Unit 6 Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 6 Scenario - Essay Example The producers would like to hike the price to P2,where the whole tax burden is borne by the visitors. But will the visitors be willing to pay for the increase in price because of tax. So the demand and supply do not match, at point P2, there is an excess supply. Hence, the price has to come down to P1, where Q1 will be both demanded and supplied. It is evident that, the price of the product for the consumer increases from Pe to P1, which is their share of tax and is about half of the tax of XY. Producers now get C per unit, after paying tax PeC per unit. The revenue for the producers falls from OPeWQe to OCYQ1. The government will receive a tax revenue equal to CP1XY and the market size falls from Qe to Q1. This may have an implication on the employment in the society as firms may employ less number of people and the visitors will also think about alternate places of entertainment due to the increase in prices. However, the tax burden on the consumers and producers will vary depending upon the price elasticity of the entertainment service. On the other hand, if the option of charging a special tax on the shop owners based on the shop size, then, the smaller shops will be at the advantageous side. Smaller shop owners will pay less taxes and so their ratio of profit to investment will be high. If the owners with bigger shops want to share the tax burden with the consumers, then the price of products from the big shops will be higher than that from smaller shops. It will create opportunities for unfair trade practices. This might discourage entrepreneurial activity and even encourage shop owners to search for better places with favorable tax climates. Hence, the option 1 of imposing indirect tax will be a better

MGM International Resorts Case Analysis Memo Essay Example for Free

MGM International Resorts Case Analysis Memo Essay To: James J. Murren From: Date: November 18, 2013 Subject: Issues of MGM International Resorts I am writing this letter in order to address the slow recovery of your company. It has come to my attention that your company, MGM International Resorts, is facing some major issues as the gaming and hospitality industry struggles to recover. In this letter I plan to address the industries problems, and the specific issues that your company is facing. One of the major issues facing MGM International Resorts is that it is that the industry has a lot of overcapacity as demand has dropped from pre-recessionary evels when many big projects have been planned. This is evidenced by your companys ambitious pre-recession project CityCenter, the largest private development project in United States history. CityCenter ended up opening to little fanfare. The biggest sources of revenue in the industry were conventions. Due to the economic downturn in 2008, revenues from Conventions have decreased dramatically and have not fully recovered. Trade shows, associations and corporations traditionally paid a premium to meet in Las Vegas. Now with fewer organizations meet in Las Vegas, they can now negotiate lower prices. There are now increased leisure travelers going to Las Vegas to fill discounted rooms but does not help you increase revenue much as they do not like to spend money on your high end shopping and dining venues. Americans are also deciding more carefully spend their money preferring staycations in order to save money on increasing airfares and travel costs. This is mainly due to the decrease in discretionary spending of 43 percent from December 2007 to January 2011. The road to recovery from the start of the economic recession for the industry is slower than predicted. Your company also aces strong competition from competitors such as Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands who have managed to fare in the recession substantially better. MGM Resorts Internationals financial statements are not very good relative to your competitors. Your company had a degradation of financials compared to your competitors whom of which fared the recession much better. Your company is highly leveraged with net debt to EBITDA of 1 1. 5 times. Boyd, Las Vegas Sands have lower debt leveraging at 8. x, 3. 3x, 3. 4x, and 1 . 9x respectively. You are also not as widely diversified in regional American markets such as in the Northeast. Your company has recently lost money posting a net loss of 1,437. 4 million in 2010. I will first analyze the health of the gaming and hospitality industry in Las Vegas in which you compete using Porters Five Forces of Competition Model. The indus try faces a lot of substitutes which your customers flock to. There is online gambling. This may keep people from flocking to casinos to gamble as they can conveniently do it at home. There are also closer example of this would be Empire City Casino in Yonkers, NY. It is only half an hour way from New York City and very convenient for those in the area who would Just like to gamble for a night and return home. You do not face a very large threat from new entrants as the capital requirements to enter the gaming and hospitality industry are very high. Customers are able to easily switch from staying on your properties to another companys property. Your company also possesses a wide variety of products that are differentiated. That being said, Industry Rivalry between you and your competitors are very high. All companies in the industry are on fairly qual ground ever since the recession. The costs to exit this industry are also very high. Customers again have very low switching costs and may switch between different properties as they see fit and the large excess in capacity in the industry means that you and all your competitors are cutting prices on rooms and services in order to attract business. The industrys suppliers of hospitality related supplies, such as food bed sheet and soap, and casino/gaming specific supplies, such as slot machines and thousands of decks of cards, have very weak bargaining power. The ew large companies within the gaming and hospitality industry have the bargaining power with when it comes to its two supplier lines as there are many of these suppliers to buy from while only a few large companies that are willing to buy. The ability to use a companys size to negotiate price and length of contracts for expensive high luxury furnishings and exclusive rights to a show or celebrity chef also gives the gaming and hospitality industry strength. While bargaining power of the suppliers is weak, the bargaining power of buyers is very strong. Customers have ery low switching costs and again the large excess in capacity in the industry means that you and all your competitors are cutting prices on rooms and services in order to attract business. Conventions, which are a large part of revenue have been on the downturn compared to capacity, again forcing prices downward. Buyers in the industry are also very price sensitive with many opting to take staycations where vacationers enjoy their time off closer to home. All of these forces add up to an industry that is relatively weak and recovering very slowly. Using the growth-share nalysis, your company is positioned as a cash cow which is very good. Your company has high market share in a slow growing industry. The company should worry though as it is close to being a dog of the industry as it has a lot of debt from ill-timed large projects such as CityCenter and must worry about other companies stealing market share as they are recovering faster. The industry is very capital intensive which means a lot of revenue is being reinvested back into the business. I will now analyze your company through SWOT Analysis. Your company has quite a few strengths that ill help your company into the future. Your companys large size gives it the upper hand in negotiating the best prices from its suppliers. It is very advantageous that your company caters to a wide range of customers from the high-end consumers with resorts such as the Bellagio offering exclusive products to the value-minded consumers with Circus Circus. Your ability to provide superior customer service by recruiting, training and retaining the best most motivated individuals is very valuable in your company. Your marketing and sales activities are another strong suit which compliments your services.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Identity of Characters

Identity of Characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Where Shakespeare's tragedies will tell the story, chiefly, of a single principal character, this is rarely the case with his comedies. The comedies are more social and deal with groups of characters. In the case of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the principal groups are, at first, introduced severally. Though, one group may interact with another (as when Puck anoints Lysander's eyes, or Titania is in love with Bottom) they retain separate identities. While each of the groups is separate, there are symmetries which appear among them: Theseus and Oberon (and, in a way, Bottom) are rulers and figures of authority in their proper spheres. Hippolyta and Titania are consorts who defy their lords, but ultimately submit to their lordship. Often one pair is to be contrasted with another: the well-matched lovers Lysander and Hermia contrast with the ill-matched Demetrius and Helena (they resemble Pyramus and Thisbe). Even Puck has his human counterpart in Philostrate. The serious strife of the young nobles contrasts with the good fellowship of the mechanicals while it resembles the contention of the fairy rulers. Complete depiction of a complex character (as in Hamlet) is not attempted here, and would be wholly out of place. This is not a fault but reflects the different concern here of the playwright. But we do find very economical portrayal of strong and vivid characters, in Puck, Bottom, Oberon, Titania, Theseus, Helena and Hermia. Of t hese, the first two stand out as among the greatest of Shakespeare's creations. Puck first appears at the start of Act 2, and is rarely off the stage from this point. He is essential to the narrative: he carries out his master's orders obe... ...ically as anything in the tragedies, his anti-greeting ("Ill met by moonlight...") almost a snarl. But his concern for the lovers, and his pity for the ridiculous dotage of Titania show how he is capable of gentler feeling. Theseus' obvious sympathy for Hermia in 1.1, has a parallel in his concern not to belittle the efforts of the mechanicals to celebrate his wedding: "The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them". His prose speaking here might indicate a concern that the workmen should understand him, to lessen their sense of awe. In Theseus, Shakespeare brings dignity and humanity to the familiar mythical hero; in Oberon, he embodies the most benign qualities of Elizabethan woodland sprites in a fairy king more vivid, concrete and passionate than any original of Oberon on whom he may have based his depiction. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Identity of Characters Identity of Characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Where Shakespeare's tragedies will tell the story, chiefly, of a single principal character, this is rarely the case with his comedies. The comedies are more social and deal with groups of characters. In the case of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the principal groups are, at first, introduced severally. Though, one group may interact with another (as when Puck anoints Lysander's eyes, or Titania is in love with Bottom) they retain separate identities. While each of the groups is separate, there are symmetries which appear among them: Theseus and Oberon (and, in a way, Bottom) are rulers and figures of authority in their proper spheres. Hippolyta and Titania are consorts who defy their lords, but ultimately submit to their lordship. Often one pair is to be contrasted with another: the well-matched lovers Lysander and Hermia contrast with the ill-matched Demetrius and Helena (they resemble Pyramus and Thisbe). Even Puck has his human counterpart in Philostrate. The serious strife of the young nobles contrasts with the good fellowship of the mechanicals while it resembles the contention of the fairy rulers. Complete depiction of a complex character (as in Hamlet) is not attempted here, and would be wholly out of place. This is not a fault but reflects the different concern here of the playwright. But we do find very economical portrayal of strong and vivid characters, in Puck, Bottom, Oberon, Titania, Theseus, Helena and Hermia. Of t hese, the first two stand out as among the greatest of Shakespeare's creations. Puck first appears at the start of Act 2, and is rarely off the stage from this point. He is essential to the narrative: he carries out his master's orders obe... ...ically as anything in the tragedies, his anti-greeting ("Ill met by moonlight...") almost a snarl. But his concern for the lovers, and his pity for the ridiculous dotage of Titania show how he is capable of gentler feeling. Theseus' obvious sympathy for Hermia in 1.1, has a parallel in his concern not to belittle the efforts of the mechanicals to celebrate his wedding: "The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them". His prose speaking here might indicate a concern that the workmen should understand him, to lessen their sense of awe. In Theseus, Shakespeare brings dignity and humanity to the familiar mythical hero; in Oberon, he embodies the most benign qualities of Elizabethan woodland sprites in a fairy king more vivid, concrete and passionate than any original of Oberon on whom he may have based his depiction.

Ashurnasirpal Ii

Unit One Assignment: Ashurnasirpal II I have entered into the palace of the great Ashurnasirpal II, and am approaching the throne room to await my meeting with the king. In front of me are two Lamassu figures that guard the entrance, Colossal statue of a winged lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II (Fig. 1). I am immediately in awe of the sheer size of this pair of sculptures, they each stand over ten feet tall, towering over individuals who would like to enter the throne room. The pair is enormous and intimidating as they are approached. When I first advance I see this combination of man, lion, and bird frontally.I notice the proud lion’s chest and huge paws. These elements show the strength of the beast and are representative of the power of Ashurnasirpal II and his empire. The body of the lion is adorned with the face of a man, which signifies the intelligence that the kingdom possesses. The face wears the traditional beard of the king, and the traditional hor ned crown indicating the divinity of the king. Associating the king and his domain with the all-powerful gods, shows the connection with absolute power of the divine with the total power of the empire (Reade).Making my way around to the profile view of the statue I continue to see the massive body of the lion, and now see the beautiful feathered wing. The intricate details and pattern of the wing are impressive. The wings represent the swiftness of the ruler (Reade). From the side I see all four legs of the lion, the artist uses the idea of most informative viewpoint, to give an accurate view of the most important aspects of the creature from every angle. From the side the lion appears to be striding forward, perhaps symbolizing aggressiveness (Hedin).The proportions of the elements from each animal are not true to scale. The overall size of the piece is much larger than the animals and human depicted. The wings are much larger than that of any bird, the body larger than any lion, a nd the human head far bigger than any human. What is interesting is the proportion of these elements as they relate to each other. They are of equal importance, the wing is just as large as the body of the lion, and the human head is just as tall as the height of the torso.This shows the equal importance of strength, intellect, and swiftness to the power of the king. This piece focuses on the importance of human and animal anatomy, and shows how advanced artistically this society has become (Atac). There is elaborate attention to detail in the hairs of the beard. This same detailed carving is replicated in the intricate feathers of the wing. The repetition emphasizes the importance of the bearded king figure. Visually I am drawn to the elaborate design in these elements on such a massive statue.The cuneiform shows that this culture is educated and values literacy enough to include it within its art. The engraved writings record ideas about Ashurnasirpal II and are possibly meant to immortalize him within this permanent art piece. As I enter the throne room, I notice an interesting relief located directly behind the throne of Ashurnasirpal II, Stone relief from the throne room of Ashurnasirpal (Fig. 2). This piece is clearly important in depicting elements about the king, because it is so prominently displayed.The throne room is the area of the palace where the king addresses the public and this room would often hold audiences of people who have come to see the king (Cohen). I find it very interesting that Ashurnasirpal II is as tall as the entire relief itself, but the god figure that is shown is much smaller in comparison to each of the king. The Assyrian empire does not require the people that they conquer to convert to their religion, but most certainly require their new subjects to pledge allegiance to Ashurnasirpal II (Mackenzie).Perhaps the larger scale of the king represent which loyalty is more important. The symmetry in this piece is very important. D irectly in the middle is situated a date palm tree which is the lifeblood of this culture (Hedin). On either side of the plant Ashurnasirpal II is shown, in fact, each figure appears twice in this relief. This repetition further emphasizes his importance, but also shows a sort of dichotomy and balance in his power. Each figure is shown from most informative view point.Both images of the king, I see his legs in profile, but his upper body is turned to show both shoulders completely and the actions of each arm. On the right side the king is holding a mace, which I recognize as a weapon with a heavy top that could be used to beat enemies. The gestures of each version of Ashurnasirpal II seem extremely important. The figure on the left side is motioning towards the tree, and associating the king with the abundance of the land. As if it is the king who has brought great prosperity to this civilization (Reade).This theme seems to be repeated with the winged protector figures standing behi nd each representation of Ashurnasirpal II. These figures are ritualistically blessing the king, and reiterating his intense connection with the gods. This relief seems to be stressing that all that is good in the Assyrian empire is because of Ashurnasirpal II himself and that the gods have provided this righteous ruler for the people (Reade). I make my way out the throne room, towards the temple of Ishtar Sharrat-niphi. Here I can see a life sized statue of Ashurnasirpal II, Statue of Ashurnasirpal II (Fig. ). The statue is in the goddess Ishtar’s temple to remind her of the piety of the king. I notice that there are no protruding appendages or any outreaching elements of this statue, but that it is one solid mass of magnesite (Reade). The solid appearance of this portrait symbolizes the secure and stable king and empire. The complex pattern on the beard of the king points out the importance of the beard. The beard clearly symbolizes masculinity, but perhaps it also implies wisdom and power. The size of the beard on this statue is very large in comparison to the rest of the face.It is geometric and structured, but with beautiful ornate detailing. Ashurnasirpal II is shown with the sickle in his right hand, and with the mace in his left hand. The arms are not symmetrical in form, but the rest of the statue’s shape is. The sickle is the weapon that in mythology, the gods used to fight monsters. The mace is shown again, similarly to the depiction of him in the relief, as a weapon that represents authority. Both objects have divine association, which echoes the god like authority that Ashurnasirpal II has over the empire.I find it interesting that he is lifting his arm that holds the mace, perhaps as though he is about to actively us this weapon. Again I see cuneiform used in the art of this culture. Across the chest of the statue of the king, there are etchings that announce the accomplishments of the king as well as his genealogy (Reade). Included in these writings are the recent invasions of surrounding villages. This is clearly just another way to intimidate and boast about not only the power of the Assyrian empire, but the power of Ashurnasirpal II himself.All of the statues and reliefs that I have observed throughout the royal palace seem to reaffirm the importance and power of Ashurnasirpal II. Many of these works were created â€Å"by the initiate for the initiate† (Atac). The content was intended for the audience who would see it in its original form, all of the pieced mentioned have a similar purple. It would be very difficult to not understand the message that the king is sending with all of the decoration. That the king is of divine power and possess the greatest influence over all of the land of Assyria.

Hammurabi’s Code: Revenge or Justice

Andrew Zobel Christian Woodfin Tim Koehler Justice and revenge, while often lumped together, have very distinct differences. Revenge, in its most basic meaning, is â€Å"exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit. † Justice, on the other hand, has more of a heroic feel to it. Justice is the right thing, while revenge is frowned upon in society. Justice is necessary, revenge is not.Every successful civilization in history has had a strong system of laws and punishments, and Hammurabi’s Sumerians were no exception. Hammurabi’s code evokes a strong sense of justice rather than revenge. While his laws were very strict in nature, they were simply disciplinary measures needed to keep the common man in line. The â€Å"eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth† method of discipline, while being quite primitive in compassion for those breaking the law, is still justice at its inner most core.The first three laws i n Hammurabi’s code have to do with protecting the accused. Nowhere in these decrees is revenge a factor; this is all about preserving integrity for the individual. Rules twenty-two to twenty-five have to do with theft and robbery. It is not simply an act of revenge to pursue those in violation of the law and punish them, it is to balance out both sides of the equation. If someone feels the need to steal, then he or she shall face the consequences put forth. Hammurabi was quite strict on adultery.If someone was found having an affair, they were either run out of town, paid a hefty fine, or were put to death. Having such severe punishments for crime really whips the subjects into shape. Had there been less of a penalty, the common man would take advantage of these laws because of no fear of the consequences. If revenge was the core of a legal system, then society could not propel itself forward; it would be too worried about getting even, thus causing it to self-destruct. Witho ut law and order, civilization and a prosperous community cannot exist.

The Long Shadow of Little Rock essays

The Long Shadow of Little Rock essays Book Review: Bates, Long Shadow of Little Rock Daisy Bates, the author of The Long Shadow of Little Rock, is a civil rights activist, newspaper writer and an officer in the NAACP. In the book, The Long Shadow of Little Rock, she writes about the hate, anger and segregation of blacks in Arkansas. The book is presented more as an autobiography of the author herself, although the story of the integration of nine black students in the Little Rock Central High School in 1957 takes spotlight in the book. Bates mentions about the hardship of her and the nine other students in the effort to defy local segregation and bring integration in the school, as well as in the whole of the US. The author has been able to provide the facts of what racial prejudice was back then in the 1950s. She gives a hint that the whites back then had the right to do anything on blacks during then when she writes about the brutal killing of her mother in a rape attempt by three white men. She also mentions about the differences in education for whites and blacks. The whites would get better facilities in big and new schools, and the blacks had to depend on the poor conditions of their segregated schools. The incident took place during the 1950s, when segregation was common practice. Moreover, the author, who is a black female from the south, had already seen a lot of segregating activities. The most important of all, the murdering of her mother by white men, which changed her views of the world, and especially towards the whites. This grew into a personal commitment in her to help the black community. This can be clearly seen in her articles in her newspaper, as well as in action during the Little Rock Central High Crisis. The author is one of the most influential personalities during the integration crisis in 1957. She was the one who helped the nine black students attend the Little Rock Central High. And she was the one who took ...

Human Development. Role of Agriculture. Importance of Technology and Foreign Aid in Mozambique

Human Development. Role of Agriculture. Importance of Technology and Foreign Aid in Mozambique Mozambique is a poor country even though its economy develops during the last several decades, which influences the poverty rates and gender equality. Recently females became widely occupied in politics, education and health. Still, the discrepancy between different parts of the country shows that their position regarding employment, agriculture and income varies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human Development. Role of Agriculture. Importance of Technology and Foreign Aid in Mozambique specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Emphasizing macroeconomic stability and growth, the government claimed that by enhancing the state of physical infrastructure and social sectors a step forward can be made. Many households continue to be involved in agriculture, and informal economy helps them to gain enough income. Generally, Mozambique has gone through â€Å"changing paradigms of socialism, neo-liberalism and current liberal econo mic policies with an emphasis on social development† (Tvedten 2011, p. 24). It has positively influenced human development: the index is 0.393, which is still extremely low, but the progress cannot be denied, as it was only 0.246 in 1980 (Human development report 2014). The achievements of Mozambique are tightly connected with agriculture, as about 80% of its population are engaged in this field and belong to rural households. Smallholder farmers produce many cash crops such as potatoes, tobacco, tea and paprika, which allows them to increase their income and pay their laborers. It provides 80% of the population with relatively cheap products and contributes to export. The sector is grooving for about 6% per year and reduces poverty in rural areas providing people with food, work and money (Mucavele, n.d.). To make the improvement stable, agricultural technologies are used, including fertilizer and small-scale irrigation, etc. Unfortunately, only 3% more farmers referred to th em during this time, so the government implemented technical support services and training under the New Green Revolution Strategy. They are low-cost but effective, which allows people to gain profit (Investing in rural people in Mozambique 2014). The access to wage labor, which enhances the state of agriculture and the whole country, depends on the people’s education. Utilizing it, they can manage the household efficiently and increase their earnings. That is why this sphere gains investments that allow new schools to be built in villages (Tschirley Benfica 2000).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Coping with rural poverty, Mozambique enhances the access not only to education but also to health care. People can effort better services, know more about the diseases and the ways of their prevention and treatment, they get better food and clean water, which drop s maternal mortality from 1000 death to 500 and children mortality from 245 to 138 (Tvedten 2011). The rapid development of the agriculture is connected with foreign investments and earnings, as they contribute to macroeconomic stability. In this way, agriculture and fisheries got 31% of all investments by 2011, which is the highest rate. Community Investor Partnership Project was implemented to promote the development in rural areas (Investing in rural people in Mozambique 2014). Investments streamline the transformation of the economy and reduce the poverty rates. Thus, high-wage rural households put their earnings in agriculture. Investments in education and training also contribute to this area, as they are meant for teaching people how to manage workers and minimalize the output. Thus, the poverty rates in the rural areas are reducing due to the changes in the economy that are targeted at agriculture and entail different spheres. With the help of new programs and investments, p eople gain the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and use specific technologies. In this way, they have better employment opportunities that allow them to have better income and effort social services of good quality. Agricultural production and productivity increases and changes the lives of people for better. Reference List Human development report 2014, http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/MOZ.pdf. Investing in rural people in Mozambique 2014, ifad.org/operations/projects/regions/Pf/factsheets/mozambique_e.pdf. Mucavele, F n.d., True contribution of agriculture to economic growth and poverty reduction: Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia synthesis report, fanrpan.org/documents/d01034/Synthesis%20Report%20-True%20Contribution%20of%20Agriculture.pdf.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human Development. Role of Agriculture. Importance of Technology and Foreign Aid in Mozambique specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Lear n More Tschirley, D Benfica, R 2000, Smallholder agriculture, wage labour, and rural poverty alleviation in Mozambique: what does the evidence tell us? http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/56041/2/wps41.pdf. Tvedten, I 2011, Mozambique country case study: gender equality and development, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2012/Resources/7778105-1299699968583/7786210-1322671773271/Tvedten-mozambiqu.pdf .

Jingle Shell Description and Profile

Jingle Shell Description and Profile If you find a thin, shiny shell while walking on the beach, it might be a  jingle shell.  Jingle shells are shiny  mollusks  that got their name because they produce a bell-like sound when several shells are shaken together. These shells are also called Mermaids toenails, Neptunes toenails, toenail shells, gold shells and saddle oysters. They may wash up in large numbers on beaches after storms.    Description Jingle shells (Anomia simplex) are an organism that attaches to something hard, like wood, a shell, a rock or a boat. They are sometimes mistaken for slipper shells, which also attach to a hard substrate. However, slipper shells have only one shell (also called a valve), while  jingle shells have two. This makes them bivalves, which means they are related to other two-shelled animals such as mussels, clams, and scallops. The shells of this organism are very thin, almost translucent. However, they are very strong. Like mussels,  jingle shells attach using byssal threads. These threads are secreted by a gland located near the  jingle shells foot. They then protrude through a hole in the bottom shell and attach to the hard substrate.   The shell of these organisms takes on the shape of the substrate upon which they attach (for example, a  jingle shell attached to a bay scallop will have ridged shells also). Jingle shells are relatively small - their shells can grow to about 2-3 across. They can be a variety of colors, including white, orange, yellow, silver and black. The shells have a rounded edge but are generally irregular in shape. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: MolluscaClass: BivalviaSubclass:  PteriomorphiaOrder:  PectinoidaFamily: AnomiidaeGenus: AnomiaSpecies: simplex Habitat, Distribution, and Feeding Jingle shells are found along the eastern coast of North America, from Nova Scotia, Canada south to Mexico, Bermuda, and Brazil. They live in relatively shallow water less than 30 feet deep. Jingle shells are filter feeders. They eat plankton by filtering water through their gills, where cilia remove the prey. Reproduction Jingle shells reproduce sexually through spawning. There are usually male and female jingle shells, but occasionally individuals are hermaphroditic. They release gametes into the water column, appearing to spawn in the summertime. Fertilization occurs within the mantle cavity. The young hatch as planktonic larvae that live in the water column before settling to the ocean bottom. Conservation and Human Uses The meat of  jingle shells is very bitter, so they are not harvested for food. They are considered common and have not been evaluated for conservation action. Jingle shells are often collected by beachgoers. They can be made into wind chimes,  jewelry, and other items.   References and Further Information Bouchet, P.; Huber, M.; Rosenberg, G. 2014.  Anomia simplex  dOrbigny, 1853.  Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species, December 21, 2014.Brousseau, D.J. 1984. Reproductive cycle of  Anomia simplex  (Pelecypoda, Anomiidae) from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Veliger 26(4): 299-304.Coulombe, D. A. 1992. Seaside Naturalist: A Guide to Study at the Seashore. Simon Schuster. 246 pp.Martinez, A. J. 2003. Marine Life of the North Atlantic. AquaQuest Publications, Inc.: New York.The University of Rhode Island.  Jingle Shell (Anomia simplex). Accessed December 19, 2014.

Nurses Knowledge and Competency Research Proposal

Nurses Knowledge and Competency - Research Proposal Example surgical practice because any breach in the surface lining of the body, be it skin or mucous membrane exposes the underlying tissues to the danger of infection. Therefore, it is necessary to assist the inherent healing process of the human body to restore an intact surface as soon as possible. Many other factors may affect this process of normal healing, and two factors prominent among them are infection and infection-assiciated inflammation that may hinder the normal healing process, thereby causing further complications in the process of healing. Therefore, prompt and accurate recognition of these factors are important for ensuring a recovery from the injury. This calls for an assessment of the wound at the time of clinical presentation (Clark, R.A.F., 1996). Such patients are pretty commonly encountered in acute hospital setting, specially in a rural area hospital where resources may be limited. This, in turn, calls for knowledge of the practicing nurse about wound assessment. At least, the nurse in charge needs to be adequately knowledgable to decide which wound could be managed in the rural acute care and which needs referral to generate a satisfactory outcome for the patient. While attending such patients, the knowledge of the nurse regarding various wounds becomes a critical denominator in the outcome of care. There have been many studies and researches on this area, and consequently, there have been volumes of literature on this topic, but unfortunately, there is paucity of quantitative studies or researches on the nurses' knowledge of wound assessment. This researcher proposes a quantitaive study of the nurses' knowledge about wound assessment in a rural acute care hospital setting (Leaper, D.J. and Harding, K.G. 1998). The managements of acute and chronic...Therefore, prompt and accurate recognition of these factors are important for ensuring a recovery from the injury. This calls for an assessment of the wound at the time of clinical presentation (Clark, R.A.F., 1996). Such patients are pretty commonly encountered in acute hospital setting, specially in a rural area hospital where resources may be limited. This, in turn, calls for knowledge of the practicing nurse about wound assessment. At least, the nurse in charge needs to be adequately knowledgable to decide which wound could be managed in the rural acute care and which needs referral to generate a satisfactory outcome for the patient. While attending such patients, the knowledge of the nurse regarding various wounds becomes a critical denominator in the outcome of care. There have been many studies and researches on this area, and consequently, there have been volumes of literature on this topic, but unfortunately, there is paucity of quantit ative studies or researches on the nurses' knowledge of wound assessment. This researcher proposes a quantitaive study of the nurses' knowledge about wound assessment in a rural acute care hospital setting (Leaper, D.J. and Harding, K.G. 1998). The managements of acute and chronic wounds have undergone a sea change in the last two decades for an improved

Trends in Labor Force Participation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Trends in Labor Force Participation - Essay Example On the other hand, labor-force participation among men dropped from 87 percent to 71 percent. The author states that there has been a vast range of reasons that have led to the increase in women’s labor force participation. For instance, the rise and improvement of technology in the information era resulting into less time required for household chores, and changes in social and political attitudes among others (Mankiw 38). Alternatively, the decline in labor-force participation in men can be attributed to early and prolonged retirement period, and more time consumed in school among young men. Westernization and globalization has also affected the emergence and increase of labor-force participation among women. In the current world, women participation in various social, economic and political leadership positions has drastically increased. Women empowerment programs and women labor unions have played an imperative role in ensuring women get equal representation and fair treat ment in the workplace (Mankiw 38). According to some economists, labor-force participation is expected to drop in the future as a result of increased old population share in the labor market. Today, equal representation in the labor-force participation among men and women has been witnessed. On the other hand, there is need for government intervention in protecting available opportunities in order creates more chances and participation in the labor-force with women participation in the labor market increasing from 33 percent t0 59 percent.

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 30

No topic - Essay Example Considering this, a company may reward performance by appreciating the work of an employee or offering financial incentives to boost them. This involves teams with gifts, money, certificates or recognition of an individual effort. To ensure that employees are compensated fairly, companies should develop a compensation and rewards programs that set targets. These programs help in training employees in their required efforts and the benefits derived at the completion of the tasks (Sims 33). Companies design and administer the benefits of setting goals and drawing strategies that determine the anticipated rewards. It is critical for large businesses to have a human resource department in order to help in the recruiting and administration of the workers. It is apparent that large businesses hire workers from diverse backgrounds because of the skills. The HR department undertakes the responsibility of ensuring that the employees meet the expectations of the firm in terms of skills and experience possessed. The HR department is also critical for large businesses because it helps in facilitating employee relations and organizational culture (Sims 38). This concerns strengthening the relationships between workers in separate departments through evaluating job satisfaction and employee engagement. Another essential aspect of having an HR department is that it enhances discipline within larger organizations. The employees must fulfill the requirements of the organization of face sanctions that may entail reduction of allowances, demotion or suspension. It is also necessary to have an HR department i n large companies to provide training and development programs to the employees (Sims 39). This ensures that the workers update their skills to match the market requirements and offer high quality services in the industry. In order to improve the company, the HR department needs to create a favorable and fair environment for all the

Haven't decided Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Haven't decided - Essay Example "normal", non-linguistically trained persons think of translation as a text which is some sort of "reproduction" of a text originally produced in another language, with the "reproduction" being of comparable value. Over and above its role as a concept constitutive of translation, "equivalence" is also a fundamental notion for translation criticism. Translations must be conceived as texts, which are doubly bound: on the one hand to its source text and on the other hand to the (potential) recipient's communicative conditions. This double linkage nature is the basis of the so-called "equivalence relation". One of the aims of a theory of translation quality assessment is then to specify and operationalize the equivalence relation by differentiating between a numbers of frameworks of equivalence. For example, extra-linguistic circumstances, connotative and aesthetic values, audience design and last but not least textual and language norms of usage that have emerged from empirical investig ations of parallel texts, contrastive rhetoric and contrastive pragmatic and discourse analyses. The notion of equivalence is the conceptual basis of translation and, to quote Catford, "the central problem of translation-practice is that of finding TL (Target Language) equivalents. A central task of translation theory is therefore that of defining the nature and conditions of translation equivalence" (1965:21). However, the concept of equivalence is also the basis of translation criticism, it is the fundamental criterion of translation quality. Equivalence is a relative concept, and has nothing to do with identity. "Absolute equivalence" would be a contradictio in adiecto. Equivalence is a relative concept in several aspects. It is determined by the socio-historical conditions in which the translation act is embedded, and by the range of often-irreconcilable linguistic and contextual factors, among them at least the following; Source and target languages with their specific structural constraints, the extra-linguistic world, and the way it is "cut up" by the two languages resulting in different representation of reality, the original reflecting particular linguistic and stylistic source language and culture; structural features of the original; target language receptor's expectation norms; the translator's comprehension and interpretation of the original and his "creativity"; the translator's explicit and/or implicit theory of translation; translation traditions in the target culture; interpretation of the original by its a uthor. Given these different types of equivalence in translation, it is clear that - true to the nature of translation as a decision process (Levy 1967) - it is necessary for the translator to make choices, i.e., the translator must set up a hierarchy of demands on equivalence which he wants to follow. It is also clear that the many recent polemical attacks against using the concept of "equivalence" in translation theory, because of its imputed vicinity imputed vicinity to "identity" and formal linguistic equivalence, are quite unfounded. Views of equivalence as simply based on formal, syntactic, and lexical similarities alone have been criticized for a long time- not at least because it has long been recognized that any two linguistic items in two different languages are multiply ambiguous. Further, purely formal definitions of equivalence have long been revealed as

International financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International financial management - Essay Example Forward contracts can be traded on recognized markets, whilst futures contracts can not Ans-9) (a). Enter into a 90-day forward contract to sell US Dollars for Euros Ans-10) (e). Insufficient data given to enable the calculation to be made Section B Q1 a) The political risk refers to the scenario where the economic yield would be influenced and undergoes due to the uncertain changes in political environment that cause volatility in the state (MCKELLAR, Robert, 2012, pp. 36). Any uncertain circumstances directly impact the investment returns that could be ranging from switching the governments, change in regulation bodies, amendments in foreign policy or military state of affairs (OVERHOLT, William H., 1982, pp.74 ). It is a common consensus that political risk cannot be measured but it can be assessed. This particular statement is quite right as political risk cannot be measured, because there is no method or tool available from which one can assess the level and proportion of risk f ound under political uncertainty (BRINK, Charlotte H, 2004,pp. 152). Political uncertainty has a definite has a definite effect over the long and short term strategy of the companies as a whole and this particular component is quite essential for the companies as far as generating net income is concerned (HOWELL, Llewellyn D., 2002, pp. 84). Number of time, it has been assessed that political problem is like to initiate soon but there is no tool which could be used in the assessment of the same. If we talk about United States of America (USA), then it is found that the internal politics of the company is quite safe and the proportion of any sort of political risk is quite minimal, while the external threats are quite high like the War on Terror (WOT) and the terrorist attack like 9/11 (THEODORE HARVEY MORAN, Gerald Thomas West, 2005, pp. 142). Analysts, even the individuals assessed this particular problem in total, but this particular problem cannot be measured quantifiably because of unavailability of any sophisticated method and tool of the same (HARMS, Philipp, 2000, pp. 186). b) Political risk can also be referred as â€Å"geopolitical risk† a factor, because of the longer the time span of the investment. On account of the inadequate sample size or case study in order to confer the political risks of the individual countries is disreputably difficult to enumerate (HANS SIEGWART, Ivo G. Caytas, Julian I. Mahari, 1989, pp. 69). Hardly any of the political risk could be indemnified alongside by means of international institutions or other government agencies. As a result of political risks may directly have an effect on return on investment, and also restricted to eliminate the withdrawal of funds from investment capacity (O'LEARY, Michael Kent, 2004, pp. 37). Alternatively to this, there are many anti political risk strategies which are being considered to minimize the explicit threats and by implementing these strategies will cause greatly to meet t he expectation and demands of overseas projects, find management and different contracts (WAGNER, Daniel, 1999, pp. 102). There are number of forms of political risk that could affect over the productivity of a company

Haven't decided Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Haven't decided - Essay Example "normal", non-linguistically trained persons think of translation as a text which is some sort of "reproduction" of a text originally produced in another language, with the "reproduction" being of comparable value. Over and above its role as a concept constitutive of translation, "equivalence" is also a fundamental notion for translation criticism. Translations must be conceived as texts, which are doubly bound: on the one hand to its source text and on the other hand to the (potential) recipient's communicative conditions. This double linkage nature is the basis of the so-called "equivalence relation". One of the aims of a theory of translation quality assessment is then to specify and operationalize the equivalence relation by differentiating between a numbers of frameworks of equivalence. For example, extra-linguistic circumstances, connotative and aesthetic values, audience design and last but not least textual and language norms of usage that have emerged from empirical investig ations of parallel texts, contrastive rhetoric and contrastive pragmatic and discourse analyses. The notion of equivalence is the conceptual basis of translation and, to quote Catford, "the central problem of translation-practice is that of finding TL (Target Language) equivalents. A central task of translation theory is therefore that of defining the nature and conditions of translation equivalence" (1965:21). However, the concept of equivalence is also the basis of translation criticism, it is the fundamental criterion of translation quality. Equivalence is a relative concept, and has nothing to do with identity. "Absolute equivalence" would be a contradictio in adiecto. Equivalence is a relative concept in several aspects. It is determined by the socio-historical conditions in which the translation act is embedded, and by the range of often-irreconcilable linguistic and contextual factors, among them at least the following; Source and target languages with their specific structural constraints, the extra-linguistic world, and the way it is "cut up" by the two languages resulting in different representation of reality, the original reflecting particular linguistic and stylistic source language and culture; structural features of the original; target language receptor's expectation norms; the translator's comprehension and interpretation of the original and his "creativity"; the translator's explicit and/or implicit theory of translation; translation traditions in the target culture; interpretation of the original by its a uthor. Given these different types of equivalence in translation, it is clear that - true to the nature of translation as a decision process (Levy 1967) - it is necessary for the translator to make choices, i.e., the translator must set up a hierarchy of demands on equivalence which he wants to follow. It is also clear that the many recent polemical attacks against using the concept of "equivalence" in translation theory, because of its imputed vicinity imputed vicinity to "identity" and formal linguistic equivalence, are quite unfounded. Views of equivalence as simply based on formal, syntactic, and lexical similarities alone have been criticized for a long time- not at least because it has long been recognized that any two linguistic items in two different languages are multiply ambiguous. Further, purely formal definitions of equivalence have long been revealed as

Working with Severe and Enduring Mental Health Problems Essay

Working with Severe and Enduring Mental Health Problems - Essay Example He grew up seeing his parents drink and often they would allow him have a taste of the drink at the tender age of 10. Jacob grew up in the city, in a poor neighborhood. His friends in school were mostly people who took alcohol or smoked cigarettes. As a result of interacting mainly with drunkards and smokers, he became very addicted to alcohol. Another factor that contributed to his addiction was that he felt that he was being discriminated against in school and in the neighborhood like his fellow African Americans. He could not perform well in class due to several social problems including poverty and racial discrimination prompting him to seek something that he could take to get relaxed, less nervous, to cheer up, and as a pass time activity. Jack admits to taking, on average, 500mls of spirit every day. Due to his drinking habit, he dropped out of college. He opted to get money to drink by doing odd jobs. Whenever he gets a job, usually casual, he starts well and shows a lot of de dication. However, every time he is paid, he loses focus taking time to drink and absenting himself from work. In the end, he has nothing to survive on leading to his stress and depression. Jack’s story is quite similar to that of many other alcohol addicts struggling with their addiction. He has relapsed countless times in his attempt to overcome addiction. In his current state, Jack is suffering from depression. He is often bored, tired, anxious, and feels sad. His concentration is low and his social life pathetic. Whenever he does not take a drink, Jack gets extremely nervous and experiences headache, his body shaking. Even without taking a drink, he hallucinates and walks as though he will drop with the very next step. People tend to avoid Jack and treat him harshly for being an addict, leading to his stigmatization. For him, getting a job is a nightmare; he seems weak with blood shot eyes that make others feel others a little uncomfortable in his presence. Coupled with h is racial background Jack feels greatly marginalized and disfavored. The community in which Jack lives is predominantly white. Although people sympathize with Jack’s situation, many feel that they can do very little, almost nothing to help him. Some people ask him to quit drinking at once, others ask him to reduce his consumption gradually. A few people have taken time to counsel him advising him to take responsibility and decide his destiny. Others, however, opt to buy him more alcohol especially when they need him to perform an odd job. While many people treat him with contempt and disrespect, a few consider him and treat him with dignity. In an attempt to help Jack overcome his addiction, I have encouraged him to do some physical exercises and to ensure that his mind is always occupied as suggested by Nash (2010). By exercising, his body will experience improved blood flow making him more relaxed and receptive to positive thoughts. I have encouraged him to pursue his desir e for a changed life, free of alcohol-related bondage. I have also encouraged jack to join an online support network so as to build his social life. I have also asked him to develop an interest for various activities of his choice so as to keep himself occupied. So as to avoid temptation, I have asked jack to avoid keeping alcohol at home. Instead, he should program himself to drink on plan, not as often as he feels like. In addition, I have introduced Jack to a self help group that caters for the needs of alcoholics and drug addicts. The potential barriers to Jack’s recovery include the attitude of the society regarding alcoholics and drug addicts. This goes hand in hand with discrimination, and stigma connected to mental sickness, which is certainly a value judgment as noted by Weinstein (2010). In some

Introduction of Sociology Essay Example for Free

Introduction of Sociology Essay 1. I think that sociologist should try to reform society, based on what they have studied about sociology. Because the main job of those sociologists is to study and research about the society and the human behavior, they are the ones who understand it the best. As a result, they should reform it, not others. 2. If I were a sociologist, I would use all of sociological perspectives, because each perspective has its own advantage and disadvantage. * Symbolic Interactionism: According to the symbolic interaction’s perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. However, with the example about applying Symbolic Interactionism to U.S. marriages and divorces over time, this perspective just shows the slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. * Functional Analysis (Functionalism, and structural functionalism) each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to societys functioning as a whole. This basic approach can be applied to any social group, whether an entire society, a college, or even a group as small as a family. Nevertheless, when any social group loses function, functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment. * Conflict Theory: conflict theorists stress that society is composed of group that are competing with one another for scarce resources. However, with the example about Feminist, the conflict perspective shows that women are more powerful in making headway in their historical struggle with men. As the result, the combination of 3 perspectives is the best sociological perspective I would use.

Evolution of Virulence in the Ebola Virus

Evolution of Virulence in the Ebola Virus The Ebola virus is a member of the Filoviridae family of virus and is the pathogen responsible for Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, an emerging disease that appears in infrequent epidemic outbreaks mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. The Ebola Virus is composed of several distinct subspecies, ranging from the extremely virulent Ebola Sudan and Ebola Zaire Viruses to the asymptomatic (in humans) Ebola Reston. Many outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever display mortality rates approaching 90%. Application of evolutionary concepts of disease and virulence evolution can be used to help explain this high level of virulence. Another important factor is the possible presence of less virulent outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever that go unreported due to small scale and lack of characteristic virulence A further understanding of the selective mechanisms behind virulence may suggest strategies to impose selection for less virulent strains of the virus and to develop possible vaccines, thus helping to curb th e deadly effect of Ebola outbreaks. The Filovirus family contains the Ebola Virus genus and the closely related Marburg Virus. Both of these genera are known to cause extremely dangerous hemorrhagic fever type illnesses. These Viruses are contain a single strand of negative RNA and typically measure 1400 nm in length with a diameter of approximately 80 nm. The various species of Ebola virus sporadically infect both human and non-human primates, causing Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Recent evidence suggests that the virus may have a natural reservoir in various bat populations. The virus sporadically jumps from this natural host species (in which it is avirulent) to host species such as chimpanzees, macaques, gorillas and humans where it typically exhibits high virulence. The mechanisms of this transition and the role of reservoir hosts is poorly understood at present (Leroy et al 2005) The Virus is transferred through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, most frequently by means of direct contact with an infected individual. Contaminated medical implements can also spread the infection in medical settings, especially during early stages when an epidemic has not yet been fully realized. In many of the early outbreaks this was a major means of transmission, due to the presence of the virus and nature of its transmission being poorly understood. Local funerary customs also contributed to the spread of the disease. Isolation of infectious patients, proper disposal of contaminated remains and excreta and use of efficient sanitation and barrier nursing techniques can effectively prevent transmission during an outbreak. It is important that these measures be implemented immediately upon suspicion of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in order to minimize spread of the virus within the community (Ebola virus disease in southern Sudan 1983). Initial during initial stages of infection the Ebola virus selectively targets dendritic cells, monocytes and macrophages, which spread through the circulatory and lymphatic systems to the liver spleen and lymph nodes. From here the virus can efficiently spread throughout the body. The infected monocytes and macrophages also release massive amounts of cytokines, helping to trigger virus-induced shock by causing damage to the endothelial structures. Infected dendritic cells are prevented from releasing costimulatory cytokines necessary for the production of T-cells, preventing sufficient immune response to the infection (Aleksandrowicz et al 2008). Symptoms of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever usually manifest 2-21 days after infection. Initial symptoms include fever, weakness, aches in the muscles and joints, sore throat. These progress to rash, impaired liver and kidney function and in some cases both external and internal bleeding due to deterioration of the vascular lining (World Health Org anization). The massive release of cytokines and virus particles from monocytes and macrophages impairs the function of endothelial tissue, allowing it to become permeable to water and macromolecules (Aleksandrowicz et al 2008). Gastro-intestinal bleeding is a common symptom, and is frequently associated with lethal cases. (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978) The First known outbreaks of the Ebola virus occurred nearly simultaneously in Zaire (modern Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Sudan in 1976. These outbreaks, although close both geographically and chronologically were caused by two distinct subspecies of the virus (Ebola Zaire and Ebola Sudan respectively). The Zaire outbreak was centered in the village of Yambuku and its environs. 318 cases were reported in this epidemic, of which 280 were fatal (mortality 88%). All cases in this epidemic were tied to either close contact with a confirmed case or receiving a parenteral injection at the local hospital (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978). Early cases in the Sudan outbreak were textile workers from the town of Nzara. 151 of the 284 reported cases were fatal (mortality 53%) (Known Cases and Outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever). Three years later, in August of 1979 another, smaller scale outbreak occurred in Nzara and the nearby town of Yambio, resulting in 34 cases, with 22 f atalities (65% mortality) (Center for Disease Control, 2006). Communities affected by these outbreaks share several characteristics. One of the most significant of these is the nature of available medical care. All were served by small, undersupplied and understaffed hospitals. Unsanitary conditions within these hospitals and the prevalence of family members carrying out day to day care for afflicted individuals being allowed the virus to spread quickly through the local population. The Yambuku hospital utilized five needles and syringes for prenatal, inpatient and outpatient wards, with little sterilization between uses. This fact alone almost ensured transition of the virus between patients in the hospital. Lack of barrier nursing practices also allowed high transmission to the staff (11 of the 17 medical staff died as a result of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever) and caregivers as well A high prevalence of infection was found amongst individuals present at funerals of deceased patients in all outbreaks. The reproductive success of a pathogen is dependent upon its ability to replicate itself and to infect new hosts by transfer of its propagules. Rapid replication can increase a pathogens chance of transference, but this requires a greater toll on the hosts system and is likely to lead to an increased chance of host mortality. Due to this, there is believed to be a natural correspondence between a pathogens growth rate and virulence. The relationship between these two factors is explained by the trade-off hypothesis of virulence evolution. This theory largely replaced the commonly accepted idea that a parasite or pathogen should evolve towards avirulence, but it not fully accepted. The avirulence theory assumed that a parasite low virulence would maximize a pathogens overall lifetime reproductive success by increasing the time of infection to nearly infinite limits. The reasoning behind this theory has been explained thusly: The parasite makes a profession out of living at its neighbours expenses and all its industry consists of exploiting it with economy, without putting its life in danger. It is like a poor person who needs help to survive, but who nevertheless does not kill its chicken in order to have the eggs (Van Beneden 1875). The frequent down trend in virulence from the time a pathogen is introduced to a novel population was offered as evidence for this theory. The trade-off theory developed when evolutionary ecologists began to question the avirulence theory. It proposes that there is a link between ease of transmission and virulence. According to this theory, virulence is an outgrowth of a rapid replication rate in the pathogen, which strains host resources and reduces host fitness (resulting in host mortality). The Trade-off theory links the variables of virulence, transmission and host recovery in a relationship summarized by the following mathematical model: (Alizon, Hurford, Mideo Van Baalen 2009) In the above equation R0 represents the pathogens baseline reproduction ratio, in this case a measure of relative fitness. The S value is the number of susceptible hosts within a population. ÃŽÂ ² represents rate of transmission, ÃŽÂ ± is the death rate in the host due to infection (virulence), ÃŽÂ ¼ stands for the natural death rate in the host population, and ÃŽÂ ³ is a factor representing the recovery rate from the infection. According to this model, any change in virulence, transmission rate or recovery rate will have an effect on the other two variables. A high transmission rate will typically go along with a high virulence and low recovery rate. The reproductive success of a pathogen comes from successfully balancing these variables to maximize R0 (Alizon et al). High Virulence will allow for high reproduction and transmission, but only up to a point. Natural selection should favor strains that are able to maximize this trade-off. Eventually, virulence can reach a l evel where the increased transmission is no longer balanced out by the risk of dying along with a host before being able to jump to a new one. This is especially true in isolated host populations or other conditions that limit horizontal transmission, which could possibly explain the low virulence and chronic nature of some infections. Virulence is typically defined as morbidity and mortality of the host organism as a result of parasite or pathogen activity. Measurements of a pathogens virulence are traditionally given in terms of parasite induced death rate (PIHD). This definition is suitable for a general discussion of a disease as it includes all deleterious effects on the host. A more specific and narrow definition is required in order to examine selective pressures on the evolution of virulence in a disease, however. The generalized definition, according to Ebert and Bull in their work on virulence evolution, fails to differentiate between virulences effects on host and pathogen fitness, and therefore fail to give an accurate assessment of selective pressure on the pathogens evolution. For this reason it is important to consider specific aspects of the host/pathogen system (such as means of transference, rate of pathogen growth, etc) before drawing conclusions about the selective pressures for increased or red uced virulence in the pathogen (Ebert Bull 2008). In the case of the Ebola virus and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever virulence can be discussed in terms of host death. Unlike with some pathogens, death of the host does not immediately end transmission of the virus. Some studies indicate that the corpse can remain infectious for several days after death. Several epidemics have been traced to contact between the index case and the contaminated remains of a chimpanzee (Ivory Coast 1994, Gabon 1996, Gabon 1996-97) (Chart) and contaminated monkey meat may have played a role in the index case of the initial 1976 Zaire outbreak (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978). Ebert and Bull define three general stages of evolution in a pathogen transferring to a novel host and the selective pressures involved in each. The first phase includes the initial interactions between a pathogen and the novel host. In some cases this infection is not capable of horizontal transfer between hosts in the novel population. Other situations involve short chains of secondary infection from the index infection. Infections in this phase are likely exposed to great selective pressures, as they are in an entirely new environment, one for which their genes may or may not be particularly suitable. Genes that may not have had a measureable fitness effect in the pathogens normal host environment can suddenly exert great selective pressure. Because of this there is frequently a great range of virulence expressed by different pathogens during this phase. The second phase occurs during the period when a pathogen has established a foothold within the novel population. It follows the epidemic infection model and increases rapidly within the population, because of this rapid growth it is possible for a pathogen to evolve rapidly in this phase. Selective pressure on the host can also be extreme in this phase. The second phase also applies when a mutation in a parasite that has already obtained equilibrium within a host population is significant enough that it gains a selective advantage over other strains and spreads rapidly. Ebert and Bulls third phase is reached when a pathogen has become firmly established within a host population. Pathogens in this phase are well adapted to the host, but will still experiences selective pressures due to host demographic and environmental changes. The Ebola virus, in human hosts, remains largely within the first phase, although it could be argued that it briefly enters the second phase on a local level during some outbreaks. It causes short lived epidemics when it does infect a human population, but fails to survive long term and become an endemic pathogen. During this initial stage the virus can be exposed to great selective pressure as it is in an unusual host. Evolutionary dynamics within an epidemic scenario, as proposed by Bolker et al, favor pathogens with a high growth and transference rates, and the high virulence that is associated with them, due to the large number of susceptible hosts in the novel population. This differs from a pathogen in later stages, which has reached dynamic equilibrium with the host. These situations tend to select for moderate virulence and longer duration of infection. (Bolker et al). A possible explanation for the extreme virulence in Ebola outbreaks may simply be reporting bias. Many of the early and milder symptoms of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever are quite similar to those of other diseases endemic to the region, such as malaria, and measles. Some outbreaks are actually mistaken for cases of other diseases until post-infection laboratory tests detect particles of an Ebola strain. A 1994 outbreak in gold mining camps in Gabon (52 cases, 60% mortality) was believed to be a yellow fever epidemic until almost a year after the last case. It is possible that less virulent strains of the virus are simply mistaken for other common infections, treated as such, and never reported (CHART). Ebola virus antibodies were detected in sera from 18% of adults in the 1979 Nzara outbreak who were not infected. This is evidence that It is likely that sporadic infection is more common than can be appreciated from these dramatic outbreaks, which probably represent the extreme of the inter action between man and the virus. (Baron et al). This fits in with the inherent virulence variance in phase one pathogens suggested by Ebert and Bull above. Other factors that can affect the evolution of virulence in a pathogen are host population density and ease of transmission. These factors are frequently interrelated, as both directly influence the number of susceptible hosts a pathogen is able to infect during its lifespan. A high density of susceptible hosts (such as when a pathogen is emerging in a novel host population) is likely to greatly increase greatly increase a pathogens reproductive success, and select for pathogens that can replicate quickly and take advantage of the abundant hosts. Likewise, easy transition from one host to the next also selects for pathogens that are able to rapidly replicate and seize the day, as it were. Both of these conditions, which favor pathogens with high growth rates, also favor high virulence in accordance with the Trade-off hypothesis (Ebert Bull 2008). The abovementioned concepts and principles fit in with epidemiological data from outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Initial outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever took place within areas with a relatively high concentration of susceptible hosts. The 1976 outbreak centered on the Yambuku Mission Hospital is a good example. This hospital served as the primary medical facility for a local population of around 60,000 as well as travelers. This facility was relatively small, having 17 staff members and holding 120 beds in its crowded wards. It also processed some 6000-12000 outpatients on a monthly basis. Combine this with the five improperly sterilized syringes used to administer injections (the primary dosage method at this facility) and a severe lack of barrier nursing procedures. This would appear to be an optimal situation for the transmission of pathogens that spread through contaminated body fluids. According to the Trade-off Hypothesis and the selective conditions outlined above, pathogen strains that have high reproduction rates (and hence high virulence) would be at a distinct selective advantage. Cases cared for out of the hospital setting would also tend to favor quickly reproducing and more virulent pathogens. Horizontal transfer by physical contact is directly affected by the concentration of virus particles in a contaminated fluid; hence a virus with a higher reproduction rate would be able to successfully exploit a given number of transfer opportunities. This setting lacks the direct viral inoculation by contaminated needle present in the hospital setting, which would perhaps result in less effective transmission. This would also favor more strongly virulent pathogens, which reproduce quickly and successfully exploit transmission opportunities (Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Zaire 1978). The conditions present during the 1976 Sudan outbreak were largely similar. Transmission occurred mainly to family members providing nursing care (without barrier nurs ing techniques) and through contaminated medical equipment and direct contact in a hospital setting. These conditions would also seem to favor more virulent pathogens. Other examples of particularly high virulence outbreaks (in terms of host mortality) also occur under conditions with large amounts of close contact between potential hosts, likely resulting in high transmission. Examples of these situations are found in the 1994 and 1996-97 Gabon outbreaks, which took place at a mining camp and (initially) a remote forest camp respectively. Both of these outbreaks featured transmission of numerous secondary infections through close contact with infected individuals. According to the Trade-off hypothesis, high transmission rates are linked to high levels of virulence. By reducing rate of transmission it may be possible to artificially select for less virulent strains. In the hospital and home care setting, hosts suffering from highly virulent strains with high symptom manifestation (high virulence) are likely to transmit the virus to other hosts, favoring virulent strains. Application of sanitation and barrier nursing practices can reduce transmission of the virulent strains present under these conditions. This could potential favor any less virulent strains, i.e. ones that do not manifest severe symptoms that require hospitalization and are unlikely to be fatal, present in the environment. This could gradually reduce overall virulence over the course of the outbreak. Even if less virulent strains are not present, prevention of transmission is likely to slow and eventually stop the outbreak as the number of remaining susceptible hosts is reduced through various means (Ewald 2004). The Ebola Virus and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever present an interesting case for evolution of virulence in a pathogen. The periodic outbreaks of the disease offer examples of how selective pressures imposed on a pathogen follow the predictions of the Trade-off hypothesis linking virulence (and attendant host mortality) with rate of transmission. This hypothesis and the conclusions it suggests fit with data observed in outbreaks of virulent Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Conditions of dense susceptible host population and rapid and effective transmission seem to demonstrate high incidences of virulence indicating that there may be selective pressure for virulent strains under these conditions. Evidence of strains showing low virulence is suggested by the Ebola virus presence in a natural reservoir species and by the formation of antibodies by healthy individuals not linked to current epidemics. Due to this (presumed) variation amongst strains and the relationship between transmission and virulen ce proposed by the Trade-off hypothesis, reduction of transmission of the virus in hospital and homecare settings may lead to a reduction in strain virulence in prolonged outbreaks.

South Africas Historical Complexity Essay -- South Africa History His

South Africa's Historical Complexity After having studied Cape Town, South Africa for the past months, I have had the opportunity to come face to face with a place whose culture and history outdoes most other places in the world. Their respect for their historical past and their want to preserve it is remarkable. In 1948, the South African government began to limit the freedom of black Africans. In fact, it was at this point in history that the government officially launched a system of apartheid. Given the fact that Cape Town is at the tip of continent of Africa, not only is the climate is very mild, similar to that of San Diego in the United States but it is actually bordered by two Oceans. On the left side of the city the Atlantic Ocean rests, and on the left hand side, the Indian Ocean. The temperatures between the two differ noticeable and this is even more shocking to believe because the distance between both coasts is within 5 driving minutes. As a result of this new system, under the leadership of Albert Lutuli and Johannesburg law partners Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress organized a passive resistance campaign against the apartheid and issued the Freedom Charter. The government suppressed the movement and began to arrest the ANC leaders. In 1959 the parliament passed new laws extending racial segregation by creating separate homelands for South Africa ’s major black groups. With that being said, as a consequence, the two different Ocean coast catered to two different crowds. The Atlantic Ocean coast, with its perfect weather, beautifully white sandy beaches and sky blue water was available only to the white people. On the Indian Ocean side, even though the water was warmer, the bea... ...ica as a whole, we have been able to see the effects of change. The country has seen its share of troubles and yet they have come back on track and have improved as a country. What was once a racist divide within beaches has now become a safe haven for all people. And so in this case, climate and society work hand in hand. There was a time where the temperature of the air dictated who attended which beach. It is nice to see how time has the power to change all things and that despite the plateau of the weather in Cape Town, things change around it and set new perimeters with it. Websites The Weather Underground The Official Cape Town Website References http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html http://vlib.iue.it/history/africa/south_africa.html http://www.fyvie.net/photos/Travel/South%20Africa%20July%202004/content.html

I Love Yous Are for White People Essay

In the book â€Å"I Love Yous Are for White People† Lac’s quest for acceptance takes him through an intense journey to acquire self love and acceptance. The author Lac Su navigates through his childhood and adolescence seeking an extraordinary desire for love, acceptance and belonging he has been deprived from by his family. During his journey, Lac attempts to gain acceptance by friends and family, no matter what the consequences are. Lac Su’s upbringing was without much love and nurturing. His father was abusive, physically and mentally. For seemingly menial issues Lac would get a beating, one of those examples would be when he would get homework answers wrong. His father would grab anything that he could get his hands on to beat him. Lac stated that his father would grab â€Å"the plastic rod from the mini blinds, a spatula, a rice bowl, a fishing rod, my notebook, a radio antenna, a wooden yard stick, and a broom handle before settling on an extension cord as his weapon of choice. † (p62). Lac clearly was beaten often; his home life did not include any love, rather physical assaults and degradation. The impact of the blows grow dull and impersonal; I feel less of each new layer he adds to the wounds. † (113) Due to the horrid amount of beatings Lac Su would have to endure, he created a surreal world when it came to his home life. He learned to cope with the pain and impersonalize it in order for him to make it through the mental and physical abuses. Lac really had no other way to cope with the abuse be sides impersonalizing it. He disassociated himself from his pain both physically and internally due to the psychological absence from his family. Being a human being and needing some sort of approval, he sought after the love and attention he desperately craved for outside of his home. Outside of his home, Lac was able to exercise his other faculties which eventually made him feel more human, more loved and accepted.. He compensated the lack of feeling numb; therefore, he took the necessary consequences to feel more alive. Trying to gain a friend was one way to fulfill Lac’s need for acceptance and love. Lac’s desperate desire for a friend had him take drastic measures such as stealing. He would steal money from his parents’ piggy bank even though he knew that they were financially struggling. He was isolated from his family and the real world; therefore, he attempted to buy his way into a relationship: â€Å"I think I’m almost there. Last week, Javi brought me over to his house to show me his basketball card collection. His mother even made me a bean burrito and homemade horchata. I’m also hanging out with him at school every day. Javi lets me cut in line at lunch, and he always picks me to be on his team when we play socco – and his team always wins. After a long cold winter of solitude it feels like things are warming up – it feels like I belong. † (108) The acceptance of Lac from Javi gave Lac a sense of belonging. He felt belonging when he would be picked by Javi to be on his team and also due to Javi hanging out with Lac at school. Before Javi, Lac had no friends at all to hang out with, he felt like a looser. Javi provided Lac with his friendship; however, this came at a price. Lac could care less. â€Å"When I have money, we’re playing Spy Hunter. I don’t mind because Javi’s reliance on my money gives the impression that we’re tight. (94) The sense of belonging even if it pertained to Lac’s money was much more than the lack of love and respect Lac was receiving at home. To Lac the only important thing was gaining a friend who somehow portrayed a sense love and belonging. In this case, Javi would hang out with Lac at school, take Lac to his house, pick him to be on his team al l in return for Lac’s funding of his games. Lac also made friends with a boy whose street name is Frog. Frogs older brothers are in a gang called the Kingsley Street Gang. The Kingsley Street Gang intimidates Lac; however, their acknowledgement of Lac makes him feel accepted. Despite my insecurity, nothing bad ever happens to me when I’m around them, except for the occasional racist jokes aimed in my direction. But even the teasing makes me feel accepted. † (85) Lac’s insecurities came from not being able to adapt with the American norms. His family did not help him to adapt; instead, they made him feel isolated by not being there for him. His father did not validate Lac which caused Lac to have to deal with his insecurities on his own. Lac knows that the Kingsley Street Gang boys are intimidating for numerous reasons. Their tattoos, their macho ttitude and outfits; however, even being around these people does not stop Lac to be friends with them due to their acknowledgement of Lac. Since Lac was unable to get the acceptance of his father, he finds a substitute in the Kingsley Street Boys. Their acknowledgement gives Lac a sense of acceptance, love and fulfills some of his desires. The reason he also likes hanging out with the Kingsley Street Gang is because of some form of protection Lac is trying to have. The Kingsley Street Gang is consisted of boys who look tough and act as if they are not scared of anything; they somewhat resemble Lac’s father. Lac could be seeking protection from these boys in the gang due to the physical and mental abuse he has to go through on a daily bases. In some ways these boys gave Lac the opportunity to feel accepted; however, Lac was never able to open up to these boys and have a close relationship with them. This was because they did not have many commonalities culturally. They did not understand where Lac was coming from, instead of being there for him; they would make racist jokes due to not understanding what Lac was really going through. â€Å"I can’t believe it; Dragon Head is actually talking to me. He is approaching me because of the one thing I’ve never done in public—speak Vietnamese. † (139) Dragon Head is a leader of a gang called the Street Ratz. Lac immediately bonded with Dragon Head due to their similarities. They both are Vietnamese, speak the language and have the same background. It was only natural that Lac would try to be a part of the Street Ratz due to the commonalities he had with them and for the acceptance he desperately was searching for. â€Å"The Street Ratz have treated me like family, even though I’m not a member of their graffiti gang. It’s comforting to have peers with the same interests. (156) The Street Ratz understood where Lac was coming from culturally; therefore, the way they interacted with Lac was more common to Lac and this made him fit in. In some ways they knew what his family life was like and they too sought after love and acceptance, and the way they found it was by from forming a gang and being there for each other. Due to their commonalities the bond Lac shared with boys especially with Dragon Head was very strong. â€Å"I don’t even know where to begin telling Dragon Head what keeps me up at night. But I sense he understands me anyways. (162) Both Dragon Head and Lac understood each other clearly, no words needed to be said. They both were going through similar issues. Through the Street Ratz Lac was able to escape his physical and mental abuse. He felt like that for once he truly fits in and that others understand where he is coming from. This also came at a price, the Street Ratz had bad reputations. For the acceptance, Lac was battling between being a part of the gang or doing the right thing and getting out. He was unable to escape from the love and acceptances the Street Ratz were providing him with. This was the reason Lac was involved in a few vile crimes which he was unable to get out of due to his emotional connection and acceptance from the Street Ratz. Not only did Lac try to seek acceptance outside of his home but also, he tried to be accepted by his father. â€Å"The real poverty is inside my house – where I go to bed hungry most nights, where I’m starved for affection, and where my father’s unpredictable anger has us walking on eggshells. † (81) The lack of affection from Lac’s father was making Lac crave it even more. He needed the assurance of his father, the love and affection from him; however, he never got it. Instead he would get beatings due to his father’s unstable stage of mind and his unawareness on how to be a father. â€Å"I don’t know quite what being smart is in his eyes, but I want to be that for him. †(62) Lac clearly tried to be exactly what his father wanted him to be. Being abused by his father clearly had nothing to do with what Lac was doing. He tried to be a good boy, he tried because he wanted to fulfill the emptiness he was feeling due to the lack of emotional connection he had with his father. Lacs father’s physical and mental abuse was the root cause of Lac’s low self esteem and for his desire to belong and to be accepted by others. If Lac would have received the affection he deserved as a child, his intense journey to acquire self love and acceptance would not have led him to befriend people who were bad influences in his life. Lac would have thrived in school and in life without having to make painful mistakes. Like many abused children, Lac Su may live his life always trying to please others for acceptance and love which he was lacking in his childhood.

Origin of Eukaryotes

* The origin of eukaryotes is important to understand the origin of modern complex cells. There are three main separate theories that hypothesize the origins: the three-domain system, eocyte theory, and endosymbiosis. Each one have there own merits and evidence supporting. These theories suggest the evolution of cells from the most primitive prokaryotes, unicellular organism having cells lacking membrane-bound nuclei, to the most complex eukaryotes, single or multicellular organisms with a membrane enclosed nucleolus and organelles. The Three Domain Hypothesis refers to the proposal by Carl Woese in 1990 that; archaebacteria form a monophyletic group, this clade is sufficiently different from all other prokaryotes to deserve elevation to a separate Domain called Archaea (the other two Domains are Bacteria and Eukarya each arising from a progenote), eukaryotes are more closely related to archaebacteria than to other prokaryotes, and the root of the universal tree of life lies in the branch leading to Bacteria. The three-domain system met with some opposition on the differences between archaea and bacteria. Research of large subunits of RNA polymerase, some aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aspartyl, leucyl, tryptophanyl, and tyrosyl), and outer membrane molecules distinctions indicated that Woese was right in the classification and that these organisms were so genetically distinct (in the 165rRNA genes and differences in cell structures) that they needed their own domains. * In the 1984 James Lake theorized eukaryotes evolved from a specific group of ancestrial archea, the eocyte. The idea that eukaryotes could have arisen from a lineage of prokaryotes, using expanded molecular sequence datasets and phylogenetic approaches. Using a matrix of amino acid sites, traditional methods such as maximum parsimony resulted in the 3-domains topology, but an eocyte tree was obtained when maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analyses were performed. In sum this analyses provide support for the eocyte tree, rather than the 3-domains tree. This is supported by the concept that eukaryotic nucleo-cytoplasm evolved from within archaebacteria. Eukaryotes would have had to replace their old lipid synthesis with a eubacterial-type system since the operational genes of eukaryotes are primarily eubacterial, not archaebacterial (National Academy of Science of the United states 2008). Eukaryotes are seen as an evolutionary marvel for they can pack hundreds of energy-generating mitochondria into a single cell. Hundreds of millions of years ago, eukaryotes formed permanent colonies in which certain cells dedicated themselves to different tasks, such as nutrition or excretion, and whose behavior was well coordinated. This specialization allows them to grow, and evolving into new elaborate purposes. These cells have a true nucleus, bound by a double membrane. Prokaryotic cells have no nucleus. The purpose of the nucleus is to sequester the DNA- functions of the eukaryotic cell into chamber for increased efficiency. This function is unnecessary for the prokaryotic cell, because it is much smaller in size; materials within the cell are close together. There is an area of nuclear DNA unbound by a membrane called a nucleoid. Eukaryotic cells are larger, more advanced and have a higher output of energy in comparison to Prokaryotes. Lynn Margulis (1970) defined the hypothesis of Endosymbiosis as the engulfment of one cell by another larger cell, with the engulfed cell evolving into an organelle. Margulis claimed that as a result of communal and parasitic lives, bacterial cells turned into plants and animals through endosymbiosis. In this theory, plant cells developed when a cyanobacteria (chloroplast) was swallowed by another bacterial cell and animal cells were formed through mitochondria being engulfed by host cell. Another example is between a termite and microorganisms in its gut. The termite consumes wood, but it cannot digest it, the protozoan’s in the termite's gut break down the cellulose into simple sugars which both organisms can digest. When the protozoa digest the wood cellulose, they release acetic acid and other acids that the host termite is able to metabolize. Thus, the termite and the protozoan uniquely supply food for each other (Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2005). The origin of the eukaryotic cell was important, since they include all complex cells and almost all multi-cellular organisms. The timing these events is hard to determine, each hypothesis have there own evidence that support itself. Until further evidence can be found scientists can only speculate on the origins of Eukaryotes.

Knowledge and Understanding of the Confessions of Jeremiah Essay

Outline your knowledge and understanding of the Confessions of Jeremiah Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, and a member of a priestly family. He was a native of Judah and came from Anathoth, a small village in the north east of Jerusalem. His prophetic ministry lasted from approximately 626 to 580BC, and is one of the longest of all the writing prophets. The prophet Jeremiah began his long prophetic career in 626BC; â€Å"in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign† He was still a very young man at this time. The narrative of his call is in a dialogue between Jeremiah and Yahweh. From this we can see straight away that Jeremiah had a very intimate relationship with God from the outset. Unlike other prophets, Jeremiah seems to have been chosen to be a prophet before he was even born. â€Å"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I consecrated you, I appointed you a prophet to the nations.† It seemed it was the destiny of Jeremiah to be a prophet. According to Kidner, Jeremiah was â€Å"handmade for the task.† Similarly to Moses and Amos, at first Jeremiah was reluctant to consent to his mission, saying â€Å"Ah Lord God behold I do not know how to speak for I am only a youth†, but his faith in Yahweh gave him faith in himself, and he accepted the role God asked of him. Perhaps this teaches us the meaning of rising to face personal challenges. Yahweh said to Jeremiah â€Å"Be not afraid of them for I am with you to deliver you.† This is very much the faith of believers today, that in times of trouble, God is constant in our lives. In Jeremiahs call, Yahweh outlines the purpose of his ministry. He says â€Å"I have set you this day over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.† This summarizes the two main aspects of Jeremiahs mission. It was to be a twofold mission, having both a positive and negative mission, and promising reconstruction after destruction. Yahweh intended to punish the people for their sins and injustice, yet it would be this destruction that would create a new and holy people. In this aspect, we can see a similarity between Hosea and Jeremiah, in that Hosea also believed in Redemptive Judgement. Following the dialogue of Jeremiah’s call, there were two visions. The first of these visions is the vision of the almond rod, and the second vision is one of the boiling pot facing away from the north. These visions both contained a message of judgement. The mouth of the put is facing towards the south, away from the north, which implies that the danger that Judah will face will come from the north, and that these forces will destroy Judah. Yahweh says here â€Å"And I will utter my judgements against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have made their offerings to other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.† In his visions, God speaks very frankly of judgement, expressing that it is going to happen soon, and that the destruction is going to come from the North. After this, Yahweh encourages Jeremiah again with the divine power of his task. He is made aware that being young and experienced, he would be resisted and persecuted by many, but that he would be upheld and strengthened by God. Jeremiah understood â€Å"sin† in terms of the betrayal of love, and accused the people of being guilty of embracing pagan gods, and flirting with heathen empires. They succumbed to the corrupting influences of the nature cults. Jeremiah found their behaviour incredible, and failed to understand why after Yahweh had been so good to the people during the time of exodus, they would desert him. He accused the people of forsaking Yahweh saying â€Å"They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.† In other words, they had deserted Yahweh for gods which were useless to them. Jeremiah also outlined the futility of foreign alliances, and said that in times of political emergency, he left their true protector. They lost faith in Yahweh, and this led to Assyria losing their religion independence. Jeremiah felt this was stupidity on their part, and appealed to the people to return to the covenant, but they paid him no heed. The call from Jeremiah is a call for repentance. Kidner said â€Å"Judah had seen it all and followed suit, sinning with her eyes open. To make it worse she had put on a sanctimonious show of repentance and reform.† Jeremiah says that the Jews were guilty of syncretism and apostasy, but that they were so religiously complacent that they were ignorant of their own sin. There was evidence of paganism and the people of Judah were confused. The nation had sunk to a dangerously low level of religious impurity. They had become hardened, and unfeeling in relation to their conscience. Jeremiahs confessions are autobiographical. The book of Jeremiah is split into six different passages The passages in jeremiahs confessions have three things in common, they are in first person, they are directly addressed to God and not to the people or its rulers, and they express the deep suffering felt by the prophet in exercising his mission. These passages are what made Jeremiah unique amongst the Hebrew prophets. He is the only prophet to reveal the personal impact his role had on him. In the confessional passages we see a real, human being, whose frailty we can identify with and whose trauma we can understand. Rarely did other prophets give us a glimpse into their lives, but in the passages Jeremiah wrote, he revealed his soul. Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah was often in conflict with his own contemporaries. This conflict was not his choosing. We are reminded of Hosea, in the sense that Jeremiah was a man of intense sympathy and tenderness of the heart, and all he wanted was to feel the love and companionship of others. He despised the conflict that deprived him of warmth and conflict that he craved, and so he became a depressed and hostile man. Yahweh said to Jeremiah â€Å"You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons and daughters in this place.† This was due to the impending crisis. In the ancient near east, sterility was considered to be a terrible curse, so we know from this that Jeremiahs celibacy would not have been down to personal choice. This shows how Jeremiah endured personal suffering, as a result of the nation’s wickedness. The first two passages in Jeremiahs confessions reveal a plot against his life, instigated by immediate family and acquaintances. The people saw Jeremiah, son of a priest, as a traitor. He reacted fiercely to this plot, and asked for the death of these men. The incident caused Jeremiah to reflect on his mission, and on the very meaning of human existence. As Jeremiah asked for no more than justice, God upheld his fierce reaction saying â€Å"I am going to punish them†¦For I will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth.† This punishment however is not for vengeance, it is for reform. It is here that Jeremiah shows us a different side of him. He exaggerates the gloom, and welcomes the thought of retribution. Yahweh tells him that he has to keep his faith and courage during his sufferings, because they are little compared to what is to come. God knows only too well the pain of ingratitude; desertion from a spouse; defiance of a son, a daughter. A parallel is evident between the family’s rejection of Jeremiah, and the nation’s rejection of Yahweh. In the third passage, we see a new outburst and pleading by Jeremiah as he describes the â€Å"inner crisis† he is facing. He believed that everything he did seemed to bring him into conflict with his fellow men. It is here that Jeremiah laments on his mother, saying â€Å"woe is me, my mother that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land.† As Jeremiah’s call predates his birth, to curse the day of his birth would mean a rejection of his mission. His persecution arises from the message he has to deliver. Jeremiah was depressed by his work and often wondered about its purpose. In his eyes, all it caused was contention with his fellow Jews, and made him considered a troublemaker. The reaction the people of Judah gave him meant he became bitter, and saw himself condemned to a life of loneliness. The people reacted in such a hostile way to Jeremiah because he told them what they didn’t want to hear. He foretold disaster and the people remained sceptical of what he was saying, which only caused Jeremiah to fall even further into depression. As a result of the personal persecution and enforced loneliness, Jeremiah became vindictive and actually prayed for vengeance on those who treated him so poorly. This desire for vengeance only further reveals the humanity of Jeremiah. The third confession also indicates that Jeremiah faced an inward struggle with Yahweh, as well as an outward struggle with men. He was torn between obligation and inclination. He felt obliged to work as a prophet, and continue to live the sort of life that would lead to conflict with others, but due to the stress his prophetic work caused him, he felt inclined to avoid it. In the beginning, the words of Yahweh brought Jeremiah joy. â€Å"Your words were found, and I ate them and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart†, but this has all changed now. Jeremiah has been left an object of ridicule, and God’s words no longer gave him joy. He felt God used him as instrument to announce pain and destruction on people he felt love for, and at times he was almost blasphemous, accusing Yahweh of overpowering and misleading him. â€Å"Oh Lord though hast deceived me, and I was deceived, thou art stronger than I and thou hast prevailed. Yahweh’s reply renews and confirms he prophet’s mission, using the very words from his call. â€Å"And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze.† It is made clear h owever, that this will only happen when Jeremiah has converted, and regained confidence within his mission. In the last of the confessional passages, Jeremiah tells us of his most dramatic inner crisis, firmly believing that Yahweh has tricked him. â€Å"Oh Lord you have enticed me and I was enticed; you have over powered me and you have prevailed.† He fears being classed as a false prophet, which would have been devastating because he is one of the biggest critics of them. These false prophets were Jeremiahs greatest competition, and promised a shortcut to divine restoration. They spoke of peace, and attempted to â€Å"heal the wound of the people lightly†, but their remedies failed to touch even the root of the problem. Jeremiah says the complete opposite to these false prophets. Jeremiah believed that Yahweh would intervene in human history to punish, where as the false prophets proclaimed that God was uninterested in human affairs, and therefore that he wouldn’t intervene in them. Jeremiah believes that they feed the Jews with false hope, whenever doom is inevitable, and without the destruction they cannot be rebuilt. According to Bright, these prophets are â€Å"nothing but wind.† The role of a true prophet was often to act as a contestant to the status quo. The people of Judah did not like the challenge that Jeremiah was presenting them with. Jeremiah remained insistent however, that in light of Judah’s perversity, she would be punished. Although here he is clearly presented as a Prophet of Doom, this is only one aspect to his mission, and like other prophets, he does have a message of hope. Similarly to Amos, Jeremiah is warning the people what is to come if they do not repent, he is giving them warning so change is a possibility. It is for this reason he is also known as the â€Å"Prophet of Repentance.† He feels doubtful in relation to his message, and feels he is crying wolf in regard to his mission, by proclaiming a message of judgement which has not yet come to pass. Once again we are reminded of the conflict with Jeremiah in relation to obligation and inclination. Here Jeremiah describes his obligation to speak in a prophetic voice as a fire burning within him, forcing him to go on with his prophetic work despite the feeling that his inclination was to stop. Jeremiah speaks of his struggle saying â€Å"If I saw I will not mention him, or speak anymore in his name, the n within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I am weary with holding it in and I cannot.† When Jeremiah says â€Å"But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble†, he seems to have come to realise that within him there was the potential to move forwards and cope with what he thought was impossible. He finally realised that he was not alone, and that God would always be with him. Although Jeremiah at times curses the day he was born, the one thing that lifted him out of his depression was the deep conviction that Yahweh would always be there for him. Kidner says on Jeremiah â€Å"He goes on to his worst ordeals with never a hesitation or a word of doubt.† In conclusions, the outpourings from Jeremiahs heart that we witness in his confessions could be said to reveal imperfections about his human character, such as vindictiveness towards his fellow men and irrelevance towards God. However as Jeremiah was aware of his own perfections, by repenting Yahweh would help him overcome all of his human imperfections. If only the Jews had have realised the need to repent, then Yahweh could have help them overcome their imperfections through prayer and dialogue.