Robert Frost - The Road Not Taken - 773 Words

English 102 Poetry Essay We all will hit a point in our lives where we have to make some decisions, some more than others, and Robert Frost alludes to this in a relatable way in his poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. Frost uses some great images to describe the situation the narrator is in. He also lets you visualize the thoughts and actions that the narrator is making. There are so many ways you can tell what Frost is saying in this poem by taking a close look into his many uses of symbolism. Frosts first use of symbolism in his poem is in the first two lines â€Å"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both† (Frost, 555). The two roads are being referred as a time in the narrator’s life where he has to make an†¦show more content†¦Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. Frost, Robert. The Road Not Taken. Backpack Literature: And introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Kennedy, X.J., Dana Gioia. New Jersey: Pearson, 2011.Show MoreRelatedThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost983 Words   |  4 PagesThe poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken was written by Robert Frost, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, and also a special guest at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration (Robert Frost Biography). Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California and he died of complications from prostate surgery on January 29, 1963. Much of Robert’s popularity was gained throughout Europe (An Analysis of Robert Frost’s Poem: The Road Not Taken). Frost became a poetic force, and the unofficial poetRead MoreThe Road Not Taken by Robert Frost764 Words   |  3 PagesWritten by Robert Frost, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† deals with about making choices in life and how those choices affect your whole life. The meter of this poem is iambic tetrameter, for the most part. In most lines, the meter follows the rule with four iambs, which means that there is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. But the meter is not normal since, in some lines, an anapest, which means there are two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable, is substituted forRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1173 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Frost, one of America’s well-known poets is highly regarded for his realistic illustrations of rural life and poetry which is still relevant in today’s society. After being honoured on numerous occasions, he became one of America’s most popular public figures. Frosts’ poems reflect his greatness and his life in a variety of ways after he was confronted with such despair and grief after the passing of his father due to tuberculosis at just eleven years of age and his mother who passed awayRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost995 Words   |  4 Pagesthey can only move forward hoping for the best. â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, Robert Frost, 1916. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken† a traveler is strolling through the woods and comes across two different roads he could take, and unable to travel both the poet eventually chooses which path to take. The theme conveyed is about making choices. Frost does this through the use of diction, the use of figure of speech, and the use of imagery. To start with, Frost displays the main idea of decision making by the wordsRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1055 Words   |  5 Pagesago. Either way, if you admit it now or in the wee hours of the night, like most people, you will come across this question at least once in your life. Robert Frost was able to grasp this raw, vulnerable life changing moment in the palm of his hand. Then he beautifully laid it out in the form of words in the narrative poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. Frost is able to take you back to a time when you have been faced with a life-changing decision. Then, causing you to ask yourself â€Å"Did I make the right choiceRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost940 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Road Not Taken† was written by Robert Frost in 1916, and it was the first poem in the collection Mountain Interval (Shmoop). Even though it was written many years ago, people of all ages still study this enticing poem. Frost wrote about coming to a fork in the woods and examining which path he should take and whether he might ever come back; the speaker believes each path is fine to take, but he takes the less used path (line 6). He wrote about this decision in clear, standard English. â€Å"TheRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost863 Words   |  4 PagesThe Poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, by Robert Frost is a detailed poem about a conflict in a person’s life, dealing with having to take the right path throughout life. The Narrator of this poem is faced with a predicament when he comes across two paths. The choices that he makes in his life, can alter the future for better or worse. This poem describes his attitude and emotion towards his choices as well as, shows examples of themes, mood, and different literary devices. The title of this poem canRead MoreThe Road Not Taken, By Robert Frost968 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Response 3 Title: The Road Not Taken Text Type: Poem Author: Robert Frost The poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost is about the â€Å"roads† and different paths we take in our lives. Frost wrote about a traveler who had to chose between two roads. He had to decide if he wanted to go down the well used or less used path. In the end, he went down the less used path. The theme of decision making and choices is shown in this poem. I think that this is a way of describing the choices we makeRead MoreRoad Not Taken, Robert Frost942 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 101 Burstrem October 7, 2009 The Road Not Taken Life is full of choices and decisions that could ultimately change the outcome of our lives. In the poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost, a traveler is destined to make that decision. This traveler man has to decide which road to take, one that is frequently traveled, and the one that is not. After contemplating which road to follow, he comes to the decision to take the road less traveled because he doesn’t want to follow inRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1100 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Frost reflects that poetry â€Å"begins in delight and ends in wisdom†¦.It runs a course of lucky events , and ends in a clarification of life—not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are found on, but in a momentary stay against confusion† (931). His poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a clarification of life. This paper will analyze and evaluate the formal elements of â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and consid er how these elements work together to fit the author’s purpose and clarification

Psychological Perspectives Of Human Behavior - 1542 Words

Outline and evaluate at least three psychological perspectives of human behaviour. The purpose of this essay is to outline and evaluate at least three psychological perspectives of human behaviour. The three approaches that will be summarised are humanistic, social learning theory and the Biological approach. They will also be criticised and compared to one another. A brief description on psychology will occur, and there will also be a short summarisation on some key early influences of psychology, from its origins in philosophy. Psychology is a scientific application of behaviourism. It evolved from three key areas of research, philosophy, biology and physics. In 1879 a man named Wilhelm Wundt created the first laboratory with the sole†¦show more content†¦This constitutes a dialogue on the contrary to a monologue. It allowed teachers and students to be able to discuss matters, rather than it being a one way teaching process There are many different perspectives in modern psychology, they are known as behaviourist, humanistic, psychodynamic, social learning theory (SLT), Biological and cognitive. Amongst these approaches there are similarities and differences, such as the cognitive approach, this conducts scientific experiments to measure mental processes therefore dismissing the psychodynamic use of introspection. During the 1950s the humanistic approach was established, this was because of the growing panic therapists started to experience due to the limitations of psychoanalysis. The man who started this approach was Carl Rogers; he had no faith in psychoanalysis due to his belief that psychoanalysis had fallen short in handling the nature of healthy growth in the individual. Rather than just looking at behaviour from an observer’s point of view, Humanism looks at behaviour from the eyes of the person in question. Due to the fact that this approach centres on personal experiences and subjective concepts, humanists do not deem scientific practices as justified or acceptable. This perspective proposes that each and every one of us is liable for our own euphoria. In modern day psychotherapy an extensive field of efficient methods are at our disposal due to the impact of humanistic

Phl 458 Week 4 Individual Assignment Famous Thinkers Paper Free Essays

Twentieth Century Thinkers PHL/458 Twentieth Century Thinkers The Twentieth Century, the year 1901, proved to be a time of change, brilliance, dedication, and new-found technology (2011). From quill pens to ink pens, horse-drawn carriages to gas powered engines, slavery and segregation of Blacks and Whites to the Civil Rights movement, and from handwriting on tablets to storing important information in a computer; the Twentieth Century made a tremendous amount of positive contributions to society. The contributions made in the Twentieth Century are often over-looked and taken for granted. We will write a custom essay sample on Phl 458 Week 4 Individual Assignment Famous Thinkers Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Americans in particular have become somewhat spoiled with that is â€Å"just there. † What is forgotten and should often is; without the integrity and dedication within the creative minds of the Twentieth Century, the United States would be living as if it were still 1901 rather than 2012. Many individuals are responsible for the growth of this time. Two of the most influential, though each had a separate aspiration, are Martin Luther King and Bill Gates. Both men contributed a significant amount, and have gone down in history as individuals who changed the way the world worked personally, socially, and politically. Martin Luther King was one of the most influential civil rights activists and speakers of recent time. According to a Newsday article, King’s mission was to lead the world into a more accepting place with not only the Black American population but also other minority groups. The article also referred to King as, â€Å"Honored most for his heroic civil rights activism in the United States† as well as â€Å"a prophet of peace and justice in a world torn by war in Vietnam† (1992). Among his many accomplishments, Martin Luther King was a doctor, writer of five published books, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and at the age of 35 he was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize (1964). The â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech given by Martin Luther King captivated the hearts of individuals supporting the Civil Rights cause. His solutions and ideas were implemented widely and had a huge mpact on rights among the White and Black America. In 1950 King, and the NAACP assisted in the â€Å"Brown v. Board of Education,† in Topeka, Kansas, which led to the acceptance of Black Americans in all White public schools (PBS, 2001). The thousands of marches and protests he led among the United States proved that one man can indeed make a difference. Bill Gates is also a man who made a difference in the Twentieth Century, though his passion in the beginning of his career came strictly from knowledge and intelligence. Gates is described by Who’s Who in the Twentieth Century as a â€Å"US businessman who co-founded Microsoft Corporation, which in the 1980s became the leading computer software producer. † In 2008, Microsoft was, according to this same source, accused of illegal activities, which led to Gates departure at Microsoft (Phillips, 2008). After Microsoft fell through for Gates, he advanced on to study philanthropy, which is a corporation or individual (s) donate to the goodwill of humanity. Bill Gates, still possessing ties with the Microsoft cooperation could do this combining his newfound wealth and his intelligence (Time Magazine, 2008). An article from Think Big Magazine quotes from Time, â€Å"For many years, Microsoft has used corporate philanthropy to bring technology to people who can’t get it otherwise, donating more than $3 billion in cash and software to try to bridge the digital divide† (2008). Martin Luther King and Bill Gates made different, yet important contributions to society. King â€Å"had a dream,† that combined with intelligence and persistence, helped the United States become more accepting toward minority groups. Without his determination, America may not have voted in the first Black president. Bill Gates had a dream as well; however, with his wealth Gates dreams could come true slightly faster than Kings. Gates dream, though it began with computer technology, microchips, and corporate ladder climbing; ended with wealth. Without his innovative approach, technology would not have reached the levels on intensity that it has and continue to do over the years, but the goodwill Gates has done for humanity is very noble. Both men brought a completely different level of critical thinking into the world than the other, which could make comparing and critiquing their work, for some individuals, quite difficult. Martin Luther King and Bill Gates, though from the outside looking in may be individuals who had different agendas, have both made a huge impact on society. The courage Martin Luther King had to stand up for his fellow Black American citizens and is comparable to the strength that Bill Gates has to rise above his initial failure and change himself to better mankind. Both men have offered the Twentieth Century hope for future generations. For an individual to critique the work of either of these men without having put forth any great effort themselves, some may believe is just ignorance and close-mindedness. In a perfect â€Å"dream† world, Martin Luther King and Bill Gates would have collaborated and combined their efforts to achieve a better world. Together their efforts could have been impossible and even more life changing than their work was as individuals. With the wealth of Bill Gates, Martin Luther King may not have had to fight such a battle for freedom, and with the genuine initial compassion as Martin Luther King, Bill Gates may have realized firsthand that his true passion lies within helping humanity. Unfortunately, the time was not meant for them to work as one; however there is hope that future generations will be able to look past White and Black, wealth and poverty, and combine forces to contribute similar, selfless traits just as King and Gates were able to do as individuals. References http://ehistory. osu. edu/world/TimeLineDisplay. cfm? Era_id=16 This Is Not Just’: A Revolution Of Values on the Jericho Road: [CITY Edition] Newsday [Long Island, N. Y] 20 Jan 1992: 58. â€Å"Martin Luther King – Biography†. Nobelprize. rg. October 31, 2011 http://www. nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio. html http://www. nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio. html http://www. pbs. org/kcet/publicschool/innovators/brown. html â€Å"Gates, Bill†Ã‚  World Encyclopedia. Philip’s, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Apollo Group. October 31, 2011 http://www. thinkbigmagazine. com/mindset/223-billgat es-big-thinker http://topics. nytimes. com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/bill_gates/index. html How to cite Phl 458 Week 4 Individual Assignment Famous Thinkers Paper, Essay examples

Mgm Case Analysis free essay sample

MGM Resorts International ( MGM) is a Fortune 500 company traded on the NYSE in the complex and unpredictable industry of gaming and hospitality. MGM is one of the leading global hospitality companies with a portfolio of 15 wholly owned resorts and gaming properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan and 50 percent stakes in four additional properties in the US and China ( Exhibit 1). With approximately 45,000 full time employees, the company has an enterprise value of $ 18. 09 billion and 2010 revenues of more than $ 6 billion ( Exhibit 2). It is the third largest revenue generating company in its industry. MGM believes its success is due to its reputation for delivering high quality gaming and luxury services and believes its hospitality and entertainment venues are the best in the business. 1 Previously thought to be a recession- proof industry, gaming was not only hit harder than expected by the most recent economic recession, but is on a slower than predicted road to recovery. We will write a custom essay sample on Mgm Case Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Nevertheless, many leading analysts view MGM as a worthwhile long- term investment. In fact, within the MGM conglomerate, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, and MGM Las Vegas experienced double- digit EBITDA growth in 2010 and were projected to grow even more in 2011. Yet, despite its isolated wins and the subtle optimism in the financial community toward the gaming industry as a whole, MGM faces significant concerns. At $ 12. 1 billion, MGM carries one of the heaviest debt burdens and shows the largest net operating losses in the industry year over year since 2007— posting losses in excess of $ 1 billion for both 2009 and 20103 ( Exhibit 3). Domestically, MGM has debt obligations maturing in 2013 and 2014. Internationally, MGM is working to offset a weak dollar with new growth ventures in China and Vietnam and has experienced higher than anticipated returns from its Macau ( China) property. While its competitors are experiencing similar difficulties and achievements domestically and abroad, MGM also faces market share erosion as its competitors put capital toward enhancing their images against the MGM brand with more frequency and ease. Adding to its challenges and central to its recent lack of flexibility is MGM’s ill- timed massive undertaking— CityCenter. Construction began on this 68- acre, $ 9 billion joint venture on the Las Vegas Strip ( The Strip) in 2006 when American businesses could still reasonably turn a blind eye to the brewing implosion of the banking and credit markets and the subsequent ithdrawal of the common consumer from the gaming and hospitality markets. While MGM cannot be blamed for the timing of this bit of bad luck, it had to weather the storm and now must deal with the damage rendered. In a nutshell, MGM is at a crossroads that could provide the opportunity for a timely strategic evaluation; it needs to reevaluate its identity wi thin the industry and seek opportunities that enable long- term sustainability. The company and its directors must analyze its tangible and intangible assets and determine if and where they fit within the vision for the company. Most pressing however is whether MGM should downsize to cut its losses and how to stop the flow of market share to its competitors. Firm History Part 1: The Beginning The group of properties that comprise what is now known as MGM Resorts International began in the 60s under the leadership of Kirk Kerkorian. Kerkorian, a pilot and the owner of a small charter airline that ferried gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, began to purchase, lease, sell, and build properties, such as The Flamingo and The International, through his Leisure International Company. In 1971, and soon after opening the world’s largest hotel at the time, Paradise Road, Kerkorian sold Leisure International to Hilton Hotels. The following year, Kerkorian began to build another hotel- casino on The Strip that would open in 1973 as the MGM Grand Las Vegas. With 2,100 rooms, the MGM Grand Las Vegas allowed Kerkorian to reclaim the bragging rights as owner of the world’s largest hotel. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Reno to Bally’s ( both renamed Bally’s after their purchase) and, later that year, incorporated MGM Grand. The late 80s and early 90s held several ventures for Kerkorian and MGM including the start of MGM Grand Air, a new charter airline, and the opening of the new 5,005 room MGM Grand— making Kerkorian, once again, owner of the largest hotel in the world. 4 Part 2: The Growth Years 1995– 2007 In the mid 90s, MGM riveted its attention to the booming real- estate market. Not only did it acquire property and facilities on The Strip, but also in South Africa and Australia. Between 1995 and 1997, MGM opened New York- New York on The Strip and MGM Grand Australia in Darwin, and agreed to manage four casinos in South Africa. Looking to expand further, MGM acquired Primadonna Resorts in 1999. Later that year, MGM Grand Detroit opened in a temporary facility and ‘ The Mansions,’ high- end luxury suites at MGM Grand Las Vegas, were introduced. 5 From 1995 to 2000, net revenues grew 327 percent— from $ 722 million to $ 3. 08 billion. 6,7 This growth trend continued into the early 2000s with the $ 6. 4 billion acquisition of Steve Wynn’s Mirage Resorts. This acquisition included Golden Nugget, Monte Carlo ( 50 percent), Mirage, and Bellagio on The Strip as well as other regional locations including Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. With the acquisition of Mirage Resorts, MGM Grand Inc. was renamed MGM Mirage. In 2005, MGM made another large purchase acquiring Mandalay Resort Group for $ 7. 9 billion and its 16 locations including Luxor, Mandalay Bay, and Circus Circus on The Strip. The acquisitions of the Mirage and Mandalay holdings incurred large debt transactions of $ 2 billion8 and $ 2. 5 billion, 9 respectively. In 2006, MGM announced its focus on extending the MGM brand into the development of its hospitality subsidiary, MGM Hospitality, responsible for sourcing both gaming and non- gaming investment and management opportunities. Concurrently, the company opened the Grand Macau in China. Divestments of multiple properties played a major role in accumulating nearly $ 1 billion in capital during this same period. 10 By the end of 2007, total revenue had increased 7. 2 percent and net income was an astonishing $ 1. 58 billion. However, within only 15 months of its 2007 banner year, MGM’s stock prices would plummet from $ 99. 5/ share to less than $ 2. 00/ share ( Exhibit 4). Part 3: Economic Downturn 2008 Forward In 2006, MGM had begun construction in Las Vegas on the largest private development project in US history— CityCenter: a multi- use gaming, condominium, hotel, convention, and retail outlet development. It was CityCenter that would bring MGM to the brink of bankruptcy in 2009. With many industries beginning to feel the strain of the weakening economy beginning in 2008, the majority of industry experts continued to contend the gaming industry was recession proof. But when called on its bluff, The Strip— overbuilt and significantly funded by MGM’s growth investments— showed its hand. In 2008, MGM reacted by folding its $ 5 billion Atlantic City project and selling its Treasure Island Resort and Casino for approximately $ 775 million. 11 The $ 7 billion CityCenter project budget quickly ballooned to over $ 9 billion and MGM had to be bailed out by its joint venture partner— Dubai World. 12 To avoid negative credit/ stock ratings and continue operations, MGM needed to generate cash; however, it was in too deep on a number of projects and had no choice but to stick it out and see them to completion. CityCenter opened in December 2009— unfortunately, to less than stellar fanfare. Stock prices fell hard and fast with impending negative quarterly profit earnings. MGM reported a net loss of $ 856 million in 2008 and $ 1. 3 billion in 2009 and saw its stock price hit an all- time low on March 6, 2009 of $ 1. 81/ share. Looking at this period in retrospect in April 2011, Chief Financial Officer Dan D’Arrigo explained it this way: We were faced with many challenges over a 24- month period. We were focused on getting to the finish line with CityCenter and then shoring up our own finances and liquidity as it pertains to MGM Resorts. We were able to do a lot of things during that time, however, that a lot of companies could not do, including raising capital and improving our liquidity. What gets lost often is the fact that this company raised over $ 7 billion in liquidity during some of the darkest financial times when capital markets were closed. Bond markets were closed and there was no lending going on at all. . . One thing became crystal clear to us. We weren’t effectively leveraging who we are and who we were as an entity. 14 On June 15, 2010, the company officially changed its name to MGM Resorts International based on CEO Jim Murren and the board of directors’ hopes of better aligning the MGM brand with its international intentions. 15 Although 2010 ended with a net loss of $ 1. 43 billion, many industry analysts believed that, based on its fourth qua rter 2010 results, MGM was on track for a return to prosperity— albeit in ten years or more. While operations contributed positive cash flows of $ 499 million in 2010, analysts expressed short- term concerns that this was the result of a period of underinvestment in its properties due to high debt burdens. In addition, some analysts forecasted negative cash flows in 2011— further limiting MGM’s financial flexibility. To the surprise of most, when MGM released its 2011 first quarter earnings in May 2011, MGM reported increases to revenue of 3 percent and EBITDA of 15 percent. Even though a net loss of $ 90 million was reported, it was $ 7 million less than the loss reported in the same quarter the previous year. All told, the announcement was considered by many a healthy progression compared to the previous few years. Additionally, signs of a spring thaw began to pop up in the form of improved room occupancy as well as a rebound of the heavily relied upon Las Vegas convention market. A major bright spot were the increased revenues from overseas markets with MGM Grand Macau continuing to show improvements, again reinforcing optimism around MGM. 18 Future expectations for MGM are mixed. Despite being the third largest company in its industry, MGM has the lowest profits. Earnings estimates by top analysts show modest sales increases of 3 percent to 5 percent expected in 2011 and 2012 with year over year earnings estimated between 0. 3 and 0. 6 percent. 19 Already factored into their estimates, on April 13, 2011 MGM announced it would take a 51 percent ownership stake in the MGM Grand Macau. 20 Along with the potential sale of the Atlantic City Borgata, this ownership stake should result in positive liquidity of approximately $ 311 million. 21 In the meantime, management has been able to retain large assets and continue construction on properties yet to be completed. One of these properties is the MGM Grand Ho Tram in Vietnam scheduled to open in 2013. This $ 4. 2 billion multifunctional entertainment site is located near Ho Chi Minh City near the South China Sea and features 1,100 luxury rooms22 ( Exhibit 5). The Pit Bosses MGM is a premier luxury resort and entertainment conglomerate. Many companies have portfolios similar to MGM and compete in various geographic markets with a variety of casino sizes and target markets ( Exhibit 6). MGM’s primary competitors are Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Penn National, Boyd Gaming, and Caesars Entertainment ( Exhibits 7 and 8). As MGM consolidated its energies and efforts to survive the economic recession amidst its massive development of CityCenter, each of these competitors staked a claim to a piece of MGM’s market share. Las Vegas Sands Las Vegas Sands ( LVS) is a gaming and convention company with properties and resorts in Nevada, Pennsylvania, Macau, and Singapore and the second highest revenues in the industry. Incorporated in 1988, LVS owns and operates The Strip’s very popular Venetian and Palazzo. LVS reports an enterprise value of $ 38. 6 billion with revenues in 2010 of $ 6. 9 billion ( up over 50 percent from 2009) and over 34,000 employees on payroll. 3 While LVS experienced net losses in 2008 and 2009 of $ 164 million and $ 355 million respectively, the company rebounded in 2010 to turn a profit of $ 599 million with an 8. 75 percent profit margin. 24 Like many of its competitors, LVS came through the recession by suspending operations that did not have the potential to quickly t urn a profit. On a less optimistic note, in March 2011, LVS was subpoenaed in a joint SEC and Department of Justice investigation stemming from allegations made by fired CEO of Sands China, Steve Jacobs, that he was instructed to engage in illegal activities including bribery of foreign officials. 5 Despite this and the cautious expectations for the industry overall, LVS’s first quarter 2011 results were much more favorable than predicted with operating income reported at $ 299 million— making LVS, at least for the moment, leader of the pack. Wynn Resorts Ltd Founded in 2002, Wynn Resorts ( Wynn) primarily owns and operates Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on The Strip. Additionally, the company operates two casinos in Macau that opened in 2006 and 2010. 27 Wynn hotels and casinos are considered preeminent luxury destinations. By 2010, and with only three properties, Wynn had developed an enterprise value of $ 19 billion with over 16,000 employees. Wynn’s 2010 revenue exceeded $ 4. 5 billion with a reported profit of $ 307 million and a profit margin of 6. 77 percent. With ongoing pressure to outperform its competitors in the upper- end luxury gaming market, Wynn has successfully managed its finances by borrowing money to clear its balance sheet and delever itself by generating cash from new operations. 28 For example, Wynn created a new alliance with PokerStar, a popular online gaming poker business, to establish a new environment promoting safe online poker play. Furthermore, Wynn has closely managed its budgets on new investments. As part of its 2009 efficiency initiatives, the construction of its casino in Macau that opened in 2010 came in $ 125 million under budget. 29 Trends in 2011 show its first quarter earnings were primarily driven by its holdings in Macau. Table game holds allowed Wynn to achieve an increase in EBITDA of over 70 percent in the first quarter 2011. With net income reported at $ 173. 4 million, in April, the board announced a cash dividend of $ 0. 50/ share. 30 Penn National Founded in Pennsylvania at the Penn National Race Course, Penn National Gaming Inc. Penn) began busi-ness in 1972 and went public in May 1994. 31 Penn owns and operates 19 casinos and racetracks in 16 different states and is primarily an acquisition- based company of mid- size casinos. Penn employs 16,000 people and has over 27,000 gaming machines. Penn’s enterprise value in 2010 was $ 4. 91 billion with $ 2. 5 billion in revenue and net inco me amounting to $ 47 million. Penn’s first quar-ter EBITDA for 2011 increased by 19. 7 percent to $ 178 million primarily due to new acquisitions and openings in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. 2 Boyd Gaming Corporation Boyd Gaming ( Boyd) was founded in 1975 by Sam Boyd and taken public in 1988. Over the next thirty years, it acquired 16 gaming properties in six different states. Boyd’s company vision states it is â€Å" a billion- dollar company that retains the philosophy of a family- owned business, focused on creating long- term, sustainable growth for our shareholders. This philosophy defines and separates us from the competition, making us unique in our industry. † 33 In 2010, Boyd had an enterprise value of $ 4. 1 billion with revenues of $ 2. billion and a net loss of $ 1. 65 billion. In the first quarter of 2011, Boyd sustained a $ 3. 5 million loss and a 36 percent increase in expenses. 34 Furthermore, Boyd announced on May 16, 2011, that The Sahara, a presence on The Strip for nearly 60 years, was officially closing its doors. 35 Caesars Entertainment Corporation ( formerly Harrah’s) Caesars Entertainment Corporation ( Caesars) is consid-ered the â€Å" largest and most diverse casino company in the world† with operations under the Harrah’s, Horseshoe, and Caesars names. 6 Founded and headquartered in 1998 in Las Vegas, Caesars has over 50,000 employees and is the number one revenue generator in the industry. On January 28, 2008, Apollo Global Management, LLC and TPG Capital, LP, both private equity firms, acquired Caesars and assumed its debt load of $ 13. 4 billion in an all- cash transaction valued at $ 30. 7 billion. As a result of this acquisition, Caesars stock is no longer publicly traded and complete financial data for direct industry comparison is not available. In 2010, Caesars had net revenues of $ 8. billion with a loss of $ 831 million. 37 Caesars strives to abide by the following philosophy: â€Å" We concentrate on building loyalty and value for our cus-tomers, employees, business partners, and communities by being the most service- oriented, technology- driven, geographically- diversified company in gaming. † Although Caesars fourth quarter 2010 EBITDA increased by 3 percent, net revenue decreased 0. 4 percent. Las Vegas occupancy at Caesars properties increased 440 basis points with continued growth on The Strip. 9 While 2011 showed modest growth— albeit wit h declining revenues— and after winning a court ruling to proceed, Caesars planned to move ahead with a new 27,000 seat sports arena on The Strip. 40 A Tale of Two Cultures In a review of the US based hospitality/ gaming industry, two distinct customer geographies must be addressed— the US and China— each of which drives significant revenue for the sector. The United States Within the US, populations are both aging and migrating away from Eastern and Midwestern urban areas. 1 By 2030, one in five Americans will be over the age of 65. Sunbelt states such as Florida, Nevada, and Texas have all seen significant gains in both population and new business. Despite a post- 9/ 11 slowdown owing to tighter immigration restrictions, over 1 million legal immigrants have arrived each year since 2005— numbers that will help replace and support the retiring baby-boomer workforce. 42 The recent collapse and subsequent federal resuscitation of many major US banks has put a significant strain on the nation’s economy. Americans fortunate enough to have a job are now putting what little disposable and discretionary income they have toward delayed expenditures and reducing debts incurred during this period ( Exhibit 9). With more than 25 percent of the two fastest growing demographic segments in the US— Blacks and Hispanics— living at or below the poverty rate, 43 entitlement programs funded by the increasingly poorer federal and state governments— both of which have seen tax revenues drop significantly over the last three years— are stretched to the limit. With the faltering economy the central focus of American discourse, local governments and populations have begun to move away from the traditional moral questions surrounding casino development of â€Å" Should we? † and toward â€Å" How can we? † ( Exhibit 10). State legislatures in Pennsylvania, 45 Michigan, 46 Indiana, Illinois, and Mississippi have seen regional casinos thrive— generating revenue and providing jobs for constituents ( Exhibit 11). 7 The trend continues with Ohio casinos set to begin operations in 2012 and expected to contribute in excess of $ 500 million per year to state coffers. 48 Of course, Nevada continues to be a force as well with casinos the largest employers in the state, a powerful lobby in the American Gaming Association, and the vocal advocacy of the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid. 49 Las Vegas continues to occupy a unique place in American consciousness. Having been dubbed â€Å" Sin City,† it serves as a multifaceted escape. Its marketing campaign tagline â€Å" What happens here, stays here† 50 signifies the break from normal life it provides. The industry is now attempting to spread this feeling to casinos across the country to capitalize on the American demand for instant gratification by providing levers to pull and dice to roll. Once considered a diversion of the less virtuous, many factors are purported to contribute to the less contentious acceptance of the world of casinos, gaming, and gambling. Among others, these include declining religious affiliations, a sharp jump in teen pregnancies, 51 a rise in prescription narcotics use, and the displacement of the traditional family by cohabitating ( both opposite and same gender) and single parents52— all considered indicators of changing socio- cultural values in the US. 53 Topped off with a mind numbing news cycle and the tacit acceptance of the wholesale erosion of privacy, the fact that casinos are no longer associated with moral or lifestyle choices but instead viewed as yet another form of entertainment is unsurprising ( Exhibit 12). While public gaming corporations in the US are subject to the same transparency regulations of the SEC as any other US corporation, their forays into China have created issues. Most notably are potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ( FCPA) violations by LVS54 and MGM’s difficulties in New Jersey given its dealings with a questionable Chinese investment partner. 55 China As one of the oldest cultures in the world, China has a rich history and tradition of gambling that extends back thousands of years. Interestingly, the oft- envisioned demand of the Chinese government for social order may in fact be what perpetuates the habit and obses-sion with gambling held by so many of its citizens. Deprived of many freedoms, Chinese have a measurable external locus of control— in other words, they â€Å" believe that luck, destiny, chance and powerful others control their lives more than themselves. † 56 Seemingly contra-indicated, this, in combination with proper deference to superstitions, leads to a higher illusion of control— and thus, increased risk taking, often, at games of chance. Measuring one’s karma or virtue in this manner may also explain the large percentage of Chinese that gamble not for the money, but for camaraderie and entertain-ment. In 2010, nearly 25 million people visited the tiny 11 square mile coastal region of Macau with 88 percent of those visitors coming from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. 57 Unlike Las Vegas, however, nearly 55 percent of Macau visitors are â€Å" day trippers†Ã¢â‚¬â€ visitors that arrive and leave without spending money on accommodations. China is predicted to reach the same proportion of 1 in 5 citizens over the age of 65 ten years after the US, in 2040. 8 However, by today’s population rates, that will equal 267. 9 million seniors in China as compared to only 62. 4 million in the US. 59 Complicating the issue of its aging population will be a marked shortage of working age Chinese ( as a result of China’s 1979 one child policy) to replace and support its aging population. Unlike the US, immigr ation has not, and likely will not, replenish China’s youth. 60 Even so, at present and in contrast to the US, urban incomes in China rose tenfold between 1991 and 200961 making China’s middle class alone the same size as the entire US population. 2 In addition to being newly affluent, China’s new middle class, at least for now, is able to both spend and save simultaneously. 63 Despite being illegal in China, there is no shortage of opportunities for those living in China to gamble. From a friendly round of mah jong with the neighbors to roaming card games to cruise ships in Hong Kong and Singapore that take passengers to international waters and set anchor, gambling has and will continue to be an integral part of Chinese culture. Officially, casino operations are restricted to the former Portuguese colony of Macau where a tenuous balance of private interests, criminal elements, and regional government are all now being more closely watched by Beijing. 64 While a lucrative source of income for the Chinese government, many are beginning to express concern about the reasoning of officials that, because gambling is illegal, it is not possible that any of its citizens would have a gambling addiction; therefore, because it could not be a problem, no gambling addiction education, intervention, or rehabilitation is required or offered. The Dealers In the casino/ hotel realm, there are two distinct supplier lines inbound to properties: hospitality related supplies, including everything from food to sheets to soap, and casino/ gaming specific supplies with slot machines to electronic poker to craps tables and thousands upon thousands of decks of cards. For all their consumable and durable products, the resort casinos have a large contingent of eager suppliers to choose from for anything from attresses and poker chips to staff uniforms and bottled water. 65 The cost of ultra luxury products or furnishings may still be relatively high, but with fewer buyers in the market and the promise to consider a long- term relationship, casinos are often able to leverage their size and sustainability as a customer to squeeze the margins of a supplier. In fact, in this high-profile market, even elite manufacturers of branded goods can find themselves competing for â€Å" shelf space† inside a hotel or casino. Even top tier b rands are not concerned about pricing power when a casino comes calling,† says Carleen Jorgensen, Managing Director of Brand and Consumer Marketing at Burson Marsteller. â€Å". . . via partnership or other arrangement, they will find their way in before a competitor does to get exposure. † 66 On the other hand, casino specific suppliers face a tough battle. International Game Technology, better known as IGT, is the most successful maker of slots and electronic gaming machines and does well with its highly diversified offering of branded machines. 7 However, IGT has faced not only antitrust complaints from rival slotmaker Bally Technologies, 68 but battles with WMS Industries, another game manufacturer, and others in casino operations and security as well. 69 Due to this lack of industry solidarity, the major casinos in Las Vegas and Macau hold the winning hand. Specialized assets such as the exclusive rights to a high demand show, popular entertainer, or even a celebri ty chef are significantly more expensive on relative terms but, compared to the revenue they can generate, represent a small portion of total expenses and can pay off in spades.

Midsummers Night Dream Essays - A Midsummer Nights Dream, Hermia

Midsummer's Night Dream So often, when books or plays get made into movies, the whole story is butchered, and the final outcome is uninteresting. This is not the case for A Midsummer-Night's Dream. The movie A Midsummer-Night's Dream was extremely well acted out , and had an entertaining plot that kept its viewers intrigued. Its plot was fun and dream-like that kept its viewers entertained. The story line and critical elements were well acted out exciting to follow. Shakespeare created many parallels between this play and that of Hamlet. Overall this was a very good movie, one that I would definitely one that I would tell a friend about. The action in A Midsummer-Night's Dream takes place in mythical Athens. Theseus, the reigning Duke, has conquered the Amazons and has fallen in love with their beautiful queen, Hippolyta. As the play opens, he tells us that their wedding is to take place in five days. At this point, Egeus, a wealthy Athenian, brings his daughter Hermia before the Duke. Having fallen in love with Lysander, a young man of whom her father disapproves, Hermia has refused to marry Demetrius, who is her fathers choice. Demetrius had been in love with Hermia's friend, Helena, but had abandoned her for Hermia. The Duke tells Hermia that according to Athenian law, she must marry Demetrius or die. The other alternative is a life of chastity as a virgin priestess. She has until the Duke's wedding day to decide. After the other leave, Hermia and Lysander determine to meet in a wood near the city the following night. Then they plant to leave the city and go tot a place outside of Athenian jurisdiction where they can be married. Helena promises to help the lovers, and they leave. When Demetrius returns, Helena, who is hopelessly in love with him, tries to win his favor by telling him of Hermia's plan to elope. She is bitterly disappointed when Demetrius hurries away to stop the elopement, but she follows him. In another part of Athens a group of common men, led by Peter Quince, are preparing a play to be given at the wedding feast of Theseus and Hippolyta. The "star" of the group, Nick Bottom, struts and boasts of his ability to play any and all the parts and is finally cast as the hero. All the parts are assigned and the rehearsal is set to take place the next night in the wood outside of Athens- the same wood where Hermia and Lysander are to meet. The night in question is Midsummer's Eve, a time of great rejoicing and mischief among the fairies who live in the wood. Oberon, their king, and Titania, their Queen, have quarreled over possession of a little boy, the child of one of Titania's priestesses. To resolve the quarrel, humble his proud Queen, and gain the boy for his own group of followers, Oberon enlists the aid of Puck. This clever and mischievous fairy delights in playing tricks on mortals and is a faithful servant of Oberon. By putting the nectar of a magic flower on the eyes of the sleeping Lysander, Puck causes him to fall in love with Helena and forsake Hermia. Into this confusion come Bottom and his amateur acting troupe. Puck turns Bottom's head into the head of a donkey, frightening off all his friends and leaving the weaver alone. He comes upon Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, and awakens her from her sleep. Her eyes, like those of Lysander, have been anointed with the magic nectar, and she falls in love with the first creature she sees. Her new love is, of course, Bottom- with his donkey's head. After playing tricks on Titania, Bottom, and the two pairs of lovers, Oberon relents and has Puck set things right again. Lysander and Hermia are reunited, and Demetruius, with the aid of the magic juice, rediscovers his love for Helena. Titania and Bottom are released from their enchantments, and she agrees to give Oberon the little boy to Oberon. The lovers come upon the Duke and his party hunting in the woods that morning. After hearing their stories, he proclaims that the six of them will get married on the same day. Bottom awakens, is confused, but returns to Athens and prepares to give their play at the Duke's wedding. After the triple wedding, the play, "Pyramus and Thisby," is presented as part of the entertainment. It is performed so earnestly and so badly that the assembled guests are weak from laughter.

The Domestication and History of Modern Horses

The Domestication and History of Modern Horses The modern domesticated horse (Equus caballus) is today spread throughout the world and among the most diverse creatures on the planet. In North America, the horse was part of the megafaunal extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene. Two wild subspecies survived until recently, the Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus, died out ca 1919) and Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii, of which there are a few left). Horse history, especially the timing of the domestication of the horse, is still being debated, partly because the evidence for domestication itself is debatable. Unlike other animals, criteria such as changes in body morphology (horses are extremely diverse) or the location of a particular horse outside of its normal range (horses are very widespread) are not useful in helping resolve the question. Evidence for Horse Domestication The earliest possible hints for domestication would be the presence of what appears to be a set of postmolds with lots of animal dung within the area defined by the posts, which scholars interpret as representing a horse pen. That evidence has been found at Krasnyi Yar in Kazakhstan, in portions of the site dating to as early as 3600 BC. The horses may have been kept for food and milk, rather than riding or load-bearing. Accepted archaeological evidence of horseback riding includes bit wear on horse teeth- that has been found in the steppes east of the Ural mountains at Botai and Kozhai 1 in modern Kazakhstan, around 3500-3000 BC. The bit wear was only found on a few of the teeth in the archaeological assemblages, which might suggest that a few horses were ridden to hunt and collect wild horses for food and milk consumption. Finally, the earliest direct evidence of the use of horses as beasts of burden- in the form of drawings of horse-drawn chariots- is from Mesopotamia, about 2000 BC. Krasnyi Yar includes over 50 residential pithouses, adjacent to which have been found dozens of postmolds. The postmolds- archaeological remnants of where posts have been set in the past- are arranged in circles, and these are interpreted as evidence of horse corrals. Horse History and Genetics Genetic data, interestingly enough, has traced all extant domesticated horses to one founder stallion, or to closely related male horses with the same Y haplotype. At the same time, there is a high matrilineal diversity in both domestic and wild horses. At least 77 wild mares would be required to explain the diversity of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in current horse populations, which probably means quite a few more. A 2012 study (Warmuth and colleagues) combining archaeology, mitochondrial DNA, and Y-chromosomal DNA supports the domestication of horse as occurring once, in the western part of the Eurasian steppe, and that because of the horses wild natures, several repeated introgression events (restocking of horse populations by adding wild mares), must have occurred. As identified in earlier studies, that would explain the diversity of mtDNA. Three Strands of Evidence for Domesticated Horses In a paper published in Science in 2009, Alan K. Outram and colleagues looked at three strands of evidence supporting horse domestication at Botai culture sites: shin bones, milk consumption, and bitwear. These data support domestication of the horse between about 3500-3000 BC sites in what is today Kazakhstan. Horses skeletons at Botai Culture sites have gracile metacarpals. The horses metacarpals- the shins or cannon bones- are used as key indicators of domesticity. For whatever reason (and I wont speculate here), shins on domestic horses are thinner- more gracile- than those of wild horses. Outram et al. describe the shinbones from Botai as being closer in size and shape to those of Bronze age (fully domesticated) horses compared to wild horses. Fatty lipids of horse milk were found inside of pots. Although today it seems a bit weird to westerners, horses were kept for both their meat and milk in the past- and still are in the Kazakh region as you can see from the photograph above. Evidence of horse milk was found at Botai in the form of fatty lipid residues on the insides of ceramic vessels; further, evidence for consumption of horse meat has been identified at Botai culture horse and rider burials. Bit wear is in evidence on horse teeth. Researchers noted bitting wear on horses teeth- a vertical strip of wear on the outside of horses premolars, where the metal bit damages the enamel when it sits between the cheek and tooth. Recent studies (Bendrey) using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis found microscopic-sized fragments of iron embedded on Iron Age horse teeth, resulting from metal bit use. White Horses and History White horses have had a special place in ancient history-according to Herodotus, they were held as sacred animals in the Achaemenid court of Xerxes the Great (ruled 485-465 BC). White horses are associated with the Pegasus myth, the unicorn in the Babylonian myth of Gilgamesh, Arabian horses, Lipizzaner stallions, Shetland ponies, and Icelandic pony populations. The Thoroughbred Gene A recent DNA study (Bower et al.) examined the DNA of Thoroughbred racing horses and identified the specific allele which drives their speed and precocity. Thoroughbreds are a specific breed of horse, all of whom today are descended from the children of one of three foundation stallions: Byerley Turk (imported to England in the 1680s), Darley Arabian (1704) and Godolphin Arabian (1729). These stallions are all of Arab, Barb and Turk origin; their descendants are from one of only 74 British and imported mares. Horse breeding histories for Thoroughbreds have been recorded in the General Stud Book since 1791, and the genetic data certainly supports that history. Horse races in the 17th and 18th centuries ran 3,200-6,400 meters (2-4 miles), and horses were usually five or six years old. By the early 1800s, the Thoroughbred was bred for traits that enabled speed and stamina over distances from 1,600-2,800 meters at three years of age; since the 1860s, the horses have been bred for shorter races (1,000-1400 meters) and younger maturity, at 2 years. The genetic study looked at the DNA from hundreds of horses and identified the gene as C type myostatin gene variant, and came to the conclusion that this gene originated from a single mare, bred to one of the three founder male horses about 300 years ago. See Bower et al for additional information. Thistle Creek DNA and Deep Evolution In 2013, researchers led by Ludovic Orlando and Eske Willerslev of the Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark and University of Copenhagen (and reported in Orlando et al. 2013) reported on a metapodial horse fossil which had been found in permafrost within a Middle Pleistocene context in the Yukon territory of Canada and dated between 560,00-780,000 years ago. Amazingly, the researchers found that there were sufficiently intact molecules of collagen within the matrix of the bone to enable them to map the Thistle Creek horses genome. The researchers then compared the Thistle Creek specimen DNA to that of an Upper Paleolithic horse, a modern donkey, five modern domestic horse breeds, and one modern Przewalskis horse. Orlando and Willerslevs team found that over the past 500,000 years, horse populations have been enormously sensitive to climate change and that extremely low population sizes are associated with warming events. Further, using the Thistle Creek DNA as a baseline, they were able to determine that all modern existing equids (donkeys, horses, and zebras) originated from a common ancestor some 4-4.5 million years ago. In addition, Przewalskis horse diverged from the breeds which became domestic some 38,000-72,000 years ago, confirming the long-held belief that Przewalskis is the last remaining wild horse species. Sources Bendrey R. 2012. From wild horses to domestic horses: a European perspective. World Archaeology 44(1):135-157. Bendrey R. 2011. Identification of metal residues associated with bit-use on prehistoric horse teeth by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(11):2989-2994. Bower MA, McGivney BA, Campana MG, Gu J, Andersson LS, Barrett E, Davis CR, Mikko S, Stock F, Voronkova V et al. 2012. The genetic origin and history of speed in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Nature Communications 3(643):1-8. Brown D, and Anthony D. 1998. Bit Wear, Horseback Riding and the Botai Site in Kazakstan. Journal of Archaeological Science 25(4):331-347. Cassidy R. 2009. The horse, the Kyrgyz horse and the ‘Kyrgyz horse’. Anthropology Today 25(1):12-15. Jansen T, Forster P, Levine MA, Oelke H, Hurles M, Renfrew C, Weber J, Olek, and Klaus. 2002. Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99(16):10905–10910. Levine MA. 1999. Botai and the origins of horse domestication. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 18(1):29-78. Ludwig A, Pruvost M, Reissmann M, Benecke N, Brockmann GA, Castaà ±os P, Cieslak M, Lippold S, Llorente L, Malaspinas A-S et al. 2009. Coat Color Variation at the Beginning of Horse Domestication. Science 324:485. Kavar T, and Dovc P. 2008. Domestication of the horse: Genetic relationships between domestic and wild horses. Livestock Science 116(1):1-14. Orlando L, Ginolhac A, Zhang G, Froese D, Albrechtsen A, Stiller M, Schubert M, Cappellini E, Petersen B, Moltke I et al. 2013. Recalibrating Equus evolution using the genome sequence of an early Middle Pleistocene horse. Nature in press. Outram AK, Stear NA, Bendrey R, Olsen S, Kasparov A, Zaibert V, Thorpe N, and Evershed RP. 2009. The Earliest Horse Harnessing and Milking. Science 323:1332-1335. Outram AK, Stear NA, Kasparov A, Usmanova E, Varfolomeev V, and Evershed RP. 2011. Horses for the dead: funerary foodways in Bronze Age Kazakhstan. Antiquity 85(327):116-128. Sommer RS, Benecke N, Là µugas L, Nelle O, and Schmà ¶lcke U. 2011. Holocene survival of the wild horse in Europe: a matter of open landscape? Journal of Quaternary Science 26(8):805-812. Rosengren Pielberg G, Golovko A, Sundstrà ¶m E, Curik I, Lennartsson J, Seltenhammer MH, Drum T, Binns M, Fitzsimmons C, Lindgren G et al. 2008. A cis-acting regulatory mutation causes premature hair graying and susceptibility to melanoma in the horse. Nature Genetics 40:1004-1009. Warmuth V, Eriksson A, Bower MA, Barker G, Barrett E, Hanks BK, Li S, Lomitashvili D, Ochir-Goryaeva M, Sizonov GV et al. 2012. Reconstructing the origin and spread of horse domestication in the Eurasian steppe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early edition.

The Impact of Emerging Health Issues Methicillin Resistant Essay

The Impact of Emerging Health Issues Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococcus (VRE) - Essay Example Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterecoccus (VRE) represent two of the epidemiologically significant pathogens that are resistant to antibiotics, which are responsible for hospital-acquired infections. The reason for their importance is because infections due to these pathogens are responsible for significantly higher morbidity and mortality rates, and hospital costs than infections caused by susceptible organisms of the same species. In addition to this are the rapidly rising rates of infection from these antibiotic resistant pathogens in the past two decades. In current times nearly half of the nosocomial Staphylococcus aureus infections are due to MRSA, and almost a fourth of all nosocomial Enterecoccus infections are due to VRE. This makes these two antibiotic resistant pathogens significant to the healthcare sector (Salgado & Farr, 2003). Staphylococcus aureus is an aerobic, non-motile, gram-positive bacterium. According to Bloch, 2001, â€Å"Staphylococcus aureus colonizes the human skin, vagina, nasopharynx, and gastrointestinal tract†. It is estimated that ten to thirty-five percent of all healthy adults have transient or persistent nasopharyngeal colonization of S aureus, and this percentage is one the higher side among individuals working in the healthcare sector due to handling of colonized patients. S aureus has intrinsic properties that enable it to inhibit host immune defenses and render the penicillin and penicillin-derived group of antibiotics ineffective. Thus inactivation of the penicillin and penicillin derived group of antibiotics is the result of the enzyme beta-lactamase produced by S aureus. More than seventy percent of the S aureus strains are known to be capable of producing beta-lactamase. These strains are collectively known as Methicillin-resistant

Junk Food through Vending Machines at Schools Essay - 1

Junk Food through Vending Machines at Schools - Essay Example I believe that the schools should abstain from vending junk food at their premises, which is certainly a contributory factor to the problem of childhood obesity. Though the writers have cited many statistics and valid data in the article to make a point pertaining to the link between childhood obesity and vending of junk food at schools, one could certainly discern many emotive undertones, conveying a genuine and sincere concern about the issue of childhood obesity. The appeal of the writers is very logical and the commensurate approach relying on the citation of the studies conducted by many expert bodies of opinion is certainly convincing enough to solicit the support of any socially responsible and ethically enlightened reader. The writers have successfully avoided resorting to exaggerated, hyperbolic or radical expressions while focusing on dissecting the actual dynamics of the problem rather than opting for a simplistic blame fixing. The authors tend to claim that the junk food vending machines placed in the schools tend to aggravate the problem of childhood obesity and hence the schools should remove these machines from their premises. Lee and Sprague propose eliminating vending machines from schools to restrict children’s access to unhealthy food. This argument is logical in the sense that the welfare of children should be the prime concern of any school. Selling junk food to the juveniles, who are yet not mature enough to understand the ramifications of their dietary choices, puts to question the very intentions of these schools. The narrative method used by the writers is simple and lucid and is backed by the views of many credible bodies of opinion like The American Obesity Association, The American Heart Association, and publications like Newsweek. One other fact that the writers have tried to bring to the attention of the readers is that the schools are meant to play a much broader role in the lives of the students than a mere  delivering of academic lessons and educating kids about healthy nutrition does come within the purview of this scope.  

Visitor Impacts on Public Parks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visitor Impacts on Public Parks - Research Paper Example This paper will look at the effects of uncontrolled continual streams of visitors to my local park and the solutions to the problems they cause while enjoying the privilege. Parking at our local park has become a nightmare due to limited zonal spots for everyone involved. In fact, the numbers of vehicles lined up at the gate of the park have become a nuisance as they are preventing access to the park itself and discouraging more people from gaining access. This is a menace as the image of the park is tainted since they are regarded as negligent in providing for the needs of the visitors. In addition, the cars pollute the environment, with the effects being carried over to the protected resources inside the park1. In my view, people should be made to leave their personal means of transport at home and the park should have the mandate of providing public transport to people at designated times and venues. Such a move will ensure that the number of visitors gaining access to the facilit y is controlled in any one time. While inside the park, it has become apparent that the standard of cleanliness is deteriorating each day as the visitors are trashing everywhere they go. Plastics are the order of the day not mentioning the unsightly array of leftover food at every footpath in the surrounding environment. Some of the caged animals can be seen munching on some of these foods which they may have been offered by the visitors or perhaps collected as they roamed freely in their habitats. Ingestion of these foods can be dangerous since of it may not blend in well with their natural diets. There have been cases of food poisoning reports at alarming rates for the last quarter of the year. The management should provide more employees to investigate into the matter while drawing a keen eye that would help identify the culprits. These visitors should be fined heavily for their acts and given restriction from gaining access to the park until deemed necessary2. Some sections of t he park do not access to public foot paths or bridges across water bodies. This has forced visitors to find their own way around thus they have resulted in a lot erosion of the ground and destruction of vegetation and leading to deterioration of the environment. Some of them have penetrated sensitive parts of the forest which have led to some animals strayed into areas of the park they are not supposed to. These animals can be dangerous to the general public making the park to be hazardous for visitors and could lead to closure of the park. Measures should be taken to ensure that a guard is placed at strategic positions in the park where they can prevent such destructions from taking place in the first place. In another instance, campsites have been devouring parts of the forest since some extreme campers have brought down trees to create room for their tents or just for the mere advantage of the experience. The fires that have been made are frightening the wild animals and eating a way at the vegetation that may have been growing for thousands of generations. The animals have disappeared into the heart of the forests and are not seen during day which has proved to be very disappointing to the visitors of the park. This has also led to loss of enthusiasm for the diehard animal lovers who come to the park with the sole intention of sighting the fascinating creatures. Poaching is another vice that has risen lately amongst the visitors.

Do attitudes predict behaviour

Do attitudes predict behaviour Do attitudes predict behaviour? The relationship between attitudes and behaviour is one of the most controversial topics in social psychology. Though the definition of attitudes can not be confirmed yet, this essay uses the description in Hoggs and Vaughans book (1995) that attitudes are â€Å"a general feeling or evaluation about persons, object or issue as well as a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings and behavioural tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, evens or symbols†. This definition indicates that there is a close relationship between attitudes and behaviour. While some critical evidences arose to show that attitudes have little predictive power on behaviour after the LaPieres experiment (1934), the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is still being researched as one of the main topic in the social psychology during recent years. This essay will analyse the link between the attitudes and behaviour. This essay begins by looking at the attitude-behaviour in consistency and then will go on to focus on the theory of planned behaviour which may be regarded as the key theory to deal with the attitude-behaviour relationship. It is so naive as to think a persons attitudes and behaviour are linked directly and consistently. It can be seen all the time that people say they want to keep fit but they never do excises, people are worried about global warming while they are driving high exhaust cars and using air-conditions. The discovery of the attitude-behaviour inconsistency goes back to 1930s America depending on the work of the Stanford sociologist Richard LaPiere. At that time, the people in the US had a strong prejudice on Asian. After LaPiere and his two Chinese friends traveled through the US, they were pleasantly surprised to find that out of the 250 hotels and restaurants they visited, all but one served them courteously. Six months later, LaPiere sent a questionnaire to all the hotels and restaurants they visited, asking â€Å"will you accept members of the Chinese race as guests in your establishment?† Incredibly 90% of participants answered no, they would not accept Chinese race into their establishment. This experiment do shows the inconsistency of attitudes and behaviour. After this research, Wicker (1969) found that the average correlation between attitudes and behaviour was only 0.15, which indicated the weak link between attitudes and behaviour. Though LaPieres experiment caused critics to the attitude-behaviour consistency, it did not deny the link between attitudes and behaviour. LaPieres experiment was not designed for attitudes research and there were some problems lay in the questionnaire that may lead some mistakes in this study: the people who answered the questionnaires might not be the person who severed the Chinese couple; the responders did not be told that the Chinese couple was polite, educated and well-dressed; attitudes may have changed during the six months. One of the influence factors in LaPieres experiment is the measurement method of attitudes. It is not easy to measure attitudes and researchers rely heavily on asking people and using questionnaires which are all self-described methods. States by Fiske (2004), self-report measurement is more easily to gain the explicit attitudes than the implicit attitudes. When the conflict between explicit and implicit attitudes happened, behaviour is always coursed by implicit attitude. As implicit attitudes always gained from indirect and complex methods, self-described method can hardly indicates it. The research done by Sherman, Rose and Koch, et al (2003) on implicit and explicit attitudes toward cigarette smoking shows that implicit attitudes can predict behaviour more stably and accurately. Implicit attitudes are seldom influenced by other factors which can disrupt the correspondence between attitudes and behaviour. In the other words, the using of self-described questionnaires for measuring the attitudes may become a cause of inaccuracy in the prediction of the behaviour. Another important factor influenced LaPieres study is the six months. Though attitude is a stable and enduring evaluation, it may change as the time went by. So as the questionnaires were done after six months, the participants attitudes may have changed during the six month which may lead to the illusion that attitudes do not predict behaviour. As to the other studies on the link between attitudes and behaviour, time interval always exists between the measurement of attitude and behaviour. Some times it would last a long time, six months, a month; or some times just a week. But no matter how long it was, attitude may probably have changed during this period. This will influence the consistency between attitude and behaviour as well. When attitudes are used to predict behaviour, it would be influenced by many different variables, such as the methods of attitudes measurement as mentioned above, the attitude strength, social norm, past experience and habits, etc. So the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is not related in a one-to-one fashion (Hogg and Vaughan, 1995). The general models dealing with link between attitudes and behaviour are the reasoned action theory (TRA) and the planned behaviour theory (TPB). These two theories are not in conflict, TPB is an improvement of the first theory. The reasoned action theory was first put forward by Ajzen and Fishbein in 1974 which believed that behavioural intention is the result of the combination of subjective norm and attitude towards the behaviour and the behavioural intention leads to the behaviour. That is people will behaviour after evaluated by the attitude towards the behaviour and judge the propriety by the subjective norm. It emphasises that people can control the behaviour consciously, for example, â€Å"I can do exercises regularly if I really want to keep fit†. However, as it mentioned above, there are few people do exercise though they want to keep fit. Further more some kinds of behaviour are less under peoples conscious control. For example, people will behave under the automatically activated attitudes without thinking rationally to choose the best reason for action. The repeated behaviour such as smoking as a habit may become divorced from attitude. This kind of automatically activated attitude like habits occurs frequently in daily. So people may only think rationally when they faced new or difficult situations. In addition, a behaviour that performed successfully not only depends on the behavioural intention, but also some other variables, such as opportunities and technologiesï ¼Ë†Peach, . Jimmieson and White, 2005ï ¼â€° In order to describe the link between attitudes and behaviour more accurately, the planned behaviour theory (TPB) was carried out by Ajzen at 1989 as the extension of the original theory. Perceived behavioural control is the improvement in the TPB which means the persons belief about how easy or difficult to perform an act. To make such a decision, people need to combine the past experience with the present obstacles. The accuracy of the prediction of behaviour was improved in the study that Beck and Ajzen (1991) have done about the students dishonest behaviour since the perceived behavioural control has been measured (Hogg and Vaughan, 1995). So in the TRA and TPB, both the external variables such as opportunities, resources and the peoples internal variables such as normative beliefs and abilities are taken into consideration. This combination of external and internal makes TPB becomes the key theory dealing with the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. In these two theori es, the action could be predicted if the persons attitude and social norm are favorable, as well as the level of perceived behavioural control is high. In this essay, the relationship between attitudes and behaviour has been analysed. The inconsistency between attitudes and behaviour was described followed by the reasons why this could happen in the LaPieres experiment. The self-report measurement which is widely used to measure attitudes has been evaluated as it would cause some inaccuracy in the prediction of future actions. The reasoned action theory (TRA) and planned behaviour theory (TPB) have been introduced in details as the main theories dealing with the link between attitudes and behaviour. To conclude, attitudes do predict behaviour once the variables in the measurement and the TPB are well-controlled. The scope of this paper was limited by the lack of introducing other variables influence the correspondence between attitudes and behaviour. However the first step is to realizse that attitude can predict behaviour no matter storge or weak. Reference Fiske S T. Social Being: a Core Motive Approach to Social psychology. John Wiley Sons, Int, 2004. 244~249 Hogg, Michael A. and Vaughan, Graham M. (2005). Social Psychology. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. 150~171 Peach M, Jimmieson N L, And White K M. Beliefs underlying employee readiness to support a building relocation: a theory of planned behavior perspective. Organization Development Journal, 2005, 23(3), 9~23 Sherman S J, Rose J S and Koch K, et al. Implicit and explicit attitudes toward cigarette smoking: The effects of context and motivation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2003, 22(1), 13~40

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.s Cats Cradle Essay -- Cats Cradle Vonnegut Essays

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s Cat's Cradle In the early sixties, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. released his candidly fantastical novel, Cat's Cradle. Within the text an entire religious sect, called Bokononism is born; a religion built on lies, absurdity, and irony. The narrator of Cat's Cradle is Jonah, a freelance writer who characterizes Bokononism as being, "free form as an amoeba" (Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, 3). It is boundless and unpredictable as the unconscious itself. Bokonon lives on the impoverished island of San Lorenzo where he spends his days scribing poetic calypsos in the books of Bokonon. Jonah arrives on the same island in his pursuit of Frank Hoenniker, the military commander and son of the eccentric Dr. Hoenniker, who invents a substance capable of freezing the world over in seconds called ice-nine. When San Lorenzo's totalitarian ruler, Papa Monzano, passes away—infecting the oceans with ice-nine in the process—Frank transfers his inherited power to Jonah. Even within this skeletal sketch of the novel, one can see that the absurdity and humor within the religion of Bokonon is imposed on the plot itself, creating a world of comedic fantasy in which the reading audience can partake. In light of this, Cat's Cradle exemplifies imagination and play, thus correlating with the theory Freud illustrates in the essay "Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming," which emphasizes the importance of fantasy to the creative writer and its therapeutic value for the audience. At the most fundamental level, even the title of the novel provides a strong example of the importance of play to Vonnegut. Cat's cradle is a childrenÕs game of weaving yarn between the fingers whereby the player forms various patterns. To see beyond what exists (or in Vonnegut's w... ...ite poison that makes statues of men; and I would make a statue of myself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who. (Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, 287) Bokononism's refreshing defiance of restraint and reality with the creative power of playful imagination is a precise illumination of the therapeutic value Freud christens as inherent in literature. Works Cited Freud, Sigmund. "Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming." Freud Reader, Edited by Peter Gay. New York, NY: Norton and Company Inc., 1989. Freud, Sigmund. "On Dreams." Freud Reader, Edited by Peter Gay. New York, NY: Norton and Company Inc., 1989. Vonnegut, Kurt. A Man without a Country. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press, 2005. Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat's Cradle. New York, NY: Delta Books, 1963. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York, NY: Random House, 1969.

Maroubra and Kogarah Essay

Maroubra and Kogarah are beautiful suburbs of Australia. Neither provinces are national capital nor commercial centres. However, each has prominent features. This report will compare and contrast the location, population, housing, sevices of these two provinces. Maroubra is a beach suburb nearby Sydney which is located 10 kilometers south-east of the central business dictrict while the residential suburb-Kogarah is slightly farther than Maroubra, about 14 kilometers. The population of these suburbs are extremely different, Maroubra has twice as much population as Kogarah. The population of Maroubra is 26.500 while Kogarah is 10.900. The propoution of the largest age group from 20 to 39 years old in Maroubra is 33 percent whereas this age group in Kogarah has only 31 percent. In the review, 53 percent of people in Maroubra were born in Autralia while in Kogarah were 47 percent. In Maroubra,47 percent of people come from many countries in the world. However, Kogarah has 53 percent of people from a lot of different countries. Housing in the two suburbs have both similarities and differences. Maroubra and Kogarah have over 42 percent of apartment. The median either house price or apartment price in Maroubra in higher than in Kogarah. The cost of a house in Maroubra is about 1.050,000 dollas while a house in Kogarah is about 650.000 dollas. An apartment’s price in Maroubra is about 575.000 dollas but one in Kogarah is just about 420.000 dollas. So there are 46 percent of apartment in Kogarah while this percent in Maroubra is only 42. There are a lot of discrepancies about services of both suburbs. In Maroubra, the number people driving to work account for about 55 percent whereas there are only about 45 percent. Basically, trains are widely used in Kogarah, it takes about 25 minutes to go to city. People in Maroubra do not travel by train. Instead, they go to the city by bus in about 50 minutes. Next point à ­ about retail. Sightseers in Maroubra can enjoy shopping having coffee or food meal in some medium-sized shopping center,small shop and cafes on major road. But in Kogarah, most small shopping center, small shops is near train station. Beside, the major hospital of Maroubra is about 3 kilometers away from the center. Whereas the major hospital of Maroubra stay at the center. But both have many private clinics.

Business Management essay

Business Management essay Business Management essay Business Management essayBusiness management is essential for me because I have a great desire to successfully manage people and business projects, as well as to develop effective business-related policies.   I want to major in business in order to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree and become a true professional in business management. The reason that I am applying for the scholarship is that it will help me to pay for my academic tuition, academic resources (books, programs, etc.) and spend much more time on my studies.Today I have to work full time in order to advance myself with a degree in business management. I am currently pursuing my Associate’s Degree, but I am not going to stop my education. To become a true professional in business management, it is necessary to learn more about the key business strategies that will help to enhance management practices and develop the proper skills and abilities. I am going forward to achieve my Bachelor’s Degree.I am curre ntly pursuing a career course that will help me to advance my leadership and management skills and have the opportunity to work in an advanced management field.   My specific academic goals contribute to my professional growth. Some of my academic goals include:To develop effective leadership and management skills in order to apply these skills in practice;To improve my academic performance in order to become more professional in decision making and goal setting practices;To develop good technical skills in order to apply new technologies in business practices;To learn more about business management strategies that could be applied in practice;To learn how to identify and successfully resolve various organizational and business problems;To develop my communication skills that are necessary in achieving strategic goals;To learn more about strategic planning in business;To use my skills and abilities to continue maintaining a â€Å"B† average;To do everything possible to keep satisfactory attendance.My career plans depend on my academic achievements and work experience. I know that business management is not an easy field to work in.   I will be focused on my professional development. My work experience involves dealing with conflicts within management, problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, discrimination, as well as personal development. I have been well trained to deal with standard operating procedures and implementation of such standards, to satisfy the Department of Defense and be in compliance with the established laws and regulations of our Federal Government.In addition, I will do my best to develop professional skills in business management practices that will help me to make good management decisions in my future career. To be a good manager, it is very important to develop not only effective interpersonal communication skills, but also good intuition, which helps to make effective management decisions.   I need general know ledge in HR management, finance and accounting operations. I know that Bachelor’s programs in this field are effective in achieving the established academic goals. The greatest pleasure for me would be to pass exams successfully. I believe that my personal skills and abilities will be useful in achieving my academic goals. I am self-confident, hard-working and persistent. I know that to become a good manager I should study hard. I know that a good manager should be competent in three key areas: managing people; managing and developing processes and policies; and managing and developing oneself. I believe that my Bachelor’s program in business management will help me to develop the proper skills to become competent in the above mentioned areas. Today I pay due attention to my personal development. I successfully deal with stresses and conflicts. A good manager should know how to avoid stressful situations which may lead to conflicts in the workplace. Besides, I use my c reativity in decision making process to demonstrate the best traits of my character. Innovative ideas in business management provide massive opportunities for successful implementation of the established strategic goals.Thus, it is necessary to conclude that my specific academic goals and career plans will motivate me to study hard. I know that to become a professional in business management, it is necessary to never give up and be quick about solving any problem or overcoming any barrier.   I realize that my academic and career goals are the essential goals I should achieve in the nearest future. Achieving these goals will help to succeed in the realization of my personal potential in profession and career. Business management practices guarantee professional success if a manager is goal-oriented and creative. One of my great desires is to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in order to become a true professional in business management. I believe that I will be able to apply my be st skills and abilities to succeed in academic performance and become a well-trained specialist. My work experience will help me to be confident in everything I need to do to attain my academic goals and career plans.

Miss Julie essays

Miss Julie essays In Miss Julie, by August Strindberg wrote about the naturalistic view of human behavior. He symbolizes the behavior through animal imagery. The animal image Strindberg uses helps him exemplify his naturalistic view. The first animal imagery Strindberg uses is the dog. Jean uses the dog imagery to describe to Kristen how Miss Julie made her ex-fianc act before the break-up. Why, she was making him jump over her riding whip the way you teach a dog to jump. A dog is mans best friend only because a dog is an extremely loyal animal. Having Jean compare what Miss Julies did to her ex-fianc with what some one would do to a dog shows Miss Julies drive to be the dominant one or the master. Strindberg again uses the imagery of a dog when he has Miss Julie say, dog who wears my collar to Jean. Miss Julie feels that her social status is so much superior to that of Jean that their relationship could be compared to that of a master and his dog. The dog imagery in the play is also used to demonstrate the difference in social classes. In the play Miss Julies dog, Diana, is impregnated by the lodge-keepers pug. Kristen demonstrates Miss Julies disgust when she says; She almost had poor Diana shot for running after the lodge-keepers pug. The sexual affair between the dogs also represents the sexual affair between Jean and Miss Julie and how the two of them look down on each other. Jean looks down on Miss Julie for being surprisingly easy to obtain. While Miss Julie looks down on Jean for being a servant of hers and of a lower social class. In the play Miss Julie says that she would have killed Jean like a wild beast and Jean goes on to compare it to the killing of a mad dog. Jean comparing himself to a mad dog also shows how Miss Julie feels that Jean is a sick animal and deserves to die. Like the imagery of the dog Strindberg uses the imagery of a horse. Jean says ...

Roles of the Medieval Queen Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Roles of the Medieval Queen - Assignment Example Roles of the Medieval Queen Her success depended on the relationship with the king and the fact that the kingdom’s advisers chose her to take charge of the throne. As a regnant, the queen ruled by her rights. She exercised power over the kingdom by inheriting it from the parents, usually, as an heiress with no brothers. As a daughter of the king, she qualified to inherit and rule by her birthright. Regnant queens participated in the feudal assemblies of the kings together with some of the vassals (Shahar 146). In addition, they also made judgments in their area of governance and discussed both economic and political issues. There were conditions that determined the success or failure of a queen. The queen was success due to support from followers and church, sharing the king’s social status and rank, and support from parents in the royal family, while her failure was due to limits set by the king, growing political life, being weak, and failure to provide an heir. A queen or empress consort was a wife to a reigning emperor or king. A queen consort shared the king’s social status and rank, which allowed her to exercise feminine powers over servants in the palace. She supervised the servants to ensure that they performed their chores (Shahar 151). The consort queen also had a role in a dowry to the king and acting as his helpmate. A consort queen would also play a role in church by raising money to build them. A consort queen also motivated church reforms and also gave moral support to people in the kingdom.

Cyber attacks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cyber attacks - Research Paper Example It is concerned with communications, transportation, water supply, energy, emergency services, and banking and finance. Information Technology has been evolved with new research and reinventions facilitating the critical infrastructure computerized. On the other side, vulnerabilities also emerged causing disruption to the critical infrastructure impacting in several ways. Although there are many vulnerabilities, cyber attacks are the most prominent one. Cyber attacks approach the target in a non traditional way. Due to inequity in the military strengths, hackers attack this critical infrastructure affecting both the economy as well as the military sector of the country (SANS: Critical infrastructure protection). It could be operated by the government or the private sector, both Networks provide opportunities for hackers to intrude the destination remotely and take control of the capabilities and resources these devices has. The impact of hacking in these systems is devastating. For example, hackers may gain access to the military radar systems, credit card data stolen, data stolen from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed secret agents and now their life is at risk etc. The capacity of these attacks impact on the country’s economy, security and financial stability. They breach government networks which are directly related to national services. Thousands of new cyber attacks categorized with ‘Major’ and ‘Minor’ are penetrated on the Internet daily. The focus is the power sector of the United States including websites of Poland, South Korea and United Kingdom. They all have witnessed cyber attacks in past few months. Different schools in various sates of America have lost millions of fraudulent wire transfers (Shackelford, 2010). Cyber attacks are intelligent as well as organized. Once the network is hacked, they install small lop holes or software intruders for giving hackers access whenever they

Civil Liberties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Civil Liberties - Essay Example While civil liberties are protective in nature, it is still imperative for the police to make sure that all American citizens are entitled to these liberties. While on assignment with The New York Police, various cases relating to civil liberties were presented. On such occasions, the simulation training comes to mind. The police have to deliver correct judgments without contravening the constitution. While still on duty with the NYPD, striking students emerged rioting from their college. Controlling rioting students can be quite a challenge. They were protesting because one of their own had been run over by a hit and run motorist. They have right to assemble and speak their mind, but the manner of their protest was more likely to disrupt various activities and inconvenience other motorists (McReynolds 322). The situation presented below is sandwiched between upholding civil liberties for students, and a possible confrontation with the same liberties to the public and the motorists. The police simulation program comes in handy at such situations. ... Getting such students, with infuriating tempers, to calm down is a beg test for police simulation capacities. Explaining to them that they have to execute the constitutional rights in a manner that freedoms to other people are curtailed at their expense is necessary. Motorists are inconvenienced because the students are causing traffic build up. The freedom of movement of the motorists is curtailed at the expense of the freedom of speech being exercised by the students. Reaching an agreement with the students, without necessarily having to put them under control using force is the best solution. In the end, the students clearly understand that their rights have been respected as stated in the constitution while they too have to act in a way that will show their respect for other citizens. This decision warrants a promotion. The assignment brings with itself various benefits. First, the civil liberties create awareness that these are constitutional rights available to any citizen of t he Unite States of America. The police are a key factor in promoting the spirit of these liberties. It is in the authority of the police to ensure that all people have equal access to these constitutional rights. Civil liberties develop a unifying feeling between blacks and whites. The majority (white) and the minority (blacks) all have equal rights in the constitution. This helps to curb the superiority feeling of the white Americans while trying to reduce the inferiority feeling within the blacks. The government too has the power to uphold civil liberties. This can be reached effectively by dispensing justice equally to all citizens in courts without partiality or favor. The government also has to provide equal employment opportunities to all citizens, improve equal

Politics and Administration Essay Example for Free

Politics and Administration Essay Introduction 186, 207, 221? Power Struggle between the pro-democratic and pro-conservatism One of the reasons that led to such a tragic end for Tiananmen Movement is the power struggle between the two camps of leaders, pro-democratic (Former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Zhao Ziyang) and pro-conservatism (Deng Xiao Ping). In 2009, a memoir was published based on audiotapes recorded by Zhao Ziyang, called Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang, he mentioned that he â€Å"didn’t want to be a General Secretary who opens fire on the people. † From this, we could clearly tell by that time, Zhao differed in opinion from Deng and other conservative leaders, like Li Peng on how to handle the student movement, i.e. whether to pursue a peaceful or a military solution. http://blog.foolsmountain.com/2009/06/03/tiananmen-1989-a-need-for-dialogue-20-years-later/ One very crucial turning point that we know is that by that time, the CCP General Secretary made a scheduled official visit to North Korea, which turned out to be a bad decision at the time of turmoil; this was because on April 26th CCP Central issued an editorial on Peoples Daily in the absence of Zhao Ziyang, which was titled Uphold the flag to unambiguously oppose any turmoil, denouncing that the patriotic student movement as a turmoil ignited by an extremely small handful of opportunists. http://www.alliance.org.hk/64/6420/?page_id=521 According to Wu Jiaxiang, a former aide and a leading political scientist in Beijing, Zhao Ziyang, before leaving for North Korea on April 21st, had instructed that no politburo meeting should be held in his absence but other CCP leaders, likle Yang Shankun Li Peng immediately convened a CCP Expanded Poliburo Meeting, then reported to Deng Xiaoping with meeting opinions, and then borrowed Deng Xiaopings mouth in stating that CCP should not fear bloodshed. And in Zhao Zhiyangs self account, recorded by Yang Jisheng, he claimed that it was li Ximing Chen Xitong who contacted Wan Li on the night of April 21st in request of convening a commissar meeting; that Wan Li relayed the info to Li Peng. Later, according to ________, Li Peng convened the meeting on the night of 24th, reported it to Deng Xiaoping on 25th, and was authorized to relay Dengs opinions to communist cadres; and that Li Peng took advantage of the occasion to draft a newspaper commentary for publication on April 26th. By the time Zhao returned to China after the scheduled visit, he found it was just too late to remedy the situation as hostilities between the government and the people have been greatly aggravated. Other than the mis-communication over the Peoples Dailys editorial, we may gain further insights into the power struggle between the party leaders by taking a look at a previous document obtained by CNN and written by Bao Tong, a close aide to Zhao Ziyang, describing in detail the events leading up to the crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. September 25, 1989 Comrade Hu Yaobang died on April 15, soon after which the student demonstrations began. I was extremely worried. Comrade Xiaoping pointed out in his speech on April 25 that the overwhelming priority in China is stability I completely agreed with his point; I also wanted to maintain stability and prevent turmoil. Specifically, I wanted to make an effort to reduce tensions and to avoid precipitating the tension into clashes. The Peoples Daily April 26th editorial, in my view, was harsh in language and lacked analysis and persuasiveness; I had my reservations about it. On May 19 and 20, the Central Committee announced the decision to send the military into Beijing and declare martial law; in my heart, I believed we made a terribly wrong move; I was afraid that we would be trapped in a very difficult situation, riding a tiger, hard to get-off. The Central Standing Committee collectively criticized Comrade Zhao Ziyang; I felt it was unfair. 1.1 It was I who first informed Comrade Ziyang that the April 26th editorial had aggravated the confrontational mood of students and people who had previously taken a neutral position. Comrade Ziyang returned to Beijing from North Korea on April 30th. As soon as he returned, I reported to him as follows: Students have been demonstrating in the streets since April 27th. There were so many of them that it was impossible to blockade; there were also lots of onlookers following them. Some government officials sympathized with the demonstrations. There were signs that the incident was escalating and expanding; there were a great number of students and others who resented the April 26th editorial and believed that it was hostile towards them. I spoke about my opinion of the editorial: the positive side of the editorial was that it presented Comrade Xiaopings thoughts that China must maintain stability and must not fall into turmoil. However, the editorial was written in a very harsh tone, did not adequately present reasons and lacked analysis. It also did not take into consideration the acceptance of people who were previously neutral. Since there were so many people who believed that the editorial was hostile to them, it was obvious that the editorial did not express its ideas clearly. Comrade Ziyang did not express his own opinions at that time. After a few days, he said to me: It seems that there are flaws in the editorial. Comrade Ziyang certainly formulated his opinions in his own way, but it was I who first reported to him about the editorial with this point of view. http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/22/tiananmen.document.01/ Students Uncollective Actions As discussed above, power struggle among the party leaders is one of the factors in leading to the unwanted tragedy of the June 4th Movement, but as I argue down below, the chaotic and unsystematic internal management of various student movements are by nature underlying factors to the tragedy. After the April 27 demonstration, the government commenced to open up dialogues with students, and the government seemed to take the initiative to adopt a more positive approach towards the student movement. The governments willingness to concede and negotiate have lit up the hope for the majority of students that the entire student movement might come to a peaceful end(Source: Book) Yet, almost by the same time, the leadership and organization of the movement among the student leaders became problematic. Not only did the student movement organizations hold different points of views towards the movement strategies, some of the student leaders also paid no respect to organizational claims, and much often instead, they themselves acted on behalf of their organizations. One fine example would be the case of Zhou Yongjun, who was the president of Beijing Autonomous Federation. He helped organize another big demonstration on May 4. However, without any consent from his fellows and colleagues, he announced the end of class strike without a clear resolution within the leadership. http://www.standoffattiananmen.com/2009/04/people-of-1989-zhou-yongjun.html In order to better describe the dividing powers among the student leaders during the late stages of June 4th Movement, Zhao (2001) simply grouped the student demonstrators by that time into three groups, which are called respectively Dialogue Delegation Group, Beijing Students Autonomous Group and the so-called charismatic group http://site.ebrary.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/lib/hkulibrary/docDetail.action?docID=10402626 As Zhao (2001) noted, the students that belonged to Dialogue Delegation Group were eager for the coming dialogue with the government. References Gonzales, Eduardo, L. and Gillespie, C.G. (1994). Presidentialism and Democratic Stability in Uruguay. In J. J. Linz and A. Valenzuela (Ed.), The Failure of Presidential Democracy, Comparative Perspective (pp. 151 – 178). Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press Hanan, D. (2007). Presidentialism, parliamentarism and semi-presidentialism: Incentives and disincentives in achieving multiple democratic goals. Retrieved from http://djayadihanan.blogspot.com/2007/12/presidentialism-parliamentarism-and.html Linz, Juan J. (1994). The Failure of Presidential Democracy. The Case of Latin America. In J. J. Linz and A. Valenzuela (Ed.), Presidential or Parliamentary Democracy: Does it Make a Difference? (pp.7).Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press Maeda, K. Nishikawa M. (2006). Duration of Party Control in Parliamentary and Presidential Governments: A Study of Sixty-Five Democracies, 1950-1998. Retrieved from http://www.bsu.edu/web/mnishikawa/MaedaNishikawa2006CPS.pdf Mainwaring, S. (1993). Presidentialism, Multipartiism, and Democracy, The Difficult Combination. Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 26 No. 2 (pp. 198 – 228) Mainwaring, S. Shugart, M. (1993). Juan Linz, presidentialism, and democracy: A critical appraisal. Retrieved from http://www.nd.edu/~kellogg/publications/workingpapers/WPS/200.pdf Power, Timothy and Mark J. Gasiorowski. (1997). Institutional Design and Democratic Consolidation in the Third World. Comparative Political Studies. Shugart, M. S., Carey, J. M. (1992). Presidents and assemblies: constitutional design and electoral dynamics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Valenzuela, A. (1994). Party Politics and the Crisis of Presidentialism in Chile: A Proposal for a Parliamentary Form of Government. In J. J. Linz and A. Valenzuela (Ed.), The Failure of Presidential Democracy The Case of Latin America (pp. 93). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press