Monday, September 30, 2019

Database Needs for Early Learning Programs Essay

The Outcomes and Targets for the recently passed Families and Education Levy are very high. At the heart of the levy is accountability and using data in timely ways to improve annual outcomes. In the realm of Early Learning the dollars will double and the number of children and professional staff served will increase dramatically. The need for reliable, accessible data is great. An HSD IT web based data system (ELNIS) was created in 2006 for the previous levy. It was deployed in the summer of 2007 and began to be used in the 2007-2008 school year. Hosted by the state of Washington, it is accessible to each agency under contract with the city through a city purchased computer and digital certificate. Help desk support and training are also provided by the city. In 2009 the state ECEAP program substantially changed its enrollment form. ELNIS no longer matches the data elements required by the state. It was decided, because the change came so late in the year, that it was not feasible to make the changes in ELNIS. For the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years the data has been out of sync with enrollment forms for ECEAP. ELNIS was designed in 2005 with the hope of having a single early learning data base for ECEAP, Step Ahead, and Child Care Subsidy. This proved to be unfeasible given the time constraints and limited resources available to accomplish the task. Children are entered into multiple data bases that do not connect with each other, but all ECEAP children are also in ELNIS. In 2010 Creative Curriculum substantially change the child assessment tool, such that in the final year of the levy 2010-2011 the child assessment data is no longer uploaded into ELNIS. Again it was decided not to reconfigure ELNIS to match the changes in the assessments because of time and cost, until the new levy passed. The OFE monthly report drives the immediate need for data. Each month OFE requires a data set of demographics, attendance and assessment data be delivered on the last day month following the month reported. In the MOA each year between OFE and HSD the data elements are negotiated. The data reporting required for early learning in 2010-2011 is on pages 5 – 8 of this report. These will still form a substantial part of the required data, but there will be additional items and number of records will increase substantially. Further, each year an analysis is completed by the data and evaluation strategic advisor in August/September for the previous school year. The data is used to help managers and education specialists to improve the performance of the agencies in the next school year. This process begins by creating a large data set of assessments matched to each child who has been served. The early vision was that the data would be stored in ELNIS and download for use in evaluations ready to be reported or analyzed. ELNIS is capable of containing the demographic data (although it no longer matches the data collected for ECEAP families) for each child, the agency, site and classroom data, and the ECERS assessment. It can no longer upload the Embedded Child Profile Assessment data, the PPVT- 4 child data, nor any data about professional development. All of this data must be managed separately in Excel spreadsheets and appended to the download from ELNIS. Increased needs for data and new data elements The new levy includes six components of which are three are new and three are expanded: †¢Professional Development †¢Family Engagement and Outreach †¢Preschool †¢Kindergarten Transition †¢Home Visiting Program †¢Health and Mental Health Support for Children The new required elements for reporting are expected to include the following indicators of progress toward the outcomes: †¢Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) – Caregivers/Adults will demonstrate increased positive behavior on the Parent and Child Together tool (PACT). †¢PCHP – Children will meet standard on the Child Behavior Traits (CBT) and the Teacher Rating of Oral Language and Literacy (TROLL). †¢Family Friend and Neighbor’s (FFN†S) Care Providers – Caregivers/Adults will demonstrate increased positive behavior on the Parent and Child Together tool (PACT). †¢Step Ahead Preschool Programs – Children enrolled will meet the Standard Score and/or make gains on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4 (PPVT-4) of Receptive English by the end of the preschool year. †¢Step Ahead Preschool serving children who are English Language Learners: Children will make statistically significant gains in English Language Acquisition at the end of the preschool year on the PPVT-4. †¢Step Ahead Preschool – Children will meet age level expectations at the end of the preschool year on Teaching Strategies Gold Child (TSG) assessment. †¢Children served by Step Ahead and SEEC and enrolled in full-day kindergarten – Children will meet the age-level expectations on Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) . †¢SEEC Pre-K – Classrooms will meet the Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) standard at the end of the program year. †¢SEEC Pre-K – Teachers will meet standard on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) at the end of the program year. †¢Children enrolled in Step Ahead pre-K program will have fewer than 5 absences per semester. †¢Children served by a Step Ahead Preschool will be assessed at level 2 or higher on the district English assessment test at the beginning of Kindergarten. †¢Number of early learning and child care settings receiving targeted consultation or training. †¢% of children who enroll in kindergarten on time. †¢% of children enrolled in full day kindergarten. †¢% of children who attend 90% of school days. †¢% of children who meet the birth to 3-year indicator for health (TBD). †¢% of 4 year olds who meet standard on the curriculum embedded assessment in preschool. Early Learning Health †¢Number of early learning and child care settings and providers receiving targeted consultation or training. †¢Number of children in early learning and child care settings receiving developmental assessments. †¢Number of children in early learning and child care referred for mental health therapy and/or medical follow-up. †¢Number of low-income families linked to a health care home, Medicaid coverage, and/or other health care resources. Assessment Tools used to provide outcome and indicator data Formative Assessments †¢Child: Teaching Strategies Gold (administered fall, winter and spring of the pre-k year) †¢Classroom: Curriculum-embedded classroom checklist (administered annually) †¢CLASS: Annual voluntary observation of pre-k and kindergarten- 3rd grade teachers to measure teacher effectiveness. Summative Assessments †¢Child – PPVT-4 (administered fall and spring of pre-k ) †¢Child – WaKIDS ( administered fall and spring of kindergarten) †¢Classroom – ECERS ( administered annually) Performance Payment with OFE will likely include these Outcomes (indicators) 2010-11 Indicator BaselinesNumber of Students Meeting IndicatorPercent of Students Meeting Indicator Families demonstrating increased positive behavior on the PACT and the CBT 35/4283. 3% Children making gains in the Standard Score from the fall pre-PPVT to the spring post-PPVT 657/93570. 3% Children with a minimum of two assessments meeting age-level expectations on Teaching Strategies Gold397/546 73. 0% Children are in classrooms meeting an ECERS standard of 5 in each subscale or an average of 6 in all subscales. 397/636 62. 4% Indicator Targets2010-20112012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19 Families demonstrating increased positive behavior on the PACT and the CBT 83. 3% 84% 85% 86% 87% 88% 89% 90% Children making gains in the Standard Score from the fall pre-PPVT to the spring post-PPVT 70. 3% 73% 76% 80% 83% 86% 89% 90%. Children with a minimum of two assessments meeting age-level expectations on Teaching Strategies Gold 73. 0% 75% 78% 81% 84% 87% 89% 90% Children are in classrooms meeting an ECERS standard of 4 in each subscale or an average of 6 in all subscales. 62. 4% 67% 71% 76% 80% 85% 89% 90% Conclusions: ELNIS as currently configured will not meet the needs of the Early Learning System to report data to the funder, to use data for improving outcomes, or to manage data for contract payment purposes and monitoring. Either work needs to begin ASAP on reconfiguring ELNIS or a new data system needs to be created or purchased. Options include an HSD IT build or a purchase of a configurable off the shelf software system, such as Adsystech or ETO. Data will need to begin being reported to OFE in the fall of 2012, eight months from now. What options exist for meeting this need? What resources are available? What planning team should be assembled? Data Set currently required to be reported by OFE (2010-2011) SEEC Early Learning – Pre-K Source: HSD (monthly) Data ElementData TypeNotes YearNumericThe year of the period that the data is reported for. e. g. 2006 for reporting period December 2006. MonthNumericThe month of the period that the data is reported for. e. g. 12 for reporting period December 2006 Child HSD IDNumeric1 = English 2 = Other than English 3 = English and another language 4 = not reported Student IDNumericEnter SPS Student ID after child is enrolled in Kindergarten Ethnicity CodeChar 25 categories from SPS Child’s Home LanguageNumeric Gender CodeChar 1 SEEC Agency CodeChar 4Corresponds with Agency name look-up table SEEC Site CodeChar 4Corresponds with classroom site look-up table SEEC Classroom Code Char 7Corresponds with classroom look-up table. SEEC StatusNumeric1 = Step-Ahead Pre-K 2 = Step Ahead Match SEEC TierNumericTier I – Step Ahead, Tiny Tots, Refugee Women’s Alliance, and Jose Marti Tier II – Denise Louie Education Center/Head Start Tier III – Non-Step Ahead Early Childhood Education and Assistance Programs (ECEAP) , Neighborhood House Head Start Tier IV – Comprehensive Child Care Program (CCCP), other Head Start Programs in the City of Seattle Days in Pre-K ProgramNumeric/NullTotal number of days the student has participated in the Pre-K program during the month. ECERS Average Subscale Scores and average totalNumericRange 1-7 ECERS – Met StandardYes/No/Null ECERS average score of 4 across all 7 elements Classroom Quality StandardYes/No/NullClassroom met quality standards Classroom LevelNumeric/NullClassroom score based on years of experience and training 1st Child Assessment – Social/Emotional DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 1st Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR 1st Child Assessment – Physical DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 1st Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR. 1st Child Assessment – Cognitive DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 1st Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR 1st Child Assessment – Language DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 1st Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR 2nd Child Assessment – Social/Emotional DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 2nd Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR 2nd Child Assessment – Physical DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 2nd Creative Curriculum child assessment. or High/Scope COR 2nd Child Assessment. Cognitive DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 2nd Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR. 2nd Child Assessment – Language DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 2nd Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR. 3rd Child Assessment – Social/Emotional DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 3rd Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR. 3rd Child Assessment – Physical DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 3rd Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR. 3rd Child Assessment. Cognitive DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 3rd Creative Curriculum child assessment. 3rd Child Assessment – Language DevelopmentNumeric/NullStudent’s level from the 3rd Creative Curriculum child assessment or High/Scope COR. Formative Assessment – ChildYes/No/NullChild met the standard in the final embedded assessment as adopted by the SEEC assessment workgroup. PCHPYes/No/NullParticipated in Parent-Child Home Program. SEEC Early Learning – Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition PPVT Source: HSD (twice yearly) Data ElementData TypeNotes Child HSD IDNumeric. Child AgeXX-XXChild’s age at time of test in years and months 1st assessment – standard scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s standard score from the 1st Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. 1st assessment – raw scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s raw score from the 1st Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 1st assessment – grade equivalent scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s grade equivalent score from the 1st Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 1st assessment – age equivalent scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s age equivalent score from the 1st Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 1st assessment – growth scale valueNumeric/NullStudent’s growth scale value from the 1st Peabody Picture. Vocabulary Test 1st assessment – percentile scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s percentile score from the 1st Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 2nd assessment – standard scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s standard score from the 2nd Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. 2nd assessment – raw scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s raw score from the 2nd Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 2nd assessment – grade equivalent scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s grade equivalent score from the 2nd Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 2nd assessment – age equivalent scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s age equivalent score from the 2nd Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 2nd assessment – growth scale valueNumeric/NullStudent’s growth scale value from the 2nd Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 2nd assessment – percentile scoreNumeric/NullStudent’s percentile score from the 2nd Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. SEEC Early Learning – ECERS Source: HSD (twice yearly) Data ElementData TypeNotes SEEC Classroom Code Char 7Corresponds with classroom look-up table. 1st ECERS score – Space and FurnishingsNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS score – Personal Care RoutinesNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS score – Language and Reasoning Numeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS score – Activities Numeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS score – Interaction Numeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS score – Program StructureNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS score – Parents and StaffNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 1st ECERS cumulative classroom scoreNumeric/ NullAverage score across all subscales 2nd ECERS Score – Space and FurnishingsNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS Score – Personal Care RoutinesNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS Score – Language and Reasoning Numeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS Score – ActivitiesNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS Score – InteractionNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS Score – Program StructureNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS Score – Parents and StaffNumeric/NullAverage score for subscale 2nd ECERS cumulative classroom scoreNumeric/NullAverage score across all subscales. Early Learning – Parent-Child Home Program Source: HSD (twice yearly) Data ElementData TypeNotes YearNumericThe year of the period that the data is reported for, e. g. , 2006 for reporting period December 2006. MonthNumericThe month of the period that the data is reported for, e. g. , 12 for reporting period December 2006. Child HSD IDNumeric Student IDNumericEnter SPS Student ID after child is enrolled in Kindergarten Ethnicity CodeChar 25 categories from SPS, Other, Bi-Racial/Multi Racial Gender CodeChar 1 AgeNumeric In Parent-Child Home Visitor ProgramYes/NoStudent has participated in the Parent-Child Home Visitor Program during the month. Parent-Child Home Visitor Program – Provider CodeNumeric292 = Atlantic Street Center 304 = Neighborhood House at Rainier Vista 305 = Neighborhood House at New Holly 310 = Southwest Youth and Family Services Parent-Child Home Visitor Program – Total Number of VisitsNumeric/NullCumulative number of visits during the month. 1st Child Behavior Traits (CBT) Assessment – Cooperation with Adults Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4: average score for items that make up the domain shown at left 1. Does not exhibit this behavior 2. Sometimes exhibits this behavior 3. Most of the time exhibits this behavior 4. Always exhibits this behavior 1st CBT Assessment – Attention to Task Domain. Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4: average score for items that make up the domain shown at left 1. Does not exhibit this behavior 2. Sometimes exhibits this behavior 3. Most of the time exhibits this behavior 4. Always exhibits this behavior 1st CBT Assessment – Engagement in Developmentally Appropriate Tasks Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4: average score for items that make up the domain shown at left 1. Does not exhibit this behavior 2. Sometimes exhibits this behavior 3. Most of the time exhibits this behavior 4. Always exhibits this behavior 2nd CBT Assessment – Cooperation with Adults DomainNumeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 2nd CBT Assessment – Attention to Task DomainNumeric/NullScore ranges 1-4. 2nd CBT Assessment – Engagement in Developmentally Appropriate Tasks DomainNumeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 3rd CBT Assessment – Cooperation with Adults DomainNumeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 3rd CBT Assessment – Attention to Task DomainNumeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 3rd CBT Assessment – Engagement in Developmentally Appropriate Tasks DomainNumeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 1st Parent and Child Together (PACT) Assessment – Parent-Child Interactions Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 average score for items that make up the domain shown at left 1. Does not exhibit this behavior 2. Sometimes exhibits this behavior 3. Most of the time exhibits this behavior 4. Always exhibits this behavior 1st PACT Assessment -Positive Parenting Behavior Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4: average score for items that make up the domain shown at left 1. Does not exhibit this behavior 2. Sometimes exhibits this behavior 3. Most of the time exhibits this behavior 4. Always exhibits this behavior 2nd PACT Assessment – Parent-Child Interactions Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 2nd PACT Assessment – Positive Parenting Behavior Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 3rd PACT Assessment – Parent-Child Interactions Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4 3rd PACT Assessment – Positive Parenting Behavior Domain Numeric/NullScore ranges 1-4. 1st Teacher Rating of Oral Language and Literacy (TROLL) Assessment – Language ScoreNumeric/NullScore ranges 0-20 (5 items with maximum of 4 points for each item) 1st TROLL Assessment – Reading ScoreNumeric/NullScore ranges 0-20 (5 items with maximum of 4 points for each item) 1st TROLL Assessment – Print Concept ScoreNumeric/NullScore ranges 0-12 (3 items with maximum of 4 points for each item) 2nd TROLL Assessment – Language ScoreNumeric/NullScore ranges 0-20 (5 items with maximum of 4 points for each item) 2nd TROLL Assessment – Reading ScoreNumeric/NullScore ranges 0-33 (8 items with maximum of 4 points for each item; one Yes/No item scored 1/0 ) 2nd TROLL Assessment – Print Concept ScoreNumeric/NullScore ranges 0-28 (7 items with maximum of 4 points for each item).

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Advertising Informs to Our Benefit Essay

The two articles â€Å"You’re soaking in it† by Pozner, and â€Å"How Advertising Informs to our Benefit† by Calfee, offer two very different takes on the effects of advertising. Pozner claims that movies and TV shows have become a new medium for companies to present their ads. She goes on saying how these companies exploit their audiences by portraying a fictional society. Although she is very critical, I agree with her, that ads such as Nike sneaker one saying how our product will always be there and at the same time never judge you. I feel this is a very common tactic in the ad business and can sometimes remove consumers from reality. Furthermore she is very critical of relationships portrayed in today’s ads. I agree that ads predominately focused on using strictly sex appeal and unemotional bonds between the models can provide its viewers with misconceptions that over time are actually accepted to be true. This problem is one she takes very seriously to be harming our children. Speaking from a feminist’s perspective she deals predominantly with the effects on women and whenever she touches on men, it is only to describe how they are damaging women. On the contrary, Calfee presents a positive light on the world of advertising. While its clear that companies number one goal is to make money, the way in which the ads are constructed can be beneficial to consumers. By describing effects that products offer, consumers in a sense become educated on the product. I like how Calfee mentions the transition taken place within ads. More than ever, companies are moving from describing the positives to why their product is â€Å"less-bad† than their competitors. This results in open knowledge describing the harmful effects of the product. Furthermore the back and forth competition between companies will lead to lower prices for consumers.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Some commentators have argued that the credit crunch has resulted in a Essay

Some commentators have argued that the credit crunch has resulted in a shortage of funds being made available to small firms - Essay Example It entails changing ones course towards new things that are considered more creative in generating ones desires. Growth of medium and small businesses encompasses an increment from a low level of business to an advanced level, covering operations over a large scope. There is a wide variety of business forms depending on their size, management, as well as proprietorship; and ranging from public corporations, private companies to the smallest businesses that are singly owned. The operations of each form of a corporation may take several courses where some come together to operate as a group, while others remain singly operated (Smallbone, 2008). For successful enterprises operations, valuers and policy makers or even the proprietors always find it necessary to value companies according to the prevailing operations. Valuation is crucial for it assists the concerned parties in making appropriate decisions as well as laying the corporations on a scale, a factor that helps predict the futu re direction of the companies. More so, different techniques and approaches are employed in the companies’ valuations, which are carried out depending on the form of the company at hand. Private company valuations are thus deemed very important in the day-to-day running of the corporations. There is a need for employment of different techniques in the valuation processes to enhance a comprehensive cover, since each technique yields distinct Results. This paper is aimed at investigating into the valuation of private companies and several valuation techniques in details. Additionally, it will be crucial to establish the advantages and disadvantages of the several methods herein discussed as well as the other alternative methods that could as well be used in the valuation processes in regard to private companies (Bridge, et al., 2003). Valuation of private companies Company valuation is a process that entails the utilization of a sequence of procedures in estimating its value. T his process is mainly carried out by valuators, who come up with a comprehensive report concerning the company’s assets and liabilities. Financial participants in the market mainly use the valuation as a basis for price discussions when the company is on sale. Earlier research has not established a professional method or approach that provides an actual value of a particular company, but numerous approaches and techniques are considered important in determining the value of a company. The current available used techniques only provide an estimate of what the company is worth. Various factors are always considered when valuing a company depending on whether the company is privately owned or publicly owned. Valuation processes are carried out with a lot of caution, considering the company’s assets quality, the nature of its liabilities as well as the intangible assets. It is beneficial to value a company’s assets since it helps the investors in making sound decisi ons concerning their company. Additionally, it is often important in giving prospective buyers some confidence due to the full awareness of the

Friday, September 27, 2019

Carlsberg Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Carlsberg - Assignment Example Basically, there are various factors that shape the international business environment. For instance, factors such as economic, political as well as cultural differences that might exist between the parent company’s country and the country of the foreign operation may significantly impact on the operations of a particular organization in a different environment. Thus, organizations operating in foreign countries need to design an effective entry strategy that can enable it to operate viably in this environment. Against this background, this essay seeks to evaluate the question of how the international business environment influences the corporation’s business strategy and operations This essay is based on the case study of Carlsberg and it seeks to establish the reasons for this company’s failure to enter China for the first time around the early 2000. The paper looks at how factors such as the difference between Western and Eastern values impact on the operation s of an organization in a foreign country. In order to establish the reasons why Carlberg’s emerging markets strategy failed to materialise in China in the early 2000s, it is imperative to begin by giving the company’s historical background. According to the case study given, Carlsberg is the fifth largest brewing company in the world. The core business of this company is related to brewing, marketing and selling beer. The company was established in 1847 in Denmark. The company currently has more than 33Â  000 employees and it operates in more than 75 countries. Due to maturing and stagnation of western European beer markets, the company underscored to embark on the emerging markets strategy in order to capitalise on the opportunities available in emerging markets such as China. However, it has not been that rosy for the company during the early 2000s as it faced some challenges in a bid to establish itself as a force to reckon with in the Chinese market. The ownershi p structure of the organization contributed to the difficulties if faced in attempting to finance its operations. The Carlsberg Foundation was supposed to have a 51 % stake. The other factor that contributed to the challenges that were faced in the beer industry in the mid 2000s is the aspect related to rising production costs as well as increasing competition from wine and spirits. The other issue that contributed to challenges faced by breweries is related to consolidation of the industry where the number of actors significantly declined. The issue of consolidation significantly impacted on the endeavours by Carlsberg to penetrate the Chinese market. After entering into a 50/50 joint venture with a Thai company Chang Beverages Pte ltd, the newly incorporated market CAL faced fierce competition in the beer industry in the South East China. There were disagreements which made CAL to breach the contract and this attracted a heavy lawsuit against it. The other challenge that was faced by Carlsberg is that the people in the western part of China were very poor though they contributed about one third of the total population. However, Carlsberg’s presence in western parts of China was through joint ventures since it did not have a fully owned brewery. This greatly helped it to embark on its strategy to penetrate emerging markets. There are different factors that characterise Western vs Eastern business environments and it should be noted that these have an influence on the success of a brewery especially in an emerging market. For instance, the consumption patterns of beer in the Eastern market are booming compared to the European markets that that are now saturated. Economies in emerging markets such as China are strong and they significantly influence the behaviour of the consumers towards beer. According to Mintel report obtained from (http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/press-releases/882/china-beer-consumption-hits-the-50-billion-litre-mark-for-first-tim e-in-2011, 2012, China is the largest beer market in the world and research shows that the country’

Thursday, September 26, 2019

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE - Assignment Example From the Table in 4(a), it is evident that the higher the portfolio’s expected returns, the higher the standard deviation. This also means that the higher the returns the higher the risk, hence the above discussed risk-return relationship holds for shares property and bonds. This relationship is also observed in the chart in 4(b), since, for example, the shares are moving more radically and their returns are the highest; and this trend holds even for property and bonds. The radical plunge in prices in the last quarter of 2008 is majorly attributable to the effect of the global financial crisis that occurred during that time. This decline in prices was a major indicator of the crisis, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in demand in the financial markets, as many people observed their retirement accounts water down (Bartram and Gordon, 2009; Dwyer and Paula, 2009 ). It is important that the investments are spread over a variety of assets like the fixed income, equities and cash. This is because each asset class perfoms differently from the others as a result of its unique balance of risks and rewards. Diversification calls for the need to know the security an investor needs. Therefore, diversification is where there is a need to spread each asset investment over different types of securities. Most importantly, an investors needs to know their risk profile so they decide how to allocate their assets, on the basis of risk-return relationship. From example, from 4(a), one can combine growth fund which is very risky, with conservative fund which is less risky – so that one can continue enjoying substantial returns and even in the event of a crisis one does not lose significantly (Kapur and Orszag, 1999). b. If your group had $50,000 to invest in a managed fund, which specific portfolio would you choose from those offered in Question 4? Justify your choice by including a reference to the characteristics of financial

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

HEALTH CARE POLICY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HEALTH CARE POLICY - Research Paper Example The biggest blow on cost due to this legislative bill may be on small businesses such as restaurants and bars, in which the profits may reduce. In addition, smoking bill lowers the market value of the hospitality industry whereby owners would opt to transfer their businesses to other parts of the country without the ban. When it comes to benefits of this bill, empirical studies reveal a 17% fall on acute coronary problems and heart attacks, exemplified by Scotland after smoking was banned in public spaces (Pakko, 2006). Moreover, the studies suggest that smoking bans do not cause adverse economic effects on restaurants and bans, but rather studies suggest that they improve profitability of the hospitality industry (Pakko, 2006). Finally, ban on smoking would help the healthcare budget, as well as lessen risks of chronic diseases including COPD and heart disease, and obstructive lung diseases. Analyzing cost containment with regard to this bill, it is evident that costs related to chr onic diseases would go down. As such $90 million of healthcare costs could be saved from a smoking ban on public paces nationwide. In addition, there will be a reduction in hospitalization at an estimated number of 18,600 hear patients. Consequently, health costs will also likely reduce by $16 million as reported by a study, within the first one year of a smoking ban implementation (Pakko, 2006). Thus, the smoking ban is meant to reduce the state healthcare costs such as Medicaid. Chronic diseases such as cancers, heart disease and lung related diseases among others put great demand on health resources. Furthermore, chronic diseases and fatal illness requires maximum and high intensity medical care, and all these have cost implications on healthcare budget (McConnachie & Sutton, 2004). As a result, much of the healthcare budget is allocated to care and management of these diseases. Healthcare equity requires that the distribution of health care based funds reflects the existing burd en of a particular disease(s). A ban on smoking bill if enacted would lead to decline in chronic diseases associated with smoking such as lung related diseases; as a result, it would ease on the healthcare budget. The money that would otherwise be used for management of such diseases will be allocated to other critical areas of healthcare. A smoking ban would impact positively on the administrative resources because much of the funds allocated to diseases associated with smoking are likely to be directed somewhere else. Enacting the legislative bill would also influence healthcare delivery by releasing a burden on the healthcare providers who have to manage cancer patients and other suffering from smoke related illnesses (Daniels, 1995). Similarly, legal cases related to smoking will drastically reduce. In the past, tobacco producing companies have had to compensate people billions of dollars to settle cases related to health effects of smoking. However, a ban on smoking would also impact the economy negatively because it is one of the major sources of tax for the government. The move to enact a smoking ban bill would see many individuals discontinue their smoking habits, and eventually overcome tobacco addiction. As such, nurses will assume the role of assisting such

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Critical contexts of law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical contexts of law - Essay Example Humanitarian agencies have been intricately involved with the international community’s use of military force in situations of gross human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law. Humanitarian agencies have called outright for military intervention and not got it. There is the option to call for the military intervention. So here in Sylvia’s case the UN may reject or even give permission of military intervention based on the severity of the issue. People fear of military intervention since there is lot of loss of life, property and the like. Many believe the intervention should be done as the very last option, where every other opportunity has been exhausted. Generally UN suggests of non military intervention where the government officials are denied visas to visit other countries unless they follow rules and remain disciplined. They need a solid and good reason for intervention. The question is does Sylvia have a solid reason apart from i nhumane treatment towards his subjects? What ever he has done is a great crime but the court needs full proof of his crimes, solid proofs. The International Criminal Court (ICC), governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.The question is does Sylvia have a solid reason apart from inhumane treatment towards his subjects?  

Monday, September 23, 2019

Technical Definition and Description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technical Definition and Description - Essay Example This informs the person about the processes that occur as a result of binding, leading to the drug effect. A renowned scientist, Paul Ehrlich concluded that drugs cannot work unless they are bound (Berges-Gimeno & Stevenson, 2004). This paper outlines how aspirin works starting with a history of the drug, its administration, benefits and the way it works. This is beneficial to patients. An overview of Aspirin’s history Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and it is also known as a salicylate (Berges-Gimeno & Stevenson, 2004). This drug owes its origin to Luke Hoffman who discovered a powder from the bark of willow plant around the fifth century. Hippocrates commonly referred to as the father of medicine appraised the use of the powder in relieving pain. In the 1700s, Reverend Edmund Stone talked about its success in alleviating pain and fevers. Scientists later discovered that the bitter powder from willow bark contained a chemical called salicin. This che mical is converted into salicylic acid once ingested by a person and is widely used to manufacture aspirin. The drug was registered as the most popular painkiller in the world, in the 1950 Guinness Book of Records. It is widely known as a â€Å"wonder drug† because it cures several diseases in the contemporary world (Jeffreys, 2005). Administration of aspirin It is usually administered orally through tablets, but it can also be administered through caplets, capsules, liquid elixir and suppositories. Benefits of Aspirin The following are the benefits of aspirin. It; Relieves mild pain such as muscle cramps, toothaches and headaches Controls fever Manages pain in gout and arthritis Reduces swellings Regulates blood pressure in expectant women Treats cataracts in diabetic patients Prevents some cancers such as breast and bowel cancers Treats gum disease (Vane, 1971) How it works Researchers and medical practitioners have found it difficult explain how aspirin works due to its nu merous effects (Weissmann, 1991). However, in the 1970s, biologists came to a conclusion regarding how aspirin works. The drug inhibits synthesizing of some hormones responsible for causing pain and inflammation in the body. Aspirin has an active ingredient called acetylsalicylic acid. This ingredient inhibits chemical processes such as physiological processes in the body. It inhibits production of body chemicals referred to as prostaglandin and thromboxane, which are potential mediators in inflammation. Aspirin undergoes esterification whereby salicylic acid is mixed with acetic anhydride. This results in a chemical reaction which turns the hydroxyl group in salicylic acid into an ester (R-OH R-OCOCH3). This is followed by action on COX. The figure below shows this process. Prostaglandins are important because; they Aid in regulation of acid production, in the stomach Ensure the stomach lining does not digest itself Transmit pain into the brain Are responsible for inflammation The mediators are produced from arachidonic acid through bis-oxygenation of arachidonate into prostaglandin PGG2. Thereafter, PGG2 is reduced to PGH2 following a peroxidase reaction which is enhanced by cyclooxygenase, also called PTGS synthase. This is a catalyst and enzyme which is crucial in the synthesis of prostaglandin as well as thromboxane. The cyclooxygenase (COX) comprise of two types; COX-1 and COX-2. Aspirin acts as an irreversible inhibitor unlike other NSAIDs like ibuprofen and diclofenac. It plays the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Knowledge partner-VP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Knowledge partner-VP - Essay Example Besides, this is the people who gave their assistance from the Island to develop their vision, and have the same vision with Lab Vlieland. Moreover, Lab Vlieland provides municipality the information. However, the move is to make value proposition. That is; if one needs to earn extra money, one need to understand correctly customer’s demands. The producer or the company should have adequate information on what the customer will be getting as well as what the customer will be willing to pay. Moreover, the organization should be able to analyze who is this person to pay for the network and to be in the inner cycle. Ecological stability, Economic security are also factors that will enable one to understand clearly their customer. Therefore, Suitability is an act of trying to find people in who are willing to want to finance and participate in the project. Moreover, they should be able to share the dream of a community that is about energy independence. However, with sustainable energy, they will be able to earn more income in any particular period. The project is all about generating the solar power field, water or sustainable energy. Time is also another major factor that needs to ensure their efficiency and effectiveness of the operations. Moreover, knowledge sharing helps speeds up the response to the right individuals with the required knowledge and skills. Therefore, time consideration will enable the firm timely identify the right personnel to partner with the business. Also, partners like Google can offer to give time instead of cash. That is; they can use their staff to help Vlieland in their presentation. They can just provide approximately 1% of their employee’s time. Pain relievers are also another thing that needs to be considered. That is; it will help describe the techniques that Vlieland’s service will able to address the challenges. There will be various challenges that the business will be expecting

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Efficient Pricing of Geomarketing Internet Services Essay Example for Free

Efficient Pricing of Geomarketing Internet Services Essay Abstract Geomarketing information is information which enables the user to take better and faster decisions about marketing and sales activities. The main source of information are geographic, demographic, and statistic data. These data are usually collected and maintained by several institutions and come in a variety of forms and formats. The final integrators acquire datasets, sort, filter and organize them, and offer in advance defined analyses. In this paper we focus on geomarketing services offered on the Internet where usually no physical good is exchanged. The subject of trade is geomarketing information the user is able to extract from the datasets. The main issue is how to set a Pareto efficient price for geomarketing information. The situation is Pareto efficient when the sum of user’s and service provider’s surplus is maximized. We investigate nonlinear pricing strategies and their efficiency to serve mass markets and attract users with different willingness to pay. Nonlinear pricing is used in a broader sense to include the practice of selling the same information product on various vertical markets at prices that are not in proportion to the differences in marginal cost. The market research for the GISMO project (Krek et al. 2000) showed that the US market differs substantially from the European. It has characteristics of a commodity market, where providers offer very similar or equal products at similar prices. This is feasible only if the prices for raw datasets, which represent the main barrier to enter the market, are low or zero. Competition among service providers drives prices down and enables them to successfully serve a mass market. The European approach is mostly determined by the high prices of datasets and restrictions on the copyright forced by the National Mapping Agencies. This prevents further production and creation of information products and serves only a narrow group of users with high willingness to pay. We list the most i mportant conditions for Pareto efficient nonlinear pricing of geoinformation services. 1 Introduction Price is a very important element of trade. It can only be discussed in relation to what is offered, how much value the potential user attaches to the product and how much he is willing to pay for it. A geomarketing service in this paper serves as an example for a geoinformation service in general where a Geoinformation product is traded. A Geoinformation product is defined as a specific piece of geoinformation which provides an answer to a particular user’s question. The provider of a geoinformation service has to select the medium of delivery and the price for the service. We concentrate on geomarketing services provided online through the Internet. The service is mostly done automatically, and not by a human. Usually no physical good is exchanged. Gathering information about the product, placing the order, and payment is done over electronic network. In the sections 5 and 6 we analyze different pricing strategies for geographic information and their Pareto efficiency. The s ituation is called to be Pareto efficient when the user’s and service provider’s surplus is maximized. We review marginal cost and nonlinear pricing and explain in which cases they conform to the Pareto efficiency. Setting a price equal to marginal cost is not economically viable since such a price does not cover fixed cost. Some examples of nonlinear pricing, such as quantity discounts, term-volume commitments, and list of price options satisfy the Pareto efficiency requirement if certain conditions are satisfied. We conclude with the list of the most important conditions for the Pareto efficient pricing of geomarketing service. They can be applied to geoinformation services in general. 2 Geomarketing Services A geomarketing service is a service of providing geomarketing information to the user. Geomarketing information is information which enables the user to take better and faster decisions about marketing and sales activities. This information can be delivered to the user in a different form, format and through different media. Geomarketing information is gathered from internal company’s data, which are combined with external demographic, statistic and geographic data. A geoinformation that satisfies a particular information need in a specific decision making situation is called a Geoinformation product. 2.1 Geomarketing Data Geomarketing data consists of internal company’s data and external data. Internal data (the rate of sale, current customers profiles, etc.) is collected and maintained by the company itself. External data comes in a variety of formats and forms, as a collection of numbers, reports, maps, etc., and is gathered by different institutions. Demographic and statistic data is collected and maintained by Statistical Offices and aggregated to a certain extent. Geographic data is provided in Europe mostly by National Mapping Agencies, in USA by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Because of this broad variety of data, their structure, content and formats, they cannot be easily integrated and are not straightforward usable by a non-technical user. 2.2. Geomarketing Information: a Product The source of geomarketing information is geomarketing data. Specialized companies collect the data from different sources, combine them, sort and filter them. For example, the statistical and demographic data have spatial dimension, which is usually given by the street name and house number. This data has to be geocoded in order to link the attributes (purchasing power, age, educational structure, etc.) with geographic data. The providers identify dimensions of data that are valuable for a certain group of users, package them and offer them as a Geoinformation product. A Geoinformation product is a specific piece of geoinformation which provides an answer to a particular user’s question. The answer to the question can come in many different forms; as a selected dataset, combination of datasets, a report, a map, etc. To make the geomarketing service feasible, some in advance designed steps and analyses are offered to the user. The most common are customer profile, site selection, and market penetration. 3 Internet as a Medium of Delivery The Internet changes the way transactions are done. User and seller can enter an electronic relationship without personal contact. The buyer can place an order any time (from the seat at home, late in the evening) and can take as much time as he wants or needs to take the decision about the purchase. Searching for the right product over e-network, he can get comparable information about similar products from other companies, their characteristics and prices. Cooperation with potential and current users of geoinformation services is important. In the Internet world, the gap between service-consumers and services-providers blurs. â€Å"Consumers become involved in the actual production process, their ideas, knowledge, information become part of the product specification process† (Tapscott 1996). In a geomarketing service, usually no physical good is exchanged. The user gets o the result of nly the analysis, the answer to his question. Even more advanced geomarketing services offer the possibility of uploading the data of the user on the provider’s server and combining these data with the collection of the data on the server. A service offered via Internet involves less administration, paper work, and less human resources, which reduces transaction costs. Direct connection to the computer accounting system can provide systematic and efficient registration of the transactions. Security and protection mechanisms enable the service provider to follow and control transactions. Selecting a proper pricing policy in order to attract widespread use of the service is of great importance. In the next sections, we review marginal cost and nonlinear pricing, and analyze their Pareto efficiency. 4 Pareto Efficiency The situation is Pareto efficient if there is no way to make both the user and the service provider better off. The sum of the user’s and provider’s surplus is maximized. It can be a understood lso as maximizing the difference between economic benefits and costs which appear on the user’s as well as on the provider’s side. The economic benefits are the benefits of using the product on the product has to him with his willingness to pay for the marginal unit of the product. If he expects high benefits, he will be willing to pay a high price for the product. Cost incurred on the provider side is mostly high fixed cost of designing and creating the Geoinformation product and enabling the service, and low marginal cost of providing an incremental unit of the product. The user’s cost is the price he pays for the product, the transaction cost and the cost associated with acquiring the information about the product. 5 Marginal Cost Pricing and Pareto Efficiency Marginal cost pricing is pricing where the price equals the marginal cost. The cost of an economic good is an important determinant of how much the producer will be willing to produce. The concept of â€Å"marginal† or â€Å"extra† cost is crucial for the situation on the market of economic goods. It has an important role in appraising how efficient or inefficient any particular price and production pattern is (Samuelson 1967). This observation is valuable for the standard economic good where the total cost of producing the product depends on the quantity produced. The cost structure a Geoinformation product substantially differs from the cost structure of the standard economic good. The total cost of producing the product is mostly a high fixed cost of collecting the data and designing the product, and is not recoverable if the production is halted (sunk cost). The marginal cost of producing t e second and each additional copy of the product is h very low or zero, mostly the cost of disseminating the product. The share of the marginal cost in the total cost of production is negligible. Marginal cost pricing of a Geoinformation product would according to the marginal cost pricing scheme imply very low or zero price. â€Å"Pricing at marginal cost may or may not be efficient: it depends on how the consumers’ total willingness to pay relates to the total cost of providing the good† (Varian 1999). At the first stage of the production, the datasets have low value to most users and they have low willingness to pay for them. The high cost of producing the datasets cannot be recovered. M arginal cost pricing does not imply efficiency because it does not cover the total costs of producing a Geoinformation product. 6 Nonlinear Pricing and Pareto Efficiency Pricing is nonlinear when it is not strictly proportional to the quantity purchas ed. Different prices are charged to different groups of buyers or the same product. Nonlinear pricing is also used in a f broader sense to include the practice of selling the same product on different markets at prices that are not in proportion to the differences in marginal cost. Good examples are phone rates, frequent flyer programs, and electricity (Wilson 1993). The first notion about charging different users differently for the same product was called price discrimination (Pigou 1920) and distinguished among three different forms of discrimination. 6.1 Price Discrimination Pigou (Pigou 1920) first used the term price discrimination and he described the following forms of nonlinear pricing: †¢ First-degree price discrimination The first-degree price discrimination is sometimes known as perfect price discrimination. The producer sells different units of output at different prices and these prices may differ from buyer to buyer. The buyer pays the maximum price that he is willing to pay, irrespective of the cost of production and supply. Usually it is difficult to determine what is the maximum price someone is willing to pay for the product. †¢ Second-degree price discrimination The producer sells different units of output at different prices, but every individual who buys t e h same amount of the good pays the same price. Second-degree price discrimination is much more common in practice. Good examples of this discrimination are volume discounts and coupons. †¢ Third-degree price discrimination The producer sells the output to different people at different prices, but every unit of output sold to a given person sells at the same price. Customers are divided into more groups, which have different demand curves and different price elasticity. The highest price is charged to the groups with the lowest elasticity. Examples of this discrimination are student discounts. 6.2 Two-part Tariff Two-part tariff is an example of a nonlinear pricing and consists of two parts. The first part of the tariff usually comes in the form of a membership, an annual or monthly license and is supposed to cover fixed cost. The second part of the tariff is related to the usage (number of reports transferred, number of bits, layers, etc.) and covers the incremental cost. This pricing scheme is often used in telecommunication. Users are charged for the connection to the network and additionally for the usage. Two-part tariff pricing scheme can be very naturally applied to a geomarketing service. The first part of the tariff represents a membership fee, an annual or monthly licence for access to the data, reports and maps; the second part is a n additional fee usually based on the volume transferred. Price P for a geoinformation service is then P = p0 + p v.q where p0 pv q fixed fee (annual, monthly, membership, etc.) price set for a volume transferred quantity transferred. The revenue collected from the first part of the tariff (p0 ) is supposed to cover the fixed cost of producing the first copy of the Geoinformation product. The price of u sage (pv ) should cover the incremental cost and the cost of transaction. The combination of the membership and usage constructed for the predicted demand is set so that the company’s total cost is recovered. How high the fixed fee and the price of usage s hould be is an important question. Availability of the raw data at low price will change the nature of the market. The price for both parts of the tariff (p0 and pv ) will form according to the equilibrium rules of supply and demand. 6.3 Pareto Efficiency of the Two-part Tariff Two-part tariff can disadvantage a certain segment of the users. Imagine a geomarketing service company offering geographic data over the Internet. For the simplicity of reasoning, imagine there exist two segments of users; those who use data on a regular basis and have a high willingness to pay (governmental institutions, ministries, utilities, etc.), and those who seldom need data (students, individuals, small and medium companies, etc.) and have low willingness to pay. In this case, a high fixed fee excludes the users with low willingness to pay, occasional users who need only a small volume of the data and are not willing to pay an annual membership fee or a license. The necessary condition for Pareto efficiency is not satisfied. 6.4 Quantity Discounts Quantity discounts are a form of a nonlinear price where the provider charges a lower price for a higher volume purchased. The opportunity of selling high volumes at a low price is often neglected in geoinformation business. Increased revenue from the higher volume at lower price enables the provider to improve the service and reduce prices for all users. The quantity discounts are usually designed in order to stimulate sales, but can complicate the billing and accounting system. Pareto efficiency of quantity discounts depends on the volume-price categories offered by the service provider. This pricing strategy might disadvantage users with low willingness to pay, not being able to pay nor interested in purchasing higher volumes. 6.5 Term-Volume Commitments According to this strategy the user agrees with the service provider to pay a certain amount of money for the service in advance. The payment is set according to the predicted demand for the service. This kind of agreement usually involves some discounts, because the whole payment is done at once and at the beginning of the period. Short-term contracts involve lower reduction in price than longer contracts. This strategy reduces billing and accounting cost and is often used by Internet providers. For example, â€Å"a one-year-term commitment to spend $2000/month obtains a discount of 18%â€Å" (Gong and Srinagesh 1998), for the 5 -year contracts the Internet providers use up to 60% discount. Term-volume commitments satisfy the Pareto efficiency requirement if the user can choose among different schemes and are designed indiscriminately. 6.6 List of Price Options Different pricing options can be combined and offered as a list of price options. In geomarketing services, the two-part tariff is often combined with an additional pricing option, the uniform pricing scheme. Under the uniform pricing scheme, the user pays the price (p2 ), which is proportional to the data transferred. Usually the tariff per volume purchased (p2 ) is higher in the uniform pricing scheme than the price (p1 ) proposed in the two-part tariff scheme, but the user need not pay an annual membership fee or license. The user profits if he is an occasional user, who needs a small volume of data. The sum he is willing to pay in this case is lower than the annual membership or license fee plus the cost of the data transferred.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Over-diagnosis of ADHD

The Over-diagnosis of ADHD A simple way to describe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is that it is a brain based condition where there is an imbalance of the brains chemicals dopamine and noradrenaline, these chemicals being responsible for self-control and slowing down of impulses (Green and Chee, 1997: 3). Because of the slight imbalance of these important chemicals, people with ADHD will experience impulsive, hyperactive behaviour as well as inattentiveness with short term memory and in some cases, learning difficulties. Although doctors and scientists have more information about the causes and treatment of ADHD today, there is an interesting history around this disorder which had many different theories and beliefs. Discovered over one hundred years ago, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not a recent medical discovery. It was first described in about 1902 by George Still, an English paediatrician, who had observed a group of patients and recognised them as being inattentive, over active and suffering from a lack of moral control (Green and Chee, 1997: 10). After George Stills discovery, many controversies followed. It was believed that ADHD was a result of brain damage, but when doctors realised that most children with ADHD had no brain damage, that idea was discarded. ADHD was then called Hyperactive Child Syndrome, where all the focus was on hyperactivity. In addition to this, Dr Ben Feingold researched a link between ones diet and hyperactivity, but this controversy was soon proven to not have much effect. Today, it is known that ADHD is strongly hereditary and is, as mentioned before, believed to be caused by the imbalance of dopamine and noradrenaline chemicals in ones brain. This subtle difference in the brain causes ADHD, as inattentiveness and hyperactivity, and can display itself through a number of different symptoms. There is not one definite test for ADHD, but rather a series of steps to go through which help to make the final conclusion in diagnosing ADHD. As ADHD is a common condition, doctors need to be certain when assessing a child for ADHD. Some simple symptoms of the disorder are; disorganisation, restlessness, fidgeting, clumsiness, forgetfulness and being easily distracted. Although every person does experience at least one or more of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean that they have ADHD. People with ADHD will experience these symptoms, but at a far greater level of severity than those without the disorder would, and with negative outcomes because of the severity (Green and Chee, 1997; 227).Therefore, focusing on the simple symptoms of ADHD is what often leads to an over diagnosis of the disorder, such as if a child has a lot of energy and doesnt like to sit still, the child may just be an active child and will not necessarily have ADHD. As Dr Sam Goldstein says, just as not every sneeze is indicative of a cold, so too not every restless, impulsive and inattentive behaviour is indicative of ADHD. (Goldstein, 2004: 7) shows how easily one can confuse normal behaviours with the simple ADHD behaviours, leading to an overdiagnosis of the disorder. When observing a child for ADHD, tests must be done and observations will be made according to the DSM-IV criteria to make a correct diagnosis of ADHD. There are two main features of ADHD, these being inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Under each feature there are diagnostic criteria which need to be addressed when assessing a child who possibly has ADHD. These criteria are called DSM-IV, which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth addition. Under the inattention feature, DSM-IV symptoms include; not paying attention to detail, difficulty focusing and keeping attention on tasks, not listening or following instructions, poor organisational skills, being easily distracted, very forgetful and often losing important items. The hyperactivity-impulsivity feature is arranged under two different subheadings but these are both very closely linked. Hyperactivity DSM-IV symptoms include fidgeting with hands and feet, often leaving ones seat, excessive running and climbing in inappropriate situations, difficulty engaging quietly in relaxing activities, always has endless energy and talks excessively. T he impulsivity criteria include blurting out answers, difficulty being patient and interrupting and intruding on others. Using these criteria, further steps are then taken to make a diagnosis of ADHD. When making the diagnosis of ADHD, there are a number of steps to follow to make sure of an accurate diagnosis. Dr Christopher Green (1997: 61) states that there are four simple steps to diagnosis; firstly to look for alarm signals any behaviours or symptoms that could indicate ADHD. Secondly, to exclude ADHD lookalikes- the behaviours or disorders that are often confused with ADHD. Thirdly, to use objective pointers towards the diagnosis, such as tests and questionnaires, and lastly, to take a detailed history of the child being assessed and link it to ADHD subtleties, discover if the child had any noticeable signs of ADHD growing up. The DSM-IV criteria to determine ADHD can only be used to make a diagnosis if six or more of the symptoms under each subheading (inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity) are experienced or displayed consistently for six or more months, and are not at an age-appropriate developmental level. From this observation, a series of tests will be done to he lp make the diagnosis. Children believed to have ADHD must take a series of tests once the DSM-IV criteria have been observed appropriately, starting with the standard intelligence test. The standard intelligence test will then be followed by specialised subject tests, for example maths, reading and writing, just to name a few. These tests will be monitored by a psychologist who will observe restless or inattentive behaviour. This observation can sometimes be misleading though, as some children are able to focus in a quiet environment, but cannot focus in a noisy classroom environment (Green and Chee, 1997: 67). After ADHD has been identified from this test, children will take a test of attention and persistence to indicate the main areas of weakness caused by ADHD. This final test will help make the final diagnosis of ADHD and will help indicate the right medication to give. Although these tests are the most accurate in diagnosing ADHD, there is still some controversy around whether ADHD is in fact being overdiagnosed. There is a common belief that ADHD is over diagnosed (Sciutto and Eisenberg, 2007: 106). For ADHD to be classified as overdiagnosed the number of false positives, people diagnosed with ADHD who should not be, must be far more than the number of false negatives, people with ADHD who are left undiagnosed and untreated. ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders (Sciutto and Eisenberg, 2007: 106),with three to seven percent of school children meeting the ADHD criteria. A CNN online poll in 2002 showed that seventy six percent of the people who responded to the poll believed that ADHD is an over diagnosed disorder (Sciutto and Eisenberg, 2007: 106). A recent study in 2007 (Sciutto and Eisenberg, 2007: 108,109) focused on looking at evidence for and against the overdiagnosis of ADHD. An area of this study looked at factors that could contribute to a false diagnosis of ADHD, the first factor being comorbidity, many children diagnosed with ADHD also meet the criteria for another psy chiatric disorder and these symptoms overlap with ADHD symptoms, therefore resulting in an incorrect diagnosis. Another factor is diagnostic inaccuracy. Many children are given a diagnosis of ADHD after an initial, brief assessment, but then when evaluated properly on a second occasion, only a few children are given a final and accurate diagnosis of ADHD. A reason for this diagnostic inaccuracy is that some psychologists do not follow the correct diagnostic program and only briefly take in to account the DSM-IV criteria. The other area of this study focused on factors that could contribute to false negatives in ADHD, people with ADHD who are undiagnosed and untreated for it. The key area was aimed at gender differences, which showed that girls with ADHD are more commonly under diagnosed. The reason for this is because girls with ADHD are more likely to internalize their symptoms and are less hyperactive and disruptive but struggle more with inattentiveness. The conclusion of this st udy showed that there is not enough evidence to claim that ADHD is overdiagnosed, so is therefore not classified as overdiagnosed. Although this is just one study, there are other controversies around if ADHD is over diagnosed or under diagnosed and this applies to both children and adults. In earlier years, research shows that ADHD was mostly found in children but more recent studies show that adults can suffer from the disorder too. One of the most common statements made about ADHD is that children with ADHD will outgrow the disorder by the time they reach adulthood. But most children do not outgrow their ADHD (Marsh and Wolfe, 2007/2010: 136). Although the symptoms and signs may be worse as young children and then lessen with age, they do not disappear completely (Green and Chee, 1997: 192). In some cases noticeable signs of ADHD may be present during infancy, however one cannot be certain as there are no valid methods of identifying ADHD before the age of about three years old. Symptoms often become more evident as children move into preschool, at about three or four years old. These include acting without thinking, working and moving fast, roaming around and disrupting other children. If children display these symptoms for one or more years then they will more than likely continue with these difficulties as they grow older. When children move into higher grades at school, inattentive symptoms will start to become more evident. The early grades of junior school are the most common years in which diagnosis of ADHD occurs. The hyperactive behaviours experienced in preschool normally continue for a few years but gradually lessen. As previously mentioned most children with ADHD do not outgrow this disorder, about fifty percent of children display ADHD characteristics into adolescence (Marsh and Wolfe, 2007/2010: 136). In some cases, the problems as a result of ADHD get worse, and most ADHD teenagers present problems in emotional, behavioural and social spheres of development. These problems are often carried on to adulthood and present problems later on in life. The impairments in developmental areas during childhood and adolescence present themselves as problems in adulthood life. Some children can grow out of ADHD, although the majority do not and therefore learn to cope with it as they become older. Some symptoms of ADHD in adults include; restlessness, being easily bored, constantly seeking exhilaration, may experience work difficulties, depression, low self-esteem, substance abuse and personality disorders (Marsh and Wolfe, 2007/2010: 136). Many adults who have ADHD have never been diagnosed with the disorder and consequently feel there is something wrong with them, leading to frustration and additional problems mentioned above. If undiagnosed or left untreated, adults with ADHD will more than likely have negative health and mental problems, work and financial problems and relationship stability problems (Smith and Segal, 2012). There is still on-going research around the controversy about ADHD in adults. There are a number of ways for people with ADHD, both adults and children, to help deal with the disorder, which leads to the next controversy how to treat ADHD. There is no cure for ADHD; however there are various approaches to treating people with the disorder which enables them to live an easier life (Mash and Wolfe, 2010: 149). Although highly controversial, stimulant medication proves to be the most common way of treating ADHD (Robinson, Smith, Segal and Ramsey, 2012) and as it was the first type of medication to treat children with ADHD, it is the most trusted (Barlow and Durand, 2012: 490). Two stimulants are proven to be the most common and effective, one being Methylphenidate, for example Ritalin and Concerta, and the other being Dexamphetamine. Stimulants, otherwise known as psychostimulant drugs, are effective because they regulate the slight imbalance of dopamine and noradrenaline in an ADHD childs brain. This therefore allows the children to be able to focus on tasks that they could not focus on when untreated and shut out distractions as well as thinking before acting (Green and Chee, 1997: 125). Another positive about stimulant s is that they can be used on children and adults of any age, but should only be used on very young children if extremely necessary (Green and Chee, 1997: 161). Although the proven short term benefits of using psychostimulant drugs are positive such as reducing restlessness and allowing children to listen better, which evidently show the reasons for using these drugs, there are arguments against using the drugs which, for example, arise from the negative side effects which are likely to be experienced when taking the medication. There are many controversies around using psychostimulant drugs to treat ADHD but one of the most understandable reasons for any controversy around using these drugs is because of the negative side effects. These side effects are explained by Eric Mash and David Wolfe as reduced appetite, weight loss, slowing of expected gains in height or weight, increase in heart rate and blood pressure, or problems falling asleep. (Mash and Wolfe, 2010: 144). Comprehending that these are only the proven short term side effects of the drugs, the other controversies arise because there are unknown long term side effects that could be a consequence of using these psychostimulant drugs. A common area of concern for parents and another of the controversies surrounding the use of stimulant medication is the possibility of children becoming addicted to the drugs. Dr Christopher Green and Dr Kit Chee responded to this concern by saying that when a stimulant is effective it brings the child into harsh real ity. No one ever got addicted to reality. (Green and Chee, 1997: 160). This quote gives one an understanding that the possibility of becoming addicted to the stimulant medication is unlikely, but this only refers to the people who are actually prescribed by a doctor to the medication. However these stimulant drugs are becoming increasingly available to the public for anyone to purchase, and in this regard are being used and abused by many adolescents and young adults who do not need the medication, as they help enhance academic performance. In this case, where medication is used when not needed, the topic of addiction becomes a reality (McCarthy, 2010). Even with the negative aspects, psychostimulant drugs still remain the most popular in treating ADHD today. The other medication to take into account when looking at treatments for ADHD is the non-stimulant medication. Although not as commonly used as the psychostimulant drugs are, non-stimulant medication can also be considered for the treatment of ADHD. Often non-stimulant medication is only considered when the stimulant drugs are not effective (Green and Chee, 1997: 125). Atomoxetine, with the brand name Strattera, is the first non-stimulant ADHD treatment drug to be FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved (Low, 2009). The reasons why many people believe that the non-stimulant medication is better than using psychostimulant medication is because Atomoxetine does have any indications of becoming addictive, whilst many believe that stimulant medication has the characteristic of becoming addictive. It is also believed to have a longer lasting effect than stimulant medication (Low, 2009). The other non-stimulant drug which is commonly used is the tricyclic antidepressant, Tofranil. This medication may be used when the person being treated does not react well to stimulant medication, or has signs of depression combined with ADHD. This non-stimulant medication may take longer to take effect on the patient, but also has a longer lasting effect than stimulant medication does (Low, 2009). Both of these non-stimulant medications have similar side effects, but debatably not as severe as the side effects of stimulant medication. For the majority of people affected with ADHD, non-stimulant medication does not work and they therefore resort to using psychostimulant drugs. Using these psychostimulant drugs, combined with behaviour development, is possibly the most helpful treatment of all. This combined treatment of stimulant medication and behaviour development is known as multimodal treatment. It is believed that before medication is prescribed, therapy and help should be given to the areas in which children with ADHD are struggling. After the weaknesses are found, the family should be educated about ADHD so that they are aware with what they are exposed to and how to deal with tough situations as a result of their child having ADHD when faced with them, such as helping their child work through a task that they are struggling with. Once the ADHD child is getting the help he or she needs, then medication will be prescribed in order to help the child focus (Green and Chee, 1997: 230). The one negative aspect about this progress of treatment is that it is quite expensive and therefore not everyone will be able to benefit from it. With all of the possibilities of treatment taken into account, it is evident to conclude that although highly controversial, psychostimulant d rugs remain the most efficient medication to use when treating children and adults for ADHD. Taking into account all of the controversies surrounding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder it is clear that there are definite sides to arguments in the areas of diagnostic criteria and whether ADHD is underdiagnosed or overdiagnosed, ADHD in children as well as adults, and the treatment of the disorder. Looking at the diagnostic criteria and studies around overdiagnosis, research confirms my opinion that ADHD is not overdiagnosed, but in some cases it is misdiagnosed as many other psychiatric disorders share the same symptoms as ADHD which leads many people into believing it is overdiagnosed. Researching the occurrence of ADHD in adults as well as children concludes that ADHD in adults is very common, but is not recognised as much as ADHD is in children. Regarding the treatment of ADHD, my side taken in the debate leans towards the use of multimodal treatment, therefore supporting the use of psychostimulant drugs. Research in the area of psychostimulant drugs has shown that t hey have the most effect with helping children and adults focus on tasks and to restrain hyperactive behaviour, without endangering the patients life. Personal experience with psychostimulant drugs also accounts for my reasoning in supporting these drugs for the treatment of ADHD. The controversies surrounding ADHD all have valid points, and each individual has motives to stand behind their belief in a side of an argument. I have looked at all debates around each controversy and made a decision of where I stand based on my views around each controversy, which have been explained above.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Eulogy for Mother :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Mother My brother, my sister and I had adopted a cat. We told our mom that we would take care of it, and feed it. Of course you know what happened. Our mom ended up taking care of it and feeding it. We told our mom the cat's name was Tiger. T i g e r. Now, if you’re Molly and you are originally from Trenton New Jersey, T i g e r is pronounced Tagger. In the morning to call the cat we would take our turns calling, "Here, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, The cat would not come. Then we would wait for our mom to show up in her nightgown and call the cat. She'd call, "Here Tagger Tagger Tagger" and the cat would come. That is a humorous tale about my mom, but it is so typical of her life. The first thing she thought about when she woke up was meeting someone else's needs, not her own. She was feeding our cat. All of us in the family including myself would ask her to do things for us. Mom can you wash this, mom can you cook this, mom cam I borrow some money. She never hesitated to serve her family. She never said, "I'm to busy," or "I have to do this," or any other excuse. That cat would only come when she called it, because my mother knew how to talk and touch people's hearts. That cat responded, as so many other people have to her compassion. She had a compassionate heart. There was room for everybody, no exclusions. Just like Jesus. My Dad told me how he met my mom. They met at a dance at the YMCA in Trenton, New Jersey. While dancing, my dad stepped on her feet. Instead of apologizing for stepping on her feet my dad said, "I guess your just learning how to dance." My mom just looked at my dad and said, "yes I’m just learning." Not until later in their relationship did my dad find out that my mom had won dance contests. Another funny story, and if you knew my mom you appreciated her sense of humor and her love of laughter; but another example of how she led her life. Instead of saying something mean she put the burden on herself. And now I will tell you about all the times my mom said mean things to me and other people.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution :: essays research papers

Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution You know about the Vermeer story right? Never heard of Vermeer? Really? So the story goes, as I am usually lounging around with others who have migrated into the vast world of the web, these questions generally come up†¦ Vermeer was the company who silently pioneered FrontPage, and was quietly and expeditiously merged into â€Å"the empire† at Microsoft. It evolved into two key MS technologies, the Personal Web Server (PWS) and FrontPage, now widely utilized at homes worldwide as a key component of Office 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alas the story continues, as I tread the waters deeper and find other so-called web developers around Cebu creating pages and sites for the vastness of the net. I usually silently snicker inside as they tell me how they learned FrontPage at â€Å"so and so† institution and have been a professional web developer ever since. Rest assured, I think to myself, they’ll be attending a class or two of mine soon†¦ However, not for nothing, us professional developers (you know these guys, the ones who are making integrated solutions for the guy next down AND several [er, thousand] kilometers away.) usually have little to do with FrontPage nowadays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FrontPage, long ago the â€Å"cream of the crop† silently sits in wait as we tear away with apps such as Ultradev 4, 1st Page, Flash 5, Adobe PhotoShop, XML-Spy, and the Top Style CSS editor. Us â€Å"big boys† are playing with such things as .asp, .php, ColdFusion, ActionScript, XSLT, and a myriad of other acronyms that will leave your head spinning. On top of that, we’re all scrambling to learn more Java (for server pages and COM building), PowerBuilder, and of course, XHTML. This is not to the fault of FrontPage , it still is functional, but has lost it’s functionality as we deal with interactive web sites and most (over 85%) of the servers in Cebu can’t run FrontPage’s Server Extensions (That’s what JavaScript is for anyway you say†¦). But don’t fret, they have just breathed life into this ailing creature, redirecting it’s path from the tangent path of obsolescence. Enter the next generation o f FrontPage, a powerhouse of fury packed under the soon-to-be-released Windows OfficeXP umbrella. XP standing for experience, something we’re all going to have to sit down and do ourselves†¦ but for now, here’s the primer†¦. What’s OfficeXP all about? Here’s the marketing pitch: Whether you are a small business user, a user in a larger organization, an IT administrator, or a user working from home, Office XP is the essential tool to maximize your productivity. Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution :: essays research papers Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution You know about the Vermeer story right? Never heard of Vermeer? Really? So the story goes, as I am usually lounging around with others who have migrated into the vast world of the web, these questions generally come up†¦ Vermeer was the company who silently pioneered FrontPage, and was quietly and expeditiously merged into â€Å"the empire† at Microsoft. It evolved into two key MS technologies, the Personal Web Server (PWS) and FrontPage, now widely utilized at homes worldwide as a key component of Office 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alas the story continues, as I tread the waters deeper and find other so-called web developers around Cebu creating pages and sites for the vastness of the net. I usually silently snicker inside as they tell me how they learned FrontPage at â€Å"so and so† institution and have been a professional web developer ever since. Rest assured, I think to myself, they’ll be attending a class or two of mine soon†¦ However, not for nothing, us professional developers (you know these guys, the ones who are making integrated solutions for the guy next down AND several [er, thousand] kilometers away.) usually have little to do with FrontPage nowadays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FrontPage, long ago the â€Å"cream of the crop† silently sits in wait as we tear away with apps such as Ultradev 4, 1st Page, Flash 5, Adobe PhotoShop, XML-Spy, and the Top Style CSS editor. Us â€Å"big boys† are playing with such things as .asp, .php, ColdFusion, ActionScript, XSLT, and a myriad of other acronyms that will leave your head spinning. On top of that, we’re all scrambling to learn more Java (for server pages and COM building), PowerBuilder, and of course, XHTML. This is not to the fault of FrontPage , it still is functional, but has lost it’s functionality as we deal with interactive web sites and most (over 85%) of the servers in Cebu can’t run FrontPage’s Server Extensions (That’s what JavaScript is for anyway you say†¦). But don’t fret, they have just breathed life into this ailing creature, redirecting it’s path from the tangent path of obsolescence. Enter the next generation o f FrontPage, a powerhouse of fury packed under the soon-to-be-released Windows OfficeXP umbrella. XP standing for experience, something we’re all going to have to sit down and do ourselves†¦ but for now, here’s the primer†¦. What’s OfficeXP all about? Here’s the marketing pitch: Whether you are a small business user, a user in a larger organization, an IT administrator, or a user working from home, Office XP is the essential tool to maximize your productivity.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Alexander’s Vast Accomplishments as a Conquerer Essay -- alexander the

The first matter to consider is what constitutes â€Å"greatness†. There are no set standards no checklist, to apply to a person, to determine it they are â€Å"great.† The simplest way that I could conceive to decide whether this title should apply to Alexander was to determine if he was, in some way, superior to the rulers that came before or after his reign. The most obvious place for me to start my consideration is with Alexander’s vast accomplishments as a conquerer. Alexander inherited an impressive military from his father and a stable kingdom; he also followed his father’s plans to invade Asia. Does this detract from his own accomplishments with the Macedonian army? I would argue that it does not. It does not matter how large his or how well trained his standing army had been, there can be no success without some form of military leadership. Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him. It is unknown whether Alexander intended to adopt these practices; if he adopted the policies that he liked; or if he adopted policies for political purposes. No matter his intentions, Alexander’s changes in leadership pol... ...here are few people in history that can claim the military prowess, uncanny political maneuvering, and the overall lasting effect of the dissemination of a particular culture such as Alexander. Alexander’s exploits led to the spread of the Greek culture throughout Asia and Africa. They even went so far as to impact the Romans who dominated Hellenistic Egypt. He left in his wake and expansion of territory and commerce, with expanded trading ports and the exportation of the Greek political system. Christianity emerged with the Hellenization of the Jews and spread throughout Hellenized gentile communities. It seems impossible to catalogue every impact of Alexander’s empire. In the end, I have to conclude that Alexander does ‘fully deserve’ the title of â€Å"the Great.† Works Cited Worthington, Ian. Alexander The Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2012.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Great Gatsby and Elizabeth Barrett Browning Essay

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald written in the Jazz age of 1920s America, and Sonnet from the Portuguese written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning composed in the wake of Romanticism, although the two texts were composed in two distinct time period both texts are influenced by their varying contexts in their portrayal of the enduring human concerns. Both authors explore the universal human concerns of love, hope and mortality through the use of various language features such as metaphors, use of irony and the subversion of the established values of their time. Elizabeth Barrett Browning employs the Petrarchan form and male linguistics to challenge the tradition of courtly love whereas Fitzgerald critiques the hedonistic lifestyle, and the fall of the American dream to illustrate the illusion of love and hope. During the Victorian Era people were still very religious and EBB was no different and is reflected in her poetry. She implies that love, if it more than merely attraction and desire, must have a spiritual element. It also further reflects the value of Victorian ideology in its religious affirmations and patriarchal attribution of masculine power. This is especially shown In Sonnet 43 when she writes â€Å"as men strive for Right.. as they turn from Praise. † She also writes how their love will continue after their deaths into the afterlife, â€Å"I shall but love thee better after death. † This suggests her deep passion for her love, and how it will carry on. Even in Sonnet 32 where she is very doubtful, the sonnet still shows spiritual, soul-bonding power of ideal love as the poem ends with the musical and spiritual analogy that, together, they create ‘perfect strains’ and their ‘great souls, at one stroke, may do and coat. As a person like EBB who experienced melancholy, love was very unexpected for her and thus created a lot of doubt, but nonetheless accepts the power of transformation that love brings. In Sonnet 32 she has feelings of inadequacy shown by the extended simile as herself as an ‘out-of-tune Worn viol. ’ EBB makes a magnitude of musical references while also deeming herself unworthy for her lover such as â€Å"To spoil his song†¦ in haste, is land down at the first ill sounding note. † This is saying how she does not want to ruin the song. She also references the male dominance of the Victorian Era showing how the male which is the active, powerful agent which appears to be playing instrument, and is being referenced to Robert. She also appears to express her doubt about the relationship in Sonnet 13, specifically with the imagery of the torch between both the lovers. However the repeated ellipses suggest an inarticulate awkwardness in expressing her feelings and thus drops the torch. Although in the sestet she recognises the great power of love to cause transformation in life. SHe mentions her love is â€Å"rendering the garment of my life. † Realising that she cannot deny love, and the enormous power it has. While Browning sonnet’s explore deeply felt love in Victorian Era England, F Scott Fitzgerald explores the elements of love throughout his character of Gatsby and how his obsessional desire for love was futile and destructive, ultimately reflecting the values and perspectives of the 1920s Jazz Age of America. Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy involved the accumulation of vast wealth used to host massive lavish parties. The green light on Daisy’s dock repeated 3 times throughout the book symbolises the dream being at the tip of your fingers, yet being unachievable. This was the obsessive, unreasonable longing found expression in the lavish parties at his mansion, as Jordan Baker later explained â€Å"so that Daisy would be just across the bay. † Nick expresses the intensity of Gatsby’s devotion in the metaphor â€Å"He waited 5 years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths. † Gatsby wins Daisy but is revealed to be illusory. The Degree to which Gatsby’s desire is based on a false premise and unworthy object is shown when he finally achieves his goal and takes Daisy and Nick to his house. Fitzgerald uses the repeated motif of ‘wonder’ to express Gatsby’s ‘inconceivable pitch of intensity. ’ However Gatsby is soon left defeated as Daisy fails to please Gatsby when she fails to say to Tom â€Å"I never loved you†. The fallacy of Gatsbys idealised love is evident in his total defeat: dismissed by TOm as â€Å"Mr Nobody from Nowhere. † However Nick still admires Gatsby for that. Fitzgerald later reveals there meeting before Gatsby went to war was also illusory and superficial, reinforcing the fact that the values of that time appeared to be based more on materialistic wealth. Finally the failures of Gatsby’s pursuit can be linked to the failures of the American Dream and the loss of spiritual values. The book raises questions whether genuine love is possible in the society and culture of the 1920s where it seems to suggest the impossibility of real love when selfishness, greed and infidelity predominate. It also depicts how Hedonistic materialism precludes spiritual values and the idealism of the American Dream. The dilapidated billboard â€Å" the eyes of Dr T J Eckleburg† represents the pervasive consumerism and materialism have taken place of spiritual values. . Dr T J Eckleburg appears later in the book as a motif for the absence of God in the world as when Wilsons remembers confronting Myrtle about infidelity, he said â€Å" You may see me†¦ God sees everything. † In Conclusion the two texts offer differing viewpoints in regards to love, this can be linked to both their author’s values and perspectives during their particular time.

10 most important events in the odyssey Essay

1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing 10 most important events in the odyssey 1.) the lotus eaters-drugged Odysseus’ men. 2.)Cyclopes-believed Odysseus that he was no body and gets hurt. 3.) Circe-Odysseus sends his men to find out what she is, turns men into pigs, Hermes gives Odysseus garlic so he doesn’t turn into pig 4.)the sirens-singing Hahahahahah