The 3 Types of Economic Systems

The 3 Types of Economic Systems – Centrally planned economy – Mixed economy – Market economyCentrally planned economySystem in which a nation’s resources are owned by the government. Came from the ideology that the welfare of the group is more important than individual well being, the idea came from Karl Marx. The decline of Centrally planned economies was in the 1980’s nations began to dismantle communist central planning in favor of market based economy. Mixed economyEconomic system in which resources are more equally divide between private and government ownership. It came from the idea that a successful system must be not only efficient and innovative but should also protect society. Most economies around the world are mixed economies but most mixed economies are trying to convert more of a market economy. This is called â€Å"Privatization† or â€Å"Privatizing†. Market EconomyThe majority of nations resources are privately owned. Economic decisions are determined by supply and demand. Based on the belief that individual concerns should be placed above group concerns. The best features are free choice, free enterprise and price flexibility. The governments role is enforcing antitrust laws, preserving property rights, providing a stable fiscal and monetary environment and preserving political stability. Personally I would prefer to live in a mixed economy. I say this because it is the best kind of economic system in my eyes.A mixed economy lies between a free market economy and a centrally planned economy. A mixed economy combines elements from free market and centrally planned to create a more favorable economy. Most nations operate mixed economies with varying combinations of capitalist and socialist features. Some benefits of a mixed economy are free enterprise, private ownership, a â€Å"safety net† and the ability for the government to step in if needed. This is very appealing because the benefits are unmatched from the other two main economic systems.  I like the idea of private ownership and the government being able to step in during times of need, these two examples are the main reasons I prefer to live in a mixed economy.

The Human Development Index Health And Social Care Essay

Human Development Index ( HDI ) ranking of eight major economic systems of South Asia in the 2009 Human Development Report, released earlier this hebdomad, show a blue record with all states relegated to the 3rd class of medium development provinces with the planetary rankings falling in the 2nd half of the listings of 182 states. Exceeding the superior list of the South Asiatic states in 2007, the day of the month for which comprehensive information was available, was Maldives ( 95 ) , followed by Sri Lanka ( 102 ) , Bhutan ( 132 ) , India ( 134 ) , Pakistan ( 141 ) , Nepal ( 144 ) , Bangladesh ( 146 ) and Afghanistan ( 182 ) . The worst facet of the India ‘s low HDI ranking was its blue record in even a nucleus country like life anticipation. Life anticipation at birth in India was merely 63.4 old ages, which pushed it down in the last but one class, merely above Afghanistan where the life anticipation was a blue 43.6 old ages. South Asiatic states hiting above India in life anticipation included Bhutan and Bangladesh ( 65.7 old ages each ) , Pakistan ( 66.2 old ages ) , Nepal ( 66.3 old ages ) , Maldives ( 71.1 old ages ) and even the civil war hit Sri Lanka ( 74 old ages ) . India ‘s record on life anticipation is made worse by the low rates of endurance of immature individuals. The estimations show that the chance of deceasing before the age of 40 is among the highest in India, with 15.5 % of the cohort fring their lives. This is about three times the degree of mortality in Sri Lanka where merely 5.5 % of the population fail to traverse the 40-age grade. Afghanistan fared the worst where the opportunities of endurance over 40 was worst-with about 40 % of the individuals deceasing before achieving this age. What makes affairs even worse is that the chances of bettering opportunities of endurance of the younger age groups and bettering overall life anticipation may go on to be hampered by its dreamy attack to bettering kid public assistance, particularly the nutritionary degrees. A comparing of the statistics on scraggy kids in South Asia show that India ‘s record was among the worst, with 46 % of the kids scraggy, a record which was merely following to that of Bangladesh where the portion of†¦ The HDI combines three dimensions: Life anticipation at birth, as an index of population wellness and length of service Knowledge and instruction, as measured by the grownup literacy rate ( with two-thirds burdening ) and the combined primary, secondary, and third gross registration ratio ( with one-third weighting ) . Standard of life, as indicated by the natural logarithm of gross domestic merchandise per capita at buying power para.[ edit ] MethodologyThe Physical Quality of Life Index ( PQLI ) is an effort to mensurate the quality of life or wellbeing of a state. The value is the norm of three statistics: basic literacy rate, infant mortality, and life anticipation at age one, all every bit weighted on a 0 to 100 graduated table. It was developed for the Overseas Development Council in the mid-1970s by Morris David Morris, as one of a figure of steps created due to dissatisfaction with the usage of GNP as an index of development. PQLI might be regarded as an betterment but portions the general jobs of mensurating quality of life in a quantitative manner. It has besides been criticized because there is considerable convergence between infant mortality and life anticipation. The UN Human Development Index is a more widely used agencies of mensurating wellbeing. Stairss to Calculate Physical Quality of Life: 1 ) Find per centum of the population that is literate ( literacy rate ) . 2 ) Find the infant mortality rate. ( out of 1000 births ) INDEXED Infant Mortality Rate = ( 166 – infant mortality ) A- 0.625 3 ) Find the Life Expectancy. INDEXED Life Expectancy = ( Life expectancy – 42 ) A- 2.7 4 ) Physical Quality of Life = ( Literacy Rate + INDEXED Infant Mortality Rate + INDEXED Life Expectancy )_________________________________________________________________________3 The term quality of life is used to measure the general wellbeing of persons and societies. The term is used in a broad scope of contexts, including the Fieldss of international development, health care, and political relations. Quality of life should non be confused with the construct of criterion of life, which is based chiefly on income. Alternatively, standard indexs of the quality of life include non merely wealth and employment, but besides the built environment, physical and mental wellness, instruction, diversion and leisure clip, and societal belonging. [ 1 ] Harmonizing to ecological economic expert Robert Costanza: While Quality of Life ( QOL ) has long been an explicit or inexplicit policy end, equal definition and measuring have been elusive. Diverse â€Å" nonsubjective † and â€Å" subjective † indexs across a scope of subjects and graduated tables, and recent work on subjective wellbeing ( SWB ) studies and the psychological science of felicity have spurred renewed involvement. [ 2 ] Besides often related are constructs such as freedom, human rights, and felicity. However, since felicity is subjective and difficult to mensurate, other steps are by and large given precedence. It has besides been shown that felicity, every bit much as it can be measured, does non needfully increase correspondingly with the comfort that consequences from increasing income. As a consequence, criterion of life should non be taken to be a step of felicity. [ 1 ] [ 3 ] The Child Development Index ( CDI ) is an index uniting public presentation steps specific to kids – instruction, wellness and nutrition – to bring forth a mark on a graduated table of 0 to 100. A nothing mark would be the best. The higher the mark, the worse kids are doing. The Child Development Index was developed by Save the Children UK in 2008 through the parts of Terry McKinley, Director of the Centre for Development Policy and Research at the School of Oriental and African Studies ( SOAS ) , University of London, with support from Katerina Kyrili. The indexs which make up the index were chosen because they are easy available, normally understood, and clearly declarative of kid well-being. The three indexs are: Health: the under-five mortality rate ( the chance of deceasing between birth and five old ages of age, expressed as a per centum on a graduated table of 0 to 340 deceases per 1,000 unrecorded births ) . This means that a zero mark in this constituent equals an underfive mortality rate of 0 deceases per 1,000 unrecorded births, and a mark of 100 peers our upper edge of 340 deceases per 1,000 unrecorded births. The upper edge is higher than any state has of all time reached ; Niger came the closest in the ninetiess with 320 under-five deceases per 1,000 unrecorded births. Nutrition: the per centum of under fives who are reasonably or badly scraggy. The common definition of reasonably or badly scraggy, which we use here, is being below two standard divergences of the average weight for age of the mention population. Education: the per centum of primary school-age kids who are non enrolled in school. For our step of instruction want, we use the antonym of the Net Primary Enrolment rate -ie, 100 – the NER. This gives us the per centum of primary school-age kids who are non enrolled. What does the Child Development Index state us about how kids are doing around the universe? Are some states doing good advancement in bettering child wellbeing? Is it acquiring worse in other states? The Child Development Index replies these inquiries. The index measures child wellbeing over three periods from 1990. Japan is in first topographic point, hiting merely 0.4. Niger in Africa is in 137th topographic point, with the highest mark, 58, in 2000-2006. Overall, child wellbeing as improved by 34 % since 1990, but advancement isNewHuman Development Index: The HDI combines normalized steps of life anticipation, literacy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for states worldwide. It is claimed as a standard agency of mensurating human development-a construct that, harmonizing to the United Nations Development Program ( UNDP ) , refers to the procedure of widening the options of individuals, giving them greater chances for instruction, wellness attention, income, employment, etc. The basic usage of HDI is to mensurate a state ‘s development. The HDI combines three basic dimensions: Life anticipation at birth, as an index of population wellness and length of service. Knowledge and instruction, as measured by the grownup literacy rate ( with two-thirds burdening ) and the combined primary, secondary, and third gross registration ratio ( with one-third weighting ) . Standard of life, as measured by the natural logarithm of gross domestic merchandise per capita. The Human Development Index ( HDI ) so represents the norm of the undermentioned three general indices: Life Expectancy Index ( LEI ) = ( ( LE – 25 ) / ( 85-25 ) ) Education Index ( EI ) = ( 0.667 x ALI ) + ( .334 x GEI ) ALI is Adult Literacy Rate, GEI is Gross Enrolment Index. GDP = [ log ( GDP personal computer ) -log ( 100 ) ] / [ log ( 40000 ) -log ( 100 ) ] HDI measures measure and quality and includes life anticipation, literacy, and existent GDP/capita. Objectivity is a major job with any index. HDI is no exclusion. Assignment of weights is an illustration of flightiness without justification and the HDI index is sensitive to the weights assigned. A more serious unfavorable judgment of the HDI is the weighting of each rank order of the state by 1/3 ( LEI, EI, GDP ) and summing the leaden ranking of the three indexs.OtherLAJWANTI ASWANI.53, Mukta Madhu Society, Bhairvnath, Maninagar, Ahmedabad – 08 Mobile: +91 9974100326 Electronic mail: lajwanti9 @ gmail.comCareer Objective:To run into the organisational aim, attain highs in the occupation profile provided through my accomplishments and competency in Human Resources Management and General Administration.Core CompetencesRecruitment, Head Hunting, Change Management, Performance Appraisal, Attrition Analysis, Leave Policy Formulation. As a enlisting performed full lifecycle recruiting A broad grade of creativeness, cost-efficient sourcing schemes and concern apprehension of organisation To incorporate the enlisting procedure into the overall strategic planning of the sphere staffing demands. Guide enlisting squad in managing the enlisting & A ; choice procedure in an efficient and effectual manner. Assist internal client in composing Job Descriptions and Person specifications to Fix the occupation specifications for enlisting and Job Analysis. Designation of high possible endowment, Succession direction and ManpowerProfessional ProfileSum of 7 + Old ages in Development & A ; Operations Management. HRM.Experience DetailssApril 2007 – Jul 07 One Source Tele Services Pvt. Ltd. One Source Tele Services Pvt. Ltd is taking BPO Training institute in India associated with CIL Infocity.Designation Development & A ; Operations ManagerKey DutiesOver all Achievement of Revenue Targets. Team Management – Center Head, Faculty, Counselor, Marketing and Administration Plan and Implement Academic Schedules and Batch Operations. Day to twenty-four hours operations and centre direction Plan and implement selling run. Quality confidence in daily operations and Infrastructure demand. Payment and Revenue Collection. Plan and implement Student & A ; Staff public assistance activities. Plan and implement pupil arrangement procedure. Behavior and present PDP for pupils and staff. Manpower planning and enlisting of staff. Performance assessment for Staff, Attrition Analysis. Motivating Gross saless squad to run into hebdomadal and monthly gross revenues mark. Nov 2005 – July 2006 IIHT Ltd. IIHT is taking computing machine hardware and instruction concatenation of institute in India. Designation Center HeadKey DutiesOver all Achievement of Revenue Targets. Team Management – Faculty, Counselor, Marketing and Administration Plan and Implement Academic Schedules and Batch Operations. Day to twenty-four hours operations and centre direction Plan and implement selling run. Quality confidence in daily operations and Infrastructure demand. Payment and Revenue Collection. Plan and implement R Student & A ; Staff public assistance activities. Plan and implement pupil arrangement procedure. Behavior and present PDP for pupils and staff. Manpower planning and enlisting of staff. Performance assessment for Staff, Attrition Analysis. Motivating Gross saless squad to run into hebdomadal and monthly gross revenues mark. Oct 2003 to Nov 2005 Sai Infosystem India Pvt. Ltd Sai Infosystem India Pvt. Ltd is taking ISO 9000 certified Computer Hardware Manufacturing, System Integration, and S/W Development Company of Gujarat.Designation Manager – Administration S/W Division.Key DutiesTo organize with S/W development engg positioned at S/W mill and on client location for their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours operational demands To pull off meeting enlisting of S/W engg as per indent raised by S/W undertaking director. Organizing with HR dept. for Assorted assignment processs and certification Organizing with a/c dept. for assorted payments & A ; impress for S/W engg, sellers & A ; clients. Plan and implement accomplishment set up step preparation coders for S/W engg. Day to twenty-four hours client lovingness and ailment direction. Preparation of day-to-day hebdomadal and Monthly fiscal and operational studies. Customer feedback and satisfaction study. Organizing with Mktg dept for their demand like SRS, S/W squad, S/W undertaking etc. Quality confidence in daily operations and Infrastructure demand. Plan and implement Staff public assistance activities. Assist S/W undertaking director for public presentation assessment of S/W engg. and field engg. To organize and stand in contract domain specialist sellers. General disposal like pull offing substructure & A ; assets. Jan 2000 to Oct 2003 Divine Buds H S SchoolDesignation Teacher – ComputerKey Responsibilities To leave Computer cognition to school pupilsAcademic ProfileJuly 2006 – Dec 2006 Diploma in Human Resource Management from Ahmedabad Management Association. Aug 1995 – Jan 1998 Higher Diploma in S/W engg and S/W Management from Aptech Ahmedabad. Mar 1990 – Feb 1995 B.Sc. From Gujarat University Ahmedabad.AccomplishmentsWon the decoration for 2nd place in aptechOther Technical SkillsC. C++ , SQL, PL-SQL, Oracle, Power Objects ( 5.3 ) , Windows, Unix, Linux, Structured System Analysis & A ; Design, OOP, CIP, Client Server Applications, PPT, Advanced Object Oriented Analysis and design, Relational database System Concepts, MS – Office ( MS Word, Power Point, Excel etc ) .Personal DetailssDate of Birth: 11th March 1974 Fathers Name: Mr. Doulatram Naryandas Aswani – BusinessAvocations and Interest: Playing Chess and Reading.

Brand Equity Essay

Introduction In 2010, Coca-Cola has appeared at the top of the global brands with an estimate value of &78 billion. IBM has closely behind with 71$ billion. Despite those two businesses have totally different of business nature, these two firms have a significant common characteristic which is the value of their brand is extremely high. However, the value of branding isn’t only reveal in those two firms but the entire market has the common factors which are the most successful firm always has a high value of their brand. Branding is one of the critical enduring assets to a company which can be the name, term, design, symbol or any unique feature can be used to identify business. Kapferer (2008) suggest that branding is the most important factor to service industry as its instinctive uniqueness like inseparability, heterogeneity, perishability and tangibility. Furthermore, CEO of McDonald’s claimed that the value of brand is worth than any of their facility and equipment. It indicate that importance of branding is powerful assets which every of marketing manager would have carefully develop and manage. In this paper, we explore the importance of Brand Equity and any of the associated metrics. Brand Equity is the differential effect that knowing the brand name has on customer response to the product or its marketing. America Marketing Association has given a definition of brand equity, it suggests that â€Å"The value of a brand. From a consumer perspective, brand equity is based on consumer attitudes about positive brand attributes and favorable consequences of brand use.† Brand equity is a critical marketing component for building a successful business which gives advantages to increase the profit of the product or services depends on the various value of the brand. Ad agency Young and Rubicm’s Brand Assest Valuator measures brand strength along four consumer perceptions which are the differentiation, knowledge, relevance and esteem. 4 strategy in brand equity Differentiation refers to the process to distinguish a product or services to your rivals. The purpose of approaching differentiation is to position your product to your potential customer which makes the product or services more attractive to a particular market, also, it can increase the competitive  advantage of the products. Successful differentiation can possibly leads the firms to the monopolistic competition which means business has occupy a specify market area. In 2007, Apple introduced the first IPhone in the market; the success differentiation of the IPhone push Apple to become a one of the most successful company in the world. Though, multiple brands has starting introduced new smart phone gradually, Apple has still occupy a mount 25-35% of the market as their successful differentiate their product against their rivals. Moreover, in order to identify the nature of the product differentiation, firms can use some of the metrics to measure. Moreover, brand knowledge, also known as Brand awareness refers to the brands popularity toward firm’s potential consumers. Kevin (1993) declared Brand awareness is related to the functions of brand identities in consumers’ memory and can be reflected by how well the consumers can identify the brand under various conditions. Brand awareness is always the primary goal of advertising which include the brand recognition and recall performance. Larry and John (1992) claimed that Brand recognition refers to the capability for consumers to identify between new brand and consumer previous used brand. The primary objective isn’t to force consumer to recognise the brand names, it often means that consumers can response to a certain brand after viewing its visual packaging images. On the other hands, brand recall refers the consumer’s ability to generate and retrieve the brand in their memory. Furthermore, brand relevance refers to how consumers feel its meets their needs. Aaker (2012) suggest that the brand relevance is to differentiate or innovate new product or services that route to consumer to have a ‘must have’ feeling. Finally, brand esteem refer as how highly consumers regard and respect the brand. consumer’s response to a marketer’s brand-building activity is driven by his perception of two factors: quality and popularity, both of which vary by country and culture. Brands such as Kodak, Maruti, Pepsi, Amul and Raymonds are esteemed in the consumer’s mind, based on popularity more than quality. Therefore, those 4 factors are the most crucial element of brand equity approach, it aims to develop a valuable customer equity which means the value of the customer relationships that the bread create. 3 Level of brand Equity In order to evaluate a brand, there are three level that we can approach to  measure the states of brand. The first level refers as the firm level which measure a brand as a financial asset. It means that firm treat a brand’s value as an intangible asset. Neumeier (2006) provides an example to describe the situation. He claimed that if manager were to take the value of the firm, as derived by its market capitalization—and then subtract tangible assets and â€Å"measurable† intangible assets—the residual would be the brand equity. On the other hand, the term ‘Brand valuation modelling’ is also highly relevant to the brand equity in this level. Brand valuation models typically combine a brand equity measure with commercial metrics such as margin or economic profit. It can determine the actual value and the potential value of the brand in the future. The second level is product level refer as compare the price of the product with infamous brand. We assume that the different in price, consumers would be favourite in our brand. Firms always determine their sales price by the result of this level. The third level is the consumer level which defines as seeks to measure the awareness and brand image. Free association tests and projective techniques are commonly used to uncover the tangible and intangible attributes, attitudes, and intentions about a brand Brands with high levels of awareness and strong, favourable and unique associations are high equity brands. (Keller 1993) The 3 Brand Equity Metrics In order to identify the level of success for the brand equity, there are three metrics which can be used to measure the performance from three different aspects. Firstly, financial brand equity metrics is used to measure a brand’s profitability and it is include market share, price sensitivity, profitability, revenue etc. Roll (2009) reveals that Measure a brand’s monetary value through the various parameters of market share, price premium a brand commands, the revenue generation capabilities of a brand, the transaction value, the lifetime value of a brand and the rate at which brands sustains growth. The purpose of this measure is to allow a firm to evaluate an accurate financial value of brand equity linked to marketing metrics. Moreover, Knowledge metrics is the key driver of brand equity which refer to measure brand’s awareness and popularity via many stages of recognition, aided, unaided and top of mind recall. Similarly, the functional and emotional associations of a brand are important drivers of  brand equity. Knowledge metrics include the loyalty, retention and awareness. For example, PlayBoy is recently changing their target consumers and markets. It must be imperative to them as their recognition has decreased significant in the global market such as China. As the result, PlayBoy has suffered of a huge loss because the losing of knowledge metrics. The third metrics is Consumer Brand Equity Metrics which refer to track consumer sentiment and behaviors related to your brand to get a complete understanding of brand equity. If consumers believe in a brand, it has far more equity than a brand that consumers don’t care about or believe in. (Gunelius). In order to approach this metrics, firms has to ask questions through surveys and research that gives information of how people feel about the brand and how they make purchase decision. Firms can use those dates to track the brand equ ity to ensure it’s growing in a positive direction. The Benefit of Brand Equity Approaching brand equity is always giving a lot of advantages to the firms. I strongly suggest should use brand equity to gain the benefit shown below 1. Increase market share of the company If a firms successfully approach brand equity in the market, their product value will be excess the market expectation which will attract potential investor to invest into the company. It increase the market share at the market, moreover, it accelerate the development of new firms. Beats electronics is developed on 2008 and it has become one of the most valuable audio product manufactures in the world. As they have unique strategy to promote and differentiate their product, the value of their brand has increase 27 billion dollars in 3 years and it has been purchased by Apple on 2014. 2. Helps build Brand loyalty Brand loyalty is directly related with brand equity. Well-developed and promoted brands make product positioning efforts more effective. Brand loyalty is the consumer’s commitment to repurchase to a specific brand while  brand equity refers to the marketing effects which a product’s value increases because the branding effect. This means that people will always show more brand loyalty a specific brand if the brand equity of the product is higher. For example, Apple as one of the leader sheep of the smart phone market, their unique feature and design has earned a lot of brand loyalty in the market. 3. Helps to introduce new product When Firms are trying to establish a new product in the market, it is always easier if the firms have successful brand equity as their brand is already well-known in the market. 4. Reduce promotion cost Promotion is always costly ecstatically through media channel. However, brand equity can reduce the price of the promotion as they have a solid consumer base which will promote firm’s product by word of mouth. Conclusion Brand equity is a phrase used in the marketing industry to try to obtain the benefit from the brand’s power, based on the idea that the owner of the well-known brand name can make more revenue from products or services. As consumers believe that products with famous names is better than less well-known products as another word for â€Å"brand equity† is the â€Å"brand value†. The value will have be premium when a firm realizes from a product with a recognizable name as compared to its generic equivalent. Companies can create brand equity for their products by 4 aspects which are differentiation, knowledge, relevance and esteem. Therefore, business should approach brand equity as their primary goal as it provides a lot of advantage and it increase the marketing productivity significantly. Reference list Gunelius, S 2014,’ Brand Equity Basics – Part 1: What Is Brand Equity?’ retrieved 07 September 2014, < http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/referencing/harvard> Aaker, D 2009 Managing Brand Equity, The Free Press, New York Kohli, C& Leuthesser, L 2001,’ BRAND EQUITY: CAPITALIZING ON INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL’, retrieved 07 September 2014, < http://www.brandchannel.com/images/papers/brandequitycapitalizing.pdf> Keller, K L 1993,’Conceptualizing, Measuring, and managing Customer-Basaed Brand Equity’, Journal of Marketing, retrieved 07 September 2014, < http://www.iseg.utl.pt/aula/cad1849/conceptualizing_measuring_managing_cbbe.pdf>

The Ethics of International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Ethics of International Business - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the relationship of the managers, including the directors, with the stakeholders, is mainly fiduciary. They are after all paid for working for the primary stakeholder, the shareholder to create value and profit for him. It is incidental that for earning this profit, they have to be equally mindful of befitting the secondary stakeholders. Contrary to common belief, there are many stakeholders in the business apart from the shareholder or the stockholder. They are the employees, customers, suppliers, bankers and even the society at large who look for some benefit from the company, and in turn are also its well-wishers. The various audits and financial data only show that these are results of activities that have been checked for correctness but they do not reflect on what level of competence was exercised. The better and more comprehensive method is through Corporate Governance. The company is a legal entity and theref ore has to enter into commercial transactions all the time for carrying on its business activities. These transactions are concluded by the managers on behalf of the company since the legal entity is not a person and needs agents to carry out these duties for it. This ability of the managers to enter into legal contracts and agreements makes them the agent of the company with the liability resting with the company. This situation gives rise to irresponsible behavior on the part of managers who do not carry the burden of any wrongdoing on their part. It is to control this likely misuse of power that Corporate Governance assumes importance.

Care of primigravida in labour reqiring an Epidural at 4cm Essay

Care of primigravida in labour reqiring an Epidural at 4cm - Essay Example The third stage involves an evaluation of the positive and negative points of the experience. The fourth stage is an analysis of the components of the experience. The fifth stage includes making a conclusion based on the facts gathered about the experience. Lastly, an action plan is devised based on the results of the experience. Baird and Winter (2005) identified reasons as to why reflection is important in professional practice such as enhancement of capacity to critique habitual practices, generate practice knowledge, develop ability to adapt to new situations, and to resolve conflicts and contradictions in theory and in professional practice. Reflection, according to Baird and Winter (2005), also aims to improve one’s self-esteem and satisfaction, and that the overall goal of reflection is to value, develop and professionalise the practice. Siviter (2008) supports the use of reflective practice in that it provides an avenue for a person to contemplate the reasons behind decision making and one’s own actions. As a person gains experience, his or her own skills and intuition will be developed subconsciously. A person usually relies on this skills and intuition but there are situations wherein one has to be certain in doing the right things for the right reasons. In addition, reflection helps a person avoid professional entropy, which pertains to a condition wherein a person loses his or her proficiency on a certain skill due to lack of practice. This applies even to the most basic and fundamental skills. This part of the reflection provides an account of the event that took place. I am a band 5 midwife working on supervised practice at a UK hospital. A patient was admitted showing signs of second stage of labour. The patient’s name is Ellen, who is 30 years old and has a body mass index (BMI) of 29. Immediate care was given Ellen, with epidural analgesia administered

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Journal - Essay Example Kennedy has several points he wants to drive home in his inaugural speech. First, he seeks to pass a message of accomplishment to his fans and a new era to Americans and beyond. His speech starts with diction to show his presidential accomplishment and to pass a message to Americans that he believes in the freedom gained through his election. Secondly, his speech seeks to get support from Americans to back his presidency. He achieves this through awakening Americans pre-existing sense of pride by reminding them of their heroic independent day. Kennedy seems to have a deeper understanding of his audience most of which happened to be Americans. He knows that independent day means so much to Americans and so his reference to it and to forbearers creates some support for Kennedy through association. His reference to history also helps him achieve the aspect of credibility needed by his audience. In addition, Kennedy portrays an understanding of the audience by constructing a message desi gned for the media. His message is rhetoric and full of imagery, which makes it appealing to the public in America and beyond and memorable. Kennedy is a man of good character. After being sworn in and acknowledging the purpose of the celebrations, Kennedy goes ahead to declare the solemnity of this act. Kennedy states, â€Å"For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago† (Kennedy web). Kennedy acknowledges the supreme power above him, which is God. In addition, he does not take the entire glory of the success but recognises that his forebears had prescribed it. In addition, Kennedy uses a polite tone it trying to get support for his presidency. For instance, Kennedy says, â€Å"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts,

MGT3190 Assigment for August 2008 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

MGT3190 Assigment for August 2008 - Essay Example Cultural values, status issues, general living conditions, climate, healthcare facilities, everyday customs, food, transport, living costs, religious or spiritual opportunities, openness to change, conservation and self-transcendence were the variables taken into consideration in the study. (Van Vianen, De Pater and Kristof-Brown) A survey questionnaire was given to the test subject expatriates over an interval of three months. Surface-level differences only affect the attitude towards living conditions and changes like living, eating, and climate etc. deep-level differences are the ones that actually affect interaction with locals and adjusting to the new working environment over time. Deep-level differences affect an expatriate's adjustment to work, more. The study gave a detailed account of previous findings. If people are trained and prepared better for cross regional assignments, it will be easier for them to adjust and perform well. The research should have also concentrated on the new outsourcing trend and how the adjustment process takes place in a web based business world. The research question basically asked if the practical school of thought was justified. ... The study gave a detailed account of previous findings. If people are trained and prepared better for cross regional assignments, it will be easier for them to adjust and perform well. The research should have also concentrated on the new outsourcing trend and how the adjustment process takes place in a web based business world. Article-2: Managerial behaviors and job performance: a successful manager in Los Angeles may not succeed in Hong Kong Introduction The article studies whether the behavior that affects work performance of American managers, also affects the performance of American managers in Hong Kong. This study further compared the two schools of thought and did an in depth analysis of the practical school of thought and how it's not the ideal one, even if it is most widely used. The research question basically asked if the practical school of thought was justified. And if American managers' behavior in the US would have a positive affect on performance in Hong Kong The hypotheses were: 1. "American expatriate managers will have a similar behavior overseas, to American managers in the US." (Black) 2. "Managerial behaviors which are related to performance in the US will be related to performance overseas." (Black) Method LBDQ subscale variables were representation, demand reconciliation, tolerance of uncertainty, persuasiveness, and initiation of structure, tolerance of freedom, role assumption, consideration, production emphasis, predictive accuracy, integration and superior orientation. Also, friendliness, openness to communication and defining roles etc. were included. (Black) Questionnaire surveys were given to American managers in the US and Hong Kong, as well has Hong Kong based local managers. Results The findings mainly showed that

Assignment 5 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

5 - Assignment Example People have intermarried reducing the pure generation that can claim to be Maori. Contrary, the Bushmen in Africa have not received significant changes in their social or economic lives, hence failing to realize the major benefits that come with technology. This paper presents an in depth comparison between the two communities based on the past and current technological developments, and in the general society. Keywords: Maori, Bushmen, San, Society, Indigenous People, New Zealand, Southern Africa, European Settlers, Urban, Rural, Technological Development, Population , Culture, Social, Economical, Historical, Agriculture, Communication, Education, Modern World Introduction Technology is the backbone of every society’s civilization and human development. It is used to make things easier, of more quality, and in increased quantity. Some eliminate human roles and interventions acting to reduce long term costs and saving time. Technologies have evolved over time, and are commonly used in different fields such as medicine, transportation, agriculture, food preservation, administration, industrial production and processes, military, education systems, and entertainment. All these have affected the human lifestyles and activities in one way or the other, depending on how accessible the technology is. Societies in developed nations like the Maori of New Zealand stand a better chance to access the technology, and change their ways of life compared to those in developing countries. Societies such as the Bushmen of Southern Africa have not had the opportunity to interact with most technologies, making them to lag behind in development and literacy. Impact of Technology on Contemporary Maori Society from Historical, Cultural and Social Viewpoints Cultural and historical viewpoint The indigenous Maori people spoke their te reo maori language, resulting to most named sites in modern New Zealand having names influenced by the original language and culture. Technology developments have brought changes in their language, due to migration to urban areas hence eroding certain senses of Maori identity. Along the 20th century and since the New Zealand gained independence in early 1900s, missionaries and the colonial government and its enacted policies stimulated cultural heritage disappearance, such that in the contemporary world, few Maori’s speak Te reo Maori (only 23.7 percent could hold a fluent conversation, majority being the older generation), while the majority from the community (Maori and non Maori) speak English (Lai, 2010). English has improved their communication with the rest of the world and enhanced learning. Today, besides the traditional weaving, carving, and art works, the Maori people have increased their literacy level, with numerous science courses and careers raising scientific knowledgeable workforce. More people now live in the urban areas hence separating from most traditional activities and losing historical ties with their cultures. Facial tattooing practices have become rare in the urban population, and most people do not understand their traditionally recognized clans or tribes. Their food and dressing style is more westernized, but local designers try to incorporate an aspect of their Maori culture with the changes in the technological products. Social viewpoint The Maori use computers to enhance their creativity, performing arts, in high level learning institutions, research, and organizational

Is there a causal relationship between proximity to power plants and Essay

Is there a causal relationship between proximity to power plants and cancer cases - Essay Example The floating Chernobyl explosion radiation particles contaminated the cow’s milk products. Similarly, milk products from the nearby Satre Selo Village and the Perehodichi Village were contaminated. The Chernobyl cows’ ate the radiation-infected grass. The grass grew on radiation- contaminated farm soil (Stepanova et al., 2008). The residents’ eating contaminated cow’s milk was a confounder variable. The winds’ blowing the radioactive particles to particular community is another confounder variable. The people’s long exposure within the vicinity of the Chernobyl community is a third confounder variable. If there were no cows eating the grass, the people will not drink the cows’ milk or eat the infected cows’ meat. Consequently, the number of cancer incidents would favourably decline. Consequently, the contamination spread. The contaminated soil contaminated the grass that grew on the contaminated soil. Next, the cows ate the -radiation contaminated grass. By eating the contaminated grass, the cows were contaminated with radiation. When the farmers extracted the milk from the cows, the milk products were contaminated by the Chernobyl radiation (Zamostian et al., 2002). The contaminated soil was another confounder that increased the number of cancer incidents within the Chernobyl community. Another confounder was the quantity of contaminated food eaten. With more people eating radiation-contaminated food, more people died from the deadly cancer ailment. Further, the Chernobyl accident research focused on soil contamination measurements from Ukraine’s 38 Narodichesky region communities (Karmaus et al., 2008) The six year research included children respondents belonging to the 18 years old and below age range. The PROC MIXED linear measurement model to gather radiation data, controlling confounders. The findings indicate erythrocyte, blood

Policy paper-fixing health care (Zoonotic disease) Research Paper

Policy -fixing health care (Zoonotic disease) - Research Paper Example stercoralis (3%). The overall prevalence of D. immitis is 25.3% (from www.EMERGING%20PARASITES%20OF%20PUBLIC%20HEALTH%20SIGNIFICANCE ). Evaluation of the parasite burden of Tricuris tricuria in a St. Lucian community showed most of the community having a low burden of the parasite, while few members of the community had a heavy burden. 84% of t those harbouring the parasite were found to be children in the age group two to fifteen years. Children of the same age group constituted 87% of those individuals having hundred or more worms (Bundy et al, 1987). Zoonotic burden in Jamaica is to a significant extent due to the close interaction of humans and pets like dogs. 73% of the households in Jamaica maintain pet dogs. Assessment through faecal examination showed that 58% of the animals were infected with one or more of the eight helminths distributed as Uncinaria stenocecephala 26%, Ancylostoma sp. 23%, Trichuris vulpis 9%, Toxocara canis 8%, Spirocera lupi 6%, Strongyloides sp. 6%, Appphallus sp. 4%, and taenids 1% (Robinson, Thompson & Lindo, 1989). The results of the study into the Annotto Bay community in the Parish of St. Mary, Jamaica showed that 64.7% of the stool specimens of the community had one or more of the helminth species and that there was a marked age dependence demonstrated with the helminth infestation occurring most commonly in the pre-school children (Win, 1996). Screw worms or Cochliomyia hominivorax infestation in Jamaica in 1998 was 25,000. Since then an eradication program has led to its diminishing infestation in Jamaica. Between 2004 and 2007 the annual average infestation of screw worms had dipped to 2,000 and in 2008 the infestation had dropped to 452, which included twenty infestations in humans (Reid, 2008). In 2007 UNAIDS sponsored a study into the prevalence of intestinal parasites in children infected with HIV/Aids. The results of

Integrating Internet-based mathematical manipulatives within Essay Example for Free

Integrating Internet-based mathematical manipulatives within Essay Integrating Internet-based Mathematical Manipulatives Within a Learning Environment The article explores the development, use and importance of digital manipulatives in a mathematics classroom. These manipulatives are believed to be more versatile, economic and efficient than either the manufactured or teacher-created concrete objects traditionally used in the classroom. Manipulatives have been used from time immemorial and have provided tangible mental picture of abstract mathematical concepts. The digitalization of these manipulatives is an important progress in this process. However, the presumption that the article makes about the efficacy of manipulatives in teaching children along with the supposed teaching potential of the manipulatives is doubtful and smells of commercial publicity. There are several advantages that manipulatives are purported to provide. They concretize theoretical ideas, make the study concrete, build confidence in the learner, help solve problems and make the learning experience interesting. What the paper presupposes is that only the using of digital manipulatives is sufficient to bring each of these advantages. This is not supported by evidence. Let us consider the claim that manipulatives build confidence, if a section of the students is less familiar with web based technology than other students in the class, they are likely to lose confidence-using manipulatives. This may adversely affect their learning of math concepts and unnecessarily handicap them. The paper places some conditions that must be fulfilled to realize the full potential of manipulatives. For instance the parents must experience the system, manipulatives should be used for writing assignment, teacher pronounces the benefits to the students, ground rules are established and students are encouraged to explore more material on the web. If manipulatives are used as prescribed they can improve the understanding of more complex and more advanced math theories. These conditions are impractical. What happens if the parents are unfamiliar with the web? Does it put their children at a disadvantage? A teacher pronounces the benefits of manipulatives to children. This is a straw man. If a teacher uses manipulatives she automatically supports the method, there is no need to sermonize it. A child being encouraged to explore more material on the web is an issue that is not related directly to manipulatives. This opens up a host of debatable issues including the exposure of children to unsuitable material. Digital manipulatives can be downloaded and installed on school computers or distributed to children on CDs to be viewed in their homes. The issue of encouraging children to explore the web is not directly related to manipulatives. Further there is no teacher to guide the children in case of glitches. See what the instructions of a manipulative say. (Public Broadcasting Service, 2006). Familiarize yourself with the rules of this fraction game and have fun creating flag designs with the designated fractions. You can choose to paint by half, quarters, and combinations of quarters and halves and then the program will pick colors for you to paint your design by clicking in the flag. One drawback is that there is no help provided if the fraction portions are incorrect, you can only advance if you have painted to correct fractions. A research that comprised of a survey tested the proficiency development potential of manipulatives in math teaching. The basics tested in the survey were motivation, unique instructional capabilities, and support for new instructional approaches, increased teacher productivity and skills for an information age. Eleven teachers were surveyed using a five-point scale. The results were mixed. The results showed that the teachers felt that the use of digital manipulatives had a high positive impact on motivation, that the digital manipulatives had exceptional instructional capabilities, that the web based manipulatives supported new instructional approaches and that the web based manipulatives provided excellent training for an information age. What the teachers did not agree was that the web-based technology increased their productivity. In addition, the teacher showed apprehension about some issues like their inability to track the progress of the student, tricky web sites, ambiguous instructions and lack of direct feedback. This research is not valid. It does not clarify which constructs it attempts to measure. It does not give the process by which it selected the five variables. In addition, the sample size of eleven teachers is too small to reach any meaningful conclusion. Again, the study does not mention basis or the criteria for the selection of the eleven teachers. The study does not give us the details of how the survey scale was constructed. Was there a pilot test? It seems not. The direct conclusion of the research was that virtual manipulatives encouraged student-oriented erudition. The study assumed that the responses of the 11 teachers were indicative of the affect of the digital manipulatives on children. This is questionable. The background of the teachers is not given. Which type of schools they taught in? What physical manipulatives were the teachers using currently? The teachers were ambivalent as to whether digital manipulatives were better than concrete manipulatives and whether teachers were willing to replace concrete manipulatives entirely with digital manipulatives. The teachers have expressed reservations about their inability to track the progress of the student, ambiguous instructions and lack of feedback. If these concerns are addressed satisfactorily it is doubtful if digital manipulatives will remain student centric. In addition, the paper does not define what it means by ‘student centric’. Currently the digital manipulatives that are available on the net offer innovative, interesting and concrete learning opportunities of otherwise nonrepresentational math theories. The end result is that children manage to learn math concepts that were earlier believed to be too advanced for them. These are believed to increase theoretical learning, deeper understanding of dynamic systems, calculation, communication and innovation in thinking. The paper presupposes that the use of the new technology alone is sufficient for enhanced learning of complicated theories. This is not supported by evidence. The learning experience is a function of the power of understanding of the student, the effort he puts in to comprehend and his analytical skills. In addition, learning is facilitated by teacher inputs and guidance. Digital manipulatives cannot replace teacher inputs nor can they substitute student aptitude and effort. Attributing learning achievements to a learning tool is a lopsided opinion inspired by the sales propaganda of digital manipulatives software developers. In sum, the paper eulogizes the benefits of web-based manipulatives for math learning. These manipulatives are claimed to increase children’s understanding of advanced theories and increase the attractiveness of these theories. These web-based manipulatives are declared to focus on the learner and make an optimal use of web-based technology for visualizing intangible concepts. References: Public Broadcasting Service (2006). PBS Teacher Source: Fraction Flags. Retrieved from http://www. pbs. org/teachersource/recommended/math/lk_onlinegames. shtm on August 19, 2006.

The Three Major Security Threats in Healthcare Essay Example for Free

The Three Major Security Threats in Healthcare Essay Nowadays Doctors and Nurses has several mobile devices in order to provide patient care. Virtualization is very important in providing adequate and affordable patient care in the rural health industry. Attempts to breach security happen every day in our agency. Preventing cyber-attacks and security breaches is a never ending battle in network security. Introduction I am an IT professional focusing on network security in the healthcare industry. Every day we monitor the network for phishing/pharming, DoS attacks, Trojans, and other security breaches. Mobile Devices, virtualization and lackadaisical end-users are the biggest threats to network security. Mobile Devices An article in GCN says it best, â€Å"Mobile devices are ubiquitous in todays society, and the number and types of devices used by physicians, nurses, clinicians, specialists, administrators and staff – as well as patients and visitors – is growing at healthcare agencies across the country.† Nowadays Doctors and Nurses has several mobile devices in order to provide patient care. Cellphones, laptops, and tablets are of the norm. I can’t remember the last time I had a doctor’s visit and the doctor didn’t update my chart using a laptop or tablet. All of these wireless devices make the network vulnerable. In my opinion wireless security has always been the hardest part of the network to protect because there isn’t a physical connection that can be monitored. End-users don’t always use secure passwords or they share passwords. At our agency an employee is not allowed to bring in a mobile device other than a personal cellphone to the workplace in order to reduce security breaches. â€Å"The Office of Management and Budget, Personal Identity Verification cards had been issued to 3.75 million federal employees as of Dec. 1, 2010, or 80 percent of the government workforce, and to 76 percent of contractors who are eligible to use the cards, about 885,000 contractors.† My agency uses Personal Identity Verification or PIV cards to gain access to wired devices on the network unfortunately that is not the case for wireless devices. Although we have two-party authentication in place for all devices it would be nice to have tertiary layer such as a smart card or PIV card for wireless devices. I don’t foresee a solution happening for a few years due to the cost in an already financially burdened healthcare system. It is true that â€Å"a reliance on off-the-shelf products means that there will be no PIV card readers available for workers signing on to check e-mail or read a document while out of the office.† Virtualization The agency I work for specializes in rural healthcare therefore often they don’t have the equipment or the staffing to complete tasks such as reading X-rays, providing behavioral health etc. Over the years we have had to implement Telehealth in order to meet these requirements. A patient in rural Minnesota may have his or her x-rays read by a physician in Billings, Montana. An individual may have weekly counseling sessions with a psychiatrist that is 500 miles away. Nowadays most healthcare companies use electronic health records to access patient information. Denial of Service DoS attacks happen when a hacker manages to overload a server to render it useless. A DoS attack is prevalent and damaging in virtualized environments and can preventsthe physicians and nurses from retrieving a patient’s information. If they are unable to access patient history to include what medications they are on or what they may be allergic to etc then they are unable to provide or give the wrong patient care which could be deadly. Therefore virtualization is very important in providing adequate and affordable patient care in the rural health industry. End-Users Our agency has mandatory computer security and security training every year in an effort to preempt attacks on the network. This mandatory training is required to be taken by every employee including the IT department. Attempts to breach security happen every day in our agency. Although we have security measures in place we have to constantly educate our end users on how to handle suspicious activity, password safety etc. Unfortunately there is always that one person that opens a suspicious email or shares their password or loses their token or PIV card and they don’t report it. This makes the network vulnerable. I have always believed that end users are a company’s biggest security risk. Allowing end users to access social media, personal email etc can allow for viruses to infect PC’s server’s etc. Once a virus is in the network it will spread like wildfire which will cripple the network. Prevention We use a lot of tools to constantly monitor the network to prevent DoS attacks, viruses, packet sniffing, phishing etc. We have implemented Websense as a means of policing what websites an end-user can surf to. We have firewalls in place to prevent end-users as well as outsiders from having access to IP ranges on our network as well as outside the network. We use access list on the routers as another layer of protection. We have penetration testers in our department whose only purpose is to look for packet sniffing and holes in the network. We have another group that monitor’s suspicious activity on the network such as a spike in bandwidth or an IP that is sending or receiving a large amount of information for specific length of time. Preventing cyber-attacks and security breaches is a never ending battle in network security. Conclusion Healthcare news states that â€Å"†¦Healthcare is driving the need for network security solutions that can cover multiple types of devices and infrastructure components.† Although we are largely driven by the Federal Communications Commission and HIPPAA my department is constantly implementing new devices and measures to secure the network and protect patient and employee information. This takes constant training and a lot of due diligence to accomplish that goal. References Are mobile devices already making PIV cards obsolete? Retrieved on October 13, 2013 from http://gcn.com/articles/2011/03/11/piv-status-update.aspx PIV Cards are in the hands of most federal employees and contractors, Retrieved on October 13, 2013 from http://gcn.com/articles/2011/03/11/piv-status-update.aspx Top Five Security Threats in Healthcare, Retrieved on October 14, 2013 from http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/top-5-security-threats-healthcare

Cryonics: The Transhumanist Technology to Expand Lifespan

Cryonics: The Transhumanist Technology to Expand Lifespan Olivia Ilono Abstract Cryonics is a transhumanist technology that rests on the principle that in the future the lethal diseases that causes most modern deaths would be curable and that the effects of long-term freezing would be reversed. The deceased are contained in low-temperature capsules of liquid nitrogen where they will remain until future technology is able to revive them. Some outstanding discovery has occurred that suggests that aldehyde-stabilised cryopreservation (ASC) is the way forward (especially for neuropreservation-conservation of the brain) although it would take some difficulty adapting this method to human brains. There are many ethical issues surrounding cryonics such as concerns of harming the environment, prohibiting donation of organs, being a tool that is against the belief of God and possible risks in the technology leading to the members (awaiting cryopreservation at death) no waiting for a natural death. Although it is unlikely for the technology to be a success, there are stil l hopes. Introduction In the last few decades, there has been an exponential increase in the development and creation of new technology which leaves many optimistic that one day in the near future the power of revival could be possible. This idea falls under the concept of the transhumanism movement which connects the different branches of the STEM subjects. The main aim of the transhumanism movement is advancing the human lifestyle and body through incorporating modern and future technologies. One important technology involved in this movement is cryonics. Cryonics is preserving human bodies (other wised legally dead) at very low temperatures. This technology rests o[DS1] the principle that in the future that the diseases that caused these deaths would be curable and reversing the affects of freezing would be possible. Overview of subject How Does Cryonics Work? Scientists, that involved in carrying out cryopreservation, state that although the person may be pronounced as legally dead due to their heart no longer carrying out its main function of pumping blood around the body some of the brains cellular functions last shortly after death. When the hopeful is pronounced as legally dead, an emergency team quickly reaches the deceased in order to preserve sufficient function   whilst being taken to the cryopreservation facility the person must be supplied with enough oxygen and blood which is especially necessary for the brain. During transportation, the chemical heparin is injected into the deceased that is stored in ice which stop the blood from clotting. When the decease arrive at the cryonics facility, the team must remove all the water from their cells and restore the unbalance with a cryoprotectant. After this they are then able to place the deceased in a vessel containing liquid nitrogen (at -195à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C) without the cells bursting. In order to preserve the ultrastructure, the organs of the must go through a process of vitrification which involves a placing the body in an area of dry ice so that the body can be chilled. Many scientists that carry out cryopreservation believe that nanotechnology would be able to fix the damage of the brain due to long-term freezing and possibly cure their lethal disease that killed them. Many predict that attempts of unfreezing the cryonauts for revival could happen in the next three decades. Ethics[DS2] As one may expect with a technology that essential revives the dead, there are many ethical constraints against the technology. One argument against the progress of cryonic storage is that it prohibits the deceased from donating their organs. Some may think that they deprive people in hospitals that are on the long waiting list of receiving these vital organs. Although this is a valid argument it doesnt address the fact that many people that are legally dead dont donate their organs even without taking the cryopreservation route. Therefore this argument holds no grounds by which people that opt to be stored under cryonic storage should be scrutinised, as the vast majority of the public which are capable of donating their organs that would definitely be put to no use after their death choose not to donate their organs. In addition, if cryonics will be a success, the revived would require these organs for their later life therefore extending the life span and increasing their quality o f life which are the reasons many of these patients require these organs. Another point against cryonics is that is can cause more harm to the environment than common processes of disposing a dead body. Cryonics requires a vast amount of resources (i.e liquid nitrogen) over the future decades which will not be cheap. However, this rests on the failure of cryonics as if it is successful the cryonaut would be revived rather than disposed of therefore cryopreservation is very different to these methods. If cryonics offers the hope of some day being revived back to life in the distant future, would it be worth suffering pain in this lifetime? This conception is notably the most prevalent ethical issue as it suggests that premature or assisted suicides could be carried out in order to prevent long term suffering from a painful deadly disease as they may view cryonics as a hope or the future. In addition, as collecting and freezing the brain as soon as possible gives rise to higher probability of cryopreservation being successful due to there being less damage to the brain it may be tempting to many to have an early and more organised death in order to increase chances of being revived in the future. This is a very dangerous precaution as the idea that cryonics would be able to bring back the dead is very much conditional and it would be morally wrong to end ones life sooner than anticipated. Whilst discussing morals, it would be wrong not to address the elephant in the room.   It is unquestionable to state that if the cryonics technology does turn out to be successful it may make many question what death means. As the cryonauts would have been legally dead but returned back to life, it clashes with the belief that there is a God and heaven. This therefore would make people less accepting to the concept of God and leaves the question to be asked if it is possible to live forever through the repeated use of this process. However, it may not actually question religious belief as who is s to know if the spirit of the deceased will return as the newly revived may retain the memories of cryonaut but a different soul. It would also leave many to wonder where the spirits of the deceased would have been whilst under storage which would make human kind a step closer into answering one of the 4 fundamental questions of life- What happens when I die?. The Future of Cryonics Scientists of the 21st century medicine have been able to recover a rabbits brain that was placed under cryopreservation with minimal damage to the brain. Through aldehyde-stabilised cryopreservation (ASC) they were able to preserve the neurones and synapses in the brain which led to the researcher being awarded the Small Mammal Brain Preservation prize. The researchers believe that this technology could be implemented in larger brains as through perfusion the chemicals were able to reach and go through the brains of the rabbit and it is thought that this process could easily be carried out in brains as large as the human brain. Furthermore, by turning the brain into a glassy solid matter they were able to maintain the brains ultrastructure after long-term storage. However, the team does express that it is less applicable and effective in human brains as the brain banks would only receive these chemicals hours after death which by then there would have been significant damage to the brain making revival less likely. Nevertheless, there is still optimism in carrying this technique in other parts of the human body. Will cryonics be successful? This is the important question to answer as observed from what has been written so far it is a prominent aspect when discussing the cryonic technology. Kaufman ,a software engineer at Google, was able to quantitatively estimate the success of cryonics by surveying members of the Cambridge LessWrong meetup for their estimates (probabilities) in response to each question he created that would determine if cryonic was possible. Unfortunately, only one member of the meetup had a success rate of more than 50% therefore suggesting that it is a very small chance in cryonics. [DS3]However, Kaufman only surveyed 6 members (including himself) therefore the sample size is insufficient so reliable conclusions cant be made from these results. Furthermore, majority of questions were external factors which the member has no control over, for example, the probability that the cryonics facility that the member chose would become bankrupt and have to close down. This therefore means that there is a de gree of irrationality of each individual member estimating probabilities of events happening as they dont have enough insight to produce a probability. According to Kaufmans results, the average chance of success for cryonics is 7.4% (excluding the anomaly) which lies between Harriss probability of 15% (when optimistic) and 0.23% (when pessimistic) (Harris,1998) . This therefore makes Kaufman results more reliable as the average chance of success is within the range that a physician at Alcor Life Extension Foundation (a cryonic facility) was able to achieve after forming The Warren Equation and inputting probabilities from his insight and knowledge. On the other hand, this raises a concern as it shows in the best of cases it shows that cryonics has a small chance of being successful therefore suggesting that it is more likely to fail than succeed. Research Methodology[DS4] The main form of research used in this paper was secondary research. Many of the resources were accessed from the World Wide Web and qualitative, as well as, quantitative research was able to be collected. Majority of the research that was collected was not fairly recent due to the cryonic facilities still using methods that were used decades before therefore many of the sources were not primarily from the last 2 years. Conclusion[DS5] The main aims of this research paper was to bring forth background knowledge on cryonics and investigate whether it would be possible to use this technology as a means of expanding the human lifespan whilst also discussing the ethical issues concerning the technology as it is very important when evaluating if the technology would be used in the future. Although, it is abundantly clear that the technology will most likely not have the capacity to revive the dead in the near future, there is still a small chance that this technology could be used in the future. There could discover that it is better most efficient to focus on neuropreservation rather than whole-body cryopreservation as the most expressed in this paper the main difficulty lies in preserving the brain whilst also maintaining the owners memories. Even though the odds are against this technology from being successful, there is limit to know what future technology is capable of. References[DS6] Bostron, N. (2003). Transhumanist values. [online] nickbostrom.com Available at:http://www.nickbostrom.com/ethics/values.html [Accessed 24/08/16] Harris, S. (1989) Will Cryonics work? [online] alcor.org Available at: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/WillCryonicsWork.html [Accessed 3/09/16] Kaufman, J. (2012) More Cryonics Probability Estimates. [online] jefftk.com/index. Available at:https://www.jefftk.com/p/more-cryonics-probability-estimates [Accessed 26/08/16] Mathewson, S. (2016) Cryogenics: Entire Rabbit Brain Successfully Frozen and Revived For First Time [online] natureworldnews.com Available at: http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/19877/20160211/cryogenics-entire-rabbit-brain-successfully-frozen-revived-first-time.htm [Accessed 24/08/16] Shaw, D. (2009). Cryoethics: seeking life after death. Bioethics,[online] Volume 23(9), p.515-521. Available at: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/18452/1/18452.pdf [Accessed 24/08/16] Van Riper, A. (2002). Science in Popular Culture: A Reference Guide City Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, p.35 Watson, S. (2005). How Cryonics Works. [online] HowStuffWorks.com. Available at: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/cryonics.htm [Accessed 26/08/16]

Nature and Supernatural in Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

Use of Nature and Supernatural in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   The aura of darkness, deception, and horror present in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, envelopes the entire play and is created mainly by the sense of violence and foreboding that is evoked by the imagery.   The dominant images of nature and the supernatural contribute to the atmosphere of this tragedy.   The predictions of the weird sisters, along with natural forces and supernatural images, have lead to chaos in Scotland due to their impact on the characters of the play, which brings about many delusions and deaths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nature is an image brought up many times, in both physical and human aspects.   The storms made by the witches, consisting of heavy rains, lightning and thunder, cause darkness to lure over Scotland.   This darkness creates the atmosphere for the horrors that occur in the tragedy, which is seen by Duncan being killed at night and Banquo being killed in darkness, which is represented by he and Fleance entering with a torch.   The famous Romantic essayist, Thomas De Quincey, explains the purpose of this darkness phenomenon by saying that the "'world of darkness'" replaces the "'world of ordinary life'" after Macbeth kills Duncan (Harris and Scott, comp. 166).   Macbeth goes to the witches for a second time in a dark place, in which the darkness coincides with the horror that is yet to come.   The witches create other natural forces, in addition to storms and darkness, which is seen when they cause wind in order to blow a sailor's ship to an island and leave him shipwrecked to suffer and die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The witches mainly represent the dominant image of the supernatural and are referred to as the "weird sisters", which mea... ...nzen, and Scott, Mark W. ed. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1986. Hugget, Richard. Supernatural on Stage: The Curse of Macbeth: Its Origins, Background, and History. New York: Taplinger Publishing Co, 1975. 153-211. Lewis, William Dodge. Shakespeare Said It. Syracuse: Syracuse University, 1961. Quincey, Thomas De essay from Harris, Laurie Lanzen, and Scott, Mark W. ed. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1986. Traversi, D. A. essay from Harris, Laurie Lanzen, and Scott, Mark W. ed. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1986. Wells, Stanley, and Taylor Gary. ed. The Oxford Shakespeare, The Complete Works: Macbeth. By William Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. 975-999.

Essay --

I was interested in languages since I was just 3 years old. I liked especially English as it was the second language after Armenian that I heard in my childhood and which had a great sway on me. It was mostly because of the Disney cartoons. Growing up under the influence of those cartoons and movies I started learning English. First movie by Walt Disney that I saw was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". This movie made me fall in love with English. I started developing my language skills with listening to music and watching movies in English. Going deeper into the lyrics and movies, I was able to understand the beauty of this language. And also those movies helped me create my dreams. Since my childhood, I dreamed about founding my own TV Company for children in my hometown, since I believe mass communication, including television should have an educational value, because of the scale of impact it has. The department of Mass Communication which I’ve chosen will give me knowledge for developing quality programs, films and other materials. In recent years, I had tutorial lesson...

A Visit to Italy :: Descriptive Essay Examples, Rome, Italy

A Visit to Italy    The capital city of Italy is a very extraordinary place to visit. The population of Rome is well over two-million. The people there are very friendly and are extremely proud of their country. Rome is a beautiful bustling city that has a moderate cli mate. The temperature usually stays around eighty degrees. The main way of transportation is by bus.    The side walk cafes are very popular in Rome. The cafes were always populated with happy Italians and a few curious tourists. The most preferred cafe was the Cafe S. Petro. this cafe was in perfect walking distance from the Vatican city. The Vatica n city is were the pope lives. The main meals served at the cafes varied from pizza to tortillini. The pizzas were not exactly like Pizza Hut's pizza. They were crispy thin with very few toppings available. Most pizzas came with cheese, pepperoni and a watery tomato sauce. The tortillini had soft, medium-length, hollow noodles with more watery tomato sauce. Another favorite at the cafe was the lasagna which was unbelievably delicious. After having tasted the pizzas and the tortillini, I was not exp ecting the lasagna to be so tasty. The lasagna was packed full of hot meat, zesty cheese, and a tangy tomato sauce. It was not out of the ordinary to see Italians, instead of eating at the cafe, talking with their friends and sipping on hot cappucino.    The streets in Rome were always swamped with motor scooters, three-wheeled cars, and buses. Although, the main way of transportation are buses, Italians also scooted around on their motor scooters. The scooters were more convenient because the scoote rs could easily slip through traffic jams. The parking was very hazardous for people because some cars would be blocked in by a small car that was parked vertical between two horizontally parked cars. Car accidents were very common in Rome. When two pe ople had a car accident, they would just wave or yell at each other and drive hurriedly away. The police were not notified and there was no question of who would pay for the damages.    The worst part about Rome were the buses. These buses were jammed tight with people who were sweaty and excessively vulgar.

Cultural studies

? â€Å"Literature is the mirror of life† is one of the main quotes which our lecturer, Mr. Puveneswaran keep on telling to us in his every lesson. This quote answered my question which I asked myself since the first lesson of Literature in English. A great literature is the mirror upon which the realities of life are reflected. A term that used to describe written or spoken material is known as literature. By studying this subject, I could understand that literature is all about the obsession with ideas and also a way in which we can capture and interpret what has happened and is happening to us personally and to the world as a whole.Broadly speaking, the study of literature allows people to develop new ideas and ethical standpoints and can help individuals to present themselves as educated members of society. There are many short stories that I have studied in this semester such as A Dream of China, The Mahogany Table, No Place For A Woman and so on. As the requirement of my coursework, I choose two short stories such as Everything’s Arranged and Dey Raju. This Everything’s Arranged by Siew Yee Killingley tells about a Ceylonese girl named Rukumani having secret affair with a Ceylonese boy named Devanayagam while studying at University.Their secret affair discovered by their parents. Rukumani have struggle and suffer because of their family members, relatives and their community as they try to get together in life. The Ceylonese, however educated, still hold to their tradition, beliefs and family values so adamantly. At the end their marriage was called off. Dey Raju by Saras M Manickam is a story about a boy named Raju. Raju’s father arranged a marriage for him. Raju wrongly saw the ‘bride’. He refuses to get married because the lady that he thought his bride was fat.Amazingly, he found out that the fat lady was not his bride. His bride was beautiful. Raju got to know the truth and talked to his bride. They both love each other. According to Mathew Arnold, literary criticism is a disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world. Using the theories and principles of theoretical criticism, the practical critic defines the standards of taste and explains, evaluates, or justifies a particular piece of literature.Since there are a few literary criticisms in those two short stories, I found cultural criticism is the most suitable one for those two short stories that I have been chosen. Cultural criticism is known as criticism or analysis of a specific culture and society on a continuing basis with the end result being some sort of practical solution being found to fix any problems. In the Everything’s Arranged short story, Indian culture is well depicted and portrayed. As a Ceylonese, Rukumani’s parents believe that marriage is a spiritual thing and if a girl has an affair with a guy before marriage, it is considered as a sin.The girls shouldn ’t be in love before marriage. This can be clearly seen when a man who is a visitor to Rukumani’s house said that â€Å"When we were young our mother never mentioned the word ‘marriage’ to any of my seven sisters until two days before they were to be married. Everything fixes first, then talk. † We can know that they are very possessive and exposed to Indian culture that were truly practiced when Rukumani’s mother scolded her by telling that Rukumani have been so brazen and shameless as to spoilt yourself with her beloved ones.Even though she protested herself that she never did anything wrong, her mother cried and told her not to tell about shameful things. I also found evidence for the culture that they belief where the girls shouldn’t choose a guy as their life partner by themselves. For an example, â€Å"How dare you choose somebody for yourself? † wept her mother. Moreover, sex is an issue that cannot be mentioned in home. There was stated that Rukumani’s parents liked to pretend Rukumani was too spiritual to know anything about sex and that topic was never mentioned at home.The Ceylonese, however educated, still hold to their tradition, beliefs and family values so adamantly. Education failed to change their thinking. Social life is a taboo for their young sons what more for a daughter. Dey Raju is one of the most favorite short stories of mine where I found the pure love between married to be couple. The cultural criticism in this short story is arranged marriage. Raju who works in Kuala Lumpur received a telegram from his father states that â€Å"Marriage arranged. Come immediately†.Even though he hasn’t seen his bride, he agreed to his father’s statement and went back to his hometown immediately by train without thinking for a second. When the mates at work ribbed Raju mercilessly about marrying a bride that he had never seen before, he said that â€Å"Mine was traditi onal Indian culture with five thousand years of history. By golly, I was proud of it†. This shows that Raju is still conservation and holds his Tamil culture which is arranged marriage. This is also can be clearly seen when an elderly neighbor from home, Auntie Rukku asked him whether he has set eyes on his bride and know his bride’s name ornot. â€Å"It’s our tradition, Auntie Rukku† replied Raju. It is being a common thing to modern culture where people can find their own spouses and didn’t depend on their parents but yet Raju follows the Indian culture. In a conclusion, I could understand more clearly and well about cultural criticism by reading and interpreting those two short stories. I also able to know that the formal study of literature enables us to explain our responses to any text, allows us to articulate the function of literature in an academic and a personal way.

Texting, Bad or Good

When it comes to texting, people either love it, hate it, or just don’t even try because they may feel that they are â€Å"too old for that young people stuff†. Some people will promote it as one of the easiest ways to communicate or consider it a waste of time and murderous to the English language. I, for one, consider it a blessing and a curse. I can see both sides of the subject. I do agree that people shouldn’t text in some situations or places where it is considered rude, dangerous, or where it would take away from the human interaction that people need to mentally survive. Some may argue that with the rise of texting, it has hindered our grammar, the way we interact with others, and possibly our business relations. I used to be a cashier at a grocery store, and from a personal point of view, when the customers were on their cell phone, it made my job as a cashier rough to do. When that happens, the person isn't paying attention because they are busy texting or talking to someone on their phone. It made the job difficult because you were trying to get their attention for a payment method and sometimes had to repeat yourself two or three times. Then, other customers waiting get impatient and look at you like you aren’t doing your job in a speedy fashion. On the other hand, texting can be great and beneficial in some situations. I’ve been in some situations where it was easier to send a text message. At my church I either play the piano or I’m in the sound booth doing the Media for service. From the sound booth to the platform, it’s at least one hundred feet or more. There have been occasions where people on the platform and sound booth needed to tell each other something about the sound or some other situation. It was easier and faster to send a text message to each other rather than trying to read facial expressions or hand signals. All in all, texting is what you make of it. There are some situations in which you need to have respect and not text, such as classrooms, church, and driving in your automobile for example. The thing to do is use common sense and think, â€Å"Is this safe? Is this respectful to others? If I were teaching, would I be okay with people’s attention being divided? † Most of all, we need to just use our brain and use moderation. We can survive without our phones. Our society survived for hundreds of years without mobile devices. I’m pretty sure we could too if we had to.

Rhbill

lhe  Reproductive Health Bill, informally known as the  RH Bill, are  proposed laws  in theRepublic of the Philippines  aiming to guarantee universal access to methods oncontraception,  abortion, fertility control,  sexual education, and maternal care. [1] There are presently two bills with the same intended goals: House  Bill # 4244 –  An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and For Other Purposes * Senate  Bill # 2378 –  An Act Providing For a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as  condoms,birth control pills  (BCPs) and  IUDs, as the government continues to disseminat e information on their use through all health care centers.On October 2012, a revised version of the same bill was presently re-named to  Responsible Parenthood Act  and was filed in the  House of Representatives  as a result of re-introducing the bill under a different impression after overwhelming opposition in the country, especially from the  Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines[2][3]. The bill is highly divisive, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. Debates and rallies proposing and opposing the bills, with tens of thousands of opposition particularly those endorsed by the  bishops  of the  Roman Catholic Church  and various other conservative groups, have been happening nationwide. Stated purposeOne of the main concerns of the bill, according to the Explanatory Note, is that the population of the Philippines makes it à ¢â‚¬Å"the 12th most populous nation in the world today†, that the Filipino women’s fertility rate is â€Å"at the upper bracket of 206 countries. † It states that studies and surveys â€Å"show that the Filipinos are responsive to having smaller-sized families through free choice of family planning methods. † It also refers to studies which â€Å"show that rapid population growth exacerbates poverty while poverty spawns rapid population growth. † And so it aims for improved quality of life through a â€Å"consistent and coherent national population policy. [4] As policy it states that the State â€Å"guarantees universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable, effective and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information and education thereon even as it prioritizes the needs of women and children, among other underprivileged sectors. â€Å"[4] Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 20:18:00 08/1 6/2008 Filed Under:  Family,  Family planning,  Laws IN THE INTEREST OF FAIR PLAY, WE ARE RUNNING TWO ARTICLES THAT HOLD views opposite of the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008. The articles featured today are in response to the two articles written by Albay Rep.Edcel Lagman, principal author of the reproductive health bill, and printed in this section on Aug. 3. Lagman? s first article highlighted the main features of the measure, while his second noted the campaign to discredit it. He claimed that the bill was not anti-life and that it would not interfere with family life, legalize abortion, promote contraceptive mentality and impose a two-child policy. Lagman also claimed that Humanae Vitae was not an infallible doctrine. Besides the articles of the head of the Legal Office of the Catholic Bishops? Conference of the Philippines and of a former senator, Talk of the Town received responses from Catholic groups and individuals countering Lagma n? s views. The responses came from Fr.Virgilio Delfin of the Diocese of Malaybalay, Pet Palma Dureza of Quezon City, Maria Concepcion S. Noche of the Alliance for the Family Foundation Philippines, Jose Fernandez of the Family Life Apostolate of St. John the Baptist Parish in Taytay, Rizal, and Minyong Ordonez, a retired chair of the Paris-based Publicis Communications Group. Talk of the Town also received an e-mail from Felix Libreto, a professor at the UP Open University, and a position paper of 26 economists from the University of the Philippines supporting the bill. Because of limited space, this section cannot print all the reactions to Lagman? s articles. * * * Reckless and irresponsible By Jo Imbong REP.EDCEL LAGMAN, THE PRINCIPAL AUTHOR OF THE proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 asserts, among others, that the bill is neither antilife nor antifamily, that contraceptives are not life-threatening and that the bill does not impose a two-child po licy. Prolife? To value human life is to respect and protect life in all its seasons. ?Human life begins at fertilization.? (Records of the Constitutional Commission, Vol. IV, Sept. 18, 1986, pp. 761, 801) hence, ? the State shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.? (Constitution, Article II, Section 12). Lagman said in a House hearing that the bill would protect human life ? from implantation.? By that token, the zygote not yet in the mother? s womb is not protected. Pills and the IUD hinder implantation of the embryo in the uterus, thereby precipitating the embryo? s destruction. That is abortion.And yet, ? every child †¦ needs appropriate legal protection before as well as after birth (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child). Not life-threatening? Records are rife of perforation of the uterus and serious pelvic infections in women with IUDs that public midwives have refused to extract. The Mayo Foundation found that oral cont raceptives are associated with an increase risk of breast cancer. DepoProvera increases a woman? s risk for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Oral contraceptives containing cyproterone increase risk of deep venous blood clots. Levonorgestrel is banned in this country as the Bureau of Food and Drugs found it to be abortifacient.Life-threatening ectopic pregnancies occur in mothers long after undergoing tubal ligation, particularly those sterilized before age 30. Contraceptives as essential medicines? Contraceptives do not treat any medical condition. Fertility is not a disease. It attests to health! The bill targets ? the poor, needy and marginalized.? This is most unkind to them whose real needs are jobs, skills, education, lucrative opportunities, nutrition, and essential medicines for anemia, tuberculosis, infections and childhood diseases. Remember, every citizen has the right to health (Art. II, Sec. 15), hence, the State has a duty to protect the citizens against dangerous substances (C onstitution, Art. XVI, Sec. 9), and protect women in their maternal function (Art. XIII,Sec. 4). Family friendly? The ? encouragement? to have two children is manipulation both brazen and subtle. It can set the stage for a stronger application of the recommendation through legislative amendments. Spouses have a basic, original, intrinsic and inviolable right ? to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood? (Art. XV, Sec. 3 [1]). This includes their right to progeny. The bill mocks parents with fine and imprisonment in refusing to expose their children to mandatory ? age-appropriate? reproductive health education starting Grade 5 outside the loving confines of home and family.Vulnerable and malleable, our children will be taught ? adolescent reproductive health? and ? the full range of information on family planning methods, services and facilities? for six years. This is child abuse of the highest order. And yet, ? every c hild has the right to be brought up in an atmosphere of morality and rectitude for the enrichment and strengthening of his character.? (Child and Youth Welfare Code) The †¦ care and nurtur[ance] of the child reside first in the parents (Article II, Sec. 12, Constitution), whose primary function and freedom include preparation for obligations the state can neither supply nor hinder. (Brantley v. Surles, 718 F. 2d. 354,1358-59) The State did not create the family, and ? the child is not a creature of the State.? (Pierce vs. Society of Sisters, 268, U. S. 510, 535. ) That is the law of nature, and no human institution has authority to amend it. Quality of life? The bill wants to ? uplift the quality of life of the people.? Population control started in 1976 ? to increase the share of each Filipino in the fruits of economic progress.? In other words — to eliminate poverty. Has it? The General Appropriations Act of 2008 earmarks an enormous amount for ? family planning and re productive health services,? including contraceptives. For the Department of Health it is P3. 19 billion; for Popcom — P386. million, quite apart from funds for other agencies of government and local government units for the same programs. Add $2. 4 million from the United Nations Population Fund for population and development and reproductive health for 2008, plus $2. 2 million for 2009. Today? s average family has three children compared with seven in the ? 70s. But the billions of pesos spent have not reduced poverty or benefited the poor. If Congress passes this bill, it wagers the future of the country. Citizens have a right to resist misplaced and irresponsible exercise of authority because the good of the people is the supreme law. Salus populi est suprema lex.The path of irresponsible legislation is a dreadful path: If an act is made legal, it will be perceived as moral. If an act is perceived as moral, it will become a norm. If it is observed by all as a norm, then i t is too late. By then, you will have changed the culture. That is not simply reckless. It is the ultimate breach of public trust. (Jo Imbong, a lawyer, is the executive secretary of the Legal office of the Catholic Bishops? Conference of the Philippines and consultant to the CBCP Episcoal Commission on Family and Life. ) * * * No place for the RH bill in our law By Francisco S. Tatad THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH bill in the House of Representatives is being presented as a health bill and an antipoverty bill at the same time. It is neither.It is not what its authors say it is; it is everything they say it is not. It is an ideological attack on human life, the family, and our social and cultural values. The bill rests on a flawed premise; it is unnecessary, unconstitutional, oppressive of religious belief and destructive of public morals and family values. Its enactment into law will only deepen the already frightening ignorance about the real issues. It should be rejected. 1. Flawed prem ise Our population growth rate (National Statistics Office) is 2. 04 percent, total fertility rate (TFR) is 3. 02. The CIA World Factbook has lower figures — growth rate, 1. 728 percent; TFR, 3. 00. Our population density is 277 per square km.GDP per capita (PPP) is $3,400. Fifty other countries have a much lower density, yet their per capita is also much lower. Thirty-six countries are more densely populated, yet their GDP per capita is also much higher. Are the few then always richer, the many always poorer? Not at all. Our median age is 23 years. In 139 other countries it is as high as 45. 5 years (Monaco). This means a Filipino has more productive years ahead of him than his counterpart in the rich countries where the graying and dying population is no longer being replaced because of negative birth rates. Our long-term future is bright, because of a vibrant and dynamic population. 2. UnnecessaryWomen who say they should be free to contracept (regardless of what the moral law or science says) are not being prevented from doing so, as witness the 50-percent contraceptive prevalence rate. It is a free market. But as we are not a welfare state, taxpayers have no duty to provide the contraceptives to try and cure pregnancy, which is not a disease. The State? s duty is to protect women from real diseases. At least 80 women die every day from heart diseases, 63 from vascular diseases, 51 from cancer, 45 from pneumonia, 23 from tuberculosis, 22 from diabetes; 16 from lower chronic respiratory diseases. Why are our lawmakers not demanding free medicines and services for all those afflicted?Indeed, maternal death could be brought down to zero just by providing adequate basic and emergency obstetrics-care facilities and skilled medical services to women. The local officials of Gattaran, Cagayan and Sorsogon City have shown this. Why do our lawmakers insist on stuffing our women with contraceptives and abortifacients instead? In 2005, the cancer research arm o f the World Health Organization concluded that oral contraceptives cause breast, liver and cervical cancer. Shouldn? t our lawmakers demand that contraceptives be banned or at least labeled as ? cancer-causing,? or ? dangerous to women? s health Why do they want them classified as ? essential medicines? instead? 3. Unconstitutional a. ) The Philippines is a democratic and republican State.Yet the bill seems to assume we are a centrally planned economy or a totalitarian State, which controls the private lives of its citizens. Truth is, there are certain activities of man as man where the individual is completely autonomous from the State. Just as the State may not tell a politician or a journalist how or when to think, write or speak, it may not enter the bedroom and tell married couples how or when to practice marital love. b. ) Article II, Section 12 of the Constitution says: ? The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic a utonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.? The use of ? sanctity? makes State obedience to God? s laws not only a solemn teaching of the Church, but also an express constitutional mandate. Now, when the State binds itself to ? equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception,? it necessarily binds itself not to do anything to prevent even one married woman from conceiving. A state-funded contraceptive program is an abomination. 4. Oppressive of religious belief The bill seeks to tell the Catholic majority not to listen to the Church and to listen to anti-Catholic politicians instead.It seeks to establish a program which Catholic taxpayers will fund in order to attack a doctrine of their faith. Is there a worse despotism? Would the same people do the same thing to the followers of Islam or some politically active religious pressure group? The pro-RH lobby claims surveys have shown that most Catholic women want to use contraception, regardless of what the Church says about it. It is a desperate attempt to show that right or wrong can now be reduced to what you like or dislike. The truth is never the result of surveys. Contraception is wrong not because the Church has banned it; the Church has banned it because it is wrong. No amount of surveys can change that. 5. Destructive of public moralsThe bill seeks to impose a hedonistic sex-oriented lifestyle that aims to reduce the conjugal act to a mere exchange of physical sensations between two individuals and marriage to a purely contraceptive partnership. Not only is it hedonistic, it is above all eugenicist. It seeks to eliminate the poor and the ? socially unfit.? While it neither mandates a two-child family nor legalizes a bortion, it prepares the ground for both. In 1974, the US National Security Study Memorandum 200, titled ? Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for US Security and Overseas Interests,? launched the two-child family as a global population policy to be achieved by 2000.But ? no country has reduced its population growth without resorting to abortion,? said that document. Now you know what? s next, and where it? s all coming from. MANILA, Philippines—Hundreds of people, some arriving in private vehicles and others on foot, gathered outside the Edsa Shrine at a usually suburban Manila intersection Saturday for what church leaders had described as a massive prayer rally to show Congress most Filipinos were against the reproductive health bill pending in legislature for years. Many of the faithful, who braved intermittent rains and occasional winds, stood under umbrellas as they waited for the rally to get underway.Bishop Gabriel Reyes, chair of the Episcopal Commission on Fa mily and Life of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, was spotted in the area. So was Father Melvin Castro, the commission’s executive secretary. Maribel Descallar, operations director of the commission, said the program was to start at 1:00 p. m. Senior Superintendent Antonio Gumiran, deputy district director for operations, told the Inquirer they expected a crowd of at least 3,000 people. Organizers said Friday they were expecting up to 50,000 people at the rally. Gumiran refused to say how many policemen were deployed in the area but only a few were visible to an inquirer reporter toward noon Saturday.The Catholic Church has started to bring out the big guns in its campaign against the reproductive health (RH) bill. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle on Thursday issued a circular urging the faithful to converge at the Edsa Shrine on Saturday for a Mass and rally against the bill. â€Å"Relying on the power of prayer and the necessity of informed a wareness, we will gather together to be informed, enlightened and emboldened once more. We also wish to express why we believe the reproductive health bill is not the solution to our many problems as individuals and as a country as it will even give rise to many other problems more pernicious and pervasive than the ones we face in the present,† Tagle said. I enjoin all parish priests and leaders of communities and lay movements to rally their members and endorse participation in this important gathering aimed at communicating a strong and sincere appeal to the goodwill of our legislators,† Tagle said in his letter. The prayer rally will be a show of force for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) after President Benigno Aquino in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) last week urged the swift passage of the bill, which would provide universal access and information on natural and modern family methods and reduce the number of mothers and babi es dying during childbirth. On August 7, the House will vote on whether to wrap up debate and move the bill forward. CBCP officials said they would have a vigil at the House on the eve of the vote and that mass actions would also be held in other dioceses. Time for a votePresident Aquino said Thursday it was time to put the bill to a vote. â€Å"I hope that the point when we need to vote comes. Otherwise, Congress may have already adjourned and we’re still in the period of debate; so we won’t know what the people want. Perhaps the debate should be wrapped up, and we should make a decision on this so-called responsible parenthood bill once and for all,† Mr. Aquino told reporters in an ambush interview. On the anti-RH rally, Mr. Aquino said: â€Å"We’re all prolife, aren’t we? We want an improved quality of life for our countrymen. So that is their right and I’m sure they will not endeavor to do anything against the law. So we will secure thi s rally if it pushes through. Malacanang on Thursday also shrugged off an announcement that former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is now a Pampanga representative, will vote against the measure and that seven of her allies had withdrawn sponsorship of the measure. Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said that Arroyo and Catholic bishops have been vocal about their opposition to the bill. He said the Church’s invitation to her to join the anti-RH rally should not be given political meaning. Arroyo was freed last week from eight months of hospital arrest after posting bail on election sabotage charges against her. â€Å"I would not want to speak on behalf of the bishops about whether or not this is leading to some kind of support for the former President.This is a measure that should not be viewed in stark political terms because it actually got societal implications,† he said in a briefing. Not Aquino-Arroyo showdown A vote on the bill should not be seen as a showdown between Mr. Aquino, the bill’s chief campaigner, and Arroyo, Carandang said. â€Å"It’s an important measure and we’re not viewing it in terms of partisan politics. It’s something that we feel is long overdue. It needs to be done, and we’re doing it in that context. I understand that there are observers who are viewing this (showdown) in that way, but we’re simply looking at it right now as a measure that has oppositors, that needs to go through the process and we’ll leave it at that,† he said.Carandang said Malacanang respected the withdrawal of support by some lawmakers, but did not view the entire anti-RH bill campaign as â€Å"Arroyo’s effort. † â€Å"We respect the democratic space in which the debate is being undertaken. At the same time, we hope that our friends in Congress will see the wisdom of this measure,† he added. While Catholic bishops have counted 140 lawmakers as opposed to the measure based on survey and public consultations, Carandang said it was too early to tell whether the administration had the numbers to defeat them. â€Å"You can never tell until the vote is there. But we are confident that we have support,† he said. â€Å"We’re hoping that those of us who are on the administration’s side will continue to support this effort. †