The Woman in Black

Susan Hill creates a sense of isolation since the beginning of the novel, when Arthur is at Monk’s Piece. The name of Arthur’s new house (Monk’s Piece), suggest that it is a calm place, but it also could suggest that it is isolated, because in the Middle Ages monks used to meditate alone in isolated places. Isolation is also presented in the other house in the book, which is Eel Marsh House. The only way to access to Eel Marsh House was by crossing a place called ‘Nine Lives Causeway’, which is the only path next to the house.Arthur describes Eel Marsh House as ‘submerged’ and ‘untraceable’, this implies that it is almost impossible to escape from Eel Marsh House. It is submerged because the causeway is under the water and it is untraceable because the marshes last forever. The name of the causeway also creates a sense of isolation, it is called Nine Lives Causeway, and this suggests that you must have nine lives to cross it (or to be very lucky and brave). Isolation is also there when Keckwick leaves Arthur alone in Eel Marsh House.He says that he feels â€Å"alone, outside that gaunt, empty house†. This tells us that Arthur is alone in the house, without protection and he ‘predicts’ that he will see the Woman in Black soon. Another time where we feel isolation is when Arthur is alone at the house and he is so scared that he starts to pray. I think that he prays because he is looking for protection and somebody to talk in God. Mrs Drablow also creates a sense of isolation, especially when Arthur asks for information to Mr Bentley.He says that she lived for a long time in the house with nobody. She didn’t have any friends and she is also described as a â€Å"rum’un†, which means that a person is misbehaving (maybe, this is why Mrs Drablow didn’t have friends. In my opinion, isolation is mostly presented when Arthur is alone at Eel Marsh house, and it is a lso important, because it makes the story ‘more gothic’ and some characters, like Spider (the dog) or Keckwick wouldn’t appear in the story and they make the story more interesting. The Woman in Black Susan Hill creates a sense of isolation since the beginning of the novel, when Arthur is at Monk’s Piece. The name of Arthur’s new house (Monk’s Piece), suggest that it is a calm place, but it also could suggest that it is isolated, because in the Middle Ages monks used to meditate alone in isolated places. Isolation is also presented in the other house in the book, which is Eel Marsh House. The only way to access to Eel Marsh House was by crossing a place called ‘Nine Lives Causeway’, which is the only path next to the house.Arthur describes Eel Marsh House as ‘submerged’ and ‘untraceable’, this implies that it is almost impossible to escape from Eel Marsh House. It is submerged because the causeway is under the water and it is untraceable because the marshes last forever. The name of the causeway also creates a sense of isolation, it is called Nine Lives Causeway, and this suggests that you must have nine lives to cross it (or to be very lucky and brave). Isolation is also there when Keckwick leaves Arthur alone in Eel Marsh House.He says that he feels â€Å"alone, outside that gaunt, empty house†. This tells us that Arthur is alone in the house, without protection and he ‘predicts’ that he will see the Woman in Black soon. Another time where we feel isolation is when Arthur is alone at the house and he is so scared that he starts to pray. I think that he prays because he is looking for protection and somebody to talk in God. Mrs Drablow also creates a sense of isolation, especially when Arthur asks for information to Mr Bentley.He says that she lived for a long time in the house with nobody. She didn’t have any friends and she is also described as a â€Å"rum’un†, which means that a person is misbehaving (maybe, this is why Mrs Drablow didn’t have friends. In my opinion, isolation is mostly presented when Arthur is alone at Eel Marsh house, and it is a lso important, because it makes the story ‘more gothic’ and some characters, like Spider (the dog) or Keckwick wouldn’t appear in the story and they make the story more interesting.

Southwestern Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. (â€Å"Southwest†) is a major U. S. airline that primarily provides short Haul high-frequency, point-to-point, and low-fare service. Southwest was incorporated in Texas and commenced operations on June 18, 1971 with three Boeing 737 aircraft Serving three Texas cities; Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Today Southwest operates nearly 400 Boeing 737 aircraft to 59 U. S. cities. Southwest has the lowest operating cost structure in the domestic airline industry and consistently offers the lowest and simplest Fares. Southwest also has one of the best overall customer service records. LUV is Southwest’s NYSE symbol, selected to represent the company’s home at Dallas Love Field, as well as the theme of Southwest’s employee and customer relationships Within 30 years, Southwest Airlines has become the fifth largest major airline company in America. It currently operates 520 Boeing 737s throughout the United States. The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit. It primarily provides short haul, high-frequency, point-to-point, low-fare air transportation service in the United States. The company essentially functions as a â€Å"point-to-point† operation rather than a â€Å"hub and spoke† service like its competitors. This provides for a unique competitive advantage, which has led this company to be a strong performer within the industry. The major success to their continued success is due to their low-cost model, as compared to their competitors, which allows Southwest airlines to differentiate itself from the competition and perpetuates its success and popularity among consumers. When we look at southwestern airlines competitive environment using porters five forces we find that the bargaining powers of Customers in the airlines industry have many options and are price sensitive. If driving is cheaper than flying southwest may lose customers. There are also over 100 carriers in the U. S. market therefore there are many options for customers. The bargaining power of suppliers: Southwest is at the mercy of the labor Unions and Gas suppliers. If these costs become too high then price raises will mandatory. The threat of new entrants: With so many major airlines going bankrupt there is a large supply of airplanes and personnel. This means that it is easier than ever to start up and airline and try and compete with Southwest. The threat of substitute products: Flying has very few substitutes in the U. S. market if you need to be somewhere in a hurry. However there are other forms of transportation including busses, trains, and cars. The intensity of competitive rivalry: There is intense industry competition. Every route is hotly contested with price wars and a grab for customers. Price margins are low, and airlines need to be able to trim costs any way they can. Southwestern airlines has got the following strengths; Southwest's commitment to customer service has led to an excellent track record. They held the unofficial Triple Crown in customer service for three consecutive years. The Triple Crown consists in being the best in on time performance, baggage handling, and customer satisfaction. This is an amazing feat considering no other airlines have held all three components for a single month. Southwest has a major advantage over other airlines because it operates a single type of plane, the Boeing 737. This means that all their pilots, facilities, and crews are trained on any plane that Southwest owns. Southwest also operates a fleet with an average age of 7 years. This means that they have less maintenance problems, and this leads to fewer delays, and higher customer service. Sensible expansion policy. Southwest has developed a very sensible strategy for expansion, paying particular attention not to strain the balance sheet. It has also achieved a national presence through flights to 59 airports in 58 cities. Southwest has been able to become a national airline by strategic expansion to airports where there is less competition. For example, it opened a major operation at Baltimore-Washington International and therefore avoided the presence of other major airlines at Reagan National and Dulles. The continued growth of the Company is testament to the strategic direction taken by management, particularly considering the difficult business environment. Southwest relies on direct ticket booking and does not heavily utilize travel agents this is a cost saver. They also do not have full food service on their flights, leading to a faster turnaround. Southwest also has a unique open seating system, with no assigned seats the planes load faster. Due to a change in passenger profile, business class and first class seats have suffered declining demand. Many companies have been forced to introduce low-cost fare options. Since southwest has been an industry leader and â€Å"ahead of the curve† in providing low cost, standardized travel options, it has no need to change strategy, thus saving on restructuring costs. The Company also benefits from its long establishment in the low-cost airline market, allowing the Company to capitalize on significant customer awareness of the brand. Southwest has a highly efficient operation. The Company was first to introduce to the Airline industry the ten-minute turnaround (between arrival at the gate and departure). This has subsequently increased demand for short flight routes. Strong financials. Southwest has the strongest market capitalization and balance sheet of all rivals in the sector. A market capitalization of $14,022 million accounts for twice the market capitalization of the five largest rivals put together. In the current volatile market, it should allow southwest to overcome short-term downturns in demand more Successfully than the other main carriers. The continued ability of Southwest to produce positive results highlights it among rivals. 2003 saw quarter-over-quarter increases in income, representing 51 consecutive quarterly profit rises. Revenues for the full year 2003, which were $5,937 million, increased 7. 5% against 2002 revenues. Southwest does not fly into major hub airports in most cities, this leads to lower gate costs, less congestion, and quicker turnaround times. Southwest has been marketed as the low price leader, and their planes have been painted in funky colors. Southwest views its major competition as the automobile and not other airlines. Southwest airlines operate a single type of plane B737 in an all coach configuration. They do not offer meals, and do no transfer bags to other airlines leading to lower operating costs. The airline has won the Triple Crown and is setting the industry standard in customer service. Southwest has come under intense competition from United. They are not a full service airline and do not offer the amenities and services for international travelers. They also do not have a higher cost first class option on their planes. Marketing. Southwest is a low-cost carrier. They provide themselves on cost efficiencies, which enable them to offer good service at lower prices to the customer than their competitors. Their marketing strategy was to convey the message that what Southwest had to offer was of value. Southwest markets itself as the only major short-hop, low-fare, and point-to-point carrier in the U. S. airline industry. Their marketing style is known for being unconventional, unique, unpredictable, and attention-getting in order to create and reinforce the Company’s maverick and fun-loving, combative image. They continually look for ways to make their distinctive image come alive and strike a spark in the minds of the consumer. Finance. In the year 2000, Southwest reported its 28th consecutive year of profitability as well as its ninth consecutive year of increased profits. In many years, Southwest was reporting profits while many other airline companies were reporting losses. Southwest is able to maintain and increase their profit margin by keeping costs low, being highly efficient, and creatively cutting costs. One of Southwest’s most important strategies is keeping its costs low and moving customers in above-average times. In an effort to move customers along quickly, Southwest tries to avoid congested airports. Southwest also encourages passengers to make reservations and ticket purchases through their website. By serving smaller airports near major metropolitan areas and in medium-sized cities, Southwest is able to produce better-than-average on-time performance, as well as reducing fuel costs of idle planes waiting for clearance to land. Serving smaller airports also lowers landing fees and terminal gate costs. Southwest’s operative principal is â€Å"employees come first and customers come second. † Southwest employees are â€Å"hired for attitude and trained for skill. † The Company’s strategy is that it can train people to do the tasks and hold the skills that are required, but a person’s attitude is not something that can be changed. The hiring process involves an interviewing approach called â€Å"Target Selection,† which aims at matching people’s traits (or target dimensions) for performing a specific job successfully. New hires are trained at Southwest University for People. Managers trained in this program take leadership courses that emphasize a management style based on coaching and encouraging rather than supervising or enforcing rules. The Company has the lowest turnover rate in the industry, which may be partly due to the fact that 80% to 90% of supervisory positions are filled internally. However just like any organization, despite the fact that they have strengths, south west also has weaknesses which include: Little room for strategic development. The main weakness of the Company results from operating in a highly competitive market, one that is increasingly susceptible to a volatile political environment. The airline industry is highly competitive as to fares, frequent flier benefits, routes, and service. Some carriers competing with Southwest have larger fleets and a more established brand name. Many carry passengers from the major hubs in the U. S. , holding long-standing relationships with key airports. To enter these markets, the corporate strategy of Southwest will have to be adjusted. No established alliances. Certain major U. S. irlines have established marketing alliances with each other, including Northwest Airlines/Continental Airlines, American Airlines/Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines/America West Airlines. In 2001, AMR Corp. , parent of American Airlines, completed its acquisition of the assets of Trans World Airlines. This puts enormous strain on the Company to maintain its position in the industry while running a smaller fleet. Fully valued share price. Despite Southwest holding the strongest financial position in the airline industry, the stock of the Company is considered fully valued, particularly in the short term. This will disconcert the investor searching for quick gains resulting in the potential loss of capital to its competitors. The strong financial position will apply pressure to the strategic direction of the Company, forcing the directors of Southwest to consciously pursue the same level of growth if they are to maintain investor confidence. South west airlines have got the following opportunities; Southwest’s greatest opportunity is directly related to its greatest strength: to continue to develop its low-cost position in the airline industry. Southwest must maintain an emphasis on low-cost flying, and brand association that has served it well so far. After September 11, customer numbers dwindled due to consumer fears over flying. One way the Company hopes to regain the trust of the public is through lower airfare. In 2002, no fare was more than $399. However, in August 2002, the company reduced fares even further, lowering last-minute fares while maintaining the full schedule of frequent flights in order to further stimulate travel. As of 2003 Southwest was offering fares as low as $39. The company must keep prices as low as possible in order to stimulate demands, and look to edistribute expenses through other areas. Continual streamlining and automation is necessary in order to both aid in cost-cutting and maintain the competitive advantage on which the company brand is based. Southwest has expanded ticket counters and security checkpoints and has increased its airport workforce. The boarding process has been streamlined through replacing the traditional plastic boarding card system with an automated one, and the carrier is in the process of rolling out new self check-in technology. This should result in a reduction of boarding times, and contrast sharply with those carriers that still have extensive queuing. Expand geographically. The market share Southwest holds has grown substantially, particularly since 9/11. Fifty percent of the core market is under control of Southwest and this is expanding. With the increase in the number of cities and networks to which it is linked, southwest could begin to target large city markets and with such a strong brand name, both marketing and PR costs will reduce. Furthermore, the timing appears perfect, if it wishes to capitalize on the pressure currently endured by many of the established carriers. Southwest could strengthen its position through an alliance. Many competitors have reduced share price due to poor financials. Southwest could exploit this through a merger or a favorable acquisition. This could provide an easier route into the major hubs and remove many of the challenges associated with entering new markets. A major threat comes from the unstable airline industry as the result of the 9/11 attacks. Immediately after the terrorist attacks, and in the face of falling demand for air service, most major carriers announced significant service reduction, grounded aircraft, and reduced employee levels. These events negatively impacted industry profits. Despite the absence of subsequent attacks, the political environment remains unstable, throwing into question the airlines’ ability to make long-range strategic plans. Following 9/11, Southwest was able to offset losses through lower jet fuel prices and internal cost reduction initiatives. However, there can be no assurance that Southwest will be able to continue to offset future cost increases resulting from the changing commercial airline environment. Another threat derives from the Company being subject to varying degrees of competition from surface transportation in its short-haul markets, particularly the private automobile. The short-haul air services that compete with surface transportation regard price as a competitive factor for customers. Similarly, frequency and convenience of scheduling, facilities, transportation safety and security procedures, and customer service may be of equal or greater importance to many passengers. These can limit the number of customers who choose southwest. However, southwest airlines need to put up the following strategies; it needs to launch a new promotional campaign. They need to remind customers in the California market that they are the winner of the Triple Crown, and that low cost means high service and customer satisfaction when it comes to Southwest. With lower turnaround times, and fewer delayed flights southwest has great unique selling points. They just need to remind the public about how great an Airline they are. This can be done with more TV ads, and more sponsorship of major sporting events. Southwest also needs to continue to be southwest. They have a winning business model, and have made money every year of their existence. They cannot abandon what their core competencies are. They need to keep prices where they are, or even lower prices, and they advertise that fact to the public. Southwest airlines have been able to successfully implement its fuel hedging strategy to save on fuel expenses in a big way and have the largest hedging position among other carriers. In the second quarter of 2005, Southwest’s unit costs fell by 3. 5% despite a 25% increase in jet fuel costs. During Fiscal year 2003, southwest had much lower fuel expense (0. 12 per ASM) compared to the other airlines with the exception of JetBlue as illustrated in exhibit 1 below. In 2005, 85 per cent of the airline’s fuel needs has been hedged at $26 per barrel. World oil prices in August 2005 reached $68 per barrel. In the second quarter of 2005 alone, Southwest achieved fuel savings of $196 million. The state of the industry also suggests t hat airlines that are hedged have a competitive advantage over the non-hedging airlines. Southwest announced in 2003 that it would add performance-enhancing Blended Winglets to its current and future fleet of Boeing 737-700’s. The visually distinctive Winglets will improve performance by extending the airplane’s range, saving fuel, lowering engine maintenance costs, and reducing takeoff noise. In an overall effort to improve customer’s in-flight experience, in-flight entertainment is something that Southwest is currently evaluating and which JetBlue has been very successful at already because of its introduction in its long-haul flights. In comparison, Southwest has 415 airplanes to consider and that represents an investment decision at a whole new dimension. Additionally, Southwest has to consider how things may fit into their environment. At this point, 60% of its service is still very short haul. Southwest needs to be mindful of the fact that a certain approach that has been successful for its competitor may not be necessarily work to its advantage. In summary, Southwest has long been regarded as a benchmark in its industry for operational excellence. Southwest Airlines is a fine example of a company that is committed to its core competencies – efficient operations to drive its low cost structure, outstanding delivery of customer service and innovative HR management practices. We hope this paper provided a good insight into Southwest operations, as part of its overall strategy, to achieve success and gain competitive advantage. References www. southwest. com] (Southwest airlines official web site www. mba-tutorials/marketing/southwesternairlines. html www. answers. com/topic/southwesternairlines. html Allen, Margaret. â€Å"Ground Controller. † Dallas Business Journal. August 3, 2001 Southwest Airlines: High Tech, Low Costs† – Eweek. com, April 2005

Williams Syndrome in Psychology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Williams Syndrome in Psychology - Research Paper Example Yet, another similar condition can be compared with Down Syndrome, the Williams Syndrome--also known as William-Beuren Syndrome. Rare in characteristic, this type of syndrome was first recognized in the early 1960’s, where four young samples had been identified with such conditions, as all had presented â€Å"supravalvar aortic stenosis...mental retardation† and similar facial features. By such discovery, the said disorder had been named in honor of one of its founder, Dr. Williams--a cardiologist (Bellugi, Wang, & Jernigan, 1994, p. 3). Other than these initial diagnostic parameters, Williams syndrome is also characterized by hypercalcemia of unknown origin, accompanied by distinct cognitive and behavioral profile (Khan, Calureriu, Huang, & Robin, 2011). At this point, such concepts seemed to be more focused on the pathophysiological context of the said condition, disregarding the psychological elements of William syndrome. In appeal, this group is said to be hypersoci able, where they are into over-friendliness, as they appear to lack the adaptive behavior of covertly following the unwritten social rules common in most societal structures (Udwin, Davies, Howlin, & Stinton, 2007). With such social trait, one can assume that the interpersonal skills generated by individuals with William syndrome are adequate for daily public associations, yet, a number of literatures presented otherwise. The overtly sociable attitude by groups with William Syndrome may be acceptable in society, but their psychological status may not be as stable as most believed. This paper seeks to establish the paradoxical traits that individuals with Williams Syndrome seemed to have; present common psychological features and find patterns among such psychological manifestations. Biological Origins and Clinical Features The etiologic origins and pathological process seemed to be pointed back to genetic deficits. Generally thought of as a neurodevelopmental condition, most experts identified the â€Å"deletion of ~25–30 genes...(which span) about 1.5 megabases in the q11.23 region of chromosome 7† as the exact cause of the William Syndrome (Deutsch, Rosse, & Schartz, 2007, p. 903). Genetic in function, such dysfunction in the genetic level can significantly cause a series of physiological changes upon human anatomic development, especially in organ tissues of the heart. As this is genetic in origin, the defective genetic material is said to have a hereditary feature, where there can be a 50% chance that individuals might pass this DNA product to the next generation. Although random in pattern, studies showed that 1 infant in every 80,000 births can have this syndrome--a highly rare occurrence (â€Å"William Syndrome,† 2011). Like most genetic disorders, people with such condition can easily be distinguished due to their common appearance, where their faces may have an elfin quality, with prominent forehead and eyes, ample cheeks, expansi ve mouth, small nose, and broad earlobes (Semel & Rosner, 2003). In line with this, overall presentation of the condition can be divided into four sections: â€Å"cognitive development, language, auditory function, and visuospatial function† (Khan, Calureriu, Huang, & Robin, 2011). In context, cognition and language functions are quite delayed for their age, with highly sensitive hearing capabilities to auditory stimuli, and a disassociation between what is seen and its normative interpretations. As such, environmental adaptation of these groups is delayed, compared to their normal counterparts. Aside from these clinical symptoms, those with William Syndrome are also plagued with a number of medical disorders, which may range from clinically serious cardiac

A comparison argument (or contrast, but not both) between a limited Research Paper

A comparison argument (or contrast, but not both) between a limited aspect of the Viet Nam Conflict and our Conflict in Afghanistan - Research Paper Example This is supported by looking at the strategies that were employed in the two conflicts; they were totally different, even the military deployment in the two wars is totally different. The willingness to use violence to change politics is known as terrorism. The history of terrorism goes back to the 13th- century. In the early 1990s, religious groups came up with motivated terrorism. These groups based their violence on the Islamic beliefs. Some of the groups are Al Qaeda and Hamas, political terrorist groups in the Middle East. This is a sign of their departure from the religious perceptions. The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was drinking alcohol just before he boarded the plane that he hijacked and as it is known, alcohol is off limits to the Muslim community. Observers belief that the 9/11 mastermind are among the people who had violent behaviors and they had manipulated their religious beliefs to suit their own needs (Levy 12). The Afghanistan war started as a result of the September 2001 attacks in America. These were caused by Al Qaeda group based in Afghanistan. Taliban is a Muslim radical group that was also ruling Afghanistan by 2001. This radical group had denied the American government entry into Afghanistan and capture the Al Qaeda; this prompted the then American president George Bush to declare war on Afghanistan. After only three weeks of invasion, the American troops had toppled the Taliban troops and they had nearly crushed the Al Qaeda troops who were using guerrilla tactics to fight while the American troops were sophisticated and learned (Edmonds 33). The American government has been in Afghanistan since 2001 till date. This has prompted observers to relate this war to the war in Vietnam that also lasted for ten years without success. I will try to give comparisons of the two wars since observers and historians have suggested that these two conflicts are nearly similar. However, observers suggest that there may be more

Community develeopment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community develeopment - Assignment Example 1. A former legislative assembly member helped to moderate the discussion on the panel. 2. There was a doctor who was the head of the division of wellbeing, integrated care and ageing from the Department of Health. He shared information about the various medical facilities and services that were available throughout the region to homeless individuals. 3. One of the members was a public defender who was there to represent the legal interest of all indigent people in the community who cannot afford a lawyer. 4. There was also a member from the Flemington Presbyterian Church who brought forth information about the various services they provide for the homeless in their area. 5. Another member was a representative from the Adult and Family Homelessness Services (AFHS) which provides counselling, case management and outreach support to adults and families. 6. There was also a member from Stopover Youth Refuge which provides short-term crisis accommodation to single young people who are ho meless or at risk of homelessness. 7. Finally, there was also a representative of the Education Employment and Training Assistance (EET) program who brought forth her experience as a homeless person and helped in getting a better perspective of how a homeless person would view the programs and services made available to them. She is now working with EET to assist other homeless individuals in coming out of their situation. Process used to operate the meeting This meeting was called together by the members of the community forum to create awareness in the community about the issue of homelessness in the region. The meeting began with the moderator asking the members on the panel to introduce themselves. Following the introductions, the highlights of the previous community forum was read and approved. There were a few persisting issues like inadequate funding and lack of awareness in the community that were addressed during the meeting. An excerpt from the award-winning ‘Home Sa fe’ documentary was also shown during the meeting. The moderator presented the findings from a study conducted by the Victorian Council of Social Service and Housing Alliance Victoria which revealed that more than a third of Victoria’s homeless people who sought help in the past year were denied due to lack of funding. The report revealed that 11,678 people were turned away from homeless assistance services in 2003-04, while 31,359 people received help (The International Homeless Forum 2004). Various strategies to address this issue were discussed by the members in the panel. Light refreshments were served at the end of the meeting. Goals of the community forum The goal of this forum was to increase community awareness, gather community input and identify and develop sustainable solutions to address the issues surrounding homelessness in the city of Melbourne, Victoria. To achieve this goal, the attendees were provided information about what homelessness looks like in the city of Melbourne - addressing the various problems that homeless individuals face such as mental and physical health problems, addictions, lack of education, and other barriers to employment and housing. The various members of the forum presented the services that they offer and discussed the strengths and

Mashup, remix, fandom, intertextuality, music simulacrum Essay

Mashup, remix, fandom, intertextuality, music simulacrum - Essay Example Mashup is a music term that refers to skilful blending of two or more songs to achieve a new coherent composition, usually featuring various music genres. Another terms for a mashup are blend, bootleg, smashup, bastard pop, powermix, cutup and crossover. David J. Gunkel, Aram Sinnreich, Michele H. Jackson, Brian Lamb and Liam McGranaham are some of the authors who have written elaborate and scientific publications on the mashup culture. Although the term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2000, the history of mashups is debatable. While the notion of a mashup as a 21st century novelty appears viable, the roots of a mashup can be traced to the early 20th century. The installation of Marcel Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel in1913 where he combined a stool with a bicycle wheel was a physical symbol for mashup (Levay 22). A mashup is â€Å"a fun and adventurous way to make something fresh out of something stale† (Gaylor web). Music mashup characteristics are addition ally attributed to musicque concrete, a form of music which evolved in the 1940s, where compositions were not limited to sounds from musical instruments (McLeod 81). The music community have come to a strong consensus on the origin of a mashup. They agree that part of the remix culture (Mashup) originated from Jamaica in the early 1950s Arguably, a remix is an umbrella term encompassing mashup among other music compositions. It is when Jamaican selectors or disc-jockeys composed first metatexts by playing live a series of records in the same key, tempo or theme. This gave grounds for the emergence of hip hop DJs several decades later (Brewster and Broughton 254; Levay 22) Ironically, these roots seem to contradict Sinnreich’s observation that a mashup is associated with white European logic as opposed to the Afro-diasporic hip-hop genre (Sinnreich 195-9). The fact remains that mashup, despite its Jamaican foundations, first gained major popularity in the United Kingdom. The f irst mashup that gained widespread media attention and broke into the mainstream across the UK was done by The Freelance Hellraiser in 2001. His â€Å"A Stroke of Genie-us† combined Christina Aguilera’s â€Å"Genie in a Bottle† and The Strokes’ â€Å"Hard to Explain.† While a mashup can be done manually, the most common production of mashups occurs digitally. Among the most common software are Ableton Live and Sony’s Acid Pro. They let both professionals and bedroom producers to join a vocal section from one piece with an instrumental section of another to produce one stereo track, which is the basic element of a mashup. Since at present music is recorded using multi-track recording techniques, music labels sometimes release those tracks individually to encourage producers and DJs to create remixes thus contributing to the popularity of the original recording. Works Cited Aram Sinnreich, â€Å"Plus ca change’ or Paradigm shift?† University of Massachusetts Press. (2010), 193-208. Brewster, Bill  and Broughton, Frank. Last night a dj saved my life: the history of the disc jockey. New York: Grove Press, 1999. Print. David J. Gunkel, â€Å"Rethinking the digital remix: Mash-ups and the metaphysics of sound recording.† Popular Music and Society, 31/4 (2008), 489-510. Gaylor, Brett, dir.  RIP: A Remix Manifesto. 2008. Web. 25 Jan. 2012 . Jackson, Michele. " The Mash-Up: A New Archetype for Communicatio."  Journal of Comupter-Mediated Communication. 14. (2009): 730–734. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.   Lamb, Brian. "Dr. Mashup or, Why Educators Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Remix."EDUCAUSE Review. 2004. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. . McGranahan, Liam. "Bastards and Booties: Production, Copyright, and the Mashup Community."  Revista Transcultural de Musica. 14. 2010. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.   Remix A remix refers to alternative version of a recorded song with added or

Comparative Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Comparative Religion - Essay Example There have been in the religious discourse, plenty of theories and theoretical paradigms pertaining to the need, purpose and the importance of religion in the lives of the people who follow them. Some of these theories are worth noting. For instance, James Frazer (pp. 232-246), an anthropologist of evolutionary school of thought, places religion in a nonlinear hierarchical evolutionary ladder in which, the first step is magic followed by religion and subsequently by science. He argues that the earlier people were not aware of the ‘real’ reasons behind the natural processes and so, came up with explanations that now sound fantastical and unlikely. These explanations form the realm of magic and soothe the human anxiety when the mind could not find any other explanation. However, man soon realized that magic could not work in all situations and there has to be a definite propitiation of the higher power in the way things pan out in the universe and thus religion was born. A ccording to Frazer (pp. 256-278), it came out of a need to reconcile the ideal with the real i.e. the happenings of the real world were not explained completely by the human intervention alone and thus the need for a divine explanation was born. A related theory of Sigmund Freud, the famous psychologist, presents religion as a response to the need of putting the responsibility of one’s action off to a higher invisible power, usually male which represents the innate need of man to be able to depend on a strong male figure. Although highly infamous and usually discredited, this theory does lay sufficient groundwork in answering the question of why people need religion in their lives and why, more importantly, it provides them the comfort that it is reported to provide. However, the most intriguing and interesting feature of the religious discourse is its diversity. The religions across the world are diverse in all respects. Some base their belief system on the existence of one God, while others believe in a series of gods and goddesses; still others seem to reject the idea of God altogether. These religions are monotheism, polytheism and atheism respectively (n.d., 56). This is the most primary way of classifying religion. There are other ways too. Some religions stem from myths whereas others from revealed books. Some religions revolve around a charismatic leader or an inspirational figure, whose guidelines form the foundation of the ethical conduct of the religion. The comparative analysis of the religions is one of the most popular streams in religious discourses in present-day academia. Scholars take great interest in juxtaposing religions to each other, comparing different common units to each other. The scope of this paper limits itself to such a comparison between two world religions namely, Islam and Hinduism. The paper tries to compare and contrast Islam and Hinduism in several respects and approach some platform of commonalities and differences between the two. Comparison of Religious History The Islam and Hinduism have diverse religious histories. Whereas Islam has a unified, straightforward origin, Hinduism’s history through time is still very much in debate. Islam, as a religion, started in 600 A.D (Lantiqua, 98). Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger of God, according to Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, initiated the religion when he received the first revelation from God via his angel, Gabriel. Islam spread as a movement and approached the doors of Meccans, other Arabs and emperors of neighboring countries by the followers and close friends

Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Marketing - Essay Example Hart (1990) stated that recruiting a new customer costs five times than to keep current customers happy and content. This statement holds great value in every sense as organizations often try hard to keep customers happy by offering great services. At the same time, organizations have service recovery tools that help in gaining customers loyalty and trust back. Service recovery tools often help in enhancing customer’s retention by properly responding to service failures. The assignment aims at highlighting the impact of service failure on the business along with developing a service recovery model based on understanding and empowering customers. The organization chosen for this purpose is Tiger Airways Australia based in Melbourne, Victoria. In the past, Tiger Airways has received a number of complaints ineffective customer care service, flight delays and improper handling of grievances. This can be considered as a serious service failure offering a reason to be dissatisfied a nd frustrated with the services being offered. The analysis would help in understanding and analyzing the ways through which service failure can be addressed using service recovery tools in an effective and efficient manner helping the organization to win customer’s trust and loyalty back. An Overview of the Organization Tiger Airways Australia is a low cost airlines based in Melbourne, Australia. It started its operations in the year 2007 with strong focus on domestic markets. The organization has been performing well but not that well to compete with other competitors because of serious problems pertaining to the services being offered. As per the Bureau of infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics in Australia, Tiger Airways have consistently lower percentage of on-time arrival and departure with high percentage of cancellations. Tiger Airways also used marketing strategies to boost its sales figures and presence across the country through an advertisement campaign named â€Å"The Low Fare Revolution†. Tiger Airways have been hit by a number of criticisms pertaining to its services and can be considered as an ideal organization to analyze the concepts of service failure and recovery. Concept of Service Failure When organizations offer services to customers, the only motive is to make them feel good and content with the offered services. Customers also have pre-conceived and experienced notions on services and when these notions do not match with the services being offered; it is termed as a service failure. Service failure often frustrates customers along with making them change the service provider. It creates negative a negative impact on the business activities along with offering an edge to customers. It needs to be mentioned that service failure is bound to happen and organizations are supposed to be good enough to tackle service failures. Tiger Airways have been accused of poor customer service and high rate of cancellation. Furth er, the support and guidance from the management is almost negligible that has reduced the satisfaction level of customers. The service recovery tools that could have been of great help in dealing with service failures have been discussed in the following part in an analytical manner. Service Recovery and its Importance

Government Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Government - Case Study Example But at the same time, prosecution gave impression of being over zealous in indicting only Martha, who was actually a much smaller culprit of the said crime as against the Mr. Samuel Waksal, who was a major offender. Mr. Samuel was a cofounder of the company, who had intentionally set to defraud the various stakeholders through deliberate insider trading based on confidential information. Business persons are guided by their financial advisors and therefore, Martha Stewart’s only crime was that she had trusted financial advisor, Peter Bacanovic and then continued to follow his instruction under the misguided notion that her actions would actually acquit her of the financial misdeeds. The market driven approach of the health industry is neither valid nor ethical. In the market driven health system, consumers or people decide what goods (health module) to buy and at what cost. The prices and the level of services become the crucial factor in the exchange of goods or the healthcare services. In US, the healthcare is market driven and even the essential ones like insurance, accessibility etc are treated like commodities. The healthcare components like accessibility to good medical care, quality and cost are therefore, increasingly moving beyond the grasp of general public. In the current scenario of recessive trends, huge unemployment and rising cost of health care imperatives, increasing number of Americans have inadequate or have no health insurance cover because of unemployment. The market paradigms of the healthcare system have made it extremely discriminatory and unaffordable and thereby inaccessible for the unemployed and low income citizens. Thus, it can be concluded that an unprecedented commercialization with the healthcare industry that has not boded well for the masses. The government must come up with more stringent measures and controls so that market driven interests are not able to exploit the vulnerable class. The government must ensure

The movie John Q Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The movie John Q - Case Study Example He decides to take the emergency room hostage in order to compel the Hope Memorial Hospital undertake the operation on his son. The movie is, however, full of ethical and moral dilemmas all through its course. The analysis is based on the decisions made by the characters in the film, for example, considering the dilemma John finds himself in with his son in dire need of heart surgery while he cannot afford the procedure since he did not have a proper health cover policy. The hospital chooses not to play the Good Samaritan and declines to carry on with the operation. This situation confronts John and places him in a dilemma to either accept the fate of his son as suggested by Rebecca Payne, The administrator of the Hope Memorial Hospital or raise funds for the cardiac operation. On the other hand, Rebecca, Payne acted in a utilitarian manner by thinking that assisting John Q and undertaking the operation of free will, not do the society any good since there are many other patients facing the same challenge. The actions of John Q will ultimately resonate well with the jury that focuses on the good intentions of the action. The other action by John Q of freeing the most defenseless patients during the hostage situation, reveal the decent side of John. Question 2, It is the responsibility of the companies to provide information to their employees regarding changes in health coverage. If the staff is remains unaware of the health coverage status and other issues regarding the services of the company, it will render the staff in given situations to make hurried decisions since there is no code to operate within thus may lead to loss. Regardless of the ordeal, John Q remains with the moral responsibility of keeping a promise he made of ensuring that his son gets the cardiac surgery. In another account, the companies should take into considerations the interests of the employees as much as firm interests are relatively vital. Health cover and other

Uncontrolled Blood Pressure Essay Example for Free

Uncontrolled Blood Pressure Essay Physical assessments including fluid balance, skin and weight Life style changes including weight and stress management Mr. Debourg is 62 year old male. In 2013, during routine physical with his physician, he was referred to a cardiologist for further evaluation. Patient was diagnosed with high blood pressure and started on Lisinopril 10mg daily. Due to stress from work, he started having palpitation and shortness of breath. On 4/13/2014, patient started feeling hot and dizzy. When his wife  noticed patient’s face was turning pale, she took his blood pressure. Patient states he’s blood pressure at that time was around 200/100, heart rate above 150. Mr. DeBourg drove himself to the hospital where he was admitted for further evaluation and tests. Angiogram showed 2 blocked arteries and he received Cardiac stent placement. Patient is now on 4 blood pressure medications and sees cardiologist every 3 months for stress test. Patient’s blood pressure is not well controlled due to lack of physical exercise, poor diet, smoking and stress. By the evidence is current diagnosis and history obtained by the patient, Mr. DeBourg is at risk for decreased cardiac output and at risk for having myocardial ischemia if his blood pressure is not controlled by life style changes. According to Elsevier health, cardiac patients require blood pressure monitoring daily, assessment of peripheral pulses, cold clammy skin, fluid retention levels and weight (Gulanick,n.d). Nursing goals and proprieties for this patient is to maintain cardiac function by monitoring t to prevent further complications and support patient with life style changes. Mr. DeBourg will need education on the importance of exercise to improve circulation, and healthy diet plans to control his weight. Patient understands smoking and stress is contributing to his health condition but continue to smoke. Patient will need support from his spouse and children to quit smoking and engage in activities like hobby or relaxation methods. I will provide information on smoking cessation support group called The Freedom from Smoking in Las Vegas, and counseling information at perfect image for life with the nutritionist to go over his diet plans and exercise program.

Mapping an Argument Essay Example for Free

Mapping an Argument Essay The first article talks about the lack of regulation on the quality and safety of our food supply even though there are health food options, such as fruits and vegetables. Especially, in the federal school lunch programs that have contributed to poor health of our younger citizens. The United States has had one of the safest food systems in the world, but within the last few years 70 million Americans have gotten sick, 300,000 have been hospitalized, and 5,000 die from food-borne illnesses each year. Consumers always identify with wholesome – not harmful foods. Our children today are most at risk from these food threats, with about half of all food-borne illnesses hitting children under 15. The tens of millions of victims of food-borne illnesses represent only a small segment of the causalities from our failure as Americans to require safe and nutritious foods. A regulation of chemicals, many of the fruits and vegetables that should be healthy and nutritious are being laced with dangerous pesticides. Many foods that are being marketed to our children have trans-fats and high fructose corn syrup, that have contributed to the epidemic of obesity in young children, heart disease and diabetes in older populations. It is far from perfect, but the Food Safety Enhancement Act (HR2749) was passed by the House of Representatives in 2008 and has taken steps in the right direction. The Act has given more authority to the FDA, which had restored some of the power to conduct food inspections and strengthen oversight. Yes, many regulations have been in place but since January 2010, over 850,000 pounds of beef have been recalled due to E. oli. Like I said it is far from over, but many more safety legislation should be able to target the largest causes of these food-borne illnesses. I believe that all of this would not happen if the growth of small farms. The less risk of contamination and not as many people would be put into the hospital or even die because the animals, fruits and vegetables would be processed and cleaned correctly. They would be handled with no pesticides and would actually be more healthy then what is grown today. The second article talks about online poker. Many states are trying to outlaw online gambling, for example Minnesota, their arguments are trying to save citizens from ruin, but many states are running their own casino and betting operations. A ban on poker, a game the requires skill, is against American and capitalist principles and would restrict peoples freedom. Monday April 29, 2009, The Minnesota Department of Public Safety gave notice to all major internet service providers that they will be ordered to block service to a list of 200 internet gambling related sites. It may expand to â€Å"thousands† of sites, depending on compliance. Chris Fox, who plays poker for a living, is very biased about the issue since he plays poker for a living and if the ban is upheld, then he would have to move states. Canada on the other hand has not made online poker illegal and are much more friendly toward online poker players. Online poker is all about skill and defined on the Department of Public Safetys own website, games of skills are not illegal. When the government all of a suddenly tries to attempt something like enforcing a law that does not even really exist and try to prevent players from doing something that is actually legal, it is always about money or politics. In conclusion, there is really no conclusion since there are many ways around this prohibition and that it will not prevent anyone who really wants to play from getting online and playing poker where ever they choose to. The Wire Act of 1961, which was meant for preventing the transmission of sports bets over phone lines and the internet did not exist. Many people have emailed the Department of Justice to let them know that people play online poker every day and that they should come arrest these people, but never heard anything back. The threats that are used now are very minimal and will find other Americans to hassle.

An Analysis Of Turkish And Kurdish Tensions Politics Essay

An Analysis Of Turkish And Kurdish Tensions Politics Essay Since taking office in 2002, the Justice and Development Part (AKP) has introduced a series of reforms to democratize the social, economic and political life in Turkey. After being elected one more time in 2007, the AKP government has committed to solve Kurdish issue which can be seen as one of the most intractable conflict of Turkey continuing for over 30 years. Popularly known as the Kurdish opening (Kà ¼rt Aà §Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ±lÄ ±mÄ ±) process, the initiative is the first systematic attempt to get through identity-based discontents of the Kurds. This study presents a brief history of the conflict, the windows of opportunity that supported the AKP government, the analysis of the Kurdish opening process. In order to provide a holistic perspective, the historical, political, socio-psychological, legal and cultural dynamics of the Kurdish issue will be touched here. At the end, a series of recommendations are also discussed that are consistent within the analytic perspective of the paper. II. HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT The conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan)  [1]  can be seen as an intractable one that been continuing for over three decades and caused more than 30,000 deaths from both sides. Basically, the conflict is the byproduct of the Turkish nation building process. The beginning of the politicization of Kurdish cultural identity corresponds to the shift from multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural realities of the Ottoman Empire to the nation-state model.  [2]  According to Ergil, the Turkish official state policy was based on the idea of civic nation referring to the geographical region in which all the peoples of Turkey lived, rather than ethnic-nation (the dominant Turkish ethnic group). However, soon after, the ruling military elite, intellectuals, and bureaucrats shifted from this civic nation idea towards homogenization which acquired meaning in the Turkification policies which also became a major source of the Kurdish issue in Tu rkey.  [3]  After the major Kurdish rebellions of the 1920s and 1930s in Turkeys southeast where the population were predominantly Kurds, Turkish governing elites began viewing the utterance of a separate Kurdish identity as a threat to the nation-state.  [4]   Change in the governance style at the beginning of the Republic might prevent the escalation of conflict in the country. Instead, the structural violence emerged in the form of assimilation policies; Kurdish people were resettled, places and peoples names were changed, the use of language was restricted, and the very existence of a Kurdish identity was denied  [5]  . Burton emphasizes that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to go one step further and to eliminate structures and policies which generate conflict, violence and crimeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦societies would need to be transformed from centralized systems, top-down administrations, to centralized, bottom-up decision makingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [6]  . In that line, the decentralization that would have the potential of strengthening the local administrations could not be tolerated in the nation building process. Under these assimilation policies, the Kurdish resentments had turned into a reaction in the form of Kurdish movement against the state. On the relationship between the state development and social movements, Tarrow argues that some aspects of state development facilitated the rise of movements.  [7]  In Turkey, the consolidation of centralist and unitary state ideology facilitated the Kurdish resentment. The Republican repressive and exclusionary politics in social, economic, cultural and political life against Kurds propelled those people into a collective movement.  [8]  1970 and 1980s military coups and their spatial repressive policies incited the Kurdish contentious politics into an emergence of distinctive nationalist/secessionist armed movement of Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK)  [9]  . The conflict peaked at the end of 1990s and the death toll had reached over 30,000 in total-half of them PKK militants, one-fourth civilians, and the remaining one-fourth members of the security forces.  [10]  The conflict was seen as a zero-sum game and emergency military measures instead of parliamentary decisions were seen as the only legitimate way of responding the PKK attacks. In that sense, the Kurdish reaction had to be responded by repression. The conflict between Turkish state and the PKK, therefore, should be analyzed in a chain of action-reaction model. Metin Heper analytically defines the theory of change in this conflict as (a) the Turkish state has relied on forced assimilation of ethnic elements, including Kurds; (b) that Kurds have resisted the states efforts to force assimilation; and (c) that in response to the rebellious elements, the state has used suppression.  [11]  The thing worthwhile to think about the AKP governments new initiative of Kurdish openin g is that the theory of change in the state policy related to the resolution of the conflict is changing. There is an observable shift from military solution to a political solution and the dynamics supporting this shift has to be analyzed. III. WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY AND THE KURDISH OPENING Turkeys larger aims of becoming a regional power cannot explain the underlying logic behind the Kurdish Opening policy. Turkeys internal and external dynamics, which can be seen as a windows of opportunity, support the government in this process. Removing the PKK from Turkeys political equation, however, is not a novel endeavor. However, international and regional circumstances have never been favorable to that objective. At the current juncture, there is a more favorable environment to addressing the many challenges of the Kurdish question. The Turkish leadership as well seems to have grasped the new situation and has thus changed its conventional perception of the problem. 1) Domestic Since the early days of the Republic, all Turkish governments have refrained from upsetting the balance of power that favors the political role of the military over that of democratic reform that may be reacted by the military. According to Çandar, any sort of Kurdish opening would have either been doomed to failure from its very beginning, or deterred from starting at all.  [12]  The only path for democratic reforms that will reduce the power of the military in politics is through very strong domestic and international backing.  [13]   Such domestic support is enabled by the Ergenekon Case, which was aimed at eliminating the closed, dark, intolerant and secret communities friendly with the military bureaucracy and state officials but insidiously devoted to destroying the government  [14]  Firmly grasping the influence that these elements have on state establishments through the Ergenekon investigation has given way for the governing AKP to create a platform through which the Kurdish issue can be discussed without military means.  [15]   As Cizre discusses, the question now is whether the AK Party can emerge from the Ergenekon episode newly positioned to renegotiate a robust role for itself and articulate a new relationship between Kurdish actors and Turkish politics.  [16]  The political arena in Turkey is now in the hands of the AKP government, as it received 55 percent of public support in the last referendum. Other political actors appear to be excluded from the Kurdish Opening.  [17]  The steps taken until now are being debated by many, as with this public support behind the government comes a greater expectation for the government to take bolder steps toward the solution. 2) International Since Turkeys EU candidacy was entered into consideration in 2005, the EU has had a tendency to see Turkeys Kurdish issue from a human rights perspective in that the minority rights of the Kurdish population must be granted as a pre-requisite for membership. Along those lines, Turkey has sought to meet the Copenhagen criteria for membership and supported reforms in cultural rights. EU membership became a democratization tool in the hands of the government against the state establishment. The EU praised the government by indicating that the reform process in Turkey and the accession process are closely linked to each other, as argued by EU term president and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt during the annual Turkey-EU Troika meeting in Istanbul.  [18]   After the initiation of the new policy, both the West and East supported and appreciated the AKP governments democratization. After initiation of the Kurdish Opening policy, the economic ties between Turkey and Iraqs Kurds increased. Washington and Baghdad agreed to work closer with Turkey on the rapid intelligence  [19]  that is believed to weaken the position of the PKK. The democratic credentials of Turkey are increased in the eyes of the West, and according to Somer and Evangelos, the Kurdish question is an important piece of what Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄÅ ¸lu has dubbed the zero problems with neighbors policy.  [20]   Kurdish Opening Making choices in a conflict plays a significant role in the escalation-de-escalation of the conflict. Tjosvold argues that the conflict does not just happen nor does conflict escalate by itself. People make choices that escalate conflict of lead to more constructive outcomes (Tjosvold 2006, 91). The AKP government, with the help of public support, decided to transform the conflict by taking bolder steps toward bring fundamental solutions to the Kurdish issue. The policy popularly known as the Kurdish Opening was launched at the end of the summer of 2007.  [21]  The government published a report entitled The Democratic Opening Project with Questions and Answers: The National Brotherhood Project  [22]  in order to publicize the benefits that democratic opening would bring to Turkey. In the booklet, some of the issues mentioned included the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Ocalan, would not benefit from any type of amnesty, military operations against the PKK would continue unless its members are disarmed, the ideal of unitary state, nation and flag would be maintained, although unitary nation does not mean a nation composed of a dominant race, and the official language would be Turkish forever. Although the government was framing the policy with this broad approach, some sections of society were discussing bolder steps that had to be taken by the government for a permanent solution to the Kurdish issue. This included negotiating with the leader of the PKK and cooperating with its political extension, the Democratic Society Party (DTP)  [23]  . AKPs Double-Discourse Turkish political scientist Kirisci has defined the initiative as several confidence building measures,  [24]  However it is unclear what building confidence means for peace. Pruitt discusses working trust as one of the necessary preconditions for peace, which is a belief that the other party also wants to escape the conflict and has reasonable or flexible aspirations  [25]  . Looking at the parties, it can be argued that both the AKP government and the PKK sought to abandon armed conflict and begin a peace process. However, this process is quite complex for both sides. The PKK has sought to case armed conflict, arguing that with violent means, the Kurdish people living in Turkey will not get their rights. The imprisoned leader of the PKK, Ocalan, who also sees himself as a mediator between the state and the PKK, is continuously sending messages arguing for peace. According to him, we are in favor of disarmament in principle as long as legal-constitutional safeguards are provided.  [26]  The organization also wants to see the pro-Kurdish political party, DTP, at the negotiation table with the government for the advocacy of Kurdish rights.  [27]   Alternatively, however, many unclear questions regarding the communication between the PKK and the AKP have arisen. As Ocalan is arguing that the biggest obstacle in front of the peace is the AKP,  [28]  and the approach of the state is much more positive than the AKP government,  [29]  questions of who is the state and who is the government are emerging. According to Pruitt, making secret contacts with the other side is one way to motivate for the peace process. The government is clearly deferring to public support, choosing to use two different discourses in order to guarantee both public support and success in the peace process. The government has received strong reaction from the public after the Habur incident in May of 2009. Pro-Kurdish DTP supporters welcomed a group of PKK members arriving in Turkey with excitement, chanting slogans in favor of the PKK and its jailed leader Abdullah ÃÆ'-calan.  [30]  All media channels portrayed the event as a part of the Kurdish Opening process. The minister of the interior announced at a press conference that the return home is part of the democratization process and that there would be more good news soon.  [31]  However, the leader of PKK, Ocalan, declared his leave from the movement at the end of the month. It is unclear what has happened after the Habur incident and why Ocalan declared his leave from the movement, but the PKK called an end to the ceasefire that was declared earlier in the same month. After the Habur incident, the government was forced to re-evaluate its strategy and choose instead a double-discourse strategy. Since that time, the conciliatory signs between the government and the PKK have reduced. The government understood that trust-building between the parties regarding the Kurdish issue may taken a long time, as it requires a transformation of a war system into a peace system, inspired by a quest for the values of peace and justice, truth and mercy.  [32]   Timing The timing of the governments Kurdish Opening policy also deserves a brief discussion. One of the most widely respected ideas about the timing of the initiation of the peace processes comes from the Zartmans idea of ripe moment moment in which the parties perception of a mutually hurting stalemate, optimally associated with an impending, past, or recently avoided catastrophe.  [33]   Launching the Kurdish opening policy has nothing to do with ripe moment, however. The ripe moment in Turkish Republican history is the AKP governments ascension to power. If the history of the conflict is considered, the 1990s were the era in which the parties should have sought a way out since the parties found themselves locked in a conflict from which they couldnt escalate to victory and this deadlock was painful to both of the parties.  [34]  However, domestic and international conditions did not allow the governments to achieve a way out at that time. The conditions that ripened the conflict and made it open ot resolution corresponded to the domestic and international conditions that led the AKP government to speak about Kurdish Opening. In that sense, the conditions that prepared the AKP to initiate steps toward democratization are an objective reality rather than a perceptual event, as Zartman identifies  [35]  . The major motivational factors in the Kurdish Opening included pressure from the EU, Turkeys ambitious zero-problem policy with neighbors in order to be a regional power, and Turkeys internal dynamics, including the Ergenekon case and decreasing power of the military in politics. In that sense, the Kurdish opening can be seen as the beginning of a peace process since, as Pruitt identifies, what is necessary for the peace process is the motivation (that is, a goal) to end the conflict, which is fed by (a) a sense that the conflict is unwinnable or poses unacceptable costs or risks and/or (b) pressure from powerful third parties such as allies.  [36]   Conciliatory Signs According to Pruitt, another significant factor for the peace process is that optimism is about the outcome of conciliation and negotiation.  [37]  Conciliatory gestures are critical messages given by both parties to build trust. As discussed above, the government has begun using different discourses, as the general elections are approaching. However, at the beginning of the process, it was publicly supporting peace. For example, the leaders of both the AKP and the DTP, which is believed to be the extension of the PKK in the Turkish Grand Assembly,  [38]  had a meeting in May of 2009 right after the announcement of the governments Kurdish Opening policy. The leaders discussed their optimism and motivation for the future of the project.  [39]   Corresponding to the moves from the government, the PKK has declared a ceasefire that was to comprise of the dates between August 12th and September 20th, 2010, to end before the religious month of Ramadan and the referendum  [40]  . This ceasefire was aimed at amending the constitution, which was written by the military authority after the 1980 military coup. Ceasefires are important for the peace process, as according to Pruitt, if conciliatory gestures between the parties increases in strength, the partys behavior becomes increasingly conciliatory and may eventually take the form of a cease-fire and entry into negotiation.  [41]   In October of 2010, Ocalan sent a letter to the leader of the PKK, Murat Karayilan,  [42]  and the government, asking for an extension of the ceasefire that was declared on August 12th. Karayilan argued that that we extended the unilateral ceasefire against Turkey after receiving a letter from Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan till 2011 general elections in Turkey.  [43]  Although Ocalan, in his latest messages, has been arguing that the state is more candid than the government for the peace process, it is unclear why he initiated the extension of the ceasefire until the general elections, which is directly related the future of the AKP government. It is still unclear what this final ceasefire means for the peace process. According to Aydintasbas, the Kurdish Opening was started based on reciprocal distrust between the parties of the Kurdish Conflict. When the Habur incident turned into a festival, public rage interrupted the peace process. This latest ceasefire will lead to the continuation of the process and a return home for the PKK, which also strengthens Oclans position for the movement.  [44]   Concrete Steps The EU Commissions 2010 Annual Report for Turkey  [45]  is the most valuable tool in order to see how much progress the government could make. As the report indicates although the AKP government made public statements of commitment for the progress in Kurdish initiative, there is no actually strong evidence that the democratic opening was followed through. Seen developments as the Report mentions; As regards freedom of expression, an increasingly open and free debate continues on a wide scale in the media and in the public on topics perceived as sensitive, such as the Kurdish issue, minority rights, the Armenian issue, and the role of the military.  [46]   As regards cultural rights, the Regulation on the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) was amended in November, removing all restrictions on broadcasting in Kurdish and other languages by private and public channels at the local level.  [47]   For the first time, the DiyarbakÄ ±r Municipal Theatre staged a play in Kurdish. In June, the State Minister for EU Affairs invited all EU embassies to a Kurdish literature event in the village of Bahcesehir (Van). Mardin Artuklu University established the first Kurdish and Assyrian language departments, and began accepting students to post-graduate programs organized by these departments.  [48]   The amended law on fundamental principles of elections and the electoral registry entered into force on 10 April 2010, de facto allows the use of Kurdish in election campaigns.  [49]   RECOMMENDATION Identity-related conflicts such as the Kurdish issue have deeply-rooted historical, cultural, emotional, economic and political dimensions; therefore, there is no magic solution to address all these issues. There are, however, many potential steps that would help eliminate obstacles to social and political reconciliation. Although legal and political reform is crucial for eliminating structural inequalities, there is a need to initiate a holistic reconciliation process over the long term by also continuing conciliatory gestures that are likely to address certain cultural and psychological sensitivities. Along those lines, the recommendations outlined below for the continuation of the peace process and establishment of a peace agreement are aimed at providing a perspective for a multi-layered and multi-actor intervention. Transforming the public discourse Transforming the public discourse is critically important during the peace process. As this conflict has been used by politicians for years as a tool to gain public support, discourse based on enemy images and dehumanizing on both sides pervades the peoples cognition. In order to institutionalize the socio-psychological infrastructure  [50]  , the healthy exchange of information between the parties, the use of cultural products to eliminate enemy images, and changes in educational materials will be necessary. The Truth and Reconciliation Commissions established to investigate mystery murders in 1990s will help to transform the discourse as well. The role of the civil society is quite important in this process of discourse transformation with the help of the media. Understanding that the Peace Process is non-linear During the peace process, due to a lack of information exchange or misunderstanding gestures, the conflict may escalate or deescalate, or ceasefire may continue and further steps may not be taken. In any situation, including a change in leadership, the stakeholders in the process should stay in the process and move forward. Solving Spoiler Problems As Stedman argues, a correct diagnosis of spoiler type is crucial for the choice of an appropriate strategy of spoiler management.  [51]  Regarding Kurdish initiatives, the most critical opposition to the government comes from the opposition parties in the Assembly.  [52]  It is also known that there are some factions in the PKK that do not seek disarmament.  [53]  Therefore, if the AKP government and the PKK are in fact targeting a peace agreement, they must both learn how to manage opposing groups and create a grand peace coalition that includes all parties related to the issue. Having a Perception of the peace process is a win-win situation In order to be optimistic about the future, each party must lower its aspirations and see how a compromise will be beneficial to both. The results that are aimed at must be divisible into small pieces. Walter cites that, if the stakes are chiefly indivisible, so that neither side can get most of what it wants without depriving the other of mots of what it wants, negotiations are less apt to be successful.  [54]  Although the Kurdish armed movements goals are less rigid than before, focusing more on a rights-based discourse, there is always a question about the secessionist ideals of Kurdish nationalism among non-Kurdish populations. Therefore, instead of discussing unrealistic territorial demands, the ethnic-cultural rights appear more feasible at the negotiation table. International and National Legal and Political Arrangements Those reforms must include both international and national reforms, as widely addressed by TESEVs latest report.  [55]  International instruments and mechanisms have a significant role in the protection of human rights through their effectiveness and functionality. Regarding the constitution, any phraseology based on Turkish ethnic identity must be eliminated from all articles, as it is against the pluralist nature of Turkish society.  [56]  Moreover, a comprehensive review of the legislation must be undertaken and references to Turkish ethnic identity in various laws must be removed.  [57]   Positive Economic Discrimination for South-East Anatolia The relative economic deprivation is quite clear in the Kurdish regions in comparison to the rest of Turkey. Sustainable economic development projects must concentrate on such regions and positive economic discrimination must be provided for the region. CONCLUSION Addressing the Kurdish demands should not just be a matter of political pragmatism for the AKP government; it is rather a historical opportunity to appease the tensions continuing for a long time. It is not clear whether the AKP government will be able to accommodate the Kurdish requests during their tenure because of the enduring social, political, legal and psychological obstacles. And it is also unrealistic to expect a resolution of complex historical problems within a relatively short period of time. However, if the Kurdish opening process is managed constructively, the peace process will have a positive impact at the political as well as at the grassroots levels.

Organ Donation :: essays research papers

On April 16, 1996, my grandfather passed away of cancer. He had been ill since November of 1995, and he needed a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, he never received one, resulting in the cause of his death. Each day about 70 people receive an organ transplant. However, 16 people die each day waiting for transplants that cannot take place because of the shortage of donated organs, according to organdonor.gov. In New York alone, only 350 people are organ donors where 7,000 New Yorkers are currently awaiting organ transplants. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives by donating their heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestines. Anyone can become an organ donor, and everyone should consider it. According to hjd.org, organs and tissues are distributed through federally or state authorized regional organ and tissue banks. Your decision to become an organ donor will not interfere with the health care you receive. Saving a patient’s life is the health care provider’s first priority, and it does not cost your family anything. According to organdonation.com, family consent is required for organ donation. Referring to an article titled, â€Å"The Gift of Organ Donation,† written by Dr. Dan Fischer about organ donation, organ donation is a lifesaving gift to a person who needs a healthy organ. It is an opportunity for you to give life to another human being after you have passed away. Organ donors are desperately needed in this country, and everyone should consider themselves a potential donor. According to a statistic on organdonors.html, tens of thousands of people wait each year for transplants, and between 10-20% of them die for lack of suitable organs. Death is a sad and final affair, especially through accidental or terminal illness.

Infidelity in Othello Essays -- Othello essays

Infidelity in Othello      Ã‚   Two important scenes in Othello are the "Temptation scene" (3.3) and the "Willow scene" (4.3). Although the topic of discussion in both scenes is infidelity, the two scenes contrast more than they compare.    First, the setting is different in the two scenes. Most of the Temptation scene takes place outdoors, in a garden. The atmosphere is open but the conversation stifling. In this scene, Iago tricks Othello into believing Desdemona is cheating on him with Michael Cassio.    In the Temptation scene, Iago conjures up images of infidelity in the mind of Othello. Upon seeing Cassio leave the side of Desdemona, Iago looks on the scene with disdain. Unsuspecting Othello asks Iago what is wrong. Iago speaks of Cassio's leaving as "steal[ing] away so guilty-like, /Seeing you coming" (3.3.43-44). In this way, Iago plants his first seed of discord. Next, Desdemona beseeches Othello to reinstate Cassio. Angry at her persistence, he asks for some time alone. In this time alone, he scolds himself for his frustration. Yet Iago invades this time so he may sow more seeds of jealousy. Othello knows Iago to be honest, so when Iago seems disturbed at the relationship between Cassio and Desdemona, Othello becomes alert. Moreover, Iago continues by reminding Othello of Desdemona's deception of her father (3.3.233-235). At this point Othello begins to doubt the fidelity of his wife. Iago notes Othello's change saying, "I see this hath a little dashed your spirits" (3.3.244). He says, "I do not think but Desdemona's honest"(3.3.258). But two lines later he professes, "And yet, nature erring from itself--" (3.3.260). Then Othello begins a soliloquy expressing, "This fellow's [Iago] of exceeding honesty" (... ...ons. The main topic of discussion is the same in both scenes. Yet the characters approach the question in different ways. Furthermore, each scene has a "masculine" character and a "feminine" character. Finally, the differences in passivity and aggressiveness vary from character to character.    Works Cited and Consulted: Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980. Ferguson, Francis. "Two Worldviews Echo Each Other." Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Pitt, Angela. "Women in Shakespeare's Tragedies." Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare's Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.

Essay --

â€Å"Knowledge is Power.† When people are asked what the key to success in life is, a few things come to their mind: being charismatic, being born into a wealthy family and knowing the right people, have a high paying job, or just plain luck. Although all of the above are true, the true key to success is knowledge. To have knowledge is to have options is to have power. Illiteracy is derived from the lack of knowledge or awareness from people. To eradicate the social divide and economic decline people must first be informed of the causes and effects of illiteracy to draw an affective solution. The impending threats to global infrastructure are not economic collapse, terrorism, climate changes, overpopulation, poverty, or even lack of fossil fuels; it is a deeper and simpler threat- illiteracy, (Top Ten List). The estimated cost of global economy is USD 1.19 trillion dollars. One-fifth of the world is suffering with illiteracy, which means there are more than 796 million people who unable to read or write, (Cree, Kay, and Steward). This large number can be attributed to many causes such as attitudes towards learning, geographical factors, disabilities, and gender bias, (Nayak). Problems are present in third world countries as well as first world countries. These people are â€Å"trapped in a cycle of poverty with limited opportunities for employment or income generation,† (Cree, Kay, and Steward). This cycle of poverty leads to other problems such as crime, dependence on welfare, health issues, unemployment or debt. Illiterate people earn about â€Å"30%-40% less than literate counterparts,† (Cree, Kay, and Steward). The income they make stays consistent throughout their lives. On the other hand, literate people make 2 or 3 times more than wha... ... affects economy because of lost profitability and productivity, (Cree, Kay, and Steward). Constantly having to fix mistakes and losing potential customers are an opportunity cost from having illiterate employees. The cost of finding a skilled staff to fix issues is very difficult for smaller businesses. Illiterate employees make communication harder and often miscommunicate causing internal problems. Illiteracy â€Å"costs a developed nation 2% of its GDP, an emerging economy 1.2% of GDP, and a developing country 0.5% of GDP,† (Cree, Kay, and Steward). Illiteracy limits the ability to access, comprehend, and apply health related issues thus resulting in a household with poor personal hygiene and nutrition. Illiterate people are trapped in a â€Å"cycle of poverty† and are more likely to turn to a life of crime and depend on social welfare and charity, (Cree, Kay, Steward).

Globalization of the world Essay

Cosmetic surgery is one of surgical and medical techniques to improve physical appearances. It is reserving normal appearance, repairing it or enhancing it exceeds the usual physical looks with regard to some aesthetic essence. A shocking data shows that a lot of teenagers, 18-and-unders, had gone under the knife. According to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPS), more than 219,000 cosmetic procedures were done on patients aged 18 and younger in 2008 (Mann, 2011). Todays society really concerns about this issue since the age of 18 and under are considered still too young to do procedures. Nowadays, it is very common to have a cosmetic surgery done in order to improve and enhance physical appearances or any other so-called imperfections. People choose to go under the knife as an easy way out. Nips and tucks are apparently increasing everywhere. The top 7 countries with most cosmetic surgery are: South Korea, Greece, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, The USA, and Taiwan (Conley, 2012). In South Korea, 41.1 percent of teens are willing to do plastic surgery for beauty. They have a desire to look better; it even can be an obsession. Many kids at the age of 14 would like to have an â€Å"eye jobs†, a surgery to have bigger eyes, as their graduation gift from their parents (Dubroff, 2011). In the United States of America, those teenagers who are unhappy and not satisfied with their physical looks choose to change them permanently through the risky and dangerous cosmetic surgery (Mann, 2001). In 2009, about 8,000 girls age 13 to 19 had their breasts enlarged last year, accordi ng to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. And 2,953 of them were age 18 and younger (Thompson, 2010). After going through so many frightening news about teenagers with their obsessions to look good until they choose cosmetic surgery and the dangers that can come along, the society starts questioning, should cosmetic surgery be banned among teenagers, 18-and-under? This question has resulted in dissimilar views on this issue and certainly causes a series of arguments from both sides of the stand. The purpose of this research is to show that cosmetic surgery should indeed be banned among teenagers due to its danger and teenagers are unaware to evaluate risks. Moreover, at young age, teenagers should focus on school and their future. Having cosmetic surgery done for unnecessary reasons is non-essential. This report will clearly point out why cosmetic surgery should be banned among teenagers by providing several evidences to reinforce this belief. 2.0 BODY OF REPORT 2.1 Cosmetic Surgery is Highly Dangerous Going under the knife is very risky and dangerous, but people don’t seem to be aware nor take into consideration about the danger. Psychologists and surgeons are afraid that many patients do not completely understand and know the potential risks of the operations (Sheng, 2012). Cosmetic surgery and its risks and dangers come in one package, so it is prominent for those who are thinking to go under the knife to acknowledge them. The major risk or danger that are associated with cosmetic surgery is that pain and discomfort (Zemanta, 2013). Even though not every cosmetic surgery procedure leads to lack of physical comfort and ache, but many of them do. Although the patients’ ache and discomfort can be treated with pain medicines that they can get without prescription or an ice pack, it may disturb the patients’ daily activities. Moreover, the pain may be really painful that those teenagers cannot bear and end up won’t not be able to come to school to study. The chance that complication may be the result of cosmetic surgery is another danger (Zemanta, 2013). Most patients do not necessarily consider that complications may arise. When anesthesia is given to a patient, there is a possibility that the anesthesia used to put the patient to sleep for the procedure, could give a reaction to the patient (Palmer, 2006). Even though this happens relatively rare, it’s able to be life-threatening and even deadly. One famous case is the death of Kanye West’s Mother. She actually died from the anesthesia (Adato, 2007). Another certain thing that teenagers should know about what can happen if they are undergoing cosmetic surgery is, at the age of 18 and below, the body has not yet matured to its final shape (Mann, 2011). Procedures like breast enlargement, liposuction, and breast reduction are surgeries that should wait until reaching adulthood. Until 18, breasts might not be fully-grown, and saline-filled breast implants (the type typically used for cosmetic enhancements) aren’t even permitted for under-18s (DiscoveryHealth.com, 2012). Having cosmetic surgery at young age may give them more risks. The scariest risk a patient should take into his/her consideration to have a cosmetic surgery procedure is death. Cosmetic surgery has been proven a killer. One of the famous cases is Stephanie Kuleba’s case. She was a pretty and popular girl who went for a breast augmentation. She died after suffering from the complications (Rivero, 2008). 1 in 1000 cosmetic surgery procedures in the United State of America results in complications, which lead to everlasting injury. Studies show that 7 to 12 percent of cosmetic surgery patients die from the procedure. 20 percent of patients suffer from injection and bleeding (Top 10 Hidden Dangers Of Cosmetic Surgery, n.d.). Hence, teenagers should be aware that cosmetic surgery is not as safe as most people believe it to be. Although the risks and dangers that come together with cosmetic surgery have been known, there are quite a number of people who are confident that cosmetic surgery is becoming safer and safer due to the increasingly strict policies and the improvement in technology (McGilchrist, 2011). They claim that todays regulations and policies for such operation are becoming more strict so it can only be done by professionals thus it is able to minimize the danger. Conversely, this argument is not completely true. The data and survey are shown and it only shows less than 25%, but it is still a big deal. There is always that chance to become a cosmetic surgery death statistic. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is strongly against the idea of teenagers younger than 18 undergo plastic surgery (Rivero, 2008). From every aspect, regardless to nowadays-cosmetic surgery’s safety that is becoming safer so there will be less risks and dangers, cosmetic surgery among teenagers is still a high-risk and dangerous thing. The evidence in this research obviously shows that there are a lot of teenagers have to suffer the bleeding and other complications that can lead them to the death after undergoing cosmetic surgery. A teenager’s live and future are priceless and worth more than $3,500 cosmetic surgery. 2.2 Teenagers Are Unaware of Evaluating Risks Teen or adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development (Merriam-Webster, 2012). It is the stage when a teenager is too mature to be called and treated as a kid yet too young to be called as an adult. Teens are also known to be reckless, moody, impulsive, insecure, rebellious, and argumentative (Pickrell, 2006). They might think they are mature enough to make any decisions for themselves but sadly sometimes teenagers do not think further regarding the consequences of their actions. There is a high peer pressure that boosts them to be unafraid of doing risky things just to fit it and be accepted. Going through having doubts and insecurities about their body image is also a part of growing up that most teenagers experience. The society puts a huge significance on physical attractiveness (Wansbrough, 2013). Peer pressure to look â€Å"normal† and â€Å"good† is the driving force teens are interested in cosmetic surgery (Keyes, 2011). Britanni, a girl who had her breast implants on the age of 18 said â€Å"I didn’t have large breasts when I was younger, and all my friends did†¦I felt very self conscious about it.† (Wallace, 2012). 67% of average 14 years of age girls quizzed said the pressure is from boys and celebrities with perfect bodies (BBC News, 2005). Ms Horton said that the infinite parade of thin yet curvy, surgically-enhanced celebrities has made young girls obsessed with their own normal lumpy, bumpy bodies. More over, boys’ expectations on their girlfriends to look like the perfect celebrity body model are also the pressures (BBC News, 2005). Todays society introduces the miracle-makers as known as cosmetic surgery to teens at a young age as seeing the fact that according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there are more than 223,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients whose age were between thirteen to eighteen years old for example; breast augmentation, liposuction, breast lifts, tummy tucks, and nose reshaping (Olding & Zuckerman, 2004). It is undeniable, teen cosmetic surgery is on the rise. Unfortunately, the idea of having good physical appearance by going under the knife is not coupled by considering and evaluating the risks. Youngsters are not alert to the undeniable lasting health consequences of smoking, drinking alcohol, tanning and other dangerous behaviors, and nor likely to aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery (Keyes, 2011). They only see the magical outcome of cosmetic surgery as seen on celebrities on the cover of glossy magazines with their perfect breast, bottoms, lips, n ose, eyes and everything (BBC News, 2005). They likely do not take into account the danger and risks of cosmetic surgery. They would likely to only believe that cosmetic surgery is the only way out to obtain physical perfection as the society ‘demand’. They are unable to evaluate risks as well as an adult. The scientists discovered that the teen’s brain is more sensitive to the rewarding indicators it gets when something better than expected happens. A nerve-signaling molecule that helps the brain in processing rewards and can be involved in addictions is called dopamine. The more dopamine flowing in the brain, the more likely a teenager to feel a risky behavior is more rewarding if it ends well, than it might seem to a child or adult (Discovery, 2013). However, some parties are against this idea. They claim that teenagers have every right to do whatever they want to do with their bodies. They should be able to make their own decision. To some extend, yes this is true. As humans, teenagers have the freedom to do anything as they please, but when it comes to do cosmetic surgery procedures, there are a lot to take into consideration as it will affect their physical looks permanently. The outcomes of cosmetic surgery are also various (BBC News, 2005). It can be just as what they expected but also can be far from their expectations. Cosmetic surgery is a big deal and teenagers are not reliable enough to make the decision. Teenagers are greatly affected by what they see in the media. They undergo unnecessary cosmetic surgeries to achieve the Barbie standard, but sometimes resulting in regret. In 2003, it was estimated that fifteen percent of teenage cosmetic surgeries in the US was due to misinformed decisions (Olding & Zuckerman, 2004). Hence, it’s clearly shown from the facts, cosmetic surgery should be banned because many teenagers are unaware of evaluating the risks. Thus, a ban on teenagers of 18 and below should be put into place. 2.3 Teenagers Should Focus On Their Future Teen is the stage where the future is based on because in this stage teenagers are on their pursuit of anything they want to be. Most teenagers have goals to be achieved someday in the future. Achieving those goals and making dreams come true are more important and useful instead of enhancing physical appearances, which only skin deep. The significance of education can be explained very easy. Without education, it is difficult for human beings to survive properly. Through education, one’s potential can be utilized to maximum extent. Education teaches men how to make decision, how to work properly, and how to think. Through education alone can make separate identity. It became a necessity just like foods, clothes, and shelter. It is very usual for teenagers to wonder how their career will be. In the future, most people want to own a car, a house, and have family. Each of these things would not be easy to afford on a minimum wage salary. Many drop-outs have earned minimum wage and live just above the poverty line (Bloom & Haskins, 2010). Therefore, through higher education, people will be brought to a bigger career opportunities and a higher payroll. Education is a productive and beneficial aspect in one’s life. The training of a human mind is not complete without education. All these facts clearly shows that there are many other things that are more important to be concerned about instead of enhancing physical appearances. Moreover, plastic surgery, just like drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, it can be addictive especially if a patient starts at a young age (Pruitt, 2009). According to Tom Horvath, addiction is marked by three fundamental symptoms: repeated involvement in an activity; an act brought on by cravings; and one done despite negative consequences (Rettner, 2010). Most patients who have undergone cosmetic surgery and had a good outcome would most likely to go for another procedures hence it becomes continual. This could probably lead to even more demand for a nip here and a tuck there (Pruitt, 2009). One thing that most teenagers tend to forget these days is beauty is only skin-deep. What’s within them, which is their personality are more important than the physical looks. Beauty cannot be quantified or objectively measured; it is the result of the judgments of others. The concept is difficult to define, as it is equated with different, sometimes contradictory, ideas. When people are asked to define beauty, they tend to mention abstract, personal qualities rather than external, quantifiable ones (Freedman, 1986; Hatfield & Sprecher, 1986). Beauty ideals are created and maintained by society’s elite (Saltzberg & Chrisler, 1995). This does not mean that physical looks are not important, but this means that it’s not the most important thing and many other things are more important than that. Thus, it is wiser to concern more about the future than the physical looks. Hence, cosmetic surgery should be banned among teenagers. 3.0 RECOMMENDATION Look at how critical this issue at hand is, what the government should do is to establish age limitation to undergo plastic surgery. This plastic surgery refers to the unnecessary one not the reconstructive plastic surgery. Hence, only those who are ready physically and mentally can undergo cosmetic surgery procedures. Moreover, after going through so many researches, the root of teen’s cosmetic surgery has been discovered. It is low self-esteem due to society pressure on physical looks. Thus, creating a platform where teenagers are encouraged to showcase their skills and talents is important. Such skills and talents eventually will be an asset that they are proud of. Instead of being acknowledged by their peers through their looks, they could actually gain the acknowledgment through their achievement. In a nutshell, these achievements will replace the needs to polish their appearance in particular by having cosmetic surgery. Moreover, teenagers also should be educated how scary and dangerous the dangers of cosmetic surgery that’s why it requires a lot of thinking and taking all consequences into account when making decision to go under the knife. 4.0 CONCLUSION As it can clearly be seen, teen cosmetic surgery is highly dangerous and risky as the patient has a great possibility to suffer from bleeding and complications after doing the procedures. This may cause them to lose their lives. Moreover, teenagers are likely unrealistic decision makers because they do not take into account further bad possibilities that may occur from post cosmetic surgery. Nevertheless, as a teenager, one should focus and be putting their concentration on building up their future and achieving long-term goals instead of enhancing their physical appearances. Thus, it is prominent to ban unnecessary cosmetic surgery among teenagers. Although there is a great improvement in technology and teenagers have their rights to do anything they want to do, there are still many possibilities a patient to die from the procedures. So, it is wiser to give the teenagers some kind of protection by banning teen cosmetic surgery. References BBC News. (2005). 40% of teens want plastic surgery. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4147961.stm Bloom, D. & Haskins, R. 2010. Helping High School Drop-Outs Improve Their Prospect. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2010/04/27-helping-dropouts-haskins Conley, Mikaela. (2012). Nip/Tuck Nations: 7 Countries with Most Cosmetic Surgery. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/niptuck-nations-countries-cosmetic-surgery/story?id=16205231 Discovery. (2013). Teen brain wired to take risks. Retrieved from http://news.discovery.com/human/teenager-brain-risky-behavior.htm DiscoveryHealth.com Writers. (n.d.). Are teens too young to go under the