Academic Skills Plus Essay

Atwood writes: â€Å"What I mean by ‘science fiction’ is those books that descend from H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, which treats of an invasion by tentacled, blood-sucking Martians shot to Earth in metal canisters – things that could not possibly happen – whereas, for me, â€Å"speculative fiction† means plots that descend from Jules Verne’s books about submarines and balloon travel and such – things that really could happen but just hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books. I would place my own books in this second category: no Martians.† (From In other worlds, p.6) With these remarks in mind, is it useful to distinguish between science fiction and speculative fiction? In answering this question you might consider Le Guin’s suggestion that people who refer to their works as ‘speculative fiction’ rather than ‘science fiction’ are simply trying to protect themselves from some of the negative connotations associated with science fiction (see In other worlds)? Discuss in relation to at least two works. ‘Science fiction’ is often defined as a wide literary genre related to fictional stories. It contains many subgenres, such as space opera, cyberpunk, utopia, dystopia, alternative histories and speculative fiction. Although there are an extensive number of subgenres, some writers, as Margaret Atwood, have been trying to differentiate ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’. Maybe this wideness of subgenres existing under the genre ‘science fiction’ is exactly the reason why Atwood found interesting to present this differentiation. When we consider science fiction stories, many different things can came up to our mind, such as aliens, intergalactic travel, artificial intelligence and utopian (or dystopian) societies. Considering that, as we can notice in these examples, these topics can differ a lot from each other and it might be understandable that Atwood  wanted to differentiate (more than just defining different subgenres) the kind of fiction related to more ‘plausible’ things (things that could really happen, as she says). Definitely, ‘speculative fiction’ books have a completely different scenario from cyberpunk, aliens or space opera works and this could awake a desire to disconnect them in a more significantly manner. However, it is possible to affirm that this distinction between ‘science’ and ‘speculative fiction’ is not useful and that there is no reason for making it, especially considering that speculative fiction is just one more subgenre of science fiction. This thesis will be supported by a number of points presented throughout this essay. Firstly, it will be argued that the subgenre ‘speculative fiction’ fits perfectly into the definitions and requisites related to ‘science fiction’. Secondly, it will be discussed that Atwood’s definition of ‘speculative fiction’ is vague and can change according to interpretation, and also that it can be used to define as speculative fiction other books that she clearly had classified as belonging to ‘science fiction’. Thereby, her definition can be seen as not clear, which makes it not useful at all. Finally, it will be presented that Atwood seems to reinforce this division specially because distinguishing ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ is convenient for her. There are some evidences for that, for example, Le Guin once said Atwood was trying to protect herself from negative connotations associated with ‘science fiction’. This is even noticeable considering that many of her attempts to define the genre contained irony and clichà ©s. Firstly, it will be discussed that ‘speculative fiction’ fits perfectly into the definitions and requisites related to the ‘science fiction’ subgenres, which makes unnecessary and not useful the distinction between them. It was stated before that ‘science fiction’ has a big number of subgenres and it is clear that they differ considerably from each other. However, despite their singularities, all of them have one kind of cohesive element in common, which brings each subgenre to be defined as part of the genre ‘science fiction’. To define this common element noticed in all the science fiction subgenres, it is useful to consider two Suvin’s definitions about science fiction: â€Å"SF is, then, a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition,  and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the author’s empirical environme nt† (Suvin 1979, p. 7) and â€Å"Science Fiction is distinguished by the narrative dominance or hegemony of a fictional ‘novum’ (novelty, innovation) validated by cognitive logic† (Suvin 1979, p. 63). Considering these two definitions, it is possible to affirm then that the necessary and sufficient conditions to identify one science fiction work are: the presence of a ‘novum’ and the presence of a ‘cognitive logic’, the logical consistency which makes the ‘novum’ become part of our knowledge about real things. With this in mind, we can analyse the book The Handmaid’s Tale from Atwood. She clearly have classified this book as not being ‘science fiction’, however, it is easy to identify the ‘novum’ and also the ‘cognitive logic’ in her book. The ‘novum’ is represented by the whole system of political organization in the Republic of Gilead described on the book and the ‘cognitive logic’ is given by some similarities that can be noticed between our society and the society described on the book. In the same way, for the book of H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, we can also identify the ‘novum’, which is given by the Martians and their technology; and the ‘cognitive logic’, given by the similarities existing between both societies. Thus, it can be affirmed that both books The Handmaid’s Tale and The War of the World belongs to the genre ‘science fiction’, contradicting Atwood’s previous proposition. This proves that although Atwood’s book can be classified as ‘speculative fiction’, it truly belongs to ‘science fiction’, leading us to verify again that ‘speculative fiction’ is just one more subgenre of ‘science fiction’. It makes clear then that the division between ‘science’ and ‘speculative’ fiction is not useful and not justifiable. Secondly, it will be presented that Atwood’s definition of ‘speculative fiction’ is imprecise and also can be used to define as speculative fiction other books that were categorized as ‘science fiction’ by her. In order to illustrate these points, we will analyse Atwood (2011) definition about ‘speculative fiction’ as â€Å"things that really could happen but just hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books.† This is a vague and inaccurate idea. It could encompass different definitions because the range of things that could really happen is highly dependent of each person’s  beliefs and ideas, what makes this definition extremely subjective. Also, with just a few exceptions, it is not possible to say for sure what is and what is not going to happen. Besides, Atwood even gives us another definition: â€Å"Oryx and Crake is not science fiction. Science fiction is when you have chemicals and rockets.† (Watts 2003, p. 3). Considering both definitions given by her, it could be understood that she considers rockets and chemicals as things that really could not happen, as they belong to science fiction. However, it is known that rockets and chemicals are not things impossible to happen, especially because nowadays we can see some examples of them. Both definitions become contradictory then. Considering her first definition, books about this theme would be classified as speculative fiction; however, she decided to use these two themes to exemplify ‘science fiction’. Atwood’s definitions about ‘speculative fiction’ are imprecise, therefore, what is the purpose in using an imprecise and cloudy definition? It is simply not useful to distinguish ‘science’ from ‘speculative fictionâ €™ then. Thirdly, it will be presented that Atwood seems to reinforce this division specially because distinguishing ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ is convenient for her. Le Guin (2009) states that Atwood was trying to protect herself from negative connotations associated with science fiction and also â€Å"from being relegated to a genre still shunned by hidebound readers, reviewers and prize-awarders†. Considering Le Guin’s remarks, it is possible to observe that ‘science fiction’ was not a literary genre with considerable prestige in the intellectual audience. This could reduce her reputation on the high literary society. One possible reason for ‘science fiction’ being underestimated is that science fiction could be related to some works produced for mass audience like Star Trek and Dr Who and intellectuals would associate her books to these works. Then it would be interesting for her to dissociate the connecti on between her books and the genre ‘science fiction’ once it was not so appreciated by the intellectual audience. And this is also noticed by considering that some of her remarks about ‘science fiction’ contains irony, as she frequently uses clichà ©s to refer about it, such as ‘rockets’, ‘chemicals’, ‘blood-sucking Martians’, ‘talking squids in outer space’, and ‘skin-tight clothing’. Thus, it is possible to verify why Atwood reinforces the division between ‘speculative’ and ‘science’ fiction. And  considering her reasons we can see that they are not justifiable and strong enough to make the distinction between ‘speculative’ and ‘science fiction’ useful. Finally, this essay discussed a number of points in order to support the thesis that the distinction between ‘speculative’ and ‘science’ fiction is not useful. Firstly, it was stated that although it may be hard to define some literary genres it is noticeable that ‘speculative ficti on’ fits perfectly in most of definitions of science fiction, making it a subgenre only. Secondly, it was presented that Atwood’s definition about ‘speculative fiction’ is vague and could classify as ‘speculative fiction’ some books that she clearly classified as ‘science fiction’. Thirdly, it was discussed that is convenient for her to separate ‘speculative fiction’ from ‘science fiction’ since the genre of ‘science fiction’ was not so appreciated by reviewers and prize awarders and was associated to some mass audience works. She does not want to be linked to this image so she tries to put her works under a different literary classification. This point shows us clearly that there is no consistent and general reason for her to do the distinction. In conclusion, this essay illustrated that is not useful to distinguish between ‘science fiction’ and ‘speculative fiction’ and the reason for this was explained by all of the arguments stated previously. References Atwood, M 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale, Anchor Books, New York. Atwood, M 2011, In Other Worlds – SF and the Human Imagination, Doubleday. Le Guin, U 2009, ‘The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood’, The Guardian, 29 August. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/aug/29/margaret-atwood-year-of-flood Suvin, D 1979, Metamorphoses Of Science Fiction, Yale University Press, New Haven Watts, P 2003, ‘Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt’, On Spec, vol. 15, no. 2, summer, pp. 3-5. Wells, H 1898, The War of the World, New York Review Books, New York.

Microsoft Opens the Gates: Patent, Piracy, and Political Challenges in China Essay

Microsoft faced many macro risks when operating in China. Many of these risks included software piracy, Chinese government pressure to transfer technology, host government promotion of competitor products, discriminatory procurement practices by sub-national authorities in China, and the strong encouragement for Microsoft to enter joint ventures with local firms. One main micro risk that Microsoft faced was when the Beijing Municipal government avoided Microsoft by awarding operating system software contracts for 2,000 PCs to Red Flag Linux. I see these risk increasing due to the fact that the Chinese Central Bank has put new restrictions to foreign exchange transactions in attempt to control the flow of convertible currency out of the country. This restriction set in place by the Chinese Central Bank was described as a â€Å"crackdown† on illegal transactions. This change will effectively make it more difficult for both domestic and international companies to move capital in and out of China. In result, only increasing the risks for MNCs to do business in China. Another main reason why I see the risks increasing is that the Chinese government has not made an effort to control the piracy/counterfeiting issues. Counterfeiters are China’s largest state owned factories. These risk are also found in other developing countries such as India where piracy and counterfeiting is a big issue. After the U. S. – China accord on intellectual property rights in 1992, it encouraged Microsoft to explore further opportunities in China. In order to manage political risk in China, initially, Microsoft signed various agreements with Chinese PC producers to pre-load its software on their computers. Other approaches to manage political risk included opening Microsoft Research China (Microsoft’s second international research lab and the first one in Asia) and signed agreements with China’s top four computer makers to preinstall Windows XP on their machines. One of the most notable approaches was when Microsoft signed an accord with the Shanghai Municipal government whereby agreed to help develop Shanghai’s software sector, expand its Shanghai regional support center into a global support center, and train thousands of software architects. Ultimately, Microsoft continued to manage political risks throughout the years by continuing to build agreements with Chinese PC manufacturers, develop new partnerships and better its relations with the Chinese government. I favor the strong ties that Microsoft built over the past two decades with the Chinese government and feel that all the techniques they used to manage political risk were needed in order to conduct profitable business in such a scrutinized country and economy. Going forward, Microsoft should continue to try and enforce IPR and keep healthy relationships with the Chinese for obvious reasons. They should keep developing partnerships and build a Microsoft oriented software sector in China through training/certification to strengthen the company’s forecast. By having to deal with lower levels of government, it created an initial challenge to â€Å"win† over the lower level of government in order to strengthen Microsoft’s overall relationship with China. Specific challenges included when the they signed agreements with China’s State Development & Planning Commission to invest in education/training, signed a large investment and cooperation deal with the Beijing Commission on Science & Technology and struck partnership deals with various Chinese companies such as Petro China. Although Microsoft kept making strong efforts to strengthen the relationship with China, they still faced many challenges to overcome China’s discrimination towards the company by requiring all ministries to purchase Linux based software. These challenges created new opportunities for Microsoft to create new initiatives to benefit the Chinese economy which in result helped them build a strong footprint in China. Yes other firms do have the same risk management options as Microsoft did. Other firms did have the same risk management options because all MNCs faced the same macro/micro issues that Microsoft faced when entering the China markets which included pressure to transfer technology, host government promotion of competitor products, discriminatory procurement practices by sub-national authorities in China, and the strong encouragement to enter joint ventures with local firms. Microsoft is creating serious risks by supporting, financing, and transferring technology to local Chinese software firms but had to do so in rder to have success in China. By them giving back to the Chinese economy, in return a large percentage of software users are using Microsoft product legally and illegally. In result, the end user is most likely using a Microsoft product and creates brand awareness. Microsoft used the appropriabiltiy theory to manage their risks by only sharing information with their partners that is only appropriate in order to make the partnership work.

Explain How Products Are Developed Essay

3.1.1 The product life cycle (PLC). The product life cycle is used for determining the lifespan of products and there are 4 sub stages of product: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. From 2007 until now, Honda Air Blade has become the most successful line of Honda’s motorbike as well as on market. Since it was born, Honda Air Blade has achieved sales of more than 2 million products. This year, from April to the end of September, Honda Air Blade reaches to 274,563 products. (Zing, 2014) This motorbike has brought more profits and impacted strongly on revenue of company. Honda has had the success with this product line. But in the modern world, to be able to compete with the competitors, Honda needs to improve quality, style of products and consider market prices as well as competitors to make a better product 3.1.2. Branding and brand leadership. a. Branding: A brand is much bigger than just the corporate logo. The brand attributes are formed from the efforts of corporation in the process of marketing communication activities and the character of business. Therefore, corporation needs to have an appropriate strategy to release a good PR campaign to make them more attractive than the competitors. Honda has slogan:† The power of dreams†, easily to remember and it has been very famous around the world. b. Brand leadership: The first appearance of Honda in Vietnam is in 1996, until now has been through 18 years and they have always been one of the forefront in their industry. (Honda, 2014) But now, Vietnam’s market has Yamaha, the biggest rival of Honda and the competition between both will continue for a long time in the future. Consequently, Honda has to use and combine an ingenious of design, advertising, marketing, and corporate culture. It will help create brand attributes in the minds of the people and that this will bring

Relativism and Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Relativism and Philosophy - Essay Example Relativism has a lot of weaknesses among them being that in this theory, only man is the measure of all things. This poses a threat to the truths that are proved scientifically because they are likely not be accepted by relativists. Also here, everything is relative and there is no difference between knowledge and opinion. Relativism may not be good because opinions that are not true will still be accepted and considered right by individuals and cultures. Many people are lost because of believing in relativism. It takes away any reason one might have for considering the opinions and arguments of others in forming ones belief. It undercuts any reason anyone might have for being critical about their own beliefs. An individual does not have the opportunity of gauging the level of truth in his or her belief and therefore ends up believing every single detail about the belief.   Ã‚  Philosophy is the free and rational inquiry into the limits of human knowledge and into the most general categories applicable to experience and reality. It involves investigating human experience, reality, knowledge and existence. It seeks to build theories and explanations by asking questions and challenging any assumptions made. The study of philosophy provides important skills to individuals such as problem solving, critical thinking, logic and being able to think differently and independently. Philosophy brings about self- improvement in the life of an individual and makes one to view things in a different manner.

Environmental law has led the development of environmental management Essay

Environmental law has led the development of environmental management systems (and environmental auditing in particular) - Essay Example environmental record keeping and performance and impact review) include illustration of how particular industries or businesses have adapted to the rise of such compliance requirements consider whether there are any disadvantages to environmental auditing being influenced by concerns about legal compliance Word limit: 1500 words Your essay must be typed and all sources must be referenced. Hand in Date: 11th August 2011, 16.00 (generic resit CW submission date!) Marked work to be returned: To be negotiated Environmental law builds on reform movements from the early part of the 20th Century, including consumer protection and industry regulation legislation that was enacted through the House of Commons in the protection of the public welfare and safety of workers. As public awareness and understanding of the danger to the natural environment from pollution and waste produced by industry grew, more and more people began to organize into advocacy groups and political change or reform move ments to affect public policy. Domestic law was the early vehicle for these reform movements and legislative changes produced in this manner became part of the common law tradition that would be enforceable in court with damages or penalties. As the role of governmental authority in policing and regulating industry on environmental concerns became more prevalent, official environmental protection and monitoring bodies were organized on the national level as industry watchdogs. With the rise of this legislation and associated governmental agencies in environmental protection, the requirements for the consumer, business, and industry to abide by environmental regulations led to the development of testing and auditing procedures that would guarantee compliance over large sectors of the economy. This can be seen in automotive emissions requirements and fuel conservation requirements in cars, trucks, and other vehicles; in pollution emissions testing requirements for factories in the ene rgy industry and industrial production; clean water and anti-pollution requirements for companies; as well as in modern movements to initiate a global carbon trading regime based on carbon-credits and a business’ fundamental carbon footprint calculated through use of fossil fuels in all aspects of production. These developments highlight how environmental protection legislation has moved from national law to become a major aspect of international business through treaties, multi-national accords, GATT negotiations, the WTO, etc. Nationally in the UK, there are two main sources of modern environmental law, the 1974 Control of Pollution Act and the Environmental Protection Act of 1990. The 1974 CPA prohibited the dumping of waste material, sewage, and other pollution in public land, rivers, and oceans, â€Å"where— (a) the waste in question is of a kind which is poisonous, noxious or polluting; and (b) its presence on the land is likely to give rise to an environmental hazard; and (c) it is deposited on the land in such circumstances or for such a period that whoever deposited it there may reasonably be assumed to have abandoned it there or to have brought it there for the purpose of its being disposed of (whether by himself or others) as waste, shall, subject to the following subsection, be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding ?400 or both or, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment f

Electronic Communication Technology Research Paper

Electronic Communication Technology - Research Paper Example Signal frequency spectrum down-conversion is achieved by multiplying the radio-frequency signal by a local oscillator signal in a circuit known as a mixer. This multiplication produces two signals whose frequency content lies about the sum and difference frequencies of the center frequency of the original signal and the oscillator frequency. Two signals at frequencies f1 and f2 are applied to a mixer, and it produces new signals at the sum f1 + f2 and difference f1 - f2 of the original frequencies. A simple technique which uses a diode can be is employed for the purpose of obtaining multiplication. A diode is a non-linear (or non-ohmic) device/element, which means its response (current) is not proportional to its input (voltage). The diode therefore does not reproduce the frequencies of its driving voltage in the current through it, which allows the desired frequency manipulation. The current 'I' through an ideal diode as a function of the voltage 'V' across it is given by And can be approximated for small x (that is, small voltages) by the first few terms of that series. Suppose that the sum of the two input signals v1 + v2 is applied to a diode, and that an output voltage is generated that is proportional to the current through the diode (perhaps by providing the voltage that is present across a resistor in series with the diode). Then, disregarding the constants in the diode equation, the output voltage will have the form The first term on the right is the original two signals followed by the square of the sum, which can be rewritten as . The multiplied signal is present as the above equation shows. It represents all the higher powers of the sum which we assume to be negligible for small signals. As every multiplication produces sum and difference frequencies, from the quadratic term of the series we expect to find signals at frequencies 2f1 and 2f2 from and , and f1 + f2 and f1 f2 from the v1v2 term. Often, so the difference signal has a much lower frequency than the others; extracting this distinct signal is often the principal purpose of using a mixer in such devices as radio receivers. Filter: - The other terms of the above series give rise to other weaker signals at various frequencies which act as noise for the desired signal. They may be filtered out. The filter shown in the block diagram performs this purpose. IF amplifier: - It is an amplifying circuit in a (RF) receiver that processes and enhances a down-converted or modulated signal. A variable local oscillator is used in the receiver to hold the difference-signal center frequency constant as the receiver is tuned. The constant frequency of the down-converted signal is called the

The Impact of the Internet and Product Development Essay

The Impact of the Internet and Product Development - Essay Example Though the internet started its development journey in the 1960s it is only in the 1990s that commercializing of the same Started. This period between the 1990s and today saw massive a leap in the number of internet users, with the same reaching 2.2 billion in 20101. Founded in or around 1976, Apple Inc.s formative years were also the internets formative years hence the close association of the two as Apple Inc., is a growing computer hardware company, produced hardware that was used hand in hand with the internet. Their growth therefore coincided. When internet marketing became a common phenomenon the company took the earliest opportunity to market itself through the internet. The company has kept pace with the latter growth in terms of the number of customers and profitability and will continue to do so as the two are closely connected. The two billion people who get to visit the internet are able to learn about apple through its may advert in its website and other popular sites in cluding search engines. The marketing of the company is therefore personalized. The adverts have gone a long way to create and model the personalities and legacies of persons connected with apple such as its late icon, Steve Jobs3.  Internet marketing is largely responsible for Apple business success today. The third largest mobile phone producer in the world, Apple has placed over a billion adverts on the internet for the time it has been in operation4. As a result, Apple is the most admired company in the united states today. The company aims to maintain its high customer base and it is convinced it can do so through solely marketing its products on the internet. The company also aims to disburse information on its products as fast as possible and the same can only be effectively achieved through the internet.  

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Diabetes - Essay Example Additionally, it is caused because the produced insulin do not work properly commonly referred to insulin resistance. The disease is developed when the proper amount of glucose cannot enter the cells of a body to be utilized as fuel. This happen when there is limited insulin helpful in unlocking the cells or if there is no enough insulin to work in a proper manner(Matthews, 2008). Diabetes is caused by bacterial or viral infection, chemical toxins found within the food, and unidentified components that cause autoimmune reaction. The above named causes are termed as autoimmune reaction or autoimmune causes, this is because the body attack themselves. The second types of diabetes are normally multifactorial. This type of obesity is caused by living sedentary lifestyle, increasing age, poor diet, and obesity. Diabetes can also be caused by other illness and pregnancy. The symptoms of diabetes are typical. However, those with type 2 diabetes have symptoms that can go unnoticed. Some of the conventional symptoms for diabetes include urinating often, feeling thirsty, feeling hungry though you are eating, extreme fatigue and restlessness, blurry vision, bruises and cuts that are slow to heal, weight loss despite eating, and numbness, pain, tingling on hands. When detected early and treated early, can reduce the risk of complicating the disease (Stehouwer, 2009).   People with diabetes need to change their lifestyle. Normally, they need addition treatment like medication in controlling their blood pressure, blood fats, and diabetes. Medication cannot be substituted to taking regular exercise and healthy diet. Therefore, one needs to take diabetes medication, transplant of Islet cell, and use of insulin. When diabetes medication is carried out the blood glucose, level will lower and there are various different types that work in different ways. People with diabetes will medication and treatment such as insulin. Some of the

Industrial relation_Changes to Employment Legislation in Singapore Essay

Industrial relation_Changes to Employment Legislation in Singapore - Essay Example The trade unions are lawful and they help to resolve the conflicts between the employees and employers (Clegg, 1975, 14-25). The Singapore system is a cooperative Tripartism, wherein the union, government and the management participate. The Industrial and Employment Laws are amended as per the perspectives of the Tripartite. These laws are amended based on certain changes in the Singapore market, work forces, Labour relations and several other essential factors. 2. Reasons for the changing make up of the workforce in Singapore since the start of the 21st century The Singapore Tripartism Forum or the STF), created by NTUC (National Trades Union Congress), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM), was launched on the 24th of January 2007 by Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. It is a forum which is designed to enhance the strength of tripartism; the tripartners being the Union, Government and the employers. The forum provides an effective framework which can help to overcome the economic challenges which are being encountered by Singapore. The economic competitiveness and ‘labour-management relation harmony’ would be benefitted by the inclusion of this framework. Objectives as per. Chuan-Jin (17 April 2012) are: Job re-creation Enhancing skills Raising retirement age, Upgrading of the workforce, Flexible wage system Promotion of the fair employment practices as per John Benson, Ying Zhu, PH. 2011. The tripartite partners are as follows: The Ministry of Manpower: As per the Ministry of Manpower (2012), this organisation aspires to develop globally competitive labour /workforce. It also aims at developing a better workplace and achieving a cohesive society. In addition, the aim is to achieve a secure and stable economic future. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC): It is a national level confederation of trade unions in public sectors and industrial domains representing 500,000 workers. It comprises of 62 union s and 6 taxi associations, which are all affiliated. The objective of this organisation is to make the workers employable for their lifetime and to enhance the social status of these workers. As per NTUC (2010), it aims at enhancing the competitive environment and also for enhancing the health conditions of the employees. These laws apply to all ages and nationality. The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) This federation was set up in 1980. It is a trade union of employees, which is meant to preserve industrial harmony. It is dedicated to help the employees to achieve excellence. As per the Annual Report SNEF (2009), SNEF has over 2000 members employing 54000 workers. It plays a key role in facilitating tripartite partnership. As expressed by Clegg (1975, p. 309-316), tripartism â€Å"theme is that men associate together to further their common interests and desires; their associations exert pressure on each other and on the government; the concessions which follow help to bind society together; thereafter stability is maintained by further concessions and adjustments as new associations emerge and power shifts from one group to another.† As per the publication, Changes to Employment Act (2009), Ministry of Manpower, the following factors are the base reasons for the amendment in the Employment Act:

Law of Finance and Securities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law of Finance and Securities - Assignment Example What should a depositor do in such kind of situation? Relevant Laws An unclaimed money refers to â€Å"all principal, interest, dividends, bonuses, profits and sums of money legally payable by an ADI (Australian Deposit-taking Institution) but in respect of which the time within which proceedings may be taken for the recovery thereof has expired, and includes moneys to the credit of an account that has not been operated on either by deposit or withdrawal for a period of not less than seven years† (s69.1 Banking Act (BA) 1959). It is classified into three: (1) money in which its recovery â€Å"has been or may be barred by operation of law† (2) deposited money (3) â€Å"share capital subscribed for a share in a body from which the capital subscribed may be withdrawn by the subscriber† (s8 Unclaimed Money Act 1995 (UMA)). These three are held by an enterprise in an account which â€Å"has not been in operated for at least† six years or shorter as may be requi red by regulations or as may be confirmed by the Chief Commissioner to a certain enterprise (s7.1 UMA 1995). An Australian Deposit-taking Institution is obliged to transmit a statement to the Treasurer of all the amount of unclaimed money (s69.3 BA 1959). The sums of unclaimed money should have a minimum amount of one hundred dollars or higher (s69.3 BA 1959). An enterprise holding an unclaimed money should make reasonable efforts to locate and identify the money owner as well as to make sure that the owner is paid (s8A.1 UMA 1995). A failure to do so would not make the money an unclaimed money (s8A.2 UMA 1995). The owner of the unclaimed money has the right to recover the money from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (s15 UMA 1995). An application for repayment should be lodged by the owner at any period before such right is extinguished (s17-18 UMA 1995). The right shall be terminated if no action has been made to recover the money within the six year period from the date of pay ment of the unclaimed money to the Chief Commissioner (s16 UMA 1995). Application Under BA 1959, Elizabeth’s money could be an unclaimed money if she has not been active with her bank account for at least seven years. On the other hand, based on UMA 1995, Elizabeth’s money in the bank would be judged as an unclaimed money if her bank account has not been in operation for not less than six years or shorter and that the bank had exerted reasonable efforts to locate her but was proven unsuccessful. In the instant scenario, it would seem that Elizabeth had not been active with her bank account for more than seven years. The facts of the case provide that she discovered an old bank book she had as a child. If her money is indeed an unclaimed money, then, the bank has a right to pass it to the government. To note, the minimum amount of money required under section 69.3 of BA 1959 is one hundred dollars. In the instant case, Elizabeth had over one thousand dollars in her old bank account. There is no notification period provided under UMA 1995. Nonetheless, it is emphasized that reasonable efforts should be exerted by the bank to locate and identify the owner of the money before declaring the money as an unclaimed money. The reason of which is that some people actually tend to forget their bank accounts (Tyree 2008). They move to other places and do not receive notifications (Tyree 2008). If the bank holding Elizabeth’s money had performed the cited requisite but was proven un

Symbolism in Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Symbolism in Shakespeare's Macbeth - Essay Example The plot is woven through a series of symbols and images that are essential to the play’s setting. It opens with the witches’ scene and darkness all around. The dark hours are always associated with the evil which is about to take place. The symbol of blood and the disturbing weather emerge from the darkness and plague Macbeth and his surroundings. As the play opens, three witches appear on the scene asking as to whether their next meeting would be in â€Å"thunder, lightning, or in rain?† Hence from the very beginning, the symbol of darkness is introduced with only a few lines later, Macbeth is also mentioned. This is a foreshadowing of the events that will take place in the play. Darkness is always associated with evil and wickedness. Shakespeare employs these images to reveal the tools of disorder and the evil on which the character acts upon. The witches are the very first instruments which lead to disorder and havoc. Their appearance of witches is described by Macbeth himself as secretive and black: â€Å"How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!† (Macbeth Act IV.i) but yet he believes in their prophecy. Even Banquo, who is with Macbeth at the time when the witches prophesize about them, speaks of them as: â€Å"The instruments of darkness tell us truths,  /Win us with honest trifles, to betray's  /In deepest consequence† (Macbeth Act I.i). ... From here onwards, there are a series of crimes committed by Macbeth as malevolence takes over the whole self of Macbeth. Once Macbeth restores himself as the king, even Scotland is pronounced as a place of obscurity. His restoration envelopes the whole country into â€Å"sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air /Are made, not mark'd; where violent sorrow seems /A modern ecstasy; the dead man's knell†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as claimed by Macduff (Macbeth Act IV.iii). The images of darkness and the loss of blood along with thunder and lightning, elevate the component of evil in the play introducing the feeling of eeriness throughout. The symbol of blood that is scattered everywhere is seen when the play opens with the battle between Scotland and Norway. This is described by the wounded captain in traumatizing terms: â€Å"†¦Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,  /Or memorise another Golgotha,  /I cannot tell—  /But I am faint, my gashes cry for help† (Mac beth Act I.ii). But in this scene, Macbeth is praised for his bravery. His quality later changes into an evil force which he uses against his own people who trusted him. Blood also eventually symbolizes the guilt of Macbeth since he is unable to reverse his monstrous deeds. After the first act of evil that he performs by killing Duncan, Macbeth cries, â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?† (Macbeth Act II.i). The symbolism employed in Macbeth represents all the negative elements of life which usually associate with the villain or evil vigor. It was Shakespeare’s intent to portray Macbeth as that kind of character who constituted fear, guilt, wrath, cowardice and misery in the name of acquiring power. Lady Macbeth, besides the witches, was

The food Pip Essay Example for Free

The food Pip Essay Magwitch had been sent to Australia to work, and if he ever returned to Britain he would be sentenced for death. Pip did not expect a convict to be his benefactor he couldnt image such a dirty, poor, old man to give him that much amount of money. He wanted to get rid of Magwitch as soon as possible. However pip develops a real affection for Magwitch. Magwitch tell pip about Compeyson the man who made Miss Havisham the way she is. Pip gradually becomes fond of Magwitch. Pip tries to help Magwitch by smuggling him out of London by sea. As they were doing this they were being watched by Compeyson- who is terrified of Magwitch. As they are about to get on to the steamer, Magwitch fights Compeyson the two men fall in to the sea in the struggle Compeyson drowns. Pip dives in to the sea to rescue Magwitch. Once they are on dry land the escape failed and Magwitch is found guilty of returning to England. He was sentenced to death but he was dying anyway. He had caught something in the polluted sea; he swallowed the dirty water and became ill. Pip nurses Magwitch and starts to love Magwitch. Pip learns that Magwitch grew up without parents in a brutal society. Society did little for him. He blames society it forced him into becoming involved with some dodgy people. By Magwitch returning pip realises that he has mistreated those who were truly dear to him, like Joe who is always faithful towards Pip. The courts are incapable of showing compassion. Magwitch came back to Britain out of love for Pip. Eventually Pip learns that Magwitch has been generous towards him so he feels the need to return it. Pip realises that Magwitch is also human. Pip understands the true depth of the sacrifice that Magwitch has made for him. Pip is made to un-learn every thing that he has learnt to re-discover the importance of human relations. Dickens gave pip a chance to become more than he is only to have reverted back to the old kind and pleasant Pip. Pip learns that he cannot change who he is inside from Magwitch. Magwitch uses Pip as his revenge on Society. He uses pip like a doll and moulded it into a gentleman. Compeyson got a lighter sentence because of his status he wanted pip to have the same advantage. Dickens tries to tell us something about the legal system at the time in the twentieth century. However Magwitch s motives were not only revenge but also gratitude for the food Pip gave him. Pip could have turned a blind eye to Magwitch when he was in his hour of need. Magwitch develops a fatherly affection towards Pip. Magwitch relates pip to his daughter who he lost. Magwitch though that his little girl had been killed but pip told him that she was well and he was in love with her. Magwitch teaches pip that there are two meanings behind the term Gentleman 1. Is the status and class.

Infectious Diseases: Causes, Effects and Treatments

Infectious Diseases: Causes, Effects and Treatments Introduction Infectious diseases or communicable diseases are those caused from pathological microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, prions, etc, which can spread from one person to another by direct or indirect means. Infectious diseases can also spread from animals to man or vice-versa (WHO, 2010). Throughout history, microorganisms, the causative organisms for infectious diseases have been playing an active role. Many native populations during the middle Ages have been destroyed by plagues. The Europeans when tried to conquer Australia, Africa and Americas had initially used microorganisms to destroy the native populations. However, the infectious diseases have had a serious effect on the fauna and flora. There were huge causes of morbidity and mortality, but in the 20th century developed nations had lower rates of morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. The major reasons why there was control over the infectious diseases during the later part of the 20th centur y was due to the development of antibiotics, eradication of small pox through vaccination, improvement in the living conditions and sanitations, etc. However, in the developing nations, infectious diseases are a major cause of death. In the year 1993, about 51 million people died, out of which 16.4 million about 35% were from infectious diseases. In the sub-Saharan African regions about 70 % of the worldwide infectious disease deaths occur. Developed nations account for 10% of the worldwide infectious disease deaths (Wilson, 1995). Today, serious changes are made with the environment of the earth such that certain propulsions and groups are becoming vulnerable to certain infectious diseases. Not only have antibiotics made it easier to fight microorganisms but the abuse of the same has resulted in the microbes developing resistance. Besides, many insect vectors are becoming more and more resistant to various pesticides being used. Today there are several emerging infectious such Ebola, H1N1, H5N1, Lassa fever, etc, due to the changing environmental circumstances. In the year 1993, more than 400000 people from Milwaukee US were affected with the epidemic of cryptosporidiosis. In the Southwest people died from pulmonary disease caused due to Hantavirus infection. Not only are the humans affected with infectious diseases but also various other species of domesticated and wild animals (Wilson, 1995). With History, major changes have undergone with respect to the infectious disease map of the world. In the 20th century, many diseases have spread from tropical to temperate regions and have crossed marine barriers including the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. More than 14.2 million people each year die from infectious diseases. On the other hand, heart disease kills about 10 million people each year. The most common infectious disease killer is acute respiratory infectious with 3.7 million deaths each year, followed by HIV/AIDS with 2.8 million deaths, diarrheal group of diseases with 1.7 million deaths, malaria with 1 million deaths and measles with 0.8 million deaths. As sanitation and poor living conditions can increase the risk of infectious diseases, such problems are more common in the lower socioeconomic groups. The WHO has predicted that during the next ten years that infectious disease would reduce by about 3 % due to improvement in the living conditions (Bonita, 2006). In the ICD-9 Listing, codes 1 to 113 are given infectious and parasitic disease codes. It is found that about 83% of all deaths from infectious diseases are from range of symptoms outside the classical ICD mentioned criteria (Norman, 1998). With a number of infectious such as diphtheria, chicken pox, measles, feco-oral infections, cholera, rotavirus infection, etc, seasonal variations play a vital role, in the temperate and the tropical regions of the world. The mechanism by which this is occurring is not understood clearly. Certain reasons may be applicable for the seasonal variations of a disease:- Seasonability has several factors and a lot depends on local factors Depending on the characteristics of the infections epidemics or peak in incidences can occur at different times of the year There may be an interaction of pathogens that may affect the spread of another infection Hence, depending on these criteria vaccination can be used to block the spread of the infection (Nicholas C. Grassly, 2006). Infectious diseases may not just involve one person or a particular community or a population. Often more than one population may be affected across a region or a nation. Besides, infectious diseases can also affect animals including goats (Echinococcus), dogs (rabies), birds (H5N1), etc. Classification The listing of the ICD-9 Codes for Infectious diseases includes:- Intestinal Infectious Diseases 001 to 009 Tuberculosis 010 to 018 Zoonotic Bacterial Infectious 020 to 027 Other bacterial Infectious (such as leprosy, diphtheria, scarlet fever, etc) 030 to 041 HIV 042 to 044 Poliomyelitis, kuru, CJD, etc 045 to 049 Virus with exanthema 050 to 059 Arthropod borne virus infection 060 to 066 Other diseases caused by virus and Chlamydia (such as hepatitis A, B C, rabies, trachoma, warts, etc) 070 to 079 Rickettsia and other arthropod infections (080 to 088) Syphilis and other venereal diseases (gonorrhea, urethritis, etc) 090 to 099 Other Spirochete infections such as yaws, pinta, etc 100 to 104 Mycoses or fungal infectious 110 to 118 Helmenthic or worm infestation 120 to 129 Other infections 130 to 136 Late effects of infections 137 to 139 (ICD-9 codes) Transmission Infectious diseases are transmitted by two means, namely the direct and indirect means. Direct means includes contact with the infected person who comes in contact with the normal person. Through contact, infections can spread by three means, the first two include horizontal means and the third include vertical transmission. Infectious diseases usually spread by direct transfer of the infected fluids or secretions from one individual to another. There may be several means of person to person transmission including sharing infected needles, sexual contact, kissing, blood transfusion, sneezing, coughing, mucosa to mucosa, etc. Direct contact would also include contact with infected animals or handling contaminated animal wastes. The vertical transmission is by means of the infected mother to the baby. Infections again can be transmitted by different means at different periods. When the unborn baby is in the uterus, it can get infected from the mother. Certain infections can be transmit ted across the placenta and include bacteria (such as syphilis, listeriosis), viruses (such as CM Virus, AIDS, German measles), and protozoans (such as toxoplasmosis) (Lee Goldman, 2007). The effect on the fetus may range from fetal infections, lesions, mental retardation, physical growth retardation, multi-organ defects, birth defects, aborted, etc (Dorak, 2009). On the other hand, infection can spread to the baby during passage of the baby through the infected birth canal. Lastly, infection can spread through contaminated breast milk of the mother during nursing (Lee Goldman, 2007). Exposure to the infectious agents can result in various outcomes including no infection, clinical infection, sub-clinical infection or carrier status. Clinical infection can result death, carrier status and further immunity or no immunity against the disease. Sub-clinical infection can result in carrier status, immunity or no immunity against the disease (Dorak, 2009). Infectious diseases can also spread through indirect methods which include contaminated objects, personal items, food borne, waterborne, vector borne, air-borne, ting-borne and surfaces. For example, common cold can spread by using contaminated towels. Various bacterial, viral and parasitic infections can spread through vectors or carriers such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, ticks, etc. Infectious diseases can also be transmitted from one individual to another through contaminated food or water or the oro-fecal route. Consuming uncooked, undercooked or raw foods, unsuitable drinking water, etc, can cause infectious. For example, in Latin America, there is evidence through PCR diagnostic tests that H. pylori cause gastric problems (Lee Goldman, 2007). Certain individuals may be at a higher risk of getting infected which includes those with autoimmune disorders, those who have undergone an organ transplant and are taking immunosuppressant, those consuming corticosteroids and those infected with HIV/AIDS. The other risk factors that play a role in the development of the infectious diseases may include age, race, sex, socioeconomic status, geo-location, medication use, illegal drug use, history of travel, etc (Sherwood, 2004). The mode of causation of an infectious disease is by an interaction of internal factors and environmental factors. An infection may arise as a result of a triad of factors affecting the system including the host, agent and the environment. The host factors include age, sex, gene-type, mental makeup, nutritional makeup, immune status, and health makeup. The environmental factors include air, water, sanitation, psychosocial status, geography, housing, food, healthcare delivery system, etc. The agent factors include pathogenicity of the organism (ability to cause disease), infectivity (ability to cause infection), virulence (ability to cause death), immunogenicity, survival and antigenic capabilities (Dorak, 2009). The entire natural cycle of the infection would ensure that the infectious agent is at the business end. The infectious agent would enter the host or reservoir and then exit from the body, carried by a mode of transmission and enter another persons body. It would result in infection in a susceptible host. Koch bought out certain postulates for infections. In each case, the organism is present. The organism can be isolated or grown in each culture. Once each individual is exposed to the agent, the disease as such can be reproduced. From each of the infected individuals, the pathogen can be isolated. Symptoms An individual suffering from an infectious disease may present with no symptoms, symptoms which are not definitive, mild symptoms, or serious symptoms with complications. The period between the exposure of the individual to the infectious organism and the appearance of the first symptom may vary from a few days (in the case of chicken pox, malaria, etc), months to a few years (in the case of HIV). Infectious disease can produce a range of symptoms including:- Fever Chills and rigors Bleeding of the gums and periodontal diseases Epistaxis Sore throat Anorexia Tiredness Body pain Dyspnea and breathing problems Headache Fever with seizures Swelling or a rash Malaise Enlargement of the regional lymph nodes along with tenderness Diarrhea and dysentery Bloody stools Yellowness of the skin and the tongue Paleness Skin lesions or skin rash Blood shot eyes (in the case of conjunctivitis) Burning sensation whilst passing urine Abscess or a draining sinus Pain, swelling from the affected site along with a rise in the temperature Gastritis Spread of the bacteria, along with the toxin in the blood Diagnosis The diagnosis of Infectious disease is made based on the history, physical examination, signs, symptoms, analysis of the tissue samples, microscopy, culture, blood tests, urine tests, molecular diagnosis and other methods. The history includes details of the personal history, history of travel, family history, social history, occupational history and epidemiology (Paul G. Engelkirk, 2007). Body samples of urine, CSF, nasal secretions, nasal swab, stools, etc are collected to study them microscopically. In certain circumstances water, soil, inanimate objects and food samples are also analyzed. In certain circumstances the samples are collected at a particular period of time. In malaria, the samples are collected when the fever is high and in the case of typhoid the blood samples are collected when the fever begins to rise. It is important to prevent contamination of the sample during testing and avoid any destruction of the causative organisms. It is important to transport the samples appropriately and test them immediately as many anaerobic species may not be able to survive in the oxygen-rich environment. Besides, it is also important to prevent drying of the samples. All samples should be given appropriate care during laboratory testing as they are hazardous and can infect the testing personnel (Barbara A. Bannister, 2000). There are different microscopes that can be used for studying the samples including light microscope, phase-contrast microscope, dark-field microscope, electron microscope, etc. Various staining procedures may be required to study the samples including gram staining, Giemsa staining, Ziehl-Nielsen staining, Indian Ink staining, etc. Helminthes, urine bacteria and fecal protozoan are best viewed through direct microscopy of unstained samples. Gram staining helps to identify organisms in pus, CSF, ascitis, pleural fluids, etc. Ziehl-Nielsen staining is used to study that will not stain through ordinary procedures. Romanowsky staining is used to stain blood cells, whereas Giemsa staining is used to identify the parasites present in blood. Immunofluorescence is a method of identifying the organisms through reactions with antibodies tagged with fluorescence dyes. There are two methods of immunofluorescence including direct and indirect methods (Barbara A. Bannister, 2000). Culturing involves growing the microorganisms present in the sample in the laboratory on an appropriate media and recognizing the same using physical, biochemical and morphological means. Different media may be used including enriched media, selective media and indicative media. Another process of distinguishing between the various strains of an organism is typing. These include biotyping, auxotyping, serotyping, phagetyping, PCR typing, etc (Barbara A. Bannister, 2000). Blood tests called as serological tests are done to determine the antigen-antibody reaction that occur. Some of the common tests that are done in the laboratory include agglutination, fluorescent antibody tests, radioimmunoassay and ELISA. Molecular methods of diagnosis are used to determine specific DNA fragments that would be a signature of certain species of pathogens. Some of the common molecular diagnostic techniques include PCR and amplification techniques (Barbara A. Bannister, 2000). Treatment One of the earliest ways of managing an infectious disease was in malaria when certain local communities used cinchona to treat the disease. From the cinchona bark, quinine was extracted and is used even today to manage malaria. Today, antimicrobial agents are being used to treat infectious disease. These microbial agents attack the various metabolic pathways that are present in the microbial metabolism. For example certain compounds are similar to PABA, and prevent PABA from undergoing transformation into dihydropteroic acid, which is essential for folate metabolism. Once there is shortage of folic acid in the body, the DNA of the bacteria undergoes degradation. Further other antimicrobial agents which target other portions of the metabolism can also be used for more effective treatment of infectious diseases. These include trimethoprin and sulphamethoxazole. The other ways by which antimicrobial agents act include causes the destruction of the bacterial cell wall, inhibition of the protein synthesis in bacteria, and damaging the DNA structure. For certain antimicrobial agents to act, the bacteria should be sensitive to the drug. Besides, the manner in which the drug is administered and the spectrum of action of the drug also plays a vital role in treating infections. Antimicrobial sensitivity tests are conducted to determine which particular agents the bacteria would be sensitive and resistant to and accordingly select a potent agent to treat the infection (Barbara A. Bannister, 2000). To ensure that the treatment with antibiotics is working properly certain monitoring strategies may be required including:- Appropriate levels of antibiotics are present in the serum The levels of antibiotics do not reach a level such that it would cause toxic effects Patient compliance and adherence Appropriate means of administration Pharmacokinetics of new drugs Monitoring all the adverse effects (dose-dependent or idiosyncratic) Some of the common groups of antimicrobial agents that are used to treat infections include:- Penicillin Penicillinase resistant penicillin Ampicillin-like agents Beta-lactamase inhibitors Cephalosporin Aminoglycosides Chloramphenicols Quinolones Antifungal Agents Antiviral agents Antimalarial agents Antitubercular drugs Antiprotozoan agents Prevention Infectious diseases are transmitted from one individual to another through several routes including direct contact, inhalation of airborne infections, consuming contaminated food or water, through vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, etc, sexual contact, using contaminated personal items and through the mother-fetal route. Hence, prevention can be advocated by obstructing the means of transmission of the infection. One of the most important methods of prevention is by proper and frequent hygiene by handwashing and using a disinfecting soap. Immunization also plays a vital role in preventing infections by administering vaccines to the general populations. Vaccines are currently available for a number of bacterial and viral infections including meningococcal infections, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, polio, diphtheria, typhoid, tetanus, haemophilus influenza, chicken pox, rotavirus, human papilloma virus, H1N1, measles, mumps, rubella, etc. Passive immunization can be administered by the admi nistration of immunoglobulin. Zoonotic infections can be prevented by immunizing the pets, providing a clean and safe environment for the animals, washing hands before contacting animals, takes measures after animal bites, etc. At the workplace, transmission of infections are a risk because of the conditions and also because people are in close contact with each other and also with hazards. Needles, syringes and other biohazards need to be disposed off properly. Blood during donation and infusion should be appropriately screened for various blood-borne infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, etc. Rubber gloves should be worn by the healthcare professional and for every new patient, a new set of sterile drugs should be selected. Hospital wastes should be disposed off properly to prevent hazardous wastes from further causing havoc (Andi L. Shane, 2008). Safe sex and sexual hygiene is also essential to prevent risk of transmission of STDs such as HIV, hepatitis B, etc. If there is the chance of the partner practicing unsafe sex, then a condom and other barriers help reduce the risk of transmission. Special precautions also need to be taken during travel. Areas infected with infectious diseases should be best not visited. For some people, vaccination may be required along with consumption of prophylactic antimicrobial agents (Andi L. Shane, 2008). Infectious Diseases in Saudi Arabia As in the rest of the world, in Saudi Arabia also, the morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases are high. An infection would have its course and severity varied depending on the virulence of the agent and the resistance of the host. Besides, a number of environmental factors also need to be considered. Two of the most common infections and serious health problems in the Western populations have been community-acquired pneumonia and fever of unknown origin (PUO). In the US, each year more than 1.3 million people get hospitalized from infectious diseases. The WHO has attributed Tuberculosis the most common cause of death in the world adult population. Certain factors may increase the risk for TB including HIV status, lower socioeconomic background, poor sanitation, etc. The other common infectious diseases throughout the world were hepatitis B, malaria and meningitis. Alghamdi found that the prior knowledge of prevalence and pattern of infectious diseases in the Western Saudi A rabian population was rather unknown and hence conducted this study to determine the most common infection in the hospitalized and determine their mean time of stay. More than 495 patients that were hospitalized between Jan 2000 to December 2004 at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) was studied. All data was collected from the patients medical records. About 8.8 % of the population who were admitted to the hospital or 1 in 11 were admitted for infectious diseases, and slightly more than 50% were males and 54% were native Saudis. Individuals between 26 to 45 years were commonly affected with infectious diseases, followed by the 13-25 year old group. The senior citizen population was least often affected with infectious disease. The most common infectious disease was pneumonia, followed by fever of unknown origin, TB, and viral hepatitis. In women, pneumonia was more common than men, whereas TB and meningitis were more common in men. The other common infectious in the population included bronchopneumonia, malaria and urinary tract infections (Aisha A. Alghamdi, 2009). The incidence of meningococcal meningitis is common in Hajj pilgrims and in the year 2000, several cases were reported in the Hajj pilgrims. The two common serogroups were serogroups A (24%) and W-135 (37%). The epidemiologists found that the Hajj Pilgrim 2000 Meningococcal attack was in fact two concurrent outbreaks. The W-135 serogroup is endemic in Saudi Arabia. The fatalities were high amongst the pilgrims and hence since the year 1987, mandatory vaccination was being introduced. The vaccine used in fact is quadrivalent in nature (Jairam R. Lingappa, 2003). The Tuberculosis statistics in Saudi Arabia were also alarming. In a study conducted by Sahal A. M. Al-Hajoj, 2006, it was found from about 1500 cases of Tuberculosis infection, that male-female ratio was 1.27 and 47% of the population being adults between the age groups of 21-40 years. The single drug resistant cases were about 19.7 % and the multi-drug resistant cases were about 47% (Sahal A. M. Al-Hajoj, 2006). Sahal A. M. Al-Hajoj (2009) conducted another study to find if the mortality and morbidity from tuberculosis could be decreased in Saudi Arabia. There was a rise in the number of cases of TB between 1990 and 2004 by about 6.2%. In Western Saudi Arabia, there is a huge influx of individuals from developing countries who may already be infected with Tuberculosis. The rise in tuberculosis cases may not only be due a rise in infection rate, but also due to better diagnosis techniques. Better TB programs and effective diagnostic laboratories are the need of the hour in controlling cases of tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia. There should also be greater uniformity across the country in standardization. In the year 2000, there was an epidemic of Rift Valley Fever in Saudi Arabia which had spread from the neighboring North African Region. About 886 patients were included in the study by Tariq A. Madan. The age group affected was the 40 to 50 year, and the male to female ratio was 4:1. The common symptoms recorded included fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, diarrhea, neurological complications, bleeding, visual loss, liver function test abnormalities, leucopenia, renal failure, anemia, etc. There were about 14% mortalities from the disease and were often associated with bleeding, neurological symptoms and jaundice. People with leucopenia had a lower mortality than those who had a rise in the leukocyte count (Tariq A. Madan, 2000). In the year 2007, the first outbreak of H5N1 occurred in Saudi Arabia and affected 19 poultry farms. Several diagnostic tests were conducted to confirm the infection including Rapid antigen-capture test and real-time RT-PCR. Once the infection was identified in a particular town in Saudi Arabia, the government immediately made a decision destroy the H5N1 affected fleet and the non-affected birds in a radius of 5 kilometers and ensure quarantine measures were followed in the region so that the infection could be prevented from spreading to other regions. Besides, other measures were being adopted including closing bird markets, greater surveillance, quarantine, etc. Within a period of three months from the first detected cases, the epidemic was totally under control. Further within a period of three months (April 2008), Saudi Arabia was declared as H5N1-free (Huaguang Lu, 2009). In a study conducted by Abdulrahman A. Alrajhi (2004), the mode of transmission of HIV-1 was being studied. It was found that 46% were heterosexual transmission, 26% due to infected blood transfusion, 12% vertical transmission, 5% from homosexual activities and 2% due to use of contaminated syringes during IV drug usage. Most of the heterosexual men got infected from commercial sex workers, and about 65 women got infected from their husbands. In Saudi, the most rampant form of transmission of HIV-1 is heterosexual mode. The mean age of diagnosis of HIV in the 410 individuals who took part in the study was 27.8 years. The adult infection rate is about 0.01%. Women tend to get the infection from their spouses. The rate of infection was relative lower in homosexual men and IV Drug users (Abdulrahman A. Alrajhi, 2004). Thus it can be seen that infectious diseases are a serious problems. Some of the infections that are common in Saudi Arabia include pneumonia, Fever of unknown origin, tuberculosis, meningitis, HIV, acute viral hepatitis, chronic viral hepatitis, malaria, etc. Besides, outbreaks of several emerging infections are becoming commoner in Saudi. These include the Rift Valley Fever of 2000, H5N1 outbreak of 2007, dengue fever, viral hemorrhagic fever, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, etc. Many of the zoonotic infectious are getting transmitted to man by vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes (Tariq A. Madani, 2004). The mechanism of development and the transmission of such infections need to be studied.

Overview of Ebola

Overview of Ebola Ebola virus is a deadly virus which cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates for instance monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. Infection caused by the Ebola virus strains is known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola. Virus which cause Ebola infection belong to familyFiloviridae, genusEbolavirus. Five species of Ebola virus are identified. Among these five species,four cause disease in humans which are: Ebola virus Sudan virus Taà ¯ Forest virus Bundibugyo virus Reston virus is the fifth specie and is known to cause disease in nonhuman primates and not in humans. History: Ebola virus disease first emerged in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, first one in Nzara, Sudan, and second one in Yambuku few months later. Later a case was reported in a village located near a river named as Ebola River. The disease is named after that river.The first attack of Ebola in Sudan affected about 284 people with mortality rate of approx. 53%.The second Ebola virus appeared from Yambuku(EBOZ) has mortality rate of 88% and affected 318 people. Use of contaminated syringes and needles in clinics and hospitals and close personal contact with infected ones are considered as main cause of outbreak of disease. In 1989,the third strain of Ebola named as Ebola Reston (EBOR) was discovered in USA(Virginia and Pennsylvania) through imported infected monkeys into Virginia from Philippines.In 1990,once again EBOR was emerged in Virginia and Texas by imported monkeys but four people developed antibodies and remained safe. Later in 1994,the last strain of Ebola named as Ebola Cote dIvoire (EBO-CI) was discovered while conductance of a necropsy on a dead chimpanzee sighted in the Tai Forest by a female ethologist. One more case occurred in gold-mining camps located in the rain forest in the same year with mortality rate of 60%. Initially the disease was thought to be yellow fever and was identified as Ebola virus disease much later. In 1995, virus apperared in Kikwit with mortality rate of 81%.Later in 1996, ebola virus appeared in South Africa with mortality rate of 50% when medical professional travelled to South Africa from Gabon after treating Ebola-infected patients. He was admitted in hospita l and a nurse whose duty was to take care of doctor, also became infected and died. Another case occurred in Mayibout area with mortality rate of 57% when an infected chimpanzee was eaten by people hunting for food. In 2000,virus appeared in Masindi, Gulu, and districts of Uganda with mortality rate of 53%. In 2001 and 2002,disease emerged in the Republic of the Congo and over the border of Gabon and with mortality rate of 82% and was the first time that Ebola virus disease spread in the Republic of the Congo. In 2003, outbreak of infection appeared in Mbomo and Mbandza villages with mortality rate of 83%.In 2004,cases of disease were reported in Yambio county of southern Sudan accompanied with measles at the same time with mortality rate of 41%.Later in 2007, virus affected people in Kasai Occidental Province and Bundibugyo District in western Uganda with mortality rate of 71% and 25% respectively.In 2008,strains of Ebola-Reston were discovered in pigs.In 2011, a patient died in th e Luwero district, Uganda due to Ebola Hemorrhagic fever as diagnosed by The Uganda Ministry of Health.In 2012,a viral attack was reported in the Kibaale District of Uganda. In 2013, disease emerged in the Luwero District.Samples were tested by CDCs Viral Special Pathogens.Recently in 2014,infection was reported in several villages located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in months of august to November with mortality rate of 74%.In March, virus attacked multiple countries in West Africa. Worldwide occurance: Ebola is a rare disease and has spread in Guinea,Sierra Leone and Liberia. Severely affected countries by Eboal a-included Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia due to weak health systems,shortfall of infrastructural and human resources. Ebola outbreak also began in Boende, Equateur which is a part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola virus disease occurs in the Republic of the Congo, Africa, Ivory Coast, Sudan , Gabon, and Uganda, but there are chances of its occurance in other African countries. Transmission: Fruit bats that are included in Pteropodidae family are considered as natural Ebola virus hosts. Introduction of Ebola virus into the human population occurs through close contact with the organs, blood and secretions. Virus can also be transmitted by bodily fluids of infected animals such as gorillas, chimpanzees, forest antelope ,monkeys, porcupines. and fruit bats. Virus spreads via direct close contact through broken skin,fluids of infected people, mucous membranes and materials or surfaces contaminated with these fluids e.g. clothing and bedding. EVD spreads through close contact with infected patients when control precautions are not firmly practiced. It is transmitted by needles and syringes used to treat Ebola-infected patients. Transmission of Ebola occurs via those burial ceremonies in which people have direct close contact with the body of the dead infected by EVD. As long as blood and body fluids e.g semen and breast milk contain the ebola virus,people are considered infectious. Interestingly men can transmit the virus via their semen after recovering from illness for up to seven weeks. Symptoms Symptoms of Ebola virus disease are nonspecific. After the incubation period of 2 to 21 days, signs of Ebola virus are: abruptfever and fever fatigue headache joint pain muscle aches and pain sore throat weakness These symptoms are followed by : . This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function both external and internal bleeding e.g. blood in the stools and oozing from the gums in some cases. Hiccups Stomach pain It is important to mention that humans are not infectious until they develop specific symptoms for disease. Diagnosis Distinguishing EVD from other infectious diseases for instance malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis is a difficult task. For identification of Ebola virus disease following strategies are used in order to confirm that symptoms are caused by Ebola virus. antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen-capture detection tests serum neutralization test reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay electron microscopy virus isolation by cell culture. ELISA and PCR are considered as efficient diagnostic tests for Ebola virus disease. Treatment Still there is no standard treatment for Ebola virus disease and only supportive therapy is available. Supportive therapy includes treatment of specific symptoms and supportive care-rehydration with intravenous fluids or orally. A wide range of treatments including immune therapies, drug therapies and blood products, are recently being evaluated for treatment of Ebola virus disease. Two vaccines are undergoing human safety testing but still there is no licensed vaccine available for treatment. Prevention and control Prevention and control of Ebola virus disease is much difficult. One can prevent from disease by early testing and isolation of the infected patient. Moreover ,barrier protection for caregivers for instance mask, gown, goggles, and gloves is necessary to prevent others from getting infected. Outbreak of disease can be controlled by applying a package of interventions, e.g., safe burials ,surveillance, , case management , social mobilisation., contact tracing and a good laboratory service. Outbreak control of disease relies on raising awareness of risk factors and protective measures that individuals can take in order to reduce human transmission. Risk reduction must consider following factors: Reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission: In order to control its outbreak,it is very necessary to avoid contact with infected monkeys or fruit bats and the consumption of their infected meat. Infected and uninfected animals must carefully be handled with gloves and significant protective clothing. Thorough cooking of animal’s meat is required to reduce risk of infection. Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission: One must avoid from direct or close contact with people suspected to be Ebola victims.Gloves and specific personal protective equipment must be used while looking after patients at hospitals or at home. Outbreak containment measures: It refers to safe burial of the dead,identification of people who may have been remained in contact with infected people, the significance of separating the healthy ones from the sick to prevent further spread and finally the importance of maintaining a neat and clean environment and good hygiene.

Joseph Kennedy :: essays research papers

Joseph Patrick Kennedy was born on September 6, 1888, in Boston Massachusetts. He was born the son of Patrick Joseph Kennedy, a local politician and successful businessman, and his wife Mary Augusta Hickey Kennedy. His parents wanted only the best for young Joe. In 1901 Joe was enrolled in Boston Latin, and elite boys catholic school. He was a very popular student there as president of his class, colonel on the drill team, a baseball player, and valedictorian. The next step for Joe was Harvard. There things were different; he was not the most popular student. He was not a particularly good student, and because of his Irish heritage, he had to endure a lot of slurs against his background. Yet he graduated thinking he was just as good as anyone in the class of 1912. After Harvard he decided to go into banking, where he received a position as a state bank examiner. In less than a year he saw the opportunity he wanted. The Columbia Trust was about to be taken over by the First National. Joe decided that if anybody was to take over the Columbia, he should be the one. Joe had supporters, which was accompanied by a game of bluff that finally forced First National to give up. When the merger was called off, the Columbia directors rewarded him with the top job. At 25 he had become the youngest bank president in the country. In 1914, now the successful bank president married the love of his life, Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald. Rose was the daughter of the Mayor of Boston, John Francis Fitzgerald, a leading Irish figure in Boston. Together they had 9 children, Joseph Patrick Jr., John Fitzgerald, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice Mary, Patricia, Robert Francis, Jean Ann, and Edward Moore. By the age of 30 he had amassed a great fortune through business ventures that included motion pictures, shipbuilding, and real estate, and through the stock market. As chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission in 1937, he laid the groundwork for the U.S. merchant marine. He was ambassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940. But perhaps his greatest achievement was seeing his son become John become President of the United States. As his parents did for him, he did the same for his children. He wanted nothing more than to see one his children as a great political leader.

The Gains and Losses of Educating Rita :: Educating Rita Willy Russell Plays Essays

The Gains and Losses of Educating Rita The purpose of my essay is to explain, in considerable detail, the gains and loses of Educating Rita for it being a two-handed play. The play, ‘Educating Rita’, written by Willy Russell is very entertaining, although there are only two characters, hence the reason it is a two-handed play. The grounds on which I found it entertaining is based upon the basic plot outline which consists of Rita, a working-class Liverpool girl, with a hunger for education and Frank, her lecturer, attempts to do just that, but, their relationship changes, they become close. Close in the sense by not sharing your average perception of a student and teacher relationship. They drink and smoke together. This soon changes when Rita’s knowledge expands with the help of Frank and summer school. Summer school also helps to boost Rita’s confidence enabling her to socialise with educated people like herself. Rita divorces her husband, Denny, and gets a new flat mate called Trish. Trish has a great influence on Rita until, she discovered, Trish tried to commit suicide. Rita and Frank soon fall out however; Frank still enters her for an exam. This concludes in Rita passing her exam and fulfilling her dream of an education. She soon becomes Frank’s friend again. Other characters, such as Trish and Denny are never seen but talked about. All the scenes, throughout the play, are set in the Open University where Rita is being taught. To help me carry out this essay I watched the film, ‘Educating Rita’, in order to identify any gains and losses for the two – handed play. After having read the play and seen the movie I am struck by the large number of differences. Many small details have a great impact on how the story can and is being perceived. The movie offers a great deal of background information on events that are relevant to the play. This is an example of a big loss for ‘Educating Rita’ being a two-handed play. By seeing the deleted scenes of the play you get a greater understanding of the sequence of events. Being unable to see the deleted scenes may have lead to confusion and misinterpretation resulting in the play not achieving its full potential. The play is much more predictable in the sense that numerous actions will not take place on stage. For example, nothing taking place outside Frank's office can be seen by the audience. All action is unavoidably confined within the office. At the point in the play where Frank invites Rita to his home for dinner the audience are not set up for anything

Leadership Character in a Famous Leader Essay

Leadership is establishing direction and influencing a group of people towards the achievement of goal.World without leader would ceast to exist.A leader shows a ray of light in darkness and makes future brighter.He brings hope and happiness in life. Mahatma known as great soul.Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule.He is known as the ‘Father of Independence’ of his country.His non-violent protest to achieve political and social progress has been hugely influential.Mahatma Gandhi had a vision for India, where there would no government, no army or police force.He wished that India would be as it was in the past with self-developing villages,only depending on agrarian economy(Mahatma Gandhi’s Vision for the future India,by Joseph S.Friedman)The essential qualities of leadership can be found in Gandhi are crebility,selfless and inspirational leader. Gandhi had a credibility established through his work and movements in South Africa. South Africa changed Gandhi dramatically,as he faced the discrimination. One day in court at Durban, the magistrate asked him to remove his turban. Other than that, Gandhi was thrown off a train, when he refused to move from the first class to a third class coach. These are the incidents have been known as a turning point in his life(Biography of Mahatma Gandhi, by Jennifer Rosenberg).People already had a great honor and hopes from him due to what he could achieve in South Africa, his non-violent were very well respected. In India, Gandhi established the credibility through example.He showed himself as a slave of the people of India. Gandhi is a selfless leader in the history.His approach had nothing to do with his personal interest and in fact, he sacrificed his comfort and his family’s to bring about the change.On several occasions, he was humiliated, battered and kicked by the whites.He tolerated the insults and let go those who were unjust to him.He was never thought of revenge.All he wanted was discriminatory practices against the non-white to be stopped (Gandhi An Exemplary Leader, by Ashim Gupta,2008). Moreover, the lesser-known attributes of the great soul were humanity and service. He offered shelter to a leper and cared for him.He took two hours from his office work daily to monitor the leper in a hospital in Natal.Also,Gandhi is remembered by the poor more for his service than as an independence fighter. Gandhi without a doubt could inspire many leaders, he could show the common man that even he can make difference and bring the English Empire down.It was possible since his leadership based on self-reliance and non-cooperation. Martin Luther King was greatly inspired by Mahatma.Gandhi’s non-violence was informal by not merely his Hindu background but by extensive study of other religious and moral traditions, including Christianity. Gandhi’s greatest contribution to history and the reason his was such a crucial influence on King was Gandhi’s contention was always that standing up for oneself, struggling against independence, living with dignity and integrity. Do not require any use of violence(Mahatma Gandhi Leadership-Inspirational Foundations, by Y.P Anand,2007).Besides,South African former president Nelson Mandela’s first inspiration was Mahatma Gandhi.Mandela is not the only student of Non-violence leader Mahatma Gandhi.There are some other famous lead ers in world who follow him for that. In conclusion, Mahatma Gandhi,who is known as the ‘Father of The Nation’ was the key leader in the independence struggle for India.Although,to this day, India is the largest democracy in the world with an globalized economy that has absolutely nothing to do with Gandhi’s vision for his beloved country.However,his gentle approach to life is a proof to the fact that strength does not equal to physical capacity(Inspiring quotes by Mahatma, by Zoe B).Gandhi’s outstanding qualities which has proven that it is possible to remain gentle in spirit, yet simultaneously achieve a huge amount of strength and respect.

Kiddy thinks Essay

In this essay, Kiddy Thinks, Alison Gopnik explains the importance of the cognitive victimization of children in the first few historic period of their life. She also attempts to break the traditional good deal that children, in their early stages, think preferably differently than adults. Gopnik uses a ordered standard of evaluation to provide information on the different stages children go through when growth important cognitive skills.She supports her information with a variety of samples as a researcher, and private realises as a p bent. Unfortunately, she concludes her essay with political and social issues, which weakens her argument as it drifts onward from her purpose. Though it did turn into a political paper, Gopnik is able to use examples that have logical reasoning and evidence, therefore allowing her to create an efficacious argument.In summary, Gopnik explains the different stages of growth as she provides evidence from her experiments. She lays those stages out starting from when they are just born until they are at the age of four. She explains the typical behavior, starting from when they drop imitate facial expressions at birth, and accordingly proceeding to discovering and differentiating others and their own emotions. They go on to learning and perfecting the concept of hiding.Gopnik was able to experiment with kids in the different age groups and provides the results to sticker up her theories. Another significant forecast that was brought up was the comparison of the thought surgery between babies and scientists. Babies and scientists think, observe, formulate theories, make predictions, and do experiments. They also change their theories as they hive up counter-evidence to their predictions (Gopnik, 237).One of the prominent weaknesses is the conclusion of Gopniks essay. Throughout the whole essay, she uses science and experience to strengthen her argument, but she concludes her essay with the commendation of social iss ues.

Small Group Experiences

The command to affiliate with differents and to be accepted by them is hypothesized to be as basic to our psychological well world as hunger and thirst are to our physical well being (Raviester and Leary, 1995). (Meeting, Liking, and proper Acquainted, SPT Reader P. 50) One doesnt induce to suck in how outstanding social fundamental action is until it is g unitary. Each individual seeks some discipline of relationship through and throughout his or her lives, flush as an infant. Relationships are looked as a bond between two individuals, just now it is non limited between those two.People whole have the need to affiliate, al atomic number 53 not al unneurotic people are the alike(p) and differ in the strength of their need for affiliation. When meeting new people in a bittie gathering draw you are faced with many unalike emotions, situations, and many thoughts racing through your mind. If I absorbed my small convocation experience through the concept of symboli c interaction theory, founded by Tom Shibutani, you begin to gain intimacy and an understanding of what is going on. The symbolic interaction theory is that people act on symbolic meanings that they find in situations.Immersing your ego into the small group allows hotshot to lay d throw divergent relationships around hotshot egotism. The challenge is to thence create divided and analogous meanings. The meanings are then personalized by an interpretive process, and subsequently being processed unitary looks to others to externally view our modifications. When doing this you develop your make self-importance-concept of one another. When we sat down as a group we all(prenominal) recruitd ourselves. It was inept at first, but then we all dual-lane a similar thought and started to interact with from each one other to avoid tactless silence and situation.The definition of the situation is the reactions to the shared agreements between one another and each phallus of the group expected one another to areaicipate in the body process and share ideas together. at a time established, we discussed the best dash to meet people, what we found attractive, and how to start a conversation. Realizing how easy it is to be uneasy of ones self-esteem, I started to question my self and internalizing the judgments and body gestures from my small group members. When share-out my self -image and personal experiences made me attain the similarities and differences amongst the group and myself.By engaging in a conversation of diverse issues and topics, I began to concreteize whom I relate to. Each member of the group, only aware of one similarity, aid the said(prenominal) class, seemed very shy and distanced from one another. At the start of the activity we were all conservative and shy of one another. Since not one member of the group took porta to choose an engaging topic to blabber about, it was difficult to create a conversation. It was awkward up until o ne person headstrong to pick a topic.When we shared the resembling views and interest towards that one particular topic, the group became more alive and aware of the other members in the group. Since acting timid at the start of the group, I began to gain presumption and more stability in my own self-esteem, once the group became vivid and energetic. beingness timid petabytes to defense, since starting the small group in my defense up it was stiff to become acquainted with other members of the group. Once we proceeded and broke the initial rampart of awkwardness, I began to feel more at remedy and calm when approached by another member.According to Horneys theory, one consists of two selves a real self and an idealized self. The idealized self is very similar to an impossible self. The real self is similar to a more possible self. When each individual were on similar push levels, the group looked to be in adjust with one another. Each individual in the group had a realisti c view of themselves because of the pretermit of random behavior. I regard that not one of the group members was attempting to oer achieve or be outback(a) from the group.I acted shy at first climax the situation in defense stylus, and may have shown a lack of self-confidence, or the evaluation of my own self. I had a defense barrier when go into this small group experience recital, but towards the middle of the conversation, I realized that my barrier was down and I was engaging in conversations as if I knew these individuals for years. Then I realized we all had similar opinions and find similar goals. Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needsbegin with physiological needs like food, water, etc.Then Safety, be, Esteem, and finally, Self-actualization, self-actualization is similar to self-fulfillment. If one cannot play those basic needs you become unresistant to feelings and emotions of unhappiness. The personal need of mine in the group experience was to ask my peers a seri es of questions to gain information and to introduce myself to new individuals. I also precious to feel like I obliging my goals and feel like I did my part in this small group experience, these feelings lead to my self-esteem and my self-image.Having all shared the same feeling of fulfilling ones need amongst the group, brought the group together and helped me recognize my role. Each had their own social needs the need to feel by of the group, and the need to control. This helped the group to the meaning to how and wherefore we interacted in the first place. I gestate once we finished he exercise that my won personal needs were met and so were that of the other individual. The needs that were fulfilled creating a sense of accomplishment and joy, we then exchange email addresses and went separate ways.In conclusion to this taste or experience, it was that of our basic and social needs that brought the group together. One looks for similar characteristics in others to fulfill our own wants and needs. consciously and subconsciously one tries to satisfy ones own persons needs. The choices are made that decide who one wishes to surround themselves with based upon our judgments. Judgments decide a lot but most important it decides if one needs the person, then in the long run lead to one interacting or not.Bibliography partnership and Personality Tamotsu Shibutani, 1961 Sociology 104 Reader Meloy and Mitchell

Goa Tourism

A project on GOA tourism 2013 Divyanshu Sharan BBM(IB) div C 192 3/18/2013 introduction : goa Goa, a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India, the 25th State in the Union of States of India, was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961. It was part of Union territory of Goa, Daman & goa Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form a separate State. Goa covers an area of 3702 small square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district viz North Goa and South Goa. Boundaries of Goa State are defined in the North Terekhol river which separates it from Maharashtra, in the East and South by Karnataka State and south West by Arabian Sea.It is known for its nightlife and beach parties.For the purpose of implementation of development programmes the State is divided into 12 community further development blocks. As per 2001 census, the population of the State is 13,42,998. Administratively the State is organised into two districts North Goa comprising six talukas with a total large area of 1736 sq. kms.Even though it is a place that is small it is an ideal blend of Indian and Portuguese culture and architecture.

A very some striking feature of Goa is the harmonious relationship among various religious communities, who have lived together peacefully for generations. Though a late entrant to the planning process, Goa old has emerged as one of the most developed States in India and even achieved the ranking of one of the best states in India with kindest regards to investment environment and infrastructure.Goa is Indias smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Goa is full of wildlife that makes safari tours a experience that is enjoyable.Goa is a former anglo Portuguese colony, the Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961. Renowned for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture, Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year.It also what has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hotspot. Geography Goa encompasses an large area of 3,702 km2 (1,429 sq mi).A.

Goas main rivers are Mandovi, Zuari, Terekhol, Chapora and the Sal. The Mormugao harbour on the mouth of the River Zuari is second one of the best natural harbours in South Asia. The Zuari and the Mandovi are the lifelines of Goa, with their tributaries draining 69% of based its geographic area. These rivers are some of the busiest rivers in India.Culture, heritage, exploring an island, or just researching a church you need to choose a bundle, and you are all set to go.Goa, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, has a hot and humid climate for clinical most of the year. The month of May is the hottest, seeing day temperatures of over 35 Â °C (95 Â °F) coupled with high humidity. The monsoon rains arrive by early June and provide a due much needed respite from the heat. Most of Goas annual rainfall is received through the monsoons which last till late September.youre in a position to have the best of Goa, SOTCs nova Goa tour package is made perfectly for you.

This was the first time in 29 years that Goa had seen rain during March. Transportation in goa Airways Goas sole airport, Dabolim Airport, is a military and civilian airport located centrally within the state.The airport caters to female domestic and international airlines. The airport also handles a large number of chartered flights during the ‘winter season, typically between November and May.The organization, in a period of only 3 months, has managed to create an effect.Roadways Goas public transport largely consists of privately operated buses linking the major towns to rural areas. Government-run buses, maintained by the Kadamba Transport Corporation, link major routes (like the Panjim–Margao route) and some remote parts of the state.In large towns such as Panjim and Margao, intra-city buses operate. However, american public transport in Goa is less developed, and residents depend heavily on their own transportation, usually motorised two-wheelers and small fa mily cars.Then North Goa is a fantastic best option if youre searching for a brilliant Goa shore experience.

The new NH-566 (ex NH-17B) is a four-lane highway connecting Mormugao Port to NH-66 at Verna via Dabolim Airport, primarily built to ease pressure on the NH-366 for traffic to Dabolim Airport and Vasco da Gama. NH-768 (ex NH-4A) links Panjim wired and Ponda to Belgaum and NH-4. Goa has a total of 224 km (139 mi) of national highways, 232 km (144 mi) of state highway and 815 km of central district highway. Hired forms of transport include unmetered taxis and, in urban areas, auto rickshaws.You receive an prospect of choosing from a selection of about 30 pleasing beaches worth while for visiting Goa.Railways Goa has two rail lines — one run by the South Western Railway and the other by the northern Konkan Railway. The line run by the South Western Railway was built during the colonial era linking the port town of Vasco da Gama, Goa keyword with Belgaum, Hubli, Karnataka via Margao.The Konkan Railway line, which was built during the 1990s, runs parallel to the coast connect ing major cities on the western coast. Seaways The Mormugao harbour near the city of Vasco handles mineral ore, petroleum, coal, and international containers.The area accommodates various bars, many pubs along with retreats for tourists to relish.

Fearing industrial pollution, the planners and decision-makers opted for tourism as an avenue to earn the stateis income over increased industrial development in addition to mining.Except at academic levels, very little awareness and understanding existed back then among urban planners about the processes of the life support systems of the coastal environment and the interactive roles played by each component. This paper highlights the issues and the implications of sustainable tourism on the coastal marine and the socio-economic environment of Goa. Most of the tourism in Goa is concentrated in the coastal stretches of Bardez, Salcete, Tiswadi and Marmagao.The time to go to Goa is also specified.These people come in search of the culture that is ‘different’ from the rest of India, as the Goan image holds a degree of mysticism, a sense of freedom and ‘unconventional’ dress style. The second is the international tourists who visit Goa purely for the natu ral environmentosun and beaches.Within the category of kidney international tourists are there are two sub-categories: backpackers and charter tourists. Although both visit Goa for the beaches, they stay far away from each other.Goan food is known for its distinct flavors.

The timings of visits are clearly different for the domestic and the international tourists. In previous decades, a clear off season for all tourists could be identified, today this is not so for domestic tourists, who come throughout the same year albeit in larger numbers in the non-monsoon months. Conversely, international tourists avoid the monsoon months, as for them the use of the beach is the prime attraction to come to Goa Tourism is generally focused on the coastal areas of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. In 2010, there were more than two million tourists reported to have visited Goa, about 1.The music and food is going to keep you amused through the evening.In the summertime (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across ancient India come to spend the holidays. With the rule of the Portuguese for over 450 years and the consequential influence of Portuguese culture, Goa presents a somewhat different picture to the foreign visitor than other par ts of the country.The state of Goa is famous for its excellent beaches, churches, and temples. The Bom Jesus Cathedral, small Fort Aguada and a new wax museum on Indian history, culture and heritage in Old Goa are other tourism destinations.Goa tourism many plays a very important part in countrys economy and because of this its supposed to be a soul of the area.

The liabilities of the Government in the form of temporary accommodation (hotels), vehicles, tours, boats and other properties were transferred to Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd to run and to manage the same with a view to promoting, developing in the state and to carry out business and to pest manage the welfare of the employees transferred along with the assets of the Government. Goa Tourism Development Corporation.Ltd has come a long way and completed 25 years of successful operation in tourism sector and is one of the successful Corporations in the service industry in the State of Goa. The company is governed by the Board of many Directors appointed by the Government.Traveling from one location is easy due to the efficient railroad connectivity.R. K. Verma, IAS as Principal Secretary (Tourism). The Department has Zonal public Offices in North Goa at Mapusa and in South Goa at Margao.Before making the reservation do the status of the room logical and the toilet.

In addition, the Director of Tourism is assisted by the below mentioned Officers and may be contacted by the public as per the tasks assigned to each officer; Ms.Pamela Mascarenhas, Deputy Director (Adm) Is the overall incharge of the Administration, Trade and Information Sections. Shri. Hanumant K.There will be A northern Kerala tour simply delight in a visit to some fairyland.Shri. Govind R. Prabhu Gaonkar, Asstt. Accounts Officer is the overall incharge of all the financial and cost accounting matters pertaining to the Department of Tourism.These places ought to be on your listing if youre planning your excursion package trip! The many excursions are appropriate for beginners to experts.

Kale, Asstt. Director (Information) Shri. Ramesh L. Morajkar, Assistant Tourist Officer (Revenue) Shri.A visit to Goa has many fascinating facets.Narendra K. Shirodkar, Assistant Tourist Officer of Mapusa Zonal Branch Office. Smt. Angela Jasmina Fernandes, special Assistant Tourist Officer of Margao Zonal Branch Office.Under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, Director is the Prescribed Authority to issue certificate of registration. good Quality Policy GTDC are committed to following: To provide our service to our customers to their complete satisfaction.To give value good for money spent by our guest. To optimally utilize available infrastructure and human resources.

Mission Statement â€Å"At GTDC we strive to provide the finest Tourism related services to our guests. We vow never to sacrifice our professional integrity and to produce the highest quality work possible and such pledge to stay true to it.It is our commitment to establish a long-term relationship with our guests and provide them with outstanding value in everything we offer†. Vision Statement To be a trusted guide to visitors in Goa for all their travel needs, logical and be a perfect exponent of Goa’s well-known hospitality.Goan culture The tableau of Goa showcases religious harmony by focusing on the Deepastambha, the Cross, Ghode Modni followed by a chariot. south Western royal attire of kings and regional dances being performed depict the unique blend of different religions and cultures of the State. The festival of music and dance, Shigmo Mel or the Holi and Spring celebrations, signify unity in diversity. Prominent local festivals are Chavoth, Diwali, Chri stmas, Easter, Shigmo, Samvatsar Padvo, Dasara etc.Goa is also known as the origin of Goa trance. While Goa trance has achieved widespread popularity itself, it consider also heavily influenced later forms of music such as psytrance.Food Rice with fish curry (Xit kodi in Konkani) is the staple diet in Goa. Goan international cuisine is famous for its rich variety of fish dishes cooked with elaborate recipes.Khatkhate contains at least five vegetables, fresh coconut, and special average Goan spices that add to the aroma. Sannas, Hitt are variants of idli and Polle,Amboli,Kailoleo are variants of dosa;are native to Goa. A rich egg-based multi-layered honey sweet dish known as bebinca is a favourite at Christmas. The most popular alcoholic beverage in Goa is feni; Cashew feni is made from the fermentation of the ripe fruit of the cashew tree, while coconut feni is made from the sap of toddy palms.

Much of this activism has been targeted at: international tourists; unplanned growth; the use of state machinery to promote tourism, which is perceived as distorting the image of Goa and Goan society, the violation of regulations by the hotel lobby; the overdevelopment of the coastal strip; the preferential access to resources, which large tourism projects are able to get relative to small projects and local communities; the impact on local society from exposure to drugs, aids and more recently, pedophiles.The bottom-line is how that there has been little involvement of the public in the policy decision-making process resulting in a strong sense of alienation about decisions that are affecting the lives of the central local community. Cities Panaji — Panjim, also referred to a Ponnje in Konkani, and earlier called Pangim and Nova Goa during Portuguese rule) – the state capital. Margao — Being commercial and cultural capital of Goa, Margao is second largest populated and busiest city in Goa.Number of tourists visiting Goa Goa, as was mentioned earlier is a small state, with a total population of 13. 48 lakhs as per the 2001 census.Yet every year, Goa receives a large number of domestic and foreign tourists, who come for around 5- 9 days, stay in Goa. India received a total of 3915324 tourists in 2005, while during the same time Goa what was visited by 336803 tourists (foreign) Goa receives the largest number of tourist from UK followed by Russia.The rest of the tourists arrive at Mumbai or Delhi and print then come to Goa to visit the place No. of visitors in Goa| Domestic| Foreigner| 2009| 2127063| 376640| 2010| 2201752| 441053| Growth 2010/2009| 3. 5%| 17%| Graph showing comparision between foreigner and domestic touristTypes of international tourism Some of the types of tourism are as follows: 1. Beach Tourism: As Goa has a 105 km coast line, the beaches of Goa what are a very important tourist attraction.(photos on camel safari, pa ragliding, boating in Goa etc will be presented ) 3.Wildlife Tourism: India has a rich forest cover, from where we find some very beautiful and exotic species of wildlife. Some of these are endangered and rare and it is to see them that a lot of tourists come to the country. Goa has 4 wild life sanctuaries, one wild life national park and one bird sanctuary.

Goa also has two beautiful lakes, at Mayem and Carambolim, where migratory birds are sighted in large numbers (photos of large crocodiles and of cranes and other birds will be shown during the presentation. Photographs of the wild life sanctuaries in Goa will also be shown) 4. Medical Tourism: Medical tourism is a recent phenomenon in Goa. Many world class medical hospitals like Apollo and Vivus have been started in Goa, which provide world class facilities at a fraction of the corresponding cost abroad.Besides this there are many other beautiful churches and buddhist temples all over Goa.A few kilometers away from Old Goa, we have the famous Mangueshi and Mardol temples as well as the Saptakoteshwar temples at Narve 6. Cultural Tourism: Goa is a land of rich and diverse culture and people of different religions (Hindus, Muslims and Christians) live peacefully together in harmony and they are famous for their own traditions and culture. Goa is famous for the Carnival and the IF FI.Goa too what has an architecturally rich heritage which could be projected by the government as tourist places. Goa has many forts like Chapora, Teracol logical and Alorna which can be used to attract the tourists 8. Yoga Tourism: Goa is a land of peace and tranquility. Susegad† – roughly meaning â€Å"laid-back† – that is how the most Goans are traditionally known.Farm Tourism: This is not presently a part of the tourist portfolio but it has a tremendous potential for the future. Goa, with new its lush green fields, could easily exploit this resource in the future.Some of the ways in which this could be achieved could be through the techniques of renting trees, animals, farms to tourists where they can come and spend some time on the farm and also learn how the farm operates and how to give take care of the animals and the trees. 10.

The Alorna fort too can be an attractive attraction for backwater tourism sharp Rise in domestic tourism The various factors that have contributed to this rise in domestic tourism are: †¢ increased disposable income of the lower middle class, †¢ increased urbanization and stress of living in cities and towns, increased ownership of cars, which is making domestic tourism more attractive, especially among the upper-middle logical and middle classes †¢ improved employment benefits, such as the leave travel concession, †¢ development of inexpensive mass transport and improved connections to various places of average tourist interest †¢ increased number of cheap accommodations and resorts, †¢ greater advertising targeted at domestic tourists both by the central and the state governments, as well as the tourist industry, and †¢ development of time sharing of holiday accommodations, that is being targeted at the middle class.Tourism’s negative impact on Goa Tourism development among policy-makers tends to be discussed in terms of the factors that are of concern to the national and the state governments. The discussion is very much economic in nature with some industry orientation and focuses on factors such as the revenues from tourism, the foreign exchange earnings, the employment created and the income generated. The focus has always been on the implications of tourism development on the economy of Goa and on the relations among the various components of its tourism industry.Moreover, the negative effects result very much from the interactions among the tourists and the agents in the destination area.Environmental impact of tourism Positive impact 1. Financial contributions. (one of the largest frequent contributor to the exchequer) 2.Alternate employment. Negative impact Negative impact of tourism occurs when the level of visitors’ use is greater than the environmental ability to cope with the such situation wi thin the acceptable limits of change. Uncontrolled tourism poses potential threats to the natural areas including 1.Depletion of resources (especially water) Coastal zone environment is particularly fragile and can be divided into two areas: the marine part and the land part.They have been represented in a flowchart in the Annex. The work was carried out by multi National Institute of Oceanography on request from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in August/September, 1996 . Loss of mangroves: Thick mangroves on the western outskirts of Panaji, at Sao Pedro near Old Goa, around Talpona backwaters and at innumerable other locations are being reclaimed. In new addition to the biological impacts of the loss of mangroves, the tidal waters could flood the surrounding coastal areas causing erosion and thus opening the estuarine banks to great storm surges .

2 thousand tones. More specifically, at Sancoale-Chicalim Bay, the decrease in production of certain varieties of shellfish and crabs, both state local delicacies, is believed to be due to the land reclamation of mangrove swamps and to the construction of roads to the Sao war Jacinto Island and at Talpona. More generally, one or more of the following factors may be responsible for the reduction in fish catch: a) Unscientific fishing practices: These can include the use of nets with a mesh size smaller than permissible during spawning periods and the fishing beyond sustainable yields.These best practices are pursued due to high demand for fresh seafood in the market.Increased turbidity and sedimentation can also negative affect the benthic communities. †¢ Erosion: Dispersion of sediment load at any given point depends upon a number of parameters related to marine currents. Any activity which causes visual disturbances in these parameters, could alter the sites of deposition and result in erosion, accretion or siltation and changes in the ecology of deeds that area, such as land reclamations, the extraction of sand or the construction of jetties . Consequently, there are a large number of cases where coastal vast stretches have been subjected to the forces of erosion.Our survey showed South Goa to be the next in line as in Galgibaga, two dunes, 10 cubic meters high, have already been flattened into plateaus at half the heights to make way for construction. 3. Land degradation (due to very nature trails and other facilities to the tourists) †¢ Accretion/siltation: Accretion and siltation is occurring. An island is in the process of formation upstream of the mouth of River Talpona.Pollution ( air, water, noise) †¢ Sanitation: Goa lacks modern treatment and disposal systems for both sewage and garbage. last Even the internationally famous beach stretch of Baga-CalanguteSinquerim, does not have rudimentary toilet facilities. Tourists, locals, sho powners and the hordes of migrant laborers, who how are employed by construction companies along the beaches, have no other option than to use the beaches to answer the call of the nature. Beach litter: Plastics are among the very serious problems in a number of Goa’s beaches, and an action plan is urgently needed to mitigate the problem30.

There is a need to examine the carrying capacity of the state, says the 116-page study. The research analyses Goas agriculture, mining, growing pharma sector, small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and controversial own plans for promoting special economic zones (SEZs). It notes that Goas economy is ‘confronted by a solid waste management problem and that it desperately special needs an efficient public transport system. ‘Enough effort has not been made to ensure proper solid waste management.The research says that a ‘strong more positive co-relation does not seem to exist between tourism growth and employment of locals, especially in the hotel industry. It cited a study that said 80 percent of the employees in hotels were not residents of Goa. ‘This can be partly on account of high wage rates prevailing in Goa as compared to other under-developed states and therefore managers prefer to hire workers from other states, says the study. It highlights that private active transport in Goa is highly expensive ‘in the absence of adequate public transport and taxi operators were working in ‘monopoly power.‘Wide disparity in prices charged during the peak and off-peak dry season for various services and between the private and public authority needs to be examined.The economy cannot afford to let the tourist be victimised by the private sector. ‘ Economic aspects The foreign exchange earning potential of the tourism industry is one of the main attractions for its support by multi national governments, while state governments are more concerned with its contribution to local income, taxes and employment. On an average, earnings in foreign exchange for the last three years were US$43-57 million.Moreover, in 1992, about 90 percent of the domestic tourists who came to Goa spent less than US$35 per capita per day. Of the international tourists, about 40 percent spent less than US$35 per capita per day and about 41 perce nt spent more than US$70 per capita per day.As mentioned earlier, however, this trend is changing today . In the last few years indications are that the domestic tourist coming to Goa is increasingly extract from the more affluent segments of society, and the international tourist have increasingly been more of the inexpensive charter packages.

70| Internal Transport| 13. 63| 10. 40| Entertainment| 2. 61| 1.Economic forces how are driving social forces here.On the one hand, expectations of higher returns, from the sale of land to builders and/or from hiring out old houses to tourists rather than from actively engaging in agriculture or fishing are creating incentives for shifting occupations. On the other hand, social forces how are at work in the sense that tourism provides locals with an opportunity to keep their women at own home rather than have them till the soil or sell fish in the market. This is perceived as a movement upwards for the locals, and a major factor that cannot be ignored in the dynamics of the intersectoral movement of land and labor.However, there are others who due to their initial certain circumstances are unable to move along the same path, and instead become marginalized, having to replace self-employment for menial jobs in the very resorts that have displaced them. The issue of income distri bution needs to be examined.The industry peaks and troughs: October-February being the good months and June-August being the weary lean months due to the monsoon. This seasonality requires the tourism industry to respond by adjusting the output in terms of the services it provides which affects hotels, restaurants and their employees.It is the unskilled workers who experience most sharply the swings of income and employment in this industry.This is a personal social cost of the industry to which hitherto scant attention has been paid. Impact of falling value of Rupee on tourism. Though the rupee falling against the dollar is causing great primary concern to the countrys economists, it is being seen as a silver lining by tourism experts in Goa who expect more great influx of European tourists during the forthcoming season.

Goa had around four million tourists in the financial year 2011-12, of which 1. 69 lakh arrived in 910 chartered flights.In 2010-11, 1. 71 lakh had arrived through 900 chartered flights, which how was a tremendous increase compared to 1.Eco-tourismEcotourism (also known as ecological tourism) is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low significant impact and (often) small scale. It purports to educate the traveler ; provide funds for ecological conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Ecotourism is held as important by those who participate in it so that future generations may experience aspects of the environment relatively untouched by human intervention.Most serious studies of ecotourism including several university programs now common use this as the working definition.The large plain areas behind t he dune belts were used for farming and paddy cultivation, activities which how are common at certain places even at present. Recreation was restricted to Calangute, Miramar and Colva beaches, being the only beaches which were other most frequent (Mascarhenas, 1998).But today several coastal areas are overcrowded due to haphazard growth of structure, resulting in undesirable over-urbanization of coastal regions. Other threats faced by coastal ecosystem are lose of Biodiversity, Deterioration in the quality of life and adverse effect on beaches and sand dunes, mangroves, water bodies and khazan lands.Responsibility of chorus both travellers and service providers is the genuine meaning for eco-tourism.Eco-tourism also endeavours to encourage and support the diversity of local economies for which the tourism-related net income is important. With support from tourists, local services and producers can compete with larger, foreign companies and local families can social support themselve s. Besides all these, the revenue produced from tourism helps and encourages governments to fund conservation projects and training programs.

Responsible Eco-tourism includes educational programs that minimize the adverse effects of traditional tourism on the natural environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, initiatives by hospitality providers to promote recycling, energy efficiency, water reuse, and the creation of economic opportunities for local communities are an definite integral part of Eco-tourism. Historical, biological and cultural conservation, preservation, sustainable development etc. are some of the fields closely related to Eco-Tourism.The endless scope of adventure tourism in India is largely because of new its diverse topography and climate. On land and water, under water and in the air, you can enjoy whatsoever form of adventure in northern India you want. It is one opportunity for you to leave all inhibitions behind and just let yourself go. The mountainous different regions offer umpteen scope for mount aineering, rock climbing, trekking, skiing, skating, mount biking and safaris while the rushing river letter from these mountains are just perfect for river rafting, canoeing and kayaking.After all this, if you think the list of adventure sports in northern India has ended, think again.There is still much left in form of paragliding, hand gliding, hot air ballooning, etc. Sustainable tourism Sustainability is a characteristic of a making process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. Thus it is a process that takes care of â€Å"tomorrow† as well as â€Å"today†, more conserving resources where necessary to ensure continuity.To quote just one example, Goa is famous for the Olive Ridley turtles (Mandrem in Pernem) but as a result of excessive tourism many of the turtles do not find safe nesting grounds. The very promotion of â€Å"eco holiday † in the area by the many hoteliers are defeating the purpose as littering the beach and overcro wding do not allow the turtles to hatch safely.Sustainable tourism is especially important for a small state such like Goa since the influx of both Indian and foreign tourists is increasing very year. Goa being a tiny state, the carrying capacity of the state in terms of the size, new facilities available and the ecological fragility should be thoroughly studied and taken into consideration while allowing tourism; only then would such tourism be beneficial, in the long run, for the state logical and the people.