Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Death Of A Salesman Essays (844 words) - English-language Films

Death Of A Salesman Essays (844 words) - English-language Films Death Of A Salesman Analysis of Death of a Salesman The tragedy of a family The play Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. He was born on October 17, 1915 in New York City. Most of Millers works emphasizes the common man struggling through the misconceptions and false illusions that modern society imposes. In the case of Death of a Salesman, Miller uses social realism, which is the attempt to describe human behavior and surroundings or to represent figures and objects exactly as they act or appear in life (Encarta 1). The main themes of this play are the idea of the American dream and what it takes to success, the struggle to distinguish between reality and illusion, and the emotional problems of the family. Death of a Salesman is the story of the Loman family, especially Willy, trying to accomplish the American dream, but with no success. Willy Loman is married to Linda, and his two sons are Biff and Happy. Other characters as Ben, Charley, Bernard, and the women in the hotel play a major role in Willys downfall through the story. Willy has always wanted to be successful and well-liked among people, but he has not accomplished anything. Miller presents a common man, Willy, as the tragic character of the play. In an article Miller states, I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing his sense of personal dignity (Miller, 1). In this article Miller clearly conveys that a person will sacrifice anything, even his or her own life, to protect his or her dignity. In Death of a Salesman Willy is willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish his dreams of being successful and known as a powe rful salesman. The play starts with Willy returning home from a sales trip. He is getting old and tired of traveling long distances. His two sons, Biff and Happy, are visiting the family. Willy tells Linda he does not know why Biff is lost, without a job, and no money. Willy expects his two sons, especially Biff, to become successful, but he has not realized that even his two sons are incapable of succeed. Willy has immersed himself into a world of illusions. He is always tormented with the hopes and dreams he had years ago. Throughout the play Willy has flashbacks of his life, which are somehow related to the present events. Biff and Happy discuss in their bedroom about how Willy is becoming senile in his old age. Willy is in the kitchen remembering how Biff used to be popular in high school and the superstar of the football team. Willy has the wrong ideas about life. He believes that all it takes to be successful in life is to be well liked. He tells his sons, Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. Willy Loman is here! Thats all they have to know, and I go through (DiYanni, 1142). In a sense, Willy is lying to his sons and to himself. He thinks he is well-liked, but in reality he is not. Another influence in Willys downfall through the play is the presence of his brother Ben in his dreams. Ben tells Willy that he became rich when he went to Africa and found a mine of diamonds. One might think Ben is not real, yet to Willy, Ben is very real. Ben is another driving force behind Willys idea of success. As the play continuous, Willy becomes more involved in his dreams. He also remembered when Biff caught him with another women in a hotel during a business trip. Although Biff does not like what his father did, he feels sorry for him. Willy lives a life filled with false hopes. Biff and Happy tell him that they are going to talk with Bill Oliver, Biffs previous employer, to start a sporting good business. The next day, the Loman Family goes to the Franks Chop House where Biff and Happy invited Willy and Linda. In the restaurant Willy

Friday, November 22, 2019

Checking in on New Years Resolutions... How Are Yours Going

Checking in on New Years Resolutions... How Are Yours Going If you didn’t write down your New Year’s Resolutions in January, or even if you did, you may have completely forgotten about them by now. I know that left to my own devices, I would be completely unreliable with regard to checking back on my promises from January. Thankfully, I have a blog and newsletter- with an audience- to keep me accountable! As I look back at my resolutions for my business in 2013, I realize I have succeeded in fulfilling 2 out of 6 of them. Yikes! Let’s look at the hard facts: 1. Publish a Spanish-language version of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. I engaged a consultant to look into the possibility of finding someone who wanted foreign rights to my e-book; no one was interested. This meant that if I were to publish a Spanish version of my book, I would have to do it myself. After considering the realities of the costs and effort involved in revising the book in Spanish as well as in English each time LinkedIn changes something in its platform, I determined that this project would not be a good use of time and resources. I did put a lot of thought into this decision however! 2. Publish a 50 Resume Tips book I’m pleased to announce that I will be publishing not one but TWO e-books on resumes within the next month: How to Write a WINNING Resume: 50 Tips to Reach Your Job Search Target and How to Write a STELLAR Executive Resume: 50 Tips to Reach Your Job Search Target. Watch my newsletter for the official announcement about when the books will be available on Amazon! 3. Obtain a Master Resume Writer certification (CMRW) from Career Directors International. DONE as of March 2013! 4. Increase the college essay / personal statement portion of my business to 25% of total business. I have not found the key to increasing the number of personal statement clients I work with in a year. Admissions season is about to start, so I can’t be sure of the numbers for the year, but as of today admissions consulting represents less than 10% of The Essay Expert’s business (last year was a little more than 10%). If you have ideas of how to change that, please let me know- and please send clients if you know anyone in need of personal statement coaching! 5. Start a training for resume writers. This project never quite got off the ground. I was focused on publishing the resume writing e-books and will revisit the resume writer training once the books gain some traction. My vision is to use the books as a syllabus for training. If you know anyone who would be interested in being trained by me as a resume writer, please have them contact me at BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com. Thank you! 6.  Create 213 success stories! As of this writing my list is not completely updated, but I have about 50 success stories to report. I’m definitely behind on this goal. Part of the challenge is that many people do not keep me as updated as I would like about their job search successes! If you’re reading this and you have received an interview or job after hiring The Essay Expert or following my advice, please report to me at BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com. Thank you! That’s my report. How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? If there’s any way I can support you please let me know! Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinSeptember 3, 2013

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Enron case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enron case - Essay Example The companies’ acts usually serve to offer adequate regulatory approaches, that auditor and companied to adhere to. With this respect, it is a requirement of SEC that all public corporations should have outside auditors to undertake the auditing process. This implies that an outside auditor is supposed to offer opinions regarding the precision and reliability of the company’s accounting statements, taking into consideration the principle of objectivity, lack of biasness and avoiding the engagement in activities that are likely to result to lack of auditor independence (Haines 14). As a result, auditors are required to display utmost ethics and honesty in the code of duties, which requires auditors to display integrity, objectivity and independence. The regulatory oversight that resulted to the Enron fraud is a violation of the aspect of auditor independence as evident by Andersen having an office space in Enron’s headquarters that was permanent. This served to re veal lack of auditor independence (Hill & Cronk 10). In addition, there is a possibility that Andersen overlooked Enron Corporation’s compliance with the required accounting policies, procedures and practices. In addition, Enron Corporation had relied on the auditing services from Andersen, resulting to him familiarizing with the corporations accounting policies and practices. The Enron scandal served to reveal the significance of auditor independence; as a result, the fraud served to question the efficiency and the adequacy of the present audit independence regulatory frameworks. The auditing procedures prior to the Enron fraud were sufficient to ensure that there is high audit quality, but in some cases fails to identify misappropriations (Hodgetts & Luthans 33). There have been significant changes in accounting regulations after the collapse of the Enron Corporation with the main

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Weekly ass. #7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly ass. #7 - Essay Example After sending and deleting personal emails, employees think that they are safe and cannot be discovered. Employers have the right to access their employee’s emails, and put up backups, which can retrieve such emails even when deleted. According to Jennings, â€Å"Courts have ruled that email messages belong not to the employee but to the employer and are discoverable in litigation where upon they must be turned to the opposing party†, (Jennings, 2009,Pg. 180). This means that employees do not own the emails at their work place, and they can be sued for using them to pass personal messages. Blackberries are personal properties, which are owned by individuals. Such individuals have the right of usage of their property and they can therefore send personal emails to their friends. However, same kind of care is necessary since it is unethical to send messages via any platform using the employer’s time. Messages on Blackberries should only be sent during personal time. Additionally, Blackberries should not be used to set rogue access points on the company’s

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Poverty Essay Introduction Essay Example for Free

Poverty Essay Introduction Essay Poverty is a serious issue that has been going on for centuries. Every day there are people who die due to hunger but there are solutions to reducing, and even stopping, poverty. Global poverty comes in an abundance of shapes and sizes. One of the main sources of poverty is the lack of investment in the future at all levels. The manufacturer outsources to China because he does not want to invest in long-term employees. The government does not want to invest in quality employees through education, infrastructure, health care, etc. The potential employee does not want to invest in his future through education or training, but would rather have immediate gratification of leisure. A second main source is the lack of certain basic government functions. The government needs to be able to provide stability, through laws and establishing property rights. Without these basic things, there is little incentive for the people to develop new products, or work hard, because it will just be taken away by someone more powerful. I dont think government is the solution to everything, but it is necessary for a few basic functions.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Russia :: essays research papers fc

Comparative Politics Gerard Chretien RUSSIA: POLITICAL STRUCTURE: Summary: Why the democratic structure in Russia is proving to be unsuccessful. INTRODUCTION: The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, disintegrating into thirteen different states. Ever since the political structure of Russia has been viable and lacks stability. Many reasons can be cited for this instability out of which the bearish economy and a shaky democratic system are the main causes. ANALYSIS: The reforms taken after Russia’s disintegration have yet to be proved fruitful. The economy is in no better shape then before and politically Russia has great set backs in the name of the ongoing war with Muslim freedom fighters in Chechnya. â€Å"The most important factor that needs to be established is economic growth. Successful economic development will ease the transition and enable violence and dissention among the races very avoidable. If resources are abundant and properly distributed then multiple markets can grow. However, when resources run scarce and competition arises for limited assets then violence and animosity become the only plausible alternatives. If two industries fiercely compete for limited resources then one is likely to be forced out of the market. A sound and developing economy is essential for the happiness and orderly conduct of the people (Barner-Barry & Hody, 1995)(1). Another problem cited in the progress is the difficulty of transition from communism to democracy when the government officials are trained in the old system. The process of privatization requires lengths of time and willingness of the people to take upon the businesses for which they require full governmental protection, easy paper work and full rights over their property. â€Å"If Russia is to make the transition, it must rediscover civil society (the informal network of family, church, service organization and the like). Strong civil society provides the political culture that supports liberal institutions, but the Communist Party deliberately destroyed many elements of civil society to ensure party dominance. Russia faces moral, economic, and legal gaps in its civil society. Hence Russia has a difficult road to achieve democracy.†(2) It was a widely held belief that with the fall of the Soviet Union Russia would make a rapid transition into democracy and free markets. â€Å"This overlooks the crucial role of political culture in shaping and supporting political and economic institutions. Russia did not have the political culture appropriate to western-style institutions and so became chaotic and lawless. For Russians, democracy became a dirty word, as it symbolized Russia’s troubles.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Kardell Paper Company Decision Essay

The Board of directors of Kardell Paper Company should accept the installation of the new processing technology witch protects the environment by refining the company’s waste water .Implementing this new technology will increase the company’s long- term profitability and reputation by providing enough power and ability to compete and operate efficiently in the future market. This ethical solution is offered, after analyzing Kardell’s board of directors’ decision to refuse the new technology due to its high turn over costs. The impacts of this decision on the company’s primary stakeholders is studied carefully by using the 5-question ethical approach. The assessment has been made by comparing the profitability, legality, fairness and rightness of the company’s decision and its impacts on major groups of stakeholders and their interests. Introduction The Kardell Paper Company (KPC) is a publicity traded company with good financial record and a profit of $1.7 million per year.Kardell’s original mill which is not designed with accordance to high environmental protection standards, is located near the Riverside, a community of 22,000 residents (Brooks 371) The local community has been suffering from an unusually high rate of miscarriages and respiratory disorders since 1985.Therefore,in the same year, a research has been done on the water sample of the river which showed high level of industrial chemical called sonox.Also,it was discovered that the plant lab failed to mention the high sonox level in its monthly report to the managers. However, after informing the CEO and the Board of Direcors, no serious action has been taken to solve this problem and proven the situation. They failed to undertake an appropriate environmental audit and even refused the possible solution of adopting a new technology to refine the companyâ€⠄¢s waste water.(Brooks 372) The Issues In fact, KPC’s board of directors faced two major problems in adopting the new technology. First, the $70 million cost of implementing the new technology which would affect the productivity and profitability of the company. Second, the issue of unemployment and job loss that will occur, as a result of shutting down during the retrofit. To analyze and asses KPC’s decision, the 5-question framework will be used. This approach requires identifying the company’s most important stakeholders, prioritizing their interests and applying five questions to examine the impacts of the company’s decision on each stakeholders group (Tucker 348). Identification of Stakeholders and their Interests According to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), companies are concerned for the well being of the people, society and the environment (Brooks 399). Therefore, identification of all the stakeholders and their concerns are quite important for analyzing companies’ business decisions and ensure their long term success. The most important stakeholder groups that are impacted by KPC’s decision can be recognized and ranked as follow. Current and Future Shareholders The impact on this group measures in terms of profit or loss. In this case, current shareholders will face a short-term reduction in the dividend payments due to the high cost of adopting the new processing technology ($70 million) and the probability of capacity level reduction during the retrofit. However, if the decision becomes known, the company may end up paying high clean up and compensation costs as well as Governmental fines.On the other hand, the future shareholders such as ethical investors are more interested in long-term profits and give more value to moral and ethical behavior of the company. KPC’s Employees and Labor Union They may potentially get unemployed or receive less salaries and benefits due to the productivity reduction during the retrofit. However, KPC is putting its employees and their family’s life at risk by being the source of harmful emission and keep polluting their environment.Therefore, by refusing to install the new technology, KPC is ensuring the employees’ job and salaries at the expense of ignoring their core human rights such as right to good health. KPC’s Managements This group consists of the company’s Executive Officers and other managers who receive generous bonuses and benefits. They seek for short term profit without paying enough attention to the long term consequences of their decision. They have ignored the risks that are involved upon revelation of their decision by whistle blowers such as; possible clean up costs as well as negative reaction of the community by boycotting the company’s products. Local Community There is no doubt that KPC has CSR toward the community and therefore must ensure the business continues operating to create wealth and to build good reputation (Brooks 399). As the local community is suffering from the side effects of the high sonox level in the water, KPC has to act responsible ,honest and reliable to solve their problem. On the other hand, the local community might be highly dependant on the company as a main source of income in the area and would severely suffer during the retrofit. But, there is no doubt that saving their lives and living environment should be the company’s first priority. Government As the Government wants the health and well being of the society and protect  them from harm, it would like KPC to invest in the technology and bring down the number of sick people. Also, this might be to the government benefit as it would reduce the health cost. As it has explained, KPC’s primary stakeholders consist of different groups with various interests .For being able to asses the impact of the company’s decision, the fundamental interest of the stakeholders should be taken into consideration. The decision should maximize the well-offness of all stakeholders, should result in a fair distribution of benefits and burdens, and also should not offend any of the rights of stakeholders (Brooks 336). Considering the above mentioned criterias, even though the proposed decision may maximize some current shareholders and managers’ profits, but it is defiantly not fair or profitable for the other employees and the community.Moreover, KPC is offending the core human rights of the residents and its employees by jeopardizing their lives and health. Unquestionably those rights should be the company’s first and principle concerns. Application of the 5-Question Approach 1- Profitability There is no doubt that the refusal of installing the new processing technology which cost $70 million and results in shutting down the firm, will be profitable in short term and will also reduce the risk of economic loss.However,the likelihood of the decision becoming public by either whistle blowers or ethical shareholders has to be estimated. In this case, KPC might face serious problems such as; loosing the community support, paying high compensations and clean up costs as well as possible future lawsuits for damaging the environment.Consequently, adopting the new technology will be more cost benefit in long term.Moreover, KPC will be able to offset some costs by reclaiming waste material and sell it to chemical producers (Brooks 372). 2- Legality The KPC’s decision might not be illegal at the moment as it complies with the existing governmental limits and environmental regulations. But due to high number of miscarriages, birth defects and respiratory aliments in the area, there is no doubt that the government will tighten the standards to limit the sonox emission in near future. Therefore, KPC should make a proactive decision to reduce any chance of probable lawsuits.Also, according to the Golden Rules; KPC managers should treat the community as they want to be treated (Hunt and Cox 22). Also, KPC should give priority to the values such as Integrity, honesty, Responsibility, Predictability and try to apply more ethical principles and ground rules to implement those values. 3-Fairness While the deferment decision may considered fair and profitable for shareholders and managers, it is unfair for majority of stakeholders With regard to CSR ,KPC is not only responsible to make profit for its shareholders but also committed to various stakeholders (Brooks 359).Also, the even distribution of benefits and interests among all stakeholders a should be taken into consideration.If,this unfair treatment becomes public, it may result in severe reaction from the injured parties which will cause business failure. 4- Impact on Rights As it has described, the proposed decision had negative impact on the rights of several stakeholder groups in terms of life, health, safty and security.KPC has negatively affected the health and well being of the society and its employees by potentially polluting their environment .Therefore, KPC’s decision would be considered unethical. It has failed to respect the stakeholders’ values and preserve their health and safety rights, by not disclosing appropriate information to the public and also not taking the necessary steps to solve its technical problem. 5-Is It Sustainable Development? From the environmental prospective, KPC has to operate in accordance with high environmental protection standards. In order to prosper and progress in future, the company has to equip itself with the newest technology and skills required to keep the environment safe and sound. Conclusions and Recommendations The analysis has shown that, although KPC’s decision to defer the installation of the new processing technology might promise the short term profitability of the company and guarantee the shareholders’ interests and can be within governmental limits at the presents, it is not fair or right to the other stakeholders. Moreover, with regard to the valid probability of the decision revelation as well as the cost -benefit analysis, the long profitability of KPC might be at risk .The company may end up with paying high clean up costs and expenses. Consequently, KPC’s decision is unethical and may result in future public negative reaction and failure. The above mentioned facts and consequences should be fully taken into consideration by the Board of directors.Therefor,Kardell’s board of directors should act immediately and solve the pollution problem by adopting the new processing technology and accepting the fact that the company’s long term success and productivity depends on this action. In addition, KPC can resolve the probable job loss and unemployment during the retrofit by providing employees with early retirement packages or even ask the government to assist those employees with the unemployment insurance.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Universal Healthcare Persuasive

The United States is the only developed nation without universal health care coverage, and the current state of affairs is bankrupting millions. the United States spends more on health care per an individual than any other nation, the World Health Organization reports that the United States only ranks 28th for life expectancy and 37th for mortality of children under the age of 5. For immunizations, the United States ranks 67th – Botswana is 66th. More than 46 million Americans go uninsured each day, 9 million of whom are children. Some believe that universal health care would bankrupt America, but the Congressional Budget Office found that it would actually save $100 to $200 billion dollars per a year, according to the Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care. The cost of health care in the United States is also costing American jobs. To avoid hefty insurance premiums, American businesses have moved offices out of the States. Health Care Statistics in the United States Health Insurance. The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system. Source: Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences In 2010, the percentage of Americans without health insurance was 16. 3%, or 49. 9 million uninsured people. Source: US Census Bureau Of the 83. 7% of people with health insurance in 2010, coverage was 55. 3% employment-based, 9. 8% direct-purchase, and 31. 0% government funded (Medicare, Medicaid, Military). (Overlap reflects coverage by more than one type of health insurance). Source: US Census Bureau The primary reason given for lack of health insurance coverage in 2005 was cost (more than 50%), lost job or a change in employment (24%), Medicaid benefits stopped (10%), ineligibility for family insurance coverage due to age or leaving school (8%). Source: National Center for Health Statistics More than 40 million adults stated that they needed but did not receive one or more of these health services (medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses) in 2005 because they could not afford it. Source: National Center for Health Statistics Medicaid, which accounted for 15. 9% of health care coverage in 2010, is a health insurance program jointly funded by the federal and state governments to provide health care for qualifying low-income individuals. Source: US Census Bureau Medicare, a federally funded health insurance program that covers the health care of most individuals 65 years of age and over and disabled persons, accounted for 14. 5% of health care coverage in 2010. Source: US Census Bureau Medicare operates with 3% overhead, non-profit insurance 16% overhead, and private (for-profit) insurance 26% overhead. Source: Journal of American Medicine 2007 Since the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created in 1997, the percentage of children ages 0-17 with health insurance has increased from 86% to 93%. Source: National Center for Health Statistics: December 2011 2. 5 million young adults have gained health insurance as a result of the provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows them to remain on their parents insurance plans until age 26. Source: National Center for Health Statistics: December 2011 Health Care Expenditures Health care expenditures in the United States were nearly $2. 6 trillion in 2010, an average of $8,402 per person. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services In 2009, national health care expenditures were paid by households 28%, private businesses 21%, state and local governments 16%, and federal government 27%. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 75% of all health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, many of which can be prevented, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, lung disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Source: Health Affairs Half of health care spending is used to treat just 5% of the population. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2012 Since 2001, employer-sponsored health coverage for family premiums has increased by 113%. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2012 The share of the economy devoted to health care has increased from 7. 2% in 1970 to 17. 9% in 2009 and 2010. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2012 The U. S. spends substantially more on health care than other developed countries. As of 2009, health spending in the U. S. was about 90% higher than in many other industrialized countries. The most likely causes are higher prices, more readily accessible technology, and greater obesity. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2012 Infant Mortality In 2005, the United States ranked 30th in infant mortality. Singapore has the lowest rate with 2. 1 deaths per 1000 live births, while the United States has a rate of 6. 9 deaths per 1000 live births. Infant mortality is considered an important indicator of the health of a nation. Source: CDC, NCHS Data Brief, Number 23, November 2009 Approximately 30,000 infants die in the United States each year. The infant mortality rate, which is the risk of death during the first year of life, is related to the underlying health of the mother, public health practices, socioeconomic conditions, and availability and use of appropriate health care for infants and pregnant women. Sources: CDC and National Center for Health Statistics, 2008 The main cause contributing to the high infant mortality rate in the United States is the very high percentage of preterm births. One in 8 births in the United States were born preterm, an increase of 36% since 1984. Source: CDC, NCHS Data Brief, Number 23, November 2009 Life Expectancy Life expectancy at birth in the United States is an estimated 78. 49 years, which ranks 50th in highest total life expectancy compared to other countries. Source: CIA Factbook (2011) Lack of health insurance is associated with as many as 44,789 deaths per year in the United States. Source: Harvard Medical School Study, American Journal of Public Health, December 2009 People without health insurance had a 40 percent higher risk of death than those with private health insurance, a result of being unable to obtain necessary medical care. Source: Harvard Medical School Study, American Journal of Public Health, December 2009 Bankruptcy Nearly two-thirds, or 62%, of all bankruptcy filings in the United States in 2007 were due to illness or medical bills. Source: American Journal of Medicine, June 2009 Among the medical bankruptcy filers in 2007, most were well-educated, owned homes, employed in middle-class occupations, and three-quarters had health insurance. Source: American Journal of Medicine, June 2009 Everyone has the right to health, including health care, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Health care is a public good, not a commodity. The U. S. health care system must fulfill these principle s†¢Universality: Everyone in the United States has the human right to health care. †¢Equity: Benefits and contributions should be shared fairly to create a system that works for everyone. †¢Accountability: The U. S. government has a responsibility to ensure that care comes first. If you are against universal health care or don’t have an opinion on it at all, I urge you to read the following. I will attempt to simply and concisely prove why the United States needs to change its current health care system. In the United States of America, 44. 8 million people are without health insurance. Either they can’t afford it or they are denied coverage because the companies do not think they will be â€Å"economical enough†. Even if one does have medical insurance, chances are they will be denied coverage at one point in their life. This is due to the privatized, profit-driven system, which encourages legalese like co-pays, thresholds, limited coverage, and more. Our private system, contrary to popular belief, is incredibly expensive for the state. We give 15% of our GDP to healthcare for a system that is supposedly run by corporations. That’s the highest GDP percentage in the world that is spent on healthcare. Here’s why a universal healthcare system would be better for many reasons. Those who agree that health care is a basic human right (78% of Americans do) would easily list this as the first reason. Universal Health Care would also be cheaper. According to the WHO, the United States spends $3371 per person, per year for health insurance. Look at what these countries pay: Australia: $1017 (#2 in the world). Yeah. We pay three times as much as Australia, the number two country on the list, for a fundamentally broken system. And where does most of that money go? Into the pockets of big insurance company management. As for the doctor pay: Yes, doctors will be paid less. Perhaps as much as 30% less. In spite of this, doctors will still be one of the highest-paid professions in the United States, even with universal health care. Furthermore, under the new system that many are proposing, med school would be partially or completely subsidized by the government. Another argument often heard: â€Å"Taxes would spike†. Not if it’s done right. US government spending is SECOND-HIGHEST in the world per person, for a private system. Countries with Universal Health Care, like Australia, Canada, UK, etc. all have less government spending per person that us, and a better system. Same or less amount of spending means the same or less amount of taxes. Enough of the status quo. It’s time for change. It’s not just about voting with your heart, it’s about voting with your brain. Universal Health Care is the logical alternative.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours Essays

Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours Essays Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours Paper Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours Paper Richardson 1 Cody Richardson Mr. Payne Music Lit Troubadours The birth of troubadours resided in the rich culture of early 12th century France. They are considered by some to be the frontrunners of secular music. Many were persecuted and killed for their music by the Catholic Church. Troubadours carried the main theme of love in all of their songs. Songs consisting of many different kinds of love were played in courts and sometimes at public meetings. These songs always had to be appropriate for the courts that they were played. Troubadour music in some courts may have even been considered to be racy in current times. The songs helped to show the growing equalities amongst the classes. All troubadours had to show a massive understanding of the intricacies and interworking of the female mind in order to stay on the line of perversion, without crossing it. Most troubadours came from rich courtly families, who were well educated in Catholic schools. The troubadours were groundbreaking individuals who had to persevere through persecution of religious groups, class, and finding a place in their time (Stevens, Butterfield, Karp 798-790). A troubadour was not merely a musician who played other musicians music. They were well versed in the music advances of their time. Troubadours were able to write their own music and compose their own songs. The most highly noted troubadours would only Richardson 2 play for small groups of people, usually in courts. Many of these well-established troubadours would never play for public events. Instead they would allow other musicians to play their music in their place. Not all troubadours were in the same class of wealth. The type of payment received was decided by the amount of money a certain troubadour already possessed. Some independently wealthy troubadours only wanted fame and women as their rewards for singing in the courts. Others helped to spread the fame of a wealthier troubadour by traveling to other courts and playing their music for them. In return the poorer troubadours would receive funds, that one-day might allow them to climb the latter of success. There were also those troubadours who just wanted to play to gain love of a woman. To help them in their endeavors, many troubadours hired assistants called jongleurs (Jinright 1). Jongleurs helped troubadours perform their music. Having many different skills in all areas of performing allowed them to fill in wherever they were needed. Jongleurs had skills outside of just playing music and singing. Most jongleurs were well versed in skills such as juggling or dancing. Jongleurs created the raw materials for the troubadours to sculpt and use to create their songs. They were used to make up all the missing pieces that a show needed. Jongleurs were known to travel across countries from France to England for the opportunity to play a part in a troubadour’s performance. These traveling performers were the less educated, mainly lower class musicians, trying to make a living. Although some jongleurs possessed a considerable amount skill, they were never compared to the skills of the troubadour in charge of the show. Many times the skills of Richardson 3 jongleurs were overlooked or credited to the troubadour they were working under (Cheyette 78-86). Many troubadours came about due to the direct education of the Catholic Church. Catholic schools helped to teach and sculpt rich courtly children into having the power to create secular music. As troubadours began to flourish, Catholic churches began to feel attacked by their music. Many Catholic schools started screening their applicants to try and reduce the amount of troubadours that would be educated through catholic schools. Around 1209, after failed attempts by many Catholic institutions were made to convert nobility and their troubadours, a war began. The Catholic Church believed that secular music about love was a great sin that needed to be dealt with. After Simon of Montfort crushed the first poorly organized resistance of nobles, many troubadours fled and some decided to stay and fight as part of the Occitanian resistance. In 1216 the resistance defeated Simon and sent him home. Over one hundred years later the Pope decided to send inquisitors in to France, as a response to Simon of Montfort’s loss. This second effort was successful in ending the resistance. Many troubadours were burned alive and others were imprisoned (Jinright 1). Even after the major rise and fall of the troubadours, their ideas lived on through their music. They were the revolutionary thinkers of their time. Troubadours brought new ideas to the way of thinking in many different areas of life. Troubadours were able to express their views on both love and war. They were not afraid to express even the most erotic details of love or talk of epic battles, full of knightly honor. The lords and ladies of Richardson 4 medieval noble houses got bored with listening to work created in monasteries. The people of the time became more interested in music that told stories. Songs were created by the finest troubadours try and let citizens know about the crusades. Almost all songs talked of the victories won by fellow citizens who had ventured off to join the crusades. Their stories became similar to movies of our day about love and war. The songs gave young men and women ideal examples of how to treat each other. Knights heard these songs sung and tried to model their lives after the heroes from the stories. Some believe troubadours created the act of chivalry with their music. Chivalry is one of the only legacies still living left by the troubadours (Stevens, Butterfield, Karp 798-790). Chivalry is one thing the troubadours gave to society that can never be taken away by time. The Catholic Church had a big role in killing many other parts of the troubadour’s legacy almost completely. Much of the songs created in medieval times were lost do to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The church taught that only religious songs could be written down and saved. Troubadours had to memorize all of their songs they created in order to have anything to play. Making it more difficult for any artist to prosper, who was trying to create secular music. This made for the creation of much easier songs that could be remembered with just listening. The songs were very simple and usually sung with a single melodic line. The troubadours composed their music by joining a single note of music with a single syllable of text. Sometimes they would add in many notes bring sung to a single syllable of text.. Troubadour’s songs form was often very free flowing. Some songs could be strophic in form as well. The church also taught that God did not want composers Richardson 5 to take credit for their songs. No single troubadour could own his or her own songs because they did not have the ability to write them down. If a troubadour heard another artist’s song, they must simply be able to remember it and then go sing it. The rules of the Catholic Church made it impossible for most of the troubadour’s songs to be saved. Most of the footprints left by the troubadours can be seen through the careful study of how their music affected the society of their time (Stevens, Butterfield, Karp 798-790). The change from a Catholic Church dominated society to a free thinking more secular society was brought on strongly by the troubadours. They created revolutionary thoughts that spread against the Catholic way of thinking, every time they performed. They changed music forever in ways that were felt much later down the road. Chivalry is seen and practiced in every country around the world. Troubadour’s songs of love and war have been translated into movies. Movies about true love and about treating women a certain way, are produced every year. Action movies are produced showing courage and giving examples of great heroes. They all serve the same purpose as the songs did for the people of the medieval era. It allows people to imagine themselves as characters in the story and strive to be more like them one day. Most of today’s society probably does not know how its entertainment originated. It came from the revolutionary thinkers of the medieval times. They defied the church and created their own way of life. Many troubadours paid for these songs of revolution with their lives. Although there music is lost, their contributions to society will never be forgotten (Jinright 1).

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Make good writing second nature - Emphasis

Make good writing second nature Make good writing second nature A question for the drivers: how much of the drive to work this morning do you remember? The answer, probably, is not much, because youre so used to the process that you no longer need to consciously think about it. Its the same for learning any new skill, including writing. With sustained effort and attention, the skill becomes second nature. This is why we recommend to clients that they follow up their training day with a Coaching clinic, to reinforce the progress made on the course and follow up on any continuing concerns. There are four stages to learning a new skill, according to a model developed by Gordon Training International, and you have to go through each to reach the point where you can perform the skill well, seemingly without thinking. 1. Unconscious incompetence You dont know what you dont know 2. Conscious incompetence You know what you dont know 3. Conscious competence You know how to do it, but you have to think about it 4. Unconscious competence Youre practised enough to do it automatically. Mistakes are common at the conscious competence stage, even though you know by then what you need to do and how to do it. This is why we offer one-to-one follow-up coaching on all our courses. Before training, we gather writing samples from each participant and analyse them in detail, producing a graph that identifies and quantifies your individual problem areas. We go through this process again after the initial course to see where you have improved and what you still need to work on, so that in the follow-up coaching the trainer can work with you to iron out lingering errors. If you or your staff have been trained by us and would like to arrange follow-up coaching, or you would like to talk about arranging both, email us or call us on +44 (0)1273 732 888.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Theoretical Position Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theoretical Position - Research Paper Example Hence, it has been considered important to discuss their perspectives individually so that the reader gets a better idea of the differences in their theoretical perspectives. Sigmund Freud Sigmund Fred was the Austrian psychiatrist, psychologist and neurologist and is regarded as the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud’s psychoanalysis theory beholds that there are some childhood experiences that an individual holds back into his unconscious mind without showing any disapproval to these experiences when he was a child. These experiences are coupled with his sexual individuality regarding one or both of his parents. Thus, his psychological functioning is predicted based on these experiences. The physician has to bring out these experiences or memories from the patient’s unconscious for the treatment. This was a new approach for psychoanalysis referred to as Freud’s couch (Matthis & Szecsody, 2009) in which the patient is made able to recollect his past experiences. F reud’s theory is thought to be more inclined towards the libido concept or the sexual identity of an individual. His theory of the unconscious mind states that the psychological functioning of an individual contains several layers in itself which are not just controlled by the conscious mind. The behavior is just as well controlled by what has been stored in the unconscious mind since early childhood. The goal of psychoanalysis, according to Freud, is to make the unconscious act like conscious. However, this theory has been criticized by other psychoanalysts. Carl Jung Carl Jung also studied analytical psychology and the role of unconscious on human behavior and coupled it with spirituality. He discussed the interpretation of dreams, art, mythology and religion in the context of psychoanalysis. He was of the view that human psychological functioning cannot be explained through simple logics. Although Freud and Carl worked upon the same context, that is, the unconscious mind b eyond the logical rules; however, some basic concepts of the Freudian theory regarding the legitimacy of psychoanalysis led to disagreements between the two. Jung divides his psyche theory into three portions: ego. Personal unconscious, and collective unconscious (Boeree, 2006).His personality theory describes the introversion and extroversion attitudes of humans and the four functions that control human psychology: feeling, thinking, sensation and intuition. A person behavior is controlled by two functions at a time when the other two can remain suppressed. Alfred Adler Alfred Adler is known as the neo-Freudian psychoanalyst and he also studied the unconscious part of the brain. Adler is known for his contribution more toward the development and research on psychotherapy, teacher training and counselling. Apart from looking into the basic concepts of personal psyche, he made efforts to make the fact be realized that mental illness can b e prevented by implementing social equality. He studied the effects that social relationships can have on the human behavior or psychological functioning. Thus, he makes a shift from the intra-psychic phenomenon and emphasizes more on the inter-psychic phenomenon. His approach is referred to as individual psychology which focuses on the individuality of a person rather than Freudian concept of behavior universality. He believed that the