Darwinian Theory and the ‘Life of Pi’ Essay

Darwinian Theory may be used to explain Yann Martel’s novel ‘Life of Pi. ’ While the novel is an aesthetic portrayal of spirituality, purity, and practicality, it is nonetheless not immune to the issues of scientific validity, materiality, and determinism. In this paper, the author will explore the relationship of Darwinian Theory with the core concepts in the novel. These core concepts are, in general, assumed to be in conflict with the principles of Darwinian Theory. However, this assumption may be relaxed as the author sees fit. Novel Summary Piscine ‘Pi’ Molitor Patel lives in Pondicherry, India – a boy described as ‘curious, jolly, and deep-seated with learning. ’ His father is the owner of the Pondicherry Zoo. His mother is an avid reader of various literary works. Much of the protagonist’s learning experience came from school. Hi school is filled with amazing teachers – many of whom became personal mentors of Pi. Although he grew up as a Hindu, he discovered the Catholic faith at the age of 14 from a priest named Father Martin. However, upon meeting Mr. Kumar, a Muslim, he changes his religious orientation by practicing Islam. Pi openly defies the custom of religious conservatism by advocating liberalism in worship – he regards Catholicism, Islam, and Hinduism as legitimate religions. At the age of 16, Pi’s father decides to abandon Prime Minister’s Gandhi due to some political and ethical issues. The family is forced to move to Toronto, Canada. The animals in the zoo are dispersed to various zoos in the United States. On their way to Canada, the boat unexpectedly sinks. Only Pi survives – stuck with a dying hyena and a zebra. While struggling in the shark-infested water, he saves Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger. In the boat, predatory animals prey on herbivores and the carcasses of dead animals. For seven months, Pi hides on a raft behind the boat. He is able to tame Parker using a whistle. Parker seems to develop affection with Pi – Parker becomes the close partner of Pi. While at sea, Pi learns to eat from the sea. However, because the nutrition derived from the sea is insufficient to feed the two, both Pi and Parker become ill. As the health of both Pi and Parker deteriorate, the former loses his sight. Then, they come across another blind man – a person stranded in his lifeboat on the Pacific. The blind man intends to kill and eat Pi. However, the tiger (Parker) attacks and eats the blind man. Pi, however, sheds tears for the blind man, clearing his sight as a consequence. For a long period of time, the two suffered from the scourges of the seas. Then, they come across an island made of algae and populated with the so-called Meerkats. Pi begins to eat algae and gradually regains his strength. Parker also regains his strength by eating Meerkats. For several weeks both Pi and Parker live on the island. Both are very happy and almost optimistic of life. Eventually, Pi finds several sets of corroded human teeth wrapped in tree leaves. Pi is horrified. Pi realizes that during the night the algae become acidic. The island becomes carnivorous – one indicator of which is the sleeping habit of the Meerkats. Meerkats sleep at night to avoid danger. His discovery sends shivers on his body – a feeling of hopelessness and despair run in his mind. The next day, he leaves the island with Parker. After spending so much time in the ocean, Pi finally lands in Mexico. Parker runs off into the woods. Pi is eventually recovered by villagers who immediately take him to a nearby hospital. The shipping company which owned the ship interviewed Pi. Pi narrates his story to the representatives of the company – his 227-day journey on the boat and the fantastic tales of his experiences with Parker, the Bengal tiger, and of course, the ‘dangerous’ island. The representatives of the company do not believe Pi’s story and therefore ask Pi to relate another story. Pi narrates a second story. In the story, the cook of the boat kills both his mother and a sailor with a broken leg. Pi kills the cook. The company representatives realize that Pi’s second story parallels the first. Pi asks the representatives which story they like the most. The representatives agree they like the first story and the one they will use in their report. Darwinian Theory in the Novel In the first part of the novel, Darwinian Theory seems to be contradictory with the core concepts of the story. The story advocates the concepts of spirituality, freedom of conscience, purity, and spiritual origin of humanity as the main determinants of man’s journey in life. In the beginning, Pi’s life is governed by these principles, as evident by his deep-seated commitment to the precepts of spiritual living. Pi believes that the future of humanity depends on man’s commitment to his spiritual origin. Humanity is above materialism, prejudice, and the natural laws of selection, adaptation, and struggle. Hence, humanity is defined not by the peculiarities of deterministic living but by choice and freedom. If one uses Darwinian Theory, one can clearly see the contradictions. Darwinian Theory suggests: We have seen that man incessantly presents individual differences in all parts of his body and in his mental faculties. These differences or variations seem to be induced by the same general causes, and to obey the same laws as with the lower animals. In both cases similar laws of inheritance prevail. Man tends to increase at a greater rate than his means of subsistence; consequently he is occasionally subjected to a severe struggle for existence, and natural selection will have effected whatever lies within its scope (On the Origin of Species, 147). In short, the future of humanity is governed by the principles of struggle, variation, and adaptation. To deny the material origin of man is to deny his nature. The peculiarities of man’s existence, is therefore, clouded by lies which perpetuate in the human psyche. Darwinian Theory presents man in the most material form – man originated from lower forms through a perpetually long periods of time. In his book ‘The Descent of Man,’ Darwin clearly defined the nature of man. According to Darwin, man is an ubiquitous species selected by nature to perpetuate in the world. His main tool for survival is knowledge or technological advancement. However, this ‘advantage’ is not a departure from natural selection, struggle, or adaptation. Rather, it is part of nature – ungoverned by either choice or freedom – and subservient to the logic of evolution. In short, man is related to other species in one way or another. In the novel, Pi’s ingenuous anticipation of problems and its eventual resolution are presented as natural and instinctual. With this, one is forced to refer again to Darwin’s assertion which states: He who is not content to look, like a savage, at the phenomena of nature as disconnected, cannot any longer believe that man is the work of a separate act of creation. He will be forced to admit that the close resemblance of the embryo of man to that, for instance, of a dog- the construction of his skull, limbs and whole frame on the same plan with that of other mammals, independently of the uses to which the parts may be put- the occasional re-appearance of various structures, for instance of several muscles, which man does not normally possess, but which are common to the Quadrumana- and a crowd of analogous facts- all point in the plainest manner to the conclusion that man is the co-descendant with other mammals of a common progenitor (The Descent of Man, 74). Darwinian Theory begins to manifest itself in the second part of the novel. Pi’s struggles in the boat present three concrete principles of Darwinism: struggle, adaptation, and competition. Pi’s struggles are generally linked with the actions of other forms of living organisms – the zebras, hyena, the snake, and the orangutan. The boat represents a small world where the laws of Darwinism govern everything. According to Darwin, it is impossible for a human being to be separated from the discretion of nature, from the actions of other organisms, and the vagrant reality of materialism (On the Origin of Species, 59). The formal rule of human existence is no more different from the formal rule which governs nature. According to Darwin, struggle is the formal rule of existence: As the missletoe is disseminated by birds, its existence depends on birds; and it may metaphorically be said to struggle with other fruit-bearing plants, in order to tempt birds to devour and disseminate its seeds rather than those of other plants. In these several sense, which pass into each other, I use for convenience sake the general term of struggle for existence. A struggle for existence inevitably follows from the high rate at which organic beings tend to increase †¦ for only struggle can ensure the survival of every living organism (On the Origin of Species, 32-33). In short, Pi’s struggles in the boat are not an isolated form of adaptation but a real manifestation of the laws of nature (which Darwin established in his book ‘On the Origin of Species’). Natural selection is likewise manifested in Pi’s adventures in the island. The sleeping habit of the Meerkats is congruent with the environment of the island. Note that during nighttime, the island becomes ‘carnivorous’ and the algae turns into a colony of acidic organisms. In order for the Meerkats to thrive in the island, they must adapt to their environment. Their adaptation will serve as a medium for natural selection – a species capable of reproducing. As Darwin noted: But in the case of an island, or of a country partly surrounded by barriers, into which new and better adapted forms could not freely enter, we should then have places in the economy of nature which would assuredly be better filled up, if some of the original inhabitants were in some manner modified; for, had the area been open to immigration, these same places would have been seized on by intruders. In such case, every slight modification, which in the course of ages chanced to arise, and which in any way favoured the individuals of any of the species, by better adapting them to their altered conditions, would tend to be preserved; and natural selection would thus have free scope for the work of improvement (On the Origin of Species, 42). Note the similarity of Darwin’s assertions to the plot of the story. The propensity of survival depends first and foremost on the ability of organisms to adapt to their environment. Adaptation serves as a medium for natural selection (as in the case of the Meerkats in the novel). Conclusion The novel can be analyzed through the lens of Darwinism. It is clear that the novel contains elements of Darwinism. However, one should note that this form of interpretation is neither deterministic nor perpetual. Other types of interpretation may be used to analyze the novel (such as realism, deconstructionism, structuralism, etc. ) Works Cited Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. London: London Publishing House, 1870/1992. Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1882/2001. Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2001.

English Language Coursework †Task One and Introduction Essay

Task One Robin Lakoff devised a theory of language and gender differences. She believed that women had a greater lexis when describing subjects such as colours where men would have a greater lexis in subjects such as sports. Lakoff also believed that women use more prestige grammar and clear pronunciation with more intensifiers than men. Therefore I have chosen to see whether these patterns occur within boys and girls aged 7-8 to see if they have developed these attributes even at an early age. The audience I feel that would be appropriate to my research are people who work with or study children, A level or university students and people with a general interest of this topic. This is because by working with children you will be keen to pick up new information to help you with your work so you may find some here and an A level student taking English language may look at this for an example. By observing the speech of children’s language I will be able to decide whether there is a difference in gender. People are influenced throughout their lives; they are influenced by things such as their environment, media and social groups. At an early age children are looking towards their families and peers to see how they should act. This shows children are aware upon how to communicate with others, therefore leading the possibility that even at a young age they have the same traits as an adult. The research question I have concluded with is, are language and gender differences apparent within children ages 7-8 as there are in adults? Robin Lakoff stated that there are differences in spoken language between men and women so I have decided to see if children still have these differences. The reason for this is because at such an early age every child is thought of the same and it is hard to see a dominate gender; this was a key issue with early studies of men and women. Robin Lakoff also said ‘women use hypercorrect grammar and pronunciation’ but since the children are only 7-8 years old they are still learning basic English skills. This means that this point will not apply here since the children are young. I have chosen this topic area because I was not aware that there was a gender difference in language until I was taught it. I have taken a interest in this because men and women are both educated in the same way and thought to be brought up the same so I believed that they would have the same attitude in language. Another reason I have chosen this is because women are seen as the less dominate gender but when I was a child I was not aware of this so I am interested to see if there are signs of this even at such a young age. I expect to find that even at an early age the boys will interrupt more as they tend to be very energetic whereas the girls will be more descriptive in describing an object. Introduction When studying English language I found out that there was gender differences within speech, this took my interest as I believe that women now are equal to men. I felt that some of these differences maybe because of the language men and women use. When researching this topic I found out that Robin Lakoff devised a theory that there are differences between the language of men and women and how males are more dominant speakers than females. This is because females are believed to be less assertive and tend not to interrupt during conversation like men do. This could branch onto discrimination as this a topic seen throughout life and it may give reasons to why females are discriminated more than males since they are not seen as the dominate gender. Another reason why I am doing this because I am interested how we develop our skills when we are young, why we develop them and who influences us on the language we use. I think the way we brought up and the language we are taught to use plays a big role in our society because I feel that each person uses their own distinctive language from each one and another, this is because I could tell a friend from another purely because of the vocabulary and dialect the person uses. Therefore I wanted to look to see if this still applies to boys and girls at a young age where they are seen to be innocent and they would not pick up on these differences. I will do this by talking to children ages 7-8 the same questions and taking down their response. The problem that may arise with this is that some children are more confident than others; this means they will not be as shy with their response as another child would.

U.S. Monetary Policy and International Implications Essay

U.S. Monetary Policy and International Implications - Essay Example e economy is growing seems insufficient to initiate and sustain considerably large up-gradation in the current job market, the FOMC has decided to take measures and modify its financial policies to bring significant changes in the employment levels. The rate of unemployment has been recorded at a high 7.8 percent in 2012, which is much higher than the projections made by analysts as the normal level of unemployment in the long run (Bernanke). There is a large level of slack in resources in the U.S. and it is being persistently maintained with high margins. This supports the restrained rates of inflation in the U.S. although there are short term fluctuations in prices of goods and services in the economy. Consumer price inflation at present shows lower than the expected level that is required to achieve the long run objective of 2 percent as set by the Federal Reserve (Press Release). Federal Reserve's Recent Policy Actions The monetary policy strategies of the Federal Reserve are ste ered by the dual mandate of promoting maximum level of employment and achieving stability in prices (Mayer 184). With the inadequate progress found in the US job markets coupled with subdued inflationary pressures, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has taken certain important actions in 2012 with the aim of providing â€Å"additional policy accommodation† (Bernanke). In September of 2012 information collected from reliable sources continued to let out weak signals regarding labor markets. There were also no sign of noteworthy inflation pressures. This induced the FOMC to take additional steps for making provisions of policy accommodation. The span of time over which the FOMC has kept its expectations â€Å"to maintain exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate† (Bernanke) has... This essay stresses that while the asset purchase program of the FOMC is aimed at increasing employment levels and improve job market conditions along with stabilizing the price of commodities in the U.S. economy, this policy action also has certain significant negative impacts. In my opinion, although the quantitative easing puts a positive influence on the economic performance of the country, the government has to increase subsidy on labor wages and increase demand for labor by the producers. An increase in wages would improve demand conditions in the economy which would increase productivity levels. While improving demand conditions in the economy, this process would take care of the problem of excess liquidity in the economy. This paper makes a conclusion that mixed views have been provided in the debate revolving around the asset purchasing by the FOMC. In terms of efficiency of the quantitative easing program, most of the members of the Committee have agreed that this policy creates a meaningful result by easing financial circumstances thereby accelerating the process of economic growth. According to these observers, less credit constraints and lower rates of interest would increase investment by investors. On the other hand, some members of the Committee consider this policy as having a diminishing impact on the economic condition of the country. This is because quantitative easing lessens the financial stress in the short term, but, no consensus has yet been reached with regard to the long term effects of the assets purchasing policy.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 40

Assignment Example The federal investigators said they were going to conduct corruption investigations involving the City Hall officials (Twickel 1). The United States of America legislators introduced a bill to block visas and assets of some Russians until people responsible for the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky were brought to justice. Magnitsky was put under arrest after he accused senior government officials of embezzling government funds. According to the report given, Magnitsky died of health complications in a pretrial detention in Moscow. Human rights activists and Magnitsky colleagues say that he was denied adequate medical treatment during his detention. They also claimed that he was subjected to torturing conditions. The bill was however not welcomed by some Russia government officials. The Foreign Minister warned the US government against passing the bill saying that it will evoke bitter relations with US and undermine cooperation between the two nations (Combined Reports 1). The president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office to conduct investigations into Magnitsky’s deat h. Previous investigations into Magnitsky’s death failed to produce any suspect (The St Petersburg Times

New Venture Creation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

New Venture Creation - Essay Example The creation was undertaken by employing a team effort for three years. Business and economic decisions were made throughout this period, with a successful financial position being achieved. By the end of the three years, the SimVenture Creation had accumulated a total profit of ?20191. The venture was making a sale of up to 60 units every month. The closing year therefore depicted a strong business portfolio for the venture. Financial Achievements The simulation started with a default start-up capital of ?10,000. Over the next three years, the running of the venture was to be done by all team members, and annual results filled at the end of every year. This process engaged numerous activities that when combined would determine the financial position of the SimVenture Creation. The underlying interest was to take advantage and exploit emerging business opportunities, while accounting for the welfare of the firm. The entrepreneurial position of the venture was highly dependent on the decisions made by the team members. All the members embraced the fact that a successful financial position is dependent on the firm’s culture. ... By the end of the second year, the venture had been fully operationalized. In the same period, financial stability had been realized as income levels surpassed business expenditures. In the final year of simulation, entrepreneurial opportunities had been fully exploited. Legal, social and economic factors in the operational environment had been accounted for in the two previous financial periods. Year one and two had fully integrated market research to determine the market loops that the venture sought to account for. Business-customer interaction had been enhanced in the process, aided by the strong relationship that the venture realized with its suppliers, advertisers, business contractors and creditors. Production and sales performance was matched with the outcome of market research undertaken by the entrepreneurial team. As a result, sales increased, subcontracting was alleviated, customers accessed sales on credit and operational costs were significantly cut. Cost cut was realiz ed through reduced hours of work and the fact that optimal experiments had been done. Cash flows remained dynamic, with debtors, creditors, sales, revenues and expenses being fully accounted for. Sales had hit highs of 60 units for a month and a profit of ?20191 was recorded by the close of business at the end of the third year. Key Decisions Made Management decisions The management is a critical functional organ of the SimVenture Creation. Since the running of the venture was undertaken by an entrepreneurial team, each team member was charged with a decision making responsibility that was subject to the approval of the team. The functional areas of the venture were the primary basis

QUALITY ASSURANCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

QUALITY ASSURANCE - Essay Example Therefore, the management of RWDi decided to appoint a management consultant in order to identify the main reasons for declining sales along with the loss of customers. According to the observation of the consultant, it has been notified that the organisation has never adopted any sort of marketing orientation programme in order to understand consumers’ needs and preferences. In accordance with the consultant’s report, the management of RWDi took certain imperative initiatives such as deliverance of quality training for all of its staff for the purpose of mitigating its vulnerable business situation. With this concern, the report intends to discuss the concept of quality along with total quality and identification of hard as well as soft problems faced by RWDi. Moreover, certain effective solutions and proper evaluation regarding the improvement of RWDIs’ vulnerable situation will also be depicted in the report. 2.0 Concept of Quality and Total Quality Quality Th e perception of quality is typically regarded to be one of the major and wide-ranging concepts that ensure to offer superior value of products or services according to the needs and preferences of the consumers. ... liverance of quality products is regarded to be one of the vital elements that raise productivity which, in turn, leads towards generating greater revenue. Moreover, the efficiency of offering quality products can also augment employment opportunities as well as technological advancement to a significant extent (Beckford, 2009). Total Quality Management The idea of Total Quality Management (TQM) can be defined as the level of optimisation and amalgamation of all business activities and processes that facilitate the organisations to comply with the anticipation of their customers (University of Liverpool, n.d.). It is fundamentally viewed to be an effective approach that supports an organisation to enlarge their customer base levels, motivate the workers, maximise revenues as well as minimise costs. An effective practice of TQM is considerably focused on promoting customer’s needs and demands at large. With this regard, it is quite essential for an organisation to identify and understand the needs and desires of the customers in terms of offering quality products or services with the intention of accomplishing its expected business goals (The University of Groningen, 2007). 2.1 Problems Hard Problems According to the case of RWDi, it can be identified that the organisation overlooked the utilisation of marketing orientation programmes for its products, which can be considered as one of the major or hard problems of the organisation. Moreover, lack of implementing TQM programmes can further be considered as another hard problem for RWDi. Soft Problems From the perspective of identifying the soft problems of RWDi, it has been observed that the sales of the organisation were declined and lost valuable customers due to the aforementioned major or hard problems. 3.0

Typography in Business & Bauhaus Manifesto Dissertation

Typography in Business & Bauhaus Manifesto - Dissertation Example The document; ‘Using styles Training’ could appear as illustrated below after the effect of topography on it: How to Format Your Word Document Using â€Å"Styles† Microsoft Word has a tool known as styles, which help in formatting a document. Where is Styles found? The styles tool is in the Home ribbon of Microsoft Word. Styles functions. It allows the user to classify certain formatting characteristics as a specific â€Å"style†. How to use Styles. For example, if one wishes to have all Headers in a document to be Arial, size 18, and bold, one could create a style which encompasses these formatting characteristics. This style can then be applied to any other words in the document with one click, rather than having to manually format each word. Design entails making an assemblage of concepts and creating a format that reflects a visual solution that depicts functional and artistic usefulness. Design is more about transformation of ideas and words to achieve a desired result in the mind of an audience. The principles of design offer vast possibilities in crafting creative solutions. Good design would be flexible and reflect content so as to give an effective visual communication. The Bauhaus manifesto expressed the opinion of design as primarily involving industry and mass production as opposed to individual craftsmanship. That the definitive aim of all creativity is building. The manifesto refutes the existence of professional art. Bauhaus philosophy maintains that design is relevant only when someone is using it.

Retirement Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Retirement Issues - Essay Example The essay "Retirement Issues" intends to overview the causes behind retirement plan and offer the suggestions to the younger generation on the successful accomplishment of a resilient retirement plan that is expected to get rid of the lacunas of the earlier generations in framing the same. , the term unforeseen itself is stochastic or probabilistic in nature. There is no definite way to measure all unanticipated events that might require added financial assistance and thereby extra precautionary savings. Hence, at the end of the day, it is all about series of assumptions and to some extent careful gambling with a hope that the dice would fall in the expected number. If the dice falls otherwise; then all the associated dreams with the retirement life fall into pieces like a glass house stuck with a stone. Hope does not die though, people keep on thinking that their planning considering the retirement life is on the right track and then out of the blue an emergency pops up forcing the individual and his family into the ocean of despair. By the time the individual realizes something is not right in his planning, it is too late. The most ironic thing is that this can happen owing to human error or purely out of the accident. This point to the fact that even if one is perfect regarding his retirement planning; he might face the brunt of the unforeseen events similar to anyone else. It is easily understandable now that why retirement plan is important and difficult to optimize.

BYD Chinese Car Manufacturer and Saturn Car Inc. Would it be a good Essay

BYD Chinese Car Manufacturer and Saturn Car Inc. Would it be a good merger for future - Essay Example Saturn Car Inc. A subsidiary of ‘General Motors’, has been providing quality automotive vehicles for the roads of United States since the year it was formed in 1985. The company had all the signs of a successful company with large international export chains and quality assured cars till the decision was made to sell the brand to ‘Penske Automotive Group’ in 2009. The branch was later set on a path of complete shut down when Penske decided to back out of the deal. Keeping in lieu the brief introductions of the two companies it can be deduced that BYD Auto’s intentions to expand its market to the United States and Europe lack only recognition and trust of the public. Their initiative of making environment friendly cars on such a large scale gives them an upper-hand in the international market however their reputation of copying models will have a negative effect on their sales in the new market. On the other hand Saturn Car Inc. Has a perfect public imagine regarding their quality and value of the brand but the company is on a verge of complete shutdown despite their sales and recognition in the U.S. market. If there was a ‘merger’ to occur between the two companies; Saturn Car Inc could be saved from a complete shutdown but they would surely have a little change in technology in the environment. BYD Auto’s problems regarding the U.S. markets could be solved up to a certain extent by a merger with Saturn Car Inc and the company could surmount some of its issues regarding the duplication of famous brands of cars. If a merger were to occur between BYD Auto’s and Saturn Car Inc or the latter were to be bought by the prior, the result would partially be positive in nature. Both the company’s major problems could be settled (ignoring the rise of other minor complications). It could consequent in a corporation that combine’s the environment friendly cars and their large

Water Pollution in Los Angeles County Essay Example for Free

Water Pollution in Los Angeles County Essay Around 50% or 4. 5 million of the Los Angeles County residents are adults who are family-oriented professionals with middle to high income professional works (California Environmental Protection Agency). They usually rinse off their driveways for more than 200, 000 times in a month into the storm drains and for about 375, 000 times a month, throw cigarette butts on the ground (California Environmental Protection Agency). Additionally, around 1. 2 million adults are involved in environmental pollution through household chores and car washing (California Environmental Protection Agency). For every month, they usually neglected to recycle or properly dispose used motor oil and other car fluids for more than 124, 000 times. Also, on a monthly basis, for approximately 100, 000 times they spray pesticides on their yards and flush their driveways out into the storm drains for about 85,000 times for every month (California Environmental Protection Agency). Nonetheless, around 405, 000 young adults or nine percent of the populace used to dump their ashtrays for greater than 20, 000 times in the street in a month and accounted for 42% dumped ashtrays (California Environmental Protection Agency). They also throw litters from their cars for about 575,000 times and put trashes directly for greater than 125,000 times into the storm drains for every month (California Environmental Protection Agency). With these scenarios, it is foreseen that in the near future, the county has mountains of trashes and contaminated water resources. Pollution Sources The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, reported that non-point sources pollution is a major cause of contamination of drinking water and adversely affected the wildlife and marine fishes (â€Å"Stormwater Pollution Basics†). Moreover, in 1992, State’s Water Quality Assessment reported that pollutants from non-point sources have ruined around two-thirds of bodies of water in California (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-22). In order to mitigate these effects, the federal government issued legislation on industrial activities such as logging and mining to preserve and protect ecological resources. This step is intensively imposed through local support like by creating ordinances like on erosion control and zoning (â€Å"Stormwater Pollution Basics†). Pollutants from point sources can easily be tracked because they usually discharged from different establishments through pipes or sewage system (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-24). The effective regulation of point-sources has brought improvement in the quality of water among the country’s seas, lakes, rivers, and streams (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-24). On the other hand, non-point source pollutants, also called runoffs, are diffused. They probably transported through a medium from one community to another then accumulated in a particular place, hence, the term runoff. Thus, the non-point sources are much given priority in Clean Water Act of 1972 (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-24). The contamination of groundwater in Southern California region is a consequence of poor land and water management practices (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-28). Agricultural chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers applied on farms seep into the ground while leakage on storage and septic tanks in the same manner contaminate the water table (Adams 5-6). Also, urban runoffs which include dissolved chemicals and suspended particles contribute largely on water quality degradation (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-28). These runoff pollutants include sediments, nutrients, oil spill, metals, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, and floatables (Adams 5-6). Limited Water Resources As the world population continuously increases so as the demand for potable water (â€Å"Guidelines for Water Reuse† 3). The increase of residential communities and industrial development in rural areas not only increased the demand for water use but also elevated wastewater discharges (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 19). As a consequence, great number of communities around the world has limited water supply that necessitated for the conservation and reuse of water (â€Å"Guidelines for Water Reuse† 3). Based on the average regional consumptive use, major regions of the United States are consuming water greater than the existing water resources (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 20). While some regions are dependent on ground water, other areas are utilizing waters from rivers, lakes, and streams (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 20). Water reuse requires efficient wastewater reclamation and treatment. Majority of water reuse projects can only reclaim water for nonpotable use such as for irrigation and industrial purposes (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 19). Although water reclamation and reuse has great advantages in conserving water, wastewater treatment for water to yield potable water entails costly treatment plants (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 31). Further, government or other institutional priorities may give additional burden in budget allocation for such projects (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 31). On the other hand, the industrial sectors are mandated by the government to secure for an efficient wastewater pretreatment facilities and management (â€Å"Guidelines for Water Reuse† 4). In this way, the harm of wastewater discharges on the environment is alleviated. Water Pollution Regulation The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, now called as Clean Water Act, was amended to expand its control in the regulation of wastewater discharges from the industries through the issuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, NPDES permit (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). It was again amended in 1987 to include the regulations on storm water discharges through industrial and municipal facilities under the NPDES program (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). As a result, NPDES permit is also mandated for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System effluents. Each state is required by the Clean Water Act to set water standards for local bodies of water in the approval of the EPA (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). The criteria for water quality standards must be developed with respect to water use such as for agricultural purposes and wildlife habitat (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). This include maximum and minimum allowable level for both dissolved and suspended particles like heavy metals, nutrients, dirt, and bacteria. Nevertheless, the EPA regional offices have specified standards for water quality through California Toxics Rule (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). Also, the section 303 (d) of the Clean Water Act mandated the identification of impaired bodies of water (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). Once identified, the Total Maximum Daily Load, TMDL, should be set for each pollutant present. Then, future wastewater discharges will be assessed based on these criteria to minimize pollutant increase (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). The provisions of the Clean Water Act are the bases of water-quality controls and restrictions for wastewater discharges to rivers and lakes. This was made possible by amending the content of 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act that was enriched in 1977 (â€Å"Coastal Water Quality and Urban Runoff in Orange County† 10). Meanwhile, in June 1994, the revised Water Quality Control Plan of Los Angeles was adopted by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. This encompassed agricultural, municipal, and industrial water services (â€Å"Coastal Water Quality and Urban Runoff in Orange County† 5). Presently, Lost Angeles County is maintaining about 1, 000 acres watersheds through their regional and subregional facilities (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 5). Indeed, their facilities are designed to withstand a hundred year frequency storms (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 5). In addition, local facilities maintained by the local district are also available to protect less than 640 acres watersheds (â€Å"Hydrology and Water Quality† 6). Conclusion The different bodies of water and even ground water of the Southern California are continuously degraded by human activities (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-25). Agricultural chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides may infiltrate and contaminate the ground water. Meanwhile, the excessive pumping of water from the water table may result to incursion of seawater into the ground water (â€Å"Water Resources† 8. 15-25). Every water management and planning project needs active participation of the local citizens in order to create an efficient and sustainable working model (Asano, Burton, Leverenz, Tsuchihashi, Tchobanoglous 31). The participation of the local citizens can be promoted through environmental education campaign on prevention and conservation of resources. In connection with this, the Los Angeles County residents are generally concerned with water pollution however, are presently engaged in polluting activities (California Environmental Protection Agency). On the positive side, they are very willing to actively participate in any anti-pollution projects (California Environmental Protection Agency). Since water pollution is caused primarily of human activities, it is only through active involvement of every citizen in governmental programs, that the goals for pollution abatement can be effectively attained. In this connection, EPA encouraged private citizens to: properly dispose garbage and litters thereby avoiding drain clogs and the runoff of these pollutants to bodies of water; sparingly use household and garden chemicals; maintain plants and ground covers to prevent erosion; support local government officials in environmental projects; and use environment friendly home products (â€Å"Stormwater Pollution Basics†). Works Cited Adams, Gregory. Identifying and Controlling Municipal Wastewater Odor Phase II: Impacts of Inplant Parameters on Biosolids Odor Quality Werf Report Treatment Processes.London: IWA Publishing, 2004. Asano, Takashi, Burton, Franklin L. , Leverenz, Harold L. , Tsuchihashi, Ryujiro, and Tchobanoglous, George. Water Reuse: Issues, Technologies, and Applications. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2007 California Environmental Protection Agency. â€Å"Erase the Waste. † May 1997. State Water Resources Control Board, Office of Public Affairs. 12 December 2008 http://www. swrcb. ca. gov/erasethewaste/docs/campaignprofiles. pdf â€Å"Coastal Water Quality and Urban Runoff in Orange Country. † n. d. Department of Public Works. 12 December 2008 http://www. ocwatersheds. com/brochures/Coastal%20Water%20Quality%20etc%206-15-99. pdf. Guidelines For Water Reuse. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Washington D. C. : Camp Dresser McKee, Inc. 2004. Hydrology and Water Quality. Draft Environmental Impact Report. Los Angeles: LSA Associates, Inc. 2008. â€Å"Stormwater Pollution Basics. † n. d. Department of Public Works, Los Angeles County. 12 December 2008 http://dpw. lacounty. gov/PRG/StormWater/Page_36. cfm. Water Resources. Southern California Association of Governments Draft 2008 RTP PEIR, January 2008.

The Growth Development And Industrial Policy Economics Essay

The Growth Development And Industrial Policy Economics Essay 1. Economic growth is the increase of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) or other measure of aggregate income, typically reported as the annual rate of change in real GDP. Economic growth is primarily driven by improvements in productivity, which involves producing more goods and services with the same inputs of labor, capital, energy and materials. Economists draw a distinction between short-term economic stabilization and long-term economic growth. The topic of economic growth is primarily concerned with the long run. The short-run variation of economic growth is termed the business cycle. The rate of economic growth is measured by the percentage increase in output over a 12 month period. Governments aim to achieve high levels of stable economic growth over the long term avoiding occurances such as recessions and periods of excessive short term growth which cannot be sustained. The situation in Britain, and throughout a large portion of the world at the moment, is a good example of how stable growth was not maintained. By not maintaing a constant level of aggregate demand, fluctuations will occur, moving the circular flow of income from a state of equilibirum to a state of disequilibrium this is a natural occurance within an economy, as a rise in aggregate demand demonstrates Economic Growth and vice versa. Unemployment will also fall in relation to growth, inflation rates are likely to rise, with the gap between exports and imports narrowing as consumer demand for less expensive forgein produced products increases and demand for domestically produced goods decreases. Benefits of Growth: Increased levels of consumption Avoidance of macroeconomic problems Redistribution of income to the poor Greater societal care for the environment In theory Growth should make people happier as income will be more evenly distributed, meaning everyone has more money to spend, improving quality of life the down side is that this may not actually happen, and none of the above improvements may actually occur. Costs of Growth Opportunity cost of growth Growth may simply generate extra demand Social effects and Enviornmental costs Shortage of Non-Renewable resources fossil fuels and minerals e.g. Distribution of Income rich get richer, poor get poorer? Changes in production people with basic skills may find they are no longer required, so without further education of training my no longer be employable. Should countries pursue their goals of economic growth? This is a decision to be made in relation to the benefits and costs involved, i.e. each countries situation will be different and their can be no difinitive yes or no answer. Economic development in its simplest form is the creation of economic wealth for all citizens within the diverse layers of society so that all people have access to potential increased quality of life. Job creation, economic output and increase in taxable basis are the most common measurement tools. Structural transformation, improving the quality and productivity of resources and improving the standard of living of a nations population, through sustained growth from a simple, low-income economy to a modern, high-income economy, are desireable goals for any government to try and achieve. Improving quality of life in turn relates to improving economic development would be enhanced, including the process and policies by which a nation enhances the economic, political, and social well-being of its people. 2. Public policy generally aims at continuous and sustained economic growth and expansion of national economies so that developing countries become developed countries. The economic development process supposes that legal and institutional adjustments are made to give incentives for innovation and for investments so as to develop an efficient production and distribution system for goods and services. http://schumpeter2006.org/blog/2006/12/20/definition-of-economic-development/ In relation to developing countries, Economic Development can be interpreted in both a positive and negative manner. For example, the government of Sri Lanka has been consistant in their attempts to push the country towards economic development since the 1970s. Many different approaches have been taken, but a common theme of free market principles and structutal reform have been successful in keeping the plans for growth and development on track. Of course, there have been fluctuations these are fundamental for any country, let alone those in the developing world, pursuing such goals. Set backs such as political pressures, involving civil war and forgein investment, as well as a massive drought, have been hugely influential in the path of the countries progress. However, as a result of perseverance and a setting realistic short term goals, the successive governments have been fortunate to see positive developments, especially since 2002 when a ceasefire was signed between the govern ment and insurgent groups and the drought which has hampered development ended, allowing reliable power sources to be restored and the agricultural industry to lower their prices. Working in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) more targets were set for the 2003-2006 time period. Along with the new laws which were introduced, concerning areas such as tax and welfare reform, as well as investment deregulation, the country hope is to establish lasting peace through relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The fluctuations observed over this time period show clear examples of the negative and positive sides of growth and development, for example, the social effects displayed through the cival unrest and the environmental costs created by the droughts. On a more positive note, it can be seen the the distribution of wealth is becoming more even as a result of the reforms instigated in 2003. A level of health care is provided for free midwifey care is one such service now available, although many others such as blood transfusions are still very expensive. The government hope to influence and change this with their continued action through a number of key policies: 1) restoring fiscal sustainability, including raising revenues by 21/2% of GDP; 2) implementing structural reforms mainly involving deregulation and privatization; 3) creating opportunities for the poor to share more fully in the benefits of economic growth through improvements in infrastructure and education; and 4) garnering resources for reconstruction, including though donor assistance and government investments. Like many other industrialized nations of the West, the United Kingdom has sought to combine steady economic growth with a high level of employment, increased productivity, and continuing improvement in living standards. Attainment of these basic objectives, however, has been hindered since World War II by recurrent deficits in the balance of payments and by severe inflationary pressures. As a result, economic policy has chiefly had to be directed toward correcting these two underlying weaknesses in the economy The Conservative government elected in 1979 sought to reduce the role of government in the economy by improving incentives, removing controls, reducing taxes, moderating the money supply, and privatizing several large state-owned companies. This policy was continued by succeeding Conservative governments into the 1990s. The election of a Labour government in 1997 did not reverse this trend. Indeed, privatization is now widely accepted by most of the Labour Party (with the exception of the dwindling numbers of the wing of the party with strong ties to trade unions). The most important issue facing Britain in the early 2000s was membership in the European Monetary Union (EMU). Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair decided to opt out of EMU at its inception in 1998 and has promised a referendum on British membership. The opposition Conservatives oppose abandoning the pound and have the support of a majority of the British population on the issue. In June 2003, the chancellor of the exchequer stated that Britain was not yet ready to enter the euro zone, which made a referendum in the current parliament unlikely, at least until a new government would be seated in 2005. The government in 2003 devoted its attention on the domestic front to improving such public services as health, education, and transportation. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/United-Kingdom-ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT.html Industrial Policy Industrial policy is a government funded program that encourages the public and private sector to create new technology which in time leads to economic growth. This new technology can be used to create new industries within the given country which in time can lead to greater levels of employment. It can also be used to save an industry that may be outdated or failing. The government run these programs in many ways. One way they can do it is by funding a private organisation to carry out the research. This funding can be through tax breaks or the organisation could be a direct subsidiary to the government. The programs could also be government run; this has less of an advantage as private organisations are usually in a better position to carry out this research. Does it work? Its not just established economic countries that have industrial policy either and it can be just as if not more important for newly formed industrial countries as well. This is due to the resources needed for economic growth, which at the start can be easy for a country to do. As it gets bigger it requires more and more resources in order to maintain this growth and without appropriate investment this would not be possible. The Korean government did this by offering financial incentives and reduced tax to organisations setting up in the country, whilst this has worked well for them as a developing country, the practises are now banned by the WTO for developing countries and as such wouldnt help smaller countries in the same situation Korean was in some 40 years ago. Over the last few years with the recession damaging world economies it has been quite hard to define between industrial policy and government bail outs. In the UK the government bailed out RBS as it knew that it would be fundamental in the progression in the countrys economy. But just because a government invests money into an organisation doesnt necessarily mean that the company is fundamental in the development of that countrys economy. Take France for example in 2008 at the beginning of the recession a British born French toy company began to slowly slip, the country bailed the toy company, these actions would normally be associated with an organisation that in fundamental to the growth of the country, but they chose this to safe guard the jobs of some of their citizens. With this in mind we are going to look at examples where industrial policy is more obvious and whether opposed to some educated beliefs industrial policy does exist in the UK. A good example of industrial policy in many countries just now is energy. All across the world the focus is slowly shifting towards renewable energy. Government s are paying incredible sums of money to develop new ways of harnessing renewable energy as they know in the long run it will be essential to maintain their economic growth. A country that is investing massively in renewable energy is China, (The Economist, 2010) stated that over the next 10 China would invest nearly a trillion yen which equate to about  £80 billion on nuclear power. This is done using a variety of state owned organisations i.e. banks and also through private organisations which are then government subsidised. The energy companies are paid massive amounts of money to work creating this new technology. As well as this the Chinese government also made it a rule that any foreign companies wishing to trade in that market must give in technological secrets to the local electricity companies. This economic policy is what has allowed the Chinese electricity market to grown so quickly and will allow the energy market to continue to grow at its current rate. With all this success in industrial policy in the Far East and in Europe some would presume that Industrial Policy is a good thing but there are also arguments against Industrial policy, the main one looks closely at the length of time it takes for the country to get any real benefit out of their investment. This point is summarised by Mr E GLAESER of (THE NEW YORK TIMES, 2011), who says New industries dont grow on trees. They require years of investment and development, an educated workforce and an international market for those services. Thats why the administration is pushing green energy in the stimulus, offering tax credits for renewable energy and solar power, pushing for expanded community college enrolment, and talking about an export-driven recovery. This sounds smart. But it is the sort of public policy labour whose fruits wont be apparent for years. This is all quite fitting however as America have a track record in not having a very good Industrial Policy and one that is also heavily focused in out dated dirty energy. How does industrial policy effect the UK? Industrial Policy has slowly disappeared over the last couple of decades in the UK, as privatisation crept in under the Conservative Government in the 1980s the companies that were state owned and that Industrial policies has originally protected became privately owned. Since 1995 the shift has been from Industrial Policy towards more Rural and Urban policy. This is where the government breaks the country down into its constituencies to try and target its investment towards areas that require it most. It encourages organisations to open up and begin trading in these areas creating jobs and training opportunities for people living in these areas often suffering from multiple levels of deprivation. Each area is looked at differently as no area is ever the same and where different forms of investment is required then that local council receives the money to try and combat this problem. Examples of how Rural or Regional Policy has improved the UK in the last 5 years can be seen in Glasgow with the Commonwealth Games. The Scottish Government has given a lot of to regenerate the east end of Glasgow, this regional policy has boosted employment in the area and will make the area a more viable business location with improvements to transport links and a facelift for the surroundings. (Community Care, 2010) emphasises that as well as a £20 million direct financial investment, the games will also created 1000 new jobs and also 1000 affordable homes in Glasgows east end.

A Mythical Analysis Of A Yaqui Way Of Knowledge :: essays research papers fc

A Mythical Analysis of A Yaqui Way of Knowledge In the summer of 1960 a UCLA anthropology student traveled to the southwest to do research on medicinal plants. While at a bus station, he met an extraordinary man. His name was don Juan Mateus, but I will refer to him as don Juan. Don Juan, a Yaqui "brujo" or shaman, decides to teach Carlos the "Yaqui way of knowledge." It is not known if these stories are fiction or non- fiction and many critics still debate over his writings. I interpret his books as modern mythological stories for several reasons. The "Heroic Journey Archetype" and shamanistic ideologies, and also the general moral, explainative, and philosophical content of his writings indicate that these stories can be viewed as "modern myth". Throughout Casteneda's stories you can see the "Heroic Journey Archetype". Carlos goes through a restless stage and breaks ties with his studies and professors at school. He moves forward with the help of don Juan, whose shamanic wisdom enlightens and guides Carlos along his spiritual path. He also faces death many times in his quest to become a warrior. Finally, after many years, he "passes through". This mythological archetype is one of the main reasons I believe his stories are mythical in nature. There are also many shamanistic idealogies that run throughout his stories. Views of the natural world including plant life, animal life, and elements are all personified. Everything is embodied with spirit. Concepts of reality are altered through drug induced states. Mushrooms and peyote are mainly used in rituals that don Juan uses to teach Carlos his way of knowledge: Mescalito, the "spirit" of the peyote plant, indicated to don Juan that Carlos was the "chosen" one, the person to whom don Juan should pass on his knowledge(CLC,87). Don Juan speaks of many different spirits and separate realities. His teaching's gave an explanation to man's view of existence and his ignorance resulting from attachment to the material world. Mythological proof is also found in don Juan's teachings, which compare Indian folklore, mysticism, and philosophy. Don Juan explains that there are many different planes of reality and that a warrior must detach himself with the aid of an ally. Carlos's ally is "Mescalito" or the spirit of the peyote plant. Don Juan's ally is "the little smoke"; a mixture made from hallucinogenic mushrooms. He explains that all life is made up of controlled folly and attachment to the material world causes ignorance and blindness. A warrior must learn to "see" and an ally helps achieve these states of non-ordinary "seeing." Don Juan's teachings are closely related to Buddhist philosophy.

Use of Devices in Londons To Build A Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays

Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire Jack London uses the devices of plot, setting, and characterization in this short story "To Build A Fire" to convey his message that humans need to be social. London sets an average, middle-aged logger in a deserted Yukon trail during a wintry season. The temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero and the logger and his husky are traveling towards Henderson Creek, about ten miles away, where the logger's companions are located. London places the man in this Yukon environment to symbolize that in this cold, cruel world, we need to learn how to benefit from each other. Prior to embarking on his journey, the logger is given advice from an old-timer at Sulfur Creek that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below". The logger thinks this is "rather womanish" and believes he can survive by himself. Along his journey, the man encounters death as he falls into a spring, where "At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway up the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust". Then the man builds a fire beneath a tree and snow falls over it putting it out. London creates these natural events in the plot to prove they are not the cause of the man's death. Using characterization, London is able to display on account of who is alive at the end how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and wise enough to benefit from others' experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are also alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The logger's husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the logger is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to display that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone. Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire Jack London uses the devices of plot, setting, and characterization in this short story "To Build A Fire" to convey his message that humans need to be social. London sets an average, middle-aged logger in a deserted Yukon trail during a wintry season. The temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero and the logger and his husky are traveling towards Henderson Creek, about ten miles away, where the logger's companions are located. London places the man in this Yukon environment to symbolize that in this cold, cruel world, we need to learn how to benefit from each other. Prior to embarking on his journey, the logger is given advice from an old-timer at Sulfur Creek that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below". The logger thinks this is "rather womanish" and believes he can survive by himself. Along his journey, the man encounters death as he falls into a spring, where "At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway up the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust". Then the man builds a fire beneath a tree and snow falls over it putting it out. London creates these natural events in the plot to prove they are not the cause of the man's death. Using characterization, London is able to display on account of who is alive at the end how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and wise enough to benefit from others' experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are also alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The logger's husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the logger is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to display that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone.

Roman Religion

Romans were very strict to their religion and beliefs. In ancient Rome, people involved worshiping multiple gods and deities. The religion practice was in two different stages; state and family practices: the state worships were held by the government which were more organized. There were also colleges which would counsel people to the right way of worshiping gods. Roman sought will of their gods in mass prayers such as Olympic games, religious events and sacrificing while in the household every family had their own protective gods. Worshipers would offer prayers and sacrifices to the gods in order to request their favor. In fact, the ancient Roman state's religion were practiced for the well-being of the government and the citizens. They worshiped multiple gods to seek success in all aspects of life, each god had its unique function and had been worshipped for the specific purposes; god of battle, god of love, god of peace and so on. In addition, there had been four colleges which have had control over the public and private religious practices. The two most important colleges were the Pontifices and the college of Augurs. The Pontifices college, as Warrior mentions, â€Å"had authority over the most important matters† (RR 48). Most likely, the accuracy of worshiping and sacrificing were depended upon Pontifices college priest's approval and they would assure that the practice was in its accurate way. The Augurs college was in charge of overseeing and connection between religion and the politics. Most of the member of Augurs college were priests and professionals. Furthermore, in Roman religion, people believed that gods were involved in their daily activities. They had several religious festivals which were accompanied by the Olympic games, these festivals were held by the state authorities and were practiced in the public. One of these events called â€Å"the laughter of god,† which they held to seek the laugher of the god Apollo. According to† Apuleius† in the book â€Å"The golden ass,† â€Å"we are the only people who on this day seek the benevolence of the god laugher in an amusing and joyful ritual† (TGA 38). Among all other religious practices, this event was called the god laugher. In this event, in order to make the god happy, the government would gather all the citizens and held a laughter ceremony for the favor of god Apollo. They would find someone who is not aware of the ceremony and put him in a situation, while he was struggling in the situation they would start laughing to favor the god. The people who gathered knew what was happening but not the stranger who makes the god laugh. In Roman's religion, the state and private practices were performed in many aspects, the religion was sought in different ways and for different purposes. One of the purposes of the state worshiping was sought for success in battles. Before the battle, they would seek the agreement of the god through worshiping and sacrificing in the ceremonies. Priests who were professionals in reading the signs of god would translate the signs, if the signs were suitable for the purpose they would prepare for the action, if not the worshiping and sacrificing were supposed to be redone for corrections. In conclusion, as I mentioned above, Roman worships were divided into the public and the private. Families would honor their household spirits while public worship was held by the government. Rome had colleges of official priests to ensure that its actions met with divine approval. Roman religion involved cult worship. In their religious beliefs, approval from the gods did not depend on a person's behavior, but on accurate observance of religious rituals. The gods were usually imaged in stone or bronze and would put them in a shrine or temple in which they would offer prayers and sacrifices.

Public Enterprises Essay

What are the Objectives of Public Enterprises? SOUMYA SINGH In India, public enterprises have been assigned the task of realising the objectives laid down in the Directive Principles of State Policy. Public sector as a whole seeks: (a) to gain control of the commanding heights of the economy, (b) to promote critical development in terms of social gain or strategic value rather than on consideration of profit, and (c) to provide commercial surplus with which to finance further economic development. The main objectives of public enterprises in India are as follows: 1. Economic development: Public enterprises were set up to accelerate the rate of economic growth in a planned manner. These enterprises have created a sound industrial base for rapid industrialisation of the country. They are expected to provide infrastructure facilities for promoting balanced and diversified economic structure of development. 2. Self-reliance: Another aim of public enterprises is to promote self-reliance in strategic sectors of the national economy. For this purpose, public enterprises have been set up in transportation, communication, energy, petro-chemicals, and other key and basic industries. . Development of backward Areas: Several public enterprises were established in backward areas to reduce regional imbalances in development. Balanced development of different parts of the country is necessary for social as well as strategic reasons. 4. Employment generation: Unemployment has become a serious problem in India. Public enterprises seek to offer gainful employment to millions. In order to protect jobs, several sick units in the private sector have been nationalised. 5. Economic surplus: Public enterprises seek to generate and mobilise surplus for reinvestment. These enterprises earn money and mobilise public savings for industrial development. 6. Egalitarian society: An important objective of public enterprises is to prevent concentration of economic power and growth of private monopolies. Public sector helps the Government to enforce social control on trade and industry for ensuring equitable distribution of goods and services. Public enterprises protect and promote small scale industries. 7. Consumer welfare: Public enterprises seek to protect consumers from exploitation and profiteering by ensuring supply of essential commodities at cheaper prices. They aim at stabilising prices. 8. Public utilities: Private sector is guided by profit motive. Therefore, it is reluctant to invest money in public utility services like water supply, gas, electricity, public transport. Therefore, the Government has to assume responsibility for providing such services. 9. Defence: Government has to set up public enterprises for production of defence equipment. Supply of such equipment cannot be entrusted for private sector due to the need for utmost secrecy. 10. Labour welfare: Public enterprises serve as model employers. They ensure welfare and social security of employees. Many public enterprises have developed townships, schools, college and hospitals for their workers. Role and Rationale of Public Enterprises The public sector has been playing a vital role in the economic development of the country. In fact the public sector has come to occupy such an important place in our economy that on its effective performance depends largely the achievement of the country’s economic and social goals. Public sector is considered a powerful engine of economic development and an important instrument of self-reliance. The main contributions of public enterprises to the country’s economy may be described as follows: 1. Filling of gaps: At the time of independence, there existed serious gaps in the industrial structure of the country, particularly in the field of heavy industries. Basic and key industries require huge capital investment, involve considerable risk and suffer from long gestation periods. Private sector concerns do not come forward to establish such industries. Public sector has helped to fill up these gaps. The basic infrastructure required for rapid industrialisation has been built up, through the production of strategic capital goods. The public sector has considerably widened the industrial base of the country and speeded up the pace of industrialisation. 2. Employment: Public sector has created millions of jobs to tackle the unemployment problem in the country. Public sector accounts for about two-third of the total employment in the organised industrial sector in India. By taking over many sick units, the public sector has protected the employment of millions. Public sector has also contributed a lot towards the improvement of working and living conditions of workers by serving as a model employer. 3. Balanced regional development: Private industries tend to concentrate in certain regions while other regions remain backward. Public sector undertakings have located their plants in backward and untraded parts of the country. These areas lacked basic industrial and civic facilities like electricity, water supply, township and manpower. Public enterprises have developed these facilities thereby bringing about complete transformation in the social-economic life of the people in these regions. Steel plants of Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur; fertilizer factory at Sindri, machine tool plants in Rajasthan, precision instruments plants in Kerala and Rajasthan, etc. are a few examples of the development of backward regions by the public sector. 4. Optimum utilisation of resources: Public enterprises make better utilisation of scarce resources of the country. They are big in size and able to enjoy the benefits of large scale operations. They help to eliminate wasteful completion and ensure full use of installed capacity. Op timum utilisation of resources results in better and cheaper production. 5. Mobilisation of surplus: The profits earned by public enterprises are reinvested for expansion and diversification. Moreover, public sector concerns like banks and financial nstitutions mobilise scattered public savings thereby helping the process of capital formation in the country. Public enterprises earn considerable foreign exchange through exports. 6. Self reliance: Public enterprises have reduced considerably the need for imports by producing new and better products within the country. These enterprises are also earning considerable amount of foreign exchange through exports. 7. Socialistic pattern of society: Public sector is an instrument for realising social objectives. Public enterprises help to check concentration of wealth and private monopolies. These enterprises can serve as powerful means of economic and social change. 8. Public welfare: Public enterprises help in the establishment of a welfare state in the country. These enterprises supply essential commodities at cheaper rates. A proper balance between demand and supply is created to protect consumers against exploitation by profit hungry businessmen. Public enterprises also protect and promote the interests of workers. Criticism of Public Enterprises [Arguments against Public Enterprises] Public enterprises are opposed on account of weaknesses in their organisation and working. These enterprises generally suffer from the following problems: 1. Delay in completion: Often a very long time is taken in the establishment and completion of public enterprises. Delay in completion leads to increase in the cost of establishment and benefits extracted from them are delayed. 2. Faulty evaluation: Public enterprises are in some cases set upon political considerations. There is no proper evaluation of demand and supply and expected costs and benefits. There are no clear cut objectives and guidelines. In the absence of proper project planning there is under- utilisation of capacity and wastage of national resources. . Heavy overhead costs: Public enterprises often spend huge amounts on providing housing and other amenities to employees. Though such investment is useful for employees but it takes away a large part of capital and the project suffers from financial difficulties. 4. Poor returns: Majority of the public enterprises in India are incurring loss. In some of them the profits earned do not yield a reasonable return on huge investment. Lack of effective financial controls, wasteful expenditure and dogmatic pricing policy result in losses 5. Inefficient management: Due to excessive centralisation of authority and lack of motivation public enterprises are managed inefficiently. High level posts are often occupied by persons lacking necessary expertise but enjoying political support. 6. Political interference: There is frequent interference from politicians and civil servants in the working of public enterprises. Such interference leaves little scope for initiative and freedom of action. Public enterprises enjoy little autonomy and flexibility of operations. 7. Labour problems: In the absence of proper manpower planning public enterprises suffer from over-staffing. Jobs are created to fulfil employment goals of the Government. Guarantee of job in these enterprises encourages trade unions to be militant in pursuing their aims. Growth of Public Enterprises in India At the time of independence, public sector in India was confined mainly to railways, communications, defence production and public utility services. Since then the growth of public enterprises has been very rapid. Now public sector consists of public utilities (e. g. , railways, post and telegraph, etc), manufacturing concerns (e. g. , BHEL, SAIL, etc. ), trading organisations (e. g. STC, MMTC, etc. ), service organisations (e. g. , NIDC, RITES, etc. ). SAIL, a Maharatna Company of Govt. of India, is the world’s leading and India’s largest steel producer with an annual turnover of around Rs. 50,348 crore (FY11-12). It operates and owns 5 integrated steel plants at Rourkela, Bhilai, Durgapur, Bokaro and Burnpur and 3 special steel plants at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravati. As part of its global ambition the Company is implementing a massive expansion plan involving project work of building/adding new facilites with emphasis on state of the art green technology. List of Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna CPSEs As per available information (as on February, 2013) Maharatna CPSEs Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Coal India Limited GAIL (India) Limited Indian Oil Corporation Limited NTPC Limited Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited Steel Authority of India Limited Navratna CPSEs Bharat Electronics Limited Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited National Aluminium Company Limited NMDC Limited Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited Oil India Limited Power Finance Corporation Limited Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited Rural Electrification Corporation Limited Shipping Corporation of India Limited Miniratna Category – I CPSEs Airports Authority of India Antrix Corporation Limited Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited Bharat Dynamics Limited BEML Limited Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Bridge & Roof Company (India) Limited Central Warehousing Corporation Central Coalfields Limited Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited Cochin Shipyard Limited Container Corporation of India Limited Dredging Corporation of India Limited Engineers India Limited Ennore Port Limited Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited Goa Shipyard Limited Hindustan Copper Limited HLL Lifecare Limited Hindustan Newsprint Limited Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited Housing & Urban Development Corporation Limited India Tourism Development Corporation Limited Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited IRCON International Limited KIOCL Limited Mazagaon Dock Limited Mahanadi Coalfields Limited Manganese Ore (India) Limited Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemical Limited Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited MMTC Limited MSTC Limited National Fertilizers Limited National Seeds Corporation Limited NHPC Limited Northern Coalfields Limited Numaligarh Refinery Limited ONGC Videsh Limited Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited Projects & Development India Limited Railtel Corporation of India Limited Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited RITES Limited SJVN Limited Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited South Eastern Coalfields Limited State Trading Corporation of India Limited Telecommunications Consultants India Limited THDC India Limited Western Coalfields Limited WAPCOS Limited Miniratna Category-II CPSEs Bharat Pumps & Compressors Limited Broadcast Engineering Consultants (I) Limited Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited Ed. CIL (India) Limited Engineering Projects (India) Limited FCI Aravali Gypsum & Minerals India Limited Ferro Scrap Nigam Limited HMT (International) Limited HSCC (India) Limited India Trade Promotion Organisation Indian Medicines & Pharmaceuticals Corporation Limited M E C O N Limited National Film Development Corporation Limited National Small Industries Corporation Limited P E C Limited Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited

Analysis of Gender Roles in Macbeth

In many cultures, such as European in society, women are perceived as the primary caretaker of the home among other oppressive notions that pertain to them. They were in charge of organizing social events, maintaining the family’s reputation, cooking, and cleaning occasionally with assistance from their children. They were considered to be of less value than their male counterparts and, thus, were not permitted the opportunity to have a role in politics, religion, and society. Since the time of Shakespeare, the majority of gender inequities in society have been abolished, and a new era of complete equality is on the horizon.However, there are barriers of ignorance, whose sole purpose is to hinder progression, that people have yet to break. Women have made efforts to gain equality in society since the 1800’s as seen by the writer and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, the first great feminist treatise. It listed and discussed her grievances concerning gender inequality and had a total influence on the art of travel writing as well as the Romantic Movement.A sign of this progress in society, other than women’s introduction into several facets of society (i. e. entertainment, business, politics, etc. ), is the adoption of gender role reversal, partly due to its comedic portrayal in television but also its necessity in some homes. As expected, there were some who were more conservative towards gender equality such as, William Shakespeare which was seen in his gruesome play, Macbeth that used this idea of general role reversal to oppose this idea.Macbeth and Lady Macbeth show the first instances of this peculiar gender role reversal, which occurs exceptionally early in the play when Macbeth is conflicted with the choice of either killing Duncan as according to the plan or spare his life as he begins to see the true wickedness of this act. Here Macbeth exhibits weakness, an inability to do something treac herous and soul sullying that was relatively common for men to do in plays written by the likes of Shakespeare.Because Shakespeare has established what he believes to be a typical man and woman in his assortment of plays, for example Romeo and Juliet, one can definitively claim that Macbeth is acting exceptionally feminine during this section of the play. Lady Macbeth demonstrates her masculinity as she taunts and ridicules Macbeth for even considering terminating their plan to kill Duncan, â€Å"excerpt†. She even goes as far as suggesting killing him herself if it weren’t for the fact that Duncan resembles her father; however, she compensates for her inability to kill Duncan by placing the bloody knife in the hands of the unsuspecting servants.This role reversal is accentuated by Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy that was essentially her grievances of being a lady and her burning desire to become a man because men have the inherent ability to be dastardly, â€Å"excer pt†. While her motives for unsexification are not the most benevolent, the fact that the only method of obtaining equal mental capacity to men is to physically be a man, which at the time meant being born as one or, evidently, replacing breast milk with gall, is Shakespeare explicitly exhibiting his misogynistic notions.Aside from the subliminal sexism seen throughout the play, Shakespeare’s project pertaining to traditional gender roles is seen as the play progresses, but the true message is exhibited nearing end of the play when Lady Macbeth’s guilt induced insanity causes her to commit suicide and Macbeth’s head is decapitated. Macbeth can easily be seen as either an elongated Direct T. V. commercial—if you reverse gender roles you will go insane. When you go insane, you will be hospitalized. When you are hospitalized, you commit suicide. Don’t commit suicide.Stay with tradition—or a 17th century PSA warning the public about what ha ppens if man and a woman choose to act as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do. Shakespeare obviously believes in traditional views concerning gender hierarchy, the questionable element of it, though, is how he conveyed this message. The consequences of both Lady Macbeth attempting to adopt the role of a man and Macbeth’s seemingly unintentional femininity were gruesome and grotesque that was used to convey a relatively simple idea; this passionate conveyance has several potential explanations.The first is, because Shakespeare’s plays are suffused with suicide, murder, and death in general, the reader is seeing an integration of gender role reversal with his style of writing which happens to produce a feminist’s nightmare. Shakespeare could have been modestly incorporating this idea into his play but it appeared to the audience as something more. Second is that the catastrophic ending was not unintentional but was for all intents and purpose to scare people into never tr ying to break tradition.Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s demise was due to their non-conformity; therefore, if one were to do as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth did, they would suffer the same consequences. Either way, an underlying theme in the play, if not the most prominent, is that chaos will ensue if the most intrinsic system of humanity is upset, thus, making Macbeth a cautionary tale for all women who dare challenge the system in an attempt to gain rights. However, some are oblivious to the blatant sexism and believe that any implication of this is simply being misinterpreted.

African American Social Standings Essay

This research paper will discuss the African American social standing in America throughout history. It will discuss the highs and lows and the pros an cons of the progression and also the different periods that African Americans lived through since they were brought to America. The progression of African Americans in America began with a practice called slavery. Slavery is the state of a person who is the chattel of another. It began in 1441 when Portuguese men kidnapped 12 black Africans from Cabo Blanco and moved them to Portugal. This opened the door to slavery in the Americas. A British statesman stated that â€Å"Slavery is a weed that grows on every soil. † The first African Americans slaves in America were brought to Jamestown, Virginia as servants and or slaves in August 1619. In order for slavery to work Africans had to made to seem inferior, one of the main an most common ways to show this was through religious racism ( Aretha, David pg. 21 ) The practice of slavery was then sent to the south were they were put on plantations. Plantations consisted of a large mansion like home surrounded by a large farm where slaves planted and harvested crops and performed other jobs which they weren’t paid for. While on the plantation the slaves called the owner Master or Mistress, they provided the slaves with food housing and clothing. ( David Brion Davis, World Book online†¦ Slavery) While on these plantations many of the slaves faced severe consequence for disobedience. They received consequences for not working hard or fast enough, they would also be used as an example in order to control the others. Their harsh punishment would include branding, whipping, mutilation, chaining and sometimes the harshest punishment of all cold blooded murder. Slavery was one of the worst periods in American history. During this period of slavery there were few revolts but many runaways. While slavery continued to spread and get more brutal in the South, the North disagreed with the idea of free labor. Their difference fueled the abolitionist movement. The Abolitionist Movement was the first movement that lead to the African Americans’ political and physical freedoms from slavery. â€Å"Antislavery activity began in colonial days. During the 1680’s, Quakers in Pennsylvania condemned slavery on moral grounds. In the late 1700’s, several leaders of the American revolutionary movement, including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, spoke out against slavery. † (David Herbert Donald, World Book Online? Abolitionist Movement). During the start of the movement there were almost no public newspaper that publicized the abolishment of slavery. William Lloyd Garrison, an American journalist and abolitionist who became famous in the 1830 for denouncing slavery, published the first issue of his abolitionist newspaper The Liberator January 1st 1831, which was at that time the first Abolitionist newspaper. The reason William Garrison published the newspaper was because he was tired of the other methods that many abolitionists had tried. Garrison said slavery should be ended immediately. Another front runner during the Abolitionist Movement was Sojourner Truth. She was an ex-slave and also one of the main figures in the fight for women’s rights and equality. On January 1, 1863, the Abolitionist goals were reached when President Abraham Lincoln the 16th president issued his Emancipation Proclamation. It read that â€Å"all persons held as slaves† in rebellious states â€Å"are and henceforward shall be free† (McPherson, James M. World Book Online? Emancipation Proclamation. ) . Around the same time Congress passed the 25th Amendment into Constitution which therefore abolished slavery. Months later it was ratified. Following the Emancipation Proclamation, The North (union) and the South (confederate) began a civil war which lasted from 1861 to 1865. The war ended with many of the major cities in the South in ruins and most of the Northern cities left untouched. The Reconstruction period in the U. S followed the Unions victory over the Confederate Army in the civil war . The period was used to rebuild the south and patch-up the relationship between the North and South. Along with rebuilding and patching up relationships, the North sent teachers to the south to educated the African American ex slaves who had became newly members of the society. The teachers taught ex slaves reading, writing an arithmetic. The Reconstruction Act called for a new Constitution to be established in each state. It also gave Freedmen the right to participate in voting. The 14th Amendment was also passed and ratified during the Reconstruction period. â€Å"The 14th Amendment granted full citizenship to all people born or naturalized In the United States of America . Many of the laws passed during this period were set in place to protect the rights of former slaves, such as allowing blacks to vote an giving them many of the same rights as whites and protecting things dear to them such as property and money. During this period many advancements in society were made by African Americans, such as the Self-Leveling Table created by Charles William Allen , the corn planter check rower by Ralph W. Alexander and the spark plug by Edmond Berger these are only three of the more than 200 inventions/advancements made by African Americans during the reconstruction period. These African Americans, lead professions even when high limitations were placed upon them. (Aretha, David pg. 61) Advancements like these opened the door and let people know that African Americans were not incompetent but could actually make a difference in the world. Even though laws were set in place many southern whites still did not want to think an ex-slaves as anything close to equals. This lead to much violence and death of both whites and former slaves. â€Å"In time, southern whites regained control of their state governments and took away many of the rights that blacks had won during reconstruction. â€Å"( Stephen V. Ash, Work book online? Reconstruction). After the Reconstruction period ended and the North soldiers returned back home, which left ex slaves with no form of protection lead to extreme backlash against the African American community by whites. Following the Reconstruction period Jim Crow laws came into effect. Jim Crow laws resulted from the support southern whites and their effort to maintain segregation of blacks. These type of laws plagued the United States during the 19th century. The first type of Jim Crow law was set in place in Tennessee which called for the separation of African-American and white riders on the railway. This practice was soon adopted by other southern states. The spread of segregation laws through the South was supported by a many Supreme Court decisions. â€Å"( Joe R. Freagin, World Book online? Segregation) The Separate but Equal Doctrine arose during the period in which Jim Crow laws were on a rise. The Separate but Equal Doctrine stated that African Americans were equal to whites but should be kept separate from whites. The separate but equal doctrine was totally incorrect. For example Blacks and whites were separated in schools but the white schools had busing an the best books and teachers on the other hand the black schools had run down classrooms and unacceptable books. Blacks and whites were also separated in eateries, the White restaurants had the best locations and best accommodations on the contrary the black restaurants were small and modest. â€Å"Most of these Jim Crow laws were declared invalid by several Supreme Court decisions in the 1950’s and 1960’s and by the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968. † ( Alton Hornsby, World Book Online? Jim crow) During the 1950’s the Civil Rights Movement took flight along with desegregation. The Civil Rights Movement was just that a movement towards civil rights which were stated to be â€Å"The freedoms and rights that a person may have as a member of a community, state, or nation. † (Bruce Allen Murphy, World Book Online? Civil Rights) The first major event of the civil rights movement was the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education, which desegregated public schools across the nation. Schools in the south were very slow in changing their ways and violence usually erupted when black students tried to register. Then, in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, a seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. After she was arrested for breaking the law, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, For 382 days, from Dec. 5, 1955, to Dec. 20, 1956 blacks refused to ride Buses and carpooled to destinations. It ended Dec 20, 1956 with the Supreme-Court-ordering desegregation of Montgomery buses. The boycott brought fame to a reverend named Dr. Martin Luther King. During the Civil Rights Movement the most effective way to get things done many believed was through non violence. Non violence was not just a way of acting but a state of mind and doctrine which Martin Luther King Jr. took from Mahatma Gandhi he stated that with non violence you can move mountains. Some methods they used to get their point across were sit ins, boycotts, marches and public speeches. Although many activist believed in non violence there was another side to the Civil Rights Movement and that was the Black Power Movement. The Black Power Movement was a more radical movement than the Non Violent Movement. Front runners like Malcolm X and other influential faces such as Huey P. Newton and Bud Siegel who together formed the Black Panthers all believed that the white man was the problem and that in order to win equal rights that African Americans needed to start fighting fire with fire and bullets with bullets instead of the more passive ways of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. ( Aretha, Chronicles pr. 261-300) In conclusion I believe that the law has provided African Americans with equal rights as whites but I believe that they may still appear not to be equal. In the 21st century I believe and know that there are many laws that seem to make African Americans and white equals but there is still much discrimination in the world. I also believe that the racism is not as bad but still exist, it just isn’t as blatant and in your face as it was in the past. African Americans still have trouble getting jobs, being accepted into organizations and colleges or university, But I do believe that we have made a 900 degree turn from the time where â€Å"Colored† and â€Å"White† signs decorated the front of every doorway, restroom and waterfountian in the southern U. S.

Nursing and the quality care

The work environment in which nurses provide care to patients can determine the quality and safety of patient care. As the largest health care workforce, nurses apply their knowledge, skills, attitude, and experience to care for the various and changing needs of patients. A large part of the demands of patient care is centered on the work of nurses. When care falls short of standards, whether because of resource allocation (e.g., workforce shortages and lack of needed medical equipment) or lack of appropriate policies and standards, nurses shoulder much of the responsibility. This reflects the continued misunderstanding of the greater effects of the numerous, complex health care systems and the work environment factors.Understanding the complexity of the work environment and engaging in strategies to improve its effects is essential to higher-quality, safer care. In this paper I will discuss one strategy geared at improving that many are supporting, nationwide, while looking at the e ffects it has on the professional nursing practice. The work environment in which nurses provide care to patients can determine the quality and safety of patient care. As the largest health care workforce, nurses apply their knowledge, skills, attitude, and experience to care for the various and changing needs of patients. A large part of the demands of patient care is centered on the work of nurses.