The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey In recent centuries, China has been subject to many foreign powers even on its own soil. In times of low national pride, martial art masters such as Ye Wen and Huo Yuanjia became national heroes, inspiring the Chinese people to prove their worth to visiting foreigners and preserve their sovereignty. Through a comparative study of heroic martial artists in the recent Chinese films Ip Man( ) and Jet Li’s Fearless ( ), this paper will explore how the stories that they tell relate to and critically reflect the â€Å"Hero’s Journey† narrative pattern identified by American Scholar Joseph Campbell.Campbell’s 2008 book The Hero With a Thousand Faces provides a theoretical frame for this paper. We will study how these martial artists’ personal stories inspire their community and the nation to overcome great hardship and how the filmic representation of their images represents the self-image of China as a nation. Drawing a parallel between these heroic images and China’s own journey toward self-reliance and national regeneration, this paper will argue that the narrative pattern of â€Å"A Hero’s Journey† could also project a meaningful reading of China’s own trajectory of social and economic growth as a nation.The first film that this paper studies, Jet Li’s Fearless takes place in the early 1900’s, half a century after the Opium Wars have resulted in China giving up territory to Western powers as well as diminished their rule over foreigners in Chinese cities. In this historical period, Western powers look down on the Chinese as the weak men of Asia. Likewise, despite his father being a martial arts master, Huo Yuanjia is not permitted by his father to practice wushu because of his asthma.After his father’s death, Yuanjia is able to practice wushu openly and begins to build his reputation as the â€Å"best of Tianjin. † Huo Yuanjia’s call to adven ture comes after tragedy strikes his family. Yuanjia is led by one of his disciples to believe that another martial artist, Master Qin, has beaten him without provocation. In the ensuing confusion, Yuanjia kills Master Qin and Master Qin’s nephew in turn kills Yuanjia’s wife and daughter. This personal tragedy can be contextualized in the historical period knows as the Boxer Rebellion.China’s reluctance to accept western ideals, specifically its rejection of Christianity, led to irrevocable conflict across the country in which many innocent people lose their lives. As portrayed by the film, one of China’s major weaknesses was its inability to adapt as the world around it modernizes and westernizes. A hero is not without mentors and ultimately must work to gain a treasure, which can then be used to transform the world. Huo Yuanjia is humbled by the tragedy that struck his life and learns to accept guidance from many around him.In a small mountain village h e is taught how to live in harmony with nature. Upon returning to Tianjin, he visits his old friend Nong Jinsun with a changed heart. Yuanjia knows that China’s image is in desperate need of refreshing and asks his friend to pay his way to challenge O’Brien, the US boxing champion, in Shanghai. Huo Yuanjia then undergoes many tests, finding allies and enemies along the way. He is invited to dinner and tea on occasion. The first invitation comes, again, from his friend Nong Jinsun.The two agree that China must realize the gravity of their situation and reunite to take back their sovereignty. Jinsun knows that Yuanjia can unify the country through martial arts and is so dedicated to the idea that he sells his successful restaurant in order to help open the Jingwu Sports Federation. Later, Yuanjia has tea with an arranged challenger, Anno Tanaka. Tanaka is prideful of his knowledge and taste for differentiating various grades of tea. In perhaps the deepest line of the fil m, Yuanjia explains to Tanaka that the tea does not judge itself, but people judge it, placing one above the other.In contrast, Yuanjia believes that the all tea is made equal by nature and the taste of the tea will reflect the attitude of the drinker. As for martial arts, there isn’t one superior style, but varying degrees of skill in each style. This explains China’s endangered situation at the time of the movie. The Chinese style of government and nationalism simply couldn’t withstand the pressure of outside forces. Finally, the hero Huo Yuanjia must  be severely tested in order to be purified by a last sacrifice.According to the film Fearless, Yuanjia’s sacrifice is literal. In a contest against four opponents, he is poisoned, even as he is near victory. China has its own internal conflict. Although the internal struggle was largely put on hold during the Second World War, the Chinese Communist and Nationalist Parties divided China one more time bef ore it could finally be united under Mao Zedong’s communist government. Tanaka declares Yuanjia the victor as he dies and becomes a hero behind which the Chinese can unite to fight the foreign influence.Resonating the theme of heroism and nationalism, the movie Ip Man is a great tribute to Ip Man, a great leader of China by example of his determination to achieve justice. This story takes place in Foshan, Guangdong region before and during the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s. This invasion leaves a lot of Chinese people to be wrongly treated and also have an inappropriate and improper view of the actuality in strength that China has as a whole especially in numbers. What good can a high amount of people be if they aren’t all governed by the same organized and directive laws?The importance of effective and self-sufficient leadership is great and can be shown through the life of heroes like the martial artist Ip Man, a visionary leader of the Chinese people, who was able to bring hope, direction and most importantly greater unity to the local Chinese community Ip Man was a very important and influential master of Kong Fu in the history of China. Taking his heroic life and comparing it with the â€Å"Hero’s Journey† will allow readers to perceive what affects a Heroic figure had on a historical nation such as China.According to Joseph Campbell, there are various stages in the narrative pattern of â€Å"A Hero’s Journey. † The most important are: one, â€Å"The Ordinary World†; two, â€Å"The Call To Adventure†; three, â€Å"Refusal of The Call†; four, â€Å"Meeting with the mentor†; five, â€Å"Tests, Allies and Enemies†; six â€Å"The Ordeal†; seven, â€Å"The Road Back†; and lastly, eight, â€Å"Return With The Elixir†. In Ip Man, the first stage, â€Å"The Ordinary World†, is presented as the earlier life of Ip Man. He is extremely accomplished in t raditional Chinese martial arts and lives a quite life.As an ordinary person, he has no desire to become a master and teach others. Corresponding to Stage two, â€Å"The Call To Adventure,† Ip Man is brought to pass as the Japanese are introduced as invading China, which caused numerous Chinese to live in perilous conditions. Ip Man, as well, lost his home and many personal belongings. In a scene of the film, a Japanese General invites Chinese locals to challenge Japanese martial artists using their own styles of Kong Fu to judge which national martial arts are more powerful.The intersection between personal and national crisis is escalated in the third stage, corresponding to Campbell’s narrative pattern â€Å"Refusal of the Call†, when Ip Man chooses to fight against 10 Japanese fighters at once due to the very recent murder of his close friend. He triumphs at last, conquering his challengers. When he reviews this experience with his wife, he comments that his Kong Fu has no use in this current unfortunate situation for his country-men and friends since the whole nation is in a larger, much more dangerous and critical condition.Later a Chinese officer who later works as the interpreter for the Japanese brings the Japanese military to find Ip Man. This is when the fifth stage is visible, â€Å"Tests, Allies and Enemies†. Ip Man could see the apparent intentions that one Japanese officer had towards his wife. To save himself and his family from danger, Ip Man fights against all the soldiers and finally manages to flee. The story later progresses into stage six â€Å"The Ordeal†, when Ip Man dares to face the Japanese General in a fight to see whose Kong Fu can prevail.At this time Ip Man understands that whether he wins or loses, he is doomed to be unfairly killed. However, he knows that the dignity and glory of his nation rests on him and is dependent on his victory. Ip man then greatly triumphed in this match up, and the la rge crowd mostly consisting of Chinese locals cheered and chanted, â€Å"Ip Man, Ip Man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but then out of nowhere a Japanese Colonel shot Ip Man, and seemed to have killed him, but luckily he lived on.Finally, corresponding to Stage seven, â€Å"The Road Back†, the film shows Ip Man willingly sacrificing himself to protect the workers in the cotton factory, when revealing his genuine care for them, his countrymen. Lastly, stage eight, â€Å"Return with the elixir† is that Ip Man finally establishes his belief that Chinese martial arts is founded in Confucian spirit, the essence of which is benevolence. This corresponds to the eighth stage in the Campbell narrative pattern, the return with the elixir, which to Ip Man, is this spirit of benevolence. This, the elixir is a treasure that the Hero brings back from his journey.It can be physical or an idea. In most wushu films, the elixir can best be compared to attaining a zen-like state where the hero gains int ernal peace and harmony with the world around him. To conclude, as a part of the Hero’s Journey, the hero must obtain some form of treasure or elixir. For Huo Yuanjia, the treasure was discovering the essence of wushu. Before his journey, Yuanjia was certainly a strong martial artist, but through his journey, he realized that the true power in martial arts is the ability to avert conflict and better oneself.For Ip Man, the true lesson that he obtained was that you must cherish your abilities using them for good and that even one person can accomplish great things as an example to others, causing many people to unite and become great. As a nation with dramatic changes in the recent decades, China has recently learned this lesson power in unity and good leadership as well. In 1971, The People’s Republic of China gained a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Since then, China has worked peacefully to become a world power, with an average annual GDP growth rate of ne arly 10 percent in the last 20 years.And finally, Beijing had the honor of hosting the world’s athletes in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. China has grown into a world power, and as any hero knows, with great power comes great responsibility. Through this process that is found through a hero’s journey, the audience are also invited to explore the importance of these heroes and their entire process of becoming real heroes and draw lessons from them. The same is true for China as a nation that may grow and progress by learning from the empowering examples of heroes on screen such as Ip Man and Huo Yuanjia. .

Reason for falling in Indian rupees Essay

Throughout the country please stop using cars except for emergency for only seven days (Just 7 days) Definitely Dollar rate will come down. This is true. The value to dollar is given by petrol only.This is called Derivative Trading. America has stopped valuing its Dollar with Gold 70 years ago. Americans understood that Petrol is equally valuable as Gold so they made Agreement with all the Middle East countries to sell petrol in Dollars only. That is why Americans print their Dollar as legal tender for debts. This mean if you don’t like their American Dollar and go to their Governor and ask for repayment in form of Gold,as in India they won’t give you Gold. You observe Indian Rupee, † I promise to pay the bearer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is clearly printed along with the signature of Reserve Bank Governor. This mean, if you don’t like Indian Rupee and ask for repayment,Reserve Bank of India will pay you back an equal value of gold.(Actually there may be minor differences in the Transaction dealing rules, but for easy comprehension I am explaining this) Let us see an example. Indian petroleum minister goes to Middle East country to purchase petrol, the Middle East petrol bunk people will say that liter petrol is one Dollar. But Indians won’t have dollars. They have Indian Rupees. So what to do now? So That Indian Minister will ask America to give Dollars. American Federal Reserve will take a white paper , print Dollars on it and give it to the Indian Minister. Like this we get dollars , pay it to petrol bunks and buy petrol. But there is a fraud here. If you change your mind and want to give back the Dollars to America we can’t demand them to pay Gold in return for the Dollars. They will say † Have we promised to return something back to you? Haven’t you checked the Dollar ? We clearly printed on the Dollar that it is Debt† So, Americans don’t need any Gold with them to print Dollars. They will print Dollars on white papers as they like. But what will Americans give to the Middle East countries for selling petrol in Dollars only? Middle East kings pay rent to America for protecting their kings and heirs. Similarly they are still paying back the Debt to America for constructing Roads and Buildings in their countries. This is the value of American Dollar. That is why Many say some day the Dollar will be destroyed. At present the problem of India is the result of buying those American Dollars. American white papers are equal to Indian Gold. So if we reduce the consumption of petrol and cars, Dollar will come down The Above Details are translated originally from Telugu Language to English by Radhika Gr. Kindly share this and make everyone aware of the facts of American Dollar V/s Indian Rupee. And here is a small thing other than petrol , what we can do to our Indian Rupee YOU CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE INDIAN ECONOMY BY FOLLOWING FEW SIMPLE STEPS:- Please spare a couple of minutes here for the sake of India. Here’s a small example:- At 2008 August month 1 US $ = INR Rs 39.40 At 2013 August now 1 $ = INR Rs 62 Do you think US Economy is booming? No, but Indian Economy is Going Down. Our economy is in your hands.INDIAN economy is in a crisis. Our country like many other ASIAN countries, is undergoing a severe economic crunch. Many INDIAN industries are closing down. The INDIAN economy is in a crisis and if we do not take proper steps to control those, we will be in a critical situation. More than 30,000 crore rupees of foreign exchange are being siphoned out of our country on products such as cosmetics, snacks, tea, beverages, etc. which are grown, produced and consumed here. A cold drink that costs only 70 / 80 paise to produce, is sold for Rs.9 and a major chunk of profits from these are sent abroad. This is a serious drain on INDIAN economy. We have nothing against Multinational companies, but to protect our own interest we request everybody to use INDIAN products only at least for the next two years. With the rise in petrol prices, if we do not do this, the Rupee will devalue further and we will end up paying much more for the same products in the near future. What you can do about it? Buy only products manufactured by WHOLLY INDIAN COMPANIES.Each individual should become a leader for this awareness. This is the only way to save our country from severe economic crisis. You don’t need to give-up your lifestyle. You just need to choose an alternate product. Daily products which are COLD DRINKS,BATHING SOAP ,TOOTH PASTE,TOOTH BRUSH ,SHAVING CREAM,BLADE, TALCUM POWDER ,MILK POWDER ,SHAMPOO , Food Items etc. all you need to do is buy Indian Goods and Make sure Indian rupee is not crossing outside India. Every INDIAN product you buy makes a big difference. It saves INDIA. Let us take a firm decision today. we are not anti-multinational. we are trying to save our nation. every day is a struggle for a real freedom. we achieved our independence after losing many lives. they died painfully to ensure that we live peacefully. the current trend is very threatening. multinationals call it globalization of indian economy. for indians like you and me, it is re-colonization of india. the colonist’s left india then. but this time, they will make sure they don’t make any mistakes. russia, s.korea, mexico – the list is very long!! let us learn from their experience and from our history. let us do the duty of every true indian. finally, it’s obvious that you can’t give up all of the items mentioned above. so give up at least one item for the sake of our country! We would be sending useless forwards to our friends daily. Instead, please forward this to all your friends to create awareness.

Analysing Gender Inequality In Sports Sociology Essay

Analysing Gender Inequality In Sports Sociology Essay This essay will seek to describe the issue of women in sports, and discuss the reasons for this, with relevance to some of the concepts covered in this course. It will also go on to discuss the improvements and positives observed in recent years, and explore some other possible measures to improve the situation in the future. 2. Background In Ancient Olympics, competitive sports were masculine affairs. While males compete to show their prowess, women were prohibited to even watch competitions, much less compete. Quite simply, even in this day and age of supposed equality and meritocracy, sport still remains a male domain, especially on the community level. Even with improved opportunities and treatment, there is still an invisible barrier between sport and the everyday woman. In the next section, this essay shall explore some of the reasons for this situation. 3. Reasons 3.1 Introduction to Gender Ideology in sports The concept of ideology is one that we take for granted, or rather, something we do not even think about. It refers to the ideas and explanations we have been given since young, to explain personal and social life. We have been using our ingrained ideologies to make decisions and judgments ever since we could, without ever questioning or knowing them. In addition, Taylor (1994) mentioned that our identities are formed based on dialogical relations with our significant others. In other words, the complexities of our identities are not formed through cultural identification alone (monologic model) but through the interactions with people who are important to us. Gender, even more so than race or class, is a pivotal organizing factor in social life. While a person’s sex is decided by physical characteristics such as genitalia, gender is a social construct formed and shaped by the society (James A. Banks).It is the fundamental way humans classify each other. Thus, we are especially reliant on gender ideology and it is extremely influential on ho w we organize our thoughts, actions and lives, and how parents bring up their offspring. The deep-rootedness of gender ideology means that everyone makes decisions based on it, from children, teenagers, parents to people in power. Gender ideology plays a big role in how sport has been carried out throughout the ages. The idea that men are supposed to be strong, aggressive, fast and competitive is reproduced in many sports. Conversely, women are not encouraged to play sports because the above traits are not associated with women (women’s athletics: coping with controversy). Thus, a woman exhibiting the above traits would be going against the gender ideology that most people submit to, and this would make her an anomaly. A woman would have to cope not only with her community seeing her as ‘not feminine’, she also has to deal with lack of resources and financial support because her politicians also have the same ideology and do not support women in sport. Fortunatel y, the situation has considerably improved from the past. 3.2 Gender Ideology: dominance and stereotypes The fact that males are the dominant group is also accepted by most as part of their understanding of gender ideologies. This is correspondent to John Clammer’s point that social inequalities are seen as ‘natural’ and hence not to be tampered with.

Membrane filtration (expriment) Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Membrane filtration (expriment) - Lab Report Example As potable water is procured from surface sources such as rivers, streams and lakes, bacteriological examination is crucial to determine the safety of drinking water. Presence of Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogens and Proteus mirabilis in water sample was estimated using membrane filtration followed by incubation of the membrane filter in appropriate growth media to examine the determine the presence of pathogenic micro-organism. The motive to perform this study was to determine the presence of unknown organism(s) present in the provided samples. The study encompasses classification of bacteria based on their bio-chemical reactions, pH levels and osmoregulation. Identification and classification of bacteria from the sample is pragmatic as presence of any pathogenic micro-organism could be deleterious to health. Identification of bacteria provides line of treatment. The three preliminary steps for the analysis procedure comprise principal isolation, stainin g and biochemical reactions as the samples may contain diverse microorganism belonging to different species. Hypothesis to be tested: (1) Fecal coliform count of surface water samples differ according to their location. (2) Fecal coliform count of surface water samples do not differ according to their location. Introduction Microbes are indispensible module of our environment. They are associated in a variety of ways with everything we use in our everyday lives (Fratamico, 2005). They are found to be associated with the food that we eat, the clothes we wear/make use of and water we drink/utilize. They may perhaps influence the quality of our lives and transmit numerous diseases (Fratamico, 2005). It is therefore essential to understand the microbes linked with the commodities used in everyday life. Water free from disease-producing microorganisms and chemical substances deleterious to health is called potable water. Water contaminated with either domestic or industrial wastes is cal led non-potable or polluted water. The objectives of primary concern in providing potable water are freedom from harmful microorganisms and from undesirable chemicals. Water appearing clean or free from peculiarities of odor and taste could be contaminated. In such conditions special procedures are required to determine its sanitary quality. Inspection of water sample involves the inspection of the source of raw water and the conditions that may influence its quality. Changes related to population, types of industry and the method of sewage disposal are imperative. Practically, periodic and comprehensive sanitary surveys are necessary. However, potability can be determined only by chemical and bacteriological laboratory tests (Pelczar, 1993). Pathogens that gain entry into the water body include protozoan such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, bacteria such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and Shigella and virus associated with water contamination are Hepatitis A virus and Norwalk virus. However, water is tested for the fecal contamination. As coliforms are discharged through feces the water sample containing fecal matter comprises pathogenic organisms as well. Essentially water sources such as wells, reservoirs, and storage tanks are routinely tested for water safety (Case Study Exercise 29: Measure of Water Quality: Membrane Filtration Method). Lifestyle modifications and

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

English - Essay Example Professional friends are those individuals who I interact with either at work or at school, but don’t usually see outside of these environments. â€Å"At the beginning of the relationship, most of the conversations are about topics of mutual interest in specific professions, and then it can gradually take a more personal turn† (Ghosh, 2008). While we talk about things happening in other areas of our lives during lunch breaks or study sessions, these friends are pretty much limited to just these settings. Because I don’t usually see them in a social setting, I usually only think of them in terms of the activities we do together – work or study. We may gather for occasional social events, like class parties or office picnics, but these are very rare occasions and almost everyone seems slightly uncomfortable with the unfamiliar setting. Some of these people, though, begin to show up at the same parties and other social events that I attend. As we start to talk a little more and keep up on other mutual activities, these people begin to cross into what I would call my social friends. Guo (2007) describes these as Type 3 friends. â€Å"These are people whom you know fairly well but would not be interested in having lunch or dinner with them alone and chatting one-on-one† (Guo, 2007). Because they are more involved in my life and because we share many similar interests, I consider these friends closer, but I am usually not comfortable just sharing anything with them. Jan Yager, the author of When Friendship Hurts (2002), indicates that the reason we are hesitant to make social friends close friends is because of the difficulty we have in distinguishing between those individuals who will hurt us and those who will turn out to be a positive influence in our lives. Like most people, I only have two friends who I would

Development of Urban Civilization and Form Essay

Development of Urban Civilization and Form - Essay Example As a type of community, the city may be regarded as a relatively stable awareness of population, together with its "varied environments, social arrangements, and supporting activities, occupying a more or less discrete site, and having a cultural importance that differentiates it from other types of human settlement and association. In its elementary functions and rudimentary characteristics, however, a city is not clearly distinguishable from a town or even a large village." (Britannica, 2006) It was no accident that the earliest of man's fixed settlements originated in the rich "subtropical valleys of the Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Indus, and the Yellow Rivers or in such well-watered islands as Crete." Such regions gave encouraging ecological issues making town living comparatively simple. Pre-urban growths that covered the means for urban life also comprised such features as "traditionalism, a power structure, and a form of economic as well as social organization." Traditionalism put in the reception and broadcast of what had worked in the existence of the crowd and was consequently "right" and to be kept. New value directions and beliefs may also have influenced the route of urbanization, although their significance is still extremely speculative. Before 1800, improvements in agricultural and manufacturing methods had allowed a remarkable attentiveness of creative activity close to the sources of mechanical power-water and coal. A subsequent association of population was hastened by the excellence of the steam engine and the dominance of the factory over pre-industrial business association. Under provisions of "belt-and-pulley" authority broadcast, urban application was a means of: (1) Reducing the costs of conquering resistances in transportation and communications and (2) Maximizing interior monetary systems of extent and outside economies. A strange convergence of profitable, geographic, and technical issues in Britain guided to far-reaching transforms in such planned movements as textiles, transport, and iron, even though the educational and social requirements for industrialization were not exclusively present in any one nation,. Britain became "the workshop of the world" and London its "head office." (Britannica, 2006) Urban Planning Urban planning and redevelopment is planned at satisfying communal and financial purposes that go further than the corporal shape and arrangement of buildings, streets, parks, utilities, and other parts of the urban environment. Urban planning takes effect principally during the procedures of administration and needs the relevance of specialized methods of "survey, analysis, forecasting, and design." It may hence be expressed as a public society, as a legislative utility, or as a scientific career. Each feature has its own thoughts, narration, and theories. Together they blend into the attempt of contemporary civilization to figure and progress the surroundings within which growing amounts of civilization squander their lives: the city. For several centuries throughout the middle ages, there was small structure of cities in Europe. There is contradictory estimation on the superiority of the towns that grew up as "centres of church or feudal authority, of marketing or

Can anarchism be a viable political system Essay

Can anarchism be a viable political system - Essay Example It can as well be full of wreck of all order, wars and murder of all kind but no one is held accountable for all that (Suissa, 2010,pg 56). But anarchist do believe that anarchism always begin with a view that individuals are naturally good, and that the external authority such as; governments, laws, institutions among others are the ones that limit potentials and results into bad behaviors. Anarchists are against all forms of government or any coercive authority and hierarchical control. This led to the emergence of theories which were against the oppression and inequality in the society of all forms. The class struggle as a result of enslavement of the labour force and their aspiration to liberty gave rise to idea of anarchism. Most anarchist theories aimed at creating a classless and a stateless society. They were against Marxist theory whose main agenda was to be aware of the discrimination and repression, why they existed, their origin, what role they play an how to overcome the m. To understand all these they needed to explain them historically. Marxism begins by looking into the origin of class and state; according to them, the different classes in the society are as a result of struggle for existence which is unavoidable (Vodovnik, 2012, pg 43). This puts an individual in chains and yet people are born free. Their dependence on nature and struggle for the economization of labour therefore forces them to walk up and down in search for work from the capitalist. Those who own the means of production, they maintain the social order by oppressing the laborers. The state authority is therefore developed to maintain economic inequality and play a fundamental role in the society. Anarchists are opposed capitalism for being exploitative as well as authoritative. Where workers do not govern themselves in the production process nor do they have control over the product of their labour. Most of the capitalists if not all get them involved in the government, this a r esult of states getting their powers from the ruling economic class, whom in turn are served by protecting their property and generally maintaining the status quo (Chomsky & Otero,2004,pg 54). Since the state of power literally depends on the economic relations of a given state, therefore it is upon the bourgeoisie to revolt against the government. This is only possible if they come together and democratically develop an economy based on their own interest, they form workers’ committees to represent their wishes, and this would enable them to take control of their state apparatus whenever they need. But anarchists seek to bring about a condition of anarchy with a decentralized society that is organized through federation of voluntary associations (Glasberg & Shannon,2011, pg 62). They are opposed to all forms of religious power, the state as well as free enterprise economy. Their view on the representation kind of government is that it is the root cause of the challenges face d by the people. According to the anarchists, the state of anarchism promotes the dissolution of a state and the governmental tools that brings about oppression and inequality. They do this through rejecting the few elites who hold powers in their hands and misuse them (Dorra, 1995, 81). Their argument is that each and every individual in the society should be responsible for their own behavior, the community and the society. Everyone should be liberated

Health Care Reform to Address Access Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Reform to Address Access - Essay Example Indeed, as one of the most developed nation of the world, America has failed to provide a universal health cover to its people. The healthcare reforms of Obama administration have, therefore, been hailed as major initiatives that cater to the welfare of the people at large. The federal health reform legislation enacted in 2010 addresses the crucial areas: accessibility to quality healthcare; rein in its cost; and promote uniform plans that cuts across gender, age and persons with pre-existing diseases. The reform proposes to enforce stringent measures to control wastage, fraud and abuse in Medicare in order to make it more cost effective. Moreover, the austerity measures along with saving would ensure that medical care is extended to wider segment of population covering vulnerable segment. The administration has allotted $630 billion in the budget of 2010 for the healthcare reforms over a period of ten years (WhiteHouse, 2012). Indeed, the reforms are intended to make it universal and the recent Supreme Court verdict has strengthened Obama’s plans for making healthcare universal. I believe that the basic value for underlying this approach is to curb corruption, especially Medicaid and Medicare frauds, which lead to substandard healthcare services. The commodification of market driven health insurance have become major obstacle for accessing quality care at affordable prices. Harrington (2008) strongly believes that poor health status of people is due to limited access to healthcare services, especially for the poor, uninsured and vulnerable segment like aged and disabled. The present reforms promote health insurance cover to people who cannot afford. It has also made provisions to protect people with pre-existing condition by creating national ‘high risk’ pool. The special team of experts would watch over the waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare. These are effective measures that would help rein in cost and enhance accessibility

Civilian courts and military courts Research Paper

Civilian courts and military courts - Research Paper Example The judiciary in particular, is vested with the sole power to conduct judicial review and in such inferior courts as Congress may establish. â€Å"A juridical system operating free from interference  and pressure from other branches of government, guarantying the rule of law in all fields of statecraft, is vital for the democratic governance of a country† (Marshall, 2007). Military Court â€Å"The military establishment of a country serves as an instrument of politics and is part of the executive power bestowed with the cloak of authority to use violence  under the supremacy of policy. The special task of the military and its embodiment of force make it particularly necessary that the military operates within the boundaries of the  constitutional and legal framework of the state† (Marshall, 2007). In the democratic system, the Constitution has vested the military courts to provide for trial and punishment for offences committed within the navy and the military as defined in Article I, section 8, 12, 13 and 14 of the US Constitution. â€Å"The purpose of the military courts is to administer courts-martial and the jurisdiction of such courts is limited to the trial of military personnel† (May and Ides, 2007). ... uthority of military commanders and leadership personnel and does not immediately influence the military jurisdiction in  the sense of establishing military courts† (Marshall, 2007). The rationale of the law in delegating to the military and navy to power to hear and decide cases within the scope of their authority is for the simple reason that â€Å"the nature of the duties of military personnel differs among the civilian code of law because being soldiers and being part of the defense personnel, they are subjected to a disciplinary system that covers all the peculiarities of military duty which covers defection from the troops, abuse of leadership authority among others† (Marshall, 2007), which are not expected of ordinary citizens. In the event that military and navy personnel shall be adjudged guilty of any violation, they shall be given the right to appeal their case to senior levels of military authority and any other independent body, which include the militaryà ‚  ombudsman, or the civilian administrative courts, for relief and redress. The designated military judges comprises of the military personnel who are still on active service. These are the â€Å"subordinates to their respective commanders and subject to the principle of hierarchical obedience† (Marshall, 2007).  It has been observed that the role of the military courts shall only restricted to the enforcement of the Military Code of Justice, in relation to military discipline and the performance of a military mission. These offenses are being punished in order to instill military discipline, such as the abandonment of post and dereliction of duty. Schulhofer (2008) has stated that the â€Å"military commissions are designed to try terrorism suspects under rules of procedure and evidence crafted specifically

Crime and terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crime and terrorism - Essay Example Kashmir, including both Indian and Pakistani sides, is today one of most volatile and heavily militarized zones in the world. By now "jihad" (holy war) has become a familiar term in the Western countries; JEM claims that it runs schools of Jihad to indoctrinate and recruit youngsters. And at times JEM's motivation seems to expand in scope to become an all-out war with India desiring even to take control of India's capital Delhi by spreading terror, all this quite apart from J&K (SATP, 2001). JEM gets its people and financial resources from the militant groups Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI) and Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM). JEM had close ties to Afghan Arabs and the Taliban. Supposedly, Osama bin Ladin backed and supported JEM for a period. 2. Behind the various political agendas, a common and higher purpose unites all Islamic militants. And it is based on a religious belief. The Muslim terrorists themselves have openly proclaimed their motivation to be their religion. People generally tend to downplay religion-based motivation out of regard and tolerance for a faith practiced by hundreds of millions of people all over the world. However, Islamic brand of terrorists are different from other kinds of terrorists, in that most of them are fervently pious and God-fearing. It is only natural to conclude that in whatever they do, their motivations ultimately spring from their belief system and religious conditioning, more than from mere individual psychological impulses. Islam totally discourages individual and independent thinking, and nurtures complete submission to its dogma in its followers. Though middle-class and more liberal-minded people in Muslim countries and Muslims in the Western countries are not likely to come under its sway to any significant degree, people in economically backward regions are much more susceptible to fundamentalist indoctrination. The Koran promises paradise in the after life for martyrs in its cause and the cause of Islamic nations. The allure of abundant rewards in a future world stirs the passions of the youth in these terrorist-breeding countries, and spurs them to drastic, violent and suicidal actions (Johnson, 2002). Paraphrasing Karl Marx's famous statement in The Communist Manifesto, we can say that these young people who get converted to the ways of terrorism have nothing to lose except their miserable lives, and literally everything to gain when they properly lose the one thing they have. This impressive lack of the most basic human instinct of survival, this positive embracing of death is what makes these terrorists so potentially deadly. The ferocity and fanticism of their faith makes them fearless and virtually unstoppable, thus causing desperation to the leaders and soldiers of India, Israel, the USA and most other Western countries who are determined to uproot terrorism Islamic terrorism is here to stay. It is a deep-rooted problem. To combat it effectively, one has look beyond the military and intelligence arenas, and aim to address the problem through social change. It is a long-term strategy, of course, but in the long run only this is going to help. During the Renaissance in Europe we have seen how irrational and dogmatic religion loosens its hold on the

An Investigation Into the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Veterans Essay Example for Free

An Investigation Into the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Veterans Essay Introduction There are numerous issues facing American veterans returning home from war, both past and present. They are taught how to transform themselves into different people who are better adept at performing under severe war-zone stressors. They are prepared physically and sometimes mentally for what they will be entering into on foreign territory but not often enough for the challenge of re-entering civilian life. Soldiers are falling through the cracks in our system upon returning home, shown through an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse among veterans. Two theories that I will be exploring in this paper are Conflict Theory and Phenomenology Theory. There is more conflict everyday over what our troops should be doing and why. Any doubt of following the path to become a soldier is critiqued as going against the protection of our country, yet once they come out the other end of this journey the supported soldier is gone and in its place is either the glorified hero or sympathized victim. The phenomena of PTSD can create confusion for everyone involved. There is rarely a great understanding of a soldier’s mind and how it interprets their experiences into reactions after war. These experiences have a real effect on their lives and how they care and handle themselves after war. The way society has constructed what a soldier should represent does not include asking for help and makes them appear weak when if they show vulnerability. This issue is important because even today with easier access to treatment, many veterans today won’t or can’t seek out help. To many it is easier to turn to substance abuse to self-medicate and erase confusion from past experiences. Book Examination In the book Fields of Combat, stories are told of how soldiers are trained to kill and understand that to be a true soldier you must accept you own death. Author Erin Finley describes what it is like for soldiers who came home and developed PTSD, and puts their experiences into a social and cultural perspective. She paints a portrait of PTSD to reveal to readers that there is no comprehensive way to understand or experience it. â€Å"As an anthropologist, I find the web of tangled arguments over PTSD fascinating because these conflicts are in many ways about the nature of war-related suffering itself† (Finley, 2011). She describes how to understand PTSD, we must listen to the experience and concerns of the veterans before we can begin to help them. Theory Exploration The Conflict Theory can be applied to many aspects of a veteran’s life, the individual, their families, communities, and organizations around them. These troops return home without knowing how to integrate back into society. The families who should be overjoyed about the safe return of one of their members are displaced without having proper resources to help their loved ones mental health. They are not given the same stress and trauma training the soldiers is given, nor do they know of the experiences causing change in the soldier. There is not often enough knowledge available to the family of what it will be like for the family to have a soldier return home and can be caught off guard by what the soldier will experience upon return. Communities are affected by having one of their members experiencing side effects of war form attempting to re-enter the work force to social events and even the death of such troops of veterans. There is much debate about how war is handled in t he United States. It is generally agreed upon that protection of American citizens is of importance, but from there on out there is little agreement among groups. When thinking about this debate I cannot help but recall driving up to an intersection in my hometown and seeing picketers on either side of the street. Pro-war protesters held signs on one hand that said â€Å"FREEDOM IS NOT FREE† while anti-war protesters fought back with signs that reminded drivers of the ever-growing death toll of soldiers and civilians. Each side questioning the motives behind the other, from wasting America’s resources to question one’s loyalty to America. While these groups have different interests about sending our troops off to war, they should be able to come together when the troops return in order to offer services to help return to a life as normal as possible. From a Marxist view, veterans can be seen as an exploitation of the government by using the troops to their advantage and profit. While the troops are deployed the government basically owns them, but when they return they must often fend for their own mental and physical well-being. Capitalism has created a class division in this case. The bourgeoisie of our government sit back passively and brush off the symptoms of PTSD as a common experience expected after war. The most common symptoms of PTSD for veterans are thoughts of suicide, domestic violence, substance abuse and panic attacks. These symptoms would cause concern from anyone else but they are brushed under the rug for veterans because it is simply assumed that war experiences will have these kid of severe affects on those exposed. To critique the theory that a small elite group is responsible for deploying troops, we must acknowledge that many groups with similar interests come together to enable war to take place. Propaganda is imposed among society from interest groups on either side of the fence on war. Troops do not simply decide to pack up and head overseas to kill people, nor are they currently forced into deployment; it is their choice to enlist. The people in higher government position who can declare war do not just wake up in that position, they are elected there by the people of this country knowing, for the most part, what views they stand behind. This theory is consistent with social works ethics because it represents the working class and wants to bring consciousness to those who hold power and how we can reduce conflict, ignorance, and inequality. Article Examination In the book, David Grossman tells readers how soldiers killing patterns have changed over time. During previous wars years ago soldiers were more reluctant to kill and fired their weapons more as a warning instead of a kill shot. The Army has since taken steps to increase the percentage of shorts fired to be directed at the actually enemy. Since it was shown to have be easier to get soldiers to kill from a distance instead of up close, machines were provided to allow for distance physically and mentally. The soldiers are basically be dehumanized to be better weapons to the government. He refers to this as Acquired Violence Immune Deficiency, where people have such a fear of what they are experience that their brain reverts to classical and operant condition, which the government has replaced by weakening the part of the soldier that does not want to kill and inserting the actions they prefer. Theory Exploration This action represents yet another way that higher ups are using soldiers as their own material resource, in context to the Conflict Theory. The exploitive subordination of soldiers allows the government to profit by actually influencing how the soldiers think. The government understands that changing the social behavior of a soldier will lead to more power over them and their actions. This theory would show clear winners being the government who benefits from soldiers subordination and the soldiers who suffer. In contrast, you cannot presume that every action the ruling government takes over soldiers is for their benefit alone. The actions, while not always moral, are taken to protect the entire country. Treatment is provided for returning soldiers, even if it is not know or easily accessible to all. The emphasis is not solely social control but consensus and conformity. To go to war is a decision made by different group, not only elites, and a general agreement must be reached before actions are taken with soldiers or deployment. Soldiers are not forced into employment; they conform to the position because their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are similar to those around them in the Army. Article Examination In the article by David Zucchino, it tells about a soldier who opened fire from his home without warning because he felt he was under attack. This event took place after he received inadequate treatment for PTSD after being diagnosed at â€Å"high risk† for the disease. He was sent to a prison that did not offer him any further treatment for PTSD since they were not affiliated with the military. He is one of the many veterans that has not being given proper treatment after being diagnosed to be at rick for PTSD and ending up in civilian prison where they cannot access further help. He is now left in prison where his symptoms and condition will only worsen. Theory Exploration From the Phenomenology standpoint we would look at expectations of his experience to understand and describe this phenomena. Looking at what appears to be instead of reality, his subjective experiences show emotions he is not fully aware of. His actions, like those of other veterans, stem directly from past and present sensory experiences and cannot defined the same way for each person. The appearance of returning veterans is seen as this joyous moment where they step off a plane in to the loving arms of family and are then forgotten about by most of the culture. Families and communities are left to deal with the veteran’s actions without knowing the driving forces behind their appearance of their actions. The government sees what it wants to see and transfers that to the public. We are shown this ideal soldier who is deployed to protect us and comes home a hero, which our consciousness retained as a singular memory of a soldier. That is what society wants to believe about war because our consciousness does not want to identify killing, death, and destruction with our freedom or it would not be as easy to ship off members of our own community to their impending death. Once they return they are given a pat on the back for a job well done and turned over with the intention of re-entering a community as a normal member once again. We define the content of our consciousness as making this place, America, better by using an object, the soldier, to do so. â€Å"Central Prison has done a good job of treating Eisenhauer’s physical wounds† (Zucchino, 2012). We treat what we can see, but leave what we do not understand unattended. In this theory we can only see one side of the situation at a time, and we are stuck on this glorified soldier but cannot combine with him the vulnerability and confusion he returns home with. In critique to this theory, there are things outside of our memory and consciousness that do exist. Just because we cannot fully grasp what is happening to these veterans does not mean that it is not happening. They are sent essentially sent to another world to deal with hardships and are thrown back into reality without being reprogrammed. There are not always theoretical structures that will allow us to understand the phenomena of what the veterans will go through. References Carter, A. C., Capone , C., Eaton Short, E. (2011). Co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorders in veteran populations. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 7(4), 285-299. Finley, E. P. (2011). Fields of combat: Understanding PTSD among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Grossman, D. (2009). On killing: The psychological cost of learning to kill in war and society. New York: Back Bay Books. Levinson, N. (2012). What really happened to america’s soldier, The Nation. Retrieved November 20, 2012 from http://www.thenation.com/article/168652/what-has-really-happened-americas-soldiers# Litz, B., Orsillo, S. M. (2010). Iraq war clinician guide . (pp. 21-32). Department of Veteran Affairs. Retrieved December 1, 2012 from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/manual-pdf/iwcg/iraq_clinician_guide_ch_3.pdf Stecker, T. (2011). 5 Survivors: Personal stories of healing from PTSD and traumatic events. Center City: Hazelden Foundation. Zucchino, D. (2012, June 24). Accused soldier is a prisoner to ptsd; believing he was under attack by insurgents, he started firing from his home. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on December 1, 2012 from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu/docview/1021854523/13AE8FF837D23A623BE/7?accountid=14679

War and the City Essay Example for Free

War and the City Essay Paintings and photographs are pieces of art. As such, it has always depicted life. It has become a representation of reality. More importantly, it represents the time wherein these artists are living. They created what they see, and through the artists’ eyes and perspective, we are able to witness what they’ve seen as if it was right in front of us. In this light, the three photographs have war as the unifying theme. Although differently expressed, each image portrays pain and helplessness, and with it a faint spark of hope for a better tomorrow. But the latter implication cannot be readily noticed at first glance of the picture. When we look at them, we only see dismay and fright. They are a reminder of a life others were not able to witness, a terror for others. They displayed this in either symbolic or upfront manner, but they never failed to show the emotions involved. The striking difference among these pictures, on the other hand, resides on how they were presented. The first image by Goya made use of warm colors and upfront action. Picassos painting used of a lot of symbols. Meanwhile, the 9/11 photograph captured a moment during the after shock of the attack. These images each have a different perspective, taking war from various angles. In the end, they all say war is never pleasant. Every artist has a responsibility for every piece of art they render. More importantly, the artist who constantly depict the realities of war should be careful about their pieces. Unfortunately, paintings and photographs are works of art, and are avenues for freedom of expression. It should not be constrained. But knowing that what they show in their works would either create or break their names as an artist can be very constraining. However, if they let themselves be taken by this constraint, and did not risk the consequences, them they would not have been able to become masters in their fields. In my perspective, I believe that the artists should really show the horror and brutality of war. We are at the age wherein being romantic and subtle are no longer the focus of art. Strong and provocative pieces are more the trade of art today. However, given that the other two pieces were created during a different period, it does not mean that being upfront about war only started in recent history. War is a fact of life, regardless of the time when they were created. It should not be covered with romanticized implications to depict war. There is no other way to present war as it is. We cannot define how it feels to be in the middle of one. We only have pictures to show us how is it like. It is the closest to reality as we can get, and it is a reality we have to face. There are a lot of things one can perceive from one piece of art depicting war. But I dont believe that these will promote violence for the audience. Usually, these pieces are present the effects of war, and the basic facts about it. It was not created to persuade others to resort to war, unless that was the underlying message and it was bluntly said. However, majority of these kinds of artworks only present facts, and are not usually political in nature. They are perspectives, concepts and ideas from the artists point of view. We dont always have to agree or disagree with them. A silent understanding would have been enough. Works Cited â€Å"Guernica: Testimony of War. † Public Broadcasting Service. 1 April 2008 http://www. pbs. org/treasuresoftheworld/guernica/gmain. html. â€Å"Third of May. † Museo Nacional Del Prado. 1 April 2008 museoprado/mcu. es/i34. html. â€Å"World Trade Center September 11, 2008. † SHI. 1 April 2008 http://dmetcalfe. homestead. com/AMERICA2. html.

The Most Effective Antibiotic On Bacteria Biology Essay

The Most Effective Antibiotic On Bacteria Biology Essay Before bacteria can multiply and cause symptoms our immune system can usually destroy them. We have special white blood cells that attack harmful bacteria. Even if symptoms do occur, our immune system can usually cope and fight off the infection. There are occasions, however, when it is all too much and our bodies need some help from antibiotics. The first antibiotic was penicillin. Such penicillin-related antibiotics as ampicillin, amoxicillin and benzylpenicilllin are widely used today to treat a variety of infections these antibiotics have been around for a long time. There are several different types of modern antibiotics and they are only available with a doctors prescription in industrialized countries. An antibiotic is given for the treatment of an infection caused by bacteria. They target only bacteria they do not attack other organisms, such as fungi or viruses. If you have an infection it is important to know whether it is caused by bacteria, and not a virus or fungus. Most upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold and sore throats are generally caused by viruses antibiotics do not work against viruses. Antibiotics are overused or used incorrectly there is a chance that the bacteria will become resistant the antibiotic becomes less effective against that type of bacterium. A broad-spectrum antibiotic can be used to treat a wide range of infections. A narrow-spectrum antibiotic is only effective against a few types of bacteria. There are antibiotics that attack aerobic bacteria, while others work against anaerobic bacteria. Aerobic bacteria need oxygen, while anaerobic bacteria dont. Antibiotics may be given beforehand, to prevent infection, as might be the case before surgery. This is called prophylactic use of antibiotics. They are commonly used before bowel and orthopedic surgery. Bacteria The word bacteria is the plural of bacterium. Grammatically the headline should just say What are bacteria? The incorrect usage has been included in the headline to remind readers that it is wrong and hopefully help correct an increasingly common mistake in the English language. Bacteria are tiny living beings (microorganisms) they are neither plants nor animals they belong to a group all by themselves. Bacteria are tiny single-cell microorganisms, usually a few micrometers in length that normally exist together in millions. A gram of soil typically contains about 40 million bacterial cells. A milliliter of fresh water usually holds about one million bacterial cells. Planet Earth is estimated to hold at least 5 nonillion bacteria. Scientists say that much of Earths biomass is made up of bacteria. 5 nonillion = 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (or 51030) (Nonillion = 30 zeros in USA English. In British English it equals 54 zeros. This text uses the American meaning) Bacterial cell walls Bacterial cell walls consist of layer of peptidoglycan which is made up of many parallel polysaccharide chains with short peptide cross-linkage forming an enormous molecule with net-like structure. However, there are two different types of bacterial cell wall, which can be distinguished by Gram staining, a staining technique developed by Christian Gram in 1984 and still in use today. Before staining, bacteria are colorless. The cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of peptidoglycan containing chemicals such as teichoic acid within their net-like structure. The crystal violet in the stain binds to the teichoic acid and resists decolouring in the rest of the process, leaving the positive purple/blue color. The cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria have a thinner layer of peptidoglycan with ni teichoic acid between the two layers of membranes and then an outer membrane-like layer made up of lipopolisaccharides. Any crystal violet which does not bind is readily decolourised and replaced with red safranine in the Gram stain. So cells appear red. PROBLEM STATEMENT Which antibiotic is the most effective on bacteria? APPARATUS 200 ml of micropipette, conical flask, forceps, 100 ml beaker MATERIALS Petri dish, sample of E.coli and staphylococcus, 3 different types of antibiotic which are carbenicilin, streptomycin and tetracycline, distilled water, Dettol handwash, 75 % of ethanol, agar, tissue paper VARIABLES Fixed variable : volume of bacteria Manipulated variable : types of antibiotic Responding variable : area of inhibition zone HYPOTHESIS The most effective antibiotic to inhibit bacteria growth is ampicillin PROCEDURE First of all, wash out hands with the soap or handwash. The working area is sprayed thoroughly with the disinfectant spray. It is left for at least 10 minutes, and wiped with a paper towel. An agar plate seeded with is prepared. The petri dish is labeled on the base at the edge out of name, the date and type of bacterium it is inoculated with by usng permanent marker pen. After finishing marking the petri dish, the Esterichia coli bacteria is poured by using micropipette into the petri dish on the marked labeling and distribute it evenly. The agar is taken out from 60 ÃÅ'Ã…  C oven. The mouth of the conical flask containing the agar is warmed in the flame to prevent any different bacteria from surrounding grow inside it. The agar is left for 10 minutes for it to solidify before putting the sterile disc dip into three different antibiotics. The forceps are flamed and used them to pick up disc or Mast ring. It is dip into the antibiotic solution and is placed firmly in the centre of the agar. The dish is taped securely with two pieces of adhesive tape and kept it upside down at room temperature for 24 hours. Step 1 until steps 7 are repeated by using another type of bacteria which is staphylococcus. Our hands are washed with soap or handwash and the bench is cleaned again using the 75 % of ethanol. After the incubation, the plate should be looked at carefully but do not open it. Where bacteria have grown the plate will look opaque, but where the antibiotics have inhibited growth, clear zones called inhibition zones will be seen. The diameter of the inhibition zones is measured in milimetres and the information is used to decide which antibiotic is most effective at inhibiting the growth of the bacterium. The data is collected from other members of the class who used the other bacterial cultures. PRECAUTIONS When carrying out the experiment, we should work very closed to the Bunsen burner to prevent any impurities in each apparatus that is used. Do not seal completely the upper and lower part of petri dish. Both petri dishes contain different bacteria need to be inverted to prevent the water vapour from forming at the upper site of the agar. It might affected or overshadow the inhibition zones that are formed inside the dish. Make sure our hands are constantly being wash with disinfectant before touching any apparatus. Before using any apparatus, they should be sterile to prevent any unwanted impurities to grow in the petri dish. Do not open the petri dish after incubation to prevent from infection. RESULTS Antibiotic Diameter of inhibition area/ cm Inhibition area / cm ² E. Coli Staphylococcus E.Coli Staphylococcus Tetracyclin 2.6 3.0 5.3 7.0 Streptomycin 1.6 2.0 8.0 3.1 Carbenicillin 1.5 3.5 4.9 9.6 Ampicillin 3.6 3.8 10.2 11.3 Control 0 0 0 0 Explanation of the data Table above shows the area of inhibition zone of the bacteria growth on two different bacteria. Four types of antibiotics are used to be investigated which is the most effective on a particular bacteria. They are tetracycline, streptomycin, carbenicillin and ampicillin. Whereas two types of bacteria are used which are staphylococcus and Esterichia Coli. For E.coli, ampicilin showed the greatest inhibition area of bacteria growth with 10.2 cm ². Another antibiotic that showed the closest reading is streptomycin. Tetacyclin and carbenicilin showed 5.3 cm ² and 4.9 cm ² respectively. This result clearly shown that ampicilin is the most effective antibiotic to inhibit the growth of E.coli. Besides that, E.coli is a gram negative bacteria. The cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria have a thinner layer of peptidoglycan with no teichoic acid between the two layers of membranes and then an outer membrane-like layer made up of lipopolisaccharides. In addition to that, Staphylococcus also had a higher inhibition zone of bacteria on ampicilin. Other bacterias have no effect as great as ampicilin which can be consider as a strong antibiotic. Staphy is a gram positive bacteria. The cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of peptidoglycan containing chemicals such as teichoic acid within their net-like structure. The crystal violet in the stain binds to the teichoic acid and resists decolouring in the rest of the process, leaving the positive purple/blue color. That is why ampicilin is said to be the most effective antibiotic on both bacterias. Limitations There are some limitations that cannot be avoided when carrying out the experiment. The first one was every apparatus that we used had been sterile by the laboratory assistant. Thus we had to wash our hands thoroughly before touching anything. We even could not talk during the preparation. The problem was we carried out the experiment on the labs table, instead of using the cupboard fume to maintain the sterile apparatus. Thus, there might be some of the apparatus that we were using had been contaminated. This condition might affect the reliability of the experiment hence the expected results might not get at the end of the experiment. Besides that, we had to wash our hands by using the dettol hand soap before we start and end the experiment. We had to remove all the impurities and bacteria and that was the purpose of washing hand. The problem rose as we did not know whether we had washed our hand to the maximum cleanliness. Consequently, all the apparatus and materials that we used might be affected by our hand. This is done so that there are no infections or contaminations on the agar that might give problems later. Sources of error There are some sources of error when carrying out this experiment. Firstly, we prepared the experiment at room temperature. It was supposed to carry out in sterile medium to prevent anything from affecting during the preparation of bacteria and antibiotics. Next, the major problem that could be seen during the experiment was most of the groups could not be able to solidify their agar to the maximum hardness. Consequently, when inverting the petri dish, all its contents would be messy inside the petri dish and the disc had mixed to one another. Thus, the antibiotics on each disc also had mixed that could affected the whole result. To overcome this problem, students should let the agar solidify before inverting the petri dish. Another problem was some of the groups do not invert their petri dish before keeping it inside the incubator. This would cause the water vapour to form at the upper part of the petri dish. It would also affect the growth of the bacteria in agar. Fourth, the layer of agar inside the petri dish was too thin that caused it fell to the bottom when inverting it. Besides ruining the shape of the agar and the position of the discs in the agar, the thin layer of agar also inhibits the growth of bacteria because it lacked of nutrients. To prevent this, the layer of agar should be half of the petri dish. Further work To get more reliable and accurate result, this experiment should be repeated by varying the temperature to investigate the activity of antibiotic on bacteria. This means that increase the temperature would cause the antibiotic to act more rapidly compared to the temperature that we used before. Thus we do not have to wait for 24 hours to see the inhibition zone. This manipulated variable also do not waste the time consuming for the experiment. Moreover, as the antibiotic shows more faster effect, thus the bacteria and antibiotic should be put in separately different petri dish to prevent it from overlapping. CONCLUSION The most effective antibiotic is ampicilin. The hypothesis is aceepted. Words = 2200

Free Euthanasia Essays: Euthanasia and the Pain Relief Promotion Act :: Free Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia and the Pain Relief Promotion Act President Clinton said that the key question regarding the Nickles/Lieberman Pain Relief Promotion Act is "whether the bill as written would have a chilling effect on doctors writing medication for pain relief on terminally ill patients." The question he raised is a testable proposition. Language almost identical to that found in the Pain Relief Promotion Act has been enacted in ten states in recent years - and the effect of such language on the use of powerful pain relief medication such as morphine has been dramatically positive. There is considerable data from states passing new laws against assisted suicide since 1992. During this period, ten states passed new laws that ban intentionally assisting suicide (or that strengthen existing bans), including language that affirms the use of medications to control pain even when this may unintentionally increase the risk of death. Data on morphine use from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) show that per capita use of morphine always increased in these states afterward, sometimes dramatically so (in Iowa, Rhode Island and South Dakota, morphine use doubled). The average change in morphine use in these ten states was an increase of over 50%. During the same period, four states passed laws against assisted suicide that did not include language affirming pain control like that found in the federal Pain Relief Promotion Act. Even here, there is little evidence of a significant "chilling effect" on morphine use; but per capita use of morphine tended to stay about the same or to increase only slightly. In these four states, where new bans on assisted suicide lacked the kind of positive language on pain control found in the Pain Relief Promotion Act, morphine use rose by an average of 3%. Turning back to the ten states with language similar to that of the Pain Relief Promotion Act, one can reasonably predict that the impact of passing the federal Act would be even more positive for pain control, for the following reasons: 1. These states actually passed new bans (or established new civil penalties for doctors) where none previously existed. By contrast, in the vast majority of states the Pain Relief Promotion Act establishes no new ban at all - it is already a state crime (and/or a violation of state medical licensing standards) to assist suicide, and thus an automatic violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act to use a federally controlled drug in such a practice. Free Euthanasia Essays: Euthanasia and the Pain Relief Promotion Act :: Free Euthanasia Essay Euthanasia and the Pain Relief Promotion Act President Clinton said that the key question regarding the Nickles/Lieberman Pain Relief Promotion Act is "whether the bill as written would have a chilling effect on doctors writing medication for pain relief on terminally ill patients." The question he raised is a testable proposition. Language almost identical to that found in the Pain Relief Promotion Act has been enacted in ten states in recent years - and the effect of such language on the use of powerful pain relief medication such as morphine has been dramatically positive. There is considerable data from states passing new laws against assisted suicide since 1992. During this period, ten states passed new laws that ban intentionally assisting suicide (or that strengthen existing bans), including language that affirms the use of medications to control pain even when this may unintentionally increase the risk of death. Data on morphine use from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) show that per capita use of morphine always increased in these states afterward, sometimes dramatically so (in Iowa, Rhode Island and South Dakota, morphine use doubled). The average change in morphine use in these ten states was an increase of over 50%. During the same period, four states passed laws against assisted suicide that did not include language affirming pain control like that found in the federal Pain Relief Promotion Act. Even here, there is little evidence of a significant "chilling effect" on morphine use; but per capita use of morphine tended to stay about the same or to increase only slightly. In these four states, where new bans on assisted suicide lacked the kind of positive language on pain control found in the Pain Relief Promotion Act, morphine use rose by an average of 3%. Turning back to the ten states with language similar to that of the Pain Relief Promotion Act, one can reasonably predict that the impact of passing the federal Act would be even more positive for pain control, for the following reasons: 1. These states actually passed new bans (or established new civil penalties for doctors) where none previously existed. By contrast, in the vast majority of states the Pain Relief Promotion Act establishes no new ban at all - it is already a state crime (and/or a violation of state medical licensing standards) to assist suicide, and thus an automatic violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act to use a federally controlled drug in such a practice.

Pesticides Are Affecting Our F Essay -- essays research papers fc

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill, control, or repel insects, plant diseases, weeds, rodents, and germs. (Most pesticides are used in agriculture production, to killing pests found on hundreds of different crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cereal grains.) All these foods form a good majority of North America’s diet, and the majority of these foods consumed contain pesticide residues. Pesticides are also used to get rid of unwanted pests in homes, schools, and parks. All of these chemicals are especially harmful to children because they can routinely come in contact with various pesticides through their distinctive diet and play activities. Water and apple juice are proven to contain various harmful chemicals. In the surroundings children experience, the food they eat, and the liquids they drink are all contaminated by pesticides. According to the Natural Resources Defence Council, â€Å"pesticide exposure to adverse health effects inclu ding cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm, neurological and development toxicity, immunotoxicity, and disruption of the endocrine system.† Children are more likely to be affected by pesticides than adults because, they are strange eaters, they breath at a higher rate, and tend to spend more time on the ground were chemicals may settle and then enter a child’s body through breathing, orally, by touching something with a residue and then putting their fingers in their mouth, and through a child’s skin. Pesticides will drastically damage the future health of our children if people don’t act now. CHILDREN’S HEALTH IS AT RISK THROUGH THE FOOD THEY EAT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every year, tens of millions of pounds of carcinogenic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, and otherwise hazardous pesticides are thrown onto foods that infants and children eat greater quantities than the average adult. These pesticides have been shown to cause reproductive defects in test animals, which cause poorly understood immune system responses, and others may effect the endocrine system. Pesticides have been widely used for years without any consideration of our environment and health. Today, we are using more pesticides than ever, so that we can have the perfect fruit or vegetable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pesticides are everywhere in the food children eat and the levels of toxicity ... ...il, â€Å"Our Children At Risk,† 1997, http://www.nrdc.org Environmental Working Group, â€Å"Overexposed,† 1998, http://ewg.org Aaron Derfel, â€Å"Farm runoff contaminating drinking water study finds,† THE GAZETTE, 17 May 1996. Richard Wiles and Christopher Campbell, Pesticides in Children’s Food (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Working Group/The Tides Foundation, 1993) Ken MaqQueen , â€Å"Toxic Herbicide Found in Well,† Vancouver Sun, 5 October 1990. Sharon Begley and Mary Hager, :Better Watch Those Fresh Fruits,† Newsweek, 5 July 1993. Grant Heilman, â€Å"Pesticides and Kids’ Risks†, Newsweek, 5 July 1993. Children’s Health Environmental Coalition Network, â€Å"Children are not Miniature Adults†, 1996, www.CHECNet.org Pesticide Action Network, â€Å"Herbicides Linked to Infant Health Problems†, 1998, www.panna.org Associate Commitee on Scientific Criteria for Environmental Quality, â€Å"Epidemiologic Evidence of the Effects of Pesticides on Human Health in Canada†, 1985. United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Drinkning Water Health Advisories, â€Å"Drinking Water Health Advisory : Pesticides†, 1989. World Health Organization, â€Å"Public Health Impact of Pesticides used in Agriculture†, 1990. Pesticides Are Affecting Our F Essay -- essays research papers fc INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill, control, or repel insects, plant diseases, weeds, rodents, and germs. (Most pesticides are used in agriculture production, to killing pests found on hundreds of different crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cereal grains.) All these foods form a good majority of North America’s diet, and the majority of these foods consumed contain pesticide residues. Pesticides are also used to get rid of unwanted pests in homes, schools, and parks. All of these chemicals are especially harmful to children because they can routinely come in contact with various pesticides through their distinctive diet and play activities. Water and apple juice are proven to contain various harmful chemicals. In the surroundings children experience, the food they eat, and the liquids they drink are all contaminated by pesticides. According to the Natural Resources Defence Council, â€Å"pesticide exposure to adverse health effects inclu ding cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm, neurological and development toxicity, immunotoxicity, and disruption of the endocrine system.† Children are more likely to be affected by pesticides than adults because, they are strange eaters, they breath at a higher rate, and tend to spend more time on the ground were chemicals may settle and then enter a child’s body through breathing, orally, by touching something with a residue and then putting their fingers in their mouth, and through a child’s skin. Pesticides will drastically damage the future health of our children if people don’t act now. CHILDREN’S HEALTH IS AT RISK THROUGH THE FOOD THEY EAT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every year, tens of millions of pounds of carcinogenic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, and otherwise hazardous pesticides are thrown onto foods that infants and children eat greater quantities than the average adult. These pesticides have been shown to cause reproductive defects in test animals, which cause poorly understood immune system responses, and others may effect the endocrine system. Pesticides have been widely used for years without any consideration of our environment and health. Today, we are using more pesticides than ever, so that we can have the perfect fruit or vegetable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pesticides are everywhere in the food children eat and the levels of toxicity ... ...il, â€Å"Our Children At Risk,† 1997, http://www.nrdc.org Environmental Working Group, â€Å"Overexposed,† 1998, http://ewg.org Aaron Derfel, â€Å"Farm runoff contaminating drinking water study finds,† THE GAZETTE, 17 May 1996. Richard Wiles and Christopher Campbell, Pesticides in Children’s Food (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Working Group/The Tides Foundation, 1993) Ken MaqQueen , â€Å"Toxic Herbicide Found in Well,† Vancouver Sun, 5 October 1990. Sharon Begley and Mary Hager, :Better Watch Those Fresh Fruits,† Newsweek, 5 July 1993. Grant Heilman, â€Å"Pesticides and Kids’ Risks†, Newsweek, 5 July 1993. Children’s Health Environmental Coalition Network, â€Å"Children are not Miniature Adults†, 1996, www.CHECNet.org Pesticide Action Network, â€Å"Herbicides Linked to Infant Health Problems†, 1998, www.panna.org Associate Commitee on Scientific Criteria for Environmental Quality, â€Å"Epidemiologic Evidence of the Effects of Pesticides on Human Health in Canada†, 1985. United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Drinkning Water Health Advisories, â€Å"Drinking Water Health Advisory : Pesticides†, 1989. World Health Organization, â€Å"Public Health Impact of Pesticides used in Agriculture†, 1990.

2001 USA Patriot Act is Unconstitutional and Ineffective Essays

I. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks US Congress passed legislation known as the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 commonly known as the USA Patriot Act. This paper will attempt to prove that not only is the USA Patriot Act unconstitutional but many of its provisions do nothing at all to protect Americans from the dangers of terrorism. While this act made legislative changes that increased surveillance and the investigative powers of law enforcement agencies to protect America from further terrorist acts, the passing of the USA Patriot Act has reduced the privacy rights of Americans and also does not provide for a system of checks and balances that safeguard civil liberties. Terrorism is a serious matter that should not be handled lightly, but the act has gone over the top in trying to stop terrorism. The USA Patriot Act, enacted for protecting America from further attacks, not only does little if anything to protect Americans, but rather undermines their civil rights. The Patriot Act targets not only terrorists, but also the American people which it intended to protect. This paper will primarily speak of the violations of the First and Fourth Amendments and the lack of checks and balances in relation to the USA Patriot Act. II. Background   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the September 11th terrorist attacks, America was understandably frightened that this could happen again. Less than a week after the attacks the Bush administration introduced legislation that included items which had previously been voted down, sometimes repeatedly, by Congress. (Surveillance Under the USA Patriot Act) The Senate version of the Patriot Act, which closely resembled the legislation requested by Attorney General John Ashcroft, was sent straight to the floor with no discussion, debate, or hearings. Many Senators complained that they had little chance to read it much less analyze it before having to vote. In the House, hearings were held, and a carefully constructed compromise bill emerged from the Judiciary Committee. But then, with no debate or consultation with rank-and-file members, the House leadership threw out the compromise bill and replaced it with legislation that mirrored the Senate version. Neither discussion nor amendments were permitted, and once... ... feel rushed as they did with the signing of this Act. Congress should review some of the terminology in the Act such as the definition of ‘Domestic terrorism’ to ensure we are not inadvertently including innocent individuals under the name of national security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There should be a system of checks and balances where congress must review the methods the FBI, CIA and other law enforcement agencies are using in relation to wire taps, search warrants etc. Congress must ensure that the intelligence gathered is used in connection with terrorists and not just criminals in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  States and the private sector should get more involved in security at the airports, banking procedures and surveillance so that the federal government does not have complete control and overstep their boundaries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the idea behind the 2001 USA Patriot Act was a solid one made in a time of extreme duress and fearfulness. Now that we have had time to readjust and really look at the consequences of this act, it is time to reevaluate and pass into law a modified version to keep in line with what our forefathers believed for our country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Has Globalisation Destroyed the Power of the Modern State? Essay

There is not doubt that globalisation is one of the buzzwords of the twenty first century, radically transforming international relations around the world, and directly or indirectly altering the way we view global politics, but how much has it affected nation states and their power? Globalisation is a complex and abstract term which has been given many definitions and meanings. For the purpose of this essay, I shall use a single definition which is closest to what I think globalisation is, and when referred to in the essay, this is what is meant. Heywood (2011) states that â€Å"Globalization is the emergence of a complex web of interconnectedness that means that our lives are increasingly shaped by events that occur, and decisions that are made, at a great distance from us.† The causes of this interconnectedness can be broken down into three engines of globalisation; Cultural, Political and Economic. Cultural globalisation is facilitated by technological advances in communic ations and especially the internet. This enables a large amount of the developed worlds population instant access to vast amounts of information unaffected by physical borders (except when censorship is in place), which in turn is making the world more culturally homogeneous. The rise of multinational actors like transnational corporations (TNC’s (for example Sony, Nestlà © and Nike)), non governmental organisations (NGO’s (for example Greenpeace, Oxfam and Amnesty International)) and other international organisations (eg; UN, EU and NATO) means that there are more authoritative actors on the world stage, as opposed to historically, states being the only predominant actor. Globalisation means that the economic market is now truly global, as money can be shifted worldwide in an instant. This has facilitated businesses to operate in different countries to their home country to take advantage of cheaper labour costs, local resources and other factors, which mean goods are now manufactured on a global scale. All these factors mean that geographical distance and territorial borders are becoming â€Å"less significant† (Heywood 2011). Since the creation of the modern idea of statehood after the Peace of Westphalia (1648), the nation state has been vastly the most predominant actor on the world stage. Sovereignty allowed states to have sole power over what happened within their own borders, and disputes between states usually brought about war. The classic definition of a state as outlined in the Montevideo Convention has four features: 1) A defined territory. 2) A permanent population. 3) An effective government. 4) The capacity to enter into relations with other states.

Resourcing Talent Assignment

Activity A (1000 words) 4 factors that affect an organization’s approach to attracting talent| * The type of talent they look to attract: I mean which competencies will be more suitable to the job they want. * The sector which the organization is operating in. As some sectors are much easier to find the talents than others. As sometimes so sectors got many employees working in than others for instance, in Egypt, It is much easier to find talents in Tourism and hospitality sector than to find in Nuclear energy sector! Corporate culture and how they accept the new employees: As this a major factor that would affect their approach; I mean to do it publicly so the employees know that the company is hiring a new CEO or that should be done secretly. * The size of the company is a crucial factor: Big businesses impress job candidates by offering a bevy of benefits, brand-name recognition and maybe even a big coffee brand name in the lobby of the company. The power of their brand: is definitely would affect their way. As big brands are easily to attract talents compared to a nameless brand.The resources available to them (financial and otherwise) that is why they would chose an easy to way to attract the talent (the recruitment method they would use) and their selection methods would be very tough to select the best from the big pool of candidates they get (attracting company). | 3 organization benefits of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce| Recruitment reflections benefit:Recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce has its effect on the talents pool that any organization has in its blood stream.Widening the view for recruitment for all ethnic groups, different sexes, and different religions will definitely help to have all types of talents in the same place that will be reflected on the business outcomes. Reputation:Enhancing the organization’s reputation and image with external stakeholders. Many observational studies and surveys have tried to explore this area and its impact on any organization and its business.One of them had a reflective results, as its findings revealed that of the people surveyed that were currently employed, 58 percent would take a job with a company that had a bad reputation of diversity if they were offered more money. However, on average, these individuals would only consider the job if offered double their current salary. So it is quite clear how diversity in the workplace is now considered one of the attractions to any employee and how its absence would affect the cost of operations. Culture benefit:Managing better the impact of globalization and technological changeImproving knowledge of how operate in different cultures. 3 factors that affect an organization’s approach to recruitment and selection| Legal framework and working ethics:As the unlawful discrimination is prohibited, fairness and equality of opportunity could have legal requirements to be considered in the recruitment an d selection processes. Budget:Budget is one of the crucial issues in any organization approach to recruitment and selection. For different types of recruitment methods, they have a variable cost; For example: the price of online recruitment websites is very low if compared to other recruitment methods like head hunters.And relying on different selection methods is highly affected by the budget, such as relying on assessment centers needs expertise and more cost compared to CV database, and so on. Availability of required job or post: Knowing how many people are specialized in the vacant positions will affect the approach of the organization to recruitment and selections methods. I mean for instance, if we are looking for a vacant position of janitor, there will be no need to have an online ad or national press ad or assessment center as a tool to select the candidates.While if we got a vacant of senior consultant IT or business expert, definitely these functions and tools might be a pplied to recruit because we might need a high voice tool to reach everywhere so online or press ads might work and also this post is not common to find. How important is the post for the organization and it is level on the structureThe level that the vacant position is working in in any organization definitely would affect the approach of any organization to select the recruitment and selection methods to use.For example, if the required employee is in the high level or for executive position, those people who might be interested are not normally, at least in our region, apply through general email or address though, so head hunters might be a great tool for such positions. | Discussion comparing and contrasting the benefits of 3 different selection methods| 1. Assessment centers * They are far more accurate than a standard recruitment process as they allow a broader range of selection methods to be used during the process. They enable interviewers to assess existing performance as well as predict future job performance. * They give the opportunity to assess and differentiate between candidates who seem very similar in quality on paper. * They give the candidates a better insight into the role as they are tested on exercises typical for the role they have applied for. * They help employers build an employer brand. Candidates who attend assessment centres which genuinely reflect the job and the organisation are often impressed by that company, even if they are rejected. The cost of an assessment centre is usually cheaper compared with the potential cost of many recruitment phases and the cost of recruitment errors. * They are a fair process – they complement an organisation’s diversity agenda and ensure that people are selected on the basis of merit alone. 2. Typical and structured interviewsWhen it comes to evaluating the advantages of typical structured interviews, the main advantage is that all the applicants have an equal opportunity to prove that they have the required skills and experience for the job.Additionally, as an initial selection process, the structured interview questions are basically set up in a manner which allows the interviewer to obtain all the initial data as well as professional details that he or she would want to know about every applicant. 3. Telephone screening * Telephone interviews are simpler to arrange, and the process itself takes much less time than face-to-face interview sessions. * When using this method as an initial screening process, the cost of interviewing a large number of candidates is much lower than if they were interviewed in person. Telephone interviewing also cuts costs when candidates live far away, since most businesses reimburse interviewee travel expenses. Using the telephone to screen out unsuitable candidates can greatly reduce these costs. * This format is an ideal way to assess a candidate's telephone manner. This is particularly helpful if the job requires telephone c ommunication skills or is heavily customer-service based. | Activity B-Portfolio and Interview Observation Introduction The HR department has followed a recruitment process for filling a vacancy request for â€Å"Office Manager† at ALICO.The recruitment process outlined below highlights the main elements for filling this vacancy which includes: Planning: Identifying need for recruitment Setting the criteria for the job ( drafting job description, person specifications, set of competencies) Resourcing: drafting a job ad Short listing: interview-based competency Selection Offer of Employment Reason for Recruitment There are three main reasons why we are recruiting for the position of â€Å"Office Manager† at our company: 1) Growth in Business Operations: Our insurance company is growing and consequently the business is increasing.We need employ a senior staff member to manage the growing number increasing set of responsibilities and functions at the First Nations Office. 2) Change in Business Objectives: Need for diversity in terms of nationality is necessary to align with the trend of Emiratisation across business sectors in the UAE. In this case, a Emirati national would be preferred as likely candidate to fill this position. 3) Employee Exit: the person previously in charge running the overall office services at the First Nations Office has been re-located to another branch in a different country.A new team member is required to run the existing operation and ensure efficiency and control over them and in case of additional functions. Job Description Position: Office Manager PURPOSE The office Manager is responsible for organizing and coordinating office operations and procedures in order to ensure organizational effectiveness and efficiency. SCOPE The Office Manager reports to the senior Administrative Office and is responsible for providing office management services to the First National Office.This includes maintain office services and effic iency, suprrvisi9ng office staff and maintain office records. RESPONSIBILITIES Maintain Office Services Main Activities Design and implement office policies Establish standards and procedures Organize office operations and procedures Supervise office staff Monitor and record long distance calls Prepare time sheets Control correspondence Review and supply requisitions Liase with other agencies, organizations and groups Update organizational memberships Maintain office equipment Supervise Office StaffAssign and monitor clerical and secretarial functions Recruit and select office staff Orient and train employees Provide on the job and other training opportunities Supervise staff Evaluate staff performance Coaching and disciplining staff Maintain Office Records Design filing system Ensure filing systems are maintained Define procedures for record retention Ensure protection and security of files and records Ensure effective transfer of files and records Transfer and dispose records acco rding to retention schedules and policies Ensure personnel files are up to date and secure.Maintain Office Efficiency Plan and implement office system, layout and system procurement Maintain and replenish inventory Check stock to determine inventory levels Anticipate needed supplies Verify receipt of supply Perform other related duties as required. 3. Person Specification Form Position Required:Office Manager Department:First Nations Office Location:Abu Dhabi | Essential| Desirable| Assessment Method| Qualification| | | | BA in Business Management or equivalent | X| | CV| CIPD certificate in HR| | X| CV| Experience| | | |Minimum 4 years in Management| X| | CV| Minimum 2 years in HR functions| | X| CV| Knowledge and skills| | | | Ability to use MS Office competently| X| | Interview| Ability to design and manage administrative systems| X| | CV, interview| Writing procedures and policies| X| | Interview| Basic Financial skills| | X| Interview| Managing records| X| | Interview| Good ora l and writing skills in Arabic and English| x| | Interview| Excellent Organization skills| X| | Interview| Knowledge of time management applications| X| | Interview| Leadership skills| X| | CV, Interview|Mentoring and coaching| | X| Interview| Interview Assessment Form Candidate's Name:Hayya Al Ali Post:Office Manager Panelists:Monette, Mustafa, Moamen, Abdulaziz Date:27th June 2012 Score (1-5)1 No-low evidence 5 Meets competency fully| Comments| Competencies | 3| * Candidate seemed confident and has a positive attitude. * Demonstrated interest in working for ALICO * Candidate showed â€Å"initiative† since she gave brief information about ALICO * She is familiar with IT systems due to her academic formation. * CIPD certificate provides knowledge on HR. She has knowledge on how to combine HR and IT | -Overall Impression-Academic/Work Experience * Why have you chosen to apply to this position? * Tell me about a typical day at work? * Why did you decide to do the CIPD certifica te? How are you applying it? | 4| * Displayed fluency in English and Arabic * Able to express herself easily * Low tone when speaking but confident * Displayed coordination skills with large groups (10+) as per her role in committees. * Displayed skills in communicating message across to staff through her induction program which she gives across departments. She gave examples on how empathy and listening skills helped her build rapport with her team members. * Able to communicate with senior managers and entry level employees * Displayed her skill in convincing and influencing where she argued her case regarding an employee based on evidence and the benefit for the company. * Displayed experience in presentation design and delivery through her work in committees and induction| Essential CompetencyCommunication and InfluenceCommunicates clearly and effectively with a wide variety of people both formally and informally. . Please explain a time or situation when you had to communicate your views or ideas to senior management to get support? 2. What were the problems encountered? How did you handle them? 3. Here you mentioned committee involvement, tell me more about this experience. | 4| * Displayed skill in working within a tight timeframe and prioritizing tasks according to an action plan. * Able to balance work and personal life where she mentioned that â€Å"time management† is an area she improved with time. Displayed planning skills in her ability to design workflow for the Orientation program. * Identified essential skills for planning which include team discussions, research, benchmarking, setting objectives and implementation. | Essential CompetencyPlanning and Organizing Tendency to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others 1. Tell me about an example where you had to plan and organize a task in a short time-frame. 2. Tell me about your experience in designing the Orientation program. Who did it involve? 3.What a re the tools that you used for recruitment and selection since you did that in your previous job? | 3| * Showed experience in leadership skills through her involvement in various committees where she acted as President. * Acquired skills in leadership by attending a multitude of forums on the subject * Showed experience in managing and coordinating team activities and assign/delegate responsibilities (approximately 17 people) * Managing â€Å"emotional situations† with staff with empathy. * Displayed firmness if employees do not complete a task they have been assigned. Identified that lessons learned from leadership are: planning, being firm and having people accountable for their work. * Tries to sympathize and listen to employees. | Essential CompetencyLeadership Promotes and generate of cooperation among the team to achieve a collective outcome 1. In your resume, you mention that you have â€Å"leadership† skills, can you elaborate more on this? How many people did you manage in your last job? what did you learn from that experience? 2. What are the best ways of improving the performance of a team? 3.Demonstrate how you use your leadership skills to achieve project 4. What did you learn? 5. Please describe a time when you had to provide feedback to others on their performance. How did you go 6. What kind of feedback did you provide? | 3| * She displayed professionalism and confidence when facing a conflict whereby she maintained her position or opinion bc it is based on facts and respected other people's different opinion. * She seems a bit â€Å"stubborn† regarding her opinions which are based on facts. * Identified that â€Å"best practice† and policies are the best way to address a problem r make a decision * She respects the hierarchy of the organization and the decision making process should respect that hierarchy. | Desirable CompetencyDecision-Making and problem solving (Desirable)Tendency to make swift decisions and judgm ents even in the absence of all necessary information. 1. Give me an example where you had to make decisions in the absence of your Manager? 2. How did it go? 3. What did you learn? 4. Tell me about a time when you had conflicting priorities and what you did to resolve them. 5. What kind of problems do you handle best? 2| * Uses IT in analysis at her work. * Developed a new system that combines IT and HR that can produce data and statistics relevant for HR and Finance. * Knowledge in ERP systems and KPI development. | Desirable CompetencyData Analysis (Desirable)Tendency to analyze, organize, understand and present data. 1. What kind of IT skills did you acquire? How did you apply this in your work? 2. Tell me about a system you developed that helped organize the data. | 3| * Candidate interested in the job since she feels that it provides growth to her career | General Comments|Interview Evaluation ( group discussion)| * Considerable experienced in all HR functions * Sufficient kno wledge of management of office operations ( skills in IT and time management) * Good record in leadership and supervisory skills * Confident and organized. * Good skills in starting new projects * Has good initiative and self-motivation * May not have sufficient basic financial skills but is knowledgeable in excel sheets | DecisionCandidate is accepted for the position and offer letter to be sent by recruitment office. Signature †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ALICO Insurance LLC P. O. Box 2. UAE, Abu Dhabi Phone 00000000 – Fax 11111111 June 27, 2012 Hayyah Al Ali 11603, Abu Dhabi Dear Ms Al Ali, ALICO is pleased to offer you a job as an Office Manager of the First Nations Office located in Abu Dhabi. We trust that your knowledge, skills and experience will be among our most valuable assets. Sh ould you accept this job offer, per company policy you'll be eligible to receive the following beginning on your hire date. Salary: 45,000 AED monthlyBenefits: ALICO provided benefits for employees, including the following: Education assistance Health, dental, life and disability insurance Profit sharing Vacation and personal days To accept or decline this job offer: Sign and date this job offer letter where indicated below. Fax all pages of this job offer letter back to us. This offer is valid for one month from the date of send. If we didn’t receive any reply from you within a month this offer will be cancelled. For any clarifications, kindly contact Recruitment Department, Phone 897987789.We hope to welcome you on board personally. Sincerely, Abdulaziz Ali Recruitment Manager, Human Resources Accept Job Offer By signing and dating this letter below, I, Hayyah Al Ali, accept the job offer of Office Manager by ALICO. Signature:_________________________________ Date:_________ ____ Decline Job Offer By signing and dating this letter below, I, Hayyah Al Ali, decline the job offer of Office Manager by ALICO. Signature:_________________________________ Date:_____________ ALICO Insurance LLC P. O. Box 2. UAE, Abu Dhabi Phone 00000000 – Fax 11111111 June 27, 2012Mr. Moamen Azab 11603, Abu Dhabi Dear Ms Mary, We appreciate your interest in ALICO and the position of ‘Office Manager’ for which you applied. Though the selection committee appreciates the time you invested during the panel interview, it has selected another candidate who has experience in human resources-a main requirement for the position. Thank you for interviewing with our team. Everyone enjoyed meeting you and we hope that you consider applying for our open positions for which you qualify in the future Sincerely, Abdulaziz Ali Recruitment Manager, Human Resources