Book Banning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book Banning - Essay Example One could always come out with the excuses that a specific work of literature or a book could destabilize the society or may have a drastic affect on the impressionable minds (Nocera, 1982).. However, the very act of banning books violates the freedom of speech guaranteed in the constitution and amounts to the deplorable act of suppressing an idea. No free society can allow for the suppression of original and innovative ideas. Freedom and creativity is primarily about allowing for a free play of ideas in a nation and a society, and the act of censorship or the suppression of ideas amounts to intellectual and academic elitism or for that matter orthodoxy. Books should never be banned, especially in the multicultural societies, which are always open to relative and multiple interpretations of ideas. In a free society, every idea and ideology has the right to find its place in the print. Just because a vast section of the society or a majority group does not particularly agree with an idea, this in no way allows for constraining or hampering the dissemination of an idea cherished and liked by a minority part of the society. Certainly, it does not mean that there exists nothing like bad or evil ideas. However, even if an idea is bad or evil in its ramifications, the censorship or banning of such an idea not only bolsters its hold over the society, but hits hard at the very fundamental ethos of the democratic societies like free speech, tolerance and the acceptance of off beat or innovative ideas and views. Ideas should be counteracted, and opposed by ideas and not by autocratic and coercive means like statutory provisions and government al or state regulation (Nocera, 1982). Such ethos not only allow a society to be ever fresh, innovative and vibrant, but usher in a quintessentially tolerant and catholic intellectual atmosphere, where a free flow and interaction of multiple ideas leads to growth, development and a continual revival of the society. A controversial work of literature always has the potential to give way to debates and discussions in the social arena, which is the hallmark of all the free and democratic societies.To some extent, the banning of the books is justified, especially in the contemporary scenarios marred by a widespread proliferation of hate ideologies and international terrorism. However, the kind of books that need to be banned are the ones that promote hate and intolerance against a particular section of the society, that teach people to operate lethal weapons and how to make bombs, that intend to perpetrate violence and abuse, that threaten or intimidate the masses or that discernibly an d unambiguously intend to jeopardize social, religious and political harmony and tolerance. Yet, the very act of censorship and book banning cold be carried beyond the limits of reason and understanding by framing or dubbing the diverse or varied interpretations of ideas as being blasphemous, anti-social, pervert or unpatriotic. So its better that the national conscience and the state focus their power on obstructing and suppressing the obviously violent and intolerant groups and texts,

Legal Rights Essay Example for Free

Legal Rights Essay Criminals have legal rights during trial procedures. Without these rights there would be so much confusion and controversy in the court system today. There are four of them that I will give a brief summarization of and explain to you the consequences that could possibly happen if these legal rights were no longer upheld in the court system today. They are; the right to confront witnesses, the right to an impartial jury, the right to counsel at trial, and last but not least the right to be competent trial. The right to confront witnesses is legal right. The sixth amendment gives the defendant the right to be confronted by the witnesses against them (Larry J. Siegel, 2012, 2010). This basically gives the right for the defendant to have the witness me to court and give them the ability to look the witness right in the eye. This also gives the defendant’s lawyer the right to question the witness. If this right wasn’t upheld then there would probably be a lot of false statements or accusations in the trial. It would also be hard to confirm whether or not the witness it telling the truth, because anyone can pick up a piece of paper and write down what they want to, but when it comes to looking that person right in the eye it makes a whole lot of difference, because it gives the defense a chance to look at the body language of the witness and also, when it comes to the matching up of the statements, the witness could write down something, but then when it comes to testifying if they are lying then what they wrote down and what they are actually saying could be totally different and if this right was no longer upheld there could be innocent people going to jail or a lot of criminals getting away with the crime that they have committed. Also if the legal right wasn’t upheld how could the jury or the judge go off of a written statement that could have be written by anyone, if this right wasn’t upheld, then there would be so many written statements on both sides, because they wouldn’t have to testify during trial, it would be a whole lot easier for people to get off, because it would basically be he say, she say information, but the fact of having to actually go to court and testify under oath, puts you in a whole entire ball field so it helps in a lot of ways, because not only does it help the d defense but it helps the prosecutors also. The right to an impartial jury basically means that, the jurors who they select for the trial know absolutely no one who is on the trial, none of the attorneys, the judge, the defendant or the plaintiff. They also can’t know anything about the trial. No one on the jury can be biased. If this legal right wasn’t upheld then the ruling of the case, wouldn’t be fair and there would be a lot of people taking different sides just because of the person that they know. It wouldn’t be fair to the defendant or the plaintiff, because if the jury knew something about the case or knew of the person who committed the crime or of the person who the crime was committed upon then the jury would have mixed feelings and would probably never reach a decision which could cause a hung jury, which would probably let a criminal walk free. Also if anyone in the jury knew the judge, the prosecutor or the defense lawyer and they worked one of their cases or convicted them of a crime previously then they would probably just choose a side out of spite. Having an impartial jury is not only good for the defendant, but also for the prosecutor and plaintiff also, because if there was someone on the jury that had something against the plaintiff or prosecutor then they would probably just choose in favor of the defense just because of the grudge that they had against that party. The right to counsel means that the defendant has the right to have the assistance to counsel in the defendants defense and if they can’t afford one then one would be appointed to them by the court. If this right wasn’t upheld then there would be a lot of cases that would probably be ruled in favor of the plaintiff just because of the lack of knowledge of the defendant. Also there would probably be a lot of criminals behind bars, because then they wouldn’t have a lawyer to speak on there be half and try to work out a lighter sentence on their behalf. There probably would not be as many probation officers, because with the defendant’s being locked up then the options of them having probation or community service would be cut out of the picture. With a lawyer they help out the defendant’s a lot in trials, because the lawyer can work with the prosecutor and come up with many other options other than jail time. They can also help the defendant and show them ways and other things to do before trial to help them get a lesser or lighter sentence. Without the criminals having the right to counsel then there would be a lot of wrongful accusations on the defendant’s side also it would be easier for the jury to side with the prosecutor because with the lack of knowledge the defendant probably wouldn’t be able to get the information that they need for trial together. The right to be competent at trial means that in order to stand trial a criminal defendant must be in there right state of mind and understand the nature and extent of the legal proceedings. Also if the defendant is considered mentally unstable then the trial must be postponed until treatment renders him capable of participating in his own defense (Larry J. Siegel, 2012, 2010). If this right was no longer upheld then every trial would be unfair and a lot of mentally unstable people would be in jail instead of getting proper treatment in the right facility. Also if it wasn’t upheld then the defendant wouldn’t be able to render the treatment that he/she needs to be able to stand trial. Also the criminal would probably try to act as his own counsel which, because they aren’t in there right state of mind and say or do things that he/she wouldn’t understand, because they aren’t in there right state of mind and would they would get a harsher sentence for the crime. There are so many things that could go wrong if these legal rights weren’t in place. There are many cases that has happened and that’s why we have these legal rights to day. In my opinion I feel that these rights are in effect for good reasons, because regardless of the person everyone should have rights. Without these legal rights there would be so much corruption and wrong doing in the courts today.

Im Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti Essay -- Niccolò Ammaniti Im Not Sc

â€Å"I’m not scared explores the notion that only the strong will thrive.† Discuss. Thrive v.i. grow well; flourish, prosper. The characters in ‘I’m not scared’ are living, not thriving. They’re all weak in different ways and their strength is dying slowly. All of the characters have an individual battle with weakness. Many of the characters appear to be strong but are really just helpless beings, existing in a place where the strength comes from violence and abuse. Often the truly strong characters are the innocent children, who are forced to grow up because of the adult irresponsibility that surrounds them and the burdens placed upon them by the people they trust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michele Amitrano is a young Italian boy, who is taken advantage of, mentally and emotionally, by the people he loves and trusts. He is bullied by the local children, especially Skull, a troubled boy that follows in the footsteps of his misfit brother Felice. Michele is betrayed by his father and faced with one of the hardest decisions he would ever have to make. Although Michele deals with his situation well, he is the most vulnerable character in the novel because his family’s shame is placed upon him. When Michele’s father Pino, tells Michele that he must stand by his family and remain silent about their involvement in a kidnapping, Michele is plagued by guilt, especially since he developed a friendship with the kidnapped Prince Filippo. It is inevitable that Michele will burst inside because of the burd...

Importance of television in our life Essay

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of suitable polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds plus water. Forms of polyisoprene that are useful as natural rubbers are classified aselastomers. Currently, rubber is harvested mainly in the form of the latex from certain trees. The latex is a sticky, milky colloid drawn off by making incisions into the bark and collecting the fluid in vessels in a process called â€Å"tapping†. The latex then is refined into rubber ready for commercial processing. Natural rubber is used extensively in many applications and products, either alone or in combination with other materials. In most of its useful forms, it has a large stretch ratio, high resilience, and is extremely waterproof.[1] Varieties[edit] The major commercial source of natural rubber latex is the Parà ¡ rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), a member of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. This species is widely used because it grows well under cultivation and a properly managed tree responds to wounding by producing more latex for several years. Many other plants produce forms of latex rich in isoprene polymers, though not all produce usable forms of polymer as easily as the Parà ¡ rubber tree does; some of them require more elaborate processing to produce anything like usable rubber, and most are more difficult to tap. Some produce other desirable materials, for example gutta-percha (Palaquium gutta)[2] and chicle from Manilkara species. Others that have been commercially exploited, or at least have shown promise as sources of rubber, include the rubber fig (Ficus elastica), Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica), various spurges (Euphorbia spp.), lettuce (Lactuca species), the related Scorzonera tau-saghyz, various Taraxacum species, including common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), and guayule (Parthenium argentatum). The term gum rubber is sometimes applied to the tree-obtained version of natural rubber in order to distinguish it from the synthetic version.[1] Discovery of commercial potential[edit] The Para rubber tree is indigenous to South America. Charles Marie de La Condamine is credited with introducing samples of rubber to the Acadà ©mie Royale des Sciences of France in 1736.[3] In 1751, he presented a paper by Franà §ois Fresneau to the Acadà ©mie (eventually published in 1755) which described many of the properties of rubber. This has been referred to as the first scientific paper on rubber.[3] In England, Joseph Priestley, in 1770, observed that a piece of the material was extremely good for rubbing off pencil marks on paper, hence the name â€Å"rubber†. Later, it slowly made its way around England. South America remained the main source of the limited amounts of latex rubber used during much of the 19th century. In 1876, Henry Wickham gathered thousands of Para rubber tree seeds from Brazil, and these were germinated in Kew Gardens, England. The seedlings were then sent to India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Singapore, and British Malaya. Malaya (now Malaysia) was later to become the biggest producer of rubber. In the early 1900s, the Congo Free State in Africa was also a significant source of natural rubber latex, mostly gathered by forced labor. Liberia and Nigeria also started production of rubber. In India, commercial cultivation of natural rubber was introduced by the British planters, although the experimental efforts to grow rubber on a commercial scale in India were initiated as early as 1873 at the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta. The first commercial Hevea plantations in India were established at Thattekadu in Kerala in 1902. In Singapore and Malaya, commercial production of rubber was heavily promoted by Sir Henry Nicholas Ridley, who served as the first Scientific Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1888 to 1911. He distributed rubber seeds to many planters and developed the first technique for tapping trees for latex without causing serious harm to the tree.[4]Because of his very fervent promotion of this crop, he is popularly remembered by the nickname â€Å"Mad Ridley†.[5] Properties[edit] Rubber latex Rubber exhibits unique physical and chemical properties. Rubber’s stress-strain behavior exhibits the Mullins effect and the Payne effect, and is often modeled as hyperelastic. Rubber strain crystallizes. Owing to the presence of a double bond in each repeat unit, natural rubber is susceptible to vulcanisation and sensitive to ozone cracking. The two main solvents for rubber are turpentine and naphtha (petroleum). The former has been in use since 1764 when Franà §ois Fresnau made the discovery. Giovanni Fabbroni is credited with the discovery of naphtha as a rubber solvent in 1779. Because rubber does not dissolve easily, the material is finely divided by shredding prior to its immersion. An ammonia solution can be used to prevent the coagulation of raw latex while it is being transported from its collection site. Elasticity[edit] In most elastic materials, such as metals used in springs, the elastic behavior is caused by bond distortions. When force is applied, bond lengths deviate from the (minimum energy) equilibrium and strain energy is stored electrostatically. Rubber is often assumed to behave in the same way, but this is a poor description. Rubber is a curious material because, unlike in metals, strain energy is stored thermally. In its relaxed state, rubber consists of long, coiled-up chains. When rubber is stretched, the chains are taut. Their kinetic energy is released as heat. The entropy and temperature increases during elongation but decreases during relaxation. This change in entropy is related to the changes in degrees of freedom. Relaxation of a stretched rubber band is thus driven by a decrease in entropy and temperature, and the force experienced is a result of the cooling of the material being converted to potential energy. Rubber relaxation isendothermic, and for this reason the force exerted by a stretched piece of rubber increases with temperature. The material undergoes adiabatic cooling during contraction. This property of rubber can easily be verified by holding a stretched rubber band to one’s lips and relaxing it. Stretching of a rubber band is in some ways opposite to compression(although both undergo higher levels of thermal energy of an ideal gas), and relaxation is opposed to gas expansion (Note: rubber bands last longer in the cold). A compressed and heated gas also exhibits â€Å"elastic† properties, for instance inside an inflated car tire. The fact that stretching is equivalent to compression is counterintuitive, but it makes sense if rubber is viewed as a one-dimensional gas, plus it is attached to other molecules. Stretching and heat increase the â€Å"space† available to each section of chain, because the molecules are pulled apart. Vulcanization of rubber creates disulfide bonds between chains, so it limits the degrees of freedom. The result is that the chains tighten more quickly for a given strain, thereby increasing the elastic force constant and making rubber harder and less extensible. When cooled below the glass transition temperature, the quasifluid chain segments â€Å"freeze† into fixed geometries and the rubber abruptly loses its elastic properties, although the process is reversible. This property it shared by most elastomers. At very low temperatures, rubber is rather brittle. This critical temperature is the reason winter tires use a softer version of rubber than normal tires. The failing rubber o-ring seals that contributed to the cause of the Challenger disaster were thought to have cooled below their critical temperature; the disaster happened on an unusually cold day. The gas molecules in the rubber were too close to their bound solid molecules(a partial phase change that separated the rubber molecules may have occurred), allowing the rubber to take on a more solid shape(a partial phase change to a more liquid and molecularly separated form would not be good, either). Heated gas has a higher energy, and rubber must be kept at specific temperatures and probably should not be used on vehicles that undergo extreme temperature changes. Chemical makeup[edit] Latex is the polymer cis-1,4-polyisoprene – with a molecular weight of 100,000 to 1,000,000 daltons. Typically, a small percentage (up to 5% of dry mass) of other materials, such as proteins, fatty acids, resins, and inorganic materials (salts) are found in natural rubber. Polyisoprene can also be created synthetically, producing what is sometimes referred to as â€Å"synthetic natural rubber†, but the synthetic and natural routes are completely different.[1] Chemical structure of cis-polyisoprene, the main constituent of natural rubber: Synthetic cis-polyisoprene and natural cis-polyisoprene are derived from different precursors. Some natural rubber sources, such as gutta-percha, are composed of trans-1,4-polyisoprene, a structural isomer that has similar, but not identical, properties. Natural rubber is an elastomer and a thermoplastic. Once the rubber is vulcanized, it will turn into a thermoset. Most rubber in everyday use is vulcanized to a point where it shares properties of both; i.e., if it is heated and cooled, it is degraded but not destroyed. The final properties of a rubber item depend not just on the polymer, but also on modifiers and fillers, such as carbon black, factice, whiting, and a host of others. Biosynthesis[edit] Rubber particles are formed in the cytoplasm of specialized latex-producing cells called laticifers within rubber plants.[6] Rubber particles are surrounded by a single phospholipid membrane with hydrophobic tails pointed inward. The membrane allows biosynthetic proteins to be sequestered at the surface of the growing rubber particle, which allows new monomeric units to be added from outside the biomembrane, but within the lacticifer. The rubber particle is an enzymatically active entity that contains three layers of material, the rubber particle, a biomembrane, and free monomeric units. The biomembrane is held tightly to the rubber core due to the high negative charge along the double bonds of the rubber polymer backbone.[7] Free monomeric units and conjugated proteins make up the outer layer. The rubber precursor is isopentenyl pyrophosphate (an allylic compound), which elongates by Mg2+-dependent condensation by the action of rubber transferase. The monomer adds to the pyrophosphate end of the growing polymer.[8] The process displaces the terminal high-energy pyrophosphate. The reaction produces a cis polymer. The initiation step is catalyzed by prenyltransferase, which converts three monomers of isopentenyl pyrophosphate into farnesyl pyrophosphate.[9] The farnesyl pyrophosphate can bind to rubber transferase to elongate a new rubber polymer. The required isopentenyl pyrophosphate is obtained from the mevalonate pathway, which is derives from acetyl-CoA in the cytosol. In plants, isoprene pyrophosphate can also be obtained from 1-deox-D-xyulose-5-phosphate/2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway within plasmids.[10] The relative ratio of the farnesyl pyrophosphate initiator unit and isoprenyl pyrophosphate elongation monomer determines the rate of new particle synthesis versus elongation of existing particles. Though rubber is known to be produced by only one enzyme, extracts of latex have shown numerous small molecular weight proteins with unknown function. The proteins possibly serve as cofactors, as the synthetic rate decreases with complete removal.[11] Current sources[edit] Close to 21 million tons of rubber were produced in 2005, of which approximately 42% was natural. Since the bulk of the rubber produced is of the synthetic variety, which is derived from petroleum, the price of natural rubber is determined, to a large extent, by the prevailing global price of crude oil.[12][13] Today, Asia is the main source of natural rubber, accounting for about 94% of output in 2005. The three largest producing countries, Thailand, Indonesia (2.4m tons)[14] and Malaysia, together account for around 72% of all natural rubber production. Natural rubber is not cultivated widely in its native continent of South America due to the existence of South American leaf blight, and other natural predators of the rubber tree. Cultivation[edit] Rubber is generally cultivated in large plantations. See the coconut shell used in collecting latex, in plantations in Kerala, India Rubber latex is extracted from rubber trees. The economic life period of rubber trees in plantations is around 32 years – up to 7 years of immature phase and about 25 years of productive phase. The soil requirement of the plant is generally well-drained, weathered soil consisting of laterite, lateritic types, sedimentary types, nonlateritic red, or alluvial soils. The climatic conditions for optimum growth of rubber trees are: Rainfall of around 250 cm evenly distributed without any marked dry season and with at least 100 rainy days per year Temperature range of about 20 to 34 °C, with a monthly mean of 25 to 28 °C High atmospheric humidity of around 80% Bright sunshine amounting to about 2000 hours per year at the rate of six hours per day throughout the year Absence of strong winds Many high-yielding clones have been developed for commercial planting. These clones yield more than 2,000 kg of dry rubber per hectare per year, when grown under ideal conditions. Field coagula[edit] Mixed field coagula Smallholder’s lump at a remilling factory There are four types of field coagula, â€Å"cuplump†, â€Å"treelace†, â€Å"smallholders’ lump† and â€Å"earth scrap†. Each has significantly different properties.[15] Cuplump is the coagulated material found in the collection cup when the tapper next visits the tree to tap it again. It arises from latex clinging to the walls of the cup after the latex was last poured into the bucket, and from late-dripping latex exuded before the latex-carrying vessels of the tree become blocked. It is of higher purity and of greater value than the other three types. Treelace is the coagulum strip that the tapper peels off the previous cut before making a new cut. It usually has higher copper and manganese contents than cuplump. Both copper and manganese are pro-oxidants and can lower the physical properties of the dry rubber. Smallholders’ lump is produced by smallholders who collect rubber from trees a long way away from the nearest factory. Many Indonesian smallholders, who grow paddy in remote areas, tap dispersed trees on their way to work in the paddy fields and collect the latex (or the coagulated latex) on their way home. As it is often impossible to preserve the latex sufficiently to get it to a factory that processes latex in time for it to be used to make high quality products, and as the latex would anyway have coagulated by the time it reached the factory, the smallholder will coagulate it by any means available, in any container available. Some smallholders use small containers, buckets etc., but often the latex is coagulated in holes in the ground, which are usually (but not always) lined with plastic. Acidic materials and fermented fruit juices are used to coagulate the latex – a form of assisted biological coagulation. Little care is taken to exclude twigs, leaves, and even bark from the lumps that are formed, which may also include treelace collected by the smallholder. Earth scrap is the material that gathers around the base of the tree. It arises from latex overflowing from the cut and running down the bark of the tree, from rain flooding a collection cup containing latex, and from spillage from tappers’ buckets during collection. It contains soil and other contaminants, and has variable rubber content depending on the amount of contaminants mixed with it. Earth scrap is collected by the field workers two or three times a year and may be cleaned in a scrap-washer to recover the rubber, or sold off to a contractor who will clean it and recover the rubber. It is of very low quality and under no circumstances should it be included in block rubber or brown crepe. Processing[edit] Removing coagulum from coagulating troughs The latex will coagulate in the cups if kept for long. The latex has to be collected before coagulation. The collected latex, â€Å"field latex†, is transferred into coagulation tanks for the preparation of dry rubber or transferred into air-tight containers with sieving for ammoniation. Ammoniation is necessary to preserve the latex in colloidal state for long. Latex is generally processed into either latex concentrate for manufacture of dipped goods or it can be coagulated under controlled, clean conditions using formic acid. The coagulated latex can then be processed into the higher-grade, technically specified block rubbers such as SVR 3L or SVR CV or used to produce Ribbed Smoke Sheet grades. Naturally coagulated rubber (cup lump) is used in the manufacture of TSR10 and TSR20 grade rubbers. The processing of the rubber for these grades is a size reduction and cleaning process to remove contamination and prepare the material for the final stage of drying.[16] The dried material is then baled and palletized for storage and shipment in various methods of transportation. Transportation[edit] Natural rubber latex is shipped from factories in south-west Asia, South America, and North Africa to destinations around the world. As the cost of natural rubber has risen significantly, the shipping methods which offer the lowest cost per unit of weight are preferred. Depending on the destination, warehouse availability, and transportation conditions, some methods are more suitable to certain buyers than others. In international trade, latex rubber is mostly shipped in 20-foot ocean containers. Inside the ocean container, various types of smaller containers are used by factories to store latex rubber.[17] Uses[edit] Compression molded (cured)rubber boots before the flashesare removed Contemporary manufacturing[edit] Around 25 million tonnes of rubber is produced each year, of which 42 percent is natural rubber. The remainder is synthetic rubber derived from petrochemical sources. Around 70 percent of the world’s natural rubber is used in tires. The top end of latex production results in latex products such as surgeons’ gloves, condoms, balloons and other relatively high-value products. The mid-range which comes from the technically-specified natural rubber materials ends up largely in tires but also in conveyor belts, marine products and miscellaneous rubber goods. Natural rubber offers good elasticity, while synthetic materials tend to offer better resistance to environmental factors such as oils, temperature, chemicals or ultraviolet light and suchlike. â€Å"Cured rubber† is rubber which has been compounded and subjected to the vulcanisation process which creates cross-links within the rubber matrix. Prehistoric uses[edit] The first use of rubber was by the Olmecs, who centuries later passed on the knowledge of natural latex from the Hevea tree in 1600 BC to the ancient Mayans. They boiled the harvested latex to make a ball for a Mesoamerican ballgame.[18] Pre-World War II manufacturing[edit] Other significant uses of rubber are door and window profiles, hoses, belts, gaskets, matting, flooring, and dampeners (antivibration mounts) for the automotive industry. Gloves (medical, household and industrial) and toy balloons are also large consumers of rubber, although the type of rubber used is concentrated latex. Significant tonnage of rubber is used as adhesives in many manufacturing industries and products, although the two most noticeable are thepaper and the carpet industries. Rubber is also commonly used to make rubber bands and pencil erasers. Pre-World War II textile applications[edit] Rubber produced as a fiber, sometimes called ‘elastic’, has significant value for use in the textile industry because of its excellent elongation and recovery properties. For these purposes, manufactured rubber fiber is made as either an extruded round fiber or rectangular fibers that are cut into strips from extruded film. Because of its low dye acceptance, feel and appearance, the rubber fiber is either covered by yarn of another fiber or directly woven with other yarns into the fabric. In the early 1900s, for example, rubber yarns were used in foundation garments. While rubber is still used in textile manufacturing, its low tenacity limits its use in lightweight garments because latex lacks resistance to oxidizing agents and is damaged by aging, sunlight, oil, and perspiration. Seeking a way to address these shortcomings, the textile industry has turned to neoprene (polymer of chloroprene), a type of synthetic rubber, as well as another more commonly used elastomer fiber, spandex (also known as elastane), because of their superiority to rubber in both strength and durability. Vulcanization[edit] Main article: Vulcanization Natural rubber is often vulcanized, a process by which the rubber is heated and sulfur, peroxide or bisphenol are added to improve resistance and elasticity, and to prevent it from perishing. The development of vulcanization is most closely associated with Charles Goodyear in 1839.[19] Before World War II era manufacturing, carbon black was often used as an additive to rubber to improve its strength, especially in vehicle tires. Today, all vehicle tires are made of synthetic rubbers. Allergic reactions[edit] Main article: Latex allergy Some people have a serious latex allergy, and exposure to natural latex rubber products such as latex gloves can cause anaphylactic shock. The antigenic proteins found in Hevealatex may be deliberately reduced (though not eliminated)[20] through processing. Latex from non-Hevea sources, such as Guayule, can be used without allergic reaction by persons with an allergy to Hevea latex.[21] Some allergic reactions are not to the latex itself, but from residues of chemicals used to accelerate the cross-linking process. Although this may be confused with an allergy to latex, it is distinct from it, typically taking the form of Type IV hypersensitivity in the presence of traces of specific processing chemicals.[20][22]

Reflection Paper St Dominic Essay

â€Å"Do not weep. I shall be of more use to you after death than I ever did in life.† In the movie, Dominic, Light of the Church, features St. Dominic’s life, his failures and successes, his contributions to the church as well as to those people around him. He already wonders why is it that there is a war, that there are people who hungers and that there are sufferings in the world since he was still a child. This led to a helping hand when he was studying in becoming a priest. You can also see in the movie that St. Dominic has a pure and kind heart that nourishes, motivates and inspires others’ souls. LMC St. Dominic said that the kind of preaching they offer differs from other kinds of preaching because when they teach the word of God, they deliver it with a heart, pure faith and sacrifice. I think St. Dominic founded the order of preachers because he started the act of telling others the existence of God together with his fellow priests.There are four pillars of Dominican life. These are the prayer, community, study and preaching. Prayer can always be seen in St. Dominic. He always prays for the poor and for the sufferings of the people. Community- the part when the war had began. St. Dominic united the people at that time and it defines the real meaning of community. Study- this is where St. Dominic is studying to become a priest. And preaching- he tells other people the glory and goodness of God. LMC St. Dominic was influenced by many circumstances at that time. The two persons that had great impact on him are Bishop Don Diego, and his mother, Jane of Aza. Because of these persons, he was greatly supported, and his profession of becoming a priest was very successful. LMC There is only one lesson I got in this movie—that is to love God. This love to God branches out to loving others, sacrificing one’s life to others, patience, sincerity, willingness to help others, and many more that St. Dominic exhibited during his short but fulfilling life here on earth. LMC As a young person, and inspired by St. Dominic, I can bring the gospel of Jesus to others by simply telling other person the greatness of the good news, having a blog on the internet defining the miracles that happened to me, that may lead to as motivation and inspiration to others. I could also help others by giving them what I have. Being a good daughter is also one. Doing the responsibilities as a student, and praying as I have never prayed sincerely and purely like what St. Dominic did for others.

Directional Selection Is One of Three Types of Natural Selection

Directional Selection Is One of Three Types of Natural Selection Directional selection  is one type of  natural selection  in which the  phenotype  (the observable characteristics) of the species tends toward one extreme rather the mean phenotype or the opposite extreme phenotype. Directional selection is one of three widely studied types of natural selection, in addition  to  stabilizing selection  and  disruptive selection. In stabilizing selection, the extreme phenotypes gradually reduce in number in favor of the mean phenotype, while in disruptive selection, the mean phenotype shrinks in favor of extremes in either direction.   Conditions Leading to Directional Selection The directional selection phenomenon is usually seen in environments that have changed over time. Changes in weather, climate, or food availability can lead to directional selection. In a very timely example connected to climate change, sockeye salmon have recently been observed shifting the timing of their spawn run in Alaska, likely due to rising water temperatures.   In a  statistical analysis of natural selection, directional selection shows a population bell curve for a particular trait that shifts either further left or further right. However, unlike  stabilizing selection, the height of the bell curve does not change. There are far fewer average individuals in a  population that has undergone directional selection. Human interaction can also speed up directional selection. For example, human hunters or fishermen pursuing quarry most often kill the bigger individuals of the population for their meat or other large ornamental or useful parts. Over time, this causes the population to skew toward the smaller individuals. A directional selection bell curve for size will show a shift to the left in this example of directional selection. Animal predators can also create directional selection. Because slower individuals in a prey population are more likely to be killed and eaten, directional selection will gradually skew the population toward faster individuals. A bell curve plotting species size will skew toward the right when documenting this form of directional selection.   Examples As one of the common forms of natural selection, there are plentiful examples of directional selection that have studied and documented. Some well-known cases:   Charles Darwin  studied what later became known as directional selection while he was in the  Galapagos Islands. He observed that the beak length of the Galapagos  finches  changed over time due to available food sources. When there was a lack of insects to eat, finches with larger and deeper beaks survived because the beak structure was useful for cracking seeds. Over time, as insects became more plentiful, directional selection began to favor  finches  with smaller and longer beaks that were more useful for catching insects.Fossil records show that black bears in Europe decreased in size during periods between continental glacial coverage during the ice ages, but increased in size during the glacial period. This was likely because larger individual enjoyed an advantage in conditions of limited  food supplies and  extreme cold.  In 18th and 19th century England peppered moths who had been predominantly white in order to blend in with light colored trees began t o evolve into a predominantly dark species in order to blend in with an environment that was becoming increasingly covered with soot from Industrial Revolution factories.

US Energy Security

US Energy Security Introduction Energy is one of the most important factors of production in virtually every country. In addition, energy is increasingly becoming a political weapon at the global level because of its limited supply. Consequently, the US believes that it must improve its energy security in order to achieve its economic and political objectives.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on US Energy Security specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this respect, some scholars and policymakers believe that the best way to improve energy security in the US is to increase the supply of oil. This paper disagrees with this perspective by arguing that energy security can be achieved in the US by reducing oil consumption rather increasing its supply. Discussion The US Oil Reserves The argument for the increase in oil supply in the US is mainly based on the fact that huge oil deposits have recently been discovered in the country. The US has approximately two trillion barrels of shale and tight oil reserves in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Exploitation of the oil reserves has been made possible by technological advancements such as horizontal drilling. As a result, the US is expected to replace Saudi Arabia as the largest oil producing country in the world by 2015. In this respect, proponents of increasing oil supply in the US believe that it will enable the country to eliminate its dependence on oil imports. The resulting reduction in oil prices is expected to promote rapid economic growth. In addition, reducing oil imports will enable the US to implement its foreign policy and ensure national security without compromising its energy supply. However, achieving energy security through increased oil supply in the US is not sustainable in the first place. â€Å"Only 2% of the tight oil in the US is recoverable†. This percentage is equivalent to approximately a two-year oil supply in the US. Therefore, the oil resour ces that can be exploited are clearly not enough to ensure energy security in the country. The existing tight oil reserves will only reduce dependence on oil imports from 60% to 44% in the next two decades. Moreover, the country’s ambition of surpassing Saudi Arabia’s oil production rate means the oil reserves will be depleted very soon. Thus, increasing oil supply will only be a temporary solution to the country’s energy problems. As a result, the US will face a severe energy crisis in the long-term.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Increasing oil supply in the US is also limited by financial and technological constraints. The technologies that are â€Å"used to drill tight oil (fracking and pyrolysis) are increasingly becoming expensive to use†. In addition, new wells tend to run out of oil rapidly. For instance, the output from ti ght oil wells often reduce by nearly 69% in the first year and 39% in the second year. Therefore, several wells have to be drilled in order to achieve the desired production level. This will significantly increase the cost of supplying oil. Undoubtedly, oil companies will pass the high production costs to consumers in the long-term. In this context, it will not be possible to achieve energy security since consumers will switch to cheap oil imports to avoid high production costs. International Oil Prices The increase in oil production has already resulted into a reduction in oil prices in the US. Therefore, oil producers have to look for external markets to avoid the losses that they are likely to make as increased supply continue to exert a downward pressure on prices. However, a significant increase in supply from the US will inevitably reduce international oil prices, thereby exposing oil producers to the risk of making huge losses. This risk might be mitigated in the short term b y OPEC’s ability to regulate international oil prices by changing its production capacity. For instance, international oil prices are expected to remain above USD 80 per barrel in 2015 if OPEC reduces its daily output by 2 million barrels in response to increased supply from the US.  However, OPEC’s ability to limit its production capacity is increasingly becoming limited due to the financial challenges in its member countries. Currently, only Saudi Arabia is committed to reducing its production capacity to prevent price declines. Nigeria, Venezuela, and Angola are increasing their production capacities in order to earn adequate revenue to finance their national budget deficits. This means that in the long-term OPEC will resort to a price war with the US in order to sell its oil in the international market. The resulting price decline will make tight oil production in the US unsustainable. Tight oil production is not viable at prices below USD 70 per barrel. For inst ance, ExxonMobil realised a 27% reduction in net income due to the 52% oil price decline in 2011 in the US. In addition, Occidental has stopped drilling oil in the US because drilling costs have increased by 22.5% since 2009, whereas prices have steadily reduced.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on US Energy Security specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These examples show that achieving a breakeven will be impossible in the US tight oil industry as international prices continue to decline. Eventually, capital will be shifted to other viable economic activities such as investing in the equity securities market. The resulting reduction in oil production will cause a severe energy shortage in the US since the non-petroleum fuels are not sufficient to meet the country’s energy needs. Environmental Concerns Increasing oil supply in the US will definitely result into increased environmental degradation. Low prices wi ll â€Å"lead to an increase in the use of oil in production and transportation†. As a result, the rate of greenhouse gas emission in the US will significantly increase. For instance, the transport sector alone accounts for 44% of oil consumption in the US. Thus, an increase in oil consumption in the industry will force the country to exceed its greenhouse gas emission limits. This problem will be exacerbated by the fact that investing in tight oil will shift capital away from clean energy production because it requires a lot of financial resources. A rise in the use of oil in the US will be an â€Å"incentive to rapidly developing countries such as China, Brazil, and India to increase their greenhouse gas emission rates†. In particular, the US will have no moral basis to prevent emission of greenhouse gasses at the global level if it encourages the use of oil within its territories. The resulting increase in environmental degradation will cause a significant decline i n food production and poor health outcomes globally. This will lead to violent protests from citizens in the US and other parts of the world.  Therefore, the best way to ensure energy security in the US is to reduce oil consumption. The government should begin to transition to an economy that depends less on petroleum products such as gasoline to reduce the aggregate energy demand in the country. Imposing a high tax on gasoline can significantly reduce the consumption of oil in the transport sector because it will increase prices. Undoubtedly, the public will oppose a high tax on gasoline. Thus, the tax revenue should be invested in research and development to improve access to new technologies that will facilitate production of adequate cheap and renewable energy. This will avert resistance to gasoline taxes. Apart from taxes, â€Å"stringent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) should be introduced†. Moreover, tradable gasoline permits should be introduced to limit the a mount of gasoline consumed in the country.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reducing consumption of petroleum products will ensure energy security by minimizing the risks associated with disruptions in oil supply. Furthermore, reducing oil consumption is a cheaper way of ensuring energy security than increasing oil supply. For instance, automobile manufacturers have consistently reduced the prices of hybrid cars by using new technologies. However, the cost of drilling oil keeps rising. Reducing oil consumption will also help in protecting the environment. Conclusion Increasing oil supply in the US will not ensure energy security due to three reasons. First, only a small percentage of the large oil deposits in the US can be recovered in a profitable manner. Second, increasing oil supply in the US will significantly reduce international oil prices. Eventually, oil production will not be sustainable due to the low prices. Finally, increasing oil supply will worsen environmental degradation. In this respect, the government should focus on reducing oil consumpti on rather than increasing its supply to ensure energy security. Bahgat, Gawdat. Energy Security: What Does it Mean? And How can we Achieve it? Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies 33.1 (2008): 85-98. Print. Behrendt, Sven and Paul Freund. The New Energy Security Paradigm, Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2006. Print. Deutch, John and James Schlesinger. National Security Consequences of US Oil Dependency, New York: The Council on Foreign Relations, 2006. Print. Frances, Gonzalo. Market or Geopolitics? The Europeanization of EUs Energy Corridors. International Journal of Energy Sector Management 5.1 (2011): 39-59. Print. Jewell, Jessica. The IEA Model of Short-term Energy Security: Primary and Secondary Fuels, Paris: International Energy Agency , 2011. Print. Joffe, George. The Impact on OPEC of Rising North American Oil-and-Gas Production, London: Aljazeera Center for Studies, 2012. Print. Mankiw, Gregory. Principles of Macroeconomics, New York: Cengage Learning, 2011. Pr int. Nanda, Ved. Climate Change and Environmental Ethics, New Brunswick: Transaction Publishing, 2012. Print. Pierrehumbert, Raymond. The Myth of Saudi America. Slate 6 Feb. 2013: 1-2. Print. Rosenberg, Elizabeth. Energy Rush: Shale Production and US National Security, New York: Center for a New American Security, 2014. Print. Speight, James. An Introduction to Petroleum Technology, Economics, and Politics, Massachusetts: Scrivener Publishing, 2011. Print. Varchaver, Nicholas, Abrahm Lustgarten and Jenny Mero. How to Kick the Oil Habit: Gas Prices are Soaring, Pipelines are Burning, Oil Supplies are Tight. Fortune 23 Aug. 2004: 1-13. Print. Webb, Tim. OPEC Strongleheld will be Broken by Shake Revolution. The Times 17 Jan. 2013: 1-3. Print.

The Battle of Concepcion of the Texas Revolution

The Battle of Concepcion of the Texas Revolution The Battle of Concepcià ³n was the first major armed conflict of the Texas Revolution. It took place on October 28, 1835, on the grounds of Concepcià ³n Mission outside of San Antonio. Rebel Texans, led by James Fannin and Jim Bowie, fought off a vicious assault by the Mexican Army and drove them back into San Antonio. The victory was a huge one for the morale of the Texans and led to the subsequent capture of the town of San Antonio. War Breaks out in Texas Tensions had been simmering in Mexican Texas for some time, as Anglo settlers (the most famous of whom was Stephen F. Austin) repeatedly demanded more rights and independence from the Mexican government, which was in a chaotic state of disarray barely a decade after gaining independence from Spain. On October 2, 1835, rebellious Texans opened fire on Mexican forces in the town of Gonzales. The Battle of Gonzales, as it came to be known, marked the beginning of Texas armed struggle for Independence. Texans March on San Antonio San Antonio de Bà ©xar was the most important town in all of Texas, a vital strategic point coveted by both sides in the conflict. When war broke out, Stephen F. Austin was named head of the rebel army: he marched on the city in the hopes of putting a quick end to the fighting. The ragged rebel â€Å"army† arrived at San Antonio in late October  1835: they were heavily outnumbered by Mexican forces in and around the city but were well-armed with lethal long rifles and ready for a fight. Prelude to the Battle of Concepcion With the rebels camped outside the city, Jim Bowies connections proved vital. A one-time resident of San Antonio, he knew the city and still had many friends there. He smuggled a message to some of them, and dozens of Mexican residents of San Antonio (many of whom were every bit as passionate about independence as the Anglo Texans) surreptitiously left the town and joined the rebels. On October 27, Fannin and Bowie, disobeying orders from Austin, took some 90 men and dug in on the grounds of the Concepcià ³n Mission outside of town. The Mexicans Attack On the morning of October 28, the rebellious Texans got a nasty surprise: the Mexican army had seen that they had divided their forces and decided to take the offensive. The Texans were pinned against the river and several companies of Mexican infantry were advancing on them. The Mexicans had even brought cannons with them, loaded with lethal grapeshot. The Texans Turn the Tide Inspired by Bowie, who kept cool under fire, the Texans stayed low and waited for the Mexican infantry to advance. When they did, the rebels deliberately picked them off with their lethal long rifles. The riflemen were so skilled that they were even able to shoot the artillerymen manning the cannons: according to survivors, they even shot down a gunner who held a lighted match in his hand, ready to fire the cannon. The Texans drove off three charges: after the final charge, the Mexicans lost their spirit and broke: the Texans gave chase. They even captured the cannons and turned them on the fleeing Mexicans. Aftermath of the Battle of Concepcià ³n The Mexicans fled back into San Antonio, where the Texans dared not chase them. The final tally: some 60 dead Mexican soldiers to only one dead Texan, killed by a Mexican musket ball. It was a heady victory for the Texans and seemed to confirm what they suspected about the Mexican soldiers: they were poorly armed and trained and didnt really want to be fighting for Texas. The rebellious Texans remained camped outside of San Antonio for several weeks. They attacked a foraging party of Mexican soldiers on November 26, believing it to be a relief column loaded with silver: in reality, the soldiers were only collecting grass for the horses in the besieged city. This became known as the Grass Fight. Although the nominal commander of the irregular forces, Edward Burleson, wanted to retreat to the east (thus following the orders that had been sent from General Sam Houston), many of the men wanted to fight. Led by settler Ben Milam, these Texans attacked San Antonio on December 5: by December 9 the Mexican forces in the city had surrendered and San Antonio belonged to the rebels. They would lose it again at the disastrous Battle of the Alamo in March. The Battle of Concepcià ³n represented everything the rebellious Texans were doing right†¦and wrong. They were brave men, fighting under solid leadership, using their best weapons - arms and accuracy - to best effect. But they were also unpaid volunteer troops with no chain of command or discipline, who had disobeyed a direct order (a wise one, as it turned out) to keep clear of San Antonio for the time being. The relatively painless victory gave the Texans a great morale boost, but also increased their sense of invulnerability: many of the same men would later die at the Alamo, believing they could hold off the entire Mexican army indefinitely. For the Mexicans, the Battle of Concepcià ³n showed their weaknesses: their troops were not very skilled in war and broke easily. It also proved to them that the Texans were dead serious about independence, something that had perhaps been unclear before. Not long after, President/General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna would arrive in Texas at the head of a massive army: it was now clear that the most important advantage the Mexicans possessed was that of sheer numbers. Sources Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. New York: Anchor Books, 2004. Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States.New York: Hill and Wang, 2007.

Relationship between democracy and economic development in Latin Essay

Relationship between democracy and economic development in Latin America - Essay Example There seems to be both a negative and positive impact of democracy on economic development in Latin America. Therefore, it can be said that there exists a relationship between democracy and economic development in Latin America. It is difficult to generalise the effect of democracy on economic development on whole of Latin America. Different countries in the region have had different experiences with respect to democracy. Democracy has numerous indirect and favourable effects/impacts on political stability, inflation, levels of economic freedom, human capital, civil liberties, rule of law, etc. It is difficult to draw conclusions about the direct effects of these impacts on economic growth on the whole of Latin America but regional trends of positive and negative impact have been observed. Therefore, with respect to Latin America as a whole, it can be said that democracy does not have a strong and detrimental relationship with economic growth. Non-democratic countries have shown economic growth with democratic have failed to progress economically in the region. The reason for this, as cited by some experts, is that democracies succumb to popular demands of immediate consumption and fail to realise the profits associated with long-term investments. Also democracies fail to swiftly mobilise resources and are prone to class, ethnic and social struggles. On the other hand, authoritarian governments are more capable to suppressing conflicts and implementing measures that are necessary for achieving rapid as well as long-term growth. These reasons can explain the current economic conditions (crisis) in Latin America. The support for democracy from majority of the population also plays a role in the effect that democracy can have on economic growth. This gives raise to another question of whether there must be a choice between pro-growth policies and

Financial System at NEXT Plc in Relation to Its Performance Case Study

Financial System at NEXT Plc in Relation to Its Performance - Case Study Example Exploring the impact from the global conditions on the performance of the company being highly effective on firm understudy the report also assessed the future prospects for NEXT brand. The assessment upon developing concluding remarks suggests recommendations for business to maintain success. The recommendation includes a business suggestion to expand with a premium brand and adopting acquisition strategy and efforts to enhance value to gift line and sports. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Table of Contents 2 MANAGING THE ORGANISATION 5 The Financial Statements and Current Performance 5 Company Performance Comparison with Industry and Sector 8 The Impact of the Global Economy 12 Future Prospects of the Company 14 CONCLUSION 14 RECOMMENDATION 15 List of References 16 Appendix 18 INTRODUCTION NEXT has been in the business for around 150 years. Group in 1982 revolutionized business and created the brand NEXT. The brand put forward the retailing business for NEXT corporate with co llections of branded women wear and accessories. NEXT Plc offered an affordable line of offerings with distinctive styled products. Over years NEXT expanded the range to men wear in 1984; home interiors line has been introduced in 1985; children wear were introduced in 1987; in 1988 Next Directory was introduced offering a range of products for home shopping. In 1999 NEXT has launched online shopping version entitled NEXT Directory. This expansion credited NEXT Plc pioneer among the businesses offering sales services from triple modes i.e. from shops, by phone and then online. NEXT started day delivery standard and transferred almost 80% of the business online by 2001. NEXT Plc then launched ‘NEXT flowers’ followed by the launch of ‘NEXT gift line’ in the year 2005 (Next, 2012). Continuing with affordable offerings with distinguished style, NEXT Plc has expanded the signature brand in 2007 offering homeward and fashion. 2010 noted NEXT’s launch of NX Sports and then became official staff ware and another textile supplier for the Olympics Athletes Village (Next, 2012). Next Plc currently has 540 stores in the UK while NEXT Directory is serving almost 60 counties of the world with the majority of them being served directly and 14 countries being served through six partners. The success of NEXT can be gauged with fact that only NEXT Directory has 3.3 million active customers. NEXT Plc international has 170 stores in around 33 countries operated through a franchise business. The brand also has 19 company-owned stores in 7 countries (Next, 2012). Other areas of operation include NEXT Sourcing, the segment responsible for designing, sourcing, buying, merchandising and quality control operations of Next Plc products. NEXT Sourcing has the operation in the UK as well as China, Sri Lanka, India, and Hong Kong. In 2008, Next has also acquired fashion brand which is targeting younger women entitled Lipsy and the firm also generates busine ss through property management (Next, 2012). Figure 1 shows the share of business and profits in segments of business in all of Next Corporation for the year 2013. A share price of NEXT Plc has been trading at ? 43.36 as on 11/04/2013 with market capitalization? 6.99 billion (Next, n.d). Share price performance of Next Plc in comparison with FTSE and the general retailer has been shown in figure 2 in the appendix section.  

Inheriting My Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inheriting My Culture - Essay Example I remember very well it was on the 24th of August 2009, a Thursday afternoon when I received a call from my mother. Little did I know that this would be the call that would change my attitude towards the culture of my people. I was with my friends shooting pool at the campus lounge. She told me that my grandfather who we nicknamed â€Å"Pa† had asked for me to go visit him in hospital. At the time he was eighty years old and had been diagnosed earlier in the year with throat cancer. By the time the cancer was caught it had grown so much that the doctors said he had a maximum of eight months to leave. So after being given the news by my mother I left my friends and decided to go see him. On reaching the hospital I found my mum and my extended family waiting in the hall way with most of them soaked in tears. Instantly I assumed the inevitable had happened and I also broke down into tears. When my mother saw me she told me that my grandfather was still alive but the doctors had informed them that he only had a few hours of life. I went to the cancer ward and entered his room. When he heard the door he immediately asked;† Chang is that you?† and I answered while crying; â€Å"yes grandfather†. He turned his head with a lot of effort after noticing I was crying and stretched out his hand towards me and told me that there was no need for crying because he was going to a better place. I went closer to him and held his hand. He told me that there was not much time left and that he had something to important to tell me. He pointed at the closet and told me to go pick a brown leather bag. I did as he instructed and brought it to him. He asked me to open th e bag and after opening the bag I saw two sets of painting brushes and some ink. This is where he informed me that we come from a family of brush painters and that the art was handed down from father to son for hundreds of years. He then told me that since my father was not alive and I was the oldest male child in our family that it was my turn to continue the family culture and that I should also hand it down to my siblings in future. He started coughing heavily and managed to utter â€Å"do not forget your roots Chang† before the doctors and nurses came in and asked me to go outside. I went to the hall way and five minutes later the doctor came to where we had sat in the waiting hall while nodding his head. Everyone broke into tears as we found out â€Å"Pa â€Å"had passed on. According to our culture, if an elderly person dies, a wake should be held for at least three days then the body is cremated. Due to financial constraints, the family decided to hold a wake for my grandfather one week after we had raised money to clear the enormous hospital bill. I decided to research on the tools my grandfather left me in order for me to paint a picture within that one week for it to be displayed during the wake in memory of my late grandfather. After doing a lot of research in the library about the painting brushes my grandfather left me I discovered that I come from a generation of remarkable painters. I discovered that our family was specifically renowned for a type of painting known as Chinese brush painting. This is a type of art painting in China where once a paint brush strokes the Painting paper with painting ink, it is neither corrected nor is it improved (Cherrett, 2). No sketch or model whatsoever is used in the course of brush painting. From the

Organisations and behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Organisations and behaviour - Assignment Example The paper tells that one of the earliest structures used in organisations is the functional method. In this type, the organisation is divided into sectors or departments; each department has a particular specialism or function. The advantage for this type of structure is that the organisation can achieve effectiveness and success in pursuing its goals with the different departments having their separate functions. These departments or sections can enhance their expertise, while the workers are specialists in their own field.Another important advantage is that there is no duplication of functions. For example, in a car manufacturing plant like that of Toyota, they have different field of specialisation for each department – one works for engine specialisation, another group works for the other components, while another section works on the assembly of the Toyota car. There are disadvantages to this type of structure. The departments can have a narrow specialisation that may hin der the workers’ knowledge of their organisation. Another disadvantage that must be quickly looked into is the possible existence of an inter-departmental rivalry. The key is for the organisation to determine if the rivalry can result into good intentions or attain success for the organisation. There can be slow lines of communication on this type of structure, but a modification can remedy the situation. Information Technology can provide the answer. Toyota Motors Structure: Functional and Geographic Approaches Toyota Motors with its many branches worldwide has carried the traditional method up to this day although there may be some modifications. This company brings up to this day a family tradition of car making and traditional business. It uses the functional structure in the sense that the company is divided into departments, each with its own function and specialty. But it also uses the geographical approach considering that it is now a large organisation. Toyota is our choice organisation because it is a successful international firm that provides independence to its subsidiaries abroad. Its operation uses the geographical based approach while each independent subsidiary has a functional structure. The subsidiaries attain some kind of autonomy but also reports to the main headquarters in Japan. The United States branch of Toyota is under an independent management that allows quick responses whenever local branches and shops need help to solve local problems. It also allows tailoring of operations depending on local culture, such as language, customs, and laws and regulations. (Toyota, 2011) Toyota has been on the forefront of car making because of an effective strategic and operational management coupled with an efficient and competitive workforce. Their strategies involve innovations in production, marketing, sales and promotions, and branding. But to top it all, it has been able to handle knowledge management like it is a part of ordinary business. These strategies are applied to every branch despite their individual independence. In the 1950s Toyota was only a small company, averaging 18,000 vehicles per year. As years passed on, management perfected the so-called Toyota Production System – this is the Japanese way, a means of achieving mass production efficiencies with small volumes. Toyota expanded to become export-oriented and began to open

Finance for Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Finance for Innovation - Essay Example This paper illustrates that financial resources are critically essential in all innovation process aspects and all financial sources are significant. A good financial innovator is Kueski.com, a financial innovator located in Guadalajara in Mexico, which chose a banking platform in Mambu cloud to operate its magnificent and fast-growing lending business. Kueski.com is an innovator that offers online loans through a complicated risk algorithm drawing on several sources of data like a client’s social profile so as to assess his/her creditworthiness. Venture capital industry is regarded as a solution for financial innovation since it addresses most needs for technology startups. Venture capital typically funds innovations through rich investors, university endowment funds, pension funds as well as other institutional investors for a certain period of time. Venture capitalists actively invest and are involved in assisting strategy, operations, marketing, and personnel. Usually, the y restrict give restriction to entrepreneurs from getting funds from other potential investors without explicit permission from the venture capitalists. Venture capital involves specialized funds that are invested and managed in companies by people who best understand the industry that they are investing. The funds offered by venture capital and the equity share kept by managers are sensitive to the ability and experience of the capital providers and how mature the firm that is being funded is. Venture capital usually boosts the value of the funded firms especially if the investors are experienced. There are several stages that venture capital provides funds; Venture capitalists provide finance for research, assessing and developing the initial concept of a business before it reaches the startup stage. It finances businesses that require more funds after the development stage to initiate sales and commercial manufacturing.

SOX Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

SOX Project - Essay Example Inside the houses of the Senate, it is commonly called the Sarbanes-Oxley, Sarbox or is a United States Federal law which was enacted on July 30th, 2002. The act came into being because of a number of scandals that went on to affect a number of major corporate big shots. These included the Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Peregrine System and WorldCom. The scandals resulted in a loss of billions and billions of dollars and trampled share prices of the companies that were affected. Inadvertently, this followed by a major confidence lapse on security exchanges where the investors were concerned. The act has been named after a U.S Senator and a US Representative-Paul Sarbanes and Michael G. Oxley and was approved by a vote of 423-3 and by the Senate 99-0. While signing it and approving it President George W Bush, called it one of the most far reaching reforms of American business practices ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt. The legislation marked the beginning of new and enhanced standards for most U.S public company boards and accounting firms. Privately held companies are not stipulated to comply with the act. It is home some 11 titles and section which vary immensely and cater to additional corporate board responsibilities to criminal penalties. It is the responsibilities of the Securities and Exchange Commission to implement the requirements to comply with the new law. This was done under the supervision of Harvey Pitt who ensured the adoption of a dozen other rules to implement the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However this is not the end and be it of all. There is still a lot of debate and argument in place over the prospect benefits of SOX. Supporters believe that the legislation has been extremely affective in restoring public confidence in the nation's capital markets and has helped strengthened corporate accounting controls. On the other hand, the opponents of the bill are of the view that this bill has taken away the competitive edge that the United States had against other financial markets. Sarbanes-Oxley comprises of 11 sections each of which prescribe specific mandates and features essential for financial reporting. These sections are titled as follows: 1. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) 2. Auditor Independence 3. Corporate Responsibility 4. Enhanced Financial Disclosures 5. Analyst Conflicts of Interest 6. Commission Resources and Authority 7. Studies and Reports 8. Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability 9. White Collar Crime Penalty Enhancement 10. Corporate Tax Returns 11. Corporate Fraud Accountability Compliance plan The need to establish internal controls for the purposes of financial reporting and operational integrity has been specifically mentioned in the Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley act. An effective internal control system is essential to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley. An internal control system helps prevent the company from non compliance and will keep it updated about any failures in its system that may have to be addressed on an immediate basis. Internal controls can be of both types i.e. detective and preventive and are incumbent in deterring if regulatory requirements are being met. Henceforth, enough though and consideration must be plugged in, in developing and maintaining those controls. The following can be

Finance for Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Finance for Innovation - Essay Example This paper illustrates that financial resources are critically essential in all innovation process aspects and all financial sources are significant. A good financial innovator is Kueski.com, a financial innovator located in Guadalajara in Mexico, which chose a banking platform in Mambu cloud to operate its magnificent and fast-growing lending business. Kueski.com is an innovator that offers online loans through a complicated risk algorithm drawing on several sources of data like a client’s social profile so as to assess his/her creditworthiness. Venture capital industry is regarded as a solution for financial innovation since it addresses most needs for technology startups. Venture capital typically funds innovations through rich investors, university endowment funds, pension funds as well as other institutional investors for a certain period of time. Venture capitalists actively invest and are involved in assisting strategy, operations, marketing, and personnel. Usually, the y restrict give restriction to entrepreneurs from getting funds from other potential investors without explicit permission from the venture capitalists. Venture capital involves specialized funds that are invested and managed in companies by people who best understand the industry that they are investing. The funds offered by venture capital and the equity share kept by managers are sensitive to the ability and experience of the capital providers and how mature the firm that is being funded is. Venture capital usually boosts the value of the funded firms especially if the investors are experienced. There are several stages that venture capital provides funds; Venture capitalists provide finance for research, assessing and developing the initial concept of a business before it reaches the startup stage. It finances businesses that require more funds after the development stage to initiate sales and commercial manufacturing.

Managing Organisational Change - decentralization of power and the Essay

Managing Organisational Change - decentralization of power and the empowerment of employees - Essay Example The scope of this already demanding situation is further aggravated by the ensuing technological revolutions that are unleashing ground breaking changes at a rapid pace. The source of such a change traces its origins to both within and outside the organisations. External social, economic and technological changes push the organisations and institutions into an adaptive mode. The resulting pressure ultimately percolates down to the individual employees that alters or motivates to alter the basic aspects of the concerned individuals' overall personality and style of communication (Burnes, 2000, p.258-259). Now if such a competitive scenario is further analysed in the context of the universal economic integration that is the direct outcome of globalization, one comes to the conclusion that it is next to impossible for the organisations and businesses to survive without a proactive initiative on the part of their individual employees in favour of change (Ollinger, 2006, p.1). A fast evol ving and metamorphosing global economy demands every individual to be an instrument of change. Off course such a change can only be meaningful if it is well managed and positive in its outlook. The query that deserves one's utmost attention is that are the organisations able to adapt to change in a smooth and eas... rves one's utmost attention is that are the organisations able to adapt to change in a smooth and easy way Does change automatically moulds the organisations in its natural course or does it require to be meticulously managed There is no dearth of theoreticians who believe that organisations are naturally malleable to change and somehow manage to adapt to the unfolding circumstances on their own (Thompson, 1967, p.35). However, there does exist a school of somewhat cautious thinkers who hold that there exists a sense of inertia within the organisations, the magnitude of which may vary from one organisation to other, that makes them somewhat inflexible and if left unmanaged may turn out to be eventually hazardous (Hannan and Freeman, 1977). Realistically speaking, organisational change is often a double edged sword that may prove to be either disruptive or adaptive in its outcome (Haveman, 1992, p.48-75). Usually it often gets very difficult for organisations to accept change and the initial reaction is always marked by a spontaneous or deliberate resistance. The framework of almost all the organisations often rests on certain institutional or technical structures built over time that often turn out to be the very source of such resistance (Granovetter, 1985, p.481-510). The astonishing fact is that such structures do not directly oppose any sort of change within the organisations, at least at an obvious level. The ultimate resistance more then often comes from the members or the employees in the organisations who can be considered to be the eventual outcome or the final by product of such structures (Coch, & French, 1948, p.512-532). Infact such institutional or technical structures insidiously oppose the change in the sense that even when the change is accepted and

Internet Essay Example for Free

Internet Essay Internet has become one of the basic needs for mostly peoples; we can’t expect our daily life without internet. If we observe, we can easily check out the fact that how internet has dominated in our lives and we are very much dependent on internet. Earlier internet wan the source to collect information only but as time and technology changing day by day, lots of new trends is coming and our daily life has shifted on Internet. If we want to explore any new palace, we use internet, if we want to go for shopping, we use internet and this is not the end point of our list. We use internet to solve our mostly daily uses queries. Internet has become very useful in the field of education. As internet contributing great help in education, here we are discussing how internet contributing for education. With the help of internet, we can easily contact with any one. Internet has diminished the differences and every resource is very near and close to the needy one. Earlier School and College projects were too tough to complete but with the help of internet, information and data is available 24? and every needy student can complete their projects with the help of a small research. In other words, now needy one can achieve the goal, excuses don’t exist now. The biggest source for information that is encyclopedia is available online and any one can use it to get desired information. Now there is no chance to get the incomplete information, Encyclopedia contains the most effective information’s and it is available online. Every news in online available, whatever happens is available suddenly sp there is no scope to look back or wait for some thing. You have internet and you can update yourself any time according to your own needs and time table. What ever is happening is visible. There are lots of Online Learning Programs are available for those who are unable to attend the classes or have any other problems. Even online collages and institute are also available to serve online education.

Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment One of the diseases that has severely impacted the lives of people these days is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) which is a condition that is fatal and rare which has impact on the brain of human being. CJD causes damage to the brain that gets worsened with the passage of time. The patients diagnosed with the disease die within one year as people become immobile (Solassol et al., 2006). CJD is usually caused by an abnormal protein known as prion. Before prion is understood, proteins function for body must be clarified. For every human being, proteins are important for life and are present in body of all living things. Every part of humans body has good composition of protein such as muscles, hair, fingernails, bones, skin, blood, body organs and eyes. After water, protein is the second most important constituent of body (Belay et al., 2003). According to LiveScience Staff (2012), protein is mainly used for building, maintenance and repairing of body tissues; it is present in various forms which perform many jobs in human body and the structure of each protein determine its function. The building blocks of proteins are long strings of amino acids which get folded and curled into complex three dimensional shapes which allow proteins to perform their job. Dr. Stanley B. Prusiner from University of California i.e. San Francisco purified an agent which was infectious made of unique kind of protein and referred to it as prion in 1982; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to him in 1997 for discovery of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) that was mainly caused by prions. Prions get accumulated in brain at much higher levels that cause permanent damage to the nerve cells which cause various neurological symptoms. These infectious particles are different in behavior from conventional bacteria and viruses which cannot be destroyed by exposing to heat and radiation. Even antiviral and antibacterial medicines have no effects on prions; hence, presently, there is lack of valuable treatment for CJD (Belay et al., 2003). Understanding Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Basically, CJD is a very rare form of deadly form of dementia which can spread fastly in the body from brain. Prions are mostly found in brain and are harmless; when they are not given proper shapes, they may have effects that can be devastating which can even attack brain, kill its cells and create holes or gaps in tissue of brain (Ironside, 2009). Prion diseases have been found in both animals and humans; such diseases were in news of mid 1980s along with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic which was referred to as Mad Cow disease, it is a cattle disease. In humans, it is known as CJD. The disease is found in about one to two people among million people worldwide. Types of CJD There are basically two types of CJD i.e. Classic CJD and Variant CJD (vCJD). The three types of classic CJD are Sporadic CJD, Familial or genetic CJD and Iatrogenic or Acquired CJD. Sporadic CJD More than 90% of people diagnosed with CJD are suffering from this type of CJD and it is mainly found in people aged in between 45 to 75. There are no specific symptoms for this CJD (Shah et al., 2009); however, some early symptoms such as depression may be present but it can quickly progress into confusion and problems of memory which is commonly observed in dementia, followed by loss of balance and coordination along with progressive blindness (Piouti et al., 2012). Familial or genetic CJD Familial or genetic CJD is one of the rare genetic condition in which the persons genes are inherited from one parent who causes the protein to get mutated into a prion in later stages of life that trigger the symptoms of CJD. In other words, it appears in families that have abnormal gene. About 7% of cases have this type of CJD. In order to diagnose it, blood test is done; person having this abnormal gene has 50% chance of transmitting it to children. The other rare form of this CJD are Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) and Gerstmann-Strà ¤ussler-Scheinker (GSS); both of these are rarely found in people (Brand et al., 2006). It occurs in people who have age of 50 years. Iatrogenic or Acquired CJD This type of CJD is rarely found in people as it is found in those people who get CJD while accidental transmission that takes place during a medical procedure like corneal grafts, instruments in neurosurgery, human pituitary hormone therapy or human dura-mater grafts (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010). Variant CJD People having average age of 28 years are found to be suffering from Variant CJD. It is usually developed from eating of beef that was infected with BSE. It can even occur with blood transfusion in which variant CJD is transmitted from one person to other. Once the symptoms are identified, the disease spreads quickly in the body (Tattum et al., 2010). Signs and Symptoms of CJD In many of the cases, classic CJD looks similar to various other dementias; the disease comes on fastly and then declines the ability of thinking as symptoms start appearing. Some of the most commonly found symptoms are that the person may have swings in mood, problems related to memory, interest absence and not behaving like oneself, having difficulty while walking such as keeping balance, dementia rapid progressions such as loss of memory and other thinking capabilities, problems in vision such as blindness, stiffening of limbs, twitching or jerks in muscles, feeling of clumsiness, speaking problem such as slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing and akinetic mutism in which person can move eyes and appear to be alert but can neither move voluntarily or speak (Espinosa, Bensalem-Owen, Fee, 2010; Sikorska et al., 2004). However, people who are in CJDs later stages face problems such as losing awareness as it can be seen in various neurological examinations. While the disease in the early stages, CJD patients are scared and it can be a distressing situation for them; it is usually associated with hallucinations that are visual which means seeing things that are not present there which might develop uncomfortable feeling in them (Andrews, 2012). People who are suffering from sporadic CJD usually live than twelve months after the appearance of signs and symptoms; the maximum life is two years. Before death, some people fall into condition of coma; the main reasons of death are heart failure, pneumonia or respiratory failure such as breathing problem (Rossetti Dunand, 2007). Among the most common symptoms found in Variant CJD people are changes in behavior, depression, withdrawal from social gatherings, difficulty in walking, dementia that is progressive, unable to do movement or speak and pain and odd kind of sensation in limbs or face (LiveScience Staff, 2012). Causes of CJD According to studies of Ironside (2009) and Tattum et al. (2010), CJD is caused by slow virus or other small organisms. The agent that causes this disease has several characteristics which are different from viruses and bacterias. The organisms are difficult to kill as they dont have genetic information on them in the form Nucleic acids such as DNA or RNA and has long period of incubation before symptoms are made visible. However, it has been found that it is mostly caused by prion proteins that can occur in both normal and infectious form. The normal forms have same shapes as that of amino acids but infectious ones differ in their shapes from normal proteins. Once they appear, abnormal ones start to get aggregated which start affecting the brain. Only 5-10% cases are inherited ones that arise either from mutation or changes in gene which are responsible for controlling the formation of normal prion proteins. Diagnosis of CJD CJD is difficult to diagnose especially when it is in its initial stages; there is no specific test available for diagnosing in living person. Only way to make sure that person had CJD is by examining the tissue of brain after his death. However, there are some other tests and procedures can be used for diagnosis of the disease such as medical history examination as it will help doctors in learning the persons symptoms and signs when they get started as CJD gets spread quickly; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in which brains picture is taken to identify the difference between various types of CJD; Computerized Tomography (CT) scan in which brains picture will be taken to diagnose the disease; Puncture of Lumbar which means taking fluid form the spine of a person by using syringe and a needle, it is done to identify the infections of brain; blood tests to identify if there is any chance of genetic CJD; Electroencephalogram (ECG) in which electrical activity of brain is measured and b rain autopsy in which tissue of brain is examined after persons death (Puoti et al., 2012; Shah et al., 2009). Treatment for CJD Up till now, there has been no success in developing right treatment for CJD. The researchers have done numerous tests with many drugs such as steroids, antiviral agents, antibiotics, amantadine, acyclovir and many more but they have not been able to find perfect cure for this disease (Puoti et al., 2012). Some studies are still in progression to develop appropriate treatment for patients but none of them have been successful in benefiting the human beings. The treatment for CJD that is being followed by various doctors is aimed at alleviation of symptoms and trying to make the individuals as comfortable as the experts can do so that they have the will power of fighting against the disease. Some of the opiate drugs can relieve pain when people suffer from it but the drugs such as Sodium Valproate and Clonzaepam definitely help in relieving of myoclonus. When the disease is in later stages, position of person is changed frequently so that he gets comfortable and bedsores can be prevented. For draining urine, a catheter can be used as it helps in controlling the function of bladder and artificial feeding can also be used. Precautions for CJD Although there are chances that CJD gets transmitted by being careless during medical procedures but still people need to take care of various things that can help them in remain protected from this disease. CJD is not a contagious disease that can be transmitted either by social or sexual contact or via air or feeding, touching or even taking care of person suffering from CJD at home. some of the basic precautionary measures that need to be followed are washing hands either before eating or drinking, covering wounds or cuts with bandages that are waterproof, protecting face and hands from being exposes to blood or fluids of body of person who is affected by this disease and taking special care in blood transfusions so that CJD infected person does not give his blood. In order to avoid variant CJD, beef from selected countries should be eaten; countries that have high risk of TSE are more vulnerable to risk. The only options available for avoiding this type of CJD are either to eat beef from countries that emphasize on strict regulations on its quality and avoid eating parts of cattle that have high risks such as spinal cord, intestines, brain and eyes. Conclusion Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) is among the fastest growing disease that is being faced by many people worldwide. It has become important for researchers to identify right course of treatment for this disease so that patients can get full recovery. In order to make sure that people who have genetic CJD are given appropriate treatment before symptoms start to become visible, it is important that people get their blood tests done at regular intervals. When any of the signs and symptoms is observed in people, it is advised that they contact a doctor immediately who can ensure that right tests are done for identification of this disease. Still, the researchers have to do extensive work for identifying the main causes of CJD along with developing a remedial solution. Among all the available options, the best one is to contact any well-known doctors who are specialist in neurology who will take the patient in right treatment method. Hence, everyone needs to make sure that they have complete information about this disease so that they can face it with determination and strong will power. Palliative Care for Cancer Patients | Literature Review Palliative Care for Cancer Patients | Literature Review Gretha Cabral Literature Review Cancer has become a global concern in the recent decades and various researches have raised the need for palliative care for cancer patients besides the treatment that they receive from their respective hospitals. Researches show that palliative care prolongs the life of patients more as compared on relying the treatments alone. According to research conducted by Julia Medew, patients who are suffering from lung cancer could enjoy longer, quality life and low depression where they bestowed palliative care immediately after they are diagnosed with lung cancer, as opposed to starting at the late stages of the disease. According to this study, Medew aimed that; the findings would change the views of both the patients and the doctors on the quality of palliative care (Medew, 2011). The care aims at improving the quality of life of the for patients with progressive, serious illnesses through paying high attention to the control of their symptoms and pain, recognizing their spiritual and p sychological needs and providing the necessary support to the patients and their families. Medew`s study divided 151 patients with lung cancer into two groups in order to clearly outline the quality of palliative care (Medew, 2011). The first group of lung cancer patients was to solely rely on the standard treatment that the patients would receive from the health facilities while the second group was to receive the same treatment that would be accompanied by immediate referral to palliative care within a time range of twelve weeks after diagnose. Consequently, the findings showed that, the average survival period of patients in the second group was around three months longer and those patients reported living a high quality life and far much better moods as compared to the first group. Moreover, this American study was seconded by Ian Haines, who was a Melbourne cancer specialist who recommended that, palliative care should be administered by doctors to cancer patients. This suggestion was made because most health professionals, cancer patients and many other individuals realized that palliative care can serve as the only default measure of managing cancer when all other measures have been exhausted. He also suggested that, if early referral of cancer patients to professional palliative care can be an expensive measure, the governments should subsidize by increasing the allocation of more funds to the ministry of health since its value outweighs the costs that may be associated with it (Medew, 2011). Professor Haines also gave another case study that recently followed 333 cancer patients up to their death. The study also divided the patients into groups where one involved patients who were hospitalized to receive cancer treatments while the other group was treated and discharged in order to receive additional palliative care at their respective homes. The study findings showed that, patients in the first group died within a short time interval than those in the second group. In addition, those patients in the first group also experienced emotional and physical distress than those patients in the second group who died while receiving palliative care at their homes. The study concluded that, faster occurrence of deaths in patients who are admitted in health facilities was highly contributed by high extents of grief and more post-traumatic stress that arose from the family members and friends of those patients (Medew, 2011). His study also established that early referral of patients to palliative care helps caregivers and patients to understand their treatment options better especially at the end of their life. Furthermore, this early referral helps to reduce debilitating expensive treatments such as chemotherapy and excessive utilization of limited medical resources. In addition, most cancer patients are not used to palliative care in most countries and this unfamiliarity calls for the need for providing information to patients, their family members and friends sensitizing to them the quality of palliative care. According to research conducted by Ms. Etheredge, one of the officials of hospice palliative care society, she found that, palliative care frightens most individuals including cancer patients since most people are used to the tradition of patients being admitted to hospitals for treatment. Therefore, discharging cancer patients after treating them and then requiring them to seek palliative care at their respective homes elevate stress to patients since the latter concludes that they are being sent to meet their deaths at home. She suggested that, the governments should construct a cancer hospice in a strategic point since according to her, the environment where palliative care is provided matters most (Furse, 1999). She further suggested that, any other hospice to be constructed near to water and bus route since these are the two primary necessities that assist the caregivers and the families. Moreover, she also seconded the decision of the health minister of Australia in launching the national palliative care awareness week that would inform people about the equity and access of this care (Brigid, 2011). During the launching of this palliative care awareness campaign, the health minister also outlined the palliative strategic plan to inform the services that palliative care offers. In addition, brochures printed in Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian and polishes were distributed to different people during that week outlining palliative care services. This distribution of brochures was to enhance the reach of palliative care information to more people especially those who both don’t speak English and are not aware of the services provided by palliative care. In addition, according to Mark Colvin, most of the cancer patients in Australia are not aware of the existence, quality and the services that are provided by palliative care centers because most doctors do not sensitize and refer these patients to palliative services. According to study that surveyed a sample of one thousand doctors all over the country and within the duration of one year, more than eight hundred doctors do not refer cancer patients to palliative care. Merrilyn stone, for example, was not referred to palliative care when she was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990 (Barrett, 2004). This lack of referent made her to still firm her believe that palliative care is intended for the dying people and this made it harder for her to understand the value of palliative care when her condition came back eleven years later. Moreover, according to Afaf Girgis, this lack of referring patients to palliative care during the early stages of cancer development enhances the perception of the community and the patients that palliative care is intended for individuals who are at the death`s door and this is much untrue. Girgis further outlines this lack of referring cancer patients to palliative care predisposes the patient to more and severe consequences when the disease progresses to its advanced stages. In the long run, the particular patients live less additional days, as opposed to when they would have been early referred to palliative care services (Barrett, 2004). However, according to Rebecca Barrett, the study found that, very few health professionals who used to refer their patients to palliative care. In addition, in case these health professionals happen to refer cancer patients to palliative care, the latter was mostly intended to control pain but not for emotional or psychological support or legal and financial support. Consecutively, according to Dr. Sundquist, most health professionals concentrate more on curing the cancer patients and most are unaware of the quality of palliative care. He further challenges this doctors` works and suggests that, the latter needs to understand more is needed to cancer patients besides treatment services (Barrett, 2004). Moreover, cancer patients need additional services that include practical and emotional support that involves palliative care. Moreover, in Australia, Whyalla hospital developed project of constructing Whyalla cancer treatment Centre that would cancer services almost at par with the same treatment services that were offered in Adelaide. Initially, many cancer patients were forced to travel long distances in order to access cancer services at Adelaide hospital (Bruce, 2012). The construction of Whyalla cancer Centre aimed at reducing the transportation burden of cancer patients to long distances. According to whale news, the cancer center would offer a wide range of palliative services to the cancer patients especially those who were recently diagnosed with cancer. According to the chairman of his cancer project Mr. champion, the cancer Centre would offer services such as creating space for training activities and research, counseling of cancer patients, chemotherapy, outpatient care services among others. Additionally, the Whyalla cancer Centre would operate in cooperation with the already established Adelai de health facility in order to share health professionals and other technical equipments. This cooperation statement was echoed by Mr. Champion who said â€Å"the specialists will determine if the complexity of the cancer requires the patient to receive treatment in Adelaide or if they can remain in Whyalla.† (Bruce, 2012) However, the recent researches show that most patients suffering from cancer would prefer to meet their deaths at their homes rather than at the health facilities. These researches recommend that health professionals should follow the wishes of cancer patients on where the latter wants to receive palliative care. In connection to this, Eurobodalla health services have provided ambulance protocols that would facilitate doctors to respond to the emergency calls from the homes of cancer patients (Oconnor, 2014). These services would enable cancer patients to receive palliative care at their homes as they wish. References Barrett, R. (2004). Cancer patients missing out on palliative care; palliative support. Sydney, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Premium News Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/458087832? Brigid, O. (2011). Palliative care boosted. Melbourne, News Digital Media. Vic.Sunday Herald Sun Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/867896592? Bruce, K. (2012). Good news for cancer patients. Whyalla, S. Aust, Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. Whyalla News Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1081480966? Furse, L. (1999). Strategy for better palliative care. Canberra, A.C.T, Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1012751431? Medew, J. (2011). Early palliative care could prolong life. Canberra, A.C.T, Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1020447587? Medew, J. (2011). Palliative care extends length and quality of life. Sydney, N.S.W., Fairfax Digital. Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/854392582? Oconnor, K. (2014). Treatment available closer to home for palliative patients. Batemans Bay, N.S.W, Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. Bay Post Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1516592167? Gretha Cabral s3483440