Discussion questions about India and Afghanistan

1)How have geographical features influence the political social and cultural development of India?The Himalayan mountains in the north of India act as a natural buffer from China. This is important, because China to the North has been a powerful country in history. The natural break has caused both nations to be separate and free from war. The Ganges river is one of the longest in the world and has been used to cultivate crops. The Ganges is the 7th longest in the world. The Ganges river becomes all the most important, because India is also home to huge stretches of deserts. The Thar is also the 7th largest desert in the world. Another important point is that India is not landlocked. So, it has had good contact with other people groups and developed a fishing industry. India also have some good natural resources – oil, metals and natural gasses.2) What factors made it possible for the Mauryan and Gupta empires to unite substantial parts of the subcontinent?One factor that made it possible for the Mauryan and Gupta Empires to unite the substantial parts of the subcontinent was that the Mauryan Empire were a highly centralized and hierarchical government with a large staff, which regulated tax. They both blossomed under the control of their rulers. They both had a large army to take over. And lastly, they both fell under the army of invaders. Both of the army used lots of war elephants and advance weapons. Gupta India (320 B.C.E-550 C.E.) and Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E.-476 C.E.) both had very distinctive methods of political control based on everything from cultural reasons to geographic limitations.3) What do the textbook authors mean by theater state?Historians' term for a state that acquires prestige and power by developing attractive cultural forms and staging elaborate public ceremonies (as well as redistributing valuable resources) to attract and bind subjects to the center.4) What are the origins of varna and jati, and why has the varna-jati system of social organization lasted so long ?What social needs did try serve, and how are these social functions addressed in out culture?Two of the most important parts that make the constitution last so long are guaranteed freedoms and ability to be adaptable. The varna system of Hindu society is described in the various Puranas and Smritis, among others. Manusmriti, is one of many Dharmashastra texts reflecting the laws and society of Maurya period India and being a reference work for the Brahmins of Bengal especially.5) What are the similarities and what are the Difference Between Jainism, Buddhism, & Hinduism?HInduism is considered the oldest religion, and encompasses all strata of society. Jainism is based upon 24 principle beliefs of hinduism and was set up as a scholarly hierarchy. Buddhism is a Philosophy of Wisdom, based or derived from the scriptures of Hinduism sans Deity worship, considered superfluous to the intellectual pursuit and application of the tenets. Buddhism is by fa r superior in its substance of followers of the three with advocates all over the world.6) What factors might explain srivijaya ability to organise a number of ecological zones into a single kingdom?Naval military forces, Srivijaya's maritime was constantly managing their trade network and always wary of potential rival ports of neighboring kingdoms. 12 months ago. Srivijaya or Sriwijaya was a powerful ancient Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, modern day Indonesia, which influenced much of Southeast Asia. The earliest solid proof of its existence dates from the 7th century.

I Have a Dream

First Body Paragraph: Although Dry. Kings speech incorporated all sorts of arguments including equality, empowerment and freedom, Longboats Hughes' poem focuses more on black empowerment. Acknowledging that Negroes were once Kings and Queens in Africa then reminding us that they were also enslaved to build the great pyramids. Hughes creates a relationship through the movement of African Americans throughout history. Specifically examining the incredible contributions African Americans have made not Just to the united States but to the world.Second Body Paragraph: While Longboats Hughes argued for empowerment and enrichment of culture and people, Dry. King demanded equality, freedom and respect. Dry. King refused to stand by and watch his people continue to be mistreated, unfairly Judged, disrespected and overlooked. He not only wrote a compelling argument but he delivered It on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The same Abraham Lincoln that Hughes refers to in his poem. â€Å"l hea rd the singing of Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and Eve seen its muddy blossom turn all gold in the sunset.Third Body Paragraph: Both of these incredibly successful Scholars helped to bring an end to the civil rights movement, passing new constitutional amendments. What I find so surprising is how they both made such an incredible impact with melodic forms of poetry according to the New York Times article written by: Machismo Skating â€Å"Dry. King pushed the text of his remarks to the side and began an extraordinary improvisation on the dream theme that would become one of the most recognizable refrains in the world. † Fourth Body Paragraph:With his Improvised riff, Dry. King took a leap Into history, Jumping from prose to poetry, from the podium to the pulpit. HIS voice arced Into an emotional crescendo as he turned from a sobering assessment of current social injustices to a radiant vision of hope -? of what America could be. Dry. King pushed the text of his remarks to the side and began an extraordinary improvisation on the dream theme that would become one of the most recognizable refrains in the world. † http://www. Anytime. Com/ 2013/08/28/us/the-lasting-power-of-dry-kings-dream-speech. HTML? I Have a Dream First Body Paragraph: Although Dry. Kings speech incorporated all sorts of arguments including equality, empowerment and freedom, Longboats Hughes' poem focuses more on black empowerment. Acknowledging that Negroes were once Kings and Queens in Africa then reminding us that they were also enslaved to build the great pyramids. Hughes creates a relationship through the movement of African Americans throughout history. Specifically examining the incredible contributions African Americans have made not Just to the united States but to the world.Second Body Paragraph: While Longboats Hughes argued for empowerment and enrichment of culture and people, Dry. King demanded equality, freedom and respect. Dry. King refused to stand by and watch his people continue to be mistreated, unfairly Judged, disrespected and overlooked. He not only wrote a compelling argument but he delivered It on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The same Abraham Lincoln that Hughes refers to in his poem. â€Å"l hea rd the singing of Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and Eve seen its muddy blossom turn all gold in the sunset.Third Body Paragraph: Both of these incredibly successful Scholars helped to bring an end to the civil rights movement, passing new constitutional amendments. What I find so surprising is how they both made such an incredible impact with melodic forms of poetry according to the New York Times article written by: Machismo Skating â€Å"Dry. King pushed the text of his remarks to the side and began an extraordinary improvisation on the dream theme that would become one of the most recognizable refrains in the world. † Fourth Body Paragraph:With his Improvised riff, Dry. King took a leap Into history, Jumping from prose to poetry, from the podium to the pulpit. HIS voice arced Into an emotional crescendo as he turned from a sobering assessment of current social injustices to a radiant vision of hope -? of what America could be. Dry. King pushed the text of his remarks to the side and began an extraordinary improvisation on the dream theme that would become one of the most recognizable refrains in the world. † http://www. Anytime. Com/ 2013/08/28/us/the-lasting-power-of-dry-kings-dream-speech. HTML? I Have a Dream First Body Paragraph: Although Dry. Kings speech incorporated all sorts of arguments including equality, empowerment and freedom, Longboats Hughes' poem focuses more on black empowerment. Acknowledging that Negroes were once Kings and Queens in Africa then reminding us that they were also enslaved to build the great pyramids. Hughes creates a relationship through the movement of African Americans throughout history. Specifically examining the incredible contributions African Americans have made not Just to the united States but to the world.Second Body Paragraph: While Longboats Hughes argued for empowerment and enrichment of culture and people, Dry. King demanded equality, freedom and respect. Dry. King refused to stand by and watch his people continue to be mistreated, unfairly Judged, disrespected and overlooked. He not only wrote a compelling argument but he delivered It on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The same Abraham Lincoln that Hughes refers to in his poem. â€Å"l hea rd the singing of Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and Eve seen its muddy blossom turn all gold in the sunset.Third Body Paragraph: Both of these incredibly successful Scholars helped to bring an end to the civil rights movement, passing new constitutional amendments. What I find so surprising is how they both made such an incredible impact with melodic forms of poetry according to the New York Times article written by: Machismo Skating â€Å"Dry. King pushed the text of his remarks to the side and began an extraordinary improvisation on the dream theme that would become one of the most recognizable refrains in the world. † Fourth Body Paragraph:With his Improvised riff, Dry. King took a leap Into history, Jumping from prose to poetry, from the podium to the pulpit. HIS voice arced Into an emotional crescendo as he turned from a sobering assessment of current social injustices to a radiant vision of hope -? of what America could be. Dry. King pushed the text of his remarks to the side and began an extraordinary improvisation on the dream theme that would become one of the most recognizable refrains in the world. † http://www. Anytime. Com/ 2013/08/28/us/the-lasting-power-of-dry-kings-dream-speech. HTML?

Breadtalk Research

Talk Local brand; regional success. BreadTalk Group Limited started out in 2000 as a local bakery chain best known for its signature floss buns, before firmly establishing its brand name and evolving into a major food retailer in less than 10 years. It currently operates in three main segments: bakery, food court and restaurants. It entered the restaurant segment in 2003 after acquiring the Singapore franchise rights to the renowned Din Tai Fung restaurant brand. The food court business soon followed in 2005. The group was listed on SGX in 2003. China to spearhead the next growth phase. From Singapore, it moved to the rest of the region and China is currently one of its key markets outside of Singapore. Given the sheer size of the consumer market in China, we believe that it will be the future catalyst for BreadTalks growth. While Singapore currently remains the largest revenue contributor to the Group, BreadTalks diverse brands of various food offerings and established foothold in Beijing and Shanghai should allow it to take advantage of rising disposable incomes as well as react quickly to new consumer trends in China. In terms of number of outlets, China already outnumbers Singapore with 20 food courts, 3 Carls Jr fast food restaurants, 3 RamenPlay restaurants and 184 bakery outlets. Rising costs, an issue, but manageable. We believe that BreadTalk will be able to maintain a gross profit margin of about 55%, which is in line with its margins over the past five years despite potential hike in food costs. Previous fluctuations in raw material prices had not resulted in any significant impact on gross profit margins, and the group also plans to improve its margins by shortening its supply chain and bulk sourcing globally for its supplies. Initiate with BUY and fair value estimate of S$0. 74. We project revenue growth of 26% YoY for FY2011F on the back of outlet expansions and stronger sales from existing stores. Backed by strong sales projections, its growing brand recognition and its continuous commitment to review and enhance its offerings, we are initiating coverage on BreadTalk with a BUY rating and a fair value estimate of S$0. 74 based on a discounted cash flow-to-firm valuation model with a WACC discount rate of 8. 02%. This valuation translates to an upside potential of about 11. 6% based on the last traded price of S$0. 66.

Obesity Epidemic in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Obesity Epidemic in America - Research Paper Example Obesity is considered a major health risk factor in different diseases, especially those related to cardiovascular illnesses (WHO, 2011). These diseases are a major cause of concern because they often lead to high morbidity and mortality rates. The global rates of obesity are fast increasing; people around the world are getting more and more obese. The WHO reveals that by the year 2015, there will be about 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world and about 700 million of these would likely be obese (BBC News, 2008). This problem is considered a contemporary problem because obesity statistics were not even known to exist 50 years ago. This increase has mostly been attributed to the prevalence of convenience foods and labor saving devices which have driven many individuals to high fat diets and sedentary lifestyles. It is also a major issue among children with about 20 million children under the age of 5 being overweight (BBC News, 2008). Since the 1980s, the rates for obesity grew t o extensive levels and in OECD nations, one in 2 adults was considered overweight; 1 in 6 was considered obese (Robb, 2010). This rate is expected to increase by 1% each year for the next 10 years in some nations. These rates are highest in the United States, Mexico, and are lowest in Japan and Korea; everywhere else, the numbers are increasing (Robb, 2010). One in three children of the world is considered overweight. They are exposed to risks associated with obesity including a reduction of 8-10 years in their expected life span – this is similar to smokers. They are also likely to develop diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer (Robb, 2010). Obesity is also a burden to the health care system and expenditure because the expenditure among these patients is at least 25% higher than for those with normal weight. In the US, childhood obesity is a major problem and if this issue is not somehow resolved within the next few years, these children would likely suf fer major weight-related diseases much earlier than expected. Considering the above scenario, this paper shall now discuss the obesity epidemic in the United States. It shall discuss the causes of obesity in America, the effects and health issues related to obesity, the current health programs being implemented to address the obesity issue, and the effectiveness of these health programs. This paper shall also come up with recommendations in order to address this growing problem. Body/Discussion Causes of obesity in America There are various causes of obesity in the United States. Experts have weighed in on this discussion and they have acknowledged that the main causes of obesity are the amount, the quality of food intake, and the sedentary living of Americans. The volume of food that the average American is taking seems to have increased during the past few years and the quality of these foods have also shifted to high-fat, high salt, and high-caloric content foods (Goodman, 2006). The fact that Americans have reduced their physical activities is also a major contributory factor to obesity. The portions in the food servings in the US have grown significantly in the past decade or so – especially the portions which are eaten away from home which mostly include fast foods from various food chains. The trends in the US have included the value menus which sell food items, like burgers and fries for lower prices but at lower costs (American Heart Association, n.d). These portions

Individual research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual research paper - Essay Example The business model followed by the company makes it a limited liability company. Other than real estate the company has trading interests and tends to export a few goods aboard such as generators, plastic products, utensils etc. but the mainstay for the company has been real estate. Like myriad other businesses in China, the Jia Nian Hua Company is a family managed venture. The current chief executive of the company, Jia Nian Hua has employed his family members in critical positions such as finance, sales and marketing in order to take advantage of their loyalty. A paternal work environment is apparent when one walks into the office as the employees look towards Mr. Jia as a fatherly figure. Mr. Jia was kind enough to allow some time for an interview concerning his business. When asked about the beginnings of the business, Mr. Jia related that he had begun dealing in real estate in the early nineties when he was employed as a government official in Beijing. In his own words, â€Å"having been associated with real estate early on I realized that China possessed immense potential for growth in coming decades. Therefore, I decided to open up a small real estate shop in Beijing to take my informal business idea to a complete business†. Being part of the government allowed Mr. Jia the critical information he required to expand into the real estate scenario because he was already well aware of where development would occur. He cited the case of new suburbs created around Beijing. Planning for development had begun in the late nineties but â€Å"acquisition of land had been slow due to fears of inflation in real estate if procurement was faster†. This indicates t hat Mr. Jia’s entry into the market as an entrepreneur was based on analytical evaluation that stemmed from information available only to select people in the Chinese government. Mr. Jia’s response also confirms the important assumption about entrepreneurs which states that entrepreneurs

The major problems that emerged from the fall of the wall for the Essay

The major problems that emerged from the fall of the wall for the newly united Germany - Essay Example Reflecting upon and referring to the events outlined in the lesson, this paper will give the writer’s opinion on what the major problems emerging from the fall of the wall were, and if and how they could have been avoided. The problems Germany faced after reunification arose from the initial causes of the division. Although it was clear by 1990 that both East and West Germany intended strongly to reunite into a common German federal republic, the most notable problems were political, economical and social. In East Germany, not only did the Party of Democratic Socialism undergo heavy defeat in the first free elections, but East Germany’s infrastructure and economy almost collapsed (Muller, Judd & Yzerbyt 2005). East Germany may have been considered the most vigorous economy in the Soviet bloc, but I think it’s economic near-collapse was a manifestation of its shaky and ill-planned communist foundations. Rather than gaining stability from its relative wealth, East Germany’s relative poverty destabilized it. There continued to be different mentalities between those from the East and those from the West. East Germans had been guaranteed the right to work, with 80 percent of its women employed, and outstanding childcare had been provided by the state. In contrast, the West, whose systems were driven by the markets, social services were continuously being cut and getting jobs was difficult. The reunion made it even more difficult for workers from East Germany to get jobs (although those who got them benefited greatly) because they had to adapt to new systems that rendered them insufficiently trained (Muller, Judd & Yzerbyt 2005). My opinion is that this was a consequence of the conception of two new identities which had no roots in the history of the country prior to 1949. Four decades of division had created a social problem in which West Germans (Wessis) were perceived by foreigners as well as most West

What is Federalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is Federalism - Assignment Example The second type of federalism cooperative federalism (1945-1969).This federalism saw the national government become integrated with the local and state governments, making it hard to differentiate where one type of governance starts and the other one stops. The third example of federalism is known as New Federalism (1969-present) and since 1970s, political scholars and leaders of the New Federalism have made arguments regarding the national government becoming very influential and that control should be returned to the states(Ilka,2005). The three factors that have allowed the concept of federalism to shape American political behavior include; political behavior which is an area of political action. This takes place outside the legal and formal organizations of government. Thus political behavior in this scenario is the behavior of groups and persons outside of the government who are struggling to take possession or influence the government. Following political behavior is political activity which is commonplace to all politics. Specific principles of political science may apply to both governmental organizations and political behavior. Finally the third factor that has allowed federalism concept to shape American political behavior is political culture, which is basically the pattern of orientation to political activity and finally sectionalism which is the ties that link together classes of contiguous states (Michael,

Determinism and free will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Determinism and free will - Essay Example The contrast of determinism is free will. The text was quite interesting, which provoked my decision of choosing it. The text talks about the free will and the truth of determinism. Many occasions human beings find themselves in agony when they are making decisions. The text gave me an insight of understanding that there are provoking factor when human being making choices in life and the decision that they make are sometimes determined by other occurrences. Since before I took this course and read a text about the free will and determinism. I had a thought that we human beings being the superior creatures in the beautiful world we are at liberty to choose to undertake what we wish to. This notion was erased by the knowledge that I got from the text about the Holbach and Taylor on determinism/free will (Holton 415). This reality was quite impressing to me that it motivated me to write about it from my primary course. When I first read the above text, my initial thoughts were diverse. First, I thought that if all human being were considerate and humane enough then it will be of no essence to have rules and regulations governing them. Since if one does everything while back in mind having the idea of the probable consequences to him or her also to the surrounding. Secondly, the other thought that I had was that if people were always driven by necessity. When they are in a position to recognize it, then they would not have been pushed into doing what they are expected of them. For instance, we as students recognize what we are expected to achieve in this course, and then would not have waited up to when we are given assignment to do it. If necessity were a guiding principle, then we could have done the assignment earlier and achieve what our course is set to give us. Finally, the last thought that I had was that if all humankind were conservative enough to the others as they are to themselves. Thus , the issues of having ill

Environmental Issues in South East Asia Research Paper - 1

Environmental Issues in South East Asia - Research Paper Example It ha been pointed out that the Southeast Asian countries are among the less developed countries in Asia that are currently in the process of industrialization. They include Cambodia, Brunet Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar. These countries are not as industries as Asian countries like Japan and China. The countries can take pride in the low political temperatures that have been seen in most of them over the recent past. The neighboring countries that constitute the Middle East countries like Iraq, Iran, or Syria have witnessed political revolutions that have a significant impact on the economic development of the nation. Industrialization in the Southeast Asian countries began in the second half of the twentieth century. Various industries are available in the Southeast Asia countries. The cotton textile industry had been developed in the region way back before the 1950s. Agricultural industries are common in the countries like Myanmar and Cambodia whereas countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines have manufacturing industries. Different environmental problems are experienced in different parts of the world. The key environmental issues in different countries in the Southeast Asia include seasonal smoke and haze, soil erosion/degradation, water pollution, air pollution, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, poor access to clean water, pollution from solid waste, hazardous materials, and hazardous wastes.

MEDIA ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MEDIA ANALYSIS - Essay Example For example when the photograph of Miriam is introduced to the priest, he quickly jumps to the conclusion that Elijah is guilty of the sexual assault however upon learning more information one quickly learn that he is the least likely to be the one guilty of the crime. The narrative structure takes on a kind of ratchet formula in which the story quickly takes steps forward only to immediately takes a step back which is a common theme across many detective shows. In regards to how the narrative structure is plotted around moments of disruption there are frequent incidences that centre on this theme. For example one can quickly identify the deception from Elijah as he originally escapes from the police, when "The Devil" quickly assaults Detective Elliot Stabler in the bathroom. What these actions imply is that there is a relative moment of tranquility before the aforementioned incidents and it is the case that this affects the narrative insofar as it causes moments of excitement. Lastly there is the case of issues of resolution. Whilst several resolutions were in fact brought about they brought with them severe consequences. By having Elijah identifies â€Å"The Devil of Ghulu† it in fact would bring resolution to the countless people that he harmed but will cost Elijah his freedom. By having Miriam identify the war criminal she in fact can help aide in his conviction however she would bring about her own unpleasant feelings. By Elijah taking refuge in the Church he in fact eliminates his chances of ever gaining American citizenship. As such the narrative of the story implies that there is in fact not supposed to be any clean and clear resolution. The character types that are utilized to effectively tell this story are the dynamic character as epitomized by Elijah who was the child soldier who ends up doing everything he can to help Miriam. The ‘Foil

Child Beauty Pageants Essay Example for Free

Child Beauty Pageants Essay Sparkling tiaras, beautiful gowns, glamorous hair and make-up; One would believe that this would be every little girl’s dream. Unfortunately this dream often turns into a horrible nightmare. The popularity of child beauty pageants seems to be rising every year causing more and more controversy. There are many different views and concerns that people seem to have on these types of pageants. Many of them do not agree with children being forced to fulfill their parents dream by taking place in a beauty pageant. The history of beauty pageants became part of the American society around the 1920’s. They originated as a marketing tool in 1921 by an Atlantic City hotel owner who was trying to attract tourist. Since then, pageants have become a major event in the lives of Americans. The online article written by Kareen Nussbaum exclaims that it wasn’t until the 1960’s when child beauty pageants really began. Back then, child pageants consist of modeling sportswear, evening attire, dance, and talent. The judging was based on the individual’s looks, talent, poise, perfection, and level of confidence. Pageants were conducted at political, educational, and entertainment venues. Many were scholarships were being offered through pageants, and beneficial programs were being facilitated. The pageantry world helped introduced a face to the faceless troubles of racism, handicaps, and illnesses. Since that time, a lot in the pageant industry has changed. Nowadays, they are anything buy conservative. Beauty pageants, like the ones on the show Toddlers and Tiaras, are not about natural looks but are based on such superficial things such as who has the most make up and best tan. Parents have a major role in most child beauty pageants. There are very few children who participate in pageantry without their parents. They are the ones who provide the money and connection into the pageant world. Several families who start their child in beauty pageants have generations of competitors that include grandmas, mothers, kids, and grandkids. Many believe that the mothers of children that are involved in beauty pageants live vicariously through their children. Too often, pageant moms have only one thing on their mind and that is for their child to win! Having their own mother/parent as their role model, the child will most likely have that same kind of attitude causing many problems throughout their life. There are many other reasons why child beauty pageants are unnecessary in today’s society. As children, they are most likely forced into the beauty pageants. Being too young to say no, the parents take control. Beauty pageants also sexualize young girls too early. They are exposed and become familiar with â€Å"womanly† items such as padded bras, high heels, and make-up. Instead of acting like their own age, the little girls believe to think they are older than they really are. High heels aren’t made for small feet. They needlessly push the child’s weight forward causing lower back pain and hindering proper development of their feet. Sometimes younger girls are forced to wear heels outside of pageants, because their feet have grown in a way that makes wearing other shoes uncomfortable. Hairspray is the most common widely used product in child pageants. Unfortunately, too much hairspray can actually stunt growth. The Psychology Corner claims that it contains certain chemicals that act as hormone disruptors that could be harmful to the body, and is linked to stunted growth and even lung cancer! If child beauty pageants weren’t allowed, these kinds of troubles wouldn’t be so prevalent. Cognitive and emotional problems are probably the most dangerous problems that beauty pageants can cause. They are capable to leading to many different kinds of disorders that could ruin a child’s life. A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association found that the hypersexualization of young girls is strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Psychologists and psychiatrists largely agree that pageants reinforce negative female body image issues that result in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Beauty competitions emphasize the barbie doll image of what a beauty queen should look like. The problem with having that image is that there is no way for a person to be able to look like that. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less according to the Oprah Winfrey Network. Although Zinzi Williams states that many of the beauty pageants take part in community service, delivering a social message and help in bringing up funds for charity, numerous of them are exaggerated and mess with a young child’s mind. For about fifty years, beauty pageants have been teaching children to behave as young adults rather than acting their own age. Rather than focusing primarily on the idea of competition, pageants for younger children should be created to concentrate on the child’s talent, intelligence, poise, and confidence. While there can be some positive aspects of children beauty pageants, the physical and mental health of the participants will only continue to exacerbate. Works Cited 5 Facts about Beauty Pageants. Oprah Winfrey Network. Harpo Productions, 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Nussbaum, Kareen. Children and Beauty Pagaents. Beauty Pagaents. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Toddlers and children beauty pageants – Risk factors for severe psychological turmoils. Psychology Corner. Psychology Corner, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Williams, Zinzi. Beauty Pageants and its Effects on Children. Purduecal. N.p., 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

Brainwashing Our Future Essay Example for Free

Brainwashing Our Future Essay Around the globe today, the belief that a perfect body existing is at an all-time high. With airbrushing being used on practically every photo of actors/actresses/models, young adults get the false sense that they have to be a specific way to be prefect or normal even. It’s unjust that airbrushing photos leads these young adults to hate on themselves or on others for not being something that, in all reality, isn’t even real. Airbrushed photos of modern idols case teenagers to participate in unhealthy eating disorders, to bully fellow peers, and to obtain emotional problems that will stay with them for a lifetime. With airbrushing of photos also comes the unhealthy practice of eating disorders in young adult, especially young women, to fulfill the belief that doing so will result in having â€Å"matched up to their beauty and perfection† (Petten Van). Disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating have become most commonly found in the adolescent population because of these photos. In general, teen girls grow up seeing airbrushed photos which cause the desire to be â€Å"perfect†, later resulting in eating disorders. 42% of 1st to 3rd grade girls want to be thinner and 86% females report onset of eating disorder by age 20; 43% report onset between ages 16 and 20 (â€Å"Eating Disorder Statistics†). As a result, death rate of young adults has increased immensely and continues to surrender the hope of ever ending the cycle of teen disorders. Generally, as the number of adolescents who attain an eating disorder increases, so does the number of deaths to the teen populatio n. Airbrushing also contributes to bullying. Young adults are given the idea that one has to be a specific way in order to be accepted, so as a rule, teenagers bully one another out of jealousy or belief that all should fit what is seen as the norm due to airbrushing. But in return, there is the â€Å"5% of Americans that naturally possess the body type portrayed in magazine images† (â€Å"Eating Disorder Statistics†). That 5% is also bullied by those brainwashed by society to see it as the standard form. It makes sense that â€Å"a healthy girl does not have a solid sense of who she is and can be very susceptible to thinking one should look like the models, even though the model is airbrushed and really only a fantasy† (Cooper). Demi Lovato, a young teen pop star, has â€Å"openly aired her troubles† many times, describing the effects eating disorders and bullying that resulted from social media, like airbrushed photos, had on her life (LaPort). Bullying is the result of teens not having many idols that are raw and â€Å"going through what many of them are† (LaPort). Summing up the overall affect airbrushing has on adolescents comes down to these: emotional predicaments that can stay on one’s heart and mind until the very last breath. As a victim of bullying, my cousin Morgan shared her thoughts and feelings on her experiences. â€Å"The things they said were so harsh†¦unforgettable,† she whispered. â€Å"Every day I look at myself and repeat those words, even though I physically know they aren’t true.† She is one of â€Å"160,000 children who miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students† (â€Å"Make Beats Not Beat Downs: Facts and Statistics†). Bullying and eating disorders do not have short term effects, and can affect even the most confident person on the planet. These long term emotional situations are hurting the young minds of society and it all comes back to the pointless use of airbrushing. Some believe airbrushing is â€Å"just and image†¦a fantasy if you will†, regardless of the effect it has on adolescents (Cooper). Which is true, but teenagers are at the point of learning who they are and look to these photos of their idols to help decide, or figure out, who exactly is it that they see themselves being as adults. Others believe that airbrushing protects the eyes of younger minds from inappropriate matters like tattoos, thongs, or smoking. In response, the sooner one learns what the real world has to offer, bad and good, the sooner one realizes that everything isn’t perfect and can make decisions based on actual matters. Parents cannot protect children from the ideas of society surrounding them no matter how much they try. Would one rather children learn by looking at something everywhere around them or by hearing it from a mind not brainwashed by the wrong doings? The governments that allow the use of airbrushing on models and actors could easily pass a law to ban the deceptive practice of airbrushing. But the government won’t act unless the citizens act upon it first. By celebrities themselves opposing the act of an artist reconstructing their photos, and sewing them if done regardless, soon enough there won’t be any airbrushed photos to be released to the public. Previous victims of eating disorders or bullying should take a stand and tell the government, and its people, just how badly these photos affect the generations of society today. If not stopped now, then when will airbrushing ever come to an end? It’s time to end it and stop brainwashing our future. Works Cited A) Catapano, Rosanna. ANAD (The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) n.p. n.d. Web. 22 March 2013. B) Diller, Vivian. â€Å"Is Photoshop Destroying America’s Body Image.† Huffpost Post. N.p. n.d. Web. 22 March 2013. C) Petten Van, Vanessa. â€Å"Photoshop: The Effect On Teen Girls and Why It Needs to be Banned.† Radical Parenting. n.p. n.d. Web. 22 March 2013.

Theory Of Economic Development And North South Relation Economics Essay

Theory Of Economic Development And North South Relation Economics Essay Globalist perspective which believe that market-oriented system and private firms activate to provide a global economic growth, a huge variety of productions and services at lower prices for consumers, energetic environment protections, convenient working conditions at higher wages, protection of human rights and related with maintaining of democratic governments. This paper aims to answer the question of has globalization reduced the North-South gap in economic development with modernization theory through the lens of trade relation, economic growth and Washington Consensus principles. Liberal Theory of Economic Development and North South Relation Technologic improvement of transportation, communication and information infrastructures has been concluded with a phenomenon mostly known as globalization, and it is an increased connection of people and places around the world. There are many indicators that show globalization of goods, capital, and people; World GDP through trade rate (good and services) increased from %42.1 in 1980 to %62.1 in 2007. FDI increased from %6.5 of world GDP in 1980 to %31.8 in 2006. International claim stock (bank loans) according to world GDP increased from %10 in 1980 to %48 in 2006. Cross-border telephone call minutes numbers on basis of GDP increased from %7.3 in 1991 to %28.8 in 2006. The number of foreign workers has increased from %2.4 of the world population in 1965 to %3.0 of the world population in 2005. The impact of the major movement of goods, services, workers and capital on the North-South economic relations has been differently commented by political economists and different perspectives explanations give distinct results. Question of Is globalization positive or negative for the development of the Southern states? indicates the realities about economic gap between North-South. Modernization theory of liberal approach presents main hints about North-South relation on the basis of global economic structure. Developing nations are poor because they are inefficient in economic performances and they must build open markets and invest in human and physical capital. Globalization is a great opportunity for the developing nations. The invisible hand of a market without limitations redistributes the wealth among the nations, leading to economic growth, more efficient allocation of resources, enhanced civil liberties and peaceful relations between states. Free trade is a win-win situati on when it is seen from the comparative advantage perspective. If all countries were to concentrate on those products they can produce most efficiently and the worlds products would increase and everyones standard of living would rise. Development is usually described as improvement in five areas: industrialization, socioeconomic transformation, economic diversification, higher standards of living and urbanization according to liberals. The goals of development are growth, equity, democracy, stability and autonomy. The top priority is economic growth because it makes possible the achievement of all the other goals with spill over affect domestically and internationally. Since global economic integration sets off growth, it is seen as a positive factor. This cornerstone acts into inequalities between North and South growing, while the global economy is expanding. For explaining the gap between expectations and reality, Liberals emphasized a modernization theory, which suggests that t he causes of poverty are not connected to globalization but they are internally related with least developed countries domestic structure. Domestic economic, social and political structures are the key factors for development so a developing country has to carry out a transition from a traditional society to a modern capitalist economy if it wishes to develop. Modern societies are successful because they are more urbanized, dynamic, flexible and willing to adapt. Namely international trade is a basic component of globalization that eliminates or reduces trade barriers like import tariffs. Trade provides national competitiveness and gives host country comparative and competitive advantages and it promotes economic resilience and flexibility. Chart 1 Limitation on international trade like protectionist approach prevents good products at low level and poverty will increase due to restrictions. So it can be said that developing countries can benefit from expansion of international trade. Ernesto Zedillos words, former president of Mexico, In every case where a poor nation has significantly overcome its poverty, this has been achieved while engaging in production for export markets and opening itself to the influx of foreign goods, investment, and technology. claimed that market-oriented economy with global size would alert developing nations (South) to improve domestic economic structure. Cross-border investment has a critical position for industrialization and speed economic growth. Developing countries that accepted foreign investment moved successfully from non-oil commodity exports to alter manufacturing and services exports. And they have generated the highest sustained economic growth during the last quarter of the twentieth century. From 1989 to 1996, foreign direct investment jumped from just $11 million a year to over $5 billion in Poland; from $3 billion to over $10 billion in Mexico; and from $2 billion to almost $10 billion a year in Singapore. Developing countries which have adopted open economic system developed by an average of %4.5 per year in the 1970s and 1980s, while closed economies developed just %0.7 a year. The fastest developing region of the world was East Asia where grew in real per capita income at an annual average rate of 4 to 6 percent since the 1960s. In China, per capita GDP has nearly increased 4 plus since 1980. Since 1972, the poverty rate in Indonesia has been cut in half. Per capita GDP (in U.S. dollars) increased from $163 in 1980 to $235 in 1997. Brazil, Venezuela and India has been reduced their trade barriers from huge amount of tariffs to low level that market oriented structure needs according to WTO principles. And these arrangements have given them sustainable development. Some of the developing nations of the world have driven IMF projects and they have sustainably developed annually. Transnational companies are min figure of globalization and international trade. TNCs are seen as messengers of modernity for underdeveloped countries. TNCs give underdeveloped and developing countries unobserved amounts of capital, technology, management expertise, marketing networks, jobs and tax revenue. Globalization constitutes an opportunity to climb to the top and TNCs help this process. Competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) will lead countries in the North and in the South to try to provide well-educated labour and high-quality infrastructure. Increasing competition will lead to a greater global efficiency and modernization of the developing country. Liberal theories of economic development argue that the existing international market structure provides the best framework for Southern economic development. The major problems of development are caused by the domestic economic policies of the developing countries. It emerge with creation of market imperfections; reduc ing of the productivity of land, labour, and capital; and intensify social and political rigidities. According to liberals the best way to overcome these weaknesses is related with adoption of market-oriented domestic reforms. Convenient internal policies and the international system will increase levels of trade, foreign investment, and foreign aid and this structure can provide a basis for rapid growth and economic development. According to liberals trade is an engine of growth. Specialization that is adaptable with national comparative advantages increases income levels in all countries engaging in free trade. Specialization also encourages higher levels of capital formation through the domestic financial system and increased inflows of FDI. Chart 2Chart 3 From the liberal viewpoint, the correct international Southern strategy for economic development is to encourage those domestic changes necessary to promote foreign trade, inflows of foreign investment, and the international competitiveness of domestic firms. This strategy means that quit from policies that prevent trade and investment flows like high tariffs and restrictions on FDI inflows. Washington Consensus Washington Consensus was introduced in a period when the Keynesian dominance in economic theory and policy had collapsed after the mid-1970s crisis and it indicates that domestic arrangements through the lens of market-oriented structure constitute economic development for developing countries. There is a geographical dimension in the term Washington Consensus. Its policy prescriptions were primarily issued for the Latin American economies in the 1990s, although they subsequently spread to the rest of the developing and less developed countries. John Williamson attracted attention that market oriented structure should have been constituted for developing countries through the lens of Latin American countries. These policy prescriptions can be summarized in ten titles: 1) The imposition of fiscal discipline. 2) The redirection of public expenditure priorities towards other fields. 3) The introduction of tax reforms that would lower marginal rates and broaden the tax base. 4) The liberalization of the interest rate. 5) A competitive exchange rate. 6) The liberalization of trade 7) The liberalization of foreign direct investment inflows. 8) The privatization of state-owned economic enterprises. 9) The deregulation of economic activities. 10) The creation of a secure environment for property rights. The theoretical foundations of these principles can be easily explained as withdrawal of the state from the economy and restructuring of the unobstructed operation of the market economy. On the contrary of Keynesian deficit and expansionary budget system fiscal discipline should be constituted on public activities for providing balanced budget to prevent crisis. Limited public expenditures should support private entrepreneurs instead of concentrating on public works and redistributive policies. Tax system should be arranged to pave the way for business profits that are locomotive of the economy. In addition financial system should be formed as liberal perspective to construct market oriented economic system. Additionally state should give up economic operation so privatizations of all activities and enterprises of state-owned should be provided with state guarantee that there will not be any violations of property rights on the contrary of protectionist and nationalist structure. Pro tectionist measures should be abolished and free trade must be established with a secure position of movement of capital investment. Namely all of these regulation aim to provide economic growth for developing nations through the example of Latin American countries. Washington Consensus principles have emerged on the contrary of protectionist economic system and it also gave up Keynesian liberal views to establish market basis economy. Consensus principles create a growth opportunity for developing countries with free market advantages like win-win position. FDIs on the hands of TNCs directly reach the host countries with open market rules and this opportunity expose a greater development chance for countries itself.

J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter Series :: Harry Potter Series

Thus far in Rowling’s predicted seven book series, all four books can be found to have a number of shared themes that are rather evident in all of them. The most evident, however, would be that things in the land of Harry Potter are not always what they seem, and in order to get along well in this land, you must accept the differences of others. Harry’s life for his first few years could be categorized under both of these themes. Harry, after all, is always having bizarre things happen at the most inopportune moments; his aunt, uncle, and cousin (the Dursleys) are definitely less than accepting of this, resulting in a very poor relationship between Harry and them (The Sorcerer’s Stone 18-24). Throughout the other four books this inacceptance of Harry’s differences by the Dursleys always leaves Harry with a burning desire to get back to Hogwarts. Harry, as a result of this poor home life, adjusts rather easily to his newly found life of wizardry. For him it is finally an explanation for the odd occurrences of before, and gives him a chance to be among others like him. The themes present themselves in a variety of other characters and situations as well. The character of Hagrid, for example, which upon first description should lead one to believe he is the fiercest creature alive; he is definitely to be avoided (The Sorcerer’s Stone 14, 46-47). On the contrary though, Harry, Ron, and Hermione look past this and find a friend and protector. Harry’s godfather is also believed to be a creature, of sorts, â€Å"out to get† Harry. However, he turns out to be there to protect him, as well. As for situations, each book revolves around a mystery with so many twists and turns, that the final solution for it is almost always a surprise. In The Sorcerer’s Stone, for example, the reader is lead to believe that Professor Snape is the one helping the dark lord, Voldemort, do harm to Harry and steal the stone; in the end, the reader finds the guilty party in the most unlikely character, meek, stuttering Professor Quirrell (288). In The Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts is suddenly plagued by students turning to stone. The initial belief is that Draco Malfoy is the culprit, then the blame shifts to Hagrid, and even Harry becomes a suspect.

Pride And Prejudice: First Impressions Essay -- essays research papers

First Impressions First impressions are very important. In the Victorian age, people based their whole opinion of someone on first impressions. Most times the first impression of someone is not the way they truly are. Sometimes a first impression can cause you to think negative of someone but later you find out that they are very nice and a very positive person. One example is when Mr. Darcy meets Elizabeth in the book ,Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth thinks Mr.darcy is a cruel and arrogant person, but she later finds out that he is not. Also in, Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham she gets the impression that he is very nice and gentlemen like, but she finds different with him too. In the story " The Importance of being Ernest" Lady Bracknell does not like Jack because he does not have any money and does not live up to her standards, but little does she know. In "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, Elizabeth thinks Mr. Darcy is a very rude and self centered person based on what she saw the first time they met or actually the first time they saw each other. Elizabeth over heard Mr. Darcy talking to Mr. Bingley at a ball and didn't really like what she heard. "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me." ( Austen 12) Mr. Darcy thinks he is much to good for some people and has very high expectations. at one point n Beck 2 the story Mr. Darcy starts to fall in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth knows he has changed but...

Freedom Essay -- essays research papers fc

Freedom is defined as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. In An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs, Chief Joseph petitions for freedom. Martin Luther King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech is a call for freedom. The texts written by Chief Joseph and King share many similar philosophies because the situations faced by two cultures, which are embodied in the texts, are similar. Chief Joseph represents a group of Native Americans who are restricted to land that they do not covet. Euro-Americans use lies and armed forces to press the Native Americans off desired territories and onto wastelands. King represents African-Americans who were neglected the rights and opportunity white people owned. King’s speech addresses the fact that African-Americans were held down with violence and segregation. Chief Joseph’s narrative focuses on the issue of broken promises by dominant Euro-Americans. In the end of these two proclamations, b oth the authors ask for the key to freedom, equality. Chief Joseph’s Narrative and Martin Luther King’s Speech share numerous ideals that all relate to the two culture’s struggles for freedom, while the two contrast because these movements are not completely the same. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence represent a: promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†¦[but] instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check (King 917). King is saying that African-Americans have been let down by the foundations of our nation. Throughout Chief Joseph’s narrative are various accounts of broken promises by Euro-Americans. Chief Joseph concentrates mainly on General Miles’ promise because the freedom to live where one wants is imperative to him. The two readings talk of the ideal that both of the cultures are constrained to their certain lands. This notion of being locked up was literal for Native Americans who were restrained to reservations and not allowed off without permission. Being locked up was a metaphor for African-Americans who were confined to certain areas due to discrimination and segregation. Frustration with the Euro-American’s attempt to satisfy the Native-Americans and African-Americans with simple answers is also apparent in the readings. Chief Joseph says, ... ...ency of the cries for equality in the readings shows the importance of being free to choose one’s life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discrimination brings the ideals of the readings together because discrimination led to comparable challenges faced by either of the author’s cultures. The epidemic of broken promises by the white men is apparent in both readings. King does not falter by believing these promises, and he uses his increasing power to force the issues at hand. Chief Joseph did not comprehend the discrimination he faced at first, and he did not learn to demand his freedom until he had lost all of his power. The bellow for equality by King’s â€Å"Let freedom ring† segment is paralleled in Chief Joseph’s final paragraphs. Chief Joseph writes the answer both cultures are looking for when he states, â€Å"Whenever the white man treats the Indian [or African-American] as they treat each other, then we will have no more wars† (Chief Joseph 14). Works Cited King, Martin. â€Å"I Have a Dream.† New Worlds of Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty, and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1994. 917-20. Joseph, Chief. â€Å"An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs.† Bel-Jean Packet. Athens: Bel- Jean, 2005. 7-16.

Abuse & Fraud Essay

In the present health care system, hospital practitioner joint ventures make all the interested parties subject to a complex network of regulations and law and to the scrutiny by many federal agencies including:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The United States Department of Health and Human services (HHS)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Office of the Inspector General (OIG)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the General Accounting Office (GAO)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The department of Justice (DOJ)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) In addition to this, many hospital financial managers must thoroughly understand the complex laws and regulations that normally affect their relationship with the physicians or doctors. The Medicaid and Medicare abuse and fraud statute provides that a person who willfully and knowingly pays, offers, receives or solicits any remuneration in exchange of referring a person to the for the furnishing of any service or item, or recommending any facility paid for in whole by Medicare shall be guilty of a felony (Goldsmith, 2010). In most cases, this provision is referred to as the ‘anti kickback statute’. Compensation is defined in this statute as including bribes, rebates, kickbacks whether made indirectly or directly, covertly or overtly, in kind or in cash (McWay, 2003). The penalties for violating the anti-kickback statute are quite severe and include criminal penalties, imprisonment for up to five years and fines of up to twenty five thousand dollars (Morrison, 2009). Additionally, the office of the Inspector General, which is the investigative agent for the HHS, has the authority to enforce money penalties on any violators and to prohibit them from participating in any medical programs (Bauman, 2002). Given the extent of the abuse and fraud statute, there are many details of the law that have been stipulated in the courts that have broadly interpreted the statute (Bauman, 2002). According to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid services (2005), the leading cases indicate that if one several objectives of payments is to stimulate referrals, it is a violation of the abuse and fraud statute. Furthermore, when referrals must be the main reason of a transaction in orders to amount to a breach, referrals still need to be the sole purpose. In the year 1991, HHS released the safe harbor regulations that described eleven exemptions from the abuse and fraud statute (Altshuler, Creekpaum & Fang, 2008). Furthermore, the arrangements that satisfy the safe harbor provisions are normally protected from the scrutiny. The vast majority of arrangements between different providers, suppliers and practitioners will normally fall outside of the safe harbors because it is somewhat difficult to structure the arrangements that comply with all the conditions of the drawn provisions (Bauman, 2002). For the medial practitioners who are unfamiliar with abuse and fraud law, the practical effect of the rules may hamper the development of some innovative arrangements and practices that can be beneficial to medical programs such as Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. In addition to this, the infinite majority of health providers, suppliers and physicians who serve people with Medicare are committed to providing high quality care to their patients as well as billing the medical program only for the payments that the physicians have earned (Bauman, 2002) Many health practitioners in the health industry are of the view that any kinds of arrangements that fall outside the safe harbor provisions are illegitimate (Altshuler, Creekpaum & Fang, 2008). On the other hand, the failure to comply with these safe harbor provisions may signify that: The arrangement is not intended at all to stimulate the referral of business reimbursable under medical programs such as Medicaid or Medicare. The arrangement infringes the statute and does not meet the criteria for safe harbor protection. The arrangement may breach the statute in a less serious way. Discussion based on the applicable statutes, the Feldstein case and other cases The most known safe harbors mainly deal with investments by practitioners and providers. There are two safe harbors for investment interests: one for investments in large businesses and one for small businesses. In the large business safe harbor, the entity possesses over fifty million dollars in undepreciated net tangible assets, which are related to certain medical programs such as Medicaid. In the Feldstein’s case, there is an issue of whether physician or doctor recruitment can be immune from any legal attack because of a possible violation of abuse of laws and federal fraud. Unlike other abuse opinions and federal fraud cases, the facts of this case did not involve any kind of corruption. In addition to this, the facts of the Feldstein case are significant because they are a common occurrence in the medical field. Additionally, in this case, when the defendants acquired the control of the hospital, they had attempted to terminate the doctor’s contract because they were of the view that the doctor’s physician recruitment agreements had violated the federal fraud stipulations as well as abuse law. The doctor had refused to come to a settlement with the defendants and he then sued them for a breach of contract. In the court’s ruling, the court decided to decline all the recruitment arrangements illegal and stated that some arrangements may be permissible at some point. The issue of safe harbors arises in this point.

Art Reflecting Conditions Of A Society Essay

All throughout history art has thrived in most prospering civilizations. These works of art are very often expressed the political, social, and economic conditions of the time period in which they were created. The Egyptian pyramids and the Gothic Cathedrals are the epitome of works of art that express political, social, and economic conditions. The Egyptian pyramids date back to Ancient Egypt from 3200 B.C- 500 B.C. The Ancient Egyptians created these pyramids for many reasons. They reflected many aspects of their lives, including economically, socially, and politically. These pyramids were tombs for the pharaohs, which were associated with all aspects of the Egyptians lives. The pharaohs were the heads of the political system; they were also looked up to as religious figures. They were seen as gods. They were obviously at the top of the social class, as well. These huge monuments and pyramids show just how much the people worshipped these pharaohs. The building of these pyramids also show that the Egyptians were doing well economically. If they weren’t doing well economically, then they wouldn’t have all that time to build such vast pyramids. They also wouldn’t have all those people to do that labor of building these huge pyramids. This is one work of art that has survived many years in the desert and still expresses many aspects of its time period. The pyramids do not stand alone in being an old work of art that shows many different aspects from the time period in which it was built. The Gothic cathedrals also stand tall today in places in Europe like Paris and Italy. These cathedrals were built during the medieval times. The Notre Dame cathedral is just one example of these cathedrals that had high pointed arches, flying buttresses, spires, and high vaulted ceilings. These cathedrals are a great example of how life was during the Middle Ages, socially, economically, and politically. The cathedrals were built as monuments to God. Religion was the ruling force during the Middle Ages and therefore it effected all aspects of life. The head of the government was the church. The church also ran the economy. The social structure during the middle ages was also structured according to the church. The high clergy and priests were the rich ones that prospered economically, socially, and politically. The building of these great cathedrals also show how prosperous  their economy was because if not they would not have all the supplies and labor to build these huge Gothic C athedrals. The Egyptian pyramids and the Gothic Cathedrals are two great works of art and architecture that have helped people of today learn about the social, economic, and political conditions of their time periods. A work of art is not just a beautiful thing to look at, it can also show people many things about the time period in which it was created. This has helped many historians and archaeologists, learn much about the civilizations in the past, dating back to as far as 3200 B.C. during Ancient Egypt.

Booker T Washington: Fighter for the Black Man

Booker T. Washington was a man beyond words. His perseverance and will to work were well known throughout the United States. He rose from slavery, delivering speech after speech expressing his views on how to uplift America's view of the Negro. He felt that knowledge was power, not just knowledge of â€Å"books†, but knowledge of agricultural and industrial trades. He felt that the Negro would rise to be an equal in American society through hard work. Washington founded a school on these principles, and it became the world's leader in agricultural and industrial education for the Negro. As the world watched him put his heart and soul into his school, Tuskegee Institute, he gained great respect from both the white and black communities. Many of the country's white leaders agreed with his principals, and so he had a great deal of support. Booker T. Washington was a great man. He put his own needs aside in order to build the reputation of an entire race. He didn't do it by accusing and putting blame on others, but instead through hard work. Booker T. Washington cleared the way for the black community to fully enter the American society. Washington was born into slavery on April 5, 1856, in Franklin County, Virginia, on a small tobacco plantation. His only true relative was his mother, Jane, who was the plantation's cook. His father was probably the white son of one of the neighbors, though it is not known for sure. Washington spent his childhood years on the plantation, but since he was so young he never had to do the heavy work. He did the small jobs, such as carrying water to the field hands and taking corn to the local mill for grinding. This hard work at an early age instilled in him the values he would teach for the rest of his life. When the Civil War ended in April of 1863, Washington and his mom were set free. Unlike most of the other slaves, Washington had somewhere to go. His step-father had escaped earlier, and had gotten a job in Malden, West Virginia, at a salt furnace. When the war ended, he sent for Washington and his mom. Life was tough in Malden. â€Å"Drinking, gambling, quarrels, fights, and shockingly immoral practices were frequent.† Washington himself got a job in the salt furnace and often had to go to work at four in the morning. Washington longed for an education. A school for Negro's opened in Malden, but his step-father would not let him leave work to attend. Washington was so determined to get an education that he arranged with the teachers to give him classes at night. He was later allowed to attend in the morning, but would then work all afternoon and into the evening. Booker did not have a last name until he went to school. â€Å"When he realized that all of the other children at the school had a ‘second' name, and the teacher asked him his, he invented the name Washington.† A great influence on Washington was Viola Ruffner, the wife of the owner of the salt furnace. Washington became her house boy, where he learned the importance of cleanness and hard work, and pride in a job well done. He would use these principles for the rest of his life. â€Å"The lessons I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten anywhere since,† he later commented. Booker heard of a big school for Negro's in Hampton, Virginia, and he decided to go there. In 1872, at the age of sixteen, he set out on the 400 mile journey to Hampton, traveling most of the way by foot. When he finally arrived, he was so ragged and dirty that he almost wasn't admitted, but he was so persistent that they finally caved in, and he was allowed to attend. He studied there for three years, working as a janitor to pay his board. At Hampton, Washington participated in the debating society, which helped him develop a talent for public speaking. He used this talent many times throughout the rest of his life. In 1875, he graduated with honors and returned to Malden, where he taught elementary school. Two years later he went to Wayland Seminary, in Washington, DC, where he studied for eight months. He then was asked to come back to Hampton to be an instructor. In May, 1881, the principal of Hampton received a letter from a group in Tuskegee, Alabama, asking for help in starting a school for Negro's there. They were expecting a white man, but when they got Washington, they were quite pleased with him. On July 4, 1881, at the age of twenty-five, Washington founded The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. The State of Alabama had sent $2,000 for the teachers' salaries, but had sent no money for land, buildings, or equipment. The school opened with 30 students. Most of them had some prior education, but they did not appreciate household cleanness, which was so valued by Washington. He wanted on-campus dormitories so he could supervise and improve the students' living habits. The school found an abandoned farm nearby, but it had no buildings fit for living or teaching in. Washington and his students raised enough money for construction, and they built the first brick building. They also built a kiln to make bricks for future projects as well as to manufacture and sell to others. Tuskegee Institute and its facilities grew, and so did its courses in agricultural and engineering subjects. The Institute survived its early years only through the perseverance of Washington. In the second month of the school's first year, Olivia Davidson joined Washington as his assistant. She was also a graduate of Hampton and of a Massachusetts normal school. She was not only Washington's assistant but also a teacher at the school. She would later marry Washington. â€Å"No single individual did more toward laying the foundations of Tuskegee Institute so as to insure the successful work that has been done there than Olivia A. Davidson.† Washington believed in the â€Å"dignity of labor.† He emphasized the teaching of â€Å"practical skills,† like brickmaking, carpentry and dairying for the boys, and cooking and sewing for the girls. He believed thatNegro's must make economic progress, and learn how to make a living first. In order to raise funds for the school, Washington traveled all over the country, giving hundreds of speeches expressing his ideas and explaining his program at the school. He became known nationally because of these speeches, which led to many contributors such as Andrew Carnagie, John Rockefellar, and Collis Huntington. As for Tuskegee Institute, its success was beyond Washington's wildest dreams. At the time of Washington's death, 34 years after its founding, the school property included 2,345 acres and 107 buildings, with nearly 200 faculty members and more than 1,500 students. Tuskegee Institute had become the world's leader in agricultural and industrial education for the Negro. Booker's spirit and name live on long after his death. He is remembered and admired for his struggle for the black man. Tuskegee Institute still exists today and is quite well off, with over 3,250 students, about 5,000 acres, and an annual budget of $75 million. Booker T. Washington is a wonderful example that even if you came from nothing, you can accomplish great things if you try hard enough and are willing to make the sacrifice.

Themes in the Good Earth

In Pearl Bucks novel The Good Earth she gives an inside look at the Chinese culture. In the novel Wang Lung is poor farmer married to O-Lan, a loving wife who takes care of Wang Lung’s father, plus her own children. Three themes that Pearl Buck uses are survival, family structure, and the subjugation of women. One theme used to show Chinese culture is survival. For example, when Wang Lung’s family is struggling to find food, his sons steal meat, and they defend themselves by saying, â€Å"I took it – it is mine, this meat (Buck 112). When it is hard to survive it can make a person do something that they wouldn’t normally do. Survival not only changes a person, but it also changes their outlook on life. While O-Lan was giving birth to another child Wang Lung is thinking, â€Å"Male or female it mattered nothing to him now – there was only another mouth coming which must be fed (Buck 81). † Trying to survive took Wang Lung’s excitement and turned it into worry. Pearl Buck is trying to show that if people are trying to survive that they will do anything possible.Another theme used is family structure. For example, Wang Lung’s father never had to worry about going hungry, â€Å"As for the old man, he fared better than any, for if there was anything to eat he was given it, even though the children were without (Buck 78). † No matter what the circumstances are, the eldest male in the house will always be served first. Even while there was no women around Wang Lung still had to serve his father. Associated essay: Themes Developed in MaruAfter Wang Lung’s mother died he had to be the one to take care of the old man, â€Å"Every morning for these six years the old man had waited for his son to bring in hot water to ease him of his morning coughing (Buck 3). †Even though Wang Lung is a man with no woman around him, he must take care of the oldest in the house. Pearl Buck is trying to show the respect and loyalty that people in China have for family. One last theme used in the novel, is the subjugation of women.For example, when Wang Lung is thinking of selling his daughter O-Lan tells him about her past, â€Å"I was beaten with a leather thong which had been halter for one of the mules, and it hung up on the kitchen wall (Buck 135). † Women were treated as nothing more than an animal. Not only were slaves treated badly but so were the daughters. When Wang Lung is waiting to find out the sex of his baby he reacts badly when he finds that it is a girl,  "Wang Lung stood still. A sense of evil struck him. A girl! (Buck 65). Even though Wang Lung wanted children he is sickened to have a daughter. Pearl Buck is trying to show people just how far that women have come. All in all three themes that Pearl Buck uses are survival, family structure, and the subjugation of women. Some points that Pearl Buck is trying to point out are that survival changes people in drastic ways, family order always comes first, and that women are treated no better than animals. There are many more themes in this novel to show the importance of Chinese culture.

Responsibility of A Correctioanl Captain in the State of Alabama Essay

Responsibility of A Correctioanl Captain in the State of Alabama - Essay Example The correctional captain is endowed the role of supervising Correctional Lieutenants along with Correctional Sergeants and clerical as well as technical staff (Fresno County, 1999). A correctional captain reviews the written materials such as job descriptions, counsels the inmates and their families, inspects areas of operational responsibilities, participates in committee activities, meetings and programs, develops written administrative guidelines, interviews individuals regarding various aspects such as litigation, monitors institutional operations, activities and job assignments along with writing document information. A correctional captain needs to have expert knowledge in the above mentioned fields. The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Administrative Regulation (AR) develops the responsibilities, procedures and policies for the implementation and development of professional guidance programs that comply with the federal and state requirements for ADOC employees. ADOC l aw enforcement employees include correctional sergeant, correctional officer, correctional lieutenant, correctional warden, correctional training director, correctional captain, correctional canine handler supervisor, correctional canine handler, correctional community program director and correctional investigative services officer (State of Alabama Department of Corrections, 2008). Responsibilities of a correctional captain include various tasks in terms of financial, managerial and operational area of the organization. In this research study, responsibilities of a correctional captain in the state of Alabama have been discussed elaborately. Explanation of the Responsibilities of a Correctional Captain in the State Of Alabama The responsibilities of a correctional caption are defined and regulated by the Alabama Department of Corrections. The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is the agency responsible for imprisonment of convicted felons in the state of Alabama in the Unite d States. Correctional captains generally review the reports, job descriptions, regulations, and trade journals along with making proper employee evaluations and budget expenditures using administrative regulations, directives and laws. They are also responsible for making incoming and outgoing correspondences and job descriptions in order to determine summarized actions required to initiate documentations. They follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with regard to auditing reports, administrative regulations and accounting manuals in order to encourage optimistic community relations, ensure adequate financial solidity, gather and distribute information. Budget expenditure needs to be formulated in a way so that it can ensure proper utilization of organization’s resources and in this regard the correctional captain serves the purpose. To evaluate and ensure accurate, efficient, effective and complete daily operations, a correctional captain delegates particular tasks to the employees regarding the matter of preparation of organizational reports along with controlling of the treatment programs, vehicle maintenance, logistical and fiscal matters using job descriptions and available resources. They take various initiatives to assess and ensure well-organized and efficient daily operations like preparation of technical manuals, proper

Operating a Retail Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operating a Retail Business - Essay Example The main daily operations management role are cash handling, safety and security, visual merchandizing, customer services, and inventory and stock management (Pinson2004) . Cash handling is an essential operation of any business .The business involves selling of artifacts on cash basis and so management of cash must have tight internal controls. In addition, since the aim of the business is to make profit, the amount of cash is an essential measure of profitability and a mean of covering operating expenses. The most appropriate cash management technique is computerized (electronic) cash management system (Balkin &Cardy, 2008). Customers are assets in any business and so a good customer care service is an important business strategy that any organization must prioritize. The customer service include assisting customers when shopping, allowing customer to make their purchases choice without unwarranted influence from the staff, giving customers correct and honest information and feedback, ensuring that the quality of the products is of high standard, and offering appropriate after sales services such as packaging(Pinson2004). Visual merchandising is a daily operation management that ensures that enhances the ability of the business to attract potential customer once they note the presence and arrangement of its stock. The important visual merchandising include attractive display of products, ensuring that there is enough lamination within the shop, enhancing ventilation, daily cleaning procedures, advertisement charts and portable advertisement boards are to placed in right places, and ensuring that there is enough space for customers to move within the premise(Sullivan &Steven, 2003) . Stock and inventory management ensures that the business has sufficient stock for its customer. This operation management action also ensures that adequate steps are adopted and adhered to avoid loss of stock (Sullivan &Steven, 2003). Safety and security ensures

Managing Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Managing Markets - Essay Example One of the top ten leading financial investing companies in the world is the Barclays Banks and their investors. It is financial institutional investor company and a large liaison which can be traced back to a self-effacing business founded more than three hundred years ago in the heart of London’s financial region. It is a UK-based financial services group connected principally in banking, investment banking and investment organization. In terms of market capitalization Barclays is one of the top ten leading banks in the globe. A primary UK retail and industry bank, it also offers corresponding global services to international corporations and financial institutions globally. It has been engaged in banking for over years and functions in over sixty countries with more than 76,200 employees. On June 30, 2004, the group attained a pre-tax profit of 2,411 million pounds. Investors’ funds were 17.1 billion pounds and the Tier 1 assets relative amount was 7.7 % (Barclays Global Investors, 2004). It is also engrossed in societal educational associations, situation, arts, disability and social insertion. Nowadays, Barclays has full-grown from a group of English companies to a global bank symbolized in Europe, Middle East , United States of America, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, and Australasia. Barclays Bank is one of the world’s biggest asset managers and a top global provider of investment organization products and services (Barclays Global Investors, 2004). It provides structured investment methods such as indexing which is regard as to be submissive and yet is being covenant with vigorous investors, strategic asset distribution and risk-controlled active products. It also offers connected investment services such as cash management, securities lending and portfolio conversion services. Moreover, Barclays Banks is the product and service leader in Exchange Traded Funds (ishares), with over 100 funds for financial

Should U.S immigration law be changed to allow more workers from Essay

Should U.S immigration law be changed to allow more workers from Mexico to enter legally - Essay Example The U.S government is trying create legislation concerning Mexican immigrants who legally enter the country and regulating the number of Mexican illegal immigrants. Despite a lot of controversy, the U.S government has not resolve the problem yet. Mexican immigration is a problem that the people of America and Mexico can not resolve easily. In this paper, I will identify the concerns of people who think illegal Mexican immigrants have negative impacts on the U.S economically and socially. Even though there are some people who advocate accepting Mexican immigrants, there are a lot of people still in opposition of Mexican immigration. A high percentage of U.S. citizens are opposed to Mexican immigration. These citizens are made up of a majority of low-income people, various minorities, and blacks. These people compete with the illegal Mexican immigrates for lower paying jobs. The illegal Mexican immigration brings out economical problems. According to Steven A. Camarota, over 55 percent of Americans are against the amnesty of illegal Mexican immigrants. In addition, 62 percent of these Americans come from low-income households and are opposed to accepting Mexican illegal immigrants (Camarota, p.1). Since, the illegal Mexican immigrants are cheap labor; low-income natives are concerned the illegal Mexican immigrants will lower the average wages. Furthermore, because employers prefer to hire illegal Mexican immigrants, for cheap labor, the economist are worried about the increased unemployment rate of natives. Economists are also concerned that illegal Mexican immigrants will have a negative impact on the U.S. economy. The illegal Mexican immigrants not only lower the wage of low-income natives, but they also increase the unemployment rate of uneducated youth. The inflow of illegal Mexican immigrants into U.S industry makes the supply of workers increase. Naturally, the excess supply of workers reduces average wages; the employer than can keep

The Importance of Nursing Theory Research Paper

The Importance of Nursing Theory - Research Paper Example The Roy Adaptation model, a grand theory model, is significant in nursing theory for its pragmatic and logical considerations about real-life health environments and the human condition. This paper describes the importance of generalized nursing theory to the nursing profession and, using the Roy Adaptation Model as the appropriate guidance, this paper will describe how this model impacts patient care, the purpose of this particular model, and how this theory would view nursing leadership and education. The Roy Adaptation Model is one of the most viable models in nursing theory. The Importance and Validity of Nursing Theory Study Nursing theory provides a great deal of quantifiable and justified assumptions that assist in building an effective model of nursing practice to improve productivity, interpersonal relationship development between nurse, patient or organizational groups, and can assist in deciding a best practice model taking into consideration environment, biopsychosocial c haracteristics of the nurse, and patient needs. Unlike mathematical models that are often used in organizational science that consider proper utilization of distinct tangible resources, nursing theory is sensible and practical, recognizing the complexity of human behavior and various coping strategies that are integrated into a model of practice to understand the dynamics of relationships and actual patient care. Nursing theory, unlike other models, do not limit the scope of human knowledge to equation modeling or consider the role of the nurse practitioner as being autonomous of their emotional states. In a health environment where inherent emotional responses are going to surface in practice, and where patient emotional and rationalization capacities create adaptable situations, it would be unrealistic to assume that a health care organization could be structured effectively (or training delivered properly) without recognition of these variables in the cycle of nursing care. For t he aforementioned reasons, nursing theory is critical to improving the nursing profession and facilitating more effective care to patients. It identifies the potential hindrances or barriers to communication or group functioning so as to create a template by which to combat these situations. Such theoretical modeling also illustrates how one care or leadership function is inter-dependent on another in a health system, identifying redundancies that might occur in practice or opportunities to improve practice responses. Nursing theory, by drawing on real-life case studies or other supporting qualitative research, creates a knowledge base about legitimate, contemporary nursing requirements or human needs to assist in identifying more effective organizational systems or interpersonal relationship development. Examining the complexities of patient needs, as another relevant example through various studies, creates testable hypotheses about how to handle various emotional constructs in pa tients to deliver better care. Nursing theory can identify certain socio-demographics or ethnographic knowledge about patient personalities in identified cultural groups so that different strategies

High Voltage Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

High Voltage - Coursework Example Voltage stability at the design level on the other hand can be described as the systems deliberate measures to ensure that a steady voltage is maintained throughout the conditions as well as demand. Voltage control measures are the intervention strategies introduced for purposes ensuring that the power system remains stable throughout (Kundur, 1994, p17). Voltage control is aimed at ensuring minimum disturbances by maintaining voltage within the acceptable limits and must satisfy the following; voltage utility at the terminals is always within the required limits, system stability issues are minimized and that reactive flow is maintained at a very low magnitude to facilitate low RI2 and XI2. Voltage stability is maintained if for every system bus, V (voltage magnitude) increases by increases in the utilization at the other end of Q (reactive power injection). However, voltage instability occurs if as a minimum, one bus has V decreasing while Q increases. Otherwise put, voltage stability will be achieved if for all buses V-Q sensitivity is positive or instability will occur if negative for one bus as a minimum. Transient stability is the capacity of a power system to sustain synchronism is exposed to strong transient instabilities or disturbances. The most defining characteristic of the instability that the system is meant to overcome is a system failure that requires a very short critical clearing time. This type of instability is however serious since the generator rotors experience a rapid kinetic energy accumulation so huge that the first power swing is not enough to release it. High voltage power cables require high quality insulation due to the nature of the high electric strength of the currents they transmit. To ensure that the insulation system meets the standard for high voltage involved, several attempts have been made since a long time ago. One

The Modernization and Dependency Theories of Development Essay

The Modernization and Dependency Theories of Development - Essay Example the United States and the United Kingdom) and the less developed countries found in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.This paper aims to present a comparative analysis between the modernization theory and the dependency theory; as such our aim is to highlight the differences in assumption and arguments of both theories that renders them to be of two opposing poles. We shall also attempt to investigate the points in which these frameworks meet and the issues they can find agreement on. It is imperative to first give a brief overview of the contents of both theories in order for as to clearly see the borders in which they work.Modernization as used in social sciences and in this case is defined as the transformation from a traditional, bucolic, and agrarian society into an urbanized and industrialized one (Johnson, 2005a). The social changes that constitute and results from such shift affects the society in which it is occurring entirely, a forward looking development in the lives of its constituents, and also deemed to be irreversible by modernist theorists.Modernization theory placed this concept as an overriding notion for its framework, initially putting emphasis and being born out of the rapid advancement of technology and the mass media during the 1950's and 60's (Johnson, 2005a). It can be recognized as having adapted features from the classic evolutionary theory as well as the functionalist theory. In terms of its evolutionary aspects, modernization theory is a process, literally a social and economic evolution, whereby it claims that all states go through various phases of development in a unidirectional/linear way. The most adopted formulation of such a view, is that of Walter Rostow's Stages of modernization: a.) the traditional (non-modern society that is still agriculturally based, and whose social structure is values and kinship oriented); b.) the takeoff stage can be triggered by natural, rapid climb to modernity because of the set of ideas of indivi dualism, democracy and economic opportunity or pressure to adapt in the rise of other developing countries (this phase may be further characterized by a rise in investment and entrepreneurship, transportation and communications, economic shifts being technological shifts); c.) Drive to technological maturity (marked by the flourishing of national economy and dependence on foreign trade links is dictated by economic calculations and political priorities, not by technical and institutional necessities etc.); and the last stage would be the d.) mass-consumption marked by increase income thus rendering mas consumption possible, consumer goods and services centered production, and an investment in the welfare state (Julkunen, 2006). The modernization theory asserts that the well developed countries have reached the advance stages if not the epitome of development and are at a position that could provide aide and role-modelling for the less developed states. One of the controversial claims of modernization is its appeal to homogenize society, by proposing that third world countries mimic/emulate the example of those in the western world. Dependency in itself refers to the over reliance of one nation on another. Dependency theory arised as a response to the modernization theory; it's core principles and assumptions can be considered to be opposite to those upheld by the latter mentioned. The central claim of this theory is that there exist a highly unequal distribution of Power and resources in the world economic system, and places less developed countries (LCDs) in a dependent position in relation to the industrial powers (Johnson, 2005b). Being one of the many

Bibliographical Study of Giovanni Boccaccio Essay

Bibliographical Study of Giovanni Boccaccio - Essay Example Giovanni Boccaccio spent his boyhood in the hills about Settignago in the woods above the Mensola and the valley of the Affrico. There is little information available regarding his early years. According to the writings of Giovanni , he was able to read and write at the age of seven, further with Giovanni di Domenico Mazzuoli da Strada he began the study of grammar. (Hutton, E. 12) After that Giovanni was set to study Mathematics and the more he knew about accounting and bookkeeping, the more he hated it. Still hoping to see the son prosperous in a classical way, Giovanni’s father sent him Naples to become a merchant. Giovanni writes later, that â€Å"If my father had dealt wisely with me I might have been among the great poets.† (Hutton, E. 19) Either this way or the other, Giovanni ended up studying law, which, as it seems, he enjoyed no more then banking. The studying of the law allowed him to establish good contact with students. Humanists Barbato da Sulmona and Gio vanni Barrili, and the theologian Dionigi da San Sepolcro should be emphasized when it comes to speaking about the early influences of Boccaccio. Giovanni managed to put up with his stepmother until the moment, when she gave birth to his stepbrother – Francesco. The reflections of Giovanni back on his childhood seem to be filled with grief and sorrow. (Hutton, E. 15-20). Boccaccio saw Maria d'Acquino, a married woman and natural daughter of King Robert, in 1334 for the first time. The woman was the inspiration of his early works, once coming into his life, she never left him. The golden hair, shining eyes, and the milk-white skin, her love was the greatest prize of his youth. (Hutton, E. 30) Even though the fact that Boccaccio found his inspiration in a woman can hardly be doubted, still there is no documental proof that Maria ever existed and was not a product of wild imagination of one of the greatest writers that had ever existed. The reason why particular consideration sh ould be given to the early years of Boccaccio and his first romantic love is that these events pre-determined his further life. Maria introduced Boccaccio to court and merged him to write. 2. Petrarch: Lifelong Friend and Teacher After being called by father back to Florence in 1341, Boccaccio met his lifelong friend and master Petrarch. Undoubtedly, ever since the moment in 1350, when Boccaccio met Petrarch, he was under his influence. This resulted in a

Muscular Disorders Case Report Essay Example for Free

Muscular Disorders Case Report Essay A mother presents with her 13 y/o son with a history of frequent falls, difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position, trouble jumping, large calf muscles and poor grades in school. Based on the description and symptoms given, the likely diagnosis would be Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, or DMD; although DMD and its symptoms tend to show up at an earlier age but not always. This type of muscular dystrophy is the most common and severe form of the dystrophinopathic diseases. Dystrophinopathic diseases are muscular dystrophies that are of a genetic nature caused by a deficiency in the protein dystrophin. This protein is vital to muscle function and contraction. In the case of DMD, there is a mutation in the gene, called the DMD gene, responsible for producing dystrophin causing a deficiency. This gene mutation is X-linked recessive and is inherited. This means that females in the family carry the gene mutation and can pass is on to their offspring male or female, but it is expressed in the males. DMD is usually diagnosed when a young boy shows signs of muscle weakness and there is a family history of the disease. Per Genome (2010), â€Å"a muscle biopsy for dystrophin studies can also be done to look for abnormal levels of dystrophin in the muscle. † Genome (2010), also states that â€Å"genetic testing on a blood sample for changes in the DMD gene can help establish the diagnosis of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy without performing a muscle biopsy. † For most individuals, a combination of these testing methods is used to confirm a diagnosis of DMD. There is no known cure for DMD. Treatment involves treating the symptoms and keeping the patient as comfortable as possible. Medline (2012) says that â€Å"steroid drugs can slow the loss of muscle strength and may be started when the child is diagnosed or when muscle strength begins to decline. † Other drugs, such as Albuterol, can be used to control breathing problems that occur in the later stages of the disease and drugs to help with heart functions are prescribed to help control any cardio symptoms that may be present. The prognosis for individuals with DMD is bleak; it is a rapidly progressive disease and patients with DMD usually surrender to the disease or complications from it in their 20’s or 30’s, sometimes even earlier. I grew up with a family next door to me in which the two oldest boys had DMD. The disease eventually took both of their lives. The oldest boy did live long enough to graduate from high school but the younger of the two died from complications when he was 16. It was horrible for the family to stand by and watch their sons slowly decline and eventually die. This disease continued to plague their lives when the daughters passed it on to their boys and probably still plagues them today. There have been great strides in the field of research in regards to DMD but as of yet no cure has been found. Hopefully one day, there will be a cure for this devastating, debilitating disease and no more families will be forced to watch their children die right before their eyes.