a n y o f t h e G r e e k m y t h s t e l l  tales of her giving help to various gods, goddesses and hero’s a s t h e y w e n t i n t o b a t t l e . A t h e n a h a d g i v e n P e r s e u s h i s m o s t h e l p f u l t o o l t o s l a y M e d u s a , h i s s h i e l d . A n y o n e w h o l o o k e d t h e m o n s t e r d i r e c t l y i n t h e e y e s w o u l d b e t u r n e d t o s t o n e . A f t e r h e b e h e a d e s M e d u s a h e g a v e i t t o A t h e n a t o d e c o r a t e h e r a r m o u r. A l s o o n t h e v o y a g e b a c k f r o m t r o y s h e p r o t e c t e d U l y s s e s . T h e most help she gave though was to Hercules. She stood by his s i d e a n d w a s a g r e a t c o m f o r t t o h i m . A f t e r h i s p a s s i n g s h e w e l c o m e d h i m i n t o t h e g a t e s o f M t . O l y m p u s . A t h e n a c a m e d o w n f r o m M t . O l y m p u s a n d w a l k e d b e t w e e n t h e t w o a r m i e s a n d m a d e b o t h s i d e s s w e a r t o k e e p p e a c e , s h e d i d t h i s t o p r e v e n t t h e T r o j a n Wa r . U n f o r t u n a t e l y o n e o f t h e s o l d i e r s w e n t a g a i n s t h i s o a t h a n d l e t l o o s e h i s a r r o w ; t h i s w a s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e  T r o j a n Wa r . A t h e n a e x p r e s s e d h e r a n g e r t o w a r d t h e s o l d i e r b y helping the other side to victory. In one of her most well known adventures Athena took shape of men, women and children to l e a d w a n d e r i n g O d y s s e u s . T h i s a l l o w e d h i m t o r e t u r n h o m e s a f e l y t o h i s f a m i l y a n d c h i l d r e n . Athena is one of the three virgin goddesses, referred to as a v i r g i n b e c a u s e s h e w a s a b l e t o r e m a i n u n s w a y e d b y A p h r o d i t e . Aphrodite is the goddess of love, marriage and motherhood. M o t h e r l e s s h e r s e l f , A t h e n a u s u a l l y p l a c e d P a t r i a r c h a l principles above motherly bonds. Athena not only gave to the w a r r i o r s b u t t o a l l h u m a n s . H e r r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s w e r e g i v i n g w i s d o m , i n v e n t i o n s , i n s p i r a t i o n s a n d p r o t e c t i n g t h e A t h e n s . O n e o f h e r g r e a t e s t g i f t s w a s h e r k n o w l e d g e o f t a m i n g h o r s e s , s h e taught the people of Cyrene and word soon spread. She also  c r e a t e d t h e p o t t e r y w h e e l a n d m a d e t h e f i r s t v a s e o n i t . S h e w a s a l s o a g r e a t w e a v e r a n d l o v e d t o d e c o r a t e . S h e w a s a g o d d e s s o f m a n y t a l e n t s a n d a n e x p e r t a r t i s a n . N o b o d y e v e r c a m e c l o s e t o s u r p a s s i n g h e r w o r k a l t h o u g h a y o u n g m o r t a l w o m a n n a m e d A r a c h n e ’ s p u t h e r t o t h e t e s t . T h e c h a l l e n g e w a s t o s e e w h o w a s t h e b e t t e r w e a v e r. A r a c h n e ’s t a p e s t r y h a d o f f e n d e d h e r g r e a t l y,  i t d e p i c t e d Z e u s a s a d u l t e r o u s . A t h e n a r i p p e d t h e t a p e s t r y t o s h r e d s a n d A r a c h n e e v e n t u a l l y h u n g h e r s e l f . O n c e A t h e n a h a d cooled off from what had happened, she transformed the woman i n t o a s p i d e r o u t o f p i t y. T h e w o m a n w a s n o w a b l e t o w e a v e b e a u t i f u l s p i d e r w e b s f o r e t e r n i t y. In the past Poseidon and Athena had a fight to take over a c i t y i n G r e e c e . To s e t t l e t h e a r g u m e n t , t h e y e a c h h a d t o g i v e a  g i f t t o t h e c i t y. T h e o n e w i t h t h e b e t t e r g i f t w o u l d b e c o m e l e a d e r o f t h e c i t y. P o s e i d o n g a v e a s p r i n g o f w a t e r t o t h e c i t y, b e c a u s e i t w a s s a l t w a t e r i t w a s o f n o u s e t o t h e p e o p l e . A t h e n a g a v e t h e c i t y a n o l i v e t r e e . F r o m t h i s t r e e t h e y c o u l d e a t , m a k e oil and have wood for fire. By ruling of the city, Athena’s gift w a s b e t t e r t h a n P o s e i d o n s . I n h e r h o n o r t h e y n a m e d t h e c i t y A t h e n s . T h e r e i s a l s o a p a l a c e d e d i c a t e d t o h e r i n A t h e n s . H e r s y m b o l s a r e t h e o w l a n d t h e o l i v e t r e e . T h e o l i v e s , t a m i n g o f t h e h o r s e a n d h e r c r e a t i o n o f t h e p o t t e r y w h e e l w e r e a l l c o n t r i b u t i o n s t h a t w e r e g r e a t l y a d m i r e d . O t h e r w o m e n r a r e l y t o o k t h r e a t t o A t h e n a ; t h e m o s t n o t a b l e e x c e p t i o n t h o u g h w a s h e r c h i l d h o o d f r i e n d P a l l a s . I n o n e o f t h e s t o r i e s P a l l a s a n d  A t h e n a w e r e b o t h t o m b o y s a n d i n s e p a r a b l e , t h e y p r a c t i c e d f i g h t i n g s k i l l s a n d s h a r e d p l a y f u l a d v e n t u r e s . D u r i n g t a r g e t p r a c t i c e , A t h e n a a c c i d e n t a l l y s h o t a n d k i l l e d P a l l a s w i t h a b o w and arrow. So distraught over the loss of her friend, Athena t o o k P a l l a s ’ n a m e a n d a d d e d i t t o h e r s . O f t e n t i m e s s h e w a s r e f e r r e d t o a s P a l l a s A t h e n a , t h i s w a s t o h o n o r h e r f r i e n d . N o t  o n l y d i d A t h e n a ’s d e c i s i o n s d e m o n s t r a t e w i s d o m b u t a l s o c o m p a s s i o n a s w e l l . I n a n o t h e r s t o r y a m a n n a m e d Te i r e s i a s a c c i d e n t a l l y w a l k e d i n o n A t h e n a w h i l e s h e w a s b a t h i n g . T h i s w a s a n a c t t h a t n o r m a l l y w o u l d h a v e b e e n p u n i s h e d b y d e a t h . Athena took pity on him though; she covered his eyes with her hands making the man blind. She gave him the gift of inner s i g h t. A t h e n a n o r m a l l y p u t p a t r i a r c h a l p r i n c i p l e s a b o v e  m a t r i a r c h a l b o n d s . S h e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e p a t r i a r c h y a n d usually supported their side in a dispute. In the first trial of h i s t o r y, A t h e n a c a s t t h e f i n a l v o t e o n a c q u i t t i n g O r e s t e ’ s o f m u r d e r i n g h i s m o t h e r t o a v e n g e h i s f a t h e r ’s d e a t h . S h e w a s p e r s u a d e d b y A p o l l o w h o s a i d a m o t h e r ’s d e a t h w a s o f l e s s i m p o r t a n c e t h a n a f a t h e r. Wo m e n s i m p l y n u r t u r e a s e e d b u t m e n a c t u a l l y p l a n t i t . M e n a r e v i e w e d a s h i g h e r i m p o r t a n c e t o A t h e n a . M o r e t h a n a n y o f t h e o t h e r g o d d e s s e s A t h e n a r e m a i n s a s y m b o l o f k n o w l e d g e , w i s d o m , l o g i c a n d c i v i l i z a t i o n . A t h e n a r e m i n d s u s t h a t w e c a n s u c c e s s f u l l y u s e o u r i n t e l l e c t a n d c r e a t i v i t y t o r e a c h a n y g o a l s . WORKS CITED: 1. ) http://www. theoi. com/Olympios/AthenaMyths. html 2. ) http://ancienthistory. about. com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Athena. htm 3. ) http://gogreece. about. com/cs/mythology/a/mythathena. htm.

Motives for Americas Invasion of Iraq

Motives for Americas Invasion of Iraq Introduction Many things have been said and written about Americas invasion of Iraq. To date, most of what have been said is essentially reactions leveled against the explanations adopted by the then Americas regime and her allies in justifying invasion of Iraq. Bushs regime told the international community that there was urgent need to invade Iraq in order to oust Saddam Husseins despotic leadership from power and thus pave way for the entrenchment of democracy in Iraq which is a prerequisite to international peace and security especially in this era of terrorism. Even though UN Security Councils intelligence personnel assigned the responsibility of investigating Americas claims of existence of WMDs in Iraq was not in harmony with those claims, America went ahead in engaging in one of the most expensive war since the end of Cold War. This essay seeks to establish whether sociopolitical explanations adopted by America amidst protests from the International community and the UN were underpinned by Americas interest to maintain her global economic dominance or the proclaimed political motive of liberating Iraqis from tyranny. War as a means of implementing foreign policy Generally, war is a very expensive foreign policy implementation tool which no sane nation would want to frequently use not unless its the only alternative for her survival. All states -the powerful and the weak-U.S included tries as much as possible to use peaceful diplomacy in implementing their foreign policies abroad and can only resort to coercive diplomacy (war) when its the only rational alternative for protecting its survival and interests in the International System. Analysts were therefore left unconvinced whether the need to oust bad leadership in Iraq was the main and genuine reason behind Americas invasion of Iraq or her ambition to maintain herself position as the global economic giant was more important. To be sure, there is no economic, political, or social explanation that can on its own fully and convincingly explain Americas invasion of Iraq. The economic perspective of the invasion Pursuit of economic progress and dominance abroad is one of the major goals of any nation-states foreign policies. Paul Cerni Mphil (2006) states that â€Å"†¦ what every nation and empire aspires to is to nurture their own economy where necessary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  America is no exception in the sense that her determination to maintain her global economic position stands out as one of the main determinants of her foreign policies. Indeed, her ambition to position her self as the global economic giant has been pointed out by scholars and international political analysts as the main driving force behind year 2003 invasion of Iraq. Categorically, Marxists owing to the colossal amount of money spent on this war dont cite any other motive behind the invasion of Iraq by America in alliance with Britain among others. For them any other non economic explanations adopted by America in justifying her actions was mere political hypocrisy aimed at misleading the international community from opposing invasion of Iraq. Paula Cerni Mphil (2006) once more argues that â€Å"The US invasion of Iraq, advertised as a forceful attack on global terror and tyranny, was supposed to mark the rise of a stronger and more assertive American imperialism.† Critics dont understand why if Americas proclaimed goal of ousting bad leadership in Iraq was the main agenda she didnt hesitate from invading Iraq even after UN Security Council failed to produce evidence for the existence of WMDs in Iraq. They reject Americas claims of the need to tyranny in Iraq since the UN is supposed to maintaining international security and peace by urging countries to institute legal frameworks that can prevent people with bad ideas like which are a threat to democratic existence from taking over power. Therefore, these critics argue that the need to create an enabling environment in Iraq for purposes of exploiting her rich oil mines was the fundamental interest in this invasion. Oil as a source of energy for her industries is one of the highly demanded raw material by American capitalists and imperialists who could not feel any pain in funding such an expensive foreign policy endeavor. America was thus determined to oust Saddam Hussein from power not for purposes achieving a democratic leadership in Iraq but so that they could put in place a puppet leadership which they could easily manipulate in order to satisfy their selfish economic interests. To these critics therefore, America was essentially on a mission to conquer a prestigious economic territory and wrongly assumed that the weak Iraq would accept her proclaimed goal of eradicating bad leadership from power. A short critique of the economic argument for the invasion Note that Marxists are known for their tendency to over emphasize the economic aspects of a given real life phenomenon like invasion of Iraq by America. However, an impartial analyst should look at all factors in play and try as mush as possible to put behind each factor an emphasis that is not exaggerated. That is, in as much as economic interests were primary in this invasion and are usually in any given foreign policy other interests like her national security, survival, peace, and need to propagate her ideologies can at times be more important than mere pursuit of economic wealth and dominance It is therefore legitimate to argue that in as much as much as America wanted to exploit Iraqs oil other interests such as her national security and survival in the international system played a significant role. Its for instance arguable that in this case American political elites felt that Saddam Husseins regime was a threat to her a national security and survival by virtue of the fact that it could provide an operating base for international terrorists. There was need therefore to invade Iraq in order to bring to an end bad leadership and thus usher in a new democratic leadership that would not only guarantee Iraqis their peace and human rights but also enable America safeguard her national security and survival against the threat of terrorist attacks from Iraq. Comments posted on geocities.com states that for a considerable period of time â€Å"US administration continued to consider removing Husseins regime from power and following the September 11, 2001 terrorist destruction o f the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York, they decided that they had sufficient excuse to do so.† This argument is anchored on the premise that Iraq has been and is still a hub of dangerous terrorist and rebel groups including the dreaded Al Qaeda terror group. To some extent therefore, Americas national security and survival in the international system proclaimed by Bush regime was as important as positioning herself as a global economic giant. It is therefore unfair and even unscholarly to give the Iraq invasion an absolute economic explanation thereby under looking other factors. However, primacy of Americas economic ambitions in this invasion should be given its consideration accordingly especially due to her insatiable â€Å"thirst† for oil which is plenty in Iraq. Conclusion In conclusion, just like it was pointed out earlier there is no one particular factor (economic, social or political) that can explain Americas invasion of Iraq without facing the dangers of lacking impartiality. An impartial analyst should therefore carefully put into consideration all factors in play without over emphasizing some at the expense of others. Time and history therefore remains to prove us wrong or right with regards to our opinions pertaining this invasion. Advocates of international peace and security would for instance like to see how successful America will be in establishing peace and stability and rebuilding the collapsed Iraq nation. And also understand why several years after Saddam Hussein was hanged for his despotic leadership, bad leadership is persistent in most Asian countries and no WMDs have been recovered from Iraq. References Mphil, Paula Cerni. 2006. Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century. Theory and Science.theoryand sciecce.icaap.org (retrieved on August 20, 2009.). Iraq War www.geocities.com/ daverclark/iraq war.html (retrieved on August 20, 2009.).

Bob Marley: Legend :: essays research papers

The question isn't how long are we going to live on this earth; it is how much are we going to live on this earth. In his 36 short years, Bob Marley achieved more than most who live to a so-called ripe old age. Bob once said, "My life is only important if mi cyan help plenty people. My life is for people. That's who mi is." He lived on earth but thought the thougthts of heaven. In his song "Rastaman Vibration" Marley implores us to look out for each other. "Why not help one another along the way and make it much easier." Funkmaster George Clinton once said that Bob Marley "was one of those people who wasn't on anybody's side in particular. He was on everybody's side. And that's scary to the system." Bob told us to "open your minds and look within; are you satisfied with the life you're living?" He urged us to wake up, to arise from our sleep and slumber, as there's work to be done. And that, too, is scary for the system. In support of any Messiah, there are at least 12 apostles. In the case of Bob Marley, there is an undisclosed number of disciples whom he chose to send forth and preach the (reggae) gospel in this time. In addition to members of his Wailers band and I-Threes, he left behimd a family full of messengers. His beloved mother, Cedella Marley Booker, is the inspiration for the Bob Marley Caribbean Festival and founder of The Movement of Jah People. This organization is carrying out the dreams and goals of her son who always looked out for the underprivileged and down-trodden. Ms. Booker lives in the house Bob bought her in Miami, the spacious yard where he came to chill-out from his rigorous and demanding schedule. He once said, "This peace work, it don't stop. We, the youth, got a job to do." His younger brother, Richard Booker, is at the helm of the movement and ably acts as his mother's right hand man. Bob's sister, Pearl Livingston, is among the family members who perform each year, along with their cousins Gloria, Lorraine and Jimmy. Marley stated that "not one of my seed shall sit on the sidewalk and beg bread." Bob's children include Ziggy, Stephen, Cedella, Sharon, Damian, Julian, Kymani, Rohan and Robert. His grandchildren include Daniel, Justice, Zouri, Joseph, Stephan, Huon, Jacob, Soul Rebel, Kaya, Kymani Jr.

american lit Essay -- essays research papers

When did American Literature begin?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -with the Native Americans Three dominant characteristics/themes of Native American Literature?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. Relationship with the land   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. Belief in the Great Manito   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. Use of natural images How did Columbus describe the New World?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -astonishing, colorful, marvelous speed of the canoes, a paradise Identify:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Bay Psalm Book: first book published in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -manito: spiritual forces   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Walum Olum: painted record   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -allusion: reference to something   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -concrete language: short, forceful, cleaner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -conceit: controlling image   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -analogy: comparison   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -simile: direct comparison using like or as   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -metaphor: saying it is something its not   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -antonyms: two opposite words   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -irony: opposite of what's supposed to happen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -sarcasm: low form of irony   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Great Awakening: fervent revival of religious dedication   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -pictographs: word pictures Compare and contrast the literature of Puritans and the southern colonies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Puritans: simple, religious, practical, examining of spiritual selves, communicated ideas clearly, explained Biblical interpretation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Southerners: flashy, flowery, ornate, complicated, decorative What is the purpose of ‘A Description of New England?' How does the author go about meeting this purpose?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -to get people to move to New England; exaggerates the good, doesn't mention the bad What does TULIP stand for? Explain each point.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Total Depravity/inability   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Unconditional election/selection   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Limited Atonement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Irresistible grace   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Perseverance/preservation for the saints Identify the conceit of ‘In Reference to Her Children' and ‘Huswifery'   Ã‚  Ã‚  &nb... ...ial encounter with the Devil, wife's involvement, terms of tom's deal, occupation, Tom's fate. Translate Thanatopsis. Summarize Bryant's thanatopsis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -‘view of death,' Bryant's view was deaath is one with nature, be with other great people who have gone before, etc. Define:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -meter: regular rhythm in poetry, unit of meter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -foot of poetry: stressed/unstressed syllables/ one stressed two unstressed syllables How is the Black Cat an example of Romantic Literature?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -focus on self and individual, fascination with the supernatural, gothic Compare and contrast the following views on the dark side of humanity:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Death Instinct/Spirit o Perverseness: Freud and Poe–dark side is constantly present   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Sinful Nature: Christianity–there is a way out According to Montressor, what are the two requirements of meaningful revenge?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -can't be consumed by it, once you've taken your revenge, drop it   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -don't let the person know you're upset with them and seeking revenge

Akbar and Aurangzeb’s Policies Essay -- South Asia History, War

During the early modern period in South Asia, diverse communities interacted and clashed. This also meant that rulers and their policies also clashed one another. The two greatest leader of the Mughal Empire, Akbar and Aurangzeb’s policies went back and forth. Whereas Akbar had to take over the throne at an early age of thirteen, Aurangzeb had to fight and go against his own family members to gain the throne. Akbar began his leadership at a young age that he was never able to learn how to read or write and remained illiterate throughout life. Even though his grandfather and father were well educated, Akbar had great intellectual capacity that helped him rule the empire. During his first year of his reign, Akbar was faced with a challenge by a Hindu usurper, Hemu who almost succeeded in putting an end to the Mughal rules (Kulke, Rothermund 142). Despite being a Muslim, he did not force his religion on the people, they remained Hindus throughout his reign (Kulke, Rothermund 143). During Akbar’s reign, Islam was spreading throughout Southeast Asia. During this period, Akbar abolished the jizya, which was a poll tax which Islamic rulers imposed on all non-Islamic subjects. He conceived himself as giving laws rather than only following Islamic laws (Kulke, Rothermund 143). To keep the unity of his empire, Akbar had to adopt programs that won the loyalty of the non-Islamic population. By allowing his people to stay Hindu and trying not to convince them to Islam was a key point because it allowed him to give people their own freedom and it allowed him to gain his leadership. The Mughal Empire was an agrarian state, which depended on land revenue also known as land survey. It directly depended on the accurate assessment of the ... ...em against their Muslim colleagues (SarDesai, 177). Why would a ruler of his own people want to use a policy against his own people? Doesn’t that inform people that something is not right with the ruler of the empire? Akbar emerged as the leader of the rajputs whereas Aurangzeb kicked the rajputs out of nobility. Akbar was a great conquer who expanded his empire through diplomacy. By abolishing the jizya, it was easier for him to win the hearts of India. On this matter, people hated Aurangzeb and did not give him any respect for brining the jizya and other policies. Aurangzeb’s reign was marred by the destruction of temples and a general intolerance toward people of non- Muslim. He failed to realized the secular basis of Akbar’s polity was just not a matter of political tact. The secular basis was to form a peaceful and progressive polity in a plural society.

Policy of Medicare System Essay

With the evolution of new drug-resistant strains of maladies in the contemporary period, scientists are now going back to nature in pursuit of pristine defenses. Says Dr. Robert Nash, research director of Molecular Nature in the United Kingdom, â€Å"Dandelions, sea pinks, nettles, even bluebells were used to treat diseases. There is a good reason for going back to see if there was anything behind these traditional uses† (Amundsen 132).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In our backyard, there is a bed of bluebells and never had it dawned on me that bluebells prove to have anti-virus and anti-cancer properties. That they were used in the 13th century against leprosy (Amundsen 155). Not that I would really want to prepare for any possible leprosy case that may stem at home; but the thought of having nifty bluebells in the garden can give comfort on good health and brainy ancestors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the library, the books speak of one thing about healthcare; that it is the management of the resources of healing. Darrel Amundsen, in his book Medicine, Society, and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, pointed up the wonder of natural medicines and traditional medicine. Stanley Reiser tells us of how medical care evolved from technological point of view. Dorothy Porter’s Social Medicine and Medical Sociology in the Twentieth Century talks about where the health care industry has drifted through different eras. It has had a major impact on how people perceive health on the whole. From the unborn and mothers to all the phases of childhood to the youth and the adults to the older people, health care has been in packages essential at various stages of the human being. Additionally, the practitioners have done a lot of education, investing awe-inspiring sum of finances and effort in educating the public. Professional patronizing and obscure terminology will give way to cooperative educational approaches, and client-oriented rehabilitation. This approach is estimated to provide the most appropriate package of health services suited to ensure a healthy well-being of all age groups. In every industrialized country, excluding the United States (U.S.), the provision of health care has become the financial responsibility of the state over the past 100 years. Taxes on both employers and workers and general tax revenues financed the health care insurance system. This was the procedure in Western Europe and Great Britain (Warner 360-368).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The exception of the U.S. can be credited to the native value the Americans placed on self-help and repulsion against dependency. After 80 years of anxiety, the federal government of the U.S. has accepted the system but with some degree of responsibility. When the medical care program was introduced to them, it has become a complex mix of public and private payments. The extent covered the maldistribution of resources and disproportions of access (Porter 9). Nevertheless, across the surveys, the U.S. health care system becomes the country’s largest employer. Approximately, 597,000 are physicians, 137,000 are dentists, 1.8 million are nurses, and nine million are field workers (Warner 356).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administering the federal health care activities was charged to the Department of Health and Human Services. Health insurance comprises all forms of insurance against financial loss resulting from injury or illness. The most common health insurance coverage is for hospital care, including the physician services in the hospital. Major medical policies protect the insured against calamitous charges, paying a sum of that ranges from $10,000 to $1,000,000, after the policyholder has paid a preliminary deductible amount (Warner 371). Patients usually have out-of-pocket expenses since doctors’ charges are not entirely covered by the insurance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overheads for healthcare services in the U.S. alone have been mounting sharply for about over a decade. Insurance coverage is potholed. Coverage for home care of the chronically ill is nigh on absent. A fixed sum is paid for a service except for hospital insurance. More often than not, this payment must be supplemented by the patient (Warner 358).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Problems also arose in the aspect of recruitment and distribution of physicians. About one-fourth of U.S. physicians were engaged in primary patient care. That included obstetrics, internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. In the slums of big cities, physicians are sparse but profuse in the more affluent sub-urban areas (Porter 12). One of the more daunting areas of health care is the prohibitive cost of medicines. At present, there is no governing body that regulates the price of medicine. This means that the manufacturers dictate the prices. With this discretion, expectedly the prices could be set as high as excusably possible. To ornament with justice, their marketing strategy has spawned the mentality that â€Å"branded is better.† Came the managed healthcare system. The genesis of contemporaneous managed care can be trailed to the prepaid plans providing healthcare to rural, shipbuilding and construction workers in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s. Managed healthcare have likewise existed in ancient China when doctors were supposedly paid only while they kept their patients healthy. Although many of the procedures used by managed healthcare to regulate expenditures have existed in African countries for a time, it was only since the latter part of the 20th century that the concept of managed care has been both in full swing in an effort to provide Africa with low-priced quality healthcare and denigrated by others (Porter 10-11). But in the U.S., managed healthcare was only firmly established when briskly swelling healthcare costs in the 1970’s and 80’s led to the passing of legislation providing for the establishment of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) (Warner 370).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HMOs and the government has since then been on the lookout for effective alternatives. The government and the private sector all face the problem of financing the uncontrolled inflation of cost in the medical care program. Others blame it on the growing numbers of people who seek care. Some on the greater use of laboratory costs and of specialists in diagnosis and treatment (Reiser 16). Needless to say, the synergistic force of the sectors wanted programs that were cheap but were at least, effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hospitals were responding to increasing cost demands. They attempted to introduce more competent management schemes. Proprietary hospitals have found greater earnings in chain operations. Other efforts to slash costs included hiring less-expensive professional workers, like nurses and paramedics, in the hope of getting basic care to patients at a lower fee (Porter 10). The health care system has indeed been an entrepreneurial idea. However, paradox has it that in due time, antibiotics, vaccines, and other vital medicines will be short of availability at least, among the 5.6 billion people, according to the World Health Organization (Porter 18). Scarcity of producers of medicines has nothing to do with it. Maldistribution and capitalistic exploitation will make the medicines inaccessible to the poor. Over 40 million Americans have some form of heart or blood vessel disease, and the combined costs of treatment and lost income exceed 50 billion dollars annually. About 4 million people, 10 percent of those with cardiovascular diseases, have coronary artery disease. Because of these findings, the Framingham Study considers cardiovascular disease as one of the leading epidemiological diseases in the country. A more distressing fact rings throughout the Third World countries whose healthcare programs are financed by their governments on less than 1 percent cut from the gross domestic product (Porter 15-16). At this reality, whose son or daughter will not be underfed? Every major city had slum areas that housed the poor and unemployed, and declining farm incomes created rural poverty. Amid the growth and confidence of the postwar years, United States leaders initiated programs of aid to help people at home and abroad improve their way of life. Programs of domestic aid included funds for education, medical care for the poor, and urban renewal programs. International air programs begun soon after the war sought to help United States maintain economic and political stability (Fusfeld and Bates, 1984). Poverty-stricken people suffer from the lack of many things they need. For example, they are less likely to receive adequate medical care or to eat the foods they need to stay healthy. The poor have more diseases, become more seriously ill, and die at a younger age than other people do. Poor people often live in substandard housing in socially isolated areas where most of their neighbors are poor. Many low-income families live in crowded, run-down buildings with inadequate heat and plumbing. The jobs most readily available to the poor provide low wages and little opportunity for advancement. Many of these jobs also involve dangerous or unhealthful working conditions. Financial, medical, and emotional problems often strain family ties among the poverty-stricken. Furthermore, the healthcare system of countryside Americans is dense. For instance, Indians are lacking relative to their urban equivalents in many important ways that shape their health: they are unduly economically inferior, proportionately lesser are of working age, and they have not fulfilled as much of education. Topographical access is of principal interest in several rural states. Indians who reside in remote areas, comparatively far from urban areas or centers, sometimes find it hard to get in touch with healthcare personnel or services. In respect of urban inhabitants, rural dwellers have to trek farther to care and tackle other problems such as mediocre road and rail network, and short of public transportation. These problems are distinguished yet their resolution escapes the labors of the U.S. Legislature, and local governments. Culture is another driving factor, including influential customs (Nabokov). The Indians’ unfavorable health behaviors, employment of folk medication, the impact of traditional religion on healthcare, and estrangement from countrywide society all play a part to the way they care for their health. To make the decisions centralized, World Medical Association was founded as an organization of several of the world’s national medical associations. Instituted in 1947, this medical society has embraced an international code of medical ethics and many other ethical pronouncements. The center of operations is in Ferney-Voltaire, France (Porter, 2000). One of the pivotal epidemiological methodologies for an improved healthcare provision is an informed public. If the individual does not understand what he or she must do to preserve health and reduce his or her risk of a probable epidemiological disease, if he or she does not recognize when he or she needs outside help, and if he or she or members of his family are not prepared to take the appropriate steps to obtain this help, then all of the world’s medical knowledge will be of little value. The educational process that would prepare an individual to help preserve his or her own health and reduce his or her epidemiological risk should ideally begin in his or her youth when lifelong patterns are being formed, and continue throughout his or her adult life. A hospital management’s role is twofold: helping to build good health habits in the young, and serving as agents in adult health habits through public information and education programs designed to teach preservation of health and raise the general health consciousness of the people. The practicing physician, emergency medical services, the clinic or neighborhood health center, the hospital as a whole stand to be prepared in implementing medical line of defense. Even at times the nonmedical person who is on the scene when an acute emergency occurs are relied on. In order to be effective, the hospital carrying out the epidemiological measures, together with these individuals and services, are obliged and expected not only to be capable of providing healthcare, but must be prepared to do so in a manner that is acceptable and accessible to, and understood by, the public. The epidemiological measures of a hospital in this area shall also address such things as professional education, healthcare standards, and public information regarding access to care and services. Another approach is that which serves as the underpinning of the rest of the strategies and plans; it is the biomedical research to identify such epidemiological factors as dietary fats, smoking, hypertension, etc., that adversely affect human health and to devise methods for preventing, diagnosing, and treating these conditions and the diseases to which they contribute. In this regard, the hospital has a unique role to play, in that while they cannot the huge sums needed for large-scale clinical trials or epidemiological studies, they claim to have an excellent mechanism for supporting young investigators who are juts beginning their research careers, helping them gain the experience and results necessary to compete for larger grants in the national and international arenas. The emphasis is practically placed on the support of quality research projects having high merit ratings. To adequately develop such improved measures by Medicare, it should have the hospital require a programmed effort that first takes into consideration the fact that the hospital cannot be all things to all people. It may have quite limited resources in terms of money, volunteers, and staff in other departments, and the need for each of these resources may always seem to exceed the supply. Since there are numerous programs and activities that are capable of improving health of the patients to some degree, hard choices must be made regarding the disposition of these resources. This implies priority setting, which is made more efficient by the establishment and implementation of a hospital-wide, goal-oriented, long-range planning process. Such a process helps the hospital focus its epidemiological measures on high yield, cost-effective projects that either help prevent the healthcare provision, or provide ongoing relief and control, yielding the highest return on time and money invested. All in all, medical institution evolved across time to deal with problems of health and disease using epidemiological measures that are based on mortality, morbidity, disability, and quality. More specifically, medical institution was perceived performing a number of key functions in modern societies. First, it treats and seeks to cure disease. Second, the medical institution attempts to prevent disease through maintenance programs, including vaccination, health education, periodic checkups, and public health and safety standards (administrative medicine). Third, it undertakes research in the prevention, treatment, and cure of health problems (preventive medicine). And fourth, it serves as an agency of social control by defining some behaviors as normal and healthy and others as deviant and unhealthy. Although health care can take its roots back when one of the greatest achievements of civilization was the naissance of medicine, real health comes from within. The quality of life of an individual is governed by the swelling bearing of his positive personal health-seeking activities and behaviors. And with the help of heath care, tomorrow’s health centers will fill out today’s precision diagnostic services with equally scientific self-care and wellness programs. Future healthcare will increasingly concede to the empowerment of the individual. Perhaps the way healthcare began more than two thousand years back differs from the way it will continue in the next two thousand years or so. The gods may still have a role but not for the folks to plead to for kinder nature. A common Supreme Being might then take the place of them and be prayed to in exchange for a kinder world. If in the past, the causes of illnesses may have been shared between man and nature, from this time forth, diseases would be brought about by the caustic arms of industrialization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whose healthcare would not be needed most in the midst of volatile worldwide climate and industrial population? Typhoons come and leave natural borne diseases. McDonald’s open their stores and send resentful stomachs to the healthcare clinics. Who would not consequently draw a smart plot from the commercial appeal of healthcare? For healthcare, this means an upsurge in affliction as well as a digression of resources away from healthcare toward reform. The pandemonium disrupts food supplies, infectious diseases multiply, and alarm triggers stress-induced illnesses. The beginnings of medical care may have been deemed mad and laughable. Then again, its inheritance, with the help of worsened worldwide scenarios, is rendering the underprivileged mad and the moneyed having the last laugh. References Amundsen, Darrel W. (1996). â€Å"Medicine and faith in early Christianity.† Medicine, Society, and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Chambers, Donald and Kenneth Wedel. Social Policy and Social Programs: A Method for the Practical Public Policy Analyst, 4th edition. Pearson Publishing. Fusfeld, Daniel R., and Timothy Bates. (1984). The Political Economy of the Urban Ghetto. Southern Illinois University Press. McDaniel, W. B. (1959). â€Å"A view of 19th century medical historiography in the United States of America.† The History of Medicine. Nabokov, Peter. Native American Testimony: A Chronicle Of Indian-White Relations From Prophesy To The Present (1492-1992). Penguin Publishing. Porter, Dorothy E. (1975). Social Medicine and Medical Sociology in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Reiser, Stanley J. (1984). â€Å"The machine at the bedside: Technological transformations of practices and values.† The Machine at the Bedside: Strategies for Using Technology in Patient Care. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Warner, Martin S. (1985). Medical Practice and Health Care During the Revolutionary War and Early National Periods. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.