Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Baath party

The constant struggle to promote interests has cultivated the creation of the Baath Party. By incorporating the proper ideals prescribed by the founders and promoting efficient measures to address these issues, the Baath party became a dominant force both in local and international politics. History Tracing the history of the party can be dated back from the early 1940’s. Its primary location of founding was in Damascus wherein the fundamental beliefs were grounded on the idea of socialism.â€Å"The Ba'ath Party is a pan-Arab organisation formed in 1947 at a founding congress in Damascus. † (Issues Briefs, 2007, p. 1) â€Å"The three major proponents of early Baathist thought, Zaki al-Arsuzi, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and Michel Aflaq, were middle-class educators whose political thought had been influenced by Western education. † (The Syrian Encyclopedia, p. 1) The political ideals promulgated by the party then spread into the areas of Syria and expanded in other Ar ab countries. The history of Baathist’s party in Syria can be described as a constant struggle for power.It all started in 1958. â€Å"In 1958—with one of its founders, Salah al-Din Bitar, as foreign minister—it led Syria into the ill-fated United Arab Republic (UAR) with Egypt. † (Infoplease, 2005, p. 1) The next stage of its rise was during the successful coup attempt by the members of the party. â€Å"In 1963 a military coup restored the Ba’ath to power in Syria, and it embarked on a course of large-scale nationalization. † (Infoplease, 2005, p. 1) Another military takeover again prompted the revitalized ideologies of the Ba’ath party during the 70’s.â€Å"Despite constant maneuvering and government changes, the two factions remained in an uneasy coalition of power until 1970, when, in another coup, Assad succeeded in ousting Atassi as prime minister. † (Infoplease, 2005, p. 1) The next section will present the histor ical foundation of the party in Iraqi politics. The founding of the party in Iraq can be attributed to three men who formed the Ba’ath party. â€Å"The three men, Fayiz Ismail, Wasfi al-Ghanim and Sulayman al-Eisa – returned to Syria and joined political scientist Zaki al-Arsoozi, who was intent on founding al-Baath (renaissance) party.† (Aljazeera. net, 2005, p. 1) The formal establishment of the party in Iraq came into force during 1949. â€Å"Upon their return to Baghdad in 1949, they established the Iraqi Baath Party. † Their efforts never became unnoticed for they were recognized by the grand party in Syria. â€Å"The party membership grew steadily from just 50 members in 1951 until they gained recognition by the Baath National Leadership in Damascus. † (Aljazeera. net, 2005, p. 1) Ideologies The Ba’ath party’s ideology revolves around the promotion of Arab nationalism.â€Å"Articulated as the principle of Arab nationalism, the Baath movement was one of several political groups that drew legitimacy from an essentially reactive ideology. † (The Syrian Encyclopedia, p. 1) Their principles are deeply rooted on Arab ideals and political stratification and cooperation. â€Å"The Baath party embraced the principles of â€Å"unity, freedom, and socialism. † (Aljazeera. net, 2005, p. 1) â€Å"From its earliest development, the motivation behind Baathist political thought and its leading supporters was the need to produce a means of reasserting the Arab spirit in the face of foreign domination.† (Iraqi News, 2003, p. 1) In addition, the party seeks to revitalize Arab ideals and foster a deeper invigoration of principles within the community. â€Å"Arabs needed a regeneration of the common heritage of people in the region to drive off debilitating external influences. † (Iraqi News, 2003, p. 1) With these, the party started to create mechanisms and practices to synchronize each party†™s goals in every state. â€Å"In early 1988, the Baath Party began calling for parallelism between regional (qutri) and national (qawmi) goals. † (Aljazeera.net, 2005, p. 1) Scope and Influences in other Countries It has been mentioned on the previous section that Baathist principles have also paved the way for its expansion to other Arab states. The Ba’ath party refers this as national branches. One example of its national branch is in Jordan. â€Å"It was with the annexation of the West Bank (with its large Palestinian population) that the Ba'th Party really grew strong in the country's nationalist-leftist alliance. † (Encyclopedia of the Orient, 2007, p. 1) Another national branch was in Lebanon.â€Å"The Arab Ba'th Party was established in 1948, but in the following year, when international parties were banned, their freedom was limited. † (Encyclopedia of the Orient, 2007, p. 1) Notable successes were highlighted in this country. â€Å"Lebanon wa s used for the Ba'th Party's congresses in 1959 and 1968. † (Encyclopedia of the Orient, 2007, p. 1) Other national branches include of North Yemen and South Yemen. Conclusion The Ba’ath party has a long and rich history which can be attributed to a mixture of failures and successes in Arab politics.As continuous developments occur both in the local and international arena, the Ba’ath party shall continue to exhibit and promote its ideologies that will enhance and protect the interests of the Arab countries both locally and internationally. It is through these objectives that they continue to have a firm grip and hold in local politics in the Arab countries. References Aljazeera. net (2005) ‘The Iraqi Baath Party’ in Aljazeera. [online] Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://english. aljazeera. net/English/archive/archive? ArchiveId=60 Encyclopedia of the Orient. (2007) Ba’ath Socialist Party’ in Encyclopeadia of the Orient.Retrieved D ecember 18, 2007 from http://i-cias. com/e. o/baath. htm Infoplease. (2005) Ba’ath Party. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://www. infoplease. com/ce6/history/A0805601. html Iraqi News. (2003) Al-Baath Party. [on-line] Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://www. iraqinews. com/party_baath_party. shtml Issues Briefs. (2007) History of the Ba’ath Party. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://issuesbriefs. nationalforum. com. au/war-in-iraq/baath. html The Syrian Encyclopedia. Baath Party. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://www. damascus-online. com/se/hist/baath_party. htm

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Good nutrition: Striking the Right Balance

Of the many things one can do to enhance one’s state of health, none is more important than maintaining proper nutrition. The mind and body cannot function optimally without the proper supply of nutrients and energy obtained from food.A key tenet of the holistic approach to health is that each person must take responsibility for his or her own health. Making intelligent decisions about nutrition—about what and how much to eat—is an important part of this responsibility, because the diet one chooses and follows can keep one healthy. In the words of Philip Lee (1977) professor of social medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine:As a nation we have come to believe that our medicine and medical technology can solve all our major health problems†¦ But the problems can never be solved merely by more and more medical care. The health of individuals and the health of the population is determined by a variety of biological (host), be havioral, sociocultural, environmental factors. None of these is more important than the food we eat (Burkitt et al. 1974).Good nutrition: Striking the Right BalanceWhat is the best argument for following a good nutrition in one’s life instead of eating all the junk food one can consume. Every person’s body has a unique chemical and physical composition that corresponds to a state of optimal wellness, because the human body is constructed of atoms and molecules that are arranged in particular combinations and proportions that are unique to each person. One’s body contains few of the same atoms and molecules it had even a few weeks ago, because its chemical constituents are continually replaced by different atoms and molecules acquired from the food one eats.There are about forty known essential nutrients and perhaps others are not yet identified, that must be continually resupplied to the body (Ricciuto). Failure to obtain enough of one or more of the essential nutrients can result in a nutritional deficiency disease, such as goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which may be caused by too little iodine, beri-beri, a disease characterized by weakness and wasting away that is caused by too little thiamine (vitamin B1), anemia (too few red blood cells) from insufficient iron; and blindness from vitamin A deficiency, the most common cause of blindness in children, world-wide. Since all nutrients act in concert, a deficiency of one may impair the utilization of others even if the others are acquired in adequate amounts. Thus, a proper nutritional state is a matter of maintaining a complex balance of the essential nutrients.One can argue that one eats a little of everything in the proper amounts just to keep fit. But still it does not work that way. This is because poor health can result in eating too much of certain kinds of food, or from eating too much in general. For example, overeating is the principal cause of obesity, which contributes to the development of such serious diseases as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer.Cancer of the colon may be related to eating too much meat and processed foods and not getting enough fiber or roughage that may be essential to maintain a healthy colon. High salt intake is related to high blood pressure and high sugar intake is related to tooth decay (the most prevalent disease in the industrialized world). Much of the tooth decay could be prevented if people followed very simple nutrition rules (Breslow & Enstrom 1980).Physiological Benefits of Body WorkOur industrial society depends on an enormous variety of machines that free people from an equally enormous number of physical tasks. Some of these tasks, such as heavy construction work of large-scale farming, would be well-nigh impossible without the help of machines. Others, such as traveling to work or school, getting to the seventh floor of a building, or washing clothes, could be accomplished without the a id of machines (and some people argue they ought to be), but few of us are likely to give up the use of cars, elevators, and washers. They simply make the task of daily living easier. As a result, few people do much moving around under their own muscular power. That is, many of us get little exercise.According to William B. Kannel and Paul Sorlie (1979) who have studied the effects of lifestyle on the occurrence of heart disease:â€Å"Over the past quarter of a century, there has evolved a growing suspicion that the transformation of man by modern technology from a physically active agrarian creature to a sedentary industrial one has exacted a toll in ill health. The evidence on which this is based comes from epidemiological studies, clinical observations, and the work physiologist. Most of the attention has been focused on the possible contribution of physical indolence to the development of cardiovascular disease, the chief health hazard of affluent societies and their leading ca use of death.†In addition to the physiological benefits, regular physical activity has psychological and spiritual benefits as well. Fr example, a study of middle-aged university professors found that regular exercise made them more self-sufficient, more persevering, less likely to experience mood swings, and more imaginative (Ismail and Trachtman, 1973). In another study, both men and women university students who engaged in regular physical activity were found to have greater self-control, to have increased self-awareness, and to be more self-directed. They also demonstrated a positive self-image (Jeffers, 1977).One of the principal psychological benefits that can come from regular body work is experiencing periods of relaxed concentration, characterized by reduction in physical and psychic tensions, regular breathing rhythms, and increased self-awareness. This experience is often compared to meditation. Tennis instructor Tim Gallwey (1976) describes four stages for obtainin g a state of relaxed concentration through body work. The first stage, â€Å"paying attention,† occurs at the beginning of a body work session and involves riveting your concentration on your body work and excluding all other thoughts. The stage of paying attention requires a certain degree of self-discipline—the desire and ability to say â€Å"no† to other demands on your time and energies and to say â€Å"yes† to yourself.WORKS CITEDBurkitt, D. P. Walker, R.P. and Painter , N.S.   â€Å"Dietary Fiber and Disease.† Journal of theAmerican   Medical Association, 229 (1974), 1068-1074.Breslow, L. and Enstrom, J.E. â€Å"Persistence of Health Habits and Their Relationship toMortality.† Preventive Medicine, 9 (1980). 469-483.Ismail, A.H. and Trachtman, I.E. â€Å"Jogging the Imagination.† Psychology Today. 6(1973), 78-82Jeffers, J. M. â€Å"The Effects of Physical Conditions on Locus of Control, Body Image andInterpersonal Relationsh ip Orientations. University Males and Females.Dissertation Abstracts, 37 (1977) 3289.Kannel, W.B. and Sorlie, P. â€Å"Some Health Benefits of Physical Activity.† Archives ofInternal Medicine, 139 (1979) 857-861.Ricciuto, Anthony. What Power Nutrition can do for you. Retrieved April 19, 2007 at:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/anthony26.htm

Monday, July 29, 2019

Elasticity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elasticity - Essay Example Given an increasing price for corn, farmers will shift to producing corn rather than corn substitutes like soybeans. In addressing the impact of an increase in the demand for corn resulting from using corn as an alternative energy source, it is useful to understand the determinants of demand. According to Mankiw (2007), the determinants of demand or the variables affecting the quantity of the good demanded are price, income, prices of related goods, tastes, expectations, and number of buyers. While movement in prices represents a movement along the demand curve, the demand curve shifts leftward or rightward based on changes in income, prices of related goods, tastes, expectations, and number of buyers. The determinants of demand or the variables affecting the quantity demanded of a good are identified in Table 1. Table 1. Determinants of Demand Source: Mankiw, 2007, p. 69 When the demand for corn increases when corn is utilized as an alternative energy source, we can represent the si tuation as a rightward shift in the demand curve. This is shown in Figure 2 where the right ward shift in demand is represented in the movement from D2 to D3. Figure 2. Shifts in Demand Curve Price of Corn Quantity of Corn Source: Mankiw, 2007, p.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The Strategic Role of Global Information Systems Essay

The Strategic Role of Global Information Systems - Essay Example Introduction The relationship between corporate strategy and information systems functions was not a central interest for the top management of organizations for some time. Information systems were primarily synonymous with corporate data processing and regarded as back-room operations to support the day-to-day operations (Ezingeard, McFadzean, and Birchal, 2007:99). However, the 80s and the 90s saw a growing realization of strategizing information systems for the organization. Interestingly, information systems have been present since the beginning of time, but the integration with information technology is a newcomer to the field. The functions of IT-based information systems have had significant impacts to organizations and people such that only a few (if any) company can afford the risk of ignoring these functions despite the fear and frustrations they evoke sometimes (Currie and Galliers, 2002:76). Some organizations regard information systems as unavoidable to remain in busines s, while others perceive the systems as a strategic opportunity that may proactively identify strategies to gain a competitive edge against competitors. Regardless of an organization’s stance, embarking of investment on information systems proves to be a non-reversible decision. Information technology has become powerful and cheap, and its use in organizations has spread at a rapid rate. Different management levels are using IT-based information systems in contrast to the earlier application at the operational level only. However, more organizations are focusing on improving efficiency and maintaining business effectiveness, as well as strategically manage organizations (Irani, Love, and Hides, 2000:23). The increasing complexity of managerial tasks translated to the complex nature of information systems required: from routine, structured support to unstructured, complex, ad hoc enquiries at the peak level of management. Information systems has the potential to change the way organizations work and the very nature of their business. In the information technology world, there has been introduction of electronic markets, where buying and selling occurs in a matter of seconds, disrupting the conventional distribution and marketing channels (Lacity and Willcocks, 2000:31). The advent of Electronic Data Interchange has not only increased transaction speed but also ensures subscribers of accuracy of information they receive from buyers and suppliers and perhaps reap cost reduction benefits using automated reordering processes. On higher strategic level, an organization may pass information to its customers or suppliers to provide or gain better service. Providing higher quality services to the customers than the competitors may result to the differentiation required to gain a competitive edge on a short term. However, continual improvement to the quality of services offered may enhance the competitiveness of an organization on a long-term basis (Magdaleno et al., 2008:305). However, the unprecedented and rapid change in information technology has profound impacts on IT-based informat

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Rolex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rolex - Essay Example were being charged on products like gold along with silver utilized for the cases he specialized in was making the costs rise beyond what he could afford. The company was then registered as the Rolex Watch Company which has remained its name since then. However, after the death of Hans’s wife in the year 1944, the founder created a foundation that would handle the entire shares his company owned. He made sure that all the company’s’ income would from then on be going to charity thereby making the company the private trust it still is today. This implies that the company’s shares are not also traded on the stock exchange (Fernande, 2011). According to Fernande, the company has recently been witnessing a decline in its sales along with profitability. The company currently has a debt expenditure of over 2.28 billion dollars but has attracted private capital investments to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars. The company in collaboration with the individual investors aims at producing motor vehicle parts like gearboxes, wheel hubs for the purpose of diversifying their revenue collection efforts. In the year 2010, the company reported a loss of 73.48 million dollars from their net sales that were worth 1530.0 million dollars. This again showed a loss of over 9 million dollars from their previous year’s net sales worth 2593.0 million dollars (2011). The company is currently battling the sale of fake Rolex watches which have adversely affected their sales along with profitability. The company has opened up branches across many nations in the world to help in the distribution of their products. The revenue collected is directed to charity work across many parts of the world (Fernande,

E-Commerce in Developing Countries Research Paper

E-Commerce in Developing Countries - Research Paper Example Different sectors including transportation, industries, technology, and entertainment greatly depend on internet applications. Various studies indicate that internet provides extensive employment opportunities to large number of people. Furthermore, internet has become the largest database in the universe. The most fascinating feature of the internet is that it acts as a platform for online trade or E-commerce. Today, many of the multinational corporations generate notable percent of their sales revenues through online business. II. Issues for developing countries a. Info-structure It seems that information structures used to build a website often become a constraint to E-commerce growth in developing countries. Sequences, hierarchies, and webs are the major information structures deployed to develop a website; and structures like hierarchies and webs are best ways to build and manage information databases effectively (Fresh Thinking Business, n.d). However, database management using such models requires in depth knowledge and greater efficiency. Obviously, developing countries may not have much fund to spend on infra-structure development as they need to address a series of other operational fund requirements. Moreover, those counties may lack adequate expertise to promote information structure development and this situation would adversely affect their internet usage practices. Experts reflect that many of the developing countries are still unaware of the necessity of structure development as they do not consider internet as a major contributor to their overall economic development. b. Legal and financial framework Evidences suggest that a nation’s legal and financial framework can have a greater impact on its E-commerce practices. Some developing countries believe that unrestricted internet access may negatively affect their national security and hence they ban some specific websites. To illustrate, China banned the social networking site facebook rec ently to maintain social peace and harmony. However, this move has affected the country’s E-commerce sector to a great extent since facebook was an important channel of business promotion in China. Nowadays, more countries are planning to ban some highly trafficked websites in order to avoid threats to national security. Such practices are more likely to impede online business growth since many of those websites provide people with a common platform to share their views and opinions regarding a particular product or service. As we mentioned earlier, developing countries with an unstable financial background cannot raise sufficient funds to foster IT development, which is essential to intensify E-commerce growth. c. Human resource Undoubtedly, human resource plays a pivotal role in determining E-commerce growth in developing countries. Although online business sector needs less number of employees as compared to traditional business settings, potential workforce is necessary f or E-commerce promotion. It seems that developing countries like India and China are blessed with potential human capital resources and hence they can employ skilled people and thereby generate huge revenues from online sales. In contrast, some other countries do not have adequate human resources and hence those countries employ the available workforce on industrial sectors. Obviously, this situation would impede the growth of E-commerce sector. It is also noted that

Friday, July 26, 2019

Product Life Cycle (Response 3) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Product Life Cycle (Response 3) - Assignment Example At the next level, is the life cycle of a specific product form – iPhone 4 -- within this larger product category. Finally, is the brand product life cycle which is given an adjustable managerial approach to keep it in the market at its value. The observed trend in the case of iPhone 4 is expected because the individual brand is the focus of management’s decisions(Hunt,2010). As marketing managers observe changes in the sales of their brands like in the case of iPhone 4, particularly if sales are perceived to be declining, changes are made in one or more elements of the marketing mix. These changes are focused towards offsetting, or reversing, sales declines. If successful, the declining sales trend always corrects itself, at least for a period of time. However, sales will again eventually decline and changes will again be made to some aspect of the marketing program (Hunt,2010). It should be apparent that these ongoing decisions to change elements of marketing programs will cause the trend or sales curves for individual brands to bounce around considerably. However, because the sales curves for many brands are summed to create the life cycle for the associated product form, and the curves for multiple product forms are summed to yield the life cycle for the entire product category, these latter two curves tend to be less erratic. This explains the consistency of iPhone 4 in its

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Company Law Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Company Law Master - Case Study Example The address of such place will have to be intimated to the Registrar of companies and Madona can find the address of the place from the registrar in case such a regulation has been made in this respect. However Madona should note that under the new provisions "A person seeking access to the register will have to give their name and address and state the purpose for which access is being requested and indicate whether the information will be disclosed. The company can apply to the court for an order that it does not have to comply with the request on the grounds that access is not sought for "a proper purpose"."3 Under the provisions of Section 113 (2) it is necessary for the companies having a share capital to incorporate in the register of members the shares held by each member, with the share numbers if any and also the class of shares where there is more than one class. Hence by the inspection of the register of members of Posh Cars Ltd, Madona may be able to find out the extent of Mr. Cowboy's holdings in the company. Section 353 (1) of the Companies Act 1985 allows the company to maintain the register of members in a place other than the registered office through a notification to this effect. ... However Madona should note that under the new provisions "A person seeking access to the register will have to give their name and address and state the purpose for which access is being requested and indicate whether the information will be disclosed. The company can apply to the court for an order that it does not have to comply with the request on the grounds that access is not sought for "a proper purpose"."3 1.2 Mr. Cowboy's Holdings in Posh Cars Ltd: Under the provisions of Section 113 (2) it is necessary for the companies having a share capital to incorporate in the register of members the shares held by each member, with the share numbers if any and also the class of shares where there is more than one class. Hence by the inspection of the register of members of Posh Cars Ltd, Madona may be able to find out the extent of Mr. Cowboy's holdings in the company. 1.3 Access to Register of Members in the case of a Plc: Section 353 (1) of the Companies Act 1985 allows the company to maintain the register of members in a place other than the registered office through a notification to this effect. However the Registrar will be informed of the address and location of the place where the register of members will be available for inspection. With the proposed amendments in the Companies Act 2006 "persons requesting to inspect or obtain a copy of a company's register will be required to submit a written request to the company, stating their name and address, the purpose for which the information is to be used and whether the information will be disclosed to any other person. It will then be up to the company to decide whether the stated purpose is 'proper' or 'improper' and either fulfil the request within five days or make an

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

A Study on Martin Luther King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A Study on Martin Luther King - Essay Example Martin Luther King combined leadership, activism and clerical duties in his life time. He had a pivotal role in the civil rights progress, in United States, and globally. He advanced his civil rights crusade through nonviolence as mentored by Mohandas Gandhi. Martin Luther King is a national icon in modern American history because of his leadership style, policy and strategic thinking. In his activities, he advanced principles of strategy. His historical significance goes beyond his civil rights crusade or clerical work. He represented black leadership absent at the time in America. During this period, black leaders whether accommodative or reformists had minimum influence on power. These black leaders acted as power brokers for the white leaders or as spokesmen; they never expressed or acted on their own. However, Martin Luther King had his leadership rested on religious establishments that went beyond the church to a constituency that tagged him because of his strategy and ideology . He differed from the times, conventional leaders because of his independence from political machinery and institutional constraints. He addressed broader issues than race and the racial injustices (Barber, 2011, p. 52). Martin Luther King exemplified talented and strategic thinking, and leadership on both a national and international scale. In all his actions, he carefully advanced his strategic principles, and they all paid off. Growing Up and Early Influence Martin Luther King, born on 15th January 1929, grew up in Atlanta Georgia. The son of Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King, he had a younger brother and an elder sister. King devoted much of his time in the church choir, where he sang with the choir during the opening of the movie Gone with the Wind. During his early age, king had intelligence and the will to question. He did not believe in things easily without getting all the information required to make a conclusion (Kavaloski, & Kavaloski, 2011, p. 25). Most striking was his skepticism of the resurrection of Jesus at the age of 13. He afterwards noted the inescapable truths in the Bible. This led him to join the seminary at a tender age. He attended Booker T Washington High School, but as a precocious student, he jumped ninth and twelfth grade. He joined the Morehouse College where he graduated with a Degree in sociology. During his seminarian years, King’s educator and theologian Howard Thurman immensely influenced his life. Thurman crucially mentored him as seen by their closeness. The success of Mahatma Gandhi nonviolent resistance inspired King to nonviolence in the movement. He had a commitment to the American civil rights struggle. The oppression that the minority faced played a significant role as well in influencing his thinking. The rich and wealthy had all the powers to do anything they wanted while oppressing the poor. King observed that using nonviolence offered him a strategy to push for the oppressed human dignity a nd justice, and also fight for their civil rights (Barber, 2011, p. 53). King’s society was plagued by racial discrimination, segregation and poverty. He disliked the society’s social state and decided to fight for their justice. The society’s inequality also pushed him to study sociology and theology because he wanted to help socially (Carson, 2005, p. 8). Achievements, Challenges and Great Moments In his lifetime, Martin Luther King had many achievements. He secured the progress of civil rights in U.S, and before his assassination the U.S Congress passed the

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Teachnology and Business Management Research Paper

Teachnology and Business Management - Research Paper Example In the first part is presented the definition of BPM and its road-map. After is presented the definition of information technology . By introducing the main characteristics of the IT is shown how IT can enable the BPM. Finally will be presented a real case-study of a BPM solution implementation. Technology and Business Management Today’s organizations are confronted with the need of improving the business management. Under these conditions, the traditional management approaches that focus on financial figures are being substituted for new and more developed practices. The performance is related to the efficiency of an organization to meet their goals. With the evolution it?s expected to develop practices that reduce the errors by improving standardization and automation of the activities. The Business Performance Management appears as a very developed approach. It’s important to understand how the technology can enable this practice. The choice of the proper tool and te chnology in a BPM solution is critical to the success of the operation. The improvements related to the information technologies seems to serve and meet the BPM goals. The main purpose of this article is to prove how IT enables the BPM. How the report will achieve the purpose? The report will provide a summary of BPM definition and goals; After will be presented the BPM road-map in order to prove how closely the BPM process is within the automation process; After proving this, is presented the IT definition; After is shown how the IT and BPM converges into similar lines; Finally is presented a case-study. Business Performance Management ( BPM) A business process is a set of activities which are defined in order to reach a specific organizational goal. The Business performance management (BPM) is a systematic approach of the Business management. The main goals of BPM are: reduce human error and miscommunication, focus stakeholders on the requirements of their roles and on making an o rganization's workflow more effective, more efficient and more capable of adapting to an ever-changing environment. In general BPM is developed within three types of frameworks: Vertical, Horizontal and Full-service BPM. Horizontal BPM is related to the the development of business process and the technology application. On the other hand the Vertical BPM is focused on coordinating of a specific set of activities. The Full-service BPM deals with five basic tasks: process discovering, process modeling, business procedures, workflow and finally testing. BPM is several times linked within the information technology(IT) and it has increased the demand for IT services. The concern with the business process optimization is not recent. It has been developed since the industrial revolution. In the last decade the notion of business process optimization is intrinsically related to the BPM. The BPM provides flexible business process therefore the business process became dynamic and adaptable w hen confronted with changes. The BPM is a powerful tool for an organization. It promotes the continuous operational improvement and the cost reduction cost through continued process improvement and automation. The main difference between BPM and traditional process management approaches is the focus on customer value. The main goals of a BPM solution are related to the optimization and automation of the process outcomes, the rapid response to a business event, delivery ( in real-time) new

Monday, July 22, 2019

Becoming A Teacher Essay Example for Free

Becoming A Teacher Essay Watching these videos, I learned that teachers don’t always have it easy and it’s not always what it looks like, I know that it take a long time for the students to get comfortable with a new teacher and the teacher has to adjust to the new setting of the classroom. It takes a great deal of time so teachers can get their classroom to the way they want it. In the first video â€Å"classroom Management Strategy to Settle Noisy, Rowdy Students at the Door† I learned that the teacher should not yell or shout at the students to get their attention because the student will not respect the teacher or have respect for the class and the other teachers around will see that the teacher does not have control over the classroom and that would make the teacher look bad. But on the other hand when the students are outside of the classroom that’s where the teacher should start to take control or when the classroom management starts and show that they are the authoritive leader in charge. Teacher has to settle the students down gradually, use non-confrontational statements, such as thanking students for doing the right thing, hoping that the others will follow along, use informal chit chat, or getting comfortable with talking to the students, getting down to the students level. In the second video â€Å"How to Get Students Sat Down and Ready to Work†, teachers need to give students a clear instruction on what needs to be done so there is no room for misunderstanding. Second, let the first group from, to the front of the line and reinforcing actions that needs to be taking. Third, teachers need to repeat the clear instruction that was given. And the final step is to give attention and additional support to what direction was given. In the third video, â€Å"Take control of a noisy class†, teachers need skills to deal will students, making sure that the teachers has the students attention and keeping it. Establishing a calm atmosphere, and staying positive. In the final video which is â€Å"Five Classroom Management Strategies to Get Student Attention†, there was five ways of getting the students attention that was stated. Those five strategies if attention getting included a noise maker, routine, visual reminder, the unexpected, and a countdown. Using a noise maker is loud and it gets their attention without having to shout. A routine is very affective and training the students to learn. A visual reminder is a rather simple attention getting, using traffic light colors (green, yellow, and red). The unexpected is a guaranteed attention getter such as using music or pictures and gives students the perfect way to get attention. The last one is countdown which is the most common attention getter.

Smoking Is Bad for Our Health Essay Example for Free

Smoking Is Bad for Our Health Essay Almost 50 years ago, evidence began to accumulate that cigarette smoking poses an enormous threat to human health. More than 30 years ago, initial reports was made began meticulous documentation of the biologic, epidemiologic, behavioral, pharmacologic, and cultural aspects of tobacco use. The present report, an examination of the methods and tools available to reduce tobacco use, is being issued at a time of considerable foment. The past several years have witnessed major initiatives in the legislative, regulatory, and legal arenas, with a complex set of results still not entirely resolved. This report shows that a variety of efforts aimed at reducing tobacco use, particularly by children, would have a heightened impact in the absence of countervailing pressures to smoke. Besides providing extensive background and detail on historical, social, economic, clinical, educational, and regulatory efforts to reduce tobacco use, the report indicates some clear avenues for future research and implementation. It is of special concern to derive a greater understanding of cultural differences in response to tobacco control measures. Since racial and ethnic groups are differentially affected by tobacco, elimination of disparities among these groups is a major priority. Perhaps the most pressing need for future research is to evaluate multifocal, multichannel programs that bring a variety of modalities together. For example, school-based education programs are more effective when coupled with community-based initiatives that involve mass media and other techniques. As pointed out in our report, a combination of behavioral and pharmacologic methods improves the success rate when managing nicotine addiction. Synergy among economic, regulatory, and social approaches has not been fully explored, but may offer some of the most fruitful efforts for the future. It also provides the preliminary data on new statewide, comprehensive tobacco control programs, which offer great promise as new models for tobacco control and combine multiple intervention modalities. Although all aspects—social, economic, educational, and regulatory—have not been combined into a fully comprehensive effort, it is exciting to contemplate the potential impact of such an undertaking to eventually ensure that children are protected from the social and cultural influences that lead to tobacco addiction, that all smokers are encouraged to quit as soon as possible, and that nonsmokers are protected from environmental tobacco. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is our great privilege to express our gratitude to our creator Allah (SWT) for such great opportunity to be in touch with this report and came to know the present condition of smoking in these following days. We also have to put our heartened feelings and gratitude for the kindness and assistance that was provided to us to complete our assigned report as on the topic and such way you assigned us.In preparing the proposed report we have taken great assistance support and guidance from the persons of our group, the information you gave as our faculty and website. Table of Content 1. Introduction 2. Real situation 3. Real situation of Bangladesh 4. Tobacco Smoking Prevalence, Total and by Gender Bangladesh, 1995-2010 5. Given statistics 6. Show a table 7. A chart 8. Tobacco Production in Bangladesh 9. Smoking Damage 10. Quitting statistics 11. Economic and Opportunity cost 12. Social cost 13. Recommendations 14. Conclusion Introduction: Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences. Real Situation in all over the world: About 2.0 billion people smoke all around the world. The World Health Organization states that global prevalence is 48% for adult males and 12% for adult females, about 1/3 of the adults worldwide, making about 2.0 billion smokers around the world including child smokers. Percent of Population that Smokes by Gender: 22.3 percent are male smokers. 17.4 percent are female smokers. Smoking Statistics by Age: Ages 18 to 24 years 22 percent, ages 25 to 44 years 22.8 percent, ages 45 to 64 years 21 percent, ages 65 and over 8 percent. Smoking Statistics by Race: Blacks are 19.8 percent, American Indians are 36.4 percent, Asians are 9.6 percent, Hispanics are13.3 percent and Whites are 21.4 percent. Smoking Statistics by Education Level: 44 percent of adults with a GED diploma, 33 percent of adults with 9 to 11 years of education, 11 percent of adults with an undergraduate college degree, 6 percent of adults with a graduate college degree Smoking Statistics by Poverty Status: 28.8 percent of adults who smoke live below the poverty level and 20.3 percent of adults who smoke live at or above the poverty level. Number of People Who Start Smoking Each Day: Even with what we know today about the health effects of smoking and the dangers associated with it people continue to start smoking. There are many reasons people start smoking and none of them are good. Each day, nearly 1,000 kids under the age of 18 will start smoking on a daily basis. Eighteen hundred adults, 18 and over, will also start smoking on a daily basis. Smoking situation in Bangladesh: Smoking is an increasingly prevalent habit in Bangladesh, particularly among men. In the past 10-15 years cigarette consumption has more than doubled. In Bangladesh 43.3% of adults (41.3 million) currently use tobacco in smoking and 44.7% of men, 1.5% of women, and 23.0% overall (21.9 million adults) currently smoke tobacco. 26.4% of men, 27.9% of women, and 27.2% overall (25.9 million adults) currently use smokeless tobacco. BDHS 2007 found 60 percent of Bangladeshi men smoke cigarettes and 20 percent consume other forms of tobacco. Although rural men are more likely (62 percent) to smoke cigarette than urban men (54 percent), urban smokers tend to smoke more cigarette per day (42 percent)smoke 10+ cigarette in the past 24 hours) than their rural counterparts (21 percent smoke 10+ cigarette in the past 24 hours). Population (Million) Population(Age Limit)| 1975| 2000| 2025| 2050| All adults, ages 15+ Female adults| 73.115 35.210| 84.249 40.127| 151.428 74.103| 207.054 100934| All youth, ages 0-14 Female youth| 50.457 24.523| 53.190 25.855| 59.344 28.965| 58.368 28.561| Tobacco Smoking Prevalence, Total and by Gender Bangladesh, 1995-2010 Tobacco Production in Bangladesh: Cigarette production and consumption patterns in Bangladesh were examined and the health, nutritional, and economic consequences of these patterns was assessed. Consumption of cigarettes and biri, hand-made tobacco rolls, is increasing. Annual per capita consumption of cigarettes, taking into account all males and females over the age of 15, is 350 cigarettes. Previously conducted surveys of 2 villages indicated that 67% of the males and 1% of the females, over the age of 15, smoked 1 or more cigarettes or biri each day. Cigarette, bidi, chewing, hookah, cigar, cheroot, snuff, natu, burley etc. are the various types of tobacco grown in different parts of the country. Each month approximately 1500 million cigarettes and 3000 million biri are produced. 57% of all commercially produced cigarettes are manufactured by 1 company, which is affilated with the British American Tobacco interest group. Biri are generally produced in cottage industries. Cigarette production is expected to increase by 40%. The cigarette industry is not labor intensive and it provides only a small number of jobs for the population. 123,000 acres of land are currently devoted to the production of tobacco. This constitutes a serious loss of land which might otherwise be used to raise needed rice. It is estimated that the annual rice production loss attributable to the use of land to raise tobacco is equal to 1/2 of the countrys yearly food grain deficit. Regional variation is also notable in men’s cigarette smoking: 73 percent in Sylhet division to 45 percent in Barisal division; 66 percent in Dhaka, 62 percent in Chittagong, 57 percent in Rajshahi and 52 percent in Khulna. Cigarette smoking in men found to have an inverse co-relation with education attainment: 73 percent with no education to 39 percent with secondary complete and higher; 63 percent in primary incomplete and 53 percent in secondary in complete. Similarly wealth quintile reversely influences men’s cigarette smoking: 71 percent in lowest quintile and 46 percent in highest quintile; 65 percent in second, 62 percent in middle and 60 percent in fourth quintiles. Area | Number of Company Card holders | Number of other growers in tobacco cultivation| Total number of growers in tobacco cultivation | Kushtia (Daulatpur upazila) | 11689 (90%) | 1266 | 12955 | Kushtia (Mirpur Upazilla | 8437 (91%) | 796 | 9233 | Bandarban (Lama upazila) | 5754 (98%) | 79 | 5833 | Bandarban (Ali Kadam upazila) | 1149 (97%) | 37 | 1186 | Cox’sbazar (Chakaria Upazilla) | 3008 98%) | 65 | 3073 | Market Share by Cigarette Manufacturer, 1999-2010: BAT Bangladesh 60% Other domestic 32% Imports 8% Health Effects of Smoking Statistics: Smoking is the leading cause of many different health issues within our society. Many types of cancers, heart disease, and lung diseases have been directly linked to smoking. For every person who dies from a smoking related disease, 20 more suffer from at least one serious illness related to smoking. 1 out of 5 people die each year from smoking. Over 400,000 people die each year from smoking related illnesses. Nearly 50,000 nonsmokers die annually from secondhand smoke exposure. Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 different chemicals which can damage the cells and systems of the human body. These include at least 80 chemicals that can cause cancer (including tar, arsenic, benzene, cadmium and formaldehyde) nicotine (a highly addictive chemical which hooks a smoker into their habit) and hundreds of other poisons such as cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia. Every time a smoker inhales, these chemicals are drawn into the body where they interfere with cell function and cause problems ranging from cell death to genetic changes which lead to cancer. Risk factors of smoking: People take up smoking for a variety of reasons. Young people are especially vulnerable because of pressure from their peers and the image that smoking is clever, cool or grown-up. Just trying a few cigarettes can be enough to become addicted. Many people say that smoking helps them to feel more relaxed or cope with stress but nicotine is a stimulant not a relaxant, so it doesn’t help stress. What people are describing is more likely to be relief from their craving or withdrawal symptoms. Smoking Damage: There are hundreds of examples and volumes of research showing how cigarette smoking damages the body. For example, UK studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. Smoking contributes to coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries) where the heart’s blood supply becomes narrowed or blocked, starving the heart muscle of vital nutrients and oxygen, resulting in a heart attack. As a result smokers have a greatly increased risk of needing complex and risky heart bypass surgery. Smoking also increases the risk of having a stroke, because of damage to the heart and arteries to the brain. If someone smokes for a lifetime, there is a 50 per cent chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related half of all these deaths will be in middle age. Smoking and Lung problem: Smoking does enormous damage to the lungs, especially because these tissues are in the direct firing line for the poisons in smoke. As a result there is a huge increase in the risk of lung cancer, which kills more than 20,000 people in the UK every year. US studies have shown that men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22 times. Women who smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times.Lung cancer is a difficult cancer to treat long term survival rates are poor. Smoking also increases the risk of the following cancers: * Oral * Uterine * Liver * Kidney * Bladder * Stomach * Cervical * Leukemia Even more common among smokers is a group of lung conditions called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD which encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These conditions cause progressive and irreversible lung damage, and make it increasingly difficult for a person to breathe. Harm to children from Smoking: Smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with lower birth weight babies, and inhibits child development. Smoking by parents following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death, and higher rates of infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia. Smoking and young people: Smoking is particularly damaging in young people. Evidence shows people who start smoking in their youth aged 11 to 15 are three times more likely to die a premature death than someone who takes up smoking at the age of 20. They are also more likely to be hooked for life. Nicotine, an ingredient of tobacco, is highly addictive – it takes on average on about six cigarettes before nicotine receptors in the brain are switched on, generating a craving for nicotine which may continue for the rest of the person’s life. In less than one packet of cigarettes, a person’s brain can be changed forever from that of a non-smoker to a nicotine addicted smoker. Although the health risks of smoking are cumulative, giving up can yield health benefits, regardless of the age of the patient, or the length of time they have been smoking. Quitting Smoking Statistics: Nearly 70 percent of smokers want to quit smoking altogether. Approximately 40 percent of smokers will try to quit this year. About 7 percent will succeed at quitting smoking their first try. That may sound like a small number but it is over 3 million people. 3 to 4 percent of people who quit smoking will do it cold turkey. If we join a proper smoking-cessation service, using all available help including medication and counseling, your chances of quitting may be as high as one in three (compared to just three per cent if you go it alone). Many smokers are lead to believe that quitting smoking is impossible. That is ridiculous! We have it in our right now to quit smoking we just need to believe. Yes, it is going to be tough and we will face challenges but thats true for anything worth obtaining in life. No one starts smoking to become addicted to nicotine. It isnt known how much nicotine may be consumed before the body becomes addicted. However, once smoking becomes a habit, the smoker faces a lifetime of health risks associated with one of the strongest addictions known to man. About 70% of smokers in the United States would like to quit; in any given year, however, only about 3.6% of the countrys 47 million smokers quit successfully. Although specific genes have not yet been identified as of 2003, researchers think that genetic factors contribute substantially to developing a smoking habit. Several twin studies have led to estimates of 46-84% heritability for smoking. It is thought that some genetic variations affect the speed of nicotine metabolism in the body and the activity level of nicotinic receptors in the brain. Causes and Consequences of smoking: Tobacco usage accounted for 4.1% of the global burden of ill-health in 2000. Much of this burden was due to an increase over the previous decade of tobacco-related illnesses in developing countries. Almost 4.9 million deaths in 2000 were attributed to tobacco usage (Ezzati et al., 2002). According to a recent study on smokers, the average loss of life expectancy per tobacco related illness in India was estimated at 20 years, with middle-aged smokers having twice the death rates than non-smokers (Gajalakshmi et al., 2003). Thus, tobacco usage results in loss of life – and in turn productivity – during the active years of experienced workers. Economic and Opportunity cost: The study in Bangladesh identifies and compares the economic costs and opportunity cost of tobacco consumption with a view to providing economic data to frame tobacco control policy. More specifically it provides an estimation of opportunity costs (costs necessitated by tobacco usage that could otherwise have yielded greater benefit) incurred because of ill-health attributable to tobacco usage. Accounting includes the costs borne by the health system to treat tobacco-related illnesses, and out-of-pocket costs borne by the household of the person afflicted by these illnesses. These two items make up the direct costs. To this is added the cost to the economy due to premature death and disabilities, or the indirect costs. The initial task was to identify the types of illnesses that can be attributed to tobacco usage, although the etiology of the illnesses is not exclusive to tobacco. The list of illnesses varies from country to country due to different habits for tobacco usage (Peto et al., 1992). In this study, eight illnesses were selected as they are consistent with tobacco usage in all regions of the world. These are given below: * lung cancer, cancers of the mouth and larynx * stroke and ischemic heart diseases (IHD) * chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Murray and Lopez, 1996). Studies in the People’s Republic of China and India have shown that tobacco contributes to the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. Buerger’s Disease occurring primarily among heavy smokers. Here, tobacco-related illnesses are all those that have been associated with tobacco usage. A portion of the prevalence of the illnesses can be attributed to tobacco usage. Thus the main interest of this study is to estimate the opportunity costs imposed by occurrence of illnesses directly caused by tobacco usage are poor and work bare feet in wet soil condition, has been shown to be a source of disease burden in Bangladesh and other developing countries. Having identified the illnesses, the study compared the total cost of tobacco usage to zero usage. The difference between these costs would represent the magnitude of the problem. The calculation of annual costs followed the cross-sectional, or prevalence-based, approach for cost of illness studies. This estimates actual costs as a function of all illnesses related to current and past smoking. Costs were calculated using standard guidelines on economic â€Å"cost benefit† analysis. All costs attributable to tobacco-related illnesses were deemed excess medical costs Consumption of tobacco is addictive and can therefore be seen as an unwarranted cost. The opportunity costs of tobacco-related illnesses included: * private expenditures (out-of-pocket or insurance) of patients on medical care, e.g., drugs, medical examination, hospitalization, and transportation to health centers * cost of the public health care system * loss of potential income and investment opportunities due to illness and consequent working disability or termination of working life by premature death. * The first two components are the direct costs to the patients and the health care system. * The third component constitutes the indirect cost of illness to individuals and society. The measurement of the total annual cost of tobacco-related illnesses to the economy involves the estimation of: * the relative risk of the eight selected diseases with respect to tobacco the proportion of tobacco users having any of the diseases; * the prevalence rates of the eight diseases attributable to tobacco usage–the probability that one of them would befall a tobacco consumer, derived from the ratio of tobacco users having any of the eight illnesses compared to the proportion of tobacco users in the economy; * the average cost of private treatment of individual patients; * the average hospital cost (inpatient and outpatient) of treatment of individual patients; * the average indirect cost from the loss of working days and income of both the patient and the attendant family members due to the treatment; * average indirect cost from the loss of income owing to disability or early demise caused by the illness. * Methods and analytical framework * Impact of Tobacco-related Illnesses in Bangladesh * The sum of the average costs , weighted by the rate of prevalence of tobacco-related illness, yields an estimate of the expected average cost of illnesses attributable to tobacco usage. To obtain the expected total cost of illness, the average cost needs to be multiplied by the total population. Thus the following basic economic cost structure for each illness will be calculated for each year. Objectives: The objective of the study was to obtain information on the economic costs of illnesses resulting from tobacco usage in Bangladesh. It entailed calculating the opportunity costs borne by the government attributable to tobacco related illnesses, and an analysis of the extent to which these may frame tobacco control policy. The specific objectives were to determine: * the prevalence of tobacco usage; * the prevalence of tobacco-related illnesses; * utilization of health services (in a partial way); * hospital costs borne by the health system due to tobacco-related illnesses; * out-of-pocket expenditure of households, either when(6) deaths and disabilities due to tobacco-related illnesses; * the impact of second-hand smoking; and * benefit of tobacco consumption for the economy. Using the above criteria we attempted to test the following hypotheses: * tobacco-related illnesses impose substantial costs to the society; * total expenditure (household out-of-pocket, health system and indirect costs) exceeds total income (public and private) earned from, domestic consumption of tobacco; and * the cost of tobacco usage is disproportionately high for the poor. The prevalence of tobacco-related diseases and the average private and public costs of treating them were estimated using data collected in 2004 from various sources, including a national household survey, hospital costs and patient surveys (from three public medical college hospitals and one private one), and an expert survey that determined the survival rate and quality of life after occurrence of the diseases attributable to tobacco. These data were supplemented by others from the institutes that provide specialized care for the diseases. On the other hand, a major reason that tobacco consumption has not been considered as a cost has been the concern of policy-makers in poorer countries of losing tax revenues from sales of tobacco products (including surpluses which are normally seen as benefits in welfare economics), as well as wages earned through the production of tobacco. The study therefore adopted a mixed approach while the tax and wages associated with tobacco consumption and production were seen as benefits the producer and consumer surpluses from domestic consumption were discounted as they stem solely from addictive consumption and cause damage to health. In the United States of America, the direct costs of treatment of illnesses directly attributed to tobacco usage accounted for 0.46% to 1.15% of gross domestic product (GDP). This is the actual expenditure in a given year. In the United Kingdom, these costs amounted to 0.13% of GDP, while those in Canada ranged from 0.12% to 0.56% of GDP. Similar ranges were found in Australia. The only comprehensive study from any developing country , carried out in China, showed that direct costs amounted to 0.43% of GDP. Social cost: Social costs included the indirect costs of morbidity and premature mortality, as well as direct medical costs. While social costs averaged 1.4% to 1.6% of GDP in the USA and Canada, the China study showed a higher figure of 1.7% (In 2000) While directly not accounted in the cost calculations in any of the studies mentioned above, the effects of tobacco consumption on poor populations are significantly higher than for other income groups. Taking education as proxy for income levels, data from both developed and developing countries suggest that poor people consume more tobacco products than people in higher income groups in nearly all regions of the world. In the United Kingdom, the least educated people smoke three times more than the highest educated group, and this rate is up to seven times more in some developing countries. The risk of death from tobacco usage is also related to income. A study in Canada determined the risk of death attributable to smoking to be 5% for high-income earners, rising to 15% for the poorest population group. The effects of high consumption of tobacco in developing countries is compounded by the opportunity costs of consuming other essential items. Studies in several countries observed that up to 17% of household income was being spent on tobacco products (de Beyer et al., 2001). A study in Bangladesh estimated that 10 million people currently malnourished could have an adequate diet if money spent on tobacco were spent on food instead. In developed countries, considerable efforts have resulted in a lower number of smokers, often as a result of banning direct and indirect tobacco advertising, high taxes on tobacco products, the enforcement of laws requiring tobacco-free public and work places, and clear graphic health messages on tobacco packaging. Developing countries, on the other hand, are not only witnessing an increase in tobacco usage; they are also lacking effective legislation, often for the socioeconomic arguments stated above. Based on these arguments, some policy-makers conclude that amount gained as revenue from tobacco exceeds the cost to society due to tobacco use. This study seeks to assess the validity of this view in Bangladesh, a pioneer among countries considering legislation to control tobacco consumption. Household survey: The household survey allowed us to estimate the prevalence of tobacco usage, construct a population disease profile for the age group of 15 years and above, determine out-of-pocket costs incurred for tobacco-related illnesses, and diagnose associated health-seeking behavior. Sampling and cluster selection: The household survey took place from May to July 2004. A representative sample of 2467 households was drawn from six divisions. We made sure that the districts selected had different degrees of accessibility to tertiary health care Facilities: Districts within a 25 kilometer radius from a tertiary health-care facility were considered near and those 25 to 50 kilometers were considered far. Unions or Wards (clusters) were selected randomly from the districts. A total of 59 clusters were selected from 6 divisions that included 11985 young and adult individuals. Impact of Tobacco-related Illnesses in Bangladesh: The household sample is representative of the Bangladeshi population in terms of urban–rural composition, distribution of household expenditure, as well as age composition. For example, youth and infants (those aged below 30) accounted for 63% of the total sample, while the national figure is 64%. The distribution of sample population by age group is shown in. The present study focused on adults aged 30 years and above, who constituted 37% of the sample, because tobacco-related illnesses are observable primarily among people of this age group. Impact of Tobacco related Illnesses in Bangladesh are, * Ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), oral cancer, lung cancer * laryngeal carcinoma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) * pulmonary tuberculosis * X-ray: A chest X-ray was performed on any suspected case of lung cancer, COPD or tuberculosis. * Carbon Monoxide Monitor (CO-monitor): In order to corroborate the use of tobacco, a CO monitor was used to measure the ambient air quality and individual CO level. A conversion table was used to determine the CO level in blood (hemoglobin). Recommendations: Despite dissemination and availability of the recommendations on smoking cessation, few countries had taken sufficient action. Therefore, in June 2002, the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative organized a meeting to develop ‘Policy Recommendations for Smoking Cessation for governments, non-governmental organizations and health professionals interested in making public health gains in the short and medium term. The policy recommendations were published in June 2003 and launched during the 12th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Helsinki, Finland. The recommendation chart is given below: pressure| Companies| People| Government| 1.Adhunik2.Bangladesh 2nd Sub-National Smoke-Free Project organized a Workshop. 3. PROGGA organized a workshop on 17th May,20124. YPSA(Young Power In Social Action) organized a program on May,20105. Bangladesh 2nd Sub-National Smoke-Free Project Workshop† held in Chittagong on 17th to 19th May, 20106. WHO(World Health Org.), BAT, BATA, other Non-governmental org.7. The Anti-tobacco advocacy and campaign. 8. The World No Tobacco Day has been celebrated throughout Bangladesh in befitting manner on 31 May| 1. Banglalink campaign on 15th June, 2012.2. Nokia-Banglalink joint campaign named ‘Ovijaan’ and Ovi internet against smoking.3.Grammenphone4. The Daily Star and Kaler kontho.5. Prothom Aloo organized Anti Tobacco campaign, Bandhushava with the help of DIU.6. Google and anti smoking campaign against tobacco.7. Samsung Electronics leads other companies in the campaign against smoking. 8. The Truth About Tobacco Times of India campaign and workshop against tobacco.9. Radio Today, Bangladesh Betar and other radio TV channel also working against Tobacco.| 1.We should avoid smoking for our own health and environment.2. We should stop smoking among nonresidential area and public places.3. We should avoid smoking before children and young generations.4. We should not smoke too much and encourage other for smoking.5. We should not smoke in school. Colleges and universities. 6. We should follow the tobacco control campaign and avoid smoking.7. We should encourage others to avoid smoking.8. We should follow the rules and regulations of Govt. and other organization against smoking.9. We should avoid smoking in offices and public places.10. We should try to avoid smoking with the help of health agencies and doctors.11. We should aware the local people.12. We can aware the urban and rural people about the consequences of smoking.| 1.Govt. should fund state tobacco control activities at the level recommended by the CDC.2. excise tax rates below the level imposed which states excise tax rates should be indexed to inflation.3. States and localities should enact complete bans on smoking in all nonresidential indoor locations. 4. All health care facilities should meet or exceed JCAHO standards in banning smoking in all indoor areas.5. Colleges and universities should ban smoking in indoor locations.6. State health agencies, health care professionals, and other interested organizations should undertake strong efforts to encourage parents to make their homes and vehicles smoke free.7. All states should license retail sales outlets that sell tobacco products.8. All states should ban the sale of tobacco products directly to consumers.9. Congress should ensure that stable funding is continuously provided to the national quit line network.10. Can increase the high level of prices for tobacco products is an important factor in preventing people.11. Govt. can aware the people about the effect of smoking. 12. Govt. can increase tax among the sales of tobacco.| Recent changes to legislation: In July 2009, further provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004 were commenced. These included * ban on all in-store/point-of-sale advertising of tobacco products. * ban on the display of tobacco products in retail premises. * introduction of a closed container / dispenser provision. * tighter controls on the location and operation of tobacco vending machines, introduction of a retail register. The recommendations propose a broad framework for addressing treatment of tobacco dependence. In this framework, Governments can progressively choose minimal, expanded and core recommendations as they strengthen their resources and capacities. The recommended framework includes a mix of three main strategies: * A public health approach that seeks to change the social climate and promote a supportive environment. * A health systems approach that focuses on promoting and integrating clinical best practices (behavioral and pharmacological) which help tobacco-dependent consumers increase their chance of quitting successfully. * A surveillance, research and information approach that promotes the exchange of information and knowledge so as to increase awareness of the need to change social norms. These are recommendations from WHO and social welfare organization for people and Government also working for prohibiting tobacco. Conclusion: As countries prepare to develop national policy guidelines for the treatment of tobacco dependence, the international community can help by providing a forum for sharing and distributing information, writing up guidelines, reviewing best practices, raising funds and establishing partnerships.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Effects of Stigma on Schizophrenia Patients

Effects of Stigma on Schizophrenia Patients Stigma and empathy subjected to schizophrenic patients with different levels of symptoms The stigma of mental instability is entrenched as an issue in the society, especially when it refers to schizophrenia, which stands out amongst the most very derided mental issue, not just on the grounds of the conceivably unending and incapacitating course of the ailment but likewise because of an assortment of negative generalizations connected with its analysis. Stigmatization refers to a socially constructed label which includes issues of awareness (obliviousness or misleading information), demeanor (bias), and conduct (discrimination). Populace reviews demonstrate that in spite of expanded attention to the characteristics of schizophrenia and despite the numerous deliberations to lessening stigma, criticizing mentality are still pervasive among the overall population, understudies, specialists, and even administration clients themselves whereby issue conditions are ranged including beliefs of violent and chaotic conduct, and a powerlessness to maintain business or take up respon sibilities. Being perceived as a matter of extraordinary significance, stigma, may slant persons in the overall population to look for social separation from those with schizophrenia. The harmful results of stigma may be significantly more extreme than the troubles emerging from the symptoms of the sickness itself. Moreover, stigma is linked to symptom severity which is the seriousness of deductive changes in physical, psychological, and social performance. Ertugrul and UlugËËÅ"(2004) carried out research which concluded among 60schizophrenia patients, that victims of stigmatization had undergone more severe symptoms and were significantly more disabled than the patients who were not stigmatized. Studies utilizing different strategies propose that stigma may be interfaced to more serious psychopathological symptoms and more awful psychosocial working. Rabkin’s research in 1974, informs that open state of mind towards individuals named rationally sick are influenced by qualities of the treatment circumstance, for example, e. g. site, system or recurrence. More incessant contacts with the mental health awareness framework and more meddlesome routines for treatment typically evoke more negative societal disposition. Henceforth, more elevated amounts of demonization were noted in patien ts right now under doctors supervision and in the individuals who had more past hospitalizations (particularly those with more successive automatic affirmations). Patients with more serious medication reactions were likely to face more stigmatization. Besides, patients with a prior disease onset and those with a more drawn out span of disease may be naturally anticipated that will have been more presented to social dismissal. To enhance mentality towards this criticized schizophrenia group, stereotype-conflicting data and intergroup contact are not enough. This is the place empathy appears to merit more consideration than it has gotten currently. Inducing empathy for a part of a trashed gathering prompts more positive sentiments and consideration toward the gathering. As an issue demonstrated in books, films and documentaries, it is generally simple to impel empathy for a part of a slandered gathering requiring little to no effort and satisfactory circumstance. One can be led to feel empathy for the group simply by sitting comfortably at home. Compassion actuating encounters can be controlled to guarantee that they are certain much more promptly than can live, face-to-face, immediate contact. Empathy might straightforwardly address the focal feeling and assessment parts of the disposition as opposed to depending on surmising from information. empathy has been found to expand esteeming the welfare of the i ndividual for whom compassion is felt and, moreover, this esteeming has been found to persevere through much after the need and resultant empathic sentiments are gone (Batson, Turk, Shaw, Klein, 1995). Moreover, this expanded esteeming sums up to the gathering of which the individual is a part, it may prompt more uplifting disposition. A study by Batson et al. (1991), aimed to investigate how empathy might improve attitudes towards a stigmatized group. However, it had limitations as empathy was restricted to a certain individual and not to the stigmatized group as a whole and within the stigmatized group were found many subgroups such as homosexuals, women, drug addicts, children. Feeling empathy for the children might only be beneficial to that particular subgroup but not to the group as a whole. Moreover, victim responsibility comes into play where the member of the stigmatized group is responsible for his own condition. One may likewise create an opposing reaction to separation from the defamed gathering bringing about diminished empathic emotions and even disparagement or faulting the victimized person. Furthermore, Dinos et al. (2004) reveal that 1 among 3 patients having schizophrenia suffer from anxiety disorder as a result of being stigmatized. Evidence has also proven that schizophrenia stigma leads to a h igher possibility of alcohol and drug intake. Original work by Goffman (1963) and Scheff (1966) slandering process that may take after from being recognized as having a dysfunctional behavior, and various exploration studies have endeavored to exhibit the unfavorable impacts of maladjustment marking. Nunnally (1961), investigated sample of the population by self-reports asking their point of view on mental illness. Cohen and Struening (1962); Taylor and Dear (1981); Yankelovich (1990); Beldon and Russonello (1996) carried a more precise research presenting particular articulations about emotional instability also asked respondents where they remained regarding those announcements. These studies uncovered strikingly negative state of mind to emotional sickness. However, recent studies such as the Parade Magazine survey (1993) demonstrated more positive attitudes where schizophrenic patients were being cared for (Whatley, Philips, Neff and Husaini, Purvis et al., Riskind and Wahl). An germeyer, Matschinger and Corrigans research (2004) has shown that, with developing commonality, the propensity towards considering the ill individual to be unsafe and eccentric was diminishing, and individuals had less fear and social separation was wanted less as often as possible. Different studies by Anagnostopoulos Hantzi (2011), Couture Penn (2003), Phelan Link (2004) have likewise exhibited positive connections between past contact and inspirational demeanor, less fancied social separation and a lessening in stereotypes. This research is being carried out to test the hypotheses formulated. Therefore, taking the previous findings into consideration, it is noticeable that empathy is directly linked to stigma. The expected results are that:as empathy increases, stigma decreases and when stigma levels are high, schizophrenic patients are subjected to a very low level of empathy. Furthermore, a second hypothesis formulated is that as symptoms of the disease become more severe, more stigma is attached to the ill individual as compared to an individual with mild symptoms, which is subjected to much less stigma. The importance of this research is to reduce stigma among schizophrenic patients for them to be more effectively cured, without their treatment being hindered by stereotypes of the society. Reference List: Wahl, O. F. (1999). Mental Health Consumers Experience of Stigma. Schizophrenia Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 3. Retrieved from  http://schizophreniabulletin. oxfordjournals. org. ezproxy. mdx. ac. uk/content/25/3/467. full. pdf+html Zelst, C. (2009). Stigmatization as an Environmental Risk in Schizophrenia: A User Perspective. Schizophrenia Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 293–296. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2659317/?tool=pmcentrez Sibitz, I., Unger, A., Woppmann, A., Zidek, T., Amering, M. (2011). Stigma Resistance in Patients With Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 316–323. Retrieved from http://schizophreniabulletin. oxfordjournals. org/content/37/2/316. full. pdf+html Karidi, M. V., Stefanis, C. N., Theleritis, C., Tzedaki, M., Rabavilas, A. D., Stefanis, N. C. (2010). Perceived social stigma, self-concept, and self-stigmatization of patient  with schizophrenia. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 51, 19-30. Retrieved from http://www. sciencedirect. com. ezproxy. mdx. ac. uk/science/article/pii/S0010440X09000029 Benov, E. et al. (2013). Stigma of Schizophrenia: Assessing Attitudes among European University Students. Journal of european psychology students, 40-48. Retrieved from http://jeps. efpsa. org/article/view/jeps. bj Switaj, P., Wcià ³rka, J., Smolarska-S witaj, J., Grygiel, P. (2009) Extent and predictors of stigma experienced by patients with schizophrenia. European Psychiatry, 24, 513–520. Retrieved from  http://www. sciencedirect. com. ezproxy. mdx. ac. uk/science/article/pii/S0924933809001230 Thornicroft, G., Brohan, E., Diana, R., Sartorius, N., Leese, M. (2009). Global pattern of experienced and anticipated discrimination against people with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional survey. Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK. Retrieved from http://www. serpsy. org/actua_09/Lancet_2009_global-pattern-experience. pdf Lysaker, P. H., Davis, L. W., Warman, D. M., Strasburger, A., Beattie, N. (2007). Stigma, social function and symptoms in schizophrenia and  schizoaffective disorder: Associations across 6 months. Psychiatry Research, 149, 89–95. Retrieved from http://www. sciencedirect. com. ezproxy. mdx. ac. uk/science/article/pii/S0165178106000795 Ando, S., Clement, S., Barley, E. A., Thornicroft, G. (2011). The simulation of hallucinations to reduce the stigma of schizophrenia:A systematic review. Schizophrenia Research, 133, 8–16. Retrieved from http://rt5vx6na7p. search. serialssolutions. com/?ctx_ver=Z39. 88-2004ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8rfr_id=info:sid/summon. serialssolutions. comrft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journalrft. genre=articlerft. atitle=The+simulation+of+hallucinations+to+reduce+the+stigma+of+schizophrenia%3A+A+systematic+reviewrft. jtitle=Schizophrenia+Researchrft. au=Ando%2C+Shuntarorft. au=Clement%2C+Sarahrft. au=Barley%2C+Elizabeth+Alexandrarft. au=Thornicroft%2C+Grahamrft. date=2011-12-01rft. pub=Elsevier+B. Vrft. issn=0920-9964rft. eissn=1573-2509rft. volume=133rft. issue=1-3rft. spage=8rft. externalDBID=n%2Farft. externalDocID=273483289paramdict=en-US Hill, K., Startup, M. (2013). The relationship between internalized stigma, negative symptoms and social functioning in schizophrenia: The mediating role of self-efficacy. Psychiatry Research, 206, 151–157. Retrieved from http://rt5vx6na7p. search. serialssolutions. com/?ctx_ver=Z39. 88-2004ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8rfr_id=info:sid/summon. serialssolutions. comrft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journalrft. genre=articlerft. atitle=The+relationship+between+internalized+stigma%2C+negative+symptoms+and+social+functioning+in+schizophrenia%3A+The+mediating+role+of+self-efficacyrft. jtitle=Psychiatry+Researchrft. au=Hill%2C+Kimberleyrft. au=Startup%2C+Mikerft. date=2013-04-30rft. pub=Elsevier+B. Vrft. issn=0165-1781rft. eissn=1872-7123rft. volume=206rft. issue=2-3rft. spage=151rft. externalDBID=n%2Farft. externalDocID=340105116paramdict=en-US Lv, Y., Wolf, A., Wang, X. (2013). Experienced stigma and self-stigma in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. General Hospital Psychiatry, 35, 83–88. Retrieved from http://rt5vx6na7p. search. serialssolutions. com/?ctx_ver=Z39. 88-2004ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8rfr_id=info:sid/summon. serialssolutions. comrft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journalrft. genre=articlerft. atitle=Experienced+stigma+and+self-stigma+in+Chinese+patients+with+schizophreniarft. jtitle=General+hospital+psychiatryrft. au=Lv%2C+Yingrft. au=Wolf%2C+Achimrft. au=Wang%2C+Xiaopingrft. date=2013-01-01rft. eissn=1873-7714rft. volume=35rft. issue=1rft. spage=83rft_id=info:pmid/22925273rft. externalDocID=22925273paramdict=en-US Batson et al. (1997). Empathy and Attitudes : Can feeling for a member of a stigmatized group improve feelings towards the group? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 72, No. 1, 105-118. 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Saturday, July 20, 2019

Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s Metaphysics Essay -- Philo

Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s Metaphysics Metaphysics, as discussed by Richard Taylor, can be defined as the effort to think clearly. In order to contemplate a metaphysical issue, we require data (the common beliefs that people hold about that issue). A metaphysical problem occurs when such data do not agree. To resolve the problem, a theory must be established which removes the conflict by either (a) reconciling the conflicting data, or (b) proving one set of data to be false. Metaphysical thought has inspired many theories that attempt to address the conflicting data of determinism and freedom. Freedom, as defined by Hume, is "the ability to act according to the determinations of the will". Freedom allows for moral responsibility. Determinism is the theory that everything is caused by antecedent conditions, and such things cannot be other than how they are. Though no theory concerning this issue has been entirely successful, many theories present alternatives as to how it can be approached. Two of the most basic metaphysical theories concerning freedom and determinism are soft determinism and hard determinism. Soft determinism attempts to make the disagreeing data of determinism and freedom compatible. The theory of soft determinism rests on three fundamental claims: (1) the deterministic concept that human behaviour is causally determined; (2) that there is freedom in voluntary behaviour, so long as there is no physical impediment or constraint upon the action; and (3) that the cause of the voluntary behaviour (which is possible in the absence of impediments or constraints) is an internal state of the agent of the action. According to soft determinism, therefore, we are responsible for our actions on o... ...er own actions. Society, however, is a state towards which humans have naturally evolved, and our continued existence without society is inconceivable. Thus, although determinism is argued successfully from a causal point of view, it is clearly flawed in a practical context as it fails these fundamental aspects of human life. Neither soft determinism nor hard determinism successfully reconciles freedom and determinism. Soft determinism fails as it presents a limited type freedom, and it can be argued that the inner state of the agent is causally determined. Hard determinism presents a causally sound argument, whilst ignoring the moral bases of our society. Due to the failure of these theories to harmonize the data, the metaphysical problem of freedom and determinism persists. Works Cited 1. Taylor, Richard. Metaphysics. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992. Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s Metaphysics Essay -- Philo Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s Metaphysics Metaphysics, as discussed by Richard Taylor, can be defined as the effort to think clearly. In order to contemplate a metaphysical issue, we require data (the common beliefs that people hold about that issue). A metaphysical problem occurs when such data do not agree. To resolve the problem, a theory must be established which removes the conflict by either (a) reconciling the conflicting data, or (b) proving one set of data to be false. Metaphysical thought has inspired many theories that attempt to address the conflicting data of determinism and freedom. Freedom, as defined by Hume, is "the ability to act according to the determinations of the will". Freedom allows for moral responsibility. Determinism is the theory that everything is caused by antecedent conditions, and such things cannot be other than how they are. Though no theory concerning this issue has been entirely successful, many theories present alternatives as to how it can be approached. Two of the most basic metaphysical theories concerning freedom and determinism are soft determinism and hard determinism. Soft determinism attempts to make the disagreeing data of determinism and freedom compatible. The theory of soft determinism rests on three fundamental claims: (1) the deterministic concept that human behaviour is causally determined; (2) that there is freedom in voluntary behaviour, so long as there is no physical impediment or constraint upon the action; and (3) that the cause of the voluntary behaviour (which is possible in the absence of impediments or constraints) is an internal state of the agent of the action. According to soft determinism, therefore, we are responsible for our actions on o... ...er own actions. Society, however, is a state towards which humans have naturally evolved, and our continued existence without society is inconceivable. Thus, although determinism is argued successfully from a causal point of view, it is clearly flawed in a practical context as it fails these fundamental aspects of human life. Neither soft determinism nor hard determinism successfully reconciles freedom and determinism. Soft determinism fails as it presents a limited type freedom, and it can be argued that the inner state of the agent is causally determined. Hard determinism presents a causally sound argument, whilst ignoring the moral bases of our society. Due to the failure of these theories to harmonize the data, the metaphysical problem of freedom and determinism persists. Works Cited 1. Taylor, Richard. Metaphysics. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Good Use - How to Use the Language Properly :: Teaching Writing Education Essays

Good Use - How to Use the Language Properly What is good use? It can be a number of things for different people. The English professor has a entirely different definition of good use than the mathematician or the businessman. The problem arises how does the ordinary person know what is good use and what is not. What is the meaning of good use, the noun and verb agreeing or is it something more than that? One can read excerpts from old authors on their thoughts and beliefs, but do these thoughts and beliefs withstand the test of time. I would like to touch on a few of these authors and reflect my own thoughts. I would like to start the trek through history with John F. Genung. Genung thought that good use had a standard which every writer should follow. The standard is only one word. The word is "PURITY." As Genung states "the writer must see to it he keeps the mother tongue unsullied." The use of one word to describe "good writing" is crazy. It takes more than just 'PURITY' to have good writing, sure it may help, but there has to be more to it than just that one thing. My reasoning for this is there would not be tons of textbooks if "good use" were that simple. I know in grade school or even high school, students are taught how to use the language correctly. If all it took to have "good writing" was purity in our writing, then how would we know if it was good usage or not. Genung expressed that the mother tongue must be kept unsullied, that can not happen with new words being added to the language. New word of thought of and used in our language all the time, and they are used in good wri ting. This is the point that I disagree with Genung. The word "unsullied" in his article is rarely used in society today, does he have bad usage because it is no longer pure to the mother tongue? I don't think so. I read the article "Justin's links to the underground" it was written by a man who works at MIT. To be honest, I really don't recall what the article was about. This is for good reason, the article was cleverly crafted. There was no capitalization in the article, the lower case "i" had me, all I wanted to do is go and correct his paper because it was very irritating to me.

Why I Give Back to the Community Essay -- Community Service, Service L

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill I see community service as the key element to my future. I believe that each person should leave the world a little better than how they found it. Community service has held a huge part of my life already. I currently am very involved with a program called Candlelighters. Candlelighters is a program that works with cancer patients and their families. As a part of the Candlelighters program I have seen many children lose their lives to cancer. Each child has left a mark on my heart, and I am a better person for knowing them. All my life I have wanted to be an attorney. I had my whole life paved out. I knew what I was going to do and how I was going to get there. These children have taught me ...

Thursday, July 18, 2019

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest: the Power of Laughter Essay

Jimmy Buffet once said â€Å"If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane. † When an individual is no longer capable of laughing, he is also no longer capable of being in control of himself. This happens when a greater authority has the power to deny a person of their laughter; which, inevitably, denies him of his freedom. Ken Kesey conveys the idea that laughter and freedom go hand in hand throughout his novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Kesey portrays laughter as a parallel to freedom through various literary symbols and imagery in order to illustrate how the power of laughter can free a man who is under the control of an unjust authority. Through the characterization of Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, Kesey illustrates how the manipulation of others and the challenge of authority is a key component in the ability to laugh. Through the characterization of Nurse Ratched, Kesey illustrates how one person can manipulate others for her own specific intentions. Throughout the story, it is clear that Nurse Ratched (Bug Nurse) manipulates the patients and faculty to control them so she has all the power. As the book starts, we are immediately brought into this mental ward in the eyes of Chief Bromden. As he walks down the hall, and the aids insult him because he is dumb and deaf. However, little do they know that Chief is the exact opposite. As they continue to speak as if he weren’t there and hand him the broom, â€Å"They laugh†¦[it is a] Hum of black machinery, humming the hate and death and other hospital secrets† (10). The laughter of the black aids is not clear and freeflowing like laughter should be. Instead, it is described as a â€Å"hum† which illustrates that even the aids do not have the freedom to laugh. They are â€Å"black machinery† or descendents of the combine which demonstrates that the faculty on this ward is under the control of Nurse Ratched and the combine. It is also evident that they are all working together because when machines are working correctly, they hum in synchronization, just like these men are doing with their empty laughter. Along with the machine-like laughs, the men also know what is going on in the ward because chief implies that their humming contains all of the mysteries. Kesey uses machine-like references and imagery in order to illustrate Nurse Ratched’s influence on her employee’s; she is the reason there is no laughter on the ward. Another cene that expresses Big Nurses power is when Chief is describing how Big Nurse hates when things are out of order. Chief explains that even her uniform has to be crisp and clean at all times, and when its not, she still smiles and pretends not to care, but inside it bothers her to no extent. He makes it clear that he sees, â€Å"her sit in the center of this web of wires like a watchful robot, tend her network with mechanical insect skill, know every second which wire runs where and just what current to send up to get the results she wants† (30). Big Nurse is portrayed as a mechanical spider who has the knowledge and ability to control whatever is in her â€Å"web. † Kesey references her as machine-like figure due to her constant necessity to be in control. Everything she does must be in a certain order and flow a certain way. When Chief says she knows how to â€Å"get the results she wants† it makes it clear that she is able to manipulate everyone. This demonstrates that her manipulation takes away all of the patients power to do anything; it even takes away their freedom and laughter. Another example that portrays this idea is in the article Salvation Through Laugher. The author, Stephen L. Tanner, is analyzing Kesey’s work, and as he discusses the first chapter of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, he notes how, â€Å"Miss Ratched is pleased when a ‘completed product’ goes back into society as a ‘functioning, adjusted component'† (Tanner 57). Tanner’s analysis expresses how Big Nurses intentions are to create these robots that do not have the ability to think for themselves. A â€Å"completed product† or success, will be think and act like the faculty, just another part of the machine. The pleasure Nurse Ratched gets out of these success’ illustrates that she loves gaining power and taking away people’s freedoms. Nurse Ratched manipulates the men on the ward and the faculty in order to gain power and take away all of their freedoms, even their freedom to laugh. Kesey conveys that the challenge of authority is the key to finding true identity. The protagonist, McMurphy immediately is introduced as this man with a huge, impenetrable ego. From the moment he steps on the ward, Chief notices that he’s different. Upon McMurphys arrival, Chief is awakening from the fog he is in. He’s in the day room with his inmates and is listening in on their conversations. Suddenly he hears Nurse Ratched announce that there is a new arrival. McMurphy enters the ward and is laughing. Chief notes that, â€Å".. it’s free and loud†¦[it] sounds real†¦it’s the first [real] laugh I’ve heard in years† (16). This illustrates how McMurphy, even from the beginning, has the intentions to challenge the rules. Before him, no one laughed on the ward, or even spoke above an indoor voice. However, as soon as he arrives, his laughter is â€Å"loud and free† which demonstrates that he is boisterous and independent. The combine will not succeed in taking away his freedom, nor will Nurse Ratched take away his ability to laugh. A second example is the scene in which McMurphy and his inmates disregard Big Nurses orders that they cannot watch the world series and watch it anyway because they had the majority in the second vote. As they all stop cleaning and sit down in front a blank TV screen, Nurse Ratched’s anger builds. Finally, she loses it and screams at McMurphy that he is , â€Å"‘supposed to be working during these hours! ‘ Her voice†¦a tight whine†¦a saw ripping through pine† (127) â€Å"her voice sounds like it hit a nail†(128). McMurphy’s breaking of the rules and influence on his inmates drives Nurse Ratched to the edge. Her voice hitting â€Å"a nail† illustrates authority running into a large bump and stopping it right in its tracks. The whining in her voice demonstrates that McMurphy is frustrating her, he is testing her power and this worries her, because she does not want to lose her power, and McMurphy is threatening her. However, no matter what Nurse Ratched does, she cannot seem to stop McMurphy and his free laugh. One of the most vital scenes is when McMurphy breaks the glass in the nurses station just after Cheswick commits suicide. He walks up to the nurse’s station, â€Å"†¦as big as a house! †¦[and says] in his slowest , deepest drawl how he figured he could use one of the smokes he bought†¦then he ran his hand through the glass†¦[it came] apart like water splashing†(172). McMurphy, haven been gone for a short while, challenges Big Nurses power and shows her that he’s back and is not losing this war. Him being â€Å"as big as a house† gives a visual that his power is radiating off of him. When he asks for his cigarettes, its in a slow and deep voice, and he does not wait for a response, just runs â€Å"his hand through the glass† it illustrates that he is not asking permission for anything. He will go against all of her rules because she cannot control him. The imagery Kesey uses to illustrate the glass shattering because when water splashes, there are many droplets and its not just one massive drop. McMurphy did not just break the glass or scratch Big Nurses power, he shattered it. He made his point that he has the power, not her, and he will always be free. Throughout the story, Kesey continues to have McMurphy constantly breaking the rules and challenging conformity in order to put across the idea that challenging authority can bring individuality. Ken Kesey, the author of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, conveys the idea that laughter and freedom go hand in hand when it comes to a person being an individual. Through the characterization of Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, Kesey suggests that manipulating others and challenging authority is an essential part of laughing and freedom. I have come to learn that freedom can be achieved by laughing and it’s a necessity to laugh, therefore it’s a necessity to be free. After reading this novel, it is clear that laughter is crucial part of individuality and without it, we would all be mechanical robots because as Kesey once said â€Å"if you lose your laugh, you lose your footing. â€Å"