Medea: power of women a mythological context

Medea is the sorceress born to King Aeetes of Colchis and is said to be the granddaughter of Helios the god of Sun. Jason sought the golden ram’s fleece belonging to Aeetes’, in the process of earning the same as per conditions laid down by the King, Medea fell in love with Jason and assisted him in obtaining the fleece through her magical powers on the conditions that he married her. On obtaining the fleece, Jason fled the Kingdom with Medea and Absyrtis, her younger brother. To prevent Aeetes, from successfully pursuing them, Medea killed her younger brother and scattered his body in pieces so that her father’s men had to perforce stop to collect the pieces and give a decent burial to Absyrtis. The couple then settled in Corinth and Medea bore two sons to Jason. When Jason decided to marry the daughter of the king of Corinth, Creon, and Medea killed her as well as her own children borne from Jason to spite him in the harshest possible way. After the killing she took refuge with Aegeus, the king of Athens and bore him a son Medus, but finally failed in killing the elder son of Aegeus, thereby again having to flee from her husband. Medus later became the king of Media. The mythological tale of Medea provides a perspective of the role of women in Greek society and their pursuit to break away from a life given to serving the needs of men be it in the role of the daughter, sister, wife or mother. Viewing Greek Gender Role through the myth of Medea Medea’s struggle is that of a mythological woman in ancient times attempting to take control of her own life through a series of personal as well as public travails. The irony lies in it denoting, that to gain influence in society a woman has to be a force of evil, a sorceress with super natural powers granted as an exception rather than an emancipated position for all women folk. Medea thus embodies the opposite of the traditional gender role for women in Greek society rejecting the status quo, the stereo type of women being powerless and having to do the bidding of their male relatives and ultimately rules made by society for them. The traditional role granted to Greek women in mythology is that of a, â€Å"helper maiden† (Clauss and Iles (Ed), 1997, 13).   Some other views of gender roles indicate that women had a passive, domestic, emotional and somewhat irrational role to play while the male function was indicated as being active, reasonable, and rational and representing the public face. Medea attempts to carve an independent role not just for herself but for Greek women as a whole, however she is perhaps one of the few exceptions of her times and other women are unable to support her personal conviction. In assuming an independent role for herself, Medea highlights to Jason that had he perhaps told her about his intent of second marriage, things would have been different, though Jason naturally scoffs at this suggestion of hers as, â€Å"Oh yes, if I'd told you of the wedding, I'm sure you would have lent me fine support. Even now you can't stand to set aside that huge rage in your heart.† (Johnston, Nd) Medea highlights her fierce independence by rejecting the second non consensual marriage of Jason and also his offer to provide for her if she can only request him for help. She totally refuses to plead him, despite his generous offer, as Jason states, â€Å"All right, but I call the gods to witness I'm willing to help you and the children. But you reject my goods and stubbornly push away your friends, and that the reason you suffer still more pain.† (Johnston, Nd) Medea in relation to Peers Medea’s attempt to review the role of women has been epitomized in the struggle against the stereo type, feminine role in Greek mythology. This role confined women to being a wife, a bearer of children and one who continues to be miserable both before and after matrimony. Unlike other women, who perhaps accept their fate, Medea laments that, â€Å"First, we need a husband, someone we get for an excessive price. He then becomes the ruler of our bodies. ___ For a divorce loses women all respect, yet we can't refuse to take a husband. __ But if the marriage doesn't work, then death is much to be preferred. ___ We women have to look at just one man.† (Johnston, Nd) Medea detests the role of the female as a womb for the children of her husband; however she assumed these thoughts only after she has been scorned by her husband who has taken another women. She represents a women scorned, thus, â€Å"In other things a woman may be timid—in watching battles or seeing steel, but when she's hurt in love, her marriage violated, there's no heart more desperate for blood than hers.† (Johnston, Nd) But then women in Greek society are not supposed to complain against such injustice. And her lament bore no fruit as in the classical Greek tradition, the women who rebels is expelled from society, thus Creon says, â€Å"You there, Medea, scowling in anger against your husband. I'm ordering you out of Corinth. You must go into exile, and take those two children of yours with you.† (Johnston, Nd) To Medea this is dual injustice as she has lost her husband to another woman and for protesting has been expelled from Corinth. Women in Corinth as the King told Medea had to suffer in silence. They had to be redeemed by bearing children for their husbands, through charity, sober behavior and faith. This very lucidly highlights the Greek view that women have no right to protest in case their husband has abandoned them and have to suffer in solitude. The key issue is thus lack of choice to women while not for men. Medea however succeeds in gaining power through her role as a sorceress. Thus by her knowledge of herbs and health potions, she is able to gain control of her adversaries as well as her loved ones. These potions have power to heal, denoted as magic in mythology. This is one element of power which has been invariably granted to women in Greece, given their greater knowledge of the value and utility of different types of herbs. Another allusion to the power of women expressed by being a sorceress is Medea’s killings, first her brother, than Jason’s second wife and her own children. The power of causing death which is a negative influence is generally seen to be granted to the male in Greek mythology through his ability to wage war and victory. Medea aspires to and gains this power through her facility with potions, causing death with equanimity. This is the power of evil, so be it feels the scorned women, for perhaps in ancient Greece that is the only power that women could aspire for. By assuming an active role in each of her joint encounters with Jason, whether it is in assisting him in gaining hold of the golden ram’s fleece, getting away from her father, seeking a second marriage or in getting her son Medus a say in the kingdom of Athens, it is the active role played by Medea, rather than normal passivity which is associated with women in Greece which is significant. Medea is so dominantly active, that she even gives an impression to Jason that in case he had sought her consent to marry a second time; she would have perhaps accorded him the same. This active position is undertaken through the path of evil, as a sorceress.   This was perhaps natural given the times in which Medea lived, representing exception rather than the aspirations of a large proportion of her gender who were perhaps satisfied to remain within the confines of the traditional role granted to them by society of looking after the home and hearth. This route of evil to gain power as a woman may be faulted but perhaps it has to be placed in the context of Medea as a woman having no other option in ancient Greece. Reference 1. Johnston, Ian. (Translation). No Date (Nd). Euripides Medea. http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/euripides/medea.htm 2.Clauss, James J. Johnston, Sarah Iles. Eds. 1997. Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy and Art. Princeton. Princeton University Press. 3. Foley, Helene P. 2002. Female Acts in Greek Tragedy. Princeton. Princeton University Press. ; ;

Assignment: Change Models Essay

In this paper the executive at a high-end retail chain selling luxury watches, jewelry, and hand bags is in charge of the company’s first expansion in the international pool, which is about a new store open in Shanghai, China. This is only a short term objective as the company expects to open several stores in the BRIC countries, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which is the long-term plan. The executive explains the chain models used to follow the short-term and long-term goals and the effects these changes would have on executives, managers, and employees from the company. Organizational Change Change is not easy to implement and plan. It requires a lot of responsibility for the ones that are impacted by it and for the ones who enforce it. Weis (2012) reminds about three types of change that can be at an organizational level, such as: developmental, transitional and transformational. Developmental change refers to improvements of what already exists. A good example of developmental change is when a company improves a procedure or a process that exists within the organization like the leave time or the update of an HR policy. There is little stress involved in such change and it does not really need to be of a larger scale and scope. The second type of organizational change reminded by Weiss (2012) is transitional change and it refers to implementing a known desired state, different from a current one. It is a type of change of a larger scale and it deals with a certain amount of stress, unlike developmental change. A good example of transitional change is the merger or acquisition procedure of a company. Another example when it comes to processes and procedures is about replacing them with new ones, like when a new technology system is installed, replacing an older one. Transitional changes can unsettle jobs, can shake things in a company, and they can also create new jobs, requiring training and hiring. The third type of change is the transformational model which requires or involves the emergence of a new and unknown state for the company. When a company moves to a new and different target market it requires different strategies, as well as skills. Another good example of transformational change is when the CEO and executives of a company want to change the culture or/and the structure of a company. This type of change is the requiring intensive focus and involving a lot of stress. It may be the most complex among all three change types. The short-term objective that needs to be implemented by the executive is the open of a new store in Shanghai, China. Being a single event it may not require such intensive focus; however, there are aspects of the matter that need to be highly considered. The strategy proposed for the opening of a new store in Shanghai is to reach the objective through a transitional change model. A good way to implement this change model is with the 7-S model. Waterman, Peters, and Philips (1980) explain that the 7-S Model for Organizational change examines seven key areas of the company, as well as the relationship of each of the elements one another. The 7 elements are grouped into two major categories, such as: soft elements and hard elements. The elements are as follows: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. Through strategy, the company plans to maintain competitive advantage, while the structure refers to the hierarchy of the company. In both situations, the short and long-term, the hierarchy of the company suffers modifications and the executive needs to make sure the employees and everyone affected by the change are ready to experience it. Systems refer to every-day processes through the company, while shared values refer to the core value of the company. The executive will follow and enforce the shared values of the company in both the short-term and long-term events. Planning for the short-term and opening a new store in China, may be slightly difficult since it is the first time the company deals with such an action. That is why every step needs to be well calculated. It is the first time when the executive needs to come up with a plan involving the inventory of the new store, how it will be maintained, and how supply of products is made. Laws and regulations of China when it comes to retailing need to be considered properly. The first experience will be useful into creating the long-term strategy because it provides the experience necessary to such change within the company. No longer will the other managers and executives need to think locally and nationally. They have to think globally and that is a change required to be addressed in the first place. Since it involves opening a new store, the employees would be hired locally. This is a change that affects the managers because they will have to learn how the hiring process takes place in the country where the new stores are opened. The long-term strategy may not be as complex as the short-term strategy for change because there will be a precedent and the company will cope with the change easily. Conclusion Dealing with change can be challenging when a company focuses on going globally. This paper exposes the strategies an executive at a jewelry store has to deal with opening new store in China (a short-term objective) and other stores in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Given the cultural diversity of these countries, hiring approaches, as well as the laws and regulations being different in these countries can make the achievement of the objectives more difficult. References Waterman, R. H., Peters, T. J., & Philips, J. R. (1980). Structure is not Organization. Retrieved from http://www.lmcuk.com/management-tool/the-7-s-model-for-organisational-change Weiss, J.W. (2012). Organizational Change. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Pollution Effects and Counter Measures Essay

The impact of human activity on our environment cannot be denied. Many aspects of today’s environmental problems are only now coming to light as scientists explore the causes and effects of human impact on the world around us. Today’s generation has seen both unwarranted skepticism and exaggeration on both sides of the debate on how close we are to an environmental catastrophe. Although, as Frederick Buell wrote, as of today our world â€Å"has not ended; eco-apocalypse hasn’t happened. Yet people today also accept the fact that they live in the shadow of environmental problems so severe that they constitute a crisis† (xii). While it is easier to understand the problems we face today by classifying human activity and its consequences into neatly defined, cause-and-effect relationships, it is important to realize that all of these causes and effects interact in a complex web to bring about an environmental crisis. That said, pollution is one of the most widespread results of human activity, encompassing a broad range of substances with pervasive effects. The effect of pollutants on our environment is one of the most widely publicized factors contributing to its degradation. And deservedly so; pollutants are diverse, and pollution takes many forms, but the effect of unchecked pollution is rapid, extensive, and often dramatic in its visual manifestations. Finally, in many cases pollution defies geographical and political boundaries, making it an international concern, and controlling it will require the involvement of citizens and organizations from all levels of society. Pollution involves the introduction of pollutants into the environment, and it is commonly organized into major categories – air, soil, and water – based on which component of the environment is affected. Other forms of pollution are classified based on the nature of the pollutant, and these include radiation pollution, biological pollution, and noise pollution. Scientists have developed many ways of gauging the level of pollution, or of a specific pollutant within the environment, but when one considers the direct impact of pollution on human health, it is exposure that matters more than the concentration of pollutants. In the environmental pathway, exposure to a certain concentration of a pollutant is what determines the actual dose of the pollutant in the exposed individual, and this is what leads to possible health consequences (Akbar et al., 62). In many cases, pollution is an occupational hazard, posing the greatest danger to people who suffer the most exposure as part of their daily lives. With some pollutants, however, the effects are indirect, not affecting an individual’s health, but impacting a society’s resources and economy in subtle ways. Even with the increased environmental awareness in modern society, it is surprising how many people still see nothing wrong simply because they are not directly affected by pollution. The purpose of this research is to give an overview of the different classes of pollution, how they affect society on different levels, and some of the measures that can help to prevent or reduce its spread. When one thinks of air pollution, perhaps the first image that comes to mind is that of a smog-filled skyline of a major city, through which a hazy sun barely shines. However, exposure to the outdoor smog in a polluted city is not the main source of pollutant dosage. Most of the actual human exposure to air pollution occurs indoors, simply because that is where most people spend most of their time (Akbar et al., 61). Just as the health risks of polluted water can be minimized by treatment, the risks posed by polluted air (namely, cardiovascular and respiratory disease) can be lessened by using proper filters within homes and offices. While it is possible to keep the indoor air quality under control, improving atmospheric air quality will require a collective effort on a much larger scale. Major sources of worldwide pollutant emissions are industrial operations, power plants, road vehicles, forest fires, and the incineration of refuse. Vehicular emissions are not only limited to exhaust, but also include emissions from the wear of tires and brakes and the road surface itself, which makes it difficult to come up with an accurate estimate of total vehicular emissions. Many of these sources of emissions are similarly difficult to quantify, but the overall statistics show that air pollution trends are higher in developing countries, and above the national average in megacities (Akbar et al., 36). This reflects a general trend of better environmental awareness, and environment protection programs that have been implemented for a longer time in well-developed, industrialized countries. For some pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide – a product of the combustion of fossil fuels – the global trend shows a decrease, but for other emissions there is no such evidence (Akbar et al., 49). Clearly, although industrialized countries like America have been consciously reducing some emissions for a longer time than other countries in the developing world, there is much that still needs to be done on an international level. Former United States Vice President Al Gore sums up the nature of the problem regarding the public attitude: †¦Our continued dependence of imported oil†¦is connected to the same pattern that leads us to put 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the earth’s atmosphere every 24 hours around the world, as if it was an open sewer. And pretending that that doesn’t have consequence, when there’s signs to tell us it definitely does†¦that’s really the essence of this problem. But because it’s so pervasive, in order to change it, we really have to have a sea change in public opinion in this country and around the world before the politicians and the government leaders in every nation will have the courage to do what really is necessary. (Interview with Al Gore, 2007) The second major category of pollution is soil pollution. The composition of soil is an important factor in an ecosystem, affecting what types of vegetation are able to take root and survive, and by extension, what species of animals will thrive in the area. Soil also retains water, and pollution of the soil often spreads to ground water tables. When soil is contaminated by pollutants – usually in the form of heavy metals that disrupt the balance and composition of the soil – it is often harder to detect, and difficult to determine the extent of the pollution. Such contamination typically results from direct deposition of pollutants into the soil. Landfills and waste heaps contain pollutants which gradually leach into the soil, and some of the particles in polluted air fall to the ground, where water runoff and seepage can spread the pollutants and lodge them into the soil. Operations in the mining industry, when improperly managed, can cause long-term damage to the soil, and to the environment as a whole. Jared Diamond cites Montana as a case study of the damage that the mining industry can do to the environment, saying it has â€Å"about 20,000 abandoned mines, some of them recent but many of them a century or more old, that will be leaking acid and†¦toxic metals essentially forever† (36). In most cases, these mines have no surviving owners, or the owners are financially unable to reclaim their property and manage its wastes. The relationship between the soil and the rest of the environment is complex, and much remains to be understood before a standard set of indicators and benchmarks can be used to monitor the quality of all soils. While these subtle relationships and interactions are being actively studied by scientists, land management can be improved and better implemented to lessen the impact of activities such as agriculture and mining, by regulating waste disposal and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. As an example, many farmers practice plowing their fields close to the edge of rivers or streams, and letting their livestock graze at the edge. This practice actually contributes to the erosion of riverbanks and diffusion of agricultural wastes into water. Careful management of land and soil resources can prevent soil erosion, which in turn will lessen the deposition of silt in freshwater areas that may be important habitats or breeding sites for species like salmon. (Environment Agency). Public pressure is necessary for the government to pass laws that will enforce mining companies to take charge of cleaning up their mines; the main responsibility lies with the American public, to be more active and vocal in protecting the environment (Diamond, 38). Water’s properties as a solvent are familiar to everyone, thus it should not be surprising that water is particularly vulnerable to contamination. The flow of bodies of water, as well as water runoff from precipitation, can disperse a high volume of pollutants over the course of a year. Water’s cycle in the environment has unique implications for the spread of pollution, and the various pollutants and contaminants of water comprise the third major category of pollution. Bodies of water can be polluted by point sources, such as sewage treatment plants, or they may be polluted through diffusion. Diffuse pollution can come from misconnected drains in households, leaching of surface wastes into groundwater, or runoff of toxic substances that have been deposited on land. Inland precipitation (in the form of rain) creates water runoff, which drains into larger bodies of water, carrying with it some deposited pollutants from the atmosphere and many untreated wastes that have been improperly disposed of. Oil from roadways and motor vehicles, excess agricultural fertilizer, and assorted litter from the land, can be washed into rivers and out to sea, where the scale of dispersal makes it very difficult to treat the pollution. In fact, the volume of pollution deposited by water from runoff can exceed that of an oil spill. In Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, for example, each year from 2000 to 2006 roughly 22,580 metric tons of oil and petroleum products are deposited by runoff, compared to less than 1,000 metric tons from direct oil spills (Dodge). The deterioration of water quality leads to obvious consequences for human consumption. Freshwater with excessive levels of certain pollutants becomes unsafe to drink, and seawater can lose its ability to sustain biodiversity, negatively impacting the fishing industry. Agricultural runoff contains nitrates and phosphates, which are important nutrients for many organisms, but in excessive concentrations in bodies of water they lead to explosions in the population of certain microorganisms (a phenomenon sometimes known as â€Å"algal blooms†). This leads to an overall decrease in dissolved oxygen content in the water, which harms other species, mainly fish, by disrupting spawning and breeding patterns, and can lead to massive deaths in certain species when oxygen levels are depleted (Environment Agency). Thermal pollution of water can occur when a large volume of water is used for cooling purposes in processes that release large amounts of heat. Electrical stations use water for this purpose, and subsequently release it into the environment. This water is considerably warmer than the rest of the water in the environment, and brings a corresponding rise in temperature to the entire body of water where it is released. This again reduces the capacity of water to hold dissolved oxygen, with the same effects described above (Lourenco and Neves). With most point sources of water pollution under regulation, the biggest source of water pollution is diffusion. If the source of pollution cannot be pinpointed, the processes that create or contribute to diffuse pollution have to be more strictly managed. Since 2003, European legislation has created a Water Framework Directive (WFD) to actively assess the standards of water usage with chemical, biological, and physical tests. The WFD monitors all bodies of water (including ground water reserves and artificial reservoirs) with the ultimate goal of reducing water pollution in the United Kingdom and all EU member states by 2015. The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency summarizes some of its recommendations: Key policy issues, such as the control of diffuse water pollution, land-use planning, the designation of heavily modified water bodies and the role of wetlands†¦must be addressed by relevant authorities. Particular emphasis should be placed on the diverse sources of diffuse pollution†¦These include discharges from agriculture and also from other land-uses such as urban developments, transport infrastructure and abandoned mineral workings. Those who manage the land may have to do things in a different way to ensure that they do not cause water pollution. (1) Some forms of pollution are not classified by the sphere of the environment that they contaminate, but by their nature and properties. Our planet is constantly bathed in radiation originating from outer space, and there are trace amounts of radioactivity scattered throughout the earth’s crust. These do not constitute radioactive pollution; typically, this form of pollution originates from nuclear power processing, or from equipment used in nuclear medicine and radiography, although nuclear fallout from bombs and disasters, such as the 1986 Chernobyl incident, is perhaps the most striking example of nuclear pollution. In the case of Chernobyl, flawed design of the nuclear reactor, combined with personnel errors, led to an explosion which released around 5% of the reactor’s core of radioactive material into the atmosphere. The wind carried fallout composed mainly of the radioisotopes iodine-131, cesium-134, and cesium 137, from the reactor across the former Soviet Union. Among the most heavily affected countries were Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The radioactive pollution’s immediate effect resulted in the death of 30 people, injury to over a hundred other individuals, and the immediate evacuation and relocation of over 200,000 affected citizens. One of the most studied long term effects of the disaster is a significant increase in the number of cases of thyroid cancer among generations of exposed individuals, due to the accumulation of radioactive iodine-131 in the thyroid gland (International Atomic Energy Agency). It should be noted that Chernobyl was a rare nuclear disaster that is not representative of the more common forms of radiation pollution; rather, it serves as an example of the potential scale and duration of pollution’s ill effects. Much more commonly encountered are the radiation-related risks in the medical field, where exposure to X-rays and radiotherapy practices can lead to an increased risk of developing certain cancers among some groups of patients. However, for the most part, properly observed medical standards will ensure that the risk of developing cancer from medical radiation is low – an estimated 0.05% per rem of radiation. The amount of exposure depends on the medical procedures involved, and although the increase in the risk of cancer induction is small (from zero to one percent), there is no threshold of radiation exposure below which it is absolutely risk-free. Thus, all procedures involving radiation exposure should be decided on the basis of risk versus benefit to the patient (Classic). Homo sapiens is the only species that has succeeded in domesticating other species, and with the spread of human civilization, we have carried our pets (and pests) to new lands. Introduced species constitute a form of biological pollution – when a non-native species establishes itself in an ecosystem, displacing certain native species that play a vital role in that ecosystem, and possibly causing economic damage, they are considered invasive. In ecology, the â€Å"rule of tens† states that one in every ten introduced species becomes invasive (Boudouresque and Verlaque, 1). The most significant direct consequence of biological invasion is the extinction of native species that are not adapted to compete with invaders. Such is the case with the Nile perch (Lates niloticus), a popular commercial fish species that was introduced to Lake Victoria in East Africa around the year 1962. The Nile perch disrupted the lake’s ecosystem by predatory activity, feeding on many native fish species, and spreading parasites which it carries in its gills. An estimated 300 fish species native to Lake Victoria were driven to extinction by the 1980s (Blake). While the Nile perch and some other invasive species have at least had some marginal economic benefit (a boost to the commercial fishing industry and local employment), in many cases the effect of biological invasion has been a complete economic disaster. Australia’s plague of introduced European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has not only threatened native animals as the rabbits outcompete them for food and shelter; the rabbits have threatened the ecosystem itself by decimating vegetation, causing the soil (arid and fragile over much of Australia) to erode. This in turn has greatly reduced the available land for sheep and cattle grazing – two of Australia’s major industries. Efforts to reduce rabbit populations have only increased the economic cost of the rabbit invasion, as Australians have tried to use poison, traps, dynamite, and expensive biological control agents in the form of diseases such as myxomatosis and the calicivirus (Diamond, 392). Managing an invasion is very difficult once the invasive species has become established. As noted by Oregon State University biologist John Chapman, â€Å"Unlike other contaminants in the world, introduced species don’t have a half-life, they can spread from a single point source, and they have a potentially infinite life span† (qtd. in Reiber). An introduced species becomes established when conditions in the new environment are favorable, and it has little to no competition, and natural predators are lacking. Too often, strategies devised to control populations of invasive species backfire – the myxomatosis disease used to exterminate rabbits in Australia did succeed in bringing down the rabbit population by 90%, but the survivors then developed a resistance to the disease (Diamond, 392). Biological or chemical control agents used to eradicate invasive species often are detrimental to native species as well. In most cases, the safest way to remove invasive species from the environment is manually, which can be highly labor intensive and needs to be organized at the local or community level. Increased sound levels in our surroundings can constitute a form of noise pollution. While some people would classify certain genres or styles of music as noise, the most common form of noise pollution comes from transportation and industrial activity. Extreme levels of noise pollution can lead to a deterioration and eventual impairment of the auditory function in humans and other organisms. Noise pollution also affects individuals in other ways that may be less easy to measure or quantify; increasing levels of stress and annoyance, for example, or disruption of normal sleeping routines. States such as Maryland have implemented some form noise control; in Maryland, the Noise Control Program was passed into legislation in 1970, to provide technical assistance and enforcement regarding noise related issues across the state. It has been de-funded since July 2005, as the duty of regulating noise-related issues has been passed down to local government. There are many other forms of pollution that do not fit neatly into this broad classification, and to fully understand the effect of every pollutant would often require time-consuming research into various case studies. The interaction between different types of pollution often contributes to a complex effect acting on a larger scale, such as global warming, which is a phenomenon created by the interaction between the increased levels of various gases (known collectively as greenhouse gases). Pollution affects us on a global scale, but it can be reduced or remediated by efforts at the local and personal level. The easiest way to start contributing to the effort to reduce pollution is to minimize one’s own pollution of the environment. It is this diffuse type of pollution which is much more difficult to catch and trace. Individual citizens not disposing of their wastes properly, or households with misconnected drains, all have a small effect on pollution levels, and collectively this adds up to a large increase in pollution if unchecked or unreported. This is the pollution whose source is often unnoticed, and it is up to each individual to eliminate himself or herself as a source of this anonymous, unaccountable pollution. Many nonprofit organizations and agencies concerned with the welfare of our environment are engaged in activities to counter pollution and its effects. Participating in local community clean-up events can help to not only reduce the level of pollution in a community, but also heightens the awareness of people regarding pollution issues, especially if the organizers have invited an environmental expert to deliver a talk about problems relevant to the community. Recycling gadgets instead of throwing them away is a solution that helps both the consumers and the manufacturing industries. Sony Electronics, Inc. has a recycling program that accepts old or non-working Sony branded products free of charge, and even products of other companies for a small fee (On a higher level, government environmental agencies monitor the major point sources of pollution such as wastes disposed by large factories and industrial companies. With pollution’s far-reaching consequences, nations must help each other to remediate the worst polluted areas. An estimated 1 billion people are affected by pollution issues, and a majority of those people are in the developing world, where a general lack of awareness and local regulation of pollution has reduced the overall life expectancy and quality of life (Hanrahan et al., 2). With minimal financial investment, a number of remediation measures can be carried out in some of the worst polluted areas in the developing world. These measures will help save lives, particularly of children, at an estimated cost of only one to fifty US dollars per person each year. However, implementing such measures often takes a back seat to the basic needs of education and primary health services that local governments often must prioritize (Hanrahan et al., 2-4). This is why it is important to have international intervention and cooperation, not apathy and the selfish attitude summed up by ‘it’s someone else’s problem, let them take care of it’. In dealing with pollution it is important to keep in mind that many of the sources contributing to pollution are industries upon which modern society is dependent. Mining and agriculture are two examples of ancient activities that have helped men to develop their civilizations. Mining enabled us to build better shelters and construct the tools and implements that we use in everyday tasks. Agriculture and the potential to store surplus food has taken us from the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers and brought humans together in the first settlements, which eventually grew into cities and states. Pollution is a byproduct of these activities, and the effort to reduce or prevent pollution is not trying to destroy major industries or cease the production and development of new technology. It is an effort to make the producers and consumers responsible for the regulation of wastes created by these activities, and their proper management and disposal. We live in an age of awareness, and thanks to our awakening and gradual realization of how we affect the world around us, today’s environmental crisis has increasingly become a fact of life in the modern world. Modern governments should no longer be intent on debating the validity of environmental concerns, but focused on finding and implementing solutions. The root of these problems – human degradation of the environment and exploitation of its resources – has been at work ever since the dawn of the civilized age. The environmental crisis of the present, on both the global and local levels, is not a burden that we have borne for only a few generations; it is a result of centuries, even millennia, of human exploitation of available resources without the guidance of modern environmental science, accelerated by the industrialization brought about by developing technology, and abetted by attitudes and sensibilities that have developed in ignorance of how we impact our surroundings. The inertia of these outdated attitudes and accelerating industrial processes is huge and cannot be so easily stopped; it may take decades to realize the full extent of the damage we have done to the environment in every aspect, and perhaps longer to reverse the trend. But for many of us, the fundamental error in thinking has, at least, been corrected. Environmental problems elsewhere in the world are no longer just someone else’s concern. With modern globalization, what we do in our part of the world affects everyone else, and if we continue to act and think with that in mind, the environmental problems facing all of society will be managed by society as a whole. Works Cited â€Å"A slow-moving oil spill.† Ed. John Dodge. 01 December 2007. The Olympian. 04 December 2007 Akbar, S. et al. World Health Organization. Air Quality Guidelines Global Update 2005. Germany: Druckpartner Moser, 2005. Boudouresque CF, Verlaque M. Biological pollution in the Mediterranean Sea: invasive versus introduced macrophytes. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2002 January; 44(1):32-8. Buell, Frederick. From Apocalypse to Way of Life: Four Decades of Environmental Crisis in the U.S. New York: Routledge, 2003. Diamond, Jared. Collapse. New York: Penguin Books, 2005. Environment Agency, 2003. The Water Framework Directive – not only a question of quality. Bristol: Environment Agency. Environment Agency, 2004. Soil, the hidden resource. Bristol: Environment Agency. Environment Agency, 2007. The unseen threat to water quality. Bristol: Environment Agency. Hanrahan, D. et al. Blacksmith Institute. Cost Effectiveness and Health Impact of Remediation of Highly Polluted Sites in the Developing World. 2007. International Atomic Energy Agency. Chernobyl’s Legacy: Health, Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Austria: IAEA, 2006. â€Å"Interview of Al Gore.† Larry King Live. CNN. 05 July 2007.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Invasion Biology Introduced Species Summary Project.† Ed. Jennifer Blake. 10 January 2005. Columbia University. 02 December 2007 http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Lates_niloticus.htm> John, E. M. et al. Medical radiation exposure and breast cancer risk: findings from the Breast Cancer Family Registry. International Journal of Cancer: 2007 July; 121(2):386-94. â€Å"Link Between Climate Change and Biological Pollution could Harm Northwest.† Ed. Derek Reiber. 02 July 2001. Sightline Institute. 02 December 2007 â€Å"Noise Pollution Control.† 2007. Maryland Department of the Environment. 05 December 2007 Path: Programs; Multimedia Programs; Noise Pollution Control. â€Å"Pollution and its effect to the environment: Interview with Ricky Clancy of Sony Electronics Blog.† 27 September 2007. 05 December 2007. â€Å"Risk/Benefit of Medical Radiation Exposures.† Ed. Kelly Classic. 04 December 2007. Health Physics Society. 04 December 2007 Path: HPS Publications; Articles. â€Å"Thermal Pollution.† Ed. Silvia Lourenco and Rute Neves. 05 December 1996. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 04 December 2007 United States Environmental Protection Agency. Noise: A Health Problem. Washington, 1978

Critical Thinking and Informatics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Thinking and Informatics - Assignment Example sent information to the patients is through dedicated websites that present general information to the patients regarding the ailments they are suffering from (Saba & McCormick, 2008). This tends to be a really creative way to extend education to the patients, going by the increasing internet usage in the contemporary times (Saba & McCormick, 2008). This is a very unique approach towards patient education because extending online education to patients tends to be replete with multiple and multi faceted possibilities. This approach allows the patients to browse the concerned website to get information about the most commonly understood health issues in the comfort of their own premises. The richness of content in such websites could further be increased by posting the relevant links to other friendly websites carrying the information required by the patients (Hebda & Czar, 2008). Hence, such approach towards patient education makes the patients feel more empowered and in control (Hebda & Czar, 2008). Besides the patients can choose to focus on the information that is presented in a more understandable format. The scope of such websites could tremendously be expanded by posting videos featuring physicians and nurses explaining and extending the required information to the patients through the usage of charts, graphs, models and other audio visual sources (Hebda & Czar, 2008). No doubt, such an approach engages the auditory and visual faculties of the patients, assuring a better understanding and retention of the information being conveyed. By posting these videos on the website, social media channels and YouTube, the health care professionals can enhance the ubiquity of this information, thereby extending the target, audience multiple platforms to access the information required by them (Hebda & Czar, 2008). One can also enable the patients to use such informative websites to register for receiving the relevant e-newsletters they can subscribe to, to enhance their

Comparison of the successes and failures of a movie version of a play Essay

Comparison of the successes and failures of a movie version of a play (The Merchant of Venice) - Essay Example For the duration of the film, the director shows the reality of each of the characters in line with the play and he does this from the very beginning. In order to create a situation where there is a contrast of characters that leads the movie into its climax, the director of the movie chooses an appropriate time to reveal the original plot to the audience. However, before the climax of the film, he uses the main characters’ personalities and other events to convince the audience that what they are viewing is the real plot of the film. By doing this, the director ensures that he maintains the element of surprise that will captivate his audience at the climax and this is almost exactly as Shakespeare did in his play and by being loyal to the script; the movie follows the same course of events as when it is performed on stage. While the main plot of the play is retained in the movie, the latter does not completely remain loyal to the script as seen where the roles of some charact ers is diminished in favor of others. In most of the film versions of the play, one will notice that the roles of some of the minor characters are completely removed and that some of their lines are given to other characters. In a way, this is perhaps done with the intention of reducing the budget of making these films but by doing this, the directors of the movies being created end up watering down the original plot. The failure to remain constantly loyal to the script of the play and the removal of some characters shows that the film versions of the play are mainly concerned about making money and for entertainment. Loyal followers of the play tend not to take the film versions seriously because unlike when the play is performed on stage, the audience is not as involved. In fact, one would go as far as to state that the film depiction of the Merchant of Venice is one which makes its loyal audience to feel isolated and not as a part of the development of the plot. This isolation or detachment can be considered to be a failure of the film version of the play, and the directors of future movie depictions need to do more to ensure that their movies are absolutely loyal to the original scrip (Vela)t. While, as stated above, the movie depictions of the play tend not to completely follow the original script, it is a fact that many of the main themes within the play are displayed. The theme of racism, for example, is as prevalent within the movie as it is within the play and this creates a lot of tension in the movie as it would if performed on stage. Both the stage and film versions of the play display a setting where Christians were most distrustful of those who practiced Judaism and this is manifested in diverse ways throughout these depictions, especially through the depictions made of the Shylock, the main Jewish character. In both of depictions, Shylock is displayed as an evil, greedy, and vengeful man whose main aim throughout the play is not only to seek rev enge but also to maximize the profits of his business as much as possible. In addition, the fact that in the Venice of the Middle Ages, women were considered to be secondary citizens is also shown as seen when Portia has to dress and act as a male lawyer in order to get to defend her fiancee.

Fast Food Rulers in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fast Food Rulers in China - Research Paper Example KFC offered food items common in most Chinese restaurants ( Lroche, Kalamas &Huang, 2005). This strategic approach depicts KFC as part of the Chinese community rather than a fast food joint selling low priced westernized food. The company capitalized on small Chinese cities and the establishment of a national business with food joints spread across the country. As a result, the company cut down some of it cost due to economies of scale and distribution of risk. KFC engaged the services of Chinese hotel managers to provide advice on the food tastes. It also established partnership with local food chains and employed more Chinese to operate its emerging branches. So far, the company commands 40% stake in Chinese fast food market with 3300 food outlets in the 650 cities in China. In 1999, KFC developed a distribution chain by building warehouses and managing a fleet of distribution trucks. The trucks were fitted with refrigerators that ensured the foodstuff remain fresh while transporting them from the farm to the restaurants. Though it was an expensive affair, it was vital for the company’s rapid expansion to other cities (Schroder & McEacher, 2005) On the other hand, McDonalds a key rival of KFC holds a 16% stake in the Chinese fast food market. Its approach was far different from it competitor. It chose to stick to its core strategy adopted in the US market. MacDonald menu had no additional dishes that matched the local taste. The layouts of MacDonald’s food outlet depicted a westernized culture. Its target market was the stylish wealthy status-conscious Chinese that sought to imitate the American lifestyle. The McDonald now boasts of 2000 outlets spread across the Chinese cities. It emerged as a global leader in the fast food industry, based on sales, market capitalization, number of employees and revenues (Shen & Xiao, 2014). Its success is attributable to the quality standards the company has maintained globally

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Business Law - Essay Example One such case referred in the article was decided in 1991 at California in which a developer named Mark Borough California, Inc. litigated against consulting engineers. These engineers designed an artificial lake but its liner failed and therefore a $5 million amount was claimed against the engineers. So the engineers took the position that the contractual agreement involved the limitation of liability clause that restricted their liability to their fee earned on the project i.e., $67,640 and the trial court accorded with the engineers. Succeeding cases endorsing ‘LOL’ include Valhal Corp. v. Sullivan Associates, Inc., Union Oil Company of California v. John Brown E&C,., and R1 Associates, Inc., v. Goldberg-Zoino & Associates, Inc. Although such cases also exist where the claim was overturned by the court, for instance Ricciardi v. Frank. This case was settled in New York city in which a house owner litigated for the failure in problem identification in the water encroac hment in the basement. The LOL clause constrained the liability of engineers in this case to only an amount of $375 but in this case the clause was ruled to be as invalid as it didn’t entailed the option for the house owner to buy complete protection and the clause was provided in the inspection report after the inspection had been done (Fishman, 2011). The article provided the ways to increase the chances of enforcement of this clause. It has been presented that if the clause has been inserted into by parties having equal strength to bargain, and its drafting has been clarified, it will lead to enforcement unless the state law contrary to this clause exist or it has been decided that the clause enforcement had been unconscionable. The article recommends negotiation of the LOL clause among the two parties. The limitation offered on the liability should be equitable. The article offered

Aproaches To Dialogue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Aproaches To Dialogue - Essay Example Thus, in the last two centuries, about one third of all territorial disputes have developed into all-out confrontation and war, whereas many others were peacefully settled by means of negotiations, third-party mediation, arbitration by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), etc. (Wiegand, 2011). The long-drawn-out dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland/Malvinas islands – which lasted for more than 170 years, as against the average duration of ongoing territorial disputes of about 50 years (Wiegand, 2011) – denotes a notable example of the former. This paper is intended to critically review and evaluate the role of dialogue in the international context, namely in reconciliation and peace building; being based on a case study concerning the Falklands War of 1982, hence the failure of diplomacy at resolving the problem and preventing armed conflict, the paper expounds on the reasons why diplomatic efforts, including negotiations and third-party mediation, came to nothing. The Falkland archipelago is located in the South Atlantic, some three hundred miles away from the mainland South America, with a total land area of 4Â  700 square miles, and approximately 2000 inhabitants (Beck, 1988; Gibran, 1998). The East and West Falkland are the archipelago’s largest islands, with extremely irregular coastlines and a hilly land surface, separated by a fifty-mile long and ten-mile wide waterway named Falkland Sound, aka the Strait of San Carlos; the capital city, Port Stanley, with a population of some 1000 as of 1980, is on the northeast coast of the East Falkland (Beck, 1988; Gibran, 1998). Over the past century, nearly all of the inhabitants of the East and West Falkland, which have actually declined ever since 1931, were of British origin (Gibran, 1998). Ever since their discovery in the 16th century, the Falklands have been subjected to successive occupation attempts by a number of colonial powers,

Why the Islamic Financial System has the Strength to Mitigate the Dissertation

Why the Islamic Financial System has the Strength to Mitigate the Current Financial Crisis - Dissertation Example The present financial crisis has been held to be a consequence of the failure of the financial systems being followed in various segments of the world. From the evaluation of perceptions of the people across the world, it has been evaluated that they urge towards identification of an appropriate alternative to the present financial system. They desire for an alternative that holds strong prospect of avoiding financial crisis in the future. Following the search for a perfect alternative, it was observed that the Islamic financial system is argued to be the best answer to the present problem of the international economy. Various economists purported that Islamic financial systems bear strong possibility of becoming successful alternative to the present financial system. For critically evaluating the argument, various sources have been reviewed through library search. The findings have been analysed through primarily qualitative approach and presentation of quantitative data about the e ffectiveness of the Islamic financial system. The findings suggested that although the Islamic financial system holds strong prospect to evolve as the most effective financial system of the world, comprehensively it cannot be implemented in the International market. This is because the Islamic financial system is still challenged with certain loopholes, the presence of which can hinder its effectiveness. Evidences have been provided in this research study with respect to the Islamic banking system’s effectiveness in certain portion of the world such as that of Malaysia while at the same time evidences have also been provided of its inefficiency in certain other parts of the world such as that of Pakistan and Middle East. Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction 5 1.1Background of the Research 5 1.2 Problem Statement 7 1.3 Aim, Objectives and Research Questions 9 1.4 Structure of the Dissertation 10 Chapter Two: Literature Review 11 2.1. Introduction 11 2.2 Origins of Islam ic Banking and Finance 12 2.3. Islamic Financial System 14 2.4. The Islamic Financial System and the Crisis 16 2.5 Strength of the Islamic Financial System 22 2.6 Weaknesses of the Islamic Financial System 26 Chapter Three: Research Methodology 28 3.1. Overview of Research Philosophy & Approach 28 3.2. Research Strategy 29 3.3. Validation of Data Source 33 3.4. Validation of Data Collection & Data Analysis Process 33 3.5. Limitations of the Research Process 34 Chapter Four: Findings, Analysis and Discussion 36 4.1. Introduction 36 4.2. Critical Evaluation of the Facts about Islamic Financial System 37 4.3 Empirical Evidence of Effectiveness of Islamic Financial Systems in other Counterparts of the World 44 Chapter Five: Conclusion & Recommendation 59 5.1. Overview 59 5.2. Facts Generated from the Research Study 59 5.2.1. Challenges Faced by the Islamic Finance System 59 5.2.2. Strengths of the Islamic Finance System that Helped it Survive the Financial Crisis 61 5.2.3. Reasons behin d the Growth in Islamic Finance 63 5.3. Recommendation for Future Works 64 6.0. References 66 7.0. Bibliography 81 Chapter One: Introduction 1.1Background of the Research According to the verse of the Great Allah (swt) about Islamic nation, â€Å"You are the best of the nation raised up for mankind because you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah†. The Islamic nations are blessed with the trait of being the world’s best nations brought up from humanity.1 The nation understands its responsibility well that people need to be aggressive in rising against immorality and unfairness. One of such wrong deeds, observed by the Islamic nations, is the economic coercion and injustice that is adversely affecting the world.2 The recent financial crisis initiated within the

Accident Victim Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Accident Victim Interview - Essay Example The accident victim is one of the 112 workers on the site when the accident happened. The explosion occurred in the center of the refinery, a place where bagging took place. In this place, a network of conveyer belts and elevators fed the storage facilities with the complete work. The explosion came from sugar dust explosion. He onlookers and witnesses of this fateful night explosion reported seeing flames of fire rise as high as the height of the nearby story buildings. The workers present in the building were going about their duty when the explosion occurred. Sugar dust was the explosive substance as identified by OSHA, who came into the site of the accident after two hours. The explosion weakened the entire structure especially the packaging area, which was completely dismantled by the explosion. After putting out fire, sugar that had now melted in the silos remained alight and required specialized equipment to smolder it to recover some bodies still missing. The company was shor tly shut down as heavy fines from OSHA were placed on the company because of safety violations. In addition, the company incurred heavy insurance costs and other medical bills. The accident victim sustained fatal injuries on the legs because of stepping on the molten sugar as he ran away from the explosion sight. Luckily, he fell into the river and was able to swim his way out of the river and get help quickly. His legs had to be operated on, which means that he was hospitalized for three months. After leaving the hospital, he stayed on a wheel chair for six months before he could walk again. It was only after two years that he could find a new job to do as the former company closed down. OSHA circulated some regulations to make workers aware of the risk associated with working in sugar refineries to protect them from dust explosions. Although he works at the same capacity, this victim is a changed person. He understands the regulations