Alzheimers Disease Essays (674 words) - Dementia, Histopathology

Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease that destroys mental and physical functioning in human beings, and invariably leads to death. It is the fourth leading cause of adult death in the United States. Alzheimer's creates emotional and financial catastrophe for many American families every year. Fortunately, a large amount of progress is being made to combat Alzheimer's disease every year. To fully be able to comprehend and combat Alzheimer's disease, one must know what it does to the brain, the part of the human body it most greatly affects. Many Alzheimer's disease sufferers had their brains examined. A large number of differences were present when comparing the normal brain to the Alzheimer's brain. There was a loss of nerve cells from the Cerebral Cortex in the Alzheimer's victim. Approxiately ten percent of the neurons in this region were lost. But a ten percent loss is relatively minor, and cannot account for the severe impairment suffered by Alzheimer's victims. Neurofibrillary Tangles are also found in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. They are found within the cell bodies of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, and take on the structure of a paired helix. Other diseases that have "paired helixes" include Parkinson's disease, Down's Syndrome, and Dementia Pugilistica. Scientists are not sure how the paired helixes are related in these very different diseases. Neuritic Plaques are patches of clumped material lying outside the bodies of nerve cells in the brain. They are mainly found in the cerebral cortex, but have also been seen in other areas of the brain. At the core of each of these plaques is a substance called amyloid, an abnormal protein not usually found in the brain. This amyloid core is surrounded by cast off fragments of dead or dying nerve cells. The cell fragments include dying mitochondria, presynaptic terminals, and paired helical filaments identical to those that are neurofibrillary tangles. Many neuropathologists think that these plaques are basically clusters of degenerating nerve cells. But they are still not sure of how and why these fragments clustered together. Congophilic Angiopathy is the technical name that neuropathologists have given to an abnormality found in the walls of blood vessels in the brains of victims of Alzheimer's disease. These abnormal patches are similar to the neuritic plaques that develop in Alzheimer's disease, in that amyloid has been found within the blood-vessel walls wherever the patches occur. Another name for these patches is cerebrovascular amyloid, meaning amyloid found in the blood vessels of the brains. Acetylcholine is a substance that carries signals from one nerve cell to another. It is known to be important to learning and memory. In the mid 1970s, scientists found that the brains of those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease contained sixty to ninety percent less of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase(CAT), which is responsible for producing acetylcholine, than did the brains of healthy persons. This was a great milestone, as it was the first functional change related to learning and memory, and not to different structures. Somatostatin is another means by which cells in the brain communicate with each other. The quantities of this chemical messenger, like those of CAT, are also greatly decreased in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus of persons with Alzheimer's disease, almost to the same degree as CAT is lost. Although scientists have been able to identify many of these, and other changes, they are not yet sure as to how, or why they take place in Alzheimer's disease. One could say, that they have most of the pieces of the puzzle; all that is left to do is find the missing piece and decipher the meaning. If treatment is required for someone with Alzheimer's disease, then the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association(ADRDA), a privately funded, national, non- profit organization dedicated to easing the burden of Alzheimer victims and their families and finding a cure can be contacted. There are more than one hundred and sixty chapters throughout the country, and over one thousand support groups that can be contacted for help. ADRDA fights Alzheimer's on five fronts 1- funding research 2- educating and thus increase public awareness 3- establishing chapters with support groups 4- encouraging federal and local legislation to help victims and their families 5- providing a service to help victims and their families find the proper care they need.

Existential Therapy

Existential Therapy Running Head: EXISTENTIAL THERAPYExistential TherapyExistential TherapyIntroductionExistential therapy is a strong approach which embraces human potential, while remaining a realistic approach through its recognition of human limitation. Falling in the tradition of depth existential is common with humanistic, psychodynamic, experiential, and relational approaches to therapy. This therapy is fundamentally different from every kind of therapy. According to Ernesto, (2007) this therapy is for existence whereas psychologists recognize the practice of existential therapy as variety of psychotherapy. It also addresses life problems perspective and therefore acts as variety of psychotherapy.DiscussionAfter having the detailed knowledge about the existential therapy it could be recognized that the Ruth has some problem which belong to her personality and her earlier life, in which environment she has grown up, as she describe herself she was the oldest of four children and her father was a f undamentalist minister and her mother was a simple housewife.E is for Education and for ExistentialismAccording to Emmy, (2005) Ruth remembers her mother as being critical, and she thought that she could never do enough to please her. While her mother was supportive and the family demonstrated little affection in many ways Ruth took on the role of caring for her younger siblings, largely in the hope of winning the approval of her parents. It could be said that Ruth has some personality disorder and need to be council through the experienced psychiatrics.As far as existential therapy is concerned it deals with Psychological health, from an existential view, is characterized by an ability to navigate the complexities of own life of the Ruth, the world, and Ruth relationships with the world. Commotion, on the other hand, is taken as the outcome of avoiding life's truths and of working under the shadow of other expectations of the people and values.

Building Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Building Design - Essay Example Rondeau et al. suggests this formula for computing payback period as: (2006, p. 145). For example, an individual decides to purchase a condominium unit in Central London as an investment for  £245,000. He further invests around  £25,000 to furnish the unit and make it easily leasable. Thus his total investment is  £270,000. He then is able to rent it out for  £1,900 while spending about  £100 in maintenance, thus is able to generate a net profit of  £1,800 a month. Using the above formula, it will take a 12  ½ years for the owner to recover the condominium’s purchase price through the net profit of the lease. Rate of return is a financial measure of the profitability of an investment or a project. It is â€Å"what you get, minus what you started out with, expressed as a percentage of what you started with† (Getlner, et al., 2007, p. 176). Using the above example in the payback period concept, let us examine the rate of return of the condominium unit investment as several periods of time. At 12  ½ years, the owner would have made  £270,000 of rental profits, equal to the initial investment on the unit. Therefore, the rate of return on the 12.5th year would have been 0%. However if he waited 2  ½ more years to assess his investment, he would realize a 20% rate of return or  £54,000. There are two types of returns, one that is time-based, called periodic returns and one that is dollar-weighted (or in this case, pounds-weighted) called internal rate of return (Getlner, et al., 2007, p. 174). Internal rate of return, commonly referred to as IRR is applicable to real estate investments because it can compute investment performance over long periods of time which is the usual case in owning a property. One need not know the yearly value of the asset, the important information is the value of the capital investment at

USA HIstory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

USA HIstory - Research Paper Example This was particularly due to the rules on escaped sleeves which demanded that those helping escaped slaves be punished, this pitted south against north since many abolitionists would aid than in their escape when they went ran north to freedom (Kelly). The election of Abraham Lincoln a republican firm on abolishing slavery caused seven states to secede and form a confederacy, when the war begun in earnest, four more states joined them in the quest to fight for the right to practice slavery. The civil war was greatly divisive as it pitted neighbors and sometimes even brothers against each other, as a result, many family and social bonds were severed never to be the same again even after the war was over The war commenced after the confederates took the Fort Sumter, which was a crucial fort for the union side, in South Carolina, in response Lincoln rallied his armies to retake the four Border States that had moved to the confederacy. The union then went ahead to assume control of the coastline and set up a naval blockade a key fort held by Union troops in South Carolina. The confederate states had assumed that Europeans countries which were heavily dependent on them for cotton and other products would back them up against the union and this emboldened them (â€Å"American Civil War†). However, this proved to have been misconstrued and no European nation ever even acknowledged the confederacy let alone supported them. What followed were four years of bloody conflict which were characterized by massive loss of life as well as destruction of property; it is worth noting that this was the first industrialized war and modern weapons and infrastructure such as railroads were extens ively used. The war was marked by several battles such as, the battles of Antietam, Vicksburg, and Manassas among others (â€Å"American Civil War†). In 1862 Lincoln made the proclamation of

International Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Theory - Essay Example s came about, and two of these theories emerged to what we presently know as the English School and the Classical Liberalism theories in international relations. These theories shall be discussed and differentiated in this paper. Classical liberalism believes that if people are given as much freedom as possible, the principles of authoritarianism shall eventually fade away, democracy shall have a chance to emerge, and wars will eventually cease to exist. Classical liberalism in international relations has four main beliefs. First and foremost, classical liberalists believe that peace can best be achieved through the more widespread application of democratic principles. Classical liberalism prescribes to the notion of institutional liberalism, in the sense that it desires for more nations to be more democratic in their political approach. They believe that democracy epitomizes the perfect breeding ground for peace within and among nations. Secondly, they believe that naturally harmonious interests will help ensure that citizens and states â€Å"make rational calculations which make national interest and international interest one and the same† (O’Connor, 2008). They advocate the belief that the state preferences, not the state capabilities determine the behaviour of the state. It therefore has a high degree of tolerance for various preferences. Thirdly, disputes should be settled by the set judicial procedures under the rule of law. Classical liberalism stresses that the rule of law is applicable to states, not just to people. It advocates that it is possible to identify aggressors and belligerents; therefore, it is also possible to come up with an effective coalition of states opposing such violators. Finally, collective security would replace notions of self-help. They agree that different states may have different preferences, and that governments actually make the decisions to go to war, not people. And they ultimately prefer adherence to the

Tourism In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia

Tourism In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is known to the world as the center of Islam and one of the very few countries in the world to have maintained Islamic law the sharia. According to the U.S department of state (2010) Saudi Arabia remained as an absolute monarchy until 1992, at which time the Saud royal family introduced the countrys first constitution based on the sharia. With an area of about 865,000 square miles, Saudi Arabia is roughly one-third the size of the continental United States, and the same size as all of Western Europe. Saudi Arabias oil region and main source of wealth lies along the Persian Gulf. This oil-derived wealth allowed the country to provide free health care and education while not collecting any taxes from its people. At the time of World War II Saudi Arabia had one-third of all known oil reserves, but falling demand and rising production outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) endangered the country with domestic unrest and undermining its influence in the Gulf area. However, they swiftly recovered with a blossoming economy. Standard of living is calculated by ranks, such as real income per person and poverty ranks. Measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. The best statistic for measuring standard of living is the same one the UN uses to measure the level of development of a nation. The human development index (HDI) which is used as an alternative to measuring GDP in order to determine the countrys well-being. The HDI provides a measure of the average three aspects of human development, living a long and healthy life, education and having a decent standard of living. According to the latest U.N human development report (2007) Saudi Arabias HDI value is .843. This denotes that Saudi Arabia ranks high on the human development index. Other aspects taken into consideration when measuring the kingdoms HDI are life expectancy rates, under 5 mortality rates, and literacy rate. According to the latest U.N human development report (2007) Saudi Arabias life expectancy rate is 72.7 years old. The under 5 mortality rate in Saudi Arabia is 21.27 deaths per 1,000 according to the World Bank (2008). In terms of literacy rate only 85% of Saudi Arabians are literate. The Saudi government is working on improving the literacy rate in Saudi Arabia. According to the latest U.N human development report (2009) Saudi Arabias GDP rank minus HDI rank is at -19 a negative number indicates that the HDI rank is lower than the GDP per capita (PPP US$) and that poverty is low in that country. Gender inequality occurs on a daily bases in Saudi Arabia. According to Abdella (2010) the kingdom allows men to twice the inheritance that women are allowed. Women are required to have a guardian escort them for many of lifes daily tasks. Without the presence of a guardian, a woman cannot study, access health services, marry, travel abroad, have a business or even access an ambulance in an emergency. Saudi women do not have the right to drive. It is illegal for a woman to be in the company of a man who is not in her immediate family. Young women are still not allowed to study certain subjects, such as geology however it is indicated that women can travel abroad alone for studies .On the subject of polygamy, men are permitted by law to have up to four wives. Women do not have equal access to the courts or an equal opportunity to obtain justice. Abdella (2010) acknowledged that the government ought to evaluate laws and policies and revise basic Laws in order to ensure gender equality and exclude the discrimination of women. In Saudi Arabia population growth is outpacing the economic growth and availability of services and infrastructure in the country. The CIA world fact book (2010) proved that by contrast to the U.S, Saudi Arabia experiences a high population growth rate of 1.85%. Saudi Arabias growth rate is lower than average developing countries, which is typically around 2.5%; but higher than the U.S 1% population growth rate. Due to its population Growth Issues Saudi Arabia is facing difficulties in providing jobs, water, food and energy to its indigenous young population and there is a widening gap between the ability of the economy to create jobs and the population growth rate. A major difference between economic growth and human development is that economic growth focuses on the enlargement of income, while Human development focuses on enlarging all human options. According to United Nations human Development Program (2010) education, health, clean environment and material well being do not necessarily depend on income. Thus, the options available for improving peoples lives are inclined to the quality of economic growth in its wider sense, and the impact is by no means confined to quantitative aspects of such growth. The end goal of investment in human capital, in terms of health, education, nutrition and training, is to boost production and generate additional income. Investments in physical infrastructure are a crucial attribute of Saudi Arabias current economic development drive. According to Hayward (2009) the kingdom seeks to reduce its reliance on the oil industry. Saudi Arabia announced a huge economic stimulus budget for 2009, allocating more money for education and an increase in public spending by 15.8 per cent. The Saudi Government plans to spend a tremendous amount of money on infrastructure projects in the next five years as the kingdom seeks to benefit from lower construction costs amid the global financial crunch. The construction division will be motivated by the launch of six economic cities to be completed by 2020. According to Hayward (2009) these six new industrialized cities will diversify Saudi Arabias economy and are expected to amplify GDP. Projects currently underway in the Kingdom include two huge railway initiatives, which will boost trade and tourism networks. Work continues to expand in Saudi Arabias port network as the country contests with other Gulf States to offer a gateway to Middle East markets. With the expanding population growth issues the pressure is being put forth on the countrys utilities. The Saudi agricultural sector is the second largest industry in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia has achieved immense agricultural development, conquering the difficulties of scarce rain, meager subterranean water, limited local manpower and widely dispersed cultivatable lands. According to the CIA world fact book (2010) many individuals migrate to Saudi Arabia for employment. In 2009 only 6.75% of the population was employed in agriculture and 21.40% employed in the services. Agriculture has grown at an average annual rate of 8.7 percent since 1970 and accounts for more than 9.4 percent of Saudi Arabias GDP. According to The Saudi network (2010) in order to maintain agriculture, the Saudi Government has built more than 200 dams to preserve rainwater, with storage capacity of 689 million cubic meters. In order to finance this development, the Saudi Agricultural Bank was established in 1964. It is a specialized agricultural bank; it extends long-term, interest-free loans to farmers and agricultural companies. According to The Saudi network (2010) the Saudi Government has also supplied seeds and saplings at nominal prices. It has afforded veterinary and agricultural guidance and plant protection services. Other measures include the purchase of strategic agricultural crops, such as wheat and barley at high prices, through the General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills. Public discussion about environmental issues has increased significantly throughout Saudi Arabia, Following a series of floods in the Kingdom. According to the Saudi network (2010) the most important environmental issue facing Jeddah is sewage. The estimates on the area of the city that is currently connected to the sewer pipes vary from 8-14%, with around 80% of houses using septic tanks. In recent years, the waste from the citys septic tanks has been discarded in the Briman Sewage Lake, better known as Musk Lake centre. However, environmental and health anxiety following last years floods, coupled with a royal decree ordering the emptying of the lake, have prompted city officials to find alternate solutions. The use of percolating pits septic tanks without a concrete bottom that allow sewage to drain into the ground led to soil and underground water contamination as well as a rise in the water table. The lack of a proper sewer system has created an ecological calamity. Global warm ing has also affected Saudi Arabia more than any other country recently. The temperature in Saudi Arabia has never allowed it to snow in Saudi Arabia. However, due to global warming it recently snowed in Saudi Arabia. Due to political conflict resulting from the wiki leaks incident the Saudi government is hesitant towards implementing environmental policies. No country in the world will be spared from the effects of the financial crisis and resulting in a global recession. According to Bourland (2008) For Saudi Arabia, it has completely shifted the focus of economic policy from controlling inflation to restoring confidence in the financial sector. We see the following key implications for the Saudi economy. Oil prices will be significantly lower than previously anticipated and reduced production will exacerbate the impact on oil revenues. Finance for local and foreign companies doing business in the Kingdom will be less easily available and more expensive. According to Bourland (2008) economic growth will slow as problems accessing suitably priced financing and lower oil revenues delay project implementation and impair confidence. Lower oil revenues will mean the end to the huge budget and current account surpluses of recent years. Sharply lower commodity prices and a strengthening of the riyal will cause inflation to fall back rapidly o ver the next 12 months. Due to corruption in Saudi Arabia, the Public choice theory would help improve Saudi Arabia. The Public choice theory is most effective when government agents are self interested and will not do things in the public interest and in situations where the government is corrupt. Public choice theory encourages minimized Government and maximized market in development strategies. Government policies in Saudi Arabia encourage gender, social, and educational inequality. Corruption is perceived as significant. According to the index of economic freedom (2010) Saudi Arabia ranks 80th out of 179 countries in transparency. Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index for 2008. The absence of transparency in government accounts and decision-making encourages a perception of corruption on the part of some members of the royal family and in the executive branch. Government procurement is an area of concern. Bribes, often disguised as commissions, are allegedly commonplace. Corruption is currently preventing Saudi Arabia from reaching its full economic potential. The less fortunate population of Saudi Arabia relies on paying off officials to get things done. Those without money are always left behind. Even wealthy citizens are affected by corruption due to the fact that they are unable to invest and expand their wealth. Crime rates are very low in Saudi Arabia due to their extreme punishments set by sharia laws. Consequently, crime does not have a significant impact on Saudi Arabias economic development. The main problem pertaining to crime in Saudi Arabia is its transnational trafficking Issues. According to the result of the Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) Saudi Arabia has become a destination country for workers from South and Southeast Asia who are allegedly subjected to involuntary servitude physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their movement. Domestic workers are predominantly vulnerable because they are restricted to the house in which they work, without being able to seek help. According to the result of the Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for N igerian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy. The national government consists of a Council of Ministers, headed by the King, who holds the post of the Prime Minister. Its absolute monocracy regime has helped increase corruption within Saudi Arabia. The kingdom would be a very poor country without its oil revenues. There is a definite need for economic diversification for economic diversification is Saudi Arabia. Inequality and corruption are also major economic setbacks for Saudi Arabia. Gender inequality and human right violations occur on a daily bases in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, the government uses whatever interpretation of the Quran that is convenient for them in order to justify their greed and human Right Violations.

Penalties for Atheletes Using Performance-enhancing Drugs :: essays research papers

Imagine, just for one minute that you were at the peak of you career, in a competition that would determines whether you sink of swim. You have the choice to go out all natural, or to give yourself a little boost, so it is definite that you will swim. What would you do? Would you run the risk of getting caught? The athletes that stoop to this level are cheats. They are afraid of losing. And as the old saying goes, â€Å"cheaters never prosper†. They are putting so many things at risk in their lives. They face being suspended and completely thrown out of their sport, they put their lives at risk, no to mention giving sport a bad name. Testosterone can build muscle and strength, reduce fatigue and improve recovery time after exercise. To many athletes this sounds better than sliced bread. But in reality they are running a huge risk to them selves and their country. Athletes can be tempted to boost the naturally occurring levels of the steroid to enhance their performance – but there are side effects. High levels of steroids can cause jaundice, liver damage, acne, heart problems, euphoria, mood swings, depression and paranoia. The normal testosterone to epitestosterone in urine varies between individuals, but on average is one to one. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority says the ratio does not vary significantly within an individual unless there has been a replacement of it from an unknown source. Naturally occurring ratios of 6:1 are rare. Any athlete who returns a urine test of 4:1 are said to have committed an offence unless there are biological evidence to prove other wise. They are taking high doses of naturally occurring hormones, and other banned substances to enhance their performance. This is cheating. Ever since we were 5 we knew that it was wrong. When ever some one cheated in a game, you would kick up a stink to try making it fair, because you were cheated. And no one likes a cheater. These athletes deserve more than just a wrap on the knuckles and having to give up some of their pocket money. They ran the risk, and they were caught. They deserve what they get. In our judicial system, persons found guilty of using banned substances have to pay the following consequences, (1) fines of many thousands of dollars. (2) Intensive correction orders. Penalties for Atheletes Using Performance-enhancing Drugs :: essays research papers Imagine, just for one minute that you were at the peak of you career, in a competition that would determines whether you sink of swim. You have the choice to go out all natural, or to give yourself a little boost, so it is definite that you will swim. What would you do? Would you run the risk of getting caught? The athletes that stoop to this level are cheats. They are afraid of losing. And as the old saying goes, â€Å"cheaters never prosper†. They are putting so many things at risk in their lives. They face being suspended and completely thrown out of their sport, they put their lives at risk, no to mention giving sport a bad name. Testosterone can build muscle and strength, reduce fatigue and improve recovery time after exercise. To many athletes this sounds better than sliced bread. But in reality they are running a huge risk to them selves and their country. Athletes can be tempted to boost the naturally occurring levels of the steroid to enhance their performance – but there are side effects. High levels of steroids can cause jaundice, liver damage, acne, heart problems, euphoria, mood swings, depression and paranoia. The normal testosterone to epitestosterone in urine varies between individuals, but on average is one to one. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority says the ratio does not vary significantly within an individual unless there has been a replacement of it from an unknown source. Naturally occurring ratios of 6:1 are rare. Any athlete who returns a urine test of 4:1 are said to have committed an offence unless there are biological evidence to prove other wise. They are taking high doses of naturally occurring hormones, and other banned substances to enhance their performance. This is cheating. Ever since we were 5 we knew that it was wrong. When ever some one cheated in a game, you would kick up a stink to try making it fair, because you were cheated. And no one likes a cheater. These athletes deserve more than just a wrap on the knuckles and having to give up some of their pocket money. They ran the risk, and they were caught. They deserve what they get. In our judicial system, persons found guilty of using banned substances have to pay the following consequences, (1) fines of many thousands of dollars. (2) Intensive correction orders.

Perfect competition Essay

A profit maximiser increases output until MC=MR at Q1. The intersection of MC with MR gives the profit maximising level of output. The intersection of MC with MR gives the profit maximising level of output. To find the market price one must project up from Q1 to the demand curve and across the vertical price axis, P1. Consumers are willing to pay P1 for Q1. Unit costs are only P2 so the firm is making an abnormal profit of (P1-P2)*Q1. The four key characteristics of monopoly are: (1) a single firm selling all output in a market, (2) a unique product, (3) restrictions on entry into and exit out of the industry, and more often than not (4) specialized information about production techniques unavailable to other potential producers. These four characteristics mean that a monopoly has extensive (boarding on complete) market control. Monopoly controls the selling side of the market. If anyone seeks to acquire the production sold by the monopoly, then they must buy from the monopoly. This means that the demand curve facing the monopoly is the market demand curve. They are one and the same. The characteristics of monopoly are in direct contrast to those of perfect competition. A perfectly competitive industry has a large number of relatively small firms, each producing identical products. Firms can freely move into and out of the industry and share the same information about prices and production techniques. Single supplier: The essence of a monopoly is a market controlled by a single seller. The most important aspect of being a single seller is that the monopoly seller IS the market. The market demand for a good IS the demand for the output produced by the monopoly. This makes monopoly a price maker, rather than a price taker. Unique Product: To be the only seller of a product, however, a monopoly must have a unique product. There are no close substitutes. A monopoly is an ONLY seller of a UNIQUE product. Barriers to Entry and Exit : A monopoly is generally assured of being the ONLY firm in a market because of assorted barriers to entry. Some of the key barriers to entry are: (1) government license or franchise, (2) resource ownership, (3) patents and copyrights, (4) high start-up cost, and (5) decreasing average total cost. A monopoly might also face barriers to exiting a market. If government deems that the product provided by the monopoly is essential for well-being of the public, then the monopoly might be prevented from leaving the market; Specialized Information Monopoly is commonly characterized by control of information or production technology not available to others. This specialized information often comes in the form of legally-established patents, copyrights, or trademarks. It could be a secret recipe or formula. Perhaps it is a unique method of production. While these create legal barriers to entry they also indicate that information is not perfectly shared by all. Natural Monopoly Sometimes markets become monopolies simply because it is more cost effective to have one firm serving an entire market than it is to have a number of smaller firms competing with one another. Firms whose economies of scale are virtually unlimited are known as natural monopolies, and the goods they produce are referred to as club goods. These firms come to be monopolies because their size and position makes it impossible for new entrants to compete on price. Natural monopolies are usually found in industries with high fixed costs and low marginal costs of operation, such as cable television, telephone, and internet providers. Legal Monopoly Sometimes a government will pass laws reserving a specific trade, product or service for government agencies. For example, many times a government agency will be in charge of running water. The legal barriers that are put up prevent other companies from competing with the government. Technological monopoly occurs when the good or service the company provides is has legal protection in the form of a patent or copyright. For example, if a company develops and patents a drug to cure brain cancer, that company has a legal monopoly over that drug.? Arguments for monopoly : – The beneficial effects of economies of scale, economies of scope, and cost complementaries on price and output may outweigh the negative effects of market power. – Encourage innovation.

Dr. Francis Townsend, Old Age Public Pension Organizer

Dr. Francis Townsend, Old Age Public Pension Organizer Dr. Francis Everitt Townsend, born into a poor farm family, worked as a physician and health provider. During the  Great Depression, when Townsend himself was in retirement age, he became interested in how the federal government could provide old age pensions. His project inspired the 1935 Social Security Act, which he found inadequate. Life and Profession Francis Townsend was born on January 13, 1867, on a farm in Illinois. When he was an adolescent his family moved to Nebraska, where he was educated through two years of high school. In 1887, he left school and moved to California with his brother, hoping to strike it rich in the Los Angeles land boom. Instead, he lost almost everything. Dejected, he returned  to Nebraska and finished high school, then began to farm in Kansas. Later, he started medical school in Omaha, funding his education while working as a salesman. After he graduated, Townsend went to work in South Dakota in the Black Hills region, then part of the frontier. He married a widow, Minnie Brogue, who worked as  a nurse. They had three children and adopted a daughter. In 1917, when World War I began, Townsend enlisted as a medical officer in the army.  He returned to South Dakota after the war, but ill health aggravated by the harsh winter led him to move to southern California. He found himself, in his medical practice, competing with older established physicians and younger modern physicians, and he did not do well financially. The arrival of the Great Depression wiped out his remaining savings. He was able to obtain an appointment as a health officer in Long Beach, where he observed the effects of the Depression, especially on older Americans. When a change in local politics led to the loss of his job, he found himself broke once again. Townsend’s Old Age Revolving Pension Plan The Progressive Era had seen several moves to establish old-age pensions and national health insurance, but with the Depression, many reformers focused on unemployment insurance. In his late 60s, Townsend decided to do something about the financial devastation of the elderly poor. He envisioned a program where the federal government would provide a $200 per month pension to every American over the age of 60, and saw this financed through a 2% tax on all business transactions. The total cost would be greater than $20 billion a year, but he saw the pensions as a solution to the Depression. If the recipients were required to spend their $200 within thirty days, he reasoned, this would significantly stimulate the economy, and create a â€Å"velocity effect,† ending the Depression. The plan was criticized by many economists. Essentially, half the national income would be directed to the eight percent of the population over the age of 60. But it was still a very attractive plan, especially to the older people who would benefit. Townsend began to organize around his Old Age Revolving Pension Plan (Townsend Plan) in September 1933 and had created a movement within months. Local groups organized Townsend Clubs to support the idea, and by January 1934, Townsend said 3,000 groups had begun. He sold pamphlets, badges, and other items, and financed a national weekly mailing. In mid-1935, Townsend said that there were 7,000 clubs with 2.25 million members, most of them older people. A petition drive brought 20 million signatures to Congress. Buoyed by the immense support, Townsend spoke to cheering crowds as he traveled, including to two national conventions organized around the Townsend Plan. In 1935, encouraged by the massive support for the Townsend idea, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal  passed the Social Security Act.  Many in Congress, pressured to support the Townsend Plan, preferred being able to support the Social Security Act, which for the first time provided a safety net for Americans too old to work. Townsend considered this an inadequate substitute and began angrily attacking the Roosevelt administration.  He joined with such populists as the Rev. Gerald L. K. Smith and Huey Long’s Share Our Wealth Society, and with the Rev. Charles Coughlin’s National Union for Social Justice and Union Party. Townsend invested much energy in the Union Party and organizing voters to vote for candidates who supported the Townsend Plan. He estimated that the Union Party would get 9 million votes in 1936, and when the actual votes were less than a million, and Roosevelt was reelected in a landslide, Townsend abandoned party politics. His political activity led to conflict within the ranks of his supporters, including the filing of some lawsuits. In 1937, Townsend was asked to testify before the Senate on allegations of corruption in the Townsend Plan movement. When he refused to answer questions, he was convicted of contempt of Congress.  Roosevelt, despite Townsend’s opposition to the New Deal and Roosevelt, commuted Townsend’s 30-day sentence. Townsend continued to work for his plan, making changes to try to make it less simplistic and more acceptable to economic analysts. His newspaper and national headquarters continued. He met with presidents Truman and Eisenhower. He was still making speeches supporting reform of old age security programs, with audiences mostly of the elderly, shortly before he died on September 1, 1960, in Los Angeles. In later years, during a time of  relative prosperity, the expansion of federal, state, and private pensions took much of the energy out of his movement. Sources Richard L. Neuberger and Kelley Loe, An Army of the Aged. 1936.David H. Bennett. Demagogues in the Depression: American Radicals and the Union Party, 1932-1936. 1969.Abraham Holtzman. The Townsend Movement: A Political Study. 1963.

Applying a sociological theory to the movie The Truman Show

Applying a sociological theory to the movie The Truman Show Movie Summary The Truman Show is a drama film that captures the basic principles of the social structure at the beginning of life besides helping us to uncover the origin of the prevailing social interactions or socialization mechanisms in the contemporary world. The movie revolves around the life of Truman Burbank who has been in front of live cameras since before he was born without noticing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Applying a sociological theory to the movie ‘The Truman Show’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through hidden cameras that capture Truman’s day-to-day activities around the clock, Christof who is the executive producer intends to show the world the real emotions and behavior of Truman when exposed to various unique situations. Here, Christof controls Truman’s life through setting up an artificial hometown in which Truman’s neighbors include the show’s cre w members. Moreover, Truman’s sense of reality is obscured by the false reality created by Christof through news reports and advertisements aimed at making Truman stay at home. Despite that Christof has succeeded to some extent in controlling some aspects of Truman’s life, there is evidence to show that Truman is capable of exploring certain truths in his social life such as falling in love outside the intended circle. Here, Truman falls in love with Sylvia despite that the producer wanted him to marry Meryl. To break this unintended love, the producer removes Sylvia from the set but Truman continues to love her even when married to Meryl. Therefore, Sylvia forms the out-group that is set to free Truman from his false world. Subsequently, at age 30, Truman demonstrates the importance of self-consciousness in an individual’s life. Here, Truman discovers some aspects of his life such as spotlights appearing at night (artificial darkness) and the discussions of oth er crew members regarding The Truman Show, which might have led him to uncover certain truths about his life. However, the producer achieves to conceal the truth by advertising that an airplane had one of its landing lights dislodged. On the other hand, the growing skepticism in Truman leads to his marriage to Meryl breaking up since she was under intense pressure to convince him that his false life was real. Furthermore, his plans to leave Seahaven (the artificial hometown) were frustrated by different incidents such as bus breakdowns, massive traffic jams, absence of flight tickets, a nuclear meltdown, and finally a forest fire. All these events are meant to instill fear in Truman in order for the show to continue.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, Christof’s attempts to bring back Truman’s father who was supposedly dead in a fishing trip (in ord er to make Truman fear the water) do not bear any fruits in terms of stopping Truman from leaving the town. Instead, Truman decides to isolate himself from the crew, and one day he manages to escape using a boat. An artificial storm meant to scare him from leaving does not do much since Truman overcomes his fear of water to reach the EXIT, which marks the end of false life and the beginning of a new reality with Sylvia’s camp. Movie Analysis In their quest to explain the nature and attributes of the social structure, many sociologists attempt to look at the permanent association between things, which is thought to originate in the life before the evolution of any life form (Hinkle 130). Here, the sociologists note that the primordial theory attempts to explain the origin of society, which is a form of social organization with a definite structure. As a result, since the primordial theory relates to the origin of permanent association in the society, then it follows that the p rimordial social structure was present before the appearance of humankind. Accordingly, the movie ‘The Truman Show’ captures the nature and characteristics of the social structure relative to the Primordial theory. Here, just like at the beginning of the show where we meet Truman unaware of his false world, many early theorists construed the social structure from the perspective of physical and biological sciences. Thus, the social structure was treated just like any other physical structure, which resembles a machine or device used to equilibrate different forces. Here, an organism (viewed as a structural model) is regarded to as a system of activities, which achieve interdependence through influencing one another, and thus they can adjust, adapt, and work together relative to the prevailing conditions (Hinkle 132). This form of primordial structure and permanent association can be likened to the show’s actors and crew whose activities were aimed at controlling Truman’s life by following the producer’s instructions, and thus they did achieve to manipulate different aspects of Truman’s life. However, the structure provided by the ancient sociologists reflects a mechanical equilibrium, which cannot exist in the contemporary social environment whereby conditions are bound to change relative to different internal and external factors (Kimmel and Aronson 33). Thus, contemporary sociology looks at the social structure as comprising of an organic equilibrium, which is characterized by openness, external factors, internal factors, accessibility, and change.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Applying a sociological theory to the movie ‘The Truman Show’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Subsequently, the modern day sociology has it that the creation of the society relies on the ability of institutions (units of the social structure) to exhibit an organ ic or moving equilibrium, which enables them to adjust, adapt, and change relative to both internal and external forces. This is thus the equilibrium exhibited by Truman during the 30th year of the show whereby he begins to adjust the way he used to view his life, and as a result manages to uncover certain truths in his artificial life. Conversely, other sociologists view the contemporary social structure as consisting of variable systems (that is, organisms and societies) whose internal mechanisms allow them to attain a partial equilibrium, which cannot be perfected due to the presence of external factors (Kimmel and Aronson 34). Here, it is worth noting that despite Truman uncovering certain truths in his false life using his own internal mechanisms, he fails to discover the whole truth since the existence of the radio and television advertisements serves to conceal the truth. To this end, it is certain that the organic equilibrium forms the basic model through which the primordia l social structure illustrated in ‘The Truman Show’ is generated. Thus, the change process associated with such moving equilibriums can only be construed as arising from the ability of the systems (individual persons) involved to make conscious choices, and exhibit some degree of intentionality. As a result, the basic contemporary social structure should be characterized by social identity; social desires, ends, interests, objectives, and purposes; social organization or structuring; social rules and values that underlie social welfare and norms; social solidarity, integration, and cohesion; and finally, processes that enable the members of the society to adjust to various unique situations (Hinkle 135). Relative to these features and characteristics of the society, many theorists note that the primordial social structure originates from the earliest human species, which were grouped into self-sufficient units meant to give rise to later generations exhibiting common mo des of life that change with time and conditions just like Truman’s life in the show. Thus, the primordial theory is based on the assumption that the society has an adaptive mechanism, which presents the human organisms with various opportunities and hindrances relative to the ability to satisfy their needs and wants in different situations (Hinkle 139). Thus, through persistent association with the hindrances and opportunities in the social set-up, human organisms achieve social identity.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is true to the fact that Truman was able to construe certain things in his life that were not adding up after taking a closer look at the behaviors of other residents of Seahaven, and comparing them to the contents of the show, which was entirely about his life. Accordingly, it is a fact that social and public awareness are centered on the ability of an individual becoming aware of other people’s ideas or thoughts and vice versa. Moreover, through coordinated interaction and understanding the needs and desires of other members of the society, an individual’s personal needs, desires, and purposes in life can be satisfied (Kimmel and Aronson 45). This is the case when Truman defies the pre-determined external factors in the show by falling in love with an extra. Moreover, the act of removing Sylvia from the picture marks the beginning of Truman’s quest to satisfy his desires through exploring different aspects of his false life, which will eventually lead him to the point of uncovering the truth about his life. Overall, the foregoing discussions show that a certain degree of social organization and structuring is required in order for the human members of the society to satisfy their desires, needs, and purposes through coordinated interactions and association with one another. However, sometimes a natural conflict of interest may exist between the internal mechanisms of an individual and the external forces that comprise different opportunities and hindrances brought forth by the social surroundings. And thus, it is up to each and every member of the society to develop adaptive behaviors that fit into the pre-existing conditions, which determine whether or not one will satisfy his or her needs, desires, and purposes in life. Hinkle, Roscoe C. Founding theory of American sociology, 1881-1915. USA: Routledge Kegan Paul Ltd, 2008. Print. Kimmel, Michael and Aronson, Amy. Sociology now. Boston: Pearson, 2009. Print.

Leadership------read the requirement i send you carefully Essay - 1

Leadership------read the requirement i send you carefully - Essay Example Japan, China and USA. Finally the study will be concluding with an insight the recommendations to the managers of the organizations to enhance the domestic as well as international leadership. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Definition 4 Differences between domestic and international leaders competencies 5 Domestic Leadership Competencies 5 International Leadership Competencies 6 Leadership in domestic and international business 6 Discussion 7 Leadership styles & culture studies 7 Cross Cultural Leadership Model 9 Comparison of Domestic and International Leadership 10 Japan 10 China 11 USA 12 Conclusion 13 Japan 13 China 14 USA 15 Reference list 16 Introduction Definition Leadership can be described as a procedure to have supremacy on the group performance in order to reach to the business objectives. It plays an important role within the functioning of an organization. The incorporation of leadership theories or models helps in reducing various organi zational issues (Howell and Costley, 2001; Johnson, 2000). In this twentieth century, it has been evident that leadership characteristics have high importance in the efficient functioning in an organization (Song, Wang, and Wei, 2007). For eliminating the organizational issues and bringing a change within the organization, it is essential that the managers incorporate various leadership characteristics in their functioning (Yukl, 2009; Rees and French, 2010). There are mainly two types of leadership adapted by the leaders within the organizations. One is transactional leadership and the other is the transformational leadership. In transactional leadership, the leaders first set the objectives and goals for all the subordinates and then plans for implementation of different rewarding and punishment techniques in order to encourage them in conducting their operational activities according to the organizational objectives and goals. In transformational leadership, the transformational leaders first identify the required change and then set one vision thereby bringing the change process Transformational Leadership and Domestic Leadership- The transformational leaders believe in imaginative leadership for influencing the subordinates. They believe in strengthening the bonding with the followers and thereby building compassionate relationship with them. The domestic leaders follow transformational leadership for motivating the followers and encouraging them in making better performance. It becomes easy for the domestic leaders to develop compassionate relationship with the subordinates as there is no existence of cultural diversification. Thus form of leadership does not rely on the monetary rewarding techniques such as incentives, bonuses etc. Transactional leadership and International Leadership - The transactional leaders make detailed planning of whatever us going to be executed. These leaders prefer efficient organizations with high quality employees. These lea ders motivate their employees by means of practical methods rather than inspiration. It is so because only inspiration does not work out to be effective for the employees at certain point of time. In such a situation, it is essential to satisfy them by means of monetary rewards such as incentives or bonuses. The international leaders follow this form of leadership as it becomes easy for them to influence the subordinates by providing monetary rewards. Satisfying their demands would

Affective Characteristics Of Gifted Students And Meeting Educational Essay

Affective Characteristics Of Gifted Students And Meeting Educational Needs - Essay Example They learn to read at an early age and learn common basic skills more quickly and in a better way than other children. The intellectual complexity of gifted children in combination with their intensity on the emotional front gives them a different outlook towards the world in qualitative terms. Gifted students have greater potential to attain high achievements which is the outcome of combination of unique and complex deep thinking, and intense as well as rich emotions. They are the people who can be considered people with well above average intelligence. This peculiar characteristic of gifted students has significant impact on their life at social, psychological and emotional level as they are different from their age peers. Due to the affective characteristics of gifted students at social and emotional front, it is required on the part of teachers to treat ‘giftedness’ as normal and ensure the social as well as emotional well being of these students (Robert & Davidson, 2005). It is required that these students should be helped to find real intellectual peers so that they can behave normal without introversion and can express themselves without any fear or doubt in their mind to the world. In order to meet educational needs of these students, teachers should adopt appropriate strategies. Overview of intellectually gifted students Intellectually gifted students behave differently from their age peers in terms of learning patterns, behaviour and characteristics related to creativity. For instance, gifted students usually read quickly and widely, have large vocabularies, intense focus and attention, and have the ability to tackle the tasks and assignments given to them in a goal-oriented manner (Reis & Moon, 2004). In regards to the learning characteristics, intellectually gifted children have keen power of observation. They also take enormous pleasure in getting indulged in intellectual activities and prefer reading books and magazines that are meant for the children who are older than them. In terms of perceiving similarities, anomalies or any kind of differences, they are quick in comparison to their age peers. Considering the creative characteristics, these students are fluent thinkers and are quite able to relate ideas as well as generate possibilities. Elaborate thinking, production of new ideas, willingness to tackle complexity and good guessing power are other creative characteristics of intellectually gifted students (Dixon et al, 2012). Emotional sensitivity and intellectual playfulness set them apart from an average student of their age. They have extreme curiosity about ideas, events, objects and situations. Their intellectual complexity makes these students being out of step of the age and intellectual capability of their age peers and classmates. As analytical thinkers, they excel in critical examination of ideas and things happening in front of them. It is necessary to handle these students carefully so that they can tackle their intellectual complexity in an effective way. Affective characteristics of intellectually gifted students Intellectually gifted students have different characteristics related to cognitive characteristics, affective, physical and societal characteristics. Cognitive characteristics are related to thinking, for instance, retaining large amount of information, high level of verbal ability and development of language, high curiosity and varying interests. Affective characteristics are related to feeling in which there is presence of unusual sensitivity to the feelings of others, a high level of self-awareness, a good sense of