Cultural Event Paper

A cultural event that I have attended in the past that has had a memorable affect on my life was a Native American Powwow. This event takes place every year, Thanksgiving weekend in Tucson, AZ. I arrived in the late afternoon, as the sun was going down. I remember seeing many different types of people, from tourists to the different Native American performers. The physical setting of this particular celebration was outside, and based around, one main circle. Drums were beating so loud, you could feel the pound inside your chest. Different activities were going on all around, such as dancers, vendors, and a huge variety of foods to choose from. The circular dancing arena is known as the arbor, this area is blessed before any of the events begin (Schultz, 2001). This area is considered to be sacred ground, and is respected throughout the entire celebration (Schultz, 2001). The arbor was made of tree limbs and leaves. The four main entries into the festivities were used to resemble the four points of a compass (Schultz, 2001). The dancers entered from the east entrance, and the main announcer was located by the West entrance. Many spectators were sitting on blankets, and some on lawn chairs. The environment was relaxed, and a very friendly atmosphere. The activities included dance and drum contests, different ceremonies, and many different vendors. The crafts were all handmade and amazing. Each piece looked as if it were specially made from the heart. The Native American culture to me felt festive, warm, and very inviting. The dancer’s come from many different tribes. Their faces were painted, and their costumes consisted of beautiful festive colors. They were made of feathers, sequence, dye, and other natural fabrics. A powwow is a Native American gathering, or celebration that began with the Plains tribe, and continued to other Native American tribes through the years (Schultz, 2001). A powwow is also the oldest known public ritual of the Native Americans (Schultz, 2001). This culture considers this particular festivity, a celebration of the circle of life. They include much of their culture in their dance, music, art, food, and drumming, especially while performing these rituals (Schultz, 2001). In the past powwows took place around seasonal changes. This changed as non-natives began to join in celebrating these Native American customs (Schultz, 2001). Native American powwows earliest record dates back to July 4th, 1900 in a Missoula, MT newspaper (Schultz, 2001). Native Americans hold a type of esoteric concept that comes from their philosophy of preserving their environment as well as their kinship that ties them together (Access Genealogy, 2009). They not only have social ties, they are politically and religiously organized through their rituals, government, and other institutions (Access Genealogy, 2009). They work together to reside in a territorial area, and speak a common language (Access Genealogy, 2009). They are not characterized by any one certain structure (Access Genealogy, 2009). However, the society agrees on fundamental principles that bond together a certain social fabric (Access Genealogy, 2009). Different Native American tribes throughout the years have had different ideas, opinions, philosophies, which are not always predetermined by their past ancestors. The roots and customs of Native American tribes run deep. A feeling of respect and tradition is in the air. Every little detail has meaning and a certain level of pride and of importance to each individual taking part in the ceremony. According to Access Genealogy, 2009, â€Å"Humanities are studies of the human condition, whether it is the study of art, sociology, anthropology, literature, history, or any other human endeavor. † Humanities are the core of humanism, and are the product and creativeness of each individual society. Each culture’s has its own form of expression; in this case, it was the powwow. This was a way to entertain and promote awareness to the Native American culture. They are not afraid to show who they are, like other cultures, which can be more refined in the way they celebrate. Native Americans choose to embrace their heritage, and make it a part of their everyday lives. They are trying to hold on to a special place from their past, and not let it slip away. America is known as the â€Å"Melting Pot† with many different cultures, I believe that celebration is a way for each culture to hold onto their identity, and gain respect in a world that is constantly changing.

The Great Alaska Adventure team is planning a five-day

The Great Alaska Adventure team is planning a five-day fly-fishing trip for the executive team of BlueNote, Inc. at the bequest of the President. The trip will be into the remote back country of Tikchik River, an area known for its wildlife and rugged terrain.The area is best known for its salmon fishing.   The trip will be all-inclusive except that the executives will be responsible for their own transportation to the Dillingham base camp. We will need to provide transportation from Dillingham to the Tikchik River Basin, boat transportation with motors, camping equipment and meals, guides and a four-hour fishing class. We will provide fishing licenses for all the guests and four experienced river guides.DiscussionThe first thing we need to find to deal with in the planning process is to find a way to get from Dillingham to the Tikchik. Most of the time people going on float trips down the river begin by taking a float plane to the lake at the head of the river.Our first concern wi ll be the cost of renting the float plane and making certain that it has sufficient space for our guests and our equipment. We will also need to hire four experienced guides who are also adept at fly-fishing and can teach our guests how to fly fish once we get on the river.   Once we get to the river, we will be able to make the float trip in 4 to 5 days. We will plan on food for six days at minimum and also take additional equipment for immediate preparation of our catch. In case of really bad luck fishing, we will take sufficient food to take care of three meals per day for at least six days.We will also want to take water purification tablets for drinking water and snacks. The boats will then be taken to the river and we will commence our trip down the river. The first thing will be our fly fishing class and then we will have lunch. Then we will float down the river for about four hours and get to the campsite for the evening. We will make camp and begin the first evening of se rious fishing. This will be repeated for the next four days.It sounds simple and like nothing could go wrong, right? Right. Nothing. Except what if the motors on the boats don’t work,   it rains every day and the raft capsizes the first day and we lose our food. What if we encounter a grizzly who thinks our guests look like a good morning snack or one of the guests is allergic to fish?   What if they forget their hip waders and end up with hypothermia?Some of these risks we can plan for and account for and some we try to mitigate. For example, by hiring experienced guides we should be able to minimize the chance of capsizing the raft and losing our equipment. In addition, we will hire at least one, preferably two guides with extensive first aid training and survival training, so that they can deal with injuries or illness in our guests and whatever the wildlife try to thrown at us.We will precheck the equipment before leaving Dillingham to make certain that the equipment is functional. This should reduce the chance of malfunction once we get into the wilderness. In addition, we will take both cellphones and a CB radio so that we can communicate with civilization should we need immediate medical assistance.   We will carry flares and the guides will be armed with shotguns in case of an animal attack.Since we are going in June, the likelihood is that the weather will be cooperative and we should have warm enough temperatures, but we will need to consider what alternatives will be in place should the week of the trip arrive and the weather be inappropriate for a trip into the back country. For example, if we find that the entire week is expected to be rainy and cold, we need to have an alternative plan in place. What is our responsibility if the trip must be canceled due to inclement weather?   

Windshield Survey Essay

This windshield survey is a simple observation of a community. It involves collection of data to help define the community, the trend within the community, stability of the community and changes that may define the health of the community. Many dimensions of the community can be observed from a car drive observing the community life, and environment. Common characteristics to be noted are the people walking the street, gathering places in the community, quality of houses, community life rhythm, and geographic boundaries (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 409-410). Community is defined widely by (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) community is a group of people, living in a specific geographical area. They may share a common culture, norms and values. Members of the community gain their social and personal identity by sharing their common beliefs, norms and values which has been developed by the community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 397). Co mmunity health is the meeting of the community collective needs by identification of the community problems, managing the behaviors in the community and between the larger society and community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 401). The community partnerships helps to bring about the changes necessary to fulfill the vision of Healthy People 2020. A foundation is provided by Healthy People 2020 for national health promotion and disease prevention. It is necessary to have community partnerships in order for the lay community members to have vested interest in the community success to improve the community health Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p 402). Community as client is the community as the nurse client. The community is only the client when the focus of the nurse is on the common or collective good of the community instead of the health of one individual (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 398). The community chosen for this windshield survey is the city I currently reside in, Virginia Beach. It is located in the state of Virginia and a part of the Hampton roads. Hampton Roads consist of seven cities which are Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk and Portsmouth. In my city of Virginia B each I live in the Ocean Front Community. We have a large military community related to the Naval Base Oceana Naval Air Weapon station. Virginia Beach is 249.02 square miles and the persons per square miles are 1,758.9. The population estimate in 2013 is  48,479. Persons under 5 years of age is 6.7%. The percentage of Persons under 18 years of age is 23.1%. Persons 65 years of age or older is 11.8%. Female percentage is 50.9%. The percentage of Whites alone is 68.9%, Blacks are 20.0%, Alaska native and American Indian 0.5%, Asians 6.6%, Native Hawaiian and other pacific Islander is 0.2%, persons with two or more races is 3.9% and Hispanics are 7.5%. Persons residing in the same home greater than a year is 82.2% of the population. High school graduates or person with a higher education makes up 93.6%. The veteran population for 2009-2013 is 61,100. The median value of homes are $267,600 with 2.62 persons per household. The median household income is $65,219. Persons living below the poverty level is 7.9% (United States Cens us Bureau. n.d.). Virginia Beach is located alongside the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Chesapeake Bay to the north. The average elevation of the city is 12 feet ( VB GeoFacts and Information, n.d.). VB GeoFacts and Information. (n.d.). The homes in the community are mostly two story homes colonial style, or brick and aluminum side homes and one story homes. Homes in the community are well kept with manicured lawns. There are some condominiums and apartments in the area. There is no signs of abandoned buildings in the areas observed for the windshield survey. Virginia Beach is known for its tourism especially in the summer months. Not many pedestrians were noted walking along the street in the community during the current winter month. Joggers were noted early morning and evenings in the ocean front area of the community. Public transportation available in the city of Virginia Beach are buses and taxi cabs. There is no light rail system or train system that provides transportation. There are numerous attractions such as the aquarium, the botanical garden, the boardwalk, ocean breeze Water Park. The re are many open body of water around in the community for fishing besides the Atlantic Ocean. There are two malls located in the community Pembroke mall and Lynnhaven Mall. Many restaurants are available with a healthy choices. Only five fast food restaurants were noted on an 8 mile drive. There was 3 ABC stores noted selling liquor, and 2 Totally Wine stores noted. There are two super Walmart stores, one regular Walmart, and a Walmart Neighborhood. Food Lion and Farm Fresh are the other main grocery stores. Farm fresh provides a fresh salad bar daily. There are many Consumer Value Stores (CVS) with 24 hours pharmacy available. Patient First is chain of urgent care facilities  available within the community. They are open 7 days a week until 10pm. Sentara is the name of the group of hospitals in the community. There is Sentara Princess Anne Hospital and Sentara Virginia Beach General. There are many doctor offices, dentist office and other medical specialties available in the community. The schools average rating is 6 out of 10. Virginia Beach schools have many academic programs such as the Global studies & World language, health sciences Academy, Legal Studies, Technology, Visual & Performing Arts, International Baccalaureate program and mathematics & Science for high school students. Middle school children has advance academic programs available such as the middle years International Baccalaureate program (About Us, n.d). The community provides parks and recreation centers. There are numerous trails for outdoor hiking, sporting leagues for children and adults and fitness and wellness. There are a number of religions noted in the community catholic, united Methodist, southern Baptist and Jewish. Healthy People 2020 Health Indicators The Healthy people 2020 health indicator chosen for this community is the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Per Healthy People 2020 there is an estimated 19 million new sexually transmitted disease cases each year in the United States (Healthypeople.gov, n.d). Hampton roads area has a higher average of sexually transmitted disease, this eastern region had the highest rates in the state for gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia. State statistics showed in the region there were 2,620 girls’ ages 3 to 19 diagnosed with chlamydia comparing to 528 boys in the same age range. A study completed showed the rate of STD was much higher among blacks girls compared with 20 among the white race and Hispanic girls. The CDC has a difficult time comparing the statistics to Virginia reported figures because the health care providers are not required to report Herpes, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and trichomoniasis to the local health department. This causes the state numbers to be less than reality. Another barrier that prevents the actual numbers is many people infected with STDs may not exhibit symptoms. Meaning STD is transmitted from one person to the other without realizing transmission of the disease. There is an estimate of 70 to 80 percent of girls with chlamydia with no symptoms. Untreated these STDs causes infertility. HPV is another infection that often does not manifest  symptoms. Virginia has a new law in place requiring sixth grade girls to receive HPV vaccines unless they opt out (Simpson, 2008). Virginia Beach Department of Public of Health clinic provides free, confidential education, counseling and testing for HIV. They provide Nurses and health counselors at their Virginia Beach clinic for clients found to be HIV positive. The clinic operates on a walk in basis for testing. They offer services for the patients to contact other sexual partners that may need testing and treatment (Clinic, n.d.). Virginia Beach does not have a large immigration population with many ethnicities. There are however many resources available to address different cultures within our community. Yearly the city has a Latin festival and reggae festival. I do not encounter many people of differe nt cultures from Latin countries or Caribbean countries in the community. It is mostly whites or blacks, there is very minimal encounters with other races. It can present a problem in the community if there should be a rise in a specific ethnicities from a different parts of the world such as Africa, or Asia. Nurses and other health care providers would definitely need conferences on cultural diversity. The most I have been exposed to diversity is while working as charge nurse for a correctional facility for the Common Wealth of Virginia. Immigration and Customs Enforcement held many immigrants there for a period of time at correctional facility. Aspects of the community that can affect residents’ health were not visible to myself from a windshield point of view. Virginia Beach government website gave more insight on the aspects that affect residents in the community. Three aspects listed are teenage pregnancies, low birth weight babies and child abuse. In conclusion Virginia Beach is a wonderful community. It is not congested, we have large areas that still trees, wild animals and fishing areas. It is a family oriented community in my opinion with many resources within the community to meet the needs of individuals. Crime is at minimal, the people in the community are genuinely polite, and there are many programs in the community provided by the city or YMCA promoting health and wellness. Reference About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.vbschools.com/root/aboutus.asp CIty of Virginia Beach Community Indicators. (2011, September 1). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from

See word Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

See word - Assignment Example It supports the employment of immigrants, and provides its employees with a wage that helps them meet their needs successfully. More to this, it advocates for the conservation of the environment as it uses organic cotton and recycled materials to make its products. These aspects endear the company to the public as they take social responsibility seriously. Consequent to this, many customers are drawn to the company, thus promoting the sales of the company. However, the sexual campaigns used by the company to advertise its products expose the employees to sexual harassment, thus interfering with their dignity. Therefore, the company ought to discontinue the marketing strategy, and promote the dignity of its employees. American Apparel serves both male and female customers. This enables the company to sell its products to a wider population, hence attracting a considerable portion of the population. It provides the customers with clothing required for daily use, thus meeting their basic needs. However, older customers who visit the premises of this company tend to get shocked by the adverts used to display the garments, which deters most of them from completing a purchase. This leads to a considerable loss of revenue, which affects the company‘s profitability negatively, thus necessitating a change in the marketing strategy. Competitors in this industry apply marketing techniques that maintain the dignity of individuals. Consequently, customers would prefer buying their garments from such companies, instead of a company that promotes sexual behavior. This compels American Apparel to transform its strategy, to maintain, and attract a large pool of customers. American Apparel serves the global world. However, it specializes in selling to young adults above the age of twenty (Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation 1). Different countries have different cultures that guide their value system. Some countries maintain a restrictive culture,

Wayne Gretzky Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wayne Gretzky - Research Paper Example Their father Walter would teach Wayne (and his brothers Keith, Brent and Glen and their friends) hockey in his home’s backyard in a rink he had made. They nicknamed the rink ‘Wally Coliseum’ and here they would skate around bottles and cans, flip pucks over scattered hockey sticks to be capable of picking up the puck again while in full flight. He advised them to skate where the puck was heading and not where it had been. Wayne would go on to join a team of ten year olds at age six, and thereby starting a trend that more often saw Wayne always playing against those older than him. His first coach, Dick Martin, observed that Wayne played better than the 10 year olds did (Morrison, 1999). By the age of ten, Wayne had scored 375 goals with 139 assists in a single season during his time with the Brantford Nadrofsky Steelers. Time went by and his game grew to attract media attention and his reputation beyond his hometown. However, with his meteoric ascent came jealousy from some quarters as he was often booed during games. By 13, he had managed over 1,000 goals. As a result of growing hostilities from his hometown and the desire from his parents to see him improve even further, he was moved to Toronto where he would play his hockey (McConnell, Terry, Pocklington, and Nye, 2009). In June 12 1978, Racers’ owner Nelson Skalbania signed the 17-year old Wayne on a seven year contract. Here, he scored his first professional goal against Dave Dryden of the Edmonton Oilers in his 5th game. His second goal came in relatively quick succession, barely four seconds later. However, many were still unconvinced of his ability. At 18, critics said he was too small, wiry and slow to make it in the NHL as he was conspicuously underweight at 160 pounds (73 kilograms) compared to the year’s NHL average of 189 pounds. In the following year, Wayne Gretzky silenced his critics by breaking

Information Systems for Management- Research Conference Paper Essay

Information Systems for Management- Research Conference Paper - Essay Example Although there will be a good deal of positive emphasis on CRM's there will also include the other view point concerning the challenging areas that need improvements such as: project management, data conversion, customer relationships within the business, and the integrity of the CRM as a whole process. As stated previously, CRM's projectile aim is to consider the customer/business relationship first and foremost (ORC Macro, 2005). How a CRM goes about providing a company with a successful customer/business partnership is quite simple. It consists of a business process that uses correlating software along with traditional marketing methods such as: sales and other supportive measures to "retain and improve customer loyalty" (Penner & Ginsky, 2005). This type of strategy has proven very promising as a recent survey taken shows that 81% of some of the most reputable corporations have initiated CRM programming in the past three years and now have promising sketches to expand their basic CRM capabilities into 2004 through 2005 (Microsoft Business Solutions 2004, p.4). Factual evidence offers validity that CRM implementation is indeed on the rise and because of it almost 50% of firms utilizing CRM's services have had their revenue stack up very competitively against their competition over the past four years (Microsoft Business Solutions 2004, pp.1-4). Great prospects are available for CRM adaptation, which will soon be understood much more comprehensively through the research in this paper. CRM, in an integral whole part, forms the sound base structure for corporations to improve their already existing software systems. This creates a whole new highway of business which will be discussed later throughout this research project. Another area of focus this research will attempt to explore is the top three competitors which offer the services of CRM. These are: Oracle, Siebel and Sap, three of the most influential corporations offering some of the finest and top-notch software for all levels of companies. The main company focus will be Oracle due to the fact that it happens to be the most prestigious and quantifiable software corporation offering Integrated Customer Relationship Management solutions (Oracle, 2005). It happens to offer the most accurate, up-to-date key tools for customer success and the best thing is all entities within a company can draw on one main data source, if Oracle is the software of choice. Also, another reason the focus is so heavily on Oracle is due to the verifiable ability the software presents in assisting companies with their; "revenue, interaction costs, and customer relations" which stand unprecedented (Oracle, 2005). Study shows that this corporation leads Siebel and Sap, (han ds down), quite possibly due to the more user friendly interface of the system as well as the company's validated software track record also. The main purpose and aim of this research is to give validation and provide information into how CRM implementation aids in the long term success of a company. The fact that CRM does provide substantial assistance to companies in regards to building a more personal relationship with each customer, based on their own individual needs, and

Evaluating Performance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluating Performance - Case Study Example It helps in maintaining ownership of the company. The choice of how to run your business is your own; the lender has no say in it. Acme, being an MNE, has shareholders and the major shareholder might not want to loose control of the company. Debt financing helps in that. The impact of bank interest is also on tax deductions, if the bank is charging you 10 percent for your loan, and the government taxes you at 30 percent, then there is an advantage to taking a loan you can deduct. Take 10 percent and multiply it by (1-tax rate), in this case it's: 10 percent times (1-30 percent), which equals 7 percent. After your tax deductions, you'll be paying the equivalent of a 7 percent interest rate. (Richards, n.d.) Interest rates keep fluctuating; as Acme is investing in another country the bank may charge a higher interest rate. Also nowadays, banks have started a new thing, they don't fix the interest rate thus if conditions change and the interest rates change the banks will also charge a higher interest rate. The more you borrow, the more unstable your company may look. In other words it affects the company's credit rating. The higher your credit rating, the riskier you business looks to the lender. This way it becomes difficult to get loans when you really need them. The funds received through equity financing do not have to be paid back. The money is spent on expanding the business. Also the investors who buy share are more interested in the profitability rather than security while banks consider the security aspect the most. The cash flow generated from the business operations can be used for the business rather than paying back the lenders. The investors are interested in the business operations and can help the company in functioning properly and by giving advice. Also, they are willing to make further investments just so that the company remains profitable. The disadvantages of equity financing are: Raising equity financing is costly and time consuming. Background information is required and the time it takes to roll out the share into the market and the investors to buy is plenty. The shareholder will have bought a share of your business and will have a say in its operations. Your share in the company will then be diluted. The investor will have to be told

Descriptive essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Loung's Life Within One Month after the End of Her Story - Essay Example Lying on her bed, with eyes wide open, Loung stares at the ceiling and thinks of good old days, her childhood days, before the Khmer Rouge regime destroyed it once and forever. She dreams of her visit to the noodle shop with her family and her playing hotchpotch with her siblings and friends. But these thoughts inevitably turn towards that fatal day when the bad soldiers came and took her father to the killing fields. The good memories struggle hard against the flood of bad memories that impinge incessantly on her mind and then she is left to grapple in her bed clinging to her pillow, as if, it is the only thing on earth that she could rightfully hold on to. And as she slowly closes her eyes, her mind hovers over the home she has left behind, her father, mother, brothers and sisters. It is her dreams that keep her past alive. For Loung, days in the one-bedroom apartment seems better than nights. With Meng leaving in search for work, she is left with Eang who has become more like a mother to her than a sister-in-law. Loung helps Eang with all the household activities which in reality takes hardly any time. Then they sit and talk and talk about their families and days they cherish. They look outside the window to watch the hustle bustle of the street. Unknowingly, they stop talking and get engrossed in watching people on the street and try to imagine their life. They are brought back to reality by the shrill ringing of the doorbell. It is the weekly visit by the members of the sponsor who have brought them to the United States. The man sits on the dining table, the only set of chair and table in the house, and enquires about their health. He then asks Eang to sign some papers which were needed for the admission of Loung to school. He also suggests some job options for Eang and gives some papers. As Eang clo ses the door behind him, Loung looks at Eangs face, and they hug.  

Choose one for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose one for me - Essay Example Regarding my background, I am the youngest child in our family. Since my father died, my eldest brother has made most of the important decisions. At a young age, he had been in charge with a number of responsibilities. Since childhood, I have learned to show respect to my elders. My mother and older siblings have always emphasized the value of politeness. It is always nice to show gratitude to one’s parents and other relatives. I have been taught that being thankful is a way of showing good conduct. In relation to political behaviour, I have realized that my family background has influenced me to be docile to authority. I have found it almost impossible, if not totally unthinkable, to go against leaders. I have also noticed that I tend to be quite conscious of the tone of my voice when I talk to older people. Actually, people who do not display proper behaviour when communicating with authority or the elderly often irk me. It has also been natural for me to follow rules. Most of the time, I become tensed and check if I am obeying standards when a symbol of authority is nearby. In connection with my relatives, I am proud to say that my roots are from the ancient Arab tribe. Our ancestors were the first inhabitants of the Arabian Gulf. They have initiated the civilization that we are enjoying today. With this history, I have become honoured of my origin. It is also one of my values to be loyal to fellow Arabians. I can say that I regard my heritages with high esteem. This is reflected in my choice of songs. The genre I enjoy listening to is Arabian music. Moreover, I honestly think that my culture is rich with colourful rituals and customs. In addition, Arabian arts and crafts portray interesting painting, delicious dishes, and graceful calligraphy. It would be ideal for our country to continually develop and retain its high-income economy status. I believe that our leaders can do their best in governing the different

Advocating anti-genocide movement in Darfur Essay Example for Free

Advocating anti-genocide movement in Darfur Essay The United Nations defines genocide as â€Å"acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. † In Darfur the Arab janjaweed militias have killed an estimated 100,000 non- Arab people, burned their villages, and sought to destroy their way of life. On September 9, 2004 U. S. Secretary of State Collin Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that â€Å"genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the Government of Sudan and the [janjaweed] bear responsibility – and that genocide may still be occurring. (DiPiazza) People sometimes get the wrong idea of what genocide means. It is assumed that it is a hopeless case, impossible to stop for it is driven by millenniums of racial or ethnic conflicts. But looking back at history, genocide has mostly been created through calculated, intended decision by national leaders used as the most convenient way to solve a problem or to keep their power and destroy a person or group. And Darfur is not an exception to this. Mr. Bashir and Musa Hilal are not motivated by ancient hatred but of greed to power and influence. They are not extremists but rather coldblooded, amoral opportunists (Kristof). Drought, famine and civil war represent the interactive array of ecological, socio-economic, and political factors at play. Hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) were created from 2003 through 2005 (Arsdale). Competition over scarce resources – such as water and fertile land – had long challenged Darfur. The beginning of an oil industry in Durfur added to the tension. Claiming to represent non-Arab Africans in Darfur, rebel protested decades of government neglect. They demanded full economic, political, and social rights for Darfur. They also wanted oil wealth from the region to be shared equally. To combat the rebels, the government armed local Arab militias called janjaweeds. The Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) arose in response to grievances bring expressed by citizens of Darfur. The SLA’s founding manifesto included its vehement protests against the central government’s â€Å"policies of marginalization, racial discrimination, exclusion, exploitation, and divisiveness. The Janjaweeds, on the other hand, traced their origin with raiders and bandits of various types in Sudan for centuries. In recent decades, so-called Arab cattle raiders occasionally would sweep into a non-Arab village and abscond with a few head (Arsdale). Since 2003, the government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militias has executed a systematic campaign of mass murder, rape, and starvation against the black African tribes of Darfur. As of today, more than 500,000 Darfuris have died, and more than 2. 5 million have been driven from their homes. It goes without saying that other measures have to be undertaken simultaneously to reach a sustainable peace in Darfur. So, the international community should strongly support the Abuja talks between the Sudan government and the main insurgent groups to help them reach a peace agreement, which could be a foundation for equity and good governance in Darfur. And since the negotiation of a lasting peace in Darfur unfortunately could take months, if not years, humanitarian assistance should be provided. Democracy is a first step in the struggle against totalitarian forces that resort to inhuman practices to impose their whim on others, including ethnocide and genocide (Hoeven et al. ). It is important to create the conditions of security that will allow for a safe and voluntary return. A political solution reached in the Abuja talks is a priority to help bring peace to the region. At the same time, there is a strong sense in Darfur that an inclusive, credible and grass roots process of inter-communal dialogue is needed to re-establish peaceful inter-communal relations and re-weave the social fabric of the region. Specific measures to address property and land usage rights will be indispensable to achieve peace and restore relationships between nomadic herders and sedentary agriculturalist tribes (Hoeven et al. ). The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) evolved as the African Union has authorized the incremental deployment of thousands of personnel to carry out its responsibilities in Darfur. The African Union Peace and Security Council provided AMIS II with the following specific mandate for its peace support efforts: (1) to monitor and observe compliance with the 2004 humanitarian cease-fire agreement; (2) to assist in the process of confidence building; and (3) to contribute to a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian relief and, beyond that, the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes, and to contribute to the improvement of the security situation throughout Darfur (Darfur Crisis: Progress in Aid Peace Monitoring Threatened by Ongoing Violence and Operational Challenges). President Bush had made his statement regarding the issue at the Diplomatic Reception Room, White Palace: Americas commitment is clear. Since this conflict began we have provided more than $1. 7 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance for Darfur. We are the worlds largest single donor to the people of Darfur. Were working for the day when the families of this troubled region are allowed to return safely to their homes and rebuild their lives in peace. The people of Darfur are crying out for help, and they deserve it. I urge the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, and all members of the international community to reject any efforts to obstruct implementation of the agreements that would bring peace to Darfur and Sudan. I call on President Bashir to stop his obstruction, and to allow the peacekeepers in, and to end the campaign of violence that continues to target innocent men, women and children. And I promise this to the people of Darfur: The United States will not avert our eyes from a crisis that challenges the conscience of the world (Bush). Today, there are a lot of anti-genocide movements, recruiting thousands of people around the world advocating justice and human rights for the casualties and victims of this national turmoil. Politicians, Hollywood stars and even fellow citizens have been voicing out their concern and extending their help over the matter. Works Cited Arsdale, Peter W. Van. Forced to Flee: Human Rights and Human Wrongs in Refugee Homelands. Lexington Books, 2006. Bush, President George. President Bush Discusses Genocide in Darfur, Implements Sanctions 29 May 2007 The White House. 2 December 2007. http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070529. html Darfur Crisis: Progress in Aid Peace Monitoring Threatened by Ongoing Violence and Operational Challenges. Ed. United States Government Accountability Office: DIANE Publishing, 2006. DiPiazza, Francesca Davis. Sudan in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books, 2006. Hoeven, Agnes van Ardenne-van der, et al. Explaining Darfur: Four Lectures on the Ongoing Genocide. Amsterdam University Press, 2006. Kristof, Nick. Darfur: Driving up the Price of Blood. Coalition for Darfur, 2007.

Company background and overview of Coca Cola

Company background and overview of Coca Cola Coca-Cola is one of the world famous and largest brands in beverages industry. The company was established Doctor John Pemberton who was a pharmacist in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia USA. The brand has since become household drink in over 200 countries across the globe. Carbonate drinks are the single largest component in Coca-Cola Company which account for about 78% of the total volume sold in the 2008. The company has over 3000 beverages products and has about 500 brands in its portfolio these includes Coca-Cola/Diet Coke family, Coca-cola enterprise (CCE) wide range of carbonates includes Fanta, Lilt, Sprite and PowerAde, plus the Schweppes brand in the UK according to keynote report. The Coca-Cola brand has been adopted the strategy of global marketing. They are considering the whole world as single market place and uniform marketing strategy was being used Coca-cola for many years, but now the trend is changing and different marketing campaigns are being designed for different regions of the world. . Business decisions are made on a domestic basis to fit in with the culture and needs of the domestic community. In 1919 Coca-Cola decided it was time to go global. The Coca-Cola Company decided to take its operations beyond national boundaries and marketing research was started in central America, china and many other countries of the world. Because of successful and efficient marketing research Coca-cola was able to produce globally in different regions of the world Coca cola in UK The carbonate market in the UK is dominated by relatively few companies. These are, In the main, subsidiaries of global conglomerates such as the coca cola company and Pepsi CO. Indeed, Coca-Cola, BSD and own label alone account for well over two thirds of the carbonates market volume in the UK.The purpose sale of BSD, In which PepsiCo already has a 10% share, is likely to make one of the these groups even stronger in the UK market. Coca -Cola Companys major brand in the UK and in the world is coke or simply Coca-Cola. Other major brands of the Coca-Cola Company in the UK portfolio include Diet Coca-Cola, Cherry CoCa-Cola,Fanta,Lilt,Sprite,Dr Pepper and Schweppes.Dr Pepper,Wich has been on sale in the UK since 1982,is reported to most popular among the younger and teenagers in the UK. The companys operations in the UK are divided between CCE and Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB). CCE is the manufacturer and distributor, whereas CCGB owns the brands and is responsible for marketing. The companys beverages are generally for all consumers. However, there are some brands, which target specific consumers. For example, Coca- Colas diet soft drinks are targeted at consumers who are older in age, between the years of 25 and 39. PowerAde sports water target those who are fit, healthy and do sport. Winnie the Pooh sipper cap Juice Drink target children between the ages 5-12. Coca cola in Nepal Coca-Cola was first introduced into Nepal in 1973, when it was imported from India, but local production would only begin in 1979, with the establishment of Bottlers Nepal Limited (BNL). Coca-Cola Sabco acquired bottling rights from The Coca-Cola Company for Nepal in 2004. BNL, which has plants in the capital Kathmandu and Bharatpur, is the only bottler of Coca-Cola products in Nepal. The Marketing, Sales and Distribution strategy for BNL is titled Refresh the Marketplace and includes a robust Consumer Response System to address any consumer concerns, ideas and suggestions. BNL is also committed to strengthening the community through various programmes, particularly in the health sector, as the country has the lowest per capita public health expenditure in the world. In association with the local community, BNL assists by supporting a Free Health Check-up Clinic at Bharatpur. The Nepalese enjoy Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite Advertisement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we look on advertising perspective of Coca-cola, advertising has created a demand for Coca-Cola worldwide. However, advertising has to be in line with the domestic culture. An adapted marketing mix means adjusting the mix with the prevailing culture, geographic, economic and other differences in different countries. Different languages and cultures caused problems. COCA COLA ADVERTISMENT Add 1 Bottlers Nepal and Bottlers Nepal (Tarai) on lat week announced the launch of their summer promotion campaign Coca-Cola Football Maha Utsab targeting soccer fans across the country. . According to Bottlers Nepal, consumers need to purchase Coca-Cola, Fanta or Sprite and SMS the 10-digit unique code under the bottles crown to 4477. The scheme is applicable to all 200 ml and 250 ml returnable glass bottles or all sizes of PET bottles from April 1 to May 31, 2010. During the scheme period, consumers will also get a chance to win attractive Coca-Cola t-shirts, caps and free drinks, said Pranaya Sthapit, country marketing manager of Bottlers Nepal. Coca Cola Advertisement in Rural Area of Nepal Coca Cola Advertisement in Rural Area of Nepal, Wikimedia Commons Figure: 1.1 Market Segmentation in Nepal : The supplier driven Nepalese market generally practiced mass marketing approach with product variations in the past. The socio-economic changes and developments in transport and communication system have made Nepalese marketers conscious of market segmentation. The marketing strategies of global organizations like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nepal Lever and Standard Chartered Bank have reinforced this consciousness. The following points describe the practices of market segmentation in Nepal. 1: Non-systematic: Segmentation is generally not based on systematic market research. Past experiences, hunches of management and competitors strategy have influenced segmentation. 2: Variables for Segmentation: The variables mostly used for consumer market segmentation are: Geographic Demographic Psychographic Behavioural 3: Lack of Information: Nepalese marketers lack comprehensive information about consumer characteristics. They tend to regard marketing research as a wasteful cost. This has constrained the effective evaluation of market segments in terms of their attractiveness and appropriateness. Risks are not properly assessed. 4: Government Policies: Government policies in Nepal are not very supprotive of marketing. They do not regard businessmen as partners for development. Restrictions of movement of goods and controls have discouraged market segmentation. 5: Lack of Ethical Considerations: Environmental and welfare considerations are generally disregarded for market segmentation in Nepal. The above points clearly indicate that the concept of market segmentation is at an initial stage in Nepal. However, the importance of market segmentation is likely to increase in the years to come Positioning Positioning is the process of creating, the image the product holds in the mind of Consumers, relating to competing products. Coca cola and Pepsi both make soft drinks, Pepsi may try to compete but they will still be seen as down market from coke. coke has been positioned based on the process of positioning by direct comparison And have positioned d their products to benefit their target markets. Most people Create an image of a product by comparing it to another product, thus evident Through the famous battles between Coca-cola and Pepsi products. Product life cycle: When referring to each and every product or service ever placed before the consumer i.e. in the long term all the existing products and services are dead. For e.g.:- Replacement of Ford Cortina ( a highly successful car) by Ford Sierra, the replacement of sierra by the Ford Mondeo and the replacement of the old Mondeo by the new Mondeo in 2001. So every product is born, grows, matures and dies. So in the commercial market place products and services are created, launched and withdrawn in a process known as Product Life Cycle. To be able to market its product properly, a business must be aware of the product life cycle of its product. The standard product life cycle tends to have five phases: Development, Introduction, Growth, Maturity and Decline. Coca-Cola is currently in the maturity stage, which is evidenced primarily by the fact that they have a large, loyal group of stable customers. Furthermore, cost management, product differentiation and marketing have become more important as growth slows and market share becomes the key determinant of profitability. In foreign markets the product life cycle is in more of a growth trend Cokes advantage in this area is mainly due to its establishment strong branding and it is now able to use this area of stable profitability to subsidize the domestic Cola Wars. Insert the picture of the product lifecycle. Future financial objective In uk Coca-Cola Enterprises, the worlds largest bottler of Coca-Cola products which will soon be focused purely on some of the largest but also most mature soft drinks markets in Western Europe, is optimistic about the long-term growth prospects for this territory. The group aims to achieve in currency neutral terms: revenue growth of 4% to 6%; operating income growth of 6% to 8%; earnings per share growth in a high single-digit range; and return on invested capital improvement of 20 basis points or more per year. These metrics reflect the solid growth opportunity that lies ahead in Europe, says John Brock, chairman and chief executive of Coca-Cola Enterprises. They exceed our current long-term objectives. We are committed to these financial objectives, and in turn, to creating real value for our shareowners, our customers, and our employees. Financial Market share of coca cola in uk. Coca-Cola has reported strong second-quarter profits, beating market expectations, thanks to rising international sales. Total profits were $2.37bn ( £1.56bn), up 16% from a year ago and narrowly above forecasts of $2.3bn. The beverage makers share price jumped 2.3% in the first 15 minutes of New York trading. Revenues were up 4.8% to $8.67bn, thanks to rapid sales growth in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia. Among the best growth markets were Brazil, where sales volumes were up 13%, and India, up 22% since last year. The producer of Fanta, Sprite and Vitamin Water also reported a pick-up in growth albeit at a more sedate 2% pace in its home market of North America. In Europe, however, sales were down 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10716077, 21 July 2010 Last updated at 15:42 Competitors Analysis Coca-Cola Enterprise is the UK subsidiary for the Coca-Cola Company. In 2008 UK carbonate was valued about  £6billin; with which Coca-Cola (GB) hold about 60% value in both retail and on-trade. Britvic soft drink which is UK subsidiaries of PepsiCo and is the main competitor was second place in terms of market shares of 15% retail sales according to mintel. PepsiCos flagship brands in soft drinks are Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Diet Pepsi, Gatorade and Mountain Dew, and the company also owns Tropicana and Dole, the worlds leaders in fruit juice. GlaxoSmithKline PLC, a giant in healthcare products, is the UK third largest carbonate drink and is also on a different scale from most drinks companies. The company specialised in medicines and oral care, as well as three famous drinks brands: Lucozade, Ribena and Horlicks. CCE, had a turnover of  £1.43bn in the year ending 31st December 2006, up 2.4% on the previous year whereas For the year ending 30th September 2007, Britvic PLC recorded total branded revenues of  £716.3m, up by 5.7% on 2006. According to John Sicher of Beverage Digest (2009), Coca-Cola was the number one brand with around 42.7% in 2008. PepsiCo was second, with 30.8%, however these market shares for both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have slightly decreased from 2007 to 2008. Coca-Colas volume has also decreased 1.0% since 2007, whereas PepsiCos volume has increased 0.3%. Strong growth of Coke range in the UK is probably due to the introduction of coke zero and Diet coke product. Coke Zero is the most significant of KOs new innovations. This beverage is marketed as a calorie-free version of Coca-Cola Classic, omitting the diet label in an attempt to appeal to new demographics. This brand alone accounted for nearly one third of all 2006 growth for beverages bearing the Coca-Cola trademark. http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/08/strategic-analysis-coca-cola.html RECOMMENDATIONS After completing our project we have concluded some recommendation for the coca cola company, which are following. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Coca Cola Company should try to emphasis more on providing their infrastructure in the market to facilitate their customers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢According to the survey, conducted by the international firm Pakistani people like little bit sweeter cola drink. So for this coca cola company should produce their product according to the local demand. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Marketing team should try to increase the availability of Coke in rural areas. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢They should also focus the old people. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Now young generation has a trend to drink a coke 2 regular bottles at same time, so providing more satisfaction to them company should introduce  ½ liter disposable bottle. Coac- Cola Market Share The UKs Top 10 Soft Drinks by take-home sales value in 2009. Coca-Cola. Lucozade (GlaxoSmithKline). Robinsons (Britvic). Pepsi (Britvic). Tropicana (PepsiCo)   Red Bull. Ribena (Glaxo SmithKline). Schweppes (Coca-Cola). Actimel (Danone). Volvic (Danone Source: Nestle Worldwide The Top 10 Soft Drinks Companies in 2009 by market share. Coca-Cola ( bottling partners) PepsiCo ( bottling partners). Nestle. Suntory. Dr Pepper Snapple. Red Bull. Danone. Kirin. Asahi Breweries. Ito En. Coca-cola is number one for the 11th year http://www.financenews.co.uk/uncategorized/coca-cola-still-on-top-of-the-world/ (note;i need to search and type on this id) For 11 straight years, Coca-Cola has retained its spot as No 1 in Interbrands annual ranking of the 100 Best Global Brands followed by IBM, Microsoft, Google and GE. The 2010 report estimates the Coca-Cola brand value at $70.5 billion, up by two per cent since 2009, said the Interbrand that uses a combination of analysts projections, company financial documents and its own qualitative and quantitative analysis to arrive at a net present value. Top 5 Global brands in 2010 Rank Company Brand Value 1 Coca-Cola $70.452m 2 IBM $64,727m 3 Microsoft $60,895m 4 Google $43,557m 5 GE $42,808m The Himalaya Times ,Added At:   2011-02-14 12:18 AM The market share of Coca Cola and its rival Pepsi might be 50-50 in many parts of the world but when it comes to Nepal, the market share structure would be 3:1. The factor which needs to be credited for this data of Coca Colas market share cannot be determined that easily. As far as I know, the factors could be, the management and the quality it has maintained. The company with the largest paper work in Nepal had Bottlers Nepal, the sole distributor for Coke in the second spot. This also proves that the management is good and the quality maintenance needs no description at all. There were ups and downs in Coke. A couple of years or so, the workers went on for a strike all over Nepal in Bottlers Company resulting the distribution and production into halt. To worsen this case, this halt was in existence in the peak season which was finally solved. The year 2008 could be different and nothing is predictable. The number one spot could be snatched by Microsoft in this present age of information technology. If only Coca Cola could come up with some beverage for chilling cold with the same brand, who knows they might still be at the number one spot for the next ten years or so. Friday, January 11, 2008 | The carbonate market in the UK is dominated by relatively few companies. These are, In the main, subsidiaries of global conglomerates such as the coca cola company and Pepsi CO.Indeed, Coca-Cola, BSD and own label alone account for well over two thirds of the carbonates market volume in the UK.The purpose sale of BSD, In which PepsiCo already has a 10% share, is likely to make one of the these groups even stronger in the UK market. Financial objectives On September 7, 2010, CCE announced updated long-term financial objectives, including the following: Revenue growth of 4 percent to 6 percent; Operating income growth of 6 percent to 8 percent; Earnings per share growth in a high single-digit range; and Return on invested capital improvement of 20 basis points or more per year. Coca cola market share by area Area NORTH AMERICA LATIN AMERICA EUROPE MIDDLE EAST ASIA AFRICA Volume 30% 25% 22% 17% 6% RANKING 1 2 3 4 5 Figure: 2 Sources: Business plan on coca-cola 8/8/2010 MARKETING STRATEGY Our local marketing strategy enables Coke to listen to all the voices around the world asking for beverages that span the entire spectrum of tastes and occasions. What people want in a beverage is a reflection of who they are, where they live, how they work and play, and how they relax and recharge. Whether youre a student in the United States enjoying a refreshing Coca- Cola, a woman in Italy taking a tea break, a child in Peru asking for a juice drink, or a couple in Korea buying bottled water after a run together, were there for you. We are determined not only to make great drinks, but also to contribute to communities around the world through our commitments to education, health, wellness, and diversity. Coke strives to be a good neighbor, consistently shaping our business decisions to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do business. Its a special thing to have billions of friends around the world, and we never forget it. Processes of Communication in a coca-cola The process of communication would be as follows: Message conceived decision made to send message and reasons why. Message encoded information for notice and what sort of layout is going to be used etc. Communications medium selected communication method selected, in this case notice. Message decoded language and knowledge used to send out the right message. Message interpreted meaning of notice, recipients view. Feedback supplied feedback supplied to sender e.g. opinions, response etc. Sample of communication process of coca-cola N N Massage . Feedback Figure: Schramm (1955) Note:Communication process copy from book http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KKp3Hg5vmVsCpg=PA276dq=marketing+communication+theory+/coca+colahl=enei=69phTZj6G9HssgbEqKC2CAsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=3ved=0CD4Q6AEwAjgK#v=onepageq=marketing%20communication%20theory%20%2Fcoca%20colaf=false Coca-Cola market share and sub product in Nepal Bottlers Nepal said it is planning to invest $10m in the next three years to expand its bottling operations and launch a brand of mineral water for the market. The bottler of Coca-Cola in Nepal will use the funds to modernise its bottling plants in Kathmandu and Bharatpur. The company, which posted a 20% growth in 2009, said it will start manufacturing the Kinley brand of mineral water following standards prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Coca-Cola Sabco, one of Coca-Cola Companys bottling partners, has invested about $45m in the last five years, and annually produces one million bottles of carbonated soft drinks. Coca-Cola has a 67.8% market share in Nepals carbonated soft drinks business, according to global marketing research firm ACNielsen.

Implications of Growth and Development

Implications of Growth and Development An overview of the Myanmar economy SWOT analysis of the Myanmar Economy Myanmar’s HDI value is 0.498 Economic Drivers Agriculture The development of agriculture is a main pillar of Myanmar’s growth strategies. It is natural for the Myanmar government to prioritize agriculture as a source of economic growth, since it accounts for 36% of GDP and employs a majority of labor force, and generates nearly 30% of exports according to 2010 figures. Although the agricultural share and employment usually decline as an economy grows, it is not a sunset industry. Methods exist for increasing agriculture’s value added other than the growth of labor and land inputs. According to Myanmar’s report on agriculture, the key strategy is to enhance three productivity measures: labor, land and total productivity. Successive governments have attempted to reclaim new agricultural land and the military government (1988-2011) has successfully increased the news sown area for the last two decades. Cultivable waste other than fallows remains at about 8% of national territory. Thus, further reclamation of cultivable wasteland in Myanmar is possible. Agricultural labor productivity in Myanmar is USD 301/person, the lowest among South Asian countries. Focusing on rice production which is Myanmar’s most important crop, farmers have less elaborate irrigation facilities as compared to its rivals like Vietnam. The need of the hour is mechanization which is a way to improve labor productivity. It can also enhance total agricultural productivity by adopting a new method of acquiring quality seeds, farm management, and improvement in post-harvest system, processing, and marketing to provide high-quality agricultural products. Since agriculture is not rice dominated today, Myanmar could diversify crops according market demand. Its targets call for moving along the value chain of production from farming to higher value added activities such as R and D and after production activities like services, distribution and marketing. Although it does not seem like the agricultural sector will be absorbing more labor force in the long term. Mining Myanmar is rich in natural resources. 90% of the world’s rubies come from Myanmar. The country is also known for producing sapphires. While this is a sector which can be banked upon, inhuman working conditions in quarries and the government’s control on the trade by means of direct ownership of mines hinders major countries from importing gems from Myanmar. A complete ban has been encouraged by the Human Rights Watch as all the profits are directly hoarded by the ruling government. This lack of interest by the parties in power result in the continuation of the deplorable conditions of workers at the mines resulting in zero exports. While there is a chance here to earn a fair amount of profit for the economy, the rulers choose not to concern themselves with the development of the working conditions causing unwanted loss for the economy. Health The government spends 2% of its GDP on healthcare facilities. 2% is a significant amount as compared to the actual GDP that this economy earns. The health standards are stable but not accelerating in terms of quality and the ability to cater to a large population. Despite adequate funds, this economy is faced with a string of healthcare problems which can be explained by two factors. Insufficient no. of doctors owning to lack of education and the fast spreading epidemic of a variety of diseases. Low purchasing power explains the inaccessibility to basic nutrition and food by yet a large population thus increasing the load on the healthcare infrastructure. The incidence of major infectious diseases takes a toll on the health levels ultimately affecting the profession of the person. If the number of patients is large, poor and low medical facilities do not suffice. Myanmar suffers from epidemics such as :- Food or waterborne diseases: Bacterial and Protozoal diarrhoea, Hepatitis A, and Typhoid fever Vector borne diseases: Dengue fever, Malaria, and Japanese encephalitis Water contact disease: Leptospirosis Animal contact disease: Rabies Myanmar does not have highly specialized medical institutions or even sufficient no. of clinics to cater to the large no. of diseased. The Burmese Minstry of health recognizes HIV as a disease of concern. Education The above figures indicate a lot many factors to consider. There seems to be almost no gender disparity in terms of literacy. And in order to sustain oneself in a developing economy, the ability to read or write overpowers the level of education attained. As observed, the enrolment ratios decline from primary to secondary to post secondary. This suggests that there is no strong inclination of being academically sound. This can be owed to the fact that Myanmar is an agrarian economy which employs almost 60% of its population thus indicating that all drop outs are getting absorbed in the labour force. This is a good sign as then the unemployment rate remains an all time low. But in order to progress into a developed economy, the sectoral employment should tend towards the tertiary sector and not the primary sector like in the case of Myanmar. It is also upto the government to promote the importance of education. On the contrary, in Myanmar, owing to the military regime which was standing for a very long time treated education for civilians as relatively unimportant. It was only concerned with the development of military universities. The effects of this approach can be seen even today with the low enrollment rates. According to the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index report of 2012, since the government does not provide enough money to the schools, and the schools charge children many fees, many parents in rural areas cannot afford to send their children to school beyond the primary level. Although 85% of children attend primary school, over 40% do not go on to middle school (UNDP, 2010). The quality of higher-level education has also declined, especially since the government began encouraging university students to take distance-learning courses. Employment on the secondary and the tertiary sector is to a large extent dependent on school and high school education. The Secondary enrollment rate is 54.28% which is not very remarkable as this means fewer people will enter business and management and other vocations like medicine. The funds allocated for education spending are 0.8% of Myanmar’s GDP in 2013. It has decreased compared to 2009 when it was about 1% of GDP. Throughout all years however, the military budget continues to remain above 20% which is a clear indicator of the fact that the long standing regime has complete control and dominance over how the government in power decides to allocate its funds. Military medical and engineering universities have been established so that the military will have properly trained doctors and engineers. The military has hardly expressed any interest in investing in Research and Development. It almost never heeds to or approaches any technocrat for advice with regard to policy-making. Thus everything undertaken is military oriented and favourable to the army divisions on all accounts. In recent years however, the no. of private school allowed to open has increased and trends show that the elite class have enrolled their children in private schools due to the poor quality of public schools. Class structures and Gender Disparity In Myanmar, the gender gap in power has been reinforced and perpetuated by the long history of militarization. Top offices are reserved for the military. Active military service does not admit women. They are also thus effectively excluded from political participation. Ethnic minorities are also excluded to a very large extent. Women have also been ineligible for the employment opportunities, access to educational facilities, chance to enter the business world, participating in joint ventures created by the military status. Pre 1962, there was a small elite concentrated in government administration, party bureaucracy and the military on the one hand, while the peasants, small traders, business and hired laborers were on the other hand. In between the two now, is a very small group of middle-class people and skilled workers. Accordingly, the primary problem is Myanmar’s class structure which appears to be in a state of extensive flowing. The need of bridging the gap between the elites and the rest of the population and facilitate communication could be achieved by a more institutionalized differentiation of the sub-elite strata. The ‘non congruent’ status groups could be capable of serving as intermediaries between the elites and the more sophisticated, differentiated population. Living Standards 70% of Myanmar’s population yet lives in the rural areas. The rate of urbanization is barely 2.49%. According to reports, the trend of expenditure across is households is, 70% on food and the rest on healthcare and education. The rate of savings is low thus the rate of investments is also low. Despite Myanmar being a large producer of rice, it comes as a surprise that more than 5 million people are living under the food poverty line. (The Food and Agricultural Organization, 2009) Access to clean drinking water and a considerably moderate rate of sanitation facilities cannot suffice the development path of an economy. The area tapped by electricity does not cover even half the inhabited land. Since the factories and industrial places cannot operate without electricity, it is safe to assume that the number of household covered in this 47% is going to be far less. Banking, Foreign Borrowings, Exports According to the Heritage Foundation’s 2011 Economic Freedom index, Myanmar is one of the world’s 10 most repressive economies. In 2003, the rice market was officially liberalised but the government has maintained significant interventions and restrictions in terms of permissible cultivation areas, production, transportation, export policy, and choice of crops. Currency convertibility is difficult in Myanmar according to the IMF report. The official exchange rate has been fixed at approximately six kyat per U.S. dollar, while since 2009, the real market exchange rate has been around 1000 kyat. In the domestic market, since market leaders are in accordance with the military and a handful of cronies, there is no market contestability at the level of large enterprises. Although the environment for middle-sized businesses shows better market contestability, market entry barriers for companies are still huge. Myanmar has been a World Trade Organization (WTO) member since 1995, foreign trade has not been liberalized in reality, because of its extensively controlled economy. The country is the least open to trade among its Southeast Asian neighbours. Myanmar also has a large informal trade in arms, narcotics and forest products. The banking system are dominated by state owned banks and the government has complete control over the central bank. There is no proper capital market although the number of private banks is more than a dozen. Myanmar is unable to establish a stock market, and has no real market for bonds. Although banks in Myanmar operate under formal regulations, but with hardly any supervision and enforcement. The banking system is not transparent. The central bank has not enforced a consistent and effective inflation control policy, or an appropriate foreign exchange policy. Since the Central banks is completely controlled by the government, it has imposed arbitrary policies such as printing money to solve budget deficits, leading to fluctuating inflation rates. The government has also made arbitrary decisions such as to increase salaries sharply and remove subsidies. Myanmar lacks consistent and sound fiscal and debt policies to support macroeconomic stability. Instead, its arbitrary fiscal and debt policies are motivated primarily by political concerns. Private Property In Myanmar, there is no effective protection of property rights, including intellectual property rights. According to the 2008 constitution, the state ultimately owns all the land and natural resources, although it permits some exercise of private property rights. This means that citizens can own land, but that the state can confiscate the property if it so desires. In fact, most ordinary people do not have legal title to their land and other property. The state has confiscated many private plots for government projects, including the establishment of military camps and businesses, without providing compensation. To attract foreign investment, special economic zone laws include protection for foreign investors, but these are still conditional to the extent that they may not contradict existing laws. This gives leeway for the state to intervene. A wave of privatization of state assets and enterprises was performed suddenly in 2009 – 2010, and was not done in accordance with market principles. The process was neither transparent nor competitive, since the government sold the assets very quietly and quickly to a handful of enterprises with close military ties. Myanmar has no official social safety nets, and poverty is widespread. However, family members, friends and religious organizations have traditionally provided a social safety-net function, especially in terms of helping with food, clothing and accommodation, although widespread poverty and the paucity of job opportunities in the country has weakened this over time. As a result, tens of thousands of young and middle-aged Myanmar have travelled to bordering countries including Thailand, Malaysia, China and India to work as migrant labourers. Based on statistics from reports, many send remittances back to their family members, a factor increasingly becoming a primary source of financial support for those left inside the country. However, the amount of remittances seems to have gone down in 2009 in the wake of the global economic slowdown, during which some migrant workers lost their jobs and went back home. Political factors which lead to migrants leaving their state of origin for other countries are the risk of persecution, suppression of rights, human rights abuses, political and/or ethnic oppression, internal violence and/or armed conflict are considered political factors. Those deemed as political migrants are often considered refugees. Economic factors include the following: International labour migration movements triggered by economic factors such as poverty and Economic underdevelopment in countries of origin and the existence of considerable discrepancies  in standards of living and wages between these countries and receiving Many Burmese migrants quote economic hardship and an oppressive taxation system as  reasons for migration.

Brain Cancer Innovation: Attacking the Core :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the article Brain Cancer Innovation: Attacking the Core, Anne Denogeantries to clarify how deadly glioma (malignant tumor of the neurological cells) actually is, and how a balloon filled with radiation can extend a patients life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anne goes on to explain that this treatment is not a cure but on average it doesgive the patient additional months if he or she did not take the surgery. This procedure is done to treat some of the most severe cases of glioma, which was recorded to end up in an average of nine thousand four hundred Americans every year. She also says that this method of using a balloon has been the best when it comes to not damaging any of the patient’s brain tissue. Doctors have been searching for something like this for many years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The patients that are diagnosed with this illness are usually between the ageof thirty to fifty years old. When these people come in for surgery to cut out the cancer, they usually come out of the room with no brain with the cancer completely gone. The problem with this style of surgery is the cancer comes back after only a short period of time. This is where the radiation balloon (which is used at the University of Arizona and many other sites in America) comes into play. This balloon was created in such a way that it is able to secrete about two centimeters of radiation fluid every time it detects the tumor is getting to large. This is a cheaper more sufficient treatment for glioma patients to choose rather than many surgeries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The balloon is attached to the catheter during the removal of the tumor. Once it is in the correct position it is filled up with saline. So far, there has been one person that

The Ruthless Chancellor Palpatine Essay examples -- Star Wars, Revenge

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Power is both a good and evil thing. With power, a person has the potential to change the world. With power, a person’s words would be so influential, that anything would be possible. But when a person uses power for evil, it could possibly provoke the most horrible events imaginable. One person who used power for evil was a character from the movie Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith created by George Lucas. The characters name was Chancellor Palpatine. In a span of about fifteen years, he was able to manipulate the political system of the Galactic Republic so that he would come to power. With various events such as the Clone Wars, he gained more and more power as Chancellor, so much so that the only thing that the Chancellor feared was to lose his power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To ensure that his power would remain intact, he orchestrated a brilliant plan. He manipulated the Senate and the Galactic Republic by making the Jedi out as the evil ones. He brilliantly used numerous examples and manipulation to ensure that his plan would continue smoothly. Through an analysis of Chancellor Palpatine’s address to the Galactic Senate from Star Wars Episode III: Return of the Sith, I plan to prove the political corruption of Chancellor Palpatine through analysis of his use of credible examples, his slander of the Jedi, the delineation of good and evil, his effective play on emotions, and his impeccable timing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When a person hears the President of the United States address the nation, one would believe that everything that he is saying would be credible. This is the same for the Chancellor of the Galactic Senate. When Palpatine would address all the Senators, the Senators would believe that everything that he would be... ...tler is a prime example for this. He was a brilliant man who knew how to speak eloquently and persuade a nation into transforming a government into a dictatorship. He was also able to gain Germany’s support for World War II and unfortunately, the genocide of the global Jewish community. Chancellor Palpatine and Adolf Hitler seem to be very much alike. Both men had the knowledge and power to manipulate people to achieve whatever they desired. Both men’s lust for power is what led to their corrupt. Their desire for absolute power is what made these men evil and a threat to liberty. I hope that the world will be able to learn from the past and prevent another corrupt politician from coming to power again.       Works Cited Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Hayden Christenson. Lucasfilm Ltd, 2005.

Theater Review: No Child

In 2001 President George W. Bush proposed the No Child Left behind Act which forced schools to take action with the below average test scores. Due to this act schools are required to have their students take tests and have a certain percentage increase in grades every year otherwise there would be consequences from a school being labeled as a needing improvement to the extreme of having it privately run or shut down. The play â€Å"No Child† written by Nilaja Sun acts as a direct commentary for the need of the No Child Left behind Act. In this play the characters and their actions have such a strong correlation to the real problems that students in under privileged societies in America face as well as the need for reform in the education department. (No Child Left Behind) The setting of the play is the school that seems unfit for children to be going to receive an education. The janitor describes the school â€Å"The building fallin apart, paint chipping, water damage, a whole in the fourth floor ceiling that aint been fixed since 87, all the bathrooms on the third floor, they all broke. The school is also described by the janitor as having â€Å"one hundred thousand dollars' worth of security system which includes two metal detecting machines, seven metal detecting wands, five school guards and three NYC police officers. All armed†. (Sun 5) These descriptions of the school itself appear that education is not the primary focus of the leadership in the school district. It seems that the funding that the school is being given is not being utilized to its full potential for the benefit of the student's education. In public schools across the nation this is the actual setting of how the school can be described. With the No Child Left Behind act schools are pushed to make education the primary focus in order to give students an equal chance at life afterwards. (No Child Left Behind) As stated earlier the characters have a strong correlation to students and educators in real life. Being a teacher is described as being â€Å"underpaid, unappreciated, and underpaid job in this crazy universe. (Sun 6) The tenth grade class in this play is group of disrespectful, hopeless kids that are just pushed around all day and treated as if they are convicts themselves. It seems that in this story every person who is in a position to make a positive change whether it be the parents or the teachers push it off on someone else to do. The first teacher that the audience encounters is a woman named Ms. Tam who is underpaid and unappreciated as well as blatantly disrespected by her students and has no control over them. It gets to the point that Ms. Tam actually ends up leaving because she cannot handle the students. Prior to the No Child Left Behind act new teachers were only required to have bachelor's degree, be fully certified and to have a subject matter knowledge generally through tests. After the act was implemented, the standards for all teachers were required to be highly qualified which is different in every state regardless if they are new or have reached their tenure. The act also makes it so the teacher's salary could be raised or dropped depending on how the students performed on their tests. By doing this teachers are required to take responsibility for their students which requires them to go above the bare minimum. (No Child Left Behind) The next teacher that the audience sees interaction with between the students is Ms. Sun. Right off the bat the audience sees that she is someone that not only cares about what she is teaching but about the students that she is teaching. She lays down rules about being in class on time, eating in class and being respectful to everyone. She gets the students to actually care and want to take part of the play that she was hired to be in charge of a play that the students previously scoffed at. By getting the students to take part of the play actually gives them a greater hope for their future that they don't have to end up hopeless, a characteristic that society has already label them as being. These are the teachers that the No Child Left behind act is instituting, teachers that have the ability to push their students to have an equal chance that privileged and well educated students have. Ms. Sun is not here to do the bare minimum required; she is here to make a change in students who just need guidance. (No Child Left Behind) The students are probably the most important characters in this play in correlation to the No Child Left Behind act. The audience gets to see the transformation that begins to take place in the students after a teacher who goes above and beyond what her peers are doing with their students. In the beginning of the play the students proudly characterize themselves as the worst class ever. Mrs. Kennedy later on refutes this claim by saying, â€Å"Look, I understand that they consider themselves the worst class in school. News Flash – they're not even close. (Sun 21) It is this statement that the audience can understand that although this class is pretty horrible there are worse classes which shows that it is the school as a whole that is failing at their job. Towards the end of the play the students have done a complete 180. Not only are they wanting to take part of the play but they are doing what they need to for class such as showing up on time, not eating in class and not being disruptive. One of the students who were initially the leader of not doing the play actually says that he is looking forward to taking part of it next year. All that it took was a determination of the teacher to push past the expectations of failure of these students and found a way to reach them. At the end of the play instead of every student being a failure as originally thought some go on to Harvard while others make proud livings for themselves. The play was a strong motivator that provoked emotion and the responsibility to help the cause. The play was more than direct commentary in one's opinion, and more a piece of propaganda to move the audience to join the fight. The play shows the horrors of reality and a resolution that leaves the children and audience with hope. The bottom line is to show the audience that these children are not hopeless or lost causes and they need people to have hope and believe their fate is not sealed with the circumstances they were born into.

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Essay

Comprehensive Agrarian ReformPresentation Transcript 1. The 1987 Philippine Constitution 2. Article 13Social Justice and Human Rights(R.A. 6657-Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program) 3. Constitution of the Philippines the supreme law of the Philippines democratic and republican State enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the â€Å"1987 Constitution†. The Constitution is divided into 18 parts, excluding the Preamble, which are called Articles. 4. Social Justice and Human Rights refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution. 5. Aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as moreequality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies. to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system. 6. PreambleWe, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution. 7. Article XIII – Social Justice and Human Rights Labor Agrarian and Natural Resources Reform Urban Land Reform and Housing Health Women Role and Rights of People’s Organizations Human Rights 8. Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program a Philippine state policy that ensures and promotes welfare of landless farmers and farm workers, as well as elevation of social justice and equity among rural areas. CARP was established by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (CARL). aimed for a nation with equitable land ownership and empowered agrarian reform beneficiaries while, at least, improving social lives. enacted by the 8th Congress of the Philippines and signed by Aquino on June 10, 1988. 9. Objective To successfully devise land reform in Philippines. To improve the economic and social status of the beneficiaries  of land reform in Philippines. 10. Objectives of Agrarian Reform – Political to put an end to conflicts pertaining to land ownership. to bring about harmony between the rural people and the urban residents. bringing stability in the political set up of the country.Objective of Agrarian Reform – Social bringing about equality in terms of opportunities, income as well as wealth. 11. Objectives of Agrarian Reform – Economic Enhancing agricultural production Enhancing agricultural productivity Bettering capital formation Providing employment to more agricultural workers Enhancing demand for raw materials and services Improving balance of payments by facilitating export activitiesTrying to increase production at home so that imports do not have to be relied upon. Enhancing cooperation as well as regulation between agricultural sector and the non agricultural sector. 12. CARP Major Feature It provides for the coverage of all agricultural lands regardless of cropsproduced or tenurial status of the tiller; It recognizes as beneficiaries of the program all workers in the land giventhat they are landless and willing to till the land; It provides for the delivery of support services to program beneficiaries; It provides for arrangements that ensure the tenurial security of farmersand farm workers such as the leasehold arrangement, stock distributionoption and production and profit sharing; and It creates an adjudication body that will resolve agrarian disputes. 13. R.A. 6657 Beneficiaries all agricultural lesseesshare tenants regardless: cropsregular farm workersseasonal farm workersother farm workers farmer’s organization cooperatives agricultural graduatesrural womenveterans and relatives of enlisted men and womenretirees of the AFP and the Integrated National Policerebel returnees and surrenderees 14. Qualifications of an Agrarian Reform Beneficiariesa. be landless;b. be at least 15 years old or head of the family at the time the property was transferred in the name of the Republic of the Philippines; andc. have the willingness, ability and aptitude to cultivate the land and make it as productive as possible. (Sec. 23, RA 6657)Note: Items (b) and (c) above are meant to ensure that the recipients of the land will judiciously use it and make it a productive agricultural land 15. Components of CARP Land Tenure ImprovementProgram Beneficiaries DevelopmentAgrarian Justice Delivery 16. Principles of CARPhighest consideration to the welfare of the landless farmers and farm workers due regard to the rights of landowners to  just compensation recognition of the rights of farmers, farm workers, landowners, cooperatives, and other independent organizations to participate in the planning, organization, and management of CARP provision of support to agriculture through appropriate technology and research provision of adequate financial, production, marketing, and other support services 17. CARP IMPLEMENTING AGENCIESDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Department of Agriculture (DA) Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) Land Registration Authority (LRA) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) National Irrigation Authority (NIA) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Department of Labor and Employment – Bureau of Rural Workers (DOLE-BRW) 18. Scope of CARP The ownership or control of about 10.3 million hectares of agricultural land, representing about one-third of the total land area of the Philippines, shall be transferred over a ten year period to an estimated 3.9 million beneficiaries. 19. Lands Covered by CARPall alienable and disposable lands of the public domain devoted to or suitable to agriculture;all lands of the public domain in excess of the specific limits as determined by Congress;all other lands owned by the government devoted to or suitable to agriculture; and all private lands devoted to or suitable to agriculture regardless of the agricultural products raised or that can be raised therein. (Section 4, RA 6657) 20. Lands Not Covered by CARPthose which are not suitable for agriculture, and those which are classified as mineral, forest, residential, commercial or industrial land;those which have been classified and approved as non-agricultural prior to 15 June 1988 as ruled under Department of Justice Opinion No. 44, Series of 1990;those which are exempt pursuant to Sec. 10, RA 6657; those which are devoted to poultry, swine, or livestock raising as of June 15, 1988 pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling on Luz Farms vs. The Honorable Secretary of Agrarian Reform (G.R. No. 86339, 4 December 1990); andthose which are retained by the landowner (not covered insofar as land acquisition and distribution but covered with respect to other provisions, particularly leasehold) 21. Lands Exempted by CARP Coverage Lands actually, directly, and exclusively used and found to be necessary for parks, wildlife, forest reserves, reforestation, fish sanctuaries and breeding grounds, watersheds and mangroves, national defense, school sites and campuses including experimental farm stations operated by public or private schools for  education purposes, seeds and seedlings research and pilot production centers, church sites and convents appurtenant thereto, mosque sites and Islamic centers appurtenant thereto, communal burial grounds and cemeteries, penal colonies and penal farms actually worked by the inmates, and government and private research and quarantine centers; and Lands with eighteen percent (18%) slope and over, except those already developed as of 15 June 1988. (Sec. 10, RA 6657) 22. Proof of Ownership given to Beneficiariesa. Emancipation Patents (EPs) for OLT lands;b. Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) for CA, VOS, and EO 407 lands, resettlement areas and landed estates; andc. Free Patents for public lands.Note: Beneficiaries of the Integrated Social Forestry Program covering agro-forestry public lands whose ownership cannot be transferred, received Certificates of Stewardship Contract (CSCs) which are good for 25 years, renewable for another 25 years. 23. Department of Agrarian Reform the lead implementing agency of CARP. undertakes land tenure improvement and development of program beneficiaries. conducts land survey in resettlement areas. undertakes land acquisition and distribution and land management studies. orchestrates the delivery of support services to farmer-beneficiaries andpromotes the development of viable agrarian reform communities. 24. Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.orghttp://1987-philippineconstitution.blogspot.comhttp://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan005112.p

Life vs Death: Euthanasia

The word euthanasia is of Greek origin, which literally translates to mean â€Å"happy or good death. † However, since the beginning of the 19th century, euthanasia has become associated with speeding up the process of dying or the destruction of so-called useless lives. No longer true to its literal meaning, it is now a practice of deliberating causing or assisting in someone†s death. Because it constitutes murder and is immoral, euthanasia should not be legalized in the United States. Almost everyone who attempts suicide or asks for assistance in their death do so as a subconscious cry for help (What†s Wrong With Making Assisting Suicide Legal? ). These people want to hear they are loved, not that someone is actually willing to assist in their death (Johansen). Many of these people have emotional and psychological pressures, which can cause them to choose euthanasia as a way to solve problems. Many are either depressed or dependent and are incapable of making well-informed decisions in that state of mind (Euthanasia:Answers to Frequently Asked Questions). The main concern for those who ask for euthanasia practice should be to give them emotional and spiritual support for their problems (Euthanasia : Answers To †¦ ). Tis type of counseling and assistance has proven to be successful. A study done on 886 people who had attempted suicide and been helped showed that only 3. 84 percent had gone on to kill themselves 5 years later. Another study showed that after 36 years, only 10. 9 percent had killed themselves (What†s Wrong With†¦ ). If euthanasia became legalized, it would be administered for those who are mentally unable to choose what is best, when they could instead be helped. Many who are in favor of euthanasia may say that a request to be killed is only justified when a doctor thinks a patient does not have a â€Å"worthwhile life† (Gormally). However, no one can judge the worth of a person†s life. â€Å"As a society, we are coming to understand that mere preservation of the flesh is not the highest value†. Many times it is the family of a patient who determines whether or not they live a worthwhile life depending on if they can participate in â€Å"normal† human relationships (Euthanasia Opposing Viewpoints 103, 117). Those who support euthanasia strongly believe everyone should have control over their own life and death and many who give â€Å"requests for euthanasia may indicate†¦ they are positively asserting their desire to control events† (The Case For†¦ ). However, the religious aspects to this issue support a different view. Religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam hold life as sacred and believe it is a gift from God (â€Å"Euthanasia† Funk&Wagnalls). If the gift of life is from God, then only God can decide when that life should end, not someone else assisting in a death. Euthanasia is also considered immoral by these religions because the 10 commandments prohibit murder, which is essentially what euthanasia has become (â€Å"Euthanasia† Britannica). When many are suffering from a disease, they would rather die a dignified death than suffer tragically from the disease (The Case For Voluntary Euthanasia). Euthanasia activists claim euthanasia is â€Å"death with dignity†, even though the methods in which the deaths are carried out are anything but dignified. This can be supported by the euthanasia cases of Dr. Kevorkian, the â€Å"Doctor of Death† (Johansen). Dr. Kevorkian has used carbon monoxide to gas people to death, and has also had bodies dumped in empty vehicles in parking lots ( Euthanasia : Answers To†¦ ). Another example of how euthanasia killings are not dignified can be shown by the first televisioned mercy killing, which aired in March 1995 in Great Britain that caused the spark for the euthanasia controversy. The man who allowed cameras to be present at his death was a 63 year old patient of Motor Neurone Disease. Over 13 million people watched as he received a lethal injection by his doctor (Pratt). When these killings can be displayed for the public to see, they can not be considered dignified, especially by the means in which these deaths occur. If Euthanasia practices become legal, it would only legitimize these degrading practices. â€Å"Most elderly don†t fear death as much as they fear the pain and suffering†¦ † that may come along with it (Euthanasia Opposing Viewpoints 136). Because of this, some justify the euthanasia practice as a way to alleviate uncontrollable or intolerable pain that is placed on a patient. Even so, deaths by euthanasia are not always painless. Even a passive act of euthanasia such as the withdrawal of life support, food and water, can cause a slow and painful death (Euthanasia : Opposing Viewpoints 39). Death is also not the only solution for pain control. In fact, pain control has been perfected in the science fields, so that most pain can be eliminated completely or greatly reduced. Even though doctors are supposed to help control pain, many have never had a course in pain management and don†t know what to do (Euthanasia : Answers To†¦ ). Better education should be provided to health care professionals in order to help heal a patient, not harm them, or even kill them. Though euthanasia is illegal in most countries, where it is widely practiced, such as in the Netherlands, it has sometimes become involuntary on the side of the patient. Euthanasia is held accountable for 15 percent of deaths in the Netherlands, where patients actually fear being checked into hospitals (Johansen). Many times involuntary euthanasia occurs because the patient is incompetent to make decisions. Even though the patient may have written in advance a living will, a will in the United States that allows a person to make decisions on the type of treatments they would want if they were ill, a proxy can override these decisions. A proxy is usually a relative or friend of the patient that can make decisions for them if they are incapable of communicating on their own. This person could then cause the death of a patient, even if it is a passive act of euthanasia which is not doing something that is necessary to keep a person alive (Pratt). If euthanasia were practiced legally in the United States, it would become involuntary to the patient and possibly cause a larger percentage of deaths than it already does, as it has in the Netherlands where it is commonly practiced. It is also said that euthanasia would be for those dying from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering (â€Å"Euthanasia† Funk&Wagnalls). However, there is no real definition for an incurable or terminal disease, especially since modern medicine has lengthened life spans. Some say a terminal disease is a disease that can cause a death within 6 months, while some who are claimed to be terminally ill may not die for several years (Euthanasia : Answers To†¦ ). In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court gave permission to the parents of comatose Karen Ann Quinlan to remove her from the respirator that was keeping her alive. Even though she was expected to die immediately, she began to breathe on her own and lived another 9 years (Euthanasia : Opposing Viewpoints). Because of cases such as this that show fault in the definition for terminally ill, euthanasia activists change the term terminally ill to hopelessly ill or desperately ill. The definition used for hopeless condition includes those with physical or psychological pain, physical or mental deterioration, or a quality of life unacceptable to the patient (Euthanasia : Answers To†¦ ). With such broad definitions for the term, hopelessly ill could include mostly everyone. The legalization of euthanasia would entirely contradict the medical practices that were established in the Hippocratic Oath, an oath over 2500 years old. Medical students, upon completion of medical school, must vow : I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgement, but never with a view to injury and wrongdoing. Neither will I administer poison to anybody and when asked to do so, nor will I suggest such a course (Euthanasia Opposing Viewpoints 97). Even though neither the laws nor medical ethics say everything should be done to keep a person alive, the oath forces medical professionals to make a promise to help the sick (Maier). Doctors should be highly enough educated in order to make the best decision for each individual patient. Even if a person requests assistance in their death, it does not give the doctor enough reason to say euthanasia would be the best choice for that patient (Gormally). â€Å"Poisons†, as stated in the Hippocratic Oath, are not to be administered even though many mercy killings now are committed with â€Å"double effect. These are high doses of medicine that may kill a person faster (The Case for†¦ ). A high dose of a medicine is as much of a â€Å"poison† to a body as carbon monoxide, another means of carrying out the death, is. If euthanasia became accepted in the medical professions, it would be an immoral practice that would contradict its origins. For those who are pro-euthanasia, the laws pertaining to euthanasia are considered to be government mandated suffering. The other side to this argument is that these laws are not intended to make anyone suffer, but are instead created to prevent abuse and protect patients from bad doctors (Euthanasia :Answers To†¦ ). There is no actual provision in the legal systems for euthanasia. It is either considered murder or suicide in the United States (â€Å"Euthanasia† Brittanica). It can be a tough situation because on one hand doctors who force treatment against wishes can be charged with assault (Pratt), while if nothing is done to prolong life or if life-support is withdrawn, criminal charges can be also be brought on (â€Å"Euthanasia† Britannica). In the Netherlands, doctors can assist in a euthanasia death even though it is illegal without the possibility of prosecution and there, euthanasia has become out of hand (Pratt). With the legalization of euthanasia in the U. S. , laws and policies would be changed so that rights that would be given to others in order to intentionally cause the end of a life (Euthanasia :Answers To†¦ ). It would become an uncontrollable practice. Instead of legalization, laws on euthanasia should become stricter. Euthanasia has become a problem in the United States that would only become worse if it were legalized. Legalization of euthanasia can not be justified when there is no real determination for the definitions of many terms that play a major role in the euthanasia issue. The practice of euthanasia also carries out undignified deaths that are immoral. It has no benefit to the medical society and contradicts all medical ethics. Assisted suicide has also become involuntary, unsuccessful, and uncontrollable in other countries. For these many reasons, euthanasia should not become legal in the United States.