Health and Saftey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Health and Saftey - Essay Example 1910 par.65 (5), p.557; par.58, p.552). The rationale behind the law is that in the event of an emergency the operator may immediately shut the system down. 2. The control for the bridge and trolley cannot be placed on any wall or fixed surface. The law prescribes that it must be located in a way that the operator can readily face the direction of travel ([v] p.557). This would require the creation of a control panel placed directly facing or fronting the work area. This will provide the operating personnel safety from any falling hazards while allowing visibility to perform the operation (Lockheed). Several toggle on and off switches will be used if the team decides to use such a switch. The speed of the bridge and trolley will be divided into two. Thus setting a minimum speed and a maximum speed. This is necessary because when operating the bridge and trolley it is advised to always use the minimum speed only. 3. The control for the hoist may be by pendant push-button, rope control or any mechanism ([v]p.556). There is no restriction as long as the safety of the operator will be of prime consideration. I would recommend the use of Radio Control Systems or a Remote Control Box (Telemotive Engineered SLTX Transmitter). The Operator can work at the safest location without having to use a pendant control. There is also no restriction of a fixed-length pendant cable. Its transmitter has a two step push button which allows easy and precise control (R&M Materials Handling). In hoisting, the toggle on and off controls cannot be used because what is required is several break controls that must be calculated and exact. It requires stops for break, lower and hold. Considerations also as to the weight and speed of lifting is also one factor that makes the toggle on and off switch inappropriate for use. 4. For additional safety, the inclusion of an emergency

Apply Bourdieus Work On Fields

Apply Bourdieus Work On Fields Cultural artefact has recently become the main study within the sociology department, due to the research sociological interest in fashion is increasing. Cultural artefact is the influence that is produced through our unawareness responses and attitudes toward the society. Hence fashion is important resource that illustrates the reflection of the current society or the era, at the same time individuals form and create their personal aspects of unique identity. Through this context, Crane (2000) who studied the social role in fashion states the fascination of the subject where one interprets their purpose about specific form of culture through clothing. In fact, appropriate appearance was the common powerful example of manifestation at point of time. Furthermore, style of clothing or fashion is the indication of the social status and gender, which strongly influences either maintaining or breaking down the symbolic boundaries. According to Bourdieu, societies reinforce their distance or differentiate themselves from other classes through tastes, which is determined and maintained by the dominant of symbolic hierarchy. Thus, taste becomes social ammunition that defines and retrains cultural objects; legitimate from the illegitimate, hence, in the lights of taste formation of fashion, this would be high fashion from the mass fashion (Bourdieu, 1995). This essay focuses on to explain Bourdieus theory of consumer taste and formation where fashion is applied strategically. Finkelstein notes that fashion is an organisation of knowledge based on restricted access to goods and services (Finkelstein, 1998:80), and that the ability to recognize the fashionable reflects an actors cultural capital. This is illustrated perfectly in the work of Joanne Entwistle and Agnà ¨s Rocamora, The Field of Fashion Materialized: A Study of London Fashion Week which has aided me greatly in exemplifying Bourdieus key concepts of the field, capital and habitus in amplifying our consumer preferences in fashion. In this essay, I will attempt to clearly define the concept of field, habitus and capital and how these concepts are used to understand the social phenomena particular to fashion. Bourdieus theory is in continuous subject of interest, which is characterised by the cultural reproduction or cultural capital. Especially, it is evaluated that his forms of capital has brought a fundamental shift through bridging Marxists distinction of class with Webers cultural status to his theory. Bourdieu has distinguished that within the competitive society, the forms of capital are classified as implements according to various activities. Hence important concept introduced by Bourdieu is that of capital, which he encompasses beyond the notion of material assets to capital that may be social, cultural or symbolic (Bourdieu 1986: cited in Navarro 2006: 16). The period from material to cultural and the symbolic forms of capital is the majority, which conceal the foundation of inequality. Furthermore, Bourdieu states that there are three crucial mechanisms in the forms of capital in class reproduction. Thus economic capital, the foundation of the structural class and based on thi s creation and standing in the invariable condition, will provide the cultural capital and social capital to convert into economic capital. Cultural capital and the means by which it is created or transferred from other forms of capital plays a central role in societal power relations, as this provides the means for a non-economic form of domination and hierarchy, as classes distinguish themselves through taste (Gaventa 2003: 6). The most important contribution and emphasis in Bourdieus capital awareness is an ability to distinguish the capital which could not be captured with only economic capital in the reproducing mechanism of social class. These forms of capital are equally significant, and can be accumulated and transferred from one arena to another (Navarro 2006: 17). Bourdieu stresses the common feature of the cultural and social capital, which is used without distinguishing them. Due to the following reasons, two types of capitals are applied strongly as the mechanism of the production, where the social justice was approved. First of all, to be able to possess these two capitals requires long-term investment; therefore people who are attempting to raise their class may experience difficulty in overcoming these obstacles. Secondly, unlike economic capital, it is difficult to qualify and for the social members to recognise the role of their capital visualisation within the social production. Therefore, the possessions of the cultural / social capital are related to the ability of generating the diversion in the social status and cultural preferences in the large community, which by all means fashion. Fashion itself states ones social class, which strongly relates to Bourdieus idea of social capitalism. fashion is treated as a cultural subject, in which most emphasis is on fashion as a badge or a means of identity. (P. Braham, 1997, p.121) However, relationship between class and fashion can be divided in two opinions, agreeing to emphasis correspondence view to disagreeing, in terms of preferences in clothing and fashion is symbolically expressed to differentiate the status of class. In addition, looking through Bourdieus concept of capital, there are two theories, which apply with the correspondence of emphasising the association between class and fashion. One focused on the relation with economic capital and fashion, the other being the cultural capital and fashion. Furthermore, the opposing views signify the connection between different characteristics other than class to fashion. Within the significance of focusing the relationship between fashion and economic capital to class and fashion, there is a common concept by Simmel known as the Trickle Down theory, which illustrates the clothing act and fashion. Simmel perceived fashion as the product, which the economic capital is the foundation of structural class. He also at the time identified the Paris fashion as the dynamic interclass mimicry and desire of many kinds. Since the lower class continuously mimic the upper class, the upper classes are in need to search for the new mode to differ from others. Thus, according to Simmel (1997), fashion can be seen faddish, however, the flow of the communication from top to bottom is considered to be persistent. Moreover, after the WWI, the aesthetics of functional ready-to-wear products were introduced; hence the opposing of the top to bottom flow became the movement of Western fashion history. Veblens conspicuous consumption model is in attention with the itemised consumption within the fashion, which is idealised with the revelation of individuals economical capital. His work on The theory of the leisure class (1899-1983) introduces the first response of conspicuous consumption as the development of criticising an idea for the Americas capital concept in profligacy. Veblens states the ones reputation is represented by the ownership and conspicuousness, which provokes jealousy and symbolises the level of wealth within the group. Furthermore, the typical variation are established in upper-class, for example, ones idleness of spending inconvenient production of time, sophisticated preferences, manners, lifestyle, and so on. All of the above examples are the necessity of time and expenses shown through the economic capital to symbolise ones ability and status. Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentlemen of leisure. (Veblen, 1899/1983) Veblen argues different view on accepting the class of trend to Simmel. Thus, opposing to accepting new style in order to expose the indication of the discrimination between the lower-class to the community who aims to raise their social standing, the group of society in foundation to inherit the stabilised high status has relatively low tendency of interest in the latest fashion. These analyses has provided with the evidence of peoples motivation on accepting fashion. This leads to Bourdieus primary idea of Habitus; the text La Distinction demonstrates the manifestation of habitus. Habitus is considered as one of Bourdieus most influential concept in his studies. The concept refers to our physical action such as, habits, characteristics, and abilities that we acquire throughout our life experiences which the idea is based on the cultural capital. In addition, it can also be seen as the structure, which is produced by through our thoughts and movement. This in turn, creates our exter nal social world and structured by the social world. Therefore, habitus can be seen as the collective individuated, through the biological individual. Furthermore, habitus can be similar within groups of people; hence seen as a collective phenomenon. Habitus in fashion can be considered as style, it is depended on ones characteristic, the era of the society, and ones social status. This again is emphasised in forms of capital where, without money these types of forms will not exist. To explain the idea of habitus Bourdieu frequently uses the metaphor from the sports feel for the game. Meaning although our body and mind are constantly reminded of our surrounding, without having to consciously acknowledging it, each individuals has an embodied kind of feeling of the social positions of themselves. Habitus can also be counted as taste for the cultural items such as fashion, art, food and lifestyle. Adapting this into fashion is reasonably obvious, by observing peoples taste in fashion; others are able to identify the mode at the time and also their characteristic, as nowadays individuals use fashion products to reveal their selves. Accordingly, Bourdieu focuses on French society, where all the above cultural items are considered as social class positions. He strongly argues that the artistic sensibilities are surrounded by habitus. For example, the upper-class individuals are able to enjoy the rich culture without any limit compared to others, as they are exposed t o the culture since the young age and this becomes their lifestyle unconsciously. Whereas the working-class are too busy and have limited access to the high art, therefore, they are unaware of such lifestyle. Hence, Bourdieus saying feel for the game cannot be applied to the working-class, as they are not culturally developed and is unaware of the game. This same rule also applies in fashion, only the upper-classes are flooded with pre-shows and various kinds of information about trends. After filtering through the designer wears / brands, it trickles down to the street fashion, which then the working-class have chance to view and follow on with less price. However, the unconscious minds of the working-class have strong need to follow the fashion and tends to over spend on things they do not need, they will never be able to feel and experience same way as the upper-class, therefore their demands are higher and cannot see the bigger picture. These kinds of inequality are mistakenly b elieved that some are born with finer things in their life compare to others; therefore this is where the middle-class appears. Middle-class society; the new money are introduced to guide the working-class to the better life. Nonetheless, although the middle-class may be wealthier than the working-class, their demands in consuming goods are higher than the upper-class. Before the middle-class was created, the high demands of the working-class was not much, as they were busy with their life and had limitation with their spending from the income. However, when the new money society arrived, they were stuck in between, they hope for the high culture social position, as well as having to work hard to stabilise their lifestyle. Therefore, they are However according to Navarro Habitus is not fixed or permanent, and can be changed under unexpected situations or over a long historical period (Navarro, 2006, p.16) A third concept that is important in Bourdieus theory is the idea of fields, which are the various social and institutional arenas in which people express and reproduce their dispositions, and where they compete for the distribution of different kinds of capital (Gaventa 2003: 6). A field is a network, structure or set of relationships which may be intellectual, religious, educational, cultural, etc. (Navarro 2006: 18). People often experience power differently depending which field they are in at a given moment (Gaventa 2003: 6), so context and environment are key influences on habitus: While Bourdieu is concerned to pay attention to both struc-ture and practice, his field theory errs too much in the direction of a struc-turalist analysis that neglects to fully document the ways in which fields are reproduced through the enactments of agents in daily practice and localized set-tings (Crossley, 2004). The world we live in is divided up by various kinds of fields. A field is considered as an organised production of characteristic of the social status, which influences the social situation for the society. However, this so-called arrangement and the association with objective status are fixed in forms of capital. Nonetheless the significance of the form of capital lies within the field. In other words capital is applied to ensure the position of the agent clear in its field. Hence in the society, the predominant in terms of field is considered as the social status. The social statuses are depended on money, which also plays a major part in the form of capital. The source is able to gain its power and influence by using the capital in certain fields. Therefore, the relation between habitus, fields and capital are the transitional source. Bourdieu believe that the social world is divided into various fields within every event and subjects, and within those small communities they hold their own set of rules, understanding and forms of capital. Despite the fact that some types of fields may have something in common, Bourdieu distinguishes each type of field as being independent from others. For example, fashion has countless fields; hence, each brand has their uniqueness and there are countless fashion brands which hold relatively similar products. However, although they may have similar designs people undertake those point of view as each brands interpretation of the common. Likewise, Bourdieus idea of field lies within these type of division. Although each field holds their own sets of beliefs it is the inevitable fact that they may have something in common, and within those area some field may suffer from loosing competition with other related fields. It is inevitable cycle that goes around any type of field, for ins tance field of fashion, each generation of designers and producers are required to overturn the well-known artists who came before them. Nonetheless, this cycle continues only to be evaluated by the next new generations of avant-garde who also may believe themselves as unique and powerful, therefore this cannot be redeem in any kind of sense. It can be considered as a fact rather than a cycle, this continues competition to win and survive in each field one belongs to, this idea of cycle or fact is crucial. As Boyne (1993: 248) argues, field is a macro-structural concept, which allowed us to capture the role and socio-temporal orchestration of the event. Thus, in bringing together the field participants into one spatially and temporally bounded event, LFW renders visible, through its orchestration, wider field characteristics, such as field boundaries, positions, position taking, and habitus. This rendering of the field is the key to understanding LFW as a critical moment in the life of the field as a whole. Despite its ostensible aim to simply showcase next seasons fashionable clothing, reproduce and legitimate the field of fashion and the positions of those players within it. The positions of the agents in the field are determined by the amount and weight of the capitals they have. Field are simultaneously spaces of conflict and competition as agents compete to gain a monopoly in the species of capital that most effective in the particular field. For instance agents in the field of fashion, may use social and economic capital to gain a monopoly on theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Bourdiu him self conceptualizes field as being more like magnetic fields. These varieties of field each have its own internal logic and regulatory principles govern the game on the field. The most important field though is the field of power. The hierarchy of the power relationship within the political field serves to structure all the other fields. Society then assembled of relatively autonomous sphere of play that cannot be collapsed under any overall social logic, like capitalism, modernity or postmodernity. The very shape and division of it becomes a central stake to the agents. Altering the distribution and relative weight of the different forms of capital within a field become ten a mount to modifying structure of the field. Therefore fields have historical dynamism about them to have merely ability that avoids the determinism of the classical structuralism. Bourdieus theory of capitals, habitus, and fields exist in many form of category in society. However, these types of theories rely on the social status, and by adapting this theory in fashion illustrates that majority of mode relies on money and upper class society. Without, upper classs experience and adventure in establishing mode, others would not have high chance in experiencing the minimum. This is shown through peoples taste in fashion. Fashion has now become key item to reveal ones character and social status. Bourdieus form of capital illustrates ones identity and their social status, habitus is considered as the unconscious mind revealing itself through style. Fields shows the division of social class. Bourdieu (1980) accounts for the tensions and contradictions that arise when people encounter and are challenged by different contexts. His theory can be used to explain how people can resist power and domination in one [field] and express complicity in another (Moncrieffe 2006: 37)

Hate Speeches -- Rights Equality Papers

Hate Speeches What do the words Cracker, Kike, Nigger, Jap, Chinc, Faggot, Queer, Dike and Spic all have in common? They are all derogatory remarks that humans call one another on a daily basis. Why can people use these terms and not have to worry about receiving any punishment or any ridicule? The reason is because of the First Amendment right of free speech. The first amendment gives people the right to basically say anything that comes to mind whether it is something nice or something like a derogatory remark. The first amendment is good and freedom of speech has its advantages like most things, but however, it also has its disadvantages. The disadvantages are that people can say words that are extremely hurtful to someone and nothing will happen to the one saying it. Most people will have a bigger problem with the people who are the victim, for stating that their rights were being violated. The first amendment rights do have certain restrictions on them as of now, such as yo u are able to say what you so choose as long as it does not infringe on any other persons rights. In my opinion the first amendment right should have restrictions or more restrictions than what it has now. Restrictions that deal with the derogatory remarks in public, many think that this will not work, but with the proper guidelines and cooperation I believe that we as a nation can have derogatory remarks not hurt anyone, or be said in public, where they can be heard by everyone not only the person who is the target of the name calling. Many people have opinions on the subject of free speech. Censorship of free speech is something that the random â€Å"Joe Shmo† can argue against because he feels that he will not be ab... ... against the KKK, they will also be removed and the proper punishment, will be served justice. As one can see, the bill does not and will not discriminate against a certain group or groups that are known for having such views and causing such problems in public. Many people say don’t take there free speech away, because of racial slurs and discrimination, but it not taking it away, they have the right to say it anywhere else, but in public. Some same why not just educate them? The reason for the censorship and not educating them is because people are stubborn when it comes to their beliefs and the way they were raised. People will never learn to deal with racial differences, and by trying to educate them we will be wasting money and time and efforts of the nation and the state governments. Education will not work, but censorship of free speech in public will.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 24

I knew I was going to live forever, but sometimes I had a hard time really understanding how long forever was. During that ride to the airport, however, I got a taste of what eternity might feel like. Maddie spent almost the entire time talking about Seth. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only time she didn't was when she stopped to check her watch and ponder whether we would make it on time. I knew we would make it on time because I would stop the car and carry her on my back before I'd risk her missing her flight and needing to ride back with me to the city. Once she'd decided we were still okay with time, it was back to Seth. Seth, Seth, Seth. I'm pretty sure there were only about three people in the world I wouldn't have suspected of fucking with me if they'd come telling a story like this. Unfortunately, Maddie was one of them. She was telling the truth. It was written all over her, and something in me – maybe the part that really understood how serious the fight between Seth and me had been – could feel it. After a while, my mind sort of went numb, and I stopped thinking about it all. I finally dropped her off at the airport and went home, barely aware of the traffic I once again had to fight my way through. When I got back to my apartment, I ate dinner and watched A Christmas Carol. A long, hot bath followed, and five shots of vodka finally put me down for the night. I slept on the couch because I couldn't bear to go in the room where an angel had fallen. Some Christmas Eve. Seth came over the next morning to take me to dinner at Terry and Andrea's. Uneasiness radiated around him, but he still smiled when he saw me. â€Å"You look great.† â€Å"Thanks.† I knew I did. I'd spent two hours getting ready, the last thirty minutes of which had been me simply standing in front of the mirror. I'd stood there, taking in every detail of my appearance. The clinging red dress. The curve of my neck under the glittering black choker. The way my golden-brown hair, worn sleek and smooth today, hung down my back. Gold eye shadow and black liner framed my eyes. My lips glowed under pale peach lip gloss. Even at five-four, my legs looked long and supple. My face, carved with high cheekbones and flawless skin, was beautiful. I was beautiful. Call it vanity or egotism, but it was true. I was so, so beautiful. More beautiful than Maddie. More beautiful than any mortal woman. Staring at that gorgeous reflection, I begged it to tell me that Seth would want me. He had to want me. How could he not? But I knew all the beauty in the world couldn't mask the pain in me. And after a couple more moments, Seth noticed too. His smile vanished. â€Å"How did you find out?† he asked. I dropped the coat I'd been holding. â€Å"How do you think? She told me. She couldn't wait to tell me.† He sighed and sat on the arm of my couch and stared into space. â€Å"That's it? You have nothing else to say?† I asked. â€Å"I'm sorry. God, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out like this.† â€Å"Were you ever going to tell me?† â€Å"Yeah†¦of course.† His voice was so sweet and so gentle that it momentarily defused the anger that wanted to explode out of me. I stared at him, looking hard into those amber brown eyes. â€Å"She said†¦she said you didn't drink, but you did, right? That's what happened?† I sounded like I was Kendall's age and suspected I wore the pleading expression Yasmine had given Jerome. Seth's face stayed expressionless. â€Å"No, Thetis. I wasn't drunk. I didn't drink at all.† I sank down into the armchair opposite him. â€Å"Then†¦then†¦what happened?† It took a while for him to get the story out. I could see the two warring halves within him: the one that wanted to be open and the one that hated to tell me things I wouldn't like. â€Å"I was so upset after what happened with us. I was actually on the verge of calling that guy†¦what's his name? Niphon. I couldn't stand it – I wanted to fix things between us. But just before I did, I ran into Maddie. I was so†¦I don't know. Just confused. Distraught. She asked me to get food, and before I knew it, I'd accepted.† He raked a hand through his hair, neutral expression turning confused and frustrated. â€Å"And being with her†¦she was just so nice. Sweet. Easy to talk to. And after leaving things off physically with you, I'd been kind of†¦um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Aroused? Horny? Lust-filled?† He grimaced. â€Å"Something like that. But, I don't know. There was more to it than just that.† The tape in my mind rewound. â€Å"Did you say you were going to call Niphon?† â€Å"Yeah. We'd talked at poker†¦and then he called me once. Said if I ever wanted†¦he could make me a deal. I thought it was crazy at the time, but after I left you that night†¦I don't know. It just made me wonder if maybe it was worth it to live the life I wanted and make it so you wouldn't have to worry so much.† â€Å"Maddie coming along was a blessing then,† I muttered. Christ. Seth had seriously considered selling his soul. I really needed to deal with Niphon. He hadn't listened to me when I'd told him to leave Seth alone. I wanted to rip the imp's throat out, but my revenge would have to wait. I took a deep breath. â€Å"Well,† I told Seth. â€Å"That's that. I can't say I like it†¦but, well†¦it's over.† He tilted his head curiously. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"This. This Maddie thing. You finally had a fling. We've always agreed you could, right? I mean, it's not fair for me to be the only one who gets some. Now we can move on.† A long silence fell. Aubrey jumped up beside me and rubbed her head against my arm. I ran a hand over her soft fur while I waited for Seth's response. â€Å"Georgina,† he said at last. â€Å"You know†¦I've told you†¦well. I don't really have flings.† My hand froze on Aubrey's back. â€Å"What are you saying?† â€Å"I†¦don't have flings.† â€Å"Are you saying you want to start something with her?† He looked miserable. â€Å"I don't know.† No. This wasn't happening. â€Å"What's this mean for us?† I asked. â€Å"I don't know.† The anger returned, and I leapt up, much to Aubrey's annoyance. â€Å"What do you know?† I demanded. â€Å"Do you even know why you did this?† â€Å"There were a lot of things going on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. â€Å"A lot of factors. It just happened†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I put my hands on my hips and stalked toward him. â€Å"Did it? Did it really? Because I'm not so sure.† His distraught expression turned wary. â€Å"What's that mean?† â€Å"I think you were getting back at me for not giving in that night. I made you mad. I hurt you. So, you're trying to hurt me. Teach me a lesson.† â€Å"I – what? Are you insane? You think I'd do something like this to teach you a lesson? You think I would want to hurt you? Just because you refused sex?† â€Å"Why not?† I asked. â€Å"Guys always want sex from me. Why are you any different?† â€Å"Georgina,† he said incredulously. â€Å"You can't believe that. It's always been about more than sex. You have to know that. I've told you that over and over. I would never purposely hurt you. And yet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And yet what?† He looked away from me and focused on the carpet. â€Å"I don't know that we can keep going on without me hurting you.† â€Å"Well, if you don't sleep with my friends – â€Å" â€Å"It doesn't even have to be that. There are so many things it could be. I could get hit by a car tomorrow or catch some disease. If you ever do crack some day and sleep with me, you'll hate yourself forever. And if I crack and sell my soul, that's going to upset you too. One way or another, you will get hurt. It's just a matter of when. I saw it that night in the kitchen – I saw your face when you were yelling at me. That's when I knew it was all true.† â€Å"I†¦I was upset,† I told him. â€Å"And, I mean†¦we knew this relationship wouldn't be easy. You were okay with all this in the beginning†¦the sex and everything else†¦.† â€Å"Things change,† he said bluntly. He met my eyes, and I again saw warring sides within him. â€Å"And back then, I thought I was the one who would get hurt, not you. I can handle it.† â€Å"Are you saying I can't?† â€Å"I'm saying I don't want to find out. And honestly, it's not even about sex either. We've got communication problems, time problems†¦I don't know. Hell, we have death problems. I don't really know if we should keep doing this.† It felt like Joel's death again, like all the energy was being sucked away from me. â€Å"How,† I demanded, â€Å"can you always lecture me about open communication and then dump this on me now? If you were feeling all this†¦you should have brought it up beforehand, not in some bluff break-up at the zero hour.† â€Å"I'm not entirely sure what that last part meant, but I'm not bluffing. And I've tried to talk to you about this. I tried the night you massaged me – you didn't want to hear it.† Seth took a deep breath. â€Å"Georgina†¦I really mean it. I don't think we should be together anymore.† I gaped. No, this wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. I'd expected a big fight, one we'd eventually get over, like always. I'd expected him to ask for forgiveness. I'd expected to set new boundaries in the relationship. I'd expected me to be the one to have the high ground and decide if we were going to continue this. I hadn't expected to be pleading. â€Å"No. No. Seth†¦we've just got to make it work. Look, I'll get over Maddie, okay? And if you want to sleep with other women†¦I mean, it is okay. I always said you could. It's just this first time†¦well, it's a shock, that's all.† He just continued to watch me quietly, and I found myself babbling on more and more. â€Å"But we can make it work. We always do. We'll find a way. You can't just go ahead and decide something like this on your own. There are two of us in this, you know.† â€Å"Yeah,† he said. â€Å"I do know. And I'm one of the two. And I want to split up.† â€Å"No,† I said frantically. â€Å"You don't want to. This is just some weird†¦I don't know. You don't mean it.† Seth's silence was more infuriating than if he'd shouted back at me. He just kept watching me, letting me talk. His expression had so much regret – but so much determination too. â€Å"You were the one who told me we could overcome anything,† I cried. â€Å"Why not this?† â€Å"Because it's too late.† â€Å"It can't be. If you do this†¦it's all for nothing†¦you'll have ended up hurting me. Me and Maddie both.† â€Å"It's a small hurt compared to what could really happen,† he said. â€Å"And as for Maddie†¦I don't plan on hurting her. I†¦I like her.† â€Å"But you love me.† â€Å"Yeah, I do. I probably always will. But maybe that's not enough. I have to move on. We can't do this. I think maybe†¦I don't know. I think something good could happen with me and Maddie. In some ways, she's like you, only – â€Å" Seth had started to slip into the rambling he sometimes did when nervous enough. He bit his lip now, as though he might summon the words back, and looked away. â€Å"Only what?† I asked. I could barely hear my own voice. He turned his gaze back to me, firm and unflinching. â€Å"Only†¦more human.† And that was it. All the anger and sorrow vanished. There was nothing in me. Nothing at all. I was empty. â€Å"Get out,† I said. He paled. Something in my voice and expression must have been truly terrifying. Tentatively, he extended a hand. â€Å"I never meant to hurt you. Thetis, I'm sorr – â€Å" â€Å"Don't ever call me that again,† I told him, stepping away. I didn't know how any of these words were coming out of my mouth. It was like someone else was controlling me. â€Å"Leave. Now.† He opened his mouth, and I thought all that resolve he'd just shown might crumble. In the end, it didn't. He left.

Prohibition and Gangsters Essay

Cheap labour force due to continuous immigration pre WWI, including unskilled labour   Onset of WWI and America’s late entry Reaction to WWI & After:   Set up the League of Nations, but did not join and chose to follow an isolationist policy   Entered late into the war so therefore had a plentiful supply of goods, and no physical damage on American soil Availability of natural resources e. g. oil, coal, wood, iron Sold supplies to fighting countries during the war, as well as loans   Economies in Europe were struggling to rebuild, allowing America to take over as the world’s largest producer of products such as fertilisers. Technological advances made: mechanisation, creation of plastic Economic Management:   Limited government intervention ‘laissez-faire’, with low taxes & few regulations encouraged economic growth in businesses   ‘Rugged individualism’, belief that people succeeded with their own hard work   Tariffs introduced to protect the US economy: import duties on goods to the USA, along with a reduction in income tax rates to allow people to spend more on American goods   Introduction of new production methods: the conveyor belt, which sped up production rates and increased profits. New materials introduced such as plastics and glass, helping create buildings such as skyscrapers   Wages increased along with profits, more people could spend more on consumer luxuries   Electrical power made widespread, usage of oil doubled   People were confident and now prepared to buy American goods and invest in the American economy   Prosperity was a right, not a privilege: people encouraged to spend Return to isolationism:   The US economy was increasingly protected by government intervention in the forms of tariffs   Quota system for immigration, closing the ‘Open Doors’ policy. The Boom & Industries that benefited: Motor industry, building works, stock market   Advertising increased massively to fuel consumerism Low inflation, low unemployment, low interest rates meant that people could afford to buy luxuries   Hire purchase introduced to allow average earners to spend on luxuries   Stock market share prices rose steadily during the 1920s, until in 1928 where it suddenly rocketed   Beginning of speculation, people willing to buy shares using loans Motor industry: Car production relied on other industries such as steel, petrol, glass and rubber. Techniques such as the assembly line lowered costs of production, making cars more affordable Increase in purchase of cars led to more roads being built, as well as hotels/restaurants which were now reachable   Construction industry similarly benefited from the introduction of new materials, as well as greater demand for factories, buildings etc.   Transport services as more was invested into infrastructure such as roads, allowing buses to become common, as well as commercial flights Introduction of department stores, where people helped themselves to goods. Suffering industries: Coal, Railway, Textiles (Cotton/wool), Agriculture ‘Old industries’ such as coal mining began to be in competition with oil * Cars began to take over the railway transport system, lessening the need for coal   Advancement in technology meant less workers were needed for mining -> unemployment begins   Mines began to close down Textiles industries began to face competition when tariffs were lowered New materials such as rayon meant that old textiles fell out of favour in terms of cost and efficiency in production Changes in fashion (short dresses etc.) meant less textiles were needed   WWI led to farmers choosing to produce more, and this rate of production continued into the 1920. While they benefited during WWI, consumption began to decrease as Europe began to recover and stopped relying on American produce, but there was already excess production Technologies such as tractors helped to increase production rates   Farmers were therefore forced to sell their goods at a lower cost, and they refused to lower their production rates as they were unsure that other farmers would do the same. Many farmers became the poorest paid workers in the US and many had to borrow money to pay their mortgages, or face eviction and unemployment Society in the 1920s: Women: Position of women pre 1917 included limited unemployment, limited social positions (accompanied by chaperones), no role in politics as well as being expected to adhere to dress standards After 1917 as the US entered WWI, women were employed to work in the heavy industry and for the first time went out by themselves, smoked and drank in public   Vote given in 1920. Consumer luxuries such as vacuums led to more women having leisure time Introduction of the Flappers: women who challenged traditional attitudes, and were mainly middle and upper class Leisure:   Newspapers & magazines fuelled consumption, as more people wanted to read about the latest issues and famous people   Sport also took over, becoming a focus of newspapers, magazines as well as radio shows. Sporting figures such as Babe Ruth also challenged traditional society, where he was seen smoking and drinking in public. Cinema: visiting the cinema became popular as part of family life, especially with the introduction of ‘talkies’, and sex became a popular focus for movies. Cinemas were refurbished and several film studios were founded Radio: First radio station started in 1920 (KDKA), with many more soon to come. Radio enabled people to listen to sporting events, music, advertisements and entertainment.   Jazz: ‘the jazz age’, when jazz became popular, especially with the flappers despite its African American origins Prohibition and Gangsters: Drinking was largely believed to be hindering work efficiency, as well as being the cause of trouble, including in religion, leading to a ban on alcohol   People were driven to the black market to consume alcohol, including speakeasies which relied on corruption by paying off law enforcement officers   Smuggling of alcohol also became common (rum running), and some doctors provided ‘medicinal whiskey’   Some of the illegally brewed alcohol was not checked and this led to poisoned alcohol   This led to the rise in organised crime, or ‘gangsterism’, with one notable figure being Al Capone: Chicago’s speakeasies, bookmakers, nightclubs etc.

Effects of Depressed Mothers on Infants

Effects of Depressed Mothers on Infants In studying disturbed interactions of depressed mothers and their newborns, it has helped us realize the importance of early interactions with infants that can effect later development. Infants who interact with depressed mothers (particularly chronically depressed mothers) have a higher risk for later negative social interaction and behavioral problems. Depressed behavior in mothers is related to affective and disturbances in infants (Abrams, Field, Scafidi, To measure their behavior-state matching the attentive/affective behavior states of three-month-old infants and their mothers were coded on a negative-to-positive scale (Field, 1995). The data suggested that the depressed mothers and their infants matched negative behavior states more often and less positive behavior states less often than the non-depressed dyads. The depressed dyads spent a greater amount of time together in negative states. In contrast, the non-depressed mother-infant dyads spent more time in playful states together. The infants of depressed mothers greater emphasis to their mothers negative behavior imply that the infants may be ...

Fred Uhlmans Reunion essays

Fred Uhlman's Reunion essays The weak individual is intimidated by the political movements of his age; the strong individual rises above political movements and remains true to himself. How is this shown to be the case in Fred Uhlmans Reunion? It is always more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge. This quote by Hitler demonstrates how people that stay true to themselves and their beliefs are a lot harder to deceive then those who just rely on knowledge. Hans Father is a great example of a strong individual who is not easily fooled. In comparison a good example of a weak individual would be Konradin who is very much intimidated by the Nazi Party and their views. Hans father is one character in this book that was never intimidated by the political movements as he had fought for Germany in WW1 and felt he had earned his place in society. When the Zionist came to collect money for Israel, Hans Father became outraged and explained I should favor the complete absorption of Jews by the Germans if I could be convinced it would be of lasting profit to Germany. Hans Father demonstrates that he is staying true to what he believes in which is his Country. Konradin is an example of a weak individual, which is apprehensive to the Nazi Party. Even though Hans is his best friend, when it comes to exposing his friendship to the rest of society, especially his parents he is very hesitant, as they despise Jews. I didn't dare talk to you... I didn't want to hurt you... you have no right to reapproach me, when Konradin says this it just that he is afraid of what would happen if he showed he was friends with a Jew. Even though a best friend is someone you should be happy to show-off, Konradin isnt, showing that he is afraid of the current political situation. In contrast Hans father when in the presence of Konradin changed into a caricature of his true self...

Empirical Rule for Mean, Median, and Mode

Empirical Rule for Mean, Median, and Mode Within sets of data, there are a variety of descriptive statistics. The mean, median and mode all give measures of the center of the data, but they calculate this in different ways: The mean is calculated by adding all of the data values together, then dividing by the total number of values.The median is calculated by listing the data values in ascending order, then finding the middle value in the list.The mode is calculated by counting how many times each value occurs. The value that occurs with the highest frequency is the mode. On the surface, it would appear that there is no connection between these three numbers. However, it turns out that there is an empirical relationship between these measures of center. Theoretical vs. Empirical Before we go on, it is important to understand what we are talking about when we refer to an empirical relationship and contrast this with theoretical studies. Some results in statistics and other fields of knowledge can be derived from some previous statements in a theoretical manner. We begin with what we know, and then use logic, mathematics, and deductive reasoning and see where this leads us. The result is a direct consequence of other known facts. Contrasting with the theoretical is the empirical way of acquiring knowledge. Rather than reasoning from already established principles, we can observe the world around us. From these observations, we can then formulate an explanation of what we have seen. Much of science is done in this manner. Experiments give us empirical data. The goal then becomes to formulate an explanation that fits all of the data. Empirical Relationship In statistics, there is a relationship between the mean, median and mode that is empirically based. Observations of countless data sets have shown that most of the time the difference between the mean and the mode is three times the difference between the mean and the median. This relationship in equation form is: Mean – Mode 3(Mean – Median). Example To see the above relationship with real world data, let’s take a look at the U.S. state populations in 2010. In millions, the populations were: California - 36.4, Texas - 23.5, New York - 19.3, Florida - 18.1, Illinois - 12.8, Pennsylvania - 12.4, Ohio - 11.5, Michigan - 10.1, Georgia - 9.4, North Carolina - 8.9, New Jersey - 8.7, Virginia - 7.6, Massachusetts - 6.4, Washington - 6.4, Indiana - 6.3, Arizona - 6.2, Tennessee - 6.0, Missouri - 5.8, Maryland - 5.6, Wisconsin - 5.6, Minnesota - 5.2, Colorado - 4.8, Alabama - 4.6, South Carolina - 4.3, Louisiana - 4.3, Kentucky - 4.2, Oregon - 3.7, Oklahoma - 3.6, Connecticut - 3.5, Iowa - 3.0, Mississippi - 2.9, Arkansas - 2.8, Kansas - 2.8, Utah - 2.6, Nevada - 2.5, New Mexico - 2.0, West Virginia - 1.8, Nebraska - 1.8, Idaho - 1.5, Maine - 1.3, New Hampshire - 1.3, Hawaii - 1.3, Rhode Island - 1.1, Montana - .9, Delaware - .9, South Dakota - .8, Alaska - .7, North Dakota - .6, Vermont - .6, Wyoming - .5 The mean population is 6.0 million. The median population is 4.25 million. The mode is 1.3 million. Now we will calculate the differences from the above: Mean – Mode 6.0 million – 1.3 million 4.7 million.3(Mean – Median) 3(6.0 million – 4.25 million) 3(1.75 million) 5.25 million. While these two differences numbers do not match exactly, they are relatively close to one another. Application There are a couple of applications for the above formula. Suppose that we do not have a list of data values, but do know any two of the mean, median or mode. The above formula could be used to estimate the third unknown quantity. For instance, if we know that we have a mean of 10, a mode of 4, what is the median of our data set? Since Mean – Mode 3(Mean – Median), we can say that 10 – 4 3(10 – Median). By some algebra, we see that 2 (10 – Median), and so the median of our data is 8. Another application of the above formula is in calculating skewness. Since skewness measures the difference between the mean and the mode, we could instead calculate 3(Mean – Mode). To make this quantity dimensionless, we can divide it by the standard deviation to give an alternate means of calculating the skewness than using moments in statistics. A Word of Caution As seen above, the above is not an exact relationship. Instead, it is a good rule of thumb, similar to that of the range rule, which establishes an approximate connection between the standard deviation and range. The mean, median and mode may not fit exactly into the above empirical relationship, but there’s a good chance that it will be reasonably close.

The Clipper Chip Controversy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Clipper Chip Controversy - Essay Example The clipper managed to  perform  the above task with the  help  of certain numerical keys. Controversy sprung from the fact that the US government sought to  retain  exclusive  but regulated knowledge of such algorithms. That way, the government could eavesdrop on any conversation it considered  suspect. However, this would only be possible with a nod from the courts. As it happened, from ordinary citizens through  business  people to senior military personnel,  virtually  everyone had an opinion on the issue. On one hand,  there were civil libertarians glibly expressing their fear of the technology  being used  to  aid  a  big  brother regime that would  easily  stifle freedom of speech. On the other, cogent arguments in favor of keeping an eye and ear on the criminal  activity  were made. This paper endeavors to present arguments on both sides of the divide all through to the final part of the debacle. The privacy constituency rooted it s opposition to the clipper on the way it  was envisioned  to operate. ... stance if an ordinary citizen happened to stumble upon damaging information about the government, it was an  act  in futility for  him or her  to  attempt  to  pass  an encrypted  dossier  to someone in the media. The government’s operatives would work relentlessly to  intercept  it before some loudmouth spilled the beans if it (the government) knew about the leak. In such situations, no one was willing to tell the truth about anyone because the risk of  being caught  would be  unbearable. Similarly, it is quite thinkable that the government would use its backdoor privileges to access information otherwise supposed to be  confidential  about political competitors. In short, the charge from this end was that the chances of a  regime  turning  rogue  and harassing people for having unfavorable opinions, are exceptionally high with the clipper chip. The Clinton Administration countered this line of reasoning with a poignant statement that read; unfortunately, the same encryption technology that can help Americans protect  business  secrets and personal privacy can also be used by terrorists, drug dealers and other criminals (Lewis 26). Even during those pre-9/11 days, it was easy to see how a determined and sophisticated terrorist could benefit from access to encryption technology that no man, woman or  spirit  can penetrate. Plans to smuggle  would-be  murderers, take  flight  lessons, hijack airplanes and  crash  them into skyscrapers would be swapped across cyberspace without detection. Although the usefulness of the clipper in matters of defense is  somewhat  clear, its  inadequacy  is even clearer. Thoughtful opponents of the clipper observed no criminals or terrorists smart enough to use a  system  to use data encryption would be  dumb  enough to use

Project management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Project management - Case Study Example Roberge is still concerned about finding the right candidate with the required solid expertise and knowledge of IT and the software of ABC whole package. Initially, the general insurance company ABS acquired two companies, which are the western general insurance and the general maritime protection. It acquired the two to have a competitive advantage over the insurance market in Canada. The problem arose when the three companies could not function as one but functioned autonomously. Thus, Mr. Roberge was assigned to come up with the IMSP project to integrate the management system and processes. He embarked on looking for the best project manager candidate with the required ABC package to lead the project. His priority for the best candidate was one with experience in similar project management and one with an in-depth IT and ABC software package knowledge. The main problem that Mr. Roberge is facing is to choose the right candidate for the project. He is also faced with the issue of how he can combine the IT expertise of the candidate with other strengths present in each of the candidates. It is important that he make the right and informed choice for the good of the company and the project that is set. The three candidates have proof of participating in software development of ABC and in implementation projects in large enterprise in the course of their careers. Such expertise fits the technological requirement set. Secondly, candidates A and B have had experience in change managements in various integration projects. However, candidate A did not complete the business process re-engineering on the required time due to re-prioritizing of his clients. As a result, the project did not meet the client’s expectations. On the other hand, candidate B led successful projects that met the expectations of the clients despite his three years less experience. The integration project that he led has the most interest with the current IMSP project. Thus, in

Literature Review of Health Literacy and HIV Treatment Adherence Thesis

Literature Review of Health Literacy and HIV Treatment Adherence - Thesis Example Health Literacy and HIV/AIDS-----------------------------------------------------------8 5. Why is Treatment Adherence Important for HIV/AIDS-----------------------------10 6. Health Literacy and HIV Treatment Adherence--------------------------------------11 7. Strategies to Improve Treatment Adherence in Low Literacy Subjects-----------15 8. References---------------------------------------------------------------------------------19 Abstract The only effective treatment for HIV/AIDS is regular medication with anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Regularity in timing and dosage of medication is essential not only for the improved health of the subject but also to prevent the emergence of resistant strains of the virus. Non-adherence to the treatment is one of the biggest hurdle in tackling the AIDS pandemic. Among the different factors contributing to non-adherence, health literacy is considered one of the major players. We carried out a literature survey using search terms â€Å" †Å"Health literacy† and HIV†, â€Å"Treatment adherence and HIV†, â€Å"Literacy and Treatment Adherence† and â€Å"Literacy treatment adherence HIV) in the databases of OVID and Pubmed. The relevant articles were reviewed. Any new articles that were encountered amongst these articles in their citations were retrieved and also reviewed. We found that there are a fair number of articles dealing with various aspects of health literacy, educational literacy and HIV/AIDS. However, there are very few articles on interventions designed to improve treatment adherence in low literacy patients. Health Literacy and Treatment Adherence Health Literacy According to Healthy People 2010, health literacy is defined as â€Å"the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions†. Apart from the healthcare aspect, where the focus is on communication betwee n healthcare providers and patients, explaining and obtaining informed consent and managing patient’s treatment regime, an extremely important facet of health literacy is in the field of public health. As per the CDC data, the American patient obtains information and makes his or her treatment decision based on the feedback received from the home or the community, while spending just about an hour a year in the medical care provider’s premises. Health Literacy and Health-Related Behavior and Outcome The Council of Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association states that poor health literacy is â€Å"a stronger predictor of a person’s health than age, income, employment status, education level, and race†. The Institute of Medicine reports that nearly half of the US population, about 90 million individuals, have poor health literacy. This culminates into poor understanding of their health status and its treatment, poorer health status, irregularity in d osage consumption, sub-optimal use of health services, inability to understand the do’s and don’t of medication consumption and a higher hospitalization rate. Poor health literacy creates barriers to fully understanding an individual’s health, illness, treatment and medication management. The population at risk includes the elderly (older than 65 years), minorities, immigrants, economically challenged and those suffering from chronic ailments. Not only are these individuals unable to decipher the instructions accompanying

Absolute and Constitutional Monarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Absolute and Constitutional Monarchy - Essay Example Conversely, in a constitutional monarchy, the queen, king, or ruler has restricted authority because they govern side by side with another governing unit (Davies 699). An absolute monarchy and a constitutional monarchy are two dissimilar structures arising from the monarchy form of administration. A monarch form of government is where the appointed sole leader controls the entire nation. Distinctions between an absolute monarchy and a constitutional monarchy arose in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when a large number of European nations were experimenting with constitutional monarchies and absolutism. They were established with the demise of the church and in part because of holy conflicts (Davies 699). Absolute monarchies are governed by a ruling dynasty or person that has total authority over their empire, for example, Russian leaders asserted extreme autocratic authority by divine entitlement, and that the people did not have the right to regulate their authority. In a number of instances, the rulers permit advisors to work for them. The leader can also give or take concessions as he desires. The constitutional monarchy was developed when the rulers began misusing their authorities. These people started presuming that God selected and gave them the authority. This outlook proved to be detrimental to the safety of their empires and their integrity. Moreover, constitutional monarchies have restricted authority (Davies 700). There is a chosen representative unit which develops a constitution that the ruler cannot evade, for example, England, which was constrained by the Act of Settlement 1701 and Bill of Rights 1689.

Stress Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stress Project - Essay Example The fates may have one idea about how I should live my life, but, I may have other ideas that may not sit well with the fates. Nobody ever said that fate could not be changed by other forces right? That is exactly what I am going to be doing. I am the master of my destiny, fate should only be the eventual outcome if I do nothing to change what could be a negative fate for me. Life is not about luck. It is all about ambition and drive. Stress management is something that is very difficult to accomplish. Even with all the self help books out there and the empowerment speeches being thrown at us, it is still difficult to find an effective way to manage the problems that beset my daily life. I find that playing motion controlled video games like tennis, sword fighting, and even boxing, helps to take the edge off. Stress is just basically excess tension and anger that cannot be unleashed upon people or events in our lives. But, with an avenue to release it, such as the interactive video g ames in my case, I find that stress management comes easier and actually helps me regain my focus on the tasks on hand. Even just tuning out at the end of the week and leaving town to bond with my friends in a different environment like a health club or resort helps lower my stress level and refocuses my energy on self healing, empowerment, and improvement.

Holocost audio reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Holocost audio reflection - Essay Example As far as I understood, she was a child, was separated from her parents and miraculously survived during the holocaust. Together with other survivors she is speaking all over the world about what happened, and I believe it is a great idea for new generations to know about this moment in the history, in order for such horrible thing not to happen again. I believe that the holocaust took place because of prejudice and hatred to the people of the Jewish nations. Nazis believed that they are superior nation and they separated all the people into so called levels, Jewish being at the lowest level, considered by them to be an inferior race. Killing of Jews was not sporadic, everything was planned and the system was well-tweaked. This is what amazes me the most. Thousands of German Nazis took part in it, and most likely they considered themselves to be right. Probably hundreds or thousands historical studies were conducted about the reasons for holocaust. And they are still going on. Such mass killing of one nation never happened in the history of the humanity, and many scientists want to understand what moved those people behind the holocaust. But whatever the reasons, I think this is the most horrible event in the history. When I listen to such accounts, as the one of this lady, or read books of survivors, my only thought is that this should never happen again. If we look at the present world we see hatred to other nations still going on. Taking the USA, for example, which is a multi-national country: people of different nations and religions live here. And though freedom and equal rights are claimed, we still see the hatred: the hatred of whites to blacks, and vice versa; the hatred of people of different religions to each other, claiming that only their faith is true, etc. The wars are still going on in our so called â€Å"civilized† world. Hundreds of people die every day in the 21st

Stress Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stress Project - Essay Example The fates may have one idea about how I should live my life, but, I may have other ideas that may not sit well with the fates. Nobody ever said that fate could not be changed by other forces right? That is exactly what I am going to be doing. I am the master of my destiny, fate should only be the eventual outcome if I do nothing to change what could be a negative fate for me. Life is not about luck. It is all about ambition and drive. Stress management is something that is very difficult to accomplish. Even with all the self help books out there and the empowerment speeches being thrown at us, it is still difficult to find an effective way to manage the problems that beset my daily life. I find that playing motion controlled video games like tennis, sword fighting, and even boxing, helps to take the edge off. Stress is just basically excess tension and anger that cannot be unleashed upon people or events in our lives. But, with an avenue to release it, such as the interactive video g ames in my case, I find that stress management comes easier and actually helps me regain my focus on the tasks on hand. Even just tuning out at the end of the week and leaving town to bond with my friends in a different environment like a health club or resort helps lower my stress level and refocuses my energy on self healing, empowerment, and improvement.

Literature Review and Starbucks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Literature Review and Starbucks - Case Study Example This article declares that comments of customers regarding the service of the company should be considered. This will help the company improve its service towards customers. This aspect is the most important consideration of Starbucks. Customers should be treated properly and in the right manner such that they might return back to the same company – â€Å"You want the customer to know that you care about them and you want to give them the newest technologies available; such as wireless hubs in most Starbucks coffee shops†. A partnership is formed between Starbucks and Conservation International in order to encourage production of coffee in an environment friendly manner such that the supplier bargaining power problem may be resolved to some extent. This report makes a conclusion that the food and beverages industry is the sector where large portions of expenditure of disposable income are made. The coffee industry falls in this category and Starbucks is the largest coffee chain in the world. The chain has faced serious problems in the recent past over their quality and time management. However, with proper care it can address and rectify the problems. The service area should be the first priority of the company and all the employees should be trained to realize the importance of customer service. Customers should be received warmly and more staffs could help in improving the speed of service. The company has already taken important measures in this direction for instance, installation of automated machines at the coffee stores.

SWOT Analysis Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

SWOT Analysis Indian Pharmaceutical Industry Strengths 1. India is regarded as having an edge over China in terms of qualified, English-speaking manpower and fair protection of intellectual property rights supported by well-developed judicial system. (Appendix IV gives more information on IPR status in India). 2. India has skilled scientists/technicians/management personnel at affordable cost leading to low cost of innovation/ manufacturing/capex costs/ expenditure to run cGMP compliance facilities and high quality documentation and process understanding. 3. The country has well developed chemistry, R D and manufacturing infrastructure with proven track record in advanced chemistry capabilities, design of high tech manufacturing facilities and regulatory compliance. 4. The healthy domestic market with rising per capita expenditure is another significant strength enabling achievement of economies of scale. The country also has a strong marketing distribution network. 5. India is considered a desirable destination for off shoring of data management functions for clinical trials and also due to its rich biodiversity and strength in Chemistry which are essential for drug discovery. 6. The country has significant ability to circumvent API Patents. India has filed a number of non-infringing process patents. The country has a recent success track record in circumventing formulation patents. Proven Legal skills to evaluate IP and commercial strategies are available at least in select top companies. 7. The present domestic regulatory environment though in need of further improvement has been conducive to the growth of an emerging pharmaceutical industry. Weaknesses 1. Low investments in innovative RD continue to be a major weakness of Indian pharmaceutical industry. 2. Diffused nature of the Indian pharmaceutical industry means that only about 20 to 30 companies are large enough to bear the transactions costs associated with sustained exports to and compliance with entry regulations of the developed markets. 3. Majority of companies lack the ability to compete with MNCs for New Drug Discovery, Research and commercialization of molecules on a worldwide basis due to lack of resources. 4. Strong linkages between industry and academia which are essential for growth of the industry is lacking in India. 5. Comparatively small domestic market size due to low medical and healthcare expenditure in the country. 6. The country has at times shown inadequate regulatory framework or compliance and enforcement regime, reflected in occurrences such a production of spurious or low quality drugs. 7. Competency in API/Formulation, intellectual property creation, facility design and maintenance, global regulatory affairs, legal intricacies, and managing international work force is limited to a few players among the big players. 8. Rapidly increasing costs of skilled manpower such as scientists/ regulatory compliance personnel / pharmaceutical lawyers/ international business development personnel is pushing up the cost of innovation. Ability to evaluate contracts/alliances etc., is available only in top companies. Significant lacuna in this area exists and companies are falling into traps created by the competitors. Institutionalisation of learning in the following areas is restricted: Regulatory affairs knowledge for different countries and continents Process and product patents procedures knowledge for different countries and continents. 9. Sales and marketing knowledge is inadequate due to lack of understanding of international Pharmaceutical marketing/pricing practices and market environment in various countries. 10. Inadequate manufacturing practices in comparison to those accepted in developed world such as change of API source, change of manufacturing locations, equipment etc, with out proven stability/ bioequivalence may be creating inadequate technical work force for exports. The national drug regulatory system though evolved substantially, has been in the need of strengthening its manpower and systems requirements. 11. Inadequate emphasis on Biosciences in education system leading to slower development in areas related to Biology giving away advantage to China. Opportunities India is faced with significant export opportunities, such as: i. US$40 billion worth of drugs in the U.S.A and US$25 billion worth of drugs in Europe are expected to go off patent soon. Assocham estimates that Indian manufacturers may capture 30 percent of that market. This translates to an opportunity of US$19.5bn which is significant considering the countrys current exports of approx. US$7.25bn. However the figures need to be appropriately deflated since Indian opportunity will lie in generics equivalent of branded or patented drugs, which would be cheaper. ii. Generic launches by Indian manufacturers have increased in the United States from 93 in 2003 to 250 by 2008. iii. Compulsory licensing provisions negotiated in the Doha Round, allows for countries to import cheaper generic versions of patented drugs in the interests of public health. Thailand and South Africa have already started such initiatives from which Indian firms have benefited. 2. Due to the cost advantage in contract manufacturing Research multi-national companies find it compelling to shift their production bases to countries offering such cost advantage. Typical of the industry which requires approval of manufacturing facilities by various drug regulatory agencies of the world involving a very high cost, once such business finds base in India it would continue with it for at least one half to two decades. 3. Licensing deals with MNCs for NCEs (New Chemical Entities) and NDDS (New Drug Delivery Systems) offer new opportunities for Indian manufacturers. 4. Marketing alliances for MNC products in domestic and international market is another emerging opportunity. 5. Contract manufacturing arrangements with MNCs is estimated at 10% of patented markets estimated at US$450bn which is approx. US$45bn. 6. India has a very high potential for developing as a centre for international clinical trials due to its rich diversity. 7. India can become a niche player in global pharmaceutical RD and possibilities exist for expansion of biotechnology generics (also known as bio-similars) and biopharmaceuticals. 8. There is a possibility of greater returns from an Indian entry into mature and more remunerative markets like Brazil, Japan, CIS, Russia, etc. 9. The Work Programme for the European Medicines Agency 2007 identifies greater co-operation with India especially in the field of traditional and herbal medicines and remedies. Emerging preference for traditional medicines and herbs in the developed markets including lifestyle products and food supplements also presents an opportunity for the country in traditional medicinal systems Herbal based products. 10. A rise in life expectancy generally, and increase in the population of the old, particularly in the developed world is causing higher expenditure from respective national health budgets compelling them to move to cheaper APIs and formulations which are Indias forte. 11. Unleashing of a plethora of preferential trading arrangements, both bilateral and regional, offers opportunities for India to negotiate preferential access to partner markets for Indian pharmaceuticals in the long term and in a sustainable manner. Threats 1. Product patent regime poses serious challenge to domestic industry unless it invests in research and development. 2. RD efforts of Indian pharmaceutical companies are hampered by lack of enabling regulatory requirement. 3. Drug Price Control Order puts unrealistic ceilings on product prices and profitability. 4. Export effort is hampered by procedural hurdles in India as well as non-tariff barriers imposed abroad. For example: i. Indian manufacturers are prevented from bidding for government contracts as US permits bidders only from countries that are signatories to WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. ii. Indian manufacturers have to submit separate state level applications for marketing drugs in the United States as there is no nation-wide system of application even where FDA approval has been received. 5. Lowering of tariff protection has increased competition in domestic markets resulting in erosion of profitability. 6. Mergers and acquisitions by foreign companies particularly multinational corporations of afew Indian generic leaders may completely change the direction of Indias pharmaceutical movement neutralising its thrust on generics and cost competitiveness. 7. The generics market in developed countries may be affected by a number of factors: i. The release of authorized generics by major drug manufacturers. ii. New mid-sized players, establishing themselves in the generics market. iii. Increased competition due to newer Chinese and East European manufacturers. (E.g. there has been massive state level investment by China in the biotechnology sector though at present India still has the edge due to IP laws.) iv. TAs entered into by the United States of America with third countries (e.g. the Morocco-U.S.A FTA) may be harmful to Indian pharmaceutical exports because of provisions for increases in patent terms, etc. The United States enters into a number of FTAs with different countries and while the exact text of these agreements differ from country to country, each of these agreements contains provisions which can be damaging to Indian exporters of pharmaceuticals partly also because of their provisions on patents. These FTAs contain a large number of provisions which increase patent terms for pharmaceuticals by allowing for patentability of new uses of discovered inventions and by increasing patent terms by taking into account the time taken to process claims (evergreening). These provisions go beyond TRIPS and hence it may not be possible to challenge these under the WTO Dispute Resolution process. However, the compatibility of these provisions with Article XXIV of the GATT needs to be examined. 8. Specific non-tariff and para-tariff barriers being increasingly adopted by other countries such as long transaction time taken for registration of drugs, insistence on completing long process for registration when the drug may actually have gone through the most rigorous process of registration such as the USFDA; insistence on allowing imports of only those drugs which are registered in some developed countries, etc. PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL (a) INDUSTRY COMPETITION The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is highly fragmented with around 250-300 manufacturing and formulation units in organized sector which contribute to only 70% of the market share of the total sales in the country. The concentration ratio (proportion of total industry output by the largest firm in the industry) for the industry is very low. Also government subsidies have led to the proliferation of many small players. Since the Product Patents were not valid in the country till 2005, the differentiation in the product is very low. The key driver in this industry is the cost-competitiveness. After 2005, major MNCs like Pfizer GSK started introducing newer products in the market thereby increasing competition in the industry. Many small players that are focused on a particular region have a better hand on the distribution channel, making it easier to succeed, albeit in a limited way. An important fact is that, pharmaceutical is a stable market and its growth rate generally tracks the economic growth of the country with some multiple (1.2 times average in India). Though volume growth has been consistent over a period of time value growth has not followed in tandem. Earlier it was easy for Indian pharmaceutical companies to imitate pharmaceutical products discovered by MNCs at a lower cost and make good profit. But today the scene is different with the arrival of the patent regime 2005 which has forced Indian companies to rethink its strategies and to invest more on RD. Also contract research has assumed more importance now. (b) BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS The unique feature of pharmaceutical industry is that the end user of the product is different from the influencer (read doctor). The consumer has no choice but to buy what doctor says. However, when we look at the buyers power, we look at the influence they have on the prices of the product. In pharmaceutical industry, the buyers are scattered and they as such do not wield much power in the pricing of the products. Due to the extremely fragmented nature of industry government policies like DPCO ( Drug Price Order Control), 1970 under which the power to control prices is with the NPPA ( National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority) the low power of buyers does not have much effect on the manufacturers. Except in generic OTC medicines, the buyer does not normally switch medicines. (c) BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS The pharmaceutical industry depends upon several organic chemicals. The chemical industry is again very competitive and fragmented. The chemicals used in the pharmaceutical industry are largely a commodity. The suppliers have very low bargaining power and the companies in the pharmaceutical industry can switch from their suppliers without incurring a very high cost. However, what can happen is that the supplier can go for forward integration to become a pharmaceutical company. Companies like Orchid Chemicals and Sashun Chemicals were basically chemical companies who turned themselves into pharmaceutical companies. The fragmented nature of the organic chemicals industry prevents it from having much bargaining power over the manufacturers as the switching cost is low for the manufacturers. (d) BARRIERS TO ENTRY Threat of new entrants in the Indian Pharmaceutical sector during pre-2005 era used to be low as the capital requirement for the industry used to be very low from 1970s till 2005 because of the absence of product patents and heavy dependence on reverse engineering or Process Patent phenomenon but post 2005 it has become a huge burden on the part of new entrants to establish Manufacturing facilities of International Regulatory standards to tap the potential of generic exports and domestic consumption demand . That major barriers to entry are : The presence of economies of scale in manufacturing, RD, marketing, sales etc capital requirement financial requirements. The existing companies have advantage in terms of costs involved in launching new drugs formulations. The new companies would find it difficult to achieve this. Differentiation of products from the existing products in the market creating brand awareness in the minds of doctors pharmacists. New entrants will face difficulties in gaining trust of doctors/patients and they also need to develop efficient distribution channels preferred arrangements with doctors/pharmacists. Regulatory policies including patents, regulatory standards. The Indian Patent Act, 1970 recognized process but not product patents. The introduction of Product Patent 2005 of TRIPS part of WTO agreement has led to huge barriers for potential entrants. But to be noted it is unlikely to discourage new entrants, as market for generics will be huge in the near future as the demand for generics by all the developed economies has increased by leaps and bounds as their governments are drawing plans to effectively manage the health expenditure budget by switching from branded drugs to generic versions. (e)THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES This is one of the great advantages of the pharmaceutical industry. Whatever happens, demand for pharmaceutical products continues and the industry thrives. One of the key reasons for high competitiveness in the industry is that as an ongoing concern, pharmaceutical industry seems to have an infinite future. However, in recent times the advances made in the field of biotechnology, can prove to be a threat to the synthetic pharmaceutical industry. Also in developing countries like India, the traditional medicines also play a major substituting role. CONCLUSION This model gives a fair idea about the industry in which a company operates and the various external forces that influence it. These five forces of competition interact to determine the characteristics and the attractiveness of an industry. The strongest forces become dominant in determining profitability and become the focal points of strategy formulation. However, it must be noted that any industry is not static in nature. Its dynamic and over a period of time the model, which we have used to analyse the pharmaceutical industry may itself evolve. Going forward, we foresee increasing competition in the industry but the form of competition will be different. It will be between large players (with economies of scale) and it may be possible that some kind of oligopoly or cartels come into play. This is owing to the fact that the industry will move towards consolidation. The larger players in the industry will survive with their proprietary products and strong franchisee. In the Indian context, companies like Cipla, Ranbaxy and Dr.Reddys are likely to be key players. Smaller fringe players, who have no differentiating strengths, are likely to either be acquired or cease to exist. The barriers to entry will increase going forward. The change in the patent regime has made sure that new proprietary products come up making imitation difficult. The players with huge capacity will be able to influence substantial power on the fringe players by their aggressive pricing thereby creating hindrance for the smaller players. Economies of scale will play an important part too. Besides government will have a bigger role to play. PEST ANALYSIS To understand the implications of the environment on any industry it is imperative to study the four cardinal influencers on the industry namely Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors. It is rather unfortunate that in India these factors have a rather disproportionate influence on the functioning of a commercial organization. From the days of independence the business environment has been overly regulated by a handful of bureaucrats, middlemen, businessmen and politicians. Its only a decade since the country has seen an emergence of a political thought that encourages free enterprise. A welcome change indeed! (P)olitical Factors 1. Today there is political uncertainty in the air. A combination of diverse political thought have got together to cobble together a rag-tag coalition, that is riddle with ideological contradictions. Therefore, any consistent political or economic policy can not be expected. This muddies the investment field. 2. The Minister in charge of the industry has been threatening to impose even more stringent Price Control on the industry than before. This is throwing many an investment plan into the doldrums. 3. DPCO which is the bible for the industry has in effect worked contrary to the stated objectives. DPCO nullifies the market forces from encouraging competitive pricing of goods dictated by the market. Now the pricing is determined by the Government based on the approved costs irrespective of the real costs. 4. Effective January, 2005 the country goes in for the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) regime, popularly known as the Patent Act. This Act will impact the Pharmaceutical Industry the most. Thus far an Indian company could escape paying a patent fee to the inventor of a drug by manufacturing it using a different chemical route. Indian companies exploited this law and used the reverse-engineering route to invent a lot of alternate manufacturing methods. A lot of money was saved this way. This also encouraged competing company to market their versions of the same drug. That meant that the impurities and trace elements found in different brands of the same substance were different both in qualification as well as in quantum. Therefore different brands of the same medicine were truly different. Here Branding actually meant quality and a purer brand actually had purer active ingredient and lesser or less toxic impurities. Product patent regime will eliminate all this. Now, a patented drug would be manufactured using the same chemical route and would be manufactured by the inventor or his licentiates using the chemicals with same specifications. Therefore, all the brands of the same active ingredient would not have any difference in purity and impurities. The different brands would have to compete on the basis of non input-related innovations such as packaging, color, flavors, Excipients etc. This is the biggest change the environment is going to impose on the industry. The marketing effort would be now focused on logistics, communications, economy of operation, extra-ingredient innovations and of course pricing. 5. In Pharma industry there is a huge PSU segment which is chronically sick and highly inefficient. The Government puts the surpluses generated by efficient units into the price equalization account of inefficient units thereby unduly subsidizing them. On a long term basis this has made practically everybody inefficient. 6. Effective the January, 2005 the Government has shifted from charging the Excise Duty on the cost of manufacturing to the MRP thereby making the finished products more costly. Just for a few extra bucks the current government has made many a life saving drugs unaffordable to the poor. 7. The Government provides extra drawbacks to some units located in specified area, providing them with subsidies that are unfair to the rest of the industry, bringing in a skewed development of the industry. As a results Pharma units have come up at place unsuitable for a best cost manufacturing activity. (E)conomic Factors 1. India spends a very small proportion of its GDP on healthcare ( A mere 1% ). This has stunted the demand and therefore the growth of the industry. 2. Per capita income of an average Indian is low ( Rs. 12,890 ), therefore, spending on the healthcare takes a low priority. An Indian would visit a doctor only when there is an emergency. This has led to a mushrooming of unqualified doctors and spread of non-standardized medication. 3. The incidence of Taxes are very high. There is Excise Duty ( State Central), Custom Duty, Service Tax, Profession Tax, License Fees, Royalty, Pollution Clearance Tax, Hazardous substance (Storage Handling) license, income tax, Stamp Duty and a host of other levies and charges to be paid. On an average it amounts to no less than 40-45% of the costs. 4. The number of Registered Medical practitioners is low. As a result the reach of Pharmaceuticals is affected adversely. 5. There are only 50,00,000 Medical shops. Again this affects adversely the distribution of medicines and also adds to the distribution costs. 6. India is a high interest rate regime. Therefore the cost of funds is double that in America. This adds to the cost of goods. 7. Adequate storage and transportation facilities for special drugs is lacking. A study had indicated that nearly 60% of the Retail Chemists do not have adequate refrigeration facilities and store drugs under sub-optimal conditions. This affects the quality of the drugs administered and of course adds to the costs. 8. India has poor roads and rail network. Therefore, the transportation time is higher. This calls for higher inventory carrying costs and longer delivery time. All this adds to the invisible costs. Its only during the last couple of years that good quality highways have been constructed. (S)ocio-cultural Factors 1. Poverty and associated malnutrition dramatically exacerbate the incidence of Malaria and TB, preventable diseases that continue to play havoc in India decades after they were eradicated in other countries. 2. Poor Sanitation and polluted water sources prematurely end the life of about 1 million children under the age of five every year. 3. In India people prefer using household treatments handed down for generations for common ailments. 4. The use of magic/tantrics/ozhas/hakims is prevalent in India. 5. Increasing pollution is adding to the healthcare problem. 6. Smoking, gutka, drinking and poor oral hygiene is adding to the healthcare problem. 7. Large joint families transmit communicable diseases amongst the members. 8. Cattle-rearing encourage diseases communicated by animals. 9. Early child bearing affects the health standards of women and children. 10. Ignorance of inoculation and vaccination has prevented the eradication of diseases like polio, chicken-pox, small-pox, mumps and measles. 11. People dont go in for vaccination due superstitious beliefs and any sort of ailment is considered as a curse from God for sins committed. (T)echnological Factors 1. Advanced automated machines have increased the output and reduced the cost. 2. Computerization has increased the efficiency of the Pharma Industry. 3. Newer medication, molecules and active ingredients are being discovered. As of January 2005, the Government of India has more than 10,000 substances for patenting. 4. Ayurveda is a well recognized science and it is providing the industry with a cutting edge. 5. Advances in Bio-technology, Stem-cell research have given India a step forward. 6. Humano-Insulin, Hepatitis B vaccines, AIDS drugs and many such molecules have given the industry a pioneering status. 7. Newer drug delivery systems are the innovations of the day. 8. The huge unemployment in India prevents industries from going fully automatic as the Government as well as the Labor Unions voice complains against such establishments.

Bessie Smith Essay -- Biography Biographies

Bessie Smith Known as the â€Å"Empress Of Blues†, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed. Bessie was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a part time Baptist preacher, William Smith, and his wife Laura. The family was large and poor. Soon after she was born her father died. Laura lived until Bessie was only nine years old. The remaining children had to learn to take care of themselves. Her sister Viola then raised her. But it was her oldest brother, Clarence, who had the most impact on her. Clarence always encouraged Bessie to learn to sing and dance. After Clarence had joined the Moses Stokes Minstrel Show, Bessie got auditions. Bessie's career began when she was 'discovered' by none other than Ma Rainey when Ma's revue, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, was passing through Chattanooga around 1912 and she had the occasion to hear young Bessie sing. Ma took Bessie on the road with the show and communicated, consciously or not, the subtleties and intricacies of an ancient and still emerging art form. (Snow). Bessie started by working small-time traveling tent shows. With the help of Clarence she began her professional career in 1912, and soon became a featured singer. Smith was an established star with the black audiences throughout the south by the time she moved to Philadelphia in 1921. However, two more years would pass before she would begin her recording career. Soon after moving to Philadelphia, Smith supposedly auditioned for Okeh and other... ... Pennsylvania. For many African-Americans, Smith was more than just a blues singer, thanks to an aggressive personality and often-excessive lifestyle. It seemed as if she was describing black culture in the 1920s through her songs. Smith recorded at least 160 songs for Columbia Records from 1923 to 1933. Many of these songs are blues classics. Bessie Smith was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Bessie Smith had a huge voice capable of strength and softness, which she left behind on all her recordings. Bibliography: Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1999 Friedwald, Will. Jazz Singing. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996 Sanders, Madelyn. Bessie Smith. â€Å"Smith, Bessie†. Encarta Encyclopedia. 2001 Ed. Snow, Joel. Bessie Smith. September 17, 1995

Spring Reawakened: The Mind and Matter of Rock and Rebellion Essay

What constitutes a rebellion against conformity? Is the desire for revolution a matter of action or simply a state of mind? In the 1990s, America’s counterculture was founded on the alternative, grunge, and punk rock movements that embodied the spirit of intrapersonal tension and social upheaval. The ideas emphasized through this counterculture have utilized and influenced many art forms, including theatre. Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening exudes the same unruly spirit of the ‘90s, but the musical’s setting, 19th century Germany, does little to connect contemporary audiences to the themes. To accentuate the rebellious spirit inherent in the script, an adaptation of the play will be set in America during the 1990s. Furthermore, the internal conflicts within the three protagonists, Wendla Bergman, Moritz Stiefel, and Melchior Gabor—who each represent a facet of Sigmund Freud’s map of the human subconscious—will be externalized through the characters’ use of live musical instruments onstage. In each of the Poetics’ categories, alterations will be made to the original production in order to liberate its underlying turmoil. The plot will be restructured as a framed narrative, known as the Chinese box device. Essentially, Spring Awakening will become a â€Å"story within a story.† The first scene, in which Wendla asks her mother about human conception, will be truncated and will serve as the external frame of the story. Wendla’s mother will conclude the scene with â€Å"In order for a women to conceive a child†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sater 17). Then, plot will jump to the subsequent scene, which begins inside the framed narrative and proceed as normal. After the song â€Å"Those You’ve Known,† the musical will return to the first scene, the framing device, and conclude ... .... Simultaneously, the actors will have to â€Å"rock out† during musical numbers while singing and playing instruments. Every decision made in this production of Spring Awakening focuses on highlighting themes of rebellion, psychological conflict, and the ability of high-energy rock music to influence social movements. These ideas are present in the script, but are buried beneath an ineffectual setting; fortunately, their universal applicability allows the musical to be transplanted into a more relatable time period. When established during the American alternative rock movement of the 1990s, the musical invites contemporary audiences to think of rebellion as a psychological and behavioral matter, a form of personal motivation, and not simply the product of teenage angst. The heart of Spring Awakening ultimately lies in this deep, thematic resonance and restless spirit.

Marijuana Should Be Legal for Anyone over 21

Marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes to anyone over 21 years of age. Marijuana has been proven to be safer than alcohol, yet marijuana is against the law. Alcohol is known to contribute to acts of violence and crime, while in most cases cannabis can reduce aggression in its users. â€Å"In last year’s cases of reported violent crime three million offenders had been drinking. Almost all cases of date rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence had some kind of connection to alcohol† (Medical Fact: Marijuana is Safer Than Alcohol, 2009). Marijuana has not been linked or has been left absent from any of those type of crime reports. Alcohol-related traffic accidents have gone down in the past 20 to 30 years; however, they still kill approximately 14,000 lives every year according to MADD. The numbers for THC-related traffic deaths are very rare because most of the deaths in these cases the driver was also under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. However, â€Å"there is evidence from a number of studies, including some laboratory simulations that give power to the idea that people under the influence of cannabis seem to be aware of their impaired motor skills, and two tend to drive below the posted speed limit. People under the influence of alcohol are more likely to unaware or defiant about their impaired state and most tend to speed or drive recklessly† (RN, How Many People Actually Die from Marijuana and Alcohol, 2010). Some of the main concerns about legalizing marijuana are if marijuana causes any type of cancer or long time health effects. â€Å"Alcohol abuse as we know can contribute too many different long-term negative health problems, mainly cirrhosis of the liver and other types of cancers. There are some doctors that state that a small quantity of alcohol, taken daily, is good for salutary health effects, alcohol is still one of the worst drugs that someone could take for pain management† (Kaufman, 2008). Marijuana has not been linked to cause any type of cancer but instead is used to treat some side effects of cancer and cancer treatment. Studies have been done to see if marijuana has any link to causing cancer. Donald Tashkin from the University of California Los Angeles is a pulmonologist that has studied marijuana and its effects for over 30 years. He stated that â€Å"New findings were against our expectation. A study was done were we hypothesized that there would be an association between marijuana and lung cancer, and with heavier use of the drug that the link would be even more positive. Instead we found that there was no association at all, we even found that THC might have some protective effects against cancer† (Tashkin, 2009). Many states have already made marijuana legal for medical use because of all its positive effects on the user. Some government officials are trying to keep marijuana illegal because they say it is a gateway drug, and will lead children to harder drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine. However the RAND study performed by the U. S. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (which measures patterns and frequency of self-reported drug use among Americans) found that â€Å"Marijuana experimentation by adolescents does not lead to the use of harder drug’s, and that teenagers who tried hard drugs were predisposed to do so whether or not they tried marijuana. Almost anything can be called a gateway drug in today’s time. Most people can remember a popular candy know as Candy Cigarettes. â€Å"Candy Cigarettes that are exactly the way you remember them as a kid. Each pack has 10 white candy sticks with a red tip, ready to be rolled up in your T-shirt sleeve† (Oldtime Candy Company, 2010). I asked my parents about my use of Candy Cigarettes. â€Å"When you were 8 or 9 you always wanted to act cool like the older guys on our street. You would always ask for those things, and you and your best friend would stand outside playing with them. If I would have known that it would have led to you really smoking I would have never bought them† (Anderson, 2011). The statement â€Å"marijuana is a lot safer than alcohol† cannot go unchallenged and should be debated. One important subject is the risk that marijuana use (especially in young adults) can lead to some kinds of mental illness. â€Å"Studies support findings that risk of schizophrenia doubles in young abusers† (U. S. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2009). According to Joseph Califano Jr. CASA founder and chairman of Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) â€Å"If we were to make marijuana legal and taxed it, for approximately every dollar of tax revenue, there could be as much as seven dollars incurred in medical costs†. Legalizing marijuana would mean that it would be easier for the drug to get in the hands of kids. According to CASA findings â€Å"Despite reported declines in teen marijuana use in 2007, almost eleven million teens report using marijuana. Marijuana is a major substance that is being abused among teens in America. More than five times the increase in such findings for all other substance abuse. † With marijuana becoming so popular again with teens most people believe that we should keep the drug illegal. Marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes to anyone over 21 years of age. Studies have shown that it is safer than alcohol, and is being use by a wide spread of society. Money from taxation of marijuana can be used to benefit schools, decrease the deficit, and lower prison rates and populations for minor offenders and misdemeanors. Marijuana has not been shown to cause cancer, but instead help with some of the side effects. As well as reduce aggression in its users. No Drug is good and all of them need to be regulated in some type of way. However, marijuana use is not going stop. We as a society need to control it and gain from it. Legalizing marijuana and putting laws, similar to the ones for alcohol, in effect would increase the use of marijuana amongst our society, but it would also bring in money that is in great need for our schools.