The impact of piracy on maritime trade and fishing industry Research Paper

The impact of piracy on maritime trade and fishing industry - Research Paper Example The researcher states that at the close of the year 2010, there were at least 600 seafarers who were captives of pirates in international waters. Piracy is a crime that without doubt has far reaching effects on one of the largest trade transport network. It is clear that a lot of money is lost as a result of piracy but the question that begs is, exactly how much is lost? According to Bowden, piracy costs at least seven billion dollars a year although the figure could go even up to twelve billion. We are all affected by maritime piracy whether directly or indirectly. In fact, even the countries that contribute to piracy like Somalia still face the negative impacts of piracy. For starters, there is a huge humanitarian crisis in the region as a result of the hijack of ships. Most of the ships that are hijacked are often taking food and medical supplies to hunger stricken people in Somalia and other neighboring countries in the region. Sea transport is the leading in freight and cargo ha uling across nations. In fact It is estimated that maritime trade accounts of at least 80 percent of the world’s trade. This is one of the oldest forms of transport but it has consistency grown over the years. Maritime transport has in fact doubled every decade ever since the Second World War. The onset of a globalised market has been one of the main catapults that has steered maritime transport to the position it enjoys today. In recent yeas however, one of the oldest crimes against this mode of transport has revived and increased steadily. Piracy is now threatening this trade especially in the horn of Africa where pirates operating from Somalia have perfected the art of hijacking ships. Since sea transport is very important for all of us, there is a need to compute just how much piracy costs the trade instead of dealing with mere estimates. Organizations have tried doing some research aimed at getting the most reliable estimates but the hugest challenge has been gathering o f reliable data owing to logistical challenges. There are a variety of scholars that have done an analysis of the costs of the maritime trade. However, they have not looked at both sides of the coin. The most commonly computed cost of piracy in maritime trade is the cost of the cargo that is lost together with the ransom fees that are paid t the captors I order to release the crew and the ships. However, there are many other costs involved that need to be considered as well. This paper will start by looking at the primary effects of maritime piracy but it will also go a step further and discuss the other secondary effects of maritime piracy that have been largely ignored by many people. Past initiatives There have been some initiatives in the recent past that were geared at trying to compute the cost of piracy on maritime trade. The most notable of these are Peter Chalk’s RAND institute in collaboration with the International Maritime Bureau which together put a rough estimat e in the range of one to six billion dollars per annum (Chalk, 12; Rosenberg, 222). However, most of the studies have concentrated on the first order costs of piracy namely, the ransoms that have to be paid to free the captives, security mechanisms that have to be beefed and the increased naval costs. However, there are not many that have considered the secondary costs which could be even higher, Secondary costs of piracy includes the inflation on commodity prices as well as the international investment in regional economies among others. The bottle necks in computing the real cost According to a recent actuarial scientific study on maritime trade and piracy, the challenge to the actuaries involved in pricing maritime insurance products is considerable†¦information about the attacks issued by shipping owners is often vague. Understandably, shipping owners don’

Detection of Phenylbutazone in Race Horses

Detection of Phenylbutazone in Race Horses Forensic Bio analysis Detection of Phenylbutazone in Race Horses Phenylbutazone (C19H20N2O2 see figure 1 below) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Bute as it is more commonly known, is widely used for the treatment of bone, joint and soft tissue inflammation in horses. It was used in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis in humans, but after serious issues and side effects was withdrawn. The main metabolites of Phenylbutazone (PBZ) are Oxyphenbutazone (OPBZ) and Hydroxyphenbutazone (HPBZ). As with most drugs Phenylbutazone has legal uses and also illegal uses. Despite Bute’s significant and anti-inflammatory effects, it has the capacity to affect racing performance in racehorses. The various racing regulatory bodies have varying permitted limits in pre and post-race samples, as they respect the need to discriminate between doping and the genuine therapeutic use of the drug. Figure 1. As such the need for stringent and accurate testing is crucial. There are various methods of testing and it is dependent upon the sample type which is best to use. Sampling in itself has issues blood tests are very invasive, but on the other hand gaining a urine sample is very awkward and hazard prone. Pharmacokinetics According to (Chay et al., 1984), (Lees, Maitho and Taylor, 1985; Maitho, Lees and Taylor, 1986), (Smith et al., 1987), (Landuyt, Delbeke and Debackere, 1993), the bioavailability of PBZ is in the range of 60% 91%. However it should also be noted that these studies showed variations in the rate of absorption between and within horses.(Gerring, Lees and Taylor, 1981) and (Maitho, Lees and Taylor, 1986), also showed that the rate of absorption is dependent on whether or not the horse has been fed. When food has been withheld from the treated horse for between 3 and 4 hours, before and after being dosed with PBZ, the maximum concentration in plasma according to (Maitho, Lees and Taylor, 1986), occurs at 4 to 6 hours. If the horse as constant access to fed, there is a small initial peak in in plasma concentration after 1 to 2 hours. This is then followed by a much larger absorption phase from 10 to 24 hours, which gives it a Tmax (amount of time that a drug is present at the maximum concentration in serum) of 12 to 14 hours. (Lees et al., 1986), explain that the distribution of PBZ from plasma to interstitial and trans-cellular fluids is limited, with the distribution volume being small 0.1 0.3 L/kg. Even though distribution is limited, it reaches sites of acute inflammation easily; this may be accountable to increased blood flow in the area and increased capillary permeability. (Rowland and Tozer, 2005), indicate that the distribution of the drug bound to plasma protein, in plasma, in extracellular fluid and in the rest of the body can be predicted. This is done by taking into account the fu (free fraction in plasma). In horses, the fu is 2% and the volume of distribution 0.17 L/kg. Using these figures Rowland and Tower, 2009 predicted that 29.4% of PBZ in the horses’ body will be in the plasma, 45.5% being present in the extracellular fluid and only 25% in the remainder of the body. Elimination of PBZ is principally dependant on hepatic metabolism. (Authie et al., 2010), showed that in test exercise conditions hepatic clearance became significantly decreased. (Authie et al., 2010), showed that renal clearance contributed to PBZ elimination. They found that elimination was shown to be similar at rest, 11.2% and at exercise, 12.9%. PBZ is lipophilic molecule, as such some of the drug is subsequently reabsorbed. As a result of this the urine, plasma concentration ratio in horses is low at around 2:1, (Gerring, Lees and Taylor, 1981). Analytical Methods HPLC (Grippa et al., 2000a) used HPLC (Reversed phase) to determine the presence and quantity of PBZ in equine serum. The serum was mixed with an internal standard, evaporated, re-suspended and then analysed, using a C-18 column which had been calibrated using acetonitrile/water/trifluoroacetic acid. The (Grippa et al., 2000a) method had a LOQ (limit of quantification) of 0.5 µg/ml and a LOD (limit of detection) 0.5 µg/ml. This method is only for the determination of the presence of PBZ. The only detector mentioned is a UV monitor which would simply say if it was present but not in what quantity it was is present. If an MS (mass spectrometer) was attached however, the PBZ could be quantified as well. There are however disadvantages to HPLC-MS and these are mainly associated with the MS. The molecular weight is not sufficient for identification and fragmentation is required. This can be achieved using MS-MS instruments such as triple Quadra-pole or ion trap. It can however only analyse volatile components The MS-MS works in two stages. The 1st stage MS isolates ion of interest and fragments and the 2nd stage produces mass spectrum of fragments. Electrochemical-based sensing coupled to selective extraction with molecularly imprinted polymers (MISPE) (Meucci et al., 2013), developed a new analytical method for detecting and quantifying PBZ in equine plasma. The technique is based on electrochemical sensing, they used disposable graphite based screen printed electrodes and DPVs (differential pulse voltammetry) for detection after the sample has gone through the MISPE (molecular imprinted solid phase extraction) procedure. Liquid Chromatography Electro-Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS) can also be used as a detection method after elution from the MISPE (Harun, Anderson and Cormack, 2010). The accuracy of the (Meucci et al., 2013) method was shown to be more than 94% at 3 different concentrations. The LOQ (limit of quantification) was 0.01 µg/ml and the LOD (limit of detection) was 0.005 µg/ml. There method was validated using HPLC and the correlation of results was found to be r2 >0.999. This is a new method and with a new method comes criticism and the need to iron out the little flaws etc. This method has however been validated in comparison with HPLC. GC-MS (Gonzalez et al., 1996) method uses GC-MS to detect the presence of PBZ and OPBZ in equine plasma. Samples were prepared using an internal standard and the pH was adjusted to between 2 and 3. After missing and centrifugation, separated and evaporated to then undergo derivatisation. Helium was used as the carrier gas and the column was fused-silica cross-linked with methyl-silicone. The temperature of the detector and injector port was at a constant 280 °C, whereas the oven temperature was increased from 100 °C to 200 °C and then onto 300 °C. The LOD (limit of detection) for PBZ was 10ng/ml and for OPBZ 25ng/ml. The problems with GC-MS are mainly associated with the GC not the MS, these being that it can only analyse volatile components and most controlled substances i.e. drugs have to be derivatised prior to analysis. ELISA Elisa screening for drugs is a particularly sensitive and quick way of identifying if a drug is present. Due to the sensitivity of immunoassay screening, ELISA is usually used as a kind of ‘presumptive’ test before going ahead with the more expensive methods. Randox life sciences have developed an ELISA specifically for Phenylbutazone and Oxyphenbutazone (Kwiatkowski et al., 1989). It has an LOD of 2.01ng/ml and a calibration range of 0-90 ng/ml. Sample preparation is minimal with only a dilution required before the test can be performed. Preferred Method GC-MS has a better LOD than both HPLC and the MISPE methods, however sample preparation makes this method very laborious. The MISPE methods results were validated using HPLC and the correlation was very promising as a novel alternative to the more traditional HPLC and GC-MS methods. The MISPE method also had better LOQ and LOD than the HPLC method. Initially due to the high sensitivity and relative cheapness of the test I would first perform an ELISA to confirm the presence, provided enough sample was present. Providing a ‘presumptive’ positive had been gained, the preferred analytical method to detect PBZ in horse blood samples would then be the MISPE, (with Electrochemical-based sensing coupled to selective extraction with molecularly imprinted polymers method). Because it outranks even the gold standard techniques for ease of use and results gained. Internal standards An internal standard is a chemical substance which is added in a constant, consistent amount to the samples to be analyzed, the blank and calibration standards used in any given analysis. This substance is then used for calibration purposes by plotting the ratio of the signal of the analyte to the internal standard signal. This done in order to correct the loss of analyte, which occurs during sample preparation or at the point of inlet. (Grippa et al., 2000b) Used probenecid as the internal standard when looking for Phenylbutazone through HPLC analysis. However, no internal standard information was available for the internal standard used in the MISPE method. The internal standard is a very similar compound, but not identical to the analyte of interest in the samples. The internal standard should the then be affected in the same way during sample preparation etc. as the analyte of interest. Validation Method validation by HPLC analysis Method validation is the process of proving that an analytical method is acceptable for its intended purpose. Specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, limit of detection, limit of quantification and robustness are all guidelines for validation. The electrochemical-based sensing method was compared with HPLC reference analysis in order to validate the method. The PBZ content of various spiked equine samples was tested using the two methods after the sample had been extracted using the MISPE procedure. The study’s findings with voltammetry-based sensing showed very good agreement with results obtained by HPLC analysis. Statistical tests on the data at the 95% significance level generated a correlation line with the following equation and correlation coefficient: y = 0.9997  ± 0.0043x + 0.00072  ± 0.012, r2 = 0.9998 for PBZ This showed an excellent correlation between the new developed method and the reference gold standard HPLC analysis. Therefore the proposed DPV-based method coupled to MISPE was shown to be very suitable for the quantitative analysis of PBZ in equine plasma. Linearity, LOQ/LOD and Accuracy and Precision Linearity Linearity is the sample concentration range where analyte response is linearly proportional to the concentration. The study performed a linearity test calibration curve with PBZ using standard solutions and the measurements were repeated nine times. The study’s criteria for r2 and g were r2 ≠¥ 0.99 and g≠¤10%. The regression lines were found to have the following equation: y = 0.04x + 0.01, r2 = 0.99 and g 3.7% for PBZ. Accuracy and precision Precision is the amount of scatter in results taken from multiple analysis. Accuracy is the Closeness of measured value to true answer. The precision of the study’s method was checked using replicates, 10 were performed on freshly prepared 0.5 g/ml solutions of PBZ. There were two types of precision and accuracy were assessed, within-day precision and accuracy and between-day. The within-day samples were assessed using blank plasma samples spiked with PBZ at 0.05 g/ml, 0.5 g/ml and 10 g/. These were extracted using the MISPE-procedure and analyse took place on the same day. Between-day samples were assessed using the same samples as the within-day tests. The acceptance criteria for accuracy were −20% to +10% of the theoretical concentration. The study found that the accuracy of the estimated PBZ concentration was more than 94% at three concentrations used as quality control samples. The precision expressed as inter-day coefficient of variation ranged from 2.6% to 6.5% and the intra-day CV% ranged from 1.5% to 5.0%. The coefficients of variation of 10 replicate analyses on freshly prepared 0.5 g/ml solutions were 1.5% for PBZ. LOQ and LOD The sensitivity of the method was shown as the limit of quantification. This limit was set at 10 times the standard deviation of the intercepts divided by the slope of the calibration curve. The limit of detection was set at 3.3 times the standard deviation of the intercepts divided by the slope of the calibration curve. The LOQ and LOD for PBZ was 0.01g/ml. This study found that the LOQ using this novel method are lower than those obtained with HPLC had a LOQ of 0.5 g/ml and GC/MS had a LOQ of 0.05 g/ml in analyses. The presented results compared favourably with those obtained with LC/MS/MS, which had a LOQ of 0.01 g/ml during analysis. Conclusion The comparison to all the known ‘Gold standard’ methods showed this method to be more sensitive and less expensive, both in terms of analysis time and instrumentation costs. References Authie, E. C., Garcia, P., Popot, M. A., Toutain, P. L., and Doucet, M. (2010) Effect of an endurance-like exercise on the disposition and detection time of phenylbutazone and dexamethasone in the horse: application to medication control. Equine Vet J. Vol.42(3), pp.240-7. Chay, S., Woods, W. E., Nugent, T. E., Weckman, T., Houston, T., Sprinkle, F., Blake, J. W., Tobin, T., Soma, L. R., Yocum, J., and et al. (1984) Population distributions of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone after oral and i.v. dosing in horses. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. Vol.7(4), pp.265-76. Gerring, E. L., Lees, P., and Taylor, J. B. (1981) Pharmacokinetics of phenylbutazone and its metabolites in the horse. Equine Vet J. Vol.13(3), pp.152-7. Gonzalez, G., Ventura, R., Smith, A. K., de la Torre, R., and Segura, J. (1996) Detection of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in equine plasma and urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A. Vol.719(1), pp.251-64. Grippa, E., Santini, L., Castellano, G., Gatto, M. T., Leone, M. G., and Saso, L. (2000a) Simultaneous determination of hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, indomethacin, phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone in equine serum by high-performance liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl. Vol.738(1), pp.17-25. Grippa, E., Santini, L., Castellano, G., Gatto, M. T., Leone, M. G., and Saso, L. (2000b) Simultaneous determination of hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, indomethacin, phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone in equine serum by high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography B: Biomedical Sciences and Applications. Vol.738(1), pp.17-25. Harun, N., Anderson, R. A., and Cormack, P. A. (2010) Analysis of ketamine and norketamine in hair samples using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Anal Bioanal Chem. Vol.396(7), pp.2449-59. Kwiatkowski, S., Goodman, J. P., Stanley, S. D., Tai, C. L., Yang, J. M., Wood, T., Sturma, L., Woods, W. E., Tian, Z. G., Bertram, S., Tai, H. H., Weckman, T. J., Chang, S. L., Blake, J. W., Watt, D. S., Tobin, T., Mcdonald, J., Wie, S., Chung, R. A., Brecht, J. M., Conner, J. C., Dahl, P. A., Lewis, E. L., Prange, C. A., and Uboh, C. E. (1989) Immunoassay Detection of Drugs in Racing Horses .10. Detection of Phenylbutazone in Equine Blood and Urine by Particle Concentration Fluoroimmunoassay and Elisa. Research Communications in Substances of Abuse. Vol.10(2), pp.123-139. Landuyt, J., Delbeke, F. T., and Debackere, M. (1993) The intramuscular bioavailability of a phenylbutazone preparation in the horse. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. Vol.16(4), pp.494-500. Lees, P., Maitho, T. E., and Taylor, J. B. (1985) Pharmacokinetics of phenylbutazone in two age groups of ponies: a preliminary study. Vet Rec. Vol.116(9), pp.229-32. Lees, P., Taylor, J. B., Higgins, A. J., and Sharma, S. C. (1986) Phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone distribution into tissue fluids in the horse. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. Vol.9(2), pp.204-12. Maitho, T. E., Lees, P., and Taylor, J. B. (1986) Absorption and pharmacokinetics of phenylbutazone in Welsh Mountain ponies. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. Vol.9(1), pp.26-39. Meucci, V., Vanni, M., Sgorbini, M., Odore, R., Minunni, M., and Intorre, L. (2013) Determination of phenylbutazone and flunixin meglumine in equine plasma by electrochemical-based sensing coupled to selective extraction with molecularly imprinted polymers. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. Vol.179 pp.226-231. Rowland, M., and Tozer, T. N. (2005) Clinical pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Smith, P. B., Caldwell, J., Smith, R. L., Horner, M. W., and Moss, M. S. (1987) The bioavailability of phenylbutazone in the horse. Xenobiotica. Vol.17(4), pp.435-43. B00222603Forensic Bio-analysisPage 1

Disabled Clients Are Fellow Citizens? Essay -- essays research papers

Disabled clients are fellow citizens? Developments in the Disabled Peoples Movement have brought disability to the fore as a civil rights issue in Britain. Growing numbers of politically active disabled people have generated an awareness of how their rights as citizens are denied by discrimination and oppression. Out of this has emerged the concept of `independent living'. A philosophy encompassing the full range of human and civil rights necessary for disabled people to be equal members of society. Underpinning this are four key beliefs: that all human life is of value; that anyone, whatever their impairment, is capable of exerting choices; that people who are disabled by society's reaction to physical, intellectual and sensory impairment and to emotional distress have the right to exert control over their lives; that disabled people have the right to participate fully in society (Morris, 1993:21) The focus of this essay is the potential conflict between this philosophy and the policies and practices of social work. In particular, contrasting interpretations of the client/social work relationship will be examined with regard to their capacity to foster these ideals. There is ample evidence that disabled people are poorly housed, less well educated and generally receive less in the way of life-enhancing opportunities when compared to their non-impaired peers (Finklestein (1991). For example, they are four times as likely as non-impaired people to be unemployed, while those who do work receive wages on average 20% lower (RADAR, 1994). Most disabled people, therefore, rely on benefits. Furthermore, those benefits fail to allow for the extra expenses incurred as a result of disability (Cohen, 1996; Thompson, 1996). Thus it is poverty and poor quality of life resulting from discrimination which creates the need for social work intervention. Becoming a client, Davies (1981) suggests, is seen as a `sign of having given up' and as `a mark not only of failure but of shame' (p. 35). This not only further marginalises disabled people from mainstream society, i.e. separates those who are "clients" from those who are not. It also, according to Barton (1993), maintains a.. Cul... ...nd peach, H (eds) (1989):"Disablement in The Community"; Oxford University, Oxford. Payne, M (1991):"Modern Social Work Theory: A Critical Introduction"; Macmillan, London. Smalley, R (1970):"The Functional Approach To Casework Practice"; in Roberts, R., and Nee, R (eds) (1970):"Theories of Social Casework"; University of Chicago Press, London. Thompson, N (1993):"Anti-Discriminatory Practice"; Macmillan, London. Journals. Barton, L (1993):"The Struggle For Citizenship:The Case of Disabled People"; in Disability, Handicap and Society, Vol. 8(3), p 235-248. Cohen, R (1996):"The Poverty Trap"; in Community Care, p 26-27, 1-7 August. George, M (1996):"Figure it Out"; in Community Care, pullout feature, August 1-7. Morris, J (1996):"Where to Now?"; in Community Care, p 25, Sept 26-Oct 2. Oliver, M (1989a) Book Review of Hunter (1988) in Disability, Handicap and Society, Vol. 4(1). Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (1994):"Unemployment" in Donellan, C (ed) (1994). Thompson, A (1996):"The Fight For Rights"; in Community Care, P 14-15, 18-24 July.

History on Fathers Day Essay

History of Father’s Day Festival as seen today is not even a hundred years old. Thanks to the hard work and struggle of Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Washington that just as we have set aside Mother’s Day to honor mothers we have a day to acknowledge the important role played by the father. However, some scholars opine that Father’s Day history is much older than we actually believe it to be. They say that the custom of honoring dad’s on a special day is over 4,000 years old. There are a few more claims about the Father’s Day origin about which we will learn in this page. Earliest History of Father’s Day Scholars believe that the origin of Father’s Day is not a latest phenomenon, as many believe it to be. Rather they claim that the tradition of Father’s Day can be traced in the ruins of Babylon. They have recorded that a young boy called Elmesu carved a Father’s Day message on a card made out of clay nearly 4,000 years ago. Elmesu wished his Babylonian father good health and a long life. Though there is no record of what happened to Elmesu and his father but the tradition of celebrating Father’s Day remained in several countries all over the world. History of Father’s Day in US Modern version of Father’s Day celebration originated in United States of America and thereafter the tradition spread in countries around the world. The world owes thanks to Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd a loving daughter from Spokane, Washington as it is because of her struggle that Father’s Day saw the light of the day. The idea of Father’s Day celebration originated in Sonora’s mind when she per chance listened to Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Fairly mature at the age 27, Sonora pondered if there is a day to honor mother then why not for father? Sonora felt strongly for fathers because of the affection she received from her own father Mr William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran. Sonora’s mother died while childbirth when she was just 16. Mr Smart raised the newborn and five other children with love and care. Inspired by Ms Anna Jarvis’s struggle to promote Mother’s Day, Ms Dodd began a rigorous campaign to celebrate Father’s Day in US. The Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) supported Sonora’s cause. As a result Spokane celebrated its first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. Though there was initial hesitation the idea gained gradual popularity all over US and Fathers Day came to be celebrated in cities across the country. Looking at the heightened popularity of Father’s Day in US, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge too supported the idea of a national Father’s Day in 1924 to, â€Å"establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations†. After a protracted struggle of over four decades, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day in 1966. Then in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. Sonora Smart Dodd was honored for her contribution at the World’s Fair in Spokane in 1974. Mrs. Dodd died in 1978 at age 96. Other Theories of Fathers Day Origin There are several theories behind the origination of Father’s Day. Some believe that the first Fathers Day church service was held in West Virginia in 1908. Others opine that the ceremony was first held in Vancouver, Washington. The president of Lions’ Club, Chicago, Harry Meek is said to have celebrated the first Father’s Day with his organization in 1915 to stress on the need to honor fathers. He selected third Sunday in June for celebration, the closest date to Meek’s own birthday. In appreciation for Meek’s work, the Lions Clubs of America presented him with a gold watch, with the inscription â€Å"Originator of Father’s Day,† on his birthday, June 20, 1920. Some historians honor Mrs. Charles Clayton of West Virginia, as the Founder of Father’s Day. In 1957, Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote Congress that, â€Å"Either we honor both our parents, mother and father, or let us desist from honoring either one. But to single out just one of our two parents and omit the other is the most grievous insult imaginable.† In countries where Catholic Church holds greater influence Father’s Day is celebrated on St. Joseph’s Day (March 19). Present Day Celebrations Father’s Day Festival has gained amazing popularity over the years. The festival is considered to be a secular one and is celebrated not just in US but in a large number of countries around the world including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and India though on different dates. World over people take Father’s Day as an opportunity to thank father and pay tribute to them. On this day children present Father’s Day cards not just to their dads but also grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers or any other person who commands the position of a father in their life. There is also a trend to present Father’s Day gift to dad, most popular of all being necktie. Other popular gift being roses, the official Father’s Day flower. Many people rue that the trend of presenting gifts to fathers has led to over commercialization of the festival relegating the noble idea behind Father’s Day celebration.

Technology and learning

The modernization of the times led to a startling reality that the world will be crippled without the aid of technology. Technology is becoming more and more of a necessity these days in all aspects of daily living and as such, educational institutions have incorporated this subject in their curriculum because the authorities acknowledged the fact that technology can help attain student objectives and in order to achieve the maximum impact, it must form part of the school's education curriculum (Neir Tech, 2002).English is a subject that would be greatly enhanced by technology. English is a diversified field in itself that requires self-expression, vocabulary, reading, creativity and innovativeness of the mind. Technology can greatly enhance the students' learning process when it comes to English because the information that they need is just a few clicks away. The world wide web provides a wide array of information and lectures about all English subjects. For example, a student havi ng difficulty in pronunciation and vocabulary can access the Internet to learn this kind of skill.Students who have been assigned difficult topics for assignment can search the net for all the information that he needs. The teachers can use the technology as aid in teaching not only English but other subjects as well by using highly-powered technology driven lectures that would work best in capturing students' attention. There are some schools that use technology to breach the barriers of communication. Video conferencing is another technological development that greatly helps educational institutions teach students not only English but other subjects as well.ReferencesNeir Tech. 2002.   Strategies for Improving Academic Achievement and Teacher Effectiveness. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.neirtec.org/products/techbriefs/1.htm

Comparing and Contrast the Chemical Disasters at Bhopal in India and Seveso in Italy Essays

Comparing and Contrast the Chemical Disasters at Bhopal in India and Seveso in Italy Essays Comparing and Contrast the Chemical Disasters at Bhopal in India and Seveso in Italy Essay Comparing and Contrast the Chemical Disasters at Bhopal in India and Seveso in Italy Essay In today’s modern society, as many countries have been developing very fast, the technologies are reaching high standards of level, for example, the high qualities weed killers and the liquid cleaner. However, as the big invention occurring, the more and more mistakes will be going on, because some technologies, such as weed killer and liquid cleaners are chemicals. With no doubt, chemicals are really harmful for human beings. As people all know that, toxic chemicals are used in the industries, which have to be safely covered and provide very serious use instruction, such as wearing long gloves, safety shoes or masks. However, even the chemicals are under several instructions, but people may have made some serious mistakes which caused a huge damage and large amount of death to people. In this essay, I am going to write about the two disasters that caused a lot of injures by the explosion of poisonous chemicals, which located in India and Italy. According to Shrivastava (1996), on the night of 2/3 December 1984, an enormous accident happened in Bhopal, India, the highly poisonous and unbalanced chemical gas was escaped from the factory and continue to spread over the city which caused by the lack of the attention and care ness. Apart from that, Marchi and Funtowicz and Ravetz (1996) states that in the 10 July 1976, a powerful weed killer which named 245T was exploded in a small town which located near Milan, the 245T contained the most powerful and toxic chemicals, it can kill any live stocks and human very easily, the accident was caused by man made unmanaged instructions and the toxic dioxin was spilled to the atmosphere. Between these two accidents, they were all caused by people not nature. Unlikely, these two took places in different period and locations. Luke (1984) believed that the Bhopal accident was caused by the ignorance of experts. This factory was built in a crowded population environment, and because they against the rule of US safety standard, too much amount of MIC was contained in the store and due to the huge quantity of it, the tank was not strong enough to hold the chemical, as the safety manual required at o degree, the safety system was broken down and water leaking in to it and set off the reaction. The chemicals were released into the air. Bhopal and Seveso were similar in that, according to Marchi Funtowicz Ravetz (1996) because of the unmanaged instructions and the ignorance, the disasters had a substantial damage and effect. According to Gail (2003), the Indian Government made a great effort in trying to manipulate the situation, yet all their attempts failed to provide the sufficient supply of medical services and food supply. There was not enough place for all the injured people to get medical treatment. That is because of the large number of injuries and the lack of doctors and medicine. Added to this, doctors at Bhopal had no idea of what kind of affection they were dealing with. Unfortunately, most people arrived at the hospital when it was too late, others died while waiting for their tern to see a doctor. Similar to Bhopal, Seveso suffered from lack of immediate responses and from ignorance of what exactly happened and what gases were released. Late decisions of evacuation and other responses were made, after the government first move of realizing and defining the accident and its possible consequences. B. De Marchi, S. Funtowicz, and J. Ravetz (1996), believe that Seveso had a better response than Bhopal, when a comparison between the two disasters were made. The Italian Government had more ability to absorb the affects in a shorter period of time. Unlike Bhopal, the process of recovery was reasonably good, due to the smaller affects, less damage and the high financial capability. There were compensations to victims, redeployment to people lost their jobs and there was some control on health long-term effects by monitoring them through a practical planned program. The main difference between the effects of the accidents at Bhopal and Seveso is that many people died at Bhopal, whereas there was no any death cases reported in any article at Seveso. Death is considered a short-term effect. David (2002) believes they were roughly 7000 death cases at Bhopal. Baines (1993) mentioned other short-term effects at Bhopal such as difficulty and eye irritation. Similar symptoms appeared on Seveso survivors. Added to this, Shrivastava (1996) points out that people exposed to the released gas had some other short-effects such as cough, vomiting and chest pains. Long-term effects at Bhopal mainly were eye-sight weakness and high possibility of getting different kinds of Cancer. No long-term effects are in detail in â€Å"The long road to recovery†, (B. De Marchi, S. Funtowicz, and J. Ravetz 1996), neither in â€Å"Environmental Disasters†, (Baines 1993). These disasters had involved so many people, some were dead, and some were seriously injured . Also, some people may have a great risk of getting the negative effect in their rest of lives. Due to these happened , there must be someone stand up and taking the responsibility for the huge damages and waste . In the disaster of Bhopal , the company which involved in was union Carbide , this company in USA was decreased their value of stocks by this failure. Furthermore, the Union Carbide in India has to accept to pay the funding for the patients and for the damages. Even though, the American company against to accept the legal responsibility which done by themselves. But, the local government and a lot of lawyers have sued the company, and they won the beat, so they got the funding for the injured families and hospitals. (â€Å"Bhopal India† DIS Covering Science). In contrast, according to â€Å"The long road to recovery†, by B. De Marchi, S. Funtowicz, and J. Ravetz (1996), the company of the Seveso had paid for the hospitals and government and any hurt, and they will be more concern about how to do the securities very carefully and reasonable. To avoiding these things happen again, every people and individuals have done something to prevent these kinds of disasters. First of all, according to the articles, local government had legislate some issues for caring the chemicals and warning people who were working with the chemicals must pay a lot of attentions on it. Also, the companies which producing the chemicals have to be located far from the high proportions of people in the neighborhoods and providing the knowledge for hospitals about how to cure the chemical disease. In conclusion, every one and society have to do something to avoid the disaster happen, because no one wants to die or wants to see other people dead. So, from these two disasters, People have studied how to prevent the disaster happen, and not just blame some one to take responsibility after the disasters. Even though these two serious events had happened years ago, it still named the one of the worst industrial disaster in the world, because many innocent people were died for it, and too many people had to injure the painful during their rest of lives. Essay Foundation 001 Academic writing Comparing and contrast the chemical disasters at Bhopal in India and Seveso in Italy Student full name: Li Fei Lu (Lulu) Teacher: Chris Beard Essay length: 1190 words Reference A chronology of events at Seveso and Seveso adapted from B. De Marchi, S. Funtowicz, and J. Ravertz (1996) Seveso: A paradoxical classic in The long road discovery: Community responses to industrial disaster Edited by James K. Mitchell: United nations University Press. â€Å"Bhopal, India. † DISCovering Science. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2004. http://galenet. galegroup. com/servlet/SRC downloaded 26 November 2004 Cancer fears haunt survivors of Italian chemical disaster (1997) Cancer Weekly Plus Retrieved January 23, 2005, from the Expanded Academic Database David, L (2002) Night of the Gas New Internationalist p34 (2) p9 Retrieved January 23, 2005, from the Expanded Academic Database Shrivastava, P (1996) Long-term recovery from the Bhopal crisis in The long road to recovery: Community responses to industrial disaster Edited by James K. Mitchell: United Nations University Press (adapted)

Free Essays on Lord Of Flies Essay

Lord of the Flies Essay Did Brooks’ film accurately convey the original meaning of Golding's novel? William Golding, a remarkably talented writer, created this intriguing timeless classic, Lord of the Flies. The novel’s unique and mysterious style generated a torrent of interest. Even today, more than 30 years later, exhausting analysis’ of his novel are being attempted. I found this novel to be extraordinary. It is overflowing with subtle yet profound meaning and truths about humans. It is detailed, and contains intricately and strongly developed characters and relationships. The symbolism in the story is fascinating and extensive. This is why this novel is such a challenge to condense into a 90 minute film. One of the most important themes in the novel is evil, and the manifestation of fear and monsters as a result of the young boy’s inevitable evil within. The boys on the island are severed from civilization and they’re terrified, thus they fabricate a monster, a â€Å"beastie,† to justify their fears. In the novel an insightful suggestion is made by Simon, â€Å" ‘What I mean is... Maybe it’s only us.’... Simon became inarticulate in his efforts to express mankind’s essential illness.† (p.89) The theme of inner-evil becomes more evident as it is further developed in the novel. Simon has a â€Å"conversation† with The Lord of the Flies (the pig’s head) that is key to the story; the truth about the boys emerges. â€Å"There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast... Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!... You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? C lose, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are?’† (p.142) However in the film, the theme of a manifestation of evil isn’t clear, and the Lord of the Flies scene was left out. For me the most interesting and thought provoking character in the novel is Simon. In... Free Essays on Lord Of Flies Essay Free Essays on Lord Of Flies Essay Lord of the Flies Essay Did Brooks’ film accurately convey the original meaning of Golding's novel? William Golding, a remarkably talented writer, created this intriguing timeless classic, Lord of the Flies. The novel’s unique and mysterious style generated a torrent of interest. Even today, more than 30 years later, exhausting analysis’ of his novel are being attempted. I found this novel to be extraordinary. It is overflowing with subtle yet profound meaning and truths about humans. It is detailed, and contains intricately and strongly developed characters and relationships. The symbolism in the story is fascinating and extensive. This is why this novel is such a challenge to condense into a 90 minute film. One of the most important themes in the novel is evil, and the manifestation of fear and monsters as a result of the young boy’s inevitable evil within. The boys on the island are severed from civilization and they’re terrified, thus they fabricate a monster, a â€Å"beastie,† to justify their fears. In the novel an insightful suggestion is made by Simon, â€Å" ‘What I mean is... Maybe it’s only us.’... Simon became inarticulate in his efforts to express mankind’s essential illness.† (p.89) The theme of inner-evil becomes more evident as it is further developed in the novel. Simon has a â€Å"conversation† with The Lord of the Flies (the pig’s head) that is key to the story; the truth about the boys emerges. â€Å"There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast... Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!... You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? C lose, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are?’† (p.142) However in the film, the theme of a manifestation of evil isn’t clear, and the Lord of the Flies scene was left out. For me the most interesting and thought provoking character in the novel is Simon. In...

French Verb Conjugations for Augmenter

French Verb Conjugations for Augmenter Augmenter  is a French verb that means to increase, to raise, or to rise. Its a very useful word to know and its a rather simple on to conjugate to fit the present, future, and past tenses. Follow along in this lesson to learn all these conjugations, including the past participle, subjunctive, and imperative forms of  augmenter. Conjugating the French Verb  Augmenter Verb conjugations are a little more complex in French than they are in English. We understand that an English verb with an -ed ending implies the past tense and an -ing is used for the present tense. In French, there are more endings to learn because the verb must match the subject pronoun as well. Augmenter  is a  regular -ER verb. In the conjugations, it follows a particular pattern for the new endings. These same transformations can be found in similar verbs like  attraper  (to pick up) and  complà ©ter  (to complete), making these among the easiest to memorize. Using the chart, you can quickly figure out which verb form you need. Simply match the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense. For instance, I increase is jaugmente and we will rise  is nous augmenterons. Subject Present Future Imperfect j' augmente augmenterai augmentais tu augmentes augmenteras augmentais il augmente augmentera augmentait nous augmentons augmenterons augmentions vous augmentez augmenterez augmentiez ils augmentent augmenteront augmentaient The Present Participle of  Augmenter The  present participle  of augmenter  is augmentant.  This is done with a simple change from the -er  ending to an  -ant  ending. Not only is it a verb, but you can use it as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © The  past participle  of augmenter  is augmentà ©. You will need this to form the commonly used past tense known as  passà © composà ©.   To form the conjugations, use the appropriate form of avoir,  which is an  auxiliary, or helping verb. For example, I rose is jai augmentà © and we increased is  nous avons augmentà ©. Notice how  avoir  has been conjugated to match the subject, but the same past participle is used in both phrases. More  Augmenter  Conjugations There may be times when you will need to use the following verb forms of  augmenter. The subjunctive and conditional are rather common and imply a certain degree of uncertainty in the action. Its likely that you will only encounter the passà © simple or imperfect subjunctive in formal writing. Yet, its good to be able to recognize and associate these forms with  augmenter. When using  augmenter  in imperative verb form, there is no need to include the subject pronoun. This is implied within the verb itself and these are used in short statements. Rather than nous augmentons, you can say augmentons.

Organisations and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organisations and Management - Essay Example The situation of Mainland Enterprises suggests that most people have little contact with people of other cultures/ethnicities in their everyday lives that is not role-related. Some employees avoid interacting with members of other cultures/ethnicities and/or view them as "undesirable" staff. This case vividly portrays that interpersonal communication employed by the CEO is ineffective and inefficient caused by different values and traditions of people, and poor interaction between all employees. For instance, the CEO and Western employees have different perception and understanding of the â€Å"family† concept of organizational culture but the CEO is unable to recognize these difficulties and problems experienced by the subordinates. The â€Å"western† are perceived as impolite and disruptive because of different communication n corms and traditions which have not been communicated and explained to Westerns people by the CEO (Wood, 2003). 2. The case study vividly portrays the important role of CEO and his vision in organizational culture. Communication should be seen as a process by which knowledge that resides in one or more people comes to be represented in one or more others. Certainly the transfer of knowledge is not the only thing that happens in communication, and for certain purposes it may not be the most useful way of thinking about the process. Below we refer briefly to some other dimensions of communication that may be important for cooperative work. Underlying the knowledge transfer view of communication is the assumption that any communicative act rests on a base of mutual knowledge (West and Turner 2006). The example of Mainland Enterprises reveals a set of mechanisms derives from the fact that individuals can often be assigned to social categories, and such category membership often predicts individual knowledge. Of course, category membership is not a perfect predictor of knowledge.

Contract Safety Improvements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contract Safety Improvements - Essay Example At some point we have been forced to take loans so as not just to maximize on the level of income earned but also, to ensure we do not disappoint our consumers (who are found all over the world) by proving sub-standard services contrary to the high expectations they having. Additional paperwork Unlike in the case of other businesses, it is quite tasking at Exelis due to extra paperwork which is actually brought forth by; proper handling of tax return files, bank account records, auditor’s reports, report creation, detailed books and finally, taking minutes during the frequent meetings. It is important to note that these two challenges are not as severe as the safety challenge facing the company at present. Accidents are becoming a threat to the contracts signed by Exilis. ITT Exelis reported that it had been given a U.S Army contract to go on with maintenance support and providing IT technology operations in the U.S Army in the Middle Eastern countries, specifically SouthWest and Central Asia. The Company signed this contract which had a potential value of $790 million including all options exercised. However, an accident happened while the company equipments were being shipped to the destination. An increase in accidents could possibly cost the company one of its Middle Eastern government contracts One of the latest and most hectic or rather breath-taking challenges I have never encountered since I started working at Exelis is the one pertaining the latest ship accident in the Indian Ocean while transporting electronic warfare. It has been the newspaper cover story for a whole week now. Exelis Incorporated successfully finished producing release systems as well as launchers and was now doing the delivery when the ship sunk. The sinking of the ship has remained a mystery, since for 7 days since the incidence occurred; the cause of the same has not yet been ascertained. The intensity of the worry of Exelis is increasing each passing minute, since the rema ining period of time is too short to make the transportation of the equipments a success, even if the ship was found this minute. This therefore means the contract may be terminated and also, the partnering of Kuwait in the military weaponry production and the electronic attack and supply systems sector, which will perhaps just remain a dream. Kuwait had started showing interest of partnering with Exelis in the industry by serving as vehicle fuel suppliers for Exelis for a very subsidized cost. Alternative solutions to increased accidents in Exelis Inc Increase safety awareness with weekly safety stand downs This is a selected time for the CEO, senior managers, and other executive managers to discuss about safety issues in a direct way with frontline workers. The move can be achieved by setting up goals to be achieved every week to combat the increasing accident reports in the company (LeBoeuf, 1985). For instance, in every first week, the goal may be for managers, supervisors, and crews to spot out hazards associated with the tasks of employees, establish their risks, in this context the risk of losing contracts in the Middle East, and come up with possible solutions. Procedures and methods to complete the work of employees should be identified, and determine the obstacles that may hinder the crews from solution

RESEARCH PAPER - CORPORATE TAX REFORM Assignment

RESEARCH PAPER - CORPORATE TAX REFORM - Assignment Example Corporate tax revenue share that included total federal tax revenues collapsed (Maples & Graveled, 2011)3. Consequently, federal revenues declined from 28% in 1950’s to less than 10 percent since the 1980’s. A big percentage of corporate profits that contribute a big percentage of federal revenue have also followed the same trend of decline. In 1950’s, corporation groups paid not less than 49 percent to federal income tax. However, the percentage dropped significantly to only 25.3 percent from 1990’s. In addition, despite the boom years of the 1990’s, share of the US economy remained sharply lower representing only two-fifths of GDP share in the 1950’s hence a drop in the federal revenue. Finally, since corporations in America bear the lowest income tax revenue compared to other European countries, United States bore the heavier burden to cater for the deficit in income tax. As a result, federal revenue decreases. Lowering tax rates implies a significant increase in the corporate income. Apart from income increase, tax inversion makes it safer to venture into business opportunities that organizations regarded as too risky to take. In the recent past, for instance, Endo Pharmaceutical made a bid to purchase Auxilium, a close competitor (Sullivan, 2011)4. Lower tax rates covering mergers and acquisitions influenced Endo Pharmaceuticals to proceed into a risky bid. In addition, if shareholders of a foreign company own only up to 80 percent of its shares, a US corporation enjoys payment of lower tax on subsequent earnings. Such corporations also evade paying taxes to the US on any cash they store outside the country. Consequently, companies easily enter into the market, increase market share, expand the list of therapeutic specialists, and use a single opportunity to reduce their tax rate. Furthermore, with tax reversion, corporations use transfer

International Tourism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Tourism - Assignment Example However, Pakistan, even though bestowed with vast areas of unexploited and unexplored, breathtakingly beautiful landmarks, to date has been unable to exploit the travel and tourism industry to its maximum or for that matter, even the minimum level. According to an article available at Eturbonews. "The tourism industry in southern Asia generally showed growth in 2007, except for Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Political instability and a lack of security in these two countries led to a drop in arrivals from abroad: -7% for Pakistan, and -12% for Sri Lanka" The same news states further, "In general, the tourism industry in the subcontinent showed growth of 12%. In 2006."The same article further refers to Pakistan's tourism industry in the following words, " in addition to Sri Lanka, is represented by Pakistan, where tourism demand fell by 7% in 2007". Experts say this is related to the country's serious political instability and frequent terrorist attacks." There are two types of tourists' visiting Pakistan, The foreign Tourists and the domestic tourists. The domestic tourists can further be classified into up-country tourist (moving from the south of the country to the north) and down country tourists (tourists moving from North to South). Since tourism industry is a business mode... Tourist Categories: There are two types of tourists' visiting Pakistan, The foreign Tourists and the domestic tourists. The domestic tourists can further be classified into up-country tourist (moving from the south of the country to the north) and down country tourists (tourists moving from North to South). The major chunk of revenue comes form the foreign tourists who have resources available to splurge in the local markets and outing areas. Factors Impacting Foreign Tourists: Since tourism industry is a business model, the various theories that are used for external analysis apply to the tourism industry. The PESTLE Analysis identifies the external factors that impact the tourism industry of Pakistan. Political, Image of Pakistan: The image of Pakistan post 9/11 has been such that it is known as one of the most terrorist afflicted areas. It is believed that it lacks modern ways to commute and transportation networks fail. The volatile political situation makes if a very difficult choice to travel too especially when travel advisories are being issued against traveling to this country every now and then. Moreover, the frequent bombings and suicide bombings enhance this image further. The recent instances of terrorist kidnappings all paint a very deadly picture. Economic: before 2001, the economy of Pakistan was in doldrums with GDP growth rates as low as 4%. This reflected in a low level of investment in tourism and developments of infrastructure. Due to the lack of development of tourist attractions, Pakistan's tourism industry had stagnated. After 2001, there was a boom with growth reached as high as 7%, however, the wealth did not have a trickle down

Entrepreneurs at Twitter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Entrepreneurs at Twitter - Essay Example nalysts started arguing that the company lacks a sustainable future and many were of the opinion that Twitter does not have an efficient marketing strategy. This report has aimed analysing Twitter’s past and present records to map out its journey. Subsequently, its marketing strategy – which is largely undefined – has been evaluated and the future strategies have been recommended. The capability of Twitter to earn profits has also been touched upon while analysing how the company may capitalise on its popularity. Finally, an action plan has been recommended. The current topic necessitates an analysis of the business case of the popular microblogging service called Twitter. Headquartered in San Francisco, the organisation had commenced it business in 2006. It had an almost instantaneous success because of the fact that it shares numerous characteristics with most of the commonly used communication tools such as â€Å"email, IM, texting, blogging, RSS, social networks and so forth† (O’Reilly & Milstein, 2009, p.7). However, the uniqueness of this service lies in the fact that messages that are sent and received on it â€Å"are no more than 140 characters, or about the length of a news headline† (O’Reilly & Milstein, 2009, p.7), and hence, they can be easily read as well as written. Owing to the speed at which information is shared through it, it has been argued that companies must be present on Twitter as it is an invaluable platform that helps in bootstrapping marketing activities. On a more precise note, with Twitter, companies (especially start-ups and SMEs) â€Å"can help their search engine rankings and website traffic† (Thomases, 2010, p.90). In the light of the immense business potential that Twitter is capable to offer, this case analysis will aim at evaluating its current situation and part record. Simultaneously, attempts will be made to comprehend the marketing strategy of Twitter in order to recommend future strategies. In addition to these,

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Finance - Essay Example SOCAR also acts as the major rights holder in the oil and gas industry. It also acts as a government mean to control the oil and gas sector in the state of Azerbaijani. Oil exploration in the Caspian sea began in the year 1992 when the Kazakhstan government announced an oil exploration project in the Caspian sea. The Caspian  Oilfields Development Project has an oil exploration scope of operation in the whole of the Azerbaijan state. The area under the project is broken down into oil fields all of which are controlled by the government through the SOCAR. The oil fields include Chirag Oil Project (COP), Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) field, West Azeri, East Azeri, Deep water Gunashli, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Shah Deniz, and South Caucacus Pipeline and Itochu Oil Exploration (Azerbaijan). Most of the oil fields are based in the sea region. This crude oil pipeline stretches 1,768km in length from Baku in Azerbaijan to Ceyhan, Turkey on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea by way of Tbil isi, Georgia and can handle 1.2 million barrels of oil per day. The project has a direct and immediate control of the Caspian Sea where there have been oil discoveries. The scope of operation of all the contractors is based on SOCAR grants to the Contractors the sole and exclusive right to conduct Petroleum Operations within and with respect to the Contract Area in accordance with the terms of their Contracts (including those terms set forth in Article XV of the Azerbaijan constitution) and during the term thereof. Budgeting on the Caspian oilfields development project depends fully on the current financial results and the oil developments in the area. If new wells are discovered then additional capital is required to drill the oil and gas (CEE Bankwatch, 2012, pg 43). . With first three stages as rolled out in the country’s strategic programme completed and 7  operational platforms functional, total production from Azeri-Chirag Guneshli is more than 1 million barrels (160, 000  m3) a day. As per BP's report, Chirag had 19  wells in operation with an overall production of 105,300 bbl/d (16,740  m3/d). Central Azeri had 18 wells with production of 185,800 bbl/d. West Azeri (WA) had 18  wells in operation (14 of which are oil producers and 4 - water injectors with production of 275,200 barrels per day (43,750  m3/d). East Azeri (EA) had 13  wells in operation with overall production 139,400 barrels per day (22,160  m3/d) for the first three quarters of 2009. Deep Water Gunashli had 17  wells (9  oil producers and 8  water injectors) in operation with production of 116,400 barrels per day (18,510  m3/d) of oil. Since 1995 the Government of Azerbaijan together with IMF and World Bank have implemented structural adjustment and sector oriented programmes. The oil sector has been recognized as promising in that the sources of Azerbaijani medium term development projected that at end of the millennium GDP will double based on income from the oil sector. The government budget greatly relies on oil revenues for financial soundness. On average, it makes around 50% of income in the budget. The Bp company currently holds a stake of 34.13% as a mean of the stakes in all the oil fields where it is hugely significant. The structure of the early oil and full field development projec

Entrepreneurs at Twitter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Entrepreneurs at Twitter - Essay Example nalysts started arguing that the company lacks a sustainable future and many were of the opinion that Twitter does not have an efficient marketing strategy. This report has aimed analysing Twitter’s past and present records to map out its journey. Subsequently, its marketing strategy – which is largely undefined – has been evaluated and the future strategies have been recommended. The capability of Twitter to earn profits has also been touched upon while analysing how the company may capitalise on its popularity. Finally, an action plan has been recommended. The current topic necessitates an analysis of the business case of the popular microblogging service called Twitter. Headquartered in San Francisco, the organisation had commenced it business in 2006. It had an almost instantaneous success because of the fact that it shares numerous characteristics with most of the commonly used communication tools such as â€Å"email, IM, texting, blogging, RSS, social networks and so forth† (O’Reilly & Milstein, 2009, p.7). However, the uniqueness of this service lies in the fact that messages that are sent and received on it â€Å"are no more than 140 characters, or about the length of a news headline† (O’Reilly & Milstein, 2009, p.7), and hence, they can be easily read as well as written. Owing to the speed at which information is shared through it, it has been argued that companies must be present on Twitter as it is an invaluable platform that helps in bootstrapping marketing activities. On a more precise note, with Twitter, companies (especially start-ups and SMEs) â€Å"can help their search engine rankings and website traffic† (Thomases, 2010, p.90). In the light of the immense business potential that Twitter is capable to offer, this case analysis will aim at evaluating its current situation and part record. Simultaneously, attempts will be made to comprehend the marketing strategy of Twitter in order to recommend future strategies. In addition to these,

Detail the Renaissance, and Baroque Periods of Art in Europe Literature review - 1

Detail the Renaissance, and Baroque Periods of Art in Europe - Literature review Example The term â€Å"renaissance† stands for â€Å"rebirth†; it describes a period in history when the classical values of Greece and Rome were reborn. According to Aigret & Kloss (2005), renaissance art is reported to have emerged in the nation of Italy; this was in the late 13th and early 14th centuries (Kloss, 2013). It is noteworthy that the Renaissance art period is generally categorized into three main periods; these are the early Renaissance, high Renaissance, and Northern Renaissance. Several characteristics describe the art in the Renaissance period (Kloss, 2013). In addition to being very naturalistic and individualistic in nature, the art of the Renaissance placed a great emphasis on perspective In addition to this, Aigret & Kloss (2005) purport that the art of the Renaissance was typified by intricate formal displays as well as a unique tendency towards emotional expression (Adams, 2001). Artists in this period, for instance in Flanders, wanted their audience to r eact emotionally to their work in order to derive inspiration or encouragement from the artwork. Renaissance art was also very realistic in nature and made expansive use of light and shadow for purposes of creating an appearance of depth (Kloss, 2013). According to Aigret & Kloss (2005), the art period described as the Renaissance occurred at a time in history when Europe was characterized by an increased level of prosperity and political stability. In addition to this, this time in history was typified by the emergent of new technology and knowledge, for instance, the establishment of new methodologies of astronomy and the creation of the printing press (Adams, 2001). The Renaissance art period in Europe is a time in history when literature and philosophy gained an increased level of preeminence.   

Does Work Overload Justify Negligence?

Does Work Overload Justify Negligence? Muhammad Qasim Introduction According World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan is one of the 57 countries with acute deficiency of healthcare workforce and with no well-defined human resource development policy in place. The country is facing dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases with Doctor to patient ratio of as high as one doctor per 1254 population (WHO, 2013). The health care’s facilities remain overcrowded by patients, specially the public sector, which result in work overload and stress among the healthcare professionals. Medical officers (MOs) and Post graduate trainees have duty hours as long as 90 hours per week. Healthcare professionals under stressful condition and work overload are more prone to commit negligence and medical errors. The consequences of medical negligence range from a minor harm to loss of human life. This paper will discuss medical negligence, malpractice in relation to work overload in the light of ethical principles and theories. Moreover, some recomme ndation will be put forward to minimize negligence, establish proper reporting system and minimize work overload among healthcare provider. Scenario A 27 years old male was admitted to the general surgery ward with gunshot injury. He was on injection Nalbuphine10 mg as per need. This patient was constantly complaining of severe pain. The assigned nurse assessed his pain and informed the doctor about his condition. She also informed that the patient has already received Nalbuphine up to its maximum limit i.e. four doses in the last 8 hours. The doctor was overwhelmed with the workload of ward and emergency unit as well. He told the nurse that the patient and his family are exaggerating the condition. Meanwhile, the doctor visited the patient and informed the nurse that he has reassured the patient and his family. After one hour, the patient developed breathing difficulty and went into respiratory arrest. Patient was resuscitated promptly for twenty minutes, but he did not revive, and hence expired. The family showed a strip of tablets Lorazepam 2mg, and added that two tablets are given to the patient on the advice of the duty doct or. It was found that the drug was neither mentioned in patient’s file nor was it verbally ordered to the nurse. The doctor requested not to report the incidence. Later on inquiry revealed that consequences occurred due to additive effect of concurrent CNS depressants. Issue Analysis In the above scenario, the patient was in acute pain, the family was worried about his restless condition. His cries and complaints were disturbing other patients in the units. Doctor was burdened with too many responsibilities and had to manage the patients in ward, recovery room, and emergency department at the same time. Being overwhelmed with too many responsibilities he advised two tablet of Lorazepam 2 mg per oral without mentioning in patient file without considering the prior high deses of Nelbuphine. Consequently, due to the additive effect of the concurrent CNS depressants patient collapsed, and after an attempt of unsuccessful cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) patient expired. This was violation of ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Moreover, the doctor’s intention was not to harm the patient however, he bypassed the nurse, did not indicate the order in patient’s file, and handed over written prescription to the father of the patient. The poor father brought the medicine and gave to the patient, which resulted in fatal consequences. It was breach in his duty toward his patient and violation of Hippocratic Oath (Cruess Cruess, 2014). It is also evident from the scenario that doctor wanted to just keep the patient calm and get rid of his pain complain. So, he prescribed a high dose of another sedative medicine for the sake of his ease. Though his intentions was not to harm the patient and was also over loaded with too many responsibilities but, my question is, does work overload justify negligence which cost a human life? Discussion Malpractice is negligence on part of an individual within a professional capacity. According to Beauchamp and Childress (2001) negligence is the absence of due care either intentionally imposing risk of harm or unintentionally but, carelessly in a given situation. Principle of beneficence is central to healthcare and healthcare professionals are expected to be beneficent toward their patients in any circumstances. According to Mustafa (2013) â€Å"Beneficence refers to the promotion of welfare, denoting acts of mercy, unstinting love and selfless humanity† (p.2). However, in this case the doctor not only failed to be beneficent but also committed such an act which resulted in sentinel event. He prescribed the CNS depressant beside he knew that the patient had already received 40 mg of nelbuphine since morning. It was the commission of a maleficent act on his part which, resulted in loss of a precious human life (Beauchamp Childress, 2001). Being in the professional boundary of a doctor, he was trusted upon by the patient and family and was expected to be beneficent toward patient in any case. On contrary, it could be argued that, his intention was not to harm the patient. He just wanted to keep the patient in rest and pain free. In Addition, doctor was overburdened with other responsibilities. He had to take care of other patients so, on the bases of utilitarian theory he was justified to take into consideration the care of other patients as professional obligation. Additionally, it was not only the patient but also the worried family members and other patients in the ward who were disturbed due to his cries and complains. So his decision of prescribing sedative pills was for the benefit of large number of people (Beauchamp Childress, 2001). Though, his workload was more than usual, and he had to fulfill too many responsibilities at a time. However, it neither allows him to be negligent in patient care, nor permit him to violate Hippocratic Oath in which, he had promised that â€Å"he will lead his life and practice his art with integrity and honor by using his power wisely† (Zafar, 2006). His action was deficient as compared to a reasonable and prudent professional under given circumstances (Burkhardt and Nathaniel). Moreover his act was a serious carelessness and maleficent in nature for the client which cost his life. Such negligence is not justifiable on the basis of any legal or moral grounds. Secondly, he bypassed on duty nurse who was responsible for the administration of the medication. It was breach of duty on his part to fail to enter the order in patient’s file. Being responsible for patient’s care, and employ of the institute, he was supposed to follow due course of actions of patient care. Moreover, the concurrence of opiates and sedatives would not have occurred if the doctor had followed proper procedure of prescription. On other hand, it could be claimed that, the ultimate goal of his decision was to relieve suffering of patient. Violating proper procedure of prescription and administration was probably intended to provide prompt relief. However, the nurse could have moved with the doctor in his visit to the patient to argue on the dosage about concurrence. Furthermore, the doctor might have thought about giving prescription to the patient’s attendant will take less time and so prompt relief; he therefore broke the chain of flow of proper protocol. The society expects professionally and morally sound decisions from the doctors. As a part of healthcare team, they are supposed to follow the policies and abide by the rules of the institute they work in. furthermore, â€Å"patients have the right to a quality of care which is marked both by high technical standards and by a humane relationship between the patient and health care providers† (Exter, 2009). In the scenario, the doctor’s noncompliance regarding proper procedure of prescription was below the acceptable standards and violation of his professional obligation. According to American medical association the doctor’s responsibilities include to be ever vigilant for the benefit of patient, and to bear their part in sustaining its institutions and burdens† (Cruess Cruess, 2014). A large number of doctors’ misjudgments and medication errors are corrected by dispensing pharmacist or medication nurse if proper protocols are followed (Al-shara, 20 11). Finally, his request to the nurse about covering the incidence was a professional misconduct as this was a sentinel event. However, the nurse properly followed the virtue of veracity and dared to report the incident. Resultantly, the inquiry revealed that the additive effect of the concurrent CNS depressants was due to negligence in clinical judgment and careless behavior of the doctor. It could be argued that the incidence occurred unintentionally, and its reporting could endanger the doctor’s carrier. In addition, reporting of the incidence could have cost his job and even his license of practice. Is it acceptable to take such risks in a country like Pakistan where there is already shortage of doctors? The negligent behavior of the doctor cost a precious human life, even though he requested the nurse not to uncover the incident. This could be measured a serious misconduct and makes his trustworthiness and moral integrity questionable. According Pakistan medical and dental council the physicians need to attempt highest level of competence and all necessary skills and knowledge, and they will be responsible for their actions (Zafar, 2006).Considering the nature of the event, it was the moral and professional obligation of the nurse to report the incidence promptly. Proper reporting system could prevent future mishaps. Nurse was right in her decision to report the incident on the basis of utilitarian theory for benefit of long number of prospective patients (Burkhardt and Nathaniel, 2008). Recommendation Healthcare providers need to be competent, skillful, and vigilant to provide efficient care to the patients. They should comply with the Hippocratic Oath and trust and expectations of the society. Sound knowledge of bioethics and Islamic ethics can make a difference and should be the part of curricula across the disciplines of healthcare. Proper policies, procedures and protocols need to be implemented and monitored for compliance at institutional, provincial and country level. The government must consider the establishment of new institutions and policy for staffing and scheduling of healthcare professional to cater the needs of growing population and minimize work overload. The proper reporting and analysis should be carried out following an incidence. Conclusion In the conclusion, malpractice on the basis of work overload could not be justified on any moral or legal grounds. Healthcare professionals should comply with the entrusted expectations of patients and society. They are expected to demonstrated optimal level of clinical and professional competencies and skills to meet challenges of the respective professions. Human life is precious and should always be respected. References Al-Shara, M. (2011). Factors contributing to medication errors in Jordan: a nursing perspective. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 16(2), 158. Barach, P., Moss, F. (2001). Delivering safe health care: safety is a patients right and the obligation of all health professionals.BMJ: British Medical Journal,323(7313), 585. Beauchamp, T. L., Childress, J. F. (2001). Principles of biomedical ethics. (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Burkhardt, M. Nathaniel, A. (2008). Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing (3rd ed.) Australia: Delmar Cruess, R., Cruess, S. (2014). Updating the Hippocratic Oath to include medicines social contract. Medical education, 48(1), 95-100. Exter, A. (Ed.). (2009). International Health Law and Ethics: Basic Documents. Maklu. Scheffler, R. M., Liu, J. X., Kinfu, Y., Dal Poz, M. R. (2008). Forecasting the global shortage of physicians: an economic-and needs-based approach. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 86(7), 516-523B. WHO (2007).Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Retrieved from World Health Organization website: http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A1444?lang=en Zafar , M. H. (2006). Pakistan Medical Dental Council: Code of Ethics. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.pmdc.org.pk/Ethics/tabid/101/Default.aspx#6

Bilingual Education vs English Immersion Programs :: essays research papers

Bilingual Education vs English Immersion Programs Bilingual Education is defined as any school program that uses two languages. In a more theoretical sense it is any educational program whose ultimate goal is for the participants to be fully versed in all facets of both languages (i.e., able to listen, speak , read, and write in both languages). The definition of a coordinated, developmental bilingual approach has emphasized the goal of being equally fluid in both languages. Realistically, this has not been the goal for most K-12 bilingual schools in the United States. More commonly in the United States we are using the words â€Å"bilingual program† to describe a program that will provide literacy and content in the primary language, while building English fluency, to the point where all instruction will occur in English. These programs are label transitional bilingual programs as their ultimate goal is to transition all students into an English only learning arena. One of the down sides of these programs is that they are no t maintenance (development)bilingual programs which are designed to preserve and develop student’s primary language while they acquire English as a second language. Bilingual Program Models All bilingual program models use the students' home language, in addition to English, for instruction. These programs are most easily implemented in districts with a large number of students from the same language background. Students in bilingual programs are grouped according to their first language, and teachers must be proficient in both English and the students' home language. Early-exit bilingual programs are designed to help children acquire the English skills required to succeed in an English-only mainstream classroom. These programs provide some initial instruction in the students' first language, primarily for the introduction of reading, but also for clarification. Instruction in the first language is phased out rapidly, with most students mainstreamed by the end of first or sec ond grade. The choice of an early-exit model may reflect community or parental preference, or it may be the only bilingual program option available in districts with a limited number of bilingual teachers. Late-exit programs differ from early-exit programs primarily in the amount and duration that English is used for instruction as well as the length of time students are to participate in each program (Ramirez, Yuen, & Ramey, 1991). Students remain in late-exit programs throughout elementary school and continue to receive 40% or more of their instruction in their first language, even when they have been reclassified as fluent-English-proficient.

College Drop-Out Makes it Big with Online eBusiness :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

College Drop-Out Makes it Big with Online eBusiness Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com In May, Sam Lave dropped out of college and stumbled upon an untapped market on the internet. Nothing has been the same since. Sam wanted to start an hobby related company due to the interest he developed pursuing a hobby in college. A loyal online buyer and occasional seller, he searched the internet for the hobby equipment he would need. Nobody was selling it. In a single moment an idea came to him that would change his life forever. Mr. Lave purchased the hobby equipment he needed directly from the manufacturer. Once it arrived at his home, he listed it for auction. Ten days later the equipment sold to the highest of twenty-three bidders, earning Mr. Lave a large profit. He began doing this over and over, and eventually earned enough money to make selling on the internet a full-time job. In his first three months, Mr. Lave sold $215,000 in merchandise. Mr. Lave had designed Web sites for cash during college but he decided against building his own website. He had no idea how he would gain publicity for the website and build traffic. On the internet, no traffic equals no money. Mr. Lave borrowed some money from his family and used VotanWeb to quickly identify and purchase an established hobby related website. During his first year in business, sales totaled approximately $900,000. This year, the 20-year-old expects gross sales to reach $3 million. "I basically used an existing website to get my name out on the internet and then built my reputation by providing hobby equipment people want and giving them solid technical support," he says. To keep sales growing, Mr. Lave began to sell a variety hobby products, but his success attracted copycats. Competitors followed his lead and started offering prices he couldn't match without reducing his profit margin. Fortunately, Mr Lave realized he could maintain his profit margins by offering technical support. "For someone who's not a serious hobby enthusiast, this equipment can be challenging to build and operate," he says. "Some of the manuals that come with the products are up to 800 pages long." Mr. Lave added a service section to his Web site and began to provide technical assistance. This resulted in increased sales. In an effort to provide additional technical support to customers, Mr. Lave made a training DVD and started selling it on his Web site.

Postmodernism and Connection to Society

Post-Modernism and Connection to Society In a world that is constantly changing and developing, art can fluctuate throughout time. Postmodernism, is commonly referred to the movement of art, architecture, and criticism in the late 20th century. Various interpretations of culture, art, philosophy, history, economics, and fiction are widely pronounced themes and topics found in art during this era. In history, many different societies have emerged throughout time. In many third world and developing countries, as well as historical eras,Authoritarianism, or commonly known as a closed society, corruption and pluralism have been influenced into art. Political history and society is widely influenced and depicted in the art we see today. The shift during mid to late sass abstract impressionism and conceptuality, new styles showing an unprecedented degree of self-awareness on the part of the artists, as well as a rejection of Modern art's emotional and spiritual detachment from society aros e. Postmodernism is largely a psychological reaction against assumptions and values of western history. There are o hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false. † – Harold Painter Harold Painter states a postmodern reality can be perceived differently, that there may not be only one way of viewing things. Postmodernism begins in 1968 in Paris, when college students and professors Joined workers and revolted against repressive French institutions.Artworks during this time usually feature a reality whose existence and properties are logically independent of human nines. Larry MacAfee states that postmodernists are, â€Å"Consuming themselves in the form of images and abstractions through which their desires, sense of identity, and memories are replicated and then sold back to them as products† Postmodernist art is a visual repres entation of this â€Å"reality'. Notable postmodern artists include Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holler, Christi and Jeanne-Claude, Jeff Soon, Attacks Murrain, and Nan Golden.An Authoritarianism is a society that blindly obeys authority. Represented by no individual freedom and unquestioning obedience. Egg. Engineers Dollhouse's chancellorship in Austria contained many authoritarian elements. â€Å"limited, not responsible, political pluralism† that is, constraints on political institutions and groups such as legislatures, political parties and interest groups, a basis for legitimacy based on emotion, especially the identification of the regime as a necessary evil to combat â€Å"easily recognizable societal problems† such as underdevelopment or insurgency.Neither â€Å"intensive nor extensive political manipulation† – Juan Line Line specifies forms of authoritarianism room dictatorship states as well as totalitarian experiences. The three pieces incorporates p ostmodernism and authoritarianism. â€Å"Melting Reality' is set in an empty downtown city street. Billboards and advertisements that line the sides of the buildings seem to melt and mix in with the world around it. This piece deals with the media advertising part of a â€Å"corrupt society' theme. Society and the people in it are heavily influenced by what the media tells us.The media imposes standards for body image, beauty, and a certain physical ideal. â€Å"Melting Reality' takes tales from contemporary art and is the base piece in which the other two artworks are connected to. Inspired by the artist this painting an acrylic on canvas shows what a general overview of a â€Å"corrupt society' looks like. Media, often referred to as the fourth pillar in democracy, plays a key role in monitoring and investigating the actions of those in power and informing citizens about them. When the media however is forced to hide a story by the government as to what to report, the media be comes corrupted.Types of corruption in the media vary from bribery in the form f cash for news, staged or fake news, gift giving, concealed advertisement and advertisements to nepotism and media capture by vested private or political interests. The piece â€Å"Blurred News† is a small section taken from one of the walls in â€Å"Melting Reality'. The color contrast in â€Å"Blurred News† can be clearly analyzed as an off-cut of the first piece. Mixed medium on canvas helps the audience perceive how the newspaper can be manipulated or destroyed at will by authorities. Measles Hierarchy of Needs is the main subject of the piece â€Å"Before All†.What separates this ice, and a normal Measles Hierarchy of Needs, is the additional layer on the bottom of the pyramid representing wealth. Measles Hierarchy of Needs was made to show what a majority of society valued in life. The bottom layers are meant to be most important. While the top layers are meant to be least imp ortant when considering what you need to live. By adding an additional layer at the bottom of the pyramid, this shows that the position society is in today values wealth and power more than anything else. The work â€Å"Before All† is a mixed medium on canvas.

Mongol Change and Continuity

Matthew Choi Period 4 11/25/12 MONGOLS CCOT ESSAY The Mongols were a vast and influential empire that spread throughout Eurasia. From the time of Genghis Khan to the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols experienced numerous changes in their lifestyle and leadership as they strayed from their nomadic ancestry. However, while they experienced some changes, they still clung tightly to their culture until the end of the empire. Genghis Khan was the founder and emperor of the great Mongol Empire, and as a result, it became the largest contiguous land empire in all of history.Genghis Khan sought to unify the Mongols, and conquered nomadic Mongol tribes, unifying them at Karakorum, the capital of the Mongolian Empire. Whether on the battlefield or at home, Genghis was famous for his ruthless brutality. For example, when he defeated Mongol clans, he boiled all of their chiefs alive while killing all males taller than a wheel. As a result, he struck fear into the hearts of men women and children, and al l that he opposed viewed the Mongols as an invincible empire.In 1211 Genghis Khan broke through the Great Wall of China, which the Chinese thought was an ultimate defense; but when Genghis pierced it, they were terrified by his seemingly undefeatable army. He spread his influence across central and Southeast Asia during his reign, but he could not conquer Japan because of divine kamikaze winds and the Mongol fleet was destroyed. This proved that the Mongols were not an invincible force, they could be killed, and this shifted the peoples view on the Great Khan.The Pax Mongolica, or â€Å"The Mongolian Peace† was a time period that lasted for about a century during the Mongol Empire. During this time, intercontinental trade flourished because of the reopened trade routes, including the Silk Road. This time period is also used to describe the stabilization of the Mongol culture. While traveling through the routes and conquering other lands, the Mongols kept to their nomadic ance stry. They lived in Mongol yurts, which were portable dwellings made of pelts and ooden poles, and these were ideal for nomadic travel. The geography of Central Asia consist of deserts and grassy landscapes, where agriculture is hard to support. The nomads focused on the domestication of strong and healthy grazing animals so the Mongols would have enough food, shelter, and clothing. Mongol nomads travelled often, and they had to use the teachings of their ancestors in order to survive. Genghis Khan’s knowledge of his nomadic ancestry is probably one of the biggest reasons why the Mongolian army was so successful.

Morality and Happiness Essay

Morality has been a term of debate for several years by intellectuals who have not come to the final conclusion of its definition. According to Damon (5), morality is an existing, multifaceted construct that may not be pinned down by any single definitional criteria which is flexible. The moral character has long been associated with happiness which is that state of having achieved one’s desires although there are some disconnections. Several theories have been forwarded in connection to morality and happiness as far as the society is concerned. In this argumentative paper we shall give detailed analysis of morality and happiness and whether or not moral character is a requirement to happiness. Morality and Happiness The concept of morality utilizes the individual’s evaluation of events and actions to separate the good from bad and stipulates behavior consistent with the good. This means that there are socially accepted societal values that are promoted by morality. In addition, morality includes the welfare of others beyond our own selfish desires and responsibility to express the same through caring, kindness and mercy. The morality will also include commitment to honest while dealing with all people coupled with concern for their rights and ensuring justice and fair treatment. The more important fact about morality is that it provokes the emotional responses such as guilty, fear and contempt whenever one goes against the good morals (Damon 5). On the other hand happiness has been described by Kant to mean a constant well-being, enjoyment of life, total fulfillment with one’s condition. The happiness is further extended to include the riches, honor, power, good health coupled with satisfaction. Thus it is notes that happiness is a representation of preservation and welfare which is the total satisfaction of all personal needs and preferences. It is important to realize that happiness is not pleasure but rather it is simply obtaining what you want in life. Therefore happiness is achieved with the fulfillment of any desire of an individual irrespective of its nature (Hughes 61 & 62). We shall base the following arguments on these definitions of happiness and morality. Moral Behavior is a Requirement to Happiness To begin with, the society has closely connected good moral behavior to happiness. This is evidenced by the fact that philosophers, parents and teachers are encouraging good character with the belief that those individuals who are decent live better and happy lives as compared to those behaving badly (Delattre 136 & 137). With their encouragement, the society has been made to belief that a good moral behavior is a requirement to happiness. The children who are growing are being trained that they will be happy if they observe a good moral character. These teachings have been able to convince the society that for an individual to be happy they have to be morally upright. The other fact is that character faults do not make an individual happy. This is because the morally corrupt individual cannot be trusted even by close friends and relatives. They will constantly live in fear of the people that they have wronged. This means that they cannot be happy leaving only the morally upright to be happy. Thus we can arrive at the fact that good moral character is a requirement to happiness since the reverse is not true. This fact is that decent people are happier than unjust individuals (Delattre 137). Moreover, the process of seeking happiness is not immediate and it requires patients and sufficient skills. The Novelist Robertson Davies compared happiness to a cat where if you chase it run away but if you go about your business without disturbing its peace then it will warm up to you and be your friend. Therefore equally happiness cannot be achieved by aggressive actions but rather small random morally upright actions. Thus paying attention to little actions at work and private life will allow happiness to come to you. In the event that you aggressively use any means including immoral behavior to gain happiness then it could elude you. An example is if we go out to have fun with friends we will end up being happy in the long term (Delattre 137). Thus it becomes a requirement that good moral character be observed always in order to gain a long-term happiness without any struggle. Moreover, the morality, good character and happiness cannot be separated from one another. This is because to a huge extent we tend to offer as the best individuals to our families, friend and colleagues who are the source of our happiness. Therefore there is an understanding that we can enjoy their company when we offer our best morals and support. With this understanding, we realize that a good moral character is a requirement to true happiness irrespective of the people we are dealing with. This understanding enables individuals to realize and prevent any moral deviation so as to maintain happiness with all persons (Delattre 137). According to the philosophy of happiness (14, 15, 16 & 17), Aristotle stated the factors that make happiness as good health, money, relationships and good moral behavior. Aristotle pointed out that happiness was the ultimate desire for human being leaving nothing more to be desired. The happiness is sought for its own sake unlike other things which are sought in order to achieve happiness. Aristotle understood that for an individual to be happy one must be of good morals and can suffer to achieve the greater happiness later in the long run. Many individuals believe that happiness is different to each person but Aristotle thinks that there is only a single genuine notion and that it is similar for all human beings. Therefore power does not contribute to happiness since it would exclude some people from being happy whenever they are subjects of power. Thus history and written articles including Aristotle’s have made individuals to believe that the requirement to happiness is a good moral behavior. Moral Behavior is not a Requirement to Happiness On the other hand, it is not a requirement that for one to gain moral happiness they should be able to be morally upright. There are those people who belief that any happiness cannot be achieved by doing the right. They believe that only wrong actions will put them in a position to be happy because their wishes and desires are not limited by moral standing. These individuals believe that by doing the wrong actions they could benefit from their profits which in turn would make them happy. One example is that of buddy boys who deal with drugs which are harmful in the society yet they claim that the money gained from the immoral trading will make them happy (Delattre 137). Therefore we cannot generalize that happiness is achieved out of moral behavior because others have achieved through illegal and wrong actions. Although they feel guilty about their wrongdoings, they tend to concentrate on the pleasure part of their actions which is money for entertainment. The other fact is that of duty where an individual work is in a risk environment. For example a police officer would be doing the moral right to secure citizens. However, they may get killed by the thugs who do not care of their lives but rather their benefits of terrorizing the citizens. This means that even though the police officer was actively doing the right duties under good morals, they end up being killed and as such do not become happy but their families end up unhappy. Thus we can say that happiness does not require a good moral behavior because this example shows that even good actions of duty do not guarantee happiness. Another example is where an officer reports a corrupt colleague in the spirit of doing good morals but ends up being segregated and becomes continuously unhappy (Delattre 137). According to Hughes (64), Kant says that it is not true that doing the right thing leads to happiness in all circumstances as states by the doctrine of happiness. In fact he goes on to explain that morality could often hinder the achievement of one’s desires if they are considered immoral. Thus we cannot generalize that moral behavior is a requirement to happiness. Moreover, Kant continues to say that the process of making somebody happy has nothing to do with moral behavior of that person. This means that it is possible that many people are able to fulfill their desires and become happy without necessarily being moral. In any case somebody could be morally good but fail to be happy in life giving justification to the actions of those people who want happiness at the expense of morality. Moreover, the principle of happiness bases morality as an incentive to happiness which in itself is not moral. This means people will seek to be moral for the sake of happiness and not for the sake of morality (Delattre 137). Therefore if the morality is just an incentive to happiness, it means that others may achieve happiness without the use of incentive. Thus we can conclude that morality is not a requirement to happiness. After a serious consideration, I agree to the fact that morality is a requirement to genuine happiness. This is because individuals just want to be happy and could do anything to achieve desired happiness including good morals. By being genuinely happy, individuals do not have that sense of having done wrong to achieve their happiness and will live with sufficient peace of mind. If a situation where the whole society must practice morality then it would allow everyone the non-competitive search for happiness and the entire society will be happy in the long run.