Monday, September 30, 2019

Kant: Human, Animals, and Empathy Essay

Immanuel Kant remains one of the most influential thinkers in history. Part of Kant’s appeal is his ability to provide incredibly unique insights into the human condition. One of the more interesting works by Kant was his writing that looked into human interrelations with animals. From his examinations, Kant essentially shows that how humans treat animals is indicative of how they will treat other people. This ties very heavily into the notion that the human-animal relationship is linked heavily with empathy. Kant makes a very sobering point in his analysis of human relationships with animals. Much of Kant’s analysis is realistic and this realistic insight notes the darker side of human nature. Kant understands that not all human/animal relationships are harmonious. The sad fact remains that there are those who are cruel to animals. Many sociopathic individuals display enormous cruelty to animals. Granted, the number of those individuals is limited in comparison to those who have harmonious relationships. But, these individuals do exists. There numbers – while low – are still significant enough that there are laws on the books designed to punish their cruel behavior. Kant understands this because he looks at the relationship from a common sense perspective. After all, how could a person who tortures animals show empathy towards humans? A lack of empathy against any living this is indicative that the person possesses NO empathy. Kant also points out that a child who possesses such cruel behavior will likely develop into a cruel adult. That is the path such a malformed development of relationships will lead the child when he/she blossoms into adulthood. Of course, not all of Kant’s writing deals with the negative aspects that can come to light when examining the relationship between humans and animals. The inverse is also presented as well. That is, the good qualities of a person become visible when examining how a person treats their loving animals. A person who cares for a dog when it is sick, gives it food when it is hungry, and provides shelter when the animal needs protection is clearly a person who understand the concept of giving to those in need. Such actions will eventually re-emerge in their relationships with other humans. Now, does that mean that simply because a dog owner is angelic with his pet that the owner will be devoid of cruelty towards others? No, of course not; such an assessment would be absurd. However, if a person does treat an animal with kindness and respect then empathy is present. Simply put, all good treatment of animals is synonymous with empathy. You can not have one without the other. Granted, the actual volume of empathy may vary. That is, a person may show empathy towards family and friends but may possess aberrant or destructive traits as well. A person who loves his family selflessly may also possess racial animosity. However, if one were to look at reducing or eliminating racial animosity (or any other personality aberrancy), a person with a capacity for empathy will be more than likely to repent as opposed to a sociopath who lacks empathy. Keep in mind, empathy is not a minimal â€Å"touchy-feely† emotion. Empathy goes to the core of who we are and what we are capable of. That is why it is critical to understand how beings react to others since this gives an insight into their empathic nature. A clear examination of human-animal relationships provides this insight. Or, at least, this is the hope.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Obsession Neurosis

According to Paul Ricoeur’s point of view in the idea of theology and religion, there seems to be no exact definition on the context of universality.   The irony follows in the context of the variation of the extent of Naming God and believing in God.   It is evident that the world of today is liberal and is open in the idea of religion and in beliefs, hence, it connotes that for some, the existence of God is still not established—although several followers tend to call for his name.   The valuable conviction of Paul Ricoeur, one which is far admirably different from theology experts, offers a whole new dimension of deliberation and discussion on how individuals name God—philosopher to philosopher, and idea and perception for such delight.God, leader, saviour—all of which are used in â€Å"calling† God and uttering such name for whatsoever it may serve a person.   However, the shallow connotation stressed by the author is blatantly seen in t he arena of â€Å"conviction.† Ricoeur’s belief is mostly philosophical and thoroughly surfaces in the justification of External Reality.   Religion plays an important role in every man’s life. Its impact is manifested on every person daily affairs and his or her behavior. Hundreds of literatures that explicitly tackle religion have already been written. While the list may be inexhaustible, the Metamorphoses, Aeneid, Inferno and Odyssey serve as some of the popular literary works where a religious strand can be looked into.The fact that the Metamorphoses by Ovid composed of mythological stories printed in the form of poetry gives one the first impression that divine beings are already incorporated into the book and that, consequently, the â€Å"myth† in these literary piece may have something to do with religion. True enough, the various sections found within the book have a common subject— the power of a divine entity and how such power determin es the fate of men. Most of the transformations that happen in the stories are of people being â€Å"punished† for â€Å"the sins† they have committed (Ovid, p. 171).This punishment of sins can be taken to mean as one way of reflecting justice in the sense that the action of man is essentially incorporated with a corresponding responsibility and that God—or religion—has a corresponding role in the provision of these sanctions.   Moreover, the author does not only fall in the line of rhetoric canonization against his own conviction, rather on the spiritual and doxological context of the question.  What are you, then, my God? . . . most high, excellent, most powerful, omnipotent, supremely merciful and supremely just, most hidden yet intimately present, infinitely beautiful and infinitely strong.[1]In this certain line, however, there seems to be another standpoint in the idea of Naming God.  Ã‚   In essence, such strengthens the point raised on the e arlier part and undeniably gives further analysis and interpretation that there exists a difference in Naming God; although there has been no evidence of the â€Å"power† which individuals apparently call as God. The author often used a Freudian philosophy in substantiating his arguments.   He stresses that Freud believes that religion has played a great part in the making of society, of humankind. In his writings before, he regards religion as an illusion, which is clearly equivalent to atheism. He then realizes that the idea of God and the religious teachings are some of human being’s strangest thoughts.Freud’s argument about religion is that, it is and output of what he called the Oedipus complex, or the sexual desire of the son to the mother (Ricoeur, 1995). In his argument, he states that the child competes against the father, who also has strong libidinal desires towards the mother. Because of this interference by the father, the child is prohibited to e xpress his sexual interests in towards his mother. The father figure represents divergence and hindrance for the child.If we look at it in another angle, this hindrance creates a limit for the mothers’ happiness, thus creating the reality principle. This leads to reason thus, this reason is the one responsible for regulating desire. This became the basis of the father figure connection, in which the Western religions glorify the submission to the father, thus creating the image of a Father-God (Ricoeur, 1995). This has been a basis of civilization, wherein they are accepting the principle of reality and the acceptance of restraints and prohibitions by an â€Å"authority.† This is the main principle in how they were able to connect human desires with the law.Further, according to Freud, as stresses in the book, neurosis is an individual religion, and religion is a universal obsession neurosis. Freud implies that religion is the suppression, the renunciation of certain i nstinctual impulses, which are not limited components of the sexual desire or instinct; they seek for themselves and are really socially harmful instincts, regardless of the sexual component.   The subject of illusion is another critical part of Freud’s say of that of religion. But we must always consider that illusion is different from delusion. Illusion is much more of the religious beliefs type. Included in illusions is the concept of religion.Accordingly, it doesn’t mean that it is not true, or has no validity, where in fact these things maybe true. But, what Freud questions is the source of these beliefs. The undisciplined and uncritical human wishes. By focusing on the relationship between the individuals and God in the Metamorphoses, one can immediately draw the idea that religion is the binding force between the two, bridging the invisible—and perhaps inconceivable—distance that separates the mortal from the immortal.   Consequently, the manne r of Naming God depends alone on the beliefs equipped in the individual’s character and personality, per se.Reference:Ovid. (2004)   â€Å"The Creation.†Ã‚   Trans. David Raeburn. Metamorphoses. New York, N. Y.: Penguin Classics.â€Å"Perseus (I).†Ã‚   Trans. David Raeburn. Metamorphoses. New York, N. Y.: Penguin Classics, 2004. 171.â€Å"Scylla and Minos.†Ã‚   Trans. David Raeburn. Metamorphoses. New York, N. Y.: Penguin Classics, 2004. 293.Ricoeur, P. (1995). Figuring the Sacred: Religion, Narrative, and Imagination (D. Pellauer, Trans.). Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Global Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 5

Global Marketing Strategy - Essay Example according to Oviatt & McDougall (1997) has also become easier through advancement in telecommunications, video conferencing as well as satellite technology. The location and logistical system of the country, its wide strategy of innovation and the proper organisation between the private and public sector creates a very friendly environment for companies that intend to operate in the country. In addition, good culture on creativity, coordination as well as reliability, exceptional economic conditions and a leading technology sector in terms of agro-food, the country is capable of providing the most important incentives for innovation and a choice for the business (Van der Meer 2007). Netherlands is suitable for the business since the country has a developed, prosperous and outward looking financial system that has recognition for having very stable industrial relations, modest rate of inflation and satisfactory equitable distribution of income in the country. Historically, government intervention in business activities has been very low. In addition, the workforce in the country is well educated, trained, flexible and highly motivated to produce the highest level of profitability in business operations. Above all, language barrier is not a serious problem since the country is one among the main multilingual in the globe (Arndt & Kierzkowski 2001). Having more than ten percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and more than twenty percent of the industrial exports, whole food is among the most profitable sectors in the country. The government recognises the whole food as one of the most important sectors in the country. The sector is one among those, which gets a priority from all private as well as public stakeholders with a combined strategic planning that aims at achieving social, sustainable as well as economic targets. The whole food chain, right from the seeds to the consumer, has an extremely strong appearance in the country (Tansey & Rajotte 2008). In

Friday, September 27, 2019

Contrasts in Two Native American Tribes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contrasts in Two Native American Tribes - Essay Example The researcher of this essay compares two Native American tribes, that were found on the continent when the first explorers arrived to the New World. Firstly, it was common practice to think of all Native Americans as one cultural group united by the simple idea that they all lived on the new common continent before the coming of the Europeans. However, just like the Europeans, though, Native American tribes found on the continent when the first explorers arrived were often very different from each other. The researcher states that tribes, such as the Apache and the Ottawa were very different from each other based not only on their geographic homeland, but also in their lifestyles and connections with Europeans. The researcher then aims to establish their cultural differencies and present them to the reader in a comparitive manner. For example, while both the Apache Indians and the Ottawas were established Native American tribes since well before the Europeans came, they had organize d themselves differently based to a large degree upon their locations. The Apache Indians lived in bands primarily on the North American plains of the Southwest, ranging â€Å"from southern Colorado to the Texas border and the Chiracahua also extended into Arizona. Western Apache lived in east-central Arizona, where they grew far more like the Navajo than the eastern Apache did. The reseracher then compares these tribes on the topic of cultural differencies and historic associations with each other as well as with Europeans.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 17

Journal - Essay Example I am extremely irritated by the questions Amelie asks. Why would someone care about the color of dresses I wear, the colors I don’t wear, the type of hairstyle I carry, the time I wake up and the genre of movies I like. It is my life - my very personal life - and I don’t want to tell it off to anyone. I want my space which Amelie continuously is trying to diminish. At times I feel Amelie is a psychiatrist that my family hired to know any psychological issue I have. I don’t believe that someone would want to waste hours and hours to know about my life, likes, dislikes and spend time talking to me only. So, I think she is trying to ask me tricky questions and once I answer them she notes them regularly. What would be next? She will make a report; prove me a psychopath and I would be sent to a rehabilitation centre. I don’t want it so I ignore her questions mostly, and she probably is too sincere with her profession so she keeps asking it until it’s he r time to go back home. There is yet another possibility that maybe, Amelie belongs to that class where the children get everything but lack attention from their families and she is trying to quench her thirst of love, care and feeling of belongingness by intruding into my life. So, may be Amelie is an attention seeker trying to gain my sympathies; but I don’t have the time to do that. Today, I ignored her questions and I feel more irritated by the thought that she did not mind it at all. She stayed around for 2 more hours just to ensure I was not angry with her and that I was okay. Who would want to have another mom-like-person anyways, I need to make Amelie understand this! I have my family to take care of my food, mood and health conditions. ::Sigh:: what more can I waste my time on, thinking about Amelie and observing her behavior? Oh God! Am I trapped? Yet another day full of irritation has passed. I

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Turkey and the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Turkey and the European Union - Essay Example As a prerequisite for joining the union, a country should satisfy a basic condition of being able to prove that it is democratically stable and able to address the issues of humanitarian and international concerns. However, the public and media circles have been full of accusations labeled against turkey mostly because it is a predominantly Muslim nation. Most of the European Union nations have argued that the country is of an incompatible value system having been through a different timeline in its historical and religious history. As a result, the arguments against the nation’s membership to the EU have been based on a religious cum cultural compatibility with other states in the union. In other words, by being a country that has faced a lot of historical influence through Islamic dominance in its political and social structure, the opposing voices for the country’s inclusion in the EU state that this has worked against the country. The attachment of Islamic faith wit h terrorism has also been a factor in the determination of the country’s EU status at least according to some public observers. The fear of Islam among other faiths in the region has been high in the aftermath of terror attacks in major European cities; all connected to individuals or groups of Islamic background. It then follows that most people have wanted to associate the integration of the country into the union to increased terrorism in the region. Apart from the country’s religious heritage, its size has been a factor with many arguing that the country population which nears that of Germany; may be a hindrance to the region’s economic development. Other issues raised have attachment to the country’s poverty index, largely rural population and conflict prone boarders. Turkey has myriad of problems just like other European Union countries. Some of the problems are a result of the coup attempt in Cyprus. Muftuler and Guney (282) indicate some of the re asons why this conflict has a bearing on the determination of Turkey as a member of the EU. The origin of this conflict starts with the long followed conflict in Cyprus, which stems from the Greek and Turkish Cypriots living in the country. The country has been in the middle of the conflict due to its push to defend their counterparts who are settled in Cyprus. One factor that complicates this matter is that Greece is already a member of the EU yet it has been conflicting with the country concerning Cyprus. Turkey’s involvement in the conflict was as a result of the marginalization of the Turkish Cypriots even after the United Kingdom, Greece and the country signed a treaty of guarantee to Cyprus. This issue also highlights the problem of immigration. Migration has historically been attached to the enhancement of multiculturalism in regions such as Europe. However, Huysmans (752) highlights that a social realignment of this issue has resulted in ‘securitization of migra tion.’ Simply put, migration has been attached mostly to security issues rather than on the potential of interactions of the immigrants that can result into economic and social development. Most western nations have always majored on security and used this as a reason for restricting movement against the foundations of freedoms of association and movement.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Long-Term Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Long-Term Care - Essay Example In this particular scenario, as the demand for services by the population increases, and when the reimbursement is available, the providers for services will also increase. For a long time, Medicare and Medicaid were the most significant buyers of long-term care services. However, with the introduction of Managed Care Organizations (MCO), the pressure and the competition has increased. MCOs have the option to choose which providers they will do business with since many of them do not cover long-term care. This directly increases the amount of providers looking to provide the services, resulting in opening up the opportunity for competition between the providers (Pratt, 2010, p. 215). Our system allows competition due to a firm belief that the customer will benefit from competition as better quality will be offered in order to gain more customers. Since the customers are also better informed due to higher education and ability to compare services, their expectations are higher and the y give their ‘businesses’ to only those health care organizations that meet their needs. The health care facilities are also susceptible to pressure from payers and regulatory agencies to provide quality and cost-effective services. The providers that follow the requirements will be given incentives on top of their reimbursements. These institutions are the most favorable to increase their customer base, to have a solid financial relationship with managed care organizations (MCO), and with the Federal and State agencies. 2. Explain, using examples, the differences between licensure and accreditation. The health care industry is highly regulated. It is natural for them to be so as they deal with life and death situations. It is not like other industries where mistakes can be rectified or losses can be repaid. With the health care industry, the mistakes cost lives and hence, they must be prevented at any cost. For that purpose we have two types of external controls. One d eals with governmental regulations, licensing of facilities and individuals (public), and the other deals with voluntary accreditation and certifications (private) (Study Notes, p. 6). One of the most important differences between public and private agencies is that â€Å"public agencies have a dual purpose—to control both quality and costs—while the private organizations have a single purpose—to measure, evaluate, and ensure the quality of care† (Pratt, 2010, p. 258). Another difference is that the â€Å"government programs seek to ensure a minimum level of quality or competency, while the private organization set standards that measure and ensure more of an optimum level† (Pratt, 2010, p.p. 258-259). Licensure is provided by the State and it is basically a â€Å"permission to a qualified individual or entity to perform certain specified activities that would be illegal without a license† (Pozgar, 2006, p.273). For example, in the health ca re industry we find practitioners like Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Physicians (MD), Registered Dietician (RD), Licensed Physical Therapist (PT), and many others who, in order to practice their profession, need a license from the State. The exam for

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Function of International Marketing Strategies Assignment

The Function of International Marketing Strategies - Assignment Example The Freitag enterprise is now a booming success, selling bags from 350 locations across the world in Berlin, Cologne, Davos, New York, Hamburg, and Zurich (FREITAG, 2011). They also have an online shop, which adds to their revenue massively. The factory in which these bags are made is situated in Switzerland, near the cross-city highway, which was part of the initial inspiration for the first bag in 1993. This brand has become well known and loved in several locations across the world, especially Japan and England, all in a span of just a few years. The main headquarters is in Zurich, in the country to which it not only belongs but also one with one of its highest number of consumers. Like every business, Freitag has had its setbacks and shocks during periods of recession. The solution it chose to such problems was diversification and expansion in geographical markets, rather than reducing the existing operations. For such expansion, the board of directors is currently searching for the right locations. As a Freitag employee, I would like to suggest the Brazilian market to them. There would be several benefits of entering this market, of example the high population and further expected growth rate, the free market economy, their exchange rate, highly developed telecom sector, and finally, Brazil’s elevated purchasing power parity.Initially, Freitag will capture 8 to 9 percent of the market, a goal that it plans to achieve by the time their second year-ends. After this is achieved, it will move on to establishing itself as a fashion brand. The cities it will initially be introducing its product to will be the large cities of Brazil, for example, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Rio de Janerio, Manaus, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janerio. It will offer these new customers a retail price of 100 Brazilian real and will present its product as being innovative, refreshing, and tailored according to the specifications

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Internal Look into Infidelity and the Outcomes Essay Example for Free

Internal Look into Infidelity and the Outcomes Essay Infidelity can happen at the blink of an eye, especially if a person is not aware of their current relationship standings with their partner. A partner may display two types of infidelity, emotional and sexual. Each type of infidelity is seen differently by men and women on an opposite scale according to (Buss, Larsen, and Westen, 1996; Buss et al., 1992; Buunk et al., 1996; Trivers, 1972). The causes for infidelity are somewhat the same for men and women; however, there are a few differences that vary between the two groups. When infidelity has happened the decision is ultimately whether a couple will either focus to stay together or dissolve the relationship. Through a deeper look between the two types of infidelity, along with the perception men and women have about its outcomes, a definite understanding is very clear why and how infidelity usually happens in the first place. Although many relationships survive infidelity, The trust is gone, completely gone, says Michael Baisden, relationship counselor and author of Never Satisfied: How and Why Men cheat. And trust is the most important thing in a relationship. The decision will vary from person to person on the continuance with a relationship after the other partner cheats. For myself, it depends on who the person is, my standards often change from partner to partner. Infidelity defined is an action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or another sexual partner. According to the most prevalent study using the framework of evolutionary psychology a study used by Buss, Larsen, Westen, and Semmelroth (1992), individuals where asked whether they would be more upset or jealous, if their partner had sexual intercourse or formed a deep emotional bond with someone else. Men and women were very different in their answers. Emotional infidelity occurs when a partner gets involved with caring deeply for a person that that is not their significant other. An emotional infidelity can hurt just as much to the other person as if they had already had sex with the other person involved. Sexual infidelity is the actual act of having sex outside of a person’s current relationship or marriage. When this action occurs, it is almost certain that the relationship will have troubling times ahead. How these two types of infidelities are seen by both men and women vary greatly on the scale. Men are very likely to become upset and end a relationship if  their girlfriend or wife were to have sexual encounters with another man vs. an emotional connection. The same cannot be said about women. According to (Buss, Larsen, and Westen, 1996; Buss et al., 1992; Buunk et al., 1996; Trivers, 1972), women tend to overlook a sexual infidelity but, are more affected by emotional bonds their boyfriend or husband acquires with another woman. Men tend to have a fear of uncertainty with offspring if a woman commits sexual infidelity that in turn tends to make him more susceptible to leaving a relationship. On the other hand, women are more invested in the emotional stability in her partner which in turn makes the woman more angered and upset over an emotional infidelity. The perceived outcomes for the two different types of infidelity are total opposites between men and women whereas the causes for infidelity is somewhat similar. The causes for infidelity are almost the same for men and women. Jennifer Harman, PhD., a professor of psychology at Colorado State University, stated â€Å"People do not just cheat for no reason. It used to be perceived that men were the bigger cheaters, however, according to the National Opinion Research Center study found that women having affairs rose from 14 percent to nearly 40 percent over the past 20 years. Women are in need of passion from their partner. Even the small things from walks in the park to a wine tasting can fulfill dissatisfaction. Petty arguments that hold insecurities and grudges is common for most women to experience. A need for her partner to understand and talk openly about problems and solutions is key for some women to feel connected. Women are also more attracted to men who are confident and ambitious which can sometimes lead to dissatisfaction with their partner if they are not in a manly position. Men also tend to have the same outlook when cheating comes to mind. If a man succeeded in filling his ego tank up an affair would make him feel powerful and desired. Sometimes men cheat because they are not being understood by their partner. If men were more open in communicating feelings freely, this would not be an issue. When men cheat the difference to theirs actions is a need to escape the reality of home rather than leave their relationship. Women, however, are typically silent in their actions but tend to plan an escape route out of the relationship after they begin cheating. The solution to ending a cheating cycle is to either dissolve the relationship or work on overcoming the struggles infidelity has caused on the relationship. Though people  sometimes choose to work things out, many ultimately work together for dissolving the relationship. Overcoming infidelity is very difficult task. Trust is compromised and very hard to regain on many levels and often takes years to rebuild. Without trust in a relationship, it is almost inevitable for disaster since trust is the viewed as the core for holding a relationship together. To overcome this is sometimes not worth the stress, time and patience, especially if this is just a romantic relationship with no children involved or when a marriage is at stake. On the other hand, long term relationship and married couples will often try to work through these troubling road blocks. When a person has more time invested or other things at stake, the decision is more comfortable to make when working things out. Some of these relationships and marriages last after infidelity but half do not. When a couple comfortably communicates and understand the deepness of how infidelity affects a relationship before, they agree to commit the partnership will be more successful. The most important factor is understanding to what extent infidelity can occur as both male and female have shown different tolerances for emotional and sexual encounters. Just having a deeper look into how differently men and women think help to understand their actions. With the listed information in mind, it is just as important to remember that women enjoy time with their partner, openness with information, and a man that is confident in himself. Men have a larger ego that needs to be stroked often, just saying how good he looks, or less nagging by their partner and more open communication they tend to have their needs met. When infidelity occurs because none of these needs is fulfilled, it is almost certain the relationship will not last. Just by knowing these things should make any male or female want to rethink actions or even the possibility of starting or moving ahead in a relationship.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Immigration Reform Essay Example for Free

Immigration Reform Essay Immigration reform is a widely debated topic that affects the lives of every citizen whether they are for, against or indifferent to the issue. The United States needs a new immigration policy that is based less on wishful thinking and more on realism. Spending vast sums of money trying to enforce arbitrary numerical limits on immigration that bear no relationship to economic reality is a fool’s errand. We need flexible limits on immigration that rise and fall with U.S. labor demand, coupled with strict enforcement of tough wage and labor laws that protect all workers, regardless of where they were born. We need to respect the natural human desire for family reunification, while recognizing that even family-based immigrants are unlikely to come here if jobs are not available. And we need to create a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants who are already here so that they can no longer be exploited by unscrupulous employers who hang the threat of deportation over t heir heads. The impact on ethics regarding immigration reform is that there are many Americans who object to providing health care to those who are in this country illegally and they make the principled point that people who violate the immigration laws of this country have forfeited any moral claim to assistance and should not benefit from their illegal behavior. They also argue that providing those here illegally with access to regular health care will as a practical matter have the undesirable effect of increasing illegal immigration. On the other hand the principled argument in favor of including illegal immigrants in health reform is that decent health coverage is a basic human right. A just nation should support that right for everyone, regardless of why or how a person is in the country. There are also practical reasons to support including undocumented immigrants in health reform. Ethics aside, there is no pragmatic way to deny emergency care to illegal immigrants The impact on morals regarding immigration reform would be how does the issue of immigration reform sits with your mores and values. Should the Christian Values of treating others how you would like to be treated be used? Many Liberals would like to change the laws on immigration to strengthen border security and be fair to taxpayers but also include a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who are in the country illegally. Conservatives would like  to strengthen the existing laws and see that the immigrants that entered the country illegally are deported even though in most cases it would cause the break-up of families as some members may be here illegally and some may be either naturalized or citizens by birth. The things to consider when reviewing how Immigration Reforms would impact our lives is: What are the costs of securing our borders? The current estimate in the costs of securing the borders is $40, 000 per illegal immigrant and the impact it would have on the families and economy of those that live in the border cities would be devastating in terms of loss jobs and revenue. This does not take into account the amount of money spent to hire and train new Border Patrol Agents and drug dogs; using the National Guard and their equipment, and building a fence which places the cost at about 90 billion dollars a year. What are the costs of detaining immigrants? According to the American Civil Liberties Union the cost of detaining an illegal immigrant is between $122 -$164 a day. Should illegal immigrants receive help with medical and food? This is an ethics and moral issue concerning decent human treatment. Though it would place a heavy strain on resources and the economy some type of system should be set up with a limit on how often an illegal immigrant could use the services until citizenship is granted and a repayment plan is instituted.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Apache And Christian Creation Stories Are Unique Religion Essay

The Apache And Christian Creation Stories Are Unique Religion Essay The Apache and Christian creation stories are unique and interesting in their own ways. Long ago, there were people in the United States before the European settlers. They were Native Americans, people whose hearts and souls were one with the land and surrounding nature, the Apache. The Apache people had a unique and well developed society which included every aspect of life. One of the most interesting aspects of the Apache is their creation story. In the Apache creation story, nothing existed at the beginning; there was no earth or anything for that matter, only darkness shrouded everywhere. From the darkness appeared a thin disc, one side yellow and the other side white, suspended in midair. Inside the disc sat a small bearded man, who was called Creator. In Apache religion there is one main Creator, Ussen, and then lesser gods, making them have a total of four Gods thus making the Apache people polytheistic. The Creator found a Girl without Parents sitting on a cloud asking about the Earth. There were also four sacred colors, black, blue, yellow, and white which have guided the Apachs in their prayer to the Creator. The four colors symbolize the colors of the threads Tarantula used to pull and stretch the earth. During creation, the Creator made the gods, heavens, earth, plants, and animals all from his sweat. The creator sent a lesser God named Lightning-Maker to encircle the world, and he returned with three uncivilized creatures, two girls and a boy. These creatures had no eyes, ears, hair, mouths, noses, or teeth. They had arms and legs, but no fingers or toes. The three creatures were placed inside a sweathouse created by Girl without Parents. They came out of the sweathouse and the Creator then gave each of them fingers, toes, mouths, eyes, ears, noses and hair. Creator named the boy, Sky-Boy, to be chief of the Sky-People. One girl he named Earth-Daughter, to take charge of the earth and its crops. The other girl he named Pollen-Girl, and gave her ch arge of health care for all Earth-People. The Creator thought that it would be a fun idea to create animals, birds, trees, and hills to cover the earth. Like many other religions, the Apache religion has a creation story that includes a flood. After the flood was over, the Creator left and put Lightning-Rumbler, in charge of clouds and water. The Creator left Sky-Boy in charge of the Sky-People. The Earth-Daughter was left in charge of all crops and Earth-People. Pollen-Girl was in charge of the health and guidance of everyone. The Christian theory of creation is unique in its own way as well. The Christian theory states that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. When God created Light, he saw that the light was good; so he separated the light from the darkness. The light was called Day, and the darkness was called Night. This was the first day of creation. The firmament that God created from water was called Heaven. Then evening and morning were created, this was the second day of creation. The water was gathered in one place so that dry land appeared, the dry land was called Earth, and the gathered water was called Seas. God then made the vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit, this was the end of the third day. On the fourth day, God made two great lights, a greater light to rule the day, and a lesser light to rule the night; he also made the stars. On the fifth and sixth days, God created the creatures of the Earth, sea, and sky and told them to multiply. God created man in his own image, in the image, he created male and female. God blessed them, and told them to be fruitful and multiply. He also told them to command all of the earth; and he gave them green plants for food. God blessed them and that was the end of the sixth day. God blessed the seventh day and rested from all his work. These creation stories are the backbone of each of the Christian and Apache belief systems. The Apache and Christian belief systems include a variety of characters, which are present in the creation stories. There is but only one God involved in the Christian creation story therefore making Christianity a monotheistic religion. The Apache creation story involves multiple figures; the Creator and the lesser Gods making this a polytheistic faith. These characters have either helped the divine being create the universe or they were created by the divine being to take care of the Earth. The Creator in the Apache myth is depicted as a small man with a beard. This can be compared to God in the Christian creation theory. Both are depicted as old males. These elderly male figures may represent wisdom and knowledge. In the Apache story, the Creator was the Supreme Being that is in charge of everything. There were also lesser Gods that helped the Creator create the Earth, while in the Christian theory, God created everything by himself. Although the God in the Christian creation stor y does get tried on the seventh day of creation and needs rest, he is not anthropomorphic. The Creator in the Apache story is considered to be anthropomorphic. The Creator displays humanlike characteristics, for instance, he was sweating throughout the whole creation time period. In the Apache creation story, there were many figures involved in the creation of the universe, while in Christianity there was only one God that created the universe. A very prominent concept that stood out in the Apache creation myth is the fact that there were animals involved in the creation of the universe. Animals like hummingbirds and tarantulas played a vital part in the creation of the universe. The fact that animals aided in the creation of the universe, is reflected in the actual beliefs of the Apache people. The Apache believe in nagualism and animism. They believe that a human being has the power to magically turn him or herself into an animal form. They also believe that that souls or spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, and other parts of the natural environment. Followers of the Christian faith do not believe in nagualism as this belief is thought to be a primitive practice. Animals are considered sacred to the Apache, so there sacredness may be because of the roles the animals played in the creation of the universe. Animals do not seem as significant in the Christian faith, maybe this because animals were actually created by God and did not assist in the creation of the universe. The use of numbers in the Apache and the Christian creation stories is very prominent. The number four is considered to be sacred to the Apache. During the creation of the universe, the Apache Creator always said things four times, and he clapped and rubbed his hands together four times. There were also a total of four Gods that mixed their sweat together to create a bean which eventually became the earth. The tarantula spun black, blue, yellow, and white cords and pulled them in four direction; east, south, west, and north. The number four was a significant part of the Apache creation story. The number four is still considered sacred to the Apache. During rituals and dances, they sing all their songs and prayers in sets of four; all rites last four nights. In the Christian belief, it took seven days to create the universe. This can be related to the amount of days we have in a week. In the creation myth, God hallowed on the seventh day and worked the other six days. In our modern wo rld, Sunday -the seventh day of the week- is supposed to be for rest, just like in the Christian creation myth. The number seven is also important in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It seems that numerology was so important that representing an event or series of events with the number 7 helped prove that the story was true. The number seven also means control. The numerology that appeared in the creation stories reflects belief of the respective creed.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

One of the Few, One of the Proud Essay -- United States Marine Corps S

One of the Few, One of the Proud To some it may seem â€Å"easy† to become a soldier in the United States Marine Corps. A recruit goes to boot camp, passes, and goes on to save the world and defend the nation, but in fact it is much harder. Boot camp in itself is a test for the body to see its weaknesses and turn them to strengths and to see how long the brain can be mentally alert and ready and when tired can still give a hundred percent. Within boot camp there is the ultimate test that proves whether a recruit is just another person or if they have what it takes to be a Marine. This test is called the Crucible; it is not just the title of a book. Boot camp begins in the recruit’s home state when they sign the papers and a contract to allow the recruit to be shipped to Parris Island, South Carolina. It is eighty-nine days of depending on one’s self and trusting people that would normally be considered strangers. These are teammates and allies. Everyday is spent with them and they will help you succeed or suffer in those eighty-nine days. A recruit accomplishes a goal with his fellow recruits or fails with them. It is never a one-person effort. This is important in the end. During boot camp, each personal receives eight hours of sleep for a sixteen-hour workday. In this time, civilians learn what it takes to become a Marine and know what is expected of them. There is constant movement and training so that there is no free time to sleep or get distracted from the goals (Seymour). Every task and mission asked of a person during boot camp has a purpose. The purpose is to prepare the future soldier for any kind of situation that may take place in the field during a real mission. T... ... USMC - MCRDSD/WRR - Description of Recruit Training. United States Marine Corps. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://www.mcrdsd.usmc.mil/RTR/trainingDS.htm>. Woulfe, James B. Into the Crucible: Making Marines for the 21st Century. New York: Ballantine Books, Inc, 2000. Mission Complete: "The battle of Iwo Island has been won. The United States Marines by their individual and collective courage have conquered a base which is as necessary to us in our continuing forward movement toward final victory as it was vital to the enemy in staving off ultimate defeat. By their victory, the 3d, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the 5th Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON VIRTUE." -Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Students MUST be Provided with the Skills Necessary for Success Essay

Students MUST be Provided with the Skills Necessary for Success Have you ever seen an eighth grader, who has no mental or physical disabilities, struggle through basic third grade math? Throughout high school I have and it has become a common sight in our schools. Some were placed in remedial classes, while others sat next to me in some of my honor’s course. Students are being passed through school without being taught the basic skills necessary to be successful in today’s society. Measures need to be taken so that these students are not pushed through school and thrown into the real world without the skills necessary to succeed. The solution to this is through standardized classes and periodic evaluations of both teachers and students. In the past standardized classrooms have been looked down upon, because of the concept that all students do not learn at the same rate. This is true; there shouldn’t be a standard that is untouchable for most students. There should be a standard so that when a student graduates he or she is prepared to be a productive part of society. Besides just having a standard there must be some way to check that it is being followed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are standards in place now that try and make sure that a student is learning what he or she needs to graduate. These are in the forms of test. The problem with these tests is that they are taken every few years. By this time a student may be so far behind and lack the skills necessary that it would tak...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Regulating Food Advertising for Children

Regulating Food Advertising for Children Mollie Burdick February 14, 2012 HU 101 Critical Thinking Herzing University Online The most popular form of advertisement that companies use is association. This is done by having a famous actor or actress endorse the product by being in a commercial or using that product in their television show or movie. This form of advertisement is more effective in teens wanting to fit in. For even younger children they base what they want by what character or toy is in the commercial or on the front of the box. For example: Tony the tiger, Toucan Sam, and The Captain from Captain Crunch.Children associate things being good for them when they see them presented to them in this way, especially when they hear for example Tony the tiger saying â€Å"their great! † This is why, â€Å"thirty years ago, the marketing industry established the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) specifically to recognize that material which might be truthful and non-deceptive for adults could still mislead young people† (Liodice, R). There are guidelines for just about every aspect of our lives. Now they are trying to enforce stricter guidelines on how companies advertise their product.But can this be done without violating a company’s right for the freedom of speech? Yes, companies just need to be a little more creative. So in order to help fight childhood obesity, Liodice explains that â€Å"companies, individuals, families, schools, governments and the media need to work together in ways that will bring better health to everyone in this country† Advertisements are being targeted the hardest because children spend way too much time watching television. The average child watches about one thousand hours of television a year. â€Å"On average, children ages 2-5 spend 32 hours a week in front of a TV.Kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV and 71% of 8- to 18-year-olds have a TV in their bedroo m. † says Kyla Boyse. This shows that children are not being active enough and they are losing their imagination. Our lives are governed by guidelines in every form. But can this be done without violating a company’s right for the freedom of speech? Yes, companies just need to be a little more creative. So in order to help fight childhood obesity, â€Å"companies, individuals, families, schools, governments and the media need to work together in ways that will bring better health to everyone in this country† (Liodice, R).One of the things that the guidelines ignored is â€Å"the point and the fact that adults make the vast majority of food purchases for their families, particularly for younger kids† (Liodice, R). So if the adults don’t buy it the kids wouldn’t be able to eat it. But what the guidelines did not forget is what children do, to get what they want. Example how children will through a temper tantrum if they can’t have what t hey want. So the adults have a tendency to give in to keep the child calm. This problem I blame on the government for taking punishment out of the home.Adults are powerless against children in fear of going to jail for child abuse or child endangerment. Personally I feel a trip to the wood shed would be called for, it never hurt us, but it did get our attention. In order to help stop the bad influences of food commercials on children, companies have started backing off how many food commercials they advertise. According to Nielsen Media Research there was a thirteen percent decline (Liodice, R). Especially during the prime time when children are watching television. This is a start but not the cure for childhood obesity.This is not just a media problem. This is a problem starts at home, children need to play outside more in the fresh air so they get the exercise. T. V. was not designed to be a babysitter, but seeing it has become a babysitter schools, government, companies, individu als, and families all need to work together to stopping childhood obesity. References Boss, J (2010) Think: Critical Thinking and Logic Skills for Everyday Life. Retrieved on February 14, 2012 Kyla Boyse, RN. , August 2010, Television and Children, Retrieved on February 14, 2012 from http://www. med. umich. edu/yourchild/topics/tv. htm

Monday, September 16, 2019

Non-Commissioned Officer the Embodiment of the Corps’ History

Cpl. Stalinsky,Travis Class 318-13 20121202 Squad #1 â€Å"How is the Modern Corps’ Non-commissioned Officer the Embodiment of the Corps’ History and Tradition? † The United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers are the Marines who have proven that they are worthy to handle the responsibility to lead junior Marines. The backbone of the Marine Corps as they have been described as. Their job is not just a few tasks’ it’s a large variety of tasks. It requires them to be professional, have courage, and integrity to set the example for others to follow and look to for guidance; thus emulating the corps history nd traditions.Throughout history the loyalty and commitment previous NCO’s have displayed made it a tradition to teach the new NCO’s picking up rank to carry on the standard, which modern NCO’s can be proud of and carry on with pride. When looking back into Marine Corps history of Medal of Honor recipients, the first on to receive the Medal of Honor was Cpl. John Mackie. He was the very picture of a Marine setting the right example as a non-commissioned. On May 15, 1862 while on board the U. S. S Galena in the Fort Darling attack at Drewry’s Bluff. â€Å"As enemy shellfire raked the deck of his ship, Cpl.Mackie fearlessly maintained his musket fire against the rifle pits along the shore, and when he was ordered to fill vacancies at guns caused by men wounded and killed in action, he manned the weapons with skill and courage†. This standard he set of instant and willing obedience to orders and courage is still what NCO’s to this day uphold. When the word Marine is heard by civilians, the word â€Å"loyal† comes to the top of their head. The modern Marine NCO’s are loyal to everything that is important to them and the Marine Corps. They proudly and loyally serve their country, their Corps, their unit, and themselves.They must show loyalty to their junior Marines. I t’s their job to mke sure their junior Marines have the right tools to be successful, and must always point them in the right for direction; thus gaining the junior Marines trust and respect. The Marine Corps depends on these fundamentals to be able to have efficient units, to have effective leaders to lead Marines into battle, and for Marines to be able to trust one another with each other with their lives. Now we fast forward from Cpl. John Mackie, who was awarded the first Medal of Honor, to a modern day NCO who was also awarded the Medal of Honor.This Marine displayed an abundance of courage, which overshadows all traits; without it we are doomed to fall short in all the other traits. On September 8, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Cp. Dakota Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of the afghan National Army and Border Patrol into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meet with the village eld ers. The patrol ended up being ambushed by more than fifty enemy combatants. Cpl. Meyer heard over the radio that four U. S. team members were cut off on their way back to safety.Cpl. Meyer had a fellow Marine do the driving while he took up the exposed gunner’s position in a gun truck in attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate his fellow team members. Cpl. Meyer seizing the courage to make this bold and brave action, while under intense enemy fire, killed a number of enemy fighters, made a couple of trips saving and searching for his comrades. His unbelievable courage allowed him to commit to the dangerous task of helping his fellow Marines. This shows why courage is the most important trait because without it how could you face your fears to make the unpopular decision?How would you have the intestinal fortitude to conduct yourself as a Marine on and off duty always making the right decisions? To stand in front of your peers and subordinates and teach them knowledge? This is why NCO’s can lead is because they have the courage to do what is necessary. Modern Marine NCO’s are the true embodiment of the Corps history and traditions because as leaders they emphasize the professional values of their leadership concepts; such as loyalty to the Corps, loyalty to their nation, loyalty to their units, exhibiting selfless services, and their professional responsibilities as an NCO.The two Marine NCO’s that I have discussed have displayed vital points of the Corps history and traditions. The Corps values, leadership traits, and leadership principles that were demonstrated was courage, loyalty, and setting the example. Their actions have set the standards which modern Marine NCO’s take pride in and continue to uphold the tradition.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Critical Analysis: Life of Pi

By examining the novel Life of Pi, the three part novel by Yann Martel, one can observe the psyche of a man who has gone through a horrendous tragedy that has affected his life dramatically.   Martel chose the differing setting of India, Canada, the Pacific Ocean, and briefly in Mexico during the nineteen seventies.   From the conflicting cultures of the setting, the protagonist, Pi must deal with many adversities, yet he has survived all of them.   The novel is narrated in first person with Pi taking on the role of narrator. This gives an insight into the working of Pi’s mind.   A privileged glimpse of how an individual responds to the task of survival makes one wonder how he/she would respond in a similar situation.   It also shows what an individual will do to deal with the events that are just too horrible to accept. The plot is told in flashback and as a framed story.   The exposition is established early in the novel.   We learn that Pi is a man from India who now resides in Canada.   It is obvious that there has been some tragedy in his life, but it is not revealed until later.   Pi is married with a son and daughter.   The author discovers that he has a passion for cooking with lots of spices. This could be a way for him to connect with his past in India.   He uses so many layers of spices that it is just too intense for the author.   His overly spicy food is symbolic of his past.   Pi has tolerated his circumstances, but it is just too tragic for others to be able to identify.   As part one unfolds, Pi relates the history of his childhood in India.   His father had run the Pondicherry Zoo, and that is where he learns about the nature of animals as well as how human nature can parallel animals.   Pi is convinced that the animals are better off in the zoo that in the wild because some one must take care of them.   He also learns the way a human can achieve dominance over them. The conflict of the novel is established in the trip to his new home and the completely different culture he will encounter.   Pi’s family is killed in a shipwreck and he is the lone survivor.   He must now fight the forces of nature to stay alive.   Then he must learn how to deal the events that he has endured.   Another conflict in the story deals with religion. Pi was born into a Hindu family and throughout the novel he states that he considers himself primarily a Hindu.   Along the way, he discovered Christianity and a priest convinced him that he needed to become a Christian and Pi agrees.   His parents attend his baptism even though they do not accept the religion.   Finally Pi meets a Muslim and is persuaded to convert to Islam.   Again he embraces another religion.   Pi decides that he can be all of the religions. The rising action of the novel quickly becomes evident when Pi begins to relate his voyage to Canada.   His father decides that the family must move because of political unrest in their homeland.   Most of the animals are sold and the ones that couldn’t be sold are taken of the boat with the family.   After an accident, the boat sinks.   Pi, however, is the only one from his family to survive the shipwreck.   He and a zebra escape on a lifeboat, but the zebra is injured in the fall. Shortly after the life boat falls into the water, Pi spots his father’s tiger, Richard Parker.   The human name of the tiger is symbolic of the animalistic instinct of man.   The three survivors are soon joined by a hyena and an Orangutan.   At first all of the animals coexist with each other.   It is not long before the hyena chews the leg of zebra for a meal.   He then basically eats the animal alive.   The symbolism of the savagery of survival is evident in this incident. The hyena soon turns on the Orangutan and kills her as she is looking for her two sons.   Pi is amazed how human like she behaves.   Pi and Richard Parker become weary and dehydrated.   Pi learns how to fish and make drinking water out of sea water.   He uses his basic instincts for his survival.   The tiger finally kills the hyena, and even though Pi is glad that the hyena is gone, he becomes fearful of the tiger.   He realizes that he must gain dominance of the animal. He resorts back to the knowledge he gained at his father’s zoo.   Pi and Richard Parker are joined by another man and while Pi is suffering temporary blindness due to dehydration.   After battling hunger, lack of water, and the elements of nature, Pi’s lifeboat comes ashore in Mexico.   Richard Parker escapes into a wooded area and Pi is taken to the hospital. Two Japanese officials come to the hospital to interview Pi to gain information about the sinking of their ship.   He recounts the whole story of the sinking and his survival on the lifeboat.   After they listen to the story they leave to discuss the information they have just received.   They return after a short while and inform Pi that they do not believe his story. He then relates the story of his survival only substitutes humans for the animals.   They are horrified and he then asked them which story they prefer.   The men admit that the one with the animals was easier to accept.   It is then that the climax becomes evident.   The whole story of the animals was made up by Pi so that he could deal with the events that had happened to him.   The zebra had been a sailor, the hyena was an insane cook, and the orangutan was Pi’s mother.   Richard Parker is symbolic of   Pi’s animal instincts.   He finally gains dominance over them and it is his animal instincts that can alone help him survive. The falling action comes about when the two Japanese officials write their report.   They realize that Pi has no knowledge that can actually help them understand the wreck of their vessel.   They resolve that Pi’s survival with a ferocious tiger was unique story.   They, along with Pi, did what they had to do in their mind to be able to accept what had actually happened. Pi is a character that embodies the whole idea of survival.   All people go through adversity, and all have to learn to survive.   Many times it is painful.   An individual must come to grips in his/her own mind with what they must accept to continue on with daily life.   Martel takes this into consideration when writing this story.   Not only does he engage the reader by using suspense and the element of surprise, but he teaches mankind that we do what we have to do to cope. He also makes the point that even though humans have come so far with their scientific knowledge and technology yet they still have animalistic instincts when it comes to survival.   He could have set the story in the distant past, but instead he set it in the recent past.   There was an immense amount of technological and scientific knowledge in the nineteen seventies.   If our society were to lose our modern conveniences in a natural disaster, people would still revert to their instincts for continued existence. Works Cited Martel, Yann.   Life of Pi.   Canada: Random House of Canada, 2001.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Nutrition Company Business Plan Essay

Executive summary: Bharat Food Science Nutritionals is a company which is in the market for 30 years and has been providing the highest quality formulations in Nutritional Supplement Industry for both human and animal needs. Main objective is to provide Humans with required nutritional supplements and make them healthier and more productive. It is known that low socio-economics groups just eat enough to survive. Our objective is to include these people to improve their health and make them fit. Our Mission is Nutritious Nation. Our company is committed to providing nutrition to promote maximum fitness and overall better health Our Vision includes in next 10 years is to provide a Healthy India. Helping as many people as we can. â€Å"There should be no selling of a girl due to lack of food.† Our products are so reliable which has lead us to good profits. Now we are developing new strategies to include low socio-economic people. Company summary: Bharat Food Science Nutritionals, for over 30 years our company has provided the highest quality formulations in the Nutritional Supplement Industry for both human and animal needs. We do research, develop, manufacture and distribute a variety of dietary supplements, protein bars, soups, meals, fiber drinks and fortified beverages. Our company has a base of products for the Vitamin/Nutrition, and Pharmaceutical industries. The diverse product line contains many â€Å"value-added† granulations and custom formulations. Baby foods formulated to supplement your baby’s diet. Our patented, GRAS-designated ingredients are designed for the nutritional supplement, functional food and beverage, cosmetic and animal nutrition market. Our employees are dedicated to an unmatched commitment of quality and service for every product we produce. High level of supervision goes into the production process. Our products provide the most effective dietary supplements to promote maximum fitness and overall better health. WHO recognizes that poverty, social inequality and the lack of education are the root causes of malnutrition and stresses that improvements in human welfare, including nutritional well-being, must be at the center of social and economic development efforts. To help low socio economic groups, we have determined to work together to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition. Main objectives include * Famine and famine-related deaths; * Starvation and nutritional deficiency diseases in communities affected by natural and man-made disasters; * Iodine and vitamin A deficiencies; * Water supply for irrigation. We also pledged to reduce substantially: * Starvation and widespread chronic hunger; * Under nutrition, especially among children, women and the aged; * Other important micronutrient deficiencies, including iron; * Diet-related communicable and non-communicable diseases; * Social and other impediments to optimal breast-feeding; * Inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene, including unsafe drinking water. We took a large portion of our profit to start these programs. Selected volunteers will educate the people about the importance of nutrition and proper food intake. Pregnant ladies are supervised and informed about their special nutrition requirements; we provide free samples of iron, iodine and vitamins for this category of females. Explaining the importance of breast feeding will encourage the children feeding on breast milk to be immune to diseases in a natural way. Saving the rain water is very much important for irrigation. Amartyasen , a well-known Economist who needs no introduction says that â€Å"There is enough food available for everyone but the ability to buy food is lacking† Hence we also want to create opportunities to raise their income. As most of the rural people are based on agriculture, we focus on development of agriculture as well. Teaching villagers the techniques to save rain water and usage of optimal ground water will help them in agricultural purposes. Our company has tie-ups with Agro-seeds Company. They provide high yielding variety of seeds. We will provide these seeds at subsidized rates to the farmers so that they can get high yielding crops and good income. â€Å"JEENA† is the name of the program in which we have included all these activities. Jeena basically focuses on improving the health and fitness of low socio-economic individuals and thereby improving their wellbeing. Customer identification is the primary setup. Since urban people are now being educated and know the importance of nutrition, our products are gaining importance. We market our products to all locations. And especially to doctors, they prescribe the drugs to the required people. But in rural areas and people with low income it is difficult to find customers. Hence by giving our products at subsidized rates will encourage the low income individuals to take nutrition supplements. Creating the awareness about the problems faced because of malnutrition will encourage everyone to consume the nutritious diet. There are many questions which are unaddressed in regard to the approach. They can be potential risks involved in the business. Risks may be categorized as Threats, this can be from political view or catastrophic (e.g. Natural disaster or critical public infrastructure failures) or climate changes. Other risk is it can be vulnerable i.e. chances of undesirable outcome. Though our products are approved by FDA, few people with other diseases may not find it suitable for them, especially animal products. Finding sufficient number of volunteers to go and create awareness is another challenge. To see the Change it takes cost and time as the variables. In places like Ramnad, water lords may restrict our activities. People may not behave as expected and it is difficult to judge their behavior. As per poor economics, low income individuals are not willing to spend more on food even if their salary increases. Such unpredictable human nature may hinder the plan. To mitigate the risk, our risk management system is aiming to address the uncertainty in the market place. They create controls and countermeasures to minimize or eliminate the disruption, loss or damage to business operations and shorten recovery time from unwanted event and thereby reducing its impact on business. Taking the help of surveys and questionnaires will help us to know the loopholes in our process. Educating people will solve most of the unwanted probability of our program being successful. Marketing our products to the remote locations will increase its demand and it will be easily accepted by low socio economic groups. To avoid the side effects, we do preliminary health diagnosis of the person and give the appropriate supplements. Making profit is not our motto but we do have profits. We have huge profits in the commercial business. A big portion of it goes to help the low socio-economic people. Apart from that we follow a scheme in which we made all our customers and people in villages who are being benefitted by us to involve in a scheme under â€Å"Jeena†, in which each person pays a small token of money. All this money is in turn used for their own benefit. People taking nutritious food indicates that they are more tall and healthy who have more production. More productivity leads to higher profits. There are few short-term and long-term plans in our plan. But our program of â€Å"Jeena† will definitely make big difference in near future.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Case Study of Low Blood Pressure

Case Study of Low Blood Pressure Mr Jones has a BP of 90/60. Please name the appropriate health terminology in relation to his BP. Normal Range = Hypotension Low blood pressure is referred to as hypotension, especially in the arteries of the systemic circulation. Hypotension is generally considered systolic blood pressure less than 90 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) or diastolic less than 60 mmHg. A person’s blood pressure reading appears as two numbers. The first and higher of the two numbers is a measure of â€Å"systolic† pressure or the pressure in the person’s arteries when their heart beats and fills them with blood. The second number measures â€Å"diastolic† pressure or the pressure in the person’s arteries when their heart rests between beats. A desired blood pressure is less than 120/80. In people who are considered to be healthy, low blood pressure without experiencing any symptoms is commonly not a concern and does not need to be treated. Low blood pressure may be a sign of an underlying issue, particularly in the elderly, where it might cause inadequate blood flow to their heart, vital organs, and brain. Fortunately, chronic low blood pressure without symptoms is rarely serious. Health issues may happen, however, when a person’s blood pressure suddenly drops and their brain is deprived of an adequate blood and oxygen supply. The condition may lead to light-headedness or dizziness. A sudden drop in blood pressure usually happens in a person who has risen from a prone or sitting position to a standing one. When this occurs it is referred to as, ‘postural hypotension’ or ‘orthostatic hypotension’. Another type of low blood pressure may happen when a person stands for extended periods of time. This is referred to as, ‘neurally-mediated hypotension’. Postural hypotension is considered to be a failure of a person’s cardiovascular system or nervous system to react appropriately to sud den changes. Usually, when a person stands up, some of their blood pools in their lower extremities. If this remains uncorrected, it would cause the person’s blood pressure to fall or decrease. A person’s body usually compensates by sending messages to their heart to beat faster and to their blood vessels to constrict, offsetting the drop in blood pressure. If this does not happen, or does not happen quickly enough, postural hypotension is the result. Blood Pressure and Aging The risk of low and high blood pressure commonly increases as a person ages due in part to changes during the aging process. The flow of blood to a person’s heart muscle and brain declines as a person ages, many times as a result of plaque build-up in their blood vessels. While the causes of low blood pressure may not always be clear, it might be associated with things such as: Heart arrhythmias Heart failure Heat exhaustion or heat stroke Hormonal issues such as an under-acti ve thyroid, diabetes, or low blood sugar Liver disease Pregnancy Some over-the-counter drugs Some prescription medications Widening of the blood vessels Causes of Sudden Drops in Blood Pressure Sudden drops in a person’s blood pressure may be life-threatening. A number of different things may cause this type of hypotension. The causes of sudden drops in blood pressure may include: A reaction to alcohol or medication Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction Heart muscle disease High body temperature Loss of blood Low body temperature Sepsis Severe dehydration from diarrhoea, vomiting, or fever People at Risk of Postural Hypotension Postural hypotension, or low blood pressure when a person stands up quickly, may happen to anyone for a number of reasons such as lack of food, dehydration, or simply being overly fatigued. It might also be influenced by a person’s genetic make-up, medication, aging, psychological factors, dietary ones, or acute triggers such as allergy or infection. Postural hypotension happens most often in people who are taking medications to control high blood pressure or, ‘hypertension’. It may also be related to strong emotions, pregnancy, diabetes, or hardening of a person’s arteries. Seniors are affected by postural hypotension in particular, especially seniors who experience high blood pressure or autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Hypotension after eating is a common cause of dizziness or even falls. It is most common after large meals containing a lot of carbohydrates. Medical science believes it is caused by blood pooling into a person’s vessels in their stomach and intestines. A number of medications are associated with postural hypotension as well. The medications may be divided into two major categories: Medications used to treat high blood pressure such as beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors Medications that have hypotension as a side effect such as anti-psychotics, neuroleptics, nitrates, anti-anxiety agents, tricyclic antidepressants, sedative-hypnotics, and medications for Parkinson’s disease Some causes of naturally occurring postural hypotension exist. For example, dehydration and electrolyte loss might result from vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive blood loss during menstruation, or other conditions. A person’s age associated decline in blood pressure regulation is another example and is something that might worsen due to certain health conditions or medications. Some diseases may cause postural hypotension as well. Diseases such as Shy-Drager syndrome or, ‘multiple system atrophy,’ nerve issues such as peripheral neuropathy or autonomic neuropathy, cardiovascular disorders, nutritional diseases, or alcoholism may cause postural hypotension. Blood Pressure Ranges Listed below are the ranges for Low ( Table 1 ) Normal ( T able 2 ) and High ( Table 3 ) blood pressure respectively. Systolic pressure (mm Hg) Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) Pressure Range 90 60 Borderline Low blood Pressure 60 40 Too Low Blood Pressure 50 33 Dangerously Low Blood Pressure Table 1 Low Blood Pressure Range Systolic pressure (mm Hg) Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) Pressure Range 130 85 High Normal Blood Pressure 120 80 Normal Blood Pressure 110 75 Low Normal Blood Pressure Table 2 Normal Blood Pressure Range If one or both numbers are usually high, you have high blood pressure (Hypertension). Systolic pressure (mm Hg) Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) Stages of High Blood Pressure 210 120 Stage 4 180 110 Stage 3 160 100 Stage 2 140 90 Sta ge 1 Table 3 High Blood Pressure Range Figure 1Visual representation of Systolic and Diastolic Ranges       Age Systolic BP Diastolic BP 3-6 116 76 7-10 122 78 11-13 126 82 14-16 136 86 17-19 120 85 20-24 120 79 25-29 121 80 30-34 122 81 35-39 123 82 40-44 125 83 45-49 127 84 50-54 129 85 55-59 131 86 60+ 134 87 The average Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure is affected by age, as shown in Age Males (mmHg) Females (mmHg) 1 – 3 80/34 – 120/75 83/38 – 117/76 4 to 6 88/47 – 128/84 88/50 – 122/83 7 – 10 92/53 à ¢â‚¬â€œ 130/90 93/55 – 129/88 Table 4 Average Systolic and Diastolic Ranges of Neonates and Infants Table 5 Average Systolic and Diastolic Ranges of Children and Adults

Group-Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group-Work - Essay Example After the experiment was over, members of Group A and Group B were asked to reflect upon their experiences and share them with the rest of the class. On one hand, members of Group A said that factors that helped them win the contest included friendship among the group members, assignment of roles and responsibilities to one another with mutual consensus, mutual respect and harmony among the group members, and good use of time because of lack of conflicts. On the other hand, members of Group B said that factors that obstructed their way to success included but were not limited to lack of understanding of the group members, interpersonal conflicts because of differences of views and opinions, and the waste of time because of assignment of roles to incompetent group members. Members of Group B were further asked to suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of their group since they had had a bad experience working as a group. They said that it is very important for the group members to take some time at the start to understand one another's strengths and weaknesses in general and those related to the task assigned in particular. This might not apparently seem a very good idea since it is a little time-consuming and exposes the weaknesses of the group members along with their strengths, but it saves a lot of time and energy in the long-run that is otherwise wasted when the weaknesses show up at the eleventh hour. The process can be as simple as conducting a meeting on day one.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The view on 'a management revolution' presented by Gary Hamel Essay

The view on 'a management revolution' presented by Gary Hamel - Essay Example Proper management is essential if organizations are to run effortlessly and achieve their purposes. It is through management that humankind has grown tremendously over the years. However, the tools of management on which this model is built have been in use since the 19th century, with a few changes if any While organizations remain stagnated on this old management model, the business environment, and the entire world, has fully revolutionized (Chizema & Kim, 109, 2010). Since the business environment continues to change, managing continuity should be imperative to all organizations to develop a connection between the realities of past, present, and future (Kolb, 183, 2003). With markets opening beyond national borders, and business processes becoming faster and more flexible, business organizations have been forced to adapt to a model more suitable for the 21st century (Burgelman & Grove, 965, 2007). However, Gary Hamel (2009) calls for an entire revolutionary change of the current management model. In his article entitled ‘Moon shots for management’, he says, â€Å"The evolution of management has traced a classic S-curve,† and goes on to argue that a new management model must be invented for the new age. New challenges The current management model is vertically structured with precisely defined roles for every level and is guided by set rules and procedures (Pye & Pettigrew, 153, 2005). In the current business environment, effective change is achieved when a firm has an organized pattern of decisions that guide deployment of resources in response to environmental changes (strategy) and a mechanism that turns this strategy into output (organization) (Nadler &Tushman, 204, 1989). Overcoming challenges entail changing the entire organizational culture by setting new goals, visions, missions, values, and strategies (Sisaye, 176, 2000).Even though culture is complicated, differentiated and difficult to control, it should be manipulated to encom pass a deep level of unconscious basic assumptions manifested in shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and creations (Harris and Ogbonna, 32, 2002). In order to overcome these challenges, Hamel postulates that business executives â€Å"must face the fact that â€Å"tomorrow’s business imperatives lay outside the performance envelope of today’s bureaucracy-infused management practices.† . Little is known about the strategy making processes at the top level of companies (Dewally & Peck, 38, 2010). A broader insight into the leadership structure of a company is needed as part of a broader attempt to remodel management (Pye & Pettigrew, 28, 2005). In organizations, governance and decision-making is dependent on bargaining between the board of directors and CEO. This is characterized by covert and overt use of power and influence (Daily, Dalton & Canella 2003). This drive should be towards an open, inclusive, and democratic organizational form (Mintzberg, 43, 1994). Th e top management executives should adopt an inclusive management style (Liedtka, 120, 1998). The Moon Shots In May 2008, Gary outlined 25 critical points that he felt should be adopted by business organizations as a way of reinventing management to better suit the present. Hamel was keen to point out that these moon shots were not exhaustive. From the moon shots, companies first have to redefine their goals. Clear redefinition of goals must encompass building human capital and engendering employee engagement (Davenport & Larding, 259, 2010). With the current management set up, companies are encouraged to adopt management practices that are socially beneficial. Today’s corporate governance structures promote the interests of some groups while oppresses others. In many cases, the senior executives and the shareholders benefit while employees and the local communities suffer (Zerbe, Hartel & Ashkanasy, 149, 2008). This is due to existence of a large gap between leadership and ch ange management. These leaders have a high charismatic

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Policy contribution part 3 (final) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Policy contribution part 3 (final) - Assignment Example owever, these policies are all based on the premise that immigrants have a generalized negative effect on the systems in the country, whereby the common belief is that unless someone has a certain level of education, skills or other features, he or she should be denied entry into the country (Bush and McLarty, 2009). Without the specified criteria, the country believes that these people have an overall negative effect on the country and its people including security, economy, culture, politics, and other aspects of modern-day society (McWhirter, 2006). Implementing policy depends on many factors including their effect on the people and the aim of policy makers in implementing the policy. In this case, the immigration policy had the aims of reducing the influx of immigrants into the country, and ensuring that those who gain access into the country are the most productive of all the candidates (Givens, Freeman and Leal, 2009). Consequently, the needs of the country have to be considered, together with the welfare of citizens and immigrants. This ensures that the policy that is passed is the best for everyone, such that citizens will not be at a disadvantage due to the proliferation of the number of immigrants into the country. On the other hand, the policy should be humane enough not to deny immigrants entry into the country of their dreams if they deserve it. In order to achieve an all-encompassing policy, extensive consultations must be held among all stakeholders during the planning and implementation process (Balloch, 2005). In addition, consultations must be held to identify areas of weakness in the policy, or changes that have occurred in the country that would necessitate a change in policy. Therefore, the process of implementing policy is continuous, whereby there is a feedback mechanism, and policies are always in the process of being amended and the amendments are always being implemented (Koulish, 2009). This study uses the Jansson’s approach to policy

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 Term Paper

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 - Term Paper Example With upward rising of the aggregate, there are favorable conditions to drive economic growth such as high job creation, high production, and business expansion. The Federal Reserve policies between 1996 and 1998 were aimed at stimulating growth in ensuring increased productivity, which resulted in increased employment and reduced inflationary rates through control of interest rates. A report by Federal Reserve Board (1999) showed that, economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was remarkable and stronger than many had expected. The economy growth was more than 3.5% in 1997 and between 2.5 and 3.0 % in 1998. By 1998 the real GDP growth was at 3.5%, and was expected to rise further in the following years (Lewis, 1998). According to Lewis, at the start of October 1998, the S& P was abnormally high having risen from about 1000 in earlier years to about 1400 by July 1999. The Fed had to impose a 40% increase in the S &P by hiking interest rates from 4.75 to about 6.5 in the following years. T his rise resulted from an â€Å"irrational exuberance’ where too much money was being injected into the booming internet and technology industries (Lewis, 1998). Figure 1 portrays the general trend of interest rates during this period, Figure 2 portrays the relations between money supply and price levels between 1950 and 2008, while figure 3 shows the dollar performance compared to German’s in 1998. The major driver of the U.S economy that resulted in a high economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was capital spending. Many organizations continued to invest heavily in information technology and modernizing communication equipment to improve their productivity (Lewis, 1998). The market interest rates affect borrowing and lending policies, which affect the production and consumption of goods, products and services. The Federal Reserve Board (1999) explains that, these factors largely influence employment and job creation; high interest rates will discourage investors henc e low job creation opportunities. For example, during this period, Fed decided not to hike the interest rates to control the exponential market growth in preventing the economy from tending to inflation. This is observed in graph 1. In the year 1996, it was expected that inflation and interest rates would be on the rise towards the end of that year, but it turned otherwise (Federal Reserve Board, 1999). As Mishkin (115) explains, the demand for money and interest rates are inversely related using the opportunity cost aspect. This is the expected return sacrificed by an investor by not holding the alternative asset, which refers to a bond in this case. Moreover, demand for money is determined by the wealth or income and the price levels in the market (Mishkin, 116). The federal authority polices during this period were aimed at robust growth in employment, recovery and strengthening of the dollar, and regulated interest rates, which increased wealth and lowered the interest rates mak ing the demand of money to increase. There was a general fall of the domestic interest rates and national debts over this period (Mishkin, 11). In the third quarter of 1998, uproar in financial market globally resulted in a sharp drop in value of the dollar, having dropped from DM 1.7993 to DM 1.6718, which could have shifted the economic growth as well as interest rate policies towards encouraging more borrowing. Low interest rates contributed

Monday, September 9, 2019

Critical Analysis Of Whether Or Not Parens Patriae Should Remain The Term Paper

Critical Analysis Of Whether Or Not Parens Patriae Should Remain The Standard In The Processing Of Juvenile Offenders - Term Paper Example Among the many functions attributed to the Monarch in Medieval England and Scotland, he was also the â€Å"father of the country† or parens patriae. This philosophy that initially referred to the Monarch’s powers as the guardian of all his people, including the ones who were unable to take care of themselves, was later turned into a jurisdictional power whereby the courts could assume the role of guardians (of the infirm, mentally disabled persons and children) and could make decisions regarding their well-being, custody and maintenance on their behalf. In the words of Craig this power of parens patriae was â€Å"†¦strictly all pupils, lunatics and imbeciles are under the care and protection of his Majesty †¦[f]or he is â€Å"pater patriae†; and the care of all such persons belongs to him as protector of the helpless† and at another place he wrote â€Å"[b]y the law of England both the custody of the persons of lunatics and imbeciles and the pre servation of their feudal estates belong to the king †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Moreover the first mention of this prerogative powers was made in thirteenth-century De Praerogativa Regis, this prerogative powers were eventually shifted to the Court of Chancery exercised by Lord Chancellor. Subsequent legislation not only included this prerogative power of the King as law but also gradually expanded the premise. The following acts for example were vital in ensuring that parens patriae conferred proper jurisdiction on the courts to take decisions on behalf of persons unable to make their own decisions: The Curators Act 1585, Exchequer Court (Scotland) Act 1856, Custody of Infant Rights in 1839, The Tenures Abolition Act 16603 and others. More recently, this jurisdictional power of parens patriae was employed in Law Hospital NHS Trust v. Lord Advocate4 (1996) where the judges, acting as parens ruled in favor of withdrawing life-support machine of a woman who was in persistent vegetative state (PV S). This case was a rare one, as it sparked debates regarding euthanasia and also renewed debate about the scope and application of parens patriae .Initially, this philosophy of parens patriae was used in guardianship and custody cases, wardship situations, gradually, the chancery courts extended the scope of parens to general welfare of children, including control, custody, and proper care. This gave the court the right to act as a parent to such children, to act as loco parentis, and provide for their well-being. According to Abramowicz (1999) this ancient English Law doctrine is now used in United States and United Kingdom to protect the mentally ill; the law of juvenile courts etc. However, initially parens patriae was not used to confer such powers on the courts to act as guardians of the juvenile offenders. Juvenile offenders are those children who act against the law, induldge in crimes, and are likely to make it a habit to do so. The court, acting on their behalf, considers proper measures for them, for their rehabilitation and reinvention as responsible citizens. Parens patriae is one of the most integral component of the law on juvenile offenders. Whence, the major strength of parens patriae lies in the fact that the delinquents of the society get protection and refuge in society rather than being homeless and helpless. The welfare state recognizes that it is its responsibility to ensure that all citizens get the protection they demand from the former. According to the book, Juvenile Delinquency, An Integrated Approach5, it is the philosophy of parens patriae that bestows authority upon the Juvenile Courts. At this point in this paper, it is pertinent that a little light be shed on the history of Juvenile Courts. Initially, juvenile offenders were treated with adults and as adults; there were no special provisions, verdicts or courts. Before the creation of

Sunday, September 8, 2019

SEARCH AND SEIZURE- CRIMINAL LAW Research Paper

SEARCH AND SEIZURE- CRIMINAL LAW - Research Paper Example Since the enactment and implementation of this law and its subsequent amendment known as the 4th Amendment, there have been several public and academic reviews on the law. Whereas some of these reviews seek to educate the public on the mandate and interpretation of the search and seizure law, others seek to criticize the law whiles others on the other hand seek to magnify the merits of the law. In this essay, there is an integrated approach to critically analyze the search and seizure law from the view points of as many schools of thoughts as there are on the law. Overview of the Search and Seizure Law The search and seizure law entails much more than we hear in its name. This is to say that the law goes beyond just searching a person or a place and seizing items. Broadly, â€Å"â€Å"Search and seizure† refers to the methods used by law enforcement to investigate crimes, track down evidence, question witnesses, and arrest suspects† (US Legal, 2011). This means that the search and seizure was enacted with the need to track down on criminal activities by gathering and gaining enough grounds for evidence and conducting investigation. For example when a civilian gives off a police tip about a person involved in the dealing of drugs, one of the best ways the police can gather evidence on the authenticity of the suspicion on the otherwise of the suspicion is to search the suspect or his or her premises. In case drugs are truly found, the police would best represent their case in court when they seize the drugs as evident. The application of the search and seizure law in the United States however varies from State to State (US Legal, 2011). The fundamental principle based on which the law works however remains the same; regardless of the State using the law. Due to the technicality of the search and seizure law, it is ably backed and guided by other constitutional laws, commonly known as the 4th Amendment. Search and Seizure and the 4th Amendment Laws a re made to protect the citizenry. This means that laws must be devoid of rooms that permit the abuse of the fundamental human right of people. Having talked about the concept and idea behind the search and seizure law, one may be tempted to think that the search and seizure law would give room for the police and perhaps other security and intelligence agencies to abuse the privacy and safety of civilians. This is far from true. This is because the mandate of the police in using the search and seizure law is controlled by the 4th Amendment. In this regard, Bergman (2010) explains that â€Å"the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution places limits on the power of the police to make arrests, search people and their property, and seize objects and contraband (such as illegal drugs or weapons).† This is to say that the 4th Amendment is a policing tool for the police in executing their search and seizure jurisdictions. The 4th Amendment works on the principle and basis of privacy o f individuals. At the same time however, the 4th Amendment preserves the sanctity of the search and seizure law and therefore strikes a balance by protecting individuals against unreasonable search and seizure and not just against search and seizure. Bergman (2010)

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Conversation analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Conversation analysis - Essay Example Its method revolves around the observation of human dialogue in natural conversational settings and it analyses how the various forms of conversational interaction work together in different settings. It is concerned with the analysis of casual rather than formal conversation and takes into account such factors as ‘turn taking’ and ‘holding the floor’. This essay will discuss how participants in a conversation manage their interaction primarily using these techniques, but it will also explore how other techniques are employed in conjunction with these in order show the complexities of human conversational interaction. Conversational interaction is a highly complex semantic process of exchanging meaning. It is not merely a back and forth discourse, but rather an attempt to make sense of the world around us and communicate these observations and feelings to each other. These exchanges can be highly pragmatic in nature, such as communicating with the fish monger how much cod is required or asking the way to the station, or they can be more general and less specifically focused, taking the form of talking without a highly specific communication goal in mind. As Eggins & Slade (2004: p.6) comment, sometimes ‘we talk merely for the sake of talking itself. An example of this is when we get together with friends†¦over dinner and just â€Å"have a chat†. It is to these informal interactions that the label casual conversation is usually applied.’ It is on these type of semantic exchanges that this essay will therefore focus. General discourse with no specific goal of communication is what is meant by casual communication. A commonly occurring structure in casual conversation is ‘turn taking’. In this sort of conversation each of the participants will speak in turn in order to communicate their reactions and opinions, or to add new information or change the direction