Form and Structure of ‘Abigail’s Party’ Emily Huntley Essay

Mike Leigh’s ‘Abigail’s Party’ was primarily shown on television and wasn’t initially meant for the stage, until it was realised how successful it was. The plot is based around a mirror of two party’s, one involving 5 adults all living in the same estate but of very contrasting backgrounds and classes which Mike Leigh also depicts, and the other of the sixteen year old daughter of Sue, who’s organised a typical teenage ‘rave’. The essence of the play is that generally speaking the younger generations should be observed at parties but in Mike Leigh’s example the irony is that the adult’s seem just as drunk and obscene as what is imagined next door. This is where the comedy arises and is developed throughout the play as the adults keep a close eye on the teenagers but there is no one to observe the adults. Mike Leigh has also drawn the attention of the audience by focusing on class by contrasting the classes of the characters, Beverly and Lawrence who are aspiring for true middle class, a poor newly married couple and a middle class divorcee. This situation in itself is controversial due to Sue not being nearly as wealthy as Beverly and Lawrence but being by far the most cultured of the group. Another example of this would be shown in Ang, her occupation as a nurse can actually be called a well known and accepted profession, although she has little money and isn’t well cultured or travelled, as an outsider you can see the intelligence that Mike Leigh has tried to depict over the other characters. The play is composed of two acts, both of which surprisingly end with the focus on Sue, the most timid character. I think this was purposeful on Leigh’s behalf as although she seems to be a pretty insignificant character she holds a lot of unknown power over the people in her company. Especially Lawrence who realises her class is above his and he aspires to be like her by seeking her approval. As the play develops so does the amount of alcohol consumed and the tension between the two married couples. Especially from Beverly and Lawrence’s points of view as they start verbally abusing each other in the presence of their guests, which I believe would not occur otherwise as Ang, Tony and Sue would realise their true characters. Therefore I could also state that the play is structured around class, parties and also alcohol. Everything in the play including props, lighting and sound effects is ultra realistic. The set includes real food and drink with a working record player and lamps, which provide the naturalistic lighting throughout the whole play, and the constant thumping from next door really makes the situation believable. To enhance the realism, Mike Leigh also wrote the play in ‘real time’, this means that the duration of the play is natural over the period of an evening, with no days or hours skipped. Another tool used by Mike Leigh to develop true realism is the use of colloquial dialect. There is no stylised or poetic language and also no imagery used. It is written so the audience can easily place themselves in the character’s positions. Discussing the structure of the play is hard considering the definitions of ‘A Well Made Play’ 1.) Exposition (introduction of characters and situations) 2.) Conflict (a huge problem is bought to the surface) 3.) Complications (the problem develops) 4.) Climax (the most dramatic, and tension filled part of the play) 5.) Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nouement (the resolution) The exposition occurs between pages 1 and 13 when the characters are introduced to each other and also the audience. This is the period when the audience makes their own assumptions of the characters, and they can recognise different relationships and tensions. This is when we also realise about Lawrence’s hectic lifestyle and frequent suffering of heartburn so that his heart attack doesn’t come as a complete shock and the audience understand and sympathise more. The conflict is primarily to do with Beverly and Lawrence’s relationship and the strain that it is clearly under. But we also see the stress between Angela and Tony periodically. The complication is when the tension builds as more and more alcohol is consumed predominantly between Lawrence and Beverly. The climax is clearly Lawrence’s heart attack, which is the outcome, of a stressful job, a nagging wife, being polite to unwelcome guests the consumption of alcohol and the constant ‘thumping’ of the party next door. This is when the focus and drive of the play changes completely from the future life these characters have built themselves to the present situation. Lastly the dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nouement. In ‘Abigail’s Party’ there doesn’t seem to be a definite resolution, the play is left on a cliff hanger as the audience is ‘left in the dark’ as to whether the conflicts have been resolved and if not the final outcome of the situation. ‘Abigail’s Party’ is referred to as a comedy, but of various types, it contains a slight element of black comedy in the fact that Lawrence has a heart attack. But throughout the play, Leigh develops another form of comedy, not through one-liners, but due to the characters’ dialogue and movement etc. For example, Tony’s monosyllabic answers, Angela’s lack of social etiquette, Sue’s shyness and total dislike of the situation, Lawrence’s frequent cultural references even though everyone can see he is uneducated in Shakespeare and Beethoven and is simply attempting and failing to reach a higher social class (nouveaux riches). And Beverly’s clear lack of self-control concerning Tony and insulting Angela’s lipstick. ‘Abigail’s Party’ is essentially written as a comedy, until the end, which presents more opportunities, and shows a more tragic and retrospective feel. This play is unique in that it is completely down to the director as to how they depict it as it can be of two extremes tragic or comic, excluding Lawrence’s death, which is clearly comic with the reference to Ang’s cramp etc. In the production I saw, it was comic and I thought this worked well but having considered it to be a tragic play I think this could be just as effective.

Design of “Vertical” Greenhouses

General Info: Greenhouses provide us with great benefits, for case, turning harvests in utmost climes or in such parts where dirts are non suited for farming. For the first clip this thought was mentioned in the Ancient Rome, when Roman engineers made a rock room with translucent roof to turn harvests and protect them from searing Sun and terrible storms. Several centuries have passed and the construct of the nursery changed radically: walls and roof became crystalline, computing machine controls irrigational systems and climate control can automatically take suited air temperature and humidness. Furthermore, the design has besides changed ; presents it is preferred to construct egg-shaped nurseries with dome-like roofs because they permit light through much easier than ordinary nurseries with traditional roof tops. ( Sky Greens, 2011 ) Singapore interior decorators turned the design of nursery upside down and won National Development’s R & A ; D Award back in 2011 ( Merit Award ) . They ma de it perpendicular and it has several positive facets: it can be put in the centre of the metropolis, takes less country on the land and does non botch the futuristic design of the metropolis. Furthermore Singapore became pioneer metropolis in researching and implementing this thought in existent life. Undertakings: EDITT Tower ( Singapore ) The first undertaking that appeared on designs was the EDITT Tower. It was proposed in 1998 and it skoked people by its extraordinary. The position of this undertaking is â€Å"pending† now. After suggesting the EDITT Tower in 1998 the street life was brought to the upper degrees trough broad landscaped inclines. These street activities were lined with these inclines ( eating houses, observation decks, coffeehouse, stores, stables, public presentation infinites and etc. ) . However despite all these attractive forces that maved at that place, EDITT Tower was named as ‘hierarchy of ecosystems’ . It provides life and comfort staying as for people, as for harvests that can be grown at that place. The chief intents for this tower were: attract, supply comfort and increase biodiversity and organic mass, rehabitate ecosystems, preserve and preserve. EDITT Tower ( 2008 ) This tower is enormously ‘eco-friendly’ in malice that it was designed in 1998, it was already designed, photovoltaic panels, rainforest roll uping and recycling, gray H2O and waste separation and intervention systems to be constitutional ( mention to segment ‘How it works’ to cognize more about each system ) * . Suggested country to build this edifice is in the centre of Singapore. EDITT Tower ; overall position ( 2008 ) EDITT Tower, Floor program ( 2008 ) Technical Datas: Climate for harvests: Rainforst Vegetation: Rainforest Site country: 838 m2; Entire GFA ( Gross Floor Area ) 6,033 m2 Number of floors: 26 ; Sums up to: 6,033 m2/ 26 = 232 m2on each floor Solar energy Autonomy: 39.7 % Sewage Recycling per annum: 15,190 m3 Water Autonomy: 55.1 % Embodied Energy** : 142,841.20 GJ/m2 **Embodied Energy – entire primary energy ( crude oil, energy, gas ) consumed in Gigajoules on mean 80 KG of CO2per GJ. Planted Areas: 63 % of the edifice country. Totals up to: 6,033 m2– 63 % = 3,800 m2are used for turning. Type of the Building: Mixed-use Facilities, Offices. Date: 1998 Designed by: T.R. Hamzah and Yeang. Solaris Tower ( Singapore ) The first undertaking of the mixed-use edifice ( including perpendicular farms ) that was truly built. TR Hamzah & A ; Yeang designed Solaris in 2008, linking nature and humanity. Several sky Bridgess linking skygardens and offices between two towers. Even though that EDITT Tower consists of 26 floors, Solaris has merely 15, nevertheless it has more infinite for landscape gardening, around 8,000 m2. Solaris is a re-designed theoretical account of the EDITT Tower. There are new implementions: the new architectural design called ‘Eco-Cell’ was placed on the top degrees of the tower. The ‘Eco-cell’ is a combination of gardens with different harvests inside that were placed on the top degrees in combine with different eating houses and bars. Besides the edifice has the ‘Solar Shaft’ that penetrates the upper floors and allows the daytime to come in. Likewise several detectors scan the sum of the daytime in the edifice and cut down the sum of energy for the lamps, when they don’t need it and the energy ingestion lessenings. ‘Naturally Ventilated Grand Atrium’ IS a engeneeres’ development that allows air to come in, non utilizing ordinary airing systems. The operable glass roof protects the edifice from any component that can ab initio come in. Furthermore Harmonizing to Eco Infrastructure by T.R. Hamzah and Yeang ( 2009 ) ‘The building’s overall energy ingestion will stand for a decrease of over 33 % compared to local case in points and the undertaking is on mark to transcend BCA’s** GreenMark Platinum evaluation, the highest possible enfranchisement granted by Singapore’s sustainable edifice benchmark’ . The intent of this edifice is the same as EDITT’s Tower: rehabitate ecosystems, preserve and preserve. Solaris Singapore ( 2013 ) Solaris Singapore Aerial View ( 2013 ) Solaris Singapore Roof Garden ( 2013 ) Solaris Singapore Lobby ( 2013 ) Solaris Singapore Building Plan ( 2013 ) Solaris Singapore Ecological Design Features ( 2013 ) How it works: The map of these ‘extraordinary’ stylish, ultra-modern perpendicular nurseries does non differ from their opposite number. However, if you enter them you can happen some differences: in some edifices the sunshine will be replaced with extremely efficient LED lamps. They contain glass walls, and solar panels or weave turbines that make them stand out and tout sustainable energy beginnings. Crops are on a regular basis irrigated and its ‘grey water’ is so recycled and used once more. ( How Stuff Works 2013 ) Furthermore, methane, besides called ‘biogas’ that is produced by workss, is collected and stored in particular containers and used as alternate beginning of energy. Consequently ‘biogas’ and ‘grey water’ are non released into the ambiance or dumped into the sea or the river. What crops can be grown at that place? Harmonizing to Bright Agrotech of 2013, ‘plants range from traditional nursery harvests like tomatoes and Cucumis sativuss to traditional Nutrient Film Technique ( NFT ) harvests such as boodle and salad greens.’ Furthermore, if your nursery has aquaponic systems you can turn anything at that place. Harmonizing to Vertical Food Blog 2013, the best harvests for this type of nursery are the 1s with really fast bends such as rosemary, basil, marjoram, mustard leafy vegetables, and boodles, because they will take down your costs, addition returns and minimise liabilities. How it can be implemented in the UAE? From older times UAE is celebrated by its clime, nevertheless the dirt is non acceptable to turn any type of harvests at that place, furthermore open-roof farms will non protect harvests from sand storms. Likewise it can be a great opportunity to implement this thought to the UAE’s local local market. Furthermore some fruits and veggies that are brought from other states can be reduced up to 40 per centum. If tis economic scheme becomes effectual, it will pull more clients to purchase local merchandises and do UAE go independent from other countries-suppliers. Bruno G. ( 2012 ) . Dave ‘s Garden. A Short History of the Greenhouse. Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3607/ # B [ Accessed 18 December 2013 ] . Sky Gardens. ( 2011 ) . Our Company. Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //skygreens.appsfly.com/products [ Accessed 18 December 2013 ] Silverman J. Will at that place be farms in New York City ‘s skyscrapers? How stuff plants. Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/vertical-farming1.htm [ Accessed 18 December 2013 ] Robinson N. Vertical nutrient web log. Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //verticalfoodblog.com/best-crops-for-vertical-farming/ [ Accessed 18 December 2013 ] hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildingArchive2012/SolarisSingapore/tabid/3854/language/en-GB/Default.aspx – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.designbuild-network.com/projects/solaris-fusionopolis/solaris-fusionopolis5.html Solaris Singapore ( images and Text ) . hypertext transfer protocol: //inhabitat.com/editt-tower-by-trhamzah-and-yeang/ EDITT Tower ( images and text ) .

A problem question in property law

A problem question in property law Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . Property law 1. The property here is held as a tenancy in common as the words â€Å"in equal shares† has been used and the parties have sold and passed on their individual shares indicating their intention that they all own a part of the property as opposed to them all holding the whole of the property. The Law of Property Act 1925 stipulates that the legal estate can only be held by more than one person as joint tenants. A tenancy in common in the legal estate can no longer exist, so that if there is to be a tenancy in common then this must exist behind a trust for sale. As against the outside world (including any landlord) the co-occupiers (who are trustees) can only be joint tenants. Section 12 of TOLATA 1996 confers a right to occupy where the purposes of e trust include making the property available for such occupation or where the lands is held by the trustees so as to be so available. No right arises where the land is unavailable or unsuitable for occupation. Whe re two or more beneficiaries have a right to occupy, the trustees may exclude or restrict the entitlement of any of them as long as the trustees act reasonably in doing so. In exercising their power to exclude, restrict or impose restrictions the trustees are, by reason of s13(4), to have regard to the intentions of the person who created the trust, the purposes for which the land is held an the wishes of all of the beneficiaries who would be entitled to occupy [1] . Therefore on this basis it is likely that the other trustees will be able to sell the property and Beth and Emma will therefore be able to remain at the property. 2. Easements can come into existence in a number of ways; by express grant (either by deed or in writing), by implication on the sale of part of a property or by prescription. It has long been established that an easement is no more than a right over land and not a right to either possession or joint and exclusive use of it [2] . If an alleged right involves t he exclusion of the owner of land, it cannot be an easement. The precise scope of this principle has been considered in a number of cases. In Copeland v Greenhalf, above, a wheelwright’s claim to an easement to store vehicles on a strip of adjoining land failed because Upjohn J considered that the right was too extensive to constitute an easement in law; it amounted to a claim to the whole beneficial use of the part of the strip of land over which it had been exercised. In Grigsby v Melville [3] Brightman J took a similar view of an asserted right to use premises as a store. Nonetheless, in Wright v McAdam [4] , the Court of Appeal had considered that a tenant’s use of a shed in a garden for the storage of coal might be an easement. Categories of easements have increased since the decision in Dyce v Lady James Hay [5] and have developed over time to suit modern society. For example it is doubtful at the time of this decision that right to access car parking spaces wa s a valid or existing easement, whereas such easements are common these days.

Raymond Carvers Catherdral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Raymond Carvers Catherdral - Essay Example Robert had just lost his wife and was meeting her relatives in Connecticut. The narrator’s wife offers him a place to spend the night. While conversing with Robert, the narrator suddenly realizes that though Robert is blind, he is able to ‘see’ far better than the narrator with his eyesight. Thesis Statement The narrator comes upon the realization that even though Robert is blind, he is a better communicator because he uses his other senses of touch and perception as a means to establish a rapport with not only the narrator’s wife but his own wife Beulah as well. Thus Robert has had a much richer understanding with the narrator’s wife than the narrator himself- in comparison, their own conversational exchanges are few, terse and tensed. Discussion The short story writer Raymond Carver (1938-1988) has been acclaimed as one of the best proponents of this form of literature in the USA. His short but eventful life was tragic and interspersed with poverty and want. In a strange way, this state of affairs mirrors the life of Edgar Allan Poe, another short story writer of Gothic fiction. Both were slaves to the bottle. Born into a blue collar family where his father was a worker at a sawmill and his mother a waitress, Raymond nevertheless harbored a desire to write. This desire was sparked when Raymond attended creative writing classes in 1958 at Chico State College under the tutelage of John Gardner, another short story writer of some repute. Gardner took Carver under his wing and advised him to shorten his words from twenty five to fifteen to have a better effect. If that were not damning enough, the stringent editing of Carver’s editor Gordon Lish resulted in a further admonition and Carver having to condense his stories even further into five words for every fifteen. Of course, this would stifle Carver’s creativity and he ultimately rebelled against Lish (Halpert, 2005, 33). All writers love to have their own poetic license and freedom of expression. They also like the company of comrade souls with similar interests and outlook. This was probably one reason why Carter chose to divorce his longtime wife Maryann who was his childhood sweetheart (they had married when he was 19 and she 18 and had 2 kids by the time they were 20) and married another writer, Tess Gallagher in 1988. Their happiness was short lived though, Carver dying just six months into the marriage due to lung cancer. Carver uses a minimalist style and his stories are often sad and melancholy, yet they usually have a moral or lesson attached. One of more of the characters is likely to have been recovering from a tragedy, or set to become a victim of it. What is important is the reaction to this tragedy or circumstance. In Cathedral, the emphasis is on seeing rather than looking, feelings rather than appearances. The narrator does not seem to have a very good relationship or understanding with his wife. Their conversations are few and terse and strained, as though they are estranged or do not really understand or care for each other. For one, the narrator’s wife seems to recall her working experience with the blind man with pleasant memories. She especially recalls the way he touched her face, her neck, her hands etc. on her last day of work (Carver, 2008, 305). There is no sexual connotation here, it is just the element of feelings that the author wants to highlight. Despite his blindness, Robert seems to be imbued with a deep sense of

Innovative Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Innovative Organisations - Essay Example Its global business far outstretches total sales, leading by about 74% of the total Topcon sales, as per the 2008 fiscal year annual report. Topcon produces many No. 1 products in the international market in the line of Positioning business, Eye Care business and Finetech business. Electronic Total Station in the Positioning business segment is holding the largest share in the global market for providing functionality and performance; it is cost-effective and has product range. The company’s major competitive strategy, according to the company President, Takashi Yokokura, is providing the No. 1 products worldwide quicker than its competitor companies. It has followed â€Å"TM-1† (Time to Market No. 1) business functions to minimise operational processes time to half, speed up business and set benchmarks in quality. Focus is more on increasing technological acumen and marketing functions. Operational processes in R&D, product quality and cost competiveness will be speeded up to attain the specific target of TM-1 Company. Topcon Group’s future growth depends on speeding the product in as less time taken as possible to reach market. Only by following this strategy, Topcon can boost its profit by exactly predicting market requirements and delivering products hassle-free, exceedingly satisfying its customers. In positioning business, Topcon is integrating different technologies – electronic and laser technology into its backbone technology – optical technology, thus, enlarging its business domain with machine control, image analysis and GPS technologies for high-accuracy 3D position information. Topcon has once again set standards by introducing GPT-9000A Series in Total Station. Topcon’s total station is a positioning tool that exactly marks measuring points, offering correct and graphic 3D position displays. The

Critical Article on a Recently Completed Building Coursework

Critical Article on a Recently Completed Building - Coursework Example The tower has a height of three hundred and ten meters above the ground. The building is equipped with forty four lifts to facilitate upward and downward movement of people. Also known as the Shard of Glass, The Shard skyscraper is located near the London bridge station which is located in the suburbs of the Southwark town. Specifically, the Shard is located to the south of London Bridge that is used to cross River Thames from London City. It has eighty seven floors, and it is three hundred and ten meters high above the ground. The building was designed to host several recreational facilities as well as office spaces. Floors four to twenty eight were designed to house offices, floors sixty eight to seventy two were designed for public viewing galleries, floors fifty three to sixty five for apartments, and others to hosts hotels and other recreational facilities. This article is aimed at critiquing the general architecture of the Shard. The building will be analysed in order to find o ut if it has achieved the intended functionality. Its effect on the general public, the environment as well as flora and fauna will be closely studied. Description of the building According to Kant (2007, p. 1) in his book critique of judgement architecture is defined as â€Å"the art of exhibiting concepts of things that are possible only through art, things whose form does not have nature as its determining basis but instead has a chosen purpose, and of doing so in order to carry out that aim and yet also with aesthetic purposiveness. In architecture, the main concern is what use is to be made of the artistic object, and this use is a condition to which the aesthetic ideas are confined† (Harries, 2008). The definition of Kant has manifested in the design of The Shard. The design of the building was based on producing the tallest building in London that that positively contributes to the aesthetics value of London. London views from the summit of The Shard are astonishing. A s one views the landscape of London from the Shard, it is spread out like vast moving tapestry. The views of Olympic Park, Wembley Stadium, and the winding views of Thames River are vividly visible (TripAdvisor, 2013). Like other tall buildings, the Shard had to work both from street level and at a distance. To provide a street frontage, the American Inter – War approach and cornice level was utilized (TripAdvisor, 2013). This made the Shard unnoticeable from the street. The redesigned concourse of London Bridge Station gives the Shard a ready - made podium. This was made possible by the heights at which the railway lines are set. This concourse forms the base onto which The Shard with its fritted - glass canopies rises. The above connoted unique architectural techniques illustrate analytic aesthetics which has been ignored by many architects in their work. Functiolism plays a vital role here in the transformation of the initial â€Å"simple† building into an architect ural work that serves its intended purposes. The specific Design of the Shard has made it an iconic Landmark in London. The building comprises of eleven thousand glass panels which are equivalent to fifty six thousand meters squares of glass. To facilitate movement, the building has three hundred and six flights of stairs and 44 lifts most of which comprises double decker. The building’s floor was designed to cover 31.4 acres. The floors

Short Answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Short Answers - Assignment Example Between kazuo’s camera andKurosawa’s intuitive directions, there is hardly any words needed to be used. The inconsistency is evident from this point where the camera accounts for the gesture, passes a forest’s breeze rush. The truth showed twenty four frames for each second, a bit different every time. Outstanding in the stellar cast is Toshiro’s bug-bitten outlaw, his antics surprise and even confuse into depths. Inconsistency is a cyclic technique employed in films to inspire the audience and make it interesting. A film may have a flow but at some point it makes a new turn and then it takes the pattern. The pattern is crucial in movies for capturing the audience and breaking boredom. Inconsistency captures senses of the audience as they are left with a range of conclusion on how the film is flowing and its conclusion. It is also vital in capture of emotions of the audience in different ways. Lastly, inconsistency is meant to disapprove the expectation of the audience there by making them attentive. Question two From time immemorial, film buffs, film critics and filmmakers will refer to a film period by the name the French new wave. To other people the term is to be thrown out to sound impressive. For some other people it carries significance and inspiration that represents a defining moment in cinematic innovation and individuality. It is very vital to note that while cahiers critics talked about their views, there was variation and diversity within the groups. This ranged from cinematic aesthetic to age. It was by diversifying their thoughts that they were able to challenge their views and engage in debates. The French new wave from their debates and diversification made films that shared variety aspects of filming in Europe making it unique. The French new wave created films in various genres deviating from the usual narrative conventions. The use of held cameras, natural lighting, real locations and improvised scripts formulated a feeling of realism. These techniques were different from the ones other movements employed. One of the directors’ aims was to have the audience know that they are watching a film. This was done through the medium employed. The directors had a character talk to the audience face to face hence having a break on the fourth wall. At that time it was a unique, surprising and new technique which today is employed in present cinemas. This movement also employed a film that maximized memory as a subject, showing a changing mentality that is modern in the history of film making. The technique the movement used was unusual as it influence other movements as they adopted it. Question three Third Cinema is known to be credited to two filmmakers, Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas. Following a film completion in 1968, the two drafted a manifesto. The manifesto had a laid down structure on the classification of cinemas: the first cinema, second cinema and the third cinema. First cinema is a Hollywood production model. It also applies to other cinema production of in other countries that is done in large scale like Bollywood. A very vital factor for the two, the production mode represents an ideology that there exists a specific relationship between the spectator and film where cinema is taken as a spectacle (Chanan, pp.375). The cinema relays the messages of an overwhelming ideology through its content, its production

Edmund Husserl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Edmund Husserl - Essay Example In Husserl's characterization of conscious intentionality we see a kinship with Whitehead's notion of the vector character of experience: "The experiencer aims at the data even as the data aim at the experiencer" (). To explore this intentional structure of consciousness, Husserl attempts to develop a method to reveal the complex contents of consciousness as clearly as we experience a simple sense perception. But even a sense perception comes to us amid a lifetime of assumptions and beliefs about the cause and context of the perception. Husserl tries to work out a step-bystep series of phenomenological or eidetic "reductions" in which reality, as presented in our "naive" experience, is bracketed in hopes of bringing forth the structures that constitute phenomena (Hart 644). Husserl finds that the uniqueness of consciousness lies in the fact that the phenomena are "constituted" by conscious activities regarding the phenomena's essences (or meanings). Husserl does not mean to say that things are imaginary inventions. Entities are not created by consciousness, but their essences are constructed from the hyle, the stuff presented to the synthetic character of transcendental consciousness. Husserl describes these activities as meaning intentions of consciousness and fulfilling intentions of phenomena. For example, my awareness of my desk is not identical to the desk itself. The desk is solid, rectangular, and several feet wide, but my idea of the desk possesses none of those qualities. Although the hardness and size of the desk cannot physically enter my consciousness, they are somehow presented to me from the stuff of my idea of the desk (Hart 645). Husserl shows that this presentation is an exceedingly complex activity in which sense data take many forms and occur within a complicated array of potential sensations. But these sense data would be meaningless without the meaning intentions, the noetic activity of consciousness that assigns appropriate categories suc h as substance, quality, and explains the relations as the shape, size, of a material object; that is, noetic activities constitute the "whatness" of what is intended by consciousness (Schrag 278). For Husserl, the "detachment" proposed in any judgment, then, is the agreement of what is meant and what is given in fulfilling intentions. The difference between Husserl's transcendentalism and Heidegger's is found in the latter's attempt to express the way phenomena are constituted in terms deeper than Husserl's transcendental consciousness. (Hart 645). Husserl's attempt is far too idealistic, subjectivistic, and egoistic for Heidegger. In considering consciousness to provide the fundamental, presuppositionless beginning of philosophy, Husserl places himself squarely within the Cartesian tradition that takes the cogito to be prior to what Heidegger considers the ontological structure beneath, the sum. Husserl maintains the subject-object dichotomy so severely separated res cogitans and res extensa. Critics admit that Husserl goes far beyond Descartes in attempting to resolve how the activities of the knowing subject become connected to the known through the

Gas Chromatography Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gas Chromatography - Term Paper Example It is also referred to as gas separator or aerograph. Gas chromatography is different from other forms of chromatography because the solutions are always in gas state as they travel through the column. Retention time occurs when different compounds separate in the column at different times. The gases have different eluting times due to the reactions between them and the column. The gases are now compared by their different retention times which give the gas chromatography the power to analyze the gases (Eli, pp. 217-220). Chromatography originated in 1903 by Mikhail Semenovich Tswett who was a Russian botanical scientist. He opened the way to gas chromatography. He used adsorbents like ethanol and calcium carbonate to elute carotenoids and chlorophylls this saw the use of the column chromatography. The foundation of the gas chromatography was later laid by the Nobel Prize winner John Porter Martin. In 1941, he used the liquid to liquid method and in 1944, paper chromatography which brought about gas chromatography. It later led to the formation of liquid-gas chromatography in 1950. This has led to the modern gas chromatography technique which is being used today as an important analytical technique in chemistry (Colin, pp. 161-165). The description of chemistry, physics and biology behind the gas chromatography technique can be explained ... This means it uses the inert gases like carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen and argon. For one to choose the carrier gas, he or she needs to identify the type of detector to be used. It has a molecular sieve that sieves out impurities and water (Casimir, pp. 139-142). The injector port is a column in which the samples are passed in the instrument. The samples are not supposed to be very large and they are to be introduced in the column as in the state of vapor. Large sample injections can cause the band to broaden thus lose resolution. The most accurate and common method used is that of injecting samples via a rubber septum using the micro syringe. The injector is characterized by a heated chamber which has a glass liner where the sample is passed through the septum. When the injector is using the splitter mode, the carrier gas normally enters the chamber and leaves it by three outlets. Then the sample becomes vapor which leads to the formation of the mixture of carrier gas, vaporized solutes and solvents. A small amount of the mixture goes to the column leaving most of it to exit via the split outlets. Components can not enter the column due to the septum purge outlet in the instrument (Sawhney, pp.211-215). The column is divided in to two sections; capillary and packed. The capillary is further divided in to two whereby there is the support or wall coated open tubular (WCOT, SCOT). The wall coated has a liquid coated stationary phase while the support coated one has thin layer of a supportive material that absorbs the stationary phase. The most efficient type of capillary is the wall-coated capillary. The fused silica open tubular column is considered to be the best as it is a type of the WCOT.

Reading Response to Quotes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading Response to Quotes - Assignment Example Abstract imagery is often described as trickery because images like that are not intended to show the world the way it is, but rather give us a perspective from which an artist looks at it. 2. This quote touches upon perspective as the way to both actualize an artist in the imagery he or she creates and accentuate something he or she wants viewers to contemplate again. Many photographs like Nicholas Prior in his Conspiracy of Silence project, where he uses a dirty window between a camera and an object of photography, tend to play with codes of photographic truth to make viewers think metaphorically when they see visual images. All in all, a visual image has always been a powerful tool of communication between those who create an image and those who look at it. 3. It is quite an interesting quote to think about. Visual images, whether it is photography, painting or movie, help us grasp changes that either the world we live in or the inner world of a certain artist go through. In my opinion, when it comes to such an important visual system as perspective it may symbolize the anatomy of impressions and reflections an artist has at certain point, which often directly correlates to perspectives with which he or she chooses to look at the world, objects and

The madding crowd Essay Example for Free

The madding crowd Essay What can I say about this book? For 474 pages worth, this was disappointing. Thomas Hardy must have known something I didnt, because this book didnt do anything for me. And I dont think it can do anything for you. Dont get me wrong, the plot is an original one- a woman being harassed and ogled at by her workers, and her associates. But it quite frankly bores me. Focusing the book on two main characters: Theres solemn Gabriel, the honest bachelor who seemed to do nothing but envy Troy for marrying his seemingly forbidden love, and the powerful temptress known as Bathsheba. Whats the point? They got together in the end. Focusing the story on the friendship between the two- from Gabriels ignorant proposal to the eventual marriage of the two. Hardy couldve saved us 474 pages, and said they were married. Because in the end, thats what it comes down to. All the side distractions like Boldwood, and Troy, were for nothing. The rustic characters disappeared halfway through the book, their full potential never reached. In fact, Ive just told you what happens, so why bother going to read it? And its a shame. Because in these sort of depressant books, you need humour to drag it from the darkest bowels of the reject bin. The only thing funny about this book was the poor attempts at a love story. Hardy was criticised by the public for his other work, and I think this is another of those poor books. Wheres the entertainment? The only interesting part was when Boldwood shot Troy. This is just a book of annoyance. The only thing I can congratulate Hardy on is his sexism. The portrayal of Bathsheba as some form of super-woman made me wonder if reading the book was actually the bright thing to do. After all, what proud man wants to read about some woman running a farm? Bossing everyone about, its inaccurate! Its just stupid! Sanity is restored (Sort of) when Troy marries Bathsheba, but even that is scarred by the womanisers hastiness in marrying the jezebel. All romances end at marriage quotes the Sergeant. Romance? There never was any romance! Lust is the key here. In my opinion, Troy just used Bathsheba to exploit her position. Marry her for her money. Get a nice discharge from the army, a farm, what could be better? Oh, more money. And the brilliance is, he has to take some money to help his ex-fianci! Who dies in the next chapter! With his child! Not the most tear-jerking moment in the book, though. That award goes to the last page, which makes you cry with delight that youve finally seen the end of this travesty. The lady of the house isnt too pleased at this, and their unhappy marriage comes to an abrupt halt when William Boldwood shoots Troy. And so Frank Troy ends. Shame really. He was the life and soul of the book. The last few chapters are indeed entertaining. Theres the suspense of wondering if Boldwoods going to be executed or not. Then, to the disappointment of the bloodthirsty readers in the world, he gets off lightly. Thats what the book is full of: letdowns. Hardys architectural knowledge allows some beautifully described chapters to salvage the novel in parts, but writers require the ability to keep that level of consistency in their writing to write a brilliant novel. And that is what the novel lacks. At certain times, dialogue isnt always at its best. The mental imagery of the scenes are breathtaking- thats what Hardys descriptions do for you. The dialogue, however, destroys that. Too vague. Too boring. Repartees, puns, wittiness is whats needed, especially in the case of the rustics, and these three examples are missing throughout the majority of the book. In novels, I hate repetition. Seeing the word said after every spoken word becomes tedious. Missing are the stated and voiced. Interesting ways to say said benefit books more than you would think. And thats what niggles away at the book. Said is like saying nice to describe things. Its simple, and very dull. It may be petty, but these petty things can improve the novel, and stop this review being so negative. Far From the Madding Crowd is anything but that. It belongs with the mad crowd. Sane people wouldnt pick it up. I wouldnt advise you to buy, or even contemplate reading this book. For the romanticists among us, its great. For the non-romantic types, steer clear of this novel. Youll just be saddened that you paid good money for the book. Why pay good money when you can read this review? Ive told you what happens. Learn by my mistakes. The enjoyment factor is crucial for this books survival, and, sadly, the factor is reading 0.

Psychology Articles Essay Example for Free

Psychology Articles Essay 1. Glazer, H. R., Clark, M. D., Stein, D. S. (2004). The Impact of Hippotherapy on Grieving Children. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing 6(3), 171-175. This article is a study on the effects of hippotherapy or therapeutic riding on grieving children affected by the death of a family member. The topic focuses on the grieving of children specifically because of the observation that their bereavement often coincides with issues relating to their natural growth and development. Thus, sometimes it is difficult to ascertain whether a child’s reaction should be properly classified as growth or grief (Glazer, Clark Stein, 2004). In order to add substantial information on the literature on childrens bereavement, the authors conducted a study that would determine how a 6-week hippotherapy program would work on grieving children. They sought to determine how stakeholders, such as the parents, children, and adult volunteer would perceive the program (Glazer, Clark Stein, 2004). The study involved a 6-week program where selected children with ages 4 to 14 stayed at the Buckeye Ranch for sessions that taught them how to ride horses. Each session ended with the children telling the things they learned for that session. The parents and adult volunteers were also asked to reflect on their perception of the therapeutic riding session. The authors found positive results from the study, consisting of increased confidence, self-esteem, and trust among the children. The children also gained communication skills as a result of the study. Finally, both guardians and parents found the riding therapy as a positive experience. Thus, they concluded that riding therapy is a good way for finding expression of grief. 2. Andrews, C. R. Marotta, S. A. (2005). Spirituality and Coping Among Grieving Children: A Preliminary Study. Counseling and Values 50, 38-50. This article describes grief as a natural part of human experience. The authors of this paper, however, note that literature on grieving mostly focus on adults coping mechanisms. Particularly, literature on adult bereavement focuses on religious practices and spiritual beliefs as effective coping mechanisms. Therefore, the authors aimed to extrapolate from such literature and attempt to apply major themes among grieving children (Andrews Marotta, 2005). The authors completed a sample size of 6 children between the ages of 4 and 9, coming from various institutions. All participants experienced death within the family in the past 18 months before the period of the study. Parents consent was secured from each participant. During the 3-month study period, children, parents, and main caregivers were given semistructured interviews. Such interviews led to qualitative data. There were also check-in sessions conducted every month. The study utilized a phenomenological approach so that specific aspect so f bereavement could surface (Andrews Marotta, 2005). The authors found that children’s grief are not necessarily similar to that of adults. Children grieve repeatedly as they go from one developmental stage to the next. Certain objects or mechanisms were also found to have been effective in dealing with the grief of children, such as puppets, games, bibliotherapy, and drawings. They also note that certain spiritual aspects like linking objects and connection through metaphorical play may play a huge role in comforting grieving children (Andrews Marotta, 2005). 3. Abeles, N., Victor, T. L. Delano-Wood, L. (2004). The Impact of an Older Adults Death on the Family. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 35(3), 234-239. This article reviews extant literature on issues of death and dying. Specifically, it is concerned with the impact on the death of an older member of a family to surviving members, particularly on surviving adult children. It also aims to derive implications for treatment based on the study (Abeles, Victor Delano-Wood, 2004). The methodology involved a simple review of literature, both on theoretical and empirical levels, on the topic of death and bereavement. Based on such literature review, the authors suggested individual or play therapy, psychoeducation, and different interventions as treatment options for grief. The authors likewise concluded that each individual may cope with loss or death of a family members in different ways. Some may not undergo the usual stages of grief. Thus, understanding of various coping mechanisms could also help surviving family members in dealing with grief (Abeles, Victor Delano-Wood, 2004). 4. Ens, C. Bond, J. B. (2007). Death Anxiety in Adolescents: The Contributions of Bereavement and Religiosity. Baywood Publishing Co., Inc., 169-184. This article aims to determine possible relationships between religiosity, bereavement, and death anxiety levels of adolescents. This is done to achieve greater understanding of adolescents, who face difficult challenges during bereavement (Ens Bond, 2007). The authors conducted a study with 226 adolescents as participants. These participants have ages ranging from 11 to 18 and come from rural and urban private schools. Both the parents and student participants gave written consent before participating in the study. The authors formulated one questionnaire that consisted of several scales that measure bereavement, religiosity, and death anxiety. This questionnaire was administered to participants and the data was analyzed (Ens Bond, 2007). The data showed a strong correlation between death and grief due to death in the family. Consequently, the authors concluded, grief due to bereavement was the only factor found to independently contribute death anxiety for adolescents. Finally, the authors found weak relationship between death anxiety and personal religiosity (Ens Bond, 2007). 5. Papadatou, D., Metallinou, O., Hatzichristou, C. Pavlidi, L. (2002). Supporting the bereaved child: teacher’s perceptions and experiences in Greece. Mortality 7(3), 324-339. This article reports a national survey conducted by the authors, aimed at determining how Greek teachers perceived bereaved children. More specifically, this study aimed to analyze experiences of children who grieved the death of a relative and a classmate. These aims result from the belief that grief is affected by the level of support received by bereaved children (Papadatou, Metallinou, Hatzichristou Pavlidi, 2002). The authors selected participating population by applying a specific criterion on a list of Greek schools provided by the Ministry of Education, National Statistical Service. The authors handed out 3,500 questionnaires among Greek educators, and data was gathered from the responses (Papadatou, Metallinou, Hatzichristou Pavlidi, 2002). The national survey resulted in several important findings. For one, it appears that Greek educators feel that the experience of death in the family or classmate negatively affect the performance of a bereaved child in school. Moreover, educators who had more years in experience as teachers had more opportunity to observe grieving children and the effect of bereavement on them. Finally, most educators appeared comfortable talking to bereaved students and cooperate with their family to help them cope with their loss (Papadatou, Metallinou, Hatzichristou Pavlidi, 2002). 6. Charkow, W. B. Inviting Children to Grieve. Professional School Counseling. This article discusses the importance of grieving for children who have experienced death in the family. It reviews literature and shows how society and families often shield children from the fact of death. This paper aims to establish the importance of grieving for children by showing how shielding children affects them (Charkow). The article basically reviews literature on death and the responses to its experience. These factors affect how the loss of a person through death could be traumatic to a child. For example, the relationship of the child with the deceased is a relevant factor to consider. Through the study of extant literature on bereavement, the author laid down several implications for stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and counselors. The author concludes that being up front with children about the realities of death would lead them to cope properly through understanding and grieving appropriately. 7. Cohen, J., Goodman, R. F., Brown, E. J. Mannarino, A. (2004). Treatment of Childhood Traumatic Grief: Contributing to a Newly Emerging Condition in the Wake of Community Trauma. Treatment of Childhood Traumatic Grief After 9/11, 213-216. This article is a response to the events of the 9/11 attack in New York City, which resulted in the death of many parents. The authors report that more than 10,000 children lost parents and loved ones on that fateful day. Hence, the authors concern about childhood traumatic grief (Cohen, Goodman, Brown Mannarino, 2004). This article basically reviews extant literature on childhood traumatic grief, particularly those relating to treatment interventions and psychotherapeutic approaches to childhood traumatic grief (Cohen, Goodman, Brown Mannarino, 2004). After reviewing literature on interventions to childhood traumatic grief, such as client-centered therapy, the authors discussed various factors that affect the assessment and treatment of the condition. Finally, the authors provided suggestions for future directions, particularly since the literature on childhood traumatic grief is still in its infancy (Cohen, Goodman, Brown Mannarino, 2004). 8. Crenshaw, D. A. (2005). Clinical Tools to Facilitate Treatment of Childhood Traumatic Grief. OMEGA 51(3), 239-255. This article aims to describe strategies and techniques that address childhood traumatic grief in order to how clinicians how to address youth experiencing such condition. These strategies use themes such as abandonment and attachment (Crenshaw, 2005). This article’s methodology consisted mainly in reviewing and describing various techniques and strategies used in dealing with grieving children. The authors then analyzed how such techniques helped children with their bereavement (Crenshaw, 2005). The strategies described in this article illustrate how themes such as facing unknown dangers and leaving behind loved ones and family help children cope with loss and address unresolved issues (Crenshaw, 2005). References Abeles, N., Victor, T. L. Delano-Wood, L. (2004). The Impact of an Older Adults Death on the Family. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 35(3), 234-239. Andrews, C. R. Marotta, S. A. (2005). Spirituality and Coping Among Grieving Children: A Preliminary Study. Counseling and Values 50, 38-50. Charkow, W. B. Inviting Children to Grieve. Professional School Counseling. Crenshaw, D. A. (2005). Clinical Tools to Facilitate Treatment of Childhood Traumatic Grief. OMEGA 51(3), 239-255. Cohen, J., Goodman, R. F., Brown, E. J. Mannarino, A. (2004). Treatment of Childhood Traumatic Grief: Contributing to a Newly Emerging Condition in the Wake of Community Trauma. Treatment of Childhood Traumatic Grief After 9/11, 213-216. Ens, C. Bond, J. B. (2007). Death Anxiety in Adolescents: The Contributions of Bereavement and Religiosity. Baywood Publishing Co., Inc., 169-184. Glazer, H. R., Clark, M. D., Stein, D. S. (2004). The Impact of Hippotherapy on Grieving Children. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing 6(3), 171-175. Papadatou, D., Metallinou, O., Hatzichristou, C. Pavlidi, L. (2002). Supporting the bereaved child: trachers perceptions and experiences in Greece. Mortality 7(3), 324-339.

Achieving Access to Healthcare for All Americans

Achieving Access to Healthcare for All Americans Introduction/Background Access to healthcare is one of the major issues facing Americans today. The United States is considered by many to be the greatest nation in the world with great wealth and opportunity for its citizens. However, despite many Americans having access to our advance healthcare system and technology, a significant percentage of our citizens face barriers that prevent them from obtaining basic healthcare services. The problem we face as Americans is our lack of free healthcare for all citizens, as compared to other countries such as Canada who do implement free healthcare to all of its citizens. There are many reasons people do not have access to healthcare. High healthcare costs are still a primary cause for Americans not being able to get the medical attention they need. The most common reason is because people cant afford to purchase health insurance that would allow them to get in to see a doctor. Health insurance can be hard to obtain depending where you are on the socioeconomic ladd er. The Affordable Care Act, which is sometimes referred to as Obamacare, was supposed to fix this problem by creating an insurance system that would allow everyone to afford health insurance regardless of their income. Obamacare is a United States law that reformed both the healthcare and health insurance industries in America. This did help and the latest statistics in 2016 showed that the number of uninsured has decreased from 18% to 13% (Obamacarefacts, 2016). This has not solved the problem completely and there is a lot of concern about the continued high cost of healthcare and the fact that many still dont have access. At some point in their lives, everyone will need health care or medical treatment, but the cost of this essential service threatens our countrys economy. The cost of healthcare has taken an increasing share of the United States economy, and has been rising for many years. In 2010, the US spent 17.9 percent of the nations economy on healthcare, compared to only 7 .2 percent in 1970 and to 9.5 percent on average across 34 other developed countries (Caitlin Cowan, 2015). This article shows that increased spending does not equal higher quality. In fact, many other countries healthcare systems actually provide higher quality care at a lower cost, suggesting that we dont always need to spend more to get better care and outcomes (Caitlin Cowan, 2015). This critical issue of healthcare access has caused many citizens to demand a nationalized or government sponsored healthcare system for all Americans. Nationalized Healthcare is What All Americans Deserve Proponents of nationalized healthcare believe that instituting a national health system would lower the cost of health care in the United States.In one study, under a single-payer system, in which all citizens are guaranteed access to healthcare, total public and private healthcare spending could be lowered by $592 billion in 2014 and up to $1.8 trillion over the next decade by lowering administrative and prescription drug costs (Friedman, 2013). In a study in the American Journal of Public Health, Canada, who provides universal access to healthcare, spends half as much per capita on health care as the United States (Lasser, Himmelstein Woolhandler, 2009). With nationalized healthcare, we could develop a centralized national database which makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors and avoids separate record-keeping systems between doctors and different hospitals. It would eliminate wasteful inefficiencies such as duplicate paper work, claim approval, insurance submission, etc . because there would not be a need for maintaining insurance information or wasting time submitting claims. The savings in the duplicate records, banking and postal areas alone would be worth significant annual savings estimated in the Billion dollar range (Backman, Hunt, Khosla, 2008). Nationalized healthcare would save lives.In a 2009 study from Harvard, lack of health insurance is associated with as many as 44,789 deaths per year, which is a 40% increased risk of death among uninsured patients (Wilper, Woolhandler, Lasser, McCormick, 2009, p. 2290). In many countries with complete access to healthcare such as Italy, Spain, France, and Norway, people live two to three years longer than people in the United States (Morgan, 2013). Access to free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early before treatment gets severe. Currently, patients often avoid physicals and other preventive measures because of the unaffordable costs. This behavior not only affects the health of the patient but the overall cost to the system, since preventive medicine costs only a fraction of a full blown illness (Lesser et al., 2006). A government-provided system would remove the deterrent patients have for visiting a medical prof essional. Proponents of nationalized healthcare are also quick to point out that good health is a right that all humans deserve. In fact, many believe that in a country as economically and culturally advanced as the United States, it is an embarrassment that we dont provide this basic service to our citizens. Many European countries with a universal right to health care have a lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita than the United States, but still provide a right to health care for all their citizens (Backman et al., 2008). Interestingly, in 2005 the United States along with other member states of the World Health Organization signed World Health Assembly Resolution 58.33, which stated that everyone should have access to health care services and should not suffer financial hardship when obtaining these services (United Nations, 2005). Nationalized Healthcare is Bad for America Opponents of nationalized healthcare believe that it would bring on economic disaster for the United States because of the increased cost of healthcare. Medicare, Medicaid, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program are government programs that provide a right to healthcare for certain segments of the population. These programs totaled less than 10% of the federal budget in 1985, but by 2012 took up 21% of the federal budget (Korobkin, 2014). Opponents are quick to point out the waste, excess expense and complexities of other government run agencies. As an example of their beliefs, when the United States Government issued a simplified tax guide several years back, it was over 1000 pages long (Kamarack, 2013). Also, the millions of dollars in waste seen in the Pentagon, Postal Service or Department of Motor Vehicles should make any American skeptical that the government could manage healthcare efficiently or effectively. Nationalized healthcare could increase the wait time and rationing for medical services. Medicaid is an example of a federally funded single-payer health care system that provides access to health care for low-income people. In a 2012 Government Accountability Office report, 9.4% of Medicaid beneficiaries had difficulty obtaining required care due to long wait times compared to only 4.2% of people with private health insurance (United States Government Accountability Office, 2012). Countries with a universal right to healthcare have longer wait times than the United States. In 2013 the average wait time to see a specialist in Canada was nearly 9 weeks but only 18.5 days in the United States (Backman et al., 2008, p. 2055). In addition to the wait to receive healthcare, the government would decide what medical care a citizen deserves. Many countries with universal health care such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, all ration health care using methods such as b udgeting, price setting, and service restrictions (Hoffman, 2013). In this article, the United Kingdoms National Health Service rations health care using a cost-benefit analysis. For example, in 2008 if a drug provided an extra six months of good-quality life and cost less than $15,000, it was automatically approved, while one that costs more would not (Hoffman, 2013). This takes away a persons right to choose what is best for them. Providing a right to health care could raise taxes for all Americans. In European countries with a universal right to health care, the cost of coverage is paid through higher taxes. In the United Kingdom and other European countries, payroll taxes average 37%, which is much higher than the 15.3% payroll taxes paid by an average US worker (Gregory, 2013). According to Gregory, a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, financing a universal right to health care in the United States would cause payroll taxes to double. There is a belief that our country has an entitlement mentality and believes that the government should pay for many services including healthcare. However, since nothing is free we would have to increase taxes to pay for this additional service. When people are provided with universal health care and are not directly responsible for the costs of medical services, they might utilize more health resources than necessary. According to a 2014 study published in Science, 10,000 uninsured Portland, Oregon residents who gained access to Medicaid had 40% more visits to emergency rooms, even though they already had guaranteed access to emergency treatment under federal law (Taubman, Allen, Wright, Baicker, Finkelstein, 2014). Since Medicaid provides access to health care for low-income individuals, expanding this to the full US population could worsen the problem of overusing health care resources. Opponents of nationalized healthcare do not believe the founding documents of the United States provide support for a right to health care. The Declaration of Independence does not guarantee a right to health care. The purpose of the US Constitution, as stated in the Preamble, is to promote the general welfare, not to provide for it. This belief is that one may have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but not to services such as health care (Maruthappu, Ologunde. Gunarajasingam, 2013). Assessments of Different Arguments The issue of healthcare costs in a national healthcare system seem to be best supported by proponents that show reduction in overall costs when they centralize administrative overhead and duplication of paperwork that occurs now between doctors, hospitals and insurance or government payers. The argument that opponents make referencing governmental waste in other programs seems like more of a scare technique than something that would definitely happen with nationalized healthcare. In fact, providing the security of access to healthcare has been shown to increase spending on consumer goods and to promote employees upward mobility to new jobs without the fear of having to maintain health insurance coverage (Gruber, 2009). It would also expand the medical sector to meet the newly covered individuals which would create new and high quality jobs. These would drive economic growth overall. In addition, any rationing of healthcare like that seen in other countries with universal healthcare, would likely reduce costs significantly. It does make sense that increasing the number of individuals by achieving access to healthcare could increase overall costs leading to increase in taxes. However, the thought is that the overall expense reduction by avoiding duplication of services, allowing preventative healthcare to drive down cost of serious illnesses, rationing of health services and increase in economic factors by expanding the healthcare market, would still make this overall a financially positive situation. When analyzing the different opinions for a National healthcare system, there are several factors that make one more supportive of the opponents viewpoint. It is likely that there would be some component of rationing of healthcare services. In most countries with universal healthcare, there is a formula that evaluates the financial costs of a treatment vs. the likelihood of it prolonging life or quality of life. This would change current practice where patients receive less expensive end of life services and might not get surgical procedures as quickly. It would limit the ability for a patient and their Doctor to be the decision maker for all treatment options. There is also a belief by many in the medical community that it would decrease patients options for choosing a provider as less physicians would go into medicine (Fleming, 2006). Finally, there is a significant disagreement between proponents and opponents of nationalized healthcare over whether access to healthcare is a right per our founding fathers or a service that our Government has no obligation to provide. This issue really comes down to semantics and how one chooses to define promotion of general warfare as including health to its citizens. Not surprisingly, proponents or opponents choose to interpret based solely on their desire to support their own argument. Conclusion Access to healthcare can be hard to obtain depending where you are on the socioeconomic ladder. Health insurance is supposed to protect Americans from very high healthcare costs. We have just completed 8 years of President Obama attempting to increase access to healthcare. During his initial campaign promises, he vowed to bring healthcare to all Americans and seemed to be a proponent of Universal Healthcare. His trademark legislation, Obamacare, did increase the number of insured persons but it did not accomplish coverage for all. Now, with the recent Trump election, there is a yet to be understood plan that is supposed to repeal Obamacare and replace it with something that will more effectively provide healthcare coverage to all Americans. This is likely to move away from the idea of government sponsored, nationalized coverage and instead have a significant portion that utilizes private or public non-governmental companies to accomplish their goal. This is an uncertain time for many Americans regarding their access to healthcare. The idea of a nationalized healthcare system for all Americans has been a major issue for many years and continues today. Exploring the many different issues involved with nationalized healthcare provides a clearer understanding of how complicated this issue is with many different viewpoints on both sides. I believe that we cannot continue to allow healthcare costs to increase at their current rate and that as a country, we must provide healthcare to all of our citizens regardless if it is a right or a service. Despite the advantages of a national healthcare system, I do not believe most Americans are willing to limit their access to physicians or their access to the very best treatment options. Ultimately, I believe a combination of government sponsored and private healthcare will be the best option moving forward. Unlike the current situation, I do believe it will require some form of expansion of government healthcare that does have a component of treatment rationing. There will also need to be a private insurance option and for profit companies in the healthcare environment that provide for the heal thcare options that many Americans will demand. As is often the case, the approach of an all or nothing nationalized healthcare system will not work and compromise will be needed. It will require politicians and different factions to compromise on this issue and put aside bipartisan emotions to create a plan that will accomplish healthcare coverage for all Americans. References Backman G., Hunt P., Khosla R., Jaramillo-Strouss C., Fikre B.M., Rumble C. (2008). Health Systems and the Right to Health: An Assessment of 194 Countries. The Lancet, 372, 2047-85. Catlin, A.C., Cowan, C.A., (2015). History of Health Spending in the United States, 1960-2013. Retrieved January 30, 2017 from http://www.cms.gov-Statistics-Data-and- Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/ HistoricalNHEPaper.pdf Dartmouthatlas.org. (2016). The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/keyissues/issue.aspx? con=1338 Fleming, K.C. (2006). High-Priced Pain: What to Expect from a Single-Payer Health Care System. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.heritage.org Friedman, G. (2013). Funding HR 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicaid for All Act. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.pnhp.org Government Accountability Office (2012). Medicaid: States Made Multiple Program Changes, and Beneficiaries Generally Reported Access Comparable to Private Insurance. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.gao.gov Gregory, P. R. (2013). Obamacare a Mess? Liberals Say Go Single Payer. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.forbes.com Gruber J, (2009). Universal Health Insurance Coverage or Economic Relief A False Choice. New England Journal of Medicine, 360, 437-439. Hoffman, B. (2013). Health Care Rationing Is Nothing New. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.scientificamerican.com Kamarack, E. (2013). Lessons for the Future of Government Reform. Retrieved on January 30, 2017 from https://www.brookings.edu/lessons for the future of government reform Korobkin, R. (2014). Comparative Effectiveness Research as Choice Architecture: The Behavioral Law and Economics Solution to the Health Care Cost Crisis. Michigan Law Review, 112(4): 523-74. Lasser, K.E., Himmelstein, D., Wollhandler, S. (2006). Access to Care, Health Status, and Health Disparities in the United States and Canada: Results of a Cross-National Population-Based Study. American Journal of Public Health, 96, 1-8. Maruthappu M., Ologunde R., Gunarajasingam A. (2013). Is Health Care a Right? Health Reforms in the USA and their Impact Upon the Concept of Care. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 2 (1), 15-17. Morgan, K. J. (2016). Americas Misguided Approach to Social Welfare. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.foreignaffaris.com Obamacarefacts.org. (2017). Obamacare: Uninsured Rates. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://obamacarefacts.com/uninsured-rates ProCon.org. (2016). ProCon.org Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues. Retrieved February 1, 2017 from http://www.procon.org/ Taubman, S. L., Allen, H. L., Wright, B. J., Baicker, K., Finkelstein, A. N. (2014). Medicaid Increases Emergency-Department Use: Evidence from Oregons Health Insurance Experiment. Science, 343(6168), 263-268. United Nations.org. (2005). United Nations, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Retrieved February 1, 2017 from http://www.un.org Wilper, A. P. Steffie Woolhandler, S., Lasser, K.E. Danny McCormick, D. (2009). Health Insurance and Mortality in US Adults, American Journal of Public Health,99(12), 2289-95.

Digital Video Recorders Essay -- essays research papers

We have all at some time or another missed a show we have wanted to see. Things such as work and school get in our way of watching our favorite shows. Shows that we have watched religiously. Ten years ago, if you knew you were about to miss a show, you would leave the TV on the channel you need to watch, and you would set the VCR timer to the appropriate time. This was and is not the most fun and easy thing to do. At the most, you would want to do this once a week as a maximum. Did you ever have to get up and go to the bathroom while the game is on? Sometimes you have to bear yourself just so you do not miss a single thing. Digital Video Recorders (DVR’s), eliminate all of this and more. If there is a show that you watch, you just enter it in the season pass box of your DVR. This ensures that your recorder will capture every episode of that show for you to watch. Sometimes there is only one showing of something. No problem, just select it and hit record. DVR’s make it easy to record anything on TV. They store all of the upcoming shows, so you do not have to enter dates and times. Say you are watching that game, and your bowels go off. Hit the pause button! Yes, with a DVR, it is possible to pause live TV. The thing is, you probably will not be using the pause button for live TV, because you probably will not be watching anything live anymore. You do not have to worry about commercials, you fast-forward through them. With a DVR, you watch what you want, when you want. DVR’s...

Radar: A Silent Eye In The Sky :: essays research papers fc

Radar: A Silent Eye in the Sky   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today's society relies heavily on an invention taken for granted: radar. Just about everybody uses radar, whether they realize it or not. Tens of thousands of lives rely on the precision and speed of radar to guide their plane through the skies unscathed. Others just use it when they turn on the morning news to check the weather forecast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While radar seems to be an important part of our everyday lives, it has not been around for long. It was not put into effect until 1935, near World War II. The British and the Americans both worked on radar, but they did not work together to build a single system. They each developed their own systems at the same time. In 1935, the first radar systems are installed in Great Britain, called the Early Warning Detection system. In 1940, Great Britain and the United States install radar aboard fighter planes, giving them an advantage in plane-to-plane combat as well as air-to-ground attacks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Radar works on a relatively simple theory. It's one that everybody has experienced in their lifetime. Radar works much like an echo. In an echo, a sound is sent out in all directions. When the sound waves find an object, such as a cliff face, they will bounce back to the source of the echo. If you count the number of seconds from when the sound was made to when the sound was heard, you can figure out the distance the sound had to travel. The formula is:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (S/2) X 1100 = D (Half of the total time times 1100 feet per second equals the distance from the origin to the reflection point)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of course, radar is a much more complicated system than just somebody shouting and listening for the echo. In fact, modern radar listens not only for an echo, but where the echo comes from, what direction the object is moving, its speed, and its distance. There are two types of modern radar: continuous wave radar, and pulse radar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pulse radar works like an echo. The transmitter sends out short bursts of radio waves. It then shuts off, and the receiver listens for the echoes. Echoes from pulse radar can tell the distance and direction of the object creating the echo. This is the most common form of radar, and it is the one that is used the most in airports around the world today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Continuous wave radar works on a different theory, the Doppler Theory. The Doppler Theory works on the principle that when a radio wave of a set

Del Rio Foods Analysis Essay -- Business Analysis

Del Rio was established in 1933, and it is located in California. Its owners are Bob and Maria. Del Rio is an agricultural business where processed canned products and fresh produce are sold. Both owners have the same agricultural background which is why they are doing this business. They are running Del Rio successfully. When the world was going through a great depression, many businesses had tough time to survive. However, Del Rio Foods, Inc. was in stable condition even though they did not make a lot of money. From 1987 to 1990, their Income Statement shows that they had a steady increase in their net income each year. The CEO’s objective is to expand his business as far as into east coast. Del Rio acquired a couple of farms and built them as its main facility and a distributor. Joint venture was formed with few wholesalers and retail stores. Additionally, Cape Fear and Wilmington plants were bought to increase productivity. The mission statement, SWOT analysis, and action plan are discussed further. The vision of the CEO is to go as far as into east coast. Bob is planning to buy additional farm lands to grow more fresh produce to increase the sales. This will welcome new customers, suppliers, retailers, and wholesalers. Also, there will be more job openings to public. People will find positions in various departments or whatever post they are capable of doing it. More people there are to work, faster the jobs get done. Of course, Del Rio will get more business from its customers, retailers, and wholesalers when they see that this company is the only one that gets the job done quickly. Bob also wants to remodel, repair, and keep his plants neat and clean. After making some improvements, it will build comp... ...epartments where needed. His strategy and vision for the company will determine where everyone will focus their efforts. The CEO needs to create a corporate culture. His culture will determine what people should be doing and what should do not be trying. He can decide who will stay, who will leave, and how the job will get done. Culture starts with the boss. He can decide how he wants people to act and start modeling the behavior publicly. STOPPED HERE†¦!!!:)ïÆ'Ÿ Capital allocation. Every dollar you raise and spend should produce more than $1 of return for the company, or it’s a waste of money. Learn how to make these judgements. Hiring and Firing. The job of executives is primarily team and culture building. Hiring and firing are must-have skills. Read, take classes, and review past hiring successes and mistakes. Do whatever you can to hone your abilities.

Food and Agricultural challenges Essay

â€Å" Food is our body’s fuel and without fuel it will be shut down† Food is indeed the elixir of life. Food, presently, has become one amongst the most common and imperative needs of a living being along with shelter and clothing. In other words, it has befallen to be one of the most common needs of a living being. As people improved their standard of living, they resort to newer trend in food too. Food is now a factor that decides the status of a person. . When did the quest for food really begin ? It is unanswerable. Probably, it may be since the emergence of the early man. The early man ate fruits and threw their seeds off. When they saw the seeds germinate into plants, they decided to start agriculture which at that time was just to raise seeds. This, happened about thousands of years ago and agriculture that took birth. As a result, this brought about great changes in the socio – economic condition of the Homo sapiens. It was one of the most remarkable incidents in the history of human being. Thus, began the quest for food via agriculture. Generation by generation, modern technologies and modern methods were evolved. Today, we have the most sophisticated technologies for better food production. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created surpluses of various resources that nurtured the development of civilization and so was food. The human found food to be a component that kept them healthy, free from diseases, energetic and intelligent. They discovered that it helped in the growth and development of all living beings. Eventually, they found a lot more needs for food. Consequently, more and more people began to indulge in agriculture and thereby increase the production to meet the needs of rapidly growing population. Very soon, various branches of agriculture evolved like the horticulture [ art and science of growing fruits, flowers and ornamental plants ], animal husbandry 1 As years passed, the population grew tremendously. The people moved towards the assistance of technology to augment their production as human effort alone could not meet the needs of food to feed the entire population. As the technological assistance helped farmers produce a considerably good yield from a limited portion of land, more and more land got occupied by industries and other factories. Farming began to be considered as a below average job and youth got recruitment in industries. The arena of agriculture got faded as they were able to produce the enough food from the available land resources. The present day poverty and hunger are mainly due to the neglect of agriculture. Unless, agriculture is to be considered as a white collar job, we are no longer going to get rid of these dreadful hitches. It is high time to reconsider the potentials of agriculture, which supports the majority of the population. The situation has come that we have to promote sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture involves the successful management of agricultural resources to satisfy human needs while maintaining or enhancing environmental quality and conserving natural resources for future generations. By the year 2015, the world population is forecast to reach about 9 billion people – about one third greater than that of today. Therefore, there is greater demand for agriculture and thereby food production too. When we speak about food production and food consumption, it is necessarily important that we must know its present trends . . . . . . II. Objectives and Methodology : The following are the objectives of our research : We accomplished our research mainly to satisfy the following rationales : To be acquainted with the present day food production and consumption trends of people To learn about the latest technologies involved in the food and agriculture systems To study the various somber and solemn problems faced by our farmers / agriculturists 2 To discover solutions to their problems To give an awareness to the public about the importance of agriculture in this highly competitive and technological world To encourage youth to get into the field of agriculture To try to bring a respectful position for the farmers / agriculturists in the society Selection of students for Young Scientists Programme : We were selected by means of three selection rounds namely: 1. Poster presentation 2. Project report presentation 3. Model Demonstration Soon after the three selection processes, 55 students were crowned as the Young Scientists. We were divided into five teams and we, the Maroon team members were provided with the theme topic: â€Å"Food production and Food consumption†. The topic was further divided into sub – topics and they were distributed to our team members. We conducted reference works and researches on the given topics and for further clarifications and to make the other team mates aware of each research topic, we had team meets where in we were supposed to have effective discussion. Thus, each and every candidate of our team was accessed to the required information about the research topic. We even had field visits like the visit to the Sundaram Organic Farm, the Horticulture Research Station, SKM Egg Products India Private Limited etc which inculcated in us more knowledge about our theme topic. We worked as a team, as a family . . . . . 3 III. Food Production and Consumption trends in India i. Food production trends : World population has increased over the past 10 years by 760 million or more, which is equal to adding the combined population of Africa and South America. By 2025 it is expected that global population is expected to reach around 9Billion. Food has to be produced in colossal quantities to feed the entire population. Food production/capita has declined since 1971 in the world. Here, arises the problem of food production. The food grain obsolete technology ,more pests &diseases urbanization& (migration of rural labourers to urban),high labour cost, government agro policy being poor & unfocussed. The food production trends have changed so widely since the Egyptian civilization. Egyptians found that agriculture can prosper only with good water supply / irrigation. Nile river condition was studied & river water irrigation was effectively planned & made use of.. The production trend even varies with respect to culture, traditional aspects, customary aspects and the area under cultivation. The productions trend widely varies from country to country, state to state, district to district and even between communities. As a result, there arose a problem of insufficient production. ii. Green Revolution : In the 1970,s the food crisis was one of the major problems in our country as in many other countries. India was on its path to darkness. Lots of people died due to starvation and millions were still starving. The Central Food minister of that time, C.Subrahmaniam took initiative to find a solution to this deadly problem and the solution was later termed as Green Revolution. The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and better irrigation are known collectively as the Green Revolution, which provided the increase in production needed to make India self-sufficient in food grains.( thus improving agriculture in India.) Hybrid high-yielding wheat was first introduced to India in 1963 by Dr. Borlaug. Production of wheat was very good making India self sufficient in food. 4 Along with high yielding seeds and irrigation facilities, the enthusiasm of farmers mobilized the idea of agricultural revolution and is also credited to M. S. Swaminathan and his team for having contributed towards the success of green revolution. As a result of this, the agriculture production in India saw great heights. Moreover, Green Revolution also brought about various technological reforms. iii. Technological Development: Various scientific and technological methods for increasing food production were evolved as a result of Green Revolution: mechanization, effective irrigation, use of fertilizers, control of weeds, pests and insects, new varieties of farm animals or high-yielding strains of grain, land reclamation, soil conservation, river basin development, adequate storage facilities, infrastructure development etc . . . are some of the technologies.. As India saw development in the later ages, even the technologies got improved. India also experienced the establishments of agricultural structures like check dams, water shed tanks, rain water harvesting pits etc . . . which ensured better agricultural production.. Technology is just changing the way that human beings operate the machines from the previous ones, & implements to be more precise and less wasteful in the use of fuel, seed, or fertilizer. In the foreseeable future, some agricultural machines will be capable of driving themselves, using GPS maps and electronic sensors. Even more esoteric are the new areas of nanotechnology and genetic engineering, where submicroscopic devices and biological processes, respectively, are being used as machines to perform agricultural tasks in unusual new ways. The future will also see the application of healthy hybrid varieties, GMO crops that are hale and hearty, organic methods that produces greater output, better irrigation systems etc . . As every good thing has an appalling visage, these technologies too had some advantages and disadvantages. iv. Advantages of Modern Technologies: It was successful in meeting a growing demand for food by the world’s population. Yields of primary crops such as rice and wheat increased dramatically. The price of food declined, the rate of increase in crop yields generally keeps pace with population growth, and the number of people who go hungry to bed was slightly reduced 5 The boost in food production has been due mainly to scientific advances and new technologies, including the development of new crop varieties The use of pesticides and fertilizers, and the construction of large irrigation systems helped the farmers increase their production It reduces time cosumption as it ensures effective management of crops in a shorter period of time Disadvantages of modern technologies : Increased chances of unemployment [ as technological equipments can do the work of 50 – 100 labours] Evidence indicates, however, that excessive reliance on monoculture farming and agro industrial inputs, such as capital-intensive technology, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, has negatively impacted the environment and rural society. A number of â€Å"ecological diseases† have been associated with the intensification of food production by means of latest technological methods Chemical fertilizers can also become air pollutants, and have recently been implicated in the destruction of the ozone layer and in global warming Excessive use of technological equipments has also been linked to the acidification/salinization of soils and to a higher incidence of insect pests and diseases through mediation of negative nutritional changes in crop plants Most of the present day technologies are prone to causing pollution [ land, water and air ] v. Food consumption trends: The agriculture and food sector figures prominently in this enterprise and must be given due importance in any consideration of the promotion of healthy diets for individuals and population groups. Food strategies must not merely be directed at ensuring food security for all, but must also achieve the consumption of adequate quantities of safe and good quality foods that together make up a healthy diet. Any recommendation to that effect will have implications for all components in the food chain. It is therefore useful at this juncture to examine trends in consumption patterns worldwide and deliberate on the potential of the food and agriculture sector to meet the demands and challenges of the future. The food consumption trends in the ancient period were governed by the Hindu and Jain beliefs. As a result of this, Vegetarianism was the most prominent system during the ancient days. It was also partly under the surveillance of the Delhi and Mughal dynasties. Later, towards the medieval period, people learned to consume what is needed and preserve the rest so that they could use them during periods of starvation. Therefore, the trend of the medieval period turned to be limited consumption. Presently, in the modern era, the consumption trends cannot be defined because people consume food not only for health but for various other reasons too. The consumption trends of the majority of the population are also controlled by advertisements. The consumption trends are partly hereditary too. Most importantly, the consumption trends of the present day people are mainly to showcase their status. For example, the ones who consume rich food are given higher positions in the society and the rest are treated with lower dignity in the society. In short, the food consumption trends unlike food production trends vary even from person to person. With respect to each food item, the consumption trend varies widely. The kilograms in which the food items are consumed determine the demand for the specific item thereby, expressing the trend of food consumption. From this, the consumption trends of the present day human society [ India ] are lucid and patent. 7 vi. Country – Country variations : The food consumption trend of the people varies from country to country. Changes in agricultural practice over the past 50 years have increased the world’s capacity to provide food for its people through increases in productivity, greater diversity of foods and less seasonal dependence. Food availability has also increased as a consequence of rising income levels and falling food prices. This has resulted in considerable changes in food consumption over the past 50 years in all the corners of the world i.e. from country to country. Global and regional per capita food consumption (kcal per capita per day) Region 8 For instance, the consumption trends in India is as follows ( it is extremely different from that of USA which ranks 1st ) : vii. Link between Production and Consumption: To meet the forecasted consumption rates of the entire population of different countries, great attention has to be laid on food production. The food consumption trends depend on the mode of food production. If the food produces is sufficient to feed the population, then the people can adopt their own consumption trend while if it is not, then the people will have to change the mode of consumption in a way that will satisfy the entire population. Thus, the link between the food production and consumption is tightly bound and will need great attention in the future when the population will be high and the food produced will not be sufficient to feed the entire population. If it is obligatory to ensure a safe and sound future, then it is equally significant to bring stability and steadiness in the food production and consumption trends of today. The present day situation of the world cannot be understood. The farmer who is producing the food cannot fix the rate of the food and the consumer who is consuming the food is also not able to fix the rate ! ! Is the present day food production and consumption: producer controlled, consumer controlled or trader controlled ? – – Combination of all the three . . . . V. Production, Procurement and Distribution constraints : However, despite all these trends in food production and consumption, there are certain dilemma and constraints with respect to production, procurement and distribution that have to be given more attention. i. Food production constraints: Improvement solutions are to be resorted by tackling together the problems associated with population growth and food production. A review of the problems of rapid population growth and declining food production and suggestions for resolution are given. World population has increased over the past 10 years by 760 million. Future increases are expected to bring total population to 9 billion by the year 2014 and 16 billion in 2025 (exponential increases). Food production/capita has declined since 1971 in the world in the recent past. The food production problem is technical, environmental, social, political, and economic. Food grain production in India(2009-2010) : 234Mn tonnes Per capita food grain produced: 193Kg/year Food grain production growth (in phase with population growth) : 5.5Mn tonnes/year Suggestions for increasing the food grain production : irrigation, use of fertilizers, &use of Botanical Pesticides control of weeds and insects, new varieties of farm animals or high-yielding strains of grain, land reclamation, mechanization soil conservation, ,Most Efficient water management river basin development, adequate storage facilities, infrastructure development, Birth control. Crop rotation, Organic farming, Mixed cropping Co-operate farming (supply ,operation &maintenance of agricultural machinery equipments) Few Environmental problems which need urgent attention.: soil erosion from mechanization, accumulation of DDT in food and water and animal life from pesticide use, and Water pollution from chemical fertilizers. Increased frequency & intensity of drought &flooding Climate change affects Rice &wheat production New pattern of pests &diseases Food production can be increased with more ecologically sound practices. Information about weather and weather forecasting allows for more suitable land management. Shifting cultivation and land tenure systems should involve conservation farming techniques. Organic manures and appropriate use of chemical fertilizers can raise soil fertility. Even if the production becomes stable, there lies a lot of problems in the next stage – procurement. ii. Urban Market Facilities and Management Public markets have burned down throughout the world over the last few years because of inadequate structures and maintenance, poor management, fire-hazard practices †¦ or to force traders into new markets. These blows to the local economy have important financial implications for small traders and entrepreneurs as well as consumers. Existing market spaces and facilities are often insufficient in developing countries and countries in transition. Consequently, many food traders occupy roads around markets. Urban markets are usually seen as a source of revenue to local town coffers, but those funds are often not reinvested in infrastructure maintenance and better services. This leads to traders feeling that market taxes are not justified and to unrest when rates are increased. Cold-storage facilities are usually insufficient and rent is often high. The few cold-storage rooms built by market managers are often inefficient,. Perishable food products, therefore, deteriorate rapidly.Public markets lack professional management and its continuity. Market authorities have insufficient skilled personnel and are unable to enforce regulations. Consequently, trading in public markets becomes more difficult and, therefore, costly. 11 iii. Food Retailing With respect to procurement and distribution, food retailing and food retail markets can be of great assistance in the modern era though it has not become more effective in India.Middle and high-income consumers shop at supermarkets while low-income consumers, who can spend as much as 80 percent of their income on food, go to local shops, to market places near their homes or buy from street vendors. Public retail markets have not expanded rapidly enough in newly urbanized areas and existing markets have been unable to accommodate the increasing number of retailers. Lack of space or new market opportunities in satellite city districts are thus the cause of spontaneous markets which fill an important gap in the distribution chain. However, their unplanned nature may create traffic, health and environmental problems. iv. Urban Markets: Hygiene, Health, Security and the Environment Since there is lack of private investments and public contribution, the markets of India lack hygiene, health and other basic requirements. Though, the government has taken effective measures, there is no much development in this situation. Market authorities usually guarantee cleaning inside the markets, but this is rarely adequate. Toilet facilities are rare and seldom properly cleaned. Water points, drainage and sewage are usually insufficient. Inadequate lighting in markets exposes users to additional risks and increases the likelihood of theft. The precarious hygiene conditions of established and spontaneous markets, the increasing quantities of waste, and the growing number of Lorries required for food transport, have an adverse impact on the environment, as they pollute air and water, increase noise and threaten public health. v. Public Distribution System (PDS) Public Distribution System (PDS) is an Indian food security system. Established by the Government of India under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and managed jointly with state governments in India, it distributes subsidized food and non-food items to India’s poor. 12 Major commodities distributed include staple food grains, such as wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene, through a network of Public distribution shops, also known as Ration shops established in several states across the country. Food Corporation of India, a Government-owned corporation, procures and maintains the Public Distribution System. In terms of both coverage and public expenditure, it is considered to be the most important food security network. However, the food grains supplied by the ration shops are not enough to meet the consumption needs of the poor or are of inferior quality. The average level of consumption of PDS grains in India is only 1 kg per person / month. The PDS has been criticized for its urban bias and its failure to serve the poorer sections of the population effectively. The targeted PDS is costly and gives rise to much corruption in the process of extricating the poor from those who are less needy. Today, India has the largest stock of grain in the world besides China, the government spends Rs. 750 billion ($13.6 billion) per year, almost 1 percent of GDP, yet 21% remain undernourished. Distribution of food grains to poor people throughout the country is managed by state governments. As of date there are about 4.99 lakh Fair Price Shops (FPS) across India. The food distribution in India is not effective. It has lot of drawbacks when compared to the distribution systems of the developed countries. The food distribution system in India is as follows : 13 VI. Food Wastage : i. Food Wastage – an introduction : Food waste or food loss is the food that is discarded or lost, uneaten. As of 2011, billion tons of food, about one third of the global food production, is lost or wasted annually. Loss and wastage occurs on all steps in the food supply chain. In low-income countries, most loss occurs during production, while in developed countries much food – about 100 kilograms (220 lb) per person and year – is wasted at the consumption stage. In terms of production, the food wastage may occur in various stages. Research found that food grain waste occurs mainly in the beginning of production, transportation & distribution, storage system, preparation food,(cooking), serving & after consumption(throwing away the unconsumed)From planting, crops can be subjected to pest infestations and severe weather, which cause losses before the harvest part of a crop. In India, the wastage in food grain &cooked food is intolerably high.. Some of the major causes of this food wastage are improper storage facilities, lack of effective transport systems, lack of refrigerated transport vehicles, ill – maintained roads, attack of pests and rodents, lack of initiative of the public, lack of awareness, insufficient technological assistance, lack of preservation techniques and a lot more . . . . The food wastage problem of today’s India needs immediate attention and has to be paid more attention to ensure minimal wastage in the coming years. ii. Management of Food waste Reduction A quantity of wheat required by the entire production of Australia is wasted each year in India, according to a new report on global food wastage. At least 40% of all fruit and vegetables are lost in India between the grower and consumer due to lack of refrigerated transport, poor roads, inclement weather and corruption. Therefore, the best way to get rid of wastes is to minimize the wastage by ourselves. However, some of the waste reduction management techniques are given below: The feeding of food scraps to animals is, historically, the most common way of dealing with household food waste Vermi composting is the practice of feeding scraps [ food waste ] to worms who produce soil as a byproduct food waste can be dumped, but it can also be fed to animals, or it can be biodegraded by composting or anaerobic digestion, and reused to enrich soil Food waste coming through the sanitary sewers from garbage disposal units is treated along with other sewage and contributes to sludge which in turn is used in biogas plants In any function, food is to be served to the requirement Moreover food waste can also be recycled to produce various substances like paper, packaging material etc.. . Campaigns and awareness programmes like LOVE FOOD, HATE WASTE must be encouraged so as to make the public aware of the importance of food and the consequences of wasting food. Let us join hands to foresee a world that doesn’t waste food. VII. Food preservation and Food Packaging i. Food preservation – a brief overview Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi (such as yeasts), and other micro-organisms (although some methods work by introducing benign bacteria, or fungi to the food), as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which cause rancidity. Food preservation can also include processes which inhibit visual deterioration, such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut, which can occur during food preparation. Many processes designed to preserve food will involve a number of food preservation methods. Preserving fruit by turning it into jam, and sealing within an airtight jar (to prevent recontamination). There are many traditional methods of preserving food that limit the energy inputs and reduce carbon footprint. Maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is an important aspect of food preservation, although, historically, some methods drastically altered the character of the food being preserved. ii. Principles of Food preservation: Preservation of a variety of food items, whatever the method maybe, is based on the following principles : 15 Prevention or Delay of Microbial Decomposition of food a. By keeping out micro – organisms [ asepsis ] b. By removal of micro – organisms by means of filtration c. By hindering their growth and activity through Drying methods Addition of chemicals [not recommended] Prevention or Delay of Self Decomposition of food a. Destruction of food enzymes b. Inactivation of food enzymes Thus, it is concluded that the main aim of food preservation is to inhibit either the microbial or self decomposition of food items. Food preservation involves the application of various methods that work on these principles. iii. Food Preservation Methods: There are various methods that can be applied over food items for its long term preservation. The main aim of food preservation is to increase the shelf life of the food item subjected to these preservation methods. However, a food item cannot undergo all the preservation techniques. The technique for each item is chosen with respect to the pH of the food and various other chemical factors. Some of the most accomplished food preservation techniques are: Refrigeration Vacuum packing Salting or Curing Smoking Adding food additives iv. Food packaging Packaging: The word ‘PACKAGING’ means to cover the physical property of a material to prevent it from its enemies. 16 Food packaging: Food packaging means to pack the food to prevent it from enemies, decaying and microbes. Food packaging can be done to food items with the help of packaging materials. Most of the food items are specific to certain materials and it is decided with attention to their chemical and physical properties. Types of food packaging materials: v. Value Addition: Value added agriculture is a process of increasing the economic value and consumer appeal of an agricultural commodity. It is a production/marketing strategy driven by customer needs and preferences. â€Å"Value – added† is used to characterize food products that are converted from raw product through processes that give the resulting product an â€Å"incremental value† in the market place. An â€Å"incremental value† is realized from either higher price or expanded market. For example, jams, cheeses, and pre – cooked meats are considered â€Å"value – added† products. Importance of value added products: Financial benefit – A value added agricultural product may have more market value than any other commodity Helps meet the changing preferences and interests of the public Possesses better quality, nutrition, convenience, safety, health, variety, price, social and environmental acceptance etc . . . Value – addition has become one of the major trends in the field of agriculture. It has brought about great changes in the mode of consumption of the public. Despite all these technologies, there are certain problems faced by the farmers and agriculturists. VIII. Problems faced by Agriculturists and Farmers : i. Major problems faced by Agriculturists and Farmers : The major problems confronting Indian agriculture are those of population pressure, small holdings, depleted soils, lack of modern technology and poor (quality and numbers) facilities for storage. Population pressure: Population increase & hence dwelling area are needed more .Therefore the area for cultivation becomes decreased. In country like Japan hill slopes have been cut into terraces for cultivation Small and Fragmented Land Holdings: The pressure of increasing population and the practice of dividing land equally among the heirs has caused excessive sub divisions of farm holdings. Consequently, the holdings are small and fragmented. The small size of holdings makes farming activity uneconomical and leads to social tension, violence and discontentment. Inadequate Irrigation Facilities: By and large the irrigation facilities available in India are far from adequate. So for half of the total area under food crops has been brought under irrigation and the remaining half is left to the mercy of monsoon rains which are erratic in time and space. Depleted Soils: Indian soils have been used for growing crops for thousands of years which have resulted in the depletion of soil fertility. With deforestation the sources of maintaining natural fertility of soil has been drying out. Lack of material resources and ignorance of scientific knowledge have further depleted the soils of the natural fertility. Earlier only animal waste was enough to maintain soil fertility. Storage of food grains: Storage of food grains is a big problem in India. Nearly 10 per cent of our harvest goes waste every year in the absence of proper storage facilities. This colossal wastage can be avoided by developing scientific ware-housing facilities. The government has taken several steps to provide storage facilities in the form of private storage go downs. Moreover, Government support & guidance for Agricultural product Export has become very poor &corruptive system. Farm Implements: Although some mechanization of farming has taken place in some parts of the country, most of the farmers are poor (in knowledge& finance) and do not purchase modern farm implements and tools. This hampers the development of agriculture. ii. Minor problems faced by Agriculturists and Farmers: Indian agriculture is a gamble of monsoons. Monsoons are irregular unevenly distributed and uncertain. It exerts a very unfavourable influence on agriculture. The serious drainage problem caused by the increased construction of roads, railways and canals disturbed the natural drainage system by checking the normal flow of rain water and bringing heavy floods. This result in large scale damage to crop. Global climatic changes affect agriculturist and farmers through their direct and indirect effects on the crops, soils, livestock and pests. The over cropping in a land leads to the exhaustion of soils. Declining trend is seen in the productivity of the land. Exploitation of land with excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides leads to land fertility degradation. The land under cultivation of food grains has been declining due to construction of industries and residential building etc. There is inefficient water management. In order to withstand the global competition India has to use its vast potential of Agriculture by adopting modern technologies in farming. iii Steps taken by the government and other organizations: Subsidized five per cent interest rate on crop loans on timely repayment Initiated discussion session on topics that both help farmers to understand their existing situation and identify their opportunities and constraints Encouraged farmers to think of ways to improve their own marketing Laid focus on practical issues Used audio-visual presentations during farmers meeting sessions [ organized by the government ] Used traders and others to inform farmers about how the market works Ensured that farmers are able to make a comparatively good produce Provided farmers with the information they need about various agricultural practicesRegardless of the implementation of various measures and steps, problems still exist in the case of food preservation. Problems affecting the production, procurement and exportation have been solved to a great extent. It is food preservation that needs a lot of attention in this era. IX. Modern Technologies in Food and Agriculture: i. Technologies in Food preservation: The modern technologies involved in food preservation are : Pulsed Electric Field Electroporation High Pressure Food Preservation. Hurdle technology Pulsed Electric Field Electroporation: Pulsed electric field (PEF) electroporation is a method for processing cells by means of brief pulses of a strong electric field. PEF holds potential as a type of low temperature alternative pasteurization process for sterilizing food products. PEF for food processing is a developing technology still being researched. High pressure Food preservation: High pressure food preservation or pascalization refers to the use of a food preservation technique which makes use of high pressure. Pressed inside a vessel exerting 70,000 pounds per square inch (480 MPa) or more, food can be processed so that it retains its fresh appearance, flavour, texture and nutrients while disabling harmful microorganisms and slowing spoilage. Hurdle technology: Hurdle technology is a method of ensuring that pathogens in food products can be eliminated or controlled by combining more than one approach. These approaches can be thought of as â€Å"hurdles† the pathogen has to overcome if it is to remain active in the food. The right combination of hurdles can ensure all pathogens are eliminated or rendered harmless in the final product. As a result of these modern food production, procurement and preservation techniques, the environment is being degraded to a great extent. Moreover, the environment too is not so cooperative with agriculture. It provides a lot of hurdles that agriculture is not able to prosper very effectively today. X. Environmental Consequences: i. Consequences caused to the environment from agriculture: Modern Agricultural practices use a lot of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They are rich in nitrates and phosphates. Once they are sprayed over the plants, they get suspended in the soil. When they are subjected to rainfall, they get drone away into water bodies. They then cause Eutrophication. These depositions of nitrates and phosphates may lead to the growth of algae on the surface of the water. They utilize the maximum oxygen in the water thus creating a situation wherein there is loss of marine life. This situation is known as eutrophication. Other consequences are pollution [ the technical devices used in food production may initiate harmful emissions of gases causing pollution ] and the rise of BOD [ Biological Oxygen Demand ]. It is said: â€Å"As you sow, so shall you reap†. As modern agricultural methods are causing great deteriorations to the environment, the environment in turn is not supportive to agricultural practices. ii. Consequences caused to agriculture by the environment: Soil is a dynamic living matrix that is an essential part of the terrestrial ecosystem. It is a critical resource not only to agriculture production and food security but also not to the maintenance of most live processes. This soil is getting deteriorated day by day, so is agriculture. Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water use. Water resources are depleting at a faster rate with water table falling worldwide. The global environmental outlook report says that, if the present water consumption pattern continues, two out of every three persons on earth will live in water stressed conditions by the year 2025. In such a condition, when the water resources are fast depleting, agriculture too become a depleting practice. Agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate change and its impact is threatening global food security. Global warming is projected to have significant impacts on climate change and conditions affecting agriculture. Thus, as the present situation continues, the environment gets degraded more and more creating climate imbalance. As a result, the agricultural practices also foresees downfall. Therefore, the environment too is a threat to agriculture today. In spite of all these threatening reasons, man still is moving towards industrialization and is degrading the environment without paying enough attention towards agriculture. XI. Industrialisation and Agriculture: Industry is the production of an economic good or service within an economy. The Industrialization that took place in Europe in the late 18th century brought about great socio – economic changes in the world. Even today, the most advanced technologies that we experience are a result of this industrialization. However, this process also brought with it certain ill effects. It popularized industries and made agricultural practices face a downfall. . 22 It is transparent from this that both the GDP and the growth of agricultural sectors have both experienced serious downfall in the past fifty years. Unless this situation is treated with the appropriate solution, this dreadful condition cannot be overcome. As it continues, the public may have to move towards greener methods in the future. i. Recent Issues: 1. The Pepsi project Issue which has become a threat to the Punjab agricultural practices. Diversification of agriculture has become the main aim of the Pepsi Project . 2. The ONGC – Cauvery Oil Asset [ industry ] that created oil spills in the field which lead to large scale destruction of crop fields and also the ravaging of the paddy fields that surrounded the leaking pipelines of this industry. 3. The MESCO and Jindal steel plants, established in Orissa have turned against the existing agricultural practices. Their establishments have accounted for large scale destruction measures like deforestation and the illegal use of agricultural lands and forests. These issues have become a real threat to the world. Though, the agricultural produce is not sufficient to feed the entire population, people are moving towards industries and urban jobs rather than concentrating on agricultural activities which is the scope of future. Since people are not ready to change their attitude, it is necessary to have a balanced industrialization for the betterment of agriculture. 23 ii. Balanced Industrialization for the betterment of Agriculture Industrialization and Agriculture must go hand in hand for the betterment of our country. Industrialization should be practiced in such a way that there are no adverse effects on the agricultural practices. At the same time, it is necessary that scientific advances of the industries should have the potentials to bring about agro – ecosystems. XII. Our role: Apart from these industrial measures and other preventive measures, it is obligatory that each individual has to contribute to the betterment of our nation in one or the other way. We must furnish the public with a better understanding of the complexity of the present day agricultural systems We must develop a need to address both food consumption and production We must provide the essential knowledge and innovation through cross-sectoral approaches We must explore new ways of policy coordination We must motivate the educated ones so as to involve them in agriculture We must initiate awareness programmes as a result of which the farmers would become knowledgeable about the modern technologies in food production and food preservation We must join hands to build up a brighter and greener INDIA XIII. Conclusion : â€Å" Developed India is possible only if the agriculture is developed; But Prosperous India is possible only if the agricultural sectors are improved. & sustained along with industrial growth . . † Use less & less resources to achive more & more productivity. Industrialisation &agriculture fields should support mutually without degrading our eco system. The prospective future of mankind is not outside his control, but well with in his boundary. Taking care of rights of future generations, let us use/consume carefully all types of resources given by the nature. As Young Scientists, let’s take an oath to produce good food, consume just adequate food, waste nil food and store the balance food for the future /future generations. . . XIV. References: www.wiki.org www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.foodnavigator.asia.com Britannica Encyclopedia, F Series [ Food ] Green technologies in food production, pg no: 149, 2012 edition; author: Joyce.I.Boye www.wattagnwt.com www.meattradenewsdaily.com www.newsonair.com