Infection Control Essays - Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases

Infection Control Part I: Infection Control Sara King Bryant Stratton College AHLT 230: Medical Laboratory Cheryl Nickerson FNP-BC May 23, 2013 In the medical field/profession it is important to maintain asepsis as it is critical to the health and safety for both patients and health-care professionals. Asepsis, a condition free from germs, infection and any form of life, (Davis, 2005, p.196). Using the proper aseptic precautions medical assistants can help prevent the spread of disease by causing a break in the infection cycle. Such proper precautions include the proper hand washing, utilizing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use of techniques in disinfecting and sterilization. The most common use of asepsis would be the washing of hands that a medical assistant does on a regular basis in-between patients, will reduce the risk of a patient catching something such as a cold from a previous patient that was already seen. PPE include the use of latex gloves, gowns, eye goggles will help protect the MA from coming in contact with bodily fluids like urine and saliva that could have an infected bacteria. As we can see the infection cycle can-not be stopped permanently but it can be slowed down. This diagram shows six steps however the reading material assigned for the class has only five step. In order for an infection to occur there must be certain elements involved and all must be present for the cycle to work. There are five elements in the infection cycle: (1) reservoir host, (2) means of exit, (3) means of transmission, (4) means of entrance and (5) susceptible host, (Booth, Whicker, Wyman and Wright, 2011, p.670). The reservoir host can be classified as either an insect, animal or a human that is capable of getting a pathogen growth. A pathogen is what invades the reservoir host and is where the infection cycle begins. The next step of this awful cycle is when the infection has exited the carriers body. This can be passed by a number of ways such as the mouth, nose, eyes and ears as well as bodily fluid like blood or blood from open wounds. After the infection leaves the host by exiting it then has to find a way of transmission. When transmission occurs it can be done in two ways, direct or indirect from one host to another. Direct transmission happens when it im mediately leaves the main host by coming in contact with an infected person or by a discharge, such as saliva, from an infected person, (Booth, et al, 2011, p.670). Indirect transmission can only be done if the pathogens are able to leave on their own and then the pathogens can only survive if a new host encounters it. There are six ways of means for transmission: (1) airborne, (2) blood borne, (3) during a pregnancy, (4) foodborne, (5) vector-borne and (6) touching, (Booth et al, 2011, p.670-671). Once the pathogen finds a means of transmission it then has to find an entrance in-order to enter into the next host. The pathogen can actually enter the same way of the means of exiting. The last step of this cycle is that the pathogen found a new susceptible host where it may or may not keep the infection going for a repeat. There are five agents of infection that cause us to be sick: viruses, bacteria, fungi, prions and helminths. Viruses can be in many different forms, pathogens that live inside a cell, and once it has infected a host it can multiply. Example, chickenpox (varicella) with an incubation period of seven to twenty-one days as its very contagious. This viral infection in when the hosts body is covered in an itchy-red rash and the bumps the turn into fluid like blister that will break and scab over during the incubation time frame, (Booth et al, 2011, p.660). Not only do viruses infect cells, bacteria can make us just as sick when it hits various parts of the body by infecting the tissues in those areas. Illnesses are caused by bacteria infections but can be treated when given the correct antibiotics for that illness you may have. Diphtheria is one type of bacteria and it affects mainly the nose, throat and larynx. This

Protagonist How to Write a Kickass Main Character Readers Will LOVE

Protagonist How to Write a Kickass Main Character Readers Will LOVE Main Character: How to Write a Kickass Main Character Your Readers Will Love Readers will show up to your metaphorical yard for a good storybut they will come back for a good protagonistAnd well teach you how to write a main character your readers will love, root for, and even cry for.You have the story you want to tell. You know exactly how to write the novelhowever, youre not sure how to make your protagonist stand outsThe reason why so many popular books are a series of books (other than the author wanting to make a living writing several books). We all want to see the next adventure of a character we love.At some point, if you like the character enough, you stop caring what they are even getting up to (almost) and you just want to know more about them and their life.Think of any engaging character you’ve encountered in the past decade. These characters could have stopped after one go, but they keep coming back with new and interesting things to do. Sometimes they engage in stand-alone stories, other times their continuing adventures are part of the overall story structure that shows off their growth over a series.Here are some examples of great protagonists:Harry PotterSpidermanJack ReacherTony StarkThorKatniss Everdeen from Hunger GamesTobias Kaya of The Saviors ChampionAnybody that survives an episode of Game of Thrones†¦How to Write a Good Protagonist Your Readers Will RememberNot every character is worth coming back for. The staying power of a character comes from more than simply surviving the plot (though that usually helps).You need to do intense character development and give them some special quality and/or make them likable. In other words, make them kickass.While that is easier said than done, it isn’t too hard to do. Here are six ways to put some kick in your character.#1 Make Your Protagonist LikablePeople like to spend time with likable characters. Much like in real life, the off-putting people tend to get skipped over and left to the side.Think of any Tom Hanks character in any of his romantic comedies. He always plays a likeable guy, a guy you’d happily have over for dinner, spend the day with, hang with.His charisma and charm extend from there, making his characters in dramas more approachable.In the same way, if your make a character likable and personable, the reader will stick by them in the tough spots. They will care about the events that happen because they like the character. Consider the way a slasher flick sets up the characters. You know from the introduction who is going to survive the night and who isn’t. The heroes (usually a couple) stand for the same values as the audience. They are kind, good, and moral. They look out for their fellow characters in times of danger.A likable character sticks up for the little guy and adds a human quality to their supporting cast, even when that cast isn’t remotely human.When a character feels like a guide, it makes the reader feel safe. Especially in horror or thriller stories, you want the reader to be more excited to turn the page and see the next scene than they are hesitant.Examples of these likable main characters include: Harry PotterLeonard in the Big Bang TheoryJon Snow in Game of ThronesCaptain KirkTobias Kaya in The Saviors Champion#2 Make Them FunnyNot quite the same as likable and not quite the opposite either. Funny characters can get away with more than unfunny ones, but they can get annoying if pushed.Like any good joke, timing and delivery matter.Biting wit and a jocular look at the dangers all around make for some memorable character moments. Make writing dialogue for this type of character worth some outbursts of laughter and you’ll have your reader turning the pages with gleeful delight.Funny isn’t just jokes consisting of set up and punchline. You definitely don’t want to rely on a string of catchphrase utterance, no matter how much a Groot might work on occasion.The essence of wit is brevity. Quips work when they are insightful but also come from a real place. Be extra careful in establishing the backg round of a metacharacter. Deadpool’s humor doesn’t fly in all stories at all times.Funny can also mean awkward or accidentally funny.Think Ron in Harry Potter. He doesn’t mean to be funny†¦ he’s awkward, but in a lovable, hilarious way and we love him for it. The falls into trouble and falls back out of it style of character goes way back to Greek comedies. The setup for a comedy of errors relies on a likable fellow getting in over their heads and trying not to make a mess as they work it out.Examples of funny characters: Starlord and Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the GalaxySherlock Holmes in the latest rebootsTyrian Lannister in Game of ThronesSimon Pegg’s Scotty#3 Make Your Protagonist PowerfulA character that lacks the ability to affect the world around them becomes tiresome. We want heroes challenged, sure, but we also want to know they can succeed. That when faced with the dangers of the plot and the villains they have a shot that, when it comes down to it, they can kick some ass.Tony Stark isn’t just a billionaire. He’s a billionaire genius. Take away his armor and he’s still a beloved figure with money, brains, fame and the awareness to point it all that out, if pressed on the subject.The reason we love underdog characters is because they are secretly the most powerful. They have the power to rise up and supersede the challenges, they just aren’t there yet. The likable, funny exterior makes you root for a character, but you want them to win in the end because they are better than the competition.If your character is a lawyer, they’re the best lawyer in town. If they are entering an academy to become a pilot, they are on the path to be the best pilot.A powerful character (ie- the best at something) garners respect from the reader. Remember to keep the character likable, a powerful character that uses their power to do harm becomes a villain. Redemption arcs aside, you want to avoid both a snotty character and a character that can’t be challenged.Powerful doesn’t mean perfect. One of the bonuses of being great at something is that people are quick to forgive them some of flaws. Tony Stark is arrogant. We forgive him that because there is a good reason why he’s arrogant.Genius characters can get away with being antisocial, wholesome characters can be naà ¯ve, and effective characters can be forgiven some moral grey areas.Unless you are writing noir, you want to keep the positives outshining the negatives. That balance can flip a bit for antiheroes (ie Deadpool, John Wick) but often takes a darker world to be effective.#4 Give Your Protagonist Trouble and ConflictConflict makes character. Conflict that stems from the characters internal conflicts leads to a different emotional response than conflict that stems from inevitable outside forces.Case in point, we immediately feel sorry for Jack and Rose because we know the Titanic is going down and there isn’t anything that either character could do to avoid that fate. We feel a lot less for Superman and Batman in their Doomsday fight when they need a device they casually tossed aside an hour ago.The more a conflict resonates with the reader, the more they can identify with the character. While saving the world from the terrible forces of an overwhelming alien order is fun, it isn’t relatable. It isn’t the kind of thing you are likely to face in a day.You personalize it by bringing it down to the granular. You make it about a particular personal loss, not all the losses.Examples of great conflict with protagonists:We empathize with Harry Potter because he’s an orphan, not because he’s a wizard in the wrong world.We understand what it’s like not to be believed, not so mu ch dying and being resurrected by magic like Jon Snow.We want to make a difference like Hawkeye, knowing that what we do matters even if we aren’t Thor level powerful.Be warned: there is a difference between the reader empathizing with a character and pitying them.Jack and Rose are good people enjoying life. They make the most of their last days.Harry Potter is a school kid trying his best. He (almost) never wallows in self-pity over his trials and problems.Thor loses his hammer and his eye. He makes jokes about his problems while trying to solve them instead of giving up.#5 Give Them Diverse CharacteristicsCharacter’s shouldn’t be one dimensional cardboard cut-outs. You want to make them rich and full.To this end, you don’t need to stick to one technique.As the preceding examples overlapped quite a bit, you see that mixing and matching works better than solo applications.Mix and match your protagonists characteristics like these examples: Tony Stark is powerful, likable, and funnyHarry Potter is likable, in a situation that’s relatable but outside his controlKirk is likable, often in danger outside himself, and has the skill to outpace his faultsYou don’t want to overdo it. A character that is trying to be too many things can become cluttered and confusing. Sometimes this is a result of the Superman problem, you can’t directly challenge a character designed to be too good.Flaws make for an anchor for a reader to project themselves into a character. Also, nobody likes a story where the plot dictates the effectiveness of the character from page to page.You also don’t want to alienate an audience by creating a dreaded Mary Sue (which is a perfect character who can never do wrong)†¦Leave room for flaws in your protagonist like these examples:Tony Stark is arrogant and a drunkHarry Potter lacks self-confidence and doesn’t get the girlDeadpool has cancer, is a jerk, and can’t seem to dieThe Cast of Game of Thrones is all too mortal, and largely unprotected by plot armor#6 Avoid Making a Passive CharacterA common mistake of first-time writers is to make characters reactive, otherwise known as passive.And you know just how much passive voice is a no-no in writing, passive characters are also frowned upon.While they might need to roll with the punches when they first splash into the deep end, you want them to drive the action soon after.A great character is proactive. They take charge, make a plan, and attack a problem with their skills and supporting cast.O ften, you can use the above techniques to define their approach to proactivity.Here are some questions to ask in order to learn how to avoid a passive character:Do they face their problems with a joke?Do they enlist the help of their cast of friends?Do they solve it with their power?Do they solve the problem by acknowledging that any effort matters because where they find themselves is not their fault?Keep in mind what fuels your character and they will always have a way to move forward. Not only that, the reader will be rooting for your charter as well.Great characters come from relatability and impact a reader by appealing to what we like to think about ourselves. A likable character engages a reader and can be a vector into a strange world.Likable characters humanize conflict and give readers a reason to care.Funny characters use their quips and whit to attack problems and keep the darkness at bay. We like to leave our fiction with a good feeling and jokes are how we cope with the worst of our issues.Powerful characters embody proactive approaches. A reader likes to see a character succeed and likes to know what a character is capable of so they can be in on the action, not blindsided by troubles and des ex machina.A reader likes to see real conflict. That is conflict that matters to a character and challenges the character. They don’t like to see pity and interpersonal wallowing.Think of your character like a friend. Do your best to advocate for them but remember that they aren’t you. Keep writing and let your characters speak for themselves.Start Writing a Bestseller Today (FREE class for you)This training isnt for everyone.If youre serious about writing a great fiction book that sells well (and consistently), then we have something for youIts your free training to take you from blank paged to published author!

Holophrases in Language Acquisition

Holophrases in Language Acquisition A holophrase is a single word (such as OK) that is used to express a complete, meaningful thought. In studies of  language acquisition, the term holophrase refers more specifically to  an utterance produced by a child in which a single word expresses the type of meaning typically conveyed in adult speech by an entire sentence. Adjective: holophrastic. Rowe and Levine note that some holophrases are utterances that are more than one word, but are perceived by children as one word: I love you, thank you, Jingle Bells, there it is (A Concise Introduction to Linguistics, 2015). Holophrases in Language Acquisition [A]round six months children begin babbling and eventually imitating the linguistic sounds they hear in the immediate environment. . . . By the end of the first year, the first true words emerge (mama, dada, etc.). In the 1960s, the psycholinguist Martin Braine (1963, 1971) noticed that these single words gradually embodied the communicative functions of entire phrases: e.g. the childs word dada could mean Where is daddy? I want daddy, etc. according to situation. He called them holophrastic, or one-word, utterances. In situations of normal upbringing, holophrases reveal that a vast amount of neuro-physiological and conceptual development has taken place in the child by the end of the first year of life. During the holophrastic stage, in fact, children can name objects, express actions or the desire to carry out actions, and transmit emotional states rather effectively. (M. Danesi, Second Language Teaching. Springer, 2003) Many of childrens early  holophrases are  relatively idiosyncratic and their uses can change and evolve over time in a somewhat unstable manner. . . . In addition, however, some of childrens holophrases are a bit more conventional and stable. . . . In English, most beginning language learners acquire a number of so-called relational words such as more, gone, up, down, on, and off, presumably because adults use these words in salient ways to talk about salient events (Bloom, Tinker, and Margulis, 1993; McCune, 1992). Many of these words are verb particles in adult English, so the child at some point must learn to talk about the same events with phrasal verbs such as pick up, get down, put on, and take off. (Michael Tomasello,  Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition. Harvard University Press, 2003) Problems and Qualifications The problem of the holophrase [is] that we have no clear evidence that the child intends more than he can express at the one-word stage. (J. De Villiers and P. De Villiers, Language Acquisition. Harvard University Press, 1979)The single word in conjunction with the gestures and facial expressions is the equivalent of the whole sentence. By this account, the single word is not a holophrase, but one element in a complex of communications that includes nonverbal actions. (M. Cole et al., The Development of Children. Macmillan, 2004) Holophrases in Adult Language Holophrases are  of course a significant factor in modern adult language, for example, in idioms. But by and large, these have historical compositional origins (including by and large). In any specific example, words came first, then the composition, then the holophrase . . .. (Jerry R. Hobbs, The Origin and Evolution of Language: A Plausible Strong-AI Account.)

Bankability Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Bankability Law - Essay Example One of the major aspects of project financing is understanding the reason for project financing, preparing the financial plan, determining the risks of the project, designing the project, and sourcing the required finance for the completion of the project. The last aspect of project financing, sourcing the funds, requires a broad knowledge for designing contractual agreements, to support the bid or finances. In many cases, the financiers of the project will include government agencies, private partnerships, financing structures, and major financial institutions. The financing institutions will usually require an analysis of the project so that the credit requirements of the borrower can be ascertained, the borrowing capacity of the project be ascertained, and the project analyzed in terms of cash flows, expected return and the repayment of the cost. The financing institutions will take into account the tax and accounting issues of the project and the risk factors to determine the fea sibility of completion and the chances of repayment. In this case, the concept of bankability refers to the consideration taken by a lender to determine whether a project is feasible and will repay the loan provided for its implementation2. A project in finance is usually considered bankable if the major providers of funds are willing to lend to finance the project. Many projects are funded on a project finance consideration, where a special procedure is set to determine the estimated cash flows and determine whether the project is feasible. In terms of bankability, the project financier will assess the expected cash flows and duration of the project; assess the risks associated with the project to determine whether the project is a credible choice for financing. The financing for a project is usually repaid through the cash flows earned from a project, and a financier will always look to the assets and revenues of the project before extending a loan. In traditional forms of finance , the financier will consider the past credit performance of the borrower and determine the ability to repay a loan, but in project financing, the lender considers the ability of the project to repay its financing. The subject of risk of the project is also important since the lender usually has no recourse to the project assets; therefore, the expected cash flows are used to repay the loan3. This means that the credit risk associated with the borrower is of no consequence, instead, the risk associated with the project determines the amount and duration of the loan being extended. However, before the lender decides whether to lend to the project controllers, some risk issues have to be assessed and the project itself analyzed. According to Vinter4, bankability differs in terms of the deal itself, the market for the project, and the risks associated with the project. This means that different projects have different associations for bankability, depending on the lender’s view of the feasibility of the project. This paper will analyze the risks that lenders will analyze when considering the bankability of a project, the steps taken to mitigate these risks, and the decisions regarding the bankability of projects. The paper will then exemplify the issue of bankability using already completed projects in the global market. Risk minimization process The consideration of the bankability o

Great britain world war 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Great britain world war 1 - Essay Example With that Great Britain also had the mightiest Air Force in the world that spoke volumes about its stronghold over other nations. Its Army comprised of 3.5 million personnel which included the most effective contingent of the successful Allied armies that were on the main front (Stokesbury 1981). A great amount of stimulus was received on the part of its industries where some of these were coming down ever since the World War 1 had started. Having said that, there were many industries which had especially been set up, including the dyestuffs, chemicals, non-ferrous metal refineries, optical glass and instruments, aero-engines and aircrafts. Full employment seemed to be a norm where labor shortage was being experienced throughout Great Britain. Lastly, more than 1 million square miles were in the process of being added to the country’s overseas dependencies and possessions. Essentially speaking, the delusion was the real reason why Great Britain found itself in a muddle before, during and after the World War 1. This war had become the Great British Excuse because the economic damage that took place during this while was irreparable. However some people are of the view that this was merely a myth whereas Great Britain went through an industrial revolution which was carried out at a very swift speed. The psychological damage that was done to the Great Britain was immense and it cannot be denied at all. In fact, British understood that they were dealt in a far worse manner than any other populace during the war years. This could have been a delusion as has been documented by several writers and philosophers. The governing class within the society was very painfully affected by this war and misapprehensions started to rise with the passage of time (Chalcraft 2007). These misapprehensions went far ahead than the governing class, which if seen correctly and within contexts was only a fraction of the society. The World War 1 had a very mentally exhausting affect on the British populace and the whole of Great Britain. Since the might of Great Britain was so huge, it only made more reason to fathom how it came down during the war years. The mental scars were difficult to get over with. It left quite a task at hand for the leaders that stood the test of time during the World War 1 to gather their people together and look to move ahead with a renewed vigor and a vision to set things right. The heavy British losses during the 1916-1918 were due to a number of reasons. These included the lack of equipment and a generally abysmal routine observed during training sessions. Also the British army was seen to have a missing element of the killer military instinct which was necessary to win the World War 1. The generalship was incompetent which spoke much of the already discussed trauma in this paper. Indeed there was more than a single reason why Great Britain had fallen out on the contexts of the World War 1 (Burt 2012). There were 2 million casualt ies during the 1916-1918 time period that spoke much of how Great Britain had been following the war years and how it had prepared itself in line with the other nations which are more or less trying their best to comply. Even though the United States, France, Imperial Russia and Imperial Germany had to go through the same ordeals, there was a characteristic trauma attached to the British legacy of the war years which continued to haunt it till

Pitts Repressive Policy Essay Example for Free

Pitts Repressive Policy Essay The growing threat of revolution by English radicals being influenced by Irish rebels and the French Revolution was the main thing William Pitt the younger was faced with during his time as Prime Minister. To deal with this, he reinforced a repressive policy of tough legislation strengthened through propaganda.It was not only these actions taken that managed to quell the revolutionaries from revolting. Other than the actions taken by Pitt, there was discordance between the radicals,also the loyalist reaction sparked by the war in France; these are only a few reasons amongst many. It was the contribution of factors that chastened the movement, not just a singular factor. The chance of revolution was reduced by the repressive policies put in place by Pitt as it subdued the radicals, as he adopted and introduced laws to extinguish the growth and spread of radical ideas. Habeas corpus (a legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention)was suspended by Pitt, allowing people to be imprisoned without trial for as long as it is wished. The suspension of Habeas corpus gave Pitt the right to have suspected radicals imprisoned to prevent them spreading their ideas or taking action. Another law that came into action during Pitts time in office was the 1793 Aliens Act, which prevented foreigners from entering the United Kingdom without permission, this was a precaution taken to stop the influx of French revolutionaries entering the country bringing with them radical ideas. The 1795 Public Meetings Act made meetings of more than 50 people illegal, this was a measure also to prevent radicals meeting and spreading their ideas. All the se measures were introduced to dampen the spread and popularity of the radical movement, these policies however were not the only ones that help do this. Pitt went to war with France in 1793, this caused a widespread loyalist reaction amongst the British. The war helped to influence many to have negative anti french views, this hatred of the French Revolution created a anti-revolutionary movement in England. This response to the war helped Pitt, as he was trying to prevent revolution from happening in Britain. There was a loyalist riot in 1794 in Manchester where chants about church and kings were to be heard, subsequently ‘Church and King’ clubs formed. The loyalists advertised their cause through pamphlets that supported the king. Suppport for the king spread, the government were extremely happy with the outcome, they even allowed and encourages a loyalist militia to form and by 1800 there were 100,000 members. This show of support for the king that followed the war with France was a strong opponent against the radicals. Problems within the radicals caused a divide in their goals and the path they thought was necessary to take to reach them. This could be seen when looking at some of the radical groups. Disunity in cause could be seen by looking at two figures that were part of the radical movement; Tom Paine focused solely on men’s rights, whilst Mary Wollstonecraft focused on rights for women. The London Corresponding Society believed in achieving their goals peacefully, however the Society for Constitutional Information’s leader (John Jebb) believed that ‘public agitation’ was the most effective way of reaching their goals. This lack of unity of cause and ways of achieving their aims considerably weakened the radical movement. Another factor that weakened the radical movement was the lack of genuine support for them. Food shortages started to become less frequent, the shortages were a source of anger for many of the people, and was a reason to join the radical movement, many stopped attending meetings. This change of support for the radical shows that people were not completely behind helping them change things, but just stuck with them to get issues that affected them sorted. The radical movement needed the full support of the majority of the population (lower classes) to be strong enough to succeed, once the lower classes were able to eat, support for the radicals decreased. Division was not only felt amongst the radicals, there were divisions in the Whig party over the French Revolution. This effectively lead to two camps within the party; the first led by Edmund Burke, the second led by Charles Fox, who supported the French Revolution. Burke had a more conservative view as he believed that revolution would lead to an unstable government, and believed that there should be ‘evolution’ not revolution. The emergence of anti-revolution support from within the Whig party (Burke), strengthened Pitts. This open support from the Whig party made people more likely to support Pitt than the radicals. For Pitts repressive policies to have been the main reason for his success would have to mean that without them the radical challenge couldn’t of been resisted. I believe that this statement is false. The radical movement couldn’t of caused major change to have happened as they were not united or popular enough to do so. The support that the French revolution brought about from within government helped many to not believe or want to join the radicals, it was also the loyalist reaction proceeding Britain waging war on France acted as a strong opposition to the revolutionaries and gained support. Pitt’s repressive policies was a factor , but not the most important one. I believe that it was a combination of all the factors that helped Pitt resist the radical challenge to 1801.

Goals for English Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Henry David Thoreau once said, â€Å"In the long run, men hit only that they aim at, therefore they had better aim at something high.† I agree with Thoreau completely. When you have goals in life, you’re going to do anything and everything to accomplish those goals. Therefore why not set higher goals that you will endeavor just with diminutive amount of more effort? One semester of English has gone by and there's another semester to go. Even though I have done fairly well in English the first semester, I would like to do even better the second semester. I can only do better if I have a plan and this plan is the different types of goals I am going to set for myself. You can’t be a good student by just doing well in one aspect of any subject. You need to become better in all aspects of the subject and become a better student overall. Writing:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though my writing has progressed since the beginning of the school year, there are still a few parts that I need to improve in my writing to become a better writer. My vocabulary isn’t that strong and for the second semester, I would like to start to build my vocabulary and use better words in my writing. I think I can accomplish this goal by memorizing a useful, common word everyday and using it somehow in my daily life. I can also use better words by using the thesaurus while I’m writing. I don’t mean to use the thesaurus and translate every word I’m using but change a few wo...

Maximization of Shareholder Wealth Essay

Question: Firms often involve themselves in projects that do not result directly in profits, for example by sponsorship of sporting events of the opera or other entertainment. Do these projects contradict the goal of maximization of shareholder wealth? Why or why not? Answer: Participating in programs that are socially responsible does not contradict the goal of maximization of shareholder wealth. Having a good reputation from your local community is very important for sustaining a business. Although it remains true that spending on social programs could cost a major business millions of dollars, it is the goodwill that is formed through that community that can offer an essential guarantee for the continuation of that firm. For an example, if the Australian Company ‘Energex’ stopped spending some of their money on alternative energy initiatives or programs, that can be seen as being environmentally concerned, some of Energex’s customers could decide to do business with other energy companies who are engaging with programs that are seen as being more socially responsible. Failing to engage in socially responsible programs, thus potentially losing many customers, goes against maximizing shareholder wealth. When all is said and done, there is far more meaning to business and shareholder wealth than just dollars and cents. An investment in the greater good of the human race pays dividends to the company many more times than penny pinching. By participating in socially responsible programs, this can ensure that a company keep a positive reputation and goodwill, which in turn creates loyalty from their customers which leads to a maximization of shareholder wealth. It is then imperative for businesses to invest in a few respectable social initiatives that may not always generate profits in order to sustain maximizing shareholder wealth.

Farewell My Concubine: Self-Identification in Context

Directed by Chen Kaige, a highly acclaimed fifth-generation Chinese film director, Farewell My Concubine has received many international film awards and nominations; among them are the Best Foreign Film and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. In the film, Cheng Dieyi, a Peking Opera actor playing the leading female characters, becomes obsessed with his role as the concubine of the King of Chu and blurs his stage role with the real life he leads. The circumstances in which one grows up in are critical factors in shaping his or her sense of self-identity.This paper attempts to explore the gender identity troubles that Cheng Dieyi has undergone in his self-identification and sexuality in the context of the environment of his upbringing. The story begins when Cheng’s mother takes her son to Master Guan and begs him to take Dieyi (whose nickname was Douzi at the time) into his opera troupe. In order to be a performer in the Peking opera, one must not have any features that are abnormal or that may frighten the audience. Unfortunately, Douzi fails this test because he was born with a sixth finger on one of his hands.His mother was desperate to sell him off and thus cuts off her son’s finger with a cleaver. At this point, Master Guan agrees to accept Douzi as a disciple in his opera troupe. Master Guan notices that Douzi’s â€Å"features were surprisingly delicate; he was almost pretty† , which are perfect for playing female roles. Thus, Douzi is chosen as a dan , or the female lead of the opera troupe. He will play the female roles alongside his best friend, Xiaolou who was chosen to be his sheng, or male lead. Starting from even the earliest scenes of the film, Dieyi’s self-identity has been slowly ripped away from him.Dieyi’s abrupt transition from living in a brothel as a prostitute’s son to becoming a well-disciplined opera singer in the troupe is marked by his mother’s brutal amputati on of his sixth finger. This symbolic castration implies that one must abandon his inherited past in order to seek a new social identity. â€Å"The root of biological determinism has been severed and the subject freed to pursue a place in a symbolic world of gender fluidity† Dieyi’s finger is not the only thing that has been emasculated, but his self-identity has been castrated as well. The film hints at this in the beginning by including the character of Master Ni, a unuch who was physically castrated, losing his male reproductive organs. While Master Ni was physically castrated of his male reproductive organs, Dieyi becomes mentally and emotionally castrated through his harsh upbringing in the opera troupe. Whereas the symbolic castration signifies the possibility of Dieyi’s transition from a biological male to a stereotypical female, the harsh corporal punishment he receives during his training in the opera troupe enforces that transition. Corporal punishment is often used in schools to reinforce the relation between master and student.It instills in students a sense of the power of the social hierarchy and their place within it. Dieyi’s designated â€Å"place† on that hierarchy, sadly, requires that he learns to abandon his male identity. While corporal punishment remakes Dieyi mentally, costume and make up remakes Dieyi physically. As he performs in the long dresses and fancy headdresses, he sees himself capable of reflecting signs of beauty and femininity. He is forced to sing â€Å"I am by nature a girl, not a boy† , and his full transition to femininity went into full motion the moment he mastered this line and accepted it as the truth, that he is by nature a girl, not a boy.Like most of the male dans in the Peking Opera theatre, Cheng Dieyi must be able to create the illusion of a real female that appeals to the male audience, but Cheng’s femininity is apparent not only on stage, but off stage as well. Clearly, Cheng has fully adapted his female roles into his life off stage. He speaks in a low soft voice, his movements are graceful, maintains the delicate hand pose of the Lan huazhi (the artificial feminine hand pose of the male dan), and wears a seductive look that would often be considered a feminine gaze.Most male dans merely imitate these feminine acts on stage, but Cheng Dieyi gradually transforms these â€Å"acts† into an unconscious habit of his. â€Å"The repetition of the stylized female acts embedded in female impersonation and the rigid and violent regulation of these acts eventually bring about Cheng Dieyi’s unconscious identification with Yuji, concubine of the Chu King, constructing in him a feminine sexuality and identity. † Opera performers at the time were expected to play their stage roles for ife. Dieyi’s most notable performance is an epic opera named Farewell My Concubine; it tells the story of the King of Chu (Xiang Yu) and his fa ithful concubine Yuji. Xiang Yu knows that he has lost to his enemy and drinks with Yuji on the last night. Yuji performs a sword dance for him and then cuts her own throat with his sword to express her faithfulness to him. As Dieyi continues to play the role of Yuji into this professional career, he begins to blur the life of Yuji’s character and his own.This becomes very obvious when Dieyi begins to show signs of affection towards his stage partner, Xiaolou, who plays the King of Chu. In multiple times throughout the movie, Dieyi can be seen looking at Xiaolou with a tender, almost romantic gaze and is especially gentle when he helps Xiaolou apply makeup and dress in costume. His romantic feelings for his â€Å"stage brother† are translucent to the audience as he is overcome by jealousy at the news that Xiaolou was getting married to Juxian. He believes that Juxian is robbing him of what was rightfully his.As in the opera when Yu Ji and Xiang Yu swear their love to e ach other, what Dieyi sees is actually he and his stage brother declaring their loyalty to one another. While Cheng Dieyi wholly embodies the female roles he impersonates, the Peking opera stage is essentially the world in which he bases his identity on. As he enters his professional career and makes a name for himself, he thinks that he will always be able to hide behind his feminine charms, and that art will always transcend any situation.For a while, he is proven right. On one occasion, he sings for a Japanese official to help Xiaolou out of jail; in another, he sings for a Chinese official to bail himself out of jail. Duan Xiaolou reminds Dieyi again and again that life is not the stage and he must learn to adjust to the values of the changing times. The film covers a story that spans across 50 years of Chinese history: the rise and fall of the Nationalist Party, the Sino-Japanese War, the rise of the Communist Party, and the Cultural Revolution.As the nation goes through a turb ulent historical period, Cheng simply views it as a backdrop that would never affect his performances. He was never concerned about any of the political upheavals that occurred or the change in regimes. He felt that as long as his art is being appreciated, it does not matter who the political leaders are. When he was put on trial for being a traitor when the Communist Party was in power, he exclaims, â€Å"If the Japanese were still here, Peking Opera would have spread into Japan already,† with no regard to the consequences.The art of Peking opera has always been Cheng’s way of escaping reality, and it is this illusion that he identifies with. However, when the Cultural Revolution started in 1966, the identity he has found for himself has been robbed from him once again. The Cultural Revolution is one that advocates extreme reality, and thus traditional art becomes a target of exploitation for distracting people from reality. When Dieyi and Xiaolou are taken out onto t he streets to be reprimanded, his previous illusion that he and Xiaolou would never betray one another, just as Yu Ji and Xiang Yu would never do so, is shattered.Under the humiliation and physical abuse of the Red Guards, Xiaolou calls Dieyi a traitor to the Chinese and a homosexual. Cheng and Duan then turn on each other and expose incriminating details about each other’s past to the Red Guards. This political movement is in a sense, a rude awakening for Cheng. For the first time, it forces him to abandon the identity that he forged for himself on the opera stage, and accept that he lives in a world where loyalty is not always indestructible. It is because of this revolution that causes Dieyi’s blurred lines between opera and reality to slowly reappear.These lines, however, did not have a lasting effect. When Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou reunite on the stage many years after the Cultural Revolution, they make their final Farewell My Concubine performance. At the last scene, Dieyi, playing Yuji, takes the sword and slits his throat. Dieyi wanted so desperately to be Yuji his entire life, and he finally fulfilled that wish, or so he thinks, by boldly committing suicide just as Yuji has done so: for his love, and in a dramatic manner, like a stage opera should be.Cheng Dieyi had grown up with violence and abuse, in a society with constant political turmoil and turbulent changes. As a boy who was already an introvert to begin with, the unsettling changes that revolved around him became too overwhelming. He had no choice but to retreat into a world that he knows best: the opera stage. Though the opera stage is but a fictional world, it is the only place in which he is always the hero(ine).Works Cited Cui, Shuqin. â€Å"Engendering Identity: Female Impersonation in Farewell My Concubine . From Poetic Realm to Fictional World: Chinese Theory of Fictional Ontology (1999) Farewell My Concubine. Dir. Chen Kaige. 1993. DVD. Miramax Films, 1999. Goldstein , Joshua (1999). â€Å"Mei Lanfang and the Nationalization of Peking Opera, 1912–1930† East Asian Cultures Critique 7 (2): 377–420. He, Chengzhou. â€Å"Gaze, Performativity and Gender Trouble in Farewell My Concubine. † Nanjing University (2004): n. pag. Web. Poquette, Ryan D. , Critical Essay on Farewell My Concubine, in Novels for Students, Gale, 2004.

Free Essays on Masses No Telites Rule The Government

George Bernard Shaw once said: â€Å"Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few...† While I don’t have nearly such a bleak outlook on our method of Government, Mr. Shaw does hold an iota of truth in his quotation. In a perfect world, where everyone is informed, intelligent, and aware of their system of administration, democracy would work perfectly. In a world where there are different personalities, dissimilar concerns and divergent points of view, democracy falls short of the ideal of having all people being equal. Especially when the people are misrepresented by a bunch of hypocritical, racist, majorities such as our government. Please don’t get me wrong our government is the best in the world and we have a lot of great leaders, but many of the elite chosen should not be even categorized by such a word as â€Å"elite.† I believe the masses with the entire there beautiful differences hold democratic values strong. Democracy is differences in people and differences in opinion and the right to exercise them. Which people still do today without anyone telling them to. I believe that democratic values have survived from the voices of the masses not the elite’s. The government is represented by votes not truths. The people we elect to office sometimes have a hard time telling truths. None the less votes our votes make decisions on whom runs the show. Our votes change school issues and community issues. The sad thing really is that not even all of us vote in major elections. People vote to exercise their democratic rights; if only 70% vote, then 70% control 100% of the government. Voting without adequate understanding and choosing candidates for the wrong reasons are symptoms of voting for the sake of voting and not taking an active interest in how our country is run. Instead of making an effort to understand issues and party fundamentals, too many ignorant peopl... Free Essays on Masses No Telites Rule The Government Free Essays on Masses No Telites Rule The Government George Bernard Shaw once said: â€Å"Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few...† While I don’t have nearly such a bleak outlook on our method of Government, Mr. Shaw does hold an iota of truth in his quotation. In a perfect world, where everyone is informed, intelligent, and aware of their system of administration, democracy would work perfectly. In a world where there are different personalities, dissimilar concerns and divergent points of view, democracy falls short of the ideal of having all people being equal. Especially when the people are misrepresented by a bunch of hypocritical, racist, majorities such as our government. Please don’t get me wrong our government is the best in the world and we have a lot of great leaders, but many of the elite chosen should not be even categorized by such a word as â€Å"elite.† I believe the masses with the entire there beautiful differences hold democratic values strong. Democracy is differences in people and differences in opinion and the right to exercise them. Which people still do today without anyone telling them to. I believe that democratic values have survived from the voices of the masses not the elite’s. The government is represented by votes not truths. The people we elect to office sometimes have a hard time telling truths. None the less votes our votes make decisions on whom runs the show. Our votes change school issues and community issues. The sad thing really is that not even all of us vote in major elections. People vote to exercise their democratic rights; if only 70% vote, then 70% control 100% of the government. Voting without adequate understanding and choosing candidates for the wrong reasons are symptoms of voting for the sake of voting and not taking an active interest in how our country is run. Instead of making an effort to understand issues and party fundamentals, too many ignorant peopl...

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Astr hw4 - Essay Example With the activities that occur in the volcano that is the first theory, the earth experienced the cooling that made the elements cool. The elements are then exposed to the atmosphere creating a combination of droplets. With the theory water is known to be the found on the earth’s surface. The theory does not fully explain the source since seventy percent of the water sources does not originate from the earth’s surface. In the second theory, water is meant to be formed from the comets and the earth grazing. This means that the water exists in form of the water molecules on the earth’s surface. At the same time, there is a difference between water at the sea and the one on the earth’s surface (Wiegandt, 2008). 3. The snowball theory gives a brief discussion on the coldest part of the earth. The theory suggests that the earth is all surrounded by ice. There is evidence supporting the theory by the fact that Sturtian and Marinoan have isotopes of carbon that is found at the sea water. There are also a number of marine deposits at the bark of the oceans. The irons and oxides formed enable the anoxia to spread into the oceans. There are also proofs that do not support the theory because the deposits don’t have same ages not even the age sets. The Sturtian has ripples while its thickness and characters are found at the base. 4. Europa the moon has liquid that is in form of water and can primitively save living things. The liquid has got characters that will enable the human life by containing molecules that are versatile. The liquid also dissolve the nutrients that are used in the digestion and waste removal by the living creatures. Europa also has the ability to tilt the surface enabling it to have life support. 5. With the origin of life, life is reported to start from the sea because of the structures like carbonate that are found at the vents of hydrothermal. With the formation of hydrogen sulphide, hot

Criminal Minds Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal Minds - Research Paper Example There is no surety for a person being a non offender. As humans are circled around their emotions anyone can become an offender. It is said that it is the circumstances that make a person commit crimes. There is an offender in each and every one but the true sense of a person keeps away from crime and related incidents. A crime can be defined as â€Å"Crime is the violation of societal rules of behaviour as interpreted by and expressed by a criminal legal code created by people holding social and political power. Individuals who violate these rules are subject to sanctions by state authority, social stigma, and loss of status† (Siegel, 2008, p.18). The crimes are against social, political and economic behaviour of human beings. If a person does a crime he gets separated from these three agencies. Along with the physical setbacks as mentioned above, a major conflict comes in the mind of the criminal whether the thing that he or she did was right or wrong in accordance with his or her conscience. Now days the level of conscience is deteriorating and so the rate of crimes are increasing to an intimidating level. Samples of famous crimes: In analysing the history of crimes a person can see great number of them. In reading the life of Donald â€Å"Pee wee† Gaskins, the most prolific serial killer in South Carolina, it takes a person to embarrassment that the background of a person has much to do in shaping his or her life. Gaskins’ childhood was troublesome and was often neglected by all his surroundings including mother. He felt himself as abandoned by all and this changed his mind to stubborn and cruel. Later in his life he has passed through all sorts of crime and to the surprise was not at all guilty for it. He considered himself equal to God in taking others life (Montaldo, 2011). The temperament of the people is changing day by day. No one is ready to make any adjustment. The availability of the deadly weapons and curving for money make people do any sort of crime. The mass killing at Virginia Polytechnic institute and State University by Seung-Hui Cho, a senior English major at the institution, cau sed the death of 32 people and then including him on April 16 2007. In analysing the reason for the incident it was made clear that the student was having anxiety disorder. â€Å"The day after massacre, thousands attended a tearful assembly in the university’s coliseum, where U.S. President George W. Bush acknowledged the nation’s sorrow and grief† (Flemming, 2008, p.288). The destruction of World Trade Centre is the epitome of political crime. It happened on 11th September 2001, nearly killing 3000 people and 19 hijackers. In consulting these attacks a question can be raised, â€Å"Why is Osama bin Laden (widely regarded as the brains behind the atrocities of 11 September 2001, the destruction of the World Trade Centre in New York) targeted as a ‘terrorist’ and not as a ‘criminal’?† (Soothill , Peelo &Taylor, 2002. p.143). If any political cause is involved with the crime it can be termed as terrorist acts and in other cases cri minal activities. But all things are in one way or other are harmful to the life of the innocent people. Whatever be the cause, it is not at all right to take the lives of other people. The religious notion of ‘preserving life’ has to be upheld for the common goodness of the people. What causes a criminal mind? Many reasons are there before each and every crime. Some may be personal and others may be political