Human health as a concept established in culture Essay

Introduction Culture may be considered as an array of notions, behavior, and customs that a group of people shares within a given community. These notions are the ones that give identity to each member of a given community. Culture encompasses a number of subsets one of which is a group’s religious and spiritual beliefs, as it is in Haiti. Culture exists in two categories at both extreme trimmings of a continuum. Culture may be considered individualistic or collectivistic. Global cultures reside somewhere in between. In addition. Within a given culture, there are a number of variations. Being familiar with both forms of culture assists medical practitioners to understand where a given segment of a population lies within a given cultural band such that patient care is able to be personalized. Individualistic or collectivistic forms of culture create multiple views relating to the concept of healthcare (Collin, 2004). In this regard, therefore, it can be argued that human health is itself a concept entrenched in the culture. This is true primarily due to the fact that culture I responsible for framing and shaping our perception of our world together with our experiences. Therefore, health practitioners are able to develop a positive interaction with their patients leading to better health care once they grasp the distinction that exists in each of their patient’s cultural values, practices, and beliefs separate from their own. Literature Review Select global cultures and influence in healthcare practice Haitians are inherently spiritual people who believe in the power of healing. They have a strong belief in the concept of miracles channeled through a number of media such as dreams, traditional and scientific medicine. Health is thought of as being an individual’s responsibility and self-treating is considered one of the many ways of ensuring good health. Haitians resort to home-based remedies prior to any form of hospital treatment. Home-based treatment may include the use of herbs, massages or non-prescription medicine. They reach out to doctors and hospitals once it is clear that an illness requires advanced care. It is recommended that clinicians inquire as to which home based remedies a patient has indulged in prior to offering any form of treatment. It is common to find Haitians taking prescribed and herbal medication at the same time. Haitian culture ascribes to use of nebulous terms. It is common to find patients describing the nature of an illness rather than its ass ociated symptoms. In essence, a visit to the hospital is mainly confirmatory of an individual’s self-diagnosis (Nicolas and DeSilva, 2006). In most cases, patients assess individual symptoms and then institute diagnosis bases on the experience of another patient who has contracted the same illness previously. It is common to find Haitians making use of biomedical jargons inappropriately. The extent to which Haitians comply with a given treatment is dependent on their view of an illness’ severity. In essence, some diseases are considered serious such as diabetes and cancer. Others are only considered serious because someone else succumbed to them. Once a doctor expresses an illness’ severity, then can they comply with the course of treatment. Pregnancy, not being an illness, Haitians do not indulge in any form of prenatal care as it is not considered to be of any importance. In addition, birth control is considered undesirable as children are considered a blessing. Haitian culture does not recognize a man’s contribution towards issues of birth control, men do not ascribe to protection during intercourse as it is considered a killer of pleasure (Norris, 2005). Discussions about issues of sexually transmitted diseases are frowned upon. Haiti is one of the countries in the world fraught with some of the worst indicators of health. For this country to overcome such challenges and improve the health of its people, the government needs to address some of the common health challenges currently facing its people. Some of its international partners such as the U.S, and those from the private sector have made efforts to help this country to improve the people’s access to health services. Although there are a lot of ch allenges to contend with, the Haitian government has made efforts, there have been significant positive efforts to encourage family planning and childhood malnutrition (Pierre, 2012). The number of births per person has gone down considerably as a result of a change in culture from the refusal to embrace contraceptives to an increase used of up to 31 percent. Problem statement Health care is one of the most sensitive areas due to its close relation to global cultures. Examining the interaction of culture and health care helps build cultural competencies appropriate during healthcare service provision by medical practitioners. In this respect, it is essential to examine select global cultures and how they influence healthcare provision. Most communities experience immense challenges in terms of access to healthcare. In most cases, such challenges are related to a communities religious and spiritual beliefs.   Therefore, it is important to evaluate how such religious beliefs affects healthcare provision in a multifaceted community based on moral and ethical reasoning, such as in Haiti. Challenges in healthcare access for Haitian cultures Haitians do not ascribe to scientific medicine which involves hospitals, medication and illness diagnosis. They believe in Vodou as a healthcare system. This form of treatment goes over and beyond dimensions of caregiving that is found in most other religions. This form of healthcare is common as practiced in Haiti’s countryside and is based on ontology. However, Haitian possess a stoical approach to disease and illness which is inherently seen in one of their common adages, God is good. Their belief is based on the fact that whatever happens to an individual is God’s doing. They view illness as a form of punishment or battering of bodies that possess natural etiologies (Pierre, 2012). Access to proper treatment and medication is considered pointless since illness is commonly short-lived. One of the most common explanations for the sickness experienced by Haitians is that it is caused by their interaction with the environmental aspects such as cold, food, gas and heat. The existence of supernatural sicknesses is attributed to the wrath of spirits. The cure for such illnesses is based on advice offered to Voodoo ecclesiastics by spirits and as such they must wait upon the spirits for enlightening. Such voodoo practices limit the need to access health care by Haitians (Vonarx, 2011). Challenges associated with diversity in healthcare Haitians in other countries, such as in the United States, encounter linguistic, economic and cultural issues that make integration within such communities difficult which affects their access to health services and their utilization. During demographic, Haitians in America are considered African American. This enables them to hide their cultural, environmental and behavioral diversity amongst other such immigrants. This includes health beliefs, diet, migration experiences, language, and education. Most of the Haitians in America, for instance, do not go for annual checks up. Those who are about 18 years of age may have had a checkup once while those who spoke poor English were not likely to visit a doctor for medical check or treatment (Vonarx, 2011). Barriers to healthcare access and quality care Haitians face a number of issues that limit their ability to access healthcare services, particularly those who reside in countries other than their own, such as those in the U.S. One of such issues is a language barrier. Haitians speak French as their national language, although Creole is technically Haiti’s key undocumented language. Creole is commonly spoken around homes and in daily communication needs. This is the language used by those who do not have an education. Those who move to the U.S encounter a lot of language barrier. Those who are unfamiliar with terms used in the medical field encounter much more difficulty (Saint-Jean & Crandall, 2005). Practitioner-patient difficulties base on beliefs has posted a lot of challenges for Haitians in America seeking healthcare services. A majority of Haitians visit doctors with the expectation that they are knowledgeable on matters of healthcare. Those health practitioners who ask a wealth of questions are thought of as having insufficient knowledge. There is immense lack of adherence to regimes during treatment as a result of Haitians’ perceived lack of urgency in relation to individual health. Families of Haitian descent are commonly matrifocal. Mothers are the ones who make important decisions in which case they have an influence on compliance. Haitians who are culturally entrenched tend to show hesitancy towards discussions involving sexual health (Mccaffrey, 2008). They believe that illnesses are a consequence of a lack of balance in nature. They, therefore, ascribe to use of homemade remedies such as oils and herbal tea which form the initial step of treatment for a majority of illnesses. Legal, ethical and moral reasoning in decisions related to improving healthcare safety Currently, Haiti’s immunization levels of DPT3 is estimated at about 53 percent. This is an indication of this country’s need for improvement as was seen during humanitarian efforts after Haiti’s earthquake. A number of publications have highlighted cases of amputation in Haiti, although none of these have documented such cases in the context of Haiti’s culture. Amputees in Haiti have survival chance socially. However, this new found disability becomes a threat in terms of morbidity together with the need to survive within the streets. Such patients face an increased risk of malnourishment, infection, and maltreatment. In addition, such patients will encounter discrimination within Haiti’s resource strained healthcare system. They further face immense difficulty in terms of getting employment. Medical practitioners encounter dilemmas in which they are forced to decide between performing an amputation and saving a life in which case the patientâ€⠄¢s prospects of living a normal life are diminished. In this case, amputations provide short-lived solutions which are coupled with long-term negative effects (Saint-Jean & Crandall, 2005). Evidence-based practice into the care of the client, the community, and the healthcare environment Evidence-based practices demand an approach that is works based on clinical as well as organizational decision-making. This involves strategies during practice based on three key sources of evidence-based practice. This includes research results, knowledge of clinical practices as well as values that patients hold dear. The main goal of this kind of practice in healthcare is to employ healthcare intervention in the process of improving healthcare access to those who seek medical attention. This will develop healthcare results for patients. Currently, few studies have been done with the aim of testing cultural congruence in terms of health interventions. Cultural competency in the care of the client, community, aging and vulnerable populations Multicultural practices in the area of human health encompass knowledge in the area of cultural diversity and worldwide views coupled with self-awareness of one’s own culture. This includes a health practitioner’s views relating to differences in culture. Multicultural assessment starts with an evaluation of cultural foci, psychological and physical as grounds on which to provide healthcare services. The cultural aspect of an assessment involves examination of ethical, socio-cultural and political elements uniquely embedded within a healthcare continuum of Haitians. One of the important aspects of assessment is communication skills in a multicultural environment.   This is made use of in order to enhance understanding during a health-illness meeting between a health provider and a patient (Saint-Jean & Crandall, 2005). Competence in health provision involving cross-cultural interaction requires the constant interest in enhancing cultural communication. Although health providers may acquire competence in relation to a number of different cultures, competency may not be wholesome. Even then, health providers are likely to acquire competency under a complex blend of knowledge of culture, attitudes, and skills. How well health practitioners become well versed in a number of different cultures depends on their knowledge of different cultures and their ability to implement care that is culturally congruent. However, a comprehensive body of research investigated cultural differences in terms of health care beliefs, values as well as practices which are meant to give guidance to health practitioners while they provide services that show congruence.   Significantly more studies need to be done in order to lower the amount of disparity in terms of healthcare provision. The cultural approaches used currently in Haiti are evocative and experimental. However, they have continued to provide grounds on which to conduct studies meant to increase health access to patients. There is an increasing sense of urgency to work out which intercessions will provide the required level of awareness of health beliefs and values. This also includes social and political aspects that have an influence on healthcare. The effect of political strife as well as globalization has led to a mass movement of Haitians to areas where health practitioners do not understand Haitians’ methods of preserving their health or treating illnesses. In this regard, research has the capacity to provide health practitioners with intervention methods that will work in a culturally assorted environment. Safety, quality, and outcomes in healthcare Deficiencies in terms of quality of health services provided in Haiti is an indication of failure in terms of practitioners compassion and insufficiencies of resources. This results in insufficient knowledge, poor application of technology. It is possible that healthcare systems in Haiti did not work towards aligning health providers incentives to local health practices (Bridges et al., 2011). However, quality of healthcare is the overarching canopy under which patient health and safety reside. Patient safety cannot be separated from the process of delivering health services. Safety practices are those that are meant to minimize the level of risk that patients are exposed to during diagnosis or any other condition. A number of safety approaches have been considered, such as the use of bar codes, simulators, and digital order entry, as some of the methods that are will help prevent errors in healthcare provision. Integration of interprofessional practice models in healthcare Interprofessional education models speak to an instructive system, a group based ordeal, and an interprofessional-recreation experience. The instructional system underlines interprofessional group building abilities, information about callings, patient-focused consideration, administration taking in, the effect of society on human services conveyance and an interprofessional clinical segment. The group based experience exhibits how interprofessional coordinated efforts give administration to patients and how the earth and accessibility of assets affect one’s wellbeing status. The interprofessional-reenactment experience depicts clinical group abilities preparing in both developmental and summative reproductions used to create aptitudes in correspondence and authority (Bridges et al., 2011). One regular topic prompting a fruitful affair among these three interprofessional models included assisting understudies with understanding their own particular expert personality while pic king up a comprehension of other proficient parts of the social insurance group. Duty from divisions and schools, different logbook understandings, curricular mapping, coach, and workforce preparing, a feeling of the group, sufficient physical space, innovation, and group connections were all distinguished as basic assets for a fruitful project. Synopsis proposals for best practices incorporated the requirement for authoritative backing, interprofessional automatic base, submitted personnel, and the acknowledgment of understudy cooperation as key segments to accomplishment for anybody building up an IPE focused system (Bridges et al., 2011). Improvement of the quality of healthcare of vulnerable populations The setting and circumstances of every case will fluctuate, and significant adaptability is required while assessing well-being and searching for markers of disregard or manhandle. Evaluations may include extended time and require a few visits from diverse experts (Mitchell, 2008). Security data is essential and may originate from an assortment of sources, including medical records, family doctors, relatives, companions, home consideration staff, neighbors, landowners, and police. Vulnerable grown-ups are frequently not approaching or dependable witnesses. They may need knowledge and deny help (Culo, 2015). Thorough geriatric evaluation ought to incorporate a customer meeting, physical examination, and audit of medicinal history and pharmaceutical utilization. Lab and radiographic studies may be clinically shown. Fundamental psychological testing and screening for the psychiatric issue are recommended. It is essential to investigate potential budgetary, physical, passionate, and sexual misuse (Hughes, 2008). Care of the client, community, aging and vulnerable populations Enhancing the nature of human services and decreasing incongruities are basic issues for wellbeing change – the basic to catch and saddle our extensive quality in this field is more grounded than at any other time. The mission of the Center for Health Care Quality is to propel examination and grant that advanced proof based consideration, with elevated regard for the needs of the underserved in Haiti (Somnath, 2008). Through cautious study, we recognize the best approaches to enhance nature of consideration at the authoritative and group levels. GCHQ’s endeavors likewise fixate on watchful quality estimation and the interpretation of proof into practice. CHCQ would work in health facility settings all through Haiti to interpret demonstrated, proof-based systems into practice. The collection of learning that is produced will bolster change over the continuum of consideration and will advise policymakers at the group, territorial, state and national levels (Board, 2012).    References Collin M. (2004). Cultural and Clinical Care for Haitians. Indian health services. http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/Haiti_Cultural_and_Clinical_Care_Presentation_Read-Only.pdf Nicolas, G and DeSilva, M.(2006). Haitian Culture. Encyclopedia of Health Care Management. Norris, A. (2005). Mechanics of Conducting Culturally Relevant HIV Prevention Research with Haitian American Adolescents: Lessons Learned, Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health, 11-11. https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/boisi/pdf/s091/Mechanics_of_Conducting_Culturally_Relevant_HIV_Prevention_R.pdf Pierre, F. (2012). Health status of Haitian Americans. 3-3. http://med.stanford.edu/schoolhealtheval/files/FPierre_HaitianAmericans.pdf Saint-Jean, G., & Crandall, L. (2005). Utilization of Preventive Care by Haitian Immigrants in Miami, Florida. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health J Immigrant Health, 7(4), 283-292. Mccaffrey, R. (2008). The Lived Experience of Haitian Older Adults’ Integration Into a Senior Center in Southeast Florida. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 33-39. Vonarx, N. (January 01, 2011). Haitian Vodou as a health care system: between magic, religion, and medicine.  Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine,  17,  5.) Culo, S. (2015). Risk assessment and intervention for vulnerable older adults | BC Medical Journal. Bcmj.org. Retrieved 3 November 2015, from http://www.bcmj.org/articles/risk-assessment-and-intervention-vulnerable-older-adults Bridges, D., Davidson, R., Soule Odegard, P., Maki, I., & Tomkowiak, J. (2011). Interprofessional collaboration: three best practice models of interprofessional education. Medical Education Online, 16(0). http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v16i0.6035 Board, I. (2012). Transition to Community Care: Models and Opportunities. National Academies Press (US). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK98460/ Hughes, R. (2008). Tools and Strategies for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality (US). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2682/ Mitchell, P. (2008). Defining Patient Safety and Quality Care. Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality (US). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2681/    Somnath Saha, L. (2008). Patient Centeredness, Cultural Competence, and Healthcare Quality. Journal Of The National Medical Association, 100(11), 1275. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824588/

Festivals of India Essay

The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. Christmas (Old English: Cristesm? sse, meaning â€Å"Christ’s Mass†) is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observedholiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by millions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide, which ends after the twelfth night. Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world’s nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season. Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious occasions for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of India in a myriad of cultural forms, with great devotion, fervour, and gaiety. It is a harvest festival. Makar Sankranti is perhaps the only Indian festival whose date always falls on the same day every year: 14 January, with some exceptions, when the festival is celebrated on 13 January or 15 January. Makar Sankranti is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India. The Dasara festivities began with the Vijayanagar kings as early as the 15th Century. A Persian ambassador, Abdur Razzaq, reported the Dasara observance (originally Mahanavami) in Vijayanagara during his mission to India in his book entitled Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain (The Rise of the Two auspicious constellations and the Confluence of the Two Oceans), a major work which contained an overview of the history of this part of the world from 1304 to 1470. After the fall of the Vijayanagar kingdom, the Wodeyars of Mysore continued the Dasara Festival, initially by Raja Wodeyar I (1578-1617 CE) in the year 1610 atSrirangapatna. The Mysore Palace is illuminated on all the 10 days of Dasara. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine ights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The tenth day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or â€Å"Dussehra. † Navratri is a very important and major festival in the western states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka during which the traditional dance of Gujarat called â€Å"Garba† is widely performed. This festival is celebrated with great zeal in North India as well, including Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and the northern state of Punjab. Rakhi is a festival that is dedicated entirely to celebrate and appreciate the love and affection that exist between a beautiful relationship between a brother and a sister. There are so many festivals in India but Rakhi is one that everyone across the country awaits for. On this day sisters tie a ‘Rakhi’ which is a decorated thread on to their brother’s hand and pray for their long life. Brothers, in turn, give their sisters gifts and vow that they will protect and care for them. Thus all brothers and sisters across all the religions celebrate this day with great enthusiasm.

Write a America's deficit. Except Critical Thinking Deficit,The Essay

Write a America's deficit. Except Critical Thinking Deficit,The Imagination Deficit and Political Deficits(The Democracy Deficit) - Essay Example In this regard, America has developed significant critical thinking deficits. This entails the ability to envisage possible alternatives to the existing problems or solutions. This has led to more problems in managing/utilising the available resources when direly needed. Historically, America had great leaders who were both knowledgeable and fostered critical thinking. However, with time, these leaders created a political system that dampened a free thinking society, where in the long run, the voiceless members of the society were separated from the public sphere. In particular, the government was insulated from political scrutiny and the unrepresented groups did not find a chance to express their critical thoughts or grievances to the government. As much as the American government pushed for equality in one hand, critical thinking deficit kept haunting them in the other hand. For example, the religious tests for public office were banned in the constitution and separation of the church and the state was made formal in the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom. This was a real form of critical thinking deficit of the members of the public – no one was allowed to think about this terrible move or provide a reasonable alternat ive. The people of America did not get a chance to exercise their critical thinking skills in the activities taking place in their very eyes. It is clear that minds that cannot see the truth behind forms of political deception cannot present prospective thoughts. For example, the 9/11 event left everyone murmuring, with critical thinking advances getting strategically destroyed in a bid to kill critical thinking and bury the truth behind the attack (Dower & Hein 4). This was, in addition to the dampening of the calls for formulating constructive and reasonable approaches to the problem. Finally, critical thinking deficit is evident when America went to war in Afghanistan.

The Effects of rewards on employee motivation Essay

The Effects of rewards on employee motivation - Essay Example As researches at the work level have shown, however, these needs for external rank or status are not the only needs which the worker brings to his work situation. Research has also shown the importance to the worker of the need to belong, to be liked, and to be an accepted member of a group. These member or internal rewards are thus highly prized by the worker (Reed 32). To become an accepted or high-ranking member of a work group, however, exacts its toll or cost: one must abide by its values and norms. But by abiding by its values and norms, the member's needs for association, friendship, approval, and support are satisfied. His standing or rank in the eyes of his fellow workers also goes up (Schuler 78). "The components of the motivation function include motivation theories, appropriate job design, reward and incentive systems, compensation, and benefits" (DeCenzo and Robbins 51). The terms "external" as applied to the concept of needs or rewards refer primarily to the source, organizationally speaking, through which individual needs tend to be satisfied (Schuler 79). The external needs include the need for economic rewards such as pay and job security. Through these economic rewards, of course, the individual satisfies many physical and biological needs which are elementary in human survival and adaptation. The external needs also include the need for status and to be engaged in interesting work; that is, to satisfy the desire to do work that tests competence and expresses some creative ability in individuals. In modern industry most of the needs included in the external category are associated with the larger organization and the management union structure (Reed 33). Management generally decides what and how work is to be done. Armstrong and Murlis (2007) underlines that: "aim is to offer a value proposition and maximize the combined impact of a wide range of reward initiatives on motivation, commitment and job engagement" (12). Through the process of collective bargaining, an organization-wide pay structure is established, setting the level of pay for various tasks. Similarly, other economic policies are established which determine the conditions of work which are external to the individual and the small group of which he is a part. At times, consequently, researchers call the external rewards "reward by management" (Reed 40; Lashaway-Bokina 225). Motivation is defined as a psychological force, analogous to a physical force in that it is a vector quantity possessing both magnitude and direction. Motivation is the amount of effort that one desires to expend in a given direction. The amount of effort one does expend to reach a goal is assumed, in the absence of the imposition of constraints on effort expenditure, to be in direct proportion to the amount of effort one desires to expend (Reed 40). Alternatively stated, and again neglecting constraints, the amount of eff

Economics of war Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics of war - Research Paper Example The causes of war have been different over the years and so have been their consequences. While come believe that wars are wrong no matter why they are caused and what is gained out of them; others believe that all’s well that ends well. But wars have never ended in good only. When it has resulted in a power fight and one nation seems to have won it, it has also lost the blood of many of its dedicated soldiers and other innocent nationals of its area. These days, almost every nation is equipped with nuclear weaponry making wars more deadly than ever. The first nuclear attack in the world was on Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the time of the end of World War 1. It marked the end of these cities and the civilizations that nurtured there. With the years going by, nuclear weaponry has only improved, thereby, indicating that now if one nation decided to blow up another using its nuclear power, it most likely to destruct a large part of the globe (Poast, 115). Indeed, the loss will be mu ch greater in emotional, financial and earthy sense than anyone can imagine. This is why it is very important for nations to carefully understand the economics of war before indulging themselves in such an activity. We are here not only to conquer places and make money but also to learn to live in harmony with each other. Every nation, color, creed and civilization is different from the other but this is no excuse for a war, we need to understand and accept these differences and in fact cherish them (Walzer, 200). Economics of war The most fundamental concept of Economics is of opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is the cost of what we forgo for what we gain or hope to gain from anything that we consume or purchase or decide about. For example, if a nation wishes to indulge in a war with another nation, it needs to first evaluate what it may gain. It may achieve success, money, land, power, slaves etc. it also needs to evaluate what it may lose in the process. And it may lose all tha t it may gain in addition to the lives of many innocent people. Also, it would waste its time and resources which may have been put to better use otherwise(Arnson, 45). Thus this evaluation of economics of war is essential for all the nations today. Any nation that decides to posing a war without thinking of its consequences will be doing more harm to itself and the world than it can imagine. Wastage of scarce resources The world is full of scarce resources. We need to use them very carefully or we will deprive ourselves and our coming generations of blessings like electricity, locomotives and other machines that make our lives much easier. Wars on the other hand require a lot of resources, a lot more than we can otherwise imagine consuming in the same time frame. Thus, when indulging in warfare, a country needs to be sure what it is at the risk of losing. Weaponry is expensive so is fuel that is used to drive large tanks and nuclear weapons and missiles are very expensive and destr uctive. A country may very well use the economic resources that it plans on warfare to improving its own nation’s industries, roads, parks and other national amenities thereby improving the living standard of its nationals (Egnal, 314). The world is a global village. We all live in a very interrelated surrounding. The ecosystem is balanced because one thing supports the other. It is all like a large heap of books, one on the other. The war may be a blow

Batian Food and Wine Festival Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Batian Food and Wine Festival - Case Study Example In total the event attracted over 50,000 participants. The festival had been so well managed by the use of the SWOT analysis, HR management, financial management, marketing and promotion, sponsorship, and risk management. Good organization and management were the key pillars that led to the success of the festival. Batian food and wine festival is one of the most tremendous festivals have ever experienced. The festival involved a three day event in which there were various presentations of traditional food recipes and wines. Some of the events included brilliant musical productions, theater, gospel music's, historic presentations, wine and food presentations/techniques which were presented to the guests who had been welcomed to witness this gratifying event. The festival began with a traditional wine tasting competition which was aimed at sampling the best wine presented in the festival. This was done by professional wine tasters. The festival brought together different communities from different parts of the world. There were wine tasters from each community. The main theme of the festival was to educate people on the various traditional techniques which are used to prepare foods and wines and hence increase their knowledge on food and wine. One of the key entry criteria for the event was that each community that participated had to present a unique type of food and wine and their production technique. One each day of the event there were different activity that was performed. For the first day, there was wine sampling and tasting. Then on the second day, there was sampling of food and their recipes. On the third day, the finals were held and judgment delivered. (Abel, 2000). January 25th 2005 This was the first day of the festival. Since all the entries had been made earlier, there was no issue of registration on the first day. There was exclusive wine sampling and tasting along the beach. All the participants aligned their wine in shades and the tasters who were about 50 went from shade to shade. The day one event started at 6:30 PM and continued till late at night. After the tasters had visited all the shades, the participants were then allowed to try their buds on different sampled wines since they had a chance to vote for the best wine also. There were more than 83 wine varieties which were presented in the festival. There were traditional dances to spice up the festival. At the end of the day, every one seemed a bit tipsy. Every one was jovial while the paned of wine tasters confined themselves in a closed room where they were making their deliberations. The results were not released on that day since they had to wait for the results of the voting from the participants as well (Abraham, 2000). January 26th 2005 The event started at 8:00 Am but this was abit different from the day one event. This was a chance for the best chefs from the communities to test one another. It was during this day when so many levels of competitions were presented on the types of cooks and wines which these professional could make. It was also during this day when all those professional chefs had been invited for the festival so that they could try and compete at their many levels of cooking (Abraham, 2000). The chefs lined up with recipes in shades. Food competitions were organized in modern

Alcan write up Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alcan write up - Case Study Example The five decision areas from the Weill and Ross Model of IT governance are given below. Furthermore, they are being discussed in the light of Alcan and how different governance styles are used in these 5 decision areas. IT infra structure strategies are a decision area where it is decided how Alcan will build shared services. Ouellette is involved and active in forming strategies. Earlier there was no proper IT infrastructure or related strategies. IT architecture is a decision area in which it is decided what technical guidelines will be used. For IT architecture decisions, Federal style is used in Alcan. That is, one chief officer and at least one business unit leader are at work. Governance is structured in this at Alcan because there had been no supervisor/leader for IT for about a year at Alcan. Plus, there is decentralization to such an extent that one department does not know what the other department is doing and how. If I were the CIO of Alcan, I would involve the other heads of different departments and would have a meeting with them all regarding every IT project so that they can tell what they think about the project. Moreover, they might be able to help improve the project because of their insight regarding customers, market and Alcan’s products. I would have gone for IT monarchy instead of just Ouellette being the strategy maker. Much as Ouellette’s Strategies are good and worthwhile, the whole monarchy will be able to better help in formulating the strategies. Here other departments’ heads and IT heads should gather in order to design business application. This is because heads of departments will be better able to tell about customers’ demands and market trends etc. Thus they will be able to give all the relevant non-technical information that will be required at Alcan for the formulation of business applications. The style Alcan follows for IT investment and

Explanation essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Explanation - Essay Example These simplistic definitions of lying suggest that lying is a part of the communication process; lying is originated by the information sender; lying targets the information recipient, but there are no indications of the causes of lying (the reasons of lying). Researchers have long studied the characteristics of lying, but what is most important is to trace the reasons for lying; in essence to understand why people lie. This paper focuses on three propositions for the reasons for lying: lying as a product of an individual’s intention to withhold truthful information in order to deceive others, lying as an intention to prevent others from ‘injury’ or harm and lying as an unconscious practice where the individual who lies is not aware of lying. Lying often occurs in the communication process between individuals when one of the individuals has an interest in deceiving the other. It is very common that people will tell lies in order to produce false assumptions or false beliefs in their friends, families, peers or anyone with whom they communicate. According to Carson, this is the first and most important reason for lying, because individuals have in their nature the tendency to compete with each other, and thus lying can provide a relatively better position to one person against the other (48). Paul Faulkner, in his journal What Is Wrong with Lying, agrees with the view of Carson, and states that one of the most common reasons for lying is to make the others believe that what they are told is true while in fact it is false (536). Lying under the intention to deceive the listener can be viewed from different perspectives; lying to make the other person view a subject or an issue just like the person who is lying or lying in order to avoid the other person’s realization of the truth. For example, a child may lie to his or her parents in order to avoid

Involvement of USA in Korean War Essay Example for Free

Involvement of USA in Korean War Essay Different from its involvement in the Vietnam War? In the 40à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s onwards USA got interested in Asian affairs. Taking into account the fact that they were not defending themselves or any other American ally, they had to further extend territorial boundaries to fall on political-ideological frontiers. Indeed, they were defending its territory from enemies in a new scale: the fear against the developing communism over the world. In these lines, Korea and Vietnam portrayed two international hotspots now focused on Asia, as the stage within the fight of the two global powers: USA and the Soviet Union. Anyways, were the circumstances by which USA faced communism in both countries different? First of all, the background in South-East Asia determined in great scale American intervention in the area, since either country were occupied by other foreign powers: while Korea was under Japanese domination, Vietnam still remained part of the French empire (later becoming member of the French Union). The first case of Korea was already been the stage of the war between democracy and communism. USA was quite anxious since the conflict that had already happened in Germany and the one that was going on in Turkey and Greece, both cases falling under soviet beliefs. After the defeat of the Chinese Kuomintang in 1949, by communist Mao, American leaders began fearing that the rapid spread of the system around the world would be successful one more time in Asia. Thus, USA decided to risk and try obtaining new territory that would give them an ally in East Asia, which, in turn, would give it time to plan more attempts and new victory against communism. Thus, they fought against the Japanese settlement as an excuse to free the territory in the name of democracy. However, the Soviet Union was also very interested in the area for the same reasons: a new ally and victory against capitalism. Anyways, the whole territory was firstly freed under the name of United Nations, towards democracy, for support free peoples who are resenting attempt subjugation. However both powers claimed their part very soon. Both powers set up a divisor line along the 38th parallel, where the North would be under Soviet aim and the South by American intervention. Then, although elections were held in South Korea (August 1938) supported by UN, Russia rejected to do so in the North. The South became the independent Republic of Korea and the North adopted the name of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, very much in the lines of Chinese system. The tension now remained very high at either sides of the line. Since the president of North Korea by the time, Kin IL Sung might have been encouraged by the Chinese government and Russia with military supplies to test USA President, Trumans determination, showing him that communism was the dominant power in Pacific Asia, also with the promise of spreading further very soon. At that stage, the domino theory was beginning in American minds. This concept applies to the idea that the fall of one state to a common system would lead inexorably to a series of the same. Therefore, if communism triumphed in China and Korea was already under its influence, the wave could have an unlimited repercussion in the entire area of South-East Asia. Thus, behind these ideas, American troops were ordered to Korea to withdraw North Koreans troops after their invasion in the south republic, together with forces from another 14 countries all under the command of General McArthur. However, afterwards, South Korea was almost taken by North Korea troops but American troops regained control in the territory later and also two thirds of North Korea, in its advance northwards. With this movement, they eventually placed a fleet between Taiwan and China mainland. Thus, China now feared them to help Chiang Kai-Shek troops from the island to come again and conquer the region of Manchuria as the most important industrial and strategic area. This attempt, if successful, would cut off the problem of communism in Asia, since China would turn back to democracy and therefore either North Korea would remain isolated or without Chinese help, she would not be able to survive in the area for long. These reasons made the Chinese government launch a massive counter offensive in 1951 that captured South Korea capital again. Now McArthur was afraid of Chinese power and thought that the best strategy to defeat communism in the area was only possible with atomic bombs. With this new horizon within the fight, president Truman feared a large-scale war that would provoke a nuclear war, which USA did not want. It pointed out the American limitations that would enclose them within the fight: they feared communism because the nuclear power that could destroy them, but the only force capable to defeat it was their nuclear power, something that, however, they could not use since it would drag them into a fatal war. Thus, now, the only American possibility focused to settle in East Asia to contain communism there: in January 1951 UN troops expelled the North Koreans troops from South Korea and fortified the frontier, until in July 1953, both countries firmed a peace agreement that stated the limit at the 38th parallel. After American impossibility for annexation of territories in East Asia, the new step had to be focused in the South, due to the independence of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from the French Union (Geneva Agreement, 1954). Then, Vietnam was temporarily divided into two countries, and analogously as Korea, the frontier was established at another parallel, in this case the 17th one. In 1956, elections were to be held in the whole country, but they never were and only in South Vietnam a referendum was held in 1955, which gave Ngo Dinh Diem as the president. He did not want to hold elections for the whole country and USA, with Eisenhower as the new president feared much more intensely the domino effect. Moreover, Diem was unable to rule the country, mainly because he was very unpopular among the peasants, which furthover, in the future encouraged unwilling towards American presence in the south and appetence for communism. At this stage the Vietcong (the guerrillas) in the south were receiving supplies, equipment and troops from North Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, who was leader of the resistance against French Union and who wanted communism to rule the country, thought that giving aid to South Vietnam against Diem, national elections would not be held and to unify the countries forces would be necessary. Thus, the next American presidencies had to launch a very strong campaign to stop the communism wave in Vietnam: -Kennedy (1961-3) tried to keep American involvement against the guerrilla, by sending advisors, military equipment and enclosing local peasants into fortified villages to isolate the Vietcong outside. However, this failed since most of the peasants were members of the Vietcong. -Johnson (1963-9) decided to bomb North Vietnam (1965), as he thought that Ho Chi Minh controlled directly the Vietcong. He also sent half million troops in the south. However, due to the great pressure of American public against the war, since they saw the conflict as a total failure, Johnson stopped the bombing in March 1968, although he did not want to withdraw. -Nixon (1969-74) based his plan in the new concept of Vietnamization: As public opinion did not allow him to send more troops to Vietnam, he would use the ones that were already there to re-army the Vietnamese army keep their own defence. That would allow gradually American troops to withdraw. However, he began a new wave of bombing in the north, but this time including Cambodia and Laos, as they were receiving supplies and troops from North Vietnam. Despite all the measures and policies, at the end of 1972, the Vietcong controlled almost the entire territory and several factors obligated the American intervention to reach the end. Eventually a ceasefire was agreed in January 1973. Then, American troops were withdrawn and in 1975 the Vietcong unified the whole country under a communism government by occupying Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Also in Laos and Cambodia the system was established the same year. Taking all these explanations into account, I can state that there were slight differences between the American policies in both the Korean and the Vietnamese wars. The main reason was the potential force used in each one, and China played an important part. It applies to the fact that the attack against them was not as ruthless as in Vietnam, mainly due to Chinese power. While in Vietnam neither China nor Russia supported the army as directly as in Vietnam, in Korea China was directly involved since the problem was slighted related with the relationship between USA and Chiang Kai-Shek troops. For China, American troops recovered Manchuria, they would give back China mainland to them. Communist China was not willing to accept that, and USA knew that she was capable of fighting bravely to an extent that USA did not want to test, since the split of the Sino-Soviet agreement left China in an uncertain situation from the international point of view: We do not want the fighting in Korea to expand into a general war. Therefore, American government did not risk indeed and the only price was to lose North Korea. Nevertheless, in Vietnam they could use a more violent system as they communist China was already established and did not fear USA any more. Moreover, the conflict was seen under UN eyes: solely for the purpose of restoring the Republic to its status prior to the invasion. For international support, it was a fight towards the human rights, since North Korea under communism did not want to hold elections. However, UN never supported the war in Vietnam and the international view of the war and American methods to be victorious pressed the government to reach the end of the conflict. Therefore, differences between the both wars was mainly due to internal factors of each country, but especially the foreign intervention that encouraged or restrained American actions to act in one way or another.

Factors affecting the resistance of a wire Essay Example for Free

Factors affecting the resistance of a wire Essay Theory: When an object is lifted up, work is done. Once the object is in the raised position, it has gravitational potential energy. The energy it is has is the same as the work done to get there. When the ball is lifted to the height it will be dropped from it will, therefore, gain gravitational potential energy. This means that when my ball is in the raised position it will have gravitational potential energy. The equation for this is: Potential energy = Mass x gravity x height When the ball is dropped this is converted into K. The equation for this is: Kinetic Energy = 1/2 x mass x velocity2. However, the energy transfer is not perfect. Some of the energy will be wasted as non-useful energy, mainly heat and sound. This means that when the ball bounces upwards again, it will not have as much energy as when it was dropped and will therefore not bounce up to the same height. Because some of the energy is wasted as heat and sound. The amount of kinetic energy at the end is always less than the amount of potential energy you had to start with. This means that the ball will not bounce up as high, and therefore not have as much potential energy as it started with. Prediction: In this investigation I will investigate the percentage energy loss when a ball bounces. The variables that could affect the amount of energy lost are:   The height the ball is dropped from. The type of ball used   The size of the ball The temperature of the ball.   The type of surface the ball is dropped on. The height the ball is dropped from will affect the energy lost because the higher the ball is dropped from the more force it will it the surface with, and therefore the more power it will lose through sound, vibrations, and heat. The type of ball I use will effect my results, because some balls will have more elasticity than others, causing them to bounce higher. Also, balls will have different levels of pressure inside them. The higher pressure is the higher the speed of the molecules. When the molecules go at a higher speed they will have more kinetic energy, so the molecules will hit the walls with a greater frequency and force, and so the pressure on the walls will increase. This will make the ball bounce higher because it will hold more energy. The size of the balls will effect my results because Force=Pressure x Area so a change in area would also cause a change in force. The temperature of the ball will effect my results because if there is a higher temperature then the molecules will move at a greater speed and the ball will have more energy causing it to bounce higher. The surface I drop my ball onto will effect the amount of energy lost because some surfaces, like softer surface, will absorb more energy and cause the ball not to bounce up as high. To ensure a fair test I will choose one variable to change, and keep the others constant throughout the investigation. There are other variables that could effect the outcome of my investigation, for example gravity. However, gravity is always constant on the earth, and is a force of about 9. 8 m/s2. This would be too hard for me to change in a classroom situation. I will also not exert any force on the ball other than those already acting on it, because it would be to hard to keep the force constant, and would mean the test was not fair. For this investigation I will only change the height the ball is dropped from. I have chosen to use the height because, although all the variables are hard to accurately measure, height is easier than the others. Height is also a constant variable (unlike, type of ball or type of surface dropped on), which will help me when recording my results. Using a variable that I can measure fairly accurately will help ensure a fair test. By investigating the percentage of energy lost when I drop the balls from different heights, I will be able to see if there is a relationship between bounce height and drop height. This is also the relationship between potential energy and kinetic energy. Because some of the energy will be transferred into non-useful energy, mainly heat and sound, I do no think the ball will bounce up to the same height as it is dropped from. I think that the percentage of energy lost will remain approximately the same no matter what height I drop the ball from. This is because the amount of energy lost to non-useful energy such as heat and sound is proportional to the gravitational potential energy the ball has to start with. Method: I will drop my balls from various heights up to a meter. (The Heights I will use will be: 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and 100cm) I will then record how high they bounce up on the next bounce. I will do each experiment 3 times and take an average to ensure I have accurate results. I will time all my experiments using a stopwatch. I learnt in my preliminary work, that if I drop a ball from lower than 40cm it is very hard to measure the bounce height. This is why I have left out the bottom height which would have been 20cm. I will try and drop the balls straight downwards because this will make it easier when I measure the height they bounce up to, as I wont have to move the ruler too much. This will also ensure a fair test, as my results will be more accurate if I am not moving the meter rule, as moving it could mean it is not entirely straight and would cause me to take an inaccurate measurement. I will not exert any force on the balls as I drop then, because it would be virtually impossible to keep the force constant, and would therefore make my results unreliable. I will calculate how much energy my balls have using the equation PE = mgh, this will be PE1. I will then drop my ball and record the height it bounces up to. I will then record its potential energy, again using the formula PE = mgh, this will be PE2. I will then find the percentage of energy they have lost using the formula.

Representation Matters in Semiotic Approach

Representation Matters in Semiotic Approach According to Hall (1997), Representation is the production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language. [†¦] The relation between things, concepts and signs lies at the heart of the production of meaning in language. [†¦] Language is therefore the system of representation involved in the overall process of constructing meaning. His representation study is lighted with wisdom from Saussures theory whose significant contribution was the point of way of signs the meanings production, negative of reflection or intentionality and building up the constructionist approach. For Saussure, the production of meaning depends on language and to be a sign system, language was associated this two element the signifier and the signified. (Culler, 1976, cited in Hall, 1997) Saussure gave his model of representation shifting from linguistics to semiotics. People fix the meaning by the signifier correlating with the signified which simultaneously involves our cultural and li nguistic codes and this is the process to achieve the representation as well. In Saussures study, the emphasis was put on the various general rules and codes of the linguistic system. The connection provided by the codes between the signifier and the signified produced signs; and signs, organized into languages, created meanings. This formed the way to constructionist thought. Later with the development of Myth theory which was based on the model of representation provided by Saussure, Roland Barthes, the French critic, suggests that signs can be constructed into levels. The first, completed meaning functions as the signifier in the second stage of the representation process, and when linked with a wider there by a reader, yields a second, more elaborate and ideologically framed message or meaning. (Hall, 1997:39) Barthes called the second level of signification the level of myth or meta-language. These two theories indicate the semiotic approach provides a method for analyzing how representations convey meaning. Hall uses the concept of representation to discuss the origin of the objects cultural meaning and analyzes that the objects by themselves do not mean anything; meanings are generated and constructed by language or other cultural signs processed through language. He defined representation is the production of the meaning of concepts in our minds through language. It is the link between concepts and language which enables us to refer to either the real world of objects, people or events, or indeed to imaginary worlds of fictional objects, people and events. (Hall, 1997:17) In brief, representation is the procedure of connecting with objects, conceptual map in our mind and language cultural symbols. There are two representation systems existing. In the first system, mental representations which we carry around in our heads present various objects and turning to the second system a set of signs stand for these conceptual maps. Furthermore, the practices of representation imply the embody ing of concepts, ideas and emotions in a symbolic form can be transmitted and meaningfully interpreted. Meaning must enter the domain of these practices, if it is to circulate effectively within a culture. (Hall, 1997:10) With the combination of Halls theory, representation can be regarded as presenting objects through language or other symbols and produce some relative cultural meanings and values; moreover representation has a share in production, multiplication, exchange and circulation of the whole cultural meanings and values system. Under the framework of Halls theory, the significance of representation practice is that it is involved in the production and circulation of cultural meanings and values system. He defines culture as a sharing meaning or a sharing conceptual map. That reveals culture is just like meaning sea and social or group members are like fish in it; they produce and exchange from each other. This view is basically rooted on culture concept of Raymond Williams who regards as a particular way of life, which expresses certain meanings and values not only in are and learning but also in institutions and ordinary behavior. (1961: 41) Hall then transformed Williams meanings and values into more symbolic meanings and inherited Williams cultural materialism on culture status and function. Culture has been judged as a fact with economy and politics to construct the whole society production instead of a negative reflection or accessory for economical and political process. Cultural meanings and values s ystem have practice effect to build up rules, standards and customs which regularize social life and order human behavior. After being decoded, the meanings and values in cultural representation production change into consciousness and practice. Given this definition, Halls cultural representation theory highlights the areas of cultural symbols in social life in an important position. The Politicsthe discursive approach In French philosopher Michel Foucaults research, he prefers regarding representation as an origin of social knowledge production and put emphasis on the method of knowledge produced by discourse rather than Saussures linguistic model which focuses on the representation process itself. Comparing with the semiotic approach, Foucaults theory firmly bases on history and pays more attention on historical specificity. He concerned relations of power, not relations of meaning, so the main matter changed from language to discourse. Discourse, power and the subject is three major ideas demonstrated by Foucault about the discursive approach to representation.(Hall, 1997:43) The first term-discourse was treated as a representation system by Foucault. He points out that the object has its objective existence, but except discourse the object has no meaning. In another word, only when the object is in its discourse can it be the target to knowledge. The existence of discourse needs historical context which means, in each period, the modality of knowledge produced by discourse and its object, subject and practice is dramatic changed over time and vitally there is no necessary connection in. For example, in our ancestors language structure they explained natural phenomenon like windy, rainy and thunder by fairy tale or the method of imagination, by contrast, we today explain them by scientific or observation way. It is more remarkable in the particular social identity and ethics meanings made up by human language structure: male and female, white and black, ruler and ruled. They all changed with society and culture changed. Talking about the concept of power and knowledge, Foucaults view is different from the theory of Marxism. Foucault believes that in all of classic Marxism, relationship between knowledge and power simplified to a class of power and class interests was due to establish its own truth concept.(Hall, 1997:48) Although Foucault did not deny the existence of classes, he did not believe beyond any discourse game there existed truth. His definition of the ideology is similar on Gramscis cultural hegemony theory. Introducing the theory of ideology into representation theory embodies Halls resistance and critical consciousness of vulgar Marxist theory on ideology and economic determinants. Furthermore, in Foucaults opinion, knowledge and meaning of an object are not only related to their discourse but also related to dominant power and power does not function in the form of a chain it circulates. It is never monopolized by one centre. It is deployed and exercised through a net-like organizati on.'(1980:98) Discourse produces the subject by itself; on the other hand, it produces a position for the subject like reader and viewer. In the cultural representation system, there is a wide variety of subject positions for instance the submissive wife and obedient slaves and there are many characters who are regarded as good, such as the image of Faust, Prometheus and Confucius. Although our identities are constrained by the structural relationship of social order, these images carrying cultural significance and values can be cultural resources which establish and update our own subjectivity. Overall, the cultural representation system is the mainstream values and ideologies of production and operation of the site, and it is the main social individual symbolic resource in its own copy of the values of culture and ideology. However, there are some cultural texts manage an abnormal discourse and practice in its representation to create a lot of rebellion, revolution, anomaly and even unreasonable characters. These characters tend not to follow the rules and break the old, outdated values and identities so that they or their representatives become a new social order or a new value of the cultural heroes, such as a rebellious slave consciousness or a self-conscious woman. It allowed us to recognize that knowledge is always a form of power. Concluded from the two approaches-the semiotic approach and the discursive approach, the concept of representation, from a cultural point, is a cultural significance creation by various symbols in the text or image and this process is involved in the whole field of the production and distribution of cultural symbols; representation no longer analyses the extension of power relations in the field of symbolic representation through epistemological sense of right and wrong, but on the angle of discourse power, meaning disputation and symbol distribution in cultural representation field; representation emphasizes the social environment and cultural institutions of cultural representation practice and regards a cultural text as a symptom making out of the entire social and cultural environment which implies a sociological perspective to analyze the path of cultural representation issues; representation focuses on the cultural symbols involved in real life function, while representation is the way for the value concept which is produced in social life to flow in the field of cultural symbols and it is the main symbolic resource for social individual forming their own identity. People are largely dependent on the subject position in cultural representation to be a man or a woman, as a specific person. In this sense, representation constructs our world of meaning.

The Classroom: An Intellectual Community :: Education Teaching Essays

The Classroom: An Intellectual Community -Perhaps I should have become a professor of Literature rather than a teacher, but for me that would be taking the easy way out. Literature promotes the discussion of ideas, something which most other subjects to do not. So, I want to take those aspects of the college classroom which have most affected my learning process and apply them at a high school level. I believe that the healthiest classroom situation comes not from a philosophy of teaching, but a philosophy of learning. To apply a philosophy to the teaching to literature, then, will be a gradual process for me as I spend more and more time in the classroom. What I do know thus far is that engaging students is crucial—they must be actively listening as well as participating. There needs to be a balance between listening and discussing. Because literature can be so subjective, it is important that I create an environment in which the student feels comfortable with forming and expressing his or her own observations and conclusion, not merely saying what they think I want to hear. If I can accomplish making this type of an environment for learning, I believe that students will be able to learn about an array of ideas about ideas, other people, and themselves. Conflict is essential: both within the classroom and within the subject. Not only do I want to facilitate honest discussion of texts and ideas, but I want to be able to present those conflicts that we may find in the texts themselves. Through these discussions, I hope to encourage my literature and composition students to think of themselves as producers and transmitters of culture rather than as just consumers. They get to have and express their own ideas as well as have their own opinions about someone else’s. This is what reading and writing are about, and as a teacher I feel it is important to teach this by example. I will need to throw myself out there as well, even if that means addressing those subjects which I may feel uncomfortable with. In an attempt to keep students actively involved, I may turn to the internet as a source of learning. In my own experience here at college I had a professor who required us to keep up discussions via the internet. She had a discussion board where students could tell of their interpretations and findings within our readings.

crtical thinking paper -- essays research papers

There is a South African Proverb that states "Until lions write books, history will always glorify the hunter". In his play "Los Vendidos", Luis Valdez tries to become a lion and let the voice of Chicano history be heard. Luis Valdez does this in a satirical way by presenting the views and stereotypes that many American’s have had and continue to have, about Chicano’s in the form of a shop where Chicano "model/robots" are sold. By presenting each Chicano as a robot and stereotype, Luis Valdez tries to earse of the "models" of Chicano’s that people have in their heads and tries to point out that there is a strong Chicano culture and a rich history that has been ignored by American’s for years. "Los Vendidos" is a challenge to all people but especially American’s to think about why these stereotypes are so known in culture and the role that American culture has played in creating and maintaining these stereotypes. One of the first things that Ms. Jimanez, the American woman "buying" a Chicano model/robot, looks at is the skin color. When the salesman, Mr. Sancho shows her the Indian model she says that he is too dark. She specifies that she is looking for a lighter shade of skin color, or as she says "perhaps beige". Her looking for a lighter shade of Mexican is a representation of what was known as the process of Americanization. Americanization was defined "as the securing through instruction such reactions on the part of non-Americans that they will accept and practice those ideals, customs, methods of living, skills and knowledge that have come to be accepted as representative of the best in American life†¦." For many people there was a belief that the darkness of a person’s skin had a direct correlation with their intelligence as well as their level of ability and intelligence. If you had darker skin you were assumed to be lazy and unintelligent. This special kind of racism known as hispanophobia, had been prevalent among Anglo-Americans since before the eighteenth century. In his article The Spanish Frontier in North America, David Weber describes what came to be known as the black legend, or la leyenda negra, as the view that the "Spaniards were unusually cruel, avaricious, treacherous, fanatical, superstitious, cowardly, corrupt, decadent, indolent and authoritarian†¦... ...a very polite gentleman who speaks fluent English and can give political speeches that are not as radical as the ones that were given in the 1950’s to the 1970’s. Eric’s skin, which is a light brown, is a way of depicting the fact that Chicano's are becoming more and more Americanized and in many ways serves as a warning to future generations of Chicano’s to not Americanize themselves to the point where they lose their heritage. In this sense, Luis Valdez and the Teatro Compesina, become lions in a sense and they re-write history. They show their audience some of the stereotypes and hispanophobia that has up until now, been Chicano history. In doing so Luis Valdez presents the other view and challenges people to think about where, why, who, when and how these stereotypes came to be. "Los Vendidos" challenges the notion of the Anglo-Europeans’ being the only ones that have written history, and by doing so lets the audience know that wha t has been presented to them thus far is not the real Chicano history. The real Chicano history must come from the lions themselves. It is in this way that Luis Valdez himself rewrites Chicano history and becomes a lion facing his hunters.

Dfdfff

Information for patients The department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology looks after only women patients. Obstetrics deals with pregnancy and child birth. An obstetrician gives pre pregnancy counseling, looks after the woman and her baby during pregnancy, helps with child birth and looks after the woman for six weeks after delivery. A gynaecologist looks after women with diseases of the reproductive system. These include period problems, infections, benign tumours like fibroids and ovarian cysts and cancers.Women wanting to conceive are looked after by the Reproductive Medicine Unit which will look after the gynaecological problems of these women also. The department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology now have five units. The outpatient days and contact details of the five units are given below. |OG unit 1 |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gynaecology and Gynae cancer | |Phone No: |  Ã‚  Ã‚  0416 – 2283395 | |Email : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  [email  protected] ac. n | |OPD days : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mondays & Thurdays | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Menopause clinic on Wednesday afternoon | |Faculty : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Abraham Peedicayil (Professor & Head of the Unit) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Alice George (Professor ) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr.Rachel Chandy (Professor) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Anitha Thomas (Asst. Professor) | |   |   | |OG unit 2 |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gynaecology and Urogynaecology | |Phone No: |  Ã‚  Ã‚  0416 – 2283397 |Email : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  [email  protected] ac. in | |OPD days : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tuesdays & Fridays | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Female Continence clinic on Wednesday | |Faculty : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Aruna Kekre (Professor & Head of the Unit) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr.Lilly Varghese (Professor) | |   |   | |OG unit 3 |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obstetrics & Gynaecology | |Phone No: |  Ã‚  Ã‚  0416 – 2283399 | |Email : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  [email  protected] c. in | |OPD days : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wednesday & Saturday | |Faculty : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Annie Regi (Professor & Head of the Unit) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Jessie Lionel (Professor – On leave) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr.Elsy Thomas (Asst Professor) | |   |   | |OG unit 4 |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obstetrics | |Phone No: |  Ã‚  Ã‚  0416 – 2286185 | |Email : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  [email  protected] ac. in | |OPD days : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tuesday & Friday | |Faculty : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr.Ruby Jose (Professor & Head of the Unit) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Reeta Vijayaselvi (Asst Professor) | |   |   | |OG unit 5 |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obstetrics | |Phone No: |  Ã‚  Ã‚  0416 – 2286172 | |Email :   Ã‚  Ã‚  [email  protected] ac. in | |OPD days : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monday & Thursday | |Faculty : |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Jiji Elizabeth Mathews (Professor & Head of the Unit) | |   |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Bivas Biswas (Asst Professor -On leave) | |   |   |Special clinics run by the department Female Continence Clinic  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Wednesday – 8. 00 am , Room 2 & 3 in OG OPD Caters to women with urinary and defaecation problems Menopause clinic  with gynaecologists and endocrinologists – Caters to women after menopause – Wednesday 2. 30 p. m. , Room 22 & 23 in OG OPD Perinatal Medicine Clinic  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Wednesday (with obstetricians, Neonatologists and geneticist) Caters to women who have had babies with birth defects, repeated abortions, still births, who are worried about these problems recurring. Wednesday 2. 00 p. m. , Room 2 in OG OPD

Canadian Business Cycles

Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the World's longest unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, and education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec. In addition, Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.Canada is a well-developed country that resembles the United States in its market oriented economic system. This system is characterized by the private ownership of resources and the use of markets and prices to coordinate and direct economic activity. It is an industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, and is currently The United States most important trading partne r. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban.The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with the US, which absorbs about three-fourths of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoyed solid economic growth from 1993 through 2007.The proceeds from the global economic crisis, dropped into a sharp recession in the final months of 2008 and Ottawa posted its first fiscal deficit in 2009 after 12 years of surplus. Canada's major banks, however, emerged from the fin ancial crisis of 2008-09 among the strongest in the world, owing to the financial sector's tradition of conservative lending practices and strong capitalization. During 2010, Canada's economy grew only 3%, due to decreased global demand and a highly valued. The chart below shows a clear understanding of how the GDP rates were affected: †¢GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) 1. 335 trillion (2010 est. ) $1. 297 trillion (2009 est. ) †¢GDP (Official Exchange Rate) $1. 564 trillion (2010 est. ) †¢GDP (Real Growth Rate) 3% (2010 est. ) -2. 5% (2009 est. ) †¢GDP Per Capita (PPP) $39,600 (2010 est. ) †¢GDP Composition by Sector Agriculture: 2% Industry: 20% Services: 78% (2010 est. ) †¢Labor force 18. 59 million (2010 est. ) Inflation rates are the rate at which prices for goods and services increase and measures against the standard level of purchasing power of the dollar.The main source of measured data is through Consumer Price Index. The inflation rate in Canada was last reported at 3. 3 percent in March of 2011. Between 1915 and 2010, Canada’s Inflation Rate averaged 3. 26 percent. The highest rate of Inflation was reported in June of 1920 at 21. 60 percent, and the lowest was reported in June of 1921 at -17. 80 percent. The Public service is a term used to describe services that are provided by the Government to its citizens. They are generally provided through a public sector. These services are provided free of charge.In addition, public services are offered to protect the welfare of citizens and are available to everyone regardless of income. It is often associated with human rights. Also, through public service are public goods which are non-rival and non-excludable. This means that everyone may benefit simultaneously and no one may be denied access. Canada has public police forces that enforce laws, maintain safety and fight crime. The military branches in Canada consist of Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, and Canada Command which is homeland security.Canada is a member of the Nato Alliance and its military services are regulated by the 1950 National Defense Act and the 1968 Canadian Forces Reorganization Act. In 2005 public expenditures on education were estimated at 1. 1 percent of GDP. There are several government social programs such as family allowances, old-age security, universal health care and unemployment insurance, giving Canadians a high standard of living and desirable quality of life. Canada created a public school system in the 19th century and was established in all provinces except Quebec and Newfoundland. You can read also  Similarities and Conflicts in † a Streetcar Named Desire†In 2007 public expenditures on education were estimated at 4. 9 percent of GDP. They provide public transportation in the forms or subways, trains, streetcars and buses. Canada has a Public Health Agency that protects and improves the health of its citizens from illness and disease. Canada’s healthcare system provides coverage to all its citizens. This program is publicly funded and regulated by the federal government. All citizens are eligible for benefits regardless of medical history, existing conditions or income.They receive preventative care, medical treatments, dental care, access to hospitals and other medical services. Canada is also known to have the highest life expectancy and lowest infant mortality rate; it is said to be contributed to their healthcare system. The labor force is comprised of individuals who are above the age of sixteen, who are not institutionalized and inclu des both employed and unemployed. Canada performs a monthly Labor Force Survey which estimates the rate of employment and unemployment. The results allow aid in measuring the performance of its economy.The unemployment rate in Canada was last reported at 7. 6 percent in April of 2011, a rise by 58,000 from the previous two months. Between 1976 and 2010, Canada’s Unemployment Rate averaged 8. 53 percent. The highest rate of Unemployment was reported in December of 1982 at 13. 10 percent, and the lowest was reported in September of 2007 at 5. 90 percent. Over the past year, employment in the public sector has grown by 2. 8 percent. The Canadian business cycles mostly compares to the one of the United States of America.The Canadian and U. S economies are highly integrated and have an abundant correlation between the two. These two economies correspond with each other through strong trade and financial linkages. The United States accounts for over three quarters of Canadian expor ts, and are an important source of financing for Canadian firms. There are four stages of business cycles which are Expansion, Recession, Trough, and Recovery. The most relevant business cycle Canada is in right now is considered to be Expansion. Why Expansion?Some may say more of a recession, but the main reason is because Canada between 2003 and 2009 went through its trough. Now Canada is moving to its peak where business activity and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expands until it reaches its peak. Canadian business cycles are led through a series of shocks where situations in which events don’t meet expectations. One negative shock highly related to the United States playing a major role because Canada being a net exporter of commodities, in which they suffered from negative terms of trade and wealth effects as world commodity prices started to decline.The fall of U. S demand for tradable goods decreased the demand of Canadian Exports. As a consequence, the decline in the w orld commodity prices contributes to the fall in the Canadian businesses net worth, which creates additional pressure on Canadian Investment. This is a prime example of how the country went into a recession. On the other hand, Canada is now facing some positive results from their expansionary business cycle. Most recent statistics show that the domestic demand trade in billions of retail went up 3. 7 percent. The wholesale trade went up about 7 percent since last year.Another important factor of Canada expanding shows the Exports rising to about 7. 7 percent and imports up to about 9. 1 percent. These simple statistics exemplifies how the Country is progressing. Since the late 1980s until the year 2000, the Canadian Federal economic policy was influenced by two goals which were to eliminate the federal deficit and to reduce the total debt relative to economic output and to maintain the control over inflation. Of course they wanted to keep this expansionary fiscal policy alive but, w ith world economic situations recessions are sometimes expected.During the 2008-09 global recessions, Canada’s economy suffered a major decline in real GDP which fell by 5. 4 percent which was the largest drop since 1991. Now in January 2009, the Canadian federal government released its budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year titles Canada’s economic Action Plan. Still keeping its commitment for fiscal management as the key long term economic stability, there was a shift towards the expansionary fiscal policy and stimulus spending to try to stabilize the Canadian economy. Similar to the U.S stimulus package, Canada also got involved in a stimulus package which dealt with income tax reductions, and focused merely on the demand of the Canadian economy. Some contents of the package focused on the Canadian skills and transition strategy, which provided support to those who lost they jobs seeking new skills, training, and development. Another positive aspect of the package allow ed the government to provide 7. 8 billion in the form of tax credits and spending advantages to stimulate the housing market and construction.These are just a few examples of how the Canadian government temporarily tried and of course are still trying today to get the economy back on its feet. Of course, since Canada is now focusing its basis on the expansionary fiscal policy, government spending is at its high and taxation is at its low. How is the Canadian government affording all of this? Canada’s budget retains the federal government’s commitment to fiscal management and balanced budgets as a key aspect of the long term economic policy. Well of course the debt levels are very high at this point and of course a major risk is taken place.For example, in 2009-2010, TD bank reported as an estimate that Canada would hold about 170 billion in debt within that one year. But, it turned out to be that the government’s debt rose to about 463 billion. This shows that t he large spending to help could maybe hurt them in the long run, but they still have time to get out of it. The Bank of Canada is the Canadian central bank. This was created during the Great depression out of the Bank of Canada Act of 1934. The cause of the creation led to the country’s political climate at the time which was very poor.The bank of Canada is responsible for managing of government funds and the public debt as well as keeping inflation low and stable. Today, the Bank of Canada’s main monetary policy is to keep the inflation rates between 1% and 3% through its power on determining the interest rates paid on the borrowed money. The bank projects economic growth of 2. 9% in 2011, 2. 6% in 2012, and 2. 1% in 2013. If this hypothesis does work out, Canada will be expected to be running at full capacity in the year of 2014. The Bank carries out monetary policy by influencing short-term interest rates.It does this by raising and lowering the target for the overn ight rate. The overnight rate is the interest rate at which major financial institutions borrow and lend one-day or overnight funds among them; the Bank sets a target level for that rate. This target for the overnight rate is often referred to as the Bank's key interest rate or key policy rate. Changes in the target for the overnight rate influence other interest rates, such as those for consumer loans and mortgages. They can also affect the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar.In November 2000, the Bank introduced a system of eight fixed dates each year on which it announces whether or not it will change the key policy rate. Target for the overnight rate, recent data Date Target (%) Change (%) 12 April 20111. 00— 1 March 20111. 00— 18 January 20111. 00— 7 December 20101. 00— 19 October 20101. 00— 8 September 20101. 00+ 0. 25 20 July 20100. 75+ 0. 25 1 June 20100. 50+ 0. 25 Canada has been referred to as one of the strongest economies in the world. It prominent productions include the following: gold, silver, copper, nickel, lead, wood.In 1993, Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and the United States. This agreement allows free trade and eliminated tariffs and fees between the three North American countries. Canada has a Canadian-Dollar exchange rate index (CERI) which is a weighted average of exchange rates for the Canadian dollar against the currencies of Canada’s main trading countries. The six major trading countries measured in the CERI are the U. S. dollar, the European Union euro, the Japanese yen, the U. K. pound, the Chinese Yuan, and the Mexican peso.The Canadian dollar is usually a little weaker than the U. S. dollar. The United States consumes 75 percent of Canada’s exports annually. Canada is the United States largest foreign supplier of energy. To conclude, Canada is very high in correlation with the United States. They follow the same business models and both countries respectfully feed off each other. Canada is known for its exports in commodities and if there are any issues globally, for instance a recession, Canada will decline. Currently, Canada is at its climbing point out of its recession and is currently pushing for expansion.Canada’s main focus at this point is to grow and maintain a strong and healthy society, especially in the monetary aspect. Works Cited Statistics Canada. â€Å"Economy inputs and outputs† March 2009. 5 May 2011 Canadian Business. â€Å"Outlook 2007: Canada, by Province. January 2007†. 5 May 2011< http://www. canadianbusiness. com/article/14236–outlook-2007-canada-by-province> Index Mundi. â€Å"Canada Public Debt† June 2010. 5 May 2011< http://www. indexmundi. com/canada/public_debt. html> IBTIMES. â€Å"Canada employment picks up steam in April†. April 2011. 5 May 2011< http://www. indexmundi. com/canada/public_debt. html>

Elizabethan Age – Age of Marlowe and Shakespeare

Elizabethan age was an era of extraordinary juxtaposition of whole new avenue of thoughts and avalanche of ideologies, which flowed in words of great literary geniuses. It began with the spirit of Renaissance marked by the quest for adventure and material wealth. It was the age when the minds of the people were lured by the new visions of distant lands rich in gold jewels and were swayed by the captivating charm of the beauty and loveliness. Music, dance and mirth played a significant part in their lives. On the other hand, Elizabethan era also saw the decay of moral values. From the noble class to gentry and from royalties to peasantry: people in an inexhaustible pursuit of materialism devoid from spirituality, adopted greed and corrupt values. The literature world delved deep into the psyche of the masses to illustrate the situation whereby in their quest for lavish life, they forgot that a tragic end awaits them. Both Marlowe and Shakespeare created the characters in their enduring plays Doctor Faustus and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark who became the emblem of tragic heroes. Both protagonists enjoyed a life of royalty because of their noble birth but both of their lives ended in tragedy in virtue of their most tragic flaw in their character. Their flaw was their greed and pride, which led them to pursue their evil designs and eventually their death. Marlowe’s hero is   Faustus who had extraordinary qualities and was a super human but his consuming passion reaches beyond the ordinary aspiration until he met with his fate. On the other hand, we cannot say Hamlet was lacking in moral values but he was also a conqueror and his greed to revenge the murder of his father surpassed all his good actions and deeds. For the pow er and wealth, Claudius murdered King Hamlet whose soul wanders and tortures the young Hamlet to ponder upon some foul play. Faustus and Hamlet exemplified the different faces of the human struggle of choosing between doing good and evil and how the correct or wrong choices and actions surpass the moral fiber of the individual. An overview of Dr. Faustus would reflect how a man overpowered by greed and ambition can be driven to sell his soul to the Devil but in the end would suffer the consequences of such a repugnant act. He abjured the scriptures, the Trinity and Christ to fulfill his inordinate ambition to gain super human powers by gaining mastery over unholy art of magic. By selling the soul to Devil, he lives a blasphemous life full of vain and sensual pleasures in 24 years and did not even hesitate to insult and assault the Pope with the Holy Fathers at Rome (Sparknotes 2007, Doctor Faustus). Though he felt a constant dispute in his soul between his overweening ambition and conscience, he ignored such conviction until the time wherein it was too late as eternal damnation awaited him (Sparknotes 2007, Doctor Faustus). In his inordinate passion to unravel all the mysteries of the universe, he forgot that he cannot overpower the time and when ultimately the time came for the devil claim his soul, he rea lizes that his sins are unpardonable and nothing can save him. Before the devil totally snatches his soul to bring him to hell, Marlowe wrote a poignant expression of Faustus’ final soliloquy: â€Å"My God, my God, look not so fierce to me! Adders and serpents let me breathe a while! Ugly hell, gape not: come not Lucifer:   I’ll burn my books: Ah, Mephistophilis† (Marlowe1588, Scene XIV)! Shakespeare’s Hamlet told of a tragic end brought about by bitterness and revenge- but the end of Hamlet was not due to the flaw in his moral character but the waver of the mind of the noble soul to avenge the death of his father. The play began with the presence of supernatural element in the form of the Ghost of Hamlet’s father. The figure of Ghost implied the emergence of tragedy that would change the course of Hamlet’s life because of the greed of Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius who later ascended to the throne of Denmark after marrying Hamlet’s mother (Sparknote 2007, Hamlet). Torn between righteousness and vengeance, Hamlet decided to avenge the death of his father but as he was thoughtful by nature, he delayed the revenge and instead entered in a deep melancholy. A definitive turn of events caused Hamlet’s fit of rage happened when he attempted of to kill Claudius, mistakenly he killed Polonius. Hearing the news of the death of Polonius, Ophe lia, Hamlet’s lover, went mad with grief and killed herself by drowning in the river (Sparknote 2007, Hamlet). Laertes wanted to avenge his father, Polonius and his sister, Ophelia’s death. Taking the advantage of confusion, Claudius instigated Laertes for a duel with Hamlet that allowed him to position a poisoned sword in Laertes hand to use against Hamlet, as well as poisoned drink (Sparknote 2007, Hamlet). Wounded Hamlet proved Claudius’ guilt from the dying Laertes; he picked up a poisoned sword, stabbed Claudius and forced him to drink the remaining of the poisoned wine. Claudius went into the eternal doom and Hamlet too died after he had his revenge. The first point of comparison easily becomes the moral fiber that Faustus and Hamlet had as two individuals reflected different motives and different objectives throughout that frame of the play. Marlowe had captured the moral value of greed for materialistic desires in the form of Dr. Faustus’ aspirations for gaining the knowledge of black magic. He had selfish motives that were strong enough for him to bid farewell the religious values of medieval period that valued Christian principles and that focused on the Will of God. Faustus believed that â€Å"these metaphysics of magicians and necromantic books are heavenly; O, what a world of profit and delight of power, of honor of Omnipotence, Is promised to the studious artizen: All things that move between the quiet poles shall be at my command† (Marlowe 1588, Scene I).   Such a statement showed why Faustus was drawn to the black arts; he desired power and decided it was better than the traditional norms of knowledge th ey were accustomed to.   He constructed his own demise when he initiated the deal with the Devil. He considered different fields of knowledge and dismissed them to be nothing compared to black arts, seeing them as something that would make him â€Å"a mighty god† (Marlowe 1588, Scene 1 Line 62). It was this greed that dominated Faustus’ morality that led him to be impressed with Mephastophilis’ lie of his so-called freedom and power (Marlowe 1588, Scene III Lines 76-80). On the contrary, Shakespeare’s protagonist, Hamlet was presented as a noble soul and possessed strong moral convictions. Although revenge was not considered morally righteous, it was his response to the evil that was injected in his life by his father’s murder. It presented a more human response to evil and how he adapted such ways because of the circumstance and not for his own selfish desires for wealth and power. As an effect, he killed Polonius whom he had mistaken for Claudius, his father’s murderer. Hamlet believed that it was his moral duty to avenge his father for his father to rest in peace. Hamlet declared such duty when he said â€Å"The time is out of joint, O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right† (Shakespeare 1600, Act I Scene V). Furthermore, Hamlet had shown disgust to other forms of immorality within his family as shown in how he hated his mother’s relationship with Claudius (Shakespeare 1600, Act I Scene II). According to Studer-Pauer (1994), â€Å"He acts rather on his moral sense of duty†¦ knowing that at the same time that he is sacrificing his own happiness and life, we consider Hamlet not only morally impeccable, but, indeed, a heroic figure† (94).   The function of Hamlet’s complexity exemplifies a person’s goodness and how it can be challenged during the most difficult of situations. On the other hand, Faustus showed how some humans would not stop until they are satisfied with what they have, even reaching the most wretched of options to attain an imaginary level of satisfaction. The second point of comparison the Hamlet and Dr. Faustus in the actions they took to carry out their plans to achieve their goals. Faustus defied the medieval conventions of love, selflessness and trust to become all powerful and wealthy. He was an exaggerated manifestation of a man from the Renaissance period whereby man can go into an extreme extent to achieve his aims. Faustus pushed the limits of morality the different extents in their travels throughout Europe. There was a time wherein he even went to the pope. Mephastophilis and Faustus even used their powers to play tricks on the pope. During meal time, the two made themselves invisible to curse and to cause such a ruckus as the friars and the attendants tried to drive out the believed ghost from their presence. Faustus’ character showed that was the actually the one looking for trouble as his actions either provoked or caused it. A number of passages like the one below show the lack of wisdom Faustus held on the conce pt of hell. Mephastophilis describes hell to be any place that is not heaven. Faustus took hell merely as a continuation of the life on earth. His lack of morality blinded him from seeing the difference between him and Mephastophilis that he is not yet damned to hell for eternity and that he still had time to repent. However, he chose to see hell in a different light that made it seem a lot bearable that it was (Marlowe 1588, Scene V Lines 133-135). Hamlet’s motive was still connected to his sense of duty to his father’s vengeance. However, the route he took to achieve such goal was not through justice and righteousness by law. He took matters into his own hands with a path inconsistent with Christian values. Homicide and deception became his tools for revenge. He reveals such disdain for himself and his actions in a conversation with Ophelia, â€Å"I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven† (Shakespeare 1600, Act III, Scene I)? There was also a time when Claudius and even Hamlet’s own mother Gertrude did not want him to go home from school. Hamlet was such a deep thinker that he almost drove himself insane from all the pondering he has done, however it has driven him to melancholy. He was so depressed that he even contemplated on suicide. â€Å"O that this too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world† (Shakespeare 1600, Act I Scene 2)! He did not commit suicide but his final actions led him to stab Claudius after Laertes revealed to him that he was truly the one to blame for the former King’s death. When Hamlet had received be vengeance for his father, he has already killed Polonius and Laertes by his sword and the play ends in a tragedy. The actions of the two protagonists showed how choices made and the actions taken were important despite the fact that one holds a high degree of morality and righteousness. In the same way that the biblical truth goes, faith without action is dead. Hamlet’s morality and goodness would not matter if he chose to do evil. Faustus from the start lacked that fiber of morality and it was reflected in how he was clueless as to what he was getting into. The third point lies on the fact that both lead characters from both plays exemplified the fight for goodness as both struggled throughout the play about the righteousness of their actions. Both of them had scenes wherein there was an inner struggle in their souls about the consequences of their deeds, an inner conflict of following good or evil. There may be a varying degree of the level of struggle and goodness; the point is it existed for both characters. Even if Faustus has already sold his soul to the devil there were countless instances wherein good tried interfering to push him to ask for forgiveness and repentance. In the beginning, there was a time wherein a good angel and the evil angel reflected that Faustus’ struggle whether he should stop studying the black arts and turn to the Scriptures of God again. Like the other times that he struggled, he chose the evil path. Near his death, he was urged by an old man to repent and to ask for forgiveness from God, â€Å"Ah, stay, good Faustus, stay thy desperate steps! I see an angel hovers o'er thy head, And, with a vial full of precious grace, Offers to pour the same into thy soul: Then call for mercy, and avoid despair† (Marlowe 1588, Scene XII Lines 44-46). Once again, Faustus listened to Mephastophilis. He renewed his vow to the devil and stabbed himself sending him to an eternity in hell. Even in his final hours when there he was asking for mercy. However, he could not completely be freed from his ties with the devil partly because he did not have enough faith the God would forgive him. It is Hamlet’s nature to be meditating on the things that are going on around him.   The presence of the ghost that was supposed to be his father’s symbolized his contemplation of whether the ghost really was his father or if it was an evil spirit trying to get him to murder Claudius. Hamlet caught up in the despair of it all said, â€Å"To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them† (Shakespeare 1600, Act III Scene 1). His despair brought him to a point of hopelessness and depression that he questioned whether it was better to take his own life, which was a mortal sin, or to live and suffer. Nevertheless, Hamlet suffered and struggled inside for the rest of the play, more so because of his genuine goodness. Faustus showed the same regard for the consequences of his actions. Both opted to choose evil, even if one was lesser than the others; one chose revenge over justice, the other chose temporary wealth and power over salvation. There was reformation in every sphere of life and people were swept by the waves of such change of mindsets. The struggle for good and evil reflects the reality of the common man who constantly fights to uphold goodness in one’s life. A number of times, people fail to triumph over evil as the will grows weaker against the desires of the heart. The important lesson manifested in both plays was the importance of choices that is available to everyone. Bibliography Marlowe C. (1588). Doctor Faustus. New York: P.F. Collier ; Son Company, 1909–14 Shakespeare W. (1600) .Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: The Norton Shakespeare: W.W. Norton ; Company, Inc. Sparknotes.com (2007). Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Retrieved on October 17, 2007, from http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/index.html. Sparknotes.com (2007). Faustus. Retrieved on October 17, 2007, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/doctorfaustus/. Studer-Pauer, H. (1994). Norms, Values, and Society. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ; ;