Foundations of Mythology Short Answers Essay

How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, â€Å"It’s a myth† mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. The word myth is used popularly, for example the statement, â€Å"It’s a myth† generally means that is untrue or a lie. The term myth means is that certain events or stories are embellished and unfounded on the basis of common societal knowledge. They are legends and they are things that seem outrageous, but are not necessarily true. The one I go back to over and over is the picture of the camel spider from Iraq. It was supposed to be a two foot spider that would attach to people without them ever knowing until it was too late. The internet has allowed for many of these fabrications to take hold and become something of an internet urban legend. The word myth in an academic context refer s to stories from the past. I am drawn to Greek mythology where stories are told of outrageous human beings as they are involved with gods and learn life lessons. I think a myth is meant to be a teaching vessel. Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind. People need to know who they are and where they come from and what is their purpose in life. Questions like why the world exists and how it was created. These myths have been passed down from ages throughout history. Each culture has an explanation of creation and the beginning of mankind. From man being created by the God’s from the dust of the earth to the great Zeus the creator of all things. These explain many of the questions that humans have relating to creation and purpose. What is the relationship between belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion? Where do mythology and religion intersect? Where do they diverge? Think a bout the function of myth and religion in helping human beings cope with change, suffering, loss, and death. The relationship between belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion  are all based on an idea of knowing, teaching, and learning to be the best person that you can possibly be. I know this may sound a bit optimistic, but I think that part of living life is to become the best person that one can be. I think that believing something is based on a personal confidence. I think that knowledge is based on a concept of personal improvement. I think that mythology is based on a concept of historical teaching and I think that religion is based on an attempt to find personal peace and personal enlightenment. Where do religion and mythology intersect? They are each historical teachings that are meant to help a person become a better person. The human being will go through a variety of cycles throughout their lives. This will include coping with change, suffering, loss, death, and happiness. What these are meant to do is help a person deal with all of the changes that they are undergoing. How would you defend mythology’s relevance in contemporary culture? Think about familial and cultural traditions. Also, consider how mythology is used in the arts and in advertising to typify human experience. They could be defended by what they are attempting to teach. They are meant to help a person deal with the challenges that take place throughout everyday life. Life is challenging and life is hard. Myths can be defended and should be defended because they are meant to help a person deal with the challenges that take place throughout the hardships of life. When we consider the familial and cultural traditions they are important because they offer insight to historical perspective. They allow us to see how much society has changed and how much people have remained the same in regards to their conflicts and problems. Typifying the human experience is an example. Who could say that our society is not filled with mythology as it is? I think that it is entirely. Movies, books, stories and visual images are all modern mythology. Who is to say that centuries from now societies won’t look back on our culture today and view our movies and books as we view myths and cave art? It’s interesting to think about.

What Is Commercial Organization?

Any type of organization who did business or commercial activity, like production and trading the goods or services. We can also name it as business organization, business enterprise or business firm as well.Difficulties Faced by Women Workers (Sapphire Textile)Ladies laborers confront distinctive difficulties in the work environment like sexual orientation based separation, provocation, residential limitation, work and family issues and unequal pay In the previous couple of decades, the part of ladies in our general public has been definitely changed. Ladies can be viewed as warrior stream pilots, educationists, client administrations head, and organization administrators, administrator heads, saving money, HR and telecom area. Ladies are making a huge commitment in every segment. Men are never again considered as the main bread worker of the house. Ladies of the family are currently additionally fiscally supporting their family. Despite the fact that the quantity of working ladies is expanding step by step yet at the same time there are sure boundaries that they need to cross to substantiate themselves helpful for the activity advertise. Sexual harassment based separation: Working men are generally given out of line advantage in contrast with the working ladies. In this male ruling society, men are viewed as all the more dedicated, keen and preferable representatives over ladies. This sexual orientation separation result in expanded level of pressure and employment disappointment. It likewise diminishes inspiration to work and duty towards the activity. Essentially ladies are given lesser open doors for quality training which thus brings about absence of information with respect to innovative progression. Local Restrictions: Prior ladies were limited to their home and their essential part was to deal with family unit tasks. With time, because of increment in financial weights on families this limitation has been discharged. Presently in the vast majority of the families ladies are likewise permitted to get advanced education and do paid employments yet under specific limitations. The greatest level of working ladies can be viewed as wellbeing laborers, educationist, assistants or whatever other low paid occupation that are very little favored by men in light of the absence of development openings and low pay-scale. Ladies are permitted to do such occupations in light of the female prevailing condition. This thing has confined the lady's introduction to other accessible openings and restricted their development in the formative area. After throughout the day of work at office, regardless of how tired they will be, they additionally need to take care of local errands. Provocation at work put: Provocation is another fundamental issue looked by working ladies, as they are viewed as a simple focus by the male partners. The greater part of the ladies in Pakistan left their home to procure cash just at the season of extraordinary need, they are much powerless and associates and higher administration hassle them by passing improper comments or ridiculing them or in outrageous cases they disturb them sexually. Typically ladies stay noiseless on such acts or overlook them or endure it in dread of losing their activity. They are hesitant to make claims against the guilty parties. Some of them leave to dispose of this since they realize that it is of no utilization to make a grievance against them. Degenerate officers and higher specialists don't bolster them. Strict laws are there to help working ladies however just if this gets revealed. This is one of the real reasons why families don't enable ladies to work. Lower Pay-scale: The business ought to guarantee that uniform wages ought to be paid to the two people on an equivalent measure of work done. In numerous work environments, representatives are not permitted to examine their pay rates in view of which nobody ever comes to know whether they are paid less or not. Tormenting, provocation and mishandling are striking acts however bring down wages is a quiet offense, nobody makes any dissension and the issue proceeds. Ladies are paid less in light of the fact that business has this preset idea that she will leave the place of employment after marriage or in the wake of having youngsters. Ladies gain low likewise on the grounds that they need to pick a less difficult activity for themselves so they can invest more energy at home. Parenthood influences the lady's vocation antagonistically as opposed to men. The association should offer some family-friendlier approach and furthermore ensure break even with wages ought to be given to the workers without sexual orientation segregation. Staying noiseless on such act implies that we are quietly supporting this wrongdoing. Hitched Working Women: The majority of the wedded ladies are not permitted to carry out a vocation and furthermore, it winds up troublesome for them to keep up work and family tasks harmony as a result of expanded duty. Customarily, men are the bread workers of the house and it isn't considerable if ladies bolster the family fiscally or if ladies gain more than men. Hitched working ladies additionally confront issues at work. It isn't feasible for them to work in late hours. The vast majority of the work environments don't have nurseries or childcare where moms can keep their youngsters. Negative demeanors of male colleagues: Demeanor of male colleagues is now and again extremely mortifying and one-sided. It is viewed as that ladies are enlisted just to add shading to the workplace condition. Absence of working environment social help, from partners and chiefs prompts non-attendance, low turnover and occupation disappointment. Higher experts should endeavor to build up a strong and favorable workplace. Transport: The vehicle framework in our nation is extremely poor. This is a major obstruction for the ladies who need to go out for an occupation. People both need to confront this issue. In spite of the deficient accessibility of the general population transport, ladies likewise need to confront provocation. They will undoubtedly go on transports and vans since taxis are costly.

Current Gun Control Laws

Dear Mr.. Mayor, I write this memorandum with renewed consciousness and self-reflection. I write this in regards to the current gun control policies and regulations. In today's society there are far too many mass shootings that innocently take people's lives. These mass shootings are occurring in schools, movie theaters, shopping malls, compounds, public events, and at work. Numerous shootings have occurred in the past few years and the numbers continue to evolve.It is our responsibility as citizens to stand up and take charge of the matter. We can start this endeavor by enacting gun control. No one has the freedom to take another's life from them and once a person has died not anyone can bring them back. In this memorandum I will be mainly focusing on school shootings. Catastrophes will always occur, however, we as citizens can make a meaningful difference In preventing these shootings from occurring by Implementing stricter gun control regulations.Perhaps by enforcing antigen polic ies will prevent a hill, a teenager, a young adult, an adult, or senior citizen from making one of the biggest mistake of their life. Guns have no place in schools and schools are supposed to be designed not only for education but as a safe environment for children (Information for Gun Control, 2014). Yes, the Second Amendment gives citizens of the United States the right to bear arms (genuine. Com, 2013).However, at the time that the Second Amendment was established I do not think that children were killing children by walking Into a school and that our fore fathers envisioned the airlessness of gun owners and their lack of â€Å"control† of their own weapons. Politicians today are heedlessly Jeopardizing those whose freedom and rights they allege to be protecting. It Is time for the Government to withstand an honest glimpse at the tragic occurrences that are taking innocent people's lives, the lives of young children in these gun shootings whether they are accidental or int entional.Responsibility for these heinous killings need to be assumed and it is the Government that needs to step up to the plate and federally regulate stricter gun control policies. Stricter gun control policies should include mandatory registration of weapons with a five to ten day waiting period, licensing of all gun owners, required gun permits and purchaser permits as well. Also included in these regulations should be intensive background checks with no stipulations.Unfortunately it is a fact that many of the guns used in these mass shootings were legally owned and obtained by the parents of the perpetrators. Other than the fact that schools should also have stricter precautions and security they must also have psychological observation and tracking. Yet another policy that would be welcomed Is responsibility of the parents in such that they too can be legally charged for allowing access to incompetent of securing a gun then perhaps they should not be allowed to possess one.

Practical report on DNA Extraction Biological Science Assignment

Practical report on DNA Extraction Biological Science - Assignment Example This proved to be a successful method to extract DNA from a Kiwi fruit in a quantity that permit visualization without a high-power microscope. INTRODUCTION DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the basic structure of all living organisms (plants, animals, humans, microbes) and is present in the cells, especially in the cell nucleus. They are made from simple units known as ‘nucleotides’. Genes, which carry all information (structure, behavior, functions) of a cell or an organism, are made from long strands of DNA and this DNA is copied and inherited through generations from parent to the offspring. Hence, DNA is used in producing genetically modified plants and animals, in identifying variations/similarities of plant types, in medical research and in forensic medicine and in manufacturing pharmaceuticals (Jie, 2011). Isolated DNA from a tissue of a plant, animal, microbe or a human is therefore very useful since it provide much information about the individual, its characters and genetic background. There are many protocols of DNA extraction from an organism. Advanced techniques are needed to isolate DNA in a more pure form and require sophisticated equipment and specific chemicals. However, all these methods are based on three basic steps; i.e. separation and opening of cells chemically or mechanically to release DNA, purify DNA by removing proteins and other cell debris and finally, precipitation of DNA using an alcohol (Hoyle, 2011). If these basic steps are practiced, it should be possible to isolate DNA by following simple means and hence the objective of this study was to extract DNA from a Kiwi fruit using household items. MATERIALS AND METHODS A fruit of Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), otherwise known as ‘Chinese gooseberry’, was used to extract DNA. Outer skin of the fruit was peeled off and the fruit was chopped into small pieces using a knife. These pieces were put into a jar and mashed thoroughly to break open cells and enhance relea se of DNA. The Extraction buffer (Table 1) was added into fruit pulp and continued further mashing to enhance release of more DNA. Table 1. Composition of the extraction buffer Component Quantity Washing up liquid 5g Salt 2g Tap water 100ml All components were mixed and stirred slowly until salt was completely dissolved. This Kiwi - buffer mixture was then incubated at 600 C for 15 min. by carefully immersing the jar in a water bath. The water bath was prepared by filling a large basin with approximately equal volumes of normal tap water and boiling water from a kettle. The precise temperature was maintained by using a thermometer. After 15 minutes, the jar was removed from the water bath and the content was filtered through a fine sieve (coffee filter) into a fresh jar to separate Kiwi DNA from other cellular debris. Ice-cold alcohol was pre-prepared by freezing methylated spirit for a minimum of 30 min period and this was carefully poured down the inside of the jar containing Kiwi DNA suspension. RESULTS A yellow-green colored filtrate was observed after filtering the incubated mixture of fruit pulp and buffer. When ice-cold alcohol was added into this filtrate, a transparent layer was formed on top of the Kiwi mixture as alcohol has lesser density than the mixture. Gradually, a white substance began to appear at the bottom of the ice cold alcohol layer where it met the Kiwi DNA suspension. This white substance was Kiwi DNA and could be collected using a small spatula made from a curved paper clip. DISCUSSION Since all living

The role of legal systems in corporate governance Essay

The role of legal systems in corporate governance - Essay Example A Legal system is composed of a constitution, the different types of legislative bodies and legislation that is done by subsidiary law-making bodies like county authorities that carry out legislative duties such as the creation of by-laws (Brealy et al, 2007). Most legal systems in the world have two different branches that include civil law that deals with the law of torts, divorce law and the common law branch that deals with the commission of crimes and felonies. The judiciary is used for the determination of cases that fall in both civil and criminal law. The laws that deal with the collection of taxes and the administration of the tax laws fall under tax laws. Corporate governance has the stewardship approach where management is viewed as the stewards of the organization in terms of the asset management and employment as well as deployment of such assets in a manner that is consistent with the overall strategy of the organization (Enneking, 2012). It also sets out the accountability of the company towards the relevant authorities. Most companies are required to have a document setting out the corporate governance structure and policy. Corporate governance also entails the management of challenges that arise from separation of an entity’s ownership and its control. This discussion will focus on various issues; to begin with it will provide elaborate information in regard to the impacts of legal systems on corporate governance. Moreover, it will attempt to describe the effects of these systems on monitory unions and MNE firms. Background information shall also be provided that delve with legal systems as well as corporate governance. Legal systems affect almost every aspect of the society; one of the societal aspects that is affected by these systems is corporate governance. It is therefore crucial to research and determine the effects of legal systems on corporate governance

Investment proposal report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Investment proposal report - Essay Example Contextually, the mission of this particular business will be to operate with the deliverance of high quality products and services to the customers so that it can ensure maximum productivity that further shall ascertain the growth of the business. The business will also take into consideration the interests of the stakeholders while framing its strategies. The business idea, which will be focused in this context, will be multi-cuisine restaurant. A multi-cuisine restaurant is a particular sort of restaurant, which uses cooking methods of different nations of the world. This kind of restaurants often serves customers with diverse sorts of foods that have resemblance of any specific nation or region. However, establishing such business requires a considerable amount of investments. This particular business will require funds for various purposes including equipment and vehicles, marketing, land purchase, purchase of machinery, setting up of infrastructure and startup capital among others. These aspects are mandatorily required to set up multi-cuisine restaurant in any part of the UK. Hence, the need for investors is quite apparent in this particular business. It is known that investors are the people who invest their money in any business and earn profit for the same in return. For this particular business, funds will mainly be acquired from sources preferably the financial institutions of the UK. Funds will be acquired from these institutions against the payment of interest at a particular rate. It can be affirmed that acquiring funds is not only the sole step in setting up investment plans for the business rather financial planning is also considered to be important. Observably, financial planning is a set of financial goals and objectives of any business on which the profitability or the stability of the entire business is dependent.

Indian Bronze Sculpture at the Art Institute Chicago Essay

Indian Bronze Sculpture at the Art Institute Chicago - Essay Example In that sense, Shiva is also the deity of reproduction. Because of the association with death and anger, Shiva is the most-feared god in Hindu religion and at the same time, is the epitome of love and salvation. Shiva is also the Mahayogi, the greatest ascetic who through his intense meditation breaks the barriers for the river Ganga to flow down to the plains from his abode in Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. His love for his consort, Parvati, is intense and depicts the tense relationship between man and woman (1stholic). The symbolism in Shiva's physical features depicts the earthly life cycle. The torrent of the Ganga river that Shiva brings about through his meditation flow as Shiva's locks of hair, thereafter transforming into the seven big rivers in the land. Among the physical attributes of Lord Shiva, other than the cobra (symbolizing worldly forces), a skull (implying Shiva as lord of finale) and the mermaid Ganga also find the falcate moon (the container of the holy nectar). Shiva wears two earrings - the right ear has a Linga or male earring and the left ear has a Yoni or female earring. The image, in other words, is androgynous and includes both male and female. Shiva has four arms and two feet, the body carrying strap and ornaments of the classical dancer. Rising out of Apasmara is the "circle of fire" (the Prabha Mandala), namely, the real circle of creation--this observed world where we are placed in. Lastly, the whole image sits on a lotus base, lotus being a symbol of cleanliness grow ing out of the dim waters of the mysterious (Objectives For Myths, indiana.edu). Shiva, the lord of the Lingam (or sexuality), the husband of Shakti-Devi (or Parvati), is also Nataraja, King of Dance, who transforms man into a higher level. In Hindu philosophy, dancing is considered as an art form in which the dancer is metamorphosed into a being gifted with extraordinary powers. The dance, like yoga, generates daze, elation, the experience of the celestial, the self- realization ("atmanam biddhi") and, lastly, uniting with the godly spirit. The dance, in Hindu societies, has grown along with the remarkable rigors of the meditation - fasting, breathing exercises, total withdrawal. To work magic upon others, one has to be fascinated oneself and dance is an act of creation, resulting in a new state and taking the dancer to a new and higher persona, stirring dormant energies to mold the world (Zimmer, Philosophies of India). The typical Nataraj is shown with four hands, two on either side, the upper left hand gripping a flame, the lower left hand indicating down to the devil Muyalaka, or dwarf (Apasmara) symbolizing unawareness, shown to be holding a cobra. The demon is trampled by Shiva's right foot and the other foot is lifted. The upper right hand clutches a drum, the lower one is in the abhaymudra ('be without fear'). The hair is plaited and jeweled, some of his locks reeling as he dances; inside the crinkles of his hair are a coiled cobra, a skull, and the form of Ganga, the Hindu holy river. The whole figure stands on a lotus plinth bordered by a ring of flames, touched by the hands gripping the drum and the fire (Coomaraswamy, 1957). The dance represents five activities: Shrishti (creation, progress); Sthiti (conservation, maintainence); Samhara (annihilation,

Film (movie) analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Film (movie) analysis paper - Essay Example As a designer, am responsible for the visual concept of a movie, a theater production or a television program. I realize a design style for sets, graphic, location, lighting, camera angle, costumes and carefully work with the film producer and director. One of the concepts used my designer is appointing and managing an art department, which includes construction and design team. A strong partnership is formed with a particular director with whom I work closely with. Designers tend to specialize in theater, television or film although there may be some overlap. In a case of a theater, production designers are also referred to us set designers or stage. As a production designer, my main work is to market my skills and experience, briefing and making contacts with agents. Some of the activities that am involved with include: reading scripts to identify a theme indicating a particular visual style. Analyzing a production brief that might be a written one or oral. Monitoring and planning design budget. Coming up with design ideas, make-ups, and costume design. During my childhood, I used to love new ideas and new things; a factor that is helping me in design production. Production design in shall we dance film is of a high quality. The choices of costumes use are in agreement with the theme of the movie. A good example is the dancing costume worn by the dancers in the movie. Graphic design is problem-solving through the use of image, space and visual communication. Being a graphic designer, one works under the directors supervision. One of the major responsibilities of a graphic designer is to ensure quality production of art, production of art assets and page layout in accordance with design documentation. Another work of a graphic designer is to understand the brand or a product and come up with art brief. Graphic design under a tight schedule and are supposed to deliver on the set deadlines. During my childhood, I was greatly

What Important Role Did Emil Sodersteen Play in Australian Art Deco Research Paper

What Important Role Did Emil Sodersteen Play in Australian Art Deco Architectural Design - Research Paper Example It introduced in Architecture irregular shape, curved lines, curved glass, mosaic, and stained glass. This new style flourished in European Architecture. Art Deco was a continuation of Art Nouveau. It offered in the twentieth century’s design - luxury, style and efficiency. It emerged in the years of 1908-1912. Representatives of this design style are Tamara de Lempicka, Rene Lalique, William van Alens, Raymond hood and Paul Manship.3 Art Deco reached its flourishing between the years 1925 and 1935 years. The name Art Deco came from the Exposition Internationale des arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. It was an art and craft exhibition, which took place in 1925 in France.4 The exhibition, demonstrated the latest achievements in the field of architecture, interior, furniture, metal products, glass, and ceramic designs. Six months of the exhibition period drew about 16 million visitors from different parts of the world. The exhibition was gorgeous and glamorous. The famous French architect Le Corbusier, one of the founders of constructivism and functionalism, for this exhibition designed and built the pavilion by name  «Esprit Nouveau ». The famous painter P. Lalique built another pavilion with colored glass fountain with light effects. The 1925 Paris exhibition, as whole, became the final stage of development of design of the period of Modern or a transitional stage form of Modernism to post-war functionalism. In 1966, after the revival of 1925 exhibition in Paris, this art design style received the name Art Deco. Before that, the style was called "jazz modern," "zigzag modern", "streamlined modern". New discoveries of spectacular monuments of ancient Egyptian art (including the tomb of Tutankhamen, 1922) and the ancient civilizations of America made a significant impact on the development of Art Deco design style. In the period, between the two world wars, Art Deco was used in decorative art; today the term has become the synonym of ef ficiency. Art Deco design artists offered glamour and efficiency in their work. Art Laurence, one of the brilliant Art Deco artists, combined in his work classicism, symmetry, straightforwardness, and cubism on one hand as a part of Art Nouveau, and on other the ancient art of the Egypt, Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Thus, Art Deco in design accepted on one side favorite themes and motives of Modern - more precisely the style of art Nouveau, - which were winding lines, an unusual combination of expensive and exotic materials, images of exotic creatures, wave form, and on the other side colorful designs, ornate carvings, visual abstraction, and abstract _______________________ 5. â€Å"Decorating in the Art Deco  Style,† Art Deco Style- Decorating in Art Deco Style, accessed May16, 2012, interiordec.about.com/od/stylesofdecor/a/art_deco_style.htm. 6. â€Å"Lalique Crystal, Figurines, Glass, and Art,† Squidoo, accessed May16, 2012, www.squidoo.com †º Home & Garden †º Home Decor. expressionism of the past. As an artistic style, Art Deco denied asceticism and opposed to the minimalism. It focused to the past, embodied a blend of

Computer Assisted Audit Technique Essay Example for Free

Computer Assisted Audit Technique Essay The test data technique is primarily designed to test the effectiveness of the internal control procedures which are incorporated in the client’s computer program. The objective of the test data technique is to determine whether the client’s computer programs can correctly handle valid and invalid conditions as they arise. To accomplish this objective the auditor prepares test data (fictitious transactions) that consist of valid and invalid conditions. The auditor enters the test data into the system and have the data processed by the entity’s computer programs. Since the auditor is the one who crates the test data, the auditor knows what the output should look like assuming the client’s computer programs is functioning effectively. The auditor then compares the processing results with his predetermined output. If the output generated by the client’s program is the same as the auditor’s expected output, the auditor may conclude that the client’s program is reliable. A disadvantage of the test data technique is that the auditor does not have an assurance that the program tested is the same program used by the client throughout the accounting process. . In order to overcome this disadvantage, the test data technique can be extended to an integrated test facility (ITF) An integrated test facility (ITF) creates a fictitious entity in a database to process test transactions simultaneously with live input. It can be used to incorporate test transactions into a normal production run of a system. Its advantage is that periodic testing does not require separate test processes. However, careful planning is necessary, and test data must be isolated from production data. Integrated test facility is considered a useful audit tool during an IT audit because it uses the same programs to compare processing using independently calculated data. This involves setting up dummy entities on an application system and processing test or production data against the entity as a means of verifying processing accuracy. When using ITF, the auditor must be alert to the danger of contaminating the client’s master file. Thus, care must be taken to reverse or eliminates the effects of all audit test transactions in order to avoid contamination of client’s computer files. Parallel Simulation The test data and ITF methods both process test data through real programs. With parallel simulation, the auditor processes real client data on an audit program similar to some aspect of the client’s program. The auditor compares the results of this processing with the results of the processing done by the client’s program.

Service Quality Standards in Health and Social Care

Service Quality Standards in Health and Social Care In health and social care services, quality is an essential component and a concept with many different interpretations and perspectives. It is important to both users of health and social care services and external stakeholders. While completing this unit I have gained knowledge of these differing perspectives and considered ways in which health and care service quality may he improved. I have tried to explore the requirements of external regulators and compare them with the expectations of those who use services. I have also learnt about few methods that can be used to assess different quality perspectives, and develop the ability to evaluate these methods against service objectives. I have also focussed on concepts of managing service quality with an aim of achieving continuous improvement and exceeding minimum standards. I have made a sincere attempt to understand strategies for achieving quality in health and social care services. By completing this unit, I sincerely hope that I have learnt basics of as to how to evaluate systems, policies and procedures in health and social care services. I have learnt about methodologies for evaluating health and social care service quality. TASK 1 Stakeholders are essential in health and social care regarding quality; discuss analysing the role of external agencies in setting standards. (1.1; 1.2) Stakeholder as one who is involved in or affected by a course of action. Patients are part of the stakeholder group that both pays for our health care system and are the end-user of it. The interests of health care organizations, medical professionals and other health care providers are represented through various government bodies, professional organizations and labour unions. We must try and understand quality considering the perspectives of staff and also perspectives of those who use services. Quality might have the same outcome but opinions of the health and social care staff and the patients might be quite different. In simple terms, quality is fitness for purpose. Quality is about meeting the service users requirements. If quality is about meeting service users requirements, it is important to discover what these requirements are. If we provide services with extras that service users dont want, we will not be adding quality. Stakeholders can be the external agencies eg Care Quality Commission; Supporting People; National Institute for Clinical Excellence; Health Service Commissioners; local authorities; users of services eg direct users of services, families, carers; professionals; managers; support workers. There are many organisations in the UK known as health and social care regulators. Each organisation oversees one or more of the health and social care professions by regulating individual professionals across the UK. These organisations, also known as regulators, were set up to protect the public so that whenever you see a health or social care professional, whether private or in the NHS, you can be sure they meet the standards set by the relevant regulator. To practise profession in health and social care, people must be registered with the relevant regulator. If they are not registered and still practise, then they are breaking the law and they may be prosecuted. These registers are made up of only those professionals who have demonstrated that they have met the standards set. These registers are open to the public. So if you want to check your professional is registered, you can do this either online or by calling the relevant organisation. In health and social care, professionals, clinicians and others, whose work is informed by traditional bodies of knowledge, are increasingly aware of the need for continuous personal development. High- quality services cannot be sustained unless health and care staff are consistently engaged in learning, individually and together. All care services need to work to standards and have a system for measuring that they are meeting standards. The health care system has audits which check that services meet quality standards, while social services have inspection units which register and inspect services. Standards are influenced by laws, subsequent regulations, codes of conduct and values. All organisations such as homes, day centres or community services, need a system to monitor how effectively services are being delivered and whether service users are having their needs met. Organisations may have their own quality monitoring systems. At a local level, quality assurance groups may seek to clarify, prioritise or set standards. Different parts of the system and external agencies need to work together, as part of a culture of open and honest cooperation, to identify potential or actual serious quality failures and take corrective action in the interests of protecting patients. Explain what the potential impacts of not appropriately managing quality in health and social care settings might be? (1.3) If quality in health and social care settings is not appropriately managed, this could lead to serious consequences. It could lead to inability to improve the health and social well-being of people in the area for which they are responsible; Planning and commissioning health and social care will be unable to meet the needs of people in that area. It will cause inability to secure the delivery to people in an area of health and social care that is safe, efficient, co-ordinated and cost-effective. Also the availability and quality of health and social care in that area will deteriorate. The development of standards, guidance and strategic targets will be stagnant. This would mean that local targets will not be achieved. It would mean that patient satisfaction will diminish and targets and expectations will not be met. Obviously, if the quality is inappropriately managed, it would have a significant impact on all three basic criteria. It would lead to poor clinical effectiveness. Safety of the patient ill not be guaranteed and this would lead to poor outcome in terms of patient experiences. Where the regulatory bodies find that providers are not meeting the standards, they require them to improve and has a range of enforcement powers they can use. These powers include warning notices, penalties, suspension or restriction of a providers activities, or in extreme cases, cancellation of a providers registration which effectively means closure of a service. Providers who train healthcare professionals also have a responsibility to deliver training in a safe and effective way in line with the standards set by the professional regulators. The professional regulators have an interest where the quality of training may put patients at risk. I. What are the major quality issues that were identified in the last State of Social Care (CSCI, 2009) standards report? What might be the implications for service users? (2.1) CSCIs report, The State of Social Care in England 2009, concludes that services do not meet the expectations. The report is believed to highlight that social care services are struggling to meet peoples needs. Fewer people are receiving the care they need to enable them to live independent lives in their own homes. It is all so understood that the report will say there are continuing and chronic difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff throughout the whole care sector. People, whether they pay for their care or are publicly funded, are not always getting the individualised help that they need to make decisions about their support which in the long term can be costly to individuals, family carers, councils and the NHS. People are not always getting quality personalised support, particularly those with multiple and complex needs, some of whom may have little, if any, choice about their care. There are concerns about people who are lost to the system because they are ineligible for publicly funded support or are self-funders. There is an increased demand and resources are limited which is putting a lot of pressure. The report states that people who have complex needs are not getting personalised care. It notes excellent examples of people receiving the support they need but adds that too many people are not getting the right amount of personalised care. Many people do not get the information, advice or support they need to help them make informed choices about their care. Implications for service users: Poor quality service can disrupt funding, damage the reputation of organisations and individuals and lead to inappropriate planning decisions. Improving quality improves patient care and value for money. It is important to improve quality because it will lead to preventing ill health and provide patient-centred care. It will also help to manage increasing demand across all programmes of care and to tackle health inequalities. Improved quality will lead to deliver a high-quality. People who would be affected the most because of poor quality will be mainly the older population, people with long-term conditions, people with a physical disability, maternity and child health, family and child care people using mental health services, people with a learning disability acute care and palliative and end of life care. There are many different approaches to understanding quality. Describe any three approaches of your choice highlight a particular strength of each approach. Different understandings of quality: A common quote is: Some things are better than others; that is, they have more quality. It is a grade of goodness or excellence. Quality therefore means free from defects. In my opinion, quality means patients satisfaction. After reading and learning more about quality, I have realised that quality can be understood with variour approaches. It can be measure in terms of the exceptional (highest standards) or in terms of conformity to standards. It can also be described as fitness for purpose, as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals; and as meeting patients needs. Quality as exceptionality This is the more traditional concept of quality. It is associated with the idea of providing a service that is distinctive and special, and which confers status on the owner or user. Many institutions emphasise that health and social care must have exceptional standards. However, it is not possible for the agency to condemn all other institutions. This approach is not always possible. Quality as conformance to standards The word standard is used to indicate pre-determined specifications or expectations. As long as an institution meets the pre-determined standards, it can be considered a quality institution fit for a particular status. This is the approach followed by most regulatory bodies for ensuring that institutions or programmes meet certain threshold levels. Quality as fitness for purpose This approach has the following questions Who will determine the purpose? and What are appropriate purposes?. The answers to these questions depend on the context in which quality is viewed. The purposes may be determined by the institution itself, by the government, or by a group of stakeholders. Quality as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals In this approach, a high quality institution is one that clearly states its mission (purpose) and is efficient in achieving it. This approach may raise issues such as the way in which the institution might set its goals (high, moderate or low), and how appropriate those goals could be. Quality as meeting customers stated or implied needs This is also a variation of the fitness-for-purpose approach. This is where the purpose is customer needs and satisfaction. Quality therefore corresponds to the satisfaction of the patients. Which approach to quality (you may choose one that isnt above) do you feel is more often used by providers of health and social care services users and why do you think that this is the case? (2.2) Standards-based understanding of quality In my view, I think health and social care providers use an approach which is conformance to the standards. Many regulatory bodies set goals and aims for a particular healthcare setting and the organisation works hard to achieve these goals. Implementing quality needs planning. There should be policies and procedures. Government should set some targets. An audit can be an excellent tool to check if appropriate quality of care is being delivered. There should be constant monitoring and review should take place at regular intervals. Good communication is the key to implement good quality. Proper information should be shared especially when shifts finish, hand over should be done adequately. We all should be open and ready for adapting to change. Standards: minimum standards or best practice should be the goal or certain benchmarks should be set. We must have measurable performance indicators. All health and social care settings should have codes of practice. There should be legislation in place which could either be local, national or European legislation. In the standards-based understanding of quality, health and social care institutions must demonstrate their quality against a set of pre-determined standards. These standards will set a threshold level of quality. However, quality assurance today has changed. While in the past quantitative criteria was enough to demonstrate that a standard had been met, more qualitative criteria is now incorporated and institutions may thus be able to more easily maintain their individuality. IV Suggest the potential barriers to delivering quality at this scheme and other health and social care services (2.3) There are a number of barriers to improving quality. It could be due to lack of proper implementation of documented procedures. There is a lack of incentives to change traditional ways of providing care. Also a lack of a patient-centered culture and values. One of the biggest problem is lack of relevant training and support. Also we dont have enough expertise in interpreting survey data. Sometimes it is just the resistance to change which can be quite difficult to overcome. We shall discuss relative impact of a range of potential barriers. The biggest constraint is the time available to focus on improving the quality of services, followed by a lack of leadership. People need to be identified, trained and supported to provide leadership and commitment. Lack of leadership in delivering quality is an important barrier. Training if not received properly could lead to poor quality in health and social care. We know there could be few health and social care workers who received no training, few who were trained in all the identified areas of quality, some who had been trained in only one area (predominantly clinical governance and audit) and the remainder received an inconsistent mix of training in different areas. A consistent package of core training in all facets of quality is needed for all NHS staff. Staff must be rewarded through the appraisal process, this could lead to a morale boost and lead to better quality of work. How does legislation (relating to quality) impact on the delivery of quality in health and social care service(s) offered in England and Wales? (3.1) Rules and regulations must be followed because safety depends on them. They usually come from one of two sources as they may be local and designed by the employer or they may have been designed by the government. Hospitals have their own policies and they also follow rules set by the NHS and the government. Wherever they come from, it is important that they are followed as they are put in place for the good of everyone. One of the main sets of rules and regulations is The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This act provides the basis of health and safety law. It places general duties on all people at work, including employers and employees. All places of employment are subject to health and safety law. Employers must have relevant policies in place. These must be designed for health and social care so that all of the staff can follow them and comply with the safety laws. Most care establishments have the following policies like fire policy, lifting policy and hazardous waste policy. When running or managing a care service and carrying on a regulated activity there are certain things you have to do by law. Though the legislation should be used as guidance only, and is not legal advice. Another important act is Health and Social Care Act 2008. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 established the Care Quality Commission as the regulator of all health and adult social care services. It is important to be aware of all the up to date provisions. We should try to describe quality and safety from the perspective of people who use services and place them at the centre of the registration system. It is important that anyone registered to provide or manage a regulated activity is aware of the guidance that has been produced. It is very important to be aware of the legal side of things so that we can ensure the safety of patients and also ourselves. Identify other factors that might influence the achievement of quality in health and social care services (3.2) How to deliver high-quality healthcare in the most efficient manner possible is the question that is very important. In my opinion, healthcare delivery should be clinically effective, focusing on treatment outcomes, including survival rates, symptoms, complications and patient-reported outcomes. In my view, health and social care must be safe: avoiding harm, looking after people in clean, safe environments, and reporting any medical errors or adverse events. One main goal should be ensuring that healthcare is available to all according to need and avoiding financial barriers that prevent access to necessary care. It is important that health and social care is efficient: paying attention to value for money, avoidance of unnecessary interventions, and careful use of limited resources. Health and social care should be responsive: providing personalized, patient-centred care, delivered with compassion, dignity and respect; measuring, analysing and improving patients experience and satisfaction. How can health and social care workers ensure their knowledge base is up to date and that their work is of a quality standard and what role and responsibilities do health and social care service providers have in relation to this. (3.3) As health care or social care workers, we must endeavour to keep our knowledge base up to date and ensure that our work is of quality standard. Ideal care workers will go out of their way for patients, they try to understand what its like for the service user and carer; they are happy and interested in their work and knowledgeable about their jobs and are always ready to help. Good communication is the key. We must attend seminars, meetings, group discussions and do online studying along with regular text bok reading. Group discussions and team work will help us to realise the gaps in our knowledge. Care workers should have knowledge of services and legislation relevant to users and carers needs. They must know about the benefit system and sources of funding, or who to refer to if they dont. It is of utmost importance that they know when and whom to ask for extra help. Health and social care workers should know about the people they are caring for. They should be familiar with the roles of other people in relation to meeting service user and carer need. Health and social care workers must understand their limitations and have up-to-date knowledge. It is recommended that care workers review their learning over the previous 12 months, and set their development objectives for the coming year. Reflecting on the past and planning for the future in this way makes your development more methodical and easier to measure. Care workers may already be doing this as part of their development review with an employer. CPD is a personal commitment to keeping our professional knowledge up to date and improving our capabilities. It focuses on what we learn and how we develop throughout your career. As a professional, we have a responsibility to keep our skills and knowledge up to date. CPD helps us turn that accountability into a positive opportunity to identify and achieve our own career objectives. CPD is an opportunity to do ourselves some good; the nature and scale of the benefit depends entirely on us. I. Identify method used to assess quality, evaluate the method with two more methods of your choice (one external and internal (4.1) Measuring the quality of health care has become a major concern for funders and providers of health services in recent decades. One of the ways in which quality of care is currently assessed is by taking routinely collected data and analysing that data. The use of routine data has many advantages but there are also some important pitfalls. The Measurement of Quality: Methods for assessing quality can be various. We could use questionnaires, focus groups, structured and semi-structured interviews, panels, complaints procedures, feedback forms and road shows. Nice questionnaires should be prepared which should be given to the patients to fill in their own time. This could give us a fair and honest opinion about our services. Small focus groups and interviews can also be a good technique. To achieve good levels of quality service, we must have complaints procedures in place. Feedback forms could be an excellent measure for quality of any service provided. This could also prove beneficial in improving the quality by acting upon any suggestions made by the patients. Scientific methods of measurement are increasingly necessary. Evaluation requires good methods in order for the resulting data to be useful. Further, data from evaluations are being used to create significant change within organizations, so faulty data based on inaccurate measurement methods carry a great risk. Quality will not be improved simply as a result of inspection. It must be built into the people and the processes carrying out the work of the organization. In health and social care setting we must all define quality, measure its achievement, and create innovations to constantly improve. This requires active involvement of all within the organization, from the mailroom to the boardroom. Visible, supportive leadership is essential. II. If quality is about meeting customers or service users requirements, it is important to discover what these requirements are (Martin and Henderson, 2001 p. 178) Quality is most easily recognised in its absence and many public perceptions of healthcare are based upon measuring the absence of quality for example, waiting times, waiting list sizes, even illness itself are all measurements of the absence of quality. The client/patient: the client/patients view of the quality of their experience will depend upon two factors: a successful outcome and a positive experience before, during and after treatment. However, some procedures which may be deemed clinically desirable to maximise the probability of a successful outcome may be highly uncomfortable and inconvenient for the patient. Increasingly, the separation between these aspects is being questioned as it is recognised that clinical outcomes are influenced by a patients general state of well-being. This increases the need to take account of what has been traditionally considered as non-clinical aspects of care. Service quality is more difficult for patients to evaluate than goods quality. A patients assessment of the quality of health care services is more complex and difficult for them as well. Patients do not evaluate service quality solely on the outcome of a service; they also consider the process of service delivery. The antibiotics may have resolved the throat infection, but if discourtesy and an uncaring attitude marked the patients interaction with the provider, the perception may well be poor service quality. The patient defines the only criteria that count in evaluating service quality. Only patients can judge service quality; all other judgments are irrelevant. Patients requirements, in my opinion, are: Access: approachability and ease of contact. Communication: keeping patients informed in language they can understand. Listening to them is equally important. Less use of of medical jargon. Competence: possession of the required skills and knowledge to perform the service. Courtesy: politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of health and social care worker. Credibility: trustworthiness, believability, and honesty of the service provider. Reliability: the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Responsiveness: the willingness to help patients and to provide prompt service. Security: freedom from danger, risk, or doubt. Understanding of the needs of a patient: making the effort to know patients and their needs. III. Service user involvement has become a buzzword in policy aimed at achieving quality. Discuss strategies used to involve service users and their effectiveness. (4.2) Service user involvement is a two way process that involves both service users and their service provider in the sharing of ideas, where service users are able to influence decisions and take part in what is happening Patients, carers, parents and advocates of the sick and vulnerable should have input into the kind of health service we have. They should be consulted about changes to services, and they should be involved in the design of those services. They should help to set the standards by which services are judged, and help to assess whether a particular aspect of the service meets those standards. At every stage, the users of the health service should be offered the opportunity to play an active part in developing, delivering and evaluating their service. Involvement can be achieved by using the following methods. Information sharing This may include letters, posters, newsletters, videos, tapes, text messages and forums. Listening This may include: one to one interviews, group interviews, focus groups, and service user meetings, one off events, questionnaires and workshops Consultation This may include: one to one interviews, group interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, one off specific focused events, workshops, and video or drama events. Participation This may include: user panels focused on specific topics, resident groups, inclusion in organising events, videos and other media to give information to other service users. Patients should be involved in making decisions about their own health care. They should be actively involved in co-designing services, redesigning services, developing services or change management. The government should be undertaking peer education and support. More patients should be taking part in research. These strategies could be used to involve service users.

The Great Depression Essay -- American History

The Great Depression The Big Picture The Great Depression was the longest and most severe economic decline in American history. On October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed and began the depression. Although industry leaders issued optimistic predictions for the nation's economy, the market crash wiped out nearly 40% of the paper values of stocks. Great innovations in productive techniques during and after the war raised the output of industry beyond the purchasing capacity of U.S. farmers and working force. As a result of this, unemployment skyrocketed during the years of the Depression, reaching levels as high as one third of the population. Almost half of the commercial banks of the United States failed during the Depression. Crop prices fell by over fifty percent. People went hungry because so much food was produced that production became unprofitable. Others were unemployed because they had produced more than could be sold. Hundreds of thousands roamed the country in search of food, work, and shelter. Huge numbers of Americans had their lives upset by the Depression. Homelessness, poverty and despair characterized much of the nation in those days. Many of those who could not provide for their families, in larger cities as well as smaller towns, committed suicide to put an end to their troubles. Small Town Life The depression was not limited to the confines of large cities, it spread like a disease throughout our great nation. It even managed to find its way into the small town of Oakesdale, Washington. Frances Taylor, a mere child at this time clearly remembers the events that took place. "As children, we weren't really aware of what was going on. We simply didn't understand the concept of being poor." Many fam... ...ovided the initial 63 million dollars for the project to begin. "My father found work by being part of the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. He would stay on the site while our mother took care of the children back in Oakesdale. He would send the money back to support the family." The Grand Coulee Dam would provide many jobs for the unemployed as well as be used in the upcoming war. It was used primarily for irrigation at first, but as the war progressed it was changed to produce more electricity for the Northwest's aluminum industry. The beginning of World War II would prove to be the factor that directed America out of the Depression. How ironic, that such a horrifying event could spur an economic rejuvenation. The Depression was a trying time, America was at a loss for words and money, but as a nation, we pulled together and got through the worst of the worst.

Why you should hate the Yankees :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A father wanted to surprise his family of four to a New York Yankees baseball game on a beautiful Saturday morning. As the father pulls up to the parking lot, the family is excited at what they see in big letters on a TV screen â€Å"Welcome to Yankees Stadium† The cost of parking can range from 10 to 30 dollars depending how far wants to walk. The father decides to pay the 30 dollars, since he knows the two children are going to be tired after the game. The family gets out of their car and heads toward the stadium. The family enters the turn styles, and approaches the list of ball game prices for seating. Which ranges from 18 to 55 dollars depending on where you want to be seated. The parents wanted the children to have the best experience at their first baseball game. So they purchased four tickets at 55 dollars each, totaling $220 for box seats, which were located behind 3rd base dugout. As they get situated, the national anthem is played and the game is officially started with the crack of the bat. The family is cheering with excitement and the father notices that his children are lighted up with joy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The father decided that by the fourth inning it would be a good time to have a hot dog and a soda. In which its $3.50 for a hot dog and $4.00 for a soda. The family of four to have a hotdog and a soda each cost $30.00. As the game goes on and the Yankees are winning by 3 against the Diamondbacks. It is now the 7th inning stretch; the children asked their parents if they could get a hat or t-shirt. So the father bought the two kids a Yankees t-shirt costing $10 each and a flag costing $6 each totaling $22 for just memorabilia. The Yankees are in the lead by one point and it’s the bottom of the ninth inning and the father bought ice cream at $6 each totaling $24 for just ice cream. The father realizes that just to enjoy a Saturday day at a Yankees baseball game it is sure expensive and may only happen once a year.

Cultural Anthropology Essay -- Marching Band Arts Music Dance Papers

Cultural Anthropology Almost all cultures world wide have highly developed traditions of music and dance. According to Mari Womack, author of Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, music and dance carry much importance within a culture. "As do other artistic forms, music and dance reflect cultural and social organization. Cultural values can be conveyed in the words of a song, and the performance of a song or a dance is dependent on the social context" (Womack 226). Music and instruments are of great significance in many places world wide. For example, the BaMbuti foragers from Africa's Ituri rain forest have an instrument which they call the molimo which looks like an extremely long pipe. The men of the BaMbuti culture are the owners of the molimo and behave as if it is alive. Women and young boys are forbidden any contact with the molimo, because of its importance in male initiation rites (Womack 226). In the United States, we also have extensive rituals involving music and dance. For ex ample, in wedding receptions, many rules prevail about who dances with who when. The father-daughter dance, the bride and groom's dance, the mother-son dance, and the dollar dance are just a few of these rituals. Marching Band is another form of the music and dance combination. Marching may not sound like dancing, but, in reality, the marchers move in their individual paths which create forms that are constantly blending into each other and creating new forms. According to Jordan, my informant, "To me, it really is kind of art, just seeing all these forms move and mesh, with music to go with them and flags and stuff. It is a type of art, I guess." Along with just basic marching, the band adds choreography which produces wonde... ...s A. Sectionals B. Districts C. Regionals D. State VI. Football Games A. Home Componential Analysis of Band Activities Characteristics 1.0 1.1 Performing 1.2 Being Judged 1.3 Show on Field 1.4 Marching in Forms 1.5 Practicing Timing 2.0 2.1 Summer 2.2 During School Year 2.3 Sequential 2.4 Non-sequential Types of Activities Characteristics 1.0 Timing 2.0 Parades 1, 5 1, 4 Band Camps 5 1 Rehearsals 3, 4, 5 2 Invitationals 1, 2*, 3, 4 2, 4 Competitions 1, 2, 3, 4 2, 3 Football Games 1, 3, 4, 5 2, 4 *Marching Bands are judged at all invitationals, but their scores are not publicly announced when they are the hosting school. Works Cited Womack, Mari. Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1998.

Ethnographic Study: Bikram Yoga

This ethnographic study of the history, rent state and proposed health benefits as understood to be alternative health care of Buckram yoga will consider bibliographic research and will include a first-hand account as well as Informal interviews. Buckram Chuddar was born in Calcutta, India in 1946. He started to learn yoga poses and theory as young as three years old. At the age of five Chuddar began to work with Guru Vishnu Gosh who happened to teach children next door to Shuddery home. It was Gosh who encouraged him to compete In the National India Yoga Championship.Chuddar went on to win the championship three institutive years starting at age eleven, making him the youngest champion. At the age of twenty, however, Shuddery knee was crushed by an eighty pound weight dropped by his weight lifting spotter, Western medicine told him that he would be crippled for the duration of his life. Chuddar was reluctant to accept this reality and decided to better the condition of his knee with yoga under the supervision of Gosh. It is claimed that he was able to walk and was fully recovered from this life- altering Injury in Just six to eight months (Slicked, 2003).This miraculous recovery as Coauthor's Inspiration to dedicate his life to the practice and spread of yoga. Gosh taught Chuddar a more traditional Hath yoga â€Å"picking specific saunas [or postures] for specific ailments,† (Slicked, 2003). From these teachings, Chuddar chose twenty-six poses meant to be completed twice over, punctuated by a savanna, or corpse pose which acts like a rest period, along with two breathing exercises to be completed in the span of ninety minutes. Each pose is designed to work certain areas of the body such as the spine, knees, digestion system and immune system.This sequence is also designed to be performed in a humid room heated to 105 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit; this Is meant to mimic Indians climate, facilitate a deeper range of motion for the yogi and help prevent injur y (Slicked, 2003). Chuddar made a name for himself in Japan prior to bringing his brand of yoga to the United States but the first American Buckram yoga studio was established in California In 1973 after trading yoga treatment for a green card into the country with President Richard Nixon (Gala, 2009).While ;yoga In America was Initially popularized amongst the elites and has been associated with movie stars and intellectuals since 1 OFF blood pressure and lengthened one's life span that practice became fashionable amongst the general public,† (Gala, 2009). Since then, yoga in general has moved from being more or less a past time to being part of a fitness, health and wellness program amongst many types of people.Those practicing western medicine often see yoga as a benefit in the sense that it is a cardiovascular activity, it is considered relaxing by most and will burn calories that might not have been burned otherwise in patients ho might be overweight and reliant on medica tions. Whether or not yoga can live up to its vast health claims in Western medicine standards has yet to be determined. Even still, Buckram yoga's popularity through celebrity status or otherwise has made it a billion dollar industry with Chuddar himself collecting 2. 6 million dollars in 2003 from teacher training alone (Gala, 2009).Shuddery extensive unabashed wealth and endorsement of competitiveness in what is typically considered to be a spiritual pursuit has brought about a certain amount of controversy but has not dampened he interest in the yoga itself. People everywhere continue to believe in its abilities to heal, ward off ailments and keep the body trim and healthy. When I walk into my Buckram yoga studio in Phoenix I am immediately greeted by a cheerful woman dressed in yoga clothes passing out class schedules to those who just finished a class from behind a desk.I sign my name and remove my shoes at the door. The main room includes a large refrigerator should you want to purchase a water bottle, racks of mats and towels that can be borrowed and large, luxurious ouches where people sit to await the next class. The locker room around the corner is equipped with an open shelving unit to place your personal belongings, a shower, a restroom and separate sink unit with a large mirror, towels, decorative soaps, etc. All around, this facility is very well maintained and seems to go out of its way to provide comforts and niceties to its patrons.The locker room provides a place for friends to talk to one another but most stifle conversation in the main room. In the locker room I ask my fellow Buckram followers why they chose to incorporate Buckram yoga into their lives. A woman who appeared to be in mid-thirties explained: â€Å"l read that this yoga is the best out there because the heat helps you push out all your toxins, you know, because you sweat so much. I also read that you burn Just a ton of calories which is good because I don't have all the time in the world to spend at the gym. Another, who appeared to be in her twenties and in good physical shape, told her story: â€Å"I was always really active and played mostly soccer but I tore my CAL a couple years ago and I can't do all the things I used o. A friend of mine, kind of a granola girl, brought me here and I have been coming ever since! I always feel like I had a really good workout but I don't feel like I'm stressing any part of my body too much. † In asking a woman who let me know that she was sixty-five why she considered Buckram yoga to be a benefit to her she said: â€Å"My doctor suggested I try to be more physically active but I'm not the girl I used to be†¦ ‘m not able to do much really and I'm unwilling to subject myself to water aerobics. He [the doctor] is concerned about my blood pressure and my stiffening mints. When he told me about Buckram yoga I about died right there imagining doing something like this in that kind of heat! But I gave it a go, of course I have to bring in a stool to help me balance and I don't do every pose, but I think it's helping. I feel a different take on Buckram yoga from the physical payoffs: â€Å"I'm a new mom and my maternity leave ended a few weeks ago. Vive been practicing yoga for years but I like Buckram the best right now.There's no top 40 music playing in the background, everyone who is here wants to be here for Just this- not to be seen wearing a cute roust outfit and it's Just all about you for an hour and a half. You stare at yourself in the mirror and you hear the instructor but really you Just hear your own breathing. I feel more centered when I leave here. † When I enter the classroom I am immediately overwhelmed by the humidity. Being from Phoenix, Arizona I am no stranger to heat but in this classroom the air is thick and Just bordering on difficult to breathe for me.The lights are low and there are already students lying on their back in savanna position. No one sp eaks in the room as it assumed to be a peaceful place f meditation. Class begins when the instructor turns the lights on and introduces herself. The instructor makes a point of asking if there is anyone in the room new to Buckram yoga, congratulates them for coming and reminds them to stay in the room, lie on their mats if need be and to have fun. We go through all twenty-six poses, including the breathing exercises, with her dispensing instruction as we ease into each new movement.She also reminds us all to focus on our gaze in the mirror and that our bodies our stronger than our minds are at times so getting through class will quire determination on our parts. For safety reasons students are allowed to drink water as they please but it is discouraged to drink outside of the designated times and while the class in the midst of a pose. However, once the class is finished you can observe the majority of people gulping water hurriedly before getting into the final savanna which conclu des the sequence and allows time for personal meditation.While I lay in silence I find myself agreeing with the major points my interviewees offered: Buckram yoga is a tough but gentle workout for people of all levels and remotes a sense of personal well-being and calm that very few workouts I have tried do. This, however, was Buckram Shuddery aim all along. He believes that if you practice this yoga to the best of your abilities you will â€Å"live a better, healthier and more peaceful life,† (Chuddar, 2010).For Chuddar, physical health and mental peace must coincide for one cannot exist without the other. Martin Marty discusses the importance of recognizing that spirituality and physical health are indeed intertwined in his essay Religion and Healing: The Four Expectations. This essay souses more so on faith in the religious sense but for many yoga offers a very spiritual connection to a force that has the power to heal, bring calm and bring like- minded people together to form a sense of community.Marty reminds us that â€Å"in a typical half year of American publishing†¦ Hundreds of†¦ New Age titles on health and well-being appeared†¦ Imaging, breathing, meditation, herbalist, and hypnosis are but a few of the many technique for being in tune with the infinite,† (Marty, 2005). It can be safely assumed that yoga could be added to that list in which ways people reach out spiritually. Harold Koenig writes in Afterward: A Physician's Reflections that we need be focused on healing the â€Å"whole human person,† (Koenig, 2005).

Unbranded to Branded

Eyewear market in India remains buoyant despite recession Despite the economic crisis, the eyewear market in India as a whole displayed healthy growth in volume sales in 2009, while growth in its value sales slowed marginally relative to 2008. The demand for premium lenses, frames and sunglasses slowed more than that of the low-price and economy segments, so there was an overall slow-down of growth in value sales at the end of review period. Spectacles still preferred over contact lensesWhile marketers of contact lenses made an aggressive push into the Indian consumer market, especially the young adult segment, the mass market continued to favour spectacles over contact lenses. The two factors that have kept the level and growth rate of sales of contact lenses below those of spectacles are concerns about their use and their price. The prescription market remains biased in favour of spectacles and opticians rarely prescribe contact lenses unless the patient specifically requests them. Direct imports keep market completely fragmented Retail shelves across the country are full of imported spectacle frames and sunglasses. These low-priced imports played an important role in sustaining demand, especially for sunglasses, whose sales enjoyed the highest growth of any subsector in 2009, as they had in 2008. These imports have also kept the spectacles market entirely fragmented, with only eight companies holding even a 1% share of retail sales in Indian eyewear market. Chained specialists enjoy significant growthThe review period saw the growth of several chained specialist retailers, such as Titan Eye+, GKB Opticals and Vision Care. Titan Eye+ has been a game changer in that it has modernised the retail sector and forced others to follow suit. In order to remain competitive, opticians feel compelled to increase their ranges of frames, offer eye-testing services and carry contact lenses as well. Reliance’s Vision Express is another large player that is likely to i nfluence marketing and distribution in the years to come.Chained specialists are also able to negotiate better deals with suppliers, undertake promotions, offer better prices to customers, and provide greater visibility for new products and launches. Demand for spectacles expected to continue driving retail sales of eyewear The prescription market is expected to continue to drive demand in the forecast period, as literacy rates increase, more children become prospective wearers of spectacles, and economic growth sustains the increase in purchasing power.

Individuality in 20th Century Art Essay

20th Century art has spawned great art forms. Its evident transformation had triggered the question of whether or not the development was caused by the pure genius of the artist or by the preceding art that he was born into. This essay will discuss how the artists of the 20th century have made art almost indefinable (Nicolas Pioch, The 20th century) by looking into the quotes of Immanuel Kant (1790) and Andre Malraux (1953), as well as looking at some actual works before and after 1950 which would illustrate that art has clearly become an expression of an artist’s emotions and thoughts as honed by the past. As individuality steps in, we will closely look at how an individual’s person is actually affected by his experiences and orientation on various aspects of his existence such as how he could have been raised, how he may have been exposed to previous artworks and the like. Immanuel Kant, in his quote from the Critique of Judgment (1790) had clearly defined genius as, â€Å"a talent for producing that for which no definite rule can be given†. I believe that this is like how scientists are referred to as geniuses, they have defied popular beliefs or what had actually become a norm for their time or era. They would produce materials that are not usual for the majority. Similar to this, I believe that such was also the case as he may have found that an artwork, which proved to be unique for its genre, is already a product of a genius. A good example of what was said to be a work of a genius was that of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Donatello’s Crucifix (images shown in the Documentation). These were considered unique and were painted outside the what was considered as standard during their time or era, as these works had clearly defied the usual idea of what our usual picture of the heavens is (Starry Night) as well as the common picture of how Christ was crucified. Texture of these creations also scream of individuality as was the case with Van Gogh’s work. As was said by I. Kant, â€Å"originality must be its primary property† for an art to be considered as the work of a genius. It is clear he meant that it was something that was not usually done but did not deduce it to not being influenced at all by artworks that came before them. Instead the focus was on how they have made their creations different from the others without necessarily straying from the same idea or thought. Like in Van Gogh’s work, there had already been paintings depicting the heavens at night but its form and texture as well as the colors utilized were clearly out of the ordinary and had been very original despite the presence of previous artworks that had been made. On the other hand, Andre Malraux’s, â€Å"The Voices of Silence† (1953) compared artwork to a child that matures. Meaning that art basically evolves. It does not necessarily veer away from its contemporaries but is created from what he may have experienced. Like a child that may have learned to walk more carefully after acquiring a scratch from a fall, an artist was also said to rise from their own conflicts and the achievements of their predecessors. A person that may have lived within a war-torn era may create an artwork that depicts what he had witnessed, at the same time picking out best practices from works that were previously done by others and using them as inspiration to put his experience or what he had witnessed into a work of art. As such, A. Malraux was right about picking them out â€Å"from their struggle with the forms that others have imposed on life†. We note though, that experiences do not necessarily remain within the context of a person’s personal struggles but can derive thoughts from their successes as well or the comfort that they may have had. A classic example is Jose Manuel Merello Arvilla’s â€Å"bodegon electrico†, which depicts Spain’s colorful yet subdued culture evident in the shades and texture utilized. Similar to this is Vijendra Singh Devra’s painting of a three-part series called the Blue Night, where the texture was actually smooth and the contrast was stark that may be an evidence of the painter’s experiences or social status. It may not be easy to defy the norms. An artist is faced with the risk of being singled out either as great or poor. The genre of which the artwork is in defines the product that the artist creates. As mentioned in â€Å"Necrophilic Logics and the revolt of the imagination†, http://www. geocities. com/kk_abacus/carp. html: A split between the rational and irrational is constructed by every rational system; each rationality creates a corresponding irrationality, that which does not fit inside of it. Therefore, each rational system has inherent limits. To break out of a rationality, one must also be capable of conceiving of that which lies beyond the limits of that system. Rational systems can be useful tools but they can also become mental prisons. There is a slim demarcation between the subconscious and the imagination of a person as it says that both are something that goes beyond the inherent limits of man’s rationality. As such, it is clear that an artist’s genius is based on how he creates a unique description of what he has undergone or experienced as well as his absorption of what had been proven effective and successful for other artists as well.

How Humans Have Contributed to Climate Change

CLIMATE CHANGE: HOW THE HOMO SAPIENS HAVE CONTRIBUTED By Ernest Ebo Jackson TERM PAPER Climate change refers to change in average weather patterns and can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. In the past, the earth's climate has been affected by natural factors such as changes in solar output and the discharge of volcanic ash. In fact, the planet has been through many periods of cooling and warming. The last period of major cooling ended about 10,000 years ago. The physical evidence that suggests that the earth’s climate is changing is truly overwhelming. The world’s glaciers are retreating and disappearing, extreme weather is occurring more often now than in the past, the sea’s level and temperature is on the rise and it’s becoming more acidic, increased evaporation is drying out the earth’s supply of fresh water found in lakes and rivers, heat waves kill thousands in Europe, uncontrollable forests fires are destroying forests reserves in places like Australia and Africa, and increasing atmospheric temperature is raising the budget of many families in tropical countries use in cooling their homes. Need I say more? The sun's warmth heats the surface of the earth, which in turn radiates energy back to space. Some of this radiation, which is nearly all in the infrared spectrum, is trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases. For instance, water vapor strongly absorbs radiation with wavelengths between 4 and 7 micrometers, and carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbs radiation with wavelengths between 13 and 19 micrometers. The trapped radiation warms the lower atmosphere, or troposphere. Some heat then finds its way back down to the Earth's surface, making it hotter than it would otherwise be. This is the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere over the last 400,000 years show a rise since the industrial revolution. Analysis of ice in a core drilled from an ice sheet such as the Antarctic ice sheet enables scientist to arrive at this conclusion. But since when did humans becoming aware of the potentially adverse effects of Carbon dioxide emissions on the climate? As early as 1827, French polymath Jean-Baptiste Fourier predicts an atmospheric effect eeping the earth warmer than it would otherwise be. He is the first to use a greenhouse analogy. Also in 1957, US oceanographer Roger Revelle warns that humanity is conducting a â€Å"large-scale geophysical experiment† on the planet by releasing greenhouse gases. Colleague David Keeling sets up first continuous monitoring of CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Keeling soon finds a regular year-on-year rise. Over the years, there have been many conferences aimed at finding solutions to climate change or global warming. In 1985 for instance, there was a major international conference on the greenhouse effect at Villach, Austria, which warned that greenhouse gases will â€Å"in the first half of the next century, cause a rise of global mean temperature which is greater than any in man's history. † This could cause sea levels to rise by up to one meter, researchers say. The conference also reports that gases other than carbon dioxide, such as methane, ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide, also contribute to warming. The world’s nations however have not been united in their quest to curb global warming or climate change. Many nations have been selfish, especially developed ones, seeking first to achieve or maintain economic growth and thus world dominance rather than make the sacrifices needed to reverse the negative trend of climate change. . A revisit to some historical event will help buttress this point. 1995 proved to be the hottest year recorded to date. In March, the Berlin Mandate is agreed by signatories at the first full meeting of the Climate Change Convention in Berlin. Industrialized nations agree on the need to negotiate real cuts in their emissions, to be concluded by the end of 1997. In 1996, at the second meeting of the Climate Change Convention, the US agrees for the first time to legally binding emissions targets and sides with the IPCC against influential skeptical scientists. After a four-year pause, global emissions of CO2 resume their steep climb, and scientists warn that most industrialized countries will not meet Rio agreement to stabilize emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000. Furthermore, in 1997, Kyoto Protocol agrees legally binding emissions cuts for industrialized nations, averaging 5. 4%, to be met by 2010. The meeting also adopts a series of flexibility measures, allowing countries to meet their targets partly by trading emissions permits, establishing carbon sinks such as forests to soak up emissions, and by investing in other countries. The precise rules are left for further negotiations. Meanwhile, the US government says it will not ratify the agreement unless it sees evidence of â€Å"meaningful participation† in reducing emissions from developing countries. In 2001, the new US president, George W Bush, renounces the Kyoto Protocol because he believes it will damage the US economy. After some hesitation, other nations agree to go ahead without him. Talks in Bonn in July and Marrakech in November finally conclude the fine print of the protocol. Analysts say that loopholes have pegged agreed cuts in emissions from rich-nation signatories to less than a third of the original Kyoto promise. Signatory nations urged to ratify the protocol in their national legislatures in time for it to come into force before the end of 2002. Now let’s talk about a second human behavior that is negatively impacting the climate – deforestation. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands by the processes of humans such as logging and/or burning of trees in a forested area. Deforestation occurs because of many reasons: trees or derived charcoal are used as or sold for fuel or a commodity to be used by humans, while cleared land is used by humans as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities, and settlements. People's removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration (the capture and storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by biological processes) of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforested regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade into wasteland. Forests (an area with a high density of trees. ) are the most natural biological formation. They serve many functions. Firstly, forests protect and form other natural resources. Thanks to the processes of photosynthesis, they renew the oxygen stock in the atmosphere by fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide and moderating the greenhouse effect. Forests also allow for the existence of many species of plants and animals, thus protecting diversity of nature and its gene stock. Forests clean the environment by muffling noises, lowering the wind strength as well as stopping dust and gases. They have a regulatory influence on surface water runoff; they moderate high and low temperatures and prevent soil erosion. By performing all of the above listed functions forests stabilize the climate and shape the landscape. Forests create conditions for relaxation, recreation and improvement of health. Only when actively growing can trees or forest remove carbon over an annual or longer timeframe. The decay and burning of wood releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere. In order for forests to take up carbon, the wood must be harvested and turned into long-lived products and trees must be re-planted. Sadly consumer trends indicate the humans like to discard products such as furniture after only a few years of usage and buy new ones, increasing the need for wood and thus deforestation. Reducing emissions from the tropical deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries has emerged as new potential solution to complement ongoing climate policies. The idea consists in providing financial compensations for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation†. The earlier these ideas are implemented, the better for us. The hydrological effects on climate as a result of deforestation are even more alarming. The water cycle is probably the most affected by deforestation. Trees extract groundwater through their roots and release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, the trees no longer evaporate away this water, resulting in a much drier climate. Already, acute water shortages in countries like Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq has resulted in armed conflicts with factions fighting to control the scanty water resources available. Water prices increase too is an indication of global water shortage. In Britain, water and sewage bills increased 67 percent between 1989 and 1995. The rate at which people's services were disconnected rose by 177 percent. Deforestation also contributes to decreased evapotranspiration (the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land surface to atmosphere), which lessens atmospheric moisture which in some cases affects precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area, as water is not recycled to downwind forests, but is lost in runoff and returns directly to the oceans. According to one preliminary study in deforested north and northwest China, the average annual precipitation decreased by one third between the 1950s and the 1980s. Trees, and plants in general, affect the water cycle significantly: their canopies intercept a proportion of precipitation, which is then evaporated back to the atmosphere (canopy interception); their litter, stems and trunks slow down surface runoff; their roots create macropores – large conduits – in the soil that increase infiltration of ater; they contribute to terrestrial evaporation and reduce soil moisture via transpiration; their litter and other organic residue change soil properties that affect the capacity of soil to store water. Their leaves control the humidity of the atmosphere by transpiration. 99% of the water pulled up by the roots move up to the leaves for transpiration. As a result, the presence or absence of trees can change the quantity of water on the surface, in the soil or groundwater , or in the atmosphere. This in turn changes erosion rates and the availability of water for either ecosystem functions or human services. Tropical rainforests produce about 30% of our planet's fresh water. So what are we waiting for? When will human start acting to reverse these trends? I wish I knew. The third human activity that has contributed to global warming is the use of chlorofluorocarbon. A chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. Many CFCs have been widely used as refrigerants, propellants (in aerosol applications), and solvents. Applications exploit the low toxicity, low reactivity, and low flammability of the CFCs. During World War II, various chloroalkanes were in standard use in military aircraft. After the war they slowly became more common in civil aviation as well. In the 1960s, fluoroalkanes and bromofluoroalkanes became available and were quickly recognized as being highly effective fire-fighting materials. By the late 1960s they were standard in many applications where water and dry-powder extinguishers posed a threat of damage to the protected property, including computer rooms, telecommunications switches, laboratories, museums and art collections. Beginning with warships, in the 1970s, bromofluoroalkanes also progressively came to be associated with rapid knockdown of severe fires in confined spaces with minimal risk to personnel. By the early 1980s, bromofluoroalkanes were in common use on aircraft, ships, and large vehicles as well as in computer facilities and galleries. A planet's climate is decided by its mass, its distance from the sun and the composition of its atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases. Carbon dioxide makes up just 0. 03 – 0. 04% with water vapour varying in amount from 0 to 2%. Without the greenhouse gases, Earth's average temperature would be roughly -20 °C. The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in machinery and other purposes have resulted in the release of CFCs into the atmosphere which intensifies the heat-trapping properties of the atmosphere as a whole. There is no natural process that release CFCs. In addition, CFCs rise into the upper layer of the atmosphere, the stratosphere, where they destroy the protective layer of ozone, a gas that forms a shield against ultraviolet rays that can harm many forms of life. About l million tons (over 900,000 metric tons) per year of CFCs have been released worldwide since the mid l970s. Demand for refrigeration (which has cooling systems that use CFCs) in developing countries is projected to increase greatly, especially in China and India. Ozone losses in the upper atmosphere are occurring at all latitudes in both hemispheres. The most striking example of ozone loss occurs over the South Pole during September and October. As ozone is lost, the amount of biologically harmful UV-B radiation will increase. Skin cancer rates are expected to increase. Other health effects will likely include an increase in cataracts and suppression of the immune system. Increased UV-B radiation may also harm plants and animals. These CFCs have a global warming potential of up to 11,000 times as strong as carbon dioxide by weight. Unfortunately, millions of products such as refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers and aerosol cans that contain CFCs are still in use around the world and are nearing the end of their usable lives. The next 10-20 years present a unique one-time opportunity to prevent emissions from these products as they are retired and therefore mitigate ozone damage and global climate change. The damage caused by CFCs was discovered by Sherry Rowland and Mario Molina who, after hearing a lecture on the subject of James Lovelock's work, embarked on research resulting in the first publication suggesting the connection in 1974. It turns out that one of CFCs' most attractive features—their low reactivity— is the key to their most destructive effects. CFCs' lack of reactivity gives them a lifespan that can exceed 100 years, giving them time to diffuse into the upper stratosphere. Once in the stratosphere, the sun's ultraviolet radiation is strong enough to cause the homolytic cleavage of the C-Cl bond. Since the late 1970s, the use of CFCs has been heavily regulated. By 1987, in response to a dramatic seasonal depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica, diplomats in Montreal forged a treaty, the Montreal Protocol, which called for drastic reductions in the production of CFCs. On March 2, 1989, 12 European Community nations agreed to ban the production of all CFCs by the end of the century. In 1990, diplomats met in London and voted to significantly strengthen the Montreal Protocol by calling for a complete elimination of CFCs by the year 2000. On October 2 2009, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about the stockpile of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in old equipment and building infrastructure, and the enormous potential for these potent greenhouse gases to accelerate climate change. These CFC â€Å"banks† store the equivalent of 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide, approximately one-third of which will be emitted over the next decade under business as usual. EESI estimates that the destruction of CFCs could cost $62 -$180 billion globally. No wonder institutions are reluctant to destroy them though they are very much conscious of the effects CFCs are having on our climate. As the evidence shows, we have ourselves to blame for the unfavorable climate in recent history. Our practices are changing the climate and we are conscious of it but still keep on living life as if nothing is at stake. The billions of dollars that we gain from over-exploiting the earth are the same billion we spent on relief for victims of extreme weather. What then do we gain? The U. S. has sustained 96 weather-related disasters over the past 30 years in which overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total normalized losses for the 96 events exceed $700 billion. Read an instance in the paragraph below. Southwest/Great Plains Drought persists for an entire year in 2009. Drought conditions occurred during much of the year across parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and southern Texas causing agricultural losses in numerous states (TX, OK, KS, CA, NM, and AZ). The largest agriculture losses occurred in TX and CA. Estimate of over $5. 0 billion in damages/costs. I believe the arguments presented herein are very conclusive. Humans have contributed immensely to climate change and they are paying for it.