Popul Vuh

There are many stories that talk about the creation of the earth and have been passed from generation to generation. However, each culture and each region has its own stories about the creation. They are unique in some way but still share the same themes that are universal to many civilizations. Almost all the themes talk about how we and everything on earth were created or how the universe and humanity developed. Two of the most popular creation stories are the Book of Genesis and the Popol Vuh.While the Genesis and Popol Vuh are different in the way God created iving things and their explanation of creation, their similarities are important because they tell us how everything come from and the people's belief in Gods. First of all, the Genesis creation myth is known as one part of the Hebrew Bible that explains how God created human and living things. Therefore, their entire traditional stories seem as the views of a monotheistic world, praising one, all-perfect deity.Genesis focus es mainly on the relationship between God and humans beings in the earth. While the Popol Vuh is one of the Maya creation stories and also showed the perspectives of a polytheistic culture, believing and living under various Gods. In this story, the Gods tried to create something that would praise them and thanks to them. In Genesis myth, God created man and woman to live and love each other. However, one strict rule that Gods did not want them to violate was not to eat an apple from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat: but one of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou halt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. † (Genesis 67). Meanwhile, in the Popol Vuh, Gods did not create human at first. Instead, they created animals first and then they created mud people and wood people secondly. Gods finally created humans who made from the corn and have the shape exactly like wha t human nowadays beings. Unfortunately, in both stories, the creation did not satisfy their creators. They did mistake and fail to meet the Gods' expectations.For the Genesis, Adam and Eve were nticed by a serpent and ate the fruit anyway even though they were warned before by the God. Feeling angry from their mistake, God forced them out of the Garden and began to be multiplied and full-filled in the earth. From another part of the Genesis, God was unhappy from what he created because the humans at that time were very greedy and did not follow God's expectations. Therefore, he created a great flood on the earth, destroying everything and killing everyone from this flood. â€Å"l will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth,†¦ or it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 70). In contrast, in the Popol Vuh, when animals, mud people and wood people could not reach Gods ‘expectations because they did not praise the creators as they wanted them to do . Therefore, Gods made a flood to kill all the mud and wood people. â€Å"The manikins, woodcarvings were killed when the Heart of Sky devised a flood for them. † (Popol Vuh 82). While God in Genesis gave humans a second chance to live by saving life for Noah's family after destroying everything, Gods in Popol Vuh began to create the corn people after a flood to serve for their desire because they could praise the Gods and did everything that they wanted. as created and how it was ended. Gods in both stories created humans on the earth, gave them food and shelters but also destroyed humans by a great flood as a symbol of their anger when they failed to their expectations. One more similarity between two stories that all Gods were selfish and being scared when people gain too much knowledge. For example, in the Genesis, God did not want Adam and Eve at the forbidden fruit because they will know everything about the nature as the Gods were doing.While in the Popol Vuh, when the Gods saw the corn people were very intelligent and perfect after created, so they felt threatened by the corn people as they would be more powerful than them. miet they'll become as great as gods, unless they procreate, proliferate at the sowing, the dawning, unless they increase. † (Popol Vuh 85). In order to solve this problem, Gods took away some In conclusion, even though the Book of Genesis and the Popol Vuh were written by wo different cultures, they also have some similarities in general such as the creation of the flood and human's knowledge.However, their myths were also different in some way. For the Genesis, God Just wanted people to live happily and healthily on the earth while the Gods in the Popol Vuh stories want people to praise for their merit and keep their day together. Therefore, as we can see that the differences between two stories are very important because they showed us how different cultures and regions affect human's life and thinking about their cr eation.

Business Torts and Product Liability

The scope of product liability usually exposes the manufacturers, sellers, product designers or licensres to the sphre of the legal actions. Here the word ‘product’ is not only indicate the finished or final products but it covers the supplimentary items which is intimately associated to consumer expectations . Moreover, the term produt saftey can be a part of a product, which is related, with any kind of chain of distribution. The manufacturers and other entities involved with market are liable for the products, which are defective in nature . The distributors, dealers, retailers, representatives and employers can also brought in to the action if their products are turned to be defective. The American common law adopted the concept of strict liability under consumer perspectives in early 1960’s. They began to adopt the view that the sellers should bear the cost of injuries or defects in their products as they are in the best position to distinguish the risks associated with their products. The American law institutes call for the various state law departments to recapitulate the developments in strict liability in Section 402A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts in 1977. However, it happens that the defenadnts may undergo harsh facets of the torts and action for their unintentional act or ommission. The courts of modern times also provide the sellers the indisputable liability for their defective products without the negligence or fault on the part of the seller. (1) For such victims the rules and judgements may appear too harsh but the genuine culprits desreves so. ———————————————————————————————————– 1. Restatement (Third) of Torts products liability, 1999 Business Torts and Product Liability 2 Introduction â€Å"He can excuse himself by showing that the escape was owing to plaintiff’s default; but as nothing of this sort exists here, it si unnecessary to inquire to what excuse would be sufficient. † – Blackburn J Generally there are cases that where a defaulter can be held responsible for an injury even where no negligence or evil intent can be shown. The doctrine of strict liability imposes legal responsibility for injuries sustained by or because of an actor's conduct, whether or not the actor used reasonable care and regardless of the actor's state of mind. Strict liability cases are limited to certain narrowly-defined areas of the law, including products liability, ultrahazardous activities, care of animals and certain statutory offenses. However, the question arises whether such liability and the treatment against the alleged wrong doer is too hurtful or not. To analyse this, firstly, we shall discuss the scope of the torts and product liability in buisiness. Buisiness torts and product liability The general principle is that, seller of any defective product which is unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer, is subject to liability for physical harm thereby caused to the ultimate user or consumer or to his property, if the product is expected to and does reach the user or consumer, without substantial change in the condition in which it is sold. (Restatement (Second) of Torts, 1977)(1). It does not matter that the seller has exercised all possible care in the preparation and sale of his product; and the user or ——————————————————————————————————– 1. Sec. 402A of Restatement (Second) of Torts, 1977 Business Torts and Product Liability 3 consumer has not bought the product from or entered into any contractual relation with the seller. In Rylands Vs Fletcher,(2) the court found that even if the defendant was not negligent or rather, even if the defendant did not intentionally cause the harm or he was careful, he could still be made liable. The defendant may excuse himself by showing that the occurrence was owing to the plaintiff’s default or that was the consequence of vis major or the act of good. The liability arises not because there was ant fault or negligence on the part of persons, but because he kept such defective products and the same was caused some sort of personal damage to another. The liability of the defective products was well explained in the famous case Donogue Vs Stevenson (3) as, a person who is for gain engages in the business of manufacturing articles of food and drink intended for consumption by members of the public in the form he issues them, is under a duty to take care in the manufacture of these articles. That duty must be to whom he intends to consume his products. The law has enumerated a number of rules to provide maximam penalty to the wrongdoer’s for his misconduct regarding the products. .whether this way of gauging the act and ommissions of the wrongdoers for their product liability is justifiable or not? Are they undergoing ruthless treatment than they deserve? Whether the treatment under product liability is harsh or not Recently in the case, Wyeth vs. Levine (4) the Vermont Supreme Court ——————————————————————————————————– 2. Rylands Vs Fletcher (1868) L. R 3 H. L 330 3. Donogue Vs Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL) (Sc) 4. Wyeth vs. Levine, Pharmaseutical industry Today, News, 22 Nov 2008 Business Torts and Product Liability 4 confirmed a nearly $6. 8 million product liability claim against Wyeth because the company's FDA-approved warning label on anti-nausea drug Phenergan only cautioned physicians about a quick-injection method. The injection caused the palintiff’s vein nicked and caused gangrene in an arm that eventually led to amputation. Here, it can be accepted that defendant faced the consequences because of his negative conduct to the consumers. Still there is a question arises about the magnitude of the penalty usually provides in such cases. The fact is that such liability causes negative impact on the day-to-day conduct of buisiness also. The product liability always compel the the manufacturers to internalize the cost of the product. When the manufacturer assigned all the liabilities for the injuries caused, he is forced to take account all the harms caused and this may lead the manufacturer unable to profit from producing the product Due to strict imposition of law in various manners, the manufacturer may not produce the socially optimal level of goods. Under such conditions the manufacturer cannot pass on the economic costs to the consumers as insurance as the most of the consumers are highly price sensitive. This may harm the production of the products and complete removal from the market. Apart from this, there is a chance of instituting high-level substantial higher transaction costs due to the high-level apllication and the sucsequent penalty of the product liability. Moreover, this causes lowering the consumer surplus from these transactions. (Miller,Goldberg ,2004)(5) ———————————————————————————————————— 5. Miller, C. J, Goldberg, R. S (September 30, 2004) Product liability, 2 edition Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; ISBN-13: 978-019825678 Business Torts and Product Liability 5 Some times the damage may cause due to the default of the palintiff . The palitiff may misuse the product. Moreover, there is a chance that the product has been altered and modified by the palintiff without the knowledge of the manufacturer. The defects may cause due to the conduct of the third party who is neither defendant’s servant nor does the defendant have any control over him. Or else there is a chance of the product is being manufactured or designed according to the industry custom and standards and government standards related to the manufacture and design. In such cases there is no point in treating the defendant with a extreme penalty. (6)(Salmond, 1996) The cases like Fardon Vs harcourt Rivingston (7) and Glosgow Corp. Vs Muir (8) clearly laid down the priniciple regading the minimising the liability of the wrong doer under such circumstances.. If the possibility of the incident emerging is only a mere possibility which could never occur to the mind of eth reasonable man ,there is no negligence in not having taken extraordinary precautions. People must guard against reasonable probablities but they are not bound to guard against fantastic possibilities. Conclusion Since the product liability is the legal responsibility of manufacturers and sellers to buyers, users and bystanders for damages or injuries suffered, the strict liability of these sections are firmly observed. However, a manufacturer of a product cannot be considered the absolute guarantor of its product’s safety. It can be said that there is a utilitarian ———————————————————————————————————- 6. Salmond, Heuston (1996) , Law of Torts, , p443 publisher: Sweet & Maxwell; 21Rev Ed edition (24 Oct 1996) ISBN-13: 978-0421533509 7. Fardon Vs harcourt Rivingston (1932) 146 L. T 391 8. Glosgow Corp. Vs Muir ((1943) A. C 488 principle revolved under the imposition of such liability. Because the people determined to cling to the responsible persons for their actions even though there is no negligence on their part. Because there are some derivation of benefits likes improved products, safety and accountability, which is generally, prevail over the burden on the defendant in strict liability proceedings. So in such cases in order to fulfill the public policy of minimizing the injury, it is more reasonable to introduce the burden of finding and correcting such dangers upon the manufacturer rather than taking away the defective products from the consumer. ********************************** References 1. Faegre & Benson, 2003 UK Trade and Investment, US product liability law, Nov. 2003 2. Kubasek, Nancy K. ; Browne, Neil M. ; Giampetro-Meyer, Barkacs, Linda, Andrea; Herron, Dan; Dynamic Business law (January 4, 2008) McGraw-Hill ISBN 0073524913 / 9780073524917 3. Miller, C. J, Goldberg, R. S (September 30, 2004) Product liability, 2 edition Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; ISBN-13: 978-0198256786 4. Restatement (second) of Torts products liability, 1977 5. Restatement (Third) of Torts products liability, 1999 6. Salmond, Heuston (1996) , Law of Torts, , p443 publisher: Sweet & Maxwell; 21Rev Ed edition (24 Oct 1996) ISBN-13: 978-0421533509

Improved communication technology and transport Essay

People can live and work anywhere they want to choose, because of improved communication technology and transport, do the advantage of this development outweigh disadvantages? Until a few decades ago, the majority of workers commuted to their work places in order to perform their job abilities. As information technology has become more common in our life, this phenomenon has changed. Instead of wasting employees’ valuable time on commuting to and from corporates, quite a number of companies are establishing and offering a chance of remote working to their employees. In this essay, advantages and disadvantages regarding this ongoing trend is posed with some applicable supports. To begin with, remote work provides job opportunities to dual income parents who have young children to look after, and it would remove geographical boundaries which allow corporates to recruiting highly skilled professionals or relatively cheap workers from overseas. Secondly, there would be a significant increase in employees’ productivity. According to a report from the USA, numerous experts have contended that an increase of 20 percent in workers’ productivity can be expected due to less time spending in commuting and more flexible working hours. Moreover, since there would be less need for having a huge office that requires expensive rent and fees for facilities, cost reduction is expected to corporates. Lastly, due to a consumption of fossil fuel is the main cause of global warming and air pollution, working from home can reduces gas-intensive commutes, and energy using in buildings. Be that as it may, there are several drawbacks have also been reported. An expert from IT industry has argued that reduced human contact can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. Furthermore, misinterpretation can occur between employees and there would be difficulties for managers to supervise employees’ job performance when people only communicate and work via online. Finally, the benefits which the company generates as a result of telecommuting can be offset by an increase in employees’ home facility costs for remote work.

Gay rights in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gay rights in America - Research Paper Example The research concludes that gays find it hard to celebrate regular ceremonies of marriage and face occupational barriers. They have to face differential attitude at workplace and educational institutes and are labeled as stereotypes. The research opens a new horizon of thought for the gay rights law enforcement agencies in that extra steps should be taken to ensure their gays rights are protected just like other citizens. Gay rights have been a hot public issue in America for some last decades. The earliest known gay rights organization is the Society for Human Rights in Chicago that was established in 1924 and launched first gay rights movement. After that, the Mattachine Society was established in 1951 and there have been a number of other organizations and movements till then which support gay rights. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed by Congress in 1996 protects the marriage rights of gays since there were many states which had banned gay marriages before 1996. Congress approved the law in 2010 and legalized gay marriages. When talking about gay rights, we must discuss what actually the rights that have been legalized for gays are. These include ceremonial marriages, child adoption, domestic partnership registration on public record, domestic partnership affidavit given by employers to gay employees that defines the couple’s economic relationship, health care, insurance, lawsuits, property, and the like. I predicted that although many laws and regulations have been passed to legalize and protect gay rights, still homosexuals have to face trouble in making themselves acceptable as normal citizens in America because people have stereotyped them and insult them. I also expect to find that gays find it hard to celebrate ceremonial marriages in public and also face discrimination in employment; however, I predict that they will not be facing problems in adoption, marriage registration and property transfer

White Collar Crime. Ponzi Schemes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

White Collar Crime. Ponzi Schemes - Essay Example Essentially, the newer set of investors is made to finance the dividend earnings of earlier investors. Other than this, there is no other income from the investment such that the scheme eventually cracks as not enough investors are generated to support the dividend earnings of earlier investors. Victims lose money and the perpetrator of the ponzi attempts to run away from the scene of the crime. In the United States, there are laws against the ponzi and recovery of assets or some of the assets is possible. Ponzi Schemes According to the National Check Fraud Center (2011) based in South Carolina, the Ponzi scheme is one of the 22 white-collar crimes that schemes. In addition to the white-collar schemes are 22 white-collar crimes. The 22 white-collar crimes include bank fraud, blackmail, bribery, cellular phone fraud, computer fraud, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, currency scheme, embezzlement, environmental scheme, extortion, forgery, health care fraud, insider trading, insurance fraud, investment scheme, kickback, larceny/theft, money laundering, securities fraud, and tax evasion (National Fraud Center, 2011). On the other hand, the white-collar schemes include advanced fee schemes, airport scams, auto repair schemes, check kiting, coupon redemption, directory advertising, fortune telling, gypsies, home improvement, inferior equipment, Jamaican Switch, land fraud, odometer fraud, pigeon drop, police impersonation, ponzi, pyramid, quick change, shell game, utilities impersonation, VCR scam, and West African investment scam (National Fraud Center, 2011). The ponzi scheme is a type of an investment â€Å"where the actor solicits investors in a business venture, promising extremely high financial returns or dividends in a very short period of time† (National Fraud Center, 2011). The perpetrator in the ponzi scheme usually promises high returns simultaneous with a claim of zero or little risks on the investment (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). In many ponzi schemes, the perpetrator focuses on attracting new money from earlier investors so he can build credibility and entice more victims to make an investment (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). In the ponzi scheme, the actor or the criminal does not invest the money but pays dividends from the investments of new investors (National Fraud Center, 2011). As the initial investors are pleased with the payment of dividends, the initial investors bring in new investors from which payments for the dividends of the earlier investors are derived. (National Fraud Center, 2011). The ponzi scheme pays dividends from the investment funds of earlier investors but the scheme surely falls apart when the perpetrator no longer has sufficient investors from which to pay dividends for the earlier investors (National Fraud Center, 2011). When payments to the dividends of earlier investors are no longer possible from the investments of new investors, the perpetrator takes all the money and leaves his or her ponzi area (National Fraud Center, 2011). Ponzi schemes collapse because it is unable to consistently derive money from new investments (Securities and Exchange Commission, 2011). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (2011), the ponzi scheme generally falls apart because sufficient investors cannot be found to allow the continuous payments of dividends. The scheme obtained the name from Charles Ponzi of Boston, Massachussetts in the early 1900s who launched a scheme that guaranteed 50 percent profit (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2011). The promise of 50% returns was only for 90 days (Securities and E

Culture and Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Culture and Organisations - Essay Example However, it is true that national and cultural boundaries often overlap each other and most countries have their own culture. However, there are various typologies created by scholars that help connect cultural differences to national boundaries. The term ‘cultural distance’ can be used to show the difference that exists between two cultures. At this stage, it is worth remembering the Convergence Hypothesis which states that the combination of technology and economics is making countries more alike. For such a huge group of companies like Mitsubishi, this seems correct to a great extent. However, there is the Divergence Hypothesis which states that despite all the developments, countries will exhibit certain distinctive characteristics. There are two key cultural issues that require special attention. They are cultural etiquette, and cultural stereotypes. The former means the manners and behaviour that are expected in a given situation while the latter indicates beliefs about others, their attitudes and behaviour. The different identifiable layers of culture are ethnicity, industry, demography, and ideology. It is very evident that three of these factors except industry can have serious impact on the policies of a company. It is very evident that international business, to a great extent, is affected by culture. First of all, it can affect the way companies make strategic moves. Thus, culture directly influences important corporate decisions. Thirdly, culture is the easiest way through which motivation can be instilled. Thus, management, decision making, and negotiations are all influenced by culture. The company in concern The company in analysis here is Mitsubishi. In fact, Mitsubishi is a group of companies, and the number of companies under the label is around 400. In addition, there are many more Mitsubishi companies that do not have the name ‘Mitsubishi’ with them. The company was started by Yataro Iwasaki in the year 1870, and i t was initially a shipping company. Later on, the founder spread the business into banking, shipbuilding, mining, and insurance too. With the large number of independently operating business under one roof, the company has developed a special kind of working culture. All the members companies share the same founding management philosophy, and cooperate in areas of common interest. It is really surprising to note that the company has its operations in Asia, North America, Central and Latin America, Europe, Oceania, Micronesia, Middle East, and Africa. It is very evident that managing such a great organisation strictly following the philosophies of good human resource management is a tremendous task. As a result, it is quite natural that the company, at times, may face issues related to human resource management. However, the success of the company, to a great extent, is dependent on how the company manages the issues, and what further steps are taken by the company to prevent the occ urrence of the same kind of issues further. The problem in concern A few years ago, in 2003, the Mitsubishi Bank acquired the Tokyo Bank. However, the merger was not a cakewalk, because there was much dissimilarity in the nature of both the organisations. First of all, the employees of Mitsubishi bank were used to reporting for their duty in time. In addition they were used to wearing uniform, especially white shirts, at work. In addition, they used to thank their

Family Literacy Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

Family Literacy Program - Essay Example This essay discusses a plan for developing a Center and it's program that aims to develop the mind and character of every child by platforms of English language literacy program with support basically coordinated and extended to their respective families. The main puproses of a program explained is to reduce English language illiteracy rate of the community by teaching Spanish children the classroom method of learning and understanding English. This task shall deliberately open the doors to information and present computer technology available for speech articulation utilizing the Center’s present resources for such mission. The essay also focuses on funding resources of the program, such as resources from non government organizations and other private foundations available abroad like the EU, Spain, Germany, and Canada. Educators. The essay also presents some organizationals strategies to use. Firstly, transportation is described. A minimum of one vehicle shall be purchased b y the Center to serve as a school bus. Schedule of classes and center operations as well as benefits of the program are also analyzed. Participant’s feedback is an SOP for the program so the Center will know how their program stands to their participants and find ways and means to improve both program and Center’s operations. In conclusion, the researcher mentiones that the most important benefits of such project will be enhancing understanding, reading and speech skills in the English language that could eventually provide more seats in work’s consideration for promotion.

EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL MARKETS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL MARKETS - Essay Example Funds that have bet against the market and performed poorly have been closed or folded into other funds, because their performance is not strong enough to attract new buyers. When one counts fund performance over two different periods of time, if one does not allow for survivorship bias, the data can be biased in favors of those funds that have done well, and can make the overall market’s fund performance seem better than it is. 3) What is the relationship between risk and return? How do we normally calibrate returns for risk? In a classic model, the higher the risk, the greater the return should be. Risk is the potential for loss weighed against return, the actuality of gain. With survivorship bias and fund piloting (where a group of funds begin at the same time with the notion that only the successful will ultimately survive), risk tends to be hidden by the mutual fund industry, making it seem like returns are higher than they are, and safer. 4) What is alpha and what does it measure? Alpha is a risk-adjusted statistical measure that weighs the return that is afforded in excess of the risk borne. It can usually be determined by subtracting funding performing from a relevant benchmark index. If one bets on the fund manager, one expects the fund to outperformance the basket of stocks bought in an index. 5) What is a t test and what does it measure? The t-test is a statistical measure used to weigh the significance of two different sample means, through a comparison of the variance between the means. In the case of the Malkiel study (p. 554) it indicates that there is a fairly strong difference between the mean performance rating of surviving funds and non-surviving funds, supporting the notion that survivorship bias must be account for to get a true picture of mutual fund records over time. 6) What conclusions can you reach about "the hot hand" investor? Who are the notable exceptions to this observation? The idea of a â€Å"hot hand† manager

Inter Personal Communication between people from different cultures Essay

Inter Personal Communication between people from different cultures - Essay Example It also increases the levels up to which people tend to during communication in various cultures and ethnic relationships. Communications keeps happening. As the saying goes, 'you cannot not communicate'. On analysis of the interview the people from the Asian cultures provided to me and the answers that could be obtained from them with regard to the effective communication methods among the community was found to have the following: 1. Interpersonal communication in most of the Asian countries follow a formal structuring. The teacher in the community is addressed as 'sir' or with a respect over tone and not by his her name. This is valid for all seniors in the household, neighbors and other senior people whom the person comes across. Whereas, in contrast, the American way of addressing such people is by their name with a Mr or Ms or Mrs as the case may be and this considered as lack of respect in case of the Asian communities. The same becomes valid when you are a senior person, an American may not mind it rather would like you to address him as Mr Senior Person, but in the case of the Asian Community if a person is addressed so or with the first name, it was always found that the people tend to take offence. 2. In America when one meets the person he wants to discuss business with, it is done immediately on meeting the person. The welfare of the person or the family or other such things which are extraneous to the topic of the meeting is hardly discussed. It is normally to the point. In case of the Asian communities, the tendency is to first create a personal rapport before commencing the business talk. Pleasantries will be exchanged to a greater degree trying to know the welfare of the person, his family; may be his parent was sick and the person will be asked about all these. This is considered as a part of the involvement in the deal. After getting so much closer, the logic is one does not try to cheat the other. Getting directly to the point might appear snobbish to people from these cultures. 3. Interpersonal communication tends to be more personal and develops a rapport in most of the Asian cultures, whereas in the case of American cultures the relationship is more business like. There is no 'face' lost in the business or linked to the business in case of American businesses. In the case of Asian businesses, it is more often the face that matters and the kind of relationships that one develops over a period of time. This possibly is the reason why develop or getting into Asian markets is stiffer for new comers whereas it is not so for the American markets. 4. When meeting a stranger, the touch is not as much a part of the Asian culture as it is in the case of the American or European cultures. Some of the Asian cultures do practice a culture of embracing when a stranger is met for the first time, while certain others do only a folding of the arms or bending the body to the front in solemnity. Most of the Asians do not touch a stranger when they meet for the first time. Though of course, when they meet the second time, the embracing or the holding of the hand does take place. Touch of the hand is more of a solidarity indication as

Review of One Film Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Review of One Film - Research Paper Example This paper assesses the film for its cultural and historical value by examining the movie from the idea for the film, the drafting of the script, production and post-production exposure and results. Film critic and freelance journalist, Josh Winning (2010) provides thorough insight into back story for Back to the Future. According to Winning (2010), the idea for the film originated with producer Bob Gale and writer/director Robert Zemickis. Both Gale and Zemickis had produced a few films together and had always wanted to produce a time travel film. The idea for Back to the Future originated with Gale back in 1980 when he visited his parents and came across his father’s high school yearbook. Gale found himself wondering what kind of a high school teen his father was and speculated over how he might have reacted to his father had he attended school with him. It was this thinking that gave birth to the idea for Back to the Future (Winning, 2010). Upon his return to Los Angeles, G ale pitched the idea to Zemickis, who speculated over what Gale’s mother might have been like in highschool and the idea for Back to the Future was complete. Together, Gale and Zemichis took their idea to Columbia Pictures and a developmental contract was signed and the two began working on drafting a script. The script was designed to transport 17 year old Marty back to a time when his parents were teens in high school. This meant that Marty would have to go back to the 1950s, an important time in American history and culture development. This was an era in which teens gained some form of economic power and freedom and became empowered (Winning, 2010). The first draft for the script was completed in 1981 and featured Marty as a video pirate and the time machine was largely a fridge. A second draft in 1981 changed Marty to a â€Å"wannabe rock star† and modernised the time machine (Winning, 2010). Ian Nathan (2010) of Empire magazine provides insight into the making of the film Back to the Future by interviewing Gale and Zemickis and executive producer Steven Spielberg who worked with the draft scripts. According to Spielberg, the first draft was a bit too clean and would not hold up against the raunchy comedies that were currently dominating the box office. Moreover, the time machine seemed so stationery and would have had limited mobility for the time traveller. On this basis, the first draft was rejected by Columbia Pictures and a more mobile time machine with wheels was devised for the second draft which was shopped around. The script went back and forth between studios and Gale and Zemickis at least forty times before a final draft with an acceptable level of edginess was achieved. Spielberg acted as an advisor, mediating between various studios and Gale and Zemickis, trying to preserve the integrity of Gale and Zemickis’ ideas and helping them to finally sell the final draft to Universal Pictures (Nathan, 2010). Upon accepting the dr aft, Sid Sheinberg at Universal made three notes to the script. First, the character Dr. Emmett Brown could not be called â€Å"professor† as that would be â€Å"too corny† (Nathan, 2010). Secondly, Brown’s mascot could not be a chimpanzee as no movie with a chimpanzee in it has ever been a hit. Thirdly, the movie title had to be changed from Back to the Future to Spaceman from Pluto. However, Gale and Zemickis would not agree to a movie title change and with Spielberg’

Appraisal of Laura Poppo and Todd Zenger Article

Appraisal of Laura Poppo and Todd Zenger - Article Example The paper introduces one means by which other factors to a company’s transaction cost economics (TCE) in addition to the widely recognized and tested boundary choice theory might be measured in the information services field. After explaining the concepts involved with efficiency models based on boundary choice, the authors reveal the weaknesses introduced in the results of these models as a result of an inability to test for performance-level data. By testing the influence of exchange attributes on the performance levels of markets and firms independently, the authors are able to incorporate production and governance efficiency within their models. The literature review, presented in conjunction with the development of the various hypotheses to be tested, is well-rounded, examining various aspects of the theories that have presented, including their strengths and weaknesses. This provides a very informative background introduction to the subject as well as establishes how the various hypotheses were developed. The sample selected for the study is similarly based upon the work of previous scholars, concentrating on the same group of professionals as being the most involved with the factors under consideration. However, this study differed from others in that it attempted to include a much broader selection of informants than previous studies.

Btec Business Essay Example for Free

Btec Business Essay Im not sure about this figure, with th0d Returned on capital employed Net profit (after appropriations) X 100 = 44160 = 29. 61% Capital employed 149160 This figure shows you how much money will be returned back into the business depending on how much they have invested. Not investing money into the business means you will not be making profit. I am not sure if 29. 61% is a good figure but it must be a good figure if the capital employed is ? 149,160. Maybe if the percentage is higher they employ more capital and they can re-invest more. Liquidity ratios-Current ratio Current assets: 1 = 70160 = 4. 53:1 Current liabilities 15500 Every ? 1 that they owe they own ? 4. 53 worth of assets. For SIGNature ltd the ratio is good, meaning not too much stock or owing too much to debtors. Acid test ratio Current assets assets: 1 = 70160 1200 = 4. 4:1 Current liabilities 15500 Every ? 1 they owe to suppliers or banks they will have ? 4. 41 of current assets. This means they have enough money to pay for costs like heating, lighting, telephone, courier charges and insurance. Average stock Kept over the year X 365 = 6000 = 9. 3 days Cost of goods sold 521700 Efficiency Ratios-Rate of stock turnover Every 9 to8 days they make a sale; this figure is not good because when running a business like SIGNature ltd you would like to be making sales more often. Debtors X 365 = 41000 = 28. 69 days Credit sales 521700 Debtor’s payment period A debtor’s payment is just about monthly meaning credit customers pay them every 28. 69 days, SIGNature should monitor their debtors and check how much they buy, when they pay back the full amount and which debtors are not paying in the 30 day period. Creditors X 365 = 15500 = 24. 11 days Credit purchases 234675 Creditor’s payment period 24 days is how long SIGNature takes to pay for credit purchases and they do pay their credit in good time. If you dont to your credit suppliers respond you may be charged additional interest, penalties and surcharges. Your debt may be referred to a private debt collection agency. Conclusion In this task I have performed ratio analysis and measured the profitability and efficiency of SIGNature and analysed the performance of a business using suitable ratios.

Globalization Literature

Globalization Literature AHONARUOGHO YEWANDE Globalization is an undeniable phenomenon, which is rather hard to put into words and as a result can be explained in various ways. Globalization which encompasses variant aspects of the modern world, bringing nations of the world closer into a single society through culture, economic transactions, politics, technology and social interactions; is making an ever changing world. GPF (online) [n.d] According to Beck (2000) [online] Globalization regardless of how it is individually interpreted gives the implication of the deterioration of a state’s sovereign poewer and the structures that guide the territory. â€Å"The world-wide interconnectedness between nation-states becomes supplemented by globalization as a process in which basic social arrangements (like power, culture, markets, politics, rights, values, norms, ideology, identity, citizenship, solidarity) become disembedded from their spatial context (mainly the nation-state) due to the acceleration, massification, flexibilisation, diffusion and expansion of transnational flows of people, products, finance, images and information† this states that due to the increased flexibility and ease of mobility of many factors in an economy that social arrangements have become disembedded from their nation states, all of which is known as globalisation. beerkens (2004) [online] â€Å"The characteristics of the globalization trend include the internationalizing of production, the new international division of labor, new migratory movements from South to North, the new competitive environment that generates these processes, and the internationalizing of the state making states into agencies of the globalizing world.† This quote is informing about the concepts and characteristics that make up globalization focusing on the internationalization of many aspects of economies. Cox (1994) [online] Nations tend to come together in form of global unions, these unions are economic to some extent, and such exist within trade blocs. Trade bloc is an agreement which is formed between states, regions or countries in order to reduce the trade barriers which make trading inconvenient, amongst the regions involved. A well know example of this form is NAFTA, which is a trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Opponents to trade blocs view such agreements are harmful to free trade on a global level Investorwords (online) [n.d]. Trade blocs have rules that guide their interaction with nations within the economic union as well as those that are not members of the union. Manish (2012) [online] Trade blocs are of different varieties, requiring different levels of commitment and arrangements from the members of the union. To be of the view that globalization is purely an economic union would be false and incorrect as just trade blocs show globalization as six different forms of unions. Manish (2012) [online] Trade blocs have certain objectives goal which they aim to achieve, one of which is to remove the restrictions to trade among the members of the union, there by promoting free trade and faster movement of resources between members. BMS (2013) [online] Trade blocs aim to improve the social, economical, cultural and political relationship between its members through the integration of economies, social programs could encourage this promoting peace in the region. BMS (2013) [online] Trade blocs have the objective of achieving an increase in economic growth amongst its members. As a result in the reduction in trade barriers, it puts firms in a position to produce at lower prices, which would in turn increase demand and lead to a large scale of production. This can result in economic growth and attract investment. BMS (2013) [online] A Preferential Trade Areas is also a type of trade bloc, interconnecting the nations of the world on an economic level, this is the least committed to trade barrier reductions. In this union members lower but do not eliminate trade barriers amongst themselves and no set arrangement is agreed about their interactions with non- members. Manish (2012) [online] Free Trade Area is the next stage after, the Preferential Trade areas, all trade barriers are eliminated for members when relating with each other, so all the members are able to import and export goods and services amongst themselves. An example is the ‘North American free trade agreement’ of 1994 between the Canadians, Mexicans and the US; these members establish independent trade policies when relating with non members. Manish (2012) [online] another free trade area example is the European Free Trade Area. Shahid (2010) [online] Customs Union is the third trade bloc. The member states remove internal trade barriers as well as also agree to implement the same set of common policies when dealing with non member states. Customs union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which was initially created in 2010, is a custom union; other custom unions include European Union Custom Council, East African Community. Manish (2012) [online] The Common Market is a trade union where member’s internal trade barriers are removed, common policies/ barriers are implemented for dealing with trade involving outside parties and free movement of resources such as ‘labor’ exist. Examples of common market include â€Å"Mercosur (Southern Cone Market)†, East â€Å"African Common Market†, European Economic Area and â€Å"West African Common market†. Manish (2012) [online] An economic union is one of the trade blocs that exist between nations that further make the nations of the world more integrated and connected. It requires members to remove internal barriers and agree to use common barriers for externally, allowing free movement of resources and adopt a unified set of economic policies. The European Union is an example of such; with one currency they have adopted one monetary policy. Manish (2012) [online] An economic union such as the European Union speeds up the process of globalization, increasing trade amongst the members of the EU as well as increased labor and capital mobility such as migration of Poland citizens to the United Kingdom and Ireland. The EU has expanded its sphere of influence to over 20 countries, making for over 356 million in population. Pettinger (2008) [online] Other economic unions include CEMC (economic and monetary community of central America), OECS (organization of eastern Caribbean states), UEMAO (west African economic and monetary union).shahid (2010) [online] In addition to the integration of the nations belonging to the trade blocs it is also seen that globalization is further aided by trade blocs which make negotiations easier on a global level. An case relating to trading negotiations is, the European Union bargains as one singular bloc making it easier and faster to push through practices which increase free trade. Pettinger (2008) [online] Full Integration is the final stage, coming after economic union. The members become fully integrated; an example is the United States. Manish (2012) [online] When viewing the definition, principles and aims of both globalization and trade blocs, they complement each other, both resulting in interdependence and increase in trade; Wang (2010) [online]. As a result it is easy to assume that globalization is purely an economic union formed by trade blocs. However, it should be noted that trade blocs can be seen as a hindrance to globalization because it promotes regionalization and not global elimination of trade barriers, causing conflicting parties to fight for regional interest; thereby building trade barriers for the rest of the world and preventing the importation of goods from other countries; Wang (2010) [online].This contradicts with globalizations purpose of one world and interlinking of all nations and â€Å"free trade† amongst all; Wang (2010) [online]. For example, the EU’s CAP placed high tariffs on importation of food and the dumping of surplus food items onto world markets. Pettinger (2008) [online] Trade blocs especially at its most integrated economic level when a common currency is established and a common fiscal policy within the union exists among the members- economic union- it leads to reduction of the power and sovereignty of a national government over its own territory. Although the states can take independent decisions to influence the total demand, income allocation and the level of production of their economies through the use of simple fiscal policies unless common fiscal policy is implemented in the economic union. As a result monetary and fiscal policy integration is the basis for an economic union and the application deepens the integration of its members, making it a single economic union and removes all kinds of economic borders. Hashimov (2013) [online] Trade blocs provide a larger market for exportation of goods, this creates a forum for the global products which can be linked between nations of the world, and this creates the possibility for more revenue for nation states. Admin (2012) [online] Trade blocs due to the integration of markets leads to increase in competition and productivity on the part of the nations belonging to the same trade bloc, ensuring to produce quality goods while the consumers had increased choice and lower prices due to the size of the market and number of competitors. Admin (2012) [online] Trade blocs make for a higher and increased rate of investment due to the larger market available as market is expanded. Admin (2012) [online] Trade blocs however have the negative effect, for example they undermine the efforts of WTO (world trade organization) because there is a possibility that the whole world would become regionalized and that would prevent trade liberations due to the rules and norms associated with trade blocs. Trade blocs would deter the WTO goals and undermine international trade laws. Admin (2012) [online] Trade blocs have the negative effect to globalization of creating unfriendly political tension and â€Å"hindering diplomatic relations† between members of a trade bloc and non member through discriminatory policies. Admin (2012) [online] Other factors unrelated to the trade blocs are important and significant to globalization. The main contributing factors to globalization could be argued but these are some factors that are contributing: Improvement in technology which enable global transport and communication to be carried out much easier, which also helps reduce the barriers of distance. Pettinger (2008) [online] the level of improvement in technology of transport and communications has led to a reduction in the prices for transferring goods, service and factors of production as well as making it easier and cheaper to communicate economically useful knowledge and technology. Mussa(2000) [online] Information technology is a main contributor in the process of globalization in form of a catalyst, it increases the accessibility of information and economic potential. Enabling for efficiency in the economies of nations as political and commercial information can be transferred easily and at a fast rate. Information technology encourages the creative use of resources to promote and advertise new products and ideas across borders and cultures regardless of its geographical location. Technology is now the leading factor of the modern world creating employment, new ideas, and networking sites which enables global connection and communication.globalisation101 (n.d) [online] The growth of multinational companies. Pettinger (2008) [online] Globalization is also a political union of nations around the world, there are military-political blocs existing which is a union among states that have agreed to unite, cooperate and have unified actions and responses to address common political, economic and military tasks. Encyclopedia(1979) [online] an example of a political union is NATO. G. Bertucci and A. Alberti , wrote an article â€Å"Globalization and The Role of the State: Challenges and Perspectives†, in which it was stressed that economic globalization is in actuality as a result of political decisions made my nation. Stating that the expansion of international trade as well as finance and investment Transactions do not radically influence the role of nations while the high level of collaboration and joint active show states exercising their sovereign authority over their territories. Thus the authors are of the view that collaborative action instead of weakening their authority over their state reinforces their authority by creating a more secure global environment and greater possibility for exchanges in different areas. Hashimov (2013) [online] Globalization is also an economic union, it impacts employment, working conditions, income and social protection. Beyond the world of work, the social dimension encompasses security, culture and identity, inclusion or exclusion and the cohesiveness of families and communities. Todayszaman (2010) [online] In conclusion, globalization is an economic union of nations after all globalization is generally referred to as â€Å"economic globalization† as it brings nations of the world together and forms a more integrated and interdependent world. Economic union has led to increased flow of information and ideas, and had led to a change in the way nations interact amongst themselves. However it should be noted that economic unions can be seen as a hindrance to globalization itself which contradicts the view that globalization is an economic union and in addition globalization is also a political and social phenomenon not solely economical. Bibliography Electronic devices Admin (2012) [online], advantages and disadvantages of trading blocs, available at http://wisebrain.info/explain-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-joining-a-trading-bloc-international/, [accessed on the 3rd of February] Beck (2000) [online], what globalization represents, available at http://www.beerkens.info/files/globalisation.pdf, [accessed on the 1st of February] Beerkens (2004) [online], How globalization is affecting the world, available at http://www.beerkens.info/files/globalisation.pdf , [accessed on the 1st of February] BMS (2013) [online], objectives of trade blocs, available at http://www.bms.co.in/objectives-of-trading-blocs/, [accessed on the 3rd of February] Cox (1994) [online], understanding the chaacterisyics of globalization, available at http://www.beerkens.info/files/globalisation.pdf, [accessed on the 1st of February] Encyclopedia (1979) [online], definition of political blocs, available at http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Military+Bloc, [accessed on the 3rd of February] GPF (online) [n.d], globalization definition, available at http://www.globalpolicy.org/globalization/defining-globalization.html, [accessed on the 2nd of February] Hashimov (2013) [online], economic globalization and the role of nation-state in economy, available at http://www.academia.edu/3721679/ECONOMIC_GLOBALIZATION_AND_THE_ROLE_OF_NATION-STATE_IN_ECONOMY_THE_CASE_OF_EU, [accessed on the 2nd of February] Manish (2012) [online], compositions of trade blocs, available at http://financetrain.com/trading-blocs-common-markets-and-economic-unions/, [accessed on the 3rd of February] Mussa(2000) [online], driving factors of economic integration, available at http://www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2000/082500.htm, [accessed on the 2nd of February] Pettinger (2008) [online], The significance of economic blocs to globalization, available at http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/1019/economics/trading-blocks-and-globalisation/, [accessed on the 2nd of February] shahid (2010) [online], trading blocs and globalization, available at http://www.slideshare.net/Abdullah2012/globalization-trading-blocks, [accessed on 3rd of February[ Wang (2010) [online], relationship between regional trading blocs and globalization, available at http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijef/article/viewFile/4955/4119, [accessed on the 2nd of February] Todayszaman (2010) [online], social and cultural impact of globalization, available at http://www.todayszaman.com/columnists/dogu-ergil_204938-social-and-cultural-impacts-of-globalization.html, [accessed on the 3rd of February] 1

Scenario Of Smoking And Cigarettes Health And Social Care Essay

Scenario Of Smoking And Cigarettes Health And Social Care Essay According to Mackay and Eriksen (2002), since early 20th century, when cigarette was first manufactured, there has been a steady increase in the number of cigarette consumers throughout the whole world. Although there are ups and downs in the graph of cigarette consumption level in certain countries, the number of people who smoke around the world continues to rise and more cigarettes are being consumed every day. As the human race populations keep on expanding and become larger, so will the number of smokers in the world. It is expected that at least 2 billion people will live in this planet smoking cigarette by year 2030. The number of people who smokes will continue to increase, even as the prevalence rates drop. Female smokers are growing in numbers, particularly in developing countries, which will fill the gap of decrease in the prevalence rates among male smokers Goddard (2008), in another study found out that from 1974 until 1982, the popularity of smoking in Great Britain had fallen significantly, from 45% to 35%. This decrease however, began to slow down, where for every two years only approximately one percentage of the rate fell down until 1994 to 27%. The general decrease in smoking popularity mentioned above was caused by decline of both light smokers and heavy smokers. Here, light smokers are identified as people who smoke less than 20 cigarettes per day whereas heavy smokers are people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day. There has been a decrease on the number of adult smokers who consume average 20 or more cigarettes per day from 1974 to 2006 with the percentage of 26% and 8% respectively. Over the same period, the female smokers also showed a decline in number from 13% to 5%. Meanwhile, in Mexico, a decrease in smoking trends occurred at the offset of 20th century especially on exposure of smoking, daily smoking consumption as well as smoking frequency among the society, especially among men. In addition, smoking popularity and smoking frequency has shown a significant decline particularly among adult smokers in both genders compared to the younger smokers. Nonetheless, men are facing a worse smoking situation compared to women in both mentioned areas. However, during year 2002, it was found out that daily female smokers smoked more cigarettes than men (Franco-Marina, 2007). Surprisingly, in worldwide, nearly one billion men, consists about 35% in developed countries and another 50% in developing countries, are smokers. The rate of male smoking across the world had reached its peak but is slowly declining. Nevertheless, there declining rate is very slow compared to the current effects it has on human. Although more and more researches had been conducted to reveal the negative impacts of smoking, currently the decrease has been slow. In overall, the ones who give up the smoking habit come from those who are educated and so smoking becomes more popular among poorer and less educated man. (Mackay and Eriksen, 2002). Concern over health issues related to tobacco usage is not a new issue. According to Shafey (2003), not only that health concern is increasing, presently the dominance of smoking also began shifting to low-income and middle-income countries especially in many Asian countries (as cited in Parkinson et al., 2009). This is true especially when tobacco usage among human has become a global outbreak. Cigarettes are manufactured with the amount of five and a half trillion for every one year. This is enough to feed everyone on earth about approximately 1,000 cigarettes for each one of them. The largest tobacco consumers identified are Asia, Australia and the Far East with consumption of 2,715 billion cigarettes, before the Americas with 745 billion cigarettes, Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Economies with 631 billion cigarretes and Western Europe with 606 billion cigarettes (Mackay and Eriksen, 2002). Situation in Malaysia however, is slightly different. According to National Health Morbidity Survey (1986 and 1996), the prevalence of smoking among Malaysian adults has increased from 39% to 49% (as cited in Shahidan et al., 2002). National Health and Morbidity Survey (1996) also states the occurrence of tobacco consumption is roughly 24.8% and among all men, 49.2% of them are smokers, whereas for women only 3.5% of them are smoke (as cited in Parkinson et al., 2009). Meanwhile according to statistic in PROSTAR (2007), in 2000 there are 3.6 million smokers in Malaysia and by 2025, it is speculated that the total will increase to 4.6 million (as cited in Kim et al., 2009). Even though currently no clear evidence exists, some survey had identified that smoking among teenagers is increasing nowadays. (Parkinson et al., 2009). However, according to Thambypillai (1985); Shamsuddin Haris (2000); Naing et al. (2004) and Ahmad et al. (1997), there are no significant changes of trends for t eenage smoking. Several surveys done in different regions found out that smoking habit among male teenagers was between 17% to 36% meanwhile for female it was between 1% to 5% (as cited in Lim et al., 2006). 2.1 Reasons for Smoking According to Baker et al. (2002), smokers give almost the same justifications or rationales for smoking. Apparently, majority of them regard smoking activity as a form of relaxation and a way to cope with stress. It is also an addictive habit which presents smokers with good feelings and lessens the bad feelings through the effects of nicotine. In a way smokers consider cigarette as a helpful tool to them although they are aware of its negative effects. This is consistent with the research done by KaÃ…Å ¸ikà §i et al. (2008) in which they stated that smoking is one way for smokers to have pleasure while at the same time relaxing themselves or easing their stress. Moreover, British American Tobacco Malaysia (2010) reported that an important aspect experienced by smokers comes from the pharmacological effect of nicotine a mild stimulant effect not unlike that of caffeine, and a mild relaxing effect. Baker et al. (2002) also stated that serious cigarette smokers are addicted to to bacco, which lead them to smoke heavily whereas light smokers smoke more for social purpose. On the other hand, according to Jarvis (2004), during early adolescent is a period where people like to experiment with smoking due to psychosocial reason. For people who just started smoking, a cigarette is a symbolic way of saying that they are no longer their mothers child and a way of showing that they are mature. Children who have tendency to smoke usually come from environment that promotes smoking culture. Such environment includes situation where family members and peers are smokers or where smoking is considered common in school and in society. They also have tendency to smoke due to their own internal or external conditions such having low self esteem, overweight, psychologically impaired, or having poor achievement at school. Moreover, it is believed that there is a distinguishable pattern among smokers from different gender group. Parkinson et al. (2009), conform to this idea in which the findings of his study revealed that males tend to believe that smoking makes people look more attractive compared to women and see smoking as a mark of being modern. Furthermore, both genders also similarly tend to believe that by smoking they can control their body weight. This finding however contradicts with Western studies by Cavallo (2006), where the data showed that male teenagers do not worry about their weight as much as female teenagers and so are less likely smoke in order to control weight than females (as cited in Parkinson et al., 2009). 2.2 Review of Related Studies The smoking rate for university students is rising gradually in Turkey as well as the world (KaÃ…Å ¸ikà §i et al., 2008). A research by Cooper et al. (2004) said that there is an increase for the rate of smoking in Turkey in which 64% of the increase is among the men and 23% of it is women. Abolfutuoh et al. (1998) states 40% of the students in Education Council are heavy smokers and only 23% of the Medicine Council students smoke. Meanwhile, Kader and Alsadi (2008) found that most of the students are light smokers (50.6%). They also said that students in the medical school tend to smoke less than their friends in other faculties. Surprisingly, a study by Kypri and Baxter (2004) said that the smoking pattern is higher among Maori women than men, in which the women tend to smoke daily. Sharker (2005) in his study about knowledge, attitude and practice on smoking among students and staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia states that 13.7% from respondents who smoke comes from students while 9.9% was comes from the staff. He also found that Indians and Malays were among the highest percentage due to ethnic groups which comprises of 12.7% and 11.6% respectively; meanwhile Hindus and Muslim were among the highest percentage due to religious group which equal to 13% and 11.9% respectively. According to Azlan (2006) in his study on smoking among secondary school students in Kuantan, the smoking percentage was 43%; with 63.5% comes from males and 17.5% comes female. This study is quite similar to the study done by Rapeah et al. (2008) whereby almost half of the respondents in her study on factors influencing smoking behaviours among male adolescents in Kuantan were smokers (45.8%) and Malays were contribute up to 53.1%. A cross-sectional study of 16-year old secondary school students in Kota Tinggi district reported that 29.7% from the respondents were found to be smoking and the highest percentage of male smokers comes from FELDA (Federal Land Development Authority) areas which comprises of more than 50% (Lim et al., 2006). Meanwhile, the study done by Shahidan et al. (2002) on smoking habits among secondary school students in Kedah reported that the average age for smoking and non-smoking groups were 16 years old the research has reveal that the age of onset smoking among respondents began as early as 13 years old. According to KaÃ…Å ¸ikà §i et al. (2008), 40.2% of the final grade students at the AtatÃ…Â ©rk University smoked. 56.5% from that said that they smoke to release tense while 24.6% smoke for pleasure. Abolfutuoh et al. (1998) states that curiosity was the main reason for initiation of smoking among students in medical students at the University College of Medicine and students of the College of Education. There are findings found in a research by Kader and Alsadi (2008) that say the students smoke because it helps them to concentrate as well as calm them down. They also said that students smoke because they also want to cope with stress and social anxieties. Kypri and Baxter (2004) also stated that students smoke because it helps them to relax. According to Shahidan et al. (2002), matured, attractive and classy are among the reasons students start smoking with percentage of 70.0%, 62.2% and 54.0% respectively. Meanwhile, Sharker (2005) found that the main reason for the onset of smoking among students and staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia was just for fun and it was comprises of 54.2%. In addition, Azlan (2006) revealed that the main reason for students to smoke is because of the influences of friends. Rapeah et al. (2008) states that wanted to try received the highest frequency among reasons for smoking with percentage of 68.9% and peer influence follows behind with percentage of 56.1%. Nonetheless, nearly 70% of the respondents disagrees that trendy is the reason for initiating smoking. There are also findings found in a research by Khairani et al. (2007) that say curiosity and peer pressure are the most common reasons for starting smoking with percentage of 69.3% and 51% respectively. On the other hand, the most frequent reason for continuing smoking reported was stress with percentage of 70% followed by addiction with percentage of 49%. KaÃ…Å ¸ikà §i et al. (2008) stated that one of the factors that encourage the students to smoke is the parents of the students. Most of the students who smoke have fathers and brothers who smoke as well. Friends are also one of the factors that lead to smoking habit among the students. These findings are quite similar with the study by Shahidan et al. (2002) which conducted in Kedah. Their research stated that family members and peers who smoke have great influence to students to start smoking. There is twice higher risk for students who come from smoking family to smoke than those who are not. In addition, there are nearly six times higher risks of smoking for student who have peers who are smokers than those who do not have peers who smoke. Same goes to the study by Khairani et al. (2007), which found out significant connection between smoking among family members and teenager smoking. Sharker (2005) reported that the popularity of smoking was linked with race, family, age, religious, economic status as well as peers smoking habits. These findings are consistent with the study done by Azlan (2006) on the prevalence of smoking among secondary school students and its associated factors in the district of Kuantan. Meanwhile, according to Lim et al. (2006), smoking is associated with factors such as having low academic achievement as well as having a lot of close friends and siblings who smoke. Another finding also discovers that respondents who smoke are linked with factors which are attitude towards smoking, type of class stream and having smoking friends (Rapeah et al., 2008). In addition, among the main factors for students to start smoking are showing off, curiosity and pressure from peers (Abolfutuoh et al., 1998).

Artificial insemination :: essays research papers fc

Artificial insemination is the injection of SEMEN into the vagina by instrumental means. The first artificial inseminations of viviparous (live-bearing) animals were performed by the 18th-century Italian physiologist Lazzaro Spallanzani, who proved that the male contribution to reproduction resided in the semen, although he did not recognize spermatozoa as the fertilizing agents. Pioneering work in the artificial insemination of dairy and beef animals was done in Russia about the time of the Revolutions of 1917. By the 1930s it was being practiced throughout Europe and the United States. The principal advantage of artificial insemination over natural breeding is that a single male of superior genetic quality can be used to impregnate thousands of females, thereby improving herds and increasing dairy and meat production. With artificial insemination, dairy farmers need not risk the deterioration of their herds from excessive inbreeding, nor incur the expense of maintaining their own bulls. In humans, artificial insemination is used to achieve pregnancy when an anatomical impediment prevents direct fertilization. When the male is sterile, semen is collected from an anonymous donor who is known by the physician to have a family history free of genetic disease. The same precautions are taken when, as in recent years, artificial insemination has been used as a means of providing a child to a couple where the woman cannot conceive. In such cases the husband's sperm is used to fertilize a SURROGATE MOTHER, who has volunteered to bear the child, usually for a fee, and to give it up immediately after its birth. At question are the legal aspects of surrogate motherhood as well as unresolved moral and religious issues. In cases where a woman is unable to conceive as a result of defective oviducts, an egg can be removed surgically from her ovary and fertilized "in vitro": in a petri dish under laboratory conditions that simulate the environment inside the oviduct where fertilization normally takes place (see IN VITRO FERTILIZATION). The embryo is then transferred to the woman's uterus to develop normally. Zoo workers are in the process of refining artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization technologies to help breed a rare and endangered species, to replace the expensive and not-always-successful practice of shipping animals around for mating purposes. Importing semen will make it easier to mate rare animals from far-flung zoos, keeping a good amount of variety in the gene pool.

Clash of Belief Systems in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay example

Clash of Belief Systems  in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Each person bases their judgment of others upon their own values or belief systems. These values or belief systems are influenced by experiences in the home and at school. The prevailing culture in an area has a tremendous impact on the belief systems of the child as well.   It is easy for a child to learn the difference between right and wrong, but they may fail to grasp the fact that the values they are taught are filtered through the belief systems of those who teach. Hawthorne judges the characters in The Scarlet Letter by using his own belief systems - drastically different from those of the Puritans. Instead of the stern, harsh values of the Puritans, Hawthorne sees life through the eyes of a Romantic. He judges each person accordingly, characterizing each person's sin as the pardonable sin of nature or the unpardonable sin of the human soul. One can infer, by the writing style, that Hawthorne is most forgiving to Hester. He writes about Hester with a feeling of compassion that the descriptions of the other characters lack. Hawthorne approves of Hetser's feeling, vitality, and thirst to overcome the iron shackles of binding society. He shows us that although Hester is not permitted to express her feelings verbally because of social persecution, there is no one that can restrain the thoughts of the human mind.   Hawthorne, being a romantic and man of nature himself, can relate to this. If one were to look up the human mating characteristics in a science book one might be shocked or surprised.   The human instinct is to have more than one partner not to stay loyal to one partn... ...rew emaciated his voice, still rich and sweet had a melancholy prophecy of decay in it he was often observed on a slight alarm or other sudden accident, to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then paleness, indicative of pain. (119)    Hawthorne is a romantic and has the personality of one. He is most forgiving to Hester because she is a Romantic person. She lives in a society many years before her time, but she is strong willed and fights society’s disdain to overcome her own sin. Hawthorne places Dimmsdale somewhere amidst the foggy middle, between these two characters. Dimmsdale is   there because he commits no direct sin. By not telling anyone of his secret sin he causes the pain for himself and Hester. He clearly characterizes Chilingworth as the least pardonable because he commits the sin of the heart, the soul, and of God.    Clash of Belief Systems in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Essay example Clash of Belief Systems  in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Each person bases their judgment of others upon their own values or belief systems. These values or belief systems are influenced by experiences in the home and at school. The prevailing culture in an area has a tremendous impact on the belief systems of the child as well.   It is easy for a child to learn the difference between right and wrong, but they may fail to grasp the fact that the values they are taught are filtered through the belief systems of those who teach. Hawthorne judges the characters in The Scarlet Letter by using his own belief systems - drastically different from those of the Puritans. Instead of the stern, harsh values of the Puritans, Hawthorne sees life through the eyes of a Romantic. He judges each person accordingly, characterizing each person's sin as the pardonable sin of nature or the unpardonable sin of the human soul. One can infer, by the writing style, that Hawthorne is most forgiving to Hester. He writes about Hester with a feeling of compassion that the descriptions of the other characters lack. Hawthorne approves of Hetser's feeling, vitality, and thirst to overcome the iron shackles of binding society. He shows us that although Hester is not permitted to express her feelings verbally because of social persecution, there is no one that can restrain the thoughts of the human mind.   Hawthorne, being a romantic and man of nature himself, can relate to this. If one were to look up the human mating characteristics in a science book one might be shocked or surprised.   The human instinct is to have more than one partner not to stay loyal to one partn... ...rew emaciated his voice, still rich and sweet had a melancholy prophecy of decay in it he was often observed on a slight alarm or other sudden accident, to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then paleness, indicative of pain. (119)    Hawthorne is a romantic and has the personality of one. He is most forgiving to Hester because she is a Romantic person. She lives in a society many years before her time, but she is strong willed and fights society’s disdain to overcome her own sin. Hawthorne places Dimmsdale somewhere amidst the foggy middle, between these two characters. Dimmsdale is   there because he commits no direct sin. By not telling anyone of his secret sin he causes the pain for himself and Hester. He clearly characterizes Chilingworth as the least pardonable because he commits the sin of the heart, the soul, and of God.   

Explain Different Sociological Approaches to Health and Ill Health Essay

Throughout society there are many different sociological approaches to health and ill health. Within society there are many different perspectives towards whom the responsibility for health falls upon and also what defines people as ill? Your health is defined by the general condition of your body and mind. An illness is defined by an impairment of normal physical or mental function. To help explain the different sociological approaches to health and ill health I will be referring to the case study of Aziz and Tamsela. Aziz and Tamsela have four young children; Tamsela’s elderly parents also live with them in their three bedroomed houses in a deprived and depressing area of London. Their house is in desperate need of repair; it is damp and due to this is very expensive to heat in the winter months. Aziz and Tamsela are both currently unemployed. The family also has very ill health; during the winter the children generally seem to have constant colds. On top of this Tamsela suffers from asthma and her father has bronchitis; also Tamsela’s mother is depressed and has been prescribed drugs to help her condition. One of the first sociological approaches to health and ill health involves the functionalist approach. The functionalists approach is derived from the work of Talcott Parsons. Using the traditional functionalists approach he described how for society to function effectively that its members need to healthy. Parsons defined illness as a form of deviance and that ill members of society were still performing a social role, the sick role. In his view if people declared themselves as ill specific rights and responsibilities come with this new role. Functionalists believe that the rights associated with the sick role are; to be exempt from normal social obligations, for example, to go to school, college or work and from meeting normal family obligations, also to be cared for. Parsons saw it as one of the key functions of the family to care for the sick and other dependant members of the family group. The individual also has responsibilities that are involved in the sick role; taking all reasonable steps to get better and seeking to resume their normal place in society as soon as possible and to cooperate with medical professionals, particularly doctors and their staff. Functionalists view that illness has social consequences; the ill cannot work and need to be cared for. They believe that where ever possible illness must be quickly dealt with in order for society to function effectively. In the instance of Aziz and Tamsela, the functionalists view contradicts their situation as they are in ill health and are not working; therefore they are stopping the effective function of society. In order to comply with the functionalists view they would need to seek help themselves and ensure their return to health in order to be able to start working and contributing to society as in their current situation they are draining society. Another approach to health and ill health would be the Marxists approach. Marxists believe that the definitions of health and illness and the health and social care system provided are in place to serve the interests of the more powerful dominant classes. Doctors are seen as agents who ensure that people go back to work as soon as possible, working in the interests of their employers rather than working in the patient’s best interests. Their job is to ensure that the employer has a healthy workforce. However the government still allow these companies to make money from the products that effectively cause ill health such as tobacco and junk food. Factories and firms also continue to produce toxic waste and large amounts of pollution which can also cause ill health. Marxists regard levels of ill health to be linked to the differences in social class, for example there is a higher level of illness and lower life expectancy in areas of poverty, high unemployment and environmental pollution. Marxists believe that the government do not consider enough the reasons for ill health; they believe that rather than treating patients each time they become ill that the government should look into the reasons they are continually becoming ill. With people needing to be treated by the NHS constantly this costs the government lots of money which the Marxist believe is funded by the most advantaged in society. The case study of Aziz and Tamsela supports this, as they live in a deprived area of London, in a damp house, they live in poverty and all have ill health, therefore supporting the Marxists view. Their care and ill health is costing society, however if they lived in a better area in a better house they may not become ill as often and may be able to recover and work. In this case the action would be to make sure they are fit and well unable to return to work and benefit their employer however a bigger solution would involve seeking a long term problem to their illnesses. Another approach to be considered is the interactionalist or social action approach. Interactionism is more concerned with the issues of health and illness. They look at; the process which lead a person to define themselves as ill, people with the same complaint vary with symptoms and also vary as to whether they will seek professional help. Also the interaction between the professionals and the patient in agreeing how ill they are and also the discussion between the professional and the patient about the impact of their illness and how much their illness limits them. They also consider the impact of illness on people self-image and their relationships if they are labelled as ill. Interactionists do not look at the structures and institutions or the reasons people become ill but the complex relationships between people, their friends and family and their links with the professional services. They believe that these relationships have as much influence as medical diagnosis on whether a person declares themselves as ill. In relation the Aziz and Tamsela, it is possible that they declare themselves as ill and declare their children as ill as their parents both suffer from serious illnesses. Lastly the feminist approach focuses on the male domination in society and medical professions and how this affects the health and social care system. They are particularly concerned with the way in which pregnancy and child birth are perceived as medical issues rather than a natural process. Another issue they have been trying to combat is the issue that the medical profession and the related pharmaceutical industries have given low priority to developing a male contraceptive pill, leaving most contraceptive methods only available to women. Their main focus is the fact that many women suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Feminists see this as a result of their exploited position in society and family unit. They argue that because women now also have the pressure and expectation of working however they also still have the responsibility of running a family, this causes them great stress due to a lot of pressure from society and their families. Feminists believe that any medical issue should be treated with medicines. In regards to the case study this approach does not have a very strong link as Tamsela does not work and neither does her husband. However due to the extra pressure of her parents living with her she will feel more stressed having to care for them, she is also dealing with extra pressure as her husband does not work and there is no money coming in to the family. Health can be defined in a negative or positive concept. A positive concept looks at health as a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing. Whereas a negative concept of health is that health is merely the absence of disease. In the health and social care sector, care professionals usually adapt the holistic approach. The holistic approach addresses the needs of the whole person including their, intellectual, spiritual, social, emotional, mental and physical health. Mildred Blaxter (1990) interviewed 10,000 people in a large scale study. From this she defined three standards of peoples understanding of health and wellbeing; a positive definition, regarding health as feeling fit and well. A negative definition regarding health as being free from pain and discomfort and also a functional definition, regarding health in terms of being able to perform certain day to day tasks. Models of Health There are also two models regarding health, the biomedical model and Socio-medical model. The Biomedical model has dominated western industrialised societies since the nineteenth century. This view of health underpins the policies of the current health system in the UK. In this model health is regarded as the absence of disease and that intervention from health professionals is necessary in the time of illness. The main purpose of the health service is to cure disease and to use scientifically tested methods to address diagnosed illnesses. In this model little regard is given to the social and environmental factors that may have caused ill health, it mainly focuses on the individual. The Biomedical model focuses mainly on the individual and finding a cure for them, it is a limitation of this model as it does not take into account the factors causing ill health and also the implications on the rest of society. Another limitation is that the biomedical model regards health as being simply the absence of disease which does not consider a patients mental, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual or physical health, which could lead to a person becoming unhealthy in different terms. However an advantage of this is that because the main focus of the model is disease, this would show that it is the health care professionals such as doctors whom are in control of a patient’s condition, meaning less confusion or interference from others such as management or other health care workers. This is links in with the inter-actionists sociological approach to health and illness as they focus on the relationship between the health professional and the individual and how this affects the person’s health and the decisions made about their health. The biomedical model also sits well with the functionalists approach to health and social care. Functionalists view illness as dysfunctional for society, as if people are ill they can’t make their normal contributions to society and are exempt from their usual social responsibilities, effectively stopping it from running smoothly. They then have the responsibility to co-operate with health care professionals and should take all reasonable steps to get better. Whereas the Socio-medical focuses on the social factors that contribute to health and wellbeing. Research shows that life expectancy rose and death rates fell especially infant mortality rates with improvements in sanitation and the provision of clean water, the building of new council houses and general improved standards of living. This began during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. However the NHS was not introduced until 1948 which meant free personal health care. This goes to show that social and environmental factors are a significant source of disease and that the causes and effects of ill health are not solely surrounding the individual. However as the Socio-medical model focuses on the environmental and social affecting factors, this can take time to find a cause of illness which would mean that until a cure or solution was found each patient would need to treated individual so that their illness was kept under control. This could also be seen as strength of the Socio-medical model because even though it may take time to find a solution to the problem or reasons for an illness, if a solution was found it can mean long term solutions and also the prevention of the illness in future. However unlike the biomedical model the socio-medical model does not fit at all with the functionalists perspective towards health and illness but fits better with the Marxists view of health and illness, Marxists would explain the shorter life expectancy and the higher rates of ill-health among the poor as a consequence of the inequalities in society and the poor life circumstances of those in poverty. They would argue that the poor are more likely to have an inadequate diet and live in damp houses, in deprived areas where unemployment and environmental pollution are higher making them more vulnerable to illness and that the higher groups in society such as politicians and the owners of the industries are not willing to help and make changes to help protect the poor from ill-health and disease. Overall both models of health are very different the biomedical model focuses on curing the individual each time where as the socio-medical model looks at the causes of the illnesses including the society we live in and the environment and looks for a longer term solutions. Effectively both models are useful and possibly if put together could be more effective in solving the problems regarding health and illness throughout society.

Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen date of birth is uncertain it was reason prohibited that she whitethorn meet been was born in 1098 at Bermersheim bei Alzey (Bockelheim, Ger many an(prenominal)) in the diocese of Mainz. She was raised(a) in a family of free shocking her parents were Hildebert and Mechtilide who came from a Germany education. Hildegard was born the tenth pip-squeak (a tithe) to a noble family. As was everyday with the tenth child, whom the family could non count on feeding, she was dedicated at birth to the perform to serve the church, to be a knightly prophet, a healer, an artist and a composer.Hildegard explains that from a very young age she had see visions. At the age of eight Hildegard was send to a convent and was raised and educated at Disibodenberg. Some scholars say that because of her visions, she was placed in the care of Jutta, the daughter of Count Stephan II of Sponheim. Hildegard says that she first cut The Shade of the supporting Light at the age of terce and by the age volt she began to agnise that she was experiencing visions.In Hildegards youth, she referred to her visionary acquaint as her viso. She explained that she saw each things in the light of beau ideal through the five senses sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Hildegard was hesitant to share her visions, confiding merely to Jutta, who in turn told Volmar Hildegards tutor and, later, secretary. During the twenty four years when Jutta and Hildegard were in the convent together, in that respect is no written record of what happened during these condemnations. It is realistic that Hildegard could have been a chantress and a histrion in the herbarium.Hildegard too tells us that Jutta taught her to run down and save, exclusively that she was unlearned and therefore incapable(p) of teaching Hildegard Biblical interpretation. Hildegard and Jutta most apt(predicate) prayed, meditated, show up scriptures such as the Psalter, and did destruction to s ort of handwork during the hours of the Divine Office. This similarly might have been a beat when Hildegard learned how to play the ten-stringed psaltery. Volmar, a keep going visitor, may have taught Hildegard simple blither nonation.The time she studied melody could in addition have been the beginnings of the compositions she would later create. Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen Sante Fe make and Company, 1985) Upon Juttas death in 1136, Hildegard was unanimously elective as magistra of her sister biotic community by her fellow nuns. Abbot Kuno, the Abbot of Disibodenberg, also asked Hildegard to be Prioress. Hildegard, however, wanted more emancipation for herself and her nuns and asked Abbot Kuno to allow them to move to Rupertsberg. When the abbot declined Hildegards proposition, Hildegard went over his head and authentic the blessing of Archbishop Henry I of Mainz.Abbot Kuno did non relent, however, until Hildegard was stricken by an woozyness that unploug hed her paralyzed and unable to move from her make love, an concomitant that she attri provideded to Gods unhappiness at her not sideline his orders to move her nuns to Rupertsberg. It was only when the Abbot himself could not move Hildegard that he decided to deal the nuns their own monastery. Hildegard and about(predicate) twenty nuns consequentlyly moved to the St. Rupertsberg monastery in 1150, where Volmar served as provost, as well as Hildegards confessor and scribe.In 1165 Hildegard founded a second convent for her nuns at Eibingen. (Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen Sante Fe expect and Company, 1985) Hildegard did not manifest the visions until when she was in her betimes forties. The church did not allow women to sing however, women were permitted to compose melody for convents. Hildegard of Bingen was one such woman who wrote sacred music for choirs in convents. Not only did Hildegard compose music for church choirs, still she also wrote pieces of music that could be performed outside of the church, otherwise know as secular music.She began to have the typic and didactic visions for which she became famous. At first she did not write any of her visions down but then when she fell gravely ill she blamed it on the fact that she was not revealing her visions. After consulting with the Pope and St Bernard of Clairvaux she began to write her visions down, in the Scivas. Archbishop Heinrich convinced Hildegard to share her visions and believed them to be a gift from God. Pope Eugenis terzetto sent a commission to canvas Hildegards vision and obtain a copy of her writings.Pope Eugenis III read Hildegards visions in front of the synod that all believed them to be true. The Pope sent Hildegard a letter of approval, authorizing her to continue transcribing her visions. The result of this was to contract Hildegards visionary gift. Hildegard was not exclusively restricted to religious life sentence but she was also an abbess, mystic, poet, m usician and scientist. (German Mysticism-Albany State University of novel York Press, 1993) She had a very hard and amentiferous life.She become very well know and wrote many songs and books, many of which are all the akin read today. She made a boastfully contribution to society at her time overcoming whatever problems faced her. Hildegard used a large variety of parables, metaphors, symbols, visionary imagery and non-verbal means to make her work touch on out to many who are all in all deaf to more standard approaches. She matte that everyone deserved the right to learn about her work, especially the visions she was receiving from God, even though they may have physical or kind disadvantages.Throughout her life, she continued to have many visions, and in 1141, at the age of 42, Hildegard received a vision she believed to be an mastery from God, to write down that which you see and hear. as yet hesitant to record her visions, Hildegard became physically ill. The illustr ations put down in the book of Scivias were visions that Hildegard experienced, causing her neat suffering and tribulations. In her first theological text, Know the Ways. (The letters of Hildegard of Bingen Oxford University Press, 1994)Hildegard describes her peel within. But I, though I saw and perceive these things, refused to write for a gigantic time through doubt and baneful opinion and the diversity of gentle words, not with stubbornness but in the usage of humility, until, laid low by the cudgel of God, I fell upon a bed of sickness then, compelled at last by many illnesses, and by the witness of a certain noble maiden of correct conduct the nun Richardis von Stade and of that man whom I had secretly sought and found, as mentioned above, I set my hand to the writing.While I was doing it, I sensed, as I mentioned before, the late profundity of scriptural exposition and, nurture myself from illness by the strength I received, I brought this work to a close though just barely in ten years. (Hildegard von Bingen, Mystical Visions) And I rung and wrote these things not by the invention of my subject matter or that of any other person, but as by the secret mysteries of God I heard and received them in the heavenly places.And again I heard a portion from Heaven maxim to me, Cry out therefore, and write thus Hildegards vivid description of the physical sensations which tended to(p) her visions has led neurologist (and popular author) Oliver Sacks to speculate that they were symptoms of migraine, in particular because of her description of light. Sacks consider that the illuminations that appear in Hildegards manuscripts confirm that Hildegard suffered from cast out scotoma. (Hildegard von Bingen- Mystical Visions)After taking up her role as Superior of the community of nuns, Hildegard became convinced she should no longer abide silent about what she experienced in the Living Light. She heard a voice that addressed her 0 frail human formed from the dust of the earth, ashes from ashes, cry out and proclaim the beginning of undefiled buyback Let those who see the inner centre of Scripture, yet do not invite to proclaim or preach it, pip instruction, for they are lukewarm and sluggish. and so pour out a super C of abundance, over-flow with mysterious learning, so that those who want you to be despicable on account of Eves ill-doing may be overwhelmed by the englut of your profusion. (Hildegard von Bingen-Mystical Visions) Matthew Fox, the founder of creation spirituality, while he examined her writings and explored some of her teachings through a series of meditations. He described her as being a strong, feminine figure, venerable by the New Age, who are attracted by her theology, with its emphasis on the harmony of the created innovation and its relation to God.At about the same time musicologists and historians of science and religion began to area her and the past ten years have seen a proliferation of book s and academic studies on her life and work. There are films and videos about her, societies, colloquia and conferences in her name. She is also taken seriously as a musician, and the New Grove lexicon of Music and Musicians gives her nearly six pages.