Relationship Marketing of services-perspectives Essay

Relationship Marketing of services-perspectives - Essay Example As Evert Gummesson (1999) advocates total relationship marketing as " Marketing based on relationships, networks and interaction, recognizing that marketing is embedded in the total management of the networks of the selling organization, the market and society". It is directed to long term, win-win relationships with individual customers, the value is jointly created between the parties involved". In the above context if we look at affinity cards networks of relationship we can easily see three parties which are involved in the relationship network are; affinity credit card issuing bank, charity or political parties or universities or other types of such organizations and the customer who held and actually using the affinity credit cards and also members of above mentioned organizations. Basically affinity cardholders are members of a particular organization or somewhat related to organizations in the form of any relationship. It may be direct or indirect like supporters of any club or political parties. Basic relationship exists between actual affinity card users and the organization to which they belongs or affiliate directly or indirectly. On the basis of such relationships organizations develop or forge a networked relationship with the bank. The second type of relationship exists between organization and the affinity card issuing branch/bank. The relationship between bank and organization depend on mutual benefits. Bank gets the loyal customers from the memberships of the organization who use their affinity credit cards and in exchange, organization gets some monetary benefits as agreed upon by the organization and the bank. This type of business-to-business relationship depends on mutual benefits for both the parties. Bank gets the whole memberships of the organization as their customer without much of investment in customer enhancement activities and the organization benefited by getting some initial signup fee and recurring money for every buying throug h credit cards. Finally the relationship between customer and organization depends on some intangible aspects such as loyalty, pride, brand using status etc. and a distinct identity. 2. As Cardweb.com (www.cardweb.com) estimated that 250 million affinity credit cards were in circulation worldwide and it is almost one-third of all credit cards. So affinity credit cards have larger share in the credit card market. If we see the reason behind the growth of affinity card market up to such level, the main reason behind this type of business is mutual benefits and trust. As we have discussed the three parties or stake holders involved in business get mutually benefited. The banks, which issue credit card, get a larger number of customers at one go. Services involving discrete transactions can be transformed into membership relationships by providing services in bulk. The advantage for the banks to provide services to the organizations of having membership relationships is that it knows who its current customers are and, usually, what use they make of the services offered. This customer information can be valuable for segmentation purposes if good records are kept and t he data are readily accessible for analysis. Banks after knowing the identities and addresses of

A report on how current provision Essay Example for Free

A report on how current provision Essay Each one of the early years educators has played an important role in setting the foundations that is the basis of the main curriculums and foundation frameworks in schools today. Maria Montessori believed in independence in nurseries and that children should be taught to use their senses first rather than just educating their intellect with subjects such as maths and science. These of course came later in the childrens education but the main focus within her nurseries was to develop observational skills through the environment and learning outdoors, and to provide the children with carefully organised preparatory activities rather than repetition as a means of developing competence in skills. Montessori believed children should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, enabling them to become more independent. The teaching practices of Maria Montessori have been highly influential on current practice as many specialised Montessori nurseries are currently running up and down the country. They promote her curriculum of independency and use many of her approaches to practice such as the idea that the childs freedom, dignity and independence are of paramount importance. In a typical Montessori nursery there is a general atmosphere of children doing things for themselves carefully and competently carrying furniture, setting tables, pouring drinks, washing their hands and following activities which absorb and interest them. This is, in some ways, a very different method to the practices used in government run nurseries etc. as they follow a more standard curriculum where reading and writing are encouraged more formally and learning plans set out at an early age. Some of this practice is reflected within my current placement through the childrens play such as tidying away independently at the end of activities and being responsible for making sure toys are put away before a new activity is begun. In my placement, when the children are told it is tidy up time they know they need to put everything away and must help clear up until the room is tidy. The practitioners join in with the tidying but do not do it for the children, so they are leading by example but are still allowing the children to think for themselves and take responsibility for putting away their own play equipment. During snack time I have also witnessed the children carrying their own chairs through if they are a few chairs short in the hall. This gives the children a sense of independence and is also a good way of developing their gross motor skills and co-ordination. In the key stage 1 classes children are encouraged to pour their own drinks and are given small jobs such as handing out the lunchboxes and folders at lunchtime and the end of the day. These are just a few ways that the children are encouraged to be independent within the school day as well as managing their own hygiene and dressing/undressing independently for a physical education activity. Part of the stepping stones within the foundation stage state that children should be encouraged to dress and undress independently and select and use activities and resources independently, which is exactly what I have witnessed in my previous and current placements. The birth to three matters framework has a similar view on independency as the emotional well-being guidelines for a child focuses on developing healthy independence e. g.activities which provide small steps to be achieved will support all children, including those with disabilities, thus reducing frustration and supporting them to become independent. These clear guidelines from the various frameworks and curriculums undoubtedly show the positive effect Maria Montessori has had on current practice, and that her theories have been widely acknowledged within teaching practice today. Rudolf Steiner set up the Waldorf schools where the main consideration is around practical activities that develop the mind and the imagination. The types of activities that Steiner introduced in his schools were things such as knitting, weaving, playing a musical instrument, woodcarving and painting. These are very much practical based activities and many are still carried on in schools today such as learning to play an instrument. This is seen as an important activity for children in the early years and lessons and clubs for this are seen as mainstream activities. Steiner believed that education should be designed to suit the changing needs of a child as they develop mentally, physically and emotionally. This can be seen in the current practices and provisions as there are different levels and stages of which a child can progress through at their own pace, such as the stepping stones in the birth to three matters and foundation stage curriculum. Each individual child is encouraged within their own abilities to progress with their education and onto the next levels of development and learning within todays practices, and Steiners approach has therefore been influential on many areas of the early years education. His ideas on allowing children to be taught by the same teacher for up to seven years have been adopted in some ways by secondary schools as a class is given the same form tutor for up to five years and then another for two years if they progress to higher education. He believed this was an effective way of giving children stability within schools, and the tutors would almost be like main carers for the children until they left school. Friedrich Froebels kindergarten is the modern day nursery, playgroup or parent and toddlers group. He wanted parents to be fully involved with their childrens learning and play an active role in their childs educational development. This was an important feature of Froebels vision and can be seen in current practices through parent/teacher evenings and the various reports and progress write ups that are sent home to parents from early years settings. The placement I am currently with send home termly reports explaining to parents and carers how their child is doing with regards to education and also to their social, emotional and physical well-being. Froebel believed the role of the mother was to recognise their childs capacity for learning and wanted to encourage the parents to support the children with this, and as you can see from the current approaches to this in early years settings his work has helped to develop the understanding of the importance of the role of a childs family in their learning and nurturing. This is now very much reflected in the governments recent every parent matters agenda. He also believed children learn through structured play at their readiness, in an organised and prepared learning environment. This is similar to the guidelines of the curriculums and frameworks we use today as children are taught through structured activities that are carried out in stimulating environments. The fact that activities and play is structured benefits the teachers immensely as they will always have a clear view of what they need to be teaching the children, and when and where they should be learning specific things. They are also able to plan the day effectively and help each child reach their early learning goals. Structured play benefits the children as they need routine so they know what their day will consist of, and are also able to develop their independent learning skills within a structured, focused and supportive environment. If a childs day has routine or structure to it they are able to feel in control of themselves as they will always know what they are going to be doing, and how much time they have for certain activities. The special materials that Froebel developed to assist his activities were things such as shaped wooden bricks and balls, with which he had a linking set of theories. These types of play resources are used throughout early years settings today. The foundation stage framework states that well planned play is a key way in which children learn with enjoyment and challenge. This clearly shows that Froebel and Isaacss theories have been influential towards current practice and benefit children and teachers through the education policies. I have seen these benefits first hand within my placement. The teachers have the opportunity to plan their lessons and the activities ahead and so are able to plan time for their own personal work and preparation for other lessons into the day, and can inform the children exactly what they will be doing that day, thus giving them a clear, structured routine they can easily follow. Children are able to choose freely within play activities yet each play resource is chosen carefully and all of them can relate to either a certain topic they are doing ect.so the childrens learning of a certain subject can be carried on through their play. The foundation stage curriculum states that well planned play, both indoors and outdoors, is a key way in which young children learn with enjoyment and challenge. Froebels theories have, from this example, been the basis of many of the curriculums ideas on play, and making it structured also allows the teachers to plan and resource a challenging environment that will extend the childrens learning. The curriculum also states that practitioners should be supporting childrens learning through planned play activities, extending and supporting childrens spontaneous play and extending and developing childrens language and communication in their play. Many of these requirements would not be possible if play was not planned or structured, as practitioners would not know what resources the children would be using during the day, and so would not be able to make assessments effectively or develop and extend the childrens learning to their full potential. Froebels theories and early years work mean practitioners and children can benefit from play immensely. Children; in all areas of their development, and practitioners; as it enables them to focus their assessments thus informing future planning to better meet the needs of the children. Margaret McMillan was another early years educator who has inspired and influenced many of the current provisions and practices used today. Her main emphasis was on fresh air, exercise and nourishment, and still influences some aspects of current English nursery practice. Many early years settings regard outdoor play as an important aspect of a childs learning, and gardens and play areas are available for the children at either frequent intervals throughout the day, for a substantial amount of time (as can be seen in the placement I am currently at), or constant access is given. McMillan recognised that imagination is good for society as a whole, an idea that is seen in the educational reforms of the 20th century, and can be clearly seen in the practices within her nurseries today. She believed that children are active learners, meaning they learn whilst doing something (usually playing), a concept that has been brought into current practices as practical activities that involve moving about or using some kind of resource, and especially general play, is now much more emphasised in early years settings than it previously was. Rudolph Steiner also believed that practical play activities were a good developer of the imagination. His Waldorf schools concentrated on activities such as wood-work, knitting and playing musical instruments, which are now mainstream subjects in secondary and primary schools e. g. design technology, which covers all creative areas, and music. Children can develop their creativity, imagination and emotional development through music as well as many other areas of personal learning. Teachers are able to apply their own skills in these creative areas and demonstrate to the children how they can achieve what they are aiming for. By seeing their teachers own personal skill first hand the children will be able to respect and learn from practitioners in a more understanding way. Susan Isaacs was also a believer that play is central to learning, and also that parents/carers are seen as partners, working with teachers and their child to develop and support their childs abilities. This is similar to Froebels theories on parent/teacher relationships in the way that he saw parents as the main educators of young children. This concept is still clearly seen in the practices of early years settings as parents are encouraged to be involved in every aspect of a childs learning, and have the opportunity to work with the teacher in developing their childs abilities. This benefits the children and the parents as both can create a bond with each other through the education of the child, and the parent will be able to understand more fully how their child learns best and how to encourage and support them if they are struggling. Play is still seen as central to learning and parents/carers are seen as partners in helping their child progress through the stepping stones. In my current placement children are given ample time throughout the day to have free play and choose to do whatever interests them. The day is structured (as Froebel believed it should be) so they still have time set aside for number work and writing activities, but are not pushed to complete the more intellectual side of the work as play and active learning are the most emphasised activities throughout the childrens day. This benefits the child in the way that they will have a break from concentrating on the more intellectual side of things and be able to relax, whilst still learning through structured play and various activities. Having the ability to choose will keep them interested in learning about writing and reading as they will feel they are not being forced to learn about them. Friedrich Froebel introduced the idea of structured play and fully involving parents with their childrens learning. His work has been extensively influential on current practice in early years settings today as the basic framework and curriculums that guide children through their learning are based around his ideas about how children should be working with their parents and how carers should be involved in all aspects of their childs learning and development through school, and how children should learn at their own pace and be guided instead of pushed towards their learning goals. The national curriculum states that teachers are required to report  annually to parents on pupils progress through their learning goals. Parents also have a say in whether their children are included in religious education classes and sex education, and are given the right to withdraw their children from it or go to the classes with their children to guide them through it. Secondary and primary schools send home letters to parents informing them when classes such as these will be taking place, and permission slips are enclosed so the school know which children can take part in the classes and which cannot. My current placement sends home a daily report on each child so the parents can see their childs routine for the day including what they played with, how long they slept for, what and how much they ate during the day and generally how they got on. This gives the parents a clear understanding of how their child is getting on in the nursery and allows them to give feedback to the practitioners so they can work together to ensure the child is reaching their full potential in all areas of development. This clearly shows that Froebels ideology of parents being involved in childrens learning has been taken into early years settings today and has had a positive effect on current learning and the guidelines in the curriculum. Parent and toddler groups are also a popular class for parents to attend when their children are young. They allow parents to be fully involved with their childs play, and as children learn most substantially through play this gives the parents a better insight as to how their children learn and what stimulates them most effectively. They can then use this knowledge to help progress their childs learning at home. The foundation stage has the same principles as the national curriculum in the way that parents are encouraged to become involved with their childs learning throughout and to work with the practitioners to extend the childrens learning both in the classroom and at home. According to the foundation stage curriculum, when parents and practitioners work together in early years settings the results have a positive impact on the childs development and learning, therefore each setting should seek to develop an effective partnership with parents. This was one of Froebels main theories  within early years and so current practice has clearly been influenced by this and has expanded on his views to make sure parents, practitioners and children can benefit from his work. Practitioners can listen to any concerns parents have over their childs development and then work with them to find an appropriate solution to the problem. Froebel also recognised the importance of specific training for early childhood teachers. He believed that early years teachers needed more focused training as the early stages of a childs development and education formed the basis of their personalities and eagerness to learn in the future. This may have some contribution to the fact that early years practitioners must undergo specific training in order to become qualified to work in early years settings, such as NNEBs, NVQs and BTECs. My opinion of Froebels work and the research I have done on his theories is that his work has been the most influential on current practice due to the fact that most of his work has been combined with, and been the main basis for many of the guidelines in the curriculums and frameworks used in early years today. The emphasis on active learning is well established within early years settings, but combined with the current guidance from central government upon meeting targets, it is indicated by the inspection of early years settings that play-based learning is not a priority, though the training of practitioners, which Froebel believed was essential, has received considerable attention in recent years, and current practice is now trying to catch up with the ideas Froebel proposed. The role of the mother in childrens learning is not as Froebel expounded due to mothers of young children being encouraged to work rather than stay at home. Teaching and nurturing children in the home is regarded as less effective or desirable than education in more formal, out of home settings, though the parents as partners scheme initiated by the government throughout the curriculums gives parents and practitioners a way of communicating and working together to help the child, so in this way I think his ideas on parents being involved in childrens learning has been responsible for this being put into practice. Friedrich Froebels theories have, in my opinion, been the most influential on early years practitioners, and their approach to practice is guided by many of his ideas and concepts on how children should be learning. His work surrounding the kindergarten (the first form of modern day nursery) produced the framework and theories that practitioners work with and expand on in current practice and so in my opinion his work has had the most effective influence on todays early years educators and their practice, and this evidence suggests his work will continue to be explored and expanded on within the curriculums and frameworks for years to come. Bibliography†¢Bruce T learning through play: babies, toddlers and the foundation years, (2201), Hoddler and Stoughton†¢Tassoni P, BTEC early years (2nd edition), (2006) Heinemann†¢Bruce T, Time to play in early childhood education (1991), Hoddler and Stoughton.

Analysing The World Intellectual Property Organization Economics Essay

Analysing The World Intellectual Property Organization Economics Essay According to the  definition  of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), intellectual property now applies to creations of mind or invention; literary and artistic works; and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. Legally, intellectual property includes patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and copyright. Scholars prefer an even broader view of intellectual property.   They prefer a definition that includes individual creativity and socially adopted innovations, as well as collective knowledge (Gollin, 2007). Intellectual property rights (IPR) are legal entitlements granted by governments within their respective sovereignties that provide patent, trademark, and copyright owners the exclusive right to exploit their intellectual property (IP) for a certain period. Defined another way, IPR, broadly, are rights granted to people who create and own works that are the result of human intellectual creativity. The  main  intellectual property rights are copyright, patents, trade marks, design rights, protection from passing off, and the protection of confidential information. IP is normally classified into two categories namely industrial property and copyright. Industrial property includes inventions (patents), industrial designs and trademarks and copyright comprises of musical works, literary works like novels and poems and artistic works like photography, paintings and sculptures for instance. The basic rationale for IPR protection is to provide an incentive for innovation by granting IP owners an opportunity to recover their costs of research and development (NERA Economic Consulting). COPYRIGHT As pointed out above, IP can be divided into two categories namely industrial property and copyright. Copyright assures legal protection for literary works (for example poems, books and film scripts), musical works, artistic works (such as paintings and sculptures), photography, computer software and cinematographic works. Copyright law is meant to protect authors by giving them special rights to commercialize copies of their work in whatever material form (printed publication, audio recording, film, broadcast and so on) is being used to communicate their creative expressions to the public. Even though registration is not normally necessary, it is prudent for authors to have their name put on the work. Nonetheless, legal protection includes the expression of the ideas contained, not the ideas themselves. Copyright offers owners exclusive rights, usually for the length of the authors life plus 50 years. As for audio recordings, copyright is usually bestowed for 50 years and is accessi ble to the author or company in charge for creating the recording. Authorization is probable to involve payment of royalties. These are known as moral rights and stay with the author even if the latter transfers the copyright to somebody else. Economic rights allow the rights owner to obtain financial compensation from the exploitation of his/her works by others. Copyright owners are granted rental rights in order to receive royalties for commercial rental of their works. INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY Industrial property is clearly specified in the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Article 1 (3)): Industrial property shall be understood in the broadest sense and shall apply not only to industry and commerce proper, but likewise to agricultural and extractive industries and to all manufactured or natural products, for example, wines, grain, tobacco leaf, fruit, cattle, minerals, mineral waters, beer, flowers, and flour. Industrial property takes a wide array of forms. These consist of patents to protect inventions and industrial designs, which are visual creations establishing the appearance of industrial products. Industrial property also includes trademarks, service marks, layout-designs of integrated circuits, commercial names and designations, as well as geographical indications, and protection against unfair competition. In some of these, the aspect of intellectual creation, although existent, is less clearly defined. What matters here is that the obj ect of industrial property typically consists of signs conveying information, particularly to consumers, as regards products and services offered on the market. Protection is intended against unauthorized use of such signs likely to deceive consumers, and against deceptive practices in general. Trademarks A trademark is a sign which helps in making the distinction of the goods or services of one company from those of another. Such signs may use words, letters, numerals, pictures, shapes and colors, as well as any combination of the above. It usually consists of a distinctive design, word, or phrases, generally placed on the product label and sometimes demonstrated in advertisements. For example, LOreal is a trademark that can only be employed on products produced by the LOreal Company. A lot of countries are now allowing for the registration of less conventional forms of trademark, such as three-dimensional signs (like the Fanta bottle or Toblerone chocolate bar), audible signs (sounds, such as the roar of the lion that precedes films produced by MGM), or olfactory signs (smells, such as perfumes). But many countries have laid down perimeters as to what may be registered as a trademark, generally consenting to only signs that are visually perceptible or can be represented graphically. When utilized in association with the marketing of the goods, the sign may appear in advertisements, for example in newspapers or on television, or in the windows of the shops in which the goods are sold. Trademarks facilitate the choice to be made by the consumer when buying certain products or using certain services. The trademark helps the consumer to identify a product or service which was already familiar to him or which was advertised. The owner of a registered trademark has an exclusive right as far as his mark is concerned. It gives him the right to use the mark and to prevent unauthorized use of it. Patents Legal action can be undertaken against those who violate the patent by copying the invention or selling it without authorization from the patent owner. Patents can be bought, sold, hired, or licensed. When doing a patent application, some criteria need to be satisfied. The patent examiners should be convinced that the invention is Several types of patent may be granted (Lesser 1991, p. 14): Uses: covers a precise use only. Hence, it would cover the above drug uniquely as a cure for cancer and not for any uses that are later discovered. Products-by-process: consists of only products manufactured by the process described in the application. Therefore, it would cover the drug, but only when manufactured by a particular process. It must be noted that not all inventions that satisfy the above conditions can seek protection by patent. In many countries, medicines and genetically modified organisms cannot be patented at all. There are variations in national patent laws because each country has its own preferences when it comes to defining what inventions may be patented and these laws normally conform to the countrys perceived national interest. HISTORY OF IPR Since the first intellectual property system came into existence in the West, humanity has gone through nearly four hundred years. In the nearly four hundred years of history, intellectual property rights have completed their conversion from feudal power to peoples private rights. Today, it is irrefutable that the revolution brought by IPR has not only broadened the conventional content of property rights system, but also led the intellectual property system to become the worlds most significant property rights system, and also made a deep impact on mankind in the 21st century. However, the emergence of this new system is not a straightforward process. With the advent of new technologies and human cognitive aptitude, as an implement to balance the private rights and public interests, the intellectual property system has always stumbled upon challenges and disagreements. The IP system was first introduced in the west and was later established throughout the world. For the IPR system, Patent law is the first system to be introduced in the world. The coming out of the patent system gave birth to human intellectual property system. The United States even established the principle of protection of proprietary technology in the Constitution, made patent protection to the height to constitutional level. The history of copyrights has some strong monarchical power background. Before the beginning of the copyright system, many countries have had long-standing system of printing privileges. According to this franchise system, the king can grant a printed right to license the printer rather than the copyright owners. In 1709, Britain built the first modern copyright law the Queen Anne Act. Following this, the United Kingdom, France and Germany set up the copyright system respectively. Under the influence of these countries as a pioneer, the copyright system has been gradually acknowledged by Governments. Trademarks originated in Spain. The trademark system in the modern sense started in the 19th century. In 1857, France established the first legal system in the world to protect trademarks. Consequently, the trademark system rapidly grew in other parts of the world. Many countries accepted and implemented a variety of forms of intellectual property rights in different approach and evolution. At the same time, new types of intellectual property rights have continued to be progressively incorporated into the system of intellectual property rights. All these developments reveal that the historical development of the intellectual property system has gone through a stage of steady development. By the end of the eighties, the new trend of civil legislation began to emerge. Many countries tried to develop the Code of intellectual property or incorporate intellectual property law into the Civil Code. These activities started out a wave of codification of intellectual property rights. Since the late 19th century onwards, along with the new technological development and the extension of international trade, intellectual property transactions in the international arena have also started with the formation and development. At the same time, there was a big contradiction between international demand for intellectual property rights and regional constraints. In order to find a solution to this contradiction, some countries have signed the International Convention for the protection of intellectual property, and established a number of global or regional international organizations. A system of international protection of intellectual property rights was set up in the world. The convention of Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property(set up by France, Germany, Belgium, and 10 other countries and launched in 1883) is the first international convention in protecting IP. Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Art is the first international convention about copyright. The establishment of International Conventions specified that the intellectual property system had reached the international stage. Among them, approved under the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1993, Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement(TRIPS) succeeded to come to conclusion between developed country and developing country, which amplified the national standards of protection of intellectual property rights to a unified higher platform. More about these regulatory bodies and agreements will be discussed afterwards. In this new century, intellectual property rights system is facing new challenges. The adverse effects of intellectual property system are appearing slowly. In some developing countries, the protection of IPR has brought about the exorbitant cost of some medicines and other necessities; the price of some products with IPR is so high that it cannot meet the needs of people in difficulty. To solve these problems, developed countries have begun a new set of amendments to the legislative activities of the intellectual property system. New laws and regulations continue to be adopted, and the scope of intellectual propertys objects has continued to grow. In spite of this, the concern for IPR system has become an appealing trend. Developed countries take its monopoly of advanced scientific knowledge as an alluring weapon for technology leadership. Developing countries take the absorbing and creating knowledge as an important way to catch up with developed countries. It can be anticipated, that the next era is not only to develop and possess social substantial resources, but also to develop and possess mortal knowledge resources. Moreover, with the expansion of global economic integration, the international process of intellectual property system will definitely speed up. Protection of intellectual property rights has not only become the compulsory conditions of a country to promote economic development, but also it is considered a prerequisite so as to maintain international competitiveness. IPR IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES As a social system stimulating innovation, the intellectual property system has been established in the Western countries at first, and has later spread in the world. Walking along with its historical development, the course of intellectual property system in Western countries has gone through three main stages which called as germination stage, development and internationalization stages. Intellectual property, possibly a current phenomenon and perhaps too narrative to some, nevertheless has portrayed western economics, multi national co-operations and supported western economic colonization. As discussed previously, IPR was and still is a controversial subject. While Europe may have fared fairly well in comparison with the US, problems are rising in the EU as well. From an economic perspective, there is a need for harmonizing European administrative and legal practices in the area of IPRs while increasing the quality standards used in these system. Moreover, a new balance between the owners of rights and users of the protected subject matter needs to be found in many fields. With its Lisbon Agenda, the European Union has nurtured a future vision of a region concentrating on learning and innovation so as to sustain high levels of productivity and wealth. To attain these objectives, EU policies will need to promote innovation and encourage investments in new and more competent products, processes and organizational routines. Intellectual property plays an important part in this vision, and in several areas, the EU has embarked on a course meant to reinforce rights that foster innovation. Examples of some controversies in Europe involve the arguments on copyright and Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems, on the protection of computer software through patents and/or copyright, and the degree of patent protection for biotechnological inventions. In many jurisdictions, the rights of IPR owners have been reinforced as compared to the rights of other parties. Wholly new IPRs (such as for database protection) have been formulated. These amendments have brought about a number of policy issues. Patent systems are under strain not just in Europe, but in other countries as well. Like in the US, both patent submissions and patent grants at the EPO have increased much faster than Research and Development (RD) inputs in OECD countries. From 1990 to 2000, EPO patent applications rose from 70,955 to 145,241 (an average growth rate of 7.4 per cent per annum) while OECD RD inputs grew from $398 to $555 billion which reveals an average annual growth of 3.4 per cent. As for the actual grant rate (the share of patent applications leading to a patent grant) remained almost stable at about 65 percent for patents with application years from 1978 to 1995. There are three major obstacles to the future design of European IPR policies, the first being harmonization. If the EU wants to become a region focusing on innovation without being bothered by national barriers, there is definitely a need for coming up with truly European IPR policies and institutions. That comprises of harmonized interpretation of IPR laws, harmonized court proceedings and the setting up of legal institutions which resolve cases that have been very much controversial. A second significant criterion is the focus on balance. The naive belief that more and stronger IPRs are always excellent for innovation has been contested by scientists in empirical and theoretical work over the last decades. Balance in copyrights means that fair use of rights of consumers have to be considered seriously. Third, IPRs that are granted on the basis of an examination process should be of high quality in the sense that they create legal certainty, rather than uncertainty. European institutions, in particular the European Patent Office, should seek to grant high-quality patent rights which are based on tough standards for novelty and inventive step. Despite a complete array of rules on the protection of intellectual property, counterfeiting and piracy have continued to rise in the world because offenders have the possibility of making considerable profits without risking any serious legal consequences. In July 2005, the Commission presented a double proposal for a  directive   and a  Council framework decision     aimed at introducing criminal sanctions for IPR infringements.  The general penalty is for the court to grant damages to the patent owner, requiring the offender to pay a certain amount of money to the patent owner.   IPR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Countries vary to a great extent concerning the protection and enforcement of IPR, with developing countries being normally associated with much lower standards for IPR protection than developed countries. This amount does not take into consideration any imitation of products manufactured and consumed in the same country or counterfeit digital products sold over the Internet. Some of the theoretical literature considers a stylized world with a technologically developed North and a less technologically developed South. These models are based on the premise set forth in Chin and Grossman (1988) where the North innovates and the South imitates the Northern technologies. The main finding of Chin and Grossman (1988) was that a persistent tension exists between the North and the South-while the North innovates, the South chooses low levels of IPR protection because it benefits from the innovative output of the North. The debate for the implementation of appropriate intellectual property rights in the developed countries is fueled since the advanced countries faced a menace to their pioneering technological and non- technological innovations and their commercialization in the developing nations. Subsequently, developing countries have long been demanded by developed nations to implement intellectual property rights. The central apprehension by the developed nations is to protect the innovations in the less developed nations from the illegal counterfeiting and copying. The discussion between both parties, that is, industrialized countries and developing countries is getting intense since the last two decades. The developing countries are parted over the debate due to their economic conditions, FDI and technological sophistication. The concern for the developing countries is the eventual economic repercussions for the implementation of such intellectual property rights in their respective countries. The case can be even harsher for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), where intellectual property rights are seen as the origin for the high technology cost and barriers for technology access to public. On the other hand however, increased technology transfer with foreign direct investment may somehow validate such regime. But such profitable offers as substitute for IPR in the developing nations, according to some developing countries, are in view of the developed countries benefits and they would be unable to heighten the economic conditions in the developing countries from their present conditions. The social benefits obtained from certain economic systems, established in the advanced nations may not affect the social systems of the developing nations as wished for. So far, different measures, particularly led by the United States have actually compelled the implementation for the intellectual property rights in the developing countries, exclusively backed by the strong business communities in the United States. REGULATORY BODIES There is a need for IPR because, without them, a piece of potentially important information would be subject to overuse, to the point that access to it is not costly, from the perspective of its development and expansion. This use would quickly exhaust the economic worth of the information, limiting incentives to produce it. The contrast between the mounting need for international exploitation of intellectual assets and the territorial (and often underdeveloped) nature of rights to do so resulted in huge pressures for general change in recent years. These pressures triggered broad bilateral, regional, and multilateral negotiations on IPRs, which engendered a significant expansion of required minimum standards, especially in developing economies and countries in transition. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization set up to ensure that the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are respected throughout the world and that inventors and authors are thus recognized and rewarded for their ingenuity. As a specialized organization of the United Nations, WIPO exists as a forum for its Member States to create and synchronize rules and practices to protect intellectual property rights. Most advanced nations have protection systems that are centuries old. Many new and developing countries, however, are now building up their patent, trademark and copyright laws and systems. With the rapid globalization of trade during the last decade, WIPO plays an important role in helping these new systems progress through treaty negotiation, legal and technical assistance, and training in various forms, including in the area of strengthening of intellectual property rights. WIPO also caters for international registrati on systems for patents, trademarks, appellations of origin and industrial designs. These hugely simplify the process for concurrently seeking intellectual property protection in a lot of countries. Instead of having to file national applications in different languages, these systems allow applicants to file a single application, in one language, and to pay a single application fee. In the 1990s the world has shifted radically toward an international system of IPRs. Apprehensions about the piracy and forgery of intellectual property have been increasingly raised in developed countries, where much of the intellectual property is located. As a solution to these concerns, the protection of intellectual property was a major area of negotiation at the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The result of the negotiations was the founding of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to govern the GATT, the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The TRIPS Agreement is an integral and legally binding part of the WTO that requires all member countries (142 countries as of July 2001) to 12 grant patents for inventions in all fields of technology. It requires them to protect plant varieties either by patents, by an effective sui generis system or by a combination of both. Adherence to the TRIPS agreement for most, if not all member countries, means introducing more severe intellectual property protection (IPP). This is expected to have extensive consequences on the international transfer of technology and trade relationship between the developed and developing countries, especially in agricultural research. Finally, in respect to the large and costly institutional and legal changes these provisions need in countries with restricted IPR systems, transition periods are granted. General obligations (national treatment and MFN) were to be operational immediately upon the implementation of the WTO. Developing countries and countries in transition should meet the detailed obligations within five years (that is, by January 1, 2000) and least-developed countries must meet them within eleven years (by January 1, 2006). The latter countries may, upon request to the TRIPS Council, be given extensions for an unspecified period, signifying that they have been given an opt-out procedure. Countries are free to accelerate their adherence to TRIPS. The TRIPS Agreement leads in a new global framework for IPRs. It clearly built up minimum standards for protection, moving the system closer to harmonization, and inclines the balance of economic rewards toward innovative interests and away from counterfeiting and imitation. The TRIPS Agreement provides minimum national standards for levels of protection to the creators of intellectual property. Article 27.1 of this Agreement requires members to provide for patents for all inventions, whether products or processes, in all fields of technology. BENEFIT OR DETRIMENT FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES? The net economic effect on developing nations from establishing and protecting IPR is not completely obvious. Some have insisted that strengthening IPR protection will improve economic growth and wellbeing in developing nations, and others argue that it will be unfavorable, thereby diminishing overall welfare. Among the possible costs of this type of policy are decreased incomes in industries that depend on copying the products of industrialized nations and the related increases in the prices of protected commodities. For example, increasing IPR protection in the less-developed countries can promote innovation in there. Certainly there are certain short-term costs linked with intellectual property rights for the developing nations, like higher prices for the technology and protected goods. Given this, the case for tighter intellectual property rights in these countries must rely on long term benefits like superior technology or foreign direct investment inflows and bigger incentive to national innovation. FDI inflows in a country come mostly in the form of Multinational Corporations (MCs). MCs are able to stay really competitive when they are successful in transferring IP and other intangible assets to their global locations of operations. These sources of competitive advantage can be anything from a proprietary manufacturing plan for semiconductors to a cleaning solvent formula. But before taking any decision to set up any assets in a country, multinational managerial committees should analyze whether the country where they are going to transfer their technology has appropriate IPR to protect the organization against offenders and imitators. Studying the impact of more rigid IPR protection in a less technologically developed South (developing countries) on welfare in both the North (developed countries) and the South, Diwan and Rodrik (1991) found that net-innovation consuming countries (the South) were only motivated to safeguard IPR if the type of innovation demanded was different from the type demanded in the net-innovation-producing countries (the North). Evenson (1992) refers to these middle-income countries as being in the technology draught, because they tend to focus RD efforts on adaptation, imitation, and reverse engineering. As economies become more innovative at the uppermost levels of income, patent protection tends to increase dramatically. According to World Bank Global Economic Perspective, there are certain particular reasons for advanced countries, and interestingly for the developing nations to follow the TRIPS agreement, that is, it may offer developing countries improved access to agricultural and apparel markets in prosperous nations, an expectation that tighter IPR would also promote further technology transfer and innovation. However, according to World Bank, the guarantee for durable benefits seems doubtful and costly to accomplish in many countries, especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Moreover, the administrative costs and tribulations with higher prices for medicines and crucial technological inputs loom large in the minds of policy makers in developing nations. Many are favoring considerable provisions in the agreement. Some developing countries also applied for the provisions in implementation for the patent protection, particularly in pharmaceutical industry. In developing countries, the lack of international IPR protection has helped in creating massive employment. India is one of the leaders in reproducing medicines and drugs manufactured by foreign companies. The reason it can do so is because Indias patent act forbids product patents for any invention intended for use or capable of being used as a food, medicine, or drug or relating to substances prepared or produced by chemical processes. This in return has negative effects on the international pharmaceutical industry. The US pharmaceutical industry is estimated to incur annual losses of $450 million due to imitation. It would prove to be very costly for these countries to adopt the IPR laws overnight in its totality. This would mean loss of job for many; inadequate access to medicines and drugs for needy people and all these could eventually lead to social unrest. Countries with weak IPR protection are well positioned to gain an immediate benefit to lower-priced goods or technologies. Countries with lack of strong IPR protection must therefore compare these benefits with the loss of international willingness to invest resources or develop products, as well as lessened innovative commodities within the country. Maskus (2000) notes three potential costs namely: 1. Higher prices for imported products and new technologies under IPR protection 2. Loss of economic activity, by the closure of imitative activities. 3. The possible abuse of protection by the patent holders, especially large foreign companies. Some countries have accepted to adhere to TRIPS in order to benefit from concessions in other (non-technological) fields of economic activity, such as more aid, freer and greater access to developed country markets for key exports and so on. Whether they really benefited in these ways stays an open question, since neither the costs nor the benefits of TRIPS associated concessions have been appropriately calculated. Nonetheless such implementation would also fuel the local innovation in the developing nations, permitting them to import the foreign technologies and have hands-on experience in learning and using the technologies. In addition, the strength and efficiency of enforcement efforts also differ with economic development stages. This reveals both a reluctance to bear the expensive administrative expenses related with enforcement and the incapacity to handle many of the complex technical and judicial matters linked with the use and infringement of IPRs. However, there is an essential tradeoff between the market power caused by stronger IPRs, which are likely to improve the ability of firms to fragment markets and limit trade, and the market-expansion impact of increasing the costs of counterfeit activity. Detractors of the TRIPs Agreement claim that the step towards more rigid IPR may harm poor

Embracing Depression Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay about myself

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -- Oscar Wilde Perhaps I feel compelled to write on the subject of depression because it is a selfish disease. It seeps into every crevice of one's life; it refuses to be ignored, to be relegated to some obscure corner of the mind. Perhaps I'm writing about it because of what I have learned about my relationship with the disease. Perhaps the time has come when I'm ready to stop cursing the depression and start embracing it. What I'm about to say is terribly unfashionable, and I hope that you will forgive any offense that it may cause. In all truthfulness, I'm glad that I have lived with depression as a companion. This statement does not imply that I have relished the grief and guilt the disease has borne. It does not mean that I have enjoyed the fits of despair, the self-imposed isolation, or the shared sorrow of my frie... ...effe, Ray Charles, Francis Ford Coppola, John Kenneth Galbraith, Soren Kierkegaard - I can't help but wonder if their accomplishments were not just in spite of, but partially because of, their illness. Oscar Wilde once wrote, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." I have reached a point in my life where I can concur with that sentiment. At last, I have realized that lying in the mud enhances the times when I've set my heart with the stars.

Proof Media Assignment

Proof Media Assignment (Topic#1) Alice Wang The directorial decision to include Catherine’s eulogy and the post funeral party scene in the film effectively enhanced character development. Catherine’s eulogy was significant in displaying Catherine’s behaviour in front of crowds, and her rash decision to make a speech at her father’s funeral. Catherine is shown to make emotional and rash decisions on the spot, not thinking of consequence. Catherine’s shocking speech is made in a calm tone of voice, but shows her clear resentment towards the crowd gathered at her father’s funeral – â€Å"Where’ve you all been the last 5 years? At the end of her speech, she exclaims â€Å"I’m glad he’s dead† and walks out. As she is walking out, we see that Clair stands up after her, but it is Hal who chases her down – this event showing that Hal is more caring about Catherine’s well-being as well as Clair’ s stance in her regard towards her sister. After Catherine walks out, she shows (to Hal) her disbelief at herself and her regret for saying what she said, and walks home. Later in the Post funeral party, Catherine is shown as a solitary person, away from the party.Hal tells Catherine flirtatiously that her dress looks good on her, which effected in Catherine later telling Clair, â€Å"Clair, I love it† (the dress). This shows that Hal’s opinion matters a lot to Catherine, and that Catherine is beginning to have feelings for Hal. Catherine and Hal exchanges words at the party, and Catherine reveals her intelligence to Hal when they begin discussing about the famous female mathematician, Sophie Germaine. Here, Catherine is revealing that she is, in fact, very intelligent – hinting at her inheritance to her father’s intellectual mind.Meanwhile, Clair at the party, is shown drinking and socializing- the complete opposite of Catherine; highlighting the differe nce between the sisters and their behaviours. Flashing back to Catherine and Hal, as Catherine is opening up to Hal, she shows him up into her room, and Hal kisses her. After Hal pulls away he apologizes to Catherine, saying â€Å"sorry, I’m a little drunk†. This shows that Hal is considerate and has feelings for Catherine as well. They continue kissing and they engage in coitus.Before the act, Catherine expresses that she feels like she is â€Å"like an egg† and â€Å"about to crack open†, and after the act, she is shown crying. This scene further develops Catherine’s character, showing that she is very emotional, but she is still in a rational state of mind, able to feel and give love. Overall, the scenes show character development in how different Claire is from her sister, and how Hal cares deeply for Catherine. Most of all, the scenes show Catherine’s resentment, regret, intelligence, that she is in an emotional state, makes rash decisi ons, and that she is not crazy – that she is still in a rational state of mind.

The Deadly Bubonic Plague essays

The Deadly Bubonic Plague essays The bubonic plague got its name because of the symptoms of the disease. Bubonic plague causes very painful, swollen lymph nodes called buboes. These swollen lymph nodes are mostly found first in the groin area, which is "boubon" in Latin. The disease became associated with the term "plague" because of the large amount of deaths through history. In medieval times, the plague was also known as the "Black Death" because the dried blood under the skin turns black. The plague can infect pretty much anyone. If you go around someone who's infected, you can get it. If you hang around rats and fleas a lot, you might get the disease. And if you work in a lab with diseases and you ingest a sample of the bacterium, you'll probably get it. If you travel a lot to countries with infected people and you don't take the proper precautions, you might get it. There are many ways to get the bubonic plague, but with modern technology, it can be prevented. But, if by some freak accident, you do get the plague, it can be easily treated. The plague is not age, gender, or race specific. An old, black woman could get it as could a newborn white boy. When the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, enters the bloodstream, it travels to the liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and brain. The incubation period is usually two to six days after exposure. Some early symptoms include shivering, vomiting, headache, giddiness, intolerance to light, back and limb pain, and a white coating on the tongue. Eventually, pain occurs in places that contain lymph nodes, including the groin, armpit, and neck. Later, there is painful swelling of the lymph nodes called "boboes", hard lumps that appear in the inner thigh, neck, and armpit. Blood vessels then break, causing internal bleeding. Soon, the dried blood begins to turn black. If it goes untreated, plague mortality can be up to 75%. Once a person is infected and recovers, they become immune. The bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium...

Qué es estatus PRUCOL y qué inmigrantes están amparados

Quà © es estatus PRUCOL y quà © inmigrantes estn amparados Los inmigrantes PRUCOL son indocumentados que pueden tener acceso a algunos beneficios sociales. Los derechos que pueden tener depende de cada estado. PRUCOL significa residente permanente bajo el color de la ley, segà ºn sus siglas en inglà ©s. No es una de las 7 situaciones migratorias creadas por las leyes, sino que es consecuencia de una sentencia judicial. Para ser amparado por PRUCOL los requisitos son los siguientes: estar en Estados Unidos como indocumentadoque el gobierno federal sepa de la presencia en el paà ­s de se inmigrantey que a pesar de estar indocumentado el gobierno ha manifestado su intencià ³n de no proceder a su deportacià ³n, expulsià ³n o remocià ³n de Estados Unidos. Esto puede suceder porque el migrante se encuentra en una categorà ­a contra la que el gobierno no actà ºa para deportar o porque se le ha notificado al inmigrante que no va a ser deportado. Tienen que darse al mismo tiempo esos tres requisitos Ejemplos de situaciones migratorias que pueden ser amparadas por PRUCOL Personas en proceso de ajuste de estatusSolicitantes de asiloMigrantes con un Estatus de Proteccià ³n Temporal (TPS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s)Situaciones de cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n (cancellation of removal)Suspensià ³n de la deportacià ³nAccià ³n Diferida (DACA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) para muchachos que llegaron a USA antes de cumplir los 16 aà ±os y reà ºnen otros requisitos.Las personas extranjeras que al llegar a una aduana de Estados Unidos no cumplà ­an los requisitos para el ingreso pero se les permitià ³ un parole por razones humanitarias   y hace menos de un aà ±o de esa situacià ³n. Por ejemplo, caso de cubanos por pies secos pies mojados o de haitianos.Las và ­ctimas de violencia o de trfico de personas que han solicitado una visa U o una T.Migrantes que han solicitado por carta un alivio de la deportacià ³n hace ms de seis meses y no han obtenido una respuesta por parte de las autoridades. Beneficios sociales que pueden tener las personas consideradas PRUCOL Va a depender de cada estado. Algunos no conceden ningà ºn derecho, mientras que otros conceden algunos, como por ejemplo Nueva York, Nuevo Mà ©xico, Nueva Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, Hawaii y Pennsylvania. California se encuentra entre los ms generosos. Por otro lado, Texas, casa de aproximadamente el 14 por ciento del total de indocumentados presentes en USA, no brinda beneficios para los PRUCOL. Como los derechos y los requisitos cambian de estado a estado, verificar con las administraciones del lugar en el que se reside. Entre los beneficios ms comunes para los PRUCOL en los estados que asà ­ lo permiten se encuentran: MedicaidSSI/SSP, ingresos y pagos complementarios.CAPI, programa de asistencia en dinero, dependiendo de la edad o si sufren una incapacidad.SNAP, programa de asistencia para alimentos. En California se conoce como CalFreshAdems, en California hay ms programas especà ­ficos de ese estado, como CFAP, programa de asistencia para comidas que puede aplicar a algunso PRUCOL y CalWORKS. Adems, todos los indocumentados, incluso los que no son PRUCOL, tienen beneficios como Medicaid de Emergencia, que incluye entre otras medidas el parto y nacimiento de un bebà ©, y tambià ©n WIC, que es un programa de asistencia para alimentos para embarazadas, lactantes y bebà ©s. A tener en cuenta   No confundir PRUCOL con qualified immigrant, que es el requisito que pide el gobierno federal para tener acceso a programas financiados federalmente. Los PRUCOL no son inmigrantes cualificados a estos efectos. Asimismo, las personas que ingresaron a Estados Unidos antes del 22 de agosto de 1996 podrà ­an tener acceso a mayores beneficios sociales, ya que para ellos aplica una ley anterior.   Por à ºltimo, tener presente que PRUCOL no da derecho a obtener la tarjeta de residencia ni la ciudadanà ­a americana. Muchos inmigrantes PRUCOL podrn legalizarse siguiendo un camino especà ­fico para su caso, pero otros muchos permanecern toda su vida en esa situacià ³n de indocumentados a los que se les permite permanecer en Estados Unidos. Este artà ­culo es sà ³lo informativo. No es consejo legal.

7 Ways Private School Prepares You for College

7 Ways Private School Prepares You for College When students apply to private school, it’s often with the ultimate goal of getting into a top college. But how exactly does private school prepare you for college? 1. Private Schools Offer Exceptional Academics The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) researched just how prepared students were for college. When asked, students who attended both boarding schools and privates reported that they were more prepared for college both academically and in non-academic areas than those who attended public school. Private school students were also more likely to earn an advanced degree, with boarding school students coming in with the highest percentage of advanced degrees earned. Why is this? One reason is that private schools are designed to help students develop a love of learning, which means that they are more likely to continue their schooling beyond high school and undergraduate college. 2. Private Schools are Rigorous It’s not uncommon to hear a private school graduate come back from their first year at college saying that it was easier than high school. Private schools are rigorous, and demand a lot of students. These high expectations result in students developing strong work ethics and time management skills. Private schools often require that students participate in two or three sports and afterschool activities, while also offering clubs and activities, in addition to their academics. This heavy schedule means time management skills and a schoolwork/life balance are skills that students master before college. 3. Boarding School Students Learn Independence Students who attend boarding school receive an even better preview of college life, more so than students at a day school. Why? Because boarding school students live in dorms on campus, instead of at home with their families, they learn what it’s like to live independently, but in a more supportive environment than you might find at college. Dorm parents at boarding school play an active role in the lives of boarding students lives, providing guidance and encouraging independence as they learn to live on their own. From laundry and room cleanliness to waking up on time and balancing work and social life, boarding school challenges students to make responsible decisions. 4. Private Schools are Diverse Private schools typically offer more diversity than public schools, as these institutions tend to enroll students from not just one town. Boarding schools go even further, welcoming students from all over the world. Like colleges, diverse environments tend to provide rich experiences, as students live and learn with people from all walks of life. These varied perspectives on current events, lifestyles, and even pop culture references can enhance the academic classroom and broaden personal understanding of the world. 5. Private Schools have Highly Qualified Teachers The TABS study also shows that boarding school students are more likely to report having high-quality teachers than private or public schools. At boarding school, teachers are so much more than just classroom teachers. They are often coaches, dorm parents, advisors, and support systems. It’s common for boarding school students to stay in touch with their teachers long after graduation. Private school teachers typically dont just have teaching certificates, in fact, many private schools value experience over a teaching certificate. Private school teachers tend to have advanced degrees in their subject areas, and often have extensive professional backgrounds in their teaching subjects. Imagine learning physics from an actual engineer, or being coached by a former professional player? Private schools strive to hire the best in the business, and the students benefit greatly. 6. Private Schools Provide Personal Attention Most private schools boast small class sizes. At private schools, an average class size is often between 12 and 15 students, whereas the NCES reports that an average classroom ranges from about 17-26 students, depending on grade level and type of class. These smaller class sizes, which sometimes have more than one teacher, especially in kindergarten programs and primary school programs, mean more personal attention for students, no back row, and no chance of getting overlooked in discussions. Private school teachers are also expected to be available outside of normal class times for extra help, especially at boarding schools. This supportive environment  means  students receive even more opportunities for success. 7. Private Schools Help Students Apply to College Another benefit of boarding school, particularly when it comes to preparing for college, is the assistance students, and their parents, receive in the college application process. College Counseling offices work with students and their families to help find the best fit colleges and universities. As juniors, and sometimes even as freshmen or sophomores, students begin to work with qualified college counselors who help guide them through the college application process. From providing help with researching colleges and universities to reviewing financial aid and scholarships, college counselors work to help students find the schools that will help them thrive. With more than 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, college counseling services can be invaluable to students and their families. Assistance in finding the right college doesnt just mean finding a school that offers a particular major, either. Private schools also help students capitalize on their strengths during the college admission process. College counselors can help students identify schools with targeted sports or art programs, which can be  helpful if scholarships are available. For example, a student who hopes to eventually pursue an MBA may opt for a college with a strong business school. But, that same student may also be a standout soccer player, and so finding a college with both a strong business program and an active soccer program can be a huge help. Boarding school coaches are often involved in helping student athletes get seen by top college recruiters, which could result in an athletic scholarship to play on an athletic team. College is expensive, and every bit of financial aid support can be a huge help in staving off mounds of student loans.

Juvenile Detainees Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Juvenile Detainees - Research Paper Example It is the officer’s responsibility to ensure that the young detainees are provided with special education and psychological restoration, in order to help them regain their well-being and prevent recidivism. Correctional officers come across many unique situations in their profession, where the detainees require special attention and consideration. Cases of substance abuse, sexual abuse, children suffering from mental disorders, those belonging to minority groups and children with disabilities often come under this purview. Keywords: Juvenile delinquency, deterrence, correctional officers, alcohol, drug and mental disorders (ADMs), detaineesDealing with Juvenile Detainees The role of a juvenile correctional officer is probably one of the most challenging ones, requiring a strong sense of solidarity as well as sensibility towards the juvenile detainees. The responsibilities of a correctional officer extend beyond mere provision of security and supervision. The future of a juveni le detainee often depends on the actions of his/her correctional officer. Such a role can only be fully surmised when the tasks, responsibilities and the tribulations faced by an officer, in relation to the detainees assigned to him, are fully understood. The neurobiological and psychological states of children and adolescents are very fragile, especially in the case of juvenile delinquents. Most juvenile offenders are found to have psychological disorders and mental ailments, which expose them and the correctional officers to dangerous and often life threatening situations. Young detainees are found to have a higher incidence of suicidal tendencies, substance abuse and criminal inclinations that often place correctional officers in unique situations that need to be dealt with meticulous, clever as well as humanitarian approaches. On account of their violent history, juvenile delinquents take a long time to rehabilitate and get back to a normal life. â€Å"Understanding principles of child development and children’s mental health can help guide the design and implementation of more e?ective interventions for youth who have committed minor to moderately severe o?enses† (Arredondo, 2004, p. 135). I. Dealing with Juvenile Delinquents with Disabilities Most juvenile detainees are found to be mentally retarded or possess certain disabilities in learning and cognition, apart from emotional disturbances. These may be regarded as the primary factors that place these juvenile delinquents at their present disposition. In order to ensure their full recovery and rehabilitation, special child development strategies and literacy initiatives are required. Correctional officers may often find themselves in a situation where they have to deal with mentally retarded juvenile offenders, especially when they have a history of substance abuse, mental disturbances and fits due to stress and depression, collectively called as alcohol, drug and mental disorders (ADMs) b y medical health professionals. Such detainees engage in personal as well as public assault, posing a threat to themselves, other juvenile detainees and the correctional officers too. A. Special Education and Child Development Programs Children in juvenile detention centers require special educational programs keeping in mind their requirements and disabilities. It is found that juvenile detainees who are provided with the necessary education and skills find it easier to revert to a normal life with lesser

Which Philosopher Benefits the Working Class Essay

Which Philosopher Benefits the Working Class - Essay Example For example, Karl Marx is well known as the Father of Communism and his theories are being followed by some modern governments. It is interesting to study the views and theories of these historical thinkers and see how they serve to explain modern day structures and events. Some philosophers can concretely be proved more accurate than others while some theories are still matters of debate. At the base, what truly matters is the individual and where they see themselves. One may take upon oneself a theory as their self-description while another may very well deny the same theory and choose an alternative or opposing view. Herein shall be examined the position of various philosophers: Lenin, Marx, Smith, and Ortega y Gasset, as they relate to the life of one who is deemed â€Å"working class.† Vladimir Lenin was one of the great Russian political figures and a great thinker of the twentieth century (Historical Figures n.p.). He is the one responsible for the political structure o f the USSR. In Russia, he took up a fight on behalf of the working class. It was his position that the working class needed to be rescued from the capitalist oppressors that placed heavy burdens upon them. According to Lenin, a communist lifestyle greatly benefits the working class. They have the right to be free from those who would exploit them for the sake of financial gain. In his eyes, the capitalists regarded the working class as no more than a commodity and they used them to benefit their own pockets without regard for the suffering that the working class had to endure. However, Lenin acknowledged the fact that the tendency of the working class is not to take upon themselves a socialist society and that they, if the opportunity was presented, would simply switch from being the proletariat to being the bourgeois. As it has been reported, â€Å"†¦Lenin therefore concluded that if the proletariat was ever to realize its class interest the socialist idea would have to be br ought to it â€Å"from without† by those who understood Marx’s science†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Mayer159). It would seem that Lenin missed the mark in regard to the needs of the working class. The first and most obvious proof is the failure of his design, namely the USSR. Secondly, he neglected to fully recognize the cravings of the working class to be free from oppression. He did not see that his introduction of a socialist society is yet again just another form of oppression. For if the working class desires to advance in status, there ought be nothing to stop them but their own lack of determination. Yet, living in a socialist society, those who desire such freedoms would have to flee the country or abandon hope. Lenin is not accurate in the position of the working class from the view of a working class citizen. However, Lenin was not alone in his belief that socialism and communism are what will benefit the working class the most. His thoughts were greatly founded upon the vi ews of another well-known philosopher, Karl Marx. Marx, often considered the Father of Communism, also felt that capitalism was a social ill because it degraded the working class to a commodity for the rich whom they would serve. Marx blames private ownership and the ability to get wealth for many of the problems of society. Therefore, he prescribed a system where there would be no private ownership. Still, his views are not accurate to the working class who, without the ability to own privately, ends up working endlessly for naught. At least those who are working class and living in a capitalist society have the ability to hope for greatness and wealth. It is this hope that excites and brightens the eyes. They work all the harder, not only in their positions, but to improve

Translation and culture history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Translation and culture history - Essay Example This experience had one distinct lesson, in order for one to understand a culture, they have to look at the history of that culture to fully understand and appreciate the customs of the given culture that makes it unique from the rest. The course explored the adventures of Christopher Columbus that led to the discovery of America. This goes through the interaction of the settlers and the native Indians, and how these interactions led to the massacre of the native tribes. It goes further to depict the roots of slavery and slave trade that was perpetrated by sending scores of criminals and minor religions to the New World. This serves to prove that by studying and researching the history of a people’s culture, one can develop an understanding of the development of their language. By learning the different idioms, we were able to connect these idioms to the values embedded within the foundation of the culture. This course was essential in helping me develop a broader perspective of different cultures. By understanding the fundamental values of different cultures, I have been able to appreciate each culture as unique to itself. By appreciating these different cultures, I have developed a deeper understanding of relating and communicating with different

Syrian revolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Syrian revolution - Research Paper Example It also has a complex terrain with a desert, mountains and plain land that caused fragmentation in the socio-cultural diversity. Syria is unique in the history of the world especially due to the inclusion of Lebanon and Palestine in its boundaries. Even though Syria is small in size, it has an immense influence (Hitti 3). In the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire was composed of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. Historically, Syria was initially made up of two separate divisions that are the city and the desert. The city represented a place of wealth and power since it became the route of trading between the East and the West. Syria became a bridge of spreading culture from its neighbors thus becoming loci of civilization and commercial wares (Hitti 4). Civilization in Syria has been continuous and has been largely influenced by the Western culture. In the pre-history Syria, there was wheat plantation, copper was discovered and there was the emergence of pottery. These development s brought about changes in the pattern of life. The Agrarian Revolution started and people began to live a more settled life in small villages and towns (Hitti 6). The surface occupied by the desert is 10% but it became an agrarian society. Agriculture flourished when the state provided security and irrigation. Syria was succeeded by military empires with no sovereign ruling class. One of the greatest empires was the Ottoman (1516-1918) which was headed by a religious sultan. Land was owned by the state and the people were seen as flocks that were to be protected and swindled to sustain the ruling class. Islam was the key unifying creed of the state which ensured that there was allegiance to the state, 90% of the people in Syria were Muslims. Ottoman Empire enhanced bigger markets, improved security and the protection of the peasants against prospective landlords’ thus stimulating trade and industry growth. With the fall of the Ottoman empire after the World War 1, Arabic pro vided an element of an alternative identity (Seale 4-7). Until 19th century the state owned most of the land hence there was no emergence of estate class, resulting to agricultural decline. Due to the decline in the Syrian economy in the 18th century the state became vulnerable to the Western power (Seale 7-10). The European commercial treaties did not protect the Syrian textile industries. The Europeans who had interest in Syria encouraged the intensification of cash crops production. This created a class of middlemen and money lenders mostly dominated by the minority group- the Christians. Commercial agriculture and private ownership did not stimulated agriculture revolution. The French rule, did not go beyond trade and infrastructure. In 1921-1946, Syrian people revolted against their colonizers until they got their independence in 1946. Thus, the early capitalist penetration stimulated a reliant, lopsided and partial development in Syria. It resulted to a modern state with a pat rimonial culture and a dependent economy. Agrarian emergency, class conflict and the drastic change in the army further weakened the frail Syria. The country has emerged through the patriotism which made the country become the heartbeat of the Arabian nationalism. Arab unity and Anticolonialism came about due to the Ba’th party which brought a corrupt political order that resulted to backwardness in political, economical and social structures (Seale 39).The party experienced many weaknesses resulting to the radical change in the country’

Extraction of Metals from their Ores Worksheet Coursework

Extraction of Metals from their Ores Worksheet - Coursework Example an alloy with lead called solder/ it was used back in the Bronze Age to make alloys/ it is malleable, ductile and becomes a superconductor at low temperatures It is used in plumbing and to make electrical wires/it was used even in prehistoric times and was later used to make brass/Very good conductor of electricity, malleable, resistant to corrosion and very unreactive. It is used mainly for jewellery and decorative purposes, and also for electrical contacts and electroplating/Used in Ancient civilizations especially Egypt for jewellery and ornaments/it is highly unreactive, malleable and ductile. These elements are strong non-metals and are unstable in their elemental state and they can form stable compounds when reacted with the more reactive metals. Furthermore the reactions that form these compounds are exothermic hence they are favoured and oxygen and sulphur are commonly bonded to metals in their ores. 4. Referring to the table of reactivity for metals on page 231 of your text book, can you see any relationship between the reactivity of the metals and their date of discovery? Describe any relationship you can see. There is a relationship between the reactivity of elements and their date of discovery; the more reactive elements were discovered later, around the 18th and 19th century, whereas the less reactive elements were discovered at the latest by 1000 BC. More reactive elements such as potassium to magnesium were discovered around the early 19th century, while less reactive elements, starting from zinc to silver were discovered from 1000 BC dating back to as much as 9000 BC. Method 1: React the metals with cold water, warm water and/or hot water and note the reaction that follows. More reactive metals will react easily with cold water, less reactive metals with react less vigorously with warm water whereas the metals with very low reactivity will not react even with hot water. Method 2: React the metals with dilute hydrochloric acid. The metals that

Aspects of Adaptive Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Aspects of Adaptive Leadership - Essay Example The various examples and cases discussed in the case study including that of the game strategy used by Earvin 'Magic' Johnson and Bobby Orr; helped in driving home the key message that leaders today are not only required to identify the critical challenges faced by the organizations posed by the external environment but must also orient the employees regarding such challenges and equip them with the task of adapting to the changes by reflecting on their day to day activities. Through various examples discussed in the case study, I learned the value of adaptive work and its relevance, especially in present day and age. This case study helped me in understanding the fact that in the absence of an adaptive work ethics in contemporary corporate environments, businesses risk the threat of extinction. Given the increasing competition brought about by globalization and technological advancements, conventional attitudes towards leadership and management it is imperative to replace convention al approaches to leadership with adaptive leadership. In conclusion, one of the most valuable lessons I learned via this case study is the fact that leadership entails a process of ushering in a generally unwelcome reality and motivating the employees and/or individuals to successfully adapt to it. It refers to the manner in which leaders coax the employees to unlearn the conventional work practices by guiding them to adapt their behavior in a way that helps them thrive in this extremely competitive and dynamic business environment.

Syrian revolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Syrian revolution - Research Paper Example It also has a complex terrain with a desert, mountains and plain land that caused fragmentation in the socio-cultural diversity. Syria is unique in the history of the world especially due to the inclusion of Lebanon and Palestine in its boundaries. Even though Syria is small in size, it has an immense influence (Hitti 3). In the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire was composed of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. Historically, Syria was initially made up of two separate divisions that are the city and the desert. The city represented a place of wealth and power since it became the route of trading between the East and the West. Syria became a bridge of spreading culture from its neighbors thus becoming loci of civilization and commercial wares (Hitti 4). Civilization in Syria has been continuous and has been largely influenced by the Western culture. In the pre-history Syria, there was wheat plantation, copper was discovered and there was the emergence of pottery. These development s brought about changes in the pattern of life. The Agrarian Revolution started and people began to live a more settled life in small villages and towns (Hitti 6). The surface occupied by the desert is 10% but it became an agrarian society. Agriculture flourished when the state provided security and irrigation. Syria was succeeded by military empires with no sovereign ruling class. One of the greatest empires was the Ottoman (1516-1918) which was headed by a religious sultan. Land was owned by the state and the people were seen as flocks that were to be protected and swindled to sustain the ruling class. Islam was the key unifying creed of the state which ensured that there was allegiance to the state, 90% of the people in Syria were Muslims. Ottoman Empire enhanced bigger markets, improved security and the protection of the peasants against prospective landlords’ thus stimulating trade and industry growth. With the fall of the Ottoman empire after the World War 1, Arabic pro vided an element of an alternative identity (Seale 4-7). Until 19th century the state owned most of the land hence there was no emergence of estate class, resulting to agricultural decline. Due to the decline in the Syrian economy in the 18th century the state became vulnerable to the Western power (Seale 7-10). The European commercial treaties did not protect the Syrian textile industries. The Europeans who had interest in Syria encouraged the intensification of cash crops production. This created a class of middlemen and money lenders mostly dominated by the minority group- the Christians. Commercial agriculture and private ownership did not stimulated agriculture revolution. The French rule, did not go beyond trade and infrastructure. In 1921-1946, Syrian people revolted against their colonizers until they got their independence in 1946. Thus, the early capitalist penetration stimulated a reliant, lopsided and partial development in Syria. It resulted to a modern state with a pat rimonial culture and a dependent economy. Agrarian emergency, class conflict and the drastic change in the army further weakened the frail Syria. The country has emerged through the patriotism which made the country become the heartbeat of the Arabian nationalism. Arab unity and Anticolonialism came about due to the Ba’th party which brought a corrupt political order that resulted to backwardness in political, economical and social structures (Seale 39).The party experienced many weaknesses resulting to the radical change in the country’

Aspects of Adaptive Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Aspects of Adaptive Leadership - Essay Example The various examples and cases discussed in the case study including that of the game strategy used by Earvin 'Magic' Johnson and Bobby Orr; helped in driving home the key message that leaders today are not only required to identify the critical challenges faced by the organizations posed by the external environment but must also orient the employees regarding such challenges and equip them with the task of adapting to the changes by reflecting on their day to day activities. Through various examples discussed in the case study, I learned the value of adaptive work and its relevance, especially in present day and age. This case study helped me in understanding the fact that in the absence of an adaptive work ethics in contemporary corporate environments, businesses risk the threat of extinction. Given the increasing competition brought about by globalization and technological advancements, conventional attitudes towards leadership and management it is imperative to replace convention al approaches to leadership with adaptive leadership. In conclusion, one of the most valuable lessons I learned via this case study is the fact that leadership entails a process of ushering in a generally unwelcome reality and motivating the employees and/or individuals to successfully adapt to it. It refers to the manner in which leaders coax the employees to unlearn the conventional work practices by guiding them to adapt their behavior in a way that helps them thrive in this extremely competitive and dynamic business environment.

Interpersonal Communication Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Communication Essay The capability of every individual create effective and efficient communicative mechanisms can help prevent the further escalation of a conflict. Each action, movement, speech is important in establishing such idea. Thus, proper facilitation of interpersonal communication can bridge the gap between two parties and help create possibilities for cooperation. Analyzing the problem critically, there are certain communicative lapses present between the parents and the owner of the day care. These lapses tend to create different perceptions and ideas that in the end result into conflict among members of the group. Another issue that can be argued revolves around the responsibility of the owner of the daycare. It has been elaborated that there are only certain parameters of care that the organization has to offer which is mandated by the handbook of DHA. These contending of ideas of how responsibility of care is administered also bring about struggles and conflict that can further impede and deteriorate the process of interpersonal communication. With these, solutions must be created to administer proper changes and facilitate communication. One important aspect to consider is to be sensitive to the situation and cultural background of the individuals. â€Å"A stereotype, a fixed impression about a group, may influence your perceptions of individual members; you may see individuals only as members of the group instead of as unique individuals. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 4’, p. 1) The next thing to consider is the importance of creating effective listening skills both to individuals and groups. However, there are many factors that affect the way people listen and comprehend things. â€Å"Members of different cultures vary on a number of communication dimensions that influence listening: speech and language, nonverbal behavioral differences, and preferences for direct and indirect styles of communication. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 5’, p. 1) In addition, individuals must be gender sensitive when it comes to listening. â€Å"Men and women may listen differently; generally, women give more specific listening cues to show theyre listening than do men. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 5’, p. 1) Thus, different strategies must be created to facilitate better avenues for listening. The next possible solution can be characterized how people perceive and interpret communication by means of verbal and non-verbal messages. The way to creating effective interpersonal communication is the advancing and merging of both listener and speaker. â€Å"Meaning is more than words and gestures; meaning includes what speaker and listener brings to interpersonal interaction. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 6’, p. ) With this, words, gestures and other meanings given are important in establishing interpersonal communication. â€Å"Meanings are context-based; the context heavily influences the meanings that words and gestures are given. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 6’, p. 1) Thus, these ideas prove to be a main catalyst in achieving interpersonal communication. The last process in trying to resolve this conflict is the communication process itself. The conversation between the listener and speaker plus the mechanisms that were used can be a vital tool in shaping the outcome of interpersonal communication. â€Å"Maintaining conversations depends on the principle of cooperation; the maxims of quantity, quality, relation, and manner; the principle of dialogue; and the principle of turn taking. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 9’, p. 1) With mechanisms in place, conversation may be able to bridge the communication gap brought about by conflict. â€Å"Preventing conversational problems may be aided by the disclaimer, a statement that helps to ensure that your message will be understood and will not reflect negatively on the speaker. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 9’, p. 1) In the end, giving solutions to the problem of communication revolves around the capability of an individual to harness and foster efficient and effective mechanisms that will create an environment of understanding, collaboration and sensitivity among the group/s. References DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 4:Perception in Interpersonal Communication’ in Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11047/2828208. cw/index. html DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 5: Listening in Interpersonal Communication. In Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11047/2828276. cw/index. html DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 6: Universals of Verbal and Non-verbal messages’ in Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11048/2828345. cw/index. html DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 9: Conversation. ’ in Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11049/2828563. cw/index. html

Vegetarian vs Meat Eater Comparison Contract

Vegetarian vs Meat Eater Comparison Contract Diet plays an important role for our body health. Choosing the right, healthy and balance in diet is very important for everyone. One way to stay healthy is by adopting a vegetarian diet. A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that includes only natural foods and does not include meat at all. It can also be considered as a cruelty-free act to the nature because by switching and adopting a vegetarian diet, human societies will be able to alleviate the needless suffering and deaths of countless animals. The average American meat-eater is responsible for the abuse and death of about 90 animals per year. Human beings do not need to eat meat in order to maintain a good health. This is because they can also get all the nutrition and their food needs from meatless product. Vegetarian diet is currently increasing in popularity and the number of vegetarian is rising so quickly because they have seen many significant effects that contribute to a better health. According to a 2006 Mintel survey, 6% of the population, which is about 3.6 million people, is vegetarians, and 10% eat no red meat which somehow showed that UK has the largest proportion of vegetarian in its population among the European country. (The Number of Vegetarian, n.d.) As whole, over half of the world population is vegetarian. They start to care about animals and stand up for the animals right. In fact, a vegetarian diet offers many benefits to human beings that are guards against disease, physical benefits, conserve natural resources, nutritional benefits, and improve the environment. A vegetarian diet is considered as healthy as it has shown to guards against diseases. According to new medical research, a person who adopts plant-based diet is one third less likely to suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases such as heart diseases and stroke. People tend to stand a better chance of not developing the high blood pressure and bad cholesterol that might affect their health problem. According to a study from German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, vegetarians have more effective and strong immune systems to kill tumor cells in the body compared to meat eaters. (Dworkin 1999). There are several risk factors of metabolic syndrome, which are high blood pressure, high glucose levels, high triglycerides which are fat levels in the body, and having a big waistband. Dr Rebecca Reynolds, a reader in endocrinology and diabetes at University of Edinburgh Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, said: Metabolic syndrome is very prevalent in Scotland because it linked in with obesity and Scotland has some of the highest obesity rates in Europe. Studies have shown that Mediterranean style diet is also beneficial to our body health because people who are vegetarian consume more fruit, vegetables and olive oil. (Newbury 2011). Improvement of cardiovascular health can be done by the consumption of nuts and wholegrain, at the same time; it can also eliminate the consumption of meat and dairy products. A British study indicates that a vegan diet reduces the risk for the biggest killer heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, according to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians tend to have a lower risk of getting obesity, breast cancer, and prostate cancer other than cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Obesity is very common especially in America. According to former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, 70% of all Americans are dying from different types of diseases which directly tied to their eating habits. (Dworkin 1999). This is beca use in the American diet, there are too much of carbohydrates, proteins, oils, fats, and sugar. A very clear and obvious example is their morning breakfast that includes of sausages, chicken ham, french fries, fried eggs, and accompanied by milk or orange juice. Sausages and chicken ham are processed food which made from animal meat. As we know, processed foods are extremely bad for our health because it contains of preservatives, toxins, and unnatural fillers that will cause kidney failures if we over consume it. Studies have shown that a diet high in animal products and dairy products which contain huge amount of hormones and saturated fat can cause breast cancer. However, theres a huge connection and relationship between vegetarian diet and breast cancer. A vegetarian diet can help prevent and even reverse it, which is taking a diet low in sugar, dairy products, and meat but high in leafy greens, fruits and vitamin D. Vitamin D is an immune system booster that has the special abi lity to attack breast cancer cells by preventing the cancer cells from multiplying to more and more cancer cells in the body. Vitamin D is a key component in helping the body responds to many different kinds of assaults and stimuli, says Robert Heaney, Ph.D., professor of medicine at Creighton University. (Biggar 2009). Vitamin D can be obtained from natural foods such as mushrooms, soy milk, and dark leafy green vegetables. Research found that consumption of isoflavone containing soy products such as tofu during childhood and adolescence protects women against the risk of breast cancer later in life. (Am Clin 2009). Vegetables and fruits also contain phytochemicals that help destroy tumour in the body. (Biggar 2009). A Harvard Medical School study of more than 90,000 women revealed that the women who often consume meat everyday are twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those who did not often consume meat. (Sloan 2008). Too much of meat consumption will also lead to certain degenerative diseases such as Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and Alzheimers disease when human being start to get older. As the famous saying goes like this, you are what you eat. Subsequently, vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of getting diseases that can affect body health and cause death. Vegetarian diet is much better than diet that contains meat because of physical benefits. Several population studies showed that people who adopt a vegetarian diet tend to have lower body mass index (BMI), which is the indicator of weight and fat of the body. This is normally associated with high intake of fibre and low intake of animal fat. Vegetarians may also have a higher metabolic rate compared to meat eaters. In a study of lacto-ovo vegetarians, one of the types of diet, resting metabolic rate (RMR) was 11% higher in vegetarian compared to meat eaters. This was partly due to a higher level of plasma norepinephrine which results from higher intake of carbohydrate and lower fat intake of vegetarians. (Mangels, Messina Messina 2004). Vegetarians will usually have better and good-looking skin textures. For instance, nuts such as almond, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed, vegetables that contain vitamin A and E play a big role for this part. A remarkable reduction in blemis hes and improvement in the skin texture can be seen once a meat eater changes to a vegetarian diet. Vitamin A and E are actually effective and strong antioxidants that can help neutralize free radicals in our body. A vegetarian diet is especially beneficial to female or woman who wants to look younger and live a healthier lifestyle because it prevents the aging and damage of the skin. Fruits that could improve the skin condition are tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, apples, and papaya. Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and contain iron. It is a strong antioxidant that helps fight cancer as well. Cucumber is a natural cooling and brightening agent of the skin. You can simply consume it or slice it into pieces and put it on to the face. Apples and papaya contains vitamins and high in fibers. These fruits are very useful for people who have constipation problem and high cholesterol. In addition, several studies indicate that people who adopt vegetarian lifestyle live an average of 3 to 6 y ears longer than those who do not. According to a study from Loma Linda University, vegetarians live about 7 to 15 years longer than people who are not vegetarian. (Dworkin 1999). This can be proven with the example of monk. Buddhist monks are vegetarian and they do not consume meat at all. This is because in their belief and religion, killing and eating the animal is a sin and its cruel. It will also go against their beliefs and religion. Therefore, there is no doubt that monk who adopts vegetarian diet for the rest of their life would normally live longer than normal people. Some monks are even as old as 100 years above. Besides, nail health is considered as an indicator of a persons body health. You can see the persons health by looking at their fingernails. People who are vegetarian tend to have a healthier and longer nails, which indicates that they are healthy. People who normally consume meat and have lesser intake of vegetables tend to have a shorter and yellowish nails. Thi s indicates that their health is at risk. Research showed that vegan diet helps reduce the suffering from Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) for female. The diet includes reduction of meat consumption but increase in consumption of complex carbohydrates, leafy green vegetables, fruit, cereals and whole grains. (Cornforth 2009). A vegetarian diet also helps to stop allergies for a certain people. Researchers found that people report lesser personal problems such as runny nose and asthma when they switched to a vegetarian diet. This is basically due to the reduction of common food trigger that contains hormones and toxins such as meat, dairy and eggs. As a matter of fact, a vegetarian tend to be thinner than meat eater. Harvards long-term Nurses Health found that thin people have only one-third the risk of getting asthma compared to meat eaters. (Barnard, n.d.) For instance, if overweight people adopt a vegetarian diet, they are more likely to lose their weight and alleviate asthma because p eople who are thin normally do not have asthma problem. All of these are the results and physical benefits that can be gained from a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, a vegetarian diet does not only beneficial to human beings in terms of health; it also contributes to conserve natural resources. The meat industry is very wasteful of natural resources. Approximately 10 pounds of plants are needed to be fed to the animals in order to produce one pound of meat, which is also one of the inherent problem of eating meat. (Bronk Su 2006). Thus, 70% of grain grown is almost used to feed the animals in America, which means much more food is being consumed to support the animals than would be needed if more people were vegetarians. (Bronk Su 2006). Due to the extreme and increasing growth of animals feed, the meat industry require a huge amount of water in order to grow the grain and feed the animals. Vegetarian author John Robbins calculates that it takes 168, and 229 pounds of water to produce one pound of maize and rice respectively. (Vidal 2010). On the other hand, a pound of beef requires approximately 8000-9,000 litres of water. Pigs ar e one of the thirstiest animals in the world. An average-sized of pig farm in North America with about 80,000 pigs requires nearly 75 million gallons of fresh water to feed the pig in a year. (Vidal 2010). In contrast, a large sized of pig farm with more than millions of pigs may requires the water as much as a city. When the demand for meat increases, the uses of water in the meat industry and farming land will rise as well. Consequently, there will be lesser source of water available for the crops and also drinking for human beings. (Bronk Su 2006) say that almost half of the water that is consumed in the America is mostly being used by the meat industry and the groundwater is being withdrawn 25% faster than it is being replenished. In order to conserve energy in terms of water resources, the best choice and option is to adopt a vegetarian diet. This is because when people start by vegetarian diets, they will consume lesser meat in their daily diets. As a result, lesser amount of water will be used to grow the grains and the number of animals to be fed by the meat industry will greatly be reduced. This can also be said to conserve water resources because there will be a sufficient amount of water to provide to both human beings and animals in the world. Other than that, vegetarian can also conserve energy in terms of oil. Oil crisis is one of the major problems faced by human beings in the world currently. (Bronk Su 2006) also say that 8 times as much fossil fuel energy is being used in the production of animal protein as is used in the plant protein production. There are actually some reasons for this. In fact, fuel is needed for manufacturing pesticides and fertilizers to grow grains and crops for animal feed. Besides, fuel is needed for transportation in the meat industry and also the operation of machinery in the farming industries. In this case, it is said that about 400 gallons of fossil fuels are being used in order to produce foods for the average meat-eating for the American each year. (Bronk Su 2006). Therefore, it is the truth that vegetarian diet can actually help to conserve natural resources in terms of water and fuel. Critics of vegetarianism claim that being a vegetarian is not good for our body because a vegetarian diet is lack of animal fat, protein, each of the 9 amino acids, iron and calcium, which scientific evidence showed that human need these nutrients for an optimum health. It is true that vegetarian diet could not afford to provide animal fats and other essential nutrients that our body somehow needs it. Yet, a vegetarian diet offers much more other extra nutritional benefits to our body compared to a diet containing meat. It does not mean that you need to consume meat in order to achieve an optimum health level. A carefully planned vegetarian diet can still provide an optimal health for everyone. There is always another alternative ways to get it. For example, vegetarian foods such as nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens provide magnesium that aids the absorption of calcium. Nuts such as almonds are a great source of protein for vegetarian other than providing vitamin E, calcium, magnesi um and zinc. In addition, almond can helps lower the cholesterol level especially for the elders. According to a study from Health Research and Studies Centre, they found out that almonds are even better than olive oil in lowering LDL cholesterol. (Top ten vegan super foods 2009). Other than that, seeds such as pumpkin seeds contains high amount of amino acids, calcium, potassium, magnesium and tryptophan. Tryptophan is one of the essential amino acids that aids in the production of serotonin in our body. Serotonin is actually one kind of hormone that can make us feel happier and lively. It is considered as happiness hormone despite it is not really a hormone. This is because it sort of activates our brains and able to makes us to be more lively and energetic than normal. Several studies has shown that pumpkin seeds contain one kind of special compound called phytosterol that helps enhance and improve the bodys immune system. (Top ten vegan super foods 2009). By adding pumpkin seeds into our daily diets, it can also help to reduce the inflammation on our body. We can also get the source of protein from several vegetarian foods such as beans, tofu and other soy products. In order to gain a classic combination that provides complete protein, a vegetarian is advised to eat beans and grains together to get the optimum result. This is because beans actually do not contain the complete amount of protein in it. Certain brand of tofu or soy milk is fortified with extra beneficial nutrients such as calcium and potassium for the need of a vegetarian. Soy protein has been shown to have as much proteins as in meat. (American Heart Association, n.d.). Food type Total Kcal/100g* Protein (g)* Kcal from protein Beef 310 22.5 90 (29% from protein) Wheat(flour wholemeal) 310 12.7 51 (16% from protein) Source: Collins Gems Calorie Counter (averaged for raw meat) (Patel, n.d.) showed the amount of daily requirement for energy in terms of calories and protein based on the table as shown above. An assumption of calorie requirement for normal active lifestyle is made, which is 2400 Kcal every day. Experts say that 10% of calorie should come from the source of protein. As 1g of protein generates 4 Kcal, it is said that human being requires 60g of protein every day. (Patel, n.d.) Based on the table above, wheat provides 51 Kcal of calorie from protein which somehow reached the amount of daily requirement for energy. In contrast, the calorie in beef is much higher than that, which is 90 Kcal. This is considered as too much of calorie for a normal healthy diet. Moreover, a vegetarian have a higher risk of having iron deficiency compared to a meat eater. For meat eaters, iron can be found in meat products such as red meat, liver and egg yolk. However, we can also get it from the plant sources such as dried beans and spinach. Hence, it is not necessar y to consume meat in order to get iron. Plant-based diet alone can already provide as much nutrient as what meat can provide to us. It is also not a healthy way to get protein just by eating meat alone. You will get surprise when you get older because all those symptoms of diseases would appear due to a long-term of meat consumption. One of the arguments put forward to support the view that vegetarian diet could not contribute much towards saving the environment. Although this statement may be true, but there is no doubt that a vegetarian diet can actually save the environment and make the world a better place to live in. A vegetarian helps to reduce the destruction of rainforest and save the wildlife habitat. Malaysia is a clear example of country that has rainforest. Rainforest is very important in the world. This is due to several reasons such as regulating the global climates; regulate the cycle of water, and the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The environmental community has recognizes global warming as one of the gravest threats to the planet. (Mohr, n.d.). Unfortunately, mankind in this century have become more and more obsessed with the earning of maximum profits. People only think of earning as much as they could. As a result, rainforest is being cut down and enormous of fires are used to burn down these forests in order to have more space to raise the cattle before the meats, typically found in hamburgers and processed meat, are being sold out in the market. Approximately a football field of rainforest is being destroyed in order to produce 257 hamburgers for the population every second! (Animal rights and Vegetarianism, n.d.). By switching to a vegetarian diet, we can actually save a lot of animals and also their habitat. Hundreds of thousands of animals are innocently being killed by human every year. Some corporations even inject certain chemicals, hormones, or veterinary drugs into the body of the animals so that they could grow faster and reproduce more. This is to enhance their production and gain more profits. For examples, chicken and beef cattle are injected with growing hormones. What goes beyond the doors of the corporations and industries are extremely terrible and insane. Animals are regularly being butchered alive on speeded-up conveyor lines. These innocent living things are forced to be killed for human use and purposes, where in fact human have no right to do that at all. If people still continue to kill huge number of animals just to feed the human beings, one day, these animals will extinct forever and our next generation will have to pay the price for what human being are doing right now. Like the quote that says, When the buying stops, the killing stops. A vegetarian diet also reduces water pollution and land pollution. In the modern and high technology society, a large amount of grains are sprayed with different types of fertilisers such as herbicides and pesticides by factories in order to feed the cattle. These two chemicals are very harmful and acidic. Extreme amount of acidic chemical will destroy the top soil and leak into rivers and grounds. Over 4 million acres of cropland are lost to erosion in the US every year due to plundering farmlands to fatten animals. (Animal rights and Vegetarianism, n.d.) When these ch emicals flow into the oceans and seas through the river, this causes the deaths of millions of fishes. Other than that, meat industry contributes significantly to global warming as well. For example, methane that is released by bacteria in the rumens of cattle worsens global warming. This is because methane is a relatively potent greenhouse gas that will raises global temperature. Burning down of forest will also release carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. As a result, this would cause the temperature to rise and global warming worsens from day to day. Thus, a vegetarian diet can reduces the production of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The damage to the environment does not stop at cattle or chicken, the fishing industry also somehow contributes to the degradation of environment. What does this means? It actually means that many different species of fishes are being caught away by fisherman faster than they can reproduce. (Bronk Su 2006). This damaged the ecosystem of the oceans and sea, which in turn, affect the whole environment and worsen global warming. Approximately 300,000 different types of sea animals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises are being killed every year before their meats are being sold in the supermarket. (Bronk Su 2006). Thus, by switching to a simple and easy vegetarian diet, we can actually conserve the environment and preserve the natures biodiversity without spending too much money or figure out the other alternative ways. All in all, a vegetarian diet contributes a lot to humans lifestyle, eating habits and the environment and there are numerous of benefits of it. Basically, animals and human can actually get the nutrients required for the body from plants, and not by animals itself. Human are actually getting the nutrients from second-hand sources if they eat meat. If they eat the animals, all the toxins, hormones and chemical will automatically go into the stomach which is hard to be expelled and removed from the body. The truth is that a vegetarian diet even contains sufficient beneficial nutrients for the body which they have been mistakenly claimed to be lacking in, especially protein. (Health Benefits, n.d). As a matter of fact, the anatomies of herbivores, carnivores and human are compared which shows that man is actually vegetarian by nature. (Doshi, n.d.). The comparison can be shown in the table below. Carnivores (meat-eating) Have claws for killing Sharp front teeth for tearing meat Stomach acid is twenty times strong Perspire through tongue Herbivores (plant-eating) Have no claws No sharp front teeth Weak acid in stomach Perspire through skin Humans Have no claws No sharp teeth Weak acid in stomach Perspire through skin The above table has clearly shown that human beings are naturally a vegetarian and should not be a meat eater. This has strongly support the fact that vegetarian diets is much better and healthier than a diet that contains meat. In order to produce meat for meat eaters, human need to kill billions of animals to fulfil the need of population in the world. However, human do not need to kill a plant to obtain vegetarian food. This is not only an act of kindness to the animal, which is a living like human being; it also shows the appreciation to the nature and conserves the environment.