“Like A Rolling Stone”, analysis of Bob Dylan’s song Essay

Not very many songs compare to Bob Dylan’s timeless â€Å"Like A Rolling Stone†. He explores areas that most conventional lyricists and composers do not touch. Bob tells us many of life’s lessons in a mere six minutes and nine seconds. The divine Bob describes life before and after the fall from fame and fortune by telling the stories of multiple persons, speaking to them in conversation. The theme of this song is loss, whether is it loss of social status, money, or trust for humanity. The first stanza tells the listener or reader not to â€Å"throw the bums a dime† because it is easy to loan too many peoples money and never be repaid, leaving the possibility of losing everything. The lines of the first stanza address someone as â€Å"you†, suggesting they are speaking directly to the subject of the stanza. The lyrics of â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone,† when close read as in the past you (the mystery individual the song is addressing) were rich and flashed your money around, spending and lending your money to people who never had any intent of paying you back. Dylan uses a similar idea in â€Å"A Man of Constant Sorrow,† in lines 15 and 16, â€Å"If I had known how bad you’d treat me honey/ I never would have come.† This line implies that he came a long way to see someone and help them, and was never thanked for his efforts, in the same way the subject of this stanza was never repaid for their charity. Line three goes on that p eople told you that if you weren’t prudent with your money you’d lose everything, and you didn’t take them seriously. You used to laugh at those who had less than you, but now you don’t laugh at all. You don’t act like a big shot anymore, because you’re working hard just to be able to eat, and don’t have the money to flash around. The first stanza is teeming with literary devices. In the second line, there is an internal rhyme with the words â€Å"dime† and â€Å"prime†, along with an example of metonymy with the word â€Å"bums†. In line three there is an example of both internal rhyme and consonance. â€Å"People’d call, say, ‘Beware doll, you’re bound to fall’. † (line 3), shows an example of internal rhyming. In the same line the words â€Å"call† and â€Å"doll† are an example of consonance. â€Å"How does it feel? How does it feel? To be on your own, With no direction home? Like a complete unknown? Like a rolling stone?† The chorus is repeated between each stanza, consistently asking each subject of the stanzas how it feels to be left with nothing when they once had something. Essentially, it means what it says. How does it feel to be homeless, rootless, and friendless, having no one know your name, like a drifter who is never welcome anywhere? There is only one literary device in the chorus, and that is a simile with line 5 of the chorus itself, â€Å"Like a rolling stone.† It is suggested in the second stanza of lyrics that the well off do not always know how to take care of themselves. The narrator of this story tells the subject you went to the finest schools, but you never went to learn, you only went to party. Those schools never taught you any street smarts or how to take care of yourself. Now you are forced to learn how to, and you’re going to have to get used to it. You said you’d never deal with shady businessmen, but now you realize you don’t have any other choice. The â€Å"mystery tramp† (line20), isn’t offering to help her or give out charity, â€Å"he’s not selling any alibis† (line 21). In realizing this, you ask him if he wants to make a deal with you to get you out of your predicament. The second stanza has two very rich examples of literary devices. The first is a metaphor in line 22, which reads, â€Å"As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes†. The man whose eyes the subject is staring into is about to take her for all she’s got, and is in a sense sucking her completely of her pride and status. In line eighteen there is an example of assonance with the words â€Å"now† and â€Å"out†. Stanza three brings a new tale of woe telling an unfortunate what they did wrong in their business dealings. He or she is informed that they never saw that there was something wrong going on around you, like observers of the situation did. † You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns† (line 30). Dylan uses images of jokers, thieves, and clowns often in his lyrics, such as in â€Å"All Along the Watchtower† with the line â€Å". . . said the joker to the thief.† You never realized that it isn’t a good idea to entrust your life or money to someone else. â€Å"You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you† (line 33). You used to parade around with your most trusted advisor, who was very cunning and sly. It was hard when you found out that he wasn’t who you thought he was, and that he had stolen everything he could get his hands on. This stanza a few repeats of literary devices we’ve already seen in earlier stanzas. Line 30 has another example of assonance using the words â€Å"around† and â€Å"frowns†. Another repeat of a literary device is in line 33 with internal rhyme; â€Å"You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you†. There are two examples of metaphors with â€Å"the chrome horse† in line 34 and line 35, â€Å"who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat†. These strange, difficult to understand lyrics are very common in Dylan songs. Sometimes entire songs are made up of these vague metaphors, such as â€Å"It’s All Right Ma, I’m Only Bleeding,† and â€Å"It’s a Hard Rain That’s Gonna Fall†. A girl and all her friends are held up in society, and they spend their time partying and buying each other expensive gifts. They think that life could never get any better, or any worse. The girl is advised to pawn her diamond ring now. She used to laugh at those who she felt were below her, and the slang they used. Now she can see herself falling to the same fate, and there is nothing she can do. â€Å"You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal† (line 53). Of course, if you have nothing and are nothing, you can lose nothing, because there is no one trying to tear you down. The fourth and final stanza doesn’t slack off when it comes to literary devices. In line 45 there is assonance with the words â€Å"steeple† and â€Å"people†Ã‚  Immediately following it in line 46 there is an internal rhyme with â€Å"drinkin, thinkin†. Line 48 gives â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone† its only example of alliteration. â€Å"But you’d better take your diamond ring, you’d better pawn it babe† (line 48). The phrase, â€Å"Napoleon in rags† in line 50 is an example of synecdoche for all people of power and money who have fallen from their place in society. â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone,† by Bob Dylan attempts to teach a lesson to the listener using different tales of woe. Many of Dylan’s songs are meant to be didactic, and I think this is mainly because Dylan was a folk singer, and at the time of his popularity a lot of songs were written to educate people about war, famine, and peace. â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone† is meant to teach people to be smart with their money and their trust, and to realize that they are invincible. Dylan uses a lot of internal rhyming and assonance in his songs, which make them flow so much easier to the music, and makes listening to the songs much more enjoyable. The meter of â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone† changes through the course of the stanzas. Sometimes the lines are iambic, sometimes they have no meter at all, and are free verse. For the most part they are free verse. â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone† is a classic folk song in American culture, and instills in the listener the notion of falling from grace, while incorporating many literary devices to help prove a point and make the song’s statement more powerful. Many would argue that Bob Dylan is only a songwriter, not a poet. In time however, Bob Dylan will be honored, as he rightly should be, as a robust wordsmith who helped shape America with songs such as, â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone†.

Art Therapy: Is It Effective? Essay

Georgia O’Keeffe once said, â€Å"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way. Things I had no words for. † The actual creation of art triggers an unconscious process helping a person connect with his emotions (Kotwas). The process is said to enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages and backgrounds. The expressive arts do not discriminate and is an effective alternative to traditional psychotherapy and certain prescribed medications. The production and reflection of art helps people cope with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences. Creation is an essential part of life, much like eating, sleeping, and breathing, and we all possess unique artistic and creative tendencies and needs. Many people do not know what art therapy actually is, and it is not to be confused with an art class. Art therapy is unlike art education, where the focus is on teaching the use of artistic tools and techniques as well as the quality of the finished product. Expressive arts therapy combines visual arts, music, writing and other creative processes to help a person express and visualize emotions, and to aid growth and healing (Artful). Art class consists of being criticized, graded by others, and can even become a stressful environment. Opposite of that is art therapy, where no judgment exists, therefore no pressure exists, and the focus is on self-growth and awareness. Adding the therapeutic aspect to art creates a calmer environment and encourages a positive setting for allowing an individual to be more focused and to create distinctive and sometimes eye opening products. Visualizing and expressing emotions is the language of the unconscious mind. Serving as a more primitive and direct mode of personal expression than words. Art therapy is successfully filling the gaps where general clinical psychology may not be able to reach. The expressive arts offer an alternative insight into the workings of the psyche, and it is an area of study that adds further depth to the field of child psychology (Kotwas). Instead of diagnosing children with ADD or ADHD and prescribing those 2. 7 million children medication to take every day for the rest of their life, they could create. Art therapy is an effective alternative to the medications that are being prescribed to children, and making those children act like zombies, which is no way any human should ever act. Parents are too busy to spend time with a child and it seems as if they are afraid of parenting these days. Hyperactive children should not be drugged to the point of acting like a different person all together; instead they should be worked with patiently. Art naturally opens up a person’s mind and creates a euphoric and relaxed feeling. Also the creation of art lowers stress, eliminates negative thinking, and improves confidence. Expressing more than a child could possibly express by simply talking. Children tend to have a hard time articulating the way they feel, because they do not know what it is they are feeling or why they are feeling this particular way. When children cannot verbalize the effect that violence has on them, they sometimes express it by drawing says Dr. Spencer Eth. He says that when children too traumatized to talk are told, â€Å"Just draw about anything you want,† their pictures reveal much about what is on their minds. Enabling therapists to ask children to tell a story, which usually has some connection with the trauma they have suffered. Eth continues by saying, â€Å"Drawing is one of the most effective techniques we have for getting a child to open up and confront difficult feelings – the first step in healing. † (Timnick). The idea of getting a child to open up seems pretty difficult, but the adolescent child is a whole new level of difficulty which can be done with the use of art. Teenagers have a preconceived view of talking psychotherapies that has been shaped by movies and television. They often think that these therapies are only for serious mental cases or people that are dying. In contrast, they come to art therapy without such preconceived ideas, and this form of therapy has proved effective with adolescents. The greatest difficulty for an adult seeking to establish a relationship with an adolescent is the teen’s resistance to authority and lack of trust in the adult world. These stages of adolescent development are normal, but they work against the traditional forms of verbal therapy. This casual approach is a surprise to the teen and counteracts the fears of exposure and pain that may have been expected. The teens feel that they lucked out by having a therapist who is not interested in verbal cross-examination. Instead, their therapist is interested in their opinions of their world as expressed through imagery. Using art in therapy provides a pleasure factor that is not what teens expect to encounter, and it stimulates their desire to be expressive. Drawing is in tune with adolescents’ development, as evidenced by the tagging and graffiti that is abundant in many cities. It is hard to restrain an adolescent’s urge to make their mark (Riley). Art can reach into certain depths of the mind revealing underlying feelings that even an adult may not know he has. Not only can children and adolescences benefit from art therapy, but adults can as well. Creating art gives adults a sense of empowerment and control. This empowerment often influences individuals to reflect if they have performed well at something they had not realized they could master, perhaps they could similarly master other activities that had previously seemed impossible. A sense of control and empowerment in one area increases the level of comfort with exploring new challenges in general outside of the class. Arts provide some of the best opportunities to experience a new sense of control or mastery. In the arts, the opportunities to create something new and beautiful are endless and offer an enormous sense of satisfaction and empowerment (Cohen). Giving a person the self-esteem they need to openly express his inner thoughts and buried feelings. Art therapy is based on the idea that the verbal, rational mind often throws a wall between the wounded unconscious and the outside world. Drawing is a way for the unconscious to break down the wall says Dr. McGrath, â€Å"You can communicate and express feelings that can’t come out in words. Things come out that you may not expect. † Once those pictures break out, the therapist and patient can discuss them, and the healing can begin. Local art therapists empathize that the method can help people of all ages (Lemley). Not only all ages but, all mindsets as well. Art therapy is sometimes found in the school setting, but more prominently it is found in the clinical setting. Creative arts can have an equally secure place in the hospital setting if we expand that psychosocial need component, by recognizing that we are all artistic. The creative arts serve as a form of therapeutic intervention intended to increase and improve the quality of life for both clients and their families thereby, reducing the impact of the crisis caused by the illness. The arts serve as a tool and means for creative expression and communication, especially during the final stages of life (Orser). When pain becomes overpowering, a patient’s creative impulses may be an important ally. ABC News wrote an article on art therapy saying that for some time now scientists have known that a wide range of creative activities, ranging from listening to or performing music, to engaging in an energetic dance routine, may reduce pain felt by persons who are ill. And more recently researchers have shown that creating a piece of art can do the same thing, even if the art is not all that great. In the latest study, 50 cancer patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago lowered eight out of nine symptoms associated with pain and anxiety after spending one hour painting, or drawing, or trying to make a piece of pottery or jewelry. Even though a person may not have control over their medical condition, they do have control over the artwork they create. In the hospice setting, dying patients are not the only people to undergo art treatment. Art therapy also has a program that aims to help the recovering service members find a creative haven where their buried post-war thoughts and emotions can come to the surface through art and therapy. By working on their art projects in a personal manner, they confront the circumstances of their injuries and begin to overcome the uncertainty they might feel. Creating art slows down the brain so people can focus and improve their cognitive skills and hand-eye coordination. Sharing and discussing artwork establishes a sense of community and bonding with one another, which is particularly helpful to those with post-traumatic stress disorder who tend to isolate themselves and do not trust others (Cronk). Art therapy is especially beneficial to active service members, because a patient’s picture is worth a thousand words and a psychotherapy patient does not always effectively produce any words at all. Art therapy is a much more effective form of traditional therapy. Expressive arts benefits children, adolescents, adults, and elders. Very few disadvantages if any are found in the creation of art. Verbalizing an emotion is sometimes very difficult to do, yet can easily be expressed through images. People tend to bury traumatic events causing a shift in personality and a barrier between communications. Art therapy is a new and upcoming form of therapy that will become more prevalent as the years progress. It is an effective alternative to traditional therapy and prescribed medications for all sorts of disorders ranging from ADHD to patients that are dying, to post-traumatic stress disorder. Works Cited â€Å"The Artful Life – Counseling Center and Studio. † Expressive Art Therapy. Artfullifecenter. org. , 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. Cohen, Gene D. â€Å"Research on Creativity and Aging: The Positive Impact of the Arts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Generations Vol. 30, No. 1. Spring 2006: 7-15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. Cronk, Terri. â€Å"Therapist Uses Art to Help Troops Heal. † US Department of Defense. 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013

Peter Berger's heretical imperative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Peter Berger's heretical imperative - Essay Example According to Berger, pluralism is â€Å"a situation in which there is competition in the institutional ordering of comprehensive meanings of everyday life† (Oldmeadow, 2010, p.33). Because of uncertainty, there are unsteady, inconsistent and erratic plausibility structures, particularly those of religion. Berger argues that religion becomes a matter of choice, which he best refers to as a â€Å"heretical imperative† (heresy). According to Peter Berger, there are three contemporary responses to the crisis that modernity thrusts religion into, which include deduction, reduction as well as induction. Berger denounces deduction, which entails the reaffirmation of influence of a sacred ritual against secular authority (Esposito, Fasching & Lewis, 2011). He also rejects reductionism, which reinterprets a sacred ritual on the basis of secular authority. In rejecting the two responses, Berger supports the third approach, which is induction. His belief is that the crisis facing religion is a product of the sterile antithesis of neo-orthodoxy and secularism (Woodhead Heelas & Martin, 2001). He believes that by shunning both deductive and reductive approaches and adopting inductive approach, the crisis can be triumphed. In The Sacred Canopy: elements of a sociological theory of religion, Berger explore the relationship between human religion and world-building. The society is presented as dialectic because it is considered as a human invention. Society is produced by man. Also, man is also portrayed as a product of the society. Society precedes human life and also succeeds it. That is, society existed before human birth and will persist after his death. Man cannot exist without society and without man, society cannot exist. This exhibits the dialectic nature of the society. Berger argues that pluralism undermines stable belief (Berger, 1979). Pluralism is the cause of secularisation. According to Berger, the basic dialectic process

Proposal report for ERP strategic to Omar A. Balubaid Company Limited Essay

Proposal report for ERP strategic to Omar A. Balubaid Company Limited - Essay Example This section concludes with the benefits that will be brought about in Omar A. Balubaid after the implementation of ERP system. ERP systems tend to save time for any organization- this aspect has been discussed, along with the cost of implementation for other companies and Omar A. Balubaid. Risks of implementation have been discussed in the report. Several ways have been identified that can be adapted to handle the risks. Choosing a suitable vendor is an important step in the process of ERP implementation, therefore several vendors have been mentioned and then benefits of the chosen one have been discussed. Lastly, the implementation process of ERP systems has been discussed to give an overview to the reader about the factors that are needed to be considered during the implementation. The modern world has become a test for survival for companies around the world. Consumers have become more aware about their choices and tend to switch brands frequently. This creates the need for current information about the market trends, consumer behaviours and effective strategic planning. Companies need to be equipped with up-to-date systems so that they are not left behind in the race for revenues and market share. While keeping these things in mind, three new strategies were proposed for Omar Abu Bakar Balubaid. Co. Ltd. Omar A. Balubaid Co. Ltd. holds the status of being one of the first car companies in Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1952 in Jeddah with the capital of SR 300,000 [1]. Over the years, the company has flourished and has established 50 branches to manage their operations and sales. It proudly owns the agencies of General Motors (GM) and Peugeot [2]. The company’s systems and procedures were being handled in the conventional manner of papers and files. Better IT infrastructure came about in the company in 1997 and MS Office got

Marketing Plan Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing Plan Outline - Assignment Example Market Summary: This section provides the credibility of entering the chosen market of Bakersfield. Currently people are more reliant on dry cleaning services for being busy and over equipped with the work-life balance. This factor provides the company to enter the market with newer and better facilities, like home deliveries. SWOT Analysis: reveals that currently the company has the resources and abilities to enter this market. There are no strict rules and regulations surrounding this area of business. People are welcoming new and better services with limited time available to them for dropping and picking up their clothes and other items. The strength, hence, lies in delivering the services at their door step, suing technologies to make it easier for them to avail the services and providing better results than others. Competition: Wash N Dry and Today Dry cleaners are the closest competitors with many recurring and satisfied customers. However, the service differentiation of provi ding home delivery facility is an obvious benefit for the clients. Moreover, the use of technology would enhance the credibility and save clients time to visit the shop. Products/Services: The strategy to capture the working population and save their time will be attractive to the Bakersfield market. Majority of the population is from a working class. Extended hours of work in different shift of employees would be helpful in creating flexibility for the clients to get their laundries done at their ease. Moreover, home delivery would save them time and travelling costs which is an add-on to the high quality services the company offers. Keys to Success: This section provides the key for the success of our business. The main idea proposed is to close the gap between client expectation and actual service delivered. Hence, the idea is to create value for the customer and communicate that value properly. Critical Issues: The critical issues to be considered are discussed in three main poi nts including The Pre-opening marketing of the service, the cost-benefit analysis of home Delivery and The formulation of Promotional Strategy that supports business aims. 2.1 Market Summary The target market of Bakersfield, California is attractive for the dry cleaning businesses. The employment rates among both men and women are high, leaving minimal time for them to perform household tasks. In order to get their laundry done, they opt for the service providers easily and cheaply available. The busy population does not get enough time to visit the self-service dry-cleaning and laundry shops, hence, drop-off businesses like Today Cleaners are introduced. The service provides time-savings to the customers which is highly appreciated and accepted. Figure 1: (Britt, 2006) The population growth rate is about 40.6% since 2000 which is considerably higher than other areas of the US. Approximately 3.5 million people are living in Bakersfield (USA.com). The median household income in Baker sfield shows an increasing trend of approximately 35% which shows their better living standards than before. The employment rate is about 88.5% in June 2013, as reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor

Comparison and Contrast of Republican and Democrats Assignment

Comparison and Contrast of Republican and Democrats - Assignment Example There are many different opinions on issues between Republicans and Democrats. The opinions range from health care, taxes, military, abortion, and foreign policy. There has been a long history between the two parties. The history dates back to the late 1700s and middle 1800s. The founding of the two parties marked the beginning of the debating. Americans were forced to choose sides. The side that you chose says a lot about what your beliefs, values and your difference in philosophy are. The Republicans are generally considered conservative, pro-business and against bureaucracy. The party was founded in 1854 by President Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President during the anti-slavery expansion and American Civil War. Republicans follow traditional values which focus on unified families such as biblical foundations, moral codes, and values that are passed down from generation to generation. The Democrats are liberal and favor, government, society, equality, are against discrimination and environmentally conscious. The foundation of the Democratic Party dates back to before American independence from British Rule in 1792 and was organized by Thomas Jefferson. Democrats believe in each having an obligation in our community, each other and family. They pay remembrance to ancestors, slavery, immigrants and the belief that status and wealth does not entitle one to rule. Republicans are strong in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma whereas, Democrats are strong in California and Massachusetts. Economically the Republicans favor that taxes should not be increased for anyone especially the wealthy and wages should reflect the market. Democrats, on the other hand, favor the poor, minimum wages and tax increase in the wealthy.  Ã‚  

GCC Common Currency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GCC Common Currency - Essay Example a unified economic system having a unified currency will do much to stabilize this situation for them and the oil importing market (Al-Jasser & Al-Hamidy 116). The requisites for establishing a unified currency area necessitates the free movement of national goods, labour and capital across borders within the area, greatly enhancing trade among the member countries. Full customs union, a precursor to trade liberalization, is expected to increase inter-GCC trade to 20% in 2015 and 25% in 2020 (Kawach). CON: There presently exists a great disparity in the size of the economy of Saudi Arabia as compared to the other member countries, so there should be a more careful and gradual integration of movements of resources so as not to cause destabilization among the smaller economies. Furthermore, the customs union began in 2005 is not yet fully implemented with many reservations still in place at present. Also, boosting regional trade requires diversifying away from oil, which still accounts for 90 percent of export revenues (Hancock). PRO: The integration of the individual economies should be carefully managed so that the valuation of assets would not be unduly distorted. Measures have been initiated to interlink the countries’ stock markets in order to accommodate cross listing and trading of equities and other securities. The common currency also eliminates foreign exchange risk within the GCC area, because the need to convert from one currency to another would have been eliminated. CON: In the process of unification, financial assets which are denominated in national currencies should not suffer in valuation in the new currency. Financial asset valuation depends to an extent on the future return on investment in comparison with inflation, nominal interest rates, and foreign exchange rates (Al-Jasser & Al-Hamidy 116). The efforts to unify the customs and markets operations that began in 2003 to 2005 are still to be completed (Mohamed & Irandoust

Concert Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Concert Report - Essay Example If technically superior and sophisticated, but with an accessibility that allows anyone to be able to listen and appreciate it. The evening was a pleasant and exciting event for music as jazz musician created a magical atmosphere. Listening to smooth jazz is similar to listening to pop music. The ways in which they are similar includes the easiness of listening, the simplicity that appears to be present even though there is obvious technical difficulty involved, and that it creates a sense of joy even when its being sorrowful or melancholy. Stetcu defined as smooth jazz as something that is driven by a popular audience appreciation (25). This in no way diminishes its presence, but instead provides a means for the principles of jazz to be more enjoyable as the composition takes its complexity and supports it with a lighter presentation. Most of the music that was playing seemed joyful. There is a certain amount of happiness that comes through this particular style of music that may not necessarily be in other forms of jazz. One of the interesting things of note was the way in which the drummer played. Some drummers tend to be extremely active and aggressive as they beat on the skins. Even during his solos, Ramon Banda was laid-back in the way which he approached his methods of play even though this sounds did not seem restrained. His solos flowed seamlessly into the rest of music as the other instruments dropped away and then joined him. This particular style was not necessarily aggressive, but that did not mean that his beat was repressed. He was constant and vigilant in the way in which he created an underlying rhythm. The duet between Henry Franklin and Gilbert Castallanos was in inspiring. The complexity of what they were playing created an overtone of the smooth jazz line with a sophistication that ran through

Recruitment and Army Essay Example for Free

Recruitment and Army Essay 1.0 Opportunities and dangers to be considered by the Army in externalising the recruitment processes. a. Preston (2012 P.36) shows how the two-way process of recruitment ‘should be as much about the applicant finding out whether the business is right for them as about whether they are deemed acceptable by the business’. c. Having employment opportunities for the soldiers who are being made redundant will allow the knowledge and experience of ex-soldiers to remain forefront of recruitment helping recruiting the right person be more effective. An explanation by Preston (2012, P.36) tells us how if ‘appointees don’t fit then profitability is affected’; this key can show that the benefits of externalization will bring spending cuts by selecting only the right persons increasing retention. d. Being seen as ‘perverse’ is a danger because if the Army gives a bad image of high staff redundancies while spending highly on hiring this could be open to stereotypic views as Preston explains ‘Many people are deterred from entering certain professions because of general stereotypical images which exist in their society or culture’ (2012, P.38). Col Richard Kemp in the case study says how ‘previously using a civilian company was not a success’. This could have a detrimental impact upon future recruits if the civilian company cannot deliver what is expected. It will also have an  impact upon the Army’s image if it doesn’t work out the second time round. 2.0 Methods of selection and their advantages and disadvantages for selecting soldiers. Interviews – Used to understand key facts of the job and recruit for either parties and determine suitability to one another. This method is an opportunity the Army can utilize to lay out main facts of what they have to offer. It’s also a chance for the recruit to decide whether or not they are happy with the opportunities. The advantage to the Army using this method would remove unexpected expectation at an early stage reducing cost from training soldiers who realized it’s not what they thought at a later stage. The disadvantage however would be that interviews are seen as ‘too subjective to the individual and place a ‘cloud’ over an individual’s ability (Preston, 2012 P.43) Tests – Used to measure a person’s ability and aptitude relevant to the job. This Method would allow the Army to see suitability of potentials under set tests giving a further indication on whether the Army is a job the candidate is suitable for before subjecting them to full training further reducing cost at an earlier convenience. Preston (2012) also explains that this can also be a way to reduce inherent subjectivity of the interview method. This method has disadvantages of not being able to incorporate all what the Amy needs to see as some areas of the Army require more subjective tests. This can increase costs if at a later stage the applicant is found unable to cope with certain areas of the job and pulls out. Assessment Centre – Can show the applicant in certain situations relevant to the job. This shows the Army the recruits in a role play scenario or group activity which can indicate the applicant’s ability under a selection of techniques in multiple combinations. This can incorporate a more subjective assessment of the individual so it can be determined further whether the Army can offer a position to the recruit. This would help the Army in selecting those who are of correct skill level generating more quality recruits increasing retention. However the assessment centers only provide the Army with a short insight to certain scenarios as the Army is a specialized area of recruitment the individual cannot be seen faced with all possible problems the recruit may encounter as  a soldier. 3.0 Recommendations for organising induction and socialisation of newly hired soldiers to enhance retention. Induction is whereby a new recruit is welcomed into the organisation through a short term introduction to areas shown by Preston (2012, P45) like what their job description is, what’s expected of them or underlining policies and procedures. Such inductions are critical to the Army as it helps new recruits become accustomed to their surroundings and allows them to adopt the organisational culture and written rules helping them understand what is expected and what is accepted. Typical activities include group welcoming (showing videos), simple team working (to help get to know each other) and tours of the premises (to learn the surroundings). Socialisation is a long term process shown by Preston (2012) to ‘help understand in terms how the newcomer makes sense of the business and their role within it’. This would be of importance to help the Army ensure the recruits are following the correct procedures and polices but also helping to keep track of the recruit’s process ensuring they are settling in and managing well. To help the activities could include meetings to see the recruit’s progression, group socialising to help with settling, appraisals to show they are doing well and promotions to help encourage further progression. To help improve retention and reduce dropouts induction techniques recommended would be having already serving soldiers at a welcome day to have questions asked and stories from first hand experiences. As documented by Harding (2011) in the case study ‘the most effective recruiters were young soldiers who had already served on operations’. This could expel any rumors and help new recruits understand the demands of Army life at an early stage. This technique would also allow the introduction of policies and procedures and what to expect. Using mentoring as a socialising technique would give recruits quantitative information based on their progression into the business and how well they are integrating into the  role. This information can be persuading for new recruits to show them they are on the right track and doing well, resulting in increased momentum and a desire to keep going. As Preston (2012) says ‘socialisation is understanding how the newcomer makes sense of the business and their role within it’. Mentoring through the early stages can keep track of the recruit and provide them with the help and support to succeed in turn, reducing dropouts and increasing quality recruits. References: Harding T. (2011) ‘Army to pay civilian firm  £1bn to recruit new soldiers’ The Telegraph 11 October [Online]. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8819327/ Army-to-pay-civilian-firm- £1bn-to-recruit-new-soldiers.html (Accessed 1 September 2014). Preston, D (2012), An introduction to human resource management in business, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Prà ©cis: From the tutor group forum discussions I have learnt that there are many views on what people have in the work place. The work place HRM polices and business cultures can be dramatically different from business to business and different people have different views on them and how they incorporate them into their working lives. Activity 2.3 shown how businesses HRM polices and culture can mix well or clash badly as such Pauls Bourne shows how that if people of a work place buy into the ‘norm’ this can sometimes override what the HRM polices state resulting in problems. However that HRM polices should be a state of first call when people need to be reminded what is truly expected of them in the place of work. All the ideas coming together has taught me to think more logically about the place I work and how the business culture is upheld through normal behaviour of people through unwritten rules up to the policies and procedures in place to help maintain a uniformed business. Reference: Bourne P, (2014) ‘Activity 2.3 HRM and Culture’ The Open University 19 November 2014 [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=1210164 (accessed 25 November 2014).

Analytical hierarchy process Essay Example for Free

Analytical hierarchy process Essay Decision-making is human activity whereby value judgments regarding the attractiveness of preferences play a major role. There are various ways through which an organization can supplement and improve decision analysis; however, the incorporation of human decisions with technology through the design and utilization multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) contributes towards the success of an organization to a great extent. This essay provides a detailed analysis and evaluation of the multi criteria decision analysis as applied in logistics and supply chain decision analysis in contemporary business and organizations. The first section of this essay introduces the various types of MCDA and provides details about how analytical hierarchy process (AHP) works, being one of the most popular MCDA techniques. This is followed by a detailed analysis of various decision problems in logistics and supply chain which involve the use of MCDA techniques: such include supply chain performance management, supplier selection, production-driven characteristics, logistics and supply chain capital and infrastructural investments. In section that follows, the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of MCDA are clearly detailed out, in special reference to the logistics and supply chain department of an organization. Finally, the essay provides a concluding paragraph which is based on the author’s opinion regarding the effectiveness and success of multi criteria decision analysis in supply chain and logistics management as well as recommendations on what ought to be done to make the application more beneficial to decision makers and the organization at large. Introduction MCDA refers to a multiple decision criteria that aimed at assisting decision makers who are often faced with many and inconsistent problem evaluations. The goal of MCDA is typically to emphasize on the conflicting and inconsistent areas and derive a technique of harmonization (Xiang, 2006). The MCDA methods commonly used in the contemporary decision field include analytical hierarchy process(AHP), weighted sum model(WSM), analytical network process(ANP), inner product vectors(IPV), Weighted product model(WPM), multi attribute value theory(MAVT) , multi attribute utility theory(MAUT), SMART (simple multiple attribute rating technique), Equal Swaps, MACBETH(Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique) (Xiang, 2006). Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) This is one of the most famous decision criteria methods. It is a controlled technique used to deal with multifaceted decisions. AHP applies a quantitative comparison technique based on pair-wise evaluations of the decision criteria. It assists the decision maker in generating one among the best alternatives to their problem in accordance to the decision maker’s comprehension of the problem. The method applies the skills of psychology and mathematics to provide rational, comprehensive structure for framing a decision problem, presenting, computing and quantifying the elements, linking elements to goals and assessing other alternative solutions. It is used in education, business, healthcare and other industries as a decision support tool (Jamil and Linkov, 2004). Users of this method begin by decomposing the decision problem into a hierarchy of straightforwardly understandable sub-problems, which can be separately analyzed: the chosen decision problem elements may relate to any aspect of, the decision problem, whether tangible or not. After building the hierarchy, decision makers then evaluate the elements systematically by making well thought comparisons in pairs. Here, AHP necessitates that human judgments should be used while making the comparisons over and above the underlying information to make evaluations between the elements (Jamil and Linkov, 2004). AHP then changes the evaluations into numerical values which can be compared and processed in the whole decision problem. Numerical weights are generated for all the hierarchical elements. This allows for diversity and enables the decision maker to compare consistently and rationally between incommensurable elements. It is this ability that distinguishes AHP from all other techniques if MCDA (Jamil and Linkov, 2004). Finally, numerical values are calculated for all the alternatives. The numerical value of each alternative represents the ability of such an alternative to accomplish the goal of the decision. This makes it possible to directly consider the ability of all available alternatives using their numerical value so that a rational decision maker chooses the alternative with the highest value since it indicates that such an alternative will best suit a solution to the decision problem (Jamil and Linkov, 2004).

Patients With and Without Varicocele: Biochemical Markers

Patients With and Without Varicocele: Biochemical Markers Differences in Biochemical Markers and Body Mass Index Between Patients With and Without Varicocele Background: Varicocele is characterized by abnormal tortuosity and dilatation of the veins of the pampiniform plexus within the spermatic cord and is one of the causes of male infertility. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in bio- chemical markers and body mass index (BMI) between patients with and without varicocele. Methods: Between January 2004 and June 2009, 102 patients with varicocele (Group A) were evaluated. Ninety-five age-matched male patients who did not have varicocele were selected as controls (Group B). Varicocele was diagnosed by physical examination and confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography. The range of ages was between 18 and 50 years old. BMI, testosterone, serum alkaline phosphatase, calcium, lactic dehydrogenase, inorganic phosphate, ÃŽ ³-glutamine transpeptidase, uric acid, albumin, iron, cholesterol, triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotrans- ferase levels were measured for all the subjects. Results: The mean age was 35.4 years in group A and 36.5 years in group B. Of the 102 patients in group A, 20 were grade 1 varicocele, 55 were grade 2 and 27 were grade 3. The BMI (mean  ± SD) of patients with varicocele (22.8  ± 3.2) was significantly lower than that of patients without varicocele (24.9  ± 4.1). Patients with varicocele had significantly lower serum levels of cholesterol than patients without varicocele (176.5  ± 31.1 vs. 187.7  ± 42.1 mg/dL). There were no significant differences for the other biochemical markers between the groups. Patients with grade 3 varicocele had a lower BMI than patients with grades 1 and 2 varicocele, but this was not significant. No significant differences were found for the other biochemical markers among the patients with grade 1, 2 or 3 varicocele. Conclusion: Patients with varicocele had significantly lower serum levels of cholesterol than those without varicocele. In addition, the prevalence of varicocele was higher in patients with a lower BMI. Our findings suggest that patients with a greater BMI may have advantages in relieving the nutcracker phenomenon, which causes significant varicoceles. [J Chin Med Assoc 2010;73(4):194–198] Key Words: biochemical markers, body mass index, testosterone, varicocele Introduction Varicocele is characterized by abnormal tortuosity and dilatation of the veins of the pampiniform plexus within the spermatic cord and is one of the causes of male infertility. The prevalence of varicocele is approxi- mately 15–20% in the general population and 30–40% in infertile men.1 Furthermore, approximately 69–81% of men with secondary infertility have varicocele.2,3 Levinger et al proposed that varicocele prevalence is increased over time and the risk of incidence is approx- imately 10% for each decade of life.4 The definite eti- ology of varicocele is still unknown. Kumanov et al suggested that weight and body mass index (BMI) have a protective role, and height, penile length and penile circumference were negative factors in the *Correspondence to: Dr William J. Huang, Division of Urology, Depar tment of Surger y, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan, R.O.C. E-mail: [emailprotected] à ¢-  Received: October 16, 2009 à ¢-  Accepted: Januar y 21, 2010 194 J Chin Med Assoc †¢ April 2010 †¢ Vol 73 †¢ No 4  © 2010 Elsevier Taiwan LLC and the Chinese Medical Association. All rights reserved. development of varicocele in 6,200 boys aged 0–19 years.5 Delaney et al demonstrated that patients with varicocele are significantly taller and heavier than age- matched controls.6 Nielsen et al reported that varico- celes are less likely to be diagnosed among obese men.7 The role of testosterone in the pathophysiology of varicocele is not established and testosterone might induce relaxation of the human internal spermatic vein.8 Sheriff showed that there was increased choles- terol and glyceride in the testes of patients with bilateral varicocele compared with those in controls.9 Odabas et al suggested that the levels of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were higher in the spermatic vein than those in the peripheral vein.10 Other than findings on age, BMI and testosterone levels, there is limited information about the correla- tion between biochemical markers and varicocele. Therefore, we conducted this prospective study to evaluate differences between patients with and with- out varicocele with regard to BMI, testosterone levels and serum biochemical markers including hemoglo- bin, alkaline phosphatase (Alk-p), calcium, LDH, inor- ganic phosphate, ÃŽ ³-glutamine transpeptidase, uric acid, albumin, iron, cholesterol (Cho), triglyceride (TG), alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotrans- ferase levels. We also wished to determine possible risk factors in the pathogenesis of varicocele. Methods Patients From January 2004 to June 2009, 102 patients with varicocele (Group A) were included for evaluation for this study. Ninety-five male patients who did not have varicocele were selected as controls (Group B). All of the 197 patients were normal, healthy young to middle-aged males. They were from the outpatient Department of Urology or had received a regular physi- cal check-up at the hospital. Varicocele was diagnosed by physical examination and confirmed by Doppler ultra- sonography. Varicocele grades were defined as: grade 1, palpable only with the Valsalva maneuver; grade 2, palpable without the Valsalva maneuver; and grade 3, visible from a distance.11 Patients with subclinical vari- cocele were excluded from the study. The range of ages was between 18 and 50 years old. BMI, and testos- terone, Alk-p, calcium, LDH, inorganic phosphate, glu- tamine transpeptidase, uric acid, albumin, iron, Cho, TG, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotrans- ferase and hemoglobin levels were mea sured in all of the patients (normal ranges: BMI testosterone, 241–827 ng/dL; Alk-p, 100–280 U/L; calcium, 8.1–10.7 mg/dL; LDH, 95–213 U/L; inor- ganic phosphate, 2.1–4.7 mg/dL; glutamine transpepti- dase, 8–60 U/L; uric acid, 2.5–7.2 mg/dL; albumin, 3.7– 5.3 g/dL; iron, 35–200 ÃŽ ¼g/dL; Cho, 125–240 mg/dL; TG, 20–200 mg/dL; alanine aminotransferase, 0–40 U/L; aspartate aminotransferase, 5–45 U/L; hemo- globin, 12–16 g/dL). Patients with poor control of diabetes mellitus, hypertension or other systemic dis- ease or BMI 40 were excluded from the study. Patients were examined in a warm room while standing up and the scrotum was inspected and pal- pated. All the patients received Doppler ultrasonogra- phy of the scrotum. All the patients signed informed consent, and the study was approved by the Institu- tional Review Board of Taipei City Hospital. Statistical analysis The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analysis, with p Results The mean age was 35.4 years in group A and 36.5 years old in group B. Data for age, BMI, testosterone levels and biochemical markers for patients in both groups, and different grades of varicocele are shown in Tables 1 and 2. There were no significant differences in age between the patients of groups A and B and among the patients with different grades of varicocele (grades 1, 2 and 3). Of the 102 patients in group A, 19.6% were grade 1, 53.9% were grade 2 and 26.5% were grade 3. The BMI of patients with varicocele was significantly lower (p = 0.03) than that in patients without varicocele (Table 1). Patients with varicocele had lower serum levels of Cho, TG and testosterone and higher serum levels of LDH and Alk-p than patients without varicocele, but only Cho was significantly dif- ferent (p = 0.03, Table 1). There were no significant differences in the other biochemical markers between the patients of groups A and B (Table 1). Patients with grade 3 varicocele had a lower BMI than patients with grades 1 and 2 varicocele, but this was not significantly different (Table 2). Patients with grade 3 varicocele had lower serum levels of Cho and testosterone and higher serum levels of LDH and Alk-p than patients with low grade varicocele (grades 1 and 2), but this was not significant. There were no signifi- cant differences in any of the other biochemical markers among the patients with grades 1, 2, and 3 varicocele (Table 2). Table 1. Age, serum biochemical markers, testosterone and BMI in groups A and B* A (n = 102) B (n = 95) p†  *Data presented as mean  ± standard deviation; † statistical analysis by Mann-Whitney U test. A = group A, with varicocele; B = group B, without varicocele; Alk-p = alkaline phosphatase; LDH = lactic dehydrogenase; IP = inorganic phosphate; g-GT = g-glutamine transpeptidase; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; AST = aspartate aminotransferase; BMI = body mass index. Table 2. Age, serum biochemical markers, testosterone and BMI according to different grades of varicocele* Grade 1 (n = 20) Grade 2 (n = 55) Grade 3 (n = 27) p†  *Data presented as mean  ± standard deviation; † statistical analysis by Kruskal-Wallis test. Alk-p = alkaline phosphatase; LDH = lactic dehydrogenase; IP = inorganic phosphate; g-GT = g-glutamine transpeptidase; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; AST = aspartate aminotransferase; BMI = body mass index. Discussion Tsao et al showed that the prevalence and severity of varicoceles is inversely correlated with obesity, which indicates that obesity may result in a decreased nut- cracker effect.12 Handel et al reported that the preva- lence of varicocele decreases with increasing BMI, and the reason for this is that increased adipose tissue decreases compression of the left renal vein and pre- vents detection due to adipose tissue in the spermatic cord.13 In the present study, patients with varicocele had a lower BMI than normal age-matched controls, but patients with grade 3 varicocele did not have a sig- nificantly lower BMI than patients with lower-grade varicocele. The different etiology between our study and that of Tsao et al may be because patients in the previous study were young males serving in the army, which was different from our patients, but the etiol- ogy needs further evaluation. We found that obese or overweight (BMI ≠¥ 25) patients might have higher serum levels of Cho and TG than normal subjects (BMI Kumanov et al demonstrated that gynecomastia is negatively correlated with BMI.15 Low serum follicle- stimulating hormone and high testosterone are good prognostic factors for varicocelectomy.16 Ishikawa and Fujisawa showed that the vasodilatory effect of testosterone is decreased in high grade varicocele and they suggested that serum free testosterone will be in- creased after varicocele repair.17 Ghosh and York have reported that testosterone levels are lower and Alk-p levels are higher in the testis of varicocele-created rats.18 In our study, patients with varicocele had lower serum levels of testosterone and higher serum levels of Alk-p than patients without varicocele. In addition, patients with grade 3 varicocele had lower serum levels of testosterone and higher serum levels of Alk-p than patients with low grade varicocele. Both parameters did not reach statistical significance, and the reason might be due to a large standard deviation for testo- sterone and Alk-p levels. Therefore, the role of testo- sterone and Alk-p in patients with varicocele needs further evaluation; however, we did not measure folli- cle-stimulating hormone in this study. Our previous study showed that more free radicals might be gener- ated in varicocele veins than in the corresponding peripheral veins in patients with varicocele, because 8-hydroxy-2 -deoxyguanosine levels of leukocyte DNA in spermatic veins are higher than in the correspond- ing peripheral veins in these patients.19 Yesilli et al showed that LDH and malondialdehyde levels are greater in the sperm of infertile men with varicocele, but the levels of LDH and malondialdehyde does not decrease after varicocelectomy.20 In the present study, serum levels of LDH were higher in patients with varic- ocele than in patients without varicocele. Further- more, higher serum levels of LDH were found in patients with high-grade varicocele than in patients with lower-grade varicocele. Neither of these findings was statistically significant. Therefore, the effect of LDH in patients with varicocele needs further evaluation. Our findings suggest that an increase in body fat might be associated with relieving the nutcracker phe- nomenon of the superior mesenteric artery to the left renal vein. However, this study had some limitations. First, we did not compare the change in severity of varicocele in the same individual as BMI changed over time. Second, we did not use other imaging studies, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, to demonstrate the relationship between vis- ceral fat and the region of the superior mesenteric artery, left renal vein and aorta. Third, the case numbers were small from an epidemiological view, because all of the subjects needed to have data for biochemical mark- ers, which restricted the patient numbers. Therefore, we need to include more cases in future studies. In conclusion, patients with varicocele might have significantly lower serum levels of cholesterol than patients without varicocele. In addition, our findings support the hypothesis that patients with a greater BMI may have advantages in relieving the nutcracker phe- nomenon causing significant varicoceles, but further studies are required to clarify this issue. References 1. Jarrow JP. Effects of varicocele on male infertility. Hum Reprod Update 2001;7:59–64. 2. Witt MA, Lipshultz LI. Varicocele: a progressive or static lesion? Urology 1993;42:541–3. 3. Gorelick JI, Goldstein M. Loss of fertility in men with varicocele. Fertil Steril 1993;59:613–6. 4. Levinger U, Gornish M, Gat Y, Bachar GN. Is varicocele preva- lence increasing with age? Andrologia 2007;39:77–80. 5. Kumanov P, Robeva RN, Tomova A. Adolescent varicocele: who is at risk? Pediatrics 2008;121:53–7. 6. Delaney DP, Carr MC, Kolon TF, Snyder HM, Zderic SA. The physical characteristics of young males with varicocele. BJU Int 2004;94:624–6. 7. Nielsen ME, Zderic S, Freedland SJ, Jarrow JP. Insight on patho- genesis of varicocele: relationship of varicocele and body mass index. Urology 2006;68:392–6. 8. Irkilata HC, Yildiz O, Yildirim I, Seyrek M, Basal S, Dayanc M, Ulku C. The vasodilator effect of testosterone on the human internal spermatic vein and its relation to varicocele grade. J Urol 2008;180:772–6. 9. Sheriff DS. The lipid composition of human testis in patients with bilateral varicocele as cause of infertility. Andrologia 1982;14: 150–3. 10. Odabas O, Yilmaz Y, Atilla MK, Tarakcioglu M, Aydin S. Can LDH activity in spermatic vein indicate testicular damage? A preliminary report. Int Urol Nephrol 1998;30:599–601. 11. Dubin L, Amelar RD. Varicocelectomy: 986 cases in a twelve- year study. Urology 1977;10:446–9. 12. Tsao CW, Hsu CY, Chou YC, Wu ST, Sun GH, Yu DS, Fan PL, et al. The relationship between varicoceles and obesity in a young adult population. Int J Androl 2009;32:385–90. 13. Handel LN, Shetty R, Sigman M. The relationship between varicoceles and obesity. J Urol 2006;176:2138–40. 14. Sultan Sheriff D. Further studies on testicular lipids and glyco- gen in human patients with unilateral varicocele. Andrologia 1984;16:442–5. 15. Kumanov P, Deepinder F, Robeva R, Tomova A, Li J, Agarwal A. Relationship of adolescent gynecomastia with varicocele and somatometric parameters: a cross-sectional study in 6200 healthy boys. J Adolesc Health 2007;41:126–31. 16. Kondo Y, Ishikawa T, Yamaguchi K, Fujisawa M. Predictors of improved seminal characteristics by varicocele repair. Andrologia 2009;41:20–3. 17. Ishikawa T, Fujisawa M. Varicocele ligation on free testosterone levels in infertile men with varicocele. Arch Androl 2004;50:443–8. 18. Ghosh PK, York JP. Changes in testicular testosterone and acid and alkaline phosphatase activity in testis and accessory sex organs after induction of varicocele in Noble rats. J Surg Res 1994;56:271–6. 19. Chen SS, Huang WJ, Chang LS, Wei YH. 8-Hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine in leukocyte DNA of spermatic vein as a bio- marker of oxidative stress in patients with varicocele. J Urol 2004;172:1418–21. 20. Yesilli C, Mungan G, Seckiner I, Akduman B, Acikgoz S, Altan K, Mungan A. Effect of varicocelectomy on sperm creatine kinase, HspA2 chaperone protein, LDH, LDH-X, and lipid peroxidation product levels in infertile men with varicocele. Urology 2005;66:610–5.

Creative Story: Joseph :: essays research papers

Creative Story: Joseph I remember back in a church I used to live in this kid named Joseph. The year was, oh, I say 1935-36. He was such a delightful laid back kid when I first met him, He was always by himself playing jumping jacks and other games in which he could play by himself. He did not have to play by himself but he would for some reason always reject our offers that myself and the other kids there made to him. We would ask him if he would want to play tag or hide-and-go-seek but it was as he was mute, ignoring us for no reason. Like a year later I learned that his parents had abandoned him at the step, of the church in which we all stayed, when he was only five years of age. Joey never talked about his parents, it was like he was still mad at them. He never understood that his parents were poor and could not carry the burden of taking care of him. His parents thought they were doing the right thing by dropping him off at this church which was SUPPOSED to take care of him so that he could grow up with a normal life. In 1936 it was hard growing up in Germany. In the town we lived in there was never peace, the nuns would not tell us that, but we knew we all knew, accept for little Joseph. Nazi's would come in the church and try to teach us their "superior" ways. None of us fell for it, except Joseph. I guess he had no other place to turn to, so he slowly sank into these idiotic ways. About three years later the now 12 years old little boy was a nazi himself and the one of his kind in that church. He still would play by himself. No one liked him anymore and never asked him to play. Instead he would ask us, but now we would refuse. One day in 1939 he got so sick of us "inferior" people in the church so he left. What he did not know and what most of us did not know was that there was a battle just a town away. The nuns never told us about World War II. They always said in the sweetest voice "The world is such a peaceful place." Well, Joseph unknowingly went to this town in search for a new place to live. But stepping into this town was like slitting your wrist.

A Portrait Of Duke Ellington By Tracy Frech Essay -- essays research p

A Portrait of Duke Ellington By Tracy Frech Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the greatest figures in the history of American music. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899. His parents were James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. They raised Duke as an only child, until his sister, Ruth, was born when Duke was sixteen years old. Duke, even as a teenager, had a great talent for music. In the beginning of his musical life, Duke began to take a promising interest in a new type of music that would later be called jazz. Choosing to base his career on a new idea may not have been smart, but Duke did take this chance and in turn became one of the most famous musicians in America. Duke's first job was at a government office. He was a clerk who received the minimum wage and was barely getting by. He would arrange dance bands for weddings and parties for extra money. His mother taught him how to play the piano. Sometimes he put this knowledge to use and played at a few of the dance parties and weddings. After Duke's first job, he became more interested in painting and the arts. For a few years he painted public posters. Duke then decided to put together his own band. At this point in his life things started to change for the better for Duke, but not for long. In those days, this new music was just beginning to develop and would later be given the name of jazz. In that time it was considered to be low and vulgar because it was music that grew directly out of the Black culture. In those early years, segregation was at one of its all time worst points in history. I think that is why Duke Ellington was one of the most important individuals to the growth and development of jazz. During Duke's long career, the new music slowly spread out of bars and saloons, to dance and night clubs and then eventually onto the concert stage. In time, jazz became a universally recognized form of art and has been said that it is the only real form that has originated from the American soul. By the 1960's Duke traveled the globe so many times that he became known as the unofficial ambassador to the United States. Duke's band had played in Russia, Japan, Latin America, the Far East, the Middle East, and Africa. Duke, himself, was an elegant man. When the white people looked down on the black man and his music, Duke managed to brin... ...6 that boomed with popularity as the demand for big bands playing this new swing music was in intense demand. Later on Duke hired a lyrical writer named Billy Strayhorn that led a premature death in 1967. But when Strayhorn was with the band he wrote many compositions that often went into the band's book of music. Then in 1942 Duke hired one of the best tenor saxophonists ever and let him play the first tenor sax solo ever arranged by Duke Ellington. In 1951 Saxophonist Johnny Hodges, trombonist Lawrence Brown, and Sonny Greer left the band together and formed their own band but then in 1955 Sonny Greer returned to the band and stayed with Duke until his death in 1970. And then by the 1950's the Ellington band was carrying on almost alone. By 1972 the times and styles of the world no longer fit the old time style of Duke' s band. The band was not known like it used to be and that could be the point in time I suppose you could say that the band broke up. Duke Ellington's career spanned the whole history of the birth of the music called jazz. And nowhere in that glorious history is there a man who had more love for music, more respect for his art, than the man they called the Duke.

The Deaf Identitiy

The Deaf Identity Ones sense of self, or perception of one’s self, is put together throughout the childhood years; relating to any number of characteristics. These could be gender identity, racial identity, involvement in academics, involvement in sports, and many others. These are some of the key parts to building one’s identity, or the understanding of one’s unique characteristics and how they have been, are, and will be manifested across ages, situations, and social roles.But what happens when a part of your identity is associated with your ability to hear or not. How does one establish a healthy identity of themselves when most the views of hard-of-hearing or deafness is negative? One study conducted in South Africa concluded that the deaf identity is not a static concept; but that it is a complex ongoing quest for belonging, bound up with the acceptance of being deaf and â€Å"finding one’s voice† in a hearing dominate society (McIlroy & Storbe ck, 2011).This concept correlates more with James Marcia’s Theory of Identity Achievement over Erik Erikson’s fifth stage of psychosocial development based on the fact that sometimes the Deaf identity does not develop until post-adolescence, even in children who were born deaf. Marcia’s theory acknowledges that sometimes the quest for one’s identity can span one’s lifetime, therefore also breaking Erikson’s rigid rules of the identity developing in adolescence.When the Deaf identity has been developed it too has a range of meaning for those involved in the process. In the South Africa study, it was founded that there are four static identities; deaf, Deaf, negative/ambiguous, and bicultural Deaf. These identities are formed through a myriad of experiences. Whether the child was born to a hearing family, born to a Deaf family, went to school in a mainstream hearing school, or attended a Deaf school, and the person’s personal preferred method of communication.Many Deaf children of Deaf families are born into a household of signing and of knowledge of the Deaf culture; this person most likely will assume the Deaf Identity. This person will experience the least amount of crisis when it comes to identity. But being a Deaf child of a Deaf adult is such a low occurrence that coming to this identity is not that easy. There are three general factors, for deaf children, which directly link to their identity; the attitudes of the parents, the mode of communication which aides in the social interaction with family and later ith peers, and the child’s linguistic competence (Kossewska, 2008). The first few years of a child’s life are the most critical for development and begin to reinforce the general factors that impact their identity. A deaf child born to hearing parents may struggle with language and literacy development most of their life. If their parents choose to enroll their child in a mainstream school and stress oralism, then the child will have a more negative view of their deafness due to the struggles they go through to obtain spoken language.This may lead to a ‘negative/ambiguous’ or ‘deaf’ identity because the person does not truly identify with their deafness as a part of who they are. Another deaf child born to hearing parents could end up in a deaf school, where the child will learn a signed language and maybe the family will take classes as well. With a child who is not struggling to obtain language and letting their life happen as it happens, is more likely to accept their deafness as a part of who they are and develop a ‘bicultural Deaf’ or a ‘Deaf’ identity, depending on how influential the hearing family is.And a child born into a Deaf family with proud Deaf identities will likely go to a Deaf school and develop the same Deaf identity as their family. A study done in Poland with 67 deaf adolescents and 93 hearing ch ildren were asked â€Å"Who Am I? † to investigate the factors influencing the deaf identity in adolescence. While â€Å"it was found that deaf adolescents used more descriptions especially in the following categories: Civil Status, Body and Physical Appearance, Taste and Activities, Friendship and Relationships, Personal and Social Situations, Negative Personal Traits, and Neutral Personality Traits.Deaf adolescents use as many abstract concepts to describe themselves as the hearing do, but they use more negative personal traits† (Kossewska, 2008). Why is it that the Deaf children are harder on themselves than the hearing? Is this a blatant clue that society as a whole looks down on this group of people and even the children can feel it? Children have been known to feel anger and resentment towards their hearing parents for forcing oralism upon them when there was a world of people just like them out there.A strong sense of heritage and feeling of belonging can develo p when children are a part of a community they can identify with. Sadly this doesn’t always happen in the earlier stages of life. This is also where one may go through an identity crisis and shift from ‘deaf’ to ‘Deaf’ or ‘bicultural. ’ â€Å"In discussing how bicultural identities may be understood, Ladd defines Deafhood as a process of claiming one’s Deaf identity with dignity† (McIlroy & Storbeck, 2011). In the South Africa study, all of the participants were 23 years of age and older; the oldest being 55 years old.In the study, all those who were born to hearing families, attended mainstream schools, but learned SASL (South African Sign Language) identified themselves deaf, but not until later in life. Those who never learned SASL, or any other signed language, never identified themselves with their deafness and had a negative/ ambiguous identity. Lastly, those born Deaf to Deaf families identified as Deaf. Not one part icipant in this study identified them self as Bicultural, but that is not to say it doesn’t exist. The establishment of the Deaf Identity is a tricky and sometimes rocky path for the majority of children who identify as deaf.They have so many hurdles to overcome in their journey to establishing their own identity that is one with who they are. From family life, to socialization, to academics, to identifying with their hearing loss or not, these people work hard and might experience more identity crises than average hearing person. But once they have established that identity there is no doubt that it has something to do with their hearing status. It would be a better world to spread the word about the Deaf Community to help the future to identify with their Deafness.

President Andrew Jackson Vetoes Bank Bill

Ernesto Hernandez Rodriguez Deacon Orr Economics October 9, 2012 President Andrew Jackson Vetoes Bank Bill—July 10, 1832 President Andrew Jackson veto against the bank bill is truly a communication to Congress but it is also like a political manifesto. He states that the privileges possessed by the bank are unauthorized by the Constitution, subversive of the rights of the States, and dangerous to the liberties of the people. In McCuloch v Maryland, the court turned to the â€Å"necessary† and â€Å"proper† clause which grants Congress enumerated powers which include the power to regulate collect taxes.President Jackson explains the necessity in regards to the functions that the bank is trying to fulfill: The â€Å"degree of its necessity,† involving all the details of a banking institution, is a question exclusively for legislative consideration (Jackson). It is not question for the judicial department. As stated in the Constitution the one that has the jo b to determine what is â€Å"necessary† in cases where the law is not prohibited or really calculated, is the legislative department. President Jackson gives major points in describing the reason why the bank was not â€Å"necessary† and â€Å"proper†.At first the bank was established by Congress because of the power to determine what was necessary. But in the years 1816 and 1832 Congress proposed and took away from their successors the power of establishing banks for twenty years and then for fifteen years more. This contradiction that Congress did of bartering away or divesting itself from the powers is unconstitutional because of using discretion upon itself; Congress was limiting the discretion of their successors. And the Constitution does not grant Congress the power to inflict this in itself. The bank affected the rights of the Sates in a subversive way.It gave up, surrendered the right of the States to tax the banking institutions. Under the operation of this act resident stockholders and citizens would be taxed 1 per cent. Stock held in the States would be subject to taxation, meanwhile stocks from the branches and those foreign stockholders would have been exempted from this burden. Their annual profits would be 1 per cent more than the citizen stockholders. As annual dividends of the bank estimated at 7 per cent, the stock would be worth 10 or 15 per cent more to foreigners than to citizens of the United States.Another important aspect was the benefits foreign stockholders received through this act. Not only citizens received bounty from government, more than eight millions of the stock was held by foreigners. And the bank act would not permit competition in the purchase of this monopoly. A fourth part of the stock is held by foreigners and the residue is held by a few hundredths of US citizens, chiefly of the richest class. As annual dividends of the bank estimated at 7 per cent, the stock would be worth 10 or 15 per cent more to foreigners than to citizens of the United States.Of the twenty-eight millions of private stock in the corporation, $8,405,500 was held by foreigners, mostly Great Britain. The amount of specie drawn from those States through its branches within two years was about $6,000,000. More than a half a million of this amount passes on to Europe to pay the dividends of the foreign stockholders. When by a tax on resident stockholders the stock of this bank was made worth 10 or 15 per cent more to foreigners than to residents. The bank would have sent across the Atlantic from two to five millions of specie every year to pay the bank dividends.Shockingly almost one third of foreign stock that was not represented in elections curtails the suffrage of the directors. The entire stock would have serious chances to fall into the hands of few citizen stockholders causing temptation to secure the control in their own hands by monopolizing the remaining stock. There was also a danger that a presiden t and directors would then reelect themselves from year to year without the responsibility to control manage the whole concerns of the bank. The American people would have suffered an adverse effect in many ways. This ct excludes the whole American people from competition in the purchase of this monopoly and dispose of it for many millions less than it is worth. The fourth section provision secures to the State banks a legal privilege in the Bank of the United States which is withheld from all private citizens. There was a lack of equality when paying with notes. A State bank that had notes by a particular branch could pay the dept to the Bank of the United States with those notes, but a citizen couldn’t pay with those notes but must have sold them at a discount or sent them to the branch to be cashed.This does not measure out equal justice to the high and the low, the rich and the poor. The president of the bank said that most of the State banks existed by its forbearance, t he abstention of enforcing the payment of the debt. The influence of the self elected directory which is identified with those of the foreign stockholders may become concentered in a particular interest that could affect the purity of elections and the independence of the country when it goes to war.Their influence could have been so great as to influence elections and control the affairs of the nation. Works Cited Jackson, Andrew.  «Miller Center.  » 10 de July de 1832. Miller Center. Monday October 2012. . McBride, Alex.  «pbs.  » s. f. The Supreme Court. Monday October 2012. .

Trifles Susan Glaspell Irony Symbolism Theme

Elizabeth NolanNovember 24, 2012 English essay Favorite Play â€Å"Trifles†, a play by Susan Gaspell, is a story of women banding together to protect one another in a male dominated society. The play is titled â€Å"Trifles† because women’s concerns were often considered mere trifles, and not worth the thought and time of men. The use of theme, symbolism, and irony are the reasons why this play is so appealing, especially to women. â€Å"Trifles† contains themes of female identity, revenge, and protection.The protagonists of the play are women, but they are not known by their first names. They are only called by their husbands’ name. It is only when they speak of Mrs. Wright before her marriage that she is called Minnie. The men believe that the women are small-minded and assume the identities of their husbands. Minnie Wright was a vibrant, outgoing young lady. After her marriage to John Wright, the light in her dimmed until she was nothing but a sh ell of her former self.He took away her self worth, making her life with him unbearable. This is the reason she snapped and murdered her husband. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover evidence that the men could not. They approached the house as a home instead of a crime scene. The women identified with Mrs. Wright after piecing the story together and decided to keep the evidence that would convict her to themselves. By protecting her, they are standing up for women everywhere. Mrs.Wrights pet canary is a symbol of herself. She had once been a beautiful girl with a nice singing voice, but her marriage to John Wright was like a cage. She was secluded from others and treated poorly by him. The bird was her only source of happiness in her cold, lonely life. When john strangled the bird, he killed the last part of Mrs. Wright that was Minnie Foster. He had taken away her only comfort in life, and this is why she decided to strangle him with the rope.

Describe the origins of public health in the UK Essay

Public health was best described by the Yale professor Winslow in 1920 who described it as ‘the art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts for the sanitation of the environment, the control of community infections, the education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene, the organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, and the development of the social machinery which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health’. Public health covers a range of areas, and is constantly having to be changed to keep up with the changing health needs of the public. (Fleming, M. and Parker, E. (2009) An introduction to Public Health Churchill Livingston Elsevier: Australia) During the Victorian Era, public health was not an issue that was dealt with by the government. There weren’t public hospitals, and only those from a wealthy background were able to access medical care. There was no such thing as vaccinations as there was very few educated on health, and many people died from diseases and infections in all classes, that now a day are easily treated. The people of this time were very uneducated about personal hygiene care and knew nothing about the spread of diseases. The people based their beliefs on their interpretations of what they saw going on around them. Due to the lack of knowledge it was believed if someone died it was because they were, for example, possessed by a daemon or they were a witch. In today’s society we have the understanding and science to allow us insight into the real reasons that people die and get unwell, we know that illness are not caused because someone is a witch. During the 19th century there was many factories built which offered jobs to many people, so many people moved from the country to be near the factories as the transport systems were so poor. This meant that there was large numbers of people living in small areas. Though when the people began work in the factories, they soon realised that all was not as good as they had hoped for. In today’s world we have a far better transport network which means people can live in less confined areas, and they can travel easily to reach their places of work. Long working hours, poor wages and bad nutrition meant that people’s health started to decline, and it was in fact the more rural living people that lived longer. People were paid such bad wages and there was no benefits system in place, so when people were unable to afford a house for them and their families they were sent to the workhouse which was a last resort, in the workhouse people never got out alive, all dying shortly after they entered due to the vast amount of sickness that was there. Children went to work in the factories as soon as they were old enough, about 8 years old, and the woman also went to work in the factories as well as caring for the sick. This meant that the death rate in woman and children was especially low. In 1833 the Factory Act was put into place. This act was to regulate the working hours of woman and children, it took a long time to be implemented but it was a step towards the regulation of working conditions. Today is it illegal for a child to work until they reach the age of 16, and woman get paid leave from their jobs when they have a baby, this has meant that children are able to go to school and get an education and grow physically and intellectually instead of going to work from they can walk. During this time there was no such thing as building controls, so the homes in which people lived were of bad conditions, they were overcrowded and did not have any sanitation such as running water or sewage facilities. A six bedroom house would have had 6 large families living in it, one family per room. This meant that people had to take turns sleeping and infection spread easily, due to lack of sanitation. In today’s society we have building control who ensure that ll homes are fit for purpose and most people have their own bedroom, rather than one family to a bedroom. The life expectancy of someone living at this time and working in one of these factories was around the age of 22. The life expectancy for tradesmen was 27, men had a higher life expectancy that woman, and the upper class had a life expectancy of 45 as they were not subjected to the reality of the slums and factories. In today’s society the life expectancy of woman is 5 to 10 years longer than it is for men. This is mainly due to the fact that woman look after their health better and are more regular users of going to the doctors than men are. Woman are also more likely to talk to their friends if they think that they have something wrong where as men are not big talkers when it comes to their health. During the Victorian Era 60’000 to 70’000 people during every decade from tuberculosis and the numbers dying from it decreased and in recent years it was thought to completely be eradicated. The health service then made the decision not to vaccinate people for the disease because there had been no numbers of death from it, but this has not been the case and people have begun to tract it again and there are people dying from it. (bbc 2011) In 2011, 8,963 cases of TB were reported in the UK. (NHS 2012) No toilet facilities or sewage system meant that people chucked their waste out to the street, not knowing the consequences that untreated waste would have on their health. The water that the waste was thrown into was the same water that vermin and other animals lived in; this water was also used by the families for cooking and drinking which meant there was a serious spread of infections. Cholera is a water born disease which claimed the lives of thousands of people living during the 19th century, the symptoms include; stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhoea and the skin turning blue. Dr John Snow, who is now a famous figure in history, was the first person to make the connection that cholera spread through the water. He was a working class man, and he went on to study the people and how they were becoming ill, and discovered how cholera was spreading, and so epidemiology began. Epidemiology is the study of the spread of diseases and it is something that is ongoing today with the many new diseases that are being found. (bbc) Cholera is a disease was thought to have been eradicated but due to the recent weather disruptions across the UK and Ireland, the government are concerned that there could be another breakout. Thousands of homes have become flooded and the sewage from these homes is running up and down the streets, this being a vast resemblance to the 19th century. Microbiologists testing water in Moorlands, Somerset, found it contains 60,000 to 70,000 bacteria per 100 milliliter. Water should contain no more than 1,000 per milliliter, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The towns and cities were not a pleasant place to be, the streets were filthy, and the drains and sewers which ran in the streets were blocked and overflowing. Rubbish was also just threw out to the street which meant there was a lot of vermin attracted, which also carried many diseases, this caused national concern. More and more housing was being needed, so poorly built houses were erected on top of rubbish piles, this rubbish did not provide solid founds, and made the houses very dangerous for living in. The poor people could not get help, the middle class saw them as immoral as they were all living in such cramped housing. There were charities set up, such as the Peabody Trust in 1862 and The Guinness Trust in 1890 which aimed to help the people but these failed to meet the needs of the people most desperate in society. In 1866 after a fourth case of cholera killed 6000 people; the government put the first piece of legislation in place that actually made changes to the peoples lives, The Sanitary Act. This law meant that authorities had to provide fresh water, sewage and waste disposal. This law took a long time to be implemented into all houses within Britain but it meant that life expectancy was slowly on the rise. All of the towns had to have a Sanitary Inspectors and the Home Secretary was empowered to take proceedings for the removal of nuisances where local authorities failed to act. Today all homes in Britain benefit from the Sanitary Act as they have running water and sewage facilities, and also a better knowledge on personal hygiene. By the end of the Victorian Era, treatment of illness started to become more advanced and surgery became more effective as there was a better knowledge. Moving into the 20th century there was still many of the problems which existed during the 19th century. These on-going problems included housing and slums, poverty, lack of hospitals, nutritional issues, and the same sanitation problems. One piece of legislation that ensured a better quality of life for the people was the House of the Working Class Act, this began the building of council houses, a development which is still being used in present day, especially sue to the recessionary times that we are currently in and the increasing amounts of people that are becoming homeless due to reduced jobs and opportunities. In today’s society we still have problems with many of these issues. In the recent economic climate and the recession, people have become unemployed and living has started to back track to these times, a lot of people have not been able to keep up repayments on their mortgages and homelessness has become a booming issue. This homelessness has meant that there has been a small rise in the numbers of council houses being built. Another problem which is still ongoing in today’s society is peoples nutrition. In the 19th and 20th centuries people suffered from bad nutrition as they did not know about vitamins and nutrients and people were badly malnourished and underweight which added to many health problems such as rickets, and in today’s society we still have nutritional problems. Fast food and fatty foods are so easily accessible and people find them to be handier than cooking nutritious meals and so people are becoming increasingly overweight and many suffer from obesity. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2008 there was 1. 4 billion adults over 20 who were classified as obese and in 2011 there was over 40 million children suffering from obesity also. (WHO 2013) Free school meals for children were also introduced in 1906; these free meals are still available to some children today. They ensure that the children are getting the proper nutrients and vitamins that is necessary to encourage growth and to also help them concentrate and learn. The health and wellbeing of children was one of the main aspects of public health that the Ministry of Health were trying to protect, and in 1907 a school nurse was assigned to all schools, and her main role to begin with was to check the children’s heads for nits. The role of the school nurse then developed to carry out examinations on all aspects of the children’s health, growth and development. In 1911 National Insurance was first introduced. This new system meant that working people had a small amount taken out of their wages which was put into the health care system, and if the worker was to fall ill then they would be able to avail of free health care, this was only for the worker though and not their spouse or children. (bbc) The First World War was one of the key events in the 20th century that highlighted the poor health of people living in Britain. The war put in place a need for an army of healthy young men as recruits, but this proved hard. The recruits were sent to war malnourished, meaning that they did not last long, and if they suffered an injury they were not strong enough to live. As no one knew how long the war was going to last there was a concentration on the health of pregnant woman and young men’s, as these would be the military of the future if the war was to continue. There were not many hospitals available for the people who needed them and it was only the wealthy that had access to them, as there no health care service like we have today, and the people had to pay for their medical care. The military were starting to come back from the war so there was an expansion in the number of hospitals being built as the conditions were still very poor in Britain, but these were solely for the use of the military soldiers. The Prime Minister at the time, Lloyd George promised a ‘home fit for heroes’ in 1918 and so the government set out the building of half a million homes by 1933. (bbc) A year later in 1919 the Ministry of Health was set up to look after the sanitation, health care and disease as well as the training of doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists. Dental care at the time was a huge issue, due to the malnourishment, people’s teeth were very poor and dental care did not really exist especially for the poorer people in society. Malnutrition continued to be a huge public health concern up until the Second World War with the introduction of rationing. This was a huge change to people’s lives and was implemented by the Ministry of Food in 1940. Rationing meant that each person could only buy a fixed amount of certain foods each week, and you had to hand over coupons from the family’s ration book. This reason behind rationing was because most of the food consumed in the UK and Ireland were imported from other countries, and this war proved to cause problems to this happening. During this war planes were used to drop bombs on ships and quite often the ships importing the fresh foods were bombed and the food destroyed, so this new rationing idea meant that everyone was able to gain access to the same amounts of fresh foods. Rationing is a concept that is still widely used today throughout the world by the army soldiers. The use of planes to drop bombs also caused a lot of destruction to people’s homes, many of them being destroyed, sometimes whole towns or cities were destroyed. During these troubling times people were expecting for their homes to be bombed so the government put in place a scheme for the children to be sent to the country where it would be safer for them. This was organised through ‘billeting officers’ and the children’s new homes were called ‘billets’. The children went to school and lived together until the war was over. The destruction, as bad as it was, gave the cities the opportunities to rebuild their homes to a better standard. In 1941 the British government commissioned a report into the ways that Britain should be rebuilt. William Beveridge, the director of the London School of Economics, was put in charge of the rebuilding. His report which was published in 1942 identified that there were five giant evils which would have to be overcome, these included; squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease. The Beveridge report has since formed much of the social legislation that we use today. Beveridge wanted to create a ‘cradle to grave’ health care system. The working people and the employers would still pay national insurance and for the service to be sustained more jobs would have to be created. In 1948 the NHS which we still have to this day was established. The NHS was an ambitious plan to bring healthcare to all people regardless of their social class or wealth or gender, and the healthcare would be free at the point of delivery. This was the first time that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists would all work together. (NHS 2012) The 20th and 21st centuries saw a huge decline in the number of infectious diseases mortalities, and an increased life expectancy. One of the main reasons for this was the discovery of antibiotics in 1929, and the use of these in the 1940’s showed their true potential. Immunizations also came into practice and people had a better understanding of foods, and what foods improved health all contributing factors to people having better health. The NHS is still working to improve the health of its service users and it is working with many researching companies to find cures for the new diseases  that are developing. Although it is a great concept which has been active for over 60 years, the NHS is under a lot of stain and financial pressure. Due to the economic downturn there is less people working and so there is less national insurance being paid so there the NHS has less funding to provide the outstanding services that it does to the UK for free. The doctors and nurses are under almost intolerable pressure, and this is due to cuts in hospital beds, growing admissions and staff shortages. On 24th February, the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast became under so much pressure in its emergency department that extra staff had to be called in to deal with the escalating number of people seeking treatment, at one point there was more than 100 people waiting. This does not conquer the goals that the NHS had initially set out to achieve in 1948.