American Health Insurance

The Impact of American Health Insurance System on Society’s Development The American healthcare system since the 1990’s had been undergoing issues and problems that remains unsolved and unanswered. According to World Health Organization, for the year 2000, US have been the top country when it comes to responsiveness and expenditures, what is puzzling however, is that the country only ranked 37th in overall performance and 72nd when it comes to the nation’s level of health. The US is the only developed country, except for South Africa, who doesn’t provide all its citizens the health care that they need.Furthermore, the uniqueness of this system that differentiates it from the world is the dominance of the private element over the public element. To start of, in 2003 only 15% of the non-elderly American’s populace were insured in public programs while 67% and 18% were insured in a private health insurance and uninsured respectively (Kao Ching Pua 2006 ). There are mainly 2 types of programs in the public insurance the Medicare and the Medicaid. Medicare is a federal program that covers individuals aged 65 and over, as well as some disabled individuals.It is a single-payer program administered by the government (the only entity to perform the insurance function of reimbursement). Medicare and Medicaid are financed by federal income taxes, a payroll tax shared by employers and employees, and individual enrollee premiums. Another program of the government is the Medicaid program that is deigned for the low-income and disabled. In the Private Insurance Sector there is the employer-sponsored insurance and the Private non-group or the individual market. Employer-sponsored insurance represents the main way in which Americans receive health insurance.Employers provide health insurance as part of the benefits package for employees while it also varies widely. In another note, the individual market covers part of the population that is sel f-employed or retired, as well as those who are unable to obtain through employment. Unlike the employer-sponsored insurance, the individual market allows health insurance companies to deny people coverage based on pre-existing conditions (Kao Ching Pua 2006). The emergence of American Insurance System is like a double-edged sword that can either have positive and negative effects on society’s development.If by far that the insurance program is discriminating in its clients by means that it incurs more than it gives out, then by all means it will simply deter the progress that the society aims for. If a well –organized and efficient American Insurance system is carried out, then more satisfied Americans can go on living, having enough stamina and vigor to face the daily challenges ahead which in turn will be good for the economy. The Three Key Initiatives: 1. The Need for better Access and Coverage IssueNagging issues such as inefficiency and failure in access to healt h care delivery system have taken root. In 2004, 45. 8 million Americans were uninsured (US Census Bureau) and expected to rise accordingly by 50 million in the next decade to come. Between 2000 and 2004 alone, the number of the uninsured had increased to 5. 8 million and among them was low-income families and the working middle class (Serber and Gauthler, 2005). The Degree of Risk The risk that in may turn be involved will be the emergence of dishonest and hoaxed companies that’s only goal is to benefit.It can be prevented if the government can steer hold of these from happening so a fair and competitive business can occur where one can mutually benefit with each other. The Internal and External Environmental Strengths and Weaknesses In which case, the government should step up by expanding their public insurance programs so that they can reach those who have low incomes and those who can’t access in ones due to inappropriateness or lack of credentials. It will be the lack of support and initiative from the government should the case be if ever disadvantages might hold.The Ability of the Organization to Respond to Risks The risks can be minimized if the government can strengthen or devise new laws in which it will create positive effects or support the said initiative. Willingness to Commit to Organizational Enhancement A number of private insurances had been emerging that promises better deals and coverage so that lessening the rate of the uninsured may come in due time. These insurance companies have notice the growing dissatisfaction of the American society and are now currently devising well-developed proposals that can answer to the growing demand.The search for a better proposal as one insurance company competes with the other will improve the system that we have today. The Barriers to Organizational Effectiveness There incurs more expenses in medical fees because individuals themselves are hesitant to approach medical care due to the amou nt of money he will lose without thinking of the future disadvantages that he might hold. The more a mild condition is prolonged without treatment, the more will the expense of fees he will gain when the condition becomes worse.It is because he is uninsured or underinsured, that he is unable to go for a check-up. The Three Key Initiatives: 2. the Need for a Better health insurance Policy Issue Problems (Serber and Gauthler, 2005) like gaps in insurance coverage makes it difficult for an individual to fill-out prescription, see specialists when warranted, undergo a medical test treatment or simply to seek advice for a medical problem. Administrative costs is what most of where the expenses in healthcare comes from. It is noted that in 24% of the dollars spent on health care go to administrative costs alone.If ever there is poor access and coverage in insurance systems, more people will incur more expense, because he will choose not to go to a hospital when what he’s feeling is still mild and only decides to when the conditioned that could be prevented earlier comes to worse. The Degree of Risk Policymakers should take into consideration the short-run and long run effects in the implementation or creation of a new policy as well as to extensively study the implications that may affect or contradict to other existing policies, otherwise it will only add up to the burgeoning problems ahead.The Internal and External Environmental Strengths and Weaknesses Government should devise ways in which to control the system so that worse case scenarios can be prevented and see to it that all can avail the program without any disparities or discrimination in income and race. They should be strict with their implementations and policies as well as provide enough space to allow the flow of things to occur and freedom for one to move freely without much fear. The strengthening of policies can discourage evil doings but the lose implementation can lead to the rise of under ground economies.Much will be received if much can be given. The Ability of the Organization to Respond Risks USA is one of the most powerful and wealthiest countries in the world. The amount of problems cannot be ignored but to sum it up, the government made a fairly great job in running the country and making a better policy on the health system wouldn’t be that much difficult if given attention to. This country is where great minds meet and freedom of thinking is welcomed. Willingness to Commit to Organizational EnhancementWith much received attention from the media, scholars and victims of negligent treatments, issues that will pertain on health will be given a solution to, by the government, hopefully. Its mandate after all is to serve the people. The Barriers To Organizational Effectiveness Up to now, some politicians and insurance choose to be blind saying that there is nothing wrong with the health care system, but as years past, it is becoming more and more visible t hat there is something wrong and unless that problem is acknowledge, then it would never be undone. The Three Key Initiatives: 3. The Need for better Information DispersionIssue There is a saying that if you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself. The people should know what they want and learn to voice it out. There will be much response from the administrative body if there is a unified cry. The people should be better informed when it comes to the current problems as well as know how can they break down the existing barriers that obstruct their way in leading a better life. The Degree of Risk People may resort to unnecessary means such as violence and brainwashing just to be heard, distorting the truth and forgetting the real aim of the cause.Small problems become big when misunderstandings and hearsay from unreliable sources (e. g. hearsay and liberal media) accumulate. The Internal and External Environmental Strengths and Weaknesses In this manner, it is all u p to the individual of whether he will give response to the ones happening in his environment. There will be a push and pull effect of the truth from the biased. The Ability of the Organization to Respond to Risks An individual by nature is a social being. Americans are well capable of distinguishing which are or which are not to trust.In the end, the experiences that they will gain will guide them through these undertakings and they themselves will know what is true that will in turn help them to decide. Willingness to Commit to Organizational Enhancement There had been a lot of reliable and accessible publications that describes the truth on what is happening to our system. More and more people are now aware of the existing discrepancies and will meet up to the challenge of providing as system that will work for all. The Barriers To Organizational EffectivenessRepressive reports and biased opinions for the sake of personal gain and protection would shatter the cause to spread out the truth to the public creating a much confused and disorganized community. References Gumbel A. (2007). Sicko? The truth about the US healthcare system. Independent News. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://news. independent. co. uk/world/americas Kao-Ping Chua. (2006). Overview of the U. S. Health Care System. AMSA Jack Rutledge Fellow. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from www. amsa. org/uhc/HealthCareSystemOverview. pdf Serber M. and A. Gauthier. (2005).A Need to Transform the US Healthcare System; Improving Access, Quality and Efficiency. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www. commonwealthfund. org/publications/publications_show. htm? doc_id=302833 The US Healthcare System: The Best in the World or Just the Most Expensive? (2001) Bureau of Labor Education. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from dll. umaine. edu/ble/U. S. %20HCweb. pdf William S. Andereck. (2006). Modest proposal: health insurance for every person Drop Medicare, Medicaid and costly insurance. http://www. sfgate. com /cgi-bin/article. cgi? file=/chronicle/archive/2006/08/06/ING9HKAN4E1. DTL. (December 26, 2007).

Comparitive Study Between Euripides’ Alcestis and Hippolytus

Euripides, youngest of the three great Greek tragedians, was born c. 485 BC though he was scarcely a generation younger than Sophocles, his world view better reflects the political, social, and intellectual crises of late 5th-century Athens. Euripides' enormous range spans contradictory tendencies:   He was both a rationalist and a romanticist;  he both criticized the traditional gods and celebrated religious phenomena He incorporated the new intellectual and scientific movements into his works but also conveyed the irresistible power of the irrational. Original and experimental, he parodied the conventions of tragedy and also used new theories about the illusionist and deceptive powers of language. He created tragicomic plots. His Alcestis and Hippolytus are his two great plays. We will notice many similarities in Euripidean plays. There are many similarities in Alcestis and Hippolytus and also have some dissimilarities. Comparative studies between these plays are discussed below. In ancient Greek tragedy there has several parts—Prologue, Parados, Episode. the first Stasimon the second Episode, the second Stasimon, the third Episode, the third Stasimon, the fourth Episode, the fifth Stasimon and Exodos. The plot structures of both plays are same. In both play we find Prologue, Parados, Episode, the first Stasimon the second Episode, the second Stasimon, the third Episode, the third Stasimon, the fourth Episode, the fifth Stasimon and Exodos and also choral ode with strophe and antistrophe. In both play the unity of time, pla ce and action have been maintained. Both plays are written in Iambic Pentameter. Both Alcestis and Hippolytus open with prologue or monologue which is a common characteristic of Greek plays . In both plays the audience have lost their interest from the very beginning because everything has been told before in the prologue. The play Alcestis begins with the prologue of the god Apollo. Here Apollo stops death from taking the life of Admetus and predicts that Alcestis will die instead of Admetus. He also predicts that Alcestis’ life will be saved by Heracles, the demi god. Similarly the play Hippolytus also begins with the monologue of the goddess Aphrodite. In the play Aphrodite the goddess of love, is angry with Hippolytus because of his devotion to Artemis, the goddess of chastity and hunting. So she makes a plan to ruin the life of Hippolytus, phadra and Theseus as well. Chorus plays a very significant role in Greek plays. The appearance of chorus is mandatory in Greek plays. In the plays of Sophocles the chorus continually present on the stage. In Euripides the picture is quite different. His plays are relatively complex. He experienced difficulties in retaining chorus. In Alcestis The entry of the chorus, or the â€Å"parodos† sequence, follows: a chorus of fifteen men of Pherae, led by a â€Å"coryphaeus† (chorus-leader), enter the orchestra of the theatre. The chorus-leader complains that they are in a state of suspense, ignorant of whether they ought to be performing mourning rituals for their queen. The chorus' lyrical ode, to which they dance as they sing, consists of two paired stanzas of strophe and antistrophe. They sing of the silence that greets their search for signs of mourning, the evidence of Alcestis' death. When goodness dies,† they lament, â€Å"all good men suffer, too. † The chorus-leader concludes by dismissing the chorus' search for hope in the situation: â€Å"The King has exhausted every ritual. † The Chorus is significant here and active. They informed the audience about what is happening inside the palace. Unlike Seneca’s chorus, the chorus is very active and plays a very important r ole. In Hippolytus the chorus is composed of fifteen women of Troy. In this play the chorus is mostly passive. For in a Sophoclean play the chorus announces new comers. In Hippolytus the chorus is not as active as Sophoclean tragedy. They inform the audience of the death of his wife. But under no circumstances could they speak of the criminal passion of Phaedra for Hippolytus. That would have been the height of impropriety. That is why Phaedra has to lay bare her heart to the Nurse. It is Artemis who informed Theseus of what actually happened. What mortals fail to do, Dues ex machine can. The choruses in Hippolytus therefore do not serve any important purpose as they do in the tragedies of Aeschylus and Sophocles. Euripides always highlights the role of servant or nurse throughout his plays. He always highlights the salve character. In Alcestis it is the servant who reveals the secret to Heracles that their queen is dead. Heracles gets drunk and begins irritating the servants, who loved their queen and are bitter at not being allowed to mourn her properly. Finally, one of the servants snaps at the guest and tells him what has happened. Heracles is terribly embarrassed at his blunder and his bad behavior, and he decides to ambush and confront Death and save Alcestis from the clutches of Death. Similarly in Hippolytus it is nurse who reveals the secret of her queen to Hippolytus which hastens the death of Phaedra. Phaedra took her Nurse into her confidence. But the nurse foolishly exposed the truth to Hippolytus. So we can say in both plays. Euripides reveals the truth by a slave character. Aeschylus and Sophocles had implicit faith in the Olympian gods and goddesses. Euripides had refined sensibility and looks at the divinities a little critically disciple of Xenophanes and Anaxagoras, he had a rational outlook on men and things. He was not a skeptic, far less an atheist. He profusely used the traditional myth and legends. In Alcestis, Admetus  forgot to sacrifice to Artemis, and consequently found his marriage chamber full of coiled serpents. Apollo bade King Admetus  appease the goddess, and meanwhile he obtained (because Admetus  1 was such a kind master towards him) a special favour of the MOERAE: that when Admetus  1 should be about to die, he might be released from death, if someone should choose voluntarily to die for him. â€Å"In Admetus I found a godly man. And so I rescued him from death by tricking the MOERAE. These goddesses promised me that Admetus could escape an immediate death by giving in exchange another corpse to the powers below. † (Apollo. Euripides, Alcestis 10). Alcestis dies in vicarious death Admetus could not find someone who would die for him. Only because of the role of Apollo, Admetus’ life saves and Alcestis dies instead of him. Euripides makes gods and goddesses questionable. In Alcestis, Alcestis dies because Admetus could not find someone who would die for him. Only because of the role of Apollo, Admetus’ life saves and Alcestis dies instead of him. Here the justice of Apollo is definitely questionable. In Hippolytus, the Olympian gods and goddesses plays a very important role although they are presented in the play in an unpleasant way. Hippolytus is very much devoted to the goddess Artemis and do not worship Aphrodite which makes the goddess angry and she made a plan which ruins the life of Hippolytus, Phaedra and Theseus as well. The main theme of this play is the conflict between love and chastity, infact it is the conflict between Aphrodite and Artemis. Artemis is not also totally blameless. She could have save her favorite but didn’t do so. Although the god Poseidon does not appear physically but he plays a very significant role in this play. He too is responsible for the death of Hippolytus. Euripides portrayal of women in his plays has been somewhat bizarre. His female characters kill out of revenge, kill out of jealousy and kill because a god possessed them too. Women occasionally assert dominance in the household; although, even within the home they posses limited influence over their husbands. An interesting theme runs through Euripides theatrical tragedies Alcestis and Hippolytus. In each play the lead female character forgoes her life for the sake of love. In Alcestis, Alcestis willingly gives her life to prevent her husband Admentus' death. In Hippolytus, Phaedra chooses to commits suicide as a result of falling in love with her husband’s son and refusing to be deceitful to her husband. Although Alcestis’ love should be considered as moral and virtuous where as Phaedra’s passion for her son was immoral, incestuous and illegal. In these two plays, a major female character challenges the predominately masculine centre pf power and authority and in some way questions the limits of that power. Alcestis forces her husband to confront the gap between the value that he attaches to family ties and affections and the honorific exchange of guest relationship that belong to the outward-facing world of male prerogatives. Phaedra’s erotic passion invades the garden world of idealized purity that Hippolytus would create with his virginal huntress-goddess, Artemis and shatters its defense by opening it up to the power of Aphrodite that he has rejected (both for himself and others) so absolutely. In the process, Phaedra also releases the suppressed violence and hatred that fuel Hippolytus’ total rejection of Aphrodite. .Although Phaedra has passionate desires for her stepson she is thoroughly ashamed of these feelings and as a result of her shame she decides to die by starving herself. She also condemns women who are unfaithful to their husbands as she says ‘And I despise them, women who preach faithfulness to husbands but dare the worst behind their backs. ’ Euripides, therefore, presents Phaedra as a moral woman who is just an unlucky victim of Aphrodite In these two cases the women are impelled to their actions by their intense emotional commitment to house and family. Alcestis and Phaedra both try to ensure their children’s future; and each is prepared to sacrifice her life in the process, although in diametrically opposite ways. In the play Hippolytus we notice the growth and development in Phaedra’s character. She is a dynamic or round character. But Alcestis does not have any growth and development throughout the play. She is a static character. Unlike Phaedra she plays a trivial role in the play. There is a question whether Euripides is misogynist or not. Euripides' innovation in his Hippolytus is to cast the woman as a sympathetic character, Aphrodite's helpless victim caught in a divine plan to destroy Hippolytus. His audience expects to see the wicked woman vilified and the virtuous youth exalted; that is the tradition. Instead, Euripides portrays his Phaedra as a highly moral woman struggling against the shame of her passion, while Hippolytus is an intolerant prig. Alcestis’ love is virtual, a sacred love for a husband. But Phaedra’s love for his step son has been considered in the play as sickness. She became love sick. Since her love is not pure like Alcestis so her love defined as sickness throughout the play. Euripides’ sympathetic tone is toward woman is also expressed in the play Alcestis. Alcestis' fate can be viewed as a reflection of the male- dominated world of fifth- century Athens- her death is decided by her husband, in that he allows her to take his pre-ordained place in Hades; her rescue from Death comes only through Heracles' intervention. Being led silently from the tomb perhaps symbolizes the woman's role in the Athenian household as a subordinate figure, from whom it was preferred to hear little. In all, the play shows that the rules of the male world, guest- friendship and hospitality in particular, are more important that the whims of a female, even her dying wish are disregarded. So he can’t be considered as misogynist. Heroes are undistinguished in Euripidean plays. They do not have much heroic qualities. They are very common and simple rather heroines are more focused in Euripidean play. For example in Alcestis, Admetus’ role is not heroic rather he is coward and self centered. He has not any growth and development. Alcestis sacrifices her own life for her husband, Admetus just laments on her wife’s death. He does not try anything to save her beloved wife’s life. Rather it was Heracles who save the Alcestis life and rescued her. In Hippolytus, we notice the growth and development of Phaedra’s character. Phaedra’s love, her passion, her struggle and her death makes her a round character. But Hippolytus’ remains quite inactive throughout the play. He has no contribution to the action of the play. Phaedra and Aphrodite play the main role in this play. They are more focused than Theseus or Hippolytus. According to Aristotle a hero should not be too good or too bad. Hippolytus is too good. He is a debatable hero. He has no growth and development. Unlike Phaedra he is a static character. Deus ex machine is a technique where a god or artificial or improbable device introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot. This technique is frequently used by Euripides. In the play Alcestis, Heracles acted as Dues ex machine. In the play Hippolytus it is the goddess Artemis who is presented as Dues ex machine. Alcestis is considered as a satyr play. Alcestis is a domestic tragicomedy with a mixture of fairy tale atmosphere and intense personal suffering that in the extant plays reappears again. Although the play begins with a gloomy and tragic mood but the ending of this play is joyous. It has a happy ending though artificial. So this play is considered as a tragicomedy. His play Hippolytus explores the nature of passion, the problem of communication and language and the emotional and the moral pitfalls of intense aspiration and one-sided devotion to the ideal. This play is totally a tragedy. In this play Phaedra commit suicide and the play ends with death Hippolytus. Obviously this play does not end with a happy tone. So it has been considered as a pure example of tragedy. Euripides has come to be increasingly appreciated in modern times for his intellectual subtlety, bold and original dramatic power, brilliant psychological insight, and ability to elicit unexpected symbolic meaning from ancient myth and cult. Critics find the Alcestis a richly rewarding play in many areas. D. J. Conacher explores how Euripides expanded the myth of Admetus and Alcestis, adding comic and folk tale elements to suit the needs of his tragedy. In Hippolytus, he also adapts the myth of Pasiphae the mother of Phaedra and Ariadne, the sister of her. But he relates it to the play by his own way. Throughout his works Euripides struggled to show the human side of his characters and tried to elevate their actions to a status of importance and not just as a consequence of the intervention of the gods. For this reason Euripides stands apart as does his works.

Bend It Like Beckham Essay

At at the end they realize that racist and close-minded individuals are everywhere and if you desire to be a star, you do not have to accept anybody’s negative opinions but alternately put in the effort yourselves. When moving to another country, culture impact is what shocks families the most. In this case, Mr. Bhamra does not get accepted into a sports team because the way he presents himself, dressing differently from the norm, and the coaches do that welcome that. Due to this past experience that took place when he first came to the country, he closes many doors to his daughter, Jess, by not letting her go to practices, being on his wife’s side and thinking that he is only doing that to protect her from getting rejected and influencing her to profound her Indian culture values. This turns out to be a very difficult situation for Jesminder to handle because without her father’s support, she might end up being a failure. People say that gender stratification is not a common treatment amongst individuals anymore. But in the film, Jess’ father prohibits her from playing soccer because he assumes that it is not a sport for females, and that she will end up obtaining rejection from coaches and friends, just like he did as a teenager. Also because his wife acquaints him with false information stating that Jesminder’s sexuality would change, which results frightening him and causes him to restrain her from the activity completely. Jess accepts this in a very harsh way but does not give up and continues to play soccer without her father’s permission. The modern society states that culture and gender inequality is not in common use anymore, but that does not mean people will stop applying these injustices to others. Throughout the film Mr. Ghamra forbids Jesminder to carry out her passion, which is playing soccer, because he does not agree that ladies should perform the sport and because is not an Indian –like culture task. At the end of the movie he realizes that he cannot guard her forever and that she needs to defend herself alone with courage if she is willing to take risky chances. He becomes aware that it is not the world’s duty to change others but the person’s own to face their challenges. The situation shown in the film proves how Mr. Ghamra and his family suffered from different cultural conflicts between each other and others surrounding them. Certain gender issues and inequalities ,as a result of culture misunderstandings, also affect them. Although Mr. Bhamra did not accept his daughter eagerness to play soccer he realized that letting her persuade her dreams was the best option for her future. Concluding that, according to the film, it does not matter what people say or influence you to do, anything is possible and if you do not risk given chances, others will take along with your dreams.

Mill's Utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mill's Utilitarianism - Essay Example That is why he tries to show that justice and utility are able not only to coexist, but also cooperate. He points about that a fundamental part of justice is the desire to punish. Indeed, the former notion is often connected to various actions which might have a certain violent aspect, for example, a court ruling is basically a punishment for a person (50). So, he draws a connection between justice and some negative effects that it may have on people. Mill also suggests that justice might be perceived as a form of retaliation or vengeance that is applied to people who violates the rule and regulation which were created by the society (52). In other words, the social environment takes defensive actions in the form of justice in order to punish those how did not follow the conventions and thus became a treat to it. What is more important is that this desire to retaliate is seen by Mill as an essential constituent of a human being. Indeed, it is a part of our nature to hurt those who hurt us (55). He points out that this kind of attitude to others allows people to build a social environment that provided them with security. Nevertheless, in the case of justice this natural desire is conditioned by other characteristic features of a human being, such as intellect and sympathy (11). In other words, when violent actions addressed to those who hurt as go through the prism of intellect and sympathy, they become justice that is being applied to those who should be punished. Finally, the range of people who are likely to experience the consequences of justice is defined by Mill in the following way. On the one hand, this number includes those people who hurt a particular individual (50). For example, a person who commits robbery hurts another person and the latter perceives it is an act of injustice that was directed at him or her personally. In this case the

Advocacy for Physical Activity must reflect population needs Essay

Advocacy for Physical Activity must reflect population needs - Essay Example There are also details on how provisions for greater equity and inclusion in physical exercise and health could be achieved. In creating opportunities government and institutions play an imperative role in designing and implementing policies and programs to enhance physical activity. Physical activity can be enhanced through school programmes, community-based leisure and recreational activities and exercise and fitness programs. The paper touches on various factors that need to be considered in intervention strategies to enhance long-term physical activity. Such factors include the role of family and socio-culture. It is important to instil physical activity behaviour in children when they are still young because this is easily embraced and as they grow up it becomes one of the norms of daily life. The community as well as family play an essential role in promoting physical activity. Physical activity plays an important role in well-being and health of every individual. This should b e encouraged in all stages of life to ensure a healthy generation. Physical activity is the universal, non-compulsory activities geared toward attaining a recognised goal (Hoffman 2013:7). Physical activity is associated with long life time and health since the olden days. In reference to Hippocrates, he stated that various components of the body have a role. If utilised in self-control and practiced in activities where they are used to they end up being healthy, age slowly and develop well. However, if not utilised and left inactive they became prone to illness, and undeveloped growth and age rapidly (Hardman & Stensel 2009:3). In this contemporary lifestyle, physical activities are getting eroded with time. The change of lifestyle include most individuals work in stationery jobs and when they have their day off participate in sitting activities, for example, watching movies. People in modern

Strategic Management Businesss with Marketing Degree Assignment

Strategic Management Businesss with Marketing Degree - Assignment Example SWOT Analysis The primary strength of Virgin is its strong presence in the market. It could be realized that it’s the number one brand in UK with strong presence in Europe and US. In US is has performed while competition with the giants like Apple TV and Google TV. A growing tendency for consumers to access increasingly personalized on-demand content has spawned various devices and gadgets seeking to provide an integrated experience across a proliferating number of online and mobile platforms, has encouraged Virgin Media to come up with innovative technologies in the market with regard to media and communications. The company is the largest providers in UK in terms of residential broadband internet, TV and telephone services if compared by number of customers. (VMED Annual Report, 2010) Another Strength of VMED is its advanced and excellent Research & Development capability, efficient and effective supply chain, and mass production at a competitive production cost. These compe titive strategies of VMED have helped it to become a market leader in many products. In 2010, VMED launched TiVo set top boxes, thereby developing next generation set top boxes by partnering with TiVo Inc (VMED Annual Report, 2010). This was a shear display of Research initiatives of the company. With the use of technologies like e-commerce, the company had created an efficient supply chain which helps it with seamless flow of information and products among resources. Mass production done by VMED helps it achieve economies of scale thereby increasing operating profits of the company. The primary weakness of the company is that it is investing a lot of amount in restructure activities involving spin-off of certain subsidiaries and disposal of assets. In Jun-10, the company also sold British Sky Broadcasting as well as Kestrel Broadcasting as a part of its restructuring and disposal activities (VMED Annual Report, 2010). In the same year company also recognized impairment charges from such transactions. These activities may be beneficial for the long wrong if executed correctly but they reduce profit making capability of the company. The company should concentrate more on the activities involving expansion and research for innovative technologies. Another Weakness of VMED is its low market share in emerging economies. To be a cash cow for the future every technology company should be in search for opportunities in the emerging markets as they give the advantage of escalated growth compared to developed markets where growth stagnates after a point of time. It should be noted that VMED has a low presence in emerging economies e.g. India whilst many other companies like Apple and Sony are aggressively gaining market share in these countries. To retain market capitalization VMED needs to expand its operations aggressively to emerging countries. Primary opportunity for VMED is expanding into markets with the help of joint ventures, tie-up and agreement with other com panies. This would give VMED the advantage of achieving economies of scale and also act as a risk hedging activity while entering new markets. It could be realized from the fact that in 2009, VMED entered into patent cross license agreement with IBM (VMED Announcements, 2011). The Consumer Electronics Association, an industry trade group, expects US sales of connected TVs to grow from about 3.2

Pros and Cons of Breast Cancer and Biomakers Research Paper

Pros and Cons of Breast Cancer and Biomakers - Research Paper Example Most of the tumor markers are produced by cancer cells and also normal cells, but are increased in cancerous conditions. These factors are found in tumor tissue, blood, urine and other tissues and fluids of the body in some patients with cancer. More often than not, tumor markers are proteins. (National Cancer Institute, 2012) More than 20 different tumor markers have been described and characterized and they are in clinical use (National Cancer Institute, 2012). While some are associated with only one type of cancer, others are associated with more than one type of cancer. However, there is no universal tumor marker that can detect any type of cancer. Tumor markers serve various purposes in cancer management like complementing diagnosis, prognostication, detection of recurrence, etc. However, there are certain limitations for the use of these markers. Thus, there are pros and cons to the use of tumor markers. In this essay, pros and cons of application of biomarkers or tumor markers in breast cancer management will be discussed. Application of breast cancer biomarkers The most common cancer affecting women all over the world is breast cancer and it has been estimated that about one million cases are diagnosed every year worldwide (Duffy et al, 2005). The main presenting features of the disease include lump in the breast, skin contour changes and nipple discharge. Asymptomatic cases may be picked up during routine screening tests. Definitive diagnosis is histopathology of the biopsy specimen. Several blood based biomarkers are available, but they do not have a role in the early diagnosis of the disease. For localized breast cancer, primary treatment is mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery and radiation. In invasive breast cancer, primary treatment is followed by hormone therapy or chemotherapy. These treatments have shown to reduce mortality related to breast cancer. Following primary therapy, the patients are followed up at regular intervals for surveillanc e. This includes clinical history, detailed physical examination, chest X-ray, mammography, biochemical testing and use of breast cancer markers. The intention is to detect recurrent disease at an early stage so that outcomes are better. This is one use of tumor marker. There are other uses of tumor markers in breast cancer management. Recurrent disease is common even in lymph node-negative cases and therapeutic options in such cases include exclusive hormone therapy or chemotherapy or a combination of both. Metastatic breast cancer is considered incurable and treatment is mainly palliative. Serial assessment of tumor markers is useful in to decide whether a particular treatment modality can be continues or there is a need to switch to another treatment modality. Thus, it is now clear that tumor markers are necessary for optimal management of breast cancer (Duffy et al, 2005). Pros of breast cancer biomarkers There are 2 types of tumor markers available for breast cancer and they ar e serum markers and tissue markers. Examples of serum markers useful in breast cancer include CEA, CA 15-3, polypeptide antigen or TPA, BR 27.29, tissue polypeptide specific antigen or TPS and the shed form of HER-2 (Duffy, 2006). Examples of tissue markers include urokinase plasminogen activator, HER-2, hormone receptors and plasminogen activator-1. Most of the oncological organizations in Europe, US and other countries recommend routine assay of progesterone and estrogen receptors on all newly diagnosed breast cancers to select the type of hormone therapy (Duffy, 2006). These markers are also useful to determine prognosis. HER-2 is also recommended on all newly diagnosed breast cancer cases. The main purpose of this is to determine whether the cancer is suitable for Trastuzumab (Herceptin). This test is

Critically discuss the process of planning Health schools program Assignment

Critically discuss the process of planning Health schools program which is examining ways of addressing the growing problem of c - Assignment Example In the United States, childhood obesity is now the most widespread chronic disorder in children. In 2003, the health Survey of England has also reported that the obesity among 2-10 years old was recorded as 27.7% and 13.7% respectively. Genetic characteristics may increase the tendency of the child to have excess body weight but it is applicable only in few of the cases (Farooqi, 2005). According to the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from last three decades, the genetic characteristics of the humans have not changed. However, in the same period the prevalence of obesity has tripled among children. The other factor that causes the imbalance is behaviour. It can be caused by the excess intake of energy in the form of junk food and sugar-sweetened drinks. In addition to this, if the children are not participating in physical activities during schools, this may play a major part in consuming high calories. Other than this, children spend more time in front of television, computers, and cellular telephones (Zametktn, Zoon, Klein, and Munson, 2004). It requires little activity and may lower the children’s metabolic rate. Moreover, they tend to make unhealthy food choices because of excessive exposure of food advertisement. Schools alone cannot solve the obesity epidemic, but it is unlikely to achieve it without strong school-based programs and policies. This is because around 90 % of children are enrolled in the schools and if they develop the habit of good appetite from the beginning, only then they would be able to continue it for the rest of their life. Schools are the basic primary institutions for every field possible; hence, we can say that they can play a vital role in controlling the obesity epidemic (National Association of State Boards of Education, 2004). Initial statement of the issue In the past 30 years, the percentage of obesity has more than doubled in the children and its ratio has tripled among adolescents. Among c hildren between 6 -11 years, the frequency of obesity in 1980 was 6.5% (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999) whereas, in 1998 it has reached to 19.6%. Among adolescents, 12-19 years of age, obesity has increased from 5.0% to 18.1% in the respective years (National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, 2010). In the pre-school children among the age group of 2-5 years, the obesity rate has increased from 5% –10.4% between the years of 1976-1980. In years from 2007- 2008, for 6 -11 years old children the rate has increased from 6.5% -19.6% (Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). It is expected that the ratio of obesity in children will continue to increase if certain concrete steps are not taken against it. Therefore, on the government as well as private level, certain steps must be taken in order to move towards heal thy society. Quantify the issue In recent years, obesity has turned out to be a serious health concern for children. There are several factors involved in this process. It is seen that obesity can influence the academic development of the children. In a study, it was found that at the kindergartner’s level, overweight children were found to score significantly less in maths and in reading as compare to their non-overweight class fellows

Seizures and school nurse Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Seizures and school nurse - Dissertation Example In line with this, the Epilepsy Foundation (2011) has recently reported that there are as much as 120,000 individuals below the age of 18 years old are going through seizure and that between 75,000 to 100,000 of these young people are experiencing seizure attacks are under the age of 5 years old. On top of this figures, approximately 326,000 school-age children are suffering from epilepsy at the age of 15 years old (ibid). Considering the number of school-age students who may anytime go through seizure attack, this report will focus on describing how the school nurse should function as the coordinator of epileptic students in school and within the community circle. To allow the readers gain better understanding about this subject matter, the etiology of epilepsy, its presenting signs and symptoms, and the appropriate medical treatment, medication and its side-effects. Eventually, a literature review will be conducted to determine the best educational accommodations available to the s tudents including the organizations or special support that should be made available to epileptic students and parents based on the students concerns as they progresses through elementary, middle, and high school years of education will be explored in details. Literature Review Etiology of the Disease Etiology of epilepsy is multi-factoral by nature. Even though one can be more predominant than the other, there are some studies suggesting that the main causes of epilepsy are mostly combined genetic factors, developmental factors (i.e. birth asphyxia, malformation of the cortical or vascular development), or diseases that are often associated with epilepsy (i.e. neurodegenerative disorder, CNS infection, tumor, autoimmune disorders, hippocampal sclerosis, idiopathic generalized epilepsy, cerebrovascular diseases, cryptogenic) (Shorvon, Andermann, & Guerrini, 2011, p. 113; Silva, 2009; Wyllie, Gupta, & Lachhwani, 2005, p. 348, 351; Maudgil, 2003, p. 3). Aside from inheritable health c onditions like tuberous sclerosis, metabolic syndrome or chromosomal aberration; patients with history of alcoholism, head injury or head trauma, stroke, or the presence of vascular diseases could also trigger epilepsy (Shorvon, Andermann, & Guerrini, 2011, pp. 114 – 115; Wyllie, Gupta, & Lachhwani, 2005, p. 351). Presenting Signs and Symptoms In general, the presenting signs and symptoms of epilepsy includes: loss of consciousness or confused memory, fainting followed by excessive fatigue, excessive involuntary body movements of the arms and legs, the loss of muscle tone or movement, disturbances in the patient’s mood, behavior, sensation and perception (Silva, 2009). In case the student is going through a simple partial seizure, Silva (2009, p. 33) revealed that the school nurse should be able to observe â€Å"visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, or vertiginous misperception or hallucinations†. In line with this, the student may show signs of finger or hand shaking or the uncontrollable jerking of the mouth (Wagner et al., 2009). In some cases, the student may end up talking without any sense or complain about dizziness, unpleasant sights, odors, sounds, or taste in case the patient is still conscious. In case the stud

It is a summary, so i don't know which better topic could be. please Essay

It is a summary, so i don't know which better topic could be. please write the best, thanks - Essay Example edge over the then available coloring products since it penetrated the scalp, and nourished the hair along with dying it, and Gelb later introduced the single-step coloring process called Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath. With the release of Miss Clairol, the number of women opting for hair dying increased drastically. Polykoff, the model advertising the Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath, had to select the ad very prudently, but still some controversies arose particularly because of fact that Gelb’s product could be applied at home personally came as a threat to the salons’ business. The company’s objective was to sell the product without causing any damage to the hairdressers’ status along with emphasizing upon the automaticity of the product to sell it. Miss Clair not only portrayed the image of a new woman, but also inspired many companies to open as its competitors, that are known as some of the most reputable brands

Of Mice & Men - Character Analysis Essay Example for Free

Of Mice Men Character Analysis Essay During chapter two of the novel Of Mice and Men, we are introduced to another six different characters as George and Lennie begin work on a farm. These characters are the boss, his son, Curley and Curleys wife, and the other itinerants Candy, Slim and Carlson. The first of these characters that we meet is Candy. Candy Is introduced as an old man with a physical disability. Out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist, but no hand. His physical description shows that he cannot work on a farm, and we find out later that he has been demoted to a cleaner. Candys behaviour and the way he speaks links to each other. At first he seems a bit hostile towards George and Lennie as he doesnt really welcome them. He then starts to talk to them properly and tells them about the ranch. Candy doesnt really have any moral values. When he talks about the way the black stable buck is beaten up by the boss, instead of expressing concern he laughs and jokes about it. This shows that he is very biased. George and Lennie and Candy get on right from the start, but George is very angry after the interview when Candy eavesdrops on a conversation between George and Lennie. Candy is a very lonely man with no family. The only thing of significance to him is his dog, who is very much in parallel to him. The dog is very old and half-blind. Both are disabled and near the end of their working life. We learn a few things about the boss when Candy is telling George and Lennie about him. The first thing that Candy says about the boss is that he was very angry about them being late. Wheres the hell them new men? He always takes all of his anger out on the nigger, showing that he is racist. The stable buck, Crooks, even has a crooked back which he got from being kicked by a horse. Despite all of this anger, Candy goes on say how nice the boss is and about the Christmas where he bought a gallon of whiskey for the workers. Hes a pretty nice fellow, but he also Gets pretty mad sometimes. We then meet the boss who stepped into the room. As expected the boss is already angry about George and Lennie being late, but he is already suspicious. This is because George doesnt let Lennie speak and the boss assumes that there is something dodgy going on. The boss accuses George of stealing Lennies wages. You taking his pay away from him? The boss is paranoid and doesnt really believe in friendshi p. He is very suspicious about them and asks George questions, forcing him to lie, Hes mycousin. The tone of voice that is used throughout the interview is angry and suspicious. He is angry at George and Lennie for being late and suspicious about Georges behaviour. The next character is the bosss son, Curley. Curley is described as A little stocky man. The clothes that he wears remind us of a typical cowboy. blue jean trousers, a flannel shirt, a black, unbuttoned vest and a black coat. His thumbs were stuck in his belt, on each side of a square steel buckle. This shows us that he is not a labouring man and has a higher status. This is also shown by the fact that he stands confidently and arrogantly. He is broad, short and stocky, but also powerful. When George and Lennie meet Curley for the first time they immediately make an enemy. Right from the beginning Curley gives them a hostile reception when he walks him. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. For some reason he seems to be looking for a fight, his hands closed into fists. Curley seems to have a problem with Lennie. Curley is very small and not like a normal man and is jealous of Lennie he sees Lennie as a threat. Lennie is huge and muscular, but Curley is small and stocky. Even though he symbolises a higher status he is morally and physically stunted. Curley is very violent for a small man and can be compared to George, as he is a worse version of George (George is tamed my Lennie. Of all the characters we have met so far most of them are physically or mentally disabled. Curley is very small and unman-like, Crooks has a crooked back, Candy only has one hand and Lennie is mentally disabled. Steinbeck is trying to show that even though America is the land of dreams, these people have been damaged by America. Crooks is also the target of racism. Even George is damaged by America as he has failed in life. Candy is the first person to talk about Curleys wife, who describes her as a tart. George and Lennie meet her for the first time when she is supposedly looking for Curley in the bunkhouse. We cannot say that this is the real reason because Curley would not be there and she would have seen Curley go home. This shows that she may be a lonely person, or may have gone there to flirt with some of the men. However, her behaviour doesnt seem flirtatious. Im trying to find Curley, Slim, shows us that she is not coming on to Slim, but her physical appearance says that she is. The use of red imagery symbolises danger, and Curleys wife is full of make-up that is red, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made-up. Her finger nails were red. Not only is her make-up red, but so are her clothes, red muleslittle bouquets of red ostrich feathers. She is a scarlet and loose. She likes showing herself off and is not used to farm life, so she dresses quite provocatively. She is a femme fatale because Lennie is attracted to red. This links back to the woman in Weed who had a red dress. This woman is a danger to Lennie, and also to George and Lennies jobs. Lennie watched her, fascinated. Slim is the most respected man on the farm. He is described as a tall man who was well-built and strong. He is not crippled in any way like some of the other characters. Slim is a master-craftsmen He was well respected and revered by everyone on the farm and everyone would look up to him and follow him, giving him authority over everyone else. Slim is very serious and intelligent and the prince of the ranch. This shows that everyone looks to him for guidance. His voice was very gentle. Slim doesnt need to shout to get attention and respect, unlike Curley, who needs to fight and threaten. Slim can even hear things before people say something. Slim seems God-like and unrealistic because Steinbeck shows him as too perfect. He is an omnipotent who is idealised and no one is like him. Slim is used as a moral yardstick to measure everyone else. He welcomes George and Lennie to the ranch. He does this in a friendly and gentle way. His tone was friendly. It invited confidence without demanding it. He is not suspicious like the boss and believes in friends travelling together. He doesnt seem hostile and gives George and Lennie a welcoming atmosphere and understands that George and Lennie look out for each other. George is also given the confidence to open up to George and reveal his true feelings about Lennie. George is able to trust Slim and knows that he will understand and not tell anyone. Carlson seems like a nice person from the start and by the way he welcomes George and Lennie. Glad to meet ya. Like Slim, he Carlson is described as a powerful, big-stomached man. He shows his respect to Slim and lets Slim go first. Carlson stepped back to let Slim precede him. However, we then find out that he is very insensitive. He begins a conversation about Slims dog and then talks about wanting to kill Candys dog. That dog of Candys is so God-damn old he cant hardly walk. Stinks like hell, tooWhynt you get Candy to shoot his old dog. Carlson wants to kill Candys dog because he is too old and smells and is a nuisance. This is very insensitive.

Madof’s Scandal Essay Example for Free

Madof’s Scandal Essay In the first two weeks of December 2008, the stressed that 70-year old businessman, Bernard Madoff is suffering becomes apparent to his employees, most particularly to his two sons. It concerns a $7 billion redemption request that Madoff had been ‘struggling to obtain the liquidity necessary to meet his obligation’. This made them approach him directly what the problem is all about. The answer is unexpected. Prior to this incident, Madoff is well known throughout the world of economics and investment as a genius and a trustworthy owner of Madoff Investment Securities LLC. The firm is generally a broker-dealer and investment advisor concerned with the management of investors’ assets, giving advice to investment management and is associated with some nonprofit organizations (Helyar et al. , 2009). At the age of 22, Bernard Lawrence Madoff managed to build his firm from his $5,000 savings. Since its first few years in the business, Madoff’s Securities reputation was tantamount to success. Madoff also served as chairman of the board of directors of the NASDQ Stock Market (Byrne et al. , 2005). Madoff confessed, according to Theodore Cacioppi (BackgroundNow. com 2008), that ‘There is no innocent explanation’ pertaining to the fraud that he committed. Cacioppi’s testimony also revealed that Madoff stated to his ‘senior employees’ that he is already ‘finished’ and the firm is actually ‘one giant Ponzi scheme’. The Hennessee Group, represented by Charles Gradante, had also been suspicious of the Madoff’s success when their reports showed that Madoff’s only had 5 months down in a span of 13 years despite several market fluctuations and economic changes. Helyar and colleagues (2009) reported that Madoff’s strategy of split-strike conversion turns out to be front-running. This strategy involves â€Å"brokers’ for their own account†. This is known to be illegal yet Mardoff’s investors didn’t care. Helyar and colleagues believes that investors are concerned about the money they get. In my opinion, Madoff’s scandal opens the public’s eyes to the fact that cheating is indeed prevalent in the American Society. Even successful people cheat and are cheated. The effect cripples the economy and results to distrust. New policies are being and will be initiated to avoid and detect possible frauds. When I heard about the scandal, the first thing that came to my mind was the quote ‘when everything is going your way, you’re probably in the wrong lane’. Taken literally this indicates driving at the other side of the road. Nonetheless, another interpretation reveals that ‘everything coming your way’ resembles things are being ‘too good to be true’ or turning out as you expected. In the case of Madoff’s investors, they looked at the facts; they listen to what former investors say and followed that path expecting the same returns. Despite the fact that Madoff’s offer and profiles seem ‘too good to be true’. They grabbed the chance and hope for the best. At the end, it is the ‘wrong lane’ after all. Madoff fraud strategy is well-known as ‘Ponzi scheme’. This type of fraud had been in the business industry for several decades yet people still fell for it. The good promises are simply too great to refuse. These same things eluded logical thinking and provoke greed. The scandal affects the investors and their reputation. It also raised doubts regarding implementation of laws and economic policies. It posed new challenges for proper investment management and questions the liability of security firms. Moreover, it is not simply an issue of crime or fraud; rather it undermines societal values and trends. References BackgroundNow. com. (2008). Bernard L. Madoff Charged In Multi-Billion Dollar Ponzi Scheme. Retrieved on February 17, 2009 from http://books. google. com/books? id=m2_yfK582ukC Helyar, J. , Burton, K. , and Silver, V. (2009). Roots of a $50 billion Ponzi Scheme. Retrieved on February 17, 2009, from http://www. businessmirror. com. ph/index. php? option=com_contentview=articleid=5577:roots-of-a-50-billion-ponzi-scheme-catid=46:bloomberg-specialsItemid=70 McShane, L. (2008). Bernard Bernie Madoff: From Queens lifeguard to soaking fraud. Retrieved on February 17, 2009, from http://www. nydailynews. com/news/ny_crime/2008/12/13/2008-12-13_bernard_bernie_madoff_from_queens_lifegu. html Schwartz, R. A. , Byrne, J. A. , and Colaninno, A. (2005). Coping with Institutional Order Flow. Springer. US Security and Exchange Commission. (2001). â€Å"Ponzi† Schemes. Retrieved on February 17, 2009, from http://www. sec. gov/answers/ponzi. htm

The Division Of Our Digital World English Language Essay

The Division Of Our Digital World English Language Essay This is a paper regarding how the digital world is divided, why and how can (if possible) bring everything in one floor as globalization is also happening. Collectively our world is divided even by digital ways such as networking speed, technological reach etc. As we are moving forward we are stretching our limits more and more. We are only stretching the limits towards a developed future. A future that is well controlled by technologies and organized by us (human). It is possible only if the whole world get the same tough of technology, which is not happening out there. Just like how Racism killing peoples moral viewpoint exactly or almost exactly in the same manner technology is broaden around the world. Greats are becoming more technological where as poor users only getting the vive not the reality. My research was mainly done on the difference in technological fields in different countries. Just to make clear I am neither complaining about any system nor arguing on others statements. I am just presenting my viewpoint with examples. There are 195 countries in our world (Earth). Not all the countries are of same level. While talking on level, here levels are based on economical condition, educational based and technological reach. Third world countries are the ones, which always struggle to meet the basic need for a human being (Food, Water, Shelter, Clothing). Some also include Education as a fifth basic need. Those countries either have huge population (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc) or fighting in between (African nations). The only reality for them is how they can survive human lives. Circumstances like this never gives out the opportunity to this countries. Where rarely surviving is possible thinking for technological reach is just like cracking a joke. Though in present time many third world countries are in the tough of technology but definitely not like the developed countries. So, the differences are on. So the dream for having a world controlled by technology seems to be quite far away. The term Global Networking is in real not a global chain yet. If we really can build a global networking we can move a lot more ahead than where we are standing today. At the brisk of 21st Century we are still waiting for the global connection through networking. Argument can be made on actually how good technological support the developed countries are providing. But, before that what we must talk about the difference in the countries. As I already mentioned earlier in many places about the lack of intension on the third world countries, so to take such an action become very difficult. Lets talk about the IP (Internet connection) firstly. Here (in USA) usually every order gets an individual IP address. Though the speed of the bandwidth connection may very but the individuality is there. But in countries like Bangladesh, India and many more using 1 IP Address to share clients. From the DP Port box they stretch wires to form 1 IP for several clients. Doing this destroys identity for users! Thus, in countries like Bangladesh, users can easily hack into a system and can sneak through. Also the reach of the technology sometimes is not that high to catch the hackers. Question can easily rise if the security system is that weak in the third world countries? Yes is the answer, not because lack of security but for not having exact system to prevent hacking. Hacking if properly done can be possible even in USA (example Google was attacked on march 2009). Getting into a system may surely be problematic but main setback is always time frame. How long a system remained hacked is the only concern. One can get in and then again got kicked back, and then because of lesser time frame barely any information can be misplaced. But, if you do not have proper technology you can not gain access back to your hand in quick time, cases like this hurt the most. Also lack of proper knowledge do the damage a lot. To not having a system are an issue, but having a system and not having the ability to use is even bigger of a problem. Talking about proper knowledge can only be gain if you are playing with a system. In the market of globalization, networking is a very important part. One should have proper knowledge about networking before putting a hand on there. If not so when need comes up barely will be able to work with any system possible. We have to find the main problems of why our digital world is divided. Our digital world is divided based on merits of each country. Here what I am trying to say regarding merits is very simple, the country can afford have higher technologies and the countries cannot afford do no have. This is as simple to understand as having a piece of cake. Thought it is simple in understanding wise still we have to find an alternative or few solutions how can we narrow down the borderline. We should find the way to minimize the differences, other then that global networking will not be happening ever after. Few solutions can be mark like talking to individuals, having exploring the global companies more often in different continents, talking bold steps by the governments and many more. Lets start talking about the solutions one by one. Starting with individual talking. What I meant by this statement is people should start communicate a lot more than current time. We should share what problems we are facing, what system we are working with, what can be change/ modify for betterment. More likely we have to deal things in as Open Source type. Having spreading this idea can question about the sharing information is or is not actually giving access for a system to many people. Maybe it is giving, but then we have narrow down with several methods, laws, ethics etc. Then also we have to take help from the global companies. Taking help from the global companies means companies like IBM, Google, Microsoft and many more that are spread around the world can complete a good role. These companies have access in many different places; they are associated with many different cultures. So, they can easily understand the flow of growing technological market in one area. If in one area it is not growing according to how it should have they can help. Giving again the example of the country Bangladesh, since mainly the country is maximum dependent on the shoulder of the capital city Dhaka. So, just to check out if in Dhaka the reach of the technology is good enough or not so that they can at least communicate with the rest of the world. If not, then plans can be organized to help them out. In this case the governments should take wise steps as well. If we all are on the right floor or not! The governments of each country should look wisely towards their growing technology. Soon the world is going to convert exact like a CPU. Every country will have to through a role to fulfill. One country failing to complete their part can cause a total loss. Just like if one part doesnt work it is difficult to function the remaining CPU. So, weather it is an understanding or agreement we all have to be on the same floor. Implementing all possible solutions is not a easy job to handle. Even everyone care to complete the task still there is no guarantee that all the countries will be on the same line. At least we can see that we have narrowed down the borderline. We have to be also preparing at the same time for the transformation of Technology. Technology does not stay always at the same place. Along with the time it is getting bigger and broader. So, we have to put our foot along with the speed or transformation of the technology. From now on we have collect information on how the Internet connection is working or acting in third world countries. We should also measure how it is functioning in the developed countries. Differences can be seen, and then we have to try to solve out the differences. If we can bring out the changes we will be able to help the world around. Before finishing my papers I would like to add few of the persons thoughts regarding this topic when I tool their interview. Tasfia Ahmed an employer or GM who works and lives on Sterling Heights, MI. She is using a fast Internet connection at home having 54 MB/sec Bandwidth. She is very happy, and saying the speed is too good. Getting this amount of speed back from the country I am from (Bangladesh) is impossible. Having talking to a Dr. MK Rashedul Haque a professor teaching in Dhaka University, Bangladesh said, The maximum we can provide in the computer labs is about 4 MB/sec. He also mentioned about how things are working on the other universities as well. Though this is the most powerful and rich university in the country. According to him Military or Intelligence get to use higher bandwidth connection. This can be use as another example that it is possible to provide high speed Internet in Bangladesh. This is a clear and very practical example of how things are working. While I had an opportunity to communicate with a student currently enrolled in CS in IIT, Bangalore in India (Shantosh Chadrabalan) I received very different information. In their Computer labs he get a speed of 6 MB/sec of Internet where as he is an IBM intern and thus in his office he gets around 48 MB/sec through wireless! It is shocking to know that the same person has to work with 512 KB/sec at his home. If IBM in India can have around 48 MB/sec then why cannot other Internet providers in India have such high speedy Internets? Government, Global companies and all of us have a real hard job ahead of us. The thing that concerns in those countries is the security issue. It is so hard there to track someone. Many times criminal gets away because it becomes hard to catch them, though they have Police. Now criminals if known as cyber criminals, the cyber traffic officers they do not have much. Also for one unique IP Address multiple clients make life a hell for them. Thats why they do not w ant to gear up. Also we shouldnt forget that the cost value is still missing. High speed means expensive Internet. How many people can afford such high speed Internet since Poverty is another big issue or concern in those third world countries. If we want, we can provide and control. We need a plan and a very good execution of that plan. In order to get the change we cannot pick a wrong way of approach. Addiction on Internet in recent time has been killing our young generation. Without them this prospers is not even thinking or plan worthy, so we cannot let them go in vain just for the addiction. But also we cannot oppose their passion towards it, otherwise we will not have them to do prosper. Since we are focusing on the differences on technology in different area, like digital divide we must talk about the meaning of it. Just giving an example the meaning of hacking at the beginning was a act of a hero but now it is crime that only criminals do. So, based on many time frames and all things changes all the time. Digital Divide now is working like discrimination, but there is a good hiding somewhere. The proper knowledge was thought in USA (just for an example) about how to use the Internet. Then Internet was released here, people started to use it and by using it they became to learn more about it. Same thing happened on Bangladesh too, but in Bangladesh it started way late than USA. And this is a huge reason why people in Bangladesh are one the other side of the division than the people of USA. Suddenly we cannot make it 54 MB/sec speed in Bangladesh from 512 KB/sec, because they wont know what to do with such high speed. Their workload will finish but the work time will not, they will have many free times all of a sudden. And free time can lead them into miss use the Internet. Everything has its own way of approach. So, nothing can be done suddenly. But it is also important that we take the steps now. If we start taking the steps now then and only then we can see a better future soon. As of so far we discussed about the topic, problems and solutions. I now want to express my own point of view. Though this is very clear in what is happening right now still there is always a question about if things are working in the right direction or not. Talking about if the technology has a boundary to reach into the third world countries, even if it can reach how fast. So far we have understood that reaching is not the only option we review, there are many more things connected with it. Just like as long as we do not know how much load a carrier can bear we cannot ask the carrier to bear, exactly in the same manner unless we know if someone can maintain such technology we cannot through something on him or her. So it can be said that difference is well shown in the features of each step, but it can be change to make a better world and faster communicating system. In order to do so we have to dig a lot dipper into the field, and once we have it all done we will see a better world! We are moving so fast, controlling the speed is the matter not reducing it down. So, to make a better world and a world with globalized network field what we have to do is to think and work for it. Though there are many difficulties but still I believe it is possible, do you? Citations: URL Citation: The number of countries in the world. . By Matt Rosenberg. March 2, 2011. Threat Level. . By Kim Zetter. January 14, 2010. 10 challenges/ problems in the Digital World. . Published by etale.org The Digital Divide The Advantages And Disadvantages Of The World Wide Web . . By Carl Doherty. May 28, 2008. are young people becoming addicted to the internet?. . By Newshour. August 19, 2009. Book Citation: Bolt, David. Digital Divide computers and our childrens future. A book talking about digital division around the world. January 1, 2000. Person Citation: Ahmed, Tasfia. GM Employer. Interviewed on March 21, 2011. Haque, Dr. MK Rashedul. Professor of Dhaka University. Interviewed on March 28, 2011. Chandrabalan, Shantosh. Student of IIT and IBM intern in India. Interviewed on April 5, 2011.

The Last Season of the Last Year :: Personal Narratives Sports Track Football Essays

The Last Season of the Last Year My final year was one of the best experiences of my life, full of surprises one of which was me going out for a totally different sport that totally changed my view against obstacles that I face. It was right after the football season when I made a decision to go out for track with a friend of mine who encouraged me and without him I would have had a very different outcome. This is quite similar to the pact because of the same encouragement and competition that Sampson, Rameck and George received from each other. The football season was great despite our record. Tom, a friend of mine from high school, together we had a great time maybe because we were seniors. In the past seasons, we didn’t have as much fun, going to practice was like going for a punishment especially during conditioning where we had to run for hours and do all sots of drills. With a little fun we turned this the other way round and had the best senior football season. During practice me and Tom, who were both wide receivers just kept on telling jokes which the coaches didn’t like so much but they let it go because we also competed against each other in the process, like whenever we run plays, we would see who could do it faster and more agile, we also had to catch the ball. Some times we pulled off one handed catches just to gain more points. That is a monument in my life I would like to relieve. I had so much fun but have you ever realized that a lot of fun just doesn’t last, before we know it, it was t he and of the football season and that was if for me and Tom since we were seniors. I moved into class rater swiftly, I was late as usual but didn’t get in trouble. I liked my teacher very much, he was also the track couch. The teacher every one in school liked and am glad I had him not only as a teacher but as a very good friend. I found him still sited on his desk besides his computer, still telling jokes that he always told at the beginning of class. â€Å"Kenneth my man† he said so loudly that he actually scared me a little. â€Å"Your fast man, why don’t you join my track team† he added.

The Emerging American Character During the 1700’s :: essays research papers

The Emerging American Character During the 1700’s (7 There once was an Italian man by the name of Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed the seas and explored South America. And later named America after himself. And there was Bartholomew Diaz who was also a navigator of the sea, but he was from Portugal, and the first European to round the cay of good hope in 1488. Then there was another Italian explorer, he to commanded the English exploration and alter discovered the North American mainland. He was John Cabot. The House of Burgesses was the lowest legislative house, and it was located in colonial Virginia. Holy land in America is the strange politico, mainly religious sects. (Palestine) There was a series of brutal wars undertaken by the Christians of Europe, this took place between the 11th and 14th century, that was the crusades. It happened to recover the great holy lands from the Muslims. Another great navigator from Portugal was Henry the navigator, he was the prince of Portugal who began to establish an observatory and also a school of navigation, and he also directed many long voyages that ignited the growth of Portugal’s colonial empire. The lost colony of Virginia was the Roanoke land that was taken over by the â€Å"Drotuann† Native Americans. Intercolonial wars refer to when the French and Indian wars between Great Britain and France in the late seventeenth and sixteenth century, these wars started a great change to British colonies. There was an English colonist and religious leader that was banished from Boston in 1637 just because of her religious beliefs. Her name was Anne Hutchinson . (1 I am an English philosopher in the current time of the 1600’s, my name is John Locke and I would like to explain my ideology. Well I believe in the enlighten (mainstream of thought at the 18th century of Europe), I think that the middle class and it’s rights to freedom of conscience and also I believe that they should have a right to property. I hold good faith in my science and along with the good of humanity. My thoughts are the basic state of nature was originally happy until characterized by tolerance. But not everyone feels the same way that I do, for instance Thomas Hobbes must controdict with me mainly because I feel he aroused the Antigo of the English group in France and also his thorough materialism often offends fellow churchman.

The tragedy of the commons invading our environmental rights case study

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10/27/04   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Research in the Disciplines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First Paper Final Draft Tragedy of the commons invading our environmental rights: Case study Coral Reefs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our world there are many resources, all of which people do not have a choice in sharing such as our air and our oceans. These resources are looked at as infinite, although this is not actually the case. Each time one person does something to pollute or use these types of resources, it affects the whole of society. This is the idea of the tragedy of the commons. This tragedy is the phenomena in which a resource may be used to such an extent that it is ruined for all. An example of this tragedy is given in the following scenario: given an open pasture as a commons to which all the herdsmen have a stake; each one will try and keep as many animals on the commons as possible. By adding one more animal to his herd, an individual gains a positive to himself but the negative effect of over grazing is felt throughout the commons. The effect, of overgrazing by one additional animal appears minimal so the other rational herdsmen conclude to add an additional animal to the ir own herd. Since all the herdsmen are thought to be rational this conclusion is reached by each of them. The effect of, overgrazing will become detrimental to the pasture and all the animals will die. There in is the tragedy because of peoples’ greed to use and or need of a limited resource the over use or degradation of it leads to its destruction. The destruction of these resources leads into another topic discussed by Shari C... ...and Max L. Coleman. â€Å"Record of natural and anthropogenic changes in reef environments (Barbados West Indies) using laser ablation ICP-MS and sclerochronology on coral cores† Coral Reefs 22 :416-426 Hoegh-Guldberg, â€Å"Coral reefs in a century of rapid environmental change.†Symbiosis 37(2004) 1-31. Jokiel Paul l and Brown Eric K â€Å"Global warming, regional trends and inshore environmental conditions influence coral bleaching in Hawaii† Global Change Biology 10(2004)1627-1641 Kà ¼hlmann, Dietrich H. H. (1985) Living Coral Reefs of the World. New York: Arco Publishing, Inc. Global Warming. Environmental Protection Agency . November 2, 2004. Famous Coral Reefs Damaged Due to Global Warming will Take a Century to Recover. NASA. November 2, 2004 West Jordan M. and Salm Rodney V. â€Å"Resistance and Resilience to Coral Bleaching: Implications for Coral Reef Conservation and Management† Conservation Biology 17.4(2004) 956-967 Major Reef-building Coral Diseases. NOAA&CORIS November 9 2004 http://www.coris.noaa.gov/about/diseases/diseases.html#coral%20bleaching Coral reef restoration: the status of the science. William F. Precht November 11, 2004. http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ncri/precht.html The tragedy of the commons invading our environmental rights case study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10/27/04   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Research in the Disciplines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First Paper Final Draft Tragedy of the commons invading our environmental rights: Case study Coral Reefs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our world there are many resources, all of which people do not have a choice in sharing such as our air and our oceans. These resources are looked at as infinite, although this is not actually the case. Each time one person does something to pollute or use these types of resources, it affects the whole of society. This is the idea of the tragedy of the commons. This tragedy is the phenomena in which a resource may be used to such an extent that it is ruined for all. An example of this tragedy is given in the following scenario: given an open pasture as a commons to which all the herdsmen have a stake; each one will try and keep as many animals on the commons as possible. By adding one more animal to his herd, an individual gains a positive to himself but the negative effect of over grazing is felt throughout the commons. The effect, of overgrazing by one additional animal appears minimal so the other rational herdsmen conclude to add an additional animal to the ir own herd. Since all the herdsmen are thought to be rational this conclusion is reached by each of them. The effect of, overgrazing will become detrimental to the pasture and all the animals will die. There in is the tragedy because of peoples’ greed to use and or need of a limited resource the over use or degradation of it leads to its destruction. The destruction of these resources leads into another topic discussed by Shari C... ...and Max L. Coleman. â€Å"Record of natural and anthropogenic changes in reef environments (Barbados West Indies) using laser ablation ICP-MS and sclerochronology on coral cores† Coral Reefs 22 :416-426 Hoegh-Guldberg, â€Å"Coral reefs in a century of rapid environmental change.†Symbiosis 37(2004) 1-31. Jokiel Paul l and Brown Eric K â€Å"Global warming, regional trends and inshore environmental conditions influence coral bleaching in Hawaii† Global Change Biology 10(2004)1627-1641 Kà ¼hlmann, Dietrich H. H. (1985) Living Coral Reefs of the World. New York: Arco Publishing, Inc. Global Warming. Environmental Protection Agency . November 2, 2004. Famous Coral Reefs Damaged Due to Global Warming will Take a Century to Recover. NASA. November 2, 2004 West Jordan M. and Salm Rodney V. â€Å"Resistance and Resilience to Coral Bleaching: Implications for Coral Reef Conservation and Management† Conservation Biology 17.4(2004) 956-967 Major Reef-building Coral Diseases. NOAA&CORIS November 9 2004 http://www.coris.noaa.gov/about/diseases/diseases.html#coral%20bleaching Coral reef restoration: the status of the science. William F. Precht November 11, 2004. http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ncri/precht.html

Helping Pauline Face Her Sister Death

Like Pauline we could have told God many times you created me without my knowledge about it and will take my life at your convenience.   The statement implicates that everyone knows that humans are immortal but still many are not ready to face death.   Many are afraid to die because that is leading someone to the unknown or simply the end of non-being.   Very few accept that death as a sister or a brother that will accompany us to the next life.In the case of Pauline it will be very difficult in the beginning for an existential therapist to argue with her the meaning of life when it is the reason that aggravates Pauline’s situation.   The twenty year old woman is just finding meaning in her life and the promise of an eminent death brings all her plans to a halt. Though she is filled with rage, her initiative to ask for counseling is a sure sign that she will be able cope with her anxiety.To help Pauline, first is to understand her fear that is to be able to penetrate h er emotions, her will and dispositions.   Many people are afraid to die because we die alone just like when we were born when we came to this world without anything.Next is to encourage her to face death by preparing well for it and telling her the advantage that life is not being taken away but it is simply what happens to everyone.   If she’s   been given sometime to live, it would be to her advantage to live fully the times that are still available unlike those people whose life were taken by surprise say for example the 9/11 catastrophe.   The victims did not even have the time to say goodbye or leave something pleasing for their loved ones.Making Pauline realized that there is still time left behind for everything no matter how short life is will certainly increase her hope.   In one of the book written by Josemaria Escriva he said that† it is hope in God which sets us â€Å"marvelously ablaze with love, with a fire that makes the heart beat strong and k eeps it safe from discouragement and dejection, even though along the way one may suffer and at times suffer greatly (Scheffczyk, 2006).†ReferencesScheffczyk, C. L. (2006). Grace in the spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 09 April 2008, from http://en.romana.org/art/43_8.0_2   

The Role of Setting and Landscape in “Mrs. Dalloway” and “On the Road”

â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway† by acclaimed novelist Virginia Woolf is an interesting literary piece with several distinctly remarkable features. The author utilizes a stream-of-consciousness technique records ‘the atoms as they fall upon the mind in the order in which they fall†¦ tracing the pattern, however disconnected†¦ in appearance, in which each incident scores upon the consciousness’ (Woolf, 1) to bring out the innermost thoughts of the characters in a manner which effectively weaves together the elements of memory and time.Prior to the early 20th century fictive literature had emphasized the primacy of plot and detailed descriptions of the characters and the settings, with externalities serving as the most significant turning-point in the story, effectively limiting the innermost workings of the characters’ minds to a more secondary role, mainly that of providing the motivation for the external occurrences in the plot. Going against the grain, Wool f’s refinement of the stream-of-consciousness technique – the representation of multiple consciousness lingering around a locus – is definitely one of her lasting contributions to the literary world, as evidenced by her novels.In â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway† the plot can be described as generated by the inner lives of the characters, i.e. Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus, whose natures are revealed through the ebb and flow of their emotions, impressions, thoughts and feelings. This in turn effectively transforms the rather ordinary events in their lives into the extraordinary, particularly as their consciousness appears to slip in and out through time conceptualized not merely as a linear series of events but also as cyclical.Focusing on the two distinct worlds of the primary characters – gracious London society matron Clarissa Dalloway with a stable life in London’s high society and young Septimus Warren Smith thought to be suffering from a metal afflict ion brought about by the loss of a friend in World War I – the novel explores their seeming parallel thought processes despite differences in social station and the fact that they did not know each other and had never met, within a single eventful day in June.Both appear to experience exhilarating shifts in their moods, eerily similar to bouts with manic depression which Woolf apparently suffered from: profound joy over the simple beauty of spring and the appearance of its fresh, tiny leaves, apprehensive dread over what they perceive as the on-rushing of time, alarm over their impending demise, and what could only be described as overt guilt over the crime of being human with its accompanying sensibilities, awareness, failures and shortcomings.In the concluding chapter of the book the reader finds Clarissa finally being acquainted with the character of Septimus posthumously when his distinguished doctor’s wife explains to their hostess Mrs. Dalloway the reason for the ir tardiness – the suicide of a patient earlier in the day, leading her to internally remark that ‘Here is death, in the middle of my party’ (Woolf, 108). A peak at Mrs. Dalloway’s mind reveals a rather emphatic understanding of the sensitivity, despair and ultimately defiance besieging her symbolic double.In admirable literary fashion, despite all events happening within the 24-hour span of a single day, the setting and landscape appear to be effectively adequate for the story to unfold. The seemingly fluid nature of time the author utilizes allows the effortless weaving of the characters’ thoughts from the present to the past and vice-versa, even allowing the creeping up of thoughts about the future. Despite the cornucopia of ideas taking shape in the characters’ minds and the feelings such thoughts evoke, the clever use of time imparts order to the fluidity of thoughts, memories and encounters populating the world of Mrs. Dalloway.Big Ben that seemingly solid symbol of a strong England sounds out the passing of time hour after hour, a constant reminder to the characters painfully aware of the grip of time over their lives. Yet when the hour is chimed, the sound disappears as if its â€Å"leaden circles dissolved in the air† – signifying the ephemeral nature of time which most people in their wary obsession with time still fail to understand. Woolf skillfully introduces the notion of time not merely as having a linear character but a circular aspect to it as well when the reader is introduced to the ancient woman singing the same song for a seeming eternity at the Regent’s Park Tube Station.In terms of the visual landscape, the author captures the beauty of a London summer day in June with the abundant images of trees and flowers in the story. The variety of flowers appearing throughout the text is suggestive of the characters’ fleeting emotions. In the opening pages of the book, the reader is acquainted with Clarissa Dalloway on her way to the flower shop.Clarissa, deep and profound in her thoughts, revels in the beauty of flowers and trees, while the stiffer, more aloof members of the English establishment trained in the art of keeping their emotions in check all the time are represented as awkward in the way of handling flowers (Richard treats the bouquet of flowers as if it was a weapon while Mrs. Bruton appeared to be at a loss with the flowers offered to her, eventually stuffing them into her dress, the femininity and grace of the gesture surprising even herself) and traditional in their choice of blooms – roses and carnations as picked by Richard and Hugh.In tune with the reflective tone of the novel, the significant abundance of trees with their far-reaching root systems appear to signify the extensive reach of the human soul, even as the two protagonists wage their own personal battles in a struggle to protect their souls. The element of water appearin g in the characters’ fluid thoughts as on-rushing waves evokes images of the washing away of the old to be replaced by the new in an endless cycle of the waves lapping at the shore (the appearance of which increases in intensity until it reaches the shore, only to fade into another), i.e. death as the fate awaiting us all.Set against the background of post-war London, traditional English society is presented as if a tide pulling down those who fail to adapt to the pressing changes plaguing England, and one such casualty was Septimus Warren Smith who had ultimately failed to accept and understand his vastly altered concrete social realities following the end of the war and the irreparable scarring of humankind.In contrast, Clarissa appears to have navigated the murky waters of London high society quite admirably (a â€Å"silver-green mermaid† in Peter Walsh’s eyes) yet underneath the veneer of dutiful wife and mother is a kindred soul who identifies with Septimus and his wish to struggle against the oppressive pressures of society, attempting to strike a balance between privacy and open communication with the significant people in their lives. In the last analysis, she refuses to succumb to the temptation herself, and veers away from the outlet chosen by Septimus.In a similar manner to that of Virginia Woolf, the American writer Jack Kerouac, who founded the so-called â€Å"Beat Generation†, could also be considered as a pioneer in terms of contributions to the literary field. Though Kerouac was of a different generation and genre from the English author, the two share the similarity of going against convention in their own lifetimes in a bid to assert their own ideas on crafting literary pieces. His novel â€Å"On the Road† could be described as an attempt to inspire readers to go out there and seize the day – â€Å"Carpe diem!† as the French say, so to speak – and live life.â€Å"On the Road† we m eet the young, somewhat naà ¯ve writer Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, whom the narrator describes as â€Å"tremendously excited with life† in their adventure traipsing around America to test the limits of their â€Å"American Dream.† Various settings, e.g. a small town in rural Virginia, a jazz joint in urban New York, a Mexican whore-house,   and landscape are utilized by the author in their full extent to present the reader with images of the USA and its new-world wonders – urban jungles, sleepy towns, the American rural wilderness, vast expanse of desserts – the only tangible connection between them being the road, the need for a generation to get out of their seeming confinements limited by space, to break out and seek freedom unchained by any imposed-from-above belief, sentiments or ideology.These youths, overwhelmed by the lack of fulfillment and the overriding sense of desperation in their lives made them feel that â€Å"the only thing to do w as go,† providing the impetus to search for their own personal freedoms, the pleasure of which they found in sex, drugs and jazz music. For Sal, â€Å"†¦life is holy and every moment precious,† which may perhaps account for Dean seeming â€Å"to be doing everything at the same time† as a fear and wariness of death appeared to haunt the gang in their sojourn throughout America (â€Å"†¦death will overtake us before heaven†), manifested by visions of a great spirit trailing after them across the desert of life.Yet this fear did not prevent them from living their life not held by the sway of materialism, that â€Å"mad dream-grabbing, taking, giving, sighing and dying just so they could be buried in those awful cemetery cities beyond Long Island.† As their travels together come to an end, Sal and Dean find themselves in the poverty-stricken city of Mexico, where among the brothels, barefooted old women, and simple meals, Sal notices that â₠¬Å"[b]eggars slept wrapped in advertising posters torn off fences† (Kerouac, 248).An excited Sal declares â€Å"This was the great and uninhibited Fellahin-childlike city that we knew we would find at the end of the road† (Kerouac, 248). They had found a world where people could apparently live in bare, unadorned simplicity not harassed by the pressures of a materialistic culture, a timely reminder that despite the pretentiousness of the relatively affluent 20th century, people’s possession of goods, or the lack of it are not the sole determinants of being human. Such an idealistic message in a work of fiction attempts to counter the overriding negativism and corruption of the corporate fantasy dominant in American culture, of which its inherent conflict with other needs and interests of the human spirit continues to be played out in contemporary societies up to the present.The two novels, â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway† and â€Å"On the Road† utilize landscap e and setting to the full extent, resulting in powerful narratives which allow the reader much visual power, i.e. the reader is transported to post-War early 20th century London and a modernizing 20th century America. Yet the authors use setting and landscape in rather different ways. In the case of Woolf’s â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway, she employs the setting and landscape in an interestingly novel manner which complements her stream-of-consciousness technique, while Kerouac resorts to a rather typical use of setting and landscape to paint a picture of the America of the Beat generation in â€Å"On the Road.† The techniques they used might be different yet the end result is the same – stunning literary narratives which are undoubtedly some of the excellent works written in their respective periods by writers of their generation.ReferencesClark, Tom. â€Å"Jack Kerouac† New York: Harcourt, Brace, Javanovich, 1984.Dunphy, Mark. â€Å"Call Me Sal, Jack†: Vis ions of Ishmael in Kerouac’s â€Å"On the Road† in Melville Society Extracts, July 2002.Hunt, Tim. â€Å"Kerouac’s Crooked Road: The Development of a Fiction.† Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.Kerouac, Jack. â€Å"On the Road.† New York: Viking Press, 1957.Woolf, Virginia. â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway.†originally published 1925. Accessed through the University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection, on 28 November 2007