Nationalization of Oil Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nationalization of Oil Industry - Essay Example Argentinean President Cristina Fernà ¡ndez de Kirchner in April 2012 has announced that Argentina would take control of Repsol YPF, the country’s biggest crude oil producer, by nationalizing 51 percent of the company’s shares (Gaudà ­n, 2012). Until 1999 YPF was the largest oil company in Argentina and was owned by the government. However, lack of efficient management and expertise was pulling down profits in the oil industry. As a result, the government started encouraging foreign investment in the market so as to invigorate oil production. Between the years 1993 and 1999, Madrid based Repsol had acquired 100 percent of the company’s shares (Weinstein, 2012) and its name was changed from YPF to Repsol YPF. Spain is the largest foreign investor in Argentina with the European market being the largest export market for the country (Hernandez, 2012). However, the current dispute is over a slump in investment by the Spanish owner of YPF, which is leading to a drop in energy output in Argentina.In the home country, Buenos Aires based YPF is considered an emblem of state pride (Economist, 2012a). Nationalization of the $18 billion worth company in 2012 would bring huge revenue to the cash-strapped government, which is a significantly beneficial aspect of the President’s decision. Hence nationalization of the country’s biggest oil company is apparently a populist move by the President. Energy officials from Brazil and the President of Uruguay have praised this action (Economist, 2012a).... Justifications Cited for Nationalization of Oil In the home country, Buenos Aires based YPF, is considered an emblem of state pride (Economist, 2012a). Nationalization of the $18 billion worth company in 2012 would bring huge revenue to the cash-strapped government, which is a significantly beneficial aspect of the President’s decision. Hence nationalization of the country’s biggest oil company is apparently a populist move by the President. Energy officials from Brazil and the President of Uruguay have praised this action (Economist, 2012a). Ms. Fernandez has accused Repsol in terms of its failure to make enough investment in exploiting the resources of the country. YPF has declared that it has discovered an oil shale site whose estimated potential yield would be 23 billion barrels approximately (Forero, 2012). In the context of soaring cost of oil, which is damaging the country’s economy, the lack of potential investment in Argentinean gas and oil reserves is a primary show cause behind the seizure of Repsol YPf’s shares. The President said that Repsol was not producing enough oil and was therefore failing to meet the country’s total energy requirements. Argentina is currently facing a serious shortage in its total production of energy. This situation is being fixed by importing energy at a higher price from other countries (Economist, 2012a). Ms. Fernandez has said that if this continues Argentina would become an unviable state for investment (Macalister, 2012). Pressure exerted by the government on YPF was increasing since the past two months before the decision of nationalization was taken. It is evident that the current situation has been created as a turn from the 2004

Native Americans (Subordinate Group) Essay Example for Free

Native Americans (Subordinate Group) Essay One often wonders where the Native North Americans originated from. Some theories have been discussed about the peopling of the Americas. Early theories involving lost tribes and continents were based purely on speculation instead of actual scientific facts. Discoveries made during many archeological expeditions have helped shape the always changing interpretations by adding more questions and more theories. There have been genetic and linguistic studies which raised more understanding and brought new questions. It is theorized that during the latter part of the Cenozoic era, also known as the age of mammals that the Wisconsin glaciation caused enough of the planet’s water supply to turn into ice. This lowered the oceans and exposed now submerged land. This event created a stretch of land that the large mammals of the Ice Age era, along with the natives of that era, could very well have migrated across the newly formed land bridge, which now connected two continents. This land bridge is known as the Bering Strait, or Beringia. During the time that Beringia existed, the Wisconsin glaciers most likely prohibited migration to any southern or eastern regions. Another theory suggests that the early natives may have inhabited the now Alaskan region because it was ice-free due to low precipitation. Several melts over a period of time created passageways, and evidence from archeological site implies that there was an ice-free corridor for thousands of years. It was during another melt approximately ten thousand years ago, that a second corridor was most likely formed farther east along the borders of Saskatchewan and Canada plains. This points to the possibility that the ancient people could have traveled eastward along the rivers in the Great Plains, and down further south. The Indians known to history as the Sioux are also known as Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota, meaning allies. This is my heritage. I am a member of the largest division of Siouan family, otherwise known as Sioux. The name is from a term given to the largest and well- known of the tribal groups. At one time, my people stretched from the west banks of the Mississippi northward from Arkansas and the Rocky Mountains. The Dakotas also inhabited territory east of the river up to Wisconsin and Missouri. They were here to encounter DeSoto on his journey in 1541, when he reached the Indian villages in what is now eastern Arkansas. Another hundred years passed before any mention of Sioux existing, when in 1658 some Jesuit missionaries heard of the existence of about thirty Dakota villages just north of a Potawatomi mission. This was located at about the head of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in St. Michael. It was during the middle 1600’s when the Sioux, along with the Arapaho and Cheyenne had to migrate further westward towards the Great Plains to what is known as North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. This migration was mainly due to the O jibwa and Chippewa tribes pushing them out of the Great Lakes region. The Ojibwa and Chippewa had been pushed out of their own land that had been further east, by the European settlers of that time. In 1805 Lewis and Clark passed through the center of this region and made contact with the Sioux tribes. After this took place, several more expeditions brought traders that settled among the tribes, and in the course of some time, permanent settlers arrived. This made the area so small that eventually the people of my tribe were forced to live in Indian Territories or confined to Nebraska, the Dakotas, or Montana. This brought on a series of raids and counter raids that lasted from roughly 1850 through 1890 and were known as the Sioux Wars. In the first years of the twentieth century, the Dakotas also known as Tetons began the process of adapting to their new way of life. They still had strong faith in their own traditions, but realized that the old way was gone forever. Numerous changes with the economy and politics were forced on my people by the government. The people strived to establish a life for themselves that used both new changes, but still remained true to their values and beliefs. During the rest of the twentieth century, all of the reservations for the Dakotas, Lakotas, and Tetons lost more land due to ownership passes and inheritances. Division between rural dwellers and people who live in town have grown bigger. Rural residents tend to retain their use of native language, and be involved in cultural events, when townspeople adapt other aspects of the American culture. Most of the Sioux nation and other groups of American Indians live in South Dakota, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and North Dakota at present time on privatized land created by the government many years ago. Wendy Coghill ETH/125 Text Citations: Bonvillain, Nancy. Seeking a New Way. Teton Sioux, Indians of North America, Heritage Edition. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43iPin=INATS06SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011). Text Citations: Waldman, Carl. arrival of humans in North America. Atlas of the North American Indian, Third Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2009. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43iPin=ind5278SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011). Text Citation: Waldman, Carl. Assimilation. Word Dance: The Language of Native American Culture. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 1994. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43iPin=ind2991SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011). Text Citation: Waldman, Carl. Sioux. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Third Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2006. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43iPin=ind2432SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011).

Effects Of Globalization: Competition And Business Opportunities

Effects Of Globalization: Competition And Business Opportunities In many countries, globalisation provides a mechanism through which poverty can be reduced. The rapid growth of these emerging economies also provides substantial with new markets for exporters and investors and cheaper, more diverse goods and services for consumers (Kohler, 2002). In the essay, I will discussing the view that globalisation has not only significantly increased competition and business opportunities but has and will continue to so, increasing living standards. I will also further in evaluating the issues relating to investment, growth and development, and economic performance levels between countries. In todays world, trade has increasingly global in scope. There are several reasons for this. One of the reasons is technological. The improved on transportation and communication of today has made trade more practical. Technology change is represented as the driving force of globalisation i.e. changes in technology and production methods that determine the future of workers managers and their interrelationships. The use of internet and computers are increasingly based on technologies as it main driving forces. The former general director of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Mike Moore has expressed this view as technology can be the friend of the people (Benedek, 2007, pg21). Technological change has helped fuel the rapid rise in global economic activity, especially in relation to communication and transport. Transport costs have fallen and the worldwide travel has increased exponentially. This has had a direct impact on the structure of industry, with tourism now being the second bigge st industry as well across a whole range of other business activities. The other reason is free trade. Many barriers to trade have been removed mostly by the WTO. This makes trade cheaper and looks more attractive to business. Globalisation can be considered as a business that wants to expand their business significantly. In general, globalisation for a business means, not only did they expand their client base and support but also on other countries as well. Through globalisation, most companies significantly increase their earnings that enhance the improvement of the company. As more employees are hired, the experienced ones increase their chances of promotion. Moreover, giving them the opportunity of being a leader in working in other countries and experiencing a totally different culture with a good salary. However, globalisation can be dangerous in some company, if they are not careful in implementing changes. Globalisation has brought in new opportunities to developing countries. These developed countries have greater access of markets and technology that improved productivity and higher living standard. But globalisation has also thrown up new challenges like growing inequality across and within nations, volatility in financial market and environmental deteriorations. Globalisation also supports productivity, cultural intermingling and cash flow into the developing countries. Hence, there are some disadvantages of globalisation that should be overlooked such as unemployment and difficulty of competition. Thus globalisation responds the needs of 7 million people. Moreover, the standard of living as at now compare to 50years ago is a lot better, as they are more machines and system invented in developed countries. Cultural intermingling enlarges with globalisation that enables people from all over the world able to communicate effectively. However, hand sharing traditional behaviour causes fading as boundaries is disappearing. Brittan (1998) states that the high levels of unemployment in developing countries are caused by globalisation. The employment rate reflects not only the economic situation but also to some extent social conditions. However, not all countries with high unemployment rates face social problems. According to Brittan (1998), globalisation led to an increase in the wealth of developed countries and also not to the bigger poverty in the developing countries. Brittan furthers more saying that the improvement in economic growth in the economic situation in the skewed distribution of income between developed and developing countries. However, Hak-Min (1999) argued from the view of Brittan that the distribution of income between developed and developing countries has become less skewed by indicating that globalisation in the integrated world economy has lead to industrial growth in a limited number of developed countries. In the late nineties, over 90% of all financial transactions of the world were executed in 25 of 121 countries worldwide (Hak-Min, 1999). Less than 1% of the total worldwide transactions were shared in the globalised capital flows from the developing countries. Law (1988) saw these developments as the transactional stage in the development of capitalism. In the 1980s, globalisation has become an important policy issue for several reasons particularly in developing countries. Most developing countries now face more intense international competition and often greater opportunities with large proportions of their economies subject to market forces, particularly international ones. During the late nineties, many developing countries were restricted on foreign direct investment (FDI) that brought down tariff rates. In general, the higher growth and productivity, the less poverty in developing countries. Round (2002) states that in anti-globalists, globalisation adversely affects the poor in the poor countries while pro-globalists claim that it has lead to poverty reduction. Some countries that managed the globalisation process illustrate that it can be a powerful force for economic growth whereas, those who were affected were evidenced by dismal record on economic growth and poverty. It is clear that globalisation has failed to rid the world of poverty. Rather than being an unstoppable force for development, globalisation now seems more like an economic temptress, promising riches to everyone but only delivering to the few. In the 20th century, global average per capita income raised the income gap between the rich and the poor countries that has been widening for many decades Williamson (2002). It is argued that both rich and poor benefit from such a process. Politically, globalisation brings us closer together. Political ties help stabilise relationships and offer the opportunity for countries to discuss their differences. However, imperfect the current global political system might be, the alternative of independent nations is seen as potentially far worse. In addition, not all countries benefits equally from globalisation. Some people that have wealth will, as always, posses more opportunity to benefit from the globalised world, whether from lower prices, cul tural experiences or political agreements. In the other hand, it is argued that globalisation contributes to growing inequality and further impoverishes poor nations. Globalisation allows multinational corporations based largely in the USA, Europe and Japan, to exploit their dominant position in foreign markets. By exploiting the low wage labour, companies are able to compete more effectively on world markets. The major benefit of globalisation has improved living standards derived from a better division of labour. Developing countries specialise in intensive tasks, developed countries have to use employees in more productive ways. Most of the developing countries do not have the scientific and educational support, which the developed countries will have to move onto higher technology products. During the 19th century, Marx views on capitalism posed as a central contradiction. Marx argued that there was a fatal flaw that capitalism led to unprecedented growth. The source of this growth was the ability of capitalists to exploit their labourers and as growth and wealth increased the conditions of the workers would be declined. Marx furthers his argument that the world capitalism might lead to even greater problems for the workers in the less advanced areas because of their even weaker position as subjects of an imperial master. In conclusion, globalisation has an impact that enable worldwide prosperity to grow and the gap between developed and undeveloped countries to decrease. Globalisation plays an important role in solving the development problems of developing countries. More so, globalization has also shown its impact in narrowing the world by bringing nations on a single platform but realistically, this platform has not only expanded the gap between the nations but has also brought pains and sufferings to the less privileged. The way around the industries is a matter of much concern as the water body of this area contains the entire overflow discharged from the industries as a waste product. This waste product is either thrown out in the air or is flown in the water and occasionally buried in the soil, making the people to suffer from all kinds of danger.   Enabling people of one nation to communicate with those of the other nations is the biggest achievement in terms of globalization. The culture, trade, business, ethics and conduct of one group in one part of the world can influence others may or may not be of same nation.   There are various aspects where globalization has massively affected the world in industrially, it has provided the outside to the production market with an improved access to a wide range of foreign products and as a result globalization has increased huge number of customers for itself and this has helped in the progress of goods and materials between and within the national limitations.   Financially globalization has opened the way to obtain external financing opportunities to the borrowers.   Economically the freedom of exchange of goods and capitals tells us that the markets are consistent and any kind of economic fall down in one country could be supervised by others.    Politically, the United States has come up with the ultimate power in the period of globalization as it has strong and wealthy economy. There is a flow of information from one part of the globe to another and even to the distant locations, through the means of satellites, wireless communication or through internet.   Globalization has also given birth to great fight and has made the market an open place to stand out with skills and quality.  Culturally, cross-cultural contacts are the result of globalization. It has produced improved understanding towards cultural diversity and has also promoted travels and tourism to understand each other to a greater amount. This has improved greater customer products and has also has generated a pseudo-cultural patterns.   Socially, due to globalization the social network of people is expanding and people are able to understand each other in a better way howsoever isolated geographically they may be.  In the technical aspect, any kind of technological progress can be communicated to other parts of the world and as a result feedback to further develop it can be obtained.   Privatization of the NHS: Staff and Patient Views Privatization of the NHS: Staff and Patient Views Staff and Patients Perception on the Government’s Proposal of the Part Privatization of the NHS Anne Cook 1. Abstract The National Health System (NHS) provides medical care, generally free at the point of use, to all people in the United Kingdom. The NHS is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health. In recent years, using the Private Finance Initiative, elements of health care are increasingly being placed on long-term contracts with the private sector. Medical staff and the public at large are currently dissatisfied with the move to part privatization and believe that patient care will be compromised, particularly for those unable to opt out of the NHS and become paying patients. Job losses in the medical profession have occurred and the public feel that the basic right of free medical care should not be moved to private enterprise that is profit driven. This is seen as undermining a fundamental right of all citizens. The Ministry of Health, on the other hand, defends their position stating that the move is in the best interests of the public and the profession, and state that patients will have more choices as a result of the new system. They do acknowledge that there are cases of cost overruns that were not initially budgeted for. The public feels betrayed by the changes to what was a fundamental right to free medical. The paper concludes that the transition is difficult and could take years to show the required improvements. There is no buy-in to the change from staff within the profession or the public; this is likely to be due to a lack of marketing of the changes, no buy-in from the stakeholders and a mistrust of the motives for partnering with the private sector. 2. Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Abstract 2. Table of Content Introduction 3. Literature Review Government Paper Table 6, p26 Comparison of Increases in PFI Project Costs (million pounds) Public Feedback on PFIs in the Health Sector Tory Stand on the NHS Financial Status Medical Personnel Disillusioned Summary 4. Research Objectives 5. Research Methodology Porter’s 5 Forces Diagram. SWOT Analysis Diagram PEST Analysis Diagram 6. Research Findings Porter’s 5 Forces Model Summation of Porter’s 5 Forces Model S.W.O.T Analysis Summation of S.W.O.T. Analysis P.E.S.T Analysis Table – Age Structure in the UK 2001-2051 Introduction The National Health Service (NHS) was set up in the United Kingdom in 1948 to provide healthcare for all citizens, based on need, not the ability to pay. The NHS is funded by the taxpayer and managed by the Department of Health, which sets overall policy on health issues. It is the responsibility of the Department of Health to provide health services to the general public through the NHS. Many changes have occurred over the years, but the basic principal of free medical services for all has been a fundamental right within the United Kingdom for nearly 60 years The following information from the official NHS website summarizes the current method of operations within the system and mentions the controversial introduction of the Private Finance Initiative. Ref [1]http://:www.nhs.uk A feature of the NHS compared to other public healthcare systems in Continental Europe is that not only does it pay directly for health expenses (with partial exceptions like prescriptions and dentistry it is free at the point of use), it also employs the doctors and nurses that provide them, and in most cases owns and runs its hospitals and clinics. However, under the [2]Private Finance Initiative, an increasing number of hospitals have been built (or rebuilt) by private sector consortia, and have non-medical services (such as catering) provided under long-term contracts by the same consortia. As reported on [3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Finance_Initiative, clearly the costs of the PFIs are currently an issue. The scale of PFI projects in the Health Education sector since 1997 is now having a serious impact on Public Service Budgets. Because the projects are more expensive in the Private sector (On average 30% more than if the Government borrowed the money and did the work in the Public sector) the payments to the Private owners of the PFI schemes are stretching already constricted Budgets. Many Health [4]Primary Care Trusts are in serious difficulty already, and when the level of spending falls in 2007, some may go bust. The Government is already in negotiation with Private Healthcare providers to come in and run failing Trusts. 3. Literature Review Government Paper [5]The House of Commons Research Paper 01/117, 18 December 2001 (Graham Allen) studies the Private Finance Initiative. The document states ‘Under the PFI, the public sector does not own an asset but pays the PFI contractor a stream of revenue payments for the use of the facility over a contract period’ ‘The Department of Health has signed the most PFI deals, 105, with a total value of just over 2.5 billion pounds. Under the section entitled Cost overruns the following items appear [6]Table 6, p26 Comparison of Increases in PFI Project Costs (million pounds) Initial Cost Final Cost % Increase Norfolk Norwich NHS Trust 90 144 60% Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust 35 84 140% The report contains differing views for the cause of the severe overruns in PFI project costs. According to the private enterprise companies they blame the increases on the NHS and MoH as they are repeatedly changing the requirements from the original specifications. This could be a result of a lack of experience in managing private enterprise projects by the MoH – more efficient management and tighter control over specifications would result in major cost savings. There could be reason to revisit the bid process to identify where there are loopholes which allow the private companies to overrun and yet charge back the cost to the Ministry during the course of the contracts. Public Feedback on PFIs in the Health Sector The lobby group, Keep our NHS Public, [7]http://www.keepournhspublic.com/index.php, has a launch statement that includes the following ‘At the heart of the changes is the creation of a market that welcomes profit-driven international corporations who answer to shareholders, not patients. This market will compel hospitals and health professionals, who have traditionally cooperated to deliver healthcare, to compete with each other and with the private sector. Far from supporting the NHS, the private sector is in competition with it, and is already draining away resources and staff.’ On the web site, Frank Dobson Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras says: Before long we will have a health insurance system and the NHS role as a provider of care will be limited to picking up the difficult cases and looking after the worst off. It is time we worked together to put some chocks under the wheels of this fashionable bandwagon. The campaign launched in late September and has already won the backing of hundreds of senior doctors, academics, health workers and trade union leaders, celebrities, MPs and local campaigners for its launch statement. The lobby group feels strongly that the NHS is being divided up and the only driver for its continuation will be profits and not the medical well being of the patients. They have garnered support from many leading medical professionals since their launch. And the campaign is rapidly gaining momentum. Saturday 11th February 2006 Tory Stand on the NHS Financial Status The Guardian, http:/ / www.guardian.co.uk/ uk_ news/ story/ 0,,1707494,00.html of February 11th 2006, states the Tory case of the financial state of the NHS NHS in England heading for  £750m deficit, say Tories. The Tories have accused the government of burying evidence of a worsening financial crisis in the NHS that is starting to seriously damage the quality of patient care. Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said he had data from strategic health authorities showing the NHS in England is heading for a deficit of  £752.6m by the end of the financial year, compared to the  £200m overspend hoped for by Patricia Hewitt. Lansley said Hewitts intervention had forced down the quality of patient care with many trusts delaying operations. This tactic has failed because hospitals continue to pay staff for doing less work transferring overspending from PCTs to hospital trusts. 22 SHAs in England forecast deficits, two surpluses and four in balance. This statement not only highlights the deficit anticipated, but it also points to an administrative situation that is convoluted and inefficient. The over run on anticipated deficit is huge and points to a lack of monitoring and cost reductions over a long period. Medical Personnel Disillusioned The Guardian, April 13, 2005, printed an article entitled ‘Disillusioned Doctors Drop Support for Labour, http://society.guardian.co.uk/nhsplan/story/0,7991,1458601,00.html Only a third of a group of doctors who signed a public letter urging voters to support Labour in 1997 would do the same again, it emerged today. Disillusionment with Tony Blairs decision to pursue the same internal market policies as his Conservative predecessor was one of the main reasons why the doctors had deserted Labour this time round, according to the results of a new survey. In their original letter, the doctors had condemned the internal market forces in the NHS as a cancer eating away at your NHS. But of the original 59 GPs, consultants and academics who put their names to the letter published only a few days before the 1997 general election, only 17 said they would sign a similar letter warning voters that if the Conservatives won on May 5, the NHS as we know it would disappear, according to the results of the survey. Emeritus professor of clinical biochemistry at the University of Surrey, Vincent Marks, who put his name to the original letter, said today: Most of us feel that we have been badly let down. The dismantling of the NHS has continued apace. Consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomews hospital in London Duncan Dymond, who was also one of the original signatories, said: The government has missed a huge opportunity with the health service. There has been marginalization of the clinician and manipulation of patients to satisfy bureaucrats. Orthopedic surgeon Anthony Jones from Swansea in Wales, who also put his name to the letter in 1997, said: The cancer of the internal market has prospered under Blair. The doctors involved in the above intend withdrawing their votes in order to take a stand against the current changes within the NHS. Undeniably, they believe in the principals of a united medical service to the public who are currently promised a free medical system for all UK citizens. These medical professionals are prepared to make a political statement to show their lack of support for the current government handling of the NHS Dr Eric Bowman, from Scotland who responded to a BBC report ‘Public Health, Private Money’, echoes this negative outlook with the current situation I am a UK resident but I am also a US citizen. I prefer the UKs NHS to the nightmare of red tape, expense and iniquitous medical resourcing that is inherent in the US private system. I cannot imagine how anybody, including Blair, can consider a private healthcare system that diverts precious financial resources to profits as being efficient. I am appalled that Labour will invest in public-private partnerships rather than simply investing in the NHS. Deb McDee responded: I am an NHS Manager and was recently work shadowed by someone from a highly rated, large private company as part of a training scheme. For such a large NHS organization, he could not believe the small size of the management team, the long hours worked, the productivity and the low salaries compared to similar size and budget in the private sector. There is no chance that the private sector can run the NHS more efficiently at current funding levels. Any additional money would be swallowed up in more bureaucracy, inflated private sector salaries and a reduction in services. The above respondents identify the fact that private companies are in business to make a profit, in addition, staff are generally better paid for similar jobs. They feel that any private partnerships will prove to be more expensive than running the services under the NHS. A prominent dentist, John Renshaw, has resigned his profession over changes to the NHS. His story appeared in the Guardian on February 11th 2006 titled, ‘Top Dentist Quits over NHS plans One of Britains leading dentists is leaving the NHS to go private after 37 years, in the growing row over the way dentists will be paid in future. John Renshaws practice in Scarborough will become private in April. Mr. Renshaw, chair of the British Dental Association from 2000 to 2005, has refused to sign the new NHS contract. He says it will mean even less access to the service and lower standards of treatment. The government says the new contract provides a guaranteed income. Mr. Renshaw said: The NHS appears to want to secure a cheap deal and take control of every NHS dentists business. I will not be a party to this move and I am leaving the service for good. In addition to his BDA role, Mr. Renshaw was dental practice adviser to North Yorkshire Health Authority for 10 years to 2001 and has served on many bodies, including Scarborough Health Authority. The Royal College of Nursing expressed their frustration at the changes to their profession in the Telegraph Article ‘Plan to Part Privatize NHS Nurses Quietly Unveiled, on 26th August 2005. [8]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/26/nhs26.xmlsSheet=/news/2005/08/26/ixnewstop.html The Government has quietly unveiled radical plans that will lead to the part-privatization of many non-hospital NHS services, nurses leaders claimed yesterday. The Royal College of Nursing accused ministers of deliberately announcing fundamental changes to the way primary health care was provided during the summer holidays and then announcing a public consultation it called little more than a facade. Plans to transfer tens of thousands of district, school and mental health nurses, health visitors and community midwives out of the NHS primary care trusts were disclosed in a letter to the heads of NHS organizations at the end of last month. It said that in future primary care trusts would commission these services from private companies, charities, local authorities and acute trusts. The RCN yesterday said the public consultation on the future of community health and social services, announced last week, and was meaningless, as the key decision to end the provision of these services by the PCTs had already been taken. Howard Catton, RCN head of policy, said: An NHS that no longer provides these services, that no longer employs these staff is a very different sort of NHS to the one the public knows. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a membership organization with over 370,000 members in the United Kingdom. Most members are Registered Nurses but student nurses and Advanced Healthcare Assistants are also admitted. These prominent professionals and the largest representative group of nursing professionals are outraged at the division of the medical services and part privatization. They raise the question of charities being called on to provide certain services – charities are currently stretched financially and are unlikely to be able to take on responsibilities that have previously been handled by the NHS. Part-privatization of ambulance work sparks union anger, written by the Guardian Social Affairs Editor, John Carvel. – The article below, printed on October 13th, 2005, is a single example of numerous instances where medical services have been outsourced. Most of the ambulance service in Surrey is to be hived off to a private company specializing in prison management, immigration detention centres and court escort duties, which broke off from Group 4 security services last year. The Surrey ambulance service said yesterday it was deeply disappointed at a decision by local NHS commissioners to transfer all non-emergency ambulance work to the Worcestershire-based company GSL. In a further ratcheting up of private sector involvement in the NHS, the company will become responsible for transporting about 150,000 patients a year on journeys to and from hospital. The NHS ambulance service will retain blue-light emergency work, but GSL will also look after high-dependency patients who need oxygen and constant supervision during journeys between hospitals. The company said it would acquire 60 state-of-the-art ambulances to provide patients with safe, comfortable journeys when it takes over in March. The decision to award it the contract was taken on Tuesday by a consortium of primary care trusts headed by Alan Kennedy, the ambulance trusts former chief executive. The announcement of this first major privatization of ambulance work caused an angry reaction from Unison, the public service union. Karen Jennings, its head of health, said: This is all about saving money and nothing to do with providing high-quality patient care. It will undermine the trusts ability to provide an integrated emergency service in the area. News of the deal came as the board of Thames Valley health authority took a step towards contracting out NHS healthcare management in Oxfordshire. It agreed to submit plans to the Department of Health to make NHS managers compete against the private sector for the job of commissioning services from hospitals. This could, in effect, privatize the process of deciding what health services and drugs should be available to the countys 600,000 residents. Nick Ralph, the Thames Valley chief executive, said the contractors would be accountable to a board of non-executive directors with power to look after the public interest. But Howard Catton, head of policy at the Royal College of Nursing, said contracting out strategic management could reduce the NHS to little more than a brand name for services that were managed and delivered by the private sector. This report shows a lack of communication and direction between the MoH and the NHS on policy and procedures and the way forward. In addition, the cost of providing new ambulances and training personnel who have no medical care background with be high, the private company will have built such costs into their fees to be paid by the MoH over the period of the long term contract. John Carvel, the Social Affairs editor of the Guardian on Sept 22, 2005, wrote the below article Plans to Hand Over NHS Staff and Buildings to Private Sector Health secretary Patricia Hewitt is preparing to transfer NHS hospital buildings and staff into the private sector as part of a  £3bn scheme to promote competition in the health service, the Guardian can reveal. Documents show that companies bidding for contracts to treat patients from the NHS waiting list will be allowed to take over NHS premises, doctors and nurses. Initially, they will also be guaranteed a minimum throughput of NHS patients and paid accordingly, even if the patients choose to go elsewhere. Disclosure of the â€Å"strictly confidential† documents is likely to fuel protest at the Labour conference next week that the government’s NHS reforms are in danger of destabilizing the health service, but Ms Hewitt will argue she is saving it by putting the needs of patients before those of providers. The information was provided to companies wanting to bid for 24 contracts to run treatment centres across England. They will compete with NHS trusts to attract NHS patients, who from the end of this year will have a choice of where to be treated. Ms Hewitt has said she wants them to diagnose and treat 1. 7m patients over the next five years. The documents, which were obtained by Hospital Doctor magazine, disclose plans for companies to take over the latest state-of-the-art operating theatres that are being built for the NHS at hospitals in Birmingham and the New Forest. The independent sector will also be handed the surgical units at Ravenscourt Park hospital in Hammersmith, west London, where wards have been shut due to lack of patients. Many of the 24 contracts involve â€Å"significant volumes† of patients and staff transferring from the NHS into the private units. Doctors and nurses may have little choice if they want to keep their jobs. Paul Miller, chairman of the BMA’s consultants committee, said: â€Å"It now looks as if we are at the start of a massive privatization of the provision of healthcare in the NHS.† But Ms Hewitt said his claims were nonsense. â€Å"This is all about giving patients speedier access, more choice, and improved services.† The taking over of staff and premises, without prior consultation and negotiation with the personnel involved, is a very autocratic way to shift responsibility and accountability and lacks any regard for the medical staff involved. This does imply they will retain a job, in contrast to the ambulance drivers in a prior article who would be out of work as the private company would staff the service themselves. If the NHS cannot attract patient to ‘state of the art’ facilities, I cannot understand how handing them to private enterprise will turn around the situation and make the facilities profitable. There has to be some form of financial incentive for the private sector to take on such a contract. In another article quoted, there is reference to the MoH paying private companies for patients, regardless of whether those patients take up the services in the area. If this is the case here, why wasn’t the NHS made the same offer and continued to run the facilities themselves? Vincent Marks, a professor of clinical biochemistry at the University of Surrey was quoted on May 13th, 2005, after hearing of another part privatization being announced by the then new Minister of Health, Ms Hewitt ‘Once you start farming it off into private enterprises the NHS as we understood it will gradually disintegrate. And Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley added: I do agree in principle the independent sector should have a right to supply to the NHS. But not the sort of contracts the government is signing. They (independent sector providers) get more money than NHS would do. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the Kings Fund, a health think-tank, said while using the private sector in such a way had obvious advantages; there were still potential pitfalls. This will have significant implications for NHS institutions and core services, as well as the training of doctors. And British Medical Association chairman James Johnson said he was concerned the move could destabilize the NHS, as the private sector would only take on the most straightforward cases. Ms Hewitt, who was previously trade and industry secretary before taking over at health in the reshuffle last week, has also championed latest figures that have shown patients were being treated faster. The number of people waiting over six months for an operation at the end of March was 40,800 a 32.5% fall on the previous month. The overall waiting list also fell slightly to 821,700 down by 2.8% on the previous month. And a report by the NHS chief executive Sir Nigel Crisp showed the health service was ahead of target for treating heart and cataract patients. This article raises the question of training for future doctors. One can argue that if the majority of future doctors are likely to be employed in private companies rather than the NHS that the MoH could reduce funding for doctors training and training faculties in general. The private sector is unlikely to take on this responsibility and could result in a more acute shortage of trained doctors, as the cost of training would fall to the individual. Certain improvements in waiting times are indicated; however, these are a small percentage of the overall services provided and may not be indicative of a general improvement across the board. They could be achieved at the expense of others services which could have been pushed back. The Battersea and Wandsworth TUC have produced a paper titled ‘SW London Hospitals under Pressure’. This document highlights the plight of the particular area but echoes the typical situation countrywide and provides an insight into the reasons for the current state of the NHS It states that ‘consistent patterns of under resourcing and crisis measures running back to the early 1980s’. It states ‘The resort to private sector providers to plug gaps in local NHS capacity is both costly and self-defeating. Not only does it siphon vital cash from local NHS trusts, but it also increases the level of competition between the NHS and the private sector for nursing and other staff’ ‘Private contractors must be removed from the provision of hospital support services. Their role for the past two decades has been to cut the pay and conditions of staff to run down the quality of services. The constant threat of privatization has been used as a weapon to hold down the pay for other NHS staff, with dire consequences for morale.’ They make the following recommendations (summarised) Runaway costs of employing agency staff to plug gaps in the full time NHS workforce have to be tackled There is an urgent need for a thorough and independent audit of the financial situation in all local NHS Trusts, to establish a realistic baseline budget that will sustain the necessary levels of service – and the additional money must be made available, to ensure that the services are expanded as required on a stable and sustainable basis. Any planned deals with private hospitals should be abandoned, ad priority should be given instead to the most rapid possible expansion of local NHS capacity, alongside longer term plans for the renewal of old or obsolescent buildings Privatized support services which generate profits at the expense of low paid for staff must be brought back in house, with staff properly reincorporated into the NHS team. With the government currently able to borrow money on the international markets at 2% interest or even lower, all PFI schemes should be abandoned as too costly and inflexible to suit the needs of the NHS. Instead the government should make NHS capital available for the further upgrade of Epsom (hospital) and a new publicly funded hospital to replace St Helier, and local treatment centres to complement the services already available in smaller local hospitals Summary Current literature clearly indicates that the move towards part privatization of the NHS has serious negative perceptions both within the medical profession and in the general public. However, the Department of Health believes the move is already proving to be successful and that the move to further part privatization is the way forward for an efficient and effective NHS. In summary the documents highlight. Costs to the Department of Health will significantly exceed previous spending on the NHS. The move to part privatization is in the early stages and the long term management and control need to be carefully monitored and checked. The Department of Health has to sign on to long-term contracts with the private sector service providers, as stipulated in the Private Finance Initiative papers. There have been some significant overruns on initial budget figures; cause for concern when the initiative is still in the early stages and the contracts are for extended periods. The Department of Health is losing control over areas of health management. Health care providers are leaving the profession as they are disillusioned with the changes to the NHS Health care providers have

Political Novels of The Jungle and Johnny Got His Gun Essay -- Politic

Political Novels of The Jungle and Johnny Got His Gun Introduction: Although writing has been around for thousands of years, the medium of books is a relatively recent phenomenon. In the mid 15th century, German Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press that made multiple, cheap copies of works that were easily available for the masses. With the help of other technological developments including the linotype in the mid-1880’s, the printing process became easier and faster and therefore books became cheaper and more available. Also in the mid-1880’s the development of public education increased the demand for books making them even more popular and ensuring them as a permanent form of media for the masses. But most books over history remained focused on religion or non-fiction. But with Samuel Richardson’s Pamela in 1740, the novel was born. The novel differs from pure non-fiction as the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the novel as â€Å"an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events.† Novels over the years have moved people personally, but political novels especially, incite mass movements including the famous example of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, whose book’s impact was so great that Abraham Lincoln famously told her at the start of the Civil War, â€Å"So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this Great War!† For this paper, I chose to read and examine Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun. Written in the height of the muckraking era, The Jungle exposes the terrible conditions of the meatpacking industry and influenced the American public... ...e Database. â€Å"Johnny Got His Gun.† . Internet Movie Database. â€Å"The Jungle.† . Kriegel, Leonard. â€Å"Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun.† Proletarian Writers of the Thirties. Ed., David Madden. Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1968. 106—113. â€Å"Novel.† Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 10th edition. 2002. Olsson, Karen. â€Å"Welcome to the Jungle.† Slate. 10 July 2006. . â€Å"One by Metallica Songfacts.† 20 Nov 2006. Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle.  New York: Bantam Books, 2003. Singer, Peter and Bruce Friedrick. â€Å"The Jungle Revisited.† People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 14 Feb 2006. Trumbo, Dalton. Johnny Got His Gun. New York: Bantam Books, 1970.

Madame Bovary Analysis Essay

In Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, the story predominately follows how Emma Bovary becomes disenchanted with her lifestyle as the wife of Charles Bovary and seeks to find the unobtainable life she so desperately dreams of from the books she reads. However, before all of that, Charles Bovary has a history of his own with a previous marriage and a dreary childhood. In the passage describing a request for his services and his journey to a distance farm, the descriptive imagery and juxtaposition of his thoughts convey how static his character is. Flaubert chooses to describe Charles Bovary’s demeanor and actions as easy going to illustrate to the audience how his personality is both average and carefree. When a man frantically comes to their home in the middle of the night with a letter requesting Charles to set a broken leg, he â€Å"lean[s] his elbow on the pillow to read it† (11). Disregarding the fact that the situation is considered to be an emergency to many, Charles leisurely takes his time in his own comfort. This goes back to his growing up when chose to not prepare for his examination, resulting in his failure. He does not understand the gravity of circumstances and does everything as he pleases. This is further exemplified when he decides to leave â€Å"three hours later,† all â€Å"well wrapped† and moving in a â€Å"peaceful trot† (11-12). Rather than trying to get there as fast as he can, he goes at a pace where he can even fall asleep. He has little to no concern for the patient that is urgently waiting for him to put him out of excruciating pain. He has to make an attempt to â€Å"recall the broken leg† along with any knowledge he has on how to fix it during the journey (12). His lack of ambition is prevalent in this scene as it brings up his past apathy towards his schoolwork, which is catching up with him now, along with his currently indifference towards his work. He has no desire to excel in his job; he is perfectly content being an average man doing average work. This insight to his character shows how for a good portion of his life already, he has little to no goals in life and will most likely never strive to go above the ordinary. The description of Charles lethargically treating his job reveals his unchanging dispirited outlook on life. Flaubert’s use of juxtaposition when Charles is confused between his memories from long ago and from now to elucidate the lack of development within his character. He becomes disoriented between his life as a â€Å"student and [a] married man† because of his similarities in them, leading back to the idea that he has not changed much within the past years (12). The way he goes about regarding any task, whether it be in school or in his current home, is very calm and passive. He is already a grown man with a job and a wife, yet his personality has remained unchanging. The reflection that he has unveils to us how, due to the stationary nature of his character, time has passed in a continuum such that he cannot distinguish when moments of his life have passed. Comparing his life in medical school with the â€Å"iron rings of the bed curtains running on their rods† to his present life in a home with â€Å"his wife sleeping,† though most would think them to be vastly differing, the way he approaches them is the same—laid back to the point where he cannot distinguish between them anymore (12). By placing these two scenarios next to each other, Flaubert signals to the readers that, similar to how Charles has not changed from his childhood to now, he will continue to remain this mediocre man even in the future. Although we do not know why yet, this mindset of his seems to have importance towards the rest of the story. Altogether, the juxtaposition of Charles’ former and current self highlights the importance of his ordinary persona. Flaubert’s use of language brings out Charles Bovary’s passive behavior, indicating a significance in his sedentary character for later chapters. Charles’ easy going demeanor, not laudable nor detrimental, seems to be a base off which other characters are compared to. Since he does not strive for much nor cause harm, he acts as a norm for people to relate to.

The Environment In Which Planning Processes Take Essays - Management

The Environment In Which Planning Processes Take Essays - Management The Environment In Which Planning Processes Take Place May Have An Important Effect On How The Process Is Conducted The ubiquity of change social, economic, political, technological and attitudinaland the accelerated pace by which it is occurring demand a serious and imaginative response on the part of business if they want to thrive over the next several years, let alone the next decade or 100 years. Strategic planning is highly selective, sets priorities, and does not constitute a comprehensive review of the organization's activities (Eadie, 1993; Shea, 1997). It does identify the strategic issues facing the organization. Strategic planning should be a constructive, consensus building activity that focuses on the health of the organization. If no strategic plan is adopted the disadvantages are: Loss of competitive edge. Crisis management - reactive rather than proactive. Diverse directions and redundancy. At the mercy of outside influences. Strategic planning begins with the definition or analysis of mission, and cannot proceed until there is mission consensus among all planning participants. Mission analysis identifies the spectrum of customers the organization will serve, the broad categories of products and services it will produce, and the way it will measure success. Once a customer base is defined, the next step in strategic planning is to develop a clear understanding of the characteristics of the groups or classes of customers in this customer base. Once this understanding is established, the organization can then define potential customer requirements extending over the planning horizon. Leading organizations have found that it is wise to include customers in the planning process to increase the confidence level of the strategic plan. The best organizations have extended the strategic planning process to include all major supplier organizations as well. When suppliers and customers are included in the planning process, the concept of value-chain management becomes viable. The value-chain is a series of value-added activities and processes that begin within suppliers' organizations and extends through to customers' organizations. An organization exists within, and must successfully operate within, an external environment over which it has little or no control. Strategic planning attempts to understand the current environment by collecting and analysing data; and then to describe a potential future environment by reasoning techniques, plotting trend lines, searching for potential paradigm shifts, and utilizing simulation techniques. Usually, the future environment is described as a series of potential scenarios that will be obtained if certain specified conditions occur. Given a well-developed scenario, it is possible for strategic planners to develop a recommended organizational response for that scenario and thus, provide planning guidance that can be used to develop annual business plans. The annual business plans will then have the effect of moving the organization in the desired direction. Given enough time and

Compositional Unity

Compositional Unity Unity is one of the features that are used to add value to an image in art and design. Some artists don’t know how to use the elements of design collectively to portray collectiveness thus when a viewer looks at that image, his/her attention is focused on parts that have been made to shout for attention than others.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compositional Unity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper explains how artists use various techniques to bring unity in an image. The strategies used to achieve unity include proximity, repetition, and continuation (Skaalid, 1999). Graham (2004) argues that an image in art and design is supposed to present unity all over the frame of the work. The artist should therefore choose his elements carefully to avoid conflicts of elements. For instance, let us take a look at Soap bubbles by Simeon Chardin (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010). In this painting a young man is seen blowing soap bubbles using a small pipe and besides him is a glass containing the soap liquid which is used to reveal to the viewer the source of the bubbles. First and foremost unity is created in this image by drawing the objects close to each other and in fact the objects are touching each other. This is also referred to as proximity because there is some form of pattern in the painting. If the objects in this image were scattered there would be no unity. Overlapping has also been applied to create unity in this image. Besides, overlapping enables the viewer to view other objects in the background which are blended with the main image. In soap bubbles work, overlapping does not only create unity but it also reveals the other objects that are in the background such as the young fellow who seems to be shorter than the main character (Graham, 2004).Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The concept of similarity is depicted in the picture because color has also been distributed evenly to create unity. This achieved by repeating the pale brown color all over the painting. This image suggests that Chardin is a seasoned artist because the emphasis of his coloring is even. If he had used brighter colors on some objects and dull colors on others the unity of the image would have been lost. Continuation in this image is brought by the repetition of the outline of the boy’s body structure which is progressed by the edge of the platform on which his arms rest. Another work that applies unity is an art work that was done by Claude Monet of The Woman in Green Dress in 1866 (Top of Art, 2010). In this painting repetition has been employed by having a continuous line of the edge of the lady’s dress which brings association among the objects of this image that is the woman and the ground on which she stands. The line which is portrayed by the edges of the ground is progressed by the line on the edge of the lady’s dress. The pattern on the lady’s dress has been realized by repeating the two colors simultaneously, that is green and black. The upper body of the woman is blended with the lower body by the smooth edge of the coat that she wears. The shape on the edge has been repeated on other parts to indicate where her arms are and her neck. It is important to note that the color on the edges of her jacket resembles that of the ground thus the two of them are bound by color. In fact the colors on her dress are used to add diversity to the image. Monet used dark shading which blends well with the color of this lady but she used temperate lighting to enable the viewer to differentiate between the shadow and the hair of this lady. Monet did another painting in 1873 which was referred to as The Lilacs in the Sun (Printing Mania, 2010). In this image Monet presents unity by repeating the pink color on the bushe s which blends well with the brightness of the sun.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compositional Unity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She does this to prevent the green color from dominating the image. Barasch (2000) argues that color can be repeated to add unity and in deed in this image the green color on the surface of the grass below blends with that of the bushes above which binds them together collectively. In conclusion, for unity in art work to be realized the artist must choose colors that are closely related. In addition to that the artist must place his/her objects close in order to bring out the intended theme of the work. Another important aspect is to ensure that there is some sort of continuation of line or direction. Therefore, the principle of unity within an art piece depicts the understanding of the principles of design. References Barasch, M. (2000).Theories of Art 3: From Impressionism to Kan dinsky. New York, NY: Routledge. Graham, P (2004).An Introduction to Painting Still life. Edison, N.J: Chartwell Books, Inc. Printing Mania. (2010). Lilacs in the Sun – Claude Monet Paintings. Web. Skaalid, B. (1999). Principles of Design: Unity. Web. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.(2010). â€Å"Jean Simà ©on Chardin: Soap Bubbles (49.24)† Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Top of Art. (2010). Camille (The Woman in the Green Dress). Web. Appendix 1. Soap Bubbles, ca. 1734 Artist: Jean Simà ©on Chardin (French, 1699–1779) Medium: Oil on canvas Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.(2010) 2. Camille (The Woman in the Green Dress) – 1866 Artist: Claude Monet: Germany Medium: Oil on Canvas Source: (Top of Art, 2010). 3. Lilacs in the Sun 1873 Artist: Claude Monet Medium: Oil on Canvas Source: (Printing Mania, 2010)

Sociology Personal Statement for a Graduate’s Program Essay Example

Sociology Personal Statement for a Graduate’s Program Essay Example Sociology Personal Statement for a Graduate’s Program Essay Sociology Personal Statement for a Graduate’s Program Essay Sociology, which sometimes also refers as social science, deals with the scientific study of society. By using numerous types of pragmatic examinations and critical analysis, a sociologist analyze how humans interact with each other or simply how they interact with the society. There are different areas of sociology each examine a unique perspective of humans or society such as social organization that deals with the study of numerous groups, institutes or organizations and social psychology that deals with the study of collective behavior of humans and their attitudes or personalities. To become a sociologist you will first need to complete your graduate from a prospective university and to get admission in that university you will need to write a sociology personal statement. A personal statement is a prerequisite that you need to tackle when you apply to any college or university. It tells the board that evaluates the applications what makes the applicant tick, how he developed an interest in sociology and why he wants to study in this university. There are some personal statements that offer the applicants to pick out their own theme such as medical or law statements. But there are also some that ask the applicant to respond to only given questions such as business related personal statements. Nonetheless, to write an attention-grabbing sociology personal statement that can occupy a slot in your specific university, follow the below listed guidelines. First determine your potential or capability for studying sociology. List down your special skills or past experiences that shows your aptitude for this field. Tell the audience why you are the fit candidate for the sociology graduate program. What makes you special and competent to continue further studies in this field? Recall the history of your academic performance or previous experience that can act as evidence that you can handle the graduate studies in sociology in a competent manner. For instance, show them that you maintained your good performance and high grades while doing a full-time job during undergraduate. It is also important to conduct a little research on the university where you are applying for the graduation program so that you can respond them why their university is the best place for you. For instance, you can discuss their special course that you didn’t find in any other university and how that special course compelled you to seek admission there. Start the draft with an appealing introduction that hooks the board of the university. Open the statement with an interesting anecdote. You can also start with a quotation that gives the readers an idea about your point of view regarding sociology. Describe your qualification, work experience, inspiration or aspiration in the body of the personal statement. Since it is a sociology personal statement you need not to use any jargon but keep the writing simple. In the conclusion of the statement, reiterate the interest in the sociology field and your future goals that you have in mind.

Article summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Article summary - Essay Example Results suggested that smoking during pregnancy has adverse impact on the fetal growth and is also linked with low socioeconomic indicators and other risk behaviors. The research drew a comparison between the birth outcomes of heavy smokers and non-heavy smokers and found that the former were exposed to substantially more health risks than the latter. Every variable other than the older maternal age was found to be a risk factor for smoking during pregnancy. Self-reports of smoking at least 10 cigarettes a day during the early stage of pregnancy can lead to numerous unfavorable birth outcomes. However, there is subjectivity about the extent to which the adverse birth outcomes can be attributed to heavy smoking alone as other factors like socioeconomic status and psychological stress also contribute to them. The research supports the strategies for quitting smoking, yet a broader focus is required to study the underlying factors that cause adverse birth

UK on-line advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

UK on-line advertising - Essay Example Being at the so called â€Å"digital age†,people tend to go online whenever possible whether to chat,buy products or services,or even finding a job.When you go over the internet, you will see a lot of advertisement regarding various products being posted. Even job orders are being posted online by various companies. While other advertisers tend to spend millions of dollars on television networks, newspapers or magazines, and radio advertisement, there are some advertisers that would rather invest their money with online advertising. It is the current trend in the world of advertising to go over the internet and post ads. But is it really worth spending posting in an online advertisement? What is the level of reliability that consumers who are taking risk that they would not be scammed in availing products or services in an online advertisement? In countries like the United Kingdom, online advertising has a potential market. According to the statistics done by the UK government , between 2001/02 and 2006 the proportion of adults in Great Britain who had used the Internet in the last three months increased by one-quarter, from 48 per cent to 60 per cent wherein, 59 per cent of the 16 years old and over go online almost every day and 4 per cent go online less than once a month. Internet usage is more common among the young people, wherein 84 per cent of people age 16 – 24 go online compare to older people, wherein 54 per cent are 55 – 64 and 15 per cent are 65 and over. ... bility to businesses to customers is easier compare on television and radio wherein, customers can easily interact via internet to the ads posted by advertisers. On the other hand, advertisers can easily access positive or negative customer feedbacks, monitor the customer needs, and communicate faster but cheaper to customers via internet through the websites. Websites have become an essential means to communicate with customers. In 2005, 70 per cent of the businesses online have a website while the proportion of businesses that sold via internet was doubled between 2002 and 2005, from 7 to 15 per cent. In 2005, the sales value over the Internet was ?103 Tan 3 Billion. This accounted for 34 per cent of sales across all kinds of ICT by non-financial sector businesses. The usual Internet activity by nine out of ten or 91 per cent of young internet users was sending or receiving emails. Other activities included were: finding information about goods or services which is 77 per cent, dow nloading software which is 55 per cent, and reading or downloading online news or magazines which is 54 per cent. Meanwhile, seven out of ten or 70 per cent young internet users stated that they had purchased goods or services online.   The increasing demands and internet usage had made advertisers in UK believed that online advertising is important and that has great opportunity. They have seen some potential in doing so because the online become a direct response medium wherein the marketing budgets being stretched to their very limits, and the online has proved its worth. Another is the growth of new display format wherein the internet has become an entertainment medium because of its interactive multimedia content. There is also the booming of e-commerce wherein people shopping choice

Role Of Women In Ancient Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Role Of Women In Ancient Egypt - Essay Example Hatshepsut reigned until her death in 1457 B. C, despite the constant threat by her co-ruler Thutmose III, who was at the time old enough and ready to take back his throne. Upon her death, most of her monuments were destroyed, and her name erased from the Egyptian records. Ancient Egyptians were religious, and women had several roles to play in religious activities. First, there were several female goddesses worshiped by the Egyptians. Women were also musicians and priestesses in the temples where religious ceremonies were held. In the role of the temple, women were musician-priestesses and held an important and honorable place in Egyptian religious society. They performed music and sung for the god Amum for his entertainment. In the social role, women were supposed to offer companionship and love to the Egyptian men. They also held the role of childbirth. During child delivery, other women acted as midwives to help the expectant woman through the whole process. Women were also responsible for the raising up of the children. Economically, women were allowed to start and run businesses of their own. In addition to this, several jobs were available to them. They included perfume makers, bakers, and weavers among others (Flux 19). To sum it up, in ancient Egypt, unlike other ancient societies, women were given same legal and economic right. Women were allowed to own, manage and even sell their private properties. Through building projects, Hatshepsut ensured the divine property of both herself and her people.

My Philosophy of Nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My Philosophy of Nursing - Term Paper Example It is this dependence that brings in the essential human touch to the relation between the patient and the nurse. Even as a nurse discharges professional duties, he or she is not immune to the physical and mental condition of the patient, his craving for care/regaining normal health/fears about death/worldly concerns etc., or personal issues that concern the nurse himself / herself. Therefore, nursing profession is impacted by the customer conditions and subjectivity. Philosophically speaking, a phenomenological approach of Husserl helps us to come to correct view on any given situation by identifying the surrounding facts and avoiding predetermined notions, in other words, objectivity as opposed to subjectivity (caring-matters, 2009). A care-giver has to provide service objectively eliminating subjective issues and keeping at arms length any issue that may give rise to moral or ethical conflicts. According to Crigger, â€Å"The discovery of conflict of interest relationships also negatively impact patient and public trust. Many disciplines are addressing this professional issue, but little work has been done towards understanding and applying this moral category within a nursing context† (Crigger, 2009). Conflict of interest arises when the care-giver is in a position of willfully causing harm to a patient’s life, either due to force of circumstances and/or for personal gain. To conclude, ethical and moral considerations of nursing profession demand that a nurse does nothing that would even remotely attach a stigma of negligence or of personal gain in the process of caring for a patient. Crigger, N.J., â€Å"Towards understanding the nature of conflict of interest and its application to the discipline of nursing†, Nursing Philosophy, Issue 10, Volume 4, (pp. 253-262), Available at:

Bispecific antibodies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Bispecific antibodies - Research Paper Example In recent years, antibody therapy has become a new treatment modality for tumor patients, although the majority of responses are only partial and not long lasting. Based on evidence that effecter- cell-mediated mechanisms significantly contribute to antibody efficacy in vivo, several approaches are currently perused to improve the interaction between Fc receptor-expressing effecter cells and tumor target antigens. With this purpose the invention of monoclonal antibodies in vivo started. In the initial phase the results were not satisfactory and these antibodies in trial in vivo showed a only 20% clearance of the tumor cells but after letting it go through different formatting processes it went up to achieving 80% clearance. Bispecific antibodies have got 2 hinging sites which are specific for getting attached to immune recruiting cells and also to target antigens which are mostly transformed cells. "Bispecific antibodies (BsAb) can, by virtue of combining two binding specificities, i mprove the selectivity and efficacy of antibody-based treatment of human disease. Recent studies underline the importance of both the 'anti-trigger' and 'anti-target' modalities of BsAb for therapeutic efficacy". (Spriel, A.B., Ojik, H.H.V, & Winkel, J.G.J. 2000). There has always been an issue of side effects when it comes to cancer therapy and a lot of patients would not even go for therapies due the bad side effects. In the past few decades things have started improving an the standard mode of ontological therapies which were chemotherapy and radiation it is now switching more towards treatment of cancer with more of antibiotic and immunoglobulin. This has brought a lot of hope for future success in getting a strong hold of cancer with fewer emergences of side effects. Bispecific antibodies do not occur in nature and they need to be synthesized in vivo, through either recombinant DNA, or cell fusion technique. "Bispecific antibodies have been manufactured by fusing the DNA encodi ng a single chain antibody (ScFv) after the C terminus (CH3-ScFv) or after the hinge (Hinge-ScFv) with an antibody of a different specificity. The fusion protein is expressed by gene transfection in the context of a murine variable region. Transfectomas secrete a homogeneous population of the recombinant antibody with two different specificities, one at the N terminus (anti-dextran) and one at the C terminus (anti-dansyl). The CH3-ScFv antibody, which maintains the constant region of human lgG3, has some of the associated effectors functions such as long half-life and Fc receptor binding. The Hinge-ScFv antibody which lacks the CH2 and CH3 domains has no known effectors functions". (Coloma, M.J. &'Morrison, S.L. 1997). Production of Bispecific antibodies has been a challenging task but has still been encouraged because of the advantages it has towards treating cancer with less side effects. There are still some disadvantaged of cost and failure rate, and future challenges and tasks are also to be taken in consideration. We will have an overview of the rational of producing Bispecific antibo

How globalisation can have different impacts on various groups within Essay

How globalisation can have different impacts on various groups within the same country - Essay Example How globalisation can have different impacts on various groups within the same country? Improved transport and communication has facilitated trade between countries turning the world into a global village prompting a lot of debate with proponents arguing that globalization is essential for economic growth and elimination of poverty while opponents argue that globalization is undermining the role of the state hence eliminating sovereignty of nations. He argues that the advancement in technology enables suppliers in one part of the globe to satisfy the demands of consumers in other parts of the globe thus increasing the magnitude of globalization. Boyes & Melvin view globalization as increase in cross-border flow of goods and services, and increased mobility of technology, information and individuals. According to Lerman & Schmidt, globalization is not a new phenomenon but has been in existence since the First World War but has increased in speed and intensity in recent past. It leads to convergence of nations politically, economically, socially and culturally. It is char acterized by increased international trade, foreign direct investments, capital flows, migration of population, and flow of knowledge. It has led to overdependence among nations especially poor countries dependence on rich nations. Globalization has opened doors to trade by removing barriers resulting in a lot of competition in domestic markets and providing opportunities for firms to expand into the global arena. There are also increased mergers and acquisitions as competition increases as well as establishment of multinational companies. Globalization has also been in the lime light as the cause of the recent financial crisis due to integration of financial markets and increasing ineffectiveness of the monetary and fiscal policy. Many anti-globalization campaigns have been on the rise as it is argued that it enhances income inequalities and unemployment (Ehrenberg, 1994). The paper discusses the effects of globalization on various groups in USA. Globalization in USA USA is conside red as the most globalized nation. It is a capitalistic state or free market economy and hence governed by the forces of demand and supply and open to competition from all quarters nationally and internationally. The value of foreign trade in USA continues to rise as the effects are felt everywhere especially the less developed countries. For example, the value of merchandise exports 1950 was 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) same as that of merchandise imports. Recently the value of merchandise exports is 8% of GDP while that of imports is 11% of GDP. The exchange of services which was not common in 1950s is now in existence enhanced by improvement in information technology. Outsourcing in 1960 accounted for only 1.7% of the value of services produced in USA and sold to foreigners but by 1997 it had risen to 5.1% showing how globalization is extending at fast pace (Boudreaux, 2008: 8). Deregulation of the financial sector is another phenomenon in USA. The financial sector has thus increased in fragility leading to financial instability and vulnerability to external shocks. The deregulation of banking industry has partly been blamed for the current global financial crisis. The banks engaged in sub prime mortgages and securitization of the mortgages without a limit leading to collapse of the institutions as a result of bursting of the housing bubble. This effect was transmitted to other parts of the economy and the world as a whole through integration of world financial markets (Brewer & Boyd, 2000). According to Pryor (2000), there is a change in the location of trade transactions in the USA from business people to multinational companies. He alleges that

My Philosophy of Nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My Philosophy of Nursing - Term Paper Example It is this dependence that brings in the essential human touch to the relation between the patient and the nurse. Even as a nurse discharges professional duties, he or she is not immune to the physical and mental condition of the patient, his craving for care/regaining normal health/fears about death/worldly concerns etc., or personal issues that concern the nurse himself / herself. Therefore, nursing profession is impacted by the customer conditions and subjectivity. Philosophically speaking, a phenomenological approach of Husserl helps us to come to correct view on any given situation by identifying the surrounding facts and avoiding predetermined notions, in other words, objectivity as opposed to subjectivity (caring-matters, 2009). A care-giver has to provide service objectively eliminating subjective issues and keeping at arms length any issue that may give rise to moral or ethical conflicts. According to Crigger, â€Å"The discovery of conflict of interest relationships also negatively impact patient and public trust. Many disciplines are addressing this professional issue, but little work has been done towards understanding and applying this moral category within a nursing context† (Crigger, 2009). Conflict of interest arises when the care-giver is in a position of willfully causing harm to a patient’s life, either due to force of circumstances and/or for personal gain. To conclude, ethical and moral considerations of nursing profession demand that a nurse does nothing that would even remotely attach a stigma of negligence or of personal gain in the process of caring for a patient. Crigger, N.J., â€Å"Towards understanding the nature of conflict of interest and its application to the discipline of nursing†, Nursing Philosophy, Issue 10, Volume 4, (pp. 253-262), Available at:

How globalisation can have different impacts on various groups within Essay

How globalisation can have different impacts on various groups within the same country - Essay Example How globalisation can have different impacts on various groups within the same country? Improved transport and communication has facilitated trade between countries turning the world into a global village prompting a lot of debate with proponents arguing that globalization is essential for economic growth and elimination of poverty while opponents argue that globalization is undermining the role of the state hence eliminating sovereignty of nations. He argues that the advancement in technology enables suppliers in one part of the globe to satisfy the demands of consumers in other parts of the globe thus increasing the magnitude of globalization. Boyes & Melvin view globalization as increase in cross-border flow of goods and services, and increased mobility of technology, information and individuals. According to Lerman & Schmidt, globalization is not a new phenomenon but has been in existence since the First World War but has increased in speed and intensity in recent past. It leads to convergence of nations politically, economically, socially and culturally. It is char acterized by increased international trade, foreign direct investments, capital flows, migration of population, and flow of knowledge. It has led to overdependence among nations especially poor countries dependence on rich nations. Globalization has opened doors to trade by removing barriers resulting in a lot of competition in domestic markets and providing opportunities for firms to expand into the global arena. There are also increased mergers and acquisitions as competition increases as well as establishment of multinational companies. Globalization has also been in the lime light as the cause of the recent financial crisis due to integration of financial markets and increasing ineffectiveness of the monetary and fiscal policy. Many anti-globalization campaigns have been on the rise as it is argued that it enhances income inequalities and unemployment (Ehrenberg, 1994). The paper discusses the effects of globalization on various groups in USA. Globalization in USA USA is conside red as the most globalized nation. It is a capitalistic state or free market economy and hence governed by the forces of demand and supply and open to competition from all quarters nationally and internationally. The value of foreign trade in USA continues to rise as the effects are felt everywhere especially the less developed countries. For example, the value of merchandise exports 1950 was 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) same as that of merchandise imports. Recently the value of merchandise exports is 8% of GDP while that of imports is 11% of GDP. The exchange of services which was not common in 1950s is now in existence enhanced by improvement in information technology. Outsourcing in 1960 accounted for only 1.7% of the value of services produced in USA and sold to foreigners but by 1997 it had risen to 5.1% showing how globalization is extending at fast pace (Boudreaux, 2008: 8). Deregulation of the financial sector is another phenomenon in USA. The financial sector has thus increased in fragility leading to financial instability and vulnerability to external shocks. The deregulation of banking industry has partly been blamed for the current global financial crisis. The banks engaged in sub prime mortgages and securitization of the mortgages without a limit leading to collapse of the institutions as a result of bursting of the housing bubble. This effect was transmitted to other parts of the economy and the world as a whole through integration of world financial markets (Brewer & Boyd, 2000). According to Pryor (2000), there is a change in the location of trade transactions in the USA from business people to multinational companies. He alleges that

Classical to the Post-Modern Eras Essay Example for Free

Classical to the Post-Modern Eras Essay In this essay, I’m going to trace the development of Classical Music from the late 1750s to the Post-Modern era in the 2000s and provide a brief history of music, and how they link together to form what we have today. There are many preconceptions of what the history of music is. Some people think it is mainly a biography of composer’s lives, but they are wrong. The history of music is primarily the history of musical style. In order to appreciate this, it is essential to become acquainted with the different sounds and to hear them in their contexts. Fashions in history change with the generations, like fashions in musical tastes. Lets first start with the classical music, Classical is an era; it is from about 1730 to just after 1800. A few people who contributed to the music in the Classical era are: Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Classical period focused on the opposite types of sounds- music during that period was orderly, uncluttered, well planned and precise. Music was expected to be technically pleasing and grounded in certain traditions and styles that had been approved by the public, often quite formal. Composers were seen as workers who were hired to write music that would please their employer (Sagebiel). The classical period of music combined harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively than earlier periods of music. The classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble. The symphonic pieces generally had three movements, the sonata, the minuet and the finale. Building of the achievements of earlier composers, Haydn, and Mozart brought the symphony to its peak in the last twenty years of the 18th century. Haydn excelled in rhythmic drive and development of theme-based music (Bishop 325). Mozart also added to the symphony by contrasting memorable lyric themes in full sounding orchestral settings. There are many styles of music within classical music, including symphony, opera, choral works, chamber music, Gregorian chant, the madrigal, and the Mass. A Classical composition will fluctuate in mood. Not only there are contrasting themes within a movement, but there also may be striking contrasts even within (Vardy). In Classical music, there is a flexibility of rhythm. A classical composition has a wealth of rhythmic patterns. Classical music is basically homophonic. However, texture is treated as flexibly as rhythm. Classical melodies are among the most tuneful and easy to remember. The Classical composers interest in expressing shades of emotion led to the widespread use of gradual dynamic change crescendo (gradually getting louder) and diminuendo ( gradually getting softer). By varying the finger pressure on the keys, a pianist can play more loudly or softly. Classical works show a great deal of musical sophistication and use development, key changes, variation, musical phrases of varying lengths, counterpoint, polyphony and advanced harmony development. It uses very specific instruments, most markedly those invented before mid-10th century and adopted in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as instruments like violin, cello, viola, woodwind instruments, brass instruments and other instruments in the orchestra and solo instruments such as piano, harpsichord, organ and guitar. The classical period had a musical style that was consistent, which means that if you were a composer in this time period; you knew what was expected of you. Haydn had a huge influence on the development if Classical music and so did Beethoven but he chose to focus on a more romantic style which had a simple chord structure. This brings us to the Romantic era; The Romantic music period began in 1825 and ran until 1900. Several historical themes were at work during this period, including the increasing role of science as a worldview, the rise of nationalism in Europe, and a growing appreciation for the arts. The style of the Romantic music period is generally characterized by a wider range of dynamics, a greater variety of instruments, more dramatic melodies, more extreme tempos, fuller harmonies, and expanded formal structures within the compositions. Some of the most famous composers of all time lived and worked during the Romantic music era. Schubert, Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, and Mahler are among the most recognizable names. The transition from nineteenth-century Romanticism to twentieth-century Modernism is perhaps one of the big points in music history. Because the speed of twentieth-century innovation in all areas has been so accelerated, music has also moved from one new idea to another with such speed that no previous era can be compared to. Technology and scientific discovery are probably the basic influences on musical creativity and production. Dissonance became very important and in fact most of the pieces are made up of dissonant chords (Palisca). During the Modern era, many new musical techniques emerged. They were seen in melody , harmony , rhythm, meter, texture, tonality, and sonority . It is important to note that during the twentieth century not all changes in music were a revolution or a return to old ideals. Contrapuntal textures in music dominate the Modern era. While, homophonic textures are present, it is to a lesser degree and with less importance. During the 20th century, tone color has become a more important element of music then it was ever before. It has a major role which is creating variety, continuity and mood. Consonance is no longer in use in the 20th century. 20th century music sound fantasy like, distant and mystifying. Chords are never as fundamental as it is in previous centuries. Poly chords are created by placing one traditional chord over another. The rhythmic vocabulary of the 20th century was expanded with increased emphasis on irregularity and unpredictability. The Melody was very elusive.

Effects of Excessive Sugar Intake in the Human Body

Effects of Excessive Sugar Intake in the Human Body HeeSung Kim Sugar Alert: The Friendly Assassinator â€Å"Sweet!† People use the word as a replacement for awesome as much as they love sweet things. Indeed, sweetness is the first taste a newborn baby recognizes, and it is crucial for living; it gives energy and is important as the sole energy source of the brain (Sigelman Rider 184). While people have heard that sugar can be dangerous, it seems they do not much care about it. In fact, it is not widely known how bad it is or the consequences, yet people can access sugar products very easily. In a cultural context, sweet things are usually used as a reward or a gift; there are even candy holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and Halloween. But most of all, America is surrounded by processed and fast foods that contain enormous quantities of sugar. People may claim that they are fine because they do not have a sweet tooth. But the truth is that there are so many hidden sources of sugar that people cannot be free from it. The excessive sugar intake that causes physical , mental, and social problems is underestimated and people should be aware of its hidden danger. Physical problems from excessive sugar involve a wide range of symptoms from tooth decay or nutritional imbalance to serious diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular related diseases, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, inflammation, suppressing immune system, Alzheimer’s, and cancer, etc (Syed and Davidson; Quillin). In fact, three undesirable things are happening once sugar is inside the body: it is broken down abnormally fast, produces potential harmful substances, and depletes body nutritional resources. In its natural state, sugar exists as a part of whole organism like sugar cane, and it is digested and nurtures the body in a normal way, like other foods. But refined sugar is nothing but a crystallized chemical of glucose and fructose molecules. Once it loses its components, it cannot follow the normal pathway of digestion and nutrition. Normally, fibers help to regulate digestion speed and let body systems work on their own timing. But once sugar, which has no fibers or other nutritional factors but empty calories, rushes in, the body gets high workloads and becomes tired or begins malfunctioning. For example, the pancreas is tired due to too much secretion of insulin to regulate high blood sugar, and eventually loses its endocrine function, which leads to diabetes. Also excessive sugar is turned into excessive fat, which causes many problems in the body. The liver converts the excessive fructose into fat after using up the needed amount of carbohydrates from sugar and the excessive fat is stored in liver, body cells, and pushed out into the blood, which causes a fatty or dysfunctional liver, obesity and related diseases, and high blood pressure along with cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke (Cohen; Goldwert). Generally, dietary fat has been believed to be the culprit for causing obesity. In the 1980s, scientists blamed dietary fat in food as the major reason for obesity and cardiovascular disease (Syed Davidson). So food companies started to eliminate fats from food and to compensate for its cardboard-like taste, they started to put in more sugar, mostly in form of cheap High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), which became the food industry’s savior. But for 30 years with less fat, cases of obesity and diabetes have only in creased in number. These two graphs show the relationship between a) fat vs. obesity (Willett 557s) and b) sugar vs. diabetes and obesity (Taubes Couzens 1). The first one shows dietary fat and obesity with little correlation, while the second one shows that obesity and diabetes have strong direct proportional relationship with sugar consumption. It is not just because people eat more sugar through processed/fast foods, but also HFCS convolutes the body signal system by never informing brain to stop eating. It suppresses the hormone Leptin, which sends a signal to the brain â€Å"full,† so people eat more than they need and it results in prevalent abnormal obesity (Bray). Even more sad news from nephrologist Richard Johnson is, sugar rush depletes body energy and makes it harder for people to move, holding true to the term, couch potato (Cohen). Regarding cardiovascular disease, high sugared blood hurts the blood vessels and it makes it easy for the dangerous LDL cholesterol to invade and cause plaque that leads to heart attacks or strokes (Lund University). Also, a recent finding from the University of California-Davis reports that LDL cholesterol, the byproduct of excessive fat storage, can be elevated significantly in just two weeks of drinking four sugary beverages in a day, which is a likely average known range for consumption level (Stanhope, et al.). A rarely known factor of breaking down refined sugar molecules is that sugar steals the body’s calcium, vitamins and minerals, and this leads to osteoporosis and mineral deficiency related disease (Gaby 1). Normally food needs digestion supporters like vitamins and minerals to accomplish its digestion and usually the whole food brings its own supporters, but sugar is already refined and nothing but a chemical, which steals body resources to break itself down. Consequently, insufficient minerals and vitamins hinder the normal body function and cause inflammation and acidify body fluids. Moreover, it leads to immune system inactivity. Depleted vitamin C by sugar intake makes white blood cells sluggish and it results in weak immune control (Poulton). One study found that two tablespoons of sugar makes the immune system slow down 92% for up to five hours (Walker). The following pictures are captured from a video that examines the normal blood cells vs. after eating normal breakfas t including banana, soda, Pop-Tarts and yogurt so forth. Normal blood looks clear and active, but 10 minutes after eating, the blood stream becomes gooey, sedentary and makes â€Å"Spicules† structure which is a mutation of platelet caused by sugar (â€Å"How Sugar†). Also, one study found that sugar deteriorates the pathogen engulfing capability of white blood cells significantly for at least five hours (Sanchez). Unlike people’s general degree of awareness on the physical downside of sugar, mental problems of sugar are seldom known. Sugar weakens blood sugar levels due to its roller-coaster effect that is caused by high blood sugar compensation by insulin, and it affects the brain directly, which causes emotional imbalance, depression, moods and mental problems because of the stress hormone (McGonigal; Mayo). By disturbing neurological patterns, sugar leads to mental illness or violent behavior. It lowers BDNE, a brain hormone that helps to maintain healthy neurons, memory, and stimulates new nerve growth. Low BDNE levels result in depression, schizophrenia, and brain damage. Often, eliminating sugar is the first step to cure psychological problems (Ilardi). Also sugar can also cause violence due to the drastic fluctuation in blood sugar levels which cause â€Å"nervousness and irritability and provoke ‘a full-blown aggressive outburst’† (Holden). But the trickiest part of the sugar controversy is its addictiveness, and the dependence on sugar is highly related to other kinds of addictions. Some say that after quitting smoking, people look for a replacement habit, to distract and pacify their instinct for smoking, and often turn to sweet things. Why does this happen? In the brain, there are neural receptors for Dopamine, the â€Å"pleasure hormone† (Cohen). They react to sugar the same way they react to morphine, heroin, cocaine, and nicotine (Pikul). And Dopamine down-regulates its own receptors that build up tolerance levels, making people want more sugar the next time, leading to sugar addiction (Lustig, â€Å"The Sugar-Addiction†). Furthermore, sugar addiction also serves as a â€Å"gateway drug† that leads to other addictive substances including alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine (Avena, Rada Hoebel). Sugar’s serious physical and mental problems eventually lead to social problems. Today people pursue more and more instant, quick response and easy ways to solve problems. They say, â€Å"right now!† As a matter of fact, a chocolate bar can be an instant hunger solver. Seeking short satisfactions and even more sensations the next time, people’s behavior patterns resemble how sugar acts in the body, and this invaded culture and society now seeks more sensual and superficial stimulants. But there is a more serious problem here. Endocrinologist Robert H. Lustig from the University of California at San Francisco, notes that sugar-related diseases are costing America around $150 billion a year and 75% of US healthcare money is spent on treating those diseases (â€Å"Public Health† 28). It makes sense that sugar related diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and white blood disease are considerably placed as America’s leading causes of death (â€Å"Leading Causes†). Despite these life-threatening outcomes of sugar, most people still underestimate its danger because of poor social awareness of the danger of sugar, along with its addictive nature or its slow/indirect consequences. In fact, the danger of sugar is not as widely known as the danger of dietary fat. This is the problem of all problems. It is especially dangerous for poor people living in blind areas of information, and easy access to cheap foods, which mostly contain lots of sugar. And because of its strong addictive nature, people are more likely to choose sugar than fat (Lustig, â€Å"The Sugar-Addiction†). People would rather choose sweet stuff right now, than be aware and cautious for their future health. Also its downsides show up slowly or sneakily, it makes it hard to blame sugar directly and people are easily misled. Food companies spend a lot of money on lobbying to keep the facts under wraps (Syed Davidson). Moreover, they make food packages deceptive ; Sugar can be d isguised by more than 50 different names: HFCS, molasses, corn syrup, dextrose†¦(Pikul) or by word play, like Sugar-free or No-added-sugar beverage does not necessarily mean not sweet at all rather it means that it either used artificial sweeteners or already contains enough sugar, like fruit juices. Even something considered to be healthy has a lot of sugar in it such as yogurt, green tea, whole-grain crackers, and energy bars. One Yoplait yogurt has 31g of sugar, which is 8 teaspoons, and a serving of SoBe green tea has 12.5 teaspoons of sugar in it. Also processed food such as pasta sauce has 12g of sugar per half-cup (â€Å"Best Pasta†). Yes, it is almost impossible to escape sugar; 77% of packaged foods contain sugar (Lustig, â€Å"The Sugar-Addiction†). But people do not know the facts well. Americans’ average sugar consumption is 22 teaspoons per day, while The American Heart Association suggests only 6 teaspoons for women and 9 for men (â€Å"Suga r 101†). Sugar seems like a pleasure trap that is hidden everywhere and some people willingly seek it, but because of its slow and accumulating effect and its omni-existence, people do not know or ignore the fact that that trap will lead them to many problems. Can anybody eat 16 sugar cubes at once? Yes, they can if they drink a bottle of soda at once. They may be pleased for now, but might face a sweet death as a result of being a sugar lover. People are living with a secret killer, which endangers them physically, mentally and socially because of its lovely first approach and addictive nature. But most of all, people do not know much about what sugar really does. Sugar intake should be carefully watched and we need to take control of it because sugar seems to be far from â€Å"wellness,† but close to â€Å"illness† (Lustig, â€Å"The Sugar-Addiction†). As people have changed the history of fat consumption, now sugar is the next turn. Numerous studies prove that people have been misled and more information about the harm caused by sugar should be more widely known. Awareness and being cautious with overeating sugar will make a change to the food industry, government and society. Rather than being a sheep, f just follo wing what is given without thinking further, we need be a smart and proactive eater to be saved from the friendliest toxin. The more people get educated on this threat, the better chance America has to be free from these serious problems from sugar. Works Cited Avena, Nicole M., Pedro Rada, and Bartley G. Hoebel. Evidence for sugar addiction:  Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake.National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 May 2007. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/>. Cohen, Rich. Sugar. National Geographic. National Geographic Society, Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/sugar/cohen-text>. Best Pasta Sauces.Consumer Reports Magazine. Consumer Reports, Aug. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/08/best-pasta-sauces/index.htm>. Bray, George A., Samara Joy Nielsen, and Barry M. Popkin. Consumption of High-fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages May Play a Role in the Epidemic of Obesity.† The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. American Society for Nutrition, Apr. 2004. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/537.full>. Gaby, Alan R. Osteoporosis: What You Eat Affects Your Bones.Nutritional Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. http://www.healthy.net/Health/Article/Osteoporosis_What_You_Eat_Affects_Your_Bones/1240>. Goldwert, Lindsay. Sugar is as addictive as cocaine, and causes obesity, diabetes, cancer  and heart disease: Researchers. NY Daily News. NYDailyNews.comN.p., 02 Apr. 2012n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/researcher-sugar-addictive-cocaine-obesity-diabetes-cancer-heart-disease-article-1.1054419>. Holden, Constance. Sugar: Gateway Drug to Violence?Science/AAAS. American  Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2009/10/sugar-gateway-drug-violence>. â€Å"How Sugar Affects Your Blood Live Blood Analysis. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xXTKZOrOHs>. 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