The East African Slave Trade Routes Essay Example for Free

The East African Slave Trade Routes Essay Slavery is a systematic exploitation of labor in human. It involved trading of human or capturing of human as a source of free or cheap labor aimed at working in military, in plantations, mines and as domestic servants. Slave trade was mainly in Africa. Africans were traded to other continents to work in large scale enterprises, mines, in the fleets and in the drainage of marshes. Slaves were treated like non humans and were seen as property. Therefore they didn’t enjoy equal rights like their masters. In East Africa, slave trade was dominated by Arab and Africa traders. It was mainly in the coastal cities of East Africa such as Mombasa, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. Captured or purchased African men were taken to the Middle East where they were enslaved. They faced brutal treatment along the way and in their place of work. They were overworked, abused sexually and insulted physically. They were exported annually into Mecca and Medina via the Indian Ocean giving the trade the name Indian Ocean Slave Trade. The Portuguese were also involved . Generally, it took the slaves a long time before reaching to their destination which was mainly the Arab countries, India and Middle East. The ships were too slow and overloaded thus could not move fast enough. The journey was thousand of miles between the coast of East Africa and Southern Arabia the Persian Gulf. They were traded along with gold, ivory, perfumes and exotic woods. African tribes’ men and women along the coastal line were brutally captured in their habitats. The prisoners of war were not lucky too as they were sold off by there own chiefs in exchange for money. Pawning was common in this trade and the slaves were used as such. It was traumatizing for the slaves moment as it usually involved physical abuse. They were beaten especially if they resisted capture. Their families could mourn as they knew that their captured members would never return. This separation by itself was traumatizing. The selection was inhuman. They were undressed publicly to check for any disability in front of there wives and children. The healthy and strong ones were picked living back the weak, sick and the old. They were chained and were forced to carry heavy merchandise such as the tusks of elephants on there way to the cells and dungeons where they awaited their sale. The cells were overcrowded. Men, women and children were kept in tiny cells with small windows. Some did not survive this far and died of suffocation and body weakness. There were no toilets and the place was filthy. They were whipped in front of their buyers as a show to how strong they were so that they could cost higher . For the purchased, immediately after they were bought they became the property of their masters. They were transported in overcrowded ship. They were chained together and packed into the cargo hold below dock. They were denied the freedom to move and were only allowed up on the dock sometimes in good weathers. The women and children enjoyed limited movement freedom. The food they ate was rotten if not bad and the water was foul. There were typically two meals a day. Their diet depended on what was the cheapest in the market at the particular time. The ship crews sometimes whipped the slaves for no reason at all. They were generally brutal. Sexual abuse was common especially among the female and child slaves. Severe punishment like death was common especially if there was disobedience. Their bodies would be thrown into the sea and sometimes they were thrown alive and left to die. All this time of sexual and physical abuse, starvation and sickness, some slave became traumatized and committed suicide by leaping overboard while others fell in state of shock. As a result of overcrowding, the condition in the ship was filth and diseases were common. They were the major cause of death. There were literally no toilets and the only available wooden buckets were meant to serve all the slaves on board. Dangerous diseases like small pox, dysentery, measles, malaria and scurvy plagued these ships. They affected even the ship crews. There were no drugs and much of the infected slaves were thrown into the sea to avoid transmission to the healthy. In cases of interception by war ships in search of illegal slave smugglers, the captain would throw the slaves in the ocean aimed at destroying the evidence. This was to avoid being poisoned or hanged if found guilty . After they reached to their destination, they were marketed where they now were possessed by new masters. They were assigned responsibilities but brutality still continued. The women worked as domestic servants and junior house wives while the men worked in the fields. The whip was the major impetus to work in the fields. It was the major fuel to make them work more. They were allowed little time to rest. They were merely viewed as a unit of production in the fields and mines rather than contributors. It was characterized by strong racism which dominated even there share in the society. African slaves were viewed as less human and were treated like property. Killing with impunity was common especially in cases of disobedience and sickness. They were given less attention on their humanitarian’s rights. The master or the slave owner had the powers to discipline to the point of death of all the members of the households. These included the children, kinsmen, housewives. Most of them were castrated to avoid reproduction. They were never taken back to their mother land. Therefore, as time went by they died and reduced in numbers. They had no right to own property whatsoever. Though some became leaders of the larger groups in the field, they were denied rights and would never be equal to their owners . In general, the slave trade was characterized by inhuman and brutal treatment of the slaves. The purchasing, transportation and deportation had very minimal humanitarian standards. Many continued to suffer the loss of their loved one who would never return back and who died on the hand of other human beings. Afterwards, there was abolishment of this trade though much of the African salves didn’t survive. The lucky ones went to extinction as reproduction was not possible as many males had been castrated. This trade was succeeded by legitimate trade which involved export of raw materials rather than labor. In recent years, slavery has been a world crisis with some evolutions like the American evolution putting strict measures on it but even in the modern world there still remains some traces of slave trade especially for the women and children. References Clarence-Smith, G. W. (1989) Slavery and abolition.The Economics of the Indian Ocean Slave Trade in the Nineteenth Century: Routledge, Patterson, O. (1982) a Comparative Study Slavery and Social Death: Harvard University Press. Watkins, R. R. (2001) Slavery: Bondage throughout History. HMCo Childrens Books, Collins, R. O and Burns, M. J. (2007)A History of Sub-Saharan Africa: Cambridge University Press. Total travel (2007) helping my friends teach my children about the word. Retrieved from http://www. tototravels. com/2006/10/chapter_20_zanz. html on Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Organisational Culture of Healthcare Organisation

Organisational Culture of Healthcare Organisation Ethical Organization Introduction: In this paper, I have described about the Sauk Village Community Health Care Center, which is an ethical organization. Apart from this, the paper includes the mission statement, vision statement and code of ethics. It also reveals the interrelationship between the mission, vision and code of ethics. The paper also describes about the organizational culture, leadership and oversight about measuring the organization performance Description of the Organization The Sauk Village Community Health Care Center is an ethical organization, which provides services related to the job training, shelter, education, food, clothing, medical treatment and other different types of counseling. Its clientele includes elderly people, teen mothers, disabled and peoples without home. It also includes people from the low income group. This is basically a non profit organization, receiving funds from the grants by the government. Mission Statement Its mission statement is based on the ethical grounds. Mission statement reflects the objectives of the organization, which are: Safe guarding the clients well being and health belonging to the community of Sauk Village; It especially includes those who are in greater needs. The next objective is to extend its services all over the community in Sauk Village in order to provide short and long term care to the people suffering from the complex and chronic health related problems and also to those suffering from economic and social problems. The main aim of this health center is to offer help and care to those people who are not getting help from anywhere. This organization helps its community to prosper and grow. This is done by: Proper Implementation of policy formulated by government. By Continuing the development of Program By growing the capacity of service provided By Having a adequate staffing Assisting people in living separately without depending on others. By making the outcomes better through screening, prevention and early intervention. By Assisting people in reducing homelessness Ethical aspect of mission: Its mission statement reflects the ethical system as it states that the existence of the company is for the protection of the well being of its clients. Therefore, no harm can occur either physically or mentally to the clients through the policy of discrimination or bias by the organization. The company is committed in providing best care for all the people who are in need. The company’s supreme goal is to provide right and appropriate health care on time from the superior staff so that they can easily overcome their ill health. The mission statement covey that the organization is with the people of community in each and every respect whether it’s mental health, education, training related to job and health and helping clients in becoming independent members of the community. Apart from this, the organization doesn’t allow any discrimination based on the caste, color and pay scale. Hence, the objectives of its mission statement are reflected in all its programs, activities and services. Value Statement The value statement of the organization is to concentrate on the clients by putting their efforts towards the betterment of their welfare and treating the people with due respect and dignity. This organization believes in performing best and improving the means of doing the things. Being a provider of health and human services, its value statement says that its workers are committed in achieving the best results. Apart from this, it will not differentiate client based on the age, race, sexual orientation or sex. The organization believes in providing excellent solution to the clients and the community. These value statements form the important part of the organization as these values are capable of encouraging actions. Moral aspect of Value Statement: The value statement formulated by the organization is ethical as this persuades workers to treat people in the right manner. Therefore, value statement is morally correct. The value statement shows the close association with the mission statement as value statement relates to the welfare of the community and clients. The mission and the value statement directs in doing best for the people without any biasness or injustice. The organization approach to provide the services depends on the following: RELATIONSHIPS – it is an important factor in establishing the trust and nurturing clients and other people in the community that the organization serves. SUPERIORITY – it gains superiority by providing best outcomes. RESPONSIBILITY – the organization is self responsible in taking self regulated action in order to achieve the success. SERVICE – the organization provides fair and equal services to all its clients LEARNING – the organization is committed towards the learning as it adopts the changes and brings new creativity. Code of Ethics The code of ethics of Sauk Village Community Health Care Center comprises of the following elements: Sheer Commitment towards the Diversity Abstain from any sorts of discrimination Abide by the Law Sustaining competency and expertise in management by implementation of the assessment program and through the various education schemes. Interest of all is taken care of i.e. no Conflicts are related to the interest Requesting for funds under ethical consideration Treating Volunteers with respect and dignity similar to the staff The process of Hiring is done in accordance with the assenting guidelines of action Using Code of ethics for the benefit of the profession and not for self-centered reasons Evading from the misuse of professional relationships for private benefits The code of ethics is capable of inspiring tangible outcome from the employees; this is so because to work properly for the organization, these serve as the guidelines which they are supposed to follow. And also, they would expect the same thing if they would have been the volunteer or client. Code of ethics shows the close relation with the mission and the value statement of the organization as all these three are aimed at protecting the health and welfare of the people. All these do not favor discrimination based on caste, creed and age. All These things help in providing the client best possible health care. As per the value statement, clients are treated with respect. Organization Culture Organizational culture is a set of characteristics that are commonly shared by people in the organization. Such characteristics may be in the forms of assumptions, beliefs, values and norms which are known as abstract elements of culture. As my organization is related to the human healthcare and services, I would plan to promote the culture of my organization on the basis of good health care of our clients. The employees of the organization would share the beliefs and values of each other along with that of organization. The culture of the organization would be based on some factors such as innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, stability, etc. (Prasad, 2008). In order to develop ethical culture, I would develop an understanding among all the staff members about the fact that union is strength. If we will work together, we will definitely achieve the goals of the organization. The culture of the organization would institutionalize the values of the organization because it regularly encourages the staff member to follow the values, beliefs and mission of the organization for the clients. By this way, it would be possible for us to provide the best health service within the low cost structure to the patients. Leadership Leadership is the process of influencing the behavior of others to work willingly and enthusiastically for achieving predetermined goals. At the post of the leader, a person is largely responsible for the culture of the organization. In some organizations, managers assume that they are not a leader, but as they are managers, the employees of the organization ultimately follow their behavior. Leadership is an important factor for making any type of organization successful. Without a good leader and leadership process, a manager cannot function effectively and efficiently (Gupta, 2007). My way of leadership is based on the participative style. In this style, I take decisions after consulting with my followers and after their participation in the decision-making process. I involve my group members in the decisions on the feasibility and workability of an idea. I believe that their co-operation in the attainment of organizational goals can be enlisted only if they are committed to the organization, and that commitment can be ensured only by an honest and open communication of ideas with them and by the development of a team spirit. I encourage my subordinates to function as a social unit, and make full use of their talents and abilities. I encourage subordinates to exercise high degrees of responsibility and freedom. They use as little authoritarian control as possible and are concerned with group relationship as well as getting the job done. They do not delegate their right to make final decisions and to give specific directives to their subordinates, but to seek the ir thoughts and opinions on many decisions that affect them. By this way, I cultivate the decision-making abilities of my subordinates and encourage them to increase their abilities to exercise self-control and urge them to assume greater responsibility for guiding their own efforts (Prasad, 2008). This style is very useful in many ways. When workers feel that their ideas are important and are being made use of, they feel considerably committed to change in which they have participated. Workers also develop a greater feeling of self-esteem. They maximize their potential in creative and productive ways and experience personal satisfaction and accomplishment of their tasks. Further, when most people are given a little freedom, they develop and grow in personality and job competence. Often they will take on more responsibilities than their job descriptions call for because of the pleasure they take in their work. I adopt a helpful attitude toward my subordinates. In this leadership style, I delegate as much responsibility to the members of the work team as their experience and knowledge will permit. I place emphasis on results rather than on an action. My philosophy is: â€Å"It is not always how a job gets done that is important but that the job does get done.† I show my concern towards the employees and thereby gain their respect. The role communication is very much important in establishing my leadership style. Without proper communication, the decisions cannot be made and delegated effectively. Effective communication creates workable understanding and agreement between two persons. I believe that full co-operation from the subordinates can only be achieved when there is clarity in communication. Proper and effective communication helps in building a trust worthy relationship between the leader and the subordinates. Effective leadership communication can be accomplished only when it has credibility. If I want to become a good leader, it is essential for me to be a good listener. By this way, I not only give chance to my subordinates to speak but also gather useful information for further communication. If the communication between my subordinates and me is not effective, I will not be able to guide and motivate them properly so as to accomplish the organizational goals. I will give incentives and bonus to th e employees on the basis of their performances. As a leader, it is my moral responsibility to follow the ethics and check the behavior of followers and culture of organization and make sure that everything is going right according to the ethics of the organization. As a leader, it is very essential for me to adopt the code of ethics, so that my followers will do the same. Oversight In order to maintain the ethical standard and evaluate the performance of the employees, I will conduct a periodical performance evaluation program. This would include weakly evaluation, monthly evaluation and yearly evaluation. On the basis of this evaluation, the employees would also get the appraisal and other compensation and benefits in the organization. I will conduct one on one interview with my staff in which I will discuss about the performance, strength, weaknesses and opportunity areas of the staff member and also provide suggestion, ideas and opinions to improve their performance. I will also give the grades or marks to the employees according to their performance and maintain a chart, which would help me to analyze the performance and improvement area of the employee. In place of oversight, I will put the system of ethical counseling board. They will give an opinion to me and my staff member in the circumstance when the ethics would not be followed. In order to handle th e other business issues like fund raising increases and decreases in the resources, there will a committee of board of directors in my organization (Kettner, 2002). Conclusion From the study, it can be concluded that the mission, vision and code of ethics form the core for an organization. These serve as the guiding tool for the employees and help them in providing direction in order to satisfy their clients in best possible manner. For better conduction and coordination among the employees, organizational culture plays a vital role. Apart from this, in order to make the organization successful, effective leadership is required. And in order to evaluate the performance of the employees and maintaining the ethical standard, periodical performance evaluation plays a vital role. Therefore, all these factors form an important component of the ethical framework. References Gupta, C.B. (2007), Human Resource Management (3rd Edition), New Delhi: Sultan Chand and Sons. Kettner, P. M. (2002). Achieving Excellence in the Management of Human Service Organizations. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Manning, S. S. (2003). Ethical Leadership in Human Services: A Multi-Dimensional Approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Prasad, L.M (2008), Organizational Behavior (3rd Revised Edition),New Delhi: Sultan Chand and Sons. Village of Sauk Village (2008). Retrieved May 16, 2008, from http://www.saukvillage.org/

Advanced Modeling Techniques For Computer Graphics Engineering Essay

Advanced Modeling Techniques For Computer Graphics Engineering Essay In the past thirty years, modeling techniques in computer graphics have evolved significantly as the field has matured and attempted to portray the complexities of nature. Polygonal models, patches, points, and lines are insufficient to represent the complexities of natural objects and intricate man-made objects in a manageable and controllable fashion. Higher-level modeling techniques have been developed to provide an abstraction of the model, encode classes of objects, and allow high-level control and specification of the model. The goal of these advanced modeling techniques is to provide a concise, efficient, flexible, and controllable mechanism for specifying and animating models of complex objects and natural phenomena. Most of these advanced modeling techniques can be considered procedural modeling techniques: code segments or algorithms are used to abstract and encode the details of the model instead of explicitly storing vast numbers of low-level primitives. The use of algori thms unburdens the modeler/animator of low-level control, provides great flexibility, and allows amplification of his efforts through parametric control: a few parameters to the model yield large amounts of geometric details (Smith [1984] called this â€Å"database amplification†). This survey examines several types of procedural techniques, including fractals, grammar-based models, volumetric procedural models, implicit surfaces, and particle systems. Fractals [Peitgen et al. 1992] have a precise mathematical definition, but in computer graphics their definition has been extended to refer generally to models with a large degree of self-similarity: subpieces of the object appear to be scaled down, possibly translated and rotated versions of the original object. Along these lines, Musgrave [Ebert et al. 1994] define a fractal as â€Å"a geometrically complex object, the complexity of which arises through the repetition of form over some range of scale.† Many natural objects exhibit this characteristic, including mountains, coastlines, trees, plants (e.g., cauliflower), water, and clouds. Fractals can generally be classified as deterministic or non-deterministic (also called random fractals), depending on whether they contain randomness. Random fractals have been used extensively in computer graphics to model natural objects, most notably terrain. Most fractal terrain-generation algorithms work through recursive subdivision an d pseudorandom perturbation. An original surface is defined and divided equally into subparts. New vertices are added and pseudorandomly displaced from the original surface, with a displacement magnitude that decreases at each iteration as the frequency increases. Therefore, the first iteration gives the large peaks on the surface, and later subdivisions add small-scale detail. Only the parameters for controlling the random-number generator, the level of subdivision, and the â€Å"roughness† of the surface are needed to define an extremely complex terrain. Recent work in fractals has included the simulation of diffusion-limited aggregation Copyright  © 1996, CRC Press. ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 28, No. 1, March 1996 (DLA) models and the use of multi-fractals [Ebert et al. 1994], which allows different fractal dimensions (degrees of â€Å"roughness†) in the models to simulate natural terrain better. GRAMMAR-BASED MODELS Grammar-based models, primarily Lsystems [Prusinkiewicz and Lindenmayer 1990], also allow natural complexity to be specified with a few parameters. Grammar- based models have been used by many authors, including Lindenmayer, Prusinkiewicz, and Fowler, to produce remarkably realistic models and images of trees, plants, and seashells. These models use formal languages, parallel graph grammars called L-systems, to describe natural structures algorithmically and are closely related to deterministic fractals in their self-similarity, but fail to meet the precise mathematical definition of a fractal.1 An L-system is a formal language where all the rules are applied in parallel to provide a final â€Å"sentence† describing the object. In the L-system, each terminal symbol represents a part of the object or a directional command to be interpreted by a three-dimensional drawing mechanism (turtle graphics). A â€Å"sentence† for a tree would contain words describing each branch, its length, size, and branching angle, when it develops, and its connection in the tree. More complex L-systems, IL-systems, include context- sensitivity, word age information, and probabilistic rule evaluation, which allows each plant to be unique. Recent work in L-systems allows better developmental models, more advanced biologically based growth models, incorporation of more growth parameters, and environmental effects. VOLUMETRIC PROCEDURAL MODELS Another procedural modeling technique, volumetric procedural modeling (also called hypertextures, volume density functions, and fuzzy blobbies), uses algorithms to define and animate threedimensional volumetric objects and natural phenomena [Ebert et al. 1994]. These techniques have been used to model natural phenomena such as fire (Stam and Inakage), gases such as smoke, clouds, and fog (Ebert, Perlin, Sakas, Stam), and water (Ebert, Perlin). The volumetric procedures take as input a point location in space, a time parameter, and parameters that describe the object being modeled, and return the density and color of the object for that location in space. Complex volumetric phenomena can, therefore, be described with a few parameters. Perlin has successfully used this technique to create realistic rock arches, woven fabric, smoke, and fur [Ebert et al. 1994], basing his procedures on a statistical simulation of turbulence and random noise to give natural-looking complexity to the obje cts. Ebert et al. [1994] have used similar functions to model and animate steam, fog, smoke, clouds, and solid marble. These procedural techniques allow the use of simple simulations of natural complexity (noise, turbulence) to speed computation, but also allow the incorporation of physically based parameters, where appropriate and feasible. This flexibility is one of the many advantages of procedural techniques. IMPLICIT SURFACES While previously discussed techniques have been used primarily for modeling the complexities of nature, implicit surfaces [Wyvill et al. 1986; Wyvill and Gascuel 1995] (also called blobby molecules, metaballs, and soft objects) have mainly been used for modeling organic shapes, complex man-made shapes, and â€Å"soft† objects that are difficult to animate and describe using more traditional techniques. Implicit surfaces are a more concise representation than parametric surfaces and provide flexibility in modeling and animating soft objects. Im- 1Some authors consider L-systems to be deterministic fractals. 154 †¢ David S. Ebert ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 28, No. 1, March 1996 plicit surfaces are iso-valued surfaces created from blending primitives (skeletal elements) represented by implicit equations of the form F(x, y, z) 5 0. Each primitive is a procedure that returns a functional value for the field defined by the implicit equation. A key feature of implicit surfaces is the procedural, smooth, often volume-preserving blending of primitives to form quite complex surfaces from simple primitives. Objects are defined as offsets (isosurfaces) from a series of blended skeletal elements (points, lines, polygons, spheres, ellipsoids, and so on). Modeling and animation of implicit surfaces is achieved by controlling the skeletal elements and blending functions, which provide complex models and animations from a few parameters (another example of data amplification). Recent work in implicit surfaces [Wyvill and Gascuel 995] has extended their use to character modeling and animation, human figure modeling, and representing rigid objects through the addition of CSG (constructive solid geometry) operators. PARTICLE SYSTEMS Particle systems differ from the previous four techniques in that their abstraction is in control of the animation and specification of the object. Particle systems do use a large database of geometric primitives to represent natural objects (â€Å"fuzzy objects†), but the animation, location, birth, and death of the particles representing the object are controlled algorithmically. Particle systems are most commonly used to represent natural phenomena such as fire, water, clouds, snow, rain, grass, and trees [Reeves and Blau 1985]. A particle- system object is represented by a large collection (cloud) of very simple geometric particles that change stochastically over time. The procedural aspect and main power of particle systems allow the specification and control of this extremely large cloud of geometric particles with very few parameters. Besides the geometric particles, a particle system has controllable stochastic particleanimation procedures that govern the creation, mov ement, and death of the particles. These animation procedures often include physically based forces to simulate effects such as gravity, vorticity, conservation of momentum, and energy. Particle systems pose special rendering problems because of the large number of primitives, but specialized rendering techniques, including probabilistic rendering algorithms, have been developed to render particle systems [Reeves and Blau 1985]. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Advanced modeling techniques will continue to play an important role in computer graphics. As computers become more powerful, the complexity that can be rendered will increase; however, the ability of humans to specify more geometric complexity (millions of primitives) will not. Therefore, procedural techniques, with their ability to amplify the user’s specification and control, are the only viable alternative. The ability of these techniques to specify and control incredibly realistic and detailed models with a small number of user-specified parameters will evolve. More work will be done to allow high-level control and specification of models in user-understandable terms, while more complex algorithms and improved physically based simulations will be incorporated into these procedures. Finally, automatic generation of the procedural models through artificial evolution techniques, similar to those of Sims [1994], will greatly enhance the capabilities and uses of these advanced modeling techniques.

A Walk to Remember - The Human Heart :: Walk to Remember Essays

A Walk to Remember - The Human Heart    A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks take you on a whirl wind journey into the depths of the human heart, and leads Landon, one of the main characters, to a decision so stunning it would lead him irrevocably on the   road to manhood. Landon the most popular boy in Beuford High and fall's > unexpectedly in love with Jamie, and unpopular, bible-bearing girl. It was   kismet that brought these two together, and an incurable disease that would   tear them apart. Landon had recently broken up with his girlfriend of 1-1/2   years and it was a twist of fate that make Jamie his date for the homecoming   dance. They went to the dance and did not speak to each other until they were both cast a the lead in the towns Christmas play. After the play was over   Landon found   himself wanting, and being with Jamie everyday, he was falling in love with her. Then came the shock of his life, Jamie revealed to him that she had Lucima. Landon was torn apart and had no idea what to do, so he   turned to the bible for guidance and help. He made the decision that he loved   Jamie too much to let her dreams slip away, so he asked her to marry him.   They were married on March 12,1959. She died shortly after that, but he never forgot her. Landon and Jamie are the too main characters in the book. Landon is the richest, most popular boy at Beuford High, and Jamie is poor,   unpopular and almost nonexistent at school. Jamie helps out at the orphanage, picks up hurt animals, and carries a bible with her every where. Whereas   Landon has never even thought of people without a home or money and he only opens a bible when he has to at church.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion Landon is a normal teenage boy, who's only concerns are: girls and cars. I think that Jamie helped him see how powerful the bible is and how it feels good to help people in need.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book takes place in Beuford, a town in North Carolina.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was a lot of foreshadowing in the book but the one that stands out the most is when Landon asked Jamie to the dance and she thinks for a

Poseidon :: essays research papers

Poseidon is a god of many names. He is most famous as the god of the sea. The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon is one of six siblings who eventually "divided the power of the world." His brothers and sisters include: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. The division of the universe involved him and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Poseidon became ruler of the sea, Zeus ruled the sky, and Hades got the underworld. The other divinities attributed to Poseidon involve the god of earthquakes and the god of horses. The symbols associated with Poseidon include: dolphins, tridents, and three-pronged fish spears. Poseidon was relied upon by sailors for a safe voyage on the sea. Many men drowned horses in sacrifice of his honor. He lived on the ocean floor in a palace made of coral and gems, and drove a chariot pulled by horses. However, Poseidon was a very moody divinity, and his temperament could sometimes result in violence. When he was in a good mood, Poseidon created new lands in the water and a calm sea. In contrast, when he was in a bad mood, Poseidon would strike the ground with a trident and cause unruly springs and earthquakes, ship wrecks, and drownings. Poseidon was similar to his brother Zeus in exerting his power on women and in objectifying masculinity. He had many love affairs and fathered numerous children. Poseidon once married a Nereid, Amphitrite, and produced Triton who was half-human and half-fish. He also impregnated the Gorgon Medusa to conceive Chrysaor and Pegasus, the flying horse. The rape of Aethra by Poseidon resulted in the birth of Theseus; and he turned Caeneus into a man, at her request, after raping her. Another rape involved Amymone when she tried to escape from a satyr and Poseidon saved her. Other offspring of Poseidon include: Eumolpus, the Giant Sinis, Polyphemus, Orion, King Amycus, Proteus, Agenor and Belus from Europa, Pelias, and the King of Egypt, Busiris. One of the most notorious love affairs of Poseidon involves his sister, Demeter. Poseidon pursued Demeter and to avoid him she turned herself into a mare. In his lust for her, Poseidon transformed himself into a stallion and captured her. Their procreation resulted in a horse, Arion. Poseidon is Greek for "Husband" (possibly of wheat), and therefore it is thought that he and Demeter (goddess of wheat) are a good match because they reign as the god and goddess of fertility.

Poverty and Children in the United States Essay

Poverty can be hard to describe at times especially when involving children. â€Å"Last year, 35.9 million Americans – including 13 million children – lived in poverty† (de Leon, 2004). There is no need for these kinds of rates, especially when it comes to our children. Children in poverty are issues that cannot be ignored in today’s society. Over coming child poverty would take enormous energy and strength from everyone in the United States. â€Å"While we are the richest country, we rank highest in child poverty rates among rich nations† (Bezruchka, 2007). The thing that most people overlook is the insufficient nutrition along with unemployment and housing that is overcrowded. Some people like to believe that these children do not exist and everyone is happy and carefree. When in most cases there could be a child living in poverty next door. There are many low-income people in the United States; a huge number of them are children. â€Å"In 2003, the government classified 35.9 million men, women, and children—12.5 percent of the U.S. population—as poor† (Macionis, 2006). A person being poor is another word for a person being in poverty. Poverty can be defined in many ways, for example, inadequate income can make a family be below the poverty line. The home environment can also add to the poverty issue because, most homes that look in disrepair mean that the family living inside might not have the income to fix things. When a family is in the poverty zone they feel bad and inadequate which can make them unwilling to ask for help. This can be harmful to the children because they do not have a say when the adults need help. A child in poorer family can also have poor health due to inadequate healthcare and routine visits. Lower income families try to buy enough food for everyone but, this does not always carry the vitamins and nutrients a growing child needs. The nutritious and healthy food is not always low cost and can be hard for a low-income family to afford. A number of nutritious meals takes time to prepare and when guardians work all day they probably do not feel like or have time to cook a full course meal. For example, a single mother works in a pizza parlor to support her children, every night the owner lets her take a free pizza home, this is good to eat but does not supply the every day nutrients a child needs. A child who does not get adequate nutrition can suffer academically. Children who live in poverty endure hardships in academics, social problems and sometimes physical problems. Children who live in low-income homes are more likely to have problems in school, making friends and staying healthy. When children from lower income families attend school they can be ridiculed due to them not having the best clothes or the right supplies. This takes a toll on their self-esteem and socializing, the children will continue to be nervous about these things. The grades will sometimes show when a child has esteem issues or is too nervous to pay attention. Healthcare is a growing concern for children because most people cannot afford coverage and sometimes make too much for programs like the medical card. Without the right type of medical visits the child will suffer. Sicknesses like colds or the common flu can go undiagnosed which if bad enough can lead to serious health problems. Diseases like Attention Deficit Disorder also know as ADD which can be easily diagnosed by a doctor can be mistaken for misbehavior. Most parents without coverage wait until it is absolutely necessary to take the child to a doctor, which at time can be damaging. Some people would think that low-income children would not have weight issues but, they do, due to unhealthy eating habits. The numbers of children in the United States living in lower income families continues to grow.   The number of children living in poverty has increased by more than 11% between 2000 and 2005. There are 1.3 million more children living in poverty today than in 2000, despite indications of economic recovery and growth† (Fass and Cauthen, 2006). Most people want to believe since the economy is growing the poverty level is dropping but, it is not. Sure there are more jobs and higher paying jobs but these require training which is costly. The other thing to remember is this occurs when wages go up the merchandise goes up also. People tend to help children in other countries rather than help their own. There are many commercials about saving the children from disease and famine in other countries no one thinks about the children here. The number of children in poverty would fall if people would recognize the troubles in their own back yards. There are people who make millions from making movies or music and do not help the children in the U.S. They would rather have the publicity from adopting a child or donating money to children in another country. In all honesty how much of the donated money, in fact goes where it belongs. To aide in the costs of healthcare for children and elderly Medicaid and Medicare were formed. â€Å"The government’s most substantial — and most successful — involvement in health care came in 1965, when it created Medicare to help the elderly and Medicaid to help the poor† (2000). Medicare and Medicaid were brought about because people were going into debt for medical attention and most children could not afford medical treatment. Medicare is a health insurance program made for people over 65 and Medicaid, which is funded by federal and state governments, is for children who cannot afford coverage. As for the ones who do not qualify for either Medicaid or Medicare there is SCHIP which is for low to middle class families. â€Å"The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was established in 1997 to provide government-paid coverage for children whose parents aren’t poor enough to receive welfare and Medicaid† (2007). These programs made a drastic improvement upon poverty ratings in children because healthcare was made affordable. These are good things, but there are some problems with the plans and people do not qualify. Some medications are not approved to be covered along with needing tests done that have to wait for approval. There are cracks in the system as well, because the Department of Health and Human Resources does not take into the account the medicines family members are on and how much out-of-pocket cost they are covering. For example a family may bring in roughly eight hundred dollars a month and have to spend one third on medications. The DHHR just sees they make too much money to qualify for different types of assistance. However, for the most part Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP have made poverty levels in children decrease. The next thing to be reckoned with was bills and finances. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families helps with the financial responsibilities of the household. TANF is for families with children who have no income or ways of supporting themselves. The amount received depends on the size of the family, but only covers two children and two adults total. TANF is there for when a family looses a job or becomes unable to perform job related tasks anymore. Welfare assistance such as TANF now has a limit to how long a family can receive assistance. This limit is 60 months, which can be spread out, used only when needed or for 5 years straight. Food Stamps aide in the families food needs, these pay for food only. Like TANF there is a set income level to receive these. The Food Stamp program was first started as a type of supplement, a person would buy stamps with cash and use them in a store but, they would be worth more than what the person had paid in cash. Later on the food stamps became free to qualifying families. This means food stamps no longer had to be bought, a family just had to meet certain income requirements. There are a number of people currently receiving food stamps because the cap for income is high, which helps a number of families out with purchasing food. There is no limit to how long a family can receive food stamps as long as they continue to qualify. A regular yet harmful part of the welfare system is that some of the public which do not try have a tendency to take the low road and receive assistance when the assistance is not needed. While other people put forth immense effort to make an honest livelihood end up paying taxes to help maintain the welfare system. Some people believe that the food stamp program has made it too easy on some people to sit around and does nothing while collecting TANF and food stamps, but for the people who truly need it they are wrong. There are many people who go to welfare for assistance who truly need help for a short time while they get back on their feet. There are also people who are temporarily disabled, parents who have lost their counter part and have nowhere else to turn for financial help, or other unforeseen circumstances, these are the people who need these types of assistance. However, for the people who take advantage of these systems they make things harder for the people who need help. Low-income families with children need these services in order to survive; some make it difficult for them. Without the help from agencies child poverty would continue to rise drastically. Child poverty in the United States is high right now but guesses how high the rates would be without programs like TANF, Medicaid, Medicare, and food stamps. Low-income children would be unhealthy and without the minimal requirements needed to sustain normal life. Even though there have been improvements to the programs which help children in poverty there is still a long way to go. Sometimes children fall through the cracks because they are right on the cusp and do not qualify for government assistance or have enough income or medical coverage. Policies need to be changed and assistance groups should look over qualifications better. The responsibility of the United States residents is high because these children who live in poverty is our future and need to be taken care of. People in the United States need to take better care of their own and worry less about what is going on in other countries. References Bezruchka, Stephen (2007, April 29). Give U.S. Children Our Best; Poor Report Card On Child Health Should Be Our Call To Action: [FINAL Edition]. Seattle Post – Intelligencer, p. J1 Retrieved February 03, 2008, from Business Dateline database. (Document ID: 1262409031). Fass Sarah and Nancy K. Cauthen (December, 2006). Who are America’s Poor Children? Retrieved February 03, 2008, from http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_684.htmlNO Macionis, J. (2006). Society: The basics (8th Ed.). P.216 Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Human Behavior Essay

At the beginning of the film, Lorenzo (played by Noah Banks and also Zack O’Malley Greenburg) is a bright and vibrant young boy living in the Comoros Islands, as his father Augusto (played by Nick Nolte) works for the World Bank and is stationed there. However, when his parents relocate to the United States, he begins to show neurological problems, such as loss of hearing, tantrums, etc. The boy is diagnosed as having adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which is fatal within two years. Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their son’s rare disease, Augusto and his wife Michaela (Susan Sarandon) set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their child. In their quest, the Odones clash with doctors, scientists, and support groups, who are skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persist, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, enlisting the aid of Professor Gus Nikolais (played by Peter Ustinov), badg ering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world, and even organizing an international symposium about the disease. Despite research dead-ends, the horror of watching their son’s health decline, and being surrounded by skeptics (including the coordinators of the support group they attend), they persist until they finally hit upon a therapy involving adding a certain kind of oil (actually containing two specific long chain fatty acids, isolated from rapeseed [canola] oil and olive oil) to their son’s diet. They contact over 100 firms around the world until they find an elderly British chemist (Don Suddaby, who plays himself in a cameo role) working for Croda International who is willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula. The oil, erucic acid, proves successful in normalizing the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids in the brain that had been causing their son’s steady decline, thereby halting the progression of the disease. There is still a great deal of neurological damage remaining which could not be reversed unless new treatments could be found to regenerate the myelin sheath (a lipid insulator) around the nerves. The father is seen taking on the new challenge of organizing biomedical efforts to heal myelin damage in patients (see The Myelin Project). The film ends with Lorenzo at the age of 14 showing definite improvement (he could swallow for himself and answer yes or no questions by blinking) but indicating more medical research is still needed. The end credits of the film note that Lorenzo has also regained his sight and is learning to use a computer. Adrenoleukodystrophy Definition Adrenoleukodystrophy is a rare genetic disease characterized by a loss of myelin surrounding nerve cells in the brain and progressive adrenal gland dysfunction. Description Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a member of a group of diseases, leukodystrophies, that cause damage to the myelin sheath of nerve cells. Approximately one in 100,000 people is affected by ALD. There are three basic forms of ALD: childhood, adult-onset, and neonatal. The childhood form of the disease is the classical form and is the most severe. Childhood ALD is progressive and usually leads to total disability or death. It affects only boys because the genetic defect is sex-linked (carried on the X chromosome). Onset usually occurs between ages four and ten and can include many different symptoms, not all of which appear together. The most common symptoms are behavioral problems and poor memory. Other symptoms frequently seen are loss of vision, seizures, poorly articulated speech, difficulty swallowing, deafness, problems with gait and coordination, fatigue, increased skin pigmentation, and progressive dementia. The adult-onset form of the disease, also called adrenomyeloneuropathy, is milder, progresses slowly, is usually associated with a normal life span, and usually appears between ages 21-35. Symptoms may include progressive stiffness, weakness, or paralysis of the lower limbs and loss of coordination. Brain function deterioration may also been seen. Women who are carriers of the disease occasionally experience the same symptoms, as well as others, including ataxia, hypertonia (excessive muscle tone), mild peripheral neuropathy, and urinary problems. The neonatal form affects both male and female infants and may produce mental retardation, facial abnormalities, seizures, retinal degeneration, poor muscle tone, enlarged liver, and adrenal dysfunction. Neonatal ALD usually progresses rapidly. Causes and symptoms The genetic defect in ALD causes a decrease in the ability to degrade very long chain fatty acids. These build up in the adrenal glands, brain, plasma, and fibroblasts. The build-up of very long chain fatty acids interferes with the ability of the adrenal gland to convert cholesterol into steroids and causes demyelination of nerves in the white matter of the brain. Demyelinated nerve cells are unable to function properly. Diagnosis Diagnosis is made based on observed symptoms, a biochemical test, and a family history. The biochemical test detects elevated levels of very long chain fatty acids in samples from amniocentesis, chorionic villi, plasma, red blood cells, or fibroblasts. A family history may indicate the likelihood of ALD because the disease is carried on the X-chromosome by the female lineage of families. Biosynthesis (also called biogenesis or â€Å"anabolism†) is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products.[1] The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step. Examples for such multi-step biosynthetic pathways are those for the production of blood clots,amino acids, fatty acids, and natural products.[2] Biosynthesis plays a major role in all cells, and many dedicated metabolic routes combined constitute general metabolism. Six organelles in the cell are involved in biosynthesis: ribosomes, chloroplasts, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, rough endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, and Golgi bodies. [3] Dementia (taken from Latin, originally meaning â€Å"madness†, from de- â€Å"without† + ment, the root of mens â€Å"mind†) is a serious loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It may be static, the result of a unique global brain injury, or progressive, resulting in long-term decline due to damage or disease in the body. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population (about 5% of those over 65 are said to be involved),[1] it can occur before the age of 65, in which case it is termed â€Å"early onset dementia†.[2] Dementia is not a single disease, but a non-specific syndrome (i.e., set of signs and symptoms). Affected cognitive areas can be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Normally, symptoms must be present for at least six months to support a diagnosis.[3] Cognitive dysfunction of shorter duration is called delirium. Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing.[1][2][3] Although classified under â€Å"symptoms and signs† in ICD-10,[4] the term is sometimes used as a condition in its own right.[5][6][7] Sufferers are sometimes unaware of their dysphagia. Spasticity is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance in muscle tone involving hypertonia; it is also referred to as an unusual â€Å"tightness†, stiffness, or â€Å"pull† of muscles. The word spasm comes from the Greek word ÏÆ'πΠ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¼ÃÅ'Ï‚ (spasmos), meaning â€Å"drawing, pulling.† Clinically spasticity is defined as velocity dependent resistance to stretch, where a lack of inhibition results in excessive contraction of the muscles, ultimately leading to hyperflexia (overly flexed joints). It mostly occurs in disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) affecting the upper motor neuron in the form of a lesion, such as spastic diplegia, but it can also present in various types of multiple sclerosis, where it occurs as a symptom of the progressively-worsening attacks on myelin sheaths and is thus unrelated to the types of spasticity present in neuromuscular cerebral palsy rooted spasticity disorders. Definition A seizure happens when there are certain types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. During a seizure, you may: *Lose consciousness * Stare into space * Have convulsions (abnormal jerking of the muscles) * Experience abnormalities of sensation or emotion