Feminist Consciousness in Cat in the Rain Research Paper Example

Feminist Consciousness in Cat in the Rain Research Paper Example Feminist Consciousness in Cat in the Rain Paper Feminist Consciousness in Cat in the Rain Paper Essay Topic: Literature Cat in the Rain is one of Hemingway’s most famous short stories, depicting an American couple spends their holiday in an Italian hotel. The American wife in the story sees a cat crouched under a table in the rain and wants to bring it to her room. When she goes to search for the cat, however, it is gone. So she returns to the hotel room and has a conversation with her husband about finding out the cat and then about changing her whole life. Her husband, however, seems to be terribly annoyed by her and not interested at all. Eventually, the cat is delivered to her room by a maid at the request of the hotelkeeper. These images altogether make it easy to consider the story as an episode of marriage crisis. However, I want to argue that Hemingway conveyed in the story has much to do with the feminist consciousness. We can feel depression and isolation of the American wife from the very beginning of the story. She is in a hotel of a foreign country where they are the only Americans, having to speak an unfamiliar language, with nobody else known but her husband who turns out to be indifferent to her. Her depression mainly comes from him who neglects her needs and feelings. Thus, she is eager to be rescued and to get rid of this depressing situation. At that time, she finds a cat in the rain and wants to help the cat out of the severe environment. The cat is a significant clue that runs through this story. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"‘Though Hemingway learned as a professional reporter how to report facts as they were, he felt that there was a limit to representing reality’ (Kikuchi, 149). This is what he conveys through Cat in the Rain. The idea that there is‘something below the surface’ to this story is particularly evident in relation to the cat. † In western culture, cat has close relationship of metaphor with women. â€Å"Cat† in English is refers to â€Å"evil-minded women,† so the cat in this novel can be seen as the American wife. Their similarity is being lonely, adrift, insecurity and they also can’t control their own destiny. The cat in the rain is just like the women live in the shadow of male-dominated society. The American wife in this novel is very gentle, but her husband’s cold attitude makes her need something to accompany her, at that time, the cat in the rain attracts her attention, she considers the single, helpless cat as herself. : The cat’s bitter experience and unfortunate date certainly resonated with the American wife’s destiny, so she wants to protect the cat, which indicates that the woman herself want to be protected. And the cat lies under the chair to shelter from the rain means the American wife has the consciousness to escape the bondage from traditional social position of women. Besides, the mirror plays an important role in the American wife’s self-realization, because it reflects her exactly, bringing an inner self to her observation and consideration. After she studies over herself in the mirror, she learns what she craves for. â€Å"And I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candles. And I want it to be spring and I want to brush my hair out in front of a mirror and I want a kitty and I want some new clothes†¦. Anyway, I want a cat†¦ I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat† (Hemingway, 175). However, her indifferent husband just replies â€Å"Oh, shut up and get something to read† (Hemingway, 175). The American wife wants to change her situation, appearance, hair-style, and the relationship with her husband. This also shows her feminist consciousness appeared. Hemingway is famous for his â€Å"Hemingway code hero† (Jiang, 132). It is also widely known that there is totally no female figure in The Old Man and the Sea. In this short story, where does Hemingway’s feminist consciousness come from? On the one hand, the main cause is the impact of his family. When Hemingway was a child, his mother dressed him up as his older sisters, this made him feel very depressed to the gender nonconforming, but this experience also made him can understand the lack of the right among the women. After his 4th marriage, he still hoped to have a daughter, but in the end this wish was not achieved. This shows he is not a misogynist; on the other hand, Hemingway lives in the age that the females’ arousals of feminism consciousness. The feminist movement occurred at the end of 19th century, especially after the World War One, the females debated with the patriarchal society turns on the issues of social position, economic independence, and political rights. And after their great attempt in a long term, they had got the right to vote in political, and they also had the chance to have their own job, they had short hair, wore short skirt, attend the sport competition. From his personal experience and contemporary tendency, Hemingway is an author who cares about the feminist consciousness as well. In Cat in the Rain, Hemingway uses the image â€Å"cat† and the relationship between the â€Å"cat† and the American wife to show us the feminist consciousness.

An Explanation of the Term Trojan Horse

An Explanation of the Term Trojan Horse The Trojan Horse is a crafty contraption that allowed the Greeks to put an end to the 10-year-old Trojan War. The wily Greek hero Odysseus conceived the project and design for the Trojan Horse; Epeus is credited with the actual building of the Trojan Horse. The Greeks left a giant wooden object made to look like a horse at the Trojan city gates. Some of the Greeks pretended to sail away but actually sailed just out of sight. The other Greeks stood waiting, inside the belly of the wooden beast. When the Trojans saw the giant wooden horse and the departing Greek troops, they thought the wooden horse was a parting gift for the gods, so most of them wanted to wheel it into their city. The decision to move the Trojan Horse into the city was opposed by Cassandra, the prophetess whose fate was never to be believed, and Laocoon, who was destroyed, along with his two sons, by sea serpents after pleading with his fellow Trojans to leave the Trojan Horse outside their city walls. The Trojans took this as a sign that the gods were displeased with Laocoons message. Besides, the Trojans preferred to believe that since the Greeks were gone, the long war was over. The city opened the gates, let the horse in, and celebrated riotously. When the Trojans passed out or fell asleep, the Greeks climbed down from the belly of the Trojan Horse, opened the city gates and ushered the rest of the troops into the city. The Greeks then sacked, destroyed, and burned Troy. Also Known As: The horse, the wooden horse Examples: Because it was through the belly of the Trojan Horse that Greeks were able to sneak into Troy, the Trojan Horse is the source of the warning: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

Giant impact theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Giant impact theory - Assignment Example Grains of dust collided and formed bigger objects known as planetesimals. During collisions, many planetesimals break up during collision but the larger ones survive and become protoplanets and later planets. If these planetesimals had remained stationary, the solar system would be made of thousands of small objects such as planetesimals without any planets. Life would have been possible in small objects. Alternatively, planets would have been small. The third scenario is solar system would have formed. Larger planets have more internal heat to lose compared to smaller planets. In addition, there is proportionally smaller surface area to lose the heat from. The larger the planet, the bigger the less the surface are per unit volume. Small worlds or planets cool faster than the big world. When the planets completely cool off, they become geologically dead (Seeds, Michael and Backman 15). Planet earth is yet to cool of completely and this means it is geologically active. Activities taking place at the core of the earth are responsible for volcanism, movement of tectonic plates, cratering and others. Bigger plants are more geologically active. If rotation is faster, geologic activities

Strategic analysis of a company and its competitive environment Essay - 3

Strategic analysis of a company and its competitive environment - Essay Example This company is also renowned for exemplary quality value for men’s clothes that have unique and classic models. Notably, M&S competes in the highly competitive market for domestic products and the food selling industry, in comparison with other food-selling retailers, who sell products from fresh groceries and meals, both readily and partly. The company has substantially invested in online marketing to maximize its sales of domestic products. M&S is the foremost company in the Britain that inculcates self-client service. It is advancing in men’s wear and children’s wear market at a high rate. Approximately, each week, the tally of shoppers that visit M&S exceeds twenty million in the totality of all M|&S retail stores. To serve such a huge number of clients in M&S’s six hundred stores in Britain, the affiliation employs a workforce body of seventy five thousand staff globally. The M&S store receives significant competition from its rival stores. The exten t of rivalry in the company immensely augmented with entry of similar firms into the ritual of attire; where such companies as the Oasis and Gap provided contemporary fashion, whereas companies such as Matalan and George introduced the same merchandise at low prices. The augmented rivalry that struck M&S in the 1990 epoch was because of their clothing in stock being notably common and their competitors stocking diverse fashion and minimized the competitive advantage of M&S (Collis 2008). This intimidated the identity of their brand that had been an emblem of reliable, quality, and reputation. The rivalry further increased by M&S’s fixed costs such as labor costs, warehousing expenses and a substantial proportion of their costs of operation. Relating to supplier ability, the company chiefly sourced its merchandise from British based suppliers who were ever available (M&S). The suppliers are set to differentiate their merchandise to fit the quality specifications of M&S, which induced their aptitude to stock quality merchandise consistently. Their relations with the suppliers induced a boost to their competitive advantage. The aptitude to differentiate their input affected their ability to source huge volumes of apparel that encouraged their suppliers to experience the benefits of this unique differentiation. The purchasers in the M&S context are sensitive to fashion and sustainability of design. The upper-end consumers place a great value on their favorite attire and are willing to remit premiums on attire that appeals to them. On the low-end of the pyramids, the consumers are also sensitive to price and M&S was on an augmented risk of draining market shares to affiliations that declared low prices for matching products (Harney 2012). The attires on offer from this company also seem to have close substitutes in the market, a fact that compromises their market edge. The consistency in generating fashion and quality that appeal to clients would elicit a br and loyalty among such clients; as evidenced by the company holding a significant clientele before its eventual decline. This loyalty is at stake when a disconnection results in the companies losing touch with dynamic clientele preferences. The industry where M&S functions demands that operators maintain the virtue of inculcating innovations to keep on point with dynamic clientele preferences. This is because of the ease with which rivals can replicate existing designs or produce

The Tragedy of Self-Awareness in Native Son Essay Example for Free

The Tragedy of Self-Awareness in Native Son Essay Richard Wright’s Native Son is about the cost of suffering and sacrifices which one man, defined as the Other from the mainstream of society, must pay in order to live as a full human being in a world that denies him the right to live with dignity. As a social being, Bigger Thomas is completely deprived himself because he is unable to find his social and self-esteemed values both in the stunted ghetto life and in the oppression of racist society. Therefore, the only way Bigger can express himself is through violence and rebellion: Wright views Bigger’s tragic destiny as the evidence which directly reflects the violence of a racist society. Eventually, in Native Son, Wight’s accusation is directed toward the systematized oppression applied by the white people, designed to keep the blacks from advancing and attaining their fullest potentialities. Wright’s major purpose in Native Son is to show how tyrannical racist society oppresses the external and internal condition of Bigger Thomas, and how Bigger’s existence is distorted in that oppressive condition. Under the external oppression, black people come to inevitably go through an inner refraction, extremely internalizing the external oppression into the self, at the same time. On that account, self-hatred, shame and impotence are produced. Bigger’s existence, also, is perverted from not only his harsh reality but his own stunted inner-self. Under this dehumanizing condition, he has to be â€Å"a dispossessed and disinherited man,† and has to struggle for his existence even by means of radical violent actions (Wright 466). The deep-rooted discordance induces an inner-refraction, and promotes the fundamental fear of self. That concretely appears in the phase of Bigger who has to observe his family’s suffering, and suffers from confirming his powerlessness. As for Bigger or other black people, fear means poor, incapable and furious. At the same time, fear is an anxious state of mind that he/she is afraid that him/herself is really such a person. This is the heart of the fear that blacks, including Bigger, feel, and that Wright wants to warn of. Similarly, in the case of Bigger, being confronted with the problematic condition, he is unwilling to confirm in his mind that he is valueless: â€Å"Each time he asked himself that question his mind hit a blank wall and he stopped thinking† (Wright 12). In order not to directly see his reality, Bigger suspends his thinking from the unbearable and repetitious everyday-life. Therefore, wastefully he just spends most of time in the trivial matters such as deciding to â€Å"buy a ten-cent magazine, or go to a movie, or go to the poolroom and talk with the gang, or just loaf around† (Wright 13). The following description well shows Bigger’s unconscious desire to look away from a grim reality. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned; his eyes moistened. The sharp precision of the world of steel and stone dissolved into blurred waves. He blinked and the world grew hard again, mechanical, distinct (Wright 16). What Bigger wants is an escape from the â€Å"mechanical† and â€Å"distinct† society (Wright 16). Thus, he wants to see the distinct boundary of society to be blurred even in the short moment of yawning. He feels comfort in the instant moment that sharp distinction of reality is blunt. The comfort, however, offered by temporary optical illusion, vanishes even simply by a blink. This kind of escapist-inclination is also revealed in the cases of Mrs. Thomas or Bigger’s girlfriend, Bessie. Mrs. Thomas retreats into conventional religion because she is unable to handle the harsh reality. Likewise, Bessie is frequently anesthetized by alcohol, swing music, and sex because she is afraid to realize herself, completely trapped by white-centered society. In relation to Bigger, he is momentarily satisfied with constructing his own fantasy: indulging in movies, dreaming of robbing a white-owned store, and playing white, â€Å"referring to a game of play-acting in which he and his friends imitated the ways and manners of white folks† (Wright 17). Everyone in the novel is described literally or figuratively as blind people, from the state’s attorney, Buckley, whose sight is prejudiced by virulent racism, to Mrs. Dalton, whose blindness is actual as well as symbolic. As Brignano states, the world of Native Son is essentially â€Å"a world divided by a color curtain† (38), and no one ever really sees Bigger. Instead, they see what they believe because the blind people are â€Å"seduced by social stereotypes into seeing myth rather than the individual† (Felgar 100). Before Bigger kills Bessie, he rapes her. He is not conscious that he is raping her because the meaning of rape for him is much different from its general notion. When Bessie said to him that â€Å"they’ll say you raped her,† Bigger effaces a physical part from the concept of rape, and he replaces it with a psychological part: Had he raped her? Yes, he had raped her. Every time he felt as he had felt that night, he raped. But rape was not what one did to women. Rape was what one felt when one’s back was against a wall and one had to strike out, whether one wanted to or not, to keep the pack from killing one. He committed rape every time he looked into a white face. He was a long, taut piece of rubber which a thousand white hands had stretched to the snapping point, and when he snapped it was rape. But it was rape when he cried out in hate deep in his heart as he felt the strain of living day by day. That, too, was rape (Wright 227-228). Bigger has no regard to Bessie’s continuous rejection because, for him, rape means both an irresolvable fury toward white people and the ineffaceable humiliation of black life. In addition, because he is completely immersed in his desire to do and to fulfill something, Bessie’s protests are utterly ignored in his consciousness: â€Å"Her voice came to him now from out of a deep, faraway silence and he paid her no heed. The loud demand of the tensity of his own body was a voice that drowned out hers† (Wright 233). Contrary to Bigger’s elated state. Social reality is growing ever more hostile to black people because of his crime. Five thousand policemen are thrown about Black Belt, many windows in the Negro section are smashed, all white schools are scheduled to be closed until the black murderer is captured, and several hundred black employees throughout the city are dismissed from jobs. Especially, Bigger realizes again the blind, inhuman and white-centered attitudes of society after being captured by policemen. At a court room in the Cook Country Morgue, what Bigger comes to feel is not a sense of guilt but rebellion, which arises against the fact that he has to be degraded into the sport for whites even in the moment of confronting death. Bigger think white people have no right to watch and use him for whatever they want: He sensed that in their attitude toward him they had gone beyond hate. He was their eyes gazing at him with calm conviction. Though he could not have put it into wo rds, he felt that not only had they resolved to put him to death, but that they were determined to make his death mean more than a mere punishment; that they regarded him as a figment of that black world which they feared and were anxious to keep under control. The atmosphere of the crowd told him that they were going to use his death as a bloody symbol of fear to wave before the eyes of that black world (Wright 276). Especially, Bigger seriously contemplates himself and the meaning of his life through the conversation with Max. The dialogue makes Bigger perceive relationships between himself and other people that he has never thought of: If that white looming mountain of hate were not a mountain at all, but people, people like himself, and like Jan—then he was faced with a high hope the like of which he had never thought could be, and a despair the full depths of which he knew he could not stand to feel (Wright 361). Faced with impending death, Bigger is aware of why he had to kill other people, and of what he did not know: But really I never wanted to hurt nobody†¦ They was crowding me too close; they wouldn’t give me no room†¦ I was always wanting something and I was feeling that nobody would let me have it†¦ I’ll be feeling and thinking that they didn’t see me and I didn’t see them (Wright 425). â€Å"I didn’t want to kill!† Bigger shouted. â€Å"But what I keeled for, I am!†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"What I killed for must’ve been good! When a man kills, it’s for something†¦. I didn’t know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for’em†¦. It’s the truth† (Wright 429). Bigger’s statement, â€Å"What I killed for I am!,† shows the awareness of his whole personality (Wright 429). It is not an irresponsible excuse but a painful acknowledgement of himself. Bigger does not assert his violent act of murder is good because he has regretted such violence by realizing, in guilt and horror, how it has hurt many innocent people. Ultimately, Bigger himself comprehends that he has been distorted, alienated and blinded his whole life. Equally, he realizes too much suffering and sacrifices have been paid in order to achieve his self. Apparently, Bigger’s tragedy lies in that he fails to grasp the proper moment of life, recognizing himself as a full human being, and he only comes to grasp that moment on the day of his execution. His awareness is too late. In addition, the total awareness was possible in the condition that all the other opportunities were deprived by confinement in prison except death: Waiting to die, Bigger discards all hopes for living, because he does not have to resist being oppressed by a racist society and to fear being cornered by a harsh environment. What Bigger achieves is not the splendid thing that all the people would try to gladly attain and assimilate. However, Bigger’s desperate struggle to achieve the meaning of his existence cannot be simply considered as a trivial and monstrous thing, even though the achievement has originated from violence and rebellion. Bigger’s self-awareness is important in both personal an social respects. For, in the personal dimension, Bigger continuously attempts to realize his existence, resists not to be a mere environmental victim, and he torturously achieves his inward life that makes him understand other people as well as himself until the last moment of his life. And in the social dimension, the problems of Bigger transcend the limit of race, and present with reconsiderations to think about other oppressed people in society. In the end, the tragedy of Bigger Thomas clearly shows the painful process of self-awareness of one human being who suffers from the oppression of social prejudice, and struggles to find his human value. In Native Son, violence of whites and blacks is directed toward each other. The society, stained with hostility and discrimination, prevents people from realizing their full potential as human beings and excludes them from full and equal participation in society. In such condition, like in the case of Bigger Thomas, self-realization can only come through violence. Finally, the destruction from such violence is mutual: What becomes the tragedy of an individual ultimately leads to the tragedy of society.

The Abandonment of the Jews by David Wyman Essays -- Jewish Holocaust

The Abandonment of the Jews by David Wyman â€Å"To kill the Jews, the Nazis were willing to weaken their capacity to fight the war. The United States and its allies, however, were willing to attempt almost nothing to save them† (Pp 5). If we would have put half as much energy into loving the Jews as Hitler spent hating the Jews we could have made a great difference. Wyman’s book, The Abandonment of the Jews was very intriguing to me. Although I found it very thorough it left me wanting to know how something this horrible could have been allowed to happen. Although Wyman does discuss why more was not done, I am still horrified that this was allowed to happen. Wyman proves that the US should and could have done more to help the dying Jews. I found a reoccurring theme to be that a large problem was that Jewish people had nowhere to go. No one wanted them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book begins by giving a brief background into the setting of America at the onset of the war. It details an anti-Semitic America. It also explains most of the anti-Semitism as passive, which ordinarily would do little harm, but during a holocaust crisis became a reason for America’s inaction. The book then jumps right into the emergence of information that became available. The first major report was the Bund report. This estimated the number of victims to already be over 700,000. This report and the ones to follow were hard to believe. The state departments skepticism kept the news from reaching the media for several months. They were convinced that the deportations were for slave labor even though this explanation has huge flaws. As more reports of the mass murders developed they were finally confirmed, 17 months after the first killing began. One of the first steps taken was that seven different Jewish organizations came together to form the Temporary Committee. They decided on 5 steps of action and after obtaining them they dissolved the committee without much accomplished. Some of the steps included press announcements, a national day of mourning, and a meeting with President Roosevelt. The committee wanted action but had prepared no proposals. All they left with from their meeting with FDR was an agreement that the president would warn Germany of war crimes. This was the only meeting FDR granted to Jewish leaders. In December 1942 the UN Declaration was signed by the 3 main allies... ...to be able use this as an example and as a bargaining tool to convince other countries to do the same, but the small effort did not convince anyone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The War Refugee Board may have saved as many as 200,000 Jews, but it was in no way as effective as it should have been. The two biggest downfalls were that it was not funded properly and it was established too late.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sad fact is that during the time when humanity needed our help the most we let red tape, fear and greed keep us from helping. Wyman suggests many options that were available to help that would not have harmed our military effort yet we refused to try. We are now stuck with this burden of not knowing. Unfortunately they were not American nor were they British. Even worse they were not only foreigners but also Jews. Wyman suggests this is a huge reason why we were not willing to save them. After reading this book the conclusion to a pageant meant to inform Americans of the Nazi atrocities has stuck with me. The corpse of a people lies on the steps of civilization. Behold it. Here it is! And no voice is heard to cry halt to the slaughter, no government speaks to bid the murder of human millions end(pp91).

Contents of My Backpack

Although I am only at the beginning of my teaching career, I feel as if I have many things already stowed away in my Dakine green, black, and white plaid backpack. My items are similar to Mr. Goldman’s items in that they have very little to do with the topics that I teach but are able to transform my classroom environment, stay along the guidelines of time management, and allow students to learn at their own pace. The items that I have in my backpack include: a Nerf basketball, wireless mouse, pens and pencils with colorful erasers, 3 ring hole punch, dollar store multi colored star stickers, a small bust of George Washington, and a mustache mug. Not all of these items are essential teaching tools but some of them are used so frequently that I could include them in my curriculum. The Nerf basketball is used just about every day in my math class, it helps me get volunteers for questions, provides a reward to students, and encourages others to be supportive of their classmates. The last two coincide with a game I stole from a teacher in the district high school called ‘Math-sketball’. It’s a simple game where everyone works out the problem on the board and after the buzzer counts down students need to have their answer written on their scorecard. Those students who answer correctly get to line up for a free throw shot with the basketball, students cheer each other on to make the basket and if a student misses, classmates are there with words of encouragement. This mini failure of missing a shot and the support of their classmates to try again next time is important for the students. I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math students in a Resource Room at a middle school. The wireless mouse allows me to use the technology in the room without being plastered to the wall which would allow students to get distracted with other things going on in the room or outside the windows. I am able to keep close enough to my students, check their progress with the material, as well as circulate around the room to keep an eye on drifters. My 3 ring hole punch is one of my best items. I use it to keep myself organized with binders, lessons, units, tests, and other materials, but I also use it to hole punch everything that I give the students. This helps them with their organization but doesn’t stop them from misplacing their homework. I will have to find a reasonable price for microchips that I can attach to homework assignments so it is never misplaced or lost in a locker. The dollar store multi colored star stickers are used as a reward for students who are ready for class, hand in assignments, score well on tests, or help out during the class without being asked. It’s a way to keep the students active and engaged without constantly reminding them to do something or not to do something. I am sure that over my teaching career more items will be put into the backpack and that some items will replaced or taken out of the backpack, but as long as my mustache mug doesn’t crack, chip, or shatter, that will be my staple item, how else will I be able to fuel up during the day?

Ideas for Young Activists

Transparency International, 2014 Philippines: A Million New Inspectors About 1 million boy and girl scouts in Philippines have counted textbooks and conducted quality inspections throughout the country. Working hand-in-hand with government and non-government agencies, the programmer discourages theft of textbooks and helps promote long-term transparency in the country schools.The Department of Education provided an open door to programmer organizers, including access to budget information, contracts, and delivery points, as well as providing inspection sites. Local organizations and volunteers that include schoolchildren also carry out the monitoring – including surprise inspections – during the textbook production process. The programmer has proved successful at reducing corruption In the textbook distribution process. India: I Paid a Bribe On www. Liberated. Com. Citizens can report their experiences of corruption.The site received almost 22,500 reports between 2010 a nd 2012, some of which were kicked up by the media and resulted in arrests and convictions. On the flipped, citizens can also report positive experiences they've had with honest officers. Solomon Islands: Comics against Corruption The Solomon Islands government, in partnership with Transparency Solomon Islands, ran a programmer that used comic-style posters and comic strips in newspapers to increase awareness of corruption in the country. It encouraged Solomon Islanders to say â€Å"Nap Ana! To corruption by reporting anyone they believe to be involved In corrupt practices. The comic was timed to coincide with International Ann-corruption Day on 9 December. Each comic told the story of average Solomon Islanders In everyday situations, and how their lives can be deeply affected by seemingly simple acts of corruption. The campaign covered the topics of bribery, favoritism, misuse of funds and what you can do to stop corruption. The series of anti-corruption comics ran in all three of Solomon Islands' major newspapers – and was even available as a pull-out poster insert in the Solomon Star.Afghanistan: Kabuki's Corruption Marathon Afghan youth Atari Equatorial uses marathons to fight corruption. He sees sport as the best way to spread awareness among Afghan youth, so he organized his first big marathon against corruption. The team was able to gather around 500 young Afghan boys and girls In one of Kabuki's many dusty streets. Their message was loud and clear: â€Å"Don't pay or accept bribes†. The participants did not run a long distance, but a large crowd noticed the group. Strider also involved local radio stations in his outreach helped them convey their message to an even larger audience.India: The â€Å"Zero Rupee† Movement The â€Å"zero rupee† note was created by an Indian physics professor who was harassed by endless extortion demands. He handed out the â€Å"zero rupee† notes as a polite way of saying â€Å"no† to officials who held out their hands. Printed on the note was â€Å"Eliminate Corruption at all levels† and â€Å"l promise to neither accept nor give a bribe†. When a corrupt official suggests to a citizen that they should pay a bribe to get something done, the citizen can hand over the â€Å"zero rupee† note and its effects have taken hold.The Indian MONGO 5th Pillar has now distributed more than 1 million bills in five languages since 2007. Solomon Islands: Clean Election Pledge A group of young volunteers established the â€Å"Clean Election Campaign† in the Solomon Islands. Their approach was to gather voter pledges, each being a promise to not take part in corrupt activities during that year's election. Their pledge states: â€Å"l pledge that I will reject all bribes. I will not accept any false promises. I will not sell my vote. I will not involve myself in any corrupt activities during, before and after the elections.And also I pledge that I wi ll use my full conscience to decide on my vote and ask God to help me to decide my vote. And I pledge that I will only vote for an honest leader. † Kenya: Mapping the Election Jacuzzi is an open-source platform designed to courseware information via SMS and online messaging and appears on an interactive map. Pioneered in Kenya after the fall-out of the deadly 2008 elections, the website had 45,000 users in Kenya reporting on both instances of electoral fraud and acts of integrity during the following presidential elections.Activists launched the platform to courseware data via Twitter, SMS, Android, e-mail and the web. More than 4,500 reports were cast – and a staggering 58 per cent of these claims have been verified. The findings were referred to by Jenny's electoral commission and international media. Venezuela: Tweeting the Election Twitter is a simple way to monitor elections with your friends and community. Use or create a credible twitter name so that fellow tweet ers know whom to contact for details on election monitoring. Design a washrag so that voters tweeting claims of election fraud are streamlined (e. #Pomegranate or #Cafeteria). In Venezuela, civil society organizations came together to cast a watchful eye on the national elections via Twitter. They received tweets – including photos – from around the country to gather data on election violations at the polling stations through several hostage. They received more than 1,000 tweets claiming electoral fraud. These strategies do you think be the most effective in dealing with corruption? Choose two and explain why. 3. What other strategies do you think local people could use to deal with corruption in their government?

buy custom Chronic Disease essay

buy custom Chronic Disease essay Chronic conditions and diseases are considered to cover a large spectrum of illnesses including injuries and mental problems. Chronic diseases and conditions often have persistent effects. They are usually long lasting and have a very wide complication range. Many patients who suffer from such conditions experience significant side effects which last for more than six months. The severity of chronic diseases and conditions calls for proper management and measures to be put in place to check on the symptoms and impacts experienced by both individuals and communities. Common examples of chronic diseases and conditions include diabetes, cancer, asthma, HIV/AIDs, Acne, blindness, diabetes, disabled elderly, epilepsy and hepatitis. Thesis Statement This paper focuses on the disabled elderly in the United States. The number of the disabled elderly in the United States is predicted to rise by more than three hundred percent by the year 2049 (Falvo, 2009). Disabilities at old age are often caused by chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cognitive impairment. It is these alarming figures that have given rise to several programs and projects which are set to manage or prevent the affected patients. These programs include the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) and National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Psycho-social challenges and far reaching consequences More than seventy five percent of the elderly people in the United States are suffering form at least one chronic disease or condition. These Chronic conditions result in immediate and severe disabilities like stroke and hip fractures, eventually leading to progressive disability rendering the elderly unable to take care of themselves. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey has it that more than four and a half million elderly Americans require assistance when it comes to dressing, shopping, preparing meals and shopping. The costs associated with the treatment of chronic conditions and diseases have in the recent past proved to be high and are continuing to grow. Of all the out-of pocket costs on health, functional impairment and chronic health conditions records the highest percentage In 1997, the expenses covering the elderly totaled to twenty seven million (Guralnik, 1997). Concerned Research Projects One of the research programs that have come out strongly to help managing disabled elderly in United States is the CDSMP. The project was founded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at the Education Research Center of Stanford University. The project is charged with the responsibility of educating patients on better ways of managing symptoms, maintaining functional abilities and how to adhere to regimes on medication. The projects settings in the affected communities are staged din churches, senior centers, libraries, and hospitals all over nation. The AHRQ through CDSMP also funds investigations on comparisons between health status, health behaviors and health services. The project has so far ensured that participants experience fewer emergency room visits, significant improvements in health status, energy, role and social activities, and less health or fatigue distress. In two years only, the project had ensured that health distress had greatly reduced. Partici pants had increased their self efficiency leading to stronger motivation, perseverance and better decision making. In addition, there was no further disability among the participants. By the end of the year 2000, the participants enrollment had risen to 2,500. To get more funding opportunities, the AHRQ has come up with patient-centered care which is meant to customize care in order to meet patients needs. Through the program, the project will be well fiscally placed to evaluate and redesign developing processes of care that lead to improved patient interaction, greater patient empowerment and improved quality, access and outcomes (Lorig and Holaman, 2006). The NCCDPHP on the hand was a nation-wide research project that was intended to promote well being and good health through control and prevention of control diseases. The project was set up with the aim of detecting and controlling chronic diseases, to contribute and apply research results to effective and practical intervention strategies and to eliminate ethnic and racial disparities to achieve health equity. The project is aimed at providing leadership and expertise that are crritical in the intervention geared towards prevention of chronic diseases and conditions. It is also aimed at promoting the health of communities and individuals. It forms part of the public infrastructure in United States federal public health agency, working together with the public health professionals, policy makers, providers and educators. The project also collaborates and partners fully with local and state health, community groups, education agencies, private organizations and voluntary associations which support them both financially and idea wise. NCCDPHP extends its scope to include collaborations in housing, transportation, education, labor and justice in order to achieve health services that are optimal to all (Falvo, 2009). Interventions In order to improve and manage the disabled elderly in United States, more focus should be put on lifestyle change and education. Comprehensive counseling and education interventions impact on health behaviors positively. Behavior techniques such as personal communication, self monitoring and viewing materials that are audiovisual lead to successful change of behaviors such as weight control, smoking and drinking. Education also promotes exercised changes thus reducing the prevalence of chronic conditions such as heart failure. Careless lifestyles are a major contributor to some of the chronic diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes. Such behaviors should be highly discouraged especially at old age (Lorig and Holaman, 2006). Conclusion Chronic conditions and diseases are currently regarded as the leading cause of disability and death in United States, accounting for approximately more than seventy percent of all the deaths recorded in United States. This is about 1.7 million deaths annually. Despite the costs and health problems associated with chronic diseases and conditions, they can be affectively and easily controlled and prevented. Several research projects and programs have responded to this possibility by coming up with initiatives expected to manage patients of chronic conditions and diseases. In addition to these programs and projects, other interventions should be put in place so as to minimize the impact of chronic diseases and conditions. Buy custom Chronic Disease essay

4 ways your job can impact your health

4 ways your job can impact your health It’s one thing to dislike your job, but it’s another if it’s making you sick. If you’ve been feeling physically and mentally worn down lately and can’t seem to shake it, maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your work life to see if it’s the cause of your health issues. Of course you have to go to work, but recognizing where problems exist and making even small changes can start to put you on the road to wellness. Are you sedentary all day?According to a study done by the American Heart Association (AHA), even if you fit exercise into your life, sitting all day every day can negate the health benefits you’ve gained. The solution? Move even more- as much as you can. Make sure to get up and walk around every hour or so. Walk to the kitchen for water once an hour. Take an office lap every other hour. Get up and get your blood flowing whenever possible.Does your commute stress you out?If you’re spending a ton of time getting to and from work, it’s likely taking a toll on your life attitude. One study done in the United Kingdom earlier this year found people with long commutes are more likely to suffer from depression and work-related stress. If your commute is longer than 10 miles by car or 30 minutes by bus or subway, then it might be negatively impacting your life. You can’t help where your office is located, but do everything you can to make the travel time as restful and enjoyable as possible: try downloading a fun podcast or listening to music that will start your day off right.Are you way overworked?If all your waking hours are spent thinking about work or being at work, you’re likely neglecting all other aspects of your life. In fact, according to a recent study, if you work more than 39 hours a week, your mental and physical health will start to decline. Even if you’re on your couch in pajamas, if you’re logged in and constantly monitoring your work emails the n you’re not getting proper rest. Dedicated time to focus on yourself, your friends, and your family is crucial to maintaining balance- at some point, you need to be able to shut things off and not be at work.Are you surrounded  by germs? (You are.)Did you know that your keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and even I.D. badge are all germ factories? Scary but true: your keyboard in 20,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. And then there are all the hands you shake and doorknobs or faucets you turn in the course of a day. You’re in an enclosed space with tens or hundreds of people every day- start carrying around that hand sanitizer. And if your office is open plan? It might encourage more collaboration, but it also encourages sharing whatever bug is going around. You might find you’re getting sick more and more often, just by coming to work. Take your vitamins, keep your space clean, and get fresh air when you can throughout the day.Notice a theme here? If you take mom ents out of your day to make sure you are taking care of yourself, your overall health will start to improve.

Sustainable Agriculture and Ecology Research Paper

Sustainable Agriculture and Ecology - Research Paper Example When an ecosystem is able to maintain and retain productivity for a long period of time, it can be classified as sustainable. There are numerous defects in the methods by which humans conduct their agricultural activity. They often consider their needs and neglect those of other living organisms. This in turn results in destruction of these organisms which can have an effect on the ecological cycle and result in undesirable outputs from farming. The prolonged effects of such destructive methods of farming also include diminishing of biodiversity. The essence of agriculture is to create products for humans which they can use for food, or for recreational uses in cases of tobacco. Some individuals and countries also depend on agriculture for economic purposes; however this raises the question, if farming is intended to be beneficial and humans rely on the lands for numerous purposes, what is the essence of damaging land that brings a vast amount of benefits to society? While food produ ction in the past century has risen gradually over time, it has adversely affected soil productivity, which will have affects on food availability in the near future. Even though agriculture is a basis for humans well being by providing food, it also resulting in consequences on a wide scale to soil indiscreetly and must be changed to maintain needs of present without compromising food production for future generations. For this reason agricultural scientists have strategized methods by which humans can farm and benefit both themselves and the environment. The term sustainable agriculture was first used by Gordon McClymont, an Australian agricultural scientist. This paper will analyze the biological methods which have been used in sustainable agriculture and illustrate the mechanisms by which they are used. It will also analyze the reasons why implementing such policies is beneficial to society. One major benefit of sustainable agriculture is that it helps preserve and maintain the ecosystem, which despite ignorance of most individuals, has an essential part in many aspects of human life. Some of the major energy sources used by humans have been predicted to run out in the next few decades. Hence, the country will require ecosystems as an energy source and to some extent a financial resource (Day et al., 2009). Ecosystems as an energy source are also beneficial to the quality of air in the environment as they produce less harmful byproducts. The biodiversity in different nations will determine the amount of energy sources, which can in turn result in an improvement the nation’s economy. This situation requires ecologists to further studies into functioning of ecosystems and find ways in which they can be preserved and used as energy sources (Day et al., 2009). Other strategies such as implementing Participatory Learning and Action Research and Systems Ecology for improvement of approaches taken in research have been suggested. This in turn will enable t he formulation of strategies that allow a smooth transition of current agricultural methods into approaches that are more sustainable. The two procedures have similar foundations and hence can be merged and utilized to obtain sustainable agricultural transitions (Eksvard & Rydberg, 2010). The methods can be used to improve the decision making as they analyze human activity from a broader perspective and offer a large scale upon which patterns of human activity are compared. These two