Arts in Education

Monica Williams July 31, 2011 EDU330-Cultural Diversity in the Classroom Professor Alison Walker The Importance of Arts in Education With all of the modern advancement of technology, sadly some of the components of a common school curriculum are progressively becoming extinct. Just think back, not to long ago, the library was a place where children could explore new adventures from a simple book. Students were also able to express themselves through the weekly classes in music and art. Funding has become a real concern with the slow decrease in the American economy. Now funding for the art education program is becoming a victim to this decline. Since there has been a lack of arts in the school system, it has in turn affected the need to incorporate diversified education model to teach in a multicultural society. This essay will explain the need to incorporate the arts back into education to enhance the knowledge of living in a multicultural society. There are so many things that children can learn through cultural enrichment. Activities through language, music, art, and dance can enhance a child’s exposure to different ethnicities other than their own. Since the establishment of No Child Left Behind, Congressional endorsements have restated the value of art and music in education as an important and vital element in quality education for all students (U. S. 2005). However, those were just mere words. Since NCLB, arts educational instructional time has decreased by 16% (Heilig, Cole, & Aguilar, 2010). Well that increase effects the lower performing schools which are usually populated with low-income students and students of color (Heilig, Cole, & Aguilar, 2010). The mere benefit of these various programs are being overlooked because the teaching of art education has also contributed to an increase of self-esteem, the acquisition of job skills, and the development of creative thinking, problem solving and communication skills (NGA, 2002). All students crave a time to be creative and express themselves. Being in a classroom that is strictly knowledge and skills based can sometimes become quite mundane and boring. When there is music or art incorporated in the curriculum, this can become a great outlet for them. In recent years there has been a huge emphasis on standardized tests. Administrators, teachers, and students are becoming pressured on making that grade. Education of the arts has proven to help reduce and manage their stress level (Creedon, 2011). There has also been cognitive research that showed when there is a well-rounded structured of music and art education program it enhances the emotional well-being of children for a readiness of learning (Creedon, 2011). Here is the problem, just recently this month, the Interior Appropriations bill wants so cut NEA, National Education of Arts, to 135 million (Advocate, 2011). The U. S. House of Appropriations Committee just approved to cut 20 million earlier this month (Advocate, 2011). Where does this leave the students of America? It seems that no one is thinking about their education and fundamental it is to have the arts involved in the curriculum. In the state of Texas, there will only be a budget of 3. 7 million dollars for the next two years for the arts, which ultimately gives a fifty percent reduction in grants and thirty percent reduction in staff (TCA, 2011). This reduction of funding affects everyone. Teachers will be loosing their jobs and more importantly the students are not receiving a well-rounded education. In order to not let this problem occur any further, as American citizens, it is imperative that letters are written to the congressman, senators, and governors. They are the only one that could change things with the state funding. Sticking together as a community can bring it to their attention that arts in education does matter. The days of protesting is not ancient, it can still make an impact on things. The goal is to inform Congress that there should be at least a funding level of 53 million for the Arts in Education program within the U. S. Department of Education (Advocate, 2011). Those wonderful programs are able to help teachers, all students, and the community with art collaboration in education. Another solution is for the local districts to write grants to keep the arts in their school. The Bill Graham Foundation is a well-known foundation that provides grants for the areas of music in the arts of education (Arts, 2011). This grant can give $4000 for any program promoting arts in education. This may not seem like a lot, but just think, that is only one out of a thousands programs out there that will provide funding for education of the arts. Grants like these can also give students the opportunity to explore multicultural educational field trips that were not available before. Several studies have proven that art education is a vital component to have a well-rounded student. Writing grants, letters, and even protesting can all help ensure that the arts will increase in the schools instead of decrease. The students should learn about other cultures and one of the best ways is through the arts. So let’s keep the art teachers, the music teachers, and the librarians, they are important too for our students too! Resources Advocate for the Arts (2011). Retrieved July 30, 2011 from http://www. artsusa. org/get_involved/advocate. asp (ARTS) Bill Graham Foundation. (2010). Children & Youth Funding Report, 13. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Creedon, D. W. (2011). Fight the Stress of Urban Education with the ARTS. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(6), 34-36. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Heilig, J. , Cole, H. , & Aguilar, A. (2010). From Dewey to No Child Left behind: The Evolution and Devolution of Public Arts Education. Arts Education Policy Review, 111(4), 136-145. doi:10. 1080/10632913. 2010. 490776 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA). (2002) â€Å"The Impact of Arts Education on Workforce Preparation† Economic and Technology Policy Studies Issue Brief. Washington D. C. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, May 1, 2002. Texas Commission for the Arts (TCA). (2011) Retrieved July 29, 2011 from http://www. arts. state. tx. us/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=235&Itemid=55 U. S. Congress Passes Resolution Supporting Music Education. (2005). American Music Teacher, 54(6), 10. Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Maaza Story Essay

1. Maaza story: the fruits of successful global brand The name Maaza denotes taste, enjoyment, represents diamond, in different languages and the brand Maaza has turned out to be a star performer across the region and beyond. The main ingredients for Maaza bottling are Natural Fruit Pulp, treated water, natural identical flavour and Vitamin C along with other food additives to balance the sweetness, taste & consistency of the beverage. 2. Maaza values: In our organization we create a healthy work environment enabling us to bring out the best from our employees and promote team work through mutual co-operation, pooling of resources, sharing of ideas and free expression of opinion. Our employees are totally committed to their goals and have independence and integrity in their evaluation and decision-making. 3. Maaza assurance: Maaza International is committed to provide the customers and franchisees competitive techno commercial services in its various field of expertise to achieve customer satisfaction at all levels of operation. We are committed to quality, integrity and excellence in whatever we do to meet our mission and achieve our Vision. We continuously improve the process through which we deliver our services and provide our staff with the training and tools necessary to contribute to our quality efforts. We strive to always review and evaluate our performance to guarantee the highest level of customer service. Our success is measured by the customer satisfaction and feedback. 4. Maaza Flavours: Even though the most popular drink is Maaza Mango, the other product range includes the Maaza Guava, Maaza Pineapple, Maaza Apple, Maaza Mix Fruit and Maaza Orange, the fruit pulp and concentrate to manufacture these being sourced from reputed manufactures from India, Europe and the Far East. The latest addition to our product range includes Maaza Bits, a juice drink with real fruit pieces. 5.Maaza world: Maaza Mango is a fruit juice based drink which contains an ideal combination of the famous Alphonso and Totapuri varieties of Mango pulp. The drink is formulated taking into consideration the nutritional and health aspects with a unique taste unparalleled by any other brand currently in the market. 6.Maaza family Maaza started initially with returnable glass bottles, was leader in innovated packaging solution and the first who developed PET bottles in Middle East. The aim of the company was to set up a modern soft drink bottling plant. Maaza has made its mark with diverse range of exotic juices. The drinks are packed in glass, cans, PET bottles and paper packs. 7.Maaza Advantage: perfect ingredient for a MOCKTAIL Being a fruit based juice drink, Maaza can be enjoyed in more ways than just a refreshing beverage. †¢ Perfect ingredient for a mocktail †¢ Tropical Ice cubes with Maaza †¢ The perfect blend for a fruit salad 8.Maaza Reach Today, Maaza has become the world’s favourite mango beverage brand and has won the hearts of millions of consumers for its quality and great taste. Maaza International Company acquired the rights for the MAAZA Brand name of juices with an expansive territory that covers a large part of the globe such as all of Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Far East among the others. 9.Grow with Maaza: With a Maaza Franchise, you can connect with both young and old consumer across the world. Here’s an exclusive invitation to join the international Maaza by establishing your own franchise. Maaza International Co. under separate franchise agreement is presently dealing with various bottlers in different countries, granting them the rights to manufacture and distribute the drinks under the brand name MAAZA. The concentrates for manufacturing the drinks are supplied by Maaza International Co. under the above agreement. Technical assistance and periodic quality inspection by the Technical Representatives of the company are conducted regularly at the bottler’s factory to ensure that high quality and consistency of the drinks are maintained.

Hunger Games Summer Reading

Now days, everything is about freedom and equality in The United States. The American government is trying to spread these ideals to countries across the world. In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins argues the point that all people are equal by using the Capitol as an example. In the book, the leaders of Panem host the Hunger Games, a competition requiring two young citizens from each district to fight to death, annually. The tributes chosen to compete in the games are chosen at random from a drawing filled with each of the names of young adults in the different districts.Children ages twelve to eighteen are enlisted into the drawing. The entries are cumulative though, so when the tribute is twelve their name is entered once, thirteen twice, and so on until they are eighteen it will be entered seven times. Also, the tributes can choose to add their name to the drawing more times in exchange for tessera, which is a small portion of rice and oil. This makes the underprivileged members o f each district more likely to be sent to the Capitol to compete in the games.The rules of the games are completely unfair and prejudice toward poor people, much like the world is today. Although we focus on and try to help the less fortunate, we are more interested in who has the most money and want to put those people up on a pedestal. The members of the Capitol and their families are refrained from being put in the drawing just because they are â€Å"important in the society. † It is not clearly stated in the book that these rules are unfair, but it is so hard not to think about how the districts just take unreasonable orders from the Capitol.Although logos and ethos don’t really play a part in this novel, pathos holds a pretty big responsibility. Collins appeals to her audience’s emotions in the story by the way she builds relationships between the readers and the characters. You will get so attached to Katniss when you read this book and will be anticipatin g her to make the right decisions and take home the title of the games. This connects to the argument because once you get to know her character, you will feel sympathy for the unnecessary punishment she does through.

Theories of Leadership Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theories of Leadership - Coursework Example It thus assumes presence of a set of observable actions that promote leadership. This theory also considers modification of behavior due to either reward or punishment. Both approaches emphasize that a leader must exhibit certain actions in any given action. According to Judge et al. (2002), behavioral is part of trait because it holds that leaders have common personality attributes that cause them to behave in a certain way, however deviates in that all individuals have potential for leadership. According to Daft (2007), trait approach of leadership holds that a leader is born and thus the attributes elicited are inherent whereas according to behavioral approach a leader can be trained to exhibit the actions that demonstrate leadership. Behavioral thus holds out that anyone can be developed to a leader with the proper environment; however, trait theory holds that leadership is determined at birth. The behavioral approach is a complimentary to the trait theory as it seeks to combine the innate with the consequent actions exhibited. Every individual is endowed with leadership potential and with conducive environment the ultimate leadership capacity can be

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Assignment - Essay Example The city has attracted an increasingly multi-cultural and highly skilled labor force. Due to the increase in population over the last few decades, the popularity of the need of property in Dubai has also increased. The need for property has further propelled the desire to have a luxurious life and due to the fondness of people of Dubai towards luxury, people are offered a wide rage of properties to choose from with unparalleled features implemented in each of them (Life in Dubai). Even though, the present situation of luxury housing is not topnotch, it is still feasible to start a new luxury housing business because of the dynamic nature of the economy and the demand for houses (Life in Dubai) allow customers to indulge in complete luxury. Thus, the basic idea of the business is to capture the market of domestic and foreign inhabitants who are interested in raising their standards of living and want to lead a luxurious life. Topic Sentence The business process that will be analyzed i n the present paper is the luxury housing. The luxury housing will be named â€Å"Serene Living†. The market of luxury housing will be identified along with determining its current competitors and defining its strategic competitive advantage as well as identifying steps involved in the value chain that will be the key to the success of business. The paper will further identify the problems involved in the successful implementation of and the ways to overcome those problems. The analysis will be based on the Porter’s Five Force Model. 2. Identification of Market for Luxury Housing Business in Dubai Due to the increase in population and the desire to lead luxurious lives, the need for luxury housing is increasing day by day. Although they are priced at a higher rate than other houses, either rental or purchased, they are becoming capable of attracting customer because it offers unparallel facilities and complete luxury (Luxury Homes in Dubai). For instance, Al Mahra is a n Arabic style Villa, which is basically a golf home and has been established on the theme of the desert. While, the Palm Jumeirah Signature Villa situated on the Palm Island in Dubai, spoils one with complete luxury. Similarly, studios and apartments that feature a mixture of architectural styles of different countries are being developed in Dubai and known as International City (Luxury Homes in Dubai). Target Market A number of foreigners reside in Dubai and because of the increase in their number in recent time in Dubai, the Government allowed property ownership rights  to the non-United Arab Emirates Nationals in 2002. With the elimination of this restriction, the city has seen a number of magnificent ventures, among which were luxury homes in Dubai (Luxury Homes in Dubai). Thus, the target market for the luxury housing is both the domestic and foreign inhabitants who are the kind of people who take pleasure in living in a place that has a green and serene atmosphere and where there is a strong feeling of togetherness, which indicates that they are pleased to meet new people but also respect other people's privacy. Identification of Competitors The competitors of Serene Living would be all the luxury housing providers in Dubai who provide their clients with houses that combines residential area, commercial, hotel, entertainment, shopping and recreation with open green spaces.  Serene Living will basically face competition from luxury housing facilities

The storage and transportation of spill cleanup waste under the Research Paper

The storage and transportation of spill cleanup waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) - Research Paper Example This act also helps in preserving energy through waste reprocessing and eliminating the hazardous waste as quickly as possible. The act ensures that the waste is properly managed to protect public health and the environment1. RCRA mainly edges on hazardous waste management with respect to storage and transportation. In RCRA the role of the industry is to obey Federal and State waste management rules so that the disposal of the waste does not harm the health and environment. Public participation in the awareness of the waste management program is very important. The main activity of public is to monitor and report the condition caused by waste management resulting in a threat to health and safety. The term ‘hazardous waste’ means ‘solid waste or combination of solid wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration or physical , chemical or infectious characteristics’ may increase the mortality rate and create both health and environmental hazard by transp orting, storing or disposing improperly. RCRA takes help of Environment Policy Act (EPA) to identify the hazardous waste2. This paper will discuss the origin, purpose, aims, and the works of RCRA act putting maximum emphasis on the storage and transportation of chemical spill and the clean up waste under the RCRA. ... The organization where the employees work can also be subject to civil penalty. The main aim of RCRA is to protect the people from hazards of waste disposal by cleaning up the waste that has been created by spill or any leakage. Under RCRA, hazardous waste program deals with the waste from its origin till its disposal. RCRA acts main focus is on recycling and safe disposal of the industrial waste. RCRA also regulates the treatment, storage, and removal of hazardous waste. RCRA disposes hazardous waste not only from industries but from hospitals, universities, and other entities3. Battery acids, pharmaceutical waste, and other chemical waste are examples of hazardous waste. EPA sanctioned states in United States to function their own hazardous programs including generators, transporters, and treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs)4. Storage Hazardous wastes are stored in a container. The storage of waste in these containers should be according to the regulations laid down by the RCRA. It deals with the storage and transportation of the hazardous waste. The container should be in good condition. Proper inspections of these containers have to be done. RCRA first identifies the materials that are used to make the container. Then it decides on the type and the quality of waste that would be stored in the container. Oil spill is a serious problem which causes great devastation to flora and fauna. Oil spill effects in many ways distort the ecological balance. Oil spill is assumed to be a hazardous waste. Mostly oil is stored in the underground storage tanks (USTs). Above ground oil is also stored in the tanks (AST) under the

What are the key issues faced by first year undergraduates Essay

What are the key issues faced by first year undergraduates - Essay Example Therefore, the issues that this easy intend to discussed are in terms of personal challenges, academic challenges, environmental challenges and social challenges. Every issue will present basic idea with a practical example. Moreover, the essay will further detail these issues that students in first year face as well as the reasons why these issues have become an obstacle for their retention and integration in the university. To begin with, Personal challenges that first year students face at the University might cover several challenges but let us talk about loneliness. Loneliness is usually an emotional feeling that arises when someone feels that she/he has been left out by friends, usually in an entirely new environment. In addition, this is a quite common problem faced by most students in their first year at Universities when they leave their families so as to seek abroad studies in higher institution of learning. A practical and a classic example is when these first year student s feel Home and lovesick which normally happens when they are missing their family or someone so special to them in life, who is far away from them. Fortunately, this sort of emotional feeling can only last for few weeks or months after which they recover from it, as they will meet more friends in due time. Besides Personal challenges, there are environmental challenges first year student face that that threaten their retention and integration into the university system. Learning in a totally new environment is not that easy as one may think, as it demands adaptation to that new Environment which is not an easy task for everyone. The mode of learning and teaching methods may be different from those that these first year students at the University may have used while still in high schools. For instance, the using the library catalogue is a new idea to most students in first year. Additionally, there can be sluggish learning progression in a too crowded and noisy environment for the s tudent in first year at the University. A productive and a successful learning outcome requires a conducive and private environment and therefore most students in first year at the University find difficulties in learning in crowded environment, since it associate with numerous negative impacts; for example, lose interest in learning processes and lose of concentration. However, after a couple of semesters, the students in first year at the University need to have been adapted and familiarized with the system if at all they are eager to learn and not pull out from the university. The third issue is educational challenges these student in first year at the University face. This issue is always of concern as well to a good number of first year students. Academic side in institutions of higher learning are highly professional than High Schools contrary to what the majority of first year students may expect, therefore, a good number of them are never serious enough with their time manag ement. First year students are devoid of efficient time management skill which simply explains how a person plan and allocate her/his daily activities in accordance to time available. At times, first year students lose opportunities to obtain additional marks in their final assessment simply because they never planned well for their time at the university (Gibney, Murpy & O’sullivan, 2011). For example, they might fail to attend or be late to attend to labs and tutorial, which implies they will lose marks. Moreover, procrastination is always a toxic attitude towards time management. This attitude is referring to the behavior of keeping tasks like homework and assignment to be done in a later date. Consequently, this attitude of University`s first

Technological and Economic Factors Affecting Business Environment Essay

Technological and Economic Factors Affecting Business Environment - Essay Example This paper will investigate the changing business environment of the travel industry over the last five years. It will further examine the technological and economic factors that affect the airline industry in UK. Technological Factor The first business in travel and tourism to embrace technological innovation is the airlines industry (Buhalis, 2004, p.1). Dale, et al. (2006, p.4) indicated in his book the early technology adopted by the air travel. Viewdata system was the first technology that connects â€Å"tour operators and travel agencies via terminals.† It grants travel agents to book flights based on the preferences of their customers. In the 1950s, they develop the Computer Reservation System (CRS) to make direct bookings via the system. With the development of Global Distribution System (GDS), travel agents across the globe can access the available flight and seats for travellers. The timeline of technological innovation of the airline industry shows of their early im provements. Therefore, by the year 2005, the airline industry has developed its own booking system to gain competitive advantage. Capoccitti, et al. (2010) indicate the operations improvement of the airline industry by using technology in managing the CO2 emission. The concern of stakeholders, which affects UK travellers, is on reducing the gases that harm the earth’s atmosphere. ... Currently, the travellers can utilise their mobile phone to check-in via the internet, which adds customers’ experience (Boyle, 2011). Hence, innovation and technological advancement are critical to the viability of the airline industry in the new global business environment. Impact of Technology The development of technology increases the competition among the airlines industry because it changes the processing method, the information dissemination, and communication process. With the evolution of technology, the business environment is rapidly changing, which tightens competition. According to Khosrowpour (2003, p.237), airline companies compete with travel agents to obtain a high market share because they refer other airline companies with available flight to customers. Furthermore, Doganis (2006, p.197) states that information technology aids companies in their distribution system and revenue management. The effective forecasting method of most companies is due to the impr ovement of technology, which allows them to predict sales based on the available seats. Hence, it stimulates other companies to adopt technology because it benefits both customers and companies. Moreover, the demand of customers changes. They want fast and accessible service, which motivates companies to improve services. Aside from accessibility, technology is essential for companies that cut cost or expenses. Economic Factor According to the Civil Aviation Authority (2008, pp.1-6), the decline of the traffic growth in UK commenced in the year 2005. This was affected by the 2001 bombings in the United States that instilled fear for most travellers. The security was stabilised to guarantee the safety of leisure and business travellers. Furthermore,

Effects of Engery Drinks on the Human Body Essay

Effects of Engery Drinks on the Human Body - Essay Example The energy drinks are beneficial and effective when consumed in right quantity and in right combination where the individual responses vary from person to person. All possible negative effects known to date are only because of their inappropriate usage and all the effects are reversed once refrained from these drinks. The negative effects of energy drinks are; Blood pressure and heart related problems: Caffeine and taurine in the energy drinks effects the functioning of heart and affect blood pressure and also alter the effectiveness of their medications. The increased body metabolism by the energy drinks causes impairment in blood pressure which could adversely affect cardiac functioning. Hence people with Hypertension and heart problems are advised to refrain from energy drinks. Combination effects: Generally all energy drinks contain caffeine. Caffeine in combination with other drinks exerts different effects. However when combined with alcohol like vodka it is proved to be lethal due to the combination of two opposite qualities where alcohol is a depressant and energy drink is a stimulant (Istvan and Matarazzo, 1984) where as caffeine in combination with glucose with herbal flavoring fractions improve aspects

Bus. team B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bus. team B - Essay Example Therefore, health care sector poses greater opportunities for entrepreneurs. Daily Apple Inc will provide food solutions as the best alternative medical practice. People are now becoming more health conscious and they do not want to rely on medicine as sometimes it has adverse effect on body. The health care product offered by Daily Apple Inc is unique and the best alternative for medical practices. The target market of the Daily Apple plc will include health care market and general food market. The company will enter the market with ten organic food items and the market will be segmented based on the segmentation of the products. According to different markets, various techniques for supply chain will be designed. It will be easier to penetrate the general and health care market for distribution of the products. To identify other potential target markets, research and test marketing will be conducted. Opportunities in health care for constant innovation are higher than any other sectors. In order to bring efficiency and improvement in human health, advance technology is very important. Every day, latest health care products like medicines are introduced to counter the various types of diseases and infections. However emerging diseases and infections that pose continuous threats to the human life seem numerous. In this respect, chemical medicines are the most widely used solution. However, these chemical medicines also have adverse effect on human body that leads to further health related issues. This is known as the side effects of chemical based medicines. The health care consumer groups have become aware of this fact and hence are looking for other better alternative medical practices. Daily Apple Inc has been able to identify these requirements of market and hence it came up with a solution. Daily Apple Inc has introduced organic foods to offer alternative health

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource - Essay Example Furthermore, more detailed ideas and concepts about the said topic are elaborately obtained from various studies through the use of academic journals. Critical evaluation There is no question about it; sexual harassment is prevalent in diverse parts of the world especially in the workplace. The sad thing about it is the thought that victims have little idea that they were already sexually harassed. One reason may be due to cultural orientation (Poulston, 2008). Some may have different perspective about it (Pierce et al., 2004). This further resulted to situation in which sexual harassment and its definition has not been fully understood by all. It is therefore important to study on this aspect because this can be informative to individuals especially those who have little information about the abusive capacity of those who can impose power over them. It is also important to understand this because sexual harassment has specific undesirable impacts that can eventually result to ineffi cient output in the workplace. Thus, workplace harassment is proven to have negative consequences in an individual and organisation (Bowling and Beehr, 2006; Raver and Nishii, 2010; Hershcovis and Barling, 2010 ). Thus, the human resource department must essentially address this issue in order to ensure efficient output of the human resource. The authors were consistent about their purpose of their paper and that is to outline their position on sexual harassment, how to avoid it in the workplace and the responsibilities of the employers to control this kind of situation. There were various sources employed in the paper and these include those with relevant discussion about the real definition of sexual harassment in the workplace. This makes the paper informative because it tries to inform the readers about the basic forms of sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore, more relevant literatures were included in order to justify their points on how to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace especially on the best part that employers can do to protect the human resource. It was also evident in the paper that the authors were able to critically consider various sexual harassment related incidents. From this stand point, it was evidently clear how the authors tried to emphasize the relevance and prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace. The authors concluded that sexual harassment can represent abuse of power in the workplace. This basically is one of their strong stands on this issue. It is in fact true that through sexual harassment, everyone has the chance to dominate someone through imposition of power based on the definition given by the authors. Unfortunately, they failed to expand on this issue. Even though they are suggesting more important and relevant studies on this part, but they failed to expand or give detailed explanation on this aspect. They failed to provide available literature that could support this claim. Primarily, they have imp arted logical explanation and some relevant statistics about sexual harassment in the workplace but they failed to emphasise how many of them are eventually caused by abusive use of power over the abused or victims. For instance, they pointed out that women are said to be commonly sexually harassed in the workplace. However, there is no clear justification that this result is evident because women are primarily weak in physical strength than men for instance or the latter is more powerful than the former in the

Pressure Ulcer Care Essay Example for Free

Pressure Ulcer Care Essay The aetiology of pressure ulcers is in some parts insubstantial due to the numerous influences that apply to the formation of a pressure ulcer. There are, none the less, a diverse array of contributing factors that have been proven to impair the structure of the skin and disrupt the healing processes, for example heart complications, lack of mobility, nutrition, sensory loss, temperature and age effecting the skins texture and strength. The most significant rationale behind the choice of clinical skill is to assist in the advancement of knowledge base, as Ali amp; Atkin (2004, p. 03) accurately specify, ‘we need to use our increasing knowledge base to transform service provision and provide better primary care’. As health professionals it needs to be realised that we are a vital link between patients and other specialised health care services, Morison (2001, p. 4) points out the importance of, ‘health care professionals as patient advocates in relation to tissue viability services’, if we do not make it our duty to be knowledgeable of what options our patients have it is impossible to administer care holistically as if our duty as a health care professional. In recent studies it has shown that pressure ulcers are most prominent with surgical patients, research has also shown that the surgical patient develops a pressure ulcer 8 times more than the non surgical patient (Pulskamp, 2007). Interestingly it shows that not only are pressure ulcers observed in older patients but just as often in the younger ago groups, with an increase in occurrence in those who receive neck and head surgeries (Bader et al, 2005), In a study is it is shown that adaptation to the operating table diminished sharply the incidence of pressure ulcer development. Bader et al found that often Pressure ulcers are observed after 2 weeks of being admitted, this then contradicts the theory that ‘pressure ulcers are caused by inadequate nursing care’, this then can only suggest that pressure ulcers develop during an operation, during periods of treatment or during investigations, for example X-ray departments where the mattresses are not adapted to the variety of different patients with a different variety of problems. To reduce occurrence and risk there must be put in place preventative measures in terms of risk assessments but as Pulskamp (2007) points out, ‘There is no validated tool to predict risk of pressure ulcers in the surgical patient’. There are numerous pressure ulcer risk assessment tools in use, yet none being significantly more preferred than others and each with particular strengths and weaknesses. In 2003 the National Institution for Clinical Excellence produced the guidelines, ‘pressure ulcer risk assessment and prevention, including the use of pressure relieving devices (beds, mattresses and overlays) for the prevention of pressure ulcers in primary and secondary care’. They suggest that in order to maximise the effectiveness of the guidelines, they should be enhanced by implementing them in working partnerships such as tissue viability teams. The aim of the guidelines, as LittleJohns amp; Rawlins (2005, p. 9) highlight, are to ‘inform clinical practice and to direct clinical decision making in order to improve patient outcomes with regard to pressure ulcer prevention and management’. To encourage the use of this guideline the National Institution of Clinical Excellence suggest, ‘incorporating guidance into continuing professional development programmes (in order to) further encourage its use in clinical practice’ (LittleJohns amp; Rawl ins, 2005, p. 100). After initial implementation an audit was arried out which highlighted significant pitfalls in implementation of the guidelines in clinical practice, for example being unable to record timings or risk assessments, repositioning charts not being used and seating assessments n out being carried out, this highlights the need for flexibility in future risk assessments as clinical issues often arise and cannot be avoided in the busy schedules of health care professionals and can often become barriers to the effective implementation there for making the correct use of the guidelines impossible risks unattended concerning the patients. They also voice the fear that the guidelines are simplifying clinical decision making and urge professionals to adopt any particular recommendations in light of such issues as available resources, local policies, patient circumstance and updates research findings. The European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel quick reference guidelines on prevention for developing pressure ulcers (2009) have a in depth and diverse approach on the assessment of pressure sores and contributing factors, their guidelines investigate not only the treatment of pressure ulcers but use of pressure ulcer prevention devices and wound management with a grading system to reflect the severity of the sore. The advisory panel suggests that, ‘pressure ulcers need to be assessed in the context of the patients overall condition’, they also identify ‘nutrition, pain and psychosocial factors as potential areas of complication, looking into the localization, grade, size, wound bed, exudates, pain and status of the surrounding skin’ (Dealey, 2005, p. 138). One of the pitfalls of this particular assessment strategies is the actual analysis of the pressure ulcer itself, one must have gained adequate back ground knowledge and experience on the analysis of a sore and the most suitable wound management product (for example dressings or antibiotics if the wound appears infected) to truly be able to grade it, Dealey (2005, p. 142) herself discusses, ‘accurate assessment is necessary in order to select a suitable wound management product’.

The Influence Of Money In Philippine Elections

The Influence Of Money In Philippine Elections Election campaigns are now on the roll. Politicians are getting busy thinking of many ways to ensure their victory in the coming elections. Different strategies and techniques are being used by these candidates in order to win the votes of the people. Aside from the techniques and strategies, money plays a huge role in every Philippine elections. The ability to win of the candidate lies on how much money he or she is going to spend for this coming election. The aspiring candidates will definitely spend a large amount of money to catch the hearts of the voters even if it means performing an illegal act. A single vote is very precious and essential for the win a candidate. And in order to possess this single sure vote, candidates resort to buying the votes of the people. Vote buying is overt in the Philippines. It is a disease that continuously rots our political and electoral system. It has already become institutionalized in our system and remains constant despite the condemnation of many Filipinos. Before, vote buying is usually the last recourse of a rich but unpopular candidate to hold a position in office. But today, even popular ones are engaging themselves to this kind of activity because popularity per se is not enough to assure the vote of the electorate especially in local politics. Vote buying reflects a powerful image of graft and corruption. It is just the stepping stone for doing a more fraudulent act. The vicious cycle of vote buying and vote selling in the Philippines is becoming more and more alarming. This paper aims to answer the nature of vote buying, strategies of vote buying in the Philippines, the reasons for doing vote buying and vote selling and to trace the history of vote buying in the Philippines. WHAT IS VOTE BUYING? Vote buying, according to Hicken (2006), includes the individual, immediate and private exchange of goods, services or cash for electoral support, usually in violation of legal norms. It simply means giving out or handing out money to leaders and voters. It also means getting the vote of the people to ensure winning. Vote buying is also a form of economic exchange (Schaffer, 2002) because there is money involve. TYPES OF VOTE BUYING Vote buying can be categorized into two types: direct vote buying and indirect vote buying. Both types are widely used in the case of the Philippines although the idea of direct vote buying serves as the more popular act. DIRECT VOTE BUYING It is the most common type of vote buying where direct payments, in many forms, are given to the voter. It may be in the form of cash donations, shares of stock or a promise of a particular plan of action or payment in exchange for a promise of vote (Dekel, E., et. al., 2004). INDIRECT VOTE BUYING It is a kind of vote buying done in a non obvious and straightforward approach. This type of vote buying uses campaign strategies that target the weaknesses of the electorate. Here in the Philippines, the strategy of the candidates is to use and take advantage of the different Filipino traits. Example of these traits are our values of utang na loob, pakikisama, our close family and kinship ties, our religiousness, and other social values like loyalty, support and trust. They effectively use the various traits to influence and temp us to follow their selfish plans. Bava (1998) gave a concrete example on how this character capitalization happens. Different parties and candidates hire poll watchers and workers who are tasked to distribute sample ballots for their party. Each poll watchers and ballot distributors are given 1500 pesos and 500 pesos respectively, per day of work from 7 am to 3 pm. A poll watcher only needs 4 things in order to land the job: 1) a ball pen 2) a tally sheet 3) at least 18 years of age and 4) a registered vote (Bava, 1998). The last requirement is the most important and advantageous in the part of the candidates. If the hired person is a registered voter, the employer will be sure that the employers vote will go to him or her. A person offered with this kind of job will definitely take the opportunity given all the privileges and comfort that it can give. They can earn almost 1500 pesos a day by just distributing pamphlets and sample ballots. Adding to the convenience is the free meals given to them by their employer. A nd if the candidate won in the elections, most of them are given permanent jobs in various government offices. This is where indirect vote buying takes place. This act, according to Bava (1998), displays the Filipino trait of utang na loob. If a person has done something good to us, we would do anything and everything to return that goodness. In this case, the poll watchers and other employees will feel obligated to vote the candidate/employer because of the job that was given to them. FORMS OF VOTE BUYING Money is the common type of material that the candidates use in order to buy votes. But vote buying not only takes the form of money. It can be other forms of material offers. Schedler (2002) and Schaffer (2002) made a list that summarizes the different kinds of offers into three categories. The first and the most common form is payment. A payment is an amount of money paid. Schedler (2002, p.4) described it as a commercial relationship in which partners trade equivalent values. The citizen trades his vote in exchange of money. The act of accepting money denotes that there is an indirect agreement between the giver and the receiver of the payment. The second kind of material offer takes the form of gifts. A gift is something that is given out of free will without paying something in return. In the context of vote buying, accepting a gift does not give you the responsibility and obligation of voting the giver. The last kind is in the form of wage. A wage is an amount of money paid in exchange of services rendered. Like gifts, it does not require any obligation to the candidate. FACTORS AFFECTING VOTE BUYING According to Schaffer (2002), there are three factors that affect the strategies of the candidates and the perception of the voters toward vote buying. These are socioeconomic, institutional and political factors. The first factor both affects the candidates strategies and the voters perception while the last two factors affect mainly the strategies of the candidates. SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS One of the socioeconomic factors is the social class (Hicken, 2006). The formulation of the different strategies is influenced by social classes existing in society. The candidate must make a strategy that can produce strong and favorable impressions on people from different walks of life. It should cater to the needs of the entire high, middle and low class population. But it is impossible to come up with such strategies given that there is a massive gap and conflicting interests present among these social classes. Different social classes connote different needs and expectations. A strategy that might work to the lower class might be ineffective to the middle and higher class or a strategy that may be good to the higher class might harm those belonging in the lower class. Adding to the problem is the unequal number of population belonging to a certain social class. In the Philippines, the population of the lower class is greater than the population of the middle and higher class co mbined. The solution to these is to focus the strategy to those who constitute the majority. The easiest and most effective strategy to garner votes is to buy the votes of those who are included in this majority (which is the lower class). It will be very effective since those who belong in this class are financially unable who need money to sustain their everyday living. This scenario is very prevalent in the Philippines since many are members of the lower class. Almost all politicians who are running in office are focusing their campaign on the less fortunate because to them, greater number of voters means more number of votes and more number of votes means greater chances of winning. The second socioeconomic factor is education (Hicken, 2006) which affects the voters view about vote buying. For the high and some middle class voters, vote buying is a deviant and somehow an immoral behavior. Those in the higher and middle class are strong attackers of this practice. They are advocates of different anti-vote buying campaigns and they are known for organizing movements that educate the people about this kind of campaign strategies. They have this kind of opinion because education teaches them about these kinds of things. But for some middle class and most in the lower class (who cannot afford to have a higher education), they accepted vote buying because they perceive it as the time when they can receive free money that they can use to buy their necessities. INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS Hicken (2006, p. 48), stated that the rules and institutions under which candidates must operate can influence their incentives to purchase electoral support. Different institutional factors may encourage or discourage the use of vote buying. One institutional factor is the electoral system itself (Hicken, 2006). Under this factor is the district magnitude. It affects the strategy of the candidate because large constituency means larger amount of money needed to buy votes. Large district also has influence on the manner of distribution of the money. The strategy will be more expensive and costly since the distribution of money will take much longer and there should be an increase in the number of employees to properly accomplish the strategy. As a result, candidates will lessen the amount of money to be distributed to the people in order to prioritize other campaign strategies. POLITICAL FACTORS Political factors are different conditions and circumstances in society that affect the creation of various policies political choices. One of the variables under this factor is the election laws, particularly the anti-vote buying laws (Hicken, 2006). The degree of execution of different anti-vote buying laws affect how candidates device their strategy and distribution plans. In the Philippines, vote buying is illegal yet it continues to occur probably because of inefficiency of the laws and the law enforcers and the light punishments that will be given to the law breaker. There is no strict regulation of such laws in our country that is why the practice of vote buying is still a widespread act. More often than not, the law enforcers themselves are the protector of this scheme. BUDGET SOURCES The first thing that comes into our minds when we talk about vote buying is money. Money is the vital element of vote buying. It is the foundation of any vote buying scheme. We usually think that all vote buying funds are coming from the pockets of the candidates since most of them are members of the elite. But I think that the candidates are smart enough not to make use of their own wealth and to think of other alternative ways of budget sources. Some candidates most likely get their vote buying budget from their own political parties. Others accept donations from different business sectors given the condition that if they win the elections, they will repay them by giving them economic benefits and government protection. For example, the candidate accepted the donation from a construction company. If the candidate won the elections and plans to carry out road projects, he or she will be obliged to make the company the contractor of the said projects. Other candidates resort in getting illegal funds. Candidates who seek re-election have the advantage when it comes to money resources because they can easily tap pork barrel and other government funds. Some ask the help of drug syndicates, smugglers, kidnappers, gamblers and robbers to provide them with untraceable funds. It is true because we can observe that many crimes and illegal acts are happening during the election season. In return, the candidates give them financial support and protection. DIFFERENT STRATEGIES OF VOTE BUYING A carefully devised plan of action is needed to successfully carry out acts, especially if it is illegal. Candidates and politicians are wise in strategizing the effective way to buy the votes of the people. Usually, they even hire experts and professionals who are knowledgeable in fields concerning illegal campaign scheming. One specific strategy to ensure that the money given was translated into vote is what Bionat (1998) called Lanzadera system. In this strategy, the watchers give the voters an already completed ballot which will be dropped by the voters in the ballot box. After dropping the already completed ballot, the voter, then, takes with him or her the blank ballot and give it to the watcher. The watcher will complete that ballot and give it to the next paid voter. In this system, the money is given only if the voter returns with a blank ballot. I interviewed people from our barangay in Bulakan, Bulacan about the chronic vote buying in our place. They had first hand experiences on how vote buying takes place in our town. Based from that interview, I was able to learn other strategies and series of actions on how the scheme of vote buying happens. According to them, vote buying is usually conducted a night or two before the election day, usually around eight in the evening until midnight. Each politician has their own leader per community who is responsible for the identification of supporters and potential vote buying targets. They are also responsible in delivering the money to the house of the identified voters, at times in the appearance of paying the watcher. The intense vote buying is very evident and common in our place that the people are the ones coming and lining up in front of the politicians headquarters to ask for the money. Another strategy done by the candidates is getting the trust of barangay officials and other community leaders. In this way, the candidate can almost assume his or her hold in the community. The local leaders, then, are given large amount of money in exchange of buying the votes of their constituencies on behalf of the politician or the candidate. One more strategy that was mentioned by my neighbors is buying non-supporters. Candidates will offer those non-supporters with huge amount money. If they accept it, they will not be allowed to come out of their houses on the day of the election. There will be someone who will serve as a watchman that will ensure that the voter will abide to the agreement. Some politicians, in order to be extra sure, hire a bus that will take all the paid non-supporters to an out-of-town trip on the election day. Another strategy is the taking advantage of the politicians on our deep family and kinship ties. Some politicians use a relative or an influential member of a clan to convince members of the family and close friends to accept the money and to vote for that politician. Vote buying also happens during the election day itself as said by the interviewees. Buying may take the form of 100 pesos attached to the sample ballot. There are also ways in order to ensure that the paid voter will comply with the agreement. Before giving the money, they are required to give proofs that they voted that candidate. Usually, they bring with them a carbon paper or they are asked to take a picture of the ballot with a cell phone camera. Others asked the voters to make an agreed mark (a particular fold for example) on the ballot to serve as identification in the course of the counting of the votes. REASON WHY POLITICIANS BUY VOTES The primary reason why politicians buy votes is the hunger for power. Vote buying is a form of desperation to remain in power. Many politicians fight for the privilege of power because it implies influence and control over other individuals. They see power as the easiest way to achieve fame and fortune. Candidates want to purchase the vote of the people to obtain domination on different public organizations and mechanisms. They are not afraid to spend a big amount of money because once they are elected in office; they can easily recover the money that was used to pay those individuals. REASONS WHY PEOPLE SELL THEIR VOTES According to the April 2007 of the Social Weather Station (SWS), one in two of the registered voters think that there is nothing bad in accepting the money offers from the candidates (refer to Figure 1). Others may not see this from of money-giving as an attempt to buy their votes. They accept the money but it does not necessarily mean that they will vote for that candidate. Another reason is the offer seems as an opportunity to get the money, which was stolen by the politicians, back to the people. They might as well accept the offered money since it came from the taxes of the people. The April 2007 SWS survey also found that those in the rural areas were more probable in accepting money compared to those who live in urban areas (refer to Table 1). This shows that the primary reason for the selling of votes is poverty. Those who live in or below the poverty line mostly are unemployed individuals. They take the money because they needed it. For the poor, payment for a vote can mean a week without hunger. They just accept the offer because for them, dignity and pride cannot create food and money. Some may see elections as the only chance to obtain something from the government. They have this view that it is an obligation of a candidate to give money and other material things to their supporters. There are some reasons that we can consider negative in the part of the voters. People accept payments because they are being threatened. Most of the times, material offers are accompanied with terror, making them very difficult to refuse. Figure 1. In an election, it is not bad to accept money provided one votes according to ones conscience. Source: http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070503.htm Table 1. Rural areas approved accepting money compared to those in the urban areas. Source: http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070503.htm IS REFORM POSSIBLE? For the past few years, many have attempted to stop and eliminate the practice of vote buying in the Philippines. They even formed different organizations that promote the values of an honest election. But none of them actually succeeded. The effectiveness of efforts depends on how organizers or developers predicted the intensity of vote buying strategies as well as the various reasons why people accept the offers. A reform aims to change the behavior of the candidates and the voters. Reforms for givers usually take the form of strengthened laws. Example includes strengthened vote secrecy, tightened campaign finance rules and many others that aim to prevent anyone from buying votes. But these reforms led only to a limited success. Vote buyers, instead of stopping, have adapt themselves to the new environment. To escape punishments, they devised new ways on how to carry out vote buying like increasing the instances of indirect vote buying rather than direct vote buying. It became more uncontrollable even though new laws strained it to become more subtle. On the other hand, reform has always taken the form of voter education. Probably the most successful technique that was done to eradicate vote buying is the campaign against vote buying through different public service posters (see Illustration 1, Illustration 2 and Illustration 3). Successful in the sense that it enables the public to gain information about the wrongness of vote buying. But it did not really help in the removal of this unacceptable practice. None of the attempts to completely stop vote buying became successful. Law enforcers and reformists continue to devise stricter policies and laws against vote buying despite the fact that none of these actually really worked. Instead of wasting the time in just making stricter policies, they should consider focusing their attention on real roots of this act. Government should focus their attention more on improving economic development and education. By doing so, people will not have the reason to accept money in exchange of their votes. At this point in time, I can say that reform is really impossible. Reform will only be possible once our political and economic system become stable. Illustration 2: 3M public service ad, May 2001. blinded by money. Vote with your conscience. Source: Schaffer, 2005 Illustration 1: Namfrel Public Service Ad, May 2001. Your vote is valuable, it doesnt have a price. Your character is priceless. So, in this election, dont sell your character, dont sell you vote. Source: Schaffer, 2005 Illustration 3: Red Horse Beer public service ad, May 2001. A little pocket change wont put you ahead. Dont ask for a bribe. Vote for a good candidate. Source: Schaffer, 2005 HISTORY OF VOTE BUYING IN THE PHILIPPINES Vote buying is not just a recent development in Philippine elections. Its existence started with the coming of foreign colonizers and continued to flourish and evolve with the advancement of new technologies and the development of new ideas. Pre-colonial elections in the Philippines did not have vote buying because the leadership was assumed not through election but through succession. The same thing goes probably with the elections during the early Spanish period (17th to 18th century). I did not find any account stating that there was vote buying but I assume that there was none because there was no elections and the leaders were only appointed by the Spaniards. In the late Spanish period (19th century), Spanish colonial control in the Philippines declined as the Philippine revolution started. The revolution led to the development of a government established by Aguinaldo. Under this government, most officials were selected individuals from the principalia class and elections were only held for higher positions. There was no large scale elections during that time so vote buying was not an option. The coming of the American period started vote buying in the Philippines. The Americans gave all Filipinos the right to rule and the right to vote. Act No. 60, which became the organic law for all municipal governments, started the elite rule in the Philippines (Tangcangco, 1988). The Act provided a requirement that only allowed the elites to vote and participate in elections. The elites became powerful and they may have realized the advantage that the position can give them. They became accustomed to the power that was once denied by the Spaniards. From then on, in order to sustain this power, they did whatever means and costs to be elected in office. Here are some of the documented instances of vote buying from the American period until the present period. In the 1929 Elections (during the American period), money was very essential in the campaign period. Money was used to pay-off rivals to withdraw their candidacy, to buy the votes of the people, to threaten the people, and to bribe campaign leaders of the rival candidate. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996). In 1940 Local elections (Commonwealth period), Money was again a very important tool. Specific example for this one is the case of Pedro Abad Santos of the Socialist Party. He was predicted as the winner of the gubernatorial race in the province of Pampanga because of his massive popularity to his constituents but his wealthy opponent won the election by almost 7000 votes. There was no evidence of the strategies his opponent had used but the Abad Santos camp was really sure that his opponent used his money to buy the votes of the people. Another example was the electoral protest of Dr. Hilario Moncado against Tomas Cabili. They were fighting for a congressional seat in Lanoa province. Moncado accused Cabili of unlawful campaign by promising free legal services and employment for those who will vote for him. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996) In the 1949 National Elections (during the post-independence period), all forms of fraud and manipulation were reportedly done by President Elpidio Quirino to ensure his position as president. Quirino and his other candidates used massive and whole-sale vote-buying in forms of money, jobs and pork barrel. It was reported that Quirino had used almost four million pesos during his election campaign. The three provinces where the massive vote buying occurred include Negros Occidental, Nueva Ecija and Lanao. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996) The 1969 Presidential and Congressional Elections was between The Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party. This was considered as the bloodiest and dirtiest election (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996, p.111) prior to the Martial law period. Both parties reportedly used different techniques to ensure their victory. These included cheating, ballot stuffing and massive vote buying. It was stated in the reports that the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party spent around 700 million pesos and 300 million pesos respectively. That money came from the pork-barrel funds and was used as media fees and in buying votes. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996). During the Martial law period, all kinds of wholesale fraud were committed including vote buying. In order to capture the loyalty of the rural people, Marcos personally distributed 4000 pesos to every barrio captain during his campaign. The barrio captains were tasked to divide the money among the inhabitants of the barrio. (Abueva, 1970). In the 1992 elections, there was a ban on media advertisements so the candidates had more cash to spend on their campaigns. Feliciano Belmonte, Quezon City congressional candidate at that time, was reported to have given cash and free tickets to Hongkong during his campaign. (Bionat, 1998) The media advertisement was also banned in the 1995 elections. According to Bionat (1998), mayors in Cebu received a bonus of 50,000 to 100,000 pesos for campaigning the 12 senatorial bets of the administration. Like what Marcos did, candidates also bought the votes of the grassroots leader. The difference is that the value of their support was more expensive. Barangay captains accepted a minimum of 500 pesos and a maximum of 20,000 pesos from the candidates. (Bionat, 1998) In the 2004 Presidential elections, Arroyo committed almost all kinds of fraud according to Tuazon (2006). One example is the Oplan Mercury that was exposed by Rudy Galang (one of the brains of this idea). The goals of this plan are to use public funds to the campaign, to provide money to local officials and to buy the support of those in the opposition. (Tuazon, 2006). Elections in the Philippines from pre-colonial era to the present show how we incorporate influences of colonial rule into our political system. The good and bad effects of these interventions became part of the changes in Philippine elections. History tells us that the face of Philippine elections has never really changed. We still continue to perform the practices of the past. The difference now is that it just assumes new shape and form. CONCLUSION In a poor country like ours, it is impossible to have a power because our politicians know our vulnerability to pressure and our hardships in life. Majority of our electorate are poor and have no means of livelihood, no education to back them up and they just resign themselves to taking alms and relief. The poorer the country the more prevalent vote buying is. They take advantage of our weaknesses but we cannot blame those who sell their votes. Filipinos minds are set for any answers that are immediate. That is why even when the act is illegal and unlawful, like selling votes, they instantly resort to it to easily come up with a solution to their problem, like poverty. People are quite fixated on short term solutions instead of long term ones. A 500 peso bill can buy you, lets say, a two days decent meal, but it cannot assure you economic stability in the future. For me, vote buying can be associated with surrendering ones right to vote and selling ones principle. I will definitely not sell my vote. Vote buying is based on morality. Money is good by itself but the act is evil because it violates my freedom, my dignity and my right as an individual. Vote buying is not a native Filipino idea. It was only a reflection of our colonial experience. But this experience manifest in us that it became a constant scenario in elections. History has an indirect effect on the start of vote buying in the Philippines. The desire for self-rule that was forbidden to the Filipinos for almost 300 years was suddenly bestowed to us that it might have created the idea of doing whatever it takes (may it be good or bad) to preserve and uphold this right.

The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire lasted from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 467 A.D. to 1453 A.D., when Constantinople was lost to the Ottoman Turks. In its thousand year history Byzantium had many important rulers although Justinian and Theodora were perhaps the greatest among them. After Western Rome fell the Eastern emperors still saw themselves as rulers of all of Rome. In the year 527 Justinian, succeeded his uncle as emperor and Justinian make this a reality. After many campaigns lead by his best general, Belisarius, Justinian had conquered all the territory Rome ever ruled and could now truly call himself a Caesar. Justinian did not rule the empire alone, his wife Theodora also worked with foreign leaders, passed laws, and took part in politics. In 532, during the Nika Rebellion, Theodora convinced Justinian to stay in the city when he had wanted to flee to safety. To rule his vast empire Justinian created a set of laws know as the Justinian code. Justinian created the code from old Roman laws that still applied for Justinians time. Byzantium was constantly attacked from its beginning to its end. Thus, the Byzantines became skilled warriors and shrewd diplomats. They employed tactics such as diplomacy, bribery, and military power to fight their foes. Like the fallen Eastern Empire they found that they could trust mercenaries, sometimes even more than their own soldiers. A company of Scandinavian mercenaries known as the Varangian Guard remained under the control of the Byzantine emperor and they could be trusted far more than Byzantine soldiers. The Byzantine Imperial flag is yellow with a double-headed eagle wearing black crowns. The double-headed eagle was the symbol of the Palaiologos, the last Byzantine dynasty to rule from Constantinople from 1258-1453. The double-headed eagle symbolized the dynastys interests in both Asia and Europe, and was kept despite the fact that nearly all of the Empires Asian possessions were seized by the Ottomans. The two headed eagle would eventually become identified with the empire itself, and with institutions outside the Byzantine Empire that were connected to Constantinople. Thus, it is not surprising that the flag was in use by the Russian Czars and the Greek Orthodox Church. Another flag of the Byzantine Empire is a combination of the St. George cross (which is a red cross on a white field) and the arms of the Palaiologos family (yellow crosses on a red field). The four symbols in the corners of the two crosses in the arms of the Palaiologos family could be either firesteels, which were used in badges of the Order of the Golden Fleece, or as the Greek letter Î’, which makes up the initial letters of the Paleologuess motto: Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€¦Ãâ€š Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€°ÃŽ ½ Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€¦Ãâ€°ÃŽ ½ Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€¦ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ½ which means: King of Kings, ruling over Kings. The Byzantine Empire also developed its own unique culture that separated it from its Roman ancestors while still preserving Greco-Roman culture and its many great works. Justinian worked to beautify Constantinople by repairing buildings and building a stone wall along its Western half. He also built the Hagia Sophia, which was considered to be the greatest church built in medieval times and still stands today. The Hagia Sophia symbolizes the union of Church and State in the Byzantine Empire. Byzantine art was heavily influenced by its Roman ancestors, which was influenced by Greek art. Therefore Byzantine artists never lost sight of their classical heritage. Because of this, the Roman art of creating mosaics was retained by the Byzantines. Byzantine art, while influenced by its ancestors, had developed its unique style. Byzantine painting and mosaics use many colors and figures but the figures were typically seen as stiff or flat. The figures have large eyes with golden or gold tone d backgrounds and were mainly produced for churches and as such the art often portrays people as somber and solemn. Byzantine art also shows only a small attempt made at creating realism. Throughout the centuries Byzantine emperors issued coins in gold (the solidus), silver, and copper. Their picture and name would be imprinted on the coins. The main function of coins was the collection of taxes. Works Cited American Museum of Natural History. American Museum of Natural History. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Awesome Planet. Www.awesomeplanet.org. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Constantinople. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Democracy frontline. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Globe Hoppers. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Harris, Jonathan. Byzantium and the Crusades. New York and London: Hambleton and London, 2003. Print. Herrin, Judith. Byzantium The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2008. Print. The History Guide. Steven Kreis. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Planetfigure. Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Sherrard, Philip. Byzantium. New York: Time-Life Books, 1966. Print. Timothy Ministries. TimothyMinistries.org. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Treadgold, Warren. A Concise History of Byzantium. New York: Palgrave, 2001. Print. Weider History Group Online. Weider History Group. Web. 26 Dec. 2009.

Breast Cancer Essay -- Diseases Medical Medicine Essays

Breast Cancer Chromosome 17 and BRCA1 Among the most common diseases affecting the female population, breast cancer develops in one of every eight American women. This means that almost 200,000 women suffer from the disease each year. Doctors would advise women to take necessary precautions, such as routine surveillance, in order to ensure a life without obtaining this disease prior to understanding any genetic linkage of breast cancer. Although many external factors contribute to breast cancer, current investigations reveal that five to ten percent of these cases may be attributed to genetic inheritance (Lynch, 1999). This knowledge, an ingenious finding by Mary-Claire King in 1990, linked breast cancer to the long-arm of chromosome 17 (Biesecker, 1997). Since the discovery of possible genetic linkage, doctors have been able to delineate those individuals who are most prone to the disorder, and immediately, these women begin to act in accordance with doctor’s suggestions to reduce their risk (Rosenthal et. al., 1 999). Mary-Claire King not only determined that breast cancer was a genetic disorder, her findings also suggest that the mutation of gene BRCA1 (Breast Cancer one) is responsible for most inherited breast cancer. Further investigations pointed to another gene, BRCA2, as also contributing to genetic inheritance. Unlike BRCA1, BRCA2 is found on chromosome 13. Researchers have found that 90% of all inherited cases of breast cancer may be due to mutations of these individual genes (Lynch et. al., 1999). The BRCA1 gene has the locus designation, 17q21, and is responsible for this autosomal dominant syndrome (Merajver et. al., 1995). This tumor suppressor gene, contains 23 exons, each ranging from 41 to 311 bas... ...counseling in hereditary breast cancer. Cancer Genet. Cytogenet 1999(109): 91-98. Merajver, S.D., Frank, T.S., Xu, J, et. al. Germline BRCA1 mutations and loss of the wild-type allele in tumors from families with early onset breast and ovarian cancer. Clin. Can. Res. May 1995 (1): 539-544. Miki, Y., Swensen, J., Shattuck-Eidens, D., et. al. A strong candidate for the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1. Science. Oct. 1994(266): 66-71. Puget, N., Stoppa-Lyonnet, D., Sinilnikova, OM., Pages, S., Lynch, HT., Lenoir, G.M. and Mazoyer, S. Screening for germ-line rearrangements and regulatory mutations in BRCA1 led to the identification of four new deletions. Cancer Research. Jan. 15, 1999 (59): 455-461. Rosenthal, T.C., and Puck, Stirling M. Screening for genetic risk of breast cancer. American Family Physician. Jan 1999 (59): 99-104.

Abortion :: essays research papers

Sara is driving down 7th avenue in her red pickup truck, in a hurry and traveling well over the speed limit. Becky, who is 3 months pregnant, is waiting to cross the street on the corner of 7th avenue and Bell. The street light changes and Becky is signaled by the crosswalk sign to proceed across the street. Sara is putting in a new CD and not paying attention to the fact that she has a red light, without enough time to stop Sara runs the red light and hits Becky who has just started to cross the street. Now Becky is rushed to the hospital, she is hurt but will live but her baby dies. Should Sara be charged with the death of the unborn baby? On the other hand, Jessica, who is a 16-year-old girl, decides to sleep with an 18-year-old boy. She gets pregnant and has an abortion because she is not ready to be a mother. Should Jessica be charged with the death of an unborn baby? The answer to both of the questions is, yes. Abortion is wrong, cruel and most of all, it goes against the word of GOD.When a woman decides to have sex she is taking the chance of getting pregnant, even if she uses protection. If she doesn't want to get pregnant she shouldn't have sex, and she should be responsible enough to suffer the consequences. For example, Carrie is very promiscuous and finds out that she is pregnant, so she goes and has an abortion. Next time Carrie finds out that she has HIV, well she can't pay someone to get rid of her problem so she has to deal with it. Why shouldn't she have to deal with the fact of being pregnant? There are many other options to killing an innocent human: adoption or raising the child with the help of parents. However, some girls are forced to have an abortion.No matter the reason someone has for an abortion, it is still cruel. Some women are forced to have an abortion either by their parents or their spouse. This circumstance is very hard to argue because the woman who is pregnant is not making the choice and should not be held accountable for it. And that is the only reason anyone might consider having an abortion. Look at it like this, Jeff and Bonnie are building a house, what's the first thing they do?

A slave’s diary

Day 1 The worst possible has happened I have had my home stricken from me by a white skinned demon and am now delimited to a water bound hell. Each lapping wave from the tempestuous sea that carries us to our unknown destination takes a small part of my resolve in its wake. I am fettered to a long pole and my movements are restricted by a chain which runs through the various binds of my neighbours. Once the white men took one of our number out of this place, although I think that it is not out of any form of kindness as he came back pained the smell of burning flesh following close behind. I sit here next to members of the mugimbi tribe and as such there is not much for conversation; the chafing of my binds burns me just as many a question burns my mind. What is this place? Why are we here? Is this hell? Am I dead? I hope that the answers will come to me before long because I sense that I will not be leaving this place soon. Day 12 I am still locked in this place. It has become difficult to distinguish night from day, to distinguish the smell of decay emitting from the first of our number to pass away, mostly children, and the smell of our own excrement. But it is not the smell that bothers me it is the cacophony of children's screams and women's cries, this is inhuman! These white men must come from hell. It has become unbearable. If I do not leave this place soon then I shall truly lose what little sanity I have been able to rescue from the abominable power of the waves. I have yet to be taken out and burned by the hand of the white demon, it is happening more frequently now, as if they do this to us in order to pass the time. Monsters. Recently I have found a form of salvation. It was so obvious I cannot believe it took me up to this point to realise it. We could call upon the Gods through tribe song. Prayers must not have been heard but when we sing I can feel the power of the Gods flow through me once more . Day 34 I do not believe we will ever leave this place. The white demons must be waiting until we are all dead. Just under a quarter of us have surrendered to eternal sleep ceasing their cries and escaping this nightmare. It must only be a matter of time before I too contribute the putrid atmosphere. It has improved a little though, I truly believe there is an angel amongst the demons, although he too speaks in tongues he seems to have the capacity for mercy, he washed us out and removed the liquid remains of those who had passed on, he even gave me some more food. Perhaps these men are not demonic but simply misguided? Fear has left me now, as if it was flowing through my veins for so long that I no longer had the power to hold it so that it seeped out the pores. Also we have created a worship dance that is possible considering our current restricted movement, the limbo. We sing and clap and try to lower ourselves below the bar that binds us, it is almost symbolic. The white men do not like it when we do this they seem to wish to stop any sort of bonding between us. Perhaps this is to prevent us from overpowering them, however if we are so bound I cannot think of how we could do so unless of course we are one day to be relased! Day 42 I was taken above today. It was the first time I had seen the sky in far too long, my limbs were sore and weakened from the restriction of movement and lack of exercise. I did not realise what they wanted me to do but I think that they were just doing it for their own enjoyment. How one could be so inhuman I do not know, they brought the fury of their tarred leather whip upon me. Slashing at my flesh, removing the skin from my back until I convulsed with pain. They laughed. I did not mind so much that they turn their fury upon me but I cannot accept that they do this to women and children. I was thrown back down into the darkness, bound again onto the pole sitting in a pool of my own blood. Day 43 I feel myself slipping away now, my surroundings fading into insignificance, I accept death. I welcome it. Invite it. Darkness is consuming me, this will me my last entry, thank you for allowing me to collate my thoughts. adieu.

Ancient Chinese Foods Essay

Now in order to live and be successful, you need to eat. The Ancient Chinese were/are very successful. They are also the longest civilization on Earth. So what was their stable food supply? The Ancient Chinese ate a variety of different foods. They ate rice, millet, fish, sorghum, wheat, pork, vegetables, fruits, and ginger. They ate the plant, fruit, and even the root! The Ancient Chinese used these ingredients to make porridge, tea, soups, etc. Specialization is another key to success. You have to have surpluses of food to specialize or master a trade/art. Now what food surpluses did they use to trade, and what did they trade for? The Ancient Chinese had surplus foods of rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, and barley which they used for trade. These 5 foods are a vital part of Ancient China’s food supply. Since they needed a lot of these, they planted and grew a lot. These led to surpluses. They used these surpluses to trade for toys (for the children), cotton, ivory, wool, gold, silver, etc. These items that they obtained from trade were traded through the Silk Roads. Now in order to grow the food for the living, you have to have tools to help you out. The Ancient Chinese had so many tools that they used so I probably can’t fit them on this paper. I’ll list a few. They used compasses, plows, harnesses, wheelbarrows, water wheels, harnesses, and crossbows. When the Ancient Chinese hunted, they probably used a compass and a crossbow. They probably used a compass to lead them back to a spot and a crossbow to shoot at game. When they were farming, they probably used plows, harnesses, and wheelbarrows. The Ancient Chinese probably used plows to turn the soil on their fields. The harnesses might have been used for horses to drag objects. Finally, the wheelbarrow might have been used to transports farming essentials. The Ancient Chinese used many tools to help them out. You’re probably wondering what they grew and how they grew it. Mostly they grew rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, soybeans, cucumbers, lemons, oranges, peaches, apricots, and ginger. Now, what were their techniques of growing these crops so successfully? They used crop rotation, fertilization with human manure, building levees, and planting in rows. Crop rotation is when you have several fields and each year you leave a few as fallow. This lets the fields â€Å"recharge†. For example, you have three fields. One year, field one and two are used to grow crops, while field three is recharging. The next year, you use fields two and three, while field one is recharging, and so on. This stabilizes the fields. Next, they used human manure fertilization. First of all, why didn’t they use animal manure? The Ancient Chinese didn’t have that much livestock. This increased the room for crops. Third, levees are important. The Huang He and the Yantze flooded annually. The water flooded the irrigation ditches which killed the crops. The levees served as dams. Finally, they planted in rows so that it would be convenient for them to water, organize, and weed them. The Ancient Chinese had many different strategies that they used to help them out.

The Use of Computers Should Be Restricted

Some people think that the use of computers should be restricted. Agree and disagree? Being invented in technology revolution, computers play an essential role in our daily life. Despite of its advantages, computers have negative effects. To be frank, I strongly agree that the use of computers should be limited. There are numerous reasons why I hold my points of view on this issue and I would like to explore only a few primary ones in this essay. The first drawback I would like to talk about is that computers make people waste time instead of doing useful things.Nobody can deny that computers bring about a variety of benefits for our life, with the help of computer our work become easier and more effective. On the other hand, computers can make students neglect their studies. They can spend so many hours on computer games or social network that they have no time for their studies, or even when they are being in class, they may not pay attention to the lesson. One thing which is equal ly important is that using computer too much, people are certainly harm to their health.Gazing at a screen of a computer, people easily have eye strain without suitable relaxing. Furthermore, electro-magnetic waves from computers affect people’s nervous systems, which is the reason why people have headache after using computer for a long time. Sitting one place and lacking of doing exercise due to computers, osteoarthritis and obesity are the serious diseases people may deal with. Finally, computers may affect people’s thoughts and characteristics. Using computer too much make people lazy instead of doing useful things such as doing housework, playing sports.In addition, people approach bad information such as violent actions, sexual videos when they have access to the Internet. This fact can lead people’s attitudes and behaviors to become bad. Otherwise, computers make people can not build their confidence when they get into reality. Using social network limit people to have face-to-face relationships and improve communication skills From what has been said above, I may come to the conclusion that people should restrict using computers. To minimise these drawbacks of computers stated above, people should have a detail plan or purpose to use it

Blood Typing Lab

Name_____________________________________ Block__________________ Date_____________________ Forensics Mystery Blood Typing Lab Scenario: Police are called to a house where they discover a body near the back door. There is a fresh pool of blood by the victim’s head. Officers question the neighbors and learn that a plumber and an electrician made service calls to the house just hours before. They were able to trace both. They recover a shirt with a dark stains from the service van of the plumber and rags with similar dark stains from electrician’s van.Your forensics lab receives the following items to test: Sample 1: Stained cloth from plumber’s van Sample 2: Stained cloth from the electrician’s van Sample 3: Blood collected from under the victim’s head Test Background: The phenolphthalein test is a highly sensitive, being capable of detecting blood spots practically invisible to the eye. In an actual criminal case, a positive phenolphthalein test wou ld be followed by tests to determine the species that produced the blood and if these tests indicate the blood is human, by tests to determine ABO, Rh and other blood groups.There is no point in pursuing typing and species identification procedures if the phenolphthalein test is negative. The phenolphthalein test is not absolutely specific for blood because most plants and some animal cells can also cause a positive reaction. Discussion Questions: 1. Does a positive phenolphthalein test prove that a stain is caused by blood? 2. Does a positive phenolphthalein test prove that a stain is caused by human blood? Procedure 1: 1. Test the shirt and rags to determine if the stains are caused by blood. 2. Place a drop of phenolphthalein/peroxide solution on each stain. 3.Observe if a color change occurs. A purple-violet color reaction indicates that blood (heme) is present (positive reaction). Absence of this reaction indicates that blood is not present. 4. Record your results: Color reacti on for Sample 1:_________________________ Color reaction for Sample 2:_________________________ Based on the results of this test, which person, the plumber or the electrician becomes your prime suspect? ____________________________________________________________________________ Additional Information: When confronted, your chief suspect claims to have a nosebleed, thus accounting for the blood stain.Investigators have now been able to recover a blood sample (Sample 4 ) from the suspect’s van. It is suitable for blood typing. You ask and receive a blood sample from the suspect (Sample 5). Proceed to Procedure 2. Test Background: Blood groups are created by molecules present on the surface of red blood cells. The table shows the four ABO phenotypes (â€Å"blood groups†) present in the human population. When red blood cells carrying one or both antigens are exposed to the corresponding antibodies, they agglutinate; that is, clump together.People usually have antibodies against those red cell antigens that they lack. The ABO Blood Groups Blood Group| Red Cell Antigen (Protein on blood cell)| Serum Antibody (Produced by Body)| A| A| Anti-B| B| B| Anti-A| AB| A and B| Neither| O| Neither| Anti -A and Anti -B| Discussion Questions: 1. How do you determine a person’s blood type? 2. Can a person’s blood type prove or disprove that he/she committed a crime? How? Procedure 2: 1. Add a drop of synthetic anti-A (blue) to the well labeled A. Replace cap. . Always replace the cap on the vial before opening the next vial to prevent cross contamination. . Add a drop of synthetic anti-B (yellow) to the well labeled B. Replace cap. 3. Add a drop of synthetic anti-Rh serum (clear) to the well labeled Rh. Replace cap. 4. Using the dropper vial, place a drop of Sample 3 (the victim’s blood) in each well of the blood typing slide. DO NOT TOUCH THE WELL! 5. Replace the cap on the dropper vial. 6. Using a different color mixing stick for each well (blue for anti-A, yellow for anti-B & white for anti –Rh), gently stir the synthetic blood and anti-serum drops for 30 seconds.Remember to discard each mixing stick after a single use to avoid cross contamination. 7. WAIT 60 Seconds. 8. Carefully examine the thin films of liquid mixture left behind. If the film remains uniform in appearance, there is no agglultination (no clumps, negative reaction). If the film as clumps, agglutination has occurred (positive reaction) 9. Determine blood type of the sample using the data table below. Answer yes or no as to whether agglutination occurred in each sample. A positive agglutination reaction indicates blood type. 10. Record the results for each blood sample in the data table.Data Table | Sample 3| Sample 4| Sample 5| Anti-A| | | | Anti-B| | | | Rh| | | | Blood type| | | | 11. Then repeat steps 1-9 for Samples 4 and 5. Record each results on table. 12. Thoroughly rinse the blood typing slides and return all materials. Conclusion: Bas ed on your results, did the blood collected from the suspect’s van come from the suspect? ____________________________________________________ Could this blood have come from the victim? ____________________________ What can you conclude from your results? (Remember to cite your data). __________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Every Father’s Dream Essay

Parents play an important role in the fulfillment of their children’s dreams. Often, before a child can even start to dream, parents have already made a mental picture of what they want their children to be in the future. In Barack Obama’s (2004) â€Å"Dreams from My Father,† we see the important role a father plays in the success of the incumbent president. On the contrary, in Arthur Miller’s (1949) â€Å"Death of Salesman,† the author illustrates how a father’s dream and example can sometimes destroy a son’s future. Look more:  perseverance example essay In this paper, we compare and contrast the dreams of the fathers in the two works in order to derive a lesson every parent and child should know. Published in 2004, â€Å"Dreams from My Father† narrates the life of the 44th president of the United States. The novel is told by the president himself, who was then elected for the senate. In his story, Obama describes how his father’s ambition and examples helped shape and made him realize his own dreams. The story narrates the young Barack Obama Sr. as a clever and intelligent yet mischievous student during his early years. Unable to finish college in his homeland, he lands a clerical job until two female missionaries help him find scholarship to a university in Hawaii. His perseverance to finish his studies later provides inspiration to his son, Barry. In his letter to his son, the father says, â€Å"Like water finding its level, you will arrive at a career that suits you† (45). This expresses the father’s wish for his son to find his own destiny, his own place in society. Finding one’s place in society is possible through education. Although Barack Sr. does not emphasize to Barry the importance of education, the boy realizes this through his parents’ examples. Specifically, the father’s own perseverance to gain further studies serves as example for the son to follow. Likewise, his words during their last meeting echo and translate in Barry’s mind as, â€Å"You do not work hard enough, Barry. You must help in your people’s struggle. Wake up, black man (126)! † These words serve as Barry’s motivation to persevere in all the struggles and responsibilities he has to face. In the play, â€Å"Death of a Salesman,† the father, Willy Loman has the same dreams for his son, Biff. He wishes for him to find his place in society, to be the best he can be. However, since Biff relies too much on his father’s examples, he becomes disappointed when he finds out that all the while, his father has not been true to his mother. The scene in the hotel where Biff finds out about Willy’s other woman devastates him, and ruins his life later on. Due to this, he decides not to attend the summer school and finish his studies. Considering his actions, Willy can be blamed for Biff’s inability to reach his dreams. The boy’s mindset is very much affected by his father’s actions. In contrast to Obama Sr. who serves his country and continues his studies, Willy shares in the disappointment of his son. These examples show us the important role of the father in giving advice to their sons, and in setting a good example. Despite the fact that Obama leaves his son to his wife, the good memory he leaves the boy serves as a good foundation for the child. Moreover, as the older Obama expresses in one of his letters to his son, for one to realize his place in society, one has to know one’s people, where he belongs (66). To do this, Barry searches for his roots and listens to what his grandmother’s story. From this, he finds out the struggles of his grandfather and his father, and finds strength in their sacrifices and dreams. The dreams of his father to be fully educated and to serve his country are enough to inspire Barry to move on and be the best he can be. In contrast, the theme of knowing oneself in order to realize one’s dreams is expressed differently in â€Å"Death of a Salesman. † In the play, Willy’s high expectations of Biff disappoint the son more. Biff insists to his father, â€Å"Pop, I’m nothing! I’m nothing, Pop. Can’t you understand that? There’s no spite in it any more (99)† Despite this, Willy still believes in Biff. He believes that if given a chance and a big sum to start on his own, his son can be successful. This is the reason why Willy sacrifices his life at the end, so that his sons can have what it takes to start on their own. The legacies of the two fathers are totally different. Obama leaves to his son an identity and reputation he can live with, while Loman bequeathes a good sum, which he is unable to provide his sons during his lifetime. Either way, the examples of the two fathers imply a general truth about fathers, that every one of them desires the best for their children. References Miller, Arthur. (1949). Death of a salesman. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www. franklang. ru/download/Miller_Death_of_a_Salesman__pdf. pdf Obama, Barack. (2004). Dreams from my father. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://cephas17507. multiply. com/journal/item/20/Dreams_from_My_Father_Barack_Obama_2004_. pdf