Health Care Spending Essay

â€Å"Historically, U.S. health care spending has grown at rates exceeding the economy’s growth rate, often by at least 2 percentage points per year† (Holahan & McMorrow, 2012, 393). Recently, it seems that the rate of health care spending has slowed down a little, though no reasons can be pinpointed as to why this is. There are many factors that affect the growth of health care spending, and plenty of solutions have been proposed to help improve this issue. Factors such as advancements in medical technology and an increase in the price of prescription drugs cause health care costs to rise year after year. Solutions have been presented and implemented, like Medicare and Medicaid and managed care plans, however, even these components have added to the health care spending issue. With all the discussion and debate, one thing can be agreed upon, something needs to be done. In recent years both public and private payers have experienced an inclement rise health care spending that has exceeded income growth. This growth started right after the end of World War II and has continue to increase every ten years, health care spending has exceeded the gross domestic products (GDP) which had a projection of 26% by 2035 taken for health care spending, prior the health care reform was passed. This number is only going to continue increasing, which bring in the importance of control the spending since the nation’s long-term fiscal balance will be determined by the future rate growth in health care cost. According to Chernew (2010) the primary determinant of spending growth is the development and diffusion of new medical technology. However this does not imply the establishment of new technology rather focuses on how to use it with technologies and systems already in use, in other words make it compatible to work together. The diversity of technologies contributing to spending growth generates a diversity of pathways by which technology increases spending. These includes high unit cost driven capital cost or the need for specialized labor, high volume, or cost related to complementary services. Because the past rate of health care spending growth is not sustainable, both private and public payers will take action to lower spending. Those actions may not necessary alter the forces that historically have driven up spending, but they will be designed to address the immediate problem of high sending. There are many options from cost sharing from patients, reductions in payments to Medicare Advantage, fee reductions under the new payment rules implemented with Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. On the article there is a suggestion that I find interesting about Global payments, which is an alternate form of bundled payments which is a program use to pay a fixed fee for a set of services related to a specific episode of care. This might be a good solution for the situation we are facing now, because it would give providers the opportunity to profit with reduced revenue, and even share some of the savings form not using health care services. Yet in order for bundled payments system to be successful the need of having the proper tools to improve the efficiency of care. Many providers will be able to develop these tools, but it would require partnership between facilities, physicians, and insurers. For the system to be successful it would have to carefully manage practice pattern changes due to new technology, adjusting aggressiveness based on the generosity of bundled payments updates. If bundled payments encourage efficiencies, they may reduce the level of spending more than spending growth, and that is exactly the area we as country need to be working on. According to President Obama, â€Å"We do not have a spending problem; we have a health care problem†. This statement was alarming to many Americans. The President feels that healthcare spending on the aging population is the number one fiscal problem. Then why is the solution taking so long? With Obamacare, Medicare will see cuts up to $716 billion. Where will this leave the Americans who receive Medicare? How can they still receive health care with this much of a cut? Will Providers be willing to provide the same high level of care with the high cut to their expected fees? There is no way of knowing if this will even solve the health care spending problem or if it will create even larger problems for Americans. Budget cuts will be needed in other areas to make these cuts to health care spending improve the financial state of our country (Galupo, 2013). According to New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn, the new health care reform addresses the cost of health care rather than health care spending. He argues the proposed spending cuts will address the health care spending problem along with other budget cuts. Obamacare may not be a good solution to the current health care spending problem in America. Many suggest that the new law’s affect on provider reimbursement rates will have a huge impact on access to care for many seniors. This can greatly affect the health of our aging population. Spending cuts projected for Medicare and Medicaid will help that aspect of health care spending but with the added subsidies for people to purchase private health insurance, the savings just do not add up. When it comes to health care spending there is much controversy on what increases health care cost, what measures we can take to keep health care cost down, and what actions we can take to make health care affordable without limiting health care. According to kaiserEDU.org the chart provided below shows how costing allocates throughout the nation. â€Å"Hospital care and physician services combined added up for half (51%) of the nation’s health expenditures.† Below is a diagram from the year 2010 of the nation’s health expenditures. National Health Expenditures, 2010 Totaling up = $2.3 Trillion Some major growth health care costs include a rise in chronic disease, administrative cost, or technology or prescription cost, although there may be many more expenditure that adds up to the growth in health care cost these three have been discussed to have the biggest effect on the nation. As technology continues to advance over the years to come, we may face more health care struggles, so being prepared for the unexpected leads to a healthy future. Health care spending continues to be a concern for most Americans. â€Å"The nation’s efforts to control health care costs have not had much long-term effect, prompting a debate over what proposals are actually able to reduce for the long-term. Approaches are largely divided by debate over a stronger role for government regulation or market-based models that encourage greater competition† (kaiseredu.org). Plans such as Obamacare are being implemented, but these plans are not solving the problem. Political debates and public discussions will continue as people try to figure out what factors are responsible for this problem and what solutions are truly aimed at achieving optimal health care at affordable costs. References Chernew, M. (2010). Health Care Spending Growth: Can We Avoid Fiscal Armageddon?. Inquiry,47(4), 285-295. Galupo, Scott, 2013, Let’s Split the Difference: We Have a Healthcare Spending Problem, The American Conservative, Retrieved February 14, 2013: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/lets-split-the-difference-we-have-a-healthcare-spending-problem/ Holahan, J. & McMorrow, S. (2012). Medicare and Medicaid spending trends and the deficit debate. The New England Journal of Medicine, 367(5), 393- 395. Senger, Alyenne, 3013, No, Obamacare Does Not Lower Health Care Spending , The Founder, Retrieved February 16, 2013: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/12/no-obamacare-does-not-lower-health-carespending/ The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (n.d.). U.S. Health Care Costs. Retrieved from http://www.kaiseredu.org.

Currently At A Population Architecture Essay

Presently at a population of 6.8 billion people, and increasing by a million and a half people every hebdomad, things are get downing to look really crowded for the hereafter. It is estimated that by 2050 we will be at 9.2 billion people. We must get down life in a different manner – its no longer a inquiry of keeping our criterion of life, but of lasting on a planet that is losing its basic ecological substructure. We use our formidable engineering to consistently foul our air, our H2O, our dirt, and our nutrient concatenation. We are besides sing the effects of planetary warming – heat moving ridges, drouths, deceasing coral reefs, runing glaciers, lifting sea degrees, unstable conditions forms, rapid spread of diseases, and accelerated species extinction. With our insatiate demand for nutrient, fuel, edifice stuffs, and useless debris, unreplaceable natural resources are consuming. In an attempt to last, people are merely pass overing out everything else, destructing the ecological substructure that gave us the comfy life conditions in the first topographic point. The exponential addition in birth rate depletes natural resources faster than they can be replaced, take downing the criterion of life and making economic force per unit areas both here in the UK and throughout the remainder of the universe. We are losing our life support, our place.The Solution To The ProblemWe urgently need a solution to the universe ‘s overpopulation job, our continued endurance requires a healthy and working planetary ecosystem, on in which worlds live in harmoniousness with all other signifiers of life. We must educate ourselves, acknowledging the job and work together towards a solution. The planetary overpopulation job needs to be resolved, or n ature will decide it for us in a mode that we would non inquire for. It is clip to populate in an wholly new manner – we must encompass alteration.The CityPeoples need to work together for a solution covering with metropoliss and the inflow of people wanting for a higher quality of life. Natural resources that are readily available must be managed better for our journey towards a greener hereafter, and metropoliss that accommodate everything. The addition and trust on engineering is making concentrated urban Centre ‘s that are happening it harder and harder to get by with the mass inflow of people. We must inquire ourselves whether metropolis ‘s can maintain turning and turning to suit the life we are used to populating in this modern universe. The metropolis now is a life being, a topographic point that contains everything and that is of all time turning. Significant progresss in public wellness and medical specialty, phenomenal agricultural outputs and the spread outing planetary economic system contribute to the population detonation as the lifespan norm continues to increase from this, many live in metropolis ‘s for better chances, increasing traveling multitudes from one topographic point to another.In 1900 merely 1 in 10 people lived in metropolissBy 1994 the figure had grown to 1 in 2 people, making megalopolis of 1000000s to 10s of 1000000s dwellers, all utilizing up waste and resourcesNow there are more than 400 metropoliss that have a population of more than a million peopleIt is further predicted that 2/3rds will populate in metropoliss by 2050Pull offing such big metropoliss, and better direction of the planet ‘s resources, could go the most hard job of this century. As the universe ‘s population grows it becomes more hard for the planet to back up all its dwellers.ResourceAs the resources diminish, what w ill be done?Changing MindsOld ages ago no 1 gave much thought to how much of the Earth ‘s resources had gone into doing the points in the first topographic point and whether those resources would finally run out. What happened to rubbish after it went into the family bin and was collected by the bin lorry was of no concern to consumers. Green life is non merely about seeking to devour fewer of the Earth ‘s cherished resources and populating sustainably. It is about sing the greenest option in everything you consume, whether you are purchasing nutrient, apparels, cleaning stuffs, or cosmetics. You are responsible for the energy and resources used in the devising of everything you buy. If you keep utilizing an point you already have, you are non responsible for the harm caused by the industry of a new 1. However, if you throw your old one off, you fill up landfill sites and are responsible for any toxic chemicals in it leaking into and polluting the land around the site every bit good as detrimental gases given off during the clip it takes for the point to decompose off.WasteWaste from metropolissCities now have everything we need within them, comfortss and services that are unfastened 24/7. Our coevals now is anticipant on ‘ holding things now ‘ , nutrient, vesture etc, but with our addition in hold ing everything we have started excessively gain that the hereafter may be really different. Waste is being produced in much higher measures, how will the metropolis header, how will it be used to a far more consequence beginning. With the addition in population these jobs must be addressed and dealt with.Who will cover with this waste?Where will it travel or be decomposed?Can we change over it into something more utile?Presently in the UK we produce a monolithic sum of family waste that is sent straight to landfill. New solutions such as separation waste techniques and disposal Centres allow people from place to make their spot. Home – waste – sum of waste produced?The UK produces 28 million metric tons of family waste each twelvemonthIn merely one hr we create adequate to make full the Albert Hall to overruningThe unreleased energy contained in the mean ashcan each twelvemonth could power a telecasting for 5,000 hoursAgricultural and industrial waste, solids from sewerage intervention workss, ashes and refuse are all causes of land pollution and add to the turning concern. The accretion of inorganic wastes in dirt airss a menace to the works and carnal life. Garbage is heedlessly dumped into the dirt. Non-biodegradable wastes such as plastic and rubber turn out deadly to the life in the dirt. Plastic and glass bottles, tins, gum elastic tyres and electronic points dumped in the dirt make up the chief cause of land pollution. How rubbish will increase by 2050 We are bring forthing increasing sums of waste each twelvemonth, which means we are utilizing natural resources at a faster rate than of all time and seting more strain on the environment ‘s capacity to cover with our waste merchandises. While a bulk of this trash is disposed at landfill sites. â€Å" We need to halt thought of rubbish as a job to be buried in landfill and get down thought of it as a resource to be used â€Å" â€Å" Populating within the bounds of the Earth ‘s natural systems will intend utilizing less and being more efficient â€Å" Pull offing Waste, the deductions of this urgency for waste direction are that we must take advantage of attacks that ca be quickly implemented e.g. bar, recycling, composting, stabilisation prior to landfill. We have to do large alterations, including the authorities concentrating policies and inducements on the best attacks, non merely those that are somewhat better than what were making at the minute.RecyclingRecycling – waste stuff Every twenty-four hours ‘waste ‘ stuff is thrown off when really it is a valuable resource. Paper, metal, glass, green waste, plastics and fabrics can all be recycled into new merchandises. Recycling reduces waste traveling to landfill and besides reduces the demand for natural stuffs, saves energy in the production procedure and reduces emanations to air and H2O in the production procedure. Increasing sums of waste are being recycled across the UK – packaging waste recycling increased from 28 % in 1998 to 55 % by the terminal of 2005 ; 51 % of building and destruction waste is recycled or re-used and 45 % of commercial and industrial waste is recycled. The authorities estimates that recycling of family waste in England has now increased to over 33 % in 2007, more than quadrupling over 10 old ages. The waste direction industry is working to supply new installations to handle and recycle waste to make these marks. The industry is working peculiarly closely with local governments to increase family waste recycling and composting rates. Recycling and recycling By recycling more of the waste, we can:Save landfill – cut downing the demand to happen new sitesSave energy – cut downing global-warming gases and pollutionSave natural stuffs – cut downing pollution and spoil tonssSave H2O – reduction deficits and taintFactsUK families produced 30.5 million metric tons of waste in 2008/09, of which 17 % was collected for recycling1 recycled Sn can would salvage adequate energy to power a telecasting for 3 hours1 recycled glass bottle would salvage adequate energy to power a computing machine for 25 proceedingss1 recycled plastic bottle would salvage adequate energy to power a 60-watt visible radiation bulb for 3 hoursPull offing Waste How much waste? Uk packaging waste recycling increased from 28 % in1998 to 55 % by the terminal of 2008Presently about 43 % of all UK waste and about 64 % of the UK ‘s municipal waste is sent to landfill. Landfills play an indispensable function in the safe disposal of certain wastes, but most wastes could alternatively be recycled, composted or used to bring forth energy.2/3 of the salvors live in ill constructed places made from clay, plastic bags and boxes. Some sheets of corrugated Fe are donated and funded by the authorities, most have no furniture and bedclothes is besides collected from the site in the signifier of old apparels and covers3RD WORLDDifferent people populating around the universe Across the Earth waste is seen in different visible radiation, while the more developed universe consumes and wastes far more, the 3rd universe maximises and utilizes all that they waste and use. And as people move towards a better manner of populating the remainder of the universe chiefly 3rd universe live in poorness and lack the basic human necessities to last. Case surveies Garbage Dreams Garbage Dreams follows three teenage boys born into the rubbish trade and turning up in the universe ‘s largest refuse small town, on the outskirts of Cairo. It is home to 60,000 Zaballeen, which means Arabic – â€Å" refuse people. † When their community is all of a sudden faced with the globalisation of its trade, each of the teenage male child is forced to do picks that will impact his hereafter and the endurance of his community. The Zaballeen have created the universe ‘s most effectual resource recovery system, recycling 80 % of everything they collect. They are really salvaging our Earth. From out of the rubbish, they lifted themselves out of poorness and have a solution to the universe ‘s most urgent crisis. Leaderships are besides trusting that their run for beginning separation – in which occupants sort organic from non-organic waste before it reaches trash aggregators – will derive authorities support and take root among Cairo ‘s 20-million citizens. With the transnational companies authorities contracts set to run out in 2015, the Zabaleen are concentrating on overhauling their trade so they can repossess a topographic point for themselves in the system. While the current economic mentality is black, there is turning international involvement in the Zabaleen ‘s hardworking and advanced recycling patterns. Leaderships besides note that the Egyptian authorities is eventually admiting the Zabaleen as a valuable and skilled resource. As for the Gates grant, which has yet to be confirmed, the money will apparently be used to back up the Source Separation run, train workers and overhaul recycling installations. Peoples that live on landfill – Zabelleens Where do they populate? 2/3 of the salvors live in ill constructed places made from clay, plastic bags and boxes. Some sheets of corrugated Fe a roof is provided by the authorities. Most have no furniture and bedclothes is besides collected from the site in the signifier of old apparels or covers. Those who live in the caves around the country screen themselves with plastic bearer bags when it rains. The caves become unsafe and sometimes walls prostration. Why they live on site A study was done in 2005 to inquire people why they live on the site. The findings were that:Many were unemployed and could n't afford the basic human demands of nutrient, H2O, shelter and apparelsSome had been born there and it was the lone place they knewSome were orphans and had no household to assist them and had no manner out of the landfillWidows ended up at that place when the money earner of the household diedDifferent tribal groups became refugees in there ain statesSome were thrown out of the slums they had lived in when Governments tried to unclutter the countries upWhat do they roll up and what is done with it? The salvors themselves use some of the stuffs collected, such as the nutrient dumped by hotels in Cairo and fabric, which is used for vesture and bedclothes. The remainder of the stuffs are sold to jobbers who in bend sell to recyclers. These include castanetss, plastics and bit metal. How earn life through recycling There are so many people populating on the garbage dump now that the salvors are holding to look for alternate beginnings of income. These include:Working on local farms – Subsistence agriculture ( turning harvests to eat themselves ) entirely the roads and trim land around the garbage dumpMaking wash for peopleWeaving baskets and mats utilizing scavenged polyethyleneSelling H2OMajor issues – deficiency offThe salvors have hapless entree to H2O and sanitationThere are no lavatories, no bathrooms and no clean H2O to imbibeThey have to purchase H2O from sellers to imbibeSome of the salvors collect rainwaterHealth and bad life conditionsA new survey by the New York State Department of Health studies that adult females populating near solid waste landfills where gas is get awaying hold a quadruple increased opportunity of vesica malignant neoplastic disease or leukaemia. The new survey examined the happening of seven sorts of malignant neoplastic disease among work forces a nd adult females populating near 38 landfills where of course happening landfill gas is thought to be get awaying into the environing air. The wellness of these people is hapless. Malaria is common due to the pools of dead H2O, which allows mosquitoes to engender. Diarrhoea. Pneumonia and skin infections are common. Scavengers can non afford to see a physician. They have developed other ways of get bying with their unwellnesss, such as utilizing herbal redresss, purchasing inexpensive drugs across the counter or borrowing money from friends.Vision FOR THE FUTUREMy thought is to better efficiency through a mobile shelter By making a device that maximise the end product of landfills and the usage they have to utilize we can explicate a solution for the hereafter.My design – NewDealDesignA various safety for rubbish victimsAdjusting to this alteration by utilizingEveryone holding the chance for a better lifeThis is what people still needLife after – better lifeEnergy solutions algae Biodiesel from algae is here!Oil has been one of the most efficient and effectual fuel beginnings for decennaries. But due to the unrenewable nature of oil and the pollution ensuing from C emanations, scientists have raced to happen a new fuel beginning. Hydrogen, biodiesel, solar, electricity and even H2O have been considered as possible fuel beginnings. Now, one of the newest renewable energy beginning aspirant is algae biofuel. Algae gather energy from the Sun through the procedure of photosynthesis. A by-product of this procedure is oil, which can be utilized to make biofuel. The algae itself can be transformed into ethyl alcohol through the procedure of agitation. During photosynthesis, algae and other photosynthetic beings gaining control C dioxide and sunshine and change over it into O and biomass. Up to 99 % of the C dioxide in solution can be converted, in large-scale open-pond systems. The production of biofuels from algae does non cut down atmospheric C dioxide ( CO2 ) , because any CO2 taken out of the ambiance by the algae is returned when the biofuels are burned. They do nevertheless extinguish the debut of new CO2 by displacing fossil hydrocarbon fuels. Algae is an improbably big and diverse species. Algae can be found in most organic structures of H2O including lakes, watercourses, ice, snow, and the ocean. This works reproduces quickly and would be really hard to over-farm. Algae can bring forth 15-300 times more oil per acre than conventional harvests, such as rapeseed, thenars or soya beans. As Algae has a harvesting rhythm of 1-10 yearss, it permits several crops in a really short clip frame, a differing scheme to annually harvests. Algae can besides be grown on land that is non suited for other established harvests, for case, waterless land, land with overly saline dirt, and drought-stricken land. This minimizes the issue of taking away pieces of land from the cultivation of nutrient harvests. Algae can turn 20 to 30 times faster than nutrient harvests Algae fuel production does non impact fresh H2O resources, can be prduced utilizing ocean and effluent, and are biodegradable and comparatively harmless to the environment if spilled. Inputs-CO2 + Water + Nutrients + Algae Strain + Sunlight â€Å" This Algae biofuel substitutes 100 % traditional fuel, without necessitating to be assorted and can be used in assorted biofuel applications. † â€Å" Algae Oil Farming for Biodiesel Algae Biofuel uses the surpluss of C dioxide produced by industrial activities, in a manner that does non pollute, but contributes to cleaning the atmosphere. â€Å" Dystopia The frequently futuristic vision of a society in which conditions of life are suffering and characterized by poorness, subjugation, war, force, disease, pollution, ensuing in widespread sadness, agony, and other sorts of hurting.DecisionThe universe will necessitate to reapportion its energy and resources off from simply prosecuting economic growing to turn toing issues of poorness, equality, gender equality, and entree to wellness attention and instruction alternatively authorising all who wish to take part in finding their hereafter with the right to make so. Today the universe is focused on the person. In 2050, communities, relationships between people, and personal duties to the society will be the cardinal rule in the building of our metropoliss. Provision of necessary metropolis services like nutrient, H2O, waste handling, and energy will be more localised, incorporating these services into the cloth of the metropolis. Bringing these services closer will besides reconnect people with the Earth, giving people better insight into their resource usage and impacts. Waste volumes will be farther reduced through extremely efficient waste sorting, recycling, and composting. My vision of the hereafter is that the World will fall in and devour itself if solutions of re-using and recycling are non implemented. This will bring forth options that can help in quality of life every bit good as supplying the necessities that people need to last. ADD SOMETHING TO LINK QUALITY OF LIFE / SURVIVAL WITH NOMADIC So as we move into the hereafter I predict that we will go more mobile and need to travel about in a more rational manner. By making a shelter that is impermanent, lightweight and self sustainable. A shelter that has been designed for people on the move, a device that can be made readily available in different locations around the universe. It can be rapidly dismounted and constructed to house the resident as fast and efficient signifier of shelter. A self-sufficing shelter that sustains itself, utilizing energy produced by algae. Fuelled on algae bio Diesel, it can bring forth its ain electricity to power the necessities for life.My design – NewDealDesigna various safety for rubbish victims The ‘urban collapsible shelter ‘ is an geographic expedition of mass-produced, easy-to-assemble and quick-to-mobilize recycling hubs. A household of 2 objects, ‘Collector and Case ‘ and ‘HUB ‘ , represent new solutions for shelter, comfort, energy and administration. Equally good as provide varying degrees of protection for different climes and milieus, it provides a more hygienic and safe life environment for the dwellers. HUB is a construct for a portable lodging unit that would assist people in run intoing their immediate shelter demands created by deficiency of lodging and hapless life conditions. This shelter can be really rapidly transported and reassembled with merely few necessary tools and offer dwellers with single life infinite. This shelter is made from from reclaimable and reclaimable materials.The chief HUB must be erected by 6-10 people, this can be designed and manufactured on demand at variable locations. Each of the objects are compressed into space-saving packaging. Easy to fabricate and transport within a few hours. Once they arrive, they can be set up easy by the dwellers to supply instant support structurally, socially, and emotional. Many alternate lodging solutions deal with little graduated table but ca n't get by with big graduated table displaced populations. The shelter:Easily movable, collapsable and able to be shipped levelBuilt of reclaimable stuffs and have the ability to be reusedEasy to raise and piece with few or no toolsAmenable to infrastructure? can be used as a basic construction, but have the capablenesss to upgrade and implement modern comfortssStackable provide comfortss ( electricity for light, compact range and icebox ) .Adjusting to this alteration by utilizing10-Everyone holding the chance for a better life 11-Conclusion This is what people still need Future vision In 2050, our societies will exceed the narrow focal point on stuff goods and wealth coevals that we see today. They will alternatively, strive to run into the deeper demands of human existences, turn toing felicity and religious and emotional fulfilment. Indexs of success, now frequently measured in strictly fiscal footings, will alternatively look at thoughts of felicity and satisfaction. The universe will reapportion its energy and resources off from simply prosecuting economic growing to turn toing issues of poorness, equity, gender equality, and entree to wellness attention and instruction alternatively authorising all who wish to take part in finding their hereafter with the right to make so. Today the universe is focused on the person. In 2050, communities, relationships between people, and personal duties to the society will be the cardinal rule in the building of our metropoliss. Provision of necessary metropolis services like nutrient, H2O, waste handling, and energy will be more localised, incorporating these services into the cloth of the metropolis. Bringing these services closer will besides reconnect people with the Earth, giving people better insight into their resource usage and impacts. Waste volumes will be farther reduced through extremely efficient waste sorting, recycling, and composting.

Immigrant Law of Labour Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immigrant Law of Labour Market - Essay Example On the contrary, skilled immigrants pose a considerable threat to the labour market, which ends up in several disadvantages for the host country. Skilled immigrants who can substitute the existing workers in the host country are disadvantageous because they will intensify competition in the labour market and resultantly lessen wages (Lucchino, Rosazza-Bondibene, and Portes). The effects of the decrease of wages will significantly be prejudiced by the level of skill of the immigrants. Although there may be an increase in productivity, an influx of skilful immigrants means that wages will decrease, while less skilled immigrants would not have a considerable effect on the economy. In consequence, an immigrant law is necessary to identify and delineate immigrant workers and their qualifications. The occupational and industrial structure of the labour market may transform owing to the change in the mix of goods and services manufactured in the economy. Labour demand suffers in either way, based on the abilities of the immigrants. Immigrants who are less skilled may force the labour market to adopt strategies that require low-skill labour, while employees that are more skilled will develop a technology-oriented approach in the labour market. Although this may have some rewards, a change in the economy is a risky process that may have negative repercussions on a country. The adoption of different production practices, for instance, labour-intensive or technology intensive determine the way that the labour market will counter economic growth. Although there may be minimal wage differences, it is common for low-waged workers to lose, while high-waged workers stand to gain from immigration (Dustmann, Frattini, and Preston). In essence, this means that the effects on average wages may not be evidently felt, but a section of the labour market that will be largely affected.

Final Letter to the Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Letter to the Instructor - Essay Example Thanks to my instructor for facilitating smooth learning process by providing a healthy environment with equal opportunity for every student to learn something new. The experience of this class helped me become more aware of my writing strengths and weaknesses. The content learnt did not only help me identify my weaknesses in writing, but also provided me with tools to strengthen these weaknesses. I would really recommend this course to other students I know who have not been able to identify their writing weaknesses and strengths. Apart from the class teachings, involvement in group work and discussions even played a bigger role in helping me identify my skills. During the course, I worked with several groups on various projects. The group environment enabled me to identify areas that I was strong in and those that I had weaknesses. Through group projects, there was an opportunity to share ideas and opinions with other group members. Once in a discussion, you could be able to identi fy opinion of others that were widely accepted by the group members, which you were not familiar with and put them down as weaknesses. My own opinions that got wide acceptance in the group reflected as strengths to me. A lot of writing principles and elements learn in this class have changed my attitude towards writing and made me feel more attracted to the discipline. My writing skills before enrollment in this course were not as they are today. I could make many mistakes including grammar, styles and punctuation. In writing, there are various writing formats for different types of essays and business writing. I had prior knowledge on formats for such essays as argumentative, persuasive and research papers, which I had done some online research on before. I could write concisely and avoid relative terms but I later realized there was still more I was not familiar with in writing. It was difficult for me to write point of view essays and informative essays since I was not good on th em. Through such difficulties experienced, I was able to identify areas that needed improvement. Throughout the course, my aim has been to improve my writing skills and apply every principle and element learnt in this class. My guiding principle throughout the course has been having a positive attitude towards everything even when challenges come your way. By this, I was always motivated to make it even when faced with challenges. It was a great experience working with such an attitude, in an environment full of encouragement from the instructor and colleagues. I realized it is possible to learn a lot from anything one has interest in as long as he or she is ready to take criticism and understand that it is not personal but a way of helping. Out of the course work, most of my writings skills have changed positively. My writings are more effective because I have understood the importance of considering the target audience before working on any paper. Understanding the targeted audien ce helps one decide the structure and the language to use in writing it. From the acquired skills, writing well-structured professional papers has become easier for me. I have realized some of the major mistakes I used to make when drafting professional documents, for example, my resume had many mistakes and after getting these skills, I managed to make several changes to the document to make it attractive and professional. My confidence in writing memos and letters has improved.

The Power of Gender In Effective Leadership Essay

The Power of Gender In Effective Leadership - Essay Example According to Business Week women have been identified to have the â€Å"right stuff† (Sharp, 2002). We are living in a society that is now focusing more on mental power rather than physical might. This is because previously, male dominated leadership position as their masculinity was seen as a form of power. The sentiments in the articles represent the postmodern views which are contrary to previous articles on leadership which illustrated that gender has no effect on gender. The issue of gender was created in the 1970s by some feminist and has been used to show the difference between male or female. It has been recognized as a social construct of what consist of maleness and femaleness. The feminist tried to show that men and women have their unique identities and this influences the way they relate to different issues in the social construct. It was also aimed at showing the there existed biological differences between men and women and this affects the way they relate to ea ch other. According pot social scientist, gender is a construct that forms the basis of every social order. The perception of gender differs across different organizations (Duerst-Lahti, n.d: 19). There are some organizations which have set apart some position for the female gender while others are preserved for the male gender alone. The inclusion of women in the managerial positions also reflects the changes that are currently taking place in management place. There is the erosion of managerial hierarchy with the manager gaining the role of a coach unlike in previous leadership model where they were expected to exercise authority. Moreover, leaders are encouraged to empower, engage and support workers. These changes give women an advantage in... This paper stresses that The society perspective on female leadership has also changed with female leaders perceived as playing a representational role. Women perspectives on leadership roles have also changed. Research on university female students indicate that more female aspire to take up challenging jobs and powerful positions. Moreover, leadership roles have changed. While previously power in leadership was associated with masculinity, today effective leadership is based on the ability to work through the subordinate staff by inspiring them and not commanding them. The aurhor talks that current leadership model requires the leaders to communicate more with the employ and make them understand why a certain role should be performed in this way and not the other. It also requires leaders who are able to listen and understand the needs of the employees. Women are biologically wired to behave this way. This report makes a conclusion that it can be observed that the increase of the representation of female in managerial and board position is a way of empowering the female gender and giving them representational role. Moreover, it increases diversity which improves the quality of the decision making process. Having female on the board is a good thing as it has been associated with greater company performance in terms of profitability as shown in the findings. This gives a company a greater competitive edge that crucial for survival in the current highly competitive business climate.

A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume - Essay Example The researcher states that David Hume is an Empiricist. He is a believer in sense experience as a primary source of knowledge. He believes in observable phenomena, that greatly influences his view of the self. He believes all the elements that make up the self can be observed. The most vital premise he advances to support his ‘no-self’ conclusion is that there is too much turbulence in one's life for one to remain untouched. This is a well-thought position. Imagine that constantly in life, one has to tackle varying circumstances using equally varying means. It’s impossible that there is a part that remains impervious to all this change. Small elements of our make –up may remain the same but the general picture is altered from time to time and with different situations. Also, central in Hume’s study of the self is his assertion that the self is â€Å"is a bundle or an assemblance of different perceptions† not a substance. Perceptions are† ideas or impressions† about oneself. This is to say that every person has a character that is unique to them. It also to states that this â€Å"ideas and impressions† are recognizable even by ourselves. By and large, we all agree to some extent with Hume’s position. The ideas that build up to his conclusion are well thought out and go a long way to re-affirming him as foremost on personal identity.

The most important event in Evaluating Causes of the Civil War Essay

The most important event in Evaluating Causes of the Civil War - Essay Example The causes of the war can be traced mainly to the divisions over slavery that had been rocking the country since the 1780s. During the founding of the nation, the founding fathers ironed out compromises and language in the Constitution in a way that balanced the divisions between the regions so that they could coexist politically as a united nation. Generally, by the early 1800s, the Northern states had abolished slavery or laid out a system of gradual emancipation, while the demand for slaves for new plantations in the Southern states such as Alabama, Mississippi, Northern Florida and Louisiana was increasing rapidly (Carlisle, 2008). By 1808, the Northern and Southern states had agreed to ban importation of slaves from overseas. With the North being against slavery while the south supported it, maintaining political balance between the Northern and Southern states was more difficult. The congress lacked jurisdiction over aspects and laws regulating slavery within the member states. For around two decades since 1800, the Congress continued to admit new states into the Union in pairs, comprising of one state with slavery and one without in attempt to maintain political balance. For example, in 1820, Missouri was admitted as a slave state while at the same time Maine was admitted as a free state. In 1850, the balance was finally broken when the Southern states allowed California to join the Union as a free state in exchange to laws strengthening slavery and addition of Minnesota and Oregon as Free states (Hickman, 2011). With the balance, distorted political debates tightened as the representatives of Southern states felt that the rapidly expanding Northern population would create more new Free states, and diluting their control in the federal government. Meanwhile, the Northern states opposed the political power of Southerners and wanted the political power of Free States to dominate. Additionally, on the new territories acquired from Mexico, the Northerners be lieved that the Southerners were out to expand and dominate in the new territories, while the Southerners believed that if the Northerners extended prohibition of slavery in the new territories, it would be an extension of domination and tyranny over the South against the existing constitutional compromises. Tensions were further fuelled by the rise of Abolitionist movement, which believed that slavery was morally wrong and should be abolished. Radical abolitionist such as William Lloyd Garrison, and Fredrick Douglas advocated for immediate emancipation of the slaves, while moderated Abolitionists such as Theodore Weld, Arthur Tappan, and Abraham Lincoln wanted to curb slavery and its influence (Hickman, 2011). The publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852, improved support for Abolitionist cause, as it succeeded in influencing the public against the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. Due to developments from the Compromise of 1850 and Kansas crisis, the country ’s major two parties, the Whigs and Democrats, began to weaken along the regional lines (Kazin, 2011, p.492). The weakening of the Whigs in the North led to emergence of a new party, the

Recruitment Drives Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recruitment Drives - Research Paper Example In the case, an African American, David Dunlap applies for a job with the Tennessee Valley Authority as a boilmaker. A selection committee facilitates the interview at the facilities’ premises. The interview consists of technical and non-technical questions. 70% of the marks are to account for the interview process and the remainder, the applicant’s experience. Dunlap feels that the scores produced in the interview are discriminatory: Dunlap’s attendance record was similar to two white applicants’ records with 4.2 and 5.5, yet he receives a score of 3.7. The plaintiff is David Dunlap who had filed a suit at the District Court against the Tennessee Valley Authority, claiming that he was racially discriminated against, and in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The courts ruled in favor of Dunlap, on the account that he was subjected to disparate treatment, impact and analysis. The District Court in its ruling statement pointed out that Tennessee Valley Authority [TVA] was subjective in its recruitment process and procedures and exacted out racial biasness against Dunlop and other applicants of African Americans descent. The defendant, TVA appealed against the ruling. The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in this case was tasked with the need to determine whether Dunlop had fulfilled the burden of proof in the case, and if the District Court was right in its ruling. The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the District Court’s ruling, on the account of sufficient evidence of unfair and discri minatory treatment. Nevertheless, the Court of Appeals reversed the decision of desperate impact that the District Court had upheld. The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the District Court’s ruling on awards of damages and fees (Patrick, 2003). As is clearly shown by Banner (2003), Dunlap’s disparate impact claim failed because he fell short of proving that TVA’s recruitment practices affected one particular group more severely than another. Discriminatory proof is not required in this kind of situation. On the one hand, even though the District Court agreed and ruled to the effect that TVA’s interviews and recruitment procedures were discriminatory against African Americans, the US Court of Appeal ruled that Dunlop did not adduce statistical proof to show that a group was being negatively impacted, needed for the establishment of a prima facie case.

Assigned readings on which you will write one page reading responed Essay - 2

Assigned readings on which you will write one page reading responed - Essay Example Friendship between opposite sexes was only seen in few literary circles. Apart from that amicable relation between men and women was impossible in the West and still is in various cultures. Historical changes appeared when women were portrayed differently. The writer further investigates the relation between men and women and turns his attention towards feminism. The writer turns to feminism to prove his argument because prior to the advent of feminism women were considered inferior. In 1890’s when the term feminism was made public. The New Woman was a term coined for a reinvented woman who was intelligent, strong-willed, well-read and outspoken. The writer suggests that the new kind of woman is responsible for the companionship and friendship among men and women. The writer mentions platonic friendship which constitutes of everything except sexual relations. The origin of this word dates back to Plato, who used it to explain the emotion of love with or without the involvement of sex. Feminists such as Mary Wollstonecraft were not in favor of platonic friendships because they could end up in damage such as sexual relations. Even though there are various factors that have promoted friendship between men and women. According to the writer the increasing admissions by both sexes into education institutes has caused both sexes to come close. The non-partial and non-political nature nowadays especially in education facilities has led to friendships among men and

Liberty and the Pursuit of the Tuth Essay Example for Free

Liberty and the Pursuit of the Tuth Essay Liberty and the Pursuit of the Truth In my essay I’ll direct my efforts to write about the thing that holds the American society together which is their values. Values are very important because all our actions based on them. I’ll address the importance of liberty and the pursuit of the truth. Liberty is defined as equality, state of being free or having freedom of choice. Sometimes our freedom can be limited because of the government policies. We shouldn’t just follow whatever the government addresses without thinking deeply about our options because sometimes they can lead us to a dead-end road. We should follow our instincts, and essence. Government responsibility to provide our needs and protect our right but sometimes that is not the case, they might direct us to the wrong way â€Å"They think that, if that they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it’s the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than evil† Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience. Liberty gives us the freedom to say no that what make it very important. Around 1962 our society suffered from a dysfunction because of the unequal rights caused by the segregation between black and white and the lack of liberation. Martin Luther King Jr. peaceful stood up for liberty and equal civil rights. He had a dream that blacks and whites could sit on the table of the brotherhood and that will give all of us a quality life â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed† Martin Luther King Jr. , I have a dream. Because of liberty now our society rose up and gave everyone equal rights. The fidelity meaning is based on fact or reality as you can experiences the same result constantly. Scientists did a lot of discoveries that were true because they stood for all of the challenges but they still didn’t accomplished the complete truth, as Adler Mortimer mentioned in the Pursuit of the Truth about scientist and mathematician experiments that these are matters of a taste rather than of the truth. Life is evolving and people looking for the complete truth and if we found the complete truth there is no point of life. We don’t have a reason to get up every morning to go to work, read, and explore. We will never reach the complete truth so life can evolves. Life will continue because we all have a goal to know the complete truth, and we will not accomplish that â€Å"the complete realization of the ideal that is the goal –the whole truth and nothing but the truth—will never be achieved in any stretch of time† Adler Mortimer, Pursuit of the Truth. The pursuit of truth give us a motivation to survive. The pursuit of the truth leads us to a realization of the differences between the native home and being immigrant or slave. People realized the true meaning of their homes. Even though you might be poor but at least you will not be segregated â€Å"The Scotch and the Irish might have lived in their own country perhaps as poor, but enjoying more civil advantages† Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur What is an American. Liberty and the pursuit of the truth brought our society to a great position of equality and motivation to keep looking for more in life. They are very important in order for us to live a fair life and have a functioning society for now and the next generations.

GFP Practical Report

GFP Practical Report GFP is very useful as a reporter protein. After its discovery in 1962 its practical applications were put into use 30 years later by adding the coding DNA of GFP before the stop codon of other proteins. This allows for an easily detectable marker of the proteins presence without needing additional cofactors or causing any harm to the organism. The spectral characteristics of GFP can be changed by making mutations to the protein. In this investigation a Y66W mutation was made to wildtype GFP in order to produce a shorter excitation and emission wavelength. The mutation was made using QuikChange site directed mutagenesis. The protein was then cloned into BL21(DE3) pLysS for expression. The cells were then lysed and applied to a Ni-NTA column. This fractionated the lysate in order to analyse these fractions using SDS-PAGE, fluorescence and Bradford assays. It was found that the Y66W mutation was successfully added but due to another mutation in the stop codon additional amino acids were added to the C terminus of the protein. It was also found that purification was partially successful as GFP was eluted in the correct fraction. This is supported by the Bradford and fluorescence assays. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a 238 amino acid protein with a molecular mass of 26,870 Da. It was first isolated from the jellyfish species Aequorea Victoria by Osamu Shimomura in 1962 (1). GFP is expressed in small photoorgans that are situated in the umbrella of the jellyfish. Douglas Prasher first realised the potential of GFP as a reporter protein (2). As proteins are smaller than the resolving power of electron microscopes, Prasher thought the GFP gene could be added into the gene for haemoglobin before the stop codon. This would allow the protein of interest to maintain all of its functions but would have the GFP protein at its C terminal end. This means that detection of GFP fluorescence would also indicate the presence of haemoglobin. Furthermore, GFP does not require additional cofactors or substrates to fluoresce. This means that it works extremely well as a non-invasive method of detection of protein expression. GFP is also non-toxic so it is able to be used in vi vo without causing damage or harm to the organism. Crystallisation studies (3) have shown that GFP has a barrel structure with the chromophore buried in the centre. This chromophore is comprised of 3 amino acids (Ser 65-Tyr 66-Gly 67) that undergo a series of spontaneous cyclisation reactions to create the active chromophore. Wild type GFP has a major excitation peak at 395 nm and a minor one at 475 nm with an emission peak at 509 nm. In vivo GFP is coupled to the protein aequorin which induces a blue glow when it interacts with Ca2+ ions and breaks down luciferin. This light is able to excite GFP and cause fluorescence. In vitro this is not the case, however GFP fluorescence can be easily induced by irradiating GFP with UV light. As with all proteins, GFP can be mutated. By mutating key residues, such as residues in the chromophore, it is possible to change the characteristics of GFPs fluorescence. The first of many mutations was the S65T mutation (4). This mutation improved the characteristics of the protein including increased photostability, fluorescence and a shift of the major excitation peak. This investigation is based on the engineering of GFP to create a mutant of GFP with a shorter excitation and emission wavelength by inducing the Y66W mutation. The aims of this investigation were as follows. To carry out site directed mutagenesis of GFPuv to clone into pET28c and transform the products into XL-1 super competent cells. Extraction of the plasmid after incubation overnight to check the purity and concentration of DNA. Preparation and transformation of BL21(DE3) cells. Lyse these cells and fractionate the lysate to purify his tagged GFP using a Ni-NTA column. Finally, detection of purified GFP by SDS- PAGE, Bradford assay and fluorescence. The workflow of the investigation can be found in figure 1 in appendix 1. A more detailed protocol can be found in the BIOC2302 semester 2 practical manual on pages 6-15 with rationale for all experiments. In site directed mutagenesis I 31 ÃŽ ¼l of water was added to the PCR reaction to give a total reaction volume of 50 ÃŽ ¼l. In site directed mutagenesis II a supplied culture of cells was used in the experiment rather than cells from the transformation colonies in site directed mutagenesis I. His tagged GFP was used instead of the mutant in the protein purification experiment in order for easier administration as the process is the same. Site directed mutagenesis I Before the wet lab work began it was first necessary to design primers for QuikChange to induce the Y66W mutation into the wild type GFP. These can be seen as figure 2 in appendix 2. These were created using the QuikChange primer design tool on the Agilent website. The site directed mutagenesis was carried out using the primers supplied to induce the correct mutation. The products of this were cloned into the pET28c plasmid and the XL-1 super competent cells. The cells were plated as per the BIOC2302 practical manual and left to incubate overnight. Site directed mutagenesis II Upon checking the plates in the next session it was found that no transformed colonies had grown so a new culture was supplied. The undigested plasmid control grew approximately 50 colonies The culture of BL21(DE3)pLysS cells was set up and the OD600 were recorded. They can be seen in table 1 in appendix 3. Within 50 minutes the culture had reached an OD600 of 0.483 meaning the cells were at the correct density for lysis. The cells were prepared as per the BIOC2302 practical manual and the recombinant plasmid was extracted. The concentration measured was 121.7 ng/ÃŽ ¼l and the A260/A280 was 1.86 using nanodrop. Therefore, the ethanol precipitation was not carried out. To prepare for sequencing 4.11 ÃŽ ¼l of this solution was diluted, with 5.98 ÃŽ ¼l EB buffer, to the correct concentration. This was then sent to be sequenced, the results of which can be seen in appendix 4. The primer has been highlighted in green and is surrounded by a box with the mutated codon in red. A deletion also occurred in the stop codon of the mutant as highlighted by the second box with deleted bases highlighted in blue. Protein purification The plates were inspected in the next session. It was found that the 200 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew 3 colonies and the 50 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew none. Transformation efficiency can be calculated for the 200 ÃŽ ¼l plate as 37 transformants/ÃŽ ¼g of DNA. The cells were weighed and found to be 0.539 g so 2 ml BugbusterTM used. After lysis and fractionation the SDS-PAGE samples of each fraction were prepared and loaded onto the gel. The Bradford assay was carried out while the gel ran.   The BSA standards were calculated and the contents of each standard well can be seen in table 2 in appendix 3. The fractions were then diluted into their wells and the contents can be seen in table 3 in appendix 3. The plate was filled according to the map in figure 2 in appendix 5. The plate was ran and the absorbances for the BSA standards were taken from the plate readout and inputted into table 4 in appendix 5. From here a calibration graph was set up using GraphPad Prism and can be seen as graph 1 in appendix 6. This graph shows that the data points for the standards do not fall near the line of best fit. The absorbance results from the plate readout for all of the fractions were imputed into table 5 in appendix 7. The equation of the line from graph 1 was then used to calculate the concentration of protein in each of the fractions. All of these values were also inputted into table 5. With the Bradford assay complete the SDS-PAGE gel was disassembled, stained and a picture was taken. A map of the gel can be seen as figure 3 in appendix 7 and the picture of the gel can be seen as figure 4 in appendix 8. By looking at the picture it can be seen that in lanes 2, 3, 4 and 9 there are dark bands spanning the entire lane. In 5, 6 and 8 there is faint banding across the well. In well 7 there is a distinct small band in between the 25 kDa and 37 kDa molecular markers. Lane 8 shows no bands at all. Finally the fluorescence assay was carried out as per the map of the microtiter plate in figure 5 in appendix 7. The results from the plate readout were inputted into table 5. From here a graph comparing the log of protein concentration compared to fluorescence of each fraction was plotted and can be found as graph 2 in appendix 6. This shows elution 1 with the highest fluorescence and the unbound x10 had the lowest. However, when comparing protein concentration the unbound fraction had the highest and wash 2 had none. Percentage fluorescence was also calculated and inputted into table 6 in appendix 9. The first aim of this experiment was to transform the site directed mutagenesis products into XL-1 super competent cells. The correct primers were used in order to induce the Y66W mutation into the parental DNA. However, no colonies that were meant to take up the mutated plasmid grew but the undigested control grew around 50 colonies. This means the cells did not take up the plasmid because otherwise they would have grown on the plate. This could be due to a mistake made in making the PCR reaction mixture or the DNA may have become damaged at some point in the experiment. Additionally, the suppliers of the XL-1 super competent cells advice to avoid large changes in temperature. This was unavoidable in this experiment and may have contributed to the cells not taking up the plasmid. In the future more care should be taken while plating and preparing the cells. Also preparation of any reaction mixtures should be checked very closely in order to ensure the correct reactants are added in the correct amounts. In site directed mutagenesis II the cell culture was lysed when the OD600 was 0.483. That is because E.coli cells are most likely to be made competent when they enter early log phase. This corresponds with an OD600 of 0.4-0.5. The DNA concentration extracted in this experiment was found to be 121.7 ng/ÃŽ ¼l and an A260/A280 of 1.86. This means that the DNA is good quality as the desirable range for A260/A280 is 1.7-2.0 and the concentration was much higher that what was required. However, in future experiments to test for reliability multiple results should be taken. Furthermore, the data could have been confirmed by using the spectrophotometric method alongside using nanodrop. The sequencing results in appendix 4 confirmed the successful incorporation of the Y66W mutation into GFP, creating the CFP mutant. However, the second mutation at the stop codon deleted 2 bases including the first base of the stop codon. This means that when the protein is expressed the ribosome will not stop and instead will continue to add amino acids onto the C terminus of the mutant until it reaches a new stop codon. There 144 bases between the original stop codon and the next in frame stop codon meaning 48 additional amino acids will be added to the C terminus. This codon can be seen highlighted in purple below the original stop codon. These additional amino acids could affect the folding or could increase the likelihood of aggregation of the mutant protein. In the protein purification experiment the 200 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew 3 colonies and the 50 ÃŽ ¼l transformation plate grew none. The transformation efficiency on the 200 ÃŽ ¼l plate was 37 transformants/ÃŽ ¼g of DNA. The reason why this is so low could be due to a number of factors such as the plating technique or the cells may not have been left to chill on ice for the optimum amount of time. However, the negative control did not grow any colonies, confirming that all of the bacteria on the transformation plate were transformed. Again, more steps should be taken if this was to be carried out again to ensure that proper plating and prepping protocol is followed. The Bradford assay shows that in wash 2 there was no protein in the well. This means that any protein found in elutions 1 and 2 should all be His tagged GFP that bound the Ni-NTA column. This can be confirmed by the fluorescence results as the elution 1 fraction contained the majority of the total fluorescence with 44.13% of the total. However, all other fractions also produce some fluorescence. This could be due to GFP contamination in the other fractions. This could have occurred due to the resin being saturated, preventing further binding to the column. It could also be due to aggregation of the protein obscuring the His tag and preventing binding. Furthermore, the plots on the calibration graph do not fall on the line of best fit. This means that the equation of the line is not accurate and protein concentrations calculated using it are also inaccurate. Therefore, there could be more protein in each fraction than was calculated. This could account for the fluorescence in the wash and unbound fractions. The Bradford assay is quite limiting. This is due to the fact the assay only measures protein concentration rather than GFP concentration. This means that it is unsure whether the protein concentration measured in elution 1 and 2 is all GFP or it is contaminant protein. The same can be said for the other fractions, its unsure whether the protein concentration measured has been contaminated by GFP. In the future this assay should be carried out again to try and reduce contamination. The calibration graph should also be repeated until all of the data points fall on the line of best fit. Otherwise none of the calculated protein concentrations are accurate. Finally, the SDS-PAGE results shows banding in wash 1, 2 and elution 1 and 2. This suggests that there is contaminating protein in all of these fractions. Elution 1 shows a clear band at approximately the 26-27 kDa mark as it is present just above the 25 kDa marker and is well below the 37 kDa marker. This suggest the band in elution 1 is GFP as it is the appropriate size and is in the expected fraction. Another source of error could be due to the amount of pressure applied to the pipette. This will vary from person to person and will affect the volume of the solution being pipetted. As such small volumes were being used and there was a lot of solutions to be pipetted it is very possible a mistake was made. This mistake would have a big effect on the concentration and therefore could have a big effect on the absorbance values. These errors can be avoided in future by using the appropriate pipette for the volumes being used. Further reduction in errors can come from correct technique and by doing replicates and averaging values. There could be some error in the microtiter itself. There may have been markings or scratches on the plate that werent seen at the time. This could affect how the light passed through the reader and therefore affect the absorbance values. In conclusion, the aims of this investigation were to induce the Y66W mutation into wild type GFP using QuikChange site directed mutagenesis. Furthermore, the protein was to be expressed in competent BL21(DE3) pLysS cells. Finally wildtype GFP was to be purified using a Ni-NTA column and the fractions analysed with SDS-PAGE, fluorescence and Bradford assays. The investigation successfully introduced the Y66W mutation into wildtype GFP. However, the stop codon was also mutated adding an extra 48 amino acids on the C terminal of the protein.   A band indicating the presence of GFP was found at the 26.9 kDa mark in elution 1, indicating it was bound to the column and was eluted. However, all factions were contaminated with other protein. References      Ã‚   1. Shimomura, O., Johnson, F., and Saiga, Y. Extraction, purification and properties of aequorin, a bioluminescent protein from the luminous. s.l. : J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 59:223-39, 1962. 2. Prasher, D., Eckenrode, V., Ward, W., Prendergast, F., and Cormier, M. Primary structure of the Aequorea Victoria green-fluorescent protein. s.l. : Gene 111 (2)229-33, 1992. 3. Ormo, M., Cubitt, A., Kallio, K., Gross, L., Tsien, R., and Remington. S. Crystal structure of the Aequorea Victoria green fluorescent protein. s.l. : Science 273:1392-5, 1996. 4. Heim R, Cubitt AB, Tsien RY. Improved green fluroescence. s.l. : Nature. 373 (6516): 663-4., 1995.

Rock Music and Creativity :: Creative Creativity Essays

Rock Music and Creativity As the reader may verify by looking at my name, I originate from Cyprus, a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea. As I grew up in a Greek environment, Greek music predominated in my listenings with a glimpse of classical music added when my studies in the piano encouraged it. My short stay in the States has, apart from many other things, introduced me to rock music. According to Google.com, "rock 'n' roll can be defined as a genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of Black rhythm-and-blues with White country-and-western; rock is a generic term that evolved out of rock 'n' roll." The purpose of this essay is not, however, to provide an analysis on rock music. I know I have much to learn, many hours of listening to be able to be considered a `rock fan'. Nevertheless, rock provides a perfect example where Margaret Boden's three domains of creativity appear explicitly. Margaret Boden, Dean of School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences and professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Sussex, has written many essays on creativity. In The Creative Priority she divides creativity into three main branches. The first involves `making unfamiliar combinations of familiar ideas', new ways to join already existing ideas in order to generate a completely novel creation, be it a poem, a painting or a scientific invention. The `exploration of conceptual spaces', searching for possibilities in an area that no one has thought about before and realizing the potential those may have, entails the second branch. Finally, the third includes `transforming conceptual spaces in people's minds', pushing and altering the limits previously imposed to result in the triumph of creation. This classification provides a summary of what various authors have illustrated in their works on the creative process. As the definition of rock music states, rock emerged from the combination of black rhythm-and-blues and white country-and-western. Those two kinds of music prevailed on the music scene since the beginning of the 20th century. Both were familiar to the audiences of the time. What Elvis did that shook the waves and initiated a revolution in music, was to combine those two familiar ideas in an unfamiliar way. The result was a new – for the time – music genre, which as such had a lot to offer and a lot to explore within.

Ishi, The Last of His Tribe by Theodora Kroeber Essay -- Theodora Kro

Ishi, the Last of His Tribe by Theodora Kroeber Chapter 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book begins when it's main character Ishi is just thirteen years of age. He is one of the remaining Yahi Indians in the world. The people in his tribe now living are Ishi, grandfather and grandmother, Tushi, Timawi, his mother and his father. They have been hiding from the Saldu, white men as the Yahi called them. This chapter had much to do with the Harvest Season. We know this season as autumn. They had to hunt and forage for many items to survive through the winter. We are taken to Ishi's secret place where he goes to think. This place is known as Black Rock. They Yahi have spent most of their lives hiding from the white men or Saldu, as the Yahi call them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The winter the Yahi go through is not that tough because they are so well prepared for it. They listen to grandfather tell the story of creation time after time. Ishi loves to hear this and he listens to how his father was killed by the Saldu. The rest of this section explains how Ishi is growing up and becoming a man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spring is beginning and the Yahi are busy at work. Ishi is now becoming a wasani or a real man. He learns to fish and he learns how to hunt dear with the help of Timawi. The biggest challenge of this is to leave no trail of the killing for the Saldu to trace back to the tribe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The summer season is very successful and the Yahi are thriving in their environment as much as possible. Timawi and Ishi want to attack the Saldu but are held back by Elder Uncle. Chapter 2 Chapter two begins with Ishi going on a trek to become a man. On this trek, he will visit many of the religious sites including, where he was born, where his father was killed and where his father was buried. He returns from the trek and is declared a real man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main conflicts in the story is from the refusing of Tushi to make a sweat grass bracelet for Timawi. This is almost like a wedding ring for the Yahi. Timawi is upset but he tries his hardest not to show it. Ishi and Tushi go somewhere to discuss the whole situation and when they do, Ishi notices that a Saldu is aiming to lasso Tushi. Ishi whips out the bow and arrow and skillfully shoots the Saldu in the hand. He tells the others about the incident and they all know that they must move for they will be coming to kill them all off shortly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They must go... ...to perspective for him. He finally got to understand that he was the last one left. If he did not share anything and everything he knew about his tribe, they would perish forever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ishi has a flashback of Tushi. He realizes how much he misses her and it reminds him of the good times he used to have with her. He realizes he is lonelier than he has ever been. Ishi is soon given his quiver and knife back from an anonymous source. He does not know who it is but believes it to be the work of Jupka or Kaltsuna.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ishi later gives the two people he has become closet with the chance to take the Purification Prayer. They both take place in the ceremony and they realize what a privilege it is to have this. They are given the opportunity to go fishing like the Yahi and they went to the sacred ground where the last of the Yahi lived they last days of their lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ishi soon passed away. He was given the proper burial that a yahi deserves. He was buried with all the things he would be needing in the Land of the Living. It was a tough time for the Doctor and his son. They said prayers for a man who changed their lives and everyone's who would be following, present and future.

My Dad and the Flat Earth :: Personal Narrative Profile

My Dad and the Flat Earth Today my father tells us the earth is flat. He sits us down, the five of us, sits us down on the couch in the living room and tells us the earth is flat. It's not like he says, "Boys. The earth is flat," and then walks away. It's not like that at all. What he does is he takes the time to explain it to us. Even gives us visual aids. His hands become the earth. With his hands out before us he shows us the exact shape of the earth. It's not flat, really, but saucer shaped. Almost bowl shaped. He shows us with his hands. His fingers bend up slightly and his thumbs bend in towards each other, so that his hands make a kind of bowl. "Where do we live?" my oldest brother Sam asks. "Here," says my father. "in the bowl." "Really?" "Yeah," he says, with total confidence. "Look." He starts pulling his slightly cupped hands upward towards the ceiling, slowly. He doesn't say anything as he performs this move. He wants us to watch it for a while. He doesn't look at his hands, he looks at us. Our reaction. We don't react. "This is how the earth moves," he says. "it travels constantly upwards." "Upward?" says Len, my other older brother. "Yes. Upward." "Towards what?" It's me asking this time. I figure it's my turn to speak. My father looks at me for a moment and I think he's angry. I'm sorry I asked the question. Then this weird smile comes across his face and I'm not sorry anymore. Now I'm nervous. About my father. The thought occurs to me that my father has lost his mind and that this strange half-smile is the half-smile of a madman. "That's a very good question, Rand." "It is?" "A very good question. It shows you're using your mind." "Losing my mind? Why?" "Using," she says. "Oh. Using." "The earth travels upwards but it's not important where." "It isn't?" I was confused. He had just said that it was a good question, now he seemed to be saying it wasn't. "No," he answers. "What is important is what the earth moves in relation to.

Dreams of Gilgamesh

Dreams of Gilgamesh When looking into the meanings of dreams, a variation of things can be found. Most people believe that dreams are a reflection of people’s inner thoughts and feelings. Most of these feelings are too private to be expressed in the real world and that is why they are expressed in a fantasy type way through dreams. In Gilgamesh, dreams are used as a form of communication between the Gods and humans. Major events are seen through these dreams and fantasies are foretold. In the ancient Mesopotamian culture, dreams play a major role.Dreams foretold the coming of Enkidu, the death of Enkidu, the protection of Shamhat during the battle with Humbaba, and much more. The fact that dreams play such an important role in this story, would lead you to believe that dreams have a significant place in society. The first mention of dreams in Gilgamesh come with Enkidu and the harlot in the wilderness. The purpose of this scene is to show that dreams tell the future. It is imp ortant for Gilgamesh to know that Enkidu is coming because he needs to know that Enkidu is there to bring him no harm.Enkidu was created to be on Gilgamesh’s side, not to challenge him. In the next scene Gilgamesh has a dream but he did not understand the dream so he asks his mother its meaning. â€Å"Mother, I had a dream last night: There were stars of heaven around me, Like the force of heaven, something kept falling upon me! I tried to carry it but it was too strong for me, I tried to move it but I could not budge it. The whole of Uruk was standing by it, The people formed a crowd around it, A throng was jostling towards it, Young men were mobbed around it, Infantile, they were groveling before it!I fell in love with it, like a woman I caressed it, I carried it off and laid it down before you, Then you were making it my partner. †(page 19, tablet I, lines 246-258). This dream is very significant because it foretells the first confrontation of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The introduction of Enkidu in Gilgamesh’s life is symbolic of someone finding a companion. In another scene, we are given a view into Humbaba. â€Å"Humbaba’s cry is the roar of a deluge, His maw is fire, his breath is death, He can hear rustling in the forest for sixty double leagues. Who can go into his forest?Adad is first and Humbaba is second. Who, even among the gods, could attack him? In order to safeguard the forest of cedars, Enlil has appointed him to terrify the people, Enlil has destined him seven fearsome glories, Besides, whosoever enters his forest is struck down by disease. † (page 25, tablet II, lines 171-180). This is very significant in that it lets us know the nature of who Humbaba is. It’s clear that Humbaba is quite evil according to this passage. Gilgamesh’s dreams make him supremely confident during his attempts to overcome Humbaba.Gilgamesh believes he can prevail against Humbaba. Due to his focus and heroism, Gilgamesh is capable of slaying a horrifying, evil monster like Humbaba. Dreams are a constant motivation for Gilgamesh, and although at times he feels physically incapable of continuing on his quest for everlasting life, his focus on achieving his goal, drives him past any conceivable ability. The dreams all play the same role in this story. They foreshadow what is to come, motivation for Gilgamesh, and they assist in the strengthening of the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.Most importantly, Gilgamesh makes his journey not for fortune or fame, but purely for spiritual knowledge. Often the purpose of his journey is not really what he thinks it is, and the knowledge he’s looking for is not the knowledge he ultimately gains. By killing Humbaba, Gilgamesh discovers that the fame he finds only opens him up to new responsibilities, challenges and psychic wounds. He learns why the goal of the journey of life isn't what he thought it was. He has to go on a second and much more difficul t journey, one with a more spiritual goal.But even though this journey is more spiritual in character, it's still not spiritual enough. His goals are still selfish. Gilgamesh isn't ready to be a king until he wants something not just for himself or for Enkidu but for the whole of Uruk. He also isn't ready to be king until he accepts human limits, embraces his humanity, and decides to seek a goal that makes sense for human beings. The importance of knowing what is going to happen before it actually happens is to build dramatic tension.Even though you may know what’s going to happen next, it doesn’t ruin the story. You may know who Gilgamesh will encounter next, but there will still be questions as to when and why. Also, by knowing a preview of what happens in advance, it helps prevent confusion and makes it more likely you will believe fantastic events in the story if you prepare for such events. It also helps prepare you for outlandish occurrences in the story. Works C ited Stephen, Owen. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter 2nd. New York: W. W Norton & Company,INC, 2009. 9-33. Print.

Part Two Chapter V

V Alison Jenkins, the journalist from the Yarvil and District Gazette, had at last established which of the many Weedon households in Yarvil housed Krystal. It had been difficult: nobody was registered to vote at the address and no landline number was listed for the property. Alison visited Foley Road in person on Sunday, but Krystal was out, and Terri, suspicious and antagonistic, refused to say when she would be back or confirm that she lived there. Krystal arrived home a mere twenty minutes after the journalist had departed in her car, and she and her mother had another row. ‘Why din't ya tell her to wait? She was gonna interview me abou' the Fields an' stuff!' ‘Interview you? Fuck off. Wha' the fuck for?' The argument escalated and Krystal walked out again, off to Nikki's, with Terri's mobile in her tracksuit bottoms. She frequently made off with this phone; many rows were triggered by her mother demanding it back and Krystal pretending that she didn't know where it was. Dimly, Krystal hoped that the journalist might know the number somehow and call her directly. She was in a crowded, jangling cafe in the shopping centre, telling Nikki and Leanne all about the journalist, when the mobile rang. †Oo? Are you the journalist, like?' ‘†¦ o's ‘at †¦ ‘erri?' ‘It's Krystal. ‘Oo's this?' ‘†¦ ‘m your †¦ ‘nt †¦ other †¦ ‘ister.' †Oo?' shouted Krystal. One finger in the ear not pressed against the phone, she wove her way between the densely packed tables to reach a quieter place. ‘Danielle,' said the woman, loud and clear on the other end of the telephone. ‘I'm yer mum's sister.' ‘Oh, yeah,' said Krystal, disappointed. Fuckin' snobby bitch, Terri always said when Danielle's name came up. Krystal was not sure that she had ever met Danielle. ‘It's abou' your Great Gran.' †Oo?' ‘Nana Cath,' said Danielle impatiently. Krystal reached the balcony overlooking the shopping centre forecourt; reception was strong here; she stopped. ‘Wha's wrong with ‘er?' said Krystal. It felt as though her stomach was flipping over, the way it had done as a little girl, turning somersaults on a railing like the one in front of her. Thirty feet below, the crowds surged, carrying plastic bags, pushing buggies and dragging toddlers. ‘She's in South West General. She's been there a week. She's had a stroke.' ‘She's bin there a week?' said Krystal, her stomach still swooping. ‘Nobody told us.' ‘Yeah, well, she can't speak prop'ly, but she's said your name twice.' ‘Mine?' asked Krystal, clutching the mobile tightly. ‘Yeah. I think she'd like to see yeh. It's serious. They're sayin' she migh' not recover.' ‘Wha' ward is it?' asked Krystal, her mind buzzing. ‘Twelve. High-dependency. Visiting hours are twelve till four, six till eight. All righ'?' ‘Is it – ?' ‘I gotta go. I only wanted to let you know, in case you want to see her. ‘Bye.' The line went dead. Krystal lowered the mobile from her ear, staring at the screen. She pressed a button repeatedly with her thumb, until she saw the word ‘blocked'. Her aunt had withheld her number. Krystal walked back to Nikki and Leanne. They knew at once that something was wrong. ‘Go an' see ‘er,' said Nikki, checking the time on her own mobile. ‘Yeh'll ge' there fer two. Ge' the bus.' ‘Yeah,' said Krystal blankly. She thought of fetching her mother, of taking her and Robbie to go and see Nana Cath too, but there had been a huge row a year before, and her mother and Nana Cath had had no contact since. Krystal was sure that Terri would take an immense amount of persuading to go to the hospital, and was not sure that Nana Cath would be happy to see her. It's serious. They're saying she might not recover. †Ave yeh gor enough cash?' said Leanne, rummaging in her pockets as the three of them walked up the road towards the bus stop. ‘Yeah,' said Krystal, checking. ‘It's on'y a quid up the hospital, innit?' They had time to share a cigarette before the number twenty-seven arrived. Nikki and Leanne waved her off as though she were going somewhere nice. At the very last moment, Krystal felt scared and wanted to shout ‘Come with me!' But then the bus pulled away from the kerb, and Nikki and Leanne were already turning away, gossiping. The seat was prickly, covered in some old smelly fabric. The bus trundled onto the road that ran by the precinct and turned right into one of the main thoroughfares that led through all the big-name shops. Fear fluttered inside Krystal's belly like a foetus. She had known that Nana Cath was getting older and frailer, but somehow, vaguely, she had expected her to regenerate, to return to the heyday that had seemed to last so long; for her hair to turn black again, her spine to straighten and her memory to sharpen like her caustic tongue. She had never thought about Nana Cath dying, always associating her with toughness and invulnerability. If she had considered them at all, Krystal would have thought of the deformity to Nana Cath's chest, and the innumerable wrinkles criss-crossing her face, as honourable scars sustained during her successful battle to survive. Nobody close to Krystal had ever died of old age. (Death came to the young in her mother's circle, sometimes even before their faces and bodies had become emaciated and ravaged. The body that Krystal had found in the bathroom when she was six had been of a handsome young man, as white and lovely as a statue, or that was how she remembered him. But sometimes she found that memory confusing and doubted it. It was hard to know what to believe. She had often heard things as a child that adults later contradicted and denied. She could have sworn that Terri had said, ‘It was yer dad.' But then, much later, she had said, ‘Don' be so silly. Yer dad's not dead, ‘e's in Bristol, innee?' So Krystal had had to try and reattach herself to the idea of Banger, which was what everybody called the man they said was her father. But always, in the background, there had been Nana Cath. She had escaped foster care because of Nana Cath, ready and waiting in Pagford, a strong if uncomfortable safety net. Swearing and furious, she had swooped, equally aggressive to Terri and to the social workers, and taken her equally angry great-granddaughter home. Krystal did not know whether she had loved or hated that little house in Hope Street. It was dingy and it smelt of bleach; it gave you a hemmed-in feeling. At the same time, it was safe, entirely safe. Nana Cath would only let approved individuals in through the door. There were old-fashioned bath cubes in a glass jar on the end of the bath.) What if there were other people at Nana Cath's bedside, when she got there? She would not recognize half her own family, and the idea that she might come across strangers tied to her by blood scared her. Terri had several half-sisters, products of her father's multiple liaisons, whom even Terri had never met; but Nana Cath tried to keep up with them all, doggedly maintaining contact with the large disconnected family her sons had produced. Occasionally, over the years, relatives Krystal did not recognize had turned up at Nana Cath's while she was there. Krystal thought that they eyed her askance and said things about her under their voices to Nana Cath; she pretended not to notice and waited for them to leave, so that she could have Nana Cath to herself again. She especially disliked the idea that there were any other children in Nana Cath's life. (†Oo are they?' Krystal had asked Nana Cath when she was nine, pointing jealously at a framed photograph of two boys in Paxton High uniforms on Nana Cath's sideboard. ‘Them's two o' my great-grandsons,' said Nana Cath. ‘Tha's Dan and tha's Ricky. They're your cousins.' Krystal did not want them as cousins, and she did not want them on Nana Cath's sideboard. ‘An' who's tha'?' she demanded, pointing at a little girl with curly golden hair. ‘Tha's my Michael's little girl, Rhiannon, when she were five. Beau'iful, weren't she? Bu' she wen' an' married some wog,' said Nana Cath. There had never been a photograph of Robbie on Nana Cath's sideboard. Yeh don't even know who the father is, do yeh, yer whore? I'm washin' my ‘ands of yeh. I've ‘ad enough, Terri, I've ‘ad it: you can look after it yourself.) The bus trundled on through town, past all the Sunday afternoon shoppers. When Krystal had been small, Terri had taken her into the centre of Yarvil nearly every weekend, forcing her into a pushchair long past the age when Krystal needed it, because it was so much easier to hide nicked stuff with a pushchair, push it down under the kid's legs, hide it under the bags in the basket under the seat. Sometimes Terri would go on tandem shoplifting trips with the sister she spoke to, Cheryl, who was married to Shane Tully. Cheryl and Terri lived four streets away from each other in the Fields, and petrified the air with their language when they argued, which was frequently. Krystal never knew whether she and her Tully cousins were supposed to be on speaking terms or not, and no longer bothered keeping track, but she spoke to Dane whenever she ran across him. They had shagged, once, after splitting a bottle of cider out on the rec when they were fourteen. Neither of them had ever mentioned i t afterwards. Krystal was hazy on whether or not it was legal, doing your cousin. Something Nikki had said had made her think that maybe it wasn't. The bus rolled up the road that led to the main entrance of South West General, and stopped twenty yards from an enormous long rectangular grey and glass building. There were patches of neat grass, a few small trees and a forest of signposts. Krystal followed two old ladies out of the bus and stood with her hands in her tracksuit pockets, looking around. She had already forgotten what kind of ward Danielle had told her Nana Cath was on; she recalled only the number twelve. She approached the nearest signpost with a casual air, squinting at it almost incidentally: it bore line upon line of impenetrable print, with words as long as Krystal's arm and arrows pointing left, right, diagonally. Krystal did not read well; being confronted with large quantities of words made her feel intimidated and aggressive. After several surreptitious glances at the arrows, she decided that there were no numbers there at all, so she followed the two old ladies towards the double glass doors at the front of the main building. The foyer was crowded and more confusing than the signposts. There was a bustling shop, which was separated from the main hall by floor to ceiling windows; there were rows of plastic chairs, which seemed to be full of people eating sandwiches; there was a packed cafe in the corner; and a kind of hexagonal counter in the middle of the floor, where women were answering enquiries as they checked their computers. Krystal headed there, her hands still in her pockets. ‘Where's ward twelve?' Krystal asked one of the women in a surly voice. ‘Third floor,' said the woman, matching her tone. Krystal did not want to ask anything else out of pride, so she turned and walked away, until she spotted lifts at the far end of the foyer and entered one going up. It took her nearly fifteen minutes to find the ward. Why didn't they put up numbers and arrows, not these stupid long words? But then, walking along a pale green corridor with her trainers squeaking on the linoleum floor, someone called her name. ‘Krystal?' It was her aunt Cheryl, big and broad in a denim skirt and tight white vest, with banana-yellow black-rooted hair. She was tattooed from her knuckles to the tops of her thick arms, and wore multiple gold hoops like curtain rings in each ear. There was a can of Coke in her hand. ‘She ain' bothered, then?' said Cheryl. Her bare legs were planted firmly apart, like a sentry guard. †Oo?' ‘Terri. She din' wanna come?' ‘She don' know ye'. I on'y jus' ‘eard. Danielle called an' tole me.' Cheryl ripped off the ring-pull and slurped Coke, her tiny eyes sunken in a wide, flat face that was mottled like corned beef, scrutinizing Krystal over the top of the can. ‘I tole Danielle ter call yeh when it ‘appened. Three days she were lyin' in the ‘ouse, and no one fuckin' found ‘er. The state of ‘er. Fuckin' ‘ell.' Krystal did not ask Cheryl why she herself had not walked the short distance to Foley Road to tell Terri the news. Evidently the sisters had fallen out again. It was impossible to keep up. ‘Where is she?' asked Krystal. Cheryl led the way, her flip-flops making a slapping noise on the floor. ‘Hey,' she said, as they walked. ‘I ‘ad a call fr'm a journalist about you.' ‘Didja?' ‘She give me a number.' Krystal would have asked more questions, but they had entered a very quiet ward, and she was suddenly frightened. She did not like the smell. Nana Cath was almost unrecognizable. One side of her face was terribly twisted, as though the muscles had been pulled with a wire. Her mouth dragged to one side; even her eye seemed to droop. There were tubes taped to her, a needle in her arm. Lying down, the deformity in her chest was much more obvious. The sheet rose and fell in odd places, as if the grotesque head on its scrawny neck protruded from a barrel. When Krystal sat down beside her, Nana Cath made no movement. She simply gazed. One little hand trembled slightly. ‘She ain' talkin', bu' she said yer name, twice, las' nigh',' Cheryl told her, staring gloomily over the rim of her can. There was a tightness in Krystal's chest. She did not know whether it would hurt Nana Cath to hold her hand. She edged her own fingers to within a few inches of Nana Cath's, but let them rest on the bedspread. ‘Rhiannon's bin in,' said Cheryl. ‘An' John an' Sue. Sue's tryin' ter get hold of Anne-Marie.' Krystal's spirits leapt. ‘Where is she?' she asked Cheryl. ‘Somewhere out Frenchay way. Y'know she's got a baby now?' ‘Yeah, I ‘eard,' said Krystal. ‘Wha' was it?' ‘Dunno,' said Cheryl, swigging Coke. Someone at school had told her: Hey, Krystal, your sister's up the duff! She had been excited by the news. She was going to be an auntie, even if she never saw the baby. All her life, she had been in love with the idea of Anne-Marie, who had been taken away before Krystal was born; spirited into another dimension, like a fairy-tale character, as beautiful and mysterious as the dead man in Terri's bathroom. Nana Cath's lips moved. ‘Wha'?' said Krystal, bending low, half scared, half elated. ‘D'yeh wan' somethin', Nana Cath?' asked Cheryl, so loudly that whispering guests at other beds stared over. Krystal could hear a wheezing, rattling noise, but Nana Cath seemed to be making a definite attempt to form a word. Cheryl was leaning over the other side, one hand gripping the metal bars at the head of the bed. ‘†¦ Oh †¦ mm,' said Nana Cath. ‘Wha'?' said Krystal and Cheryl together. The eyes had moved millimetres: rheumy, filmy eyes, looking at Krystal's smooth young face, her open mouth, as she leaned over her great-grandmother, puzzled, eager and fearful. ‘†¦ owin †¦' said the cracked old voice. ‘She dunno wha' she's sayin',' Cheryl shouted over her shoulder at the timid couple visiting at the next bed. ‘Three days lef' on the fuckin' floor, ‘s'not surprisin', is it?' But tears had blurred Krystal's eyes. The ward with its high windows dissolved into white light and shadow; she seemed to see a flash of bright sunlight on dark green water, fragmented into brilliant shards by the splashing rise and fall of oars. ‘Yeah,' she whispered to Nana Cath. ‘Yeah, I goes rowin', Nana.' But it was no longer true, because Mr Fairbrother was dead.

Antz vs Lion King Political

People may just watch Disney movies and walk out of the theater without having any knowledge of the meaning in the movie they just watched. They take their kids to pass the time away and maybe laugh for a few moments. Despite this, these people should know that inside every movie there is a meaning, even if it is an animated Disney movie. In this paper, I will discuss the movie Antz and the movie The Lion King. In the movie Antz, directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, Z 4195 is a worker ant. Feeling unimportant in this conformity system, he accidentally meets beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides with his soldier friend Weaver. By doing this, he ends up crossing the path of General Mandible (Bala's fiance), who wants to divide the ant society into a superior, strong race (soldiers) and an inferior, soon to be killed race (the workers). But Z and Bala, both oblivious of the dangerous situation, try to leave the cruel system by heading for Insectopia, where there is no such system and all insects coexist in harmony. In the movie The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, a young lion prince is born in Africa, making his uncle Scar the second in line to be king. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, in order to make himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, so Simba leaves the kingdom. After years of exile he returns back to the kingdom to take back what was once his father’s, and now his. After watching both of the films, there seemed to be a political message in both of them. In the movie Antz, it seems as if they are trying to show a totalitarian government. According to the American Heritage dictionary, totalitarian is defined as: being, or imposing a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life, the individual is subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is suppressed (American Heritage). In other words, General Mandible runs a totalitarian government in order to make the army ants superior than the worker ants. He wants to take full control of the ant colony by marrying the princess and trying to kill the queen in order to make himself king. The one ant, Z, tries to promote individualism so it can be the remedy for the totalitarian government General Mandible is trying to run. Individualism is defined as: belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence (American Heritage). He tries to tell the other ants that they don’t have to work if they don’t want to. The work they do is the reason why their society is becoming larger. In the movie The Lion King, it seems as if it shows a dictatorship. Dictatorship is defined as: Absolute or despotic control or power (American Heritage). Despite this, Scar, the inferior brother to King Mufasa, tries to take control over Mufasa and Simba and rule the lands. King Mufasa and the animals of Africa are the protagonists. The antagonists are Scar and the Hyenas, who want to control Africa. Some critics have said that Scar is portrayed as Hitler, who leads the hyenas (Nazis) to overthrow King Mufasa and the rest of the animals (Europe) (IMDB). When Scar does take over, everything starts to deteriorate (such as the Nazis did to Eastern Europe). It seemed as if they were running concentration camps. When Simba returns, everything returns to normal-the trees grow back and the grass turns bright green again, symbolizing the relief ceased (The Nazi fall). In a way, these two films are similar. In each movie, both of the antagonists are depicted as evil and angry. They try to take control of the whole colony or kingdom. When they see an obstacle in the way, they try to eliminate it so they can obtain an easy path to the throne. In the movie Antz, individualism is represented as a great value. Z, the individualistic ant, tries to confront General Mandible for his wrongdoings. He tries to stand up for himself and what he believes in, and soon after the rest of the colony starts to follow his ideas. Seeing that Z has now won over the colony with his beliefs, General Mandible gives out a compelling speech about how the colony needs the workers, and that they have their place in helping build a better colony. He goes on to tell his soldiers, â€Å"Gentlemen, now you can see how dangerous individualism can be. It makes us†¦vulnerable. † (Antz, General Mandible). This is why he wants to destroy the working ants. He knows that if the ants all become individualistic, that he will be overrun and not be able to pursue the superior race that he greatly wants. Later on, Z goes on to tell Princess Bala, â€Å"†¦he just died in my arms. I don’t think that once in his life he made his own choice. † (Antz, Z). Here he is talking about one of the soldiers, who told Z not to follow orders all of his life. This scene depicts the reality of the ant colony; unfortunately, the entire colony, especially the ants, were always following commands and following orders-they had no choice. On the contrary, The Lion King does not depict any degree of unhappiness under the rule of King Mufasa. All the animals are living in harmony, doing as they please; therefore, their individualism is not threatened by King Mufasa’s power. Once Scar comes into rule, he begins to dictate and change everything about the kingdom. He gave the hyenas superior authority over the lions and the other animals. Soon, the rest of the animals start to leave the area and the kingdom becomes infested solely with hyenas. With the dictatorship of Scar, the animals’ freedom and sense of individualism was diminished. The political power in each film is exercised in a similar matter. Both movies contain a monarchy, which contains a queen in the movie Antz, and a king in the movie The Lion King. In the movie Antz, the queen ant has a daughter who is the princess. Soon after the Queen dies, the princess will take her place and so on. In order for General Mandible to take control of the whole colony and become king, he must marry Princess Bala. He takes advantage of the monarchy, and turns it into more of a totalitarian government. On the other hand, The Lion King, has a different approach to its monarchy. King Mufasa expresses to his son that they follow the â€Å"Circle of Life† (Allers, Minkoff). In the â€Å"Circle of Life†, King Mufasa explains that, â€Å"When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life†. (Allers, Minkoff). The kingdom in which they live, is not about exercising a control in one’s power, but rather, it is about respect. King Mufasa does take pride in being king, but he does not command and tell the other animals what to do in every aspect of their lives. Scar was second in line to the throne, being King Mufasa’s brother, but Simba’s birth made him the direct heir to the throne, thus pushing back Scar to third in line. And as the story goes, Scar becomes furious and turns on his own family because he is greedy. He then goes on to kill his brother and he tries to kill Simba but with no success. Simba returns from going away for a while, and goes back to being king and completing the â€Å"Circle of Life†. In each of the films, it shows us what a government should do in a situation where it endangers its people. In Antz, after General Mandible takes the soldier ants out of the colony, and closes in the working ants, the worker ants come together and help each other out. The people (ants) of the government (ant colony), need to stick together and not be against each other. In the end, General Mandible says, â€Å"I am the colony†, and soon after tries to kill Z but ends up killing himself. The colony came together and stood up for what they believed in, and took down the tyrant who was trying to make the colony â€Å"better† by turning it into a totalitarian government. In The Lion King, the government (jungle) does not really put up a fight against Scar. They let him control the lands and do whatever he pleases with the hyenas. Only when Simba comes back, the other lions are motivated to fight. In a point in the movie, Scar is cornered and blames everything on the hyenas and is soon after pushed over the cliff by Simba. Although Scar killed King Mufasa, Simba did not want to kill Scar. Instead justice was served when the hyenas attacked Scar because he had turned his back on them after false promises. You can see that all over the world, there have been dictators, such as Fidel Castro or Hitler, that have fallen. They have fallen not only because of their decisions, but because of the people. Like the aforementioned, there is more to a movie than you think. Before doing this paper, I just thought these movies were just animated films that were made for children. But the truth is that they have a meaning towards the adult viewers also. I believe that in Antz, the ants try to overthrow General Mandible’s totalitarian government in order to achieve a full sense of individualism. In the movie The Lion King, I believe that there is a dictatorship when Scar is in command. He does not rule the lands like King Mufasa, who gave everyone an equal right to live and be happy. Despite the antagonist’s attempts to rule, their justice is served, and in both movies the protagonists get what they want. All in all, always find the true meaning behind a film.