Into Thin Air

The Tragedy On Everest The preventable mistakes caused by several guides caused several climbers to perish. As a group of climbers get closer and closer to the top of the world, a freak storm arrives and mistakes are made, transforming what should have been the greatest days of the climbers’ lives into a battle for survival and for some, their last moments on Earth. The guides on Mount Everest made several mistakes. There were multiple teams which tried to summit on one day, not taking into consideration the possibly fatal results of the bottleneck effect on the climb.On the summit climb, a number of different mishaps confronted them causing the climbers to fall behind schedule. This caused most of the climbers and guides to be in a poor position on the mountain when the storm arrived (Krakauer 11). This storm trapped and killed several guides and climbers. Time delays were a huge contributing cause of this tragedy and the majority of time issues were caused by the guides. Bef ore they summited, they had a set schedule which would allow the climbers to return to base camp safely in a reasonable time (Krakauer 7). Bottlenecks caused a significant delay in ascent (Storm Over Everest).Too much time reaching and celebrating on the summit caused delays. Rob Hall ( guide) did not abide by the rules of the turn-around time (Krakauer 11). This was a vital element in the outcome of whether he and his clients would live or die. Hubris was a major problem for the guides that led to the demise of many climbers. In this case, some guides did not use oxygen masks (Storm Over Everest). This increased the risk of the climb and made it more likely that they could be incapacitated and unable to perform the duties of a guide as necessary and endangering the customers (Krakauer 9).Regardless of their climbing experience, the safety of the customer should have been put first. Hubris was also relevant when the guides got behind schedule and thought that they could disregard th eir own safety rules without quickening the descent down the mountain. The final error the guides committed was with their decision-making and priorities on the climb. Their intent was to get as many climbers to the summit as possible for their business and reputation interests( Krakauer 4).They did not consider fully the safety of the climber’s summiting. Another issue was Anatoli Boukreev’s decision to descend ahead of his customers indicating more self-interest than interest in the safety of the group (Boukreev et al. 3). In many instances, the guides placed a greater importance on reputation, money, and business and in one case personal safety over the safety of the climbers. Although there might be other causes of the disaster, if the guides put the climbers safety first, then there would have been much less chance of a bad outcome.The tragedy cannot be blamed on the sherpas because if the guides had properly reacted to the mistakes that the sherpas made and sent the climbers back to camp, then every one would have been safe. I do not feel like you can blame this on the physical condition of a few individuals because the guides had the responsibility of making sure that all climbers were cleared for health conditions that would have hampered their ability to climb. Due to the decisions the guides made during the tragedy, some people who perished may still be alive.In general, the guides put money, pride and reaching the summit ahead of the safety of the climbers. This ultimately was the deciding and most influential cause for the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy. Works Cited Boukreev, Anatoli, Jon Krakauer, and Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa. â€Å"What Really Happened In The Thin Air†. MountainZone. Demand Media Sports, 29 August 1996. Web. 27 October 2011. Krakauer, Jon. â€Å"Into Thin Air. † Outside. Mariah Media Network, September 1996. Web. O5 October 2011. Storm Over Everest. Dir. David Breashears. Perf. Neil Beidleman, David Breashear s, and Guy Cotter. Frontline. 2008. Film.

Fundamental Positions

Carinosa †¢Is a Philippine dance of Hispanic origin from the Maria Clara suite of Philippine folk dances, where the fan or handkerchief plays an instrumental role as it places the couple in romance scenario.. Folk dance †¢Is a form of dance developed by a group of people that reflects the traditional life of the people of a certain country or region. Folk dancing originated in the 18th century to distinguish dance forms of common people from those of the upper classes. Folk dances, unlike most other dance forms, tend to have no stringent rules, and are sometimes formed spontaneously among groups of people.The steps of folk dances are passed through generations, rarely being changed. Folk dancing is usually associated with social activities, although some folk dances are performed competitively. Terminology †¢Is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the m eaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other things how such terms of art come to be and their interrelationships within a culture.Terminology differs from lexicography in studying concepts, conceptual systems, and their labels (terms), whereas lexicography study words and their meanings. Terminology is a discipline which systematically studies the labeling or designating of concepts particular to one or more subject fields or domains of human activity. It does this through research and analysis of terms in context for the purpose of documenting and promoting consistent usage. 5 Fundamental Positions †¢Standing Fundamental Position †¢Knee-standing Fundamental Position †¢Sitting Fundamental Position †¢Lying Fundamental Position †¢Hanging Fundamental Position

Future of Fire/EMS Service in the United States Essay

In addition to being managed at the most central level by the federal government, United States’ Emergency Medical Service (EMS) usually offer heightened medical care to out-patients as well as providing transport to perfect care to the needy. The federal government is mandated with the task of setting the lowest standards that must be adhered to by the emergency service providers of all states. Additionally, these state governments are responsible for ensuring that they strictly regulate the standards of emergency medical services that they administer. The emergency medical service differs from one state to the other because of the broad differences of states. Current State of Fire/EMS Service: The Fire-based EMS systems in the United States are well positioned to offer pre-hospital EMS service that includes timely decisive response as well as efficient patient care. In addition to offering affordable operations, the Fire/EMS service systems basically lay emphasis on the safety of the responder and experienced and compassionate workers. The United States fire service department is responsible for provision of critical public safety functions which foster prosperity, community health and security. In most cases, the public safety functions provided by the fire service department is usually known as the pre-hospital 9-1-1 emergency response (â€Å"Statement of Principles† par, 1). For policy makers, understanding the importance of need of emergency medical service is very essential. Currently, the pre-hospital 9-1-1 emergency medical response (or the Fire/EMS service) is provided by the country’s paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMT’s). This is due to the knowledge, preparation and the equipments that these paramedics and EMTs use in responding to fire emergency. Additionally, paramedics and emergency service technicians are involved in providing emergency medical response because of their ability to concurrently protect a scene, lessen the hazard, treat and transport injured patients to a proper medical facility. Consequently, an important aspect of these services is time efficiency making the fire emergency service to be the system with capable and speedy multi-faceted response. One of the key emergency response systems that should be considered by the local, state and federal governments in their plans for emergency response to hazards is the fire emergency service system. It’s important for policy makers to identify that the perfect model of pre-hospital 9-1-1 emergency response organization is the U. S fire service department. As a result of a report released by the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control in early 1970’s, the congress established an entity within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) known as the United States Fire Administration (USFA). The report highlighted United States’ fire problem and the need for effective fire response services. One of the major missions of the USFA was to help in the reduction of catastrophic losses while fostering the proficient development of the fire emergency response system. In addition to this, the USFA is responsible for provision of national leadership that promotes a concrete foundation for prevention, vigilance and response of the stakeholders in the fire service department (â€Å"Fiscal Year 2009 Report†, 2). Furthermore, this entity is mandated with the task of working towards for a fire safe America given that the country’s fire death rate one of the highest compared to other developed countries. Though there have been some improvements in America’s fire losses in the last twenty years, it is estimated that fire outbreaks result in about 3,700 deaths while leaving over 20,000 people injured annually. Additionally, fire leads to direct property losses that amount to an approximate of $11 billion each year with close to 100 firefighters losing their lives while in rescue missions. One of the greatest achievements of the United States Fire Administration agency is that it has been able to lessen America’s fire deaths by more than half as compared to the early 1970’s. This has just highlighted the fact that fire deaths and property losses are preventable to a greater extent through ongoing collection of data, research, training and public education. The United States fire departments act in response to an average of four thousand five hundred fire calls a day. In addition to the dramatic changes in the fire service in the last twenty years, various fire departments have initiated integrating services in order to provide better services to the public. The integration of emergency medical services in the fire service departments is primarily because of the need to well-organized with public funds while sustaining the high level of efficiency. For many of the leaders in these departments, being productive while providing the needed services is one of the main goals (West par, 1). The need to be effective and productive has resulted in many fire service departments to incorporate a medical first responder program. This program has enabled the fire departments to achieve half of their mission since saving lives and protecting property is a fundamental objective of the fire departments. Moreover, some fire service departments have expanded into specialized services such as vehicle rescue, technical extrication, perilous materials response and swift water rescue among other services. The medical first responder program is not only the most needed service in every community but it is also the cheapest EMS program to implement. However, some fire departments have been very reluctant and slow in making the transition to incorporate the medical first responder program in their services. This is partly because of their size and type that makes it harder for them to offer some new level of service. The other reasons for the slow speed in implementation of the program is the challenges that these departments encounter in providing and sustaining the existing levels of service as well as the contentment of firefighters in providing current services and response to fire-related calls only. Future of Fire/EMS Service: Given that the world is experiencing technological changes time after time, the Fire/EMS service has also continued to experience major changes since the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control released a report in early 1970’s. These changes have significantly brought changes in the fire service departments while helping America to tackle fire-related emergencies. The future of Fire/EMS service in the United States is also expected to experience significant changes in the next twenty years. The most immediate changes in the career of Fire/EMS service will be as a result of the five year strategic plan developed by the United States Fire Administration agency. The focal point and emphasis of this strategic plan is on several performance goals such as lessening the fire-related risks at the local level, developing the planning and preparedness at local level, developing the capabilities of fire and emergency service and improving the professional status of emergency services. These performance goals are expected to have significant changes in the career and field of Fire/EMS service. As compared to today, the fire service department in the United States will also change significantly because of the continual review and revision of USFA strategic plans. For individuals who aspire or are currently working in this field, there is a great for them to keep up with the changes that are being implemented by the USFA. As part of its strategic plan, the United States Fire Administration agency has developed new measures that will result in improvement of training and research methods, awareness initiatives, collection of data and technological development among others. Consequently, these professionals in this field need to be prepared in order to meet the ever-improving requirements and expectations. The future of the Fire/EMS service in the United States will most likely include the following changes: Academic Requirements: This is one of the major areas that will continue changing in this field and will have a major impact in the service delivery by professionals. In the next 10-20 years, professional in the fire service department will have to meet tougher academic requirements prior to working in this filed. This is because of the plan by USFA to ensure that the National Fire Academy revises, develops and increases its curricula in the coming years in order to meet the new requirements of the Department of Homeland Security. The National Fire Academy (NFA) whose mission is foster professional development of fire-related emergency services will be required to modify its courses within each curriculum year (â€Å"Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2010-2014†, 7). As NFA modifies its courses within each curriculum year, there will also be a proportional change in academic requirements of professionals in this field. In the coming years, the new curricula will not only incorporate a state-of-the-art and ideal training models but will also have a training model that is appropriate for distribution and use at both the local and state fire training organizations. Additionally, it is expected that the Fire/EMS service will increase and sustain the provision of technological-based preparation programs in the coming years. For instance, web-based curriculum and replication exercise systems with multi-media, computer-based and interactive settings will be part of the training programs. However, alternative traditional means and service delivery methods will be part of the training courses, conferences, seminars, administrative forums and workshops. Furthermore, institutions of higher learning are also expected to continue having the emergency medical service agencies that are entirely staffed by student volunteers. Fire Service Programs: The other significant area that will determine and change the future of Fire/EMS service is the delivery of not only fire-related programs but the provision of other emergency response services. With the integration of emergency medical service and fire service, professional will be expected to continue offering response to fire-related calls as well as response to other emergency calls. Even though some workers are presently reluctant in responding to other emergency service calls, this is more likely to change in the coming years as all the fire service agencies will be required to offer higher levels of service than the existing ones. The other prediction of the future of Fire/EMS service field is the expectation that fire prevention and protection recognition technology will be included in the trainings of city planners, architects, builders and professionals in the building construction industry. This is due to the fact that the United States Fire Administration agency will encourage these trainings and practices are included in the mentioned fields. By the achievement of this in the next few years, fire prevention services will not only be offered by professionals in this field but architects, constructors and city planners will also provide the services. This will revolutionize fire service programs given that the field will have an increased number of participating personnel. Additionally, prevention and protection mechanisms will use new methods of data and information analysis and improved response to all hazards. Conclusion: As the world continues to experience the ongoing technological developments, the future of Fire/EMS service is also expected to change significantly. This is because of the ongoing inclusion of technological-based methods in fire prevention and protection services. The development will help in the further reduction of America’s fire deaths and property loss as compared to the current rate. Professionals in this field need to be properly equipped with the current as well as future mechanisms of service delivery in order to achieve this objective. Finally, they also need to be prepared to offer response to other emergency service calls. Works Cited: â€Å"Statement of Principles. † Fire Service-Based EMS Advocates. FireCompanies. com & Fire Service Based EMS Advocates. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. . United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency. U. S Department of Homeland Security. America’s Fire and Emergency Services Leader Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2010 – 2014. United States Fire Administration. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. . United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency. U. S Department of Homeland Security. Fiscal Year 2009 Report to Congress. United States Fire Administration, Mar. 2010. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. . West, Gary L. â€Å"Integrating Emergency Medical Services in the Fire Department Fire/EMS First Responders: It’s Just a Matter of Time. † The University of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee, 5 Jan. 2007. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. .

The impact of globalization on corporate governance Assignment

The impact of globalization on corporate governance - Assignment Example So corporate governance has now emerged as global responsibility. The effect of global approach to regulate corporate governance is debatable. Criticisms are there that such regulations carry no meanings as big corporate houses have the power to manipulate even the international policies owing to their size and their influence in markets. In recent times agencies such as Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) and Indian Labor Organization (ILO) have prepared a set of guidelines so as to regulate corporate governance. The activities and behavior of business houses are checked upon mainly on issues like environmental protection, human rights, safety and corruption. In developing countries through effective corporate governance corporations can contribute largely in labor and environmental conditions of the country. Considering all these facts one can rate global approach to regulation highly important for corporate governance and the paper intends to addresses thi s issue through a series of case studies and analysis. Corporate governance helps companies and economies to bring in new investors and strengthen the foundation. It also makes a firm more competitive by improving its economic performance. Elimination of corruption and financial scandals is considered as the major objective of corporate governance.It has been widely accepted that a written code of conduct helps in improving corporate governance. United Kingdom has adopted such principles for governance in 2003 and has obtained amazing outcomes in 2005. These global rules include ability of mobilizing and monitoring of productive resources and their effective allocation. (Isaksson, 1999). Separate committees should be set up for nomination, compensation and auditing. Transparency of the annual reports and accounting matters is now compulsory as per guidelines. This are now regulated through actuarial information in UK (Regulatory Strategy: Our role and Approach, 2009). The board of directors’ decision making should only be in favor of fulfilling company’s interests. The conduct of the directors is very crucial and their decisions matter a lot, especially in turnaround situations. The investors also bear similar responsibilities more in the area of risk management and when voting for vital issues. There is a need for the companies to realize their social and environmental responsibilities (Bowes, 1999). The importance of this global approach for proper conduct is to such an extent that corporate social responsibility has taken the name of globalization of business and economies. National economies have become enormously inter dependant in the areas of trade and finance. In some cases there has also been integration of macroeconomic policies (Guillen, 1999).In Asian countries before such global approach there have reports against the companies for unfavorable working conditions and employment of child labor. For developing countries overlapping public and private sector have prevented good corporate gove rnance in the past (Kostyuk, Braendle & Apreda, 2007) Global agencies have worked quite hard in regulating

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

Malcolm X - Essay Example Malcolm writes: "My two other images of my father are two outside the home: he never pastured in any regular church of his own" (p. 7). Similar to his father, Malcolm created his own religion based on century-old traditions and values, morals and ideals. Malcolm's sister, Ella Collins, explained that Malcolm X was present at chapter meetings almost from birth. Political ideas and rebellious issues expressed in the meetings, formed personality of Malcolm and his life perception. Also, Malcolm admits that: "the image of him [father] that made me proudest was his crusading and militant campaigning with the words of Marcus Garvey (p. 8). Further, Malcolm became a militant leaders fighting for pride and self-determination of black people. Malcolm's childhood was filled with the emerging urban culture of Black America. Malcolm's rooting in the U.S. working class was incomplete. Riding the rails as a porter and later established in Harlem, the cultural capital of the Black world, Malcolm X developed a deep, if only partly conscious, sense of the peoplehood of the African American. Malcolm admits that: "it was only me that he sometimes tool with him to the Garvey UNIA meetings which he held quietly in different people's homes" (p. 8). Similar to his father, Malcolm supposed that no Black man at this time could be easily and unequivocally rooted in the working class. Malcolm's family and father was unusual in that it made the transition from the southern rural countryside to the northern urban city intact and started out as the nuclear family of the American Dream. During these years, Malcolm's father played both in the family and in the UNIA a strong leadership role. The "New Negro" concept embodied a new view of the role of Blacks in social change. It represented a further development of themes first seen in the Negro movement at the turn of the century. Malcolm's father was following a model of Black liberation popularized at this time. All these features have a great influence on Malcolm and his life aspirations. His father supposed that: "freedom, independence and self-respect could never be achieved by Negro in America" (p. 4). Further, Malcolm opposed this view fighting for racial equality and identity politics. To some extent, the full power of Malcolm's intellect was held in check due to the magnetism of his father's personality and the very special and personal role that he played in Malcolm's life. Political figure of his father had immense power and prestige, and obviously one that Malcolm X did not subject to his otherwise methodical scrutiny. It is possible to say that Malcolm used Black national ideas of his father and transform them into a separate national movement, but later expelled that nationalism from the NOI to protect its theology from internal criticism and to deflect an activist thrust which would lead to repression. For Malcolm, he embodied wisdom represented as a keeper of Negro's traditions and values. "I reflected many, many times to myself upon how the American Negro has been entirely brainwashed from ever seeing or thinking of himself, as he should, as a part of the nonwhite peoples of the world" (p. 56). These ideas helped Malcolm to create a framework for the reformulation of Black nationalism in a more internationalist and revolutionary manner and thus facilitated the linking of the Civil Rights movement with the

Management of Info Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Management of Info Systems - Essay Example This has also increased my curiosity in environmental issues and in particular the UAE trend to becoming green (non, 1990). The aim of this study is also to sensitize investors and the general public on this new trend who will also be the beneficiaries of the project. The expected outcome of this project is to sensitize individuals and organizations on the greening initiatives and give them ways of contributing to these initiatives. The United Arabs Emirates has started its journey to go green through many initiatives. Among the initiative is the launch of â€Å"A green economy for sustainable development† by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai in the year 2012 (Khaleg Times, 2013). UAE aims becoming a model of the new green economy in order to preserve the environment for future generations and in order to enhance the development of the country. Some of the advancement done in the UAE include; the production renewable energy and related technologies that will promote the use of clean fuel for energy production; building of green city which aims at coming up with policies that raise the efficiency of buildings and housing; and encouraging a green life against wastage (LOW, 2012). The general objective of this project is to contribute to the world’s goal of going green. This general objective can be broken down to five more specific objectives in the form of research questions that would together help in achieving the overall goal of this project. Where possible, questionnaire containing closed ended questions will be given randomly to individual. I will develop the questionnaire with the guidance of the lecturer who will review and approve the questionnaire. This review and approval is crucial because the questionnaires need to give a good picture of the institution. The intended study group is twenty people. This method will increase the uniformity of data collected which is

Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Technology - Essay Example In case the private body functions in a public capacity and it is owned, controlled and funded by the state, then it should be considered as a public body. However, a private corporation is subject to the FOIA request when they utilize public funding under the conditions that the entity performs the functions of the government, government is involved in regulation, and when the entity is formed by the government. Also, the federal standards should not be used in determining the public funding by the private corporation, and the criteria by FOIL should come into play in matters related to the functioning of the private agency (Halstuk & Bill, 2006). The traditional privatization approaches of the public services can be approached in a perspective which considers government as hierarchical and ineffective, and that it involves both benefits and difficulties while importing efficiency and flexibility in the corporate world to provide for the public services. Bring the for-profit corporation to the delivery of the traditional government services is contentious. Some of the questions that may arise are whether the state can be sued along the private corporation and whether the government actors are entitled to immunities. The two partnerships can be of considerable legal work and to untangle. Youth detention centers and private prisons are under control of the government entities, such that more money is realized by having more inmates (Silverman, 2007). On the other hand, the economic difficulties facing the private sector in using the public funds for the non-traditional services is caused by the reassessment of the priorities for county and municipal governments. Government is faced with problems when trying to balance services to the community and the declining tax revenues (Halstuk & Bill, 2006). Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption are problems in government programs. FWAC in small businesses led to Nancy Pelosi, who was the house speaker instructed

Why is freedom important Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why is freedom important - Essay Example Society has lived this way for eons and, although there have been efforts from certain sectors to try to curb these logical and natural freedoms, we have always lived our lives free of any constraints. Unfortunately, we oftentimes fail to acknowledge this fact which is why we end up taking the freedoms that we have in our lives for granted. While other countries struggle for a semblance of democracy and their people are crying out for freedom, we simply go about our free lives without a worry or care in the world. That is why there is a need for us, as a collective society, to come to an understanding as to what the true meaning of freedom is and why it is important to all of us. It is perhaps best to begin the discussion of the importance of freedom on the basis of the Harm Principle. According to Oliviera (2006), under this principle, the actions of individuals should only be limited once it is proven that the person will cause great harm to those around him. This is the basis of t he laws that govern our land. I cannot stress the importance of the Harm Principle in our daily lives for this is the principle upon which all our other freedoms are based upon. I do not doubt that this is also the principle upon which arrest and imprisonment of people doing harm to others comes from. After all, if you cause harm to another human being, you end up in jail. That is what the Harm Principle is all about and that is why it is the most important basis of our most basic freedoms in our society today. The Harm Principle presents us with a maxim that has allowed people to develop their sense of freedom in a responsible manner. This is known as the Liberty Principle which, allows people to develop their individuality through freedom of choice. By allowing people to have options in life, a person is forced to view the pros and cons of his possible decisions and then go with the decision that he feels will best serve his individual identity. He has the freedom to choose from a ny number of outcomes, hence the Liberty Decision. He makes his decision free of guilt and responsibility to others. His sole responsibility in this respect, it only to himself thus making his decision absolute. Without the Harm Principle to consider, we would not have encountered the need for positive and negative liberty among our people. Carter (2011) thoroughly explains that the Harm principle is possibly what gave way to the emergence of the positive and negative liberties of man. Simply put, the negative liberty is one that offers no obstacles to living a life secure in the freedom that he is experiencing. It was Isaiah Berlin (Carter, 2011) who explained that negative freedom is simply the absence of obstacles in life that prevent one from living life. Negative freedom is a sense of liberty that we all experience if there are no external interferences from groups that could hamper our freedom of movement and choice. Whereas positive freedom is one that exists due to need to c ontrol a certain situation or event due to the internal factors being the basis for individuals and groups to act independently of each other. Having said that, it seems only logical, after having developed an understanding of the importance behind positive and negative liberty, we come to a discussion Rousseau's Theory of freedom. As per Simpson's (2006), understanding of Rousseau's Theory of Freedom, there are actually 4 kinds of freedom that should be deemed relevant to politics. These freedoms are: 1. Natural freedom 2. civil freedom, democratic freedom, 3. moral freedom. This is supposed to be the social contract that supposedly binds us all to humanly treating each other regardless of personal sentiment. It is believed that the aforementioned freedoms are the basis that we as a people use to

Nurse Staffing Issues Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nurse Staffing Issues - Research Paper Example It has been reported that due to lower level of wages, very less people work as NAs, especially in areas where economic conditions are worse. In these areas NAs are paid less than what they can receive as welfare and even health insurance coverage provided to them is less than the amount of medic aid. Due to lower level of wages offered in the field of nursing, NAs work permanently in other jobs and some even have jobs as permanent NAs. Low compensation and heavy work load which drains NAs both emotionally and physically have contributed to the high turnover rate experienced by the field of nursing. In certain health care facilities, the organizations experience a continuous process of training, hiring new nurses and recruiting new ones as in these organizations, nurse turnover rate is very high. Although NAs have to serve and provide aid to acute patients and they are paid less, they still try to provide the best help. Various reasons have led to the retention of NAs although they are not paid well and their job is demands high amount of emotional as well as physical contribution. One reason that contributes to this retention is the NAs personal commitment towards those who require help. Various health care facilities in nursing facilities have made efforts to retain their nurses. Efforts made by them include: assigning one NA to one patient on full time basis, acknowledging the efforts incorporated by NAs and assigning leadership positions and responsibilities especially to NAs who have reached senior level.

Fiscal Stimulus Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fiscal Stimulus - Assignment Example The appreciation in the average hourly earnings also remained more or less fixed in the last six months, hovering around 10.5 percent (United States Department of Labor: Online). To improve the circumstances in the labor market, certainly some sort of a fiscal stimulus is imperative. Resorting to the monetary policy adjustments alone is not sufficient to rescue the current economic slowdown. The handling of the Japanese economy has proved beyond doubt that it is always wiser to intervene when the situation could still be rescued (Coy: Online). The economy is deteriorating at a fast pace and monetary measures alone will not be enough to restrain the current economic meltdown. This is an exceptional situation that validates opting for hitherto untried initiatives. The damage wrecked by the recessionary circumstances can be limited by a second fiscal stimulus. It was definitely wise on the part of the government to deal with the excess capacity by nudging the companies like GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy (Coy: Online). However such measures have worsened the unemployment situation. Hence, enhanced public expenditure is the only possible way to create more jobs. It could be said that the first fiscal stimulus failed to rescue the unemployment situation. Yet it is too early to analyze its impact. So a second fiscal stimulus is a step more on the side of caution and care. ... Augmenting fiscal deficit is a cause of concern. However, it is a phenomenon that could be managed and whose impact will be felt in the long run. By that time, the improved economic circumstances caused by the second fiscal stimulus will cushion the fallout of a high fiscal deficit. The immediate priority should be to rescue the credibility of the sinking markets and assuring the apprehensive investors. Dwindling credibility of Fed is often cited as a grave issue. The thing that needs to be kept in mind is that a fiscal stimulus should be seen as a measure that is aimed to extend first aid to the ailing economy and not as something that will be continually and irresponsibly repeated.Hence a second fiscal stimulus do stands an approval in the contemporary circumstances. However, care needs to be taken that the proposed bill is trimmed of all the expenditure to be diverted towards activities that will yield a harvest over a prolonged period and could be classified as non-productive in an immediate scenario. Total Words: 555 (2 pages and 55 words)Works Cited United States- Monthly Data. United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 13 Dec. 2009 http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm Coy, Peter. "Do we Need a Second Fiscal Stimulus". Business Week. 7 July 2009. 13 Dec. 2009

Cyber Defense Situational awareness Research Paper

Cyber Defense Situational awareness - Research Paper Example The chapter further outlines the topical issue through sub-topics such as OODA loop, PDAR and J2 intelligence cycle, Cycle and CND and incident response. Other sub-topics include the role of Digital Forensic in Cyber C2 for situation awareness, how models relate in situation awareness, issues with cyber defense in situation awareness and why active defense is required. The chapter provides a presentation on how active defense enhance organization intelligence cycle. It ends with a summary of the main points in the literature review. 2.2: Defining Cyber Security and Situation Awareness. Situation awareness is defined as the capacity to swiftly and efficiently address arriving stimuli with appropriate responses (Cumiford, 2006). It impacts defensive operations at the tactical level through the provision of the ability to recognize and respond to actions of the adversary (Tadda, n.d.). Endsley (1995) describes SA as the view of the fundamentals in the surroundings within a degree of time and space, the understanding of their connotation, and the protuberance of their status in the near future. SA integrates the surroundings, goal, organization, existing substantial and human possessions, and other actors in the environment (Pew, 2000). Situation awareness provides a decision making model that can be broken into three components. The first one entails being aware of the current environment (Endlay and Garland, 2000). It is followed by the other component of determining the importance of certain incidents in the cyber world domain. The last component entail being able to tie the alertness to opportune and apt responses (Cumiford, 2006). In the SA model, cyber situation awareness system is responsible for processing of the incoming data the purpose is to try and repel any attacks from the external source (Tadda, n.d.). In order to do so, a cyber SA system must have such tools as intrusion detection systems, firewall logs, system logs, network flow and connection data (Tadda, n.d.). Models within a cyber SA system combine to enable the cyber SA system to capture and reason about past, current, and future states of the system operations and possible threats. The system is able to build new models or modify existing ones based on a combination of new and old information. This is made possible through positive rela tions of all models within the cyber domain, as well research in the field (Hettinger and McKeely, 2011). The Cyber SA updates these models based on the input from the external environment, self status and planning and reasoning outputs. This decision making model is pegged on the following capabilities: recognition of particular situations, determination of the significance of particular situations, reactive and proactive capabilities, ability to handle uncertainty and incompleteness, and ability to break goals into constituent parts (Cumiford, 2006). To make the cyber SA decision making model perform better, four additional capabilities are required. Temporal reasoning is required as situations occur in time, including the modal logic. 2.3: CND and incident response and its role in SA Computer network defense is a system aimed at protecting information systems against attacks. A classic CND is comprised of multiple niche intrusion detection tools, each of which carries out network data analysis and produce a unique alerting output (Beaver, et al, n.d.). Passive defense involves such tools as password protection, data encryption, and firewalls. However, these tools suffer from limitations in that hackers are

Influence of Brand Name on Consumer Decision Essay Example for Free

Influence of Brand Name on Consumer Decision Essay In the present developing and modern day world, consumerism has dominated all the aspects of life. The life in the society follows the pattern of the capitalist culture where the human values have a different measure, ‘you are known by what you have not by what you are’. This naturally leads to the life in a society where everyone wants to have a unique place in the society, by possessing the things which sets them apart from the rest of people in the society. In present society and living way, the Brands not only represent the symbol of the company or product but to a larger extent define the general life of a person. What the person uses can reflect his taste of life, his status in the society, his economic background and many other things. This makes a deep connection between the company and its brand, with the consumer. In this two way relation both are dependent on each other for various different reasons. In today’s time customers are very deeply connected to the brands. When they purchase any product like a car, mobile, items of daily need, brand name influence the consumer’s choice. Some customers purchase the specific branded things just due to the brand name. Customers believe that brand name is a symbol of quality. I found this interesting and wanted to find out whether brand name influences the consumer choice when they go for purchasing any product. I chose to for the specific product because  this is one of the products which got my attention because of many reasons. Initially the car production was dominated by few companies and one or two countries. With the time, the market started to grow and once considered to be luxurious commodity, cars became a need  rather than a choice. This increased the demand and with that many more  companies entered the arena to have their share of profit and exploit the growing market. This made the companies to put more efforts and money to creating brand awareness of their product. With the Huge sum of money and effort invested by the companies to create the awareness of their brand in the market, many questions arise; does this really affect the purchasing decision  of the customer? Does the brand awareness somehow influence the sale of the product? Etc. On the basis of these questions, I formulated my problem as follows: The purpose of this thesis is to create deeper consideration of what influence a brand name can have, when people go for purchasing, choose the products between different brands in automobile industry. Further I want to identify, if there is a connection between brands and the consumer decision making process. I conducted this study based on theories and surveys. I analyzed the result of the survey in order to be able to draw conclusions and find answers to my problem. I came to the conclusion that when consumer purchases a car, brand names influence his choice. Customers choose the well known branded car among other brands which are new or not so known. The study shows that branded cars have a great place in consumer mind, when customers go for purchasing a car, they prefer to purchase a well known branded car. Customers do not want to try new or unknown branded cars because they have no much information about the  lesser known brand. Usually, people purchase well known branded cars because they might have heard before about brands or they have some information about them from other sources. This makes customer feel more comfortable during the time of decision making as they are not so confident about the knowledge they have gathered about the other brands. The consumers are very conscious about branded and unbranded cars because they have the view that branded cars are more reliable than unbranded car. This study also explains that customers trust the branded cars’ quality. Before purchasing a car people do not consider the lesser known brand car, as people are very attached to some specific brands. Some people are loyal to specific brands, over time they want to purchase the same branded car because the specific brand has satisfied the customer’s needs and in turn has gained the trust in the brand name. I feel that the purpose of this study has been fulfilled to some extant. The theory describe that brand name has a power, which attracts the customers towards branded products. The reason  is that customer gets special connection with specific brands product and become the loyal with brand.

Dentistry in Developing Countries

Dentistry in Developing Countries DENTURE CAMP-AN EXPERIENCE BEYOND IMAGINATION Short Title-Gundlupete Denture Camp Abstract Aim: Main aim of dental camp is awareness, education, and motivation of the common man regarding his/her dental health. This report presents the efficient way of conducting a denture camp and tackling the short comings faced during the course. Methods :When treating a vast population in camps, it calls for more number of instruments, equipments and lot of manpower in terms of doctors, dental mechanics and supporting staff. 110 patients were selected for the denture camp. They were informed to come early morning at 8a.m on the scheduled date and make necessary arrangements for their stay for one night during the camp as the most of the patients were from surrounding villages. Discussion: Dentures are no more a luxury; it has become a necessity for the edentulous patients for the basic health maintenance. Many problems were encountered during this camp. Though there were so many hurdles doctors became successful in treating the patients. Conclusion: The team had taken a brave step with all the problems and they ended successfully. In spite of all the problems faced, the dedicated team work proved fruitful in rehabilitating 132 patients in short spans 24 hrs. The efforts of team were highly appreciated by the people. Keywords: Dental Camp, Dentures, Public health. INTRODUCTION Dental Camps in India are being routinely conducted. The main objective being awareness, education, and motivation of the common man regarding his/her dental health. Dental camps usually are conducted for a large population who do not have accessibility for a sophisticated dental treatment and for the people with financial constraint. Camps can be conducted for screening or for treating the patients like extractions, restorations and/or fabrication of dentures. Screening and treatment camps held for extractions, restorations does not require a lot of equipments and man power on the other hand; fabricating a denture for the patients require a lot of equipments and instruments. When treating a vast population in camps, it calls for more number of instruments, equipments and lot of manpower in terms of doctors, dental mechanics and supporting staff. Public health work exhibits a certain number of characteristics that are different from individual practice in the same field. Most important is the fact that the public health work must be done in areas where the group responsibility is recognized. Another characteristic of public health method is its reliance upon the team work. This is due to the necessity of efficient handling of large group of people. This report presents the efficient way of conducting a denture camp and tackling the short comings faced during the course. Materials and Methods A denture camp was conducted by the Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College and Research Institute Bangalore, at Gundlupete, Chamarajanagar distric on 9 and 10th of Feb. 2013 Gundlupete, is a small town with a population of 28157 situated 200 kms from Bangalore. The villagers are hailing mostly from poor families, with a very limited knowledge and accessibility to their basic health maintenance needs, especially dental health. For this reason this particular village was chosen by the Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College and Research Institute, Bangalore to render denture services to the poor and needy patients. Indian Medical Association Gundelpet took the responsibility to provide the services, like accommodation and food for the team. An announcement of the denture camp was made in the village by a local body one month prior to the scheduled date of the camp. Audio aids like public addressing systems/microphones and visual aids like pamphlets were used for the public awareness regarding the camp [1]. Enlightening the people about the Dental health is a must in such a town, so awareness was made. People were instructed through these aids to attend the preliminary screening which was held on held on 9th Jan 2013 for which a team of doctors with required diagnostic aids were deputed from the college. It is an achievement in the history of Government Dental College and Research Institute for having screened 300 patients. Out of 300 patients, 110patients were selected for the denture camp. They were informed to come early morning at 8a.m on the scheduled date and make necessary arrangements for their stay for one night during the camp as the most of the patients were from surrounding villages. The doctors had so much o f keen interest to render the services for selected 110 patients who had come from different parts of the village. A list of all the necessary equipments, materials and instruments with their quantity was made for the fabrications for 125 dentures. Required materials and equipments were collected from the college stores. Chair-side instruments, diagnostic instruments, lab equipments were collected from the staff and students of the Government dental college and research institute. A total of 100 clamps and flasks and 115 articulators were procured. Ten micromotors were collected, of which 5 were from the department and the rest were borrowed from the other departments. Local organization was so kind enough to take the responsibility of providing two gas cylinders for the lab-work. 4 â€Å"T† attachments containing 10 burner gas connection points each were taken from the Department. The collected materials were sorted out in an orderly manner and were packed in the cartons. There were 20 cartons containing equipments and materials. These cartons were numbered and a list containing all mater ials in a particular carton was made and pasted on each of them. A copy of the same was made and kept with a particular volunteer for easy access and to avoid confusion. 3 mini buses containing a team of 55 dentists, 55 dental mechanics and five supporting staff left to Gundlupete on 8 th morning . The dentist’s team consisted of staff including the Dean cum Director, Post Graduate students of the department and the house surgeons from various other departments who volunteered to be a part of this denture camp. The dental mechanics team consisted of dental mechanics from our institution and also from various other dental colleges. After reaching the camp venue ( primary school in gundlupete) rooms were selected for the clinical work, one for the lab work and plaster work was carried out in the open ground in front of the class rooms. Plastic chairs for seating the patients, tables for the dental technicians, gas assembly, huge containers for dewaxing and acrylization were arranged on the same evening. On the 9th morning the camp started at around 8 a.m. All the patients were registered and were given a token to come in queue to avoid confusion. On the token the patients register number and all the clinical steps involved in the denture fabrication with the assigned Doctor’s and technician’s name were mentioned. Along with each mentioned clinical step, space was provided to indicate the step which has been completed for the patient. Dentist and technicians were divided into 11 groups comprising of 5 dentists and 5 technicians in each group. Primary impressions for all the patient’s were made with high fusing impression compound and subsequent wash impression with irreversible hydrocolloid were made. For the patients with poor alveolar ridges special tray were fabricated, border molding was done using putty and subsequently secondary impressions were made with Zinc oxide eugenol. All the primary impressions were numbered according to the number given to the patient. The same numbers were transferred on the casts. Record bases were fabricated using shellac base plates. Occlusal rims were fabricated on the record bases using modeling wax. Lost Occlusal vertical dimension and centric relation were recorded using a static method and shade selection was done. Teeth arrangements were done by the technicians. The try-in was done and the trial dentures were returned to the technicians for the acrylization. Then the patients were asked to come next day morning for denture insertion. Once the patients were dispersed the dentists also joined the technicians for the lab work like sealing of the trial dentures, flasking, dewaxing, acrylization, finishing and polishing procedures. The register numbers were incorporated in the dentures during the trial closure. The whole team worked till all the dentures were processed which went on day and night without taking rest, the team of doctors did not sleep at all, on such herculean line worked till rising of the sun. Deflasking, trimming, finishing and polishing of the dentures were done the following day. All the required chair side trimming was done and denture insertion was carried out. Post insertion instructions were given to the patients in groups and the written format was distributed to each of them. Most of the dentures had satisfactory retention and stability. Patients were comfortable and satisfied. One or two patients who had compromised retention in their dentures due to poor alveolar ridge were instructed to use the denture adhesives. The patients were advised to come after a week for the follow up for which a team of three dentists was deputed from the college. Some of the patients had developed soreness which was relieved and some minor occlusal corrections were carried out. Discussion In developing countries like India , majority of the population lives in villages were providing basic health facilities is a Herculean task. The worldwide prevalence of dental disease is a constant reminder of the almost universal need for effective dental health programmes. These programmes should be routinely conducted for the betterment of the patients. Conducting a successful camp, especially denture camps include assembling the manpower, finance, materials, equipments, instruments, coordination and generous mind of the team. Denture camps unlike the routine camps, require a lot of time, effort, equipments and co-ordination. Treating the edentulous poor patients in camps provides them with dentures which they cannot afford due to financial constraint. Through these camps it is possible to rehabilitate more number of poor patients in short span of time. Rehabilitating the poor edentulous patients improves their appearance, confidence, health and overall well-being. Further, the quality of treatment provided may not be of high standards as all the clinical steps cannot be done due to time constraint, but the treatment given was the stepping stone to make them know the importance of teeth hygiene and to avoid further complications. Active participation of the local organization is very important for the success of the camp. They play a key role in informing and throughing light on their souls how important the camp was to save them from further decay in life. Arranging the venue for the camp, accommodation and food for the team, should also be taken care by the local bodies for a camp to be successful. Success of the camp depends upon the support and co-ordination of the local bodies. Problems were faced as we had only 100 clamp and flasks, the denture processing steps had to be repeated. The number of patients exceeded our estimate, because of which we informed the unregistered patients to undergo the treatment next time. Conclusion Dentures are no more a luxury; it has become a necessity for the edentulous patients for the basic health maintenance. Denture fabrication in a camp requires lot of efforts, manpower, equipments, coordination and support of the local body. Many problems were encountered during this camp. Though there were many hurdles but the doctors became successful in treating the patients. The mountains may look high, but when we begin to climb and reach the top we say it is not so high. The team had taken a brave step with all the problems and they ended with a happy note. In spite of all the problems faced, the dedicated team work proved fruitful in rehabilitating 132 patients in short spans 24 hrs. The efforts of team were highly appreciated by the people.

An Overview Of The Date Palm Environmental Sciences Essay

An Overview Of The Date Palm Environmental Sciences Essay Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is known as tree of life plays an imperative role in the life of the people living in scorched regions of the world. It is an ancient and valuable fruit, as the dates name has been and is mentioned in holy books like the Quran, Torah and Buddha (Belarbi et al., 2000; Falade and Abbo, 2007). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said that the best assets is the date palm, that it is used for curing many disorders, and He (PBUH) urged Muslims to consume dates (Zaid and de Wet, 1999). Muslims deem it as a virtue to eat dates at Iftar in the month of Ramadan. It has been cultivated in the Middle East since at least 6000 BC (Al-Qarawi et al., 2003). At least 2000 or more different cultivars of date palm exist all over the world (Ali-Mohamed and Khamis, 2004). The Date fruit provides a good source of carbohydrates, fibre, minerals, and vitamins, but it contains a minute amount of fat and protein (Baloch et al., 2006; Al-Farsi et al., 2005; Mohamed, 2000). Date fruit is also suitable for hypertensive persons because of its high amount of potassium and low content of sodium (Al-Hooti et al., 2002). New studies have reported that date fruit has antimutagenic and anticancer action (Ishurd and Kennedy, 2005; Vayalill, 2002). The ripening of the date fruit is considered by four different stages/phases based on color, softness, moisture, and sugar content. (1) Kimri stage: at this phase the fruit is quite hard, the color is green and it is not fit for edible purpose. At this phase the fruit attains a rapid increase in weight, volume and build up of reducing sugars that will weaken at the end of this stage. (2) Khalal stage: at this stage, date fruit gains its maximum weight and size. The dates total sugar and acidity will boost as its water content decreases. At the end of Khalal stage, the fruit is physiologically mature and hard. (3) Rutab stage: ripening of date fruit starts at this stage. Its colour changes and its texture become soft. It begins to lose astringency and starts acquiring a darker and less attractive colour than the previous stage. (4) Tamar stage: the date fruits are fully ripe at Tamar stage and texture of the flesh is soft. At this stage, date fruit contains its maximum total solids an d it is in the best condition for storage. Some references have mentioned another a very early stage named called Hababauk. This term is used for the female flower and also used for the period after pollination, in which the young fruit is still creamy before gradually turning green at the Kimri stage. Generally, date fruit is harvestable and marketable at three stages including Khalal, Rutab and Tamar that depend on cultivar characteristics, especially soluble tannins levels (Ismail et al., 2001; Hong et al., 2006; Awad, 2007). Although there are many cultivars of dates, some have become pre eminent in the world market (Krueger, 2001; Nixon, 1950). Deglet Noor, meaning date of the light in Arabic, comes from the Algerian Sahara and is one of the leading cultivars grown in North Africa and California. Halawy, meaning sweet in Arabic, is a soft, high-quality date with rich flavour from Iraq. Khadrawy, meaning green in Arabic, is a short and moderately productive tree with soft fruit from Southern Iraq. Climate is one of the major factors that affect all aspects of life and realistic crops cultivation depends on proper understanding of climatic condition. Proper understanding of climatic condition can help farmers in doing cultivation at an opportune time and supplying plants needs during growth period. The ripening season of date palm starts with the rise in summer temperature with July and August, which is the peak production period. Unfortunately, the monsoon rains also falls within these months of the year, which is a real bottleneck for this crop. Hillawi and Khadrawi are the major varieties cultivated in Punjab. These varieties are semi dry and ripened early in July and face a huge problem of monsoon rains. The coincidence of date ripening period with the monsoon season means the crop receives heavy damage by rain and a few minutes of rain can destroy upto 80% of the date crop (ASF, 2010) The fruit during this period is at eatable (Khalal/Rutab) stage and prone to infestation by insects/birds and diseases that invade at a rapid rate under the favourable climate of relatively reduced temperature with high humidity. This adverse situation persists for several weeks. The extent of the losses contributes to accumulate so long as the fruits stay on the trees for want of Dong formation until the end of July (Saleem et al., 2005). Rain and high humidity may cause physical damage to the fruit in period preceding the ripening. When this happens, cracks appear on the fruit surface through fungi and bacteria may enter causing fermentation and souring of the fruit rapidly (Olin, 2002). It is worth mentioning that the amount of any particular rain is of less importance than the conditions under which it occurs (Nixon and Carpenter, 1978). Traditional methods of date fruit ripening/curing are popular in many areas of the country, in which fruit at the Dong stage are spread on the mats or plastic sheets and exposed to sun in an open air. The quality of sun dried product under dusty condition becomes very poor and non-uniform with a low yield. Due to persistent rain and stormy conditions a large amount of the harvested dates become mouldy, fermented, and dusty, damaged by the birds and insects. The present study will be therefore conducted on the ripening aspects and fruit quality of date palm with respect to monsoon rains, by evaluating the potential of preharvest ethephon application on ripening enhancement and fruit quality of date palm at Kimri and Khalal stages, studying the role of different chemicals on the ripening behaviour and fruit quality and ripening and quality assessment of date fruit will also investigated by the influence of hot water treatment by harvesting the fruit at the physiological maturity (Doka/Khalal) stage. V) REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Fruits should be harvested at the correct physiological maturity and state of ripeness (Harman and Patterson, 1984). They are self sufficient with their own catalytic machinery to maintain an independent life, even when detached from the parent plant. Based on their respiratory pattern and ethylene biosynthesis during ripening, harvested fruits have been classified as climacteric and non-climacteric based on the respiration pattern and ethylene production during ripening. Climacteric fruits, harvested at physiological maturity, can be ripened off the parent plant. The respiration rate and ethylene formation though minimal at maturity, raise dramatically to a climacteric peak, at the onset of ripening, after which it declines (Gamage and Rehman, 1999). In climacteric fruit, onset of ripening is accompanied by a sharp increase in respiration and ethylene production. The climacteric ethylene is thought to regulate fruit ripening by inducing the expression of many ripening-related genes responsible for autocatalytic ethylene production, cellwall metabolism, chlorophyll degradation, synthesis of carotenoids and volatiles, and conversion of starch to sugar (Gray et al., 1992; Theologis, 1993; Alexander and Grierson, 2002). Non-climacteric fruits are not capable of continuing their ripening process, once they are detached from the parent plant. Also, these fruits produce a very small quantity of endogenous ethylene, and do not respond to external ethylene treatment. Such fruits show comparatively low profile and a gradual decline in their respiration pattern and ethylene production, throughout the ripening process (Gamage and Rehman, 1999). In non-climacteric fruit, there is no dramatic change in the rate of respiration, and ethylene production remains at a very low level. However, in some plant species, some aspects of ripening, such as chlorophyll degradation and fruit softening, are controlled or at least partially controlled by ethylene (Goldschmidt et al., 1993; Wills and Kim, 1995). Ethylene is biosynthesized from methionine via a welldefined pathway in which 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase (ACS) and ACC oxidase (ACO) function as key enzymes. Fruit ripening: Ripening is defined as changes that occur from the latter stages of growth and development through the early stages of senescence and result in characteristic aesthetic and/or food quality (Watada et al., 1984). It is a highly co-ordinated, genetically programmed, and an irreversible phenomenon involving a series of physiological, biochemical, and organoleptic changes that lead to the development of a soft and edible ripe fruit with desirable quality attributes. A wide spectrum of biochemical changes such as increased respiration, chlorophyll degradation, biosynthesis of carotenoids, anthocyanins, essential oils, and flavor and aroma components, increased activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes, and a transient increase in ethylene production are some of the major changes involved during fruit ripening (Brady, 1987). The color change during fruit ripening is due to the unmasking of previously present pigments by degradation of chlorophyll and dismantling of the photosynthetic apparatus and synthesis of different types of anthocyanins and their accumulation in vacuoles, and accumulation of carotenoids such as ÃŽÂ ²-carotene, xanthophyll esters, xanthophylls, and lycopene (Tucker and Grierson, 1987; Lizada, 1993). The increase in flavor and aroma during fruit ripening is attributed to the production of a complex mixture of volatile compounds such as ocimene and myrcene (Lizada, 1993), and degradation of bitter principles, flavanoids, tannins, and related compounds (Tucker and Grierson, 1987). The taste development is due to a general increase in sweetness, which is the result of increased gluconeogenesis, hydrolysis of polysaccharides, especially starch, decreased acid-ity, and accumulation of sugars and organic acids resulting in an excellent sugar/acid blend (Lizada, 1993; Grierson, Tucker, and Robertson, 1981; Selvaraj, Kumar, and Pal, 1989). The metabolic changes during fruit ripening include increase in biosynthesis and evolution of the ripening hormone, ethylene (Yang and Hoffman, 1984), increase in respiration mediated by mitochondrial enzymes, especially oxidases and de novo synthesis of enzymes catalyzing ripening specific changes (Tucker and Grierson, 1987). Alteration of cell structure involves changes in cell wall thickness, permeability of plasma membrane, hydration of cell wall, decrease in the structural integrity, and increase in intracellular spaces (Redgwell, MacRae, Hallet, Fischer, Perry, and Harker, 1997). Fruit softening is associated with cell wall disassembly (Seymour and Gross, 1996) and modifications to the pectin fraction are some of the most apparent changes that take place in the cell wall during ripening (Marin-Rodriguez, Orchard, and Seymour, 2002). The general observation is that softening is accompanied by solubilization of pectin, involving the action of enzymes pectinesterase (PE), polygalacturonase (PG) and pectate lyases (PL) (White, 2002) and hydrolysis of starch and other storage polysaccharides (Selvaraj et al., 1989; Fuchs, Pesis and Zauberman, 1980). This notion was supported by reports of changes in cell wall pectic material in ripening mango (Roe and Bruemmer, 1981), tomato (Besford and Hobson, 1972) and pear (Ahmed and Labavitch, 1980). Fruit ripening and ethylene: The gaseous hormone ethylene regulates a number of plant growth and developmental processes, including fruit ripening. Ethylene plays a major role in fruit ripening in a wide range of plant species (Abeles et al., 1992; Lelievre et al., 1997; Giovannoni, 2004). It is a fruit ripening phytohormone, in minute amounts can trigger many events of cell metabolism including initiation of ripening and senescence, particularly in a climacteric fruit. A number of reviews have been published on the role of ethylene in fruit ripening, particularly in mangoes as well as its biogenesis (Adams and Yang, 1979; Kende, 1993). The pathway for ethylene biosynthesis has been elucidated in apple, and other fruits such as avocado, banana, and tomato (Kende, 1993; Yang and Hoffman, 1984). The first step is the conversion of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to 1- aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) by the enzyme ACC synthase. At the onset of fruit ripening, expression of multiple ACC synthase genes are activat ed, resulting in increased production of ACC. In most cases, it is the ACC synthase activity, which determines the rate of ethylene biosynthesis. ACC is then oxidized to ethylene by ACC oxidase. Potential of ethephon in fruit ripening: Fruit ripening has been described as an oxidative phenomenon that requires a turnover of active oxygen species, such as H2O2 and superoxide anion (Jimenez et al, 2002). Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid), releases ethylene in plant tissues, has aroused interest because of its physiological effects in many fruit species (Cooke and Randall, 1968; Warner and Leopold, 1967). The responses to ethephon appear to be mainly caused by the action of ethylene (Anderson, 1968). Now ethephon is widely used in agriculture for promotion of flowering, fruit ripening, defoliation and so on. Orange, grapefruit, tangerine and green lemon fruits dipped in ethephon solutions for a few seconds to several minutes developed satisfactory marketable color in seven to ten days after treatment. (Fuch and Cohen, 1969; Yong et al., 1970). In pomegranates, however pre-harvest application of ethephon decreased the soluble solids, pH and vitamin C content of the fruit juice (Shaybany and Sharifi, 1973). Rouhani and Bassiri (1977) reported that when date fruits were treated with 0, 125, 250, 500, 1000 or 2000 ppm ethephon and stored in sealed bags or bags with 10 holes. The percentage dry weights of pulp and seed, titratable acidity, soluble solids and respiration rates increased, whereas pH, firmness and astringency decreased with greater maturity. The application of ethephon increased respiration and titratable acidity significantly. Although ethephon concentration and bag type affected ripening, their effects were relatively small; endogenous factors controlling ripening were more important. Ethephon application at 1500 ppm shortly after full bloom on Zaghloul and Samani date palms grown in Egypt advanced fruit ripening by about one month (Kamal, 1995). Musa (2001) reported that effectiveness of ethrel in enhancing the fruit ripening of Mishrigi Wad Khatib and Mishrigi Wad Lagi dates grown in Khartoum, Sudan, was 2-3 fold higher by injecting 2ml of ethrel (480 g/l a.v.) into a pit made in the peduncle compared with 1000 ppm of ethrel spraying over the fruit. Preharvest ethrel application significantly increased the Rutab fruit yield per bunch (7 kg) as compared to the control (4.5 kg) and postharvest dipping of fruit at khalal stage in ethrel at 4.2ml/l and abscisic acid at 1.0 mM significantly enhanced the ripening, compared to the control (Awad, 2007). Ethephon accelerates ripening and improves the peel color of the mangoes (Lakshminarayana et al., 1975). Mixture of ethephon, sodium hydro oxide and water, kept in the vicinity of mango fruit, facilitate the ripening in natural way (Sudhakar, 2006). Nair and Singh (2003) reported that fruit quality in terms of TSS, TSS/acid ratio, sugars and eating quality of mango cv. Bocado was found to improve with ethrel at 2000 ppm. Increase in salt concentration progressively increased the Dong/Rutab formation of khadrawi and shamran date cultivars, and addition of acetic acid enhanced the effect, but acetic acid alone was ineffective (Kalra et al., 1977). Ethephon treatment stimulated the decrement of titratable acidity, anthocyanin accumulation and fruit softening four days after treatment in rabbiteye blueberry. The ripening promotion effect of ethephon on total soluble solids content was observed only eight days after treatment. Ethephon treatment did not affect the fruit enlargement during the investigation period. They concluded that ethephon application for rabbiteye blueberry promote the fruit ripening, but the stimulatory effects of ethephon on fruit ripening were different in degree on each ripening characters (Ban et al., 2007). The stimulatory effect of ethephon on blueberry fruit ripening has been reported by some researchers (Eck, 1970; Forsyth et al., 1977; Lewis and Ju, 1993; Warren et al., 1973). The skin color enhancement effect of ethephon has been noted for apple and cranberry (Eck, 1972; Murphey and Dilley, 1988). In Jonagold apple, ethephon application stimulated the anthocyanin accumulation in the skin, but did n ot affect the total soluble solids content, acidity and fruit firmness (Awad and Jager, 2002). From these results, it is concluded that ethephon application for fruit promotes ripening, but the stimulatory effect of ethephon on fruit ripening differs in degree for each fruit ripening character. Ethylene released by the breakdown of Ethrel ® is the cause of softening of fruit and hastens the onset of ripening of several fruits, including mango, as reported by researchers (Rupinder, Poorinima, Pathak, Singh and Dwivedi, 2007). Role of hot water, sodium chloride and acetic acid in fruit ripening: Recently, wide international interest in heat treatment for quality maintenance and disease control has reflected in a range of literatures. With exposure of fresh agricultural commodities to high temperature, heat shock proteins transcripts and protein levels in such commodities have been shown to increase (Lurie, 1998). Further more, a wide range of fruit ripening processes are affected by heat, such as color (Cheng et al, 1988; Tian et al., 1996), ethylene synthesis (Ketsa et al., 1999), respiration (Inaba and Chachin, 1988), fruit softening and cell wall metabolism (Lurie and Nussinovich, 1996), volatile production. Postharvest heat treatment also can reduce chilling injury in many kinds of fruits during subsequent low temperature storage as well as reduce pathogen level and disease development. Agricultural commodities are large and respond differently by applied heat treatment. Inappropriate heat treatment can also lead to ripening acceleration or heat damage (McDonald et al., 1999; Lurie, 1997). The influence of hot water treatment on the ripening/curing of Dhakki dates with 70 oC performed better than 35 and 93 oC furnishing with 55% product yield of acceptable quality. The yield of improved quality product is further increased to 70% on the optimization of treatment time to 3 minutes. They concluded that Dhakki dates does not require to stay on tree beyond fully mature doka stage for want of dong formation and hence saves at least two weeks hang-on period Saleem et al. (2004). When fruits of Khadrawi and Shamran treated with 2% NaCl alone achieved 72 and 75% ripening by weight, similar studies were also conducted on Khadrawi, Shamran, Zaidi and Thoory date varieties at the doka stage. Sodium chloride (0.5-3.0%), actic acid (0.5-2.0%), or sodium chloride at 1.0% + acetic acid. With Khadrawi and Shamran increased concentration of NaCl resulted in a progressive increase in the ripening percentage of fruits (Kalra and Jawand, 1974; Kalra et al., 1977). Shamshiri and Rahemi (19 99) reported that sodium chloride and acetic acid either separately or combined, significantly increased the TSS and reduced fruit firmness and moisture content. Acetic acid at 2% had a better effect on fruit ripening and sodium chloride, but the fruits with sodium chloride were better in appearance. Mirza and Meraj-ud-Din (1988) treated the fruits of Dhakki and Basra cultivars in doka stage with 3% brine solution, 0.25% acetic acid solution and 0.25% citric acid solution for five minutes and sulfuring them for five hours. Different chemical treatments significantly enhanced the ripening percentage of fruits, brine solution was found to be superior ripening agent.

John Locke and Terrorism :: Philosophy of Terrorism Essays

In 1689, A Letter Concerning Toleration, written by John Locke during his self-imposed exile to his friend Philip von Limborch, was published without the author's knowledge. The Letter concerned religious intolerance. It essentially made the case for religious toleration on the basis of philosophical principles. Locke was concerned with the State's toleration of those not subscribing to the orthodox religion of the day and, by putting a high value on the preservation of negative liberty, he proposed the toleration of a wide range of religious beliefs. His view was at odds with the existing view of the State which, at that time tolerated one, and only one, orthodox belief. But Locke's Letter is not simply applicable to just the 17th Century. The strength and reasonableness of his arguments mean that, even today, they are convincing. I intend to show that The Letter can reasonably be interpreted to reveal how at least two of Locke's three arguments can apply to the religious fundamenta lists who attacked the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001. The perpetrators of that violent incident probably believed the Quran supported the view that, to die whilst killing 'infidels' would punish the wrongdoers and also ensure entry to paradise. But James Rachel in his essay, Ethics and the Bible, has a differing view: "Islamic fundamentalists quote the Quran to justify Holy War against the West, but what does the Quran really say? Mohammed Atta, who led the September 11th attack on the World Trade Centre, left behind four pages of instructions to his men, which included 21 quotations from the Quran. Most of the quotations were exhortations to patience, promises of eternal life, and the like. As for justifying the attack itself, here are the three most belligerent passages: 'And the only thing they Lord, forgive our sins and excesses and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' 'Strike above the neck, and strike at all their extremities.' 'Oh Lord, pour your patience upon us and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.'" He also added: "It is remarkable that this was the best the terrorist could do; a Christian would have no trouble producing much more warlike passages from the Old Testament" ThinkIssue One, p. 95 Radical Moslems would be well advised to pause and reflect upon their fundamentalist views which, besides being irrational, are reductio ad absurdum.

Socrates Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

In Crito, Plato recounts the last days of Socrates, immediately before his execution was to take place in Athens. In the dialogue, Socrates’ pupil, Crito, proposes that Socrates escape from prison. Socrates considers this proposal, trying to decide whether escaping would be â€Å"just† and â€Å"morally justified.† Eventually, Socrates concludes that the act is considered â€Å"unjust† and â€Å"morally unjustified.† Socrates then decides to accept his fate and proceeded with his execution. Socrates was a man who was in pursuit of the truth (Durant). In his refusal to accept exile from Athens or a commitment of silence as a penalty, he chooses death and is thrown into prison. While Socrates is awaiting his execution, many of his friends, including Crito, arrive with a foolproof plan for his escape from Athens to live in exile voluntarily. Socrates calmly debates with each friend over the moral value and justification of such an act. â€Å"...people who do not know you and me will believe that I might have saved you if I had been willing to give money, but that I did not care.† -Crito (Wolff 37). Crito believed that by helping Socrates to escape, he could go on to fulfill his personal obligations. Also, if Socrates does not follow the plan, many people would assume that his friends did not care about him enough to help him escape or that his friends are not willing to give their time or money in order to help him. Therefore, Crito goes on to argue that Socrates ou ght to escape from the prison. After listening to Crito’s arguments, Socrates dismisses them as irrelevant to a decision about what action is truly right. â€Å"Now you, Crito, are not going to die to-morrow-...-and therefore you are disinterested and not liable to be deceived by the circumstances in which you are placed.† -Socrates (Wolff 40). In the arguments that Socrates makes, he emphasizes that what other people think does not matter. The only opinions that should matter are the ones of the individuals that truly know. â€Å"The truth alone deserves to be the basis for decisions about human action, so the only proper approach is to engage in the sort of careful moral reasoning by means of which one may hope to reveal it† (Wolff 43). According to Socrates, the only opinion that he is willing to consider would be that of the state. â€Å"...if you go forth, returning evil for evil, and injury for injury,...we shall be angry with you ... ... state of Athens, constitutes disobedience against the state. He argues that obeying the state is a requirement right up until death. He says that by not obeying the state that he was raised in, it's like not obeying his parents that raised him. Socrates was a man who stuck to his commitment to truth, morality and philosophy over life. He had a great commitment to his state, therefore by disobeying it, he would be committing suicide in a sense. If Socrates had disobeyed his state, he would never be allowed to enter it again, nor would any other allow him to live peacefully. His arguments throughout the whole dialogue were very strong. Socrates looked out for his state, while Crito’s arguments were based on himself and how others would view him. Socrates’ conclusion to stay in the prison may have cost him his life, but his act saved the morality and truth of Athens. Works Cited Wolff, Robert Paul. â€Å"Ten Great Works of Philosophy†. New York: Penguin Group, 1969. Durant, William. â€Å"The Story of Philosophy†. New York: Washington Square Press Publications, 1961. Volume I, Ninth Edition. â€Å"Civilization: Past & Present†. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc., 2000. Socrates Essay examples -- essays research papers fc In Crito, Plato recounts the last days of Socrates, immediately before his execution was to take place in Athens. In the dialogue, Socrates’ pupil, Crito, proposes that Socrates escape from prison. Socrates considers this proposal, trying to decide whether escaping would be â€Å"just† and â€Å"morally justified.† Eventually, Socrates concludes that the act is considered â€Å"unjust† and â€Å"morally unjustified.† Socrates then decides to accept his fate and proceeded with his execution. Socrates was a man who was in pursuit of the truth (Durant). In his refusal to accept exile from Athens or a commitment of silence as a penalty, he chooses death and is thrown into prison. While Socrates is awaiting his execution, many of his friends, including Crito, arrive with a foolproof plan for his escape from Athens to live in exile voluntarily. Socrates calmly debates with each friend over the moral value and justification of such an act. â€Å"...people who do not know you and me will believe that I might have saved you if I had been willing to give money, but that I did not care.† -Crito (Wolff 37). Crito believed that by helping Socrates to escape, he could go on to fulfill his personal obligations. Also, if Socrates does not follow the plan, many people would assume that his friends did not care about him enough to help him escape or that his friends are not willing to give their time or money in order to help him. Therefore, Crito goes on to argue that Socrates ou ght to escape from the prison. After listening to Crito’s arguments, Socrates dismisses them as irrelevant to a decision about what action is truly right. â€Å"Now you, Crito, are not going to die to-morrow-...-and therefore you are disinterested and not liable to be deceived by the circumstances in which you are placed.† -Socrates (Wolff 40). In the arguments that Socrates makes, he emphasizes that what other people think does not matter. The only opinions that should matter are the ones of the individuals that truly know. â€Å"The truth alone deserves to be the basis for decisions about human action, so the only proper approach is to engage in the sort of careful moral reasoning by means of which one may hope to reveal it† (Wolff 43). According to Socrates, the only opinion that he is willing to consider would be that of the state. â€Å"...if you go forth, returning evil for evil, and injury for injury,...we shall be angry with you ... ... state of Athens, constitutes disobedience against the state. He argues that obeying the state is a requirement right up until death. He says that by not obeying the state that he was raised in, it's like not obeying his parents that raised him. Socrates was a man who stuck to his commitment to truth, morality and philosophy over life. He had a great commitment to his state, therefore by disobeying it, he would be committing suicide in a sense. If Socrates had disobeyed his state, he would never be allowed to enter it again, nor would any other allow him to live peacefully. His arguments throughout the whole dialogue were very strong. Socrates looked out for his state, while Crito’s arguments were based on himself and how others would view him. Socrates’ conclusion to stay in the prison may have cost him his life, but his act saved the morality and truth of Athens. Works Cited Wolff, Robert Paul. â€Å"Ten Great Works of Philosophy†. New York: Penguin Group, 1969. Durant, William. â€Å"The Story of Philosophy†. New York: Washington Square Press Publications, 1961. Volume I, Ninth Edition. â€Å"Civilization: Past & Present†. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc., 2000.

Health Care Reform Recommendations Essay

The topic of heath care reform is a highly debatable one. Many different organizations have diverse ideas on what is essential to ensure a successful healthcare system is developed in the United Sates. After reading recommendations to advance health care reform from the Mayo Clinic’s (2008), The Wall Street Journal’s Health Care CEO Council (2008), consisting of CEO’s from multiple different medical organizations, and America’s Health Insurance Plan (AHIP)(2007), the following is a list of three recommendations considered by all to be valid ideas for healthcare reform: 1. Access: Universal Health Insurance A. A comprehensive health care reform recommendation of providing universal access to affordable, guaranteed, quality insurance plans for those not covered by employer-based programs. This plan would require individuals to buy insurance, giving them choice, accessibility, control, and peace of mind. B. This reform would require adults to purchase private health insurance for themselves and their families. Employers could continue to participate by buying insurance for their employees or giving them stipends to purchase it. However, the individual would own the insurance. C. Appointing and independent agency to provide coordination, oversight and education for individuals choosing insurance options. 2. Quality: Reform the Payment System A. Change the reimbursement system to reward preventive care and evidence-based care, and extend government efforts to no longer reimburse inappropriate, unsafe or wasted care. Define and measure desirable outcomes for most common diseases. B. Payment to providers should be changed in order to improve health and minimize waste. Create payment systems that provide incentives for various providers to coordinate care, improve care, and support informed patient decision-making. Models of payment should be developed based on the success of chronic care coordination, care coordination teams, shared decision-making and episode-based payment. C. Change Medicare to a pay-for-value model. Redistribute Medicare payments to favor physicians who perform well, as opposed to the current system that rewards volume not value. Paying providers based on value can help produce desired results such as: great outcomes, safety, and service at an affordable cost over time. 3. Affordability: A. Poorly coordinated care also drives up costs when individuals seeing several health care practitioners receive the same diagnostic tests and procedures multiple times because one physician did not know that the other already had conducted them. Access to information that compares the effectiveness and cost of treatments: give providers, patients and purchasers access to a trusted source where they can find up-to-date and objective information on which health care services are most effective and provide the best value. B. Provide positive personal health habit incentives. Lifestyles characterized by smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise leading to obesity are key contributors to high health care costs in the United States. Childhood obesity significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood (CDC, 2006) and according to a study done by the Office of the US Surgeon General (2007), the complications from obesity: cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer are estimated to cost $92 billion (Finkelstein, 2003) in lost productivity per year whereas estimates suggest that the health consequences of smoking may lead to more than $75 billion per year in medical expenditures. C. Provide tax credits to individuals, families for the purchase of insurance, and to small business owners that provide medical coverage to employees. On January 24, 2007, while speaking about healthcare at Families USA, a healthcare advocacy group, then Senator Obama said â€Å" The time has come for universal health care in America [†¦ ] I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country. † (Wikipedia, n. d). Senator McCain however, proposed tax credits and open-market competition as opposed to government funding control (Wikipedia, n. d. ) In comparison, President Obama and Senator McCain, had similar plans in regards to cost and quality improvement. Both parties suggested the adoption of medical malpractice reforms, allowing drug re-importation, focusing on healthcare costs as a reflection of quality service, prevention and care of chronic conditions, and development/deployment of HIT. In addition to similarities in cost and quality improvement, both also believed that prevention is the key to creating a healthier population. Senator McCain focused more on individual responsibility in maintaining and healthy lifestyle whereas President Obama supported increased funding to community based preventive interventions. Overall, a comparison of both parties preliminarily health reform plans reflect multiple similarities in general ideas of needed reforms to the United Sate’s current healthcare system. Whether by adopting a universal healthcare system or implementing changes to the current system; extending coverage, lowering costs, and improving quality of care are all issues agreed upon by both parties as needing attention. References America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)(2007). Guaranteeing Access to Coverage for all Americans. Retrieved 26 January 2009, from http://www. ahipbelieves. com/media/AHIP%20Guarantee%20Access%20Plan. pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006). National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved 26 January 2009, from http://www. cdc. gov/nchs/data/hesate/preliminarydesths05_tables. pdf. Finkelstein E. , et al. (2003). National medical spending attributable to obesity: How much and who’s paying? Health Affairs. W3: 219-226. The Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center (2008). Building Upon the Cornerstones: Recommendations, action steps and strategies to advance health care reform. Retrieved 26 January 2009, from http://www. mayoclinic. org/healthpolicycenter/recommendations. html The Wall Street Journal (2008) CEO Council: Shaping The New Agenda, Health Care. Retrieved 24 January 2009, from http://blogs. wsj. com/ceo-council/2008/11/23/health-care/ U. S. Surgeon General (2007). Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences. Retrieved 26 January 2009, from http://www. surgeongeneral. gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_consequences. htm. Wikipedia (n. d. ). HealthCare Reform in the United States. Retrieved 26 January 2009, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Health_care_reform_in_the_United_States#cite_note-152

Food Inc. Essay

The film Food Inc. reveals the truth about the way food is produced today. The film provides countless cases of negative externalities. If a good has a negative externality, then the cost to society is greater than the cost consumer is paying for it. In other words, the marginal social cost exceeds the marginal private cost. Since consumers make a decision based on where their marginal cost equals their marginal benefit, and since they don’t take into account the cost of the negative externality, negative externalities result in market inefficiencies unless proper action is taken. Negative externalities from eating unhealthy foods are not easily quantified, as a countless number of interwoven factors come into play. While eating unhealthy food has many negative effects on the body, consuming junk food has a large impact on society and the environment. Not knowing how food is produced these days, can open the gap for diseases to be eaten by mouth. Countless negative externalities occurred throughout the film. For example, in 2001, a large number of meats were contaminated by e coli. As the contaminated meat was manufactured to fast food joints and grocery stores, e coli poisoning began to take many lives. A 2-year-old boy by the name of Kevin ate a hamburger from a fast food restaurant. Hours later, the boy caught e coli 0157:H7 and died a few days later of kidney failure and dehydration. His mother pursued Kevin’s Law, which close down plants that produce contaminated meat. Fast Food Negative Externality Graph Fast Food Negative Externality Graph = potential welfare loss = potential welfare loss The chart above represents the negative externality fast food has on society as a whole. MSC stands for marginal social cost; MPC is the marginal private cost. The black triangle represents the potential welfare loss or the â€Å"external cost† of the good. When the marginal social cost exceeds the marginal private cost, this signifies a negative effect on society. When the costs to produce the good are higher than the benefits the good brings, it is not beneficial and harms the market and lives as well. As the quantity increases, the benefit of fast food to society decreases (Q* →Q1 ). Supply and demand of fast food Supply and demand of fast food As many families struggle to get to work and don’t have the time to make a healthy dinner, fast food is often the resort taken. Demand for fast food has increased immensely as time goes on because it is a quick way to eat and be satisfied for the time being. The negative effects that arise, such as diabetes and the chance of being food poisoned are often disregarded. The chart above symbolizes the supply and demand of fast food today. As demand increases, supply decreases. D1 →D2 shows the rise in demand for fast food. S1 → S2 represents the drop in supply due to the increase in demand. As supply decreases, the price for fast food increases (P1→P2). Alternative measures can be taken to decrease the risk of obesity and chances of eating contaminated foods, including, resorting to healthier foods. The rise in demand of healthy foods, cause the price to jump. By being more aware of the foods one is consuming, you are likely to add years to your life, rather than take them away.

Minds Are Opened Only When Hearts Are Opened Essay

â€Å"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.† James Dewar To create the life that you want, growing as a human being and regularly experiencing a prosperous lifestyle, you will need a mind open to other people, possibilities, ideas and opinions around you. When you have an open mind you allow yourself to attract and follow up on opportunities. When you work with the power of the conscious and subconscious mind you will attract opportunities that will bring you what you need; for what you radiate you will constantly attract. When you are prepared to become creative you will create a vibrant life, while eliminating negative and unwanted situations. Most people think they already listen to others with an open mind, merely by paying close attention to what is being said. In fact, keeping an open mind is not easy to do if you are happy with the way you are doing things and do not see the point of changing. We all have moments, however, when we do listen with an open heart and mind, for example, we are more open to listening to someone we trust. An open mind is an understanding mind which will develop a genuine appreciation for people. When you take the trouble to think of other people’s feelings, their viewpoints and their desires you are saying â€Å"people are important†. An open mind will accept other people unconditionally. It requires the letting go of likes and dislikes and other similar emotions. When you do this you discipline your emotions and you allow people to be who they are with all their idiosyncrasies, differences and irritations. When you are communicating with others there can often be misunderstandings and these can lead to failure in your relations with others. We expect others to react and respond and come to the same conclusions we do over a given set of facts. Unfortunately, no one reacts to things as they are but to their own mental images; they are responding appropriately to what they see as the truth about the situation. An open-minded person will ask themselves â€Å"How does this appear to that person?† or, â€Å"How does that person interpret the situation?† and they will try to understand why someone might act differently to the way they expected. Many small business owners have faced extinction because they thought they knew it all and were not prepared to have an open mind and listen to others who had been down that path before them. When you are open minded you are always prepared to be teachable, to learn something new and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. An open mind is the doorway to expansion of ideas. When you open your mind you are not compromising your ethics and values. It just means that you begin to practice a greater sense of awareness and in doing so you are prepared to look at your world a little differently. Test opportunities that are presented to you and examine where the message is coming from. It may be from a friend, a neutral party or from a source about which you are sceptical. If you are not sure, instruct your subconscious mind to guide you by simply saying, â€Å"I am making the right decision.† Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. A Closed Mind â€Å"A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood. – Chinese Proverb. We have all been given the power to develop ideas and exercise free will. Unfortunately too often those ideas die as a seed and people use their free will to close their mind to the tremendous opportunities surrounding them. This stubbornness prevents them from achieving the goals that they want for themselves and so the opportunity for success is greatly decreased. In our formative years we grow and develop egos that maintain very particular ideas about ourselves in relation to the world around us. Your ego is your conscious mind, that which controls your behaviour and tries to give meaning to your external, material reality. It is powerful and can control your life if you allow it. Your external reality is a direct result of your mental and spiritual self so if the latter two are not where you want them to be your external and material self will suffer. The ego cannot improve the quality of your mental and spiritual life. When you close your mind you essentially become stubborn and become a victim of the ego mind which says, â€Å"My attitude is right despite what anyone else has to say†. The ego mind, although it thinks it knows better than anyone else, is never prepared to leave its comfort zone and so is not open to new ideas nor will it welcome others into its world. This kind of attitude shuts you off from the process of life and nature which is about growing and experiencing new possibilities. Think about how many times you were resistant to trying something new only to eventually give in and discover that you really enjoyed the process. Limitations are the jail of the mind so if you can throw off the shackles and open your mind to new and exciting ideas, your possibilities become limitless. When the mind is shackled and limited it affects every part of your life, for example, work presentations can lack innovation and impact and even every-day conversations are less productive and rewarding. Conversations often become defensive as the mind closes off to what is being said by others. Society today gives out a negative message that everyone is out to ‘take you down’ and that if it ‘looks to good to be true, it probably is’. This causes many to close their minds to everything beyond their current knowledge. An open mind is a mind that is aware that the current knowledge is not all there is to know and will eagerly investigate possibilities. When you have a closed mind to new and exciting possibilities you essentially tell yourself that you are not willing to go the extra mile – that you are not willing to grow and experience new things. You have now switched off the power within you and there can be no change and no progress in life and things will never improve. Such people become very introspective and weak. The old recordings of the past can, however, be changed. If you choose, you can wipe the old record clean, put on a new record and make a decision to activate the positive thoughts which lead to a relaxed and open view of the world. Remember, the past explains how you got to the present but where you go from here is your responsibility. In his book A Vision of Power & Glory, John Kehoe gives a Zen parable about two monks who are on a journey together when they come to a river. By the river there is a beautiful woman. The woman asks them, â€Å"Please will one of you monks carry me across the river? The river is too wide and the current too swift.† The two monks look at one another, because they have taken a sacred vow to not so much as even touch a woman. Then, abruptly, the older monk picks up the woman, carries her across the river and puts her down on the other side. They continue on their journey. The younger monk is flabbergasted. He can’t believe it. An hour goes by and not a word is spoken between them. Two hours. Three hours. And finally, after four hours, he turns to the older monk and blurts out, â€Å"How could you have done that? How could you have carried that woman?† â€Å"Oh?† responds his companion, â€Å"Are you still carrying her? I put her down four hours ago.† John Kehoe goes on to say, â€Å"How much are we still carrying around inside us that should have been put down a long time ago? Disappointments; regrets; failures; grudges. How much junk are we carrying around inside us and how long are we going to carry it? All our life?† If you want to change and improve your attitude to life then it is imperative that you keep an open mind. That is not to say you will be taken in by every ‘fly-by-night’ scheme that may be put before you. An open mind is curious and investigative and examines new things. Your creative power system uses your conscious and subconscious mind to attract, explore and check out new opportunities so that you can begin achieving your goals and creating the life you want. Don’t limit yourself; learn how to attract new possibilities and make the right decisions by developing the power of your mind and heart. If you move in your community with an open mind and an open heart you can learn to accept others. You don’t have to agree with them, but accept who they are and feel free to express yourself. I remember a friend of ours who has passed on now, who was well-known and well-liked in community affairs. He met many people as he moved around and sometimes in a gathering he would be heard to say, â€Å"There’s a fellow over there I met recently and I didn’t like him; I must go over and get to know him better†. He would always come away with a new-found friend; now that’s an open mind and open heart.