Botulism & hospitalization

Microbial intoxication refers to the diseases followed by ingestion of toxins produced by pathogens outside the body. Botulism is a water-borne and food-borne disease transmitted in foods (Englelkirk & Duebn-Engelkirk, 2007). Patients with botulism are required to prolonged hospitalization and intensive care (Evans & Brachman, 1998). Although this disease is rare, both animals and humans can be affected which can cause flaccid muscle weakness o even death (Lewis, Knight, Lewis, & Lewis, 1995). In the early human history, it was speculated that our prehistoric ancestors suffered also from botulism.They usually preserved extra meat by wrapping it animal skins and animal organs then smoked it and buried underneath the ground which served as a basic refrigerator, allowing the meat to freeze (Rosaler, 2003). The history if first botulism outbreak happened on 1793 in Wildbad, Germany from consumption of a favorite local dish—blood sausages (Fig. 1). The blood sausages were prepared from washing out the pig intestines, then blood and various spices are stuffed in. Both ends are tied, boiled in water, smoked, and stored for weeks at room temperature.Usually, the people who ate it did not have effect but after people share it they became sick. Most of them vomited, some partially paralyzed, and speech thickened. Later, there were six people dead. Justinus Kerner, the local medical officer and physician, was sent to find out the cause of the incident. However, Kerner was not able to identify the cause of deaths from eating blood sausages. Nevertheless, he was able to note significant observations such as blood sausages with air pockets did not become poisonous and the sausages in large casings are likely to be poisonous.He conducted a dangerous experiment by injecting the sausage fluid, wurstgift, into his own body (Rosaler, 2003). Until then, he was able to observe the symptoms similar to the patients. The disease was named â€Å"Kerner’s disease† f or many years. He conducted follow up experiments on various cases food poisoning and published his findings. Aside from food-borne and water-borne, botulism can also be wound botulism when toxins are produced from the wound that is infected with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum (Fig. 2).The bacteria is a gram positive spore-forming bacilli that is invasive and toxin mediated (Shimeld, 1999). This rod-shaped bacteria is often found in soil where there is low-oxygen forming spores that allow it to survive in dormant state. People infected with botulism usually have the symptoms of blurred vision, difficulty in swallowing, and muscle weakness; while infants with botulism appear lethargic, constipated, weak cry and muscle tone which are all signs of muscle paralysis that is caused by the bacterial toxin. The paralysis can progress in the arms, legs, and respiratory muscles if untreated.On the other hand, in food botulism, symptoms appear as early after six hours to thirty-six hours a nd the latest is ten hours (Bullock, Haddow, & Coppola, 2006). In general there are seven forms of botulism coded as types A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. These forms are grouped if they are proteoluytic. In Group I is proteolytic which includes types A, B, or F toxins. Group II is non-proteolytic which includes types B, E, or F toxins. Group III is also non-proteolytic which includes types C or D toxins. Lastly, the Groupd IV is also non-proteolytic and non-saccharolytic including G toxin.Among the four groups, Groups I and II cause botulism in humans while Group III causes botulism in birds and animals. Group IV, on the other hand, are very rare and does not affect humans. Proteolytic strains normally live in minima temperatures of growth which is 12 °C or above, while the non-proteolytic can live to a temperature as low as 3. 3 °C (Wilkinson & Gould, 1996). Figure 2 Clostridium botulinum. The pale bodies are the spores (Sebaiha et al. 2007) C. botulinum lives as dormant spore or a s cavenger in decaying animal materials in soil but it has no specific mechanism to evade human defenses.The variants of each single species are connected because of the deadly toxin. For example, some of the genes found in C. botulinum are not found in other sequence. It can be easily destroyed by a toxin in some cases. However, the toxins never stop poisoning killing its preys. It has the ability to hide and hibernate through dormant spores when environment is harsh. This bacteria uses many strategies to increase its probability of survival (Sebaiha, Peck, Minton, & Thomson, 2007). In diagnosing botulism, patient’s history and physical examination is taken into consideration but these are not enough to identify botulism.Diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, stroke, and myasthenia gravis appear to be similar with botulism. Tests such as brain scan, spinal fluid examination, electromyography, or Tensilon test for myasthenia gravis are conducted in order to diagnose which di sease. Another way of diagnosis is by injecting placing botulinum toxin to the patient’ serum or stool, then injecting it to a mice and observe for relevant symptoms; while other test of stool can be conducted by some state health department laboratories and at CDC (Bullock et al. , 2006).Otherwise, the patients should undergo passive immunization which has horse serum with anti-A, B, and E toxins. There is also trivalent antitoxin available in CDC, Atlanta and botulism toxoid (Evans & Brachman, 1998). Cases of botulism vary depending on the types of botulism toxin. If there is respiratory failure and paralysis, the patient needs to be in ventilator for weeks and intensive medical care and the paralysis will improve. Respiratory failure can cause death but there is an antitoxin which can block the reaction of toxins on food-borne and wound botulism.The source on the wound, however, should be removed surgically. The recovery can take weeks nevertheless the progress of the dise ase will be prevented. Moreover, the death cases of botulism from the past fifty years decreased from 50% to 8%. Among those who survived poisoning, patients may experience fatigue and shortness of breathe that could last for years thus therapy is required (Bullock et al. , 2006). There are ways to prevent botulism. The source of most food-borne botulism is home-canned goods.Other sources can be from chopped garlic in oil, chili peppers, tomatoes, aluminum foil-wrapped potatoes (improperly cooked), and home canned/fermented fish. Hygienic procedures are necessary in order to prevent contamination especially in home canning and that oils with herbs and garlic should be refrigerated; baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot before serving or refrigerated; home-canned goods should be boiled before eating sine the botulism toxin will destroyed in high temperatures, and children below one year should not be fed with honey since Clostridium botulinum spores are present i n honey.There are public education about botulism prevention and there are also experts on botulism available for consultancy in state health departments and CD (Bullock et al. , 2006). In the United States, the average botulism case is 110 every year were majority of these cases are infant botulism (72%). It is followed by followed by food-borne which is 25% and the rest are wound botulism. Outbreaks are usually caused by eating contaminated home-canned goods (Bullock et al. , 2006). Botulism outbreaks, on the other hand, are rare in tropical regions.Most occurred in temperate and colder regions during spring and winter seasons in the northern hemisphere such as Alaska, Canada, United States, Poland, United kingdom, Russia, Iran, and China (Doyle, Steinhart, & Cochrane, 1994). The largest botulism outbreak in the United States in the last 25 years caused 30 cases where four were in severe conditions. The cause was from a potato-based dip that were wrapped in aluminum foil and store d in ambient temperature (Fratarnico, Bhunia, & Smith, 2005). References Bullock, J. A. , Haddow, G. D. , & Coppola, D.P. (2006). Introduction to Homeland Security. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=yHpkkc3ZqlMC Doyle, M. e. , Steinhart, C. E. , & Cochrane, B. A. (1994). Food Safety 1994. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=S28jeel2VfUC Englelkirk, P. G. , & Duebn-Engelkirk, J. (2007). Laboratory Analysis of Infectious Diseases. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=RfjRLEVax1QC Evans, A. S. , & Brachman, P. S. (1998). Bacterial Infections of Human: Epidemiology and Control.Retrieved 31 may 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=xADJBP7iqRwC Fratarnico, P. M. , Bhunia, A. K. , & Smith, J. L. (2005). Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=-HNavPPs-JoC Lewis, L. D. , Knight, A. , Lewis, B. , & Lewis, C. (1995). Eq uine Clinical Nutrition: Feeding and Care. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=vpuTp_vwsegC Rosaler, M. (2003). Botulism. Retrieved 31 may 2008, from http://books. google.com/books? id=7srrKGDkswkC Sebaiha, M. , Peck, M. W. , Minton, N. P. , & Thomson, N. R. (2007). Genome sequence of a proteolytic (Group I) Clostridium botulinum strain Hall A and comparative analysis of the clostridial genomes. Genome Research. Shimeld, L. A. (1999). Essentials of Diagnostic Microbiology. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=8Rn47SNdbYAC Wilkinson, V. M. , & Gould, G. W. (1996). Food Irradiation: A Reference Guide. Retrieved 31 May 2008, from http://books. google. com/books? id=FpIpsqs7CRUC

Linguage

Wall Street crush-, it created a split inside the labor leadership so the task would be very difficult. The leader Ramsey MacDonald accepted to form coalition with the conservatives but many others did not accept & he seen as traitor & he was expelled from the party – the Great Betrayal-. The conservatives in 1931 took part in government. -Why would the British go to war after what they had lost in the WWW? – Britain was not in favor of going to another war; it found herself involved in the WI unwillingly.The Germans had invaded Poland, so England was in war against Germany â€Å"the People's War†. In 1940, Churchill became a national coalition government -all parties will Join & make a government-. They were fighting a war, all the effort of the country will be directed to winning it. – Why did labor socialists representatives of the working class Join the government? Preparing themselves for after the war. During war time, the NAG put into place a shared â€Å"head† by a liberal member of parliament.The sociologist â€Å"William Henry Beverage† gave the government the â€Å"Beverage Report† of 1942, in order to offer solutions & look after what was wrong in the war with Britain. The report started to revive the ideas of the â€Å"Welfare State†, which came as an opposition to what Hitler was promising â€Å"Total Destruction†. Welfare through government intervention was what kept the high spirit of people. The pamphlet became a best seller-hope for a better future-. The report had identified 5 giant evils in the British society which had to be destroyed with the government help: 1- bad living conditions. – Diseases 3- ignorance, illiteracy. 4- Poverty 5- idleness, joblessness. These are the evils that a given society face, combated by the government intervention which explains why the liberate did not like the government o interfere in peoples' lives. Labor socialists adopted this idea of w elfare & in 1945 made it part their election program & because of this labor was elected & won the 1945 general election. Armistice was the the signed in the 5 of May 1945; the coalition government kept & waited until July 5 , waiting the soldiers to vote for them.The labor had a very large majority of votes â€Å"landslide victory'. The hero that led Britain to victory & wins the Dark Hours was Churchill. 2- Re-entering peace time: In order to assess labor achievement we should see the context of time, how was Britain after the war? What was the social, lattice, economic reality of that time? There were deaths â€Å"sass's†, widows & orphans as a negatives social consequence for the country. Britain had to payback huge depths due to the finance in the war, as the country borrowed money from the US, Canada & Australia.Britain's infrastructure was terribly damaged, factories, bridges, in this period she was facing reality. Politically: India, new powers were emerging like the US. 3- Laborer's achievements: 1- Economic side: 1945, labor government began to nationalize, take into control. E. G. The Bank of England â€Å"the Central Bank†, also it nationalized the coal lines. In 1946, it nationalized the transport industry, civil aviations, ports, airways, energy sifter and gas.Also, in 1948 the iron & steel industry with big difficulties. There was resistance from the owners because it was a highly profit making industry. But the coal owners were happy to sell their lines since they already were striving. Labor government nationalized about 20% of the economic sectors; the rest remained in private hands, why? – Labor implemented a social democracy, this 20 % created a debate within the party. The Clause 4: State Ownership of All means, production, exchange, distribution.Keynesian T. M. Keynes: the Theory of the Demand Management. 2- Political side: there were two sides – domestic & foreign- : Domestic side: there were no major changes , as the monarchy was not abolished, & the House of Lord which was not elected but mainly hereditary. But labor reduced its power in 1949; it could no longer stop a law in the House of Commit, it also lost its power to Veto. Foreign side: Labor Joined NATO: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which had a big financial cost.At this time, the labor Government embarked on a nuclear program â€Å"Atomic Bomb† as many other countries, despite the opposition of the US to to do so; this cost a lot for the country which is not a productive program in the short term & this was while Britain was in need for money, but it has a long term benefits as developing technology; from the military side, it's a kind of a buy product, the government accepted to withdraw India – the beginning of the end of the British Empires- Social side: the British labor party was a pioneer in introducing the Welfare State.Squirrel had to be fought by offering housing & town planning; it was done thr ough encouraging private & local authorities building new towns, but there as a shortage of raw materials & skill owners. As the need was important, tour blocks or high rise flats. British housing changed because of the urgent need built by the local authorities & rented for the people. Result: Labor made the class the division more visible separating the classes which was what they were aviate.Moon 14 December 2009 Social: through legislation, labor defeated the housing problems as well as the other evils, that was in giving employment offers, child allowance for families; education or illiteracy was defeated through the Buckler Act 1944 which is an education act that add secondary education free & compulsory from child age 6 to 1 5 for each English child. There also existed private schools -Public- & Seven state schools. The evil of unemployment tried to be defeated through nationalization.For diseases or illnesses there was the implementation of a INS National Health Services 194 8 made to provide medical care for all; it was free at the beginning but after one or two years people started to pay. Generated by Fixity PDF Creator O Fixity Software Result: There was a sort of broken promises which created a lot of discontent within he labor leadership party & the public felt that it was a betrayal. The labor http:// www. Fox-trotted. Com For evaluation only. Deed money that they have taken it from other sources, since the country invested in the nuclear program & built many houses, labor was very proud that it has implemented â€Å"the Welfare State† â€Å"State help from Cradle to Grave†, also it meant to be a safety net. These were more significant achievements of the welfare program. Why did it lose in 1951? Labor was obliged to run new elections, there was some infighting inside. There was an internal division between the left, centre & right.The labor party was never homogeneous, also the problem of inflation because the Pound Sterling in 194 7 was devaluation which created inflation, the cost of ling was very expensive so the public was unhappy. Another reason which created devaluation especially within the middle class was that labor created Rosining!!!! In order to create a sense of equality but it created dissatisfaction among the middle class which usually follows a black market. Wartime: what was promised during the war, in-between the interwar years?Before coming to power – 45- , what was the situation of the country? What the labor did or failed to do? What was the promise? What was the social, political & economic reality? Labor party achievement could be asserted through time, what did it achieve? The nuclear program which is debatable made Britain a powerful country, many people were afraid of this program & there was going to be a Cold War. Economic side: nationalization, taking into state country.The point is that the British didn't have the experience of state sectors, now the government was going to manage these sectors, which objectives would be to create Jobs with no competition since state impasses are monopolies, It was no change for workers these state companies are going to be over manning, having more workers than needed, these state companies are going to be lose making, black holes, the alternative would be to give it subsidies SF State Financial Help to rescue them. The state would get the money from taxes causing the big managers to emigrate.So, nationalization was an issue for the future years. The welfare state was created through social policies which interact with the economy which is a political decision. Labor accepted to intervene in people's life wrought political decision. How is it going to be financed? How do we pay for these services? From tax payers, we have two kinds: direct & indirect 1- The working people -income taxes that goes to the & Indirect VAT Value Direct Tax TVA, as alcohol & tobacco. Sometimes on imports. There are two main ways, of course another source which is the N. I. C National Insurance Contribution.All this will be part of what would be called the Budget that will be given to different ministries each responsible of a sector. Giving this situation, the Welfare State, when you look & assess it through mime, you see that what characterizes it is that the middle class would make the most profit of it. Therefore, people from the left & right would criticize it. The social policy should be looked from 3 parts: short, long & medium term: since it might solve problems TODAY but what about LATER? E. G. Housing has more or less solved problems but later people will have more children who will be unemployed.As far as the health services, we get into problems of term, e. G. Population after the war was in bad shape, but after it started to increase meaning more demand for health care nice medicine is developing as a result, the cost is increasing. Population becomes older so they needed social services e. G. Home for Old s. Therefore, we get into spiral; someone needs to pay for this. Also, concerning education & extending school life which is another cost for the country. All of these social costs became known as The Bottomless Sectors. There was always room for improvement. Becoming more & more expensive, how was it going to be financed?Should health be only for the people who can pay for it or everybody? Healthy country is more productive as well as education hat creates a wealthy society, but the key is who's going to finance? A Welfare State will be costly but is it necessary? The private sectors might be performing better because they are paying, but the state sectors are underfeed. It is up to the society to decide what kind of Welfare they want for the country. The Nanny or Milky Cow will be taken advantage from by some people. Dependency culture, scroungers = the 4 January 2010: people living in the back of others.The Welfare States' help sustain capitalist society. Marxist, believed in Cla ss Struggle. Social policy, it interacts with economy as it has a elation with politics but at the call of it, it's a social policy because some governors liked it others not because of how it was financed â€Å"taxation†. How much people are going to accept to pay? A social policy can be on a long, short or big or term, the rewards might come later (housing 45/ 54) inhabited by the working class, they had solved a short term problem but later on it created problems, people will pay more & more taxes.Marxist believed in the class struggle that without the welfare state the working class would revolve, life as a class struggle that without the Welfare state the t working would revolt; he also criticized the welfare state because the middle class would be the 1 t profit from it. The capitalists, people who believed in the laissez- fairer, self-help, it was for them a question of paying â€Å"the richer you are the more you pay' because they have their own private sets, they ha ve means to have access to better benefits since they pay.The state sector is under stuffed not highly efficient; it's never enough this is the dilemma of the welfare states. People of the right criticized the welfare states because it created a dependency culture, it is called the ilk cow and there were many scroungers. The Welfare State is rewarding for society because it can offer a better educated society, after 1945 education was for all, health after that bettered – they lived longer- but with it there is a cost â€Å"Taxes†. Rewarding is costing & necessary because without a minimum welfare state, a revolt might happen.As we shall see, the classes were divided but with time there will be an underclass of those who were excluded & merged from society; the British have accepted the idea of providing some help. The Welfare State -Milky Cow- can provide milk as long as there is green grass in the entry, I. E. A healthy economy, when you have it, you don't have a lot of unemployment, the problem is when there are a lot of people out of work, the government will pay for them which will be costly.The problem of taxes is a political decision, are you willing to redistribute the wealth â€Å"make the rich richer or less rich† as we shall see, it's the wealth of people who has a say. The party's program says â€Å"promises to spend more†; it's up to people to decide. The welfare state is a problematic issue. SST Economically: Nationalization, another issue which was 1 implanted by the labor overspent of 45-51 , state took control of some strategic sectors 25% was going to be managed by the state, coal, iron, transport†¦ Through Act Legislation.These sectors were employing large numbers of people e. G. 5 million people in the Coal industry; these large numbers would be represented by the trade union who had a good power. The bosses' objective was not only to make profit, priority was to provide Jobs because after 1945 it was the ti me of reconstruction and it needed a full employment. Also, not to forget, the British industries in the mid of 21st Century was coming old as the coal & iron equipments needed to be renewed â€Å"invest more money on these equipments†.Moreover, with the pressures of the Trade Union, wages increased & the British companies started to become over-manning â€Å"more workers than necessary', as a result, the return of the Law of Diminution & later on -ass's- inflation -Prices increase-will begin. Http:// www. Fox-trotted. Com For evaluation only. They would get By this loss making, they could reduce workers â€Å"private†, or subsidies, more taxation â€Å"State Financial Help† they would create discontent, closing a state company would be seen as a political suicide.There were monopolies because there was no competition, the quality was not great & the prices were low. As a result, The British people would buy foreign products since they are cheaper, there would be more imports & a little export, no balance â€Å"the country is going to be in red, it could reduce the value of the currency in order to export† another alternative was to increase taxation or to print money -monkey money instead of Sound money = solid- .This is how the nationalize Sector was going to find itself because it was monopolistic & uncompetitive; Britain industry became now as the Lame Duck Industries. Post War Consensus: it is a general agreement, compromise between different members of society, it is not written and is not a law, gathered by different components of society as a result of history (Britain was lucky because it has one dominant language, one religion and has only white people I. E. No ethic groups), Britain's' history had played a big role in shaping herself; it became a nation state earning†¦Monarchy has been there, so there is an agreement on an institutional Monarchy & religion is set. Post war was about how to rebuild the country; a hou se is lilt with Pillars -it was an agreement on pillars-: we are interested in the 4 pillars that England united in wartime on which post-war Britain was going to be reconstructed: 1- The Welfare State, it is the 1942 Beverage Report, well-being of citizens -social side. 2- Government intervention in economy, mixed economy, it is Keynesian through the acceptance of John Keynes theory. – Belonging to NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Western Allies. 4- Trade Unions' reconciliation with the government; now they are partners & they have some power, a 3 parasite: Government, Trade Union and Representatives + Bosses. The post war consensus had gone through different stages; it was introduced and established during war time by the four elements mentioned above. 1945- 1951 the labor maintained the consensus The Thirteen Wasted Years, 1951-1964: Three concussive conservative prime ministers in government; Winston Churchill.Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan; they did not undo anyth ing & they kept the Welfare State because it is a symbol of socialism & kept negotiating with the Trade Union. These years were good for Britain; it was the age of affluence- plenty of things- the age of prosperity & full employment, he age consumerism, cars, fashion & music. The age of cinema, movies, sports & leisure; it is the beginning of a permissive society. It is wasted years because labor who planted & concoctive who fruit from it. People wanted what was available or provided.The British politicians were divided on the issue of the Suez Canal, in the 1959 general elections the labor party did not use the 1956 humiliation -the war between Britain, France and Israel- because it was for all Britain not only one party but a defeat for Britain. In this stage, the conservatives did not change a lot, their only changed was the prevarication of iron and steel industry because, as we said, during the ass's and early ass's there was prosperity and full employment as the youth started to enjoy their life.It was easy to keep consensus, but 1964-1970 is the return of labor, people for some reason were fed up of the conservatives. We can say that consensus is sustain, keep it with some difficulty, the beginning of troubles, Britain started declining & the British from different parts started to accept this idea of decline. 1964 labor came to modernize Britain, now there is inflation. Some people ill begin losing Jobs workers want more wages†¦ 1964- 1970: labor party under Harold Wilson, consensus was sustained, difficulties and the British started to speak of crisis and decline.The British economy was prosperous but not as her competitors, Britain began to lose some trade as a result unemployment problems appeared. Britain lived on exports and her competitors were making better and cheaper products. Thus, it lost exporting which led to unemployment later to inflation. Therefore, trade union asked for higher wages leading to strikes in the middle of the ass's, c onsequently, trade unions' reconciliation was no more valid. It had acquired power in favor; this power has become a problem for government, so the Labor Party started to think of reducing T Vs. power, I. . , putting commission led by Baroness to stop the T. V power, the L P at that time wanted more planning of the economy to modernize Britain, it had a control on the economy of Britain. People of money were afraid of the L P government; they became more socialist and started to invest outside what led to a shortage of money. In 1967 labor devalued, I. E. , lost its value in the next election because they lost the support of trade union and some people. Remark: because of the economic problems, the labor government forced to go to the I. M.F -international Monastery Fund- for a loan to ease then through their financial troubles, what meant the adoption of more liberal economic program by the Labor Party. British Decline: Britain after the WI was in reconstruction; it reconstructed i tself by providing employment, in the late ass's and ass's entered in a period of affluence; people had money in their pocket, Jobs were available, it is an age of affluent society, the age of love and peace, television and music as well as automobiles which became accessible to use. However, in the Middle of the ass's, people started to speak about the sick man of Europe.They discovered that their economy did not grow as its competitors, Japan, Germany, USA and France who were doing better. Also this sick man was characterized by the rise of SST inflation, of course, we are dealing with the 1 industrial nation and we compare it when Britain was a vast Empire, where Britain was the workshop of the world described by the bygone age. The acknowledgment of this loss was in the middle of the ass's because many British refused to accept this new position and they believed hat there was still an empire after the WI, but the loss of the Jewel of the Crown – India- was the best illus tration of this loss.The British decline has to be understood as a loss of power, spread of crisis, troubles and disorder. The most unarguable fact is that the seeds of Britain's decline are seen mostly in all fields and in particular political and economic ones that eventually led to the deterioration of its position. Causes and consequences of the British Decline: As far as the causes are concerned, we have two perceptions, we have the LEFT POINT OF VIEW that supported the State interference and socialist communism planning, and we have the RIGHT POINT that had its own argument.Concerning the left point, they thought that the decline had roots in the Victorian Britain where we find society of contrast paradoxes; there were also political, economic and social causes. Beginning with the political causes, in fact one of the most disappointing causes that Britain endured is the effects of two world wars which diminished its role as a world power. Though Britain's decline during the tr oubled years was arrested; it constructed her economy rapidly often theWI and it remained in late sass's an extremely rich country but the heavy costs of the war and the millions causalities weakened her capacity to maintain the vast empire. Another feature to this decline in world power was the loss of some territories e. G. India (with the rise of colonial nationalism) which was one of the most important components of the British empire since it was its largest source of revenue. Thus the loss of India meant the beginning of the end of the British Empire. N.B.: the end of the British rule in Ireland had also been a negative effect on Britain rower.Moreover, the Empire did not really benefit Britain; in fact, it was made by industrialists and traders who exclusively benefited from it. Also, in case of a problem the beneficiaries were the few and the expanses of the problem come from tax payers, the best example is the Ireland problem, also because they had two party systems: the li berals and the conservatives. Nevertheless, the most striking point was when the left stressed its criticism on the Laissez-fairer ideology which had a sense of paradoxes; it was advocated in Britain and in its colonies people were not free.

Case Study – Richard Phillips and family

In considering the actions available for the police and the social worker, this essay will initially look at the background to the present youth justice system. It will go on to consider areas of tension and conflict that exist at a number of levels within the system, for example the conflict between the welfare model of the Children Act 1989 and the justice model that underpins the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. It will examine the rights, duties and responsibilities of those involved before going on to summarise the impacts of the actions that might be taken. †¦ Youth justice has always been a contentious subject. Some people take the view that what is required is a â€Å"get tough† approach, while others see a more positive approach to the issue in welfare and community based initiatives†¦ † (Workbook 3, p 38). A consequence of this has been that â€Å"†¦ The relationship between social work and the criminal justice system has been one of tension and ambivalence since the demise of the rehabilitative ideal of the latter decades of the twentieth century†¦ (Reader, Worrall and Souhami, p 120). Had Richard's alleged offence taken place thirty years ago it would have been dealt with against the background of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 where the aim was to depoliticise and decriminalise youth offending. The welfare principle contained in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 would also apply. Together, these acts require courts to give concern to the welfare of the child in youth justice proceedings. This doctrine was influenced by the developmental theory of adolescence which supports the view that while young people may commit minor crime as a part of the growing up process, they will naturally come to see such behaviour as unacceptable and reform themselves. Formal intervention would only serve to bring young people into the crime system, tarnish their prospects, and consequently, increase the likelihood of re-offending and ultimately, the numbers of victims. However, shortly after the passing of the 1969 Act, the political tide had changed. Magistrates became unhappy with social workers and custodial sentences increased. (Reader, Worrall and Souhami, p 123). Throughought the 1980s the tension between the two models led to a â€Å"†¦ twin track approach to tackling juvenile crime†¦ † (Workbook 3, p 38). The â€Å"get tough† lobby were satisfied by the introduction of the short sharp shock of new detention centres and yet at the same time politicians saw the dangers of criminalising young people. Change was inevitable and by 1996 the Audit Commission had published a report called â€Å"Misspent Youth† which was very critical of the youth justice system. This led to the Home Office paper â€Å"No More Excuses† with its model of â€Å"restorative justice† which was a precursor to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. The 1998 Act has a statutory aim of prevention of offending by children and it is against this background that Richard's alleged offence will be treated. The political pendulum had swung from a culture that saw the welfare principles as the key to reducing offending, to one that, whilst recognising rights and welfare, sees them as subsidiary to the principles of restorative justice. These principles are; restoration, where young offenders apologise and make amends, reintegration, where they pay their debt to society then rejoin it, and responsibility, which involves accepting the consequences of offending. The Act also abolished the legal doctrine of doli incapax, removing the burden of proof on prosecuting lawyers that a child defendant under the age of fourteen knew what he did was wrong (Workbook 3 pp 38 – 45 and Reader, Vernon, p 221) A clear example of this swing from welfare to justice is in the context of the Child Safety Orders introduced by the 1998 act. Breach of such an order can mean a child under ten is taken into care â€Å"†¦ irrespective of whether the threshold criteria contained in s. 31 (2) of the Children Act 1989 are satisfied†¦ † thus overriding the welfare principle (Workbook 3 p 40). Confusingly however, a contemporaneous counterbalance has been the introduction of Human Rights legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998 as well as ratification of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the child. This legislation tends to reinforce the welfare principle. Stuart Vernon's comment that â€Å"†¦ hese are interesting times for youth court magistrates†¦ † is very relevant to this debate (Reader, Vernon, p 222), because it recognises the tensions that arise resulting from the divergent views held by all those involved and the resultant uncertainty as to outcomes; for victims and perpetrators of crime and their representatives. Having looked at the background to the tensions and conflicts it is now appropriate to consider how they impact on what happens next in Richard's case. Among the reforms introduced by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 was the establishment of Youth Offending Teams (YOTs). Prior to the act, a social worker would have had responsibility for Richard's case and would involve other professionals as necessary. The Act changed this by shifting the responsibility to multi-disciplinary YOTs which comprise professionals from social services, the police, probation services, the health authority and the education authority. The establishment of these teams involved huge change and conflict between the occupational cultures of the different disciplines, for example, â€Å"†¦ police officers disliking â€Å"woolly† social workers and social work stereotypes of anti-youth police officers†¦ (Reader, Watson p 246). The Act also introduced a system of reprimands and final warnings doing away with the former system of cautions. (Reader, Watson pp 242-248). â€Å"†¦ The police are responsible for the investigation of crime. This responsibility includes the arrest, detention and questioning of suspects†¦ † (Workbook 3 p 10). The police have contacted the YOT because they want to question Richard. Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, (PACE) Richard is classified as a â€Å"vulnerable† suspect and it his right not to be questioned without the presence of what is known as an â€Å"Appropriate Adult†. This right can only be overridden in very exceptional circumstances which must be authorised by a police officer of superintendent rank or above and the circumstances must be recorded in the custody record. Amongst the functions of the YOT is the provision of an appropriate adult service and these duties are often performed by a social worker. (Reader, Watson, p 244 and Workbook 3 p 73). The rile of the appropriate adult is to â€Å"†¦ provide comfort and support to a child who might otherwise be disorientated in strange surroundings†¦ (Workbook 3, p 73). She should check that the child has had nourishment and is not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and is generally in a fit state to be questioned. Under the PACE code of practice guidance, it is stated that a parent or guardian should normally undertake this function; but in this case, Richard has refused to involve his parents. In any event, the parent may not have â€Å"†¦ the experience or confidence needed to represent the child effectively in the potentially hostile atmosphere of the custody suite†¦ † (Workbook 3, p 73) It appears that Richard has not requested the presence of a solicitor and it is the duty of the social worker to encourage him to do so and explain the advantages. Marie Kearns, a youth justice worker describes how this can heighten the tension between the police and social workers because it will involve delay and the solicitor may encourage a â€Å"no comment† interview. â€Å"†¦ The police may on occasions feel they â€Å"know† who has committed a particular offence, and they do not want the interference of solicitors and â€Å"do gooding† social workers to allow the guilty to walk free†¦ (Workbook 3, p 75). At this stage and indeed every stage, the social worker must practice within the Code of Practice of the General Social Care Council. It is very important to avoid being dragged into the police culture which is a risk in a multi-disciplinary team (Reader, Worrall & Souhami, pp128/9). The social worker must practice in an anti-oppressive way, despite the seriousness of the alleged offence, working in partnership with Richard and keeping him informed about the processes and his rights at all times. It is equally important to practice in a way that is anti-discriminatory, not making any judgements about Richard because of his background (Workbook 1 pp 10 -13). The concept of partnership working between agencies involved with the welfare of children is now enshrined in law in section 10 of the Children Act 2004. Once the interview has taken place the police have to decide if there is sufficient evidence to charge Richard. They also have the option to issue a final warning under section 65 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. A further reprimand is not an option because Richard has already had one. The social worker can do little to influence this decision as it is solely a matter for the police. (Workbook 3 p 53 and Law Card S35). In Richard's case, it is apparent that the police intend to charge him. Section 38 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 recommends that children aged between ten and sixteen should be released; with or without bail once charged unless certain conditions are met. These conditions are several, but two examples are; when the custody officer has reasonable grounds to believe that detention is necessary to protect the defendant, or if it is in the defendant's best interests (Workbook 3, pp 54/5). The police have decided, in Richard's case, that the conditions are met and intend to detain him. A decision that will highlight the â€Å"†¦ continuous conflict between care and control†¦ † (Reader Worrall and Souhami, p 121) that is part of the social worker's remit. Richard's detention will normally be in local authority accommodation. This can be in the form of secure or non secure accommodation. The local authority has the power to decide where Richard is to be placed and this decision will rest with the social worker; availability of suitable accommodation being a significant feature. If the decision is to place Richard in secure accommodation then this will be subject to the provisions of Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 which allows secure placement for up to seventy two hours, but only if the child has a history of absconding or is a danger to himself or others if kept in non secure accommodation; a difficult decision for the social worker in this case. Further detention is not allowed without court intervention. There are strongly held views about whether the welfare principle of the Children Act applies in these circumstances. In 1995 the Court of Appeal stated that in such cases, whilst the welfare of the child is not irrelevant, it is not paramount. Again, confusingly however, it also ruled that social workers performing the functions of Guardian ad litem should make their reports based on what is in the best interests of the child. In practice, if the custody officer decides that provision of local authority accommodation is neither practicable nor available then Richard would remain in police custody. Contacting his parents would then become imperative (Workbook 2 p, 93 and Workbook 3 p 55). It is also important to remember Rob, who is the victim. He is also a child and is entitled to the same rights as Richard. The Local Authority also has both general duties towards him, and specific ones should the circumstances result in Rob being regarded as a child â€Å"in need† under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (Workbook 2 pp 18-19). His father has insisted that action be taken against Richard but it is appropriate to consider Rob's wishes; the wishes and needs of victims being an important principle of the National Standards for Youth Justice (Workbook 3 p 34). As soon as is practicable, the next task for the police is to arrange for Richard to appear before the youth court, a panel of local magistrates. They would have the option to either release Richard with or without bail or to remand him to Local Authority accommodation. Again there is room for conflict, because such accommodation may not be locally available and this could infringe Richard's right to education under both the 1998 Human Rights Act and The United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child. Interestingly, the convention appears to recognise the potential for conflict between justice and welfare using the word â€Å"primary† rather than â€Å"paramount† in Article 3 in the context of the best interests of children (Workbook, pp 16 – 17). In practice, much would depend on the outcome of the efforts to find Richard's parents. If the case goes to trial, this would also be in the youth courts where the culture has changed considerably in recent years, partly because of the tension between the welfare and justice models. In a very high profile case in 1993, two children were convicted of the murder of another child, Jamie Bulger. The intimidating nature of the trial was the subject of much criticism by human rights lawyers and in 1999, the European Court of Human Rights found that the trial breached Article 6. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (now incorporated into the Human Rights Act 1998) which guarantees people who are accused of crimes, the right to an effective participation in their trial. The resultant changes in the youth courts mean the use of clear language, an informal layout, better information for victims, better feedback for magistrates and more frequent lifting of reporting restrictions (Workbook 3, pp 57 – 59). If Richard pleads guilty, then as this is his first offence, a Referral Order under sections 1 – 7 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 is likely. This would involve making a contract between Richard and the YOT aimed at reparation and prevention of re-offending (Law Card C32 (EW)). A not guilty plea means the magistrates must decide on his guilt, based upon the evidence. In the event of Richard's guilt being established, the next social work task is the preparation of the pre-sentence report â€Å"†¦ the social worker's most important contribution to the youth court†¦ (Workbook 3, p 60) which allows the court to make an informed decision based on comprehensive and accurate information about Richard. The report would be written in accordance with the National Standards for Youth Justice with a number of standard headings: Sources of information, which would include information gathered from school and home, an analysis of the offence including the impact on the victim, an assessment of the offender including risk to the community and risk of re-offending and a conclusion that would include a sentencing recommendation. (Workbook 3 p 62). The report must take into account the welfare principle of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 as well as the aim of section 37 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which is to prevent re-offending. It must be written in a way that is consistent with the core values of the Code of Practice for Social Workers with anti-discriminatory practice being a particular feature in the light of an HM Inspectorate of Probation review finding that African-Caribbeans are over represented in reports that recommend custodial sentences (Workbook 3, pp 62 – 63). After reading the report the magistrates must decide upon a sentence. A wide range is available, formerly under a number of different pieces of legislation but now incorporated into the Powers of the Criminal Courts (Sentences) Act 2000. In Richard's case a Supervision Order under sections 63-68 of the act is likely, or an Action Plan order under section 69. These orders can include specific requirements such as where Richard is to live, what he is to do, and compliance with his supervisor's directions. The orders can last for up to three years. At the other end of the scale, should Richard re-offend, then a Detention and Training order under section 73 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 would be available. This would deprive him of his liberty (Workbook 3, pp 65 – 67 and Update Supplement, p 22) and increase the likelihood of an ongoing spiral of crime, the worst impact for Richard (Workbook 3, p 68). In conclusion then, it can be seen that conflict and tension feature strongly in youth justice. Some people argue that aspects of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 are unnecessary if the resources were made available to allow Local Authorities to carry out their duty to prevent offending that is stated in schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989. The 1998 act also has a preventative aim although only 2. 5% of the budget is committed to it (Workbook 3, p 46). It is against this background that social workers in youth justice face the challenge of how to operate in a system where the measures of success are constantly swinging between retributive and rehabilitative goals, without compromising their own Professional Code of Practice (Workbook 3, p 5).

UFC Business Applied Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

UFC Business Applied Project - Essay Example The technologies of Nokia have also been considered in the paper along with its impact on the targeted customers of the brand. Various practical strategies have been considered by Nokia in order to sustain in the market which has also been presented in the paper. From the study, it has been observed that Nokia implements different technology strategies for different countries based on the variances of the targeted customer groups. One of the key success factors achieved by Nokia in its global operations is its competency in developing appropriate technology strategies with due consideration towards the market requirements and trends. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Mobile Phone Technology Evolution 5 Past, Present & Future of Nokia’s Technology Strategies 6 Brand Specific Case Study 8 Brand Strategy 10 Conclusion 11 11 References 13 Introduction The Caucasus regions include a number of countries like Russia, Georgia, Iran and Turkey. Among these, Russia an d Turkey are identified as the main target markets of Nokia. The reason behind Russia and Turkey are the targeted markets for Nokia among the Caucasus regions because the countries share huge population in comparison to Georgia and Iran. The customers of Russia and Turkey have more customer preference for Nokia with respect to Georgia and Iran. ... ched its business in the late 1980s Nokia has expanded its successful business in Turkey also offering target customers with a varied product range including Near Field Communication (NFC) and mobile phone accessories (Nokia, 2012a; Nokia, 2003). Similarly in the CIS region, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are the major targeted markets of Nokia. In the markets of Ukraine and Kazakhstan Nokia provides the customers with its updated technology products such as Nokia 808 Pure View and various kinds of popular applications. Customer service is important in these markets along with offering updated products at frequent intervals to its targeted customers (Nokia, 2012b; Nokia, 2012c). It is in this context that these regions have been identified to witness rapid technology evolutions in the mobile phone industry. With due regards to this fact, the prime objective of the paper is to identify the process through which technology evolution took place in the regions of Caucasus and CIS. The discussion will further intend to develop an understanding of the role played by Nokia in the process with regards to its brand strategies in these regions. Mobile Phone Technology Evolution The evolution of mobile phones instigated with the launch of 1st Generation (1G) mobile tools launched in the year 1978 and developed through the analogue system. The 2nd Generation (2G) mobile phones were launched in the 1990s. The mobile phones had Global System Mobile Communication (GSM) and the kind of service initially started from Europe. The 3rd Generation (3G) mobile phones were an added advantage to the then available systems. The 3G technology bought facilities like video, audio and graphics application. The purpose behind developing 3G technologies was to set up a single network other than different

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Ethics - Essay Example As with all opinions, just because they are diverse, does not mean that one is right, or one is wrong. Aristotle’s views, while not necessarily congruent with Plato’s views, do show a strong influence as a result of what Plato taught. Plato’s discourses are heavily influenced by the Pre-Socratics and Sophists, and none too little influenced by Socrates himself, however, while they may show those influences, the views are entirely his own. Plato’s primary literary form was the dialogue; he would use two characters of opposing sides arguing each point with the other in order to show both sides of the philosophical question and in doing so, allow his true views to show through. In The Allegory of the Cave, an excerpt from Plato’s Republic, the reader receives some insight into what Plato believes â€Å"the good life† to be. Plato speaks first of the State, and discussing how it can be tailored to be the best that it can be, speaking of how †Å"the State in which the rules are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst (The Allegory of the Cave, 4).† This is one of the more influential teachings of Plato’s in relation to Aristotle, something that will be touched upon later. Plato, still in The Allegory of the Cave, discusses Homer’s perspective, â€Å"Better to be a poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner† (6). Plato refers to the concept discussed regarding those whose eyes are not yet opened to the fact that the shadows are not reality; that anything at all would be better than to remain under the false impression that the shadows dancing on the wall are all that is there, are all that is real. He would rather have enlightenment, knowledge, and suffer, than to remain in the dark forever, thus showing that one characteristic of â€Å"the good life† in his view, is knowledge. A key insight into Plato’s view comes along towards the end of The Allegory of the Cave when he pronounces â€Å"they who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life† (10), showing that in order to have it good, one must have virtue and wisdom, before any form of monetary wealth, in order to be considered to have a high quality of life. It is not just Plato’s Republic, however, that shows what his opinions are on what is good and what is right; one must look to Plato’s other works in order to find out more. Plato took it upon himself to write of Socrates, and the trial which took place during his life. Socrates had a habit of not writing down any of his teachings, preferring instead to spending the time teaching others to question the world as he did. Among Plato’s other works were the Euthyphro, the Apology, and the Crito; these works speak of the trial, the sentencing, the imprisonment and the death of Socrates. Based upon the way that Plato has written these discourses, in fact, the way that he wrote all of his works, it is a task of relative ease to pull key phrasing from these dialogues, in order to find out more about what Plato considers to be â€Å"the good life.† In the Euthyphro, Plato makes it clear that distinction is important. It is not enough to know generally of what a thing is,

Jury System of UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jury System of UK - Essay Example But considering the complexity of many trials today - especially with the advances made in forensic science and the complexity of many civil trials, severe doubts regarding the efficacy of the jury system have been made. First of all, it is correct to consider whether a jury can in fact be "objective", especially when there has been a lot of pretrial publicity. Many studies have documented adverse effects of pre-trial publicity on juror decision making (Linz & Penrod, 1992; Otto, Penrod & Dexter, 1994; Ogloff & Vidmar, 1994; Studebaker & Penrod, 1997). These studies point out that jurors do not exist in a vacuum and are likely to have some opinion of a well-known case before they enter the courtroom. In many ways this can be linked to the ideas of groupthink. Just as the jury may be influenced by what the public outside supposedly 'thinks' regarding a case - usually influenced by the media - so as a whole they may come to conclusions based upon a kind of consensus feeling rather than rational thought. This type of situation has been called "groupthink". Janis Irving has created a perhaps more sober definition in which she describes groupthink as "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action" (Irving, 1972). There are various interpretations and analyses of the practical results of groupthink that have occurred over the years. In the original article in which the term groupthink was postulated, Whyte described group think in the following way: We are not talking about mere instinctive conformity - it is, after all, a perennial failing of all mankind. What we are talking about is a rationalized conformity - an open, articulate philosophy which holds that group values are not only expedient but right and good as well. (Whyte, 1952) (emphasis added) One way of improving jury decisions, and thus making them more reliable, would be to actively educate juries on the dangers of groupthink before a trial starts. Just as their knowledge of the case, predisposition towards certain verdicts, experience of this type of crime/action are often tested through the process of voir-dire, so juries could be taught in a short workshop on the problems of groupthink and how to avoid them before the trial begins. There are various interpretations and analyses of the practical results of groupthink that have occurred over the years. Some, such as McCauley (1987) have concentrated on some of the more ominous sides of the tendency in which individuals may be swayed into ways of behaving that they would not otherwise consider. For example, extreme cases of groupthink can often be found within various religious cults, sometimes leading to disastrous and tragic consequences such as the mass suicides at Jonestown or of the Heaven's Gate group. These are thankfully rare examples of an extreme example of groupthink in which what may be a powerful good is turned into a destructive negativity because of the pathological nature of those who are leading the groupthink. Other cases of groupthink have been found within organizations of some of the most intellectual and highly educated people (who would not be expected to be easy 'followers' as were the mostly uneducated

Setting Up a New Social Networking Site Assignment - 7

Setting Up a New Social Networking Site - Assignment Example The target of our social networking site should be the teenagers and early adults who have a severe interest within these community websites and programs. What this suggests is the way forward for the selected target audience because they exactly know how to make the social networking site a bigger one as their role is magnified nonetheless. The target of this social networking site must be based on the potential use of the teenagers and the young generation because they know how to have the best usage of the same. What is important to see is how these potential users come within the social networking site and display their enthusiasm and zeal by suggesting to their immediate family members and friends who are of their own age brackets (Daugherty, 2009). This will allow them to connect with one another as well as find new friends as and when they wish so. The target audience of the social networking site would comprise of the people who want to make it big within the social networkin g premise and for that, they are ready to go out of their way even. This is because they believe that it is their natural obligation towards their own self if they become a part of the social networking sites which are on offer in this day and age. However, for the sake of the social networking site that is talked about here, the focus must be set on how these young ones would be given the incentives that they so richly require within their folds (Topper, 2007). When they are given an incentive, then is the time that the young ones believe that it is for their own good and that they should believe in the dictum of the social networking sites bringing them close to their loved ones while making sure that they remain cool, hip and trendy all this while with their usage patterns of the social networking sites. These are our primary target users while the secondary ones might include the elders who would like to know what their younger generation is indulging into or how they are gettin g along with the people of their own age (Wennburg, 2006). This is in accordance with the parents and guardians being on the watch guard on a proactive basis. It allows them to grow exponentially and find out where their children are going wrong and what needs to be done to correct them all this while. However, the target group for this new and developing social networking site would be the teenagers and young generation alone because they are the best possible users of such social networking sites that have come about of age in the recent times. It is important that the focus should be tightened as much as possible on this age segment because this will make sure that there are no predicaments that might arise in the future as far as the social networking sites are concerned. The selection measures of these social networking sites must be pinpointed and on the dot. 2) As far as the requirements of the young ones and teenagers have from these social networking sites is concerned, the se must offer them a user-friendly platform from where they can grow and develop their social networking measures, and thus ask of the people around them to interact with them all this while (Berge, 2010). It gives them the incentive to go out there and make the vital difference within their lives because they require the same.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Porters Five Forces Analysis Essay - 1

Strengths and Weaknesses of Porters Five Forces Analysis - Essay Example From this study, it is clear that the model was framed way back in the 1980s when the business trend was much more different than it is today. It provides a general overview of the external environment. Any new business can use it to analyze the market they are entering before starting their venture and customize their plan according to the results obtained from it. Though there are certain limitations, it covers more or less all the aspects a businessman should consider before starting a new venture. As the study outlines Porters five forces model is by far the most simple and easiest tool to understand the industry structure. Understanding the industry structure is vital to plan effective strategies to gain a competitive edge. Industry structure is nothing but a set of characteristics which is shaped by the economic and technological factors prevalent there. Understanding the causes which determine the success or profit of one particular brand will help others plan their strategy accordingly. Porters five forces analysis helps them do the same. For example, consider a person wants to start an online shopping website. There are already thousands of shopping websites on the internet. They have to give something new and attractive to the customers and manage the heavy competition from others. Porter’s five forces model acts as a checklist of the new businessman enlisting all the important entities to be checked. They prompt them to check the core competitors in the industry first like eBay. The website owner might decide to cater the needs of certain kind of people interested in high-class antique products, as there are so many websites selling apparels and related accessories. Second, Porters model prompt them to check the threat of new entrants and substitutes.

Professional career goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Professional career goals - Essay Example To be an acute care nurse practitioner, I will need to complete my Bachelor’s in Science degree first before applying and being accepted into a Master’s program. My short term goal is to complete my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. I prepared myself to succeed in the Associates Degree program in nursing and the Bachelor of Science in nursing programs at The California State University in Los Angeles by taking classes at a community college because I graduated a nursing school a long time ago. To achieve my goal, I need to effectively use time management skills. I am a student, an employee and a daughter, who needs to take care of a mother. To do well in my three roles, I need to prioritize my time and at this point a personal life is of less importance as I concentrate on my education and academic goals. If I succeed in time management and time distribution, I will succeed in the ADN to BSN bridge

A Hospital Room Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Hospital Room - Essay Example There was also a big photo of Mother Teresa placed on a shelf. The two sceneries, as mentioned before, were giving a pleasing look. In the first scenery, there was a big blue sea and birds were shown as flying in the air. There were also two hands seemed like praying for the health of people. In the second scenery, an array of colors was shown which was also adding to the overall pleasing environment of the hospital room. As far as the internal climate of the hospital room is concerned, I would say that it was normal and a bit inclined towards cold temperature. There were early summers those days so the temperature was kept a bit cold to make patients feel good. Overall, the environment of the hospital room and the services that were provided to me as  the patient reflected the sense of a healing environment. In a hospital room with healing environment, the focus is not just to provide good treatment to patients, but also to provide  the healing and memorable experience to them. The behavior of the nursing staff and that of the doctor was extremely good. There was also the facility of the hearing light music in the room using the hands-free device. There were also two comfortable chairs placed near each of the three beds for visitors and caretakers. Another attractive feature of the room was that it accompanied three small bathrooms each for each of the three patients admitted in the room. The bed in my room had side rails that could be raised and lowered using a remote control.

The Bread of Salt Essay Example for Free

The Bread of Salt Essay The pan de sal symbolizes the boy and by giving the task of buying the the pan de sal every morning to the girl, it shows how he is trying to escape from the reality so he could concentrate more on his dreams. He had wrongly regarded Aida as his world and thus it was painful to finally realize that he has no chance. He also had so many plans for Aida, including writing love letters and buying her a brooch. Unfortunately, how could one concentrate on his dreams if he is only at the aged of fourteen and has not even finished studying? Finally in the last part, the turning point of the story, where he hid the egg yolks dip in honey and peppermint in his pocket, he was caught by Aida. He has even thought of marrying Aida in the future. In the middle part of the story, the boy was relieved and was happy when he found out that her aunt brought a maid with her and that, his task of buying pan de sal every morning is now given to the poor girl. This just shows that no matter how hard he tries to hide his true self, it will eventually, one day, come out. These things clearly show that the boy was very much in love with Aida so much so that he forgot that in this world not all dreams really come true. revolves around them and this is why the young boy had a lot of dreams and plans. He had already felt like he was part of the higher class since he was invited to the party but the truth is, his not. Some can be full of joy and happiness others not but no matter what, the realities of this world often dictates what will and must happen. If from the very start, the boy had accepted the realities of this world, maybe he would not have been to hurt at the last part.

Disc Arthroplasty Essay Example for Free

Disc Arthroplasty Essay Degenerative disc disease have been a problem for many people as this disease brings about low back pain that seems to paralyze the working force,   the middle adulthood population (Smeltzer, 2004). Not only does it bring impaired quality of life to those who suffer from it, but Arvind Kulkarni adds large health care expenses to the list of problems brought about by this disease as seen in his article entitled Prosthetic Lumbar disc replacement for degenerative disc disease. Spinal fusion, which is the medical management for degenerative disc disease, has been criticized by several doctors in the practice due to its untoward effects in the patient’s overall recovery and lifetime improvement. Specialist in the field, Christoph Siepe, identified these unpleasant effects as accelerated adjacent system degeneration, pseudarthrosis, spinal canal stenosis, and donor site morbidity. Adjacent segment degeneration, as mentioned by Peter Ullrich in his article entitled Fusion versus Artificial Disc Arthroplasty for Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease, stated that this is the major complication of spinal fusion and the reason why most surgeons want this procedure replaced. Adjacent segment degeneration or ASD happens when mechanical stress is transferred to the adjacent segment, also mentioned by Peter Ullrich. But research showed that this procedure can be modified to show more positive results. An anterior lumbar interbody fusion showed a low occurrence of revision surgery needed, which meant low frequency of adjacent segment degeneration, all pointed out in Mr. Ullrich’s paper.   However, to achieve this outcome, Mr. Ullrich declared that there should be an improvement in patient selection and in the procedure. The patients should be those patients having degenerative disc disease in their 5th lumbar to 1st sacral segment, because there is minimal motion at this level. By doing so, he states that fusing these segments do not change the patient’s mobility as much.   But not all are satisfied of this result. Doctors and specialists are continuously making efforts to totally changing the primary medical management for degenerative disc diseases. Studies have been conducted, and several replacement procedures were approved by the FDA. Peter Ullrich stated in his paper that the total disk replacement procedure was approved for medical use by the FDA in the year 2004 using the Charite artificial disc but for only one level of the spinal vertebrae, being the L4 – L5 or the L5 – S1. This is not the first time that a total or partial disc replacement was done. The history of this procedure was mentioned in an article in a website by Spine-Health that disc nucleus replacement was done first in 1955 by David Cleveland by injecting methyl-acrylic. Ever since then, there have two other FDA approved products aside from the Charite, the website Spine-Health states that the Prodisc was approved on August 2006 and the Kineflex lumbar on June 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A total disc replacement is being described by Jose Reyna in his article, Advances in Artificial Disc Technology, as being composed of two pieces of plates made of metal that has teeth to be able to attach itself to the end plates of the vertebral bones above and below it. This means that the particular intervertebral disc that is causing pain has to be removed and replaced by an artificial disc. Several artificial discs have been developed by various manufacturers in the country and they only differ in design and composition. The Charite, as mentioned earlier, is made up of a unique sliding core with two metal alloy end plates. The Prodisc being based on spherical articulations is made up of cobalt chromium molybdenum alloy as stated in the website Spine-Health. Inventors Qi-Bin Bao and Paul Higham developed a hydrogel prosthetic nucleus made up of PVA powder and a solvent mixed together, as seen on the article, Hydrogel intervertebral disc nucleus with diminished lateral bulging. The total disc replacement procedure has its advantages and disadvantages. Even after some models being approved by the FDA, it is still being assessed thoroughly by specialists in the field. Charles Rosen and Douglas Kiester report poor results and complications in the total disc replacement procedure. As it was mentioned in their study, this procedure causes fractures, severe pain, dislocations, extrusion of the implant, facet joint degeneration, and unexplained radiculopathy. They attribute these substandard results to the fact that the center of rotation of segmented motion is erroneous. Jose Reyna Jr. also mentions several disadvantages of the procedure in his study, stating that the anterior approach to the surgery can cause injury to the aorta and the common iliac vessels, can cause retrograde ejaculation in men by injuring the superior hypogastric plexus, hemorrhage can result from the retroperitoneal approach, and infection can occur. However, he also stated some advantages, as this procedure is said to maintain range of motion in majority of the patients as a long-term outcome. There are still a lot of studies to be conducted, and patients to be experimented on. A three year study conducted by Christoph Siepe et al., entitled Clinical Results of Total Lumbar Disc Replacement With ProDisc II: Three-Year Results for Different Indications, intended to assess total disc replacement outcome in patients who actually underwent the operation. Their results showed that not all degenerative disc diseases can be treated with this medical management. The best outcome was seen in patients exhibiting degenerative disc disease condition plus soft disc herniation or nucleus pulposus prolapse. Outcome was measured against the patient’s improvement from their preoperative levels. There were inferior results from the patients who had bisegmental damages, and a higher complication rate. Also it was mentioned that the younger patients, more specifically those aged below forty exhibited better outcome than those older than forty. Technology like this is still being developed, studied and modified as we speak. What is important is that there are people out there who care and who try to make a difference, whether it is by inventing, criticizing or being the experimental person wherein these new devices will be made a reality. References Charles Rosen, Douglas Kiester, Thay Q. Lee: The Potential Biomechanical Etiology for Lumbar Disc Replacement Failures: Review of 24 Patients and the Rationale for Revision . The Internet Journal of Minimally Invasive Spinal Technology. 2007. Volume 1 Number 2. Medscape. (2002). Advance in Artificial Disc Technology. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/445057 Medscape. (2002). Clinical Results of Total Lumbar Disc Replacement With ProDisc II: Three-Year Results for Different Indications. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/542479 Neurology India. (2005). Prosthetic Lumbar disc replacement for degenerative disc disease. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2005;volume=53;issue=4;spage=499;epage=505;aulast=Kulkarni Neurospine. (no indicated year). Fusion versus Artificial Disc Arthroplasty for Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www.neurospinewi.com/newsletters/fusionvsartificial.html Patent Storm. (1996). Hydrogel intervertebral disc nucleus with diminished lateral bulging. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5534028-fulltext.html Smeltzer, S. and Bare, B. (2004). Medical-Surgical Nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Spine-Health. (1997-2007). Lumbar artificial disc surgery for chronic back pain. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www.spine-health.com/research/discupdate/artificial/artificial01.html

Parkinsons Disease | Case Study Essay

Parkinsons Disease | Case Study Essay This case is about a headmaster, Mr Boddy, who was experiencing a variety of problems that increased in severity and had an ever-increasing impact on his life. The symptoms were becoming increasingly obvious to both Mr Boddy and his children which lead to him going to see his GP who referred him to a specialist. The specialist started him on a course of drug but decided to change it within less than a year. From the symptoms described in the case, it is obvious that Mr Boddy has Parkinsons Disease. The issues presented in this case were discussed and learning objectives were produced which will be explored in this essay. Anatomy and function of the basal ganglia The basal ganglia are a group of deep nuclei that are located at the base of the forebrain and are linked to the thalamus. The deep nuclei that make up the basal ganglia are the caudate nucleus, the putamen, the globus pallidus, the substantia nigra and the subthalamic nucleus. (Michael-Titus, et al., 2010)The main function of the basal ganglia is to start and maintain motor actions and they play a vital role in the decision-making processes in the brain by processing cognitive and emotional information from the environment. They also communicate with the supplementary motor cortex to organise the correct excitation of the primary motor cortex as well as scaling the strength of the response. Another function is that they adjust movement on a minute by minute basis by communicating with the cerebellum. (Buot Yelnik, 2012) The nuclei of the basal ganglia can be classified as either input nuclei or output nuclei. The input nuclei are made up of the caudate and the putamen and as they are functionally similar they are known together as the striatum. They can be seen in Figure 1 where they are coloured purple. Most of its input comes from the cerebral cortex, however it also receives some input from the other basal ganglia nuclei. (Rolls, 1994) The output nuclei are the globus pallidus, substantia nigra and subthalamic nuclei. They can also be seen in Figure 1 and are in very close proximity to the striatum. The substantia nigra is split into two parts, the pars compacta(SNpc) and the pars reticulata (SNpr). The SNpc are the cells that produce dopamine and are damaged in parkinsons which is what happened to Mr Boddy. The SNpr receives input from the striatum and sends it to the ventral anterior, ventral lateral, and mediodorsal thalamic nuclei to control head and eye movements as well as carry out other f unctions. The globus pallidus is split into the internal (GPi) and external (GPe). The function of internal part of the nucleus is to send outputs to the thalamus. However, the function of the external portion of the nucleus is not fully understood but it appears to regulate and focus activity in the rest of the basal ganglia. (Hanna, et al., 2011) Damage to the basal ganglia is what caused Mr Boddys Parkinsons disease. Neurological pathway of dopamine and neurotransmitters involved in basal ganglia pathway One of the main effects of Parkinsons is on movement and this is true with Mr Boddy as he developed a lot of movement problems. Thus, there must be a problem with the basal ganglias modulation of movement. The normal modulation of movement can be explained in terms of a brake theory. In essence, to start one movement the brakes must be applied to other movements. So damage to the basal ganglia will result in an inability to stop current movements as well as difficulty initiating movement. (Rhoades Bell, 2009) The initiation of a motor programme and the maintenance of a motor programme are respectively controlled by the dopaminergic direct and indirect pathways. Whether a motor programme is going to start or be maintained is determined by the interaction of the two pathways. So damage to the substantia nigra pars reticulata which produces dopamine has adverse effects on these two pathways and alters their function thus altering their combined effect which manifests as the symptoms of Parkinsons. The direct pathway is excitatory and the indirect pathway is inhibitory. (Lenglet, et al., 2012) The direct pathway is activated via excitatory glutamatergic neurones from the cortex. This combined with the dopamine being released from the substantia nigra pars compacta causes inhibition, via GABAergic neurones, of the internal globus pallidus which then causes the net reduction of the inhibition, via GABAergic neurones, of the thalamus. This ultimately results in the increased excitation of the cortex via glutamatergic neurones which then causes increased excitatory output from the cortex to the muscle fibres via the lateral corticospinal tract. The excitatory direct pathway can be seen in Figure 2. The indirect pathway is very similar to the direct pathway. Once stimulated by the cortex, the neurones from the striatum project onto the external globus pallidus nuclei which causes inhibition. This inhibition results in the net reduction in the inhibition of the subthalamic nucleus. This results in the subthalamic nucleus projection of excitatory, glutamatergic, inputs into the i nternal globus pallidus which causes inhibition of the thalamus and this decreases stimulation of the motor cortex. Which then results in reduced muscle activity. As with the direct pathway, the indirect pathway is illustrated in Figure 2. The reason why dopamine released from the substantia nigra can have both excitatory and inhibitory affects is because of the dopamine receptors. The dopamine receptors D1 and D5 are found in the internal globus pallidus and are excitatory. The dopamine receptors D2-D4 are found in the external globus pallidus and are inhibitory. (Lenglet, et al., 2012) In Parkinsons disease substantia nigra pars compacta have degenerated and thus are producing less dopamine. This affects the D1-D5 receptors which results in less stimulation of the direct pathway and release of the inhibition of the indirect pathway. This means that the indirect pathway becomes the dominant one which inhibits the thalamus and thus will reduce motor activity in the motor cortex. This results in the characteristic symptoms of parkinsons. A diagram of the changes can be seen in Figure 3.These changes are what caused the problems that Mr Boddy was experiencing and the increasing severity of his symptoms was most likely caused by the continuing degeneration of his substantia nigra pars compacta cells. (Wu, et al., 2012) Symptoms of Parkinsons The symptoms that Mr Boddy experienced are mainly caused by the lack of dopamine resulting in the dominance of the indirect pathway. The first symptom that he developed was sleeping problems and this was most probably caused because the body has trouble initiating a sleep cycle. So once he wakes up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet for example, then he will not be able to go back to sleep because of the under activity of the direct pathway. The loss of the sense of humour and the tremors are also caused by Mr Boddy becoming stuck in a motor programme. The pill-rolling tremor is characteristic of Parkinsons. The clumsiness and falling over occur because the basal ganglia damage means that it cannot communicate normally with the cerebellum. There are also a number of other symptoms that present in patients with parkinsons disease. Even though everyone presents with Parkinsons differently, there are a number of symptoms that are present in everyone. They are listed in Table 1. Diagnosis of Parkinsons Diagnosis of Parkinsons is made from a medical history and neurological examinations alone. This is because the only test for Parkinsons at the present time can only be performed during a post mortem. After the neurological tests and the history have been taken the NICE guidelines (Table 2) have to be applied to the finding. In Mr Boddys case, he had two of the three criteria in Step 1 as well as four of the criteria that had to be met in Step 3 to make a definite diagnosis. Lewy bodies can be found during a post-mortem of a patient with Parkinsons. They appear as spherical masses which contain abnormal alpha synuclein protein deposits and are found on the brainstem. An example of a Lewy body can be seen in Figure 4. Treatment of Parkinsons There are a number of treatments for Parkinsons disease, each with their own side effects which means that their use must be strictly controlled and monitored. The most effective class of drug at elevating the symptoms of Parkinsons is L- dopa. L-dopa is the precursor for dopamine and it can cross the blood brain barrier where it is converted to dopamine by dopa decarboxylase to restore the dopamine levels in the brain to a normal level. Dopamine itself cannot be given as it cannot cross the blood brain barrier. However, if L-dopa is given on its own it will breakdown in the body and activate the vomiting centre in the brain and cause vomiting. So to counteract this problem, it is given with a dopa decarboxylase inhibitor which stops the conversion to dopamine in the body. As it cannot cross the blood brain barrier dopamine can still be produced in the brain. The main side effect is that after a long period of use side effects known as on-off phenomenon develop. Which is where there are periods of activity (on) followed by a state of being immobile (off). The patient can suddenly switch between these two states. Another side effect is dyski nesia. (Goetz, 2007) To avoid the end of dose side effects of L-dopa other drugs that are less effective are given first to prolong the time before L-dopa has to be given and the on-off effect starts happening. One type is a dopamine agonist. They work by binding to the post-synaptic receptors in the brain and have similar effects to L-dopa. However possible side effects include nausea, vomiting and fatigue. An example is bromocriptine or rotigotine. Another class of drug that is used is Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. They work by preventing the breakdown of dopamine. Their side effects include; headache, joint pain and depression. Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitor works by preventing the breakdown of L-Dopa and the adverse effects are nausea, vomiting, diahorrea and abdominal pain. An example of a COMT inhibitor is entacapone. Mr Boddy was given Rasagiline to start with which is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. And then he was switched to L-Dopa which had a marked effect. (Longmore, 2007) Deep brain stimulation is another option for the treatment of Parkinsons. It cannot cure Parkinsons but by firing high frequency impulses into the brain it can reduce the symptoms of Parkinsons as well as reducing the adverse effects of the drugs which improves the patients quality of life. It could be suggested to Mr Boddy that he tries this option when the on-off effects start happening. (Rodriguez-Oroz, et al., 2005) Prognosis of Parkinsons If Parkinsons isnt treated then patients will be bedridden after 10 years of onset of the disease. The symptoms will advance rapidly. In people taking drugs the time taken for the disease to reach a stage where they are bed ridden is well over 15 years. (Poewe, 2006) However, the course of the disease is different in every individual with the disease progression being faster in people who are older. (Obeso, et al., 2010) Disability is linked to motor symptoms at the start of the disease but as it advances they are linked to motor symptoms that dont respond to medicine. Life expectancy for people with PD is also reduced. (Poewe, 2006) The advice that can be given to Mr Boddy is that there is no way of knowing for certain how Parkinsons will affect his future. However, the best case scenario is that he can carry on as normal for another 7 to 10 years before his symptoms greatly affect his job and family life. Conclusion In conclusion, this was a very interesting subject to look into and it made me realise how complex the disease is and how much of an impact it has on a persons life. If I had more time I would like to look further into the genetic links behind Parkinsons as well as looking into new methods of diagnosis that are being developed as I didnt have the time to do so.

The Effective Use of Symbolism in Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby is one of the finest pieces of literature written in the 20th century. It explores the nature of westerners during hardships and other social problems. The Great Gatsby is not just a mere historical novel from 1920’s. Fitzgerald gives a great in depth analysis of the lives of ordinary people through the characters and the symbols in this book. Through these characters and symbols Fitzgerald portrays on the lack of moral and spiritual values of the people and different aspects of the society. One of the three of main symbols used in Great Gatsby is the valley of ashes. â€Å"Immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight† (Fitzgerald 23). This gray land suggests the ignorance and careless ness of the wealthy during the 20th century. All these rich ever dreamed about was their growth rather the growth as a nation. This use of symbolism illustrates the vast amounts of unexplored real world by the rich, and how they always live in their own circle of people believing that money is the only thing in this world. The other side of this symbolism is the reality of the lives of people, for example Mr. Wilson, helpless, he passed his long life in his garage with his unhappy wife, and how the rude arrogant behavior of the rich in the end turned him into a murderer. This indicates that how the rich people like Tom acted as a barrier. These people oppressed the poor the whole time, and did not even give them the opportunity to grow in their status rather used their hopelessness for their own desires. On the contrary to the above symbol, the next symbolism depicts the goal and future based of a human being, which is the green ... ... the injustice; in this story the wealthy. Mr. Wilson looking at the billboard claims, â€Å"god sees everything† (Fitzgerald 160). Only poor and honest people like George Wilson could see god. This explains the blindness of the wealthy and how god favored only ethical people. Fitzgerald suggests that everyone is accountable to god and even though it may seem that nobody is watching you that moment, there is always a spiritual power recording all your sins. The author brings about this suggestion as a warning to the people, and explains how the people were not aware of this caution during the 1920’s. The rich were deeply immersed in the ocean of wealth and were not able to swim their way out. In conclusion, Fitzgerald clearly sums up the problems that people face through his effective use of symbolism. He also reveals many interesting facts about the lives of people.

Of Mice And Men: Comparing The Movie And The Book :: essays research papers

The movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same message that the book was portrayed to have. One of the major differences was that Candy never came into the room when Lennie and Crooks were talking to each other. This was major because Crooks never found out that the plan was true about the little house. In the book after he heard Candy talk about it he wanted to get in on the deal. Also the movie it never showed Lennie have his illusions of his Aunt Carla and the rabbits when he was waiting by the pond. The last major difference was that George never hesitated to shoot Lennie in the movie and in the book it was very hard for him. After George shot Lennie, Slim came to comfort George and take him out for a drink.The characters in the novel and the movie had many differences. In the book George was shown to hate Curley with a passion. In the movie George didn’t seem to like Curley too much but he definitely didn’t hate him like in the book. In the movie Curley's wife seemed to be attracted to Lennie and enjoyed his presence because he was nice. In the book she talked to him only because she was amused by Lennie's stupidity. Lennie was explained as a beast in the book and, "his shoulders could fill the doorway." In the movie he was stronger and bigger than the others were but not to the extreme amount that the book portrayed him to be. Every other thing about Lennie was extremely as the book told it.I felt that the movie was wonderful and I loved it as much as I loved the book. I would give the movie a 10 because it was so great. The only parts that I didn't like were in the end it didn’t make me as sad as the book made me feel. I felt so into the dream the Lennie and George shared that I was sad when it was destroyed.

The Rise of Reggae and the influence of Toots and the Maytals. :: Essays Papers

The Rise of Reggae and the influence of Toots and the Maytals. Reggae music is one of the world’s few living folk music’s. It has remained incredibly popular and spontaneously generated by people’s experiences, emotions and traditions. Since it’s birth reggae music has been Jamaica’s emotional outlet, to express thoughts and feelings about life, love and religion. These popular sounds have been created without the interference of outside multinational markets, press agents and spin doctors. Reggae music is created with incredible amounts of soul and pride. It is more than just music, it is a way of life for those who live in Jamaica and many others around the world. Reggae music is soulful entertainment in Jamaica today, it’s a powerful social force that represents the pressures of everyday life putting them into words that describe, reveal and persuade the people that listen to its powerful messages. The music originated from confrontation and struggle, it’s based on freedom and never giving up. Politicians have been know to use reggae music as the central part of their campaigns. Prime Ministers have had songwriters create songs for their political campaigns, knowing full well that this music can easily bring crowds of people together, while uniting a country, and political party at the same time. The music of Jamaica began five centuries ago, when Columbus colonized the land of the Arawak Indians. This dates the start of oppression by first the Spanish and then the English in this area of the Caribbean. Blacks were brought in as slaves by the English, and although Jamaica has had it's independence since 1963, the tension of authority and control still reigns. Jamaica is a story of injustice, international influence, ineffective governing, and unequal distribution of wealth; all of these elements provide a solid base for the theme of oppression and the need for a revolution and redemption in Jamaican music. Reggae in particular reflects these injustices, and the feelings, needs and desires to change the lifestyle that Jamaicans have historically lived. Reggae music has two meanings. It’s generic name for all Jamaican popular music since 1960 (West Indian style of music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat, according to the Oxford dictionary) Reggae can also refer to the particular beat that was extremely popular in Jamaica from around 1969 to 1983. Jamaican music can be divided into four areas that carry their own distinctive beat.

Information systems of business Essay

A business have to manage lots of different information. All information systems have 2 big issues, one is the organisation who receive the information and the other is that appropriate members of staff gets the information. A number of policies have to be put in place concerning security of information, backups, health and safety, organisational policies, costs and increasing sophistication. Security of information can be an operational issue. It is all about maintaining the integrity and availability of organisational information and knowledge. Managers need to have the right information available at the right time to make good decisions. The reliance on technology to store information increases which means the risk posed by system failure and malicious attack from viruses also increases. IT security policy should take into account common risks to information the business relies upon. This policy should include secure login id for IT systems and controls that limit access to information. Backups are also an operational issue these are stores on separate hardware from the live versions of the information. Health and safety can be an operational issue. There are many regulations concerning health and safety. The Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 this is the minimum requirements for work stations and includes the extent to which employers must ensure that workstations meet the requirements laid down in this schedules, the equipment, the environment and the interface between the computer and operator. Another is the management of health and safety at work regulations 1992 this is that every imployer shall provide his employees with comprehensible and relevant information.

Are Governments Controlling The Internet Essay

Prior to the 21st century society greatest inventions were the automobile, the telephone, the airplane as a means of communication and transportation. Now individuals are blessed with the Internet. It is commonly regarded that the Internet is a manifesto of technology that allows human beings to interact with one another using networking services. The Internet has broken down the barriers and means of traditional communication. In cyberspace, people can talk with each other regardless of location. It can be defined as a â€Å"unique medium† with no geographical location but available to anyone (p. 21). It is not only used for communication but information searching, listings of products and services, advertising of large/small businesses, and much more. In essence, the Internet can be regarded as a separate entity from our own physical world – a digital utopia. The question being raised is, with the large scale of the internet, how is it maintained or even controlled? Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu’s book Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World gives a perfect example of how the Internet is being directly (and indirectly) controlled by territorial government. As each section of the book is uncovered, it is clearly pointed out that national governments through control of local and global intermediaries and coercion exercise dominate control over the digital empire. The book is subdivided into three large sections. In the first section Wu and Goldsmith marks the impression to the readers that the Internet is in fact a â€Å"libertarian state† where users can freely express themselves. The authors argue at the commencement of the Internet there are no actual â€Å"rulers† or â€Å"governors† of the Internet rather it was the upheaval of a Digital American Revolution, that’s built on â€Å"language and reason and our fail in each other† (p. 22). The authors later indicate that it was open because it was willing to â€Å"accept almost any kind of computer or network†. Thus it is a society that is ruled by the humanity that resides within the Internet. â€Å"Humanity united might do better than our lousy systems of government, throw away the constructs of the nation-state, and live in some different but better way† (p. 7). Section two establishes that users from different geographical regions want their information presented in their local language. As the author pointed that language is one of the most important aspects on the internet. It gives the example that people in Brazil, Korea and France do not want English versions of Microsoft products but rather want a version they can fully understand (p. 50). As the next section unravels we start to notice how digital humanity needs rulers and starts to get involved how national governments are governing the borders of the internet. It proves that government uses coercion and local intermediaries to restrict and even block content that is on the internet. An example would be Nazi merchandise and hate sites appearing on French networks and even an incident in China where a 15 year old girl Liu Di was punished by the Chinese government when she was making an argument comparing the Chinese government and a prostitute. It also points out how controlling Governments can be a beneficial factor in regulating illegal activities such as file sharing and copyrighting. The final section of the book shows how the government aims to make the borders of the Internet a haven that protects its citizens from harm. This section explores the aspect of globalization and competing countries in controlling the Internet. Europe, U. S. and China all wishes to have a centralized power over the Internet. If two out of three countries that are in favour of online gambling while the one third is not, how can a borderless digital society solve this problem? The sections encourages decentralized governments to work together to adapt to people’s needs and respond in a more positive manner (p. 53). For the struggle of ultimate control lies within national governments – and a problem of clashing government interests and priorities can be a serious concern for the future of the Internet (p. 171). Wu and Goldsmith both agreed that this is the â€Å"beginning of a technological version of the cold war, with each side pushing its own vision of the Internet’s future† (p. 184). In order for the book to draw readers closer into fully understanding the Internet the authors must not only make a compelling argument but the style and construction of the book is also important. This essay will discuss four areas in which the book was successful or non-successful into helping readers understand the importance of national governments and their role on the Internet. The notable points in creating a compelling argument lie within the thesis, the method(s) of research, the evidence that supports the thesis and the overall evaluation/recommendation. The first point that’s important in this book is the thesis. The thesis is the main point the authors are trying to make throughout the entire book. In the book Who Controls the Internet Wu and Goldsmith stated their thesis in the conclusion rather than the introduction. Instead they decided to allure readers by telling a short story in the introduction to foreshadow readers into the overall point of the book. In my opinion the thesis of the book can found on page 180 where it reads â€Å"Beneath of fog of modern technology, we have seen the effects of coercive governmental force on local persons, firms and equipment† (p. 180). Ironically, this is not the thesis that users anticipated on hearing when they decide to read the book. On the back cover of the book it reads â€Å"a book about the fate of one idea – that the Internet might liberate us forever from government, borders and even our physical selves†. (Wu and Goldsmith) Wu and Goldsmith prompted readers with a general idea then throughout the book used examples and heated evidence to prove that idea wrong. It gives readers the perception that the Internet is in fact a challenge to governmental rule rather than the idealistic entity of freedom and liberty. The thesis was not always stated at the end of the book rather the author hinted their thesis throughout chapters to reinforce their main point along the way. For instance in chapter 5, Wu and Goldsmith talk about how local intermediaries are present and how government uses coercion to control these intermediaries, thus â€Å"ruling the internet† (p. 65). The authors stated that it would be extremely easy for individuals to â€Å"overlook how often governments control behavior not individually, but collectively, through intermediaries† (p. 68). The authors use the example of HavenCo to reinforce their thesis. In the book HavenCo was described as â€Å"the first place on earth where people are free to conduct business without someone looking over their shoulder† (p. 65). Shortly after, HavenCo became the object of negativity where porn and other offensive content were being hosted. Due to their business model they would not seek out cooperative intermediaries. However falling into a downward spiral, HavenCo became desperate so they looked towards national governments for assistance. However the government would not oblige since it was hosting offensive content and demanded that HavenCo remove the material. Of course, without this aspect â€Å"HavenCo was nothing†. And now without the support of powerful government officials and intermediaries HavenCo is now a â€Å"jumbled pile of network equipment, rotting and obsolete† (p. p. 84-85). The authors presents the readers with a clear and indirect thesis in each chapter, and as each chapter passes they are vividly trying to reinforce their thesis by providing real life evidence that happens in the midst of the digital society. Other notable examples that are highlighted in the book that supports the thesis would be the Chinese government sometimes with help from Yahoo, seize political dissidents and put them in prison (p. 181). Next, the government that are threatening Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and search engines and credit card companies with fines so that they can filter out offensive net communications. And, it is clear that Jon Postel and the Internet’s founders give up control over their creation under implied threats of governmental force. And finally, under the aspect of file sharing (where it was debated it would be hardest to control) governments have executed hidden but important ways to fuel coercion on the economy of file-sharing and â€Å"tilts the playing field to favour law-abiding companies like Apple† (p. 181). The authors have a very climatic way to communicate their thesis to the reader, By presenting support evidence and a strong conclusion they are in fact proving to readers that the government does control the internet. The next section uncovers the methodology that the authors used to present their topic. In order to prove their thesis they need an abundant amount of information. Not only does this information provide historical insight in the topic but it grants validity in the matter. In the book the authors have presented much needed evidence that governments control the internet, as each chapter is unraveled the readers are engulfed with powerful side stories of the lives of specific individuals that resided in the digital age. The book uses a combination of statistical information and encoded facts, personal biographies and appealing stories. If we direct our attention to the sources at the end of the book we notice that the authors use a hefty number of secondary sources. The only notable errors that are present in their methodology were that the sources they used were a little out of date. Old sources will lead to skewed results and that might cause a misinterpretation of the research. The book was written and published in 2006 but the majority of sources they used were within the 1998-2001 timeframe. Although they did use several sources that were recent (2005) it still does not change the fact that the Internet and technology are always changing in real time. With this change it’s rather hard to keep up and readers can be misinformed of with irrelevant information rather than significant information. Although with these slight flaws in the book, the methods were applied correctly in the sense that it is very easy to understand. They have broken the entire book into three parts; each part builds up information for that peak ending (or thesis). The methods were appropriate in the sense that the authors had a balance of evidence to support their claim. For example, the information gathered was not all focused on the government’s point of view but rather an equal split between government, organizations and individuals. It would be naive to think that a proper thesis can be proved without the support of evidence. Methodically the authors predominately still influence the readers with horror stories and statistics of government coercion on digital societies to prove their thesis. For example, the chapter on China outlines President Bill Clinton’s visit to the foreign land. Clinton observed that users required national ID cards before logging on. Regulated cafes also featured cameras pointed directly at the computer screen and police officers would occasionally monitor users right behind their back (p. 97). In China the Internet is far from being a liberating force but rather it is the major attraction for government surveillance. As previously mentioned Liu Di was arrested on personally insulting the government over the Internet, shortly after Liu Di’s story was printed in the press as a warming to all other civilians using the Internet. Throughout the book we see many stories that mimic the true horrors of the Internet, presented in a non-fictitious way to leaves readers shunned into believing the overall message of the book. Other factual occurrences that are displayed in Wu and Goldsmith’s methodology are the Kazaa/Napster case where digital piracy was at its initial state. Napster, a company located in the United States was battling with court officials to stay alive. With no luck, a simple U. S. ourt order was easily enforced and that led â€Å"to a total system collapse† (p. 108). Another factor that stands out with the evidence was that it’s very diverse in the geographical sense. The authors not only present their ideas from the American standpoint but tackles on other regions of the world. In the introduction the authors commences a deep discussion on global borders of the internet, the evidence and support was from a simply disgruntled individual that didn’t like seeing Nazi merc handise on the French site of Yahoo (p. p. 1-10). By using this intrinsic method of communicating the thesis they are successful in the sense of drawing readers. This chapter rather than supporting the thesis, they argue against it saying that the Internet â€Å"cannot be regulated†. Using factual data, they are offering both sides of the story in a very objective manner. This helps readers understand the thesis a little better and perhaps even raise serious questions on a political, global and technological standpoint. Who Controls the Internet is a very accurate portrayal of the digital society. It tells readers the important message that originally the Internet was designed to liberate individuals and it was designed to escape government and borders, but without the government mingling in affairs the Internet as we know it today wouldn’t flourish. One of the few appealing factors of this book is that it speaks out in a very clear and engaging style. Within each chapter the author conveniently uses sub-headings to divide important topics and that each chapter features several compelling stories. The two authors, who are both lawyers does an excellent job of communicating the legal issues to the readers without heavy use of legal jargon. Despite the many praises the book gets, it still has some flaws. In my opinion the flaws are contained within the unnecessary pictures and images that are included. Many (if not all) of the pictures are unneeded. For instance on page 4 it shows a rather large photo of the Palais de Justice, where the Yahoo case was litigated and similarly on page 66 shows a picture of Sealand where HavenCo was initiated. Although visualizations are nice they have no purpose in proving the thesis. How can a picture of Jon Postel who is described as â€Å"a rambling, ragged look, living in sandals, and a large, unkempt beard† help readers understand the dominate government forces on the Internet. In another part of the book Wu and Goldsmith dedicated half a page to Steve Jobs and as a background; shows a skull and sword insignia and was labeled â€Å"Piracy†. In retrospect the authors should have gotten rid of filler photography and replaced it with diagrams, which brings up the next flaw, the limited use of diagrams within the book. A diagram can help readers understand the point the author is trying to prove in either a passage or chapter. Back to the Steve Jobs example, if the authors showed using a diagram how Apple and national governments were combating internet piracy it would strengthen their thesis in proving that government controls most sides of the Internet. Or even a timeline that showed how government intervened with such programs such as Napster, Kazaa and then taking on Apple. This book appeals to a large audience of graduate, undergraduate students and professors teaching either politics or information technology. The benefits include that readers of this book can raise important questions and use these questions as the foundation for political debates. The content is not the only contributing factor in a well rounded book, Wu and Goldsmith does an excellent job in constructing the book that’s easily presentable to the reader. Even an individual with very little prior knowledge of the Internet can understand the book. Each term is defined when it is firstly introduced. Next, at the end on page 187 the authors implemented a â€Å"frequency used abbreviations† section and the definition in case the reader is having a hard time following due to the technological jargon. In conclusion, there are four areas that were used to critically analyze the book. They are the thesis, the methodology, the evidence used to construct the book and the personal evaluation. This book presents many important topics that relate to past, presents and futures of the technological era. It is telling a story where digital democracies suffer at the ends of coercive governments. It is not just powerful nations have the power to reshape the Internet’s architecture, more specifically it is the United States, China and Europe using their dominate power to reestablish their own version of the Internet.