Book Review, Summer of My German Soldier

Book Review, Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene The book, Summer of My German Soldier, is an example of historical fiction, set in Arkansas, America during World War 2. It tells the story of 12 year old Patty, a Jewish girl, who shelters a young German soldier who escapes from the camp for German prisoners in her hometown. The story opens with the arrival of the German prisoners of war at the train station. From the first chapters we find out about the daily routine of Patty and her family.The reader learns important information about the setting and the characters which explains their behaviour throughout the novel. We learn of the lack of warmth and love from Patty’s parents and also of the contrasting loving relationships with Ruth, her nanny, and her grandparents. In addition, we see evidence of the father’s brutality when he beats her savagely because she breaks a window. Her isolation, feelings of failure and of not being good enough for her parents are a lso shown. These chapters also highlight the racism, discrimination and prejudices in the community which make people feel like outcasts. Related article: Mother of a Traitor SummaryThe people in the community are also quite frightened by what the German prisoners might do to them. In chapter 3, Patty meets Anton for the first time when the POWs come into Patty’s father shop to buy hats. Her feelings for him develop from this moment. In chapter 7, the build-up to the climax begins when Anton escapes from his prison camp and Patty decides to shelter him in her hide-out. In the following chapters we learn more about Anton’s life with his English mother and German father.He comes from Gottingen in German and he used to study history at university. A few chapters later, Anton has to leave Patty because he is being hunted by the FBI. Before leaving, he gives her a 24 carat gold ring, his most valuable possession. In chapter 14, there is a change of setting, Patty goes back to school, and her adventure with Anton is finished. Patty’s need for attention eventually lands her in trouble when she talks about the ring. Her father doubts her story about being given it by an old man whom she helped and he beats her in the middle of the store.An FBI agent questions Patty about the old man and the ring and shows her a photo of Anton. Patty denies knowing the person in the photo but unfortunately for her, the FBI agent has the shirt that she had given to her father for Father’s Day, and then given to Anton. Patty is horrified and grief stricken when she sees the bloodstained shirt and learns that Anton has been shot and killed. Unable to deny the facts, Patty is considered a traitor by her family and community and becomes even more of an outcast.I think that the moral of this story is to not judge people by their colour, religion or nationality but to consider each person as an individual. If Patty was not Jewish, people would have been less harsh in their judgement. Had people judged Anton by his character, instead of his nationality, they would have realised that he was no different to any young man growing up in America at that time. Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel, it was interesting and a bit unusual to read a WW2 novel set in America. I found the characters realistic and not stereotypical, particularly Anton and Patty.As a teenager, I can identify with Patty’s character and I would have acted in the same way as her. The reader sees Patty develop from a timid, unloved child into a confident and strong individual. Although I enjoyed the novel, I found some weaknesses. There is very little action in the first six chapters, they are mostly concerned with setting the scene and giving background information. In addition I would have liked more details about Anton after he left Patty, it would have made the story more exciting. I would recommend this book to teenagers and young adults.

ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway

Text Version- ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway B Breathing C CirculationFor any signs of airway obstruction For evidence of mouth/neck/swelling/haematoma For security of artificial airway Look At the chest wall movement, to see if it is normal and symmetrical To see if the patient is using their neck and shoulder muscles to breathe (accessory muscles) At the patient to measure to measure their respiratory rate Look At the skin colour for pallor and peripheral cyanosis At the capillary refill time At the patient’s central venous pressure and jugular venous pressure Look At the level of consciousness For facial symmetry, abnormal movements, seizure activity or absent limb movements At pupil size, equality and reaction to light Listen For noisy breathing e. g. gurgling, snoring or stridor Feel For the presence of air movement For security of artificial airway Feel For the position of the trachea to see if it is central For surgical emphysema or crepitus If the patient is diaphoret ic (Sweaty) Listen To the patient talking to see if they can complete full sentences For noisy breathing e. g. stridor, wheezingListen To the patient for complaints of dizziness and headaches For patient’s blood pressure and heart sounds Feel Your patient’s hands and feet to see if they are warm or cold Your patient’s peripheral pulses for presence, rate, quality, regularity and equality. Feel For patient’s response to external stimuli For muscle power and strength D Disability Listen To patient’s response to external stimuli and pain For slurred speech For patient’s orientation to person, place and time. E F Exposure Fluids G Glucose Give oxygen Position your patient Call for help if you can’t manage Never leave a deteriorating patient without a priority management and review plan Look Listen Feel For any bleeding e. g. nvestigate wounds and drains For air leaks in drains The patients abdomen that may be hidden by bed clothes For bow el sounds Look Listen Feel At the observation and fluid charts, noting the fluid For patient’s complaints of thirst The skin turgor input and output At losses from all drains and tubes At the amount and colour of the patient’s urine and urinalysis results Look Listen Feel At blood glucose levels For patient’s complaints of thirst If the patient is diaphoretic, (sweaty, cold or clammy) For signs of low glucose, including confusion and For patient’s orientation to person, place and time decreased conscious state At medication chart for insulin and oral hypoglycaemics Based on your assessment (above) decide an appropriate oxygen flow rate or percentage.If in doubt commence on 4L/min on a Hudson mask and increase as indicated by oxygen saturation or patient condition. Position your patient to optimise their breathing-usually this is as upright position as possible and as tolerated by the patient. Place the patient in the left lateral position if they are unco nscious but have adequate breathing and circulation and where there is no evidence of spinal injury Establish IV If not present, +/- fluids Document and communicate clearly all treatment provided, outcomes of treatment implemented what care is still required The plan should include expected outcomes and when the patient will be reviewed again.

Police Details in Massachusetts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Police Details in Massachusetts - Essay Example Rather, you live in Massachusetts and see a police officer directing traffic. No big deal, right In theory, police officers would be the most qualified for directing and influencing drivers. However, by analyzing accident statistics as well the cost of having police officers direct traffic, one may find that the cost is simply too high. In short, the possible benefit of police details simply does not outweigh the actual cost to businesses and consumers. For the people of Massachusetts, it seems like detail work has always been done by police officers. Whether a road is being paved, a pothole being filled, or any type of construction that may affect the roadways, police officers have been the most likely candidate to direct traffic. Many people believe that using police officers is safer than using flagmen. However, there are many different things to consider when making this argument. In 2004, extensive studies were performed in order to measure how much safer roadways are with police officers rather than flagmen. By comparing the accident rate between Massachusetts and other states that do not use police for details, one finds that it is no safer to drive in Massachusetts than any other state (BHI Policy Study.) Despite the use of police details, the accident rates in Massachusetts are some of the highest in the nation. Property damage and bodily harm due to accidents is the highest in Massachusetts than any other state. Interestingly, from the years 1994 to 2003, Massachusetts ranked third of all states in terms of lowest fatality rate in highway work zones (BHI Policy Study.) These statistics show that although police detail work is beneficial in the safety of high-speed road construction, the safety in lower speed road construction does not prove to be any better. With this data, it is not surprising that state officials and politicians are now looking into r egulating when and where police details should be used, and when and where flagmen would be suitable. As many people know, the state of Massachusetts is suffering from financial strain. Since 2001, the state has been going through a deep recession, losing about 11 percent of employment and over 200,000 jobs (Gavin.) It is projected that Massachusetts will continue to lose jobs until around 2010, and this year alone, there is a projected job loss of 4 percent (Gavin.) Due to the state's financial strain, state officials are eager to find ways to cut back expenses and improve job growth. One of the most obvious ways to cut back on expenses is limiting the use of police details. State leaders are already targeting the use of police details in order to restore economic growth. For decades, police have been used for construction projects without question. The practice that was once seen as necessary and just a fact of life is now being questioned by some of the highest-ranking state officials. On March 27th of this year, Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi met together at the Beacon Hill press conference, announcing the agreement to create new regulations that would encourage officials to use civilian flaggers during low-risk construction projects (Viser.) This plan would focus on low traffic areas such as dead-end

Student press freedom Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student press freedom - Assignment Example The freedom of the press is quite vast, such that a few politicians have referred to the public press as the fourth estate, essentially conferring on it the same degree of importance and significance as the other three branches of the government. It can conduct its own inquiries in search of truth, in the name of public interest, like investigative journalism in which certain anomalies involving public funds can be uncovered, as an example. Freedom of the press carries with it vast powers but imposes the strict standards of ethics and principles adopted by the members of the press who consider their job as a profession. As such, the press refers originally to previous regimes in which news and information are obtained from newspapers, but in todays digital world, press also refers to all types of media available, like print, radio, television, and Internet (e-mails, blogs, and social networking sites) where information can spread very quickly indeed on a worldwide basis. The right to exercise this freedom is synonymous with all the responsibilities to exercise it in a responsible manner, to prevent abuses, promote welfare, and maintain journalistic independence. This paper discusses some of the issues involving the laws on media, and in particular, the specific sub-topic of freedom of the student press. In this regard, students who work in their own student or school publications learn firsthand the basics of what responsible journalism is all about, gaining valuable experience in the exercise of this important basic constitutional right.

Escherichia coli Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Escherichia coli - Essay Example E. coli is basically responsible for many intestinal and extra-intestinal infections. Some of these infewctions incluse meningitis, peritonitis, urinary tract infections, septicemia, Gram-negative pneumonia and mastitis. Based on the virulence properties of the enteric E. coli, these are subdivided into the following: enterotoxigenic, enterotoxigenic, enteroinvasive, verotoxigenic, enterohaemorrhagic and enteroaggregative E. coli. Enterotoxigenic (ETEC), is the causative agent of diarrhea in humans, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, dogs, and horses. Enteropathogenic (EPEC) is the causative agent of diarrhea in humans, rabbits, dogs, cats and horses. Enteroinvasive (EIEC), is found only in humans, where as verotoxigenic (VTEC) is found in pigs, cattle, dogs and cats. Enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) is found in humans, cattle, and goats, attacking porcine strains that colonize the gut in the same way as human EPEC strains and enteroaggregative E. coli.. Gastrointestinal Food industry plays a major role in the spread of diseases by e-coli. Most illness has been linked with consumption of undercooked, contaminated ground beef. There are also vegetarian sources as people have also become ill from eating contaminated bean sprouts or fresh leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a leading cause of food-borne illness in various parts of the world. E. coli O157:H7 was first recognized as a cause of illness in 1982 during an outbreak of severe bloody diarrhea; the outbreak was traced to contaminated hamburgers. Since then, more infections in the United States have been caused by eating undercooked ground beef than by any other food. It is a fact based on a 1999 estimate that about 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths occur every year in the United States alone. Unhygienic practices are the main cause for infection with E.coli O157:H7. The common way in which this bacterial infection affects human beings is bloody diarrhea, and sometimes may also be responsible for to kidney failure. Illness can also be transmitted from one person to another through contact. Besides, infection can also result from drinking raw milk and after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water. This bacterial has become so common that there are also reports of e-coli in bottled drinking water.

Why the World Should Turn to Nuclear Energy Research Paper

Why the World Should Turn to Nuclear Energy - Research Paper Example On top of that the demand for fossil fuels will increase along with an increase in the prices and lesser supplies. The only alternative to solve the problem of energy crisis in a manner that it does not affect the environment and also does not result in economic stagnation might be nuclear energy (Wolfe; Pearson and Goodwin). It is gradually being accepted all over the world as an energy efficient and alternative source of fuel. Countries like France generate 75 percent of their power and have cleaner air quality (Walton). Nuclear energy is cheap, safe and produces minimum waste. This paper argues in favor of increasing adoption of nuclear energy to meet future needs. Arguments for Nuclear Energy For most of the developing countries such as France and Japan, and other developing countries such as China and India, nuclear energy has remained a topic of major debates and energy policies. China plans to add 30 nuclear plants by 2020, whereas India plans to generate 25 percent of its ene rgy from nuclear plants. Why the countries have laid emphasis on nuclear energy is summed up below (Holton). Environmental concerns due to rising greenhouse emissions As the worldwide demand for electricity rises, increasing amounts of fossils fuels have been used, and have led to the heightening of carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect. Most countries all over the world have a major concern as to how to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the developing countries have increased industrial production and hence the requirement for energy is high. The Kyoto Protocol in 2005 has raised the issue of nuclear energy as an alternative, solar and wind energy being also debated, but the latter two have problems of huge space requirements. Prominent environmentalists have supported nuclear energy and scientists predict that it can reduce the carbon emissions by 25 percent by tripling nuclear generating capacity worldwide (Holton). Low cost of nuclear energy production Due to pot ential climate change, carbon emissions are have been capped and thus become expensive due to imposition of carbon taxes. Alternative carbon free energy is needed, that will be compliant with the emission needs and also cater to the demand. Nuclear power is currently the cheapest, low-carbon option for generating electricity. In the US, hydroelectric power plants are regulated so as to allow salmon fish to regain their habitat, and ability of biomass and geothermal sources producing electricity is limited. Nuclear power will increase the cost competitiveness, and studies my MIT scientists reveal that it can bring the prices down to $5 per 15 tons (Arm). Minimal waste generated by nuclear plants Nuclear waste is radioactive and remains radioactive for a long period of time, and can be potentially dangerous to human health (Dupea and Morley). The advantage in nuclear waste is that it is not directly released into the atmosphere unlike coal and oil emissions. This radioactive waste can be safely buried in underground repositories without harm to the environment. The feasibility of such a disposal technique has been studies and supported by scientists (Wolfe). Another way to even reduce the volume of waste is to generate power by processing this waste to recover unused uranium and other fissile material. This optimizes waste disposal, increasing economic viability and considerably increasing sustainability by not relying on such waste repositories (Arm). Nuclear waste, if reprocessed, is small in volume, and limited uranium supplies can be extended through it. Nuclear waste takes up very little space, and nuclear powers per capita lifetime waste could be fitted into a can of soda

Essay assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Assignment - Essay Example It is significant to appreciate that the lawfulness of the Education Act and its inherent relations to external affairs power. The federal state of Australia, as you are aware, is a member of Commonwealth parliament. Adoption of the Act by the federal government comes a week after passage of the same act by the Commonwealth assembly. The principal controversy follows inherent rejection of the Act by members of the opposition in our federal parliament. Just to recap the content of National Education Act 2015, it has a collection of relevant legislation to our current educational needs. The current National Education Acts clearly expounds details of an education institution and its role in the society. It identifies an education institution as any organization with a primary goal of providing instruction to pupils within the age of 5 years to 18 years in the relevant subjects such as mathematics and science literacy. It also encompasses the National Education Standards and defines it as the body of principles pertaining to the primary or secondary education. Ministry of Education must promulgate this body of principle to enable it take effect on any states education system (Zines, 2008). The inherent discussion centers on section 1(c) of the promulgated Act. This sub-section introduces the cause of disagreement in the past Act. It introduces the Commonwealth Education Proctor, as a representative of the Commonwealth to our education institutions including Kearneys Spring State School. The Commonwealth Educational Proctor does an oversight role on behalf of the Commonwealth on our education system and quality. It is mandatory, according to the Act, to have such an official in every Australian school (Zines, 2008). The Minister of Education has the power according to the Act of organizing for the appointment of Commonwealth Education Proctor in any member State of Commonwealth within all the respective

Exercise metabolism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exercise metabolism - Research Paper Example These studies give an insight on how nutrition affects exercise performance and metabolism. They have different results and findings. However, all of them are geared towards understanding the connection between nutrition and exercise. Nutrients included in these studies include both artificial and natural nutrients. The paper also ensures gender balance because exercise metabolism and performance is different between men and women. Hence, it looks at findings of research done on women. Human beings have different capabilities to exercise. The capability of a human being to exercise is dependent on the biological ability of his or her body to change chemical energy in the skeletal muscle to mechanical energy. Adenosine triphosphate is the chief chemical energy source in skeletal muscles. During exercise, it is characteristic of ATP storage to be depleted fast if it is not quickly replenished. This is mainly caused by the increased demand for ATP resulting from exercise. In many scenarios, when exercising, ATP need and availability are exactly balanced. AT storage is also upheld. Hence, ATP providers in contracting skeletal muscles which are known as metabolic pathways quickly react to the high demand for ATP. What determines ATP demand? ATP demand is determined by the contraction rate of skeletal muscles and the power yield during exercise. Metabolic pathways are described by the enzymes that digest ATP in an exercise session. These enzymes include ATPase, potassiu m transport, and calcium transport ATPase, and actomyosin ATPase. These enzymes are related to the contraction – relaxation cycle (Hargreaves & Lawarence, 1). Homeostasis is key for the proper functioning of the human body, be it during exercise or at rest. Thus, ATP consumption must equal ATP use for homeostasis to be maintained. Diet is a paramount manipulator of the skeletal muscle utilization of ATP when exercising and recovering

Creative Writing and High School Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing and High School Essay Creativity is Everything: You can Make Writing Fun by being Creative If someone was to come up to me and ask me what kind of writer I am, I’d say that I someone who enjoys making up fairy tales along with reading and watching movies about fairy tales. I am a writer who likes to use their imagination, this is due to the kinds of books that I use to read. I wanted to be the next Dr. Seuss. Growing up, my imagination is all I really had. My family had to move a lot because my dad always had to switch jobs. We’d move to different states every couple of months, sometimes we’d stay for a year or two. I never really had anything stable. I couldn’t participate in any sports or extra-curricular activities. There was one thing that I did have though, I had my imagination. With my imagination, I drew the weirdest pictures and wrote from the most magical to the most gruesome stories I could. I always had myself occupied with my stories. I was never bored when we were on the road, I’d be writing random ideas for stories in my spiral notebook if we were on the road and read books like there was no tomorrow. I made writing and reading fun for myself and I enjoyed doing it. My Timeline with Reading As with all children, they being with their parents reading bedtime stories to them. I loved being read to at night. My favorite bedtime books were several Dr. Seuss books like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Green Eggs and Ham. As I got older I began to read poetry more than anything. My all time favorite author is Shel Silverstein; he is one of the most brilliant and talented poets. He has helped me improve in my reading, as well as my writing. Some of the books I could never put down was The Missing Piece, The Giving Tree, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Throughout my elementary days to middle school and high school, I have read at least over one hundred books, written vigorious reports over the years and have changed my point of view towards reading and writing all together. 1984 by George Orwell did it for me, along with Lord of the Flies; I read these two books my senior year and they really made an impact on me. 1984 really freaked me out, it had me thinking, what if there really is a Big Brother in our world; Lord of the Flies made me realise that there are monsters in all of us, and only some of us are pure and innocent, like Simon was. Transforming from Doodle Writer to Competitive Writer In 2004, I was located in the Belleville/Canton area here in Michigan. I attended Henry Ford Elementary. My teacher’s name was Ms. Dixon. This wonderful woman was the one who really started to get me into writing a lot more . At Henry Ford, we had an annual fourth and fifth grade writing contest. No fourth grader ever wanted to enter it, but they still did to try to impress each other with their stories. Looking back, I felt skeptical about doing the writing contest. I had no idea what I should write about! I was having a writer’s block. No good ideas came to mind; I was stumped. A few students in my class chose to write about their pets or what they wanted to be when they grew up, but that just wasn’t my style. After a couple of days, something popped into my head. Halloween was around the corner shortly; I decided to try to come up with a nasty, disgusting story that formed around the Halloween theme. I started to brainstorm, then it hit me. The perfect idea for a story. It was gruesome, disturbing, creepy, and just nothing you’d think a fourth grader would write about. My very short, scary, story was about a two-headed baby who was found behind a dumpster on evening, the parents took the baby into their home. Come to find out the baby is a cold-blooded murder; one who slaughtered anything in its path (I told you that you wouldn’t think that a fourth grader would write about something like this). I ended up winning second place in the writing contest, that’s when my writing started to expand. Progressing throughout School with Writing and Reading As time went on, I was out of elementary school and into middle school. This was the time when book reports really made me not like writing. As much as I am a book reader over a writer, writing papers on books†¦ It was just wrong in my mind. I wrote book reports on Helen Keller, astronauts, Rosa Parks, the Holocaust, etc. I never really enjoyed the reports, they took the fun out of reading for me. Eighth grade came we started to write about who our heroes were; I wrote about my baby cousin that had died a year before. He was my rock. That was basically my main focus point for all my papers. After I left middle school, I started to attend the high school, Lincoln High School. This school has had me on a roller coaster since day one. We immediately began to read, How to Kill a Mockingbird, we had to analyze and write about the morals of the story. As time went on, I found out that I qualified for several AP English classes. Junior and senior year, I took AP British Literature, AP Issues in Fiction, and AP Creative Writing. The only class that I enjoyed going to was my creative writing class. In that class I was able to write about anything that I wanted. I wrote about fairy tales, I wrote a children’s book for the elementary kid, short stories, everything! I felt at home, comfortable with writing rather than I felt in my other two English classes. I am a creative writer, I write what comes out of my heart and mind. Everything I wrote just had an amazing flow, I never ever want to stop writing as long as I can make it fun for myself; and make it interesting for others to enjoy too! Where I am Today as a Reader and Writer I am in college now, so there is a lot that has changed. Im still a very creative writer, there isnt a class that Ive came across yet that I can take where I can express my creativity in writing. I am hoping that down the road Ill come across a class that is somewhat like my high school creative writing class. I still read regularly, I just finished the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy by E. L. James, and Ive got to say, I never thought that Id have so much interest in a book that has such a vulgar topic. I know deep down that I have room for improvement with my writing skills as well as my reading, and Im hoping to improve myself better throughout the next four years that Im going to be spending at Eastern.

Debut albums - Life Essay Example for Free

Debut albums Life Essay This is a phrase, a philosophy phrase that is about living, daily living. But what do you think it really means or should we say what is the hidden meaning about it? Why just living is not enough? Living is not enough because we need to experience all the things we can. Simple as to explore the world or the things that was given to us by our beloved GOD. We need to experience all good, better and best, bad, worse and worst. From worst to best to know what the word LIFE truly means. It also doesnt mean we need to do crimes in order to experience bad things, its just like problems, wounds and etc. We and I consider it as bad things because I dont like any of that happen to me. Just living is not enough†¦. We need to explore and find the true meaning of life. He who hesitates is probably right. This is a philosophy that we can use daily, why? Because this is about decision making. And we always make decision in every aspect of our life. As a student I can relate in this because of our recitations in school. We always hesitate before we raise our hands to answer. We will suddenly know that our or my answer is right because someone answers it. And its too late to get the credit. The philosophy above is trying to teach or to tell us that if we have ideas, share it, tell it, explain it because we will never know if our ideas is right if we dont try it. Not only for students but all individuals around the globe. Human life is purely a matter of deciding whats important to you. This Philosophy is saying human life always choose whats important to you. But why? All individuals are different from each other, different tastes, likes, dislikes and many more. But we all have similarities, we always choose whats important to us in every problem that comes in our life. For some instances, family problems like marriage and your family doesn’t want your fiance or fiancee, you will decide whats MORE important to you your family or your love one? If you choose your family, then go and its also the same if you choose your love one. I understand in this philosophy that this our instict that we always choose whats important to us but it never assures us that what is important will be the best for us. Only friends can answer your calls everytime of day that matter. This is a simple philosophy that is about friendship. If we first read it, we will quickly understand what it means. But what do we understand? We all know we have many friends in our life, friends in school, friends in the neighborhood and many more. We also know not all friends are real, just like this saying says Some friends are gold and some friends are silver. The philosophy above is trying to tell us that only TRUE and REAL friends can answer your calls no matter what your problem is. The friends that are there for you no matter what. No matter what time of day it is, you could call them and theyd be there for you. And its true, they are the ones that matter. The people who you can really rely on to be there for you are the ones that should matter in your life.

The Advantages Of Primary Health Care

The Advantages Of Primary Health Care Primary health care is a vital function of an society acting as backbone. India was one of the first countries to recognize the advantages of Primary Health Care (PHC). PHC was conceptualized in 1946 when Sir Joseph Bhore committee made recommendations that formed the foundation stone for health service in India. Recommendations:- Integration of preventive and curative services at all administrative levels. Short term Primary Health Centers for every 40,000 population. Long Term- Primary Health Centers per 10,000-20,000 population to have 75 beds. Formation of Village health committee Provision of Social Doctor Three months training in preventive and social medicine to prepare social physicians. First Five Year plan (1951-1955) Community Development Program launched, 1952 keeping in eye 80% population lived in rural areas. Each Community Development Block (CDB) formation approximately 100 villages with a total population of one lakh. For one CDB, one Primary Health Centre was created. Second Five Year plan (1956-61) Health Survey and Planning Committee, The Mudaliar Committee, had to review the progress made in the health sector after submission of Bhore committee report. The major recommendation:- To limit the population served by primary health centres to 40,000 Improvement in the quality of health care provided by these centers. Provision of one basic health worker per 10,000 populations was recommended. The Jungalwalla Committee 1967 Highlighted importance of integration of health services. Integrated health services were defined as a service with a unified approach for all problems instead of a segmented approach for all different problems. The committee recommended integration from the highest to lowest level in the services, organization and personnel. The Kartar Singh Committee on Multipurpose workers 1973 Laid down the norms about health workers ensuring proper coverage one primary health centre to be established for every 50,000 population Each primary health centre to be divided into 16 sub-centres each for a population of 3,000 to 3,500. Each sub-centre to be staffed by a team of one male and one female health worker. The work of 3-4 health workers to be supervised by one health assistant. Major Goals to be acheived by National health Policy 2002 Eradicate Polio and Yaws Eliminate Leprosy Eliminate Kala Azar Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis Achieve zero level growth of HIV/AIDS Reduce mortality by 50% on account of TB, Malaria, other vector and water borne diseases Reduce prevalence of blindness to 0.5% Reduce IMR 30/1000 and MMR 100/lakh Increase utilization of public health facilities from 75% Establish an integrated system of surveillance, national health accounts and health statistics Increase health expenditure by Govt. as a % of GDP from existing 0.9% to 2% Increase share of central grants to constitute at least 25% of total health spending Legal Framework Insurance act, 1938 came into effect from 1st july 1939 (Amended in 1950, 1999). Contains provision regarding licensing of agents and their remunerations, prohibition of rebates and protection of policy holders interest. IRDA Act 1999, IRDA responsible for the administration of the insurance act. Power to register insurance companies. Monitor and certify terms of business. Inspect documents of insurers Adjudicating disputes between insurers and intermediaries. Decide on dipute related to settlement of claim. Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 for LIC only which was later on ceased on amendment of Insurance act 1999. Consumer protection Act 1986 (COPA) ensures that consumers of policies can approach any of the listed organization in the act for redress in case he is not satisfied with the goods or services provided. Income Tax Act : The premium paid is deducted under Section 80 D of the ITA. MRTP Act 1969 (Monopoly and restrictive trade Practices act) Controls concentration of economic power in one hand Restricts monopoly in the market Employees State insurance act, 1948 Treatment rcvd benefits Benefits not received Eligibility Central Government health Scheme (CGHS) addresses consumer complaints. Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 addresses all complaints and demand for compensation. Indian Contract Act 1872 for Breach of contract Deficiency in services Damages Dispute of facts Negligence Drugs control act (1950) and Indian Medical council act (1956) Literature Review Health Policy Challenges of India: private health Insurance lessons from the International Experience by Ajay Mahal The research concentrates on Regular development of Health Services in India and persisting challenges which are growing at the same pace. The are of study concentrates on United states, united Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Israel. The research focuses on the health care system in Canada and appreciates the control methods used for services. The research findings are highlighted as: Patient satisfaction and Quality of care How to reconcile the need for choice among providers with cost containment. Reconciliation of consumer choice with equity. The study concentrates on the cost factor in the consumers mind and how the governments of these countries are trying to achieve the balance. Too much specialties and more supply of doctors may increase the cost of care. While conducting the study it was not taken into account that Health services have a long term impact. The study considers the short term impact which is seen by the consumer and drives him to the product. Health Insurance in India Prognosis and prospectus by Randall P Ellis, Moneer Alam, Indrani Gupta. Corroborating evidence that the system is disproportionately private is the estimate that 80 per cent of all registered allopathic physicians are private [Uplekar and George 1994, p 10]. An even higher estimate for the private sector appears in a report of the Planning Commissions Working Group on Health Management and Financing which estimated that household expenditures on treatment may be as much as 8.4 per cent of GDP versus public spending of only 1.1 per cent of GDP (Planning commission report 1996) In recent years nominal user fees have been charged at government facilities in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab and Karnataka. These fees remain low in comparison to both private fees and the unofficial payments which are still made at most public facilities in these states and in other parts of the country. Nonetheless, these efforts at cost recovery remain in important initiative for improving incentives, decentralizing some spending authority and augmenting resources at public health facilities. The life insurance companies in India have relied on actuarial methods and life tables for fixing premia. The employment of rigorous procedures for the fixation of premia was not possible owing to paucity of the epidemiological data cross-classified by region and major socioeconomic class. The GIC and its subsidiaries do not have the option of estimating probabilities associated with the vulnerability of individuals to various diseases. Hence, they have relied mainly on simplified procedures based on the information available to them from the policy documents and the claims register. Recently, however, the GIC introduced a differential system for setting premia for its Mediclaim policies which adjusts for health expenditure differences as between five age groups. Information has also been collected for differences in claims rates by age, sex, rural/urban, habitat, occupation, and income groups. The age dimension, however, remains the only criterion being used by the GIC for adjusting premia. Inter Regional Inequality Facility Health Insurance for the poor, India by Rajeev Ahuja, Senior Fellow Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) The series of Policy Briefs summarizes the experiences of Government initiatives aimed at addressing inequality in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The study concentrates on some of the initiatives and suggests some key learning for success of health insurance for individuals and families on low- incomes. Provision of healthcare services of a reasonable quality; Possibility of resource mobilization from the targeted population in order to recover costs. Presence of intermediary agency to overcome the informational disadvantages and high transaction costs involved in providing insurance to low-income groups. A Healthier future for India by Rajat Gupta (The McKinsey Quarterly, Jan 2008) The report speaks about acting on three fronts: A series of policy reforms needed to provide subsidized health insurance for the country citizens. Innovation in products. Today most of them offer only limited services. Regulatory environment which recognizes health insurance as separate business and not part of the insurance industry. It is essential for the growth of the sector. Health Insurance in India by K. Sujatha Rao Secretary, National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, GOI. The present system of financing and payment systems raise several important concerns on the suitability of the structure to meet current day problems and future challenges. The large size of out of pocket expenditures provides an opportunity to pool these resources and facilitate spreading risk from households to government and employers on a shared basis which will be a more equitable financial arrangement. The dimension of equity is of particular concern as the inelasticitys of demand for acute care, are resulting in over 33 lakh persons being pushed below poverty line, every year. In short the social benefits of instituting social insurance as a financial instrument to replace user fees, outweighs the possible risks of moral hazard and increased costs, typical outcomes of prepaid insurance. How to minimize these two market failures are of concern and need to be addressed by developing a well thought out strategy taking international evidence into account so we build on existing kn owledge and learn from others experiences. It is argued that it is not advisable for governments to intervene in health insurance markets in a piecemeal manner-insurance for pensioners by the Department of Personnel; for weavers by the Department of Textiles, for fishermen by the Department of Agriculture, for farmers by the Department of Cooperatives, poor women by the Department of Rural Development etc., as such attempts fragment risk pools. In other words, resorting to insurance as a financing instrument must be an act of a deliberate strategy that addresses the market failures in order to ensure that inequities do not widen and the poor are not marginalized two typical outcomes of private, fragmented insurance systems In conclusion it is reiterated that given the fiscal constraints for government to provide universal access to free health care, insurance can be an important means of mobilizing resources, providing risk protection and achieving improved health outcomes. The crit ical need is to experiment with the wide range of financing instruments available in different scenarios and have adequate flexibility in the design features, the structures and processes, institutional mechanisms and regulatory frameworks, so that a viable balance can be achieved for minimizing market distortions so that the outcomes do not make the cure worse than the disease (Enthoven 1983, 1993). Unregulated markets are inefficient and inequitable, requiring governments to intervene to ensure no segmentation in the system (Bloom, 2001). For this, the burden of building partnerships and managing change is on the government, which in turn needs to base its strategy on sound research. Community Health Insurance in India- An overview by N Devadasan, Kent Ranson, Wim Van Damme, Bart Criel The objectives range from providing low cost health care to protecting the households from high hospitalisation costs. BAIF, DHAN, Navsarjan Trust and RAHA explicitly state that the health in surance scheme was developed to prevent the individual member from bearing the financial burden of hospitalisation. Healthinsurance was also seen by some organisations as a method of encouraging participation by the community in their own healthcare. And finally, especially the more activist organizations (ACCORD, RAHA) used community health insurance as a measure to increase solidarity among its members one for all and all for one. Health Care in India Emerging market report, 2007 (PWC) A growing healthcare sector Healthcare is one of Indias largest sectors, in terms of revenue and employment, and the sector is expanding rapidly. During the 1990s, Indian healthcare grew at a compound annual rate of 16%. Today the total value of the sector is more than $34 billion. This translates to $34 per capita or roughly 6% of GDP. By 2012, Indias healthcare sector is projected to grow to nearly $40 billion. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of total healthcare spending in India. Unless there is a decline in the combined federal and state government deficit, which currently stands at roughly 9%, the opportunity for significantly higher public health spending will be limited. One driver of growth in the healthcare sector is Indias booming population, currently 1.1 billion and increasing at a 2% annual rate. By 2030, India is expected to surpass China as the worlds most populous nation. By 2050, the population is projected to reach 1.6 billion. Government Health Expenditure of India: A benchmark study by Economic Research foundation, 2006 Health expenditure in India is dominated by Private spending. The study covers Pattern of health expenditure in India. House holds- 68.8 % External funding 14.4% Central Government 7.2% Firms 5.1% Others 4.7% Source: National Health account for India, 2001-2002 Absolute levels of total government spending on health, family welfare and child development are absurdly low by international standards, not only in per capita terms but also as share of GDP. Government spending on health amounts to less than 1 per cent of GDP. This has meant that a disproportionately large and growing share of the burden of health care has been borne by households in India, such that they account for an increasing share of total expenditure (nearly three-quarters in the most recent year for which data are available). Unlike many other countries, this is completely in the form of Out-of-pocket expenses, which are inherently regressive. Also, the share of household consumption expenditure devoted to health care has also been increasing over time, especially in rural areas where it now accounts for nearly 7 per cent of the household budget on average. Origin and Evolution of Primary Health care in India The study is about history of Health insurance in India Post-Independence. The paper starts with the Bhore committee report and follows on with major findings and suggestions of all the reports. The report also places some light on National Rural Health mission and its strategies. FICCI Health Insurance Report 2010 The report covers areas:- Promoting Quality Healthcare through Health Insurance Suggested standard format for provider bills Suggested discharge summary contents TPA/Insurer contract and concept on standardization of TPA hospital contract The report covers US healthcare industry and lay guideline for development of Indian healthcare industry on same patterns. Rise of health insurance in India Whats driving your revolution, Health conference, International Finance Corporation, April 20th 2007. The report covers the areas of healthcare financing in the country. It differentiates the growth factors and gives a 35% growth figure for last 5 years from the report date. It gives the 75-25 ratio of private and public health services. Research Objective To find out various factors influencing buying behavior towards health insurance product. To measure the relative weight age. To find out mutual correlation between factors and purchase decision by the consumers. Major Hypothesis H0 = Word of mouth is not the most effective advertisement for sale of health insurance products. H = Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement for sale of health insurance products. Research Methodology Descriptive method is used as research design. The research included Survey method as data collection tool. Sample Design:- 1. Target population Delhi working population in IT sector. Lower middle class Rural people who are employed as daily wages labour 2. Sample Size: 70 3. Sample Selection Simple random sampling The target population has been intentionally selected with a view to get data from a mix population. It will help in identifying the behavior of people from different economic class. Data Collection Secondary data source: Government bodies (National Health care report, Rural Health Policies, Budgetary provisions, UID program, etc) Private research bodies (McKenzie report on health insurance in India, PWC report, FICCI health insurance group report) Research paper published and presented in international seminars, journals and conferences. Primary data collection was done through filling up of questionnaire. Analysis tools used: SPSS and Excel DATA ANALYSIS No of respondents 70 and their distribution on the basis of yearly earnings. From the readings we have following findings: No. of Respondents in salary range less than 1lakh is of those people who are labours, daily wages workers, hawkers etc. No. of Respondents in salary range less than 2lakhs is of those people who are freshers, some old people who are working as Guards. No. of Respondents in salary range less than 3lakhs is of those people who are in IT enabled services and small time freelancers. No. of Respondents in salary range less than 4lakhs is of those people who are in IT field, BPO. No. of Respondents in salary range less than 5lakhs is of those people who are in IT field and Government employees. No. of Respondents in salary range less than 9lakhs but more than 5lakhs is of those people who are in IT field, Government service, Self employed. Do you have an Insurance Policy? The question was asked for General insurance policy and not specific to Health insurance only. The finding suggested that out of 70 respondents 55(79%) have insurance policy, 15 (21%) do not have insurance policy. Market Share of the organizations providing coverage on the basis of Respondents. The result is based on insurance policy owned by the respondents. Out of 70 respondents LIC has a share of 45%. ICICI Prudential Lombard has a share of 13% Kotak life has share of 6% followed by Max New York Life HDFC at 4% each. TATA AIG has a share of 3% Birla Sun Life has 2 %. Bajaj Allianz has 1%. 21% of the respondents do not have an insurance policy. Reason for buying Insurance Policy. The result is based on insurance policy and not health insurance policy in specific. The respondents were asked for the reason for buying policy when the bought it first time. Out of 70 respondents Tax saving 43% Security 23% Investment 10% Other 3% Do not have an insurance policy as they do not feel the need for an insurance policy 21 %. Which type of Policy do you have? The question was asked with the purpose to find the share of health insurance policy out of total insurance policy. The data is based on survey of 70 respondents. Traditional policy owners have 49%. ULIP policy owners 19% Health Insurance Pension plan at 4% Others 3% 21% of the respondents did not have an insurance policy. How did you come to know about the policy? The Question was asked in order to find out if word of mouth (Office/Family/Referrals) has a major share in insurance policy sales. The data is based on survey of 70 respondents. 21% of the respondents were influenced by Advertisement (Newspaper, Magazines, Internet, and Hoardings). 40% of the respondents were influenced by the Insurance Advisor. Family, friends, referrals have 12%. 6 % of the respondents were influenced by Kiosk, Directly from insurance office, direct calling, and Website sales. 4% of the respondents have other reasons. 21% of the respondents do not have insurance so they did not participate in the question. Factors influencing the purchase decision of the policy. The question was asked for the first insurance policy owned. The data is based on survey of 70 respondents. 33% of the respondents opted insurance for Savings(Tax Benefit) 17% of the respondents were influenced by advisors. 13% of the respondents have faith in there family, friend, relatives, colleagues. 6% of the respondents were influenced by advertisements. 9% of the respondents have taken policy as an investment option for long time. 21% of the respondents do not have an insurance policy. Do you have health benefit policy? The question was asked because if people do not have health insurance policy then what other options they have if any. The findings had a clear difference from the previous question findings which suggested only three respondents had health insurance policy. Out of 70 respondents 63% of the respondents said they have other form of health coverage. 37 % of the respondents did not have health insurance coverage. Name of the Source providing medical facilities. The Question was asked to find, what these other sources are. Out of 70 respondents surveyed 37% of the respondents have medical coverage from there office. 7% of the respondents are availing medical care and facilities through NGOs working in the area. 4% of the respondents use the charitable hospital or medicine shops(trust owned) to get the medical facilities. 19% of the respondents have others which is Government health insurance schemes at state level and Central level. 33% of the respondents did not had health insurance. If you buy a Second policy what are the factors which will influence your purchase decision. The question was asked to only 55 respondents and the data represents the same. 31 % of the respondents said they will look for new policy. 25% of the respondents said they will look for better services from there insurance provider. 9% of the respondents said that they would like to fill the gap left by there current policy. 15% of the respondents will depend on the inputs from there friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. Others have 20% of the share with different views. Technical factors responsible for effecting purchase decision The Question was asked to find out factors related to policy which influence buyers decision. Out of 70 respondents 48% of the respondents will look for Benefits from the Policy cover. 30% of the respondents will look for returns as they think it as safe investment. 20% of the respondents will look for the premium as per their pocket size. 2% of the respondents have other reasons.

Toni Morrison and bell hooks: Fighting for Truth Essay -- Biography Bi

Toni Morrison and bell hooks: Fighting for Truth In a society where harsh generalization and inaccurate stereotypes of African-Americans are present in everyday life, two authors have attempted to try and make a change in the way whites perceive blacks. In conversations with Toni Morrison and essays written by bell hooks, these authors help the American public realize the socially incorrect views our culture displays. In mainstream American culture and literature inaccurate representations of African-Americans has created false distortions within society. Black Death and blacks role in society has contributed to the negative portrayal of African-Americans in our culture. In bell hooks' essay "Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket" she examines Hollywood's negative representation of African-Americans in films. Hooks argues that in movies, Hollywood minimizes the effect of black character deaths. The death of an African-American character evokes no sympathy from the audience. Hook's essay says, "dying that makes the audiences contemplative, sad, mindful of the transitory nature of human life has little appeal" (99). She claims that the sorrowful death of a black character in a film is of no interest to most audiences. Hook also remarks in her essay that in many Hollywood movies, Black Death is frequently very violent. The death of blacks is often downplayed and hooks remarks that " there can be no serious representation of death and dying when the character are African-Americans" (hooks 99). She argues that the value of black life is worth nothing to the audiences and the death of an African-American is similar to dead meat. Bla... ...t be taken lightly, because sexist/racist thinking can great damage a culture. In both essays, bell hooks and Toni Morrisons address the issue of racial inequality in their depiction of Hollywood's view towards African-Americans. The lack of emphasis of the portrayal African-American death can lead to cruel generalizations and stereotypes of an entire culture. White male scriptwriters for Hollywood must take a step back from the social norm and come to terms with reality. They must understand that violent Black Death might be a hot seller at the box office, however in turn it further shapes our inaccurate view of African-Americans. In Toni Morrison and bell hooks' work we see a common theme that has originated in American culture which portrays the lack of education we display towards the African-American population in our country.

Histories Maladies :: essays research papers

It seems these days that our world's history is becoming more and more misconstrued and misused. Everywhere you look or read about history, someone has made a massive blunder. Facts become fiction and fiction fact. And it's always done so to someone or some group's benefit. Take the history of slavery, for example. This always controversial subject has been a key element in the history of our United States of America for many generations, and will be for many more. But the truth, rather the complete truth is not taught in school. Why? Because if it was there are certain groups of people that would be outraged. This is not a racist or prejudiced view, but people who seem to believe that others should be held accountable for what their ancestors did to the others' ancestors will always hold a controlling voice in what is taught in history. Where did this point come from? Simple: as we all know, native Africans were sold into slavery during American colonial times. That has never been disputed. What is not taught, however, is who sold them into slavery. And why is that? Because if it were taught, that controlling minority would lose it's control, not just over history, but politics, education and more. And what's more about slavery is that it wasn't only Africans who were sold into slavery during the course of mankind, but also Jews, Arabs, Irish, Scottish, English, Germans... The list goes on. In fact, every major ethnicity or nationality has had members of it's ancestry enslaved at some point in time. It's nothing that hasn't been performed for eons. But why do we concentrate so hard on the slavery of Africans? Because we have to. Another problem with history as it is taught is religious persecution. Christianity for many centuries has complained that it is persecuted constantly throughout history. Yes, that's true, but Christianity fails to point out that it itself is one of the worst religions when it comes to persecuting other religions. The Crusades are a prime example of persecution performed by Christianity. No religion is exempt from having been persecuted or having performed persecution. But we're not allowed to know that. The Jewish religion is another example. Always one of the most fiercest anti-Christian religions, Judaism is known for being persecuted. Although true enough that their religion has most definitely suffered the worst religious abuse they too participate in the active destruction of other religions.

Pearl Harbor Interactive Map

How did the United States attempt to halt the Japanese before the attack? They shot the submarine and it sunk. . On which Hawaiian island is pearl Harbor located? AAU 4. What did Bert Davis and Warren Law think the chances were for a Japanese attack? Bert Davis thought that it wasn't goanna happen as quick as it did. Warren Law thought that they weren't going to do it. 5. How many Japanese planes were in the first wave of the attack? 1 83 6. Which ship fired the first shots Of the war between the U. S. And Japan? Did the first shot hit?The Us Destroyer Ward and the first shot did not hit but the second one did. 7. At what time did the Ward report that it had been engaged? 6:30 8. Why does this message move so slowly? . At 0720 an officer in training shrugs off reports of the planes that were sighted†¦ Why? For security reasons he cannot tell radio operators. 10. At 0733 a message arrives in Honolulu, what happened that led Roosevelt to believe there may be an attack? A decoded J apanese message. 1 1 . According to Japanese pilot Harbor Hosing, how did they judge how high to fly?If the spray from the torpedo hit the wings 12. When the attack started what had the Japanese hoped to see, and didn't? Aircraft carriers 13. How did Warren Jones know that this was not a drill? 0755 He heard guns firing from his side of defense 14. What mistake on the part Of the Japanese led to the Utah being hit? They saw the wood-covered decks, and Hough she was a carrier 15. After reading about the Oklahoma, what happened which made it hard for the crew to escape? The battleship rolled over 16.Why was the Arizona hit by torpedoes and tables not? How were Carl Carbon's and Warner Falseness experiences different? The torpedoes went under the Vestal and they were different because Carl was on the Arizona and Warner was on the Vestal. 17. Where was Mary' Ann Ramsey? What does she remember? She was on Ford Island, and she remembers exploding of bombs, whine of lanes, fragments explod ing, smoke everywhere 18. Who was Dories Miller? Why is he considered such a hero? Dories Miller saved and injured captain and then shot down 3 Joneses planes 19.On the West Virginia 3 men survived trapped until what date? What happened? December 23, and they died because the air gave out 20. Why couldn't the B-1 7 Flying Fortresses that arrived from the mainland help? It couldn't help because they didn't have any gunfire 21 . Why was the explosion on the Arizona so devastating? It was so devastating because it killed 11 77 men and it all happened in 9 minutes 22. Who was America's first prisoner of war? Ensign Kane Kamala 23. Why did the Nevada not continue with her escape?

Aronson,Marc. Witch-hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials. NewYork: Simon And Schuster, 2003

In reviewing the book Witch-hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials, I found many new and interesting facts about the Salem witch trials. The book gives a detailed account of the accusers, the accused, the judges, and other key players involved in the hysteria that consumed Salem in 1692. Aronson starts out his book not with 1692, but instead with 1688, a year when the four Goodwin children seemed to be possessed by someone or something that was not of this world. The whole of this story is told by Cotton Mather, a well-respected minister of his day. He and his father, Increase Mather would play an important part in the hysteria was to come. He was the one who established the test for accused witches—that is, the ability to recite the Lord’s Prayer perfectly. Ironically, it would be his voice that would stop the hysteria in late 1692. He then compares the hysteria of 1692 to the post-September 11, 2001 hysteria regarding religious fundamentalists. At times, Aronson is a bit preachy, but the narrative moves along, telling vividly of the trials of the accused, and how many recanted their confessions, and even the histrionics of the alleged victims. The story begins with a group of girls practicing some old divination with a West Indian Slave, Tituba. When the experiment goes horribly wrong, the girls begin having spells of illness, and began going into fits. The girls quickly accuse Tituba of bewitching them, and Tituba does not disappoint, confessing to the crime of witchcraft, naming names, if only to save herself. The accusations fly quickly from there, as does the narrative. Aronson moves quickly, telling of the trials and hangings with vivid clarity. One almost feels as though they are in the courtroom, feeling the accusers’ pains, and hearing the plaintiff’s cries of innocence. Aronson also takes us to the jail cells, telling us of witches that recanted to the stenographers charged with taking their confessions. Aronson then talks of the height of the hysteria, when people were being accused at an alarming rate. He does, however, neglect to mention that a total of 20 people were executed, and many more were imprisoned. Aronson ends the Witchcraft trials with a voice of reason. It is the same voice that ended the hysteria 300 years ago. The reason is voiced by people like Cotton Mather, Increase Mather, Thomas Brattle and other esteemed men of the society. He also ties the whole thing together by placing the events in their historical context and giving reasons for the hysteria and for the end of the reign of terror. Overall, he does an excellent job of taking the available resources and turning it into a gripping tale that would take anyone on a wild ride. I personally read this book in two days, I could not put it down. The contemporary comparisons Aronson makes brings the book to relevance to today’s young person while bringing this fascinating historical period to a satisfying, if unsettling conclusion. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of the Salem Witch Trials and their impact on Massachusetts society. I would also recommend it because after reading it, one gets the sense of what a modern day witch-hunt looks like. Hopefully, by reading about this troubling period in American history, we can avoid repetitions of this type of hysteria in the future.

Choose the Right Major

All people go throw many stages from childhood to the end of their life. They build their dreams to become something worth in their lives such as a teacher, doctor or anything else. The most important part of these dreams to become reality is to choose the right major. Many people said students should decide what they want to be before they start studying in university. I disagree with them because students at university get help from their friends or teachers to choose their career. In addition to that, many students are changing their decision of major when they start studying at the university.The first reason is, teachers encourage the student to decide the best major according to their personality. Also, their friends help them to choose their major. When students go to university, and start study they begin to communicate with other people [listening]. From those people students take some experiences, and decide what they want to study. For example, students can ask anyone from the student service to give them more information generally about the major and the majors which are available in the university, and also about the major that they want to study.The second reason is, many students change their majors when they go to university. According to the reading A, â€Å"about 80 percent of students who start college switch their major at least one time†. This is because when students start study they got more information about their majors, and they understand what they want to study so they change their majors. For example, in the university students study many subjects to help them to decide which major they want.In conclusion, in this essay I disagree that is necessary for students to know their major before interning the university because students can get some help from their friends who have experiences or from their teachers. Also, many students take time to decide what they want and change their major many times. I think in the future the go vernment will give some courses to the students before they go to the university to help them to decide what they want to study and give them more information about their major. Choose the Right Major All people go throw many stages from childhood to the end of their life. They build their dreams to become something worth in their lives such as a teacher, doctor or anything else. The most important part of these dreams to become reality is to choose the right major. Many people said students should decide what they want to be before they start studying in university. I disagree with them because students at university get help from their friends or teachers to choose their career. In addition to that, many students are changing their decision of major when they start studying at the university.The first reason is, teachers encourage the student to decide the best major according to their personality. Also, their friends help them to choose their major. When students go to university, and start study they begin to communicate with other people [listening]. From those people students take some experiences, and decide what they want to study. For example, students can ask anyone from the student service to give them more information generally about the major and the majors which are available in the university, and also about the major that they want to study.The second reason is, many students change their majors when they go to university. According to the reading A, â€Å"about 80 percent of students who start college switch their major at least one time†. This is because when students start study they got more information about their majors, and they understand what they want to study so they change their majors. For example, in the university students study many subjects to help them to decide which major they want.In conclusion, in this essay I disagree that is necessary for students to know their major before interning the university because students can get some help from their friends who have experiences or from their teachers. Also, many students take time to decide what they want and change their major many times. I think in the future the go vernment will give some courses to the students before they go to the university to help them to decide what they want to study and give them more information about their major.

John Locke Provisos Essay

John Locke was an English philosopher who had the thought that all people have natural rights. Their natural rights included that of life. autonomy and belongings and the thought of these rights being held by each person is frequently said to be the primary influence of the American Declaration of Independence. Locke farther explains his principle behind natural rights in Two Treatises of Government and peculiarly belongings right in his â€Å"Provisos. † saying the conditions the brand belongings populace or private. Locke’s â€Å"Provisos† discusses the thought that belongings becomes private when a individual labours upon the belongings. His logical thinking that the land becomes the person’s private belongings is that a individual has the right to the fruits of his labour. and he besides has the right to the resource that bore his fruits. in this instance the belongings. As Locke says. â€Å"He by his labour does. as it were. envelop it from the common† ( page 437 ) . By this he means that by tuging over the land. the land is taken off from the remainder of society. the common. and becomes the private belongings of the person. Locke besides believes that â€Å"as much as a adult male tills. workss. improves. cultivates. and can utilize the merchandise of. so much is his property† ( page 437 ) . In this. he is saying that a adult male can have every bit much as can be utile to him ; claiming belongings in surplus and non being able to do it productive is incorrect because the belongings will so travel to blow alternatively of bearing fruit. This is incorrect because â€Å"nothing was made by God for adult male to botch or destroy† ( page 436 ) and holding land lying to waste is along the same lines as destroying the land. This thought from Locke’s â€Å"Provisos† follows from his thought of general belongings rights. He believes that land that has non been influenced by an individual’s labour is land available for all of society. Man should still esteem the land and non work it. but â€Å"were it non for the corruptness and ferociousness of pervert adult male. there would be no demand of any other. no necessity that work forces should divide from this great and natural community† ( page 441 ) . However because world can non be trusted. Locke believes that one time a adult male does set forth attempt to better a piece of belongings. that land and the merchandises of it belong to him. Although that land might belong to one adult male. it is still profiting the remainder of society because â€Å"the commissariats functioning to the support of human life produced by one acre of enclosed and cultivated land are ten times more than those which are yielded by an acre of land of an equal profusion lying waste in common† ( page 437 ) . This is similar to the manner in which both a husbandman and society benefits from his crop. The husbandman and society both can have nutriment from his crop and what crop goes to the remainder of society. he is repaid for. which allows him to go on seeding seeds that will go on to foster the common. A state of affairs of private belongings that would conflict with one of the Lockean provision is belongings that is acclaimed through coercing Native Americans to hold with the American imposts that were being imposed and the American regulation. or to go forth. such as with the Indian Removal Act that was signed into jurisprudence in 1830. The Native Americans had worked the land and made it suited to back up their life style and in the quest to accomplish Manifest Destiny. nil would impede the determined heads of the Americans. Harmonizing to Locke. the land truly belonged to the Native Americans because they had labored on the land to do it comfortable. They did non work it ; they used the resources sagely and nil went to blow with their minimalist life style. With the Indian Removal Act that President Andrew Jackson signed into consequence. all Native Americans had to be relocated to countries west of the Mississippi River. The Native Americans were removed on the footing that American colonisers needed the land and wanted to accomplish Manifest Destiny. Another state of affairs affecting private belongings that would go against one of the Lockean provision would be that of the authorities prehending land due to unpaid revenue enhancements. In this state of affairs. a husbandman could hold yielded a big crop. but the demand for his harvest declined greatly to the point that he is unable to do a big adequate net income to pay his revenue enhancements. This could fall into a form for many old ages to come. finally making the point that the authorities can no longer merely maintain seting the husbandman into more debt. The husbandman would hold to claim bankruptcy and the authorities would prehend his land. This would go against Locke’s thought that the land a adult male plant. is his. The husbandman was making the best he could. was profiting society. and ne'er consented to losing his right to his land. but the authorities took it away anyhow. I believe that Locke right draws the line on private belongings because we have the right over our ain organic structures. and if the work of those organic structures can unite with resources to make something. so we have the right to claim that merchandise and the resources we used to do it. No 1 else put forth the attempt and therefore the fruit of our attempts are ours. I believe that difficult work deserves reward and that wages is the right to the merchandise. As Locke says. â€Å"The labour of his organic structure and the work of his custodies. we may state. are properly his† ( page 436 ) .

A Short Narrative of My Life

Therefore, she was very strict and harsh with rules and punishments which in due time were going to produce in me a seed of rebellion. Eventually, it rooted deeply in me and sprouted soon enough at about the age of 8 years old. Everything went downhill from there on which manifested in different and diverse ways, such as, disorderly conduct, rebellion towards all kind of authority, the beginning of substance abuse starting with alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, and living life in the fast lane in general. As I grew older, this increased with no care for rules at all and a death wish. This was only one of the reasons for my decision that took place when I was about 20 years old. I grew up in a dysfunctional family. My mother left my father before I was born and met my first stepfather right after. She was young and in need of being loved, so she saw the opportunity of protection and support in this man since she was pregnant and alone in New York City. Because I did not really have a father, my mother had to assume that role and be harsh, strict, and sometimes aggressive. She did not know better. Therefore, I became a problem who would not listen and I would get into trouble at school, and misbehave at home, break things, scream, drink behind my mother’s back, etc. All of this would have its toll at about 11 years old when I was living in New York again. I came back to live with my biological father then. I had met him when I was 8 years old. Here, I confronted a different life full of dangers, jealousy from my stepbrothers, and physical aggression from my dad. I got involved in the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol and became a gang member seeking the love and respect that I was not getting at home. I also got arrested and witnessed deaths of friends. This journey, which lasted about 10 years, ended or started its ending when I was deep into drugs and violence. It is not a mystery that the neighborhood in which I lived was under the rule of the Colombian Mafia back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I lived in Jackson Heights, which was known back, then as â€Å"Little Colombia†, because of the huge population of Colombian immigrants that totaled about a million in the neighborhood. Therefore, mafia was part of the everyday life. Many kids were selling drugs and doing hits for the mafia. Terror and fear were common amongst many inhabitants of the area. Most young kids wanted to be like Pablo Escobar, the â€Å"Capo† of the Colombian Medellin Cartel, taking him as a role model to follow. I was one of those kids that followed this â€Å"role model†, who inspired many kids to get involved in this life. This led me to a fast and dangerous life where I was blessed to be alive, since I saw many of my friends die in the line of battle because of wrong decisions. I, on the other hand, knew how to take care of myself and managed to stay alive but became an addict. I ended up homeless and in various rehabs, halfway houses, shelters and clinical therapy. I lost all respect for others and myself. I was not me anymore but I had turned into the awful monster that had taken over my life. I was for sure headed to a bottomless pit. I was going straight to the pits of hell, condemned forever with no hope of looking back. When I was about 19 years old, I was in a rehabilitation center when a woman came to me and started preaching to me about the Bible and its message. About the Messiah, this was Jesus for her and soon would become mine too. At first, I really did not listen to her but she insisted and came back a few more times. Then we were invited to a church and I saw all the love and attention that those people were giving others and me without knowing us and I was surprised and astounded at this. This was my first experience with Jesus or anything that had to do with a Messiah that was very real to me. I was hopeless, since that moment a little door opened up, and there was some light. After that, I was sent to a halfway house where the director coincidentally was a Christian Pastor. I lived in this house for about a year and in the course of that year; the director practically took me under his wing. He invited me several times to his church until I made the decision of going. I was far from being different but it was the beginning of a different life. I went and experienced a new beginning, I was born again, I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and everything was going to start changing from then on. It was 1993. The month I do not quite remember but I was 20 at the time. I relapsed almost at the end of 1993 and I had to go into a rehabilitation center again. This time was my last one. It was about October when my Dad sent me a plane ticket to Oakland, California. I was given the chance to make a decision on living or staying and my choice was made. I lived in Oakland for some time and started working there as a salesperson and met my sons mother. Yes, I have a son. He was born on September 11 of the year 1994 and unfortunately, I was not there to see him come into this world. It is something that I have regretted my whole life. I was young and scared and the only thing I knew how to do was to run, so I did. He is 18 years old right now. He is a miracle of life because his mother wanted to commit abortion and I did not permit it. I was not going to let her kill my son. Therefore, by the grace of God he was born. That is why I say that he is a miracle of life. I am not going to lie to you and tell you that everything was a bed of roses from the time I left the United States. I made many mistakes that took their toll, but now after I had accepted Jesus as my Savior I had new hope, new strength, and a new purpose to follow and be better. In 1994, I traveled back to Colombia, started to attend a church, and got involved in a ministry as I worked and tried to live a normal life. I was there for almost 17 years and my life had a complete turn-around. I prospered and got new friends. I have been sober for almost 20 years and I love life, creation, people, and most of all my dear Jesus, who gave me salvation and eternal life by just believing in Him and accepting Him and His dominion in my heart. Even though, it has not been an easy journey because I have gone through thick and thin, I continue with my head up. I am standing firm in this path. I have been back in New York for three years now and I have many amends to make, God willing. I have been working and studying for my degree to achieve my dreams and letting other people know about the person who changed my life and gave me a new purpose. A new direction and meaning to my life. A life dedicated to worship the Father, the Almighty God, Jesus his son and the Holy Spirit of God. A tricotomy that is a mystery manifested in the One and only true God.

Romantics and Transcendentalists Research Paper

Romantics and Transcendentalists - Research Paper Example According to Emersion Waldo’s Nature (1836), â€Å"the movement of Transcendentalist was a vast and diverse phenomenon where by the representatives, in many voices, addressed themselves from various perspectives to significant concerns agitating thought in the decades that preceded the Civil War and the New England life†. The author used his characters and themes to inform the New England transcendentalism. In commenting against the values and tenets of the Age of Enlightenment, the authors exemplify commitment to the idealism of philosophy. This, in the view of diversity, may however seem hazardous to claim the values and tenets of the Age of Enlightenment as a central argument to the Transcendentalist movement. The authors also comment against the values and tenets of the Age of Enlightenment using their themes, that man and nature is one, and that God and nature need to coexist, and that when a man simplifies his life and lives with nature as one, he would be peacefu l with himself and the world. This is a much more view of nature in practice. All these aspects and voices of Romanticism from the authors contribute to the development of a vigorous thought nationally. The impulse of Romanticism and Transcendentalism played a primary role in the mid 19th century. Through the themes and characters in the works of these Romanticism and Transcendentalist authors, they have vastly commented against the values and tenets of the Age of Enlightenmen

Unit VIII Assessment MC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit VIII Assessment MC - Essay Example She filed a claim under the ADA. (4) Bob Hughes is 57 years old and was employed by the state as a school bus driver. He had an exemplary record, with no accidents in the 27 years he was employed by the state. Bob was replaced by a younger man, age 31. He filed a claim with EEOC for age discrimination. (6) Carlos, age 24, and Samuel, age 47, are employed as security officers for Jackson Security Co. In an effort to retain qualified officers and to be more competitive with the salaries offered by the police department, Jackson developed an incentive plan which provided for higher raises for younger officers. As a result, Jackson gave Carlos a higher raise than Samuel. Samuel filed a claim for age discrimination. (7) Gibson Foods, Inc. and Thompson Foods, Inc. have merged to form a new corporation, Better Food, Inc. In the process of consolidating the business, management decides that a reduction in force is necessary to avoid duplication of positions and generally streamline the running of the new company, thereby lowering the operating costs. Paul is a production manager and his job is eliminated. He is 51 years old and believes that he was targeted because of his age. (8) Catherine, aged 59, was employed as a make-up artist with a local department store. The company hired a new manager. He fired Catherine and gave her job to Katrina, age 42. Catherine is alleging age

Electronic Banking Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electronic Banking - Case Study Example According to New Dawn Magazine (1995, pg. 1), "Money - in the traditional sense no longer exists. It died two decades ago when Richard Nixon forever abolished the gold standard. Since then, money as we once knew it has been replaced by an unstable new global medium of exchange that is called 'megabyte money'... megabyte money is a threat not only to our country's long-term growth and prosperity, but to the individual as well." The public now has quite a few electronic money counterparts available at their disposal. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing still prints greenbacks in sheets of 32. "In fiscal 2007, the government will print about 9.1 billion individual bills. But 95 percent is to replace worn currency, not to expand the supply. THE BUCK STARTS HERE, say signs on some printing presses. In reality, today's buck usually begins (and ends) as a mere data entry" (Samuelson, 2007, pg. 1). * U.S. currency (dollar bills of all amounts) totaled $784 billion in 2006, but probably half or more is held outside the United States by foreigners who prize dollars--especially $100 bills--as a store of value. That suggests that less than $400 billion in currency supports a $13 trillion economy. In 1970, the economy's relative need for cash was almost twice as high. * In 2005, Americans held 1.7 billion credit and debit cards (about seven for everyone over 15), says The Nilson Report, an industry newsletter, and in the past decade, debit-card use has soared. In 1996, checks and cash represented almost 80 percent of consumer payments, estimates Nilson; they're now less than half. (The latest firm figures for 2005 show all paper payments at 50.3 percent of the total, with cash at 20.7 percent; by 2010, Nilson expects electronic payments to exceed 70 percent of the total.) * From a peak of almost 50 billion in 1995, the number of checks written in the United States fell to 36.6 billion in 2003, while the number of electronic payments rose from 15 billion to 44 billion, estimates the Federal Reserve. (The Fed survey doesn't directly measure cash use.) Companies are even marketing products to kids that are supposed to help get them used to the cashless society that supposedly lies ahead. For instance, Mastercard came out with a credit card made just for children. One of the biggest dangers of this card is that it can allow children to go into debt by purchasing and consuming large amounts of products without using cash. "Supporters regard the cards, which are issued by Bluecorner, as the natural step in an increasingly cashless society. They argue that the prepayment cards will familiarise children with plastic without spending too much. The cards are designed to get children used to the fact that cash is obsolete and their money, and the amount they are allowed to spend is controlled by someone else who also profits from their spending" (Watson, 2006, pg. 1). The Role of Information Systems According to New Dawn Magazine (1995, pg. 1), "Certainly there are jumps in technology that have facilitated this. For instance, a product that we market at Norwest is a debit card. It is a Visa Card (credit) but it's a debit card, so the money comes out of your checking account. This year [1994] across the country, Visa's volume (the number of times that the Visa Card is used) is up massively. Check

Strategic Management- Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Management- Case study - Essay Example In the corporate world the chief executive officer position with the corporate hierarchy outside the board of director of a public company. This paper analyzes a scenario of a high level executive who had romantic affair with another manager inside the company he was suppose to lead. The setting of our analysis takes place at Boeing Corporation where Harry Stonececher its chief executive officer (CEO) and a board member of the corporation got involved in an unethical act by starting a romantic relationship with a subordinate. His affair was discovered through unofficial information channel known as whistle blowing. A whistleblower is a person that revels to the general public or the authorities. Unethical or illegal activity within an organization (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). The situation was very awkward and let a bad taste in the minds of many stakeholders who did not take this news lightly. When something like this happens the general public gets ideas that bad things may be happing within the organization such as collusion, favorism, corruption, money laundering, human rights violations and cooking up the books scenarios such as the infamous Enron case (Kotler, 2002). The bylaws of the corporate which are part of its corporance governance framework are against such type of behavior generally speaking. If such a things happens between two floor workers the course of action a supervisor should take is simply separating the workers between division and areas of work to prevent labor efficiencies from occurring as a result of unnecessary socialization. The case at hand takes the rules to another level because the Boeing situation involved executive laborers at the peak of the chain of command. The fact that such individuals have so much power implies that there action affect all stakeholders thus social responsibility comes into play as an integral part of the equation. There are many stakeholders group whose company’s action are relevant and

Crimes in the Movie Fletch Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Crimes in the Fletch - Movie Review Example As much as his intentions are praiseworthy, he still runs into trouble. Scene #1 There is a criminal solicitation in this opening scene. According to Section 5.02 of the Model Penal Code, â€Å"an individual is only guilty of solicitation to commit a crime if with the interest of promoting what he supports, encourages or request someone else to participate in that involves committing such a criminal act (Schmalleger, 2010).† It is evident that Stanwyck tries to involve Fletch in a criminal solicitation crime, when he asks Fletch to kill him and end his suffering from cancer and save his insurance for his wife. In this same scene, criminal conspiracy as a crime is evident. When Stanwyck mentions his murder as a way of providing his wife with insurance money, it clearly portrays the conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. According to the Model Penal Code section 5.03, â€Å"an individual is guilty of conspiracy with someone else to commit a crime if with the intention of endorsi ng its plan he agrees to work or help such an individual in planning such a crime (Schmalleger, 2010). Scene #4 In this scene, Fletch doubts the condition of Stanwyck and feels that he is tricking him. To seek the truth behind this, he decides to visit the family doctor of Stanwyck for information who turns him down. Failing to get the information, Fletch disguises as a doctor and sneaks in the hospital to acquire the information. At this juncture, he violates the doctor to patient privileges. According to the Mode Penal Code section 241, impersonating a public servant, â€Å"an individual commits a crime if deceptively pretends to work in the public service with the intention of inducing someone else to give in the pretended official power†(Schmalleger, 2010). The second crime is the violation of doctor to patient information. A patient should not be full of fear of revelation and access of his information to someone else by the doctor. When Fletch disguised as a doctor and accessed the information, he committed a crime. Based on Find a Law, â€Å"Doctor-patient confidentiality is not supposed to be shared unless with the permission of the patient (Breaches of Doctor to Patient Confidentiality, 2012). If this case was to go to court, Fletch would have no defense, since it is clear that he is going against regulations. Scene #7 Fletch is making a phone call at the beach seeking to know the whereabouts of Stanwyck. He then notices a police approaching them fat. The police chase him and another black guy, gummy. After catching them, the policemen start beating Gummy and force him into the car. On seeing this, Fletch tries to stop the police, but his efforts seem futile. As the police drive away, he throws a stone shuttering the rear mirror of the car. He then goes to the newspaper's office asking for money to return to Uttah. When in Uttah, he contacts Stanwyck’s realtor and gets the truth behind the bought property. He sees that Stanwyck paid $30 00 instead of $3000000 as Stanwyck had told his wife. He then decides he needs intelligence and breaks into the realtor’s office to get concrete evidence. Fletch jumps over the fence and gets into the office to get the data. He then takes some photos of the data and gets chased by a guard dog. At the point where the police chase down Gummy, there is clear evidence of excessive use of force, which violates section 3.07 of the Model Penal Code, â€Å"

Methods of Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methods of Analysis - Essay Example The most commonly utilized tools include vertical analysis, horizontal analysis and ratio analysis (Haber, 2004). Vertical analysis-Vertical analysis involves reporting every item as a percentage of the other larger item. This method compares between 2 or more corporations within the same industry simple. In addition, vertical analysis permits a firm to weigh present reports against those of the past, illuminating areas that might require enhancement. For instance, when analyzing a balance sheet vertically implies that each item on the balance sheet is usually restated to be a % of the total sum of the assets. This technique also known as common-size analysis permits analysts to view the compositions of the various classes of financial statements. Sales is normally used as a reference class in addition to being the denominator of the rest of the computations when doing an income statement. On the other hand, the balance sheet makes use of total equity, total assets and total liabilities. One of the demerits of vertical analysis is the fact that it provides a view at only one singular period of operations, normally a year. This usually, makes it hard to arrive at conclusions regarding the company over time (Haber, 2004). Horizontal analysis-Horizontal analysis is a kind of essential analysis in which particular financial data is made use of to evaluate the performance of a business over a certain length of time. This sort of analysis can be evaluated on one company over a given length of time, making comparisons of similar ratios or items, or it can be done on several companies operating within the same industry to evaluate the performance of the company relative to the competition. Variations in this sort of analysis are referred to as the trend analysis; which basically begins with the 1st year a firm is in business, also commonly referred to as the base year. A

Coca Cola vs. Pepsi Cola Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Coca Cola vs. Pepsi Cola - Research Paper Example The Company recognizes the cost of postretirement benefits, which consist principally of medical benefits, during employees’ periods of active service. The Coca-Cola Co. is adopting a cash-balance pension plan for new and current employees. Under the cash-balance plan design, employees will receive annual age-heighted credits equal to a percentage of pay. Those credits will start at 3 percent of pay and increase with age. Employees’ cash-balance plan accounts also will be credited with interest. Coca-Cola’s move to a cash-balance plan comes at a time when many major employers are phasing out their defined-benefit plans and offering only defined-contribution plans. But Coca-Cola executives rejected such an approach. Coca-Cola, which last year reported $31.9 billion in operating revenue—up from $28.9 billion in 2007—is the third major employer to adopt a cash-balance plan since 2006, when Congress passed the Pension Protection Act. On the other hand a pension from PepsiCo is an important benefit that can help employees make the most of their retirement years. Add Social Security, any benefits payable from other PepsiCo plans as well as personal savings, and employees have the formula for a sound financial future. To be eligible to participate in a PepsiCo pension plan, one must be either a full-time employee or a part-time employee working at least 1,000 hours in a year at PepsiCo or a subsidiary of PepsiCo that sponsors the plan. The best part about Pepsi’s pension benefit is that it is provided to employees at no cost. Employees do not have to contribute any of their current compensation to receive a pension. There are no payroll deductions from their pay check and there are no out-of-pocket costs to pay. PepsiCo contributes amounts on employee’s behalf to the Plan for their exclusive benefit in accordance with Federal tax law. Measurement of Pension Costs and Obligations The determination of pension costs and ob ligations is based on the attribution of pension benefits to periods of employee service and the use of actuarial assumptions to calculate the present value of such benefits. Actuarial assumptions reflect the time value of money and the probability of payment. The following three key economic assumptions determine pension costs: The discount rate The salary scale The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets Pepsi’s Annual pension and retiree medical expense amounts are principally based on following components: (1) the value of benefits earned by employees for working during the year (service cost), (2) increase in the liability due to the passage of time (interest cost), and (3) other gains and losses as discussed below, reduced by (4) expected return on plan assets for their funded plans. Significant assumptions used to measure Pepsi’s annual pension and retiree medical expense include: the interest rate used to determine the present value of liabilities (dis count rate); certain employee-related factors, such as turnover, retirement age and mortality; for pension expense, the expected return on assets in their funded plans and the rate of salary