Saturday, August 31, 2019

Examination Day

The short story Examination Day written by Henry Sleasar, is a story about young children being tested by the government to get knowledge of how smart the kids are. The government keep control of the kids and all the families. The government summon every kid that turns twelve, to come into their head quarters for an exam to prove how clever the kids are. The government summons a twelve year old boy in for his exam. The boy Dickie and his parents were having breakfast when his mum brings up the subject to Dickies father. His father just tells her not to worry that every thing will be alright. Dickie and his father go into the government head quarters for Dickies appointment. When it was Dickies turn to set the exam he was given a glass of liquid drink. This drink makes you tell the truth and be honest with what you say. They connected Dickie up to some machines ready for the examination. Dickies father went home to his wife to wait for a phone call to see if their son was alright or not. After the exam Dickies parents got a disappointing and sad phone call about their son. Dickie had pasted the exam so he was put down by the government because he had been one of very few to past the exam. Every child that passes the exam has to be put down. If they fail the exam they are sent home to your family and they get to live on with their lives. This exam determines if you live or if you die.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Isak Dinesen’s “The Blue Jar” Essay

Blue Roller coasters are the best rides at amusement parks. On the way up your head is filed with mixed emotions and your body tingles with anticipation. On the way down your mind no longer thinks but reacts to the track ahead and your body is filled with excitement. Then, it is over. The ride was short and ended as quickly as it begun. Isak Dinesen’s â€Å"The Blue Jar† is like a roller coaster. Its plot follows the track of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusion not once, but twice. Also, it isn’t only up and down but many twist and turns are discovered during the course of the plot as well. The effect of this unusual double plot exposes Helena’s character and her changes. The opening two paragraphs is the mini plot. The exposition introduces us to the main character, Lady Helena and her father, an old rich Englishman. They sail around the world to such places as Persia, Japan and China collecting blue china. The rising action is brief and consists of two words, â€Å"It happened.† Then the climax happens rapidly. The boat they are traveling on catches on fire and Helena is forgotten. Luckily, a young English sailor rescues her and carries her to a waiting lifeboat. The Falling action in the mini plot is their nine-day ordeal of floating for nine days before they are recovered. The conclusion of the concise plot is the Dutch merchantmen ship, Helena’s return to England, her reunion with her father and finally, the father paying and sending the young sailor who rescued her to the other hemisphere. The mini plot effects Helena in many ways. It shows the bond that Helena and her father have because they travel the world together. The old Englishman loves his daughter very much, â€Å"The old lord had believed his daughter to be dead. He now wept with joy, and at once took her off to a fashionable watering-place so that she might recover from the hard ships she has gone through.† The father loves her so much, he believes that it is unpleasant for Helena to think that she was rescued by someone from a lower class, â€Å"For what, would be the good of that.† The ending of the mini plot also arises questions about Helena. Is she going to recover? What is she going to do now? The mini plot also has grabbed the readers’ attention, drawn them into the story and changed the focus of the story to Helena. The major plot of the story has now taken over. The exposition is lady Helena’s recovery and her new apathetic view on life. The rising action entails that lady Helena has become obsessed with the perfect blue color. Even her father cannot distract her from her goal when he suggests that it might not exist. Helena’s reply, â€Å"Surely there must be some of it left from the time when all the world was blue.† The climax has Lady Helena ultimately finding her perfect blue jar she was in search of for so long. Her father has already passed away but Helena’s life is complete, â€Å"I have found it at last. This is the true blue.† The falling action takes over and her life’s meaning has ended, † now I can die. And when I am dead you will cut out my heart and lay it in the blue jar. For then everything will be as it was then. All shall be blue around me, and in the midst of the blue world my heart will be innocent and free, and will beat gently, like the wake that sings, like the drops that fall from an oar blade.† The conclusion is short; she dies shortly after her discovery. This major plot answers the question left by the mini plot. Yes, Helena recovers and she decided to look for a blue jar like her father use to collect blue china. This brings together the importance of the blue jar as it relates back to the mini plot exposure of Helena and her fathers bond. Her whole life she was surrounded by blue. When her and her father were sailing, she had the blue skies and the blue water. When she was at home with her father she had all the blue china. Blue meant safety and love to her and now her dead heart was engulfed in that same blue she had been looking for. The effect of this unusual double plot is that it exposes Helens true character. It also reveilles the love and bond Helena and her father share. Lastly, this unusual double plot makes the story interesting.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Pakistan Steel Mills Essay

Topic: Privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills Subject: Pakistan Economic Policy Submitted By: M. Faizan Sohail (7133) Faculty: Shahid Iqbal Date of Submission: 12th August 2010 Pakistan Steel Mills Introduction: Pakistan Steel Mills is the producer of long rolled steel products in Karachi, Pakistan. The Pakistan Steel Mill is the country’s largest industrial undertaking having a production capacity of 1. 1 million tons of steel. The enormous dimensions of the project can be visualized from the construction inputs which involved the use of 1. 9 million cubic meters of concrete, 5. 70 million cubic meters of earth work (second to Tarbela Dam), 330,000 ton of machinery, steel structures and electrical equipment. It’s unloading and conveyor system at Port Qasim is the third largest in the world and its industrial water reservoir with a capacity of 110 million gallons per day is the largest in Asia. A 2. 5 km long sea water channel connects the sea water circulation system to the plant site with a consumption of 216 million gallons of sea water per day. Soviet Contribution to Steel Mill In January 1971 Pakistan and the USSR signed an agreement under which the latter agreed to provide techno-financial assistance for the construction of a coastal-based integrated steel mill at Karachi. The huge construction and erection work of an integrated steel mill, never experienced before in the country, was carried out by a consortium of Pakistani construction companies under the overall supervision of Soviet experts. Corporate Business and Net worth Pakistan Steel not only had to construct the main production units, but also a host of infrastructure facilities involving unprecedented volumes of work and expertise. Component units of the steel mills numbering over twenty, and each a big enough factory in its own right, were commissioned as they were completed between 1981 to 1985, with the Coke Oven and Byproduct Plant coming on stream first and the Galvanizing Unit last. Commissioning of Blast Furnace No. on 14 August, 1981 marked Pakistan’s entry into the elite club of iron and steel producing nations. The project was completed at a capital cost of Rs. 24,700 million. The completion of the steel mill was formally launched by the then-President of Pakistan on 15 January, 1985. Pakistan Steel today is the country’s largest industrial undertaking, having a production capacity of 1. 1 million tons of steel. Founders of Pakistan Still Mills The real founders of Pakistan Steel Mills are Prof. Dr. Niaz Muhammad, Wahab Siddiqui and Russian scientist Mikhail Koltokof. It was the hard work of Dr. Niaz Muhammad that thousands of scientists and technical staff got trained by him. His inspirations and innovations got him the highest award from President of Pakistan, and also from Government of Russia. The Government of Pakistan has given him Pride of Performance. His nomination for Nobel Prize was biggest respect what Pakistan achieved. Social obligations Pakistan Steel Mills, besides its core activities, has done a lot in making the environment in and around Pakistan Steel green and beautiful through the addition of three unique projects: the Quaid-I-Azam Park, The Quaid-I-Azam Cricket Park and the Quaid-I-Azam Beach. The Quaid-I-Azam Park, which spreads out over an area of 45acre, consists of a series of six interconnected lakes, lush green lawns and grassy terraces, colorful flower beds, fountains, life- size steel-made models of wild and marine animals, a jogging track, a bird sanctuary and mini-zoo, as well as a children’s play and recreational ground and boating facilities. The other unique project, known as the Quaid-I-Azam Cricket Park, has been established amidst the pleasing surroundings of Steel Town, featuring sloping grassy terraces all around for spectators and four diagonally-located hillocks with seating arrangements to provide a panoramic view of the game. This is spread over an area of 32000 sq. meters and is equipped with all the necessary facilities, conforming to international standards. The third project, Quaid-I-Azam Beach, is being developed with the aim to provide a seaside recreational spot to the employees of Pakistan Steel, especially those residing at Steel Town and Gulshan-e-Hadeed. Pakistan Steel is also on its way to establish Quaid-I-Azam National Park over a vast area of 400acre adjacent to Steel Town which shall be a tremendous contribution in the development of the environment. The organization also has a football team Pakistan Steel FC that currently competes in the Pakistan Premier League. History & Privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills After independence in 1947, it did not take long for Pakistan to come to the realization that progressive industrial and economical development would be impossible without the possession of a self reliant iron and steel making plant. The dependence on imports would cause serious setbacks to the country along with an extortionately high import bill which would be impossible to support. In 1968, the Government of Pakistan decided that the Karachi Steel Project should be sponsored in the public sector, for which a separate Corporation, under the Companies Act, be formed. In pursuance of this decision, Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation Limited was incorporated as a private limited company to establish and run steel mills at Karachi. Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation concluded an agreement with V/o Tyaz Promexport of the USSR in January, 1969 for the preparation of a feasibility report for the establishment of a coastal-based integrated steel mill at Karachi. Bhutto  had signed a contract with the former USSR to help build the project. The project was estimated  to cost Rs 10 billion but was completed at a cost of Rs 30 billion and took ten years to finish. The foundation stone of this vital and gigantic project was laid on 30 December, 1973 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The completion of the steel mill was formally launched by the then-President of Pakistan on 15 January, 1985. The steel mill project provided 20,000 jobs for workers from all over Pakistan. Unfortunately, from the very beginning plotting were launched by the bureaucracy against the workers in order to destroy their moral and ruin their potential. A propaganda campaign was started in the media to give the impression that the project was â€Å"a burden on the national economy† and that it was â€Å"a white elephant†. This campaign gradually became noisier  and  the idea that there were 8000 surplus workers who were a burden and needed to be gotten rid of was widely propagated. However, the bureaucracy and the press found it impossible to attack the workers due to the political strength and unity of the militant trade unions. With its propaganda having failed and its aims in ruins, the bureaucracy resorted to the traditional and criminal tactics of the ruling class – the tactic of â€Å"divide and rule†. In 1986 Zia-ul-haq dictatorship  began a series of brutal political assaults in Pakistan. The ruling class succeeded in generating racial  conflicts among workers, which  not only divided the workers but also weakened the labor movement. This tactic of â€Å"divide and rule† also affected Pakistan Steel. In 1988 the trade unions were divided on racial grounds which resulted in bloody hatred and ended  the traditional revolutionary unity of the unions. The labour movement was constantly harassed and its leadership degenerated and became demoralized. In 1992 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed a General, Sabeeh Qamar-uz-zaman, as chairman of Pakistan Steel. He was given the task of improving the situation and â€Å"normalizing† the working conditions. He imposed an undeclared ban on the trade unions at Pakistan Steel. Terror and the harassment  of the unions were  enforced in the name of discipline. An  internal security intelligence  unit, the  FIU, was also established and was headed by an army colonel. This notorious  intelligence unit â€Å"discovered† that 1500 workers were a â€Å"security risk†. These workers were punished and removed from their jobs. In 1995 Benazir Bhutto, in her second term in office, reinstated most of these workers. However not all of them were reinstated. During his second tenure in 1997, Nawaz Sharif  introduced  many reactionary anti-labour laws. The ex-chief of the FIU, Colonel Afzal, a batch mate of General Musharraf, was appointed as managing director of Pakistan Steel. This gentleman was twice suspended on corruption charges from his previous post as chief of the FIU, yet somehow he still merited the promotion to chairman. After Musharraf overthrew Nawaz Sharif in 1999, he introduced his â€Å"Seven Point Agenda† to the nation. Not surprisingly his top priority was the introduction of the brutal policies of rightsizing and downsizing, which in practice meant maximizing  unemployment. These policies  were sweetened with another Black Law: the Industrial Relations Ordinance 2000. In June 2000 the chairman of Pakistan Steel announced the immediate dismissal of 436 workers. The workers were informed in their dismissal orders that their services were no longer required. This was just the beginning however, and a new policy was enforced where workers were requested to enjoy the â€Å"benefits† of the VRP (Volunteer Retirement Policy). All of these laws and policies were exercised in the worst manner in Pakistan Steel; it became a model and an example to whole country, and to all workers and trade unions. 8500 jobs were ruthlessly cut by these barbaric policies. These sackings affected the workers deeply, and led to a change in consciousness. On December 31, 2001 the workers of Pakistan Steel organized a general strike against the anti-labor policies of the chairman and the government. The workers blocked all roads and access to the mill. On February 7, 2003 the workers again organized a strike. The authorities attempted to stop the strike by using the tactics of delay. But this only served to provoke the workers, and on March 8, 2003 the workers again blocked the roads. This time they also occupied the mill. This action paralyzed the authorities but unfortunately the struggle was lost because the workers were betrayed at the negotiating table by the trade union leadership. It was apparent that  this struggle could have galvanized the working class nationally  and that it could have found a mass basis. However, in the end it was drowned in petty compromises and conciliations. On December 30, 2003 Chairman Afzal was suddenly dismissed and again a General, Abdul Qayum was appointed as the new  chairman. He immediate gave the impression to the workers that the situation would be totally reversed and that the workers would not have to fear any  more suspensions or dismissals. He also announced an extension plan for Pakistan Steel that would create more jobs. However, just before initiating the extension plan, it was announced that Pakistan Steel would be privatised rather than proceed with the extension. This was a clear declaration of a severe attack on the rights of the workers. This was a clear attack  on their jobs and their working conditions. This declaration provoked 12,500 workers who are drawing the conclusion that they need to fight back. The government was not as lucky in the case of Pakistan Steel Mills as it had been with regard to certain other privatization deals.

Comparesion pepsi and coca cola Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Comparesion pepsi and coca cola - Assignment Example Often the treatment received by these multinational corporations in the foreign land is similar to that of the host country. In order to find new markets and resources, companies expand their business operations in the potential markets of the third world countries. However, for sustaining in the new markets, they are often compelled to formulate a new set of strategies that is completely different from that of their home countries. In the course of their operations in foreign market, multinational companies face various impediments in the form of alien culture, varied buyers’ taste & preferences, different political, legal and economic conditions. To sail through these menaces, the foreign companies often undergo mergers with their national counterparts as the latter is more equipped in dealing with local issues. This paper will attempt to analyse the behaviour patterns of multinational companies in the light of different strategies implemented by them in different countries. For this purpose, Pepsi and Coca-Cola have been selected as they are respected names in the world of MNCs. A brief introduction will be given in the beginning of the project which will attempt to analyse its objectives and organisational structures. It will be followed by a discussion on their global business and internal analysis which will not only help to identify their basic nature but will also provide an overall idea of their situation in the world market. The rapid change in lifestyle has suddenly made the beverage industry one of the most profitable in the global market. The two undisputable rulers are PepsiCo and Coca-Cola especially in the ‘cola soft drinks’ section. PepsiCo is a celebrated brand in the international beverage industry. Formed in 1890s by Celeb Bradham, its main objective was to develop digestive syrup that would be delicious as well. Though it has

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Company logistic analysis and drawbacks and recomendation Research Proposal - 2

Company logistic analysis and drawbacks and recomendation - Research Proposal Example For the last financial year home depot registered profits of over $4.5 billion. This made the share price to rise from $2.47 to $3.00 per share. In the financial report for the year 2012, it did not include the $145 million tax charge. This was related to the closing of the china store, which affected the share price negatively with a decline of 0.10 earnings per share. The net sale for the year 2012 increased by 62% to $78 billion. This was an increase from the previous year where the earnings were $70 billion. The store sales increased to 4.6% attributed by a 2.9% rise in comparable store average ticket. In addition, the rise in customers in our stores attributed to this increase. The financial year of 2012 had an extra week that increased the net sales by $1.2 billion. This led to an increase of the share earnings by $0.07. The growth in the 2012 financial year is credited to continued focus on the following initiatives. Customer service – continued focus on customer service is driven by philosophies of making an emotive link with the customer. These philosophies are putting the customer first and making the business simple. Home depot has opened new call centers in Utah and Georgia simply to have a more personalized connection with the customers. All these centers have been opened in the last financial year. This has played a major role in increasing the earnings and profit margins for the company. In additions, new wits such as the new arrangement system for secondary and centralized return to seller process has more than 57% of all labor hours dedicated to customer services and by the end of the financial year of 2013 the labor hours will have reached 60%. In addition, other measures will be put in place to ensure complete customer satisfaction. This will lead to increased sales bringing the stock price to a higher price. This will put the stocks in a better position than the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Safety net and layoff Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Safety net and layoff - Essay Example Well, there are two economic perspectives on this issue. The first perspective argues that by increasing the support for people without jobs those with low incomes will decrease their incentive to find jobs. Others argue that more generous the government is the more incentive for the unemployment to find jobs. Government has become more generous with social safety net in many ways. A bonus was added to unemployment checks, people were offered subsidies to pay for their health insurance, food-stamp benefit levels were increased, and were available in situations in which they were formerly unavailable and states were granted waivers from program work requirements. This perspective is in line with the Keynesian school of thought which is based on the concept that in order for an economy to grow and be stable, extreme government intervention is required. This will make people have less motivation to find a job, and will shift the aggregate supply of labour to the left as shown in the diagram below. The advantages of unemployment benefits affect everyone. Benefits help individuals and family to have the necessities to live and help them throughout periods of unemployment. The unemployment benefit will result in an increase in consumption and that affect the general economy shifting the AD to the right as shown in the diagram below. The disadvantages of benefits are for business and the society as whole. As unemployment increase, government will need to give more unemployment benefits, and the government get the money for increasing taxes and/or reallocating their spending from one sector to another. Thus businesses and society will not be in favor of the unemployment benefits. While economists seek to find whether or not the government should be generous with social safety net and what is the effect of that on unemployment job seeking they often fail to notice the effect of the safety net on the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Primate Infanticide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Primate Infanticide - Essay Example Primate infanticide mainly takes place when male primates take control of groups comprising of their female colleagues, installs one of them as an alpha who then orders the killing of all the young male primates who have not yet weaned. Those in favor of the pathological behavior ideology share the opinion that primate infanticide comes about because of population pressure (Borries et al, 1999). Their perception is based on the fact that primate infanticide is not a normal make up, but is likely to take place whenever there is an excessive population of primates within a given locality. To corroborate their perception, such scholars argue that primate infanticide habitually takes place when a specific set of primates reside within a region with insufficient resources, such as food. The highlighted information notwithstanding, conclusive evidence has recently pointed out that primate infanticide is basically a male reproductive strategy. This is because females who lose their male offspring early are prospective to resume sexual activity earlier compared to those who keep their offspring (Borries et al, 1999). Consequently, they are set to bear their next infants sooner than the females with surviving infants. Additionally, further research has pointed out the fact that in most instances males who have borne children with the females have not been related to the killed infant. It is similarly important to note that further research has pointed out to the fact that the infanticidal males are normally new immigrants who were either sexually immature or did not copulate with the female group member earlier. Similarly, the male members have gone ahead to remain as members of the group for a substantial duration. The information discussed above on the sexual selection hypothesis may have been conclusive in the past, for there was no

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Parents or Prisons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Parents or Prisons - Essay Example This paper would be dealing with. Morse’s arguments in three points. First, the article stated some news reporting the dumping of a dismembered body by two boys. Such news is common even before because the crime appeals to sensationalism that makes the reading public buy newspapers. Grisly accounts of murders, whether or not involving parents is common since ancient times. Then, the news article was linked by Ms. Morse to the budget cuts imposed by city Mayors except for the Department of Corrections. Apparently, the article missed to establish the main reasons why budget spending for prisons were not part of said budget cuts. The Department of Corrections spending needs to be increased simply because the increasing rate of population also produces a higher incidence of criminality. This doesn’t mean that majority of the crimes can be attributed to juvenile delinquency as caused by children from single-parent homes. There are many factors why the Bureau of Corrections h as to increase spending which the author failed to explain. Instead, the news reports were directly correlated to incidence of juvenile delinquency which lacked substantial evidence. Second, the article cited some studies that link mental illness and single parents.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Examine and explain the connection, both political and social, between Essay

Examine and explain the connection, both political and social, between American territorial expansion and the issue of slavery - Essay Example On the other hand, slavery affected the social development of the Americans greatly, most individuals affected were Africans, and thus slavery brought up many consequences. Generally, slavery is one of the consequences of the territorial expansion that the Americans aimed at when wedging the war against France and Britain. The main intention of the America was to stop the two countries, France and Britain, from disrespecting their territory and rights. Therefore, the war against France and Britain has resulted in the political and social development of America. After Madison came into power, he decided to declare war against the Great Britain from France and Britain had refused to respect America’s rights. The American Revolution started 29 years before the United States of America wedged war with the Great Britain (DBQ #7, DOC. #7). The Americas leaders kept quiet for a long time but France and Britain kept on stopping and seizing Americans ships and cargos, and kidnapped the American sailors. This articulated the American leaders, especially Madison, who came later into power, to declare war against them because he wanted them to respect the rights on the high seas. The Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives of the United States gave a report on the widening conflict of the United States against France and Britain (From Annals of the Congress of the United States, Twelfth Congress). The report indicated that the United States claimed their right to the use of the ocean for transporting their vessels, their product, and in the acquisition of the raw materials for their industry (DBQ #7. Doc.1). Following the speech presented by John Randolph of Virginia, one of the congressman, he stated that when the people go to war they do should not just go to fight for the maritime rights but for farmland since the Gentlemen from the North have been instructed to go to the land (DBQ #7. Doc.3). Therefore, president Madison had at last to declar e the war against France and Britain since they had complained but the two countries did not take any actions towards their complaints. President Madison declared that they behold the war against the Great Britain for withholding their vessels from lawful destinations and for not taking any actions on the victims of lawless violence (DBQ #7. Doc.4). On the other hand, slavery affected the social development of the Americans greatly, most individuals affected were Africans, and thus slavery brought up many consequences. Slavery in America started during the revolution of the America (Lord Dunmore’s proclamation, Virginia, 1775). Lord Dunmore continued to state that he requires people who are capable to bear arms to join his army or they will become the traitors to his government (DBQ #9. Doc.1). Most Africans became victims of slavery. Slavery resulted in deprivation of Africans to enjoy the profits of their labor and they were denied to inherit property from their parents as the white people did. The black people were denied the right to vote as the rest yet they were supposed to enter the defense force. The slaves had the determination to be free one day. According to the Letter to ministers from the Vermont Colonization Society, 1820, slaves had a right to be free and the society owned the colony of Liberia for harboring slaves (DBQ# 9. Doc.10). The African Americans also received harsh slavery treatment and as a result some of the African American citizen like Prince

Friday, August 23, 2019

Culturally competent care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Culturally competent care - Essay Example This means that the department of veteran affairs is forced to meet with the needs of many soldiers over a prolonged time period- something which has forced it to expand in order to cater for the needs of various ex-soldiers from different ethnic backgrounds. There is a reason why army veterans require specialized care. Military service members do not face the same challenges as other members of the society. Their very job requires them to put their lives in danger constantly whenever the country is engaged in a conflict with a different nation. Many times, the challenges that soldiers face are life-threatening and require immediate specialized care. Some of these injuries include gunshot wounds, lost limbs, wounds caused by shrapnel and head injuries that affect a soldier’s daily functions or even speech and thought patterns. Military service members may also be exposed to environmental pollutants like harmful chemicals used by the opposing army, contaminated water and biolog ical weapons. There are also the mental stresses of being in a war. Being separated from one’s family and friends for an extended period of time is a difficult thing for any ordinary human being. It becomes harder for both the soldier and his or her family when both parties are aware that the soldier might never return home. Many times, the families of soldiers have sought counseling services to help them to cope with such possibilities. Another cause of mental anguish is the act of war. Killing and maiming other human beings is a difficult undertaking for even the most hard-hearted individual. Soldiers are required to do it repeatedly and automatically when ordered to do so by their commanding officers. They are also expected to ignore their fears and constantly put themselves in the way of danger. This causes mental problems such as post traumatic stress disorder and depression- which are conditions that the soldiers carry home with them even after the war is over (Jakupcak , Luterek, Hunt, Conbeare and McFall, 2008). According to (Erbes, Westermeyer, Engdahl and Johnsen (2007), more than ten war veterans commit suicide every day due to their inability to handle mental states of depressions and post traumatic stress disorder. There have also recently been reports of war veterans who took their own lives after eliminating their whole families. When they return from war situations, soldiers require healthcare benefits that will enable them to live with some measure of peace and comfort. They also usually require a lot of mental support so that they can process through the horrifying things that they may have witnessed during the war. The department of Veteran Affairs has successfully established a 24-hour suicide hot-line that helps soldiers to deal with issues they may be experiencing but feel unable to tell even family members. Standards of cultural competence that appear to be met and any that are not met The Department of Veteran Affairs defines mino rity veterans as ex-soldiers who are of Asian American, African Americans, Pacific Islander, Native American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native origin. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), roughly 20% of the country’s 23.5 million veterans are from these ethnic backgrounds (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2013). Similar to other racial minority populations

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Eddie Murphy Essay Example for Free

Eddie Murphy Essay While pondering the question of what I should write my paper on I was flipping through the channels on the television. As I scrolled through I stopped on the movie The Nutty Professor. The actor that I love and am impressed by in this movie is non other than Eddie Murphy. Mr. Murphy is a comedian and professional actor that is very well known and very well respected. With this paper I hope to tell about the life and the professional aspects of this amazing actor. Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3rd, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York. In his early years he grew up in the projects of Bushwick. His father, Charles, was a police officer in New York and was also an amateur comedian. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator and divorced Eddies father when he was three. Charles was not only Eddies fathers name, but his older brothers name as well. Charlie Murphy is two years older than Eddie, and is also a comedian. Murphy was not the brightest crayon in the box when it came to school, but he had excellent verbal skills. By age 15 he hosted a talent show at the Roosevelt Youth Center. He had stolen the show and became a fan favorite with his Al Green impersonation. Murphy developed a fever for a chance at show biz. He began to perform at local bars and clubs, and his grades started to slip dramatically. He was forced to repeat the 10th grade. Eddie got his head back on his shoulders and doubled down on his classes and eventually graduated a few months late. After graduation he enrolled himself in to Nassau Community College. He continued to do his shows at local clubs and venues until finally landing himself at the Comic Strip in New York City. At times he had called himself the disciple of the late Richard Pryor. Unlike all his comic idols, Eddie did not smoke or drink and had once said to Barbara Walters, I dont have to sniff cocaine to make me funny. (Biography 1) In 1980, Eddie tried out for the cast on the famous show Saturday Night Live. He tried out for the part six times and ended up on the show as an extra appearing in a few episodes. His break came when the producers realized they had four minutes of air time left and no material. Eddies stand up saved the show and was eventually brought back for the following season. In 1982, Murphy received a Grammy nomination for a live album of resh stand-up material called Eddie Murphy: Comedian. Also during 1982 at only 21-years-old Murphy starred along side Nick Nolte in the movie 48 Hours. This movie was a hit and grossed over $5 million in the first week it was released. In 1983, Paramount Pictures offered Murphy $25 million to take part in six pictures. Beverley Hills Cop was released in 1984. This was one of Murphys greatest performances of his career. The movie hit number 9 on the list of all time box office hits. Murphy was not only a comedian and an actor he was also a singer. He released his first album called How could it be? , in 1984. It was produced by the late Rick James who may be mostly known now because of Dave Chappelles famous line, Im Rick James Bitch. The single Party All the Time peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. (Biography 2) A major film that boosted Murphys career was the romantic comedy Coming to America. This film was done in 1988. The film was a hit and grossed over $128 million in the US alone. This was the first film that demonstrated his comedic versatility by playing multiple characters within the film. This may have been the first film that Murphy had done this, but it for sure wouldnt be the last. In 1996, Murphy starred in a hit remake of the Jerry Lewis film The Nutty Professor. He earned a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy Horror Films Award for his role in the film. (Wikipedia) In May of 1997, Murphy gained some unwanted publicity. He was discovered at 4:45 AM in Los Angeles will a known transsexual prostitute. A spokesman for the actor maintained Murphy was just being a good Samaritan by offering the transsexual a ride. Murphy was not arrested for anything, but he became the butt of many transvestite jokes. (CNN) Eddie pushed aside the scandal and continued making movies. In 1998, he played the voice of Mushu the lizard in the Disney hit Mulan. During this same year he also starred in the remake of Dr. Doolittle. The movie the Nutty Professor II: The Klumps was released in the summer of 2000. Murphy again showed his comic versatility by featuring as all six lead characters. In 2001, Murphy again had landed two hit movies Dr. Doolittle 2 and the voice of the donkey in the hit movie Shrek. Murphy played an overwhelmed babysitter in Daddy Day Care which premiered in 2003. He revived Donkey and played in Shrek 2 back in 2004. In 2006, Murphy signed on for what may have been his most demanding film in his career. Murphy did a screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, featuring Jennifer Hudson. His performance as soul singer James Thunder Early earned him a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nomination. (Biography 3) In January of 2008, Murphy announced his split with film producer Tracey Edmonds. The couple married in Bora Bora on New Years Day of that year in front of 25 family members and friends. Murphy and his new wife planned to renew their vows on American soil after they found out the celebration wasnt legally binding. The second ceremony never took place, and the couple officially separated. (People Magazine) Murphy continues to work not only as a comedian and an actor, but as a film director, producer and a singer. His most recent work was Shrek Forever After. He again played the donkey in this movie when it was released May 21, 2010. Murphy is a co-star in Tower Heist, Brett Ratners heist movie that will be released November 4, 2011. This movie is being filmed as we speak. Future plans are in the air for a Beverly Hills Cop 4 which will supposedly not be done by producer Jerry Bruckheimer. (Wikipedia) My favorite thing about Eddie Murphy is his ability to play multiple characters in his movies. He is extremely talented and gifted. He has the ability to impersonate anyone with practice. Eddie does this as a tribute to his idol, Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in Dr. Strangelove. The first multi-character film Murphy played in was Coming to America. He played the role of four different characters which were Prince Akeem Joffer, Clarence, Randy Watson, and Saul. The next film that Murphy would play multiple characters in was Vampires in Brooklyn. This was a horror film that was done by Wes Craven in 1995. In addition to playing the main character, Murphy also plays an alcoholic preacher and a foul-mouthed Italian gangster. The film that Murphy is most famous for his multiple character role is The Nutty Professor. In this movie he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother. The use of makeup was very crucial in all these movies. Eddie also did a great job in changing his personality. Without knowledge that he plays multiple characters in all these movies, you wouldnt be able to tell that Murphy plays multiple roles. (Wikipedia) Murphy is mostly known for his acting roles, but rarely gets recognized for movies that he produces. Besides his comic stand ups that he has produced he as also helped produce major films such as The Nutty Professor(1996), Life(1999), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps(2000), and Norbit(2007). Murphy also starred, directed, and was a writer for the 1989 film Harlem Nights. Throughout Murphys career he has had his ups and his downs just like most actors. His work today has idolized millions. The man is a legend and will continue you to be one. At age 49 he is one of the most successful stars in Hollywood. Eddie Murphy is my hero and I will continue to watch him as long as he is around. Whether its by his foul language in the movie Life or the donkeys voice in Shrek I will continue to laugh because of Eddie Murphy.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Physical Security Essay Example for Free

Physical Security Essay A six foot fence secures the outer perimeter. Video surveillance is active on the north fence and inactive on the south. A manned guard station permits entrance into the outer perimeter from the west; an unmanned and unlocked gate permits entrance from the east. No Trespassing signs are posted at intervals upon the perimeter fence; Employees Only is posted on the gate. Visitors must obtain a pass at the guard station. The outer perimeter contains the parking lot and office building. The perimeter has two light posts that, when functioning, illuminate the entire parking lot. Currently, the light post on the south side is not functioning. The office building exterior has three outer doors and one window. The first door is marked with an Employees Only sign and requires a badge for access. The second door is the main entrance for visitors and is manned by a guard, who requires a visitor’s pass for admittance. The third door is an emergency exit only and is clearly marked. Any attempt to gain access through the first door without a badge, the second door without a pass, or the third door at all, results in alarm activation and guard response. The window is locked from within; any attempt to gain access through the window also activates the alarm and alerts the guard. The interior of the office building is segmented into two major areas. The first area is the employee workstation; only employees can access this area. Visitor and employees can access the second area. Both the first and second areas are monitored by active video surveillance. The second area has two doors, both of which lead to smaller offices. The first door is unlocked, but is within sight of video surveillance and employees within the work station. A visitor trying to attempt access to this office results in alarm activation. The second door is obscured from both employees and video surveillance and is unlocked. Each office contains valuable assets. Employees can access either office at will. Within the workstation and smaller offices are several computers. Passwords are required for access to each computer. Each employee has a password and can access network information at any time.

History Of What Is Piracy Media Essay

History Of What Is Piracy Media Essay In its typical sense, the word piracy refers to the manufacturing of unauthorized copies pirated copies of protected and copyrighted material and then distributing or selling said copies. The rights of authorization infringed by those who make and deal in pirate copies are the rights of authorship generally protected by copyright, as well as the rights of ownership, particularly in the case of sound recordings, which are generally protected by neighboring rights regimes. In its wider sense, and as often spoken of in the popular press, piracy may also refer to acts of bootlegging (the making of an unauthorized recording of a live performance) and of counterfeiting (selling works made to resemble a genuine copy, as by replicating the label, the packaging, or the recording itself). Origin Piracy in the West The word piracy was used to label the infringement of exclusive rights in creative works for the first time in 1603, and, as such, predates any statutory law. Before the establishment of the Statute of Anne (which was the first copyright law in the Kingdom of Great Britain) in 1709, the Stationers Company of London was given a Royal Charter in 1557, which gave the company a monopoly on publication, as well as the responsibility of enforcing the charter. Those people who were found violating the charter were labeled pirates as early as 1603. After the Statute of Anne was established, the term piracy was used to describe the illicit manufacturing, sale and distribution of copyrighted material. b. Piracy in the Philippines Piracy of films and music in the Philippines has existed since the technology necessary to replicate tapes and disks became easier, cheaper and more available. In the 1970s, the cassette became a popular music format; and, as such, opened up a whole new market for portable music. Tape recorders also became easily accessible and cheap to the market, which brought along the problem of pirated music cassettes. In the 1980s, the Betamax became the first audiovisual playback device that gave the public the opportunity to record a show. This brought a trend in the Philippines. However, during martial Law, access to foreign material was limited. There would usually be a delay of a few months before a movie would be viewable in local theaters. This gave birth to the era of video rental shops, and these shops became a refuge for the entertainment-hungry Filipino. Betamax players were phased out in other parts of the world, to be replaced by video home systems (VHS) and laser discs. However, they did not become obsolete here in the Philippines. In fact, the loss of Betamax player buyers caused its price to plummet and become very affordable, causing its popularity to increase drastically. (Beginnings of Piracy, omb.gov.ph) The trend repeated itself with the VHS. At the same time that this was happening, camcorders were also being made. People discovered that camcorders were easy to use because they could bring it inside a cinema and record the movie showing. From the VHS, the material used moved to video compact discs (VCDs) and now we are using digital video discs (DVDs). All of these made possible by the advancing and upgrading of technology. Forms of Piracy Optical Disk Piracy Optical disk piracy refers to the illegal distribution, manufacturing, trade and/or sale of copies of movies, television programs, software programs, music, and games in digital disc formats which include Blu-Ray, DVD, DVD-R, CD, CD-R and VCD. These disks are sold on websites, online auction sites, via e-mail solicitation and by street vendors and flea markets around the world. The relatively inexpensive cost of blank discs and reliable disk-burning machines has led to the increase in number of DVD-R and CD-R burner labs. Internet Piracy In general, Internet piracy refers to the employment of the Internet to supply unauthorized downloadable copies of music, games, television, movies, and software programs. Internet piracy can also refer to the use of the Internet to spread codes or other technologies to bypass anti-copying security features in software products. Auction sites, Peer to Peer (P2P) networks, social networking sites, B2B websites and botnets are all common paths through which Internet piracy occurs. Theatrical Print Theft Theatrical print theft is exactly as its name suggests-the theft of an actual film print, usually 35 or 16 mm types, from a film depot, theater, courier service or other industry related facility, purely for the purpose of making illegal duplicates and then selling and/or distributing them. Having the original film print then allows the pirate to craft a high quality videotape from the original, which then serves as a master copy for future duplication purposes. However, this form of piracy is extremely rare, mostly because it is difficult to even obtain the prints and it is difficult to transfer the print to another format. Signal Theft Signal theft occurs when someone gains access to a cable TV system without the cable service provider being informed, or when someone receives satellite signals illegally. Usually pirates will provide satellite signal descramblers or illegal cable decoders for consumers. Counterfeit Consumer Goods Counterfeit consumer goods, regularly called  knock-offs, are  counterfeit  or imitation products presented for sale. The spread of counterfeit goods has become global lately and the range of produce subject to infringement is greater than before. Effects of Film Piracy First of all, I would like to stress that the main focus of this paper is on film piracy; therefore, the following points will deal with the effects of film piracy in particular. Economic Effects a. Business Loss in the Part of the Producers Those who are most obviously affected by film piracy are the people who invested their money and resources into the production of said motion picture. Seeing as how they gain returns on their investments through the sales of their film, allowing pirates to sell copies of the film without having to forward any margin of their profits to the producers of the original film would effectively rob the producers of the money they ought to earn if consumers were to purchase copies of the film from them rather than the pirates. One of the effects of piracy to films, especially local films, is that it shows that the people do not really support the films shown. It is a big problem especially during the Manila Film Festival. Piracy makes it an option for the people to wait for a cheaper alternative, and just watch it at home. Another of the effects is this: through the introduction of the illegal pirate market, pirates are effectively providing less expensive alternatives to the original at nearly, if not the same quality. This forces the producers to lower their selling prices in order to compete with the illegal market. We need only to look at the prices of original DVDs over the last few years in order to show this. In 2005, the prices of legal DVDs were about Php 700. Now, the prices have gone as low as Php 250 for two DVDs. Still, these prices are still not as preferable as the prices for an illegal DVD, which can go as low as four DVDs for Php 100. These effects can easily discourage any person from producing his own film for fear that he may not get a good return on his investment. If this continues, there may come a time when independent films will simply cease to be made. Social Effects Of course, the consumers are completely aware and fully informed that purchasing pirated DVDs practically amount to theft, but still people continue to patronize these illegal merchants. The existence of these pirated goods, these less-expensive alternative goods, is clearly promoting lower moral values and ethics. It is a well-known fact that, if presented a choice between two products that are of the same quality but of different price, consumers will always choose the product with the lower price. But in most cases, if you mention that the cheaper one will prevent cash from going to the producer of the good, then most consumers will suddenly have second thoughts. Unfortunately, this seems to happen only to a handful of consumers when it comes to movie piracy, providing more evidence to the case that film piracy promotes lower ethical standards and morals. Chapter III Actions and Precautions This chapter will deal with the actions and precautions taken in order to combat film piracy here in the National Capital Region. A. Local Goverment 1. Municipal Level As far as my research has uncovered, only two cities here in the Philippines have enacted a total ban on piracy in any area of the city. They are the cities of Manila and Quezon. It is important to note that the Quiapo district in Manila was previously listed as among the worlds 21 most notorious markets for pirated and counterfeit items. This caused Manila authorities to implement a total ban on the sale of pirated DVDs in the district and other parts of the city last July 28, 2011.(Esplanada, 2011) Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim previously gave a 1-month grace period for the DVD vendors in Quiapo to leave the illegal trade. Some vendors said they would obey Lims order, but others complained, claiming that they might not be able to feed their children. Some believe that the governments campaign against piracy will not last long, allowing the vendors to go back into this illegal trade; however, Manila officials strained that they were serious about applying this ban. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista also declared a total ban on the sale and distribution of pirated discs in Quezon City, and has united with the Optical Media Board in enforcing Republic Act 9239 and City Ordinance No. SP1608, S2005. These two laws make illegal the distribution, transfer, manufacture, rental, and/or sale of fake, pirated, or counterfeit articles, services or goods. (Chavez, 2011) B. National Government In the past, the Philippine government has made it a state policy to protect intellectual property rights. This policy was enshrined in both the 1973 Constitution which offers the exclusive right to inventions, writings and artistic creations shall be secured to inventors, authors, and artists for a limited period and in the 1987 Constitution which clearly mandates that the State shall protect intellectual property. 1. Laws, Acts, and Orders a. Executive Order 60 CREATING THE INTER AGENCY COMMITTEE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS In 1993, President Fidel Ramos issued an executive order that created the Inter-Agency Committee on Intellectual Property Rights. It was supposed to recommend and enforce policies that protect intellectual property rights. (Executive Order 60. 1993) Executive order 736 INSTITUTIONALIZING PERMANENT UNITS TO PROMOTE, PRTECT AND ENFORCE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR) IN DIFFERENT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES UNDER THE COORDINATION OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (NCIPR) On June 21, 2008 the NCIPR was established to coordinate inter-agency efforts against counterfeiting and piracy, and to provide maximum benefits to Filipinos and ensure significant contributions to national development. (Executive Order 736, 2008) Republic Act 10088 Anti-Camcording Act of 2010 Its full title is AN ACT TO PROHIBIT AND PENALIZE THE UNAUTHORIZED USE, POSSESSION AND/OR CONTROL OF ADUIOVISUAL RECORDING DEVICES FOR THE UNAUTHORIZED RECORDING OF CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS AND OTHER AUDIOVISUAL WORKS AND/OR THEIR SOUNDTRACKS IN AN EXHIBITION FACILITY, PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR AND OR OTHER PURPOSES. In layman terms, this act forbids the recording of a cinematographic film or other audio visual work and/or its soundtrack in a theater or similar venue. Penalties range from a fine of Php 50, 000.00 up to Php 750, 000.00, and imprisonment of six months and one day up to six years and one day. (Republic Act 10008, 2010) Republic Act 9239 AN ACT REGULATING OPTICAL MEDIA, REORGANIZING FOR THIS PURPOSE THE VIDEOGRAM REGULATORY BOARD, PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Commonly known as the Optical Media Act of 2003, this act reorganized the Videogram Regulatory Board, created under Presidential Decree No. 1987, into the Optical Media Board (OMB). This act established the OMB in order to evaluate the qualifications of any establishment, individual, or entity to engage in the mastering, manufacture or replication of optical media, conduct inspections and raids, etc. In recent news, the Optical Media Board has been active in terms of confiscating pirated DVDs. It has partnered with the government of the City of Manila in keeping the Quiapo district, which was recently named one of the most notorious markets for pirated and counterfeit goods, free of pirates. Republic Act 8293 Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines This acts full title is AN ACT PRESCRIBING THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CODE AND ESTABLISHING THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE, PROVIDING FOR ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. It established the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, which is supposed to: [a] Examine applications for grant of letters patent for inventions and register utility models and industrial designs; [b] Examine applications for the registration of marks, geographic indication, integrated circuits; [c] Register technology transfer arrangements and settle disputes involving technology transfer payments covered by the provisions of Part II, Chapter IX on Voluntary Licensing and develop and implement strategies to promote and facilitate technology transfer; [d] Promote the use of patent information as a tool for technology development; [e] Publish regularly in its own publication the patents, marks, utility models and industrial designs, issued and approved, and the technology transfer arrangements registered; [f]Administratively adjudicate contested proceedings affecting intellectual property rights; and [g] Coordinate with other government agencies and the private sector efforts to formulate and implement plans and policies to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights in the country. (Republic Act 8293, 1997) Chapter IV Effectiveness A. Results of Operations The website of the Intellectual Property Rights Philippines has been so kind to provide data on how much pirated and/or counterfeit goods have been confiscated in the past several years. Unfortunately, the data has proven too voluminous for this paper, so I have condensed it into this graph. Unfortunately, these figures can mean two things. Either these raids and confiscations are indeed improving and these acts, laws, and actions against piracy are allowing us to legally seize more illegal goods, or, the pirate market is simply growing at an exponential rate and we just happen to be able to confiscate more things simply because there is more to seize. So, it has come to my attention that one of the best ways to discover whether the governments methods against piracy are working is to ask those who are sure to be affected (if ever they are): the men and women who man the stalls that sell pirated movies. To my surprise, I discovered that the vendors I had interviewed indeed were experiencing a much harder livelihood compared to a few years back-but not because of laws and actions made by the government. Their main reason for the increase in difficulty of sales of their product is none other than competition. The rise of the number of vendors can only prove one thing, and that is that the government and the movie industry, despite their efforts, were unable to effectively trim the piracy problem in the last few years. However, according to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), we [the Philippines] are one step closer from being removed from the watch list for counterfeit and pirated goods. B. Difficulties in Fighting Film Piracy 1. Greater Demand As has been stated before, film piracy has made the pastime of watching movies and shows much cheaper and easier, which makes it no surprise to find that more people would prefer to purchase a pirated DVD simply because it is much cheaper and much easier to find. It is much more convenient to buy a pirated DVD and watch it at home anytime they want than to go to a mall and spend more money. One thing that film piracy offers that people also look for is the range of movies available. It is not hard to find an all-time favorite, or an old or new movie. 2. Loss of Livelihood Many people rely on their sales of pirated discs in order to support their families. That being said, one of the governments problems in fighting piracy is finding alternate livelihoods and jobs for those vendors who are to be affected by the bans. This was one of the issues that Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista had to deal with first when he declared a ban on the sale of pirated discs in July 2011, especially because those vendors were willing to not put up a fight, and all they asked for in exchange is for the government to provide jobs for them when the ban would start. 3. Incomplete Dedication of Enforcers It is sad that many of those on law-enforcement duty simply look the other way when it comes to piracy. Whether out of bribery or sheer ignorance, well never know. A fine example of this is the flea market known colloquially as Ruins, located in Sucat, Paraà ±aque city. It is a known center for pirated disc vendors, but less than a block away, lies the [Sucat PNP station]. I find it strange that there is next to nothing being done on the part of the PNP when such a large trove of illegal pirates is sitting right under their noses. This shows that not all enforcers are consistent, that others tolerate such crime, and that they may be supporting the idea and action of piracy. It is a bad view on the enforcers. The sellers would also be at ease in selling these pirated products. 4. Tolerance of officials? Piracy has reached such a level of popularity that even those with respectable positions in the government are prone to being clients. Take Ronaldo Llamas for example, he was Presidential Political Affairs Adviser and yet was STILL caught red-handed purchasing pirated DVDs in Circle C Mall along Congressional Avenue in Quezon City.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Essay --

Ethical Issues Regarding Genetic Engineering and the Threat of Biological Weapons â€Å"advances in biotechnology ... have the potential to create a much more dangerous biological warfare threat ... engineered biological agents could be worse than any disease known to man.† (Central Intelligence Agency) Recent developments in genomics and biotechnology are unquestionably creating a range of political, environmental, and ethical challenges for developed societies. They also have the potential for harsh repercussions for international peace and security. These advances open up great avenues for the invention of new biological weapons. Genetically engineered â€Å"superbugs,† which can be resistant to antibiotic treatments and can be highly lethal, are only the beginning to this concern. The possibility of designing completely new biological weapons on the foundation of existing biomedical research have proved to be much more disturbing. Weapons that have been created for modern kinds of conflicts and warfare situations, secret operations, or missions involving sabotage, are more and more becoming a reality that we have to deal with (van aken). New instruments and techniques for investigating and altering an organism's genetic material have resulted in an increased danger of biowarfare (van aken). The circumstances where the outcomes of scientific research, which was at first well-intentioned, can be used for both good and harmful purposes give rise to what is now commonly known as the â€Å"dual-use dilemma.† It is an ethical problem since it is about promoting good, while at the same time has the potential for also causing injury and destruction. It is a dilemma for the person performing the research because of the actions of other people that... ...o doubt that more technical possibilities will arise in the years to come. With these new discoveries comes the potential for military abuse too. Because it is currently so easy to not only research but transport anything internationally – including genetically engineered disease organisms along with human and animal vectors – scenarios of plagues and disease outbreaks are not that distant. (Dudley) International and local efforts to increase investigation, detection, and reporting of disease pathogens, and to better understand the dynamics of disease transmission within and among populations will greatly enhance our ability to combat the effects of bioweapons and emerging diseases (Dudley). Following an ethical code of conduct, and promoting awareness of the real danger of biological weapons are just a couple things that scientists can do to help deter the threat.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Hypoxia-mediated Selection of Cells with Diminished Apoptotic Potential

Cancer: Necrosis vs. Apoptosis Cancer is the second leading cause of death in humans. A cancer cell is a cell that has mutated from its original form and will often grow at a more rapid rate than normal. The body has built certain mechanisms to protect itself from these types of cells. One of the physiological processes the body uses to kill off these cells is apoptosis. Apoptosis is sometimes called "cell suicide". When the body detects that a cell's DNA has mutated and cannot be repaired, the cell will somehow trigger itself to self destruct. Up until 1972, scientists hadn't really looked carefully at how cells die. Once they did, it was apparent that two things could happen: necrosis or apoptosis. Necrosis was the term used to describe all cells that had died. However scientists have found that necrosis and apoptosis are two different processes. Necrosis is a result of outside forces acting upon a cell, causing it's destruction. Upon destruction of the cell in this manner, the internal contents of the cell are leaked into the local environment, which can be extremely harmful. In contrast, a cell dying by apoptosis does not release it's contents and potentially harm neighboring cells. Apoptosis is actually an active process within the cell. A process triggers some other process (which is not quite clear) inside the cell and tells the cell to start disassembling itself. When this happens, instead of releasing harmful chemicals into its environment, the cell is thought to send parts of itself to other surrounding cells to digest it. Roles of p53 and bcl-2 in Apoptosis The authors above and other scientists believe that the expression of the p53 gene is required for apoptosis. The p53 gene has been labeled as the tumour su... ... increases as oxygen is reduced, those cells with mutated p53 have a slower increase in death rate in hypoxic regions, compared to those cells that have normal p53 expression. This seems to point to the fact that the hypoxic regions are actually setting up a natural selection for the p53 deficient cells, and possibly other mutations resistant to death. Treatment Problems This can cause a problem when treating these cells with radiation and chemotherapy. These treatments attack the cells and attempt to destroy the DNA within the cell. This will usually cause an increase in the rate of apoptosis within the area treated. However if the cells in the area have built up a resistance to apoptosis they have built up an effective resistance to the chemotherapy and radiation. These facts could explain why the p53 gene is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Suicide of Vietnam Veterans :: Vietnam War Essays

Suicide of Vietnam Veterans The deaths that were experienced in Vietnam due to Agent Orange and other jungle diseases have become well known by the general public. However, it is suicide that has resulted in the deaths of over 150,000 Vietnam soldiers during and after the war. An enormous amount of suicides resulted from what most people call â€Å"protecting our country†. The Vietnam War brought more than fifty-eight thousand deaths and is to some one of the darkest battles in United States history. If not killed during the war, many believe any Vietnam veteran would return home great and proud. But this is not the case. Many Vietnam veterans have committed suicide before, during, and after the war. Not only have these men and woman risked their lives for our country, but now, return different people and can not comprehend whether or not to continue their lives. Many people believe we win wars, when in actuality, no one does, especially those who serve in the armed forces (Suicide Wall, 11-10-2000). The Vietnam and other wars have mentally and sometimes physically dismembered many veterans. Another factor that plays a role in a war-related suicide is the addition of many on-site diseases such as defoliants, Agent Orange in particular. Made up of equal parts N-Butyl Ester 2,4,-D and N-Butyl Ester 2,4,5,-T, Agent Orange made many Vietnam soldiers go insane (Vietnam Veterans, 11-10-2000). This atrocious chemical lead and still today leads to death, deformation, and diabetes. Dr. Joel E. Michalek, who deals with statistics for the air force, was the first to notice a link between Agent Orange and diabetes. But the federal government was not willing â€Å"...to spend millions of dollars on such studies†. Dr. Michael Gough, a retired biologist was quoted as saying â€Å"the conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no evidence whatsoever to support any connection between low-level dioxin exposure and any human disease†. Some say they will not do research b ecause it is another thing â€Å"...that will be linked to the health complaints of Vietnam veterans† (Kolata, A16). There is hope still. In 1996, Clinton ordered disability benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from prostate cancer and nerve disease associated with Agent Orange. Eventually, the government will fund more and more diseases for those who served in the war and were exposed to the substances.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

National University of Singapore Personal Statement

Having a degree is one of the most admired achievements in the life of an individual. It is the basis of how your future will be. If you have a nice and much known degree then you have the greater chances of being hired the moment you graduate. I chose to apply Business Management and Communications and News Media in this University for I believe that National University of Singapore is going to help me build my future and dreams through their much established curriculum and high standards.I know that Business Management and Communications and News Media really fit me for the reason that I have lots of experience that has polished my character, intelligence and attitude. I chose Psychology because I believe that this can help me have a brighter future. Basically, this course is a lot of fun. Studying business, about how to communicate effectively and things about News Media would also help me develop the attitude or the character on how to deal with people in such a manner that is we ll educated and proper. Having a degree in this course will help me get the best job being offered in the society. I know having this degree will let me become more productive.There were certain experiences I have had in relevance with my chosen course. One of those was when I was part of the play, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde; where in I was Gwendolyn, one of the main characters. I have always loved theater, especially acting. Gwendolyn Fairfax in this play portrayed a conservative Victorian. She always aims on being intellectually updated, where in she upgrades her skills and knowledge by attending conventions and the like. But the only thing is that she isn’t true. She was not her real self, she was just acting out what she thinks would be good and acceptable.Gwendolyn in this play is a strong willed and aggressive woman for what she feels she expresses it immediately. She was an epitome of grace and beauty among women. I can very much connect with Gwendo lyn; I know what my principles and values are. I never compromise my reputation. I am also strong willed and assertive in the sense that when I know that I am on the right track, I am never afraid to go and pursue it. All the qualities that Gwendolyn has that I can easily relate like her being strong willed, assertive but still compose and decent, applies to my chosen course.Through this experience I had in the play, was just one of the stepping stone for me to polish my character or attitude especially with regards to being patient. Being patient with my co- members in the play and the long time hours in practicing the play in order to come up with the best. I never settle for less. I always want to achieve the best. I never want mediocrity. I believe I can apply all these values in my chosen course.I am also teaching in our Sunday school in a local church. I am teaching children ranging from 6 – 9 yrs old. Through this experience I never forget that Religion is also importa nt. It was important before but it is much important today.Religion involves the relationship between mankind and what is regarded as sacred. Religion almost always includes the belief in the supernatural and a code of ethical behavior. Why do men suffer? What is the nature of the Universe and how it is governed? What is the nature of man and what is his destiny? Religion tries to answer the questions of ultimate existence and of life and death and human and destiny. Many religions hold the universe is governed by God. Through religion man may see meaning in the universe and find a personal role in it.Thousands of years ago, religion played a very vital role in the lives of the people. Even thought that time things were not that so complicated not like now, people still has a closer connection to God. People then put a greater emphasis on going to church, fellowshipping with their brother’s and sister’s and in maintaining their relationship with their creator.As of now , in our present times I think that Religion is ten times important than it was before. As the modern world is evolving and is now being introduced to different kinds of beliefs and theories that could likely shake our foundation of faith for God. The basis and the only foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ. We must hold on to him more especially these days that there are many deceivers out there that are being used by the enemy to destroy us and to keep us away from the loving arms of God.When we don’t have a strong foundation of our relationship to God, we can easily yield to the temptations and offerings that Satan will present to us, like the technology of today. If we don’t know how to control the usage of technology of today, we can be manipulated and controlled by it. That is just one of the tactics of Satan to let us fall into the pit he is preparing for us, for us to be kept away from God’s destiny for us.We are free to choose what we want to do, but we are not free to determine if what he have chosen is good or evil, right or wrong. Our choices may be good or bad insofar as they conform to God’s divine and eternal law and the imperatives which are made known to us through the mediation of conscience that God has bestowed in spirits. In my life I have made many decisions that brought great changes to me as an individual. There are times that I am very doubtful to make a choice especially in a very hard situation. But whenever I am in doubt to make a choice, I just listen to my conscience for me to determine and scrutinize what is really the right thing for me to do.A mature moral decision is not only a decision to make a good deed that â€Å"we ought to do† but also a â€Å"choice made in good faith to make what we want ourselves to be†.   The dignity of the human person implies and demands the rectitude of the moral conscience; that is, it’s being based on truth, which is God’s word. One mus t seriously seek a right conscience or, in other words, one must try to make sure one’s moral judgment is right. This can be achieved by diligently learning the laws of moral life through spiritual formation, asking God for light through a fervent prayer, removing the obstacles to right judgment such as habitual moral disorder or bad habits, and lastly is examining yourself.As I grew up and experienced lots of circumstances, I have now a more grown up approach of making choices. I just do not base my decisions with my feelings at that very moment. I see to it, that whatever outcome after I have made my move, I will still be strong and able to stand up. I will be able to stand firm with my decision. I see to it that it will have more advantages than the disadvantages. I weigh the pros and cons of every circumstance that I am into in which I am task to decide things with. I have learned that not all delightful things are right, for there are also hurtful and unpleasant things t hat turned out right also.Making moral decisions demands maturity and responsibility. To seek to understand reality, to be attentive to the wisdom of the past, to discern the biases and demands of a particular situation- all these efforts are required of a matured individual. Through this experience that I had as a Sunday school teacher, I am able to impart my knowledge about my faith in God towards those who do not know him. In relation to my chosen course, it will help me not compromise especially when graduate from Business Management and Communications and News Media. It will help me become an efficient worker in the area that I will be assigned. I can be a model towards those who are educated yet do not know their real purpose and the intent of their chosen field.I also participated in a national racing competition and won 3rd place. It was my first racing competition where I competed with fifty plus racers, most of them were men. But I still succeeded them because of my drive to win. I never thought that I am weak because I am a woman. I proved them wrong, as I also loved sports. I am a multi tasked individual, I can balance things that I am very much inclined with like in the Academics and Sports.Through the competition, I have proved to myself that I can also do what others can achieve. That gender can not dictate you from achieving, from dreaming. If you want to, then you should have the great drive and interest. I like competition and I do not give up until I will win a fight. It gives a feeling of satisfaction and contentment. My self- esteem is leveled higher whenever I succeed a competition. For me it instigates my willingness to thrive more and work hard, for me not to be put to shame.I am also a hardworking individual, which is why I won the third place in the competition because I was diligent in practicing. I beat all of those men in the contest, even if they were men and symbolized strength, I still conquer them because I was very much eager to win and make others proud of me. I was very much encouraged to go and fight them. like in my chosen degree, I know I am going to meet obstacles or travails as I go along my studies but with the integrity and willingness that I have, I know I am going to survive the hindrances or difficulties I will be meeting along the way.I am a very social person, so my chosen course just fits me that much because in business and communication, one needs to have the ability to go along well with other; that is to socialize; to be able to fit into different groups, or social classes and different types of character. I am a risk taker, especially when I know that I am going to succeed in the end. I am willing to risk things, but on the other hand, I am willing to fight for it too.I like to try new things, things that excite me, like achieving. Having to achieve new thing, I know can bring felicity to my family. Like I said, I never settle for low quality. I always want the best of everything. For I believe that whatever your output is, totally reflects you. So when your output is of low quality, people will see you as an under achiever; a person who only settles for less.I am much interested to be in this degree because I know that National University of Singapore provides one of the best educations I can ever find. They don’t just focus on the academics but also with the totality of the being of their students. They set standards that other Universities do not have. I know I am going to have a great future ahead of me in this institution. I will always have this gratitude in my heart towards National University of Singapore because through them individuals who dreams of having jobs, those highly paid jobs can now fulfill their dreams. Those individuals will be given the hope to dream, and have a bountiful life while having the qualities of a good individual being admired by the society around him.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Engineers Contributions

Society’s standards always change and engineers contribute to society by meeting these demands. Engineers create technology and devices that people use day to day. They innovate current technology by making it more practical and improving the quality to satisfy consumers. When society’s trends and fads change, engineers comply by redesigning products to accommodate for the changes. Engineers save time and money for every one by speeding up processes and cutting down production costs through efficiency. Society relies on engineers every day.Engineers create and develop various transportation modes, communicational devices and infrastructures that people use on a daily basis. Society uses technology that engineers construct. Many people in society use transportation technology to get to their destinations. Many people drive cars, take the train or bus and ride bicycles. Without engineers, all these transportation modes would cease to exist. Engineers play a major role in vehicle production and efficiency. Without communicational technology society cannot function and would crumble down.Communication takes part in every person’s life through different avenues. People use phones, e-mail and social networks on the internet to communicate with one another. Engineers developed these communicational technologies and continue to find ways to improve it. They discover ways to help society use technology by making it more practical. Practicality embodies an engineer’s mindset and this mentality contributes to society’s economy. Engineers stimulate society’s economy by allowing people to save money.Businesses hire engineers to help their production efficiency and to find ways to cut costs. Engineers redesign products so that they require less material but serve the same functions and capabilities. They find ways to boost the speed it takes to make each product. This allows the company to create more products per day and saves time. With the costs decreasing and production increasing, business can sell their goods for cheaper. Products that only the wealthy society could afford, such as televisions and cars, are now common amenities that many families have today.People can afford to buy vital products such as medicine at an affordable price. Engineers cut production time and costs to allow consumers to save money but always put safety as a priority. Engineers continually explore methods to ensure society’s safety. They look for ways to improve the environment’s health. They minimalize air pollution caused by cars and factories by producing eco-friendly products and components. Engineers improve land conditions for people and animals so that they may live in suitable conditions.The water that people drink goes through a purification and safety process that engineers conduct. Engineers perform test to validate a building’s integrity through simulated earthquakes and wind speeds. Every vehicl e a person drives goes through multiple collision examinations and redesigned multiple times by engineers to ensure the highest safety ratings. The roads that people drive on have speed limits specifically analyzed and set by engineers to reduce accidents. Engineers secure the society’s safety while progressing and planning for the future.Engineers constantly conform to society’s changing needs through innovation. With gas prices increasing rapidly, engineers develop electronic cars and maximize the vehicle’s miles per gallon ratio. People want computers to have better processors, load programs quicker, and carry less weight for traveling. Engineers have configured these electronic devices to perform at faster speeds and reduced material use to enhance the product’s portability. Society wants technology to keep developing with new inventions to provide more comfortability and less work.Engineers hold the key ingredient for technology innovation and they c ontinue to cater to society’s demands. People may not notice the direct contributions that engineers give to society but society can’t function without them. Every infrastructure in this nation is designed with maximum efficiency and practicality by an engineer. The amount that engineers contribute to society measures from small inventions such as a mechanical pencil to as large as a robot landing on the planet Mars. Society will always need engineers and engineers will always contribute to society.

Bureaucratic Management Theory Essay

Weber’s theory of bureaucratic management has two essential elements. First, it entails structuring an organization into a hierarchy. Secondly, the organization and its members are governed by clearly defined rational-legal decision-making rules. Each element helps an organization to achieve its goals. An organizational hierarchy is the arrangement of the organization by level of authority in reference to the levels above and below it. For example, a vice-president of marketing is below the company’s president, at the same level as the company’s vice president of sales, and above the supervisor of the company’s social media department. Each level answers to the level above it with the ultimate leader of the organization at the top. The easiest way to understand the term rational-legal decision making rules is to think of it as a set of explicit and objective policies and procedures that governs how an organization functions. Examples of rational-legal decision-making rules include human resources rules and policies or the regulations governing who is entitled to unemployment insurance. Bureaucracies are all around us – this form of organization, which is comprised of non-elected officials who implement rules, is not only common in the public sector but in the business world as well. Examples of bureaucracies in the public sector include the Social Security Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and public universities. Among the oldest bureaucratic structures in the country is the United States Military. In the private sector, most large business firms have a bureaucratic organization. Examples of private sector firms with a bureaucratic structure include IBM, GM and the Union Pacific Railroad. Knowing how bureaucratic management works can lead to a better understanding of how government agencies and large business firms operate – it can assist you in interacting with complex organizations, whether it be seeking social security benefits or working for a large corporation. Max Weber Max Weber. Published in the US before 1923 and public domain in the US. Max Weber – Father of Modern Organizational Theory One of the most important thinkers in modern organizational theory, Max Weber (1864-1920), is the father of the bureaucratic management theory. Weber was a German sociologist and political economist that viewed bureaucracy in a positive light, believing it to be more rational and efficient than its historical predecessors.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Reasons Women Live Longer Than Men

Reasons why women live longer then men It is an accepted fact of life that men enjoy certain physical advantages over women. Men are stronger, taller, faster and less likely to be overweight, but they have then tendency to die before their female counterparts. Their date rate is higher than women in many different societies. Women, as a group, live longer than men. In all developed countries and most undeveloped ones, women outlive men, sometimes by a margin of as much as 10 years. In the U. S.   life expectancy  at birth is about 79 years for women and about 72 years for men. The gender discrepancy is most pronounced in the very old: among centenarians  worldwide, women outnumber men nine to one. The gender gap has widened in this century as gains in female life expectancy have exceeded those for males. The death rates for women are lower than those for men at all ages–even before birth. Although boys start life with some numerical leverage about 115 males are conceived for every 100 females. Their numbers are preferentially whittled down thereafter. Just 104 boys are born for every 100 girls because of the  disproportionate rate of spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and miscarriages of male fetuses. More boys than girls die in infancy. And during each subsequent year of life, mortality rates for males exceed those for females, so that by age 25 women are in the majority. The reason women live longer than men can be explained from a biological, psychological and social view point. There are physiological, psychological and social factors that can account for longevity of women. The reason women live longer than men is because they have better cardiovascular endurance, they have two x chromosomes which further delays aging, men are more engaged in risky behaviors that can cause death, and another reason is that men are more likely to die from depression women. Women have an advantage over men in terns of cardiovascular endurance; disease such a heart attack and stroke are less likely to affect women than men. Woman develop these diseases later in life at about their 70s and 80s while on the other hand male normally get these types of disease about ten years younger in their 50s and 60s. A woman’s heart can become more active than men. A major contributor to biological age  is one’s heart activity; when the heart is more active and  healthier a person’s biological age can be reduced  because of how the heart is still working in a proper way. A woman’s heart tends to be more active primarily because of how the menstruation process causes the heart to exercise and to work at a greater level. One proposed reason for this is the menstruation process which causes a woman’s heart to become active by the release estradiol hormone in the woman’s body during the process. Estradiol will work to give the woman’s heart a greater amount of energy because this is an especially powerful form of estrogen that can cause her heart to be more active. It is more powerful than other types of estrogen that can be found in a woman’s body. Because of the workout that is given to the heart during the menstruation period the heart will be able to work at a better rate and as a result to help with getting one’s biological age reduced. Another reason for the delay in cardiovascular disease in women is that women are relatively iron deficient in comparison to men. This is due to the loss of blood during menstruation; it is especially active in young females. Iron play a very active role in reaction within our cells that produce damaging free radicals which attach unto the cell membrane and DNA, and may translate into aging the cell. A second possible reason for why women live longer than men is the difference in genetic make up. The existence of a second X chromosome in women while men have an X and a Y chromosome is a proposed reason for the longevity of women. When there is damage caused to the cell variations, women have back-up chromosome variations that men do not have. The assumption is that since men only have one X chromosome, they have a greater chance of aging more rapidly. Chromosomal differences between men and women may also affect their mortality rates due to diseases. Chromosomes carry genetic mutations that cause a number of life-threatening diseases, including muscular dystrophy and hemophilia. Because women have two X chromosomes, a female with an abnormal gene on one of her X chromosomes can use the normal gene on the other and thereby avoid the expression of disease even though she is still a carrier of the defect. Men, in contrast, have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, and so they cannot rely on an alternative chromosome if a gene on one of the sex chromosomes is defective. If a man has a defect in this gene, his body's ability to repair the mutations that arise during cell division could be severely compromised. The accumulation of such mutations is thought to contribute to aging and disease. The second X chromosome as a longevity factor in and of itself. Although one of the two Xs is randomly inactivated early in life, the second X seems to become more active with increasing age. It may be that genes on the second X activates and compensate for genes on the first X that have been lost or damaged with age. A third reason for the mortality rate be higher for males is the fact that men are more likely to engage in risky life-threatening behavior thus raising the mortality rate among them. While this is a more social reasoning it can be explained using biological terms. The male specie experience what is known as â€Å"testosterone storm† in their late teens and 20s. At this stage the level of this hormone is in high quantity and it induce some dangerous behavior and bring out an aggressive nature in men. Some male dominated sports such as drag racing, motorcycling, sky diving, mountain climbing and even boxing are dangerous sports that have caused death of the participants. They may also engage in reckless behavior such as smoking, abusing alcohol, poor dieting and driving without a seat belt. These reckless behavior can cause death in the long run by death or immediately by accidents. The homicide rate of men is much higher than that of females. Men are more involved in violent and illegal activities that most of the time result is death due to violence. Such activities include scamming, drug dealing, gang involvement, gun trafficking, among others. In Jamaica murder is one of the leading cause of death for men in early adulthood, and some of the time these victims are perpetrators of this same crime. As the saying goes â€Å"live by the gun, die by the gun†. A forth and final reason is that men are more likely to die from depression that females. Depressing is higher among male that females. While many females will go to seek help for their depression, male are more reluctant to actively seek help from a counselor or even a friend. They would prefer to keep it inside and they may hold the motion that as long as it is not visible then its fine. Many men are harboring emotional distress and torment that cause depression. Depression and grief and affect one's health and further cause death. Depression can lead to suicide; men are more likely to die from attempted suicide than females. This is because male tend to use more fatal methods to carry out the action, for example, a woman would probably try to kill herself by overdosing on pills or medication while a man would jump off a ten story building. Overdose of pills can be remedied if detected early enough but if when a person jumps off a building there is no turning back or pause, they are heading at full speed ahead to the ground causing immediate death. In conclusion, the mortality rate for men is higher at all ages than female; it is almost as if women have a natural adaptation for survival. There are biological, psychological and social reasoning for this phenomenon which are hormonal difference, difference in genetic make up, psychological healthiness and the social on look on risk taking and dangerous activities.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Liberal Government 1905-1914 Essay

The Liberal welfare reforms of 1906-1914 saw a remarkable change in government policy from a largely laissez-faire (a policy of non-intervention) approach to a more interventionist approach. The Liberal government, led by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman would do more in the way of social reform than any government before it, establishing an obligation to help the more vulnerable members of society who were not in a position to help themselves. Two social surveys were published at the beginning of the twentieth century which shook the people of Britain. They undoubtedly paved the way for a whole range of government led reforms. Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree, two very wealthy businessmen helped sponsor investigations in to the causes of poverty in Britain. Their findings were; up to 30% of the population of the cities were living in or below the poverty levels, conditions were so bad that people could not pull themselves out of poverty by their own actions. Both Rowntree and Booth agreed that the main causes of poverty were – illness, unemployment and age (the very young and very old) In 1908 Herbert Henry Asquith took over the Liberals and soon the wheels were set in motion in regards to the social reforms. Asquith would later promote two significant figures whose partnership was said to be the strength behind the reforms – Winston Churchill the young man in a hurry and David Lloyd George the Welsh wizard. There were many factors and motives for the reforms being passed, such as: National Security Concerns – During the war, one in three potential army recruits were refused on medical grounds. The government would have to do something to ensure basic health levels among working class men. Concerns Over National Efficiency – Britain’s position of being a world power was under threat from emerging powers such as Germany. In order to maintain its position it had to run smoothly with a strong, well educated work force. New Liberalism – The new liberals, Herbert Asquith, Winston Churchill and Lloyd George argued that in certain circumstances it was necessary to intervene in poor people’s lives to help with their social problems. Political Opportunism – The Liberals were scrutinised for their reforms as many historians thought their introduction was to gain a political advantage rather than helping the poor. The Liberals knew they had to gain support from the working class as they were competing with the newly-created Labour Party. Between 1906-1914 the Liberals focused on the following four groups in society – the old, the young, the sick and the unemployed. In 1908 old age pensions were introduced by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George. It gave a pension of five shillings per week (25 pence) to persons over the age of 70 whose income was less than  £21 a year. Smaller amounts were paid to people with a slightly higher income. People who earned more than  £31.50 a year received no pension, along with individuals who failed to work or who had been in prison. The Act was seen as a step in the right direction; however it did not address all problems. Money received barely paid for basic necessities, financial help was needed long before the elderly reached pension age. More importantly very few working class people reached 70 during this period (life expectancy was just 45) From 1906 the â€Å"Children’s Chapter† allowed local authorities to provide free school meals for poor children. However it wasn’t until 1914 that school meals were made compulsory. In 1907, medical inspections were introduced but it was not until 1912 that free medical treatment was made available that the situation could be better. The reforms included age restrictions being put in place to make it harder for children to buy cigarettes and alcohol. Finally in 1908 juvenile courts and borstals were set up to replace the sending of young offenders to prison. The Liberal government introduced the National Insurance Act in 1911. For the first time, health insurance was provided for those who paid into the scheme. An employee would pay 4p each week, his employer paid 3p and the remaining 2p came from the state. However the workers wife and children did not benefit from the scheme no matter how sick they became. Further restrictions were that employees would only be paid for a maximum of 26 weeks for being off due to ill health or injury. The second part of the National Insurance Act dealt with unemployment. Insured workers were given 35p a week for a maximum of 15 weeks in a year if they became unemployed. Again the act only provided insurance for the employee and not his family. It was meant only for covering temporary unemployment and only applied to a small number of trades. The findings tell us that the Liberals made a remarkable change from a laissez-faire approach to a more interventionist approach. However the reform only made a small indentation into resolving the problems of poverty which faced the people of Britain in 1905-1914. The old age pension scheme paid out inadequate funds that barely paid for basic necessities, very few people ever reached the age of 70. Unemployment benefits were only provided to workers for short periods of time and did not include their family. Free school meals and medical inspections were introduced but very few local authorities were able to provide. Yes the government were willing to intervene to help the poor but the poor had to help themselves also. â€Å"If we see a drowning man we do not drag him to the shore. Instead, we provide help to allow him to swim ashore† – Winston Churchill