Power and Knowledge Essay

Poststructuralism as one of the contemporary political philosophy gain its popularity because of its radical assumptions that veered away from the traditional structuralist thinking. The project of the renaissance scholars to control everything including nature through the used of knowledge particularly scientific knowledge did not gain much fame in this late century. Structuralism although it offers much in looking how institutions served as parts of a social system tend to believe that society could control the individual with the aid of science. However, the ideas of Jean Lyotard, Michel Foucault and Jean-Luc Nancy proved otherwise. The dream of grand theorists to integrate knowledge and create a unified social system is the very idea that most contemporary theorists avoid. Prior to the development of poststructuralism, discussion on power and knowledge is always a feature seen within the structures and not something that emanates from the individual, this structure-agency pendulum continues to fascinate theorists. Structural functionalists believed that social structures such as religion, culture, and government have strong hold over the individual particularly in their socialization process. Talcott Parsons (1951) for instance, look society as the social system divided by subsystems that have specific functions. Each part of society functions and creates mutual interdependence thus maintaining the dynamism of whole social system(Parsons: 1951). The Contemporary political philosophy opens a lot of venues in analyzing society with proposing meta narratives. Much of the themes of contemporary thinkers would be on the consequences of modernity, globalization among others. Topics on power and knowledge are just two of the basic issues that philosophers continuously are gaining interest. It provides a picture on how the development of knowledge transformed power relations in contemporary society. Contemporary political philosophy as it is advanced by the writings of three philosophers mentioned in the previous paragraph, look at power and knowledge in a different light. Before, the scholars would think that the development of knowledge is in a continuum and that power is exerted by institutions to the individual as if power has a center or a fixed point. In Contemporary political philosophy one can view that the source of power comes from various agencies,and the struggling character of power is in every discourse. Power is not only evident on political apparatus, on the religious order or on the intellectual community but power is seen on all arrays of everyday existence. Our day to day social relations are power relations. One of the contemporary thinkers who would employ much time in discussing power is Foucault. Some thinkers considered him as a poststrcuturalist or a postmodern thinker, because of the fluidity of his ideas. Moreover, there are critics who accused him of relativism because of his theory favors, intersubjectivity, the discursive method, discourse among others. Foucault (2002) did not suggests a central power or a solid one that one can see for instance in an authoritarian society, rather in looking at society, one could see ‘pockets’ of power or a decentralized one coming from various discourses. On the other hand, in his theory of knowledge one can see its deviation from Descartes’ Cogito. Reason as the underlying principle of the enlightenment period, did not escaped the gaze of Foucault. In his Madness and Civilization (1965) he examined that through history, madness became an invention that would serve as the opposite of reason. With the definition on madness as â€Å"non-rational† or irrational, it justifies the power of reason during the enlightenment period. Only through its binary opposition which is madness can reason hold its power. The control of the patient with the development of psychiatry in Madness and Civilization (1965) also served as a critique that looks at how modern society manifests the same features as that one can find in the discipline of psychiatry. There are various means by which society controls the individual. Foucault discussed that in the modern era, exercising power need not necessarily be brute and obvious. One example is his idea of punishment as a result of deviating from the norm. Foucault in Discipline an Punish (1977), discussed in what way torture as a form of punishment in the 18th century was transformed by discipline. With the birth of the prison, instead of attacking the physical body the institution inculcate discipline as a form of punishment. This feature of the prison, and even the birth of the clinic shows how slowly modern society is becoming more authoritarian and all of these are possible because of the different knowledge that people believe as true and moral during their times. Foucault in his Archeology of Knowledge (2002) look at historical development not in a continuum because he did not believed in a unified discourse as proposed by grand narratives such as that of the Parsonian theory. What one can see through history are various realities, are what he called discontinuities. Much of his theory of power and knowledge could also be seen in the History of Sexuality (1990) wherein he is not interested in sexuality per se, but in looking at the underlying struggle within the discourse of sexuality. While in the earlier periods, society repress one’s sexuality, this kind of discourse even propagates it. The more that society for instance repressed homosexuality, the more that people become interested in exploring the topic. In the History of Sexuality (1990)), he sees the reciprocal relation of power and knowledge. One example is the different meanings that society give on sexual relations such as relations out of marriage and the one allowed by the community. These definitions creates divisions in society, thus exercising power over the individual through social norms. By propagating a certain kind of knowledge, this could lead to a power relation between groups. The one who is in control of knowledge will therefore exercise power to the other group. However, it must be clear that the reciprocal relation of power and knowledge is not fixed rather it transform through every discourse. Apart from Foucault, Jean Lyotard also contributes to the debate on the relationship of power and knowledge. In his book, the Postmodern Condition (1979) Lyotard mentioned that the transformation of society into industrialized and complex system leads into the redefinition of the nature of knowledge. In Modern societies, the power of the capitalists to open the market leads to the question that, what kind of knowledge is acceptable or is legitimate provided that there are a lot of choices. Lyotard(1979) sees the complexities in modern times because when one looks at it, it is in no longer a question of simple legitimacy of knowledge but a question of who has the power to decide what is acceptable or legitimate. In addressing the uncertainties of knowledge, Lyotard suggests that one should employ the value of speaking the same language game. How can people speak the same language provided that there are various ways of learning things? Lyotard believes that one must contextualize, and in this part he adopts Wittgensteins’ language game. ’ By contextualizing, the person should be aware of the rules before making considerable actions. Lyotard believes that to be able to analyze knowledge in contemporary society, one must consider what kind of society it is situated. The split between Parsonian theory and that of Marxism will definitely help in looking at the problem of knowledge. Initially one will decide whether to maintain the status quo or radically change it. Because of the ability of language to bind society through communication, Lyotard favors this framework in addressing the issue of knowledge in the postmodern era. Greatly influenced by Heidegger on the other hand, Jean -Luc Nancy (1991) believed that we are thrown into the world therefore we should not rely on God for our existence. Contemporary society according to him is becoming more chaotic in the sense that the harmonious relation in traditional society is transformed into a complex society where there are a lot of uncertainties. Uncertainties are brought by the unintended consequences of modernity. With the advent of globalization, the closed and neatly tied community is transformed into a complex one. While some thinkers consider the development of society into industrialized one as beneficial, still there are paradoxes to this rationality. Nancy in his concept of community critique the grand project of some societies to create a well-planned system such in the case of the socialist state where it only leads to violence. Much of the discussions of contemporary political philosophy dwells on how you can locate the discourse on power as a consequence of the accumulation of knowledge. The Unintended consequences of man’s search for knowledge and the transformation of knowledge into its many forms leads to different power relations. These power relations are seen on every realm of life, on every discourse in society. It is crucial to note that in the analysis of power, power lies to those who have control over knowledge, and in this age of information technology where there is an easy access to all forms of knowledge, it is only logical to think that power is distributed therefore decentralized. While the contemporary era provide a lot of alternatives,undeniably there are consequences that not even scientific knowledge can calculate. Yet the quest for further knowledge continues because beneath those ideas there you can always find power. Various forms of power operates on every realm of life. These are the fascinations of philosophers of the twentieth century.

To Helen by Edgar Allen Poe Analysis

â€Å"Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore That gently, o'er a perfumed sea, The weary, way-worn wanderer bore To his own native shore. On desperate seas long wont to roam, Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, Thy Naiad airs have brought me home To the glory that was Greece, And the grandeur that was Rome. Lo, in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I see thee stand, The agate lamp within thy hand, Ah! Psyche, from the regions which Are Holy Land! † By Edgar Allan Poe To Helen† by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem about a man speaking about the beauty of a woman both in body – with the potential reference to Helen of Troy – and in spirit – comparing her to the quintessential beauty of Psyche. The beautiful woman appears in the poem to be a free spirit that reminds the storyteller of long gone times. To accentuate this reference to her ancient beauty â€Å"To Helen† employs a strong use of Greek mythology with references to both the story of Psyche and Cupid, Helen of Troy, and possible Dionysos or Bacchus within the stanza’s of the poem.The first stanza of â€Å"To Helen† describes the beauty of Helen akin to that of a boat bringing travellers home from a long time abroad. This can be seen in the second line; â€Å"Like those Nicean barks or yore† barks being the small sailing boat and Nicean being an ancient city that was near the Trojan War. The Trojan War is one of the Western world’s most mythical battles where the Greek fleet fought against the city of Troy in a war that lasted for more than nine years. The battle began with Paris of Troy seducing Helen from her husband Menelaus the King of Sparta.The Trojan War is one of the most important battles in Greek mythology. As the Helen in the poem is being compared, or may be, the Helen of Troy comparing her beauty to that of the woman who caused the weary travellers to become weary and home deprived to begin with due to th e war their coming home from is rather ironic. However this imagery in the beginning of the poem; â€Å"Like those Nicean barks of yore / Gentle, o’er a perfumed sea,† almost immediately evoke an emotional response in the reader as it uses two rather strong emotional elements in society; war time and the joy of finally returning home. Feature Article  Country School  Allen CurnowThis is most likely the point of the imagery used in the poem and not to point out the irony of Helen of Troy’s beauty being compared to that of the aftermath of her actions of elopement with Paris of Troy. The poem then accentuates the line with a strong use of imagery; â€Å"That gently, o’er a perfumed sea, / The weary, way-worn wanderer bore / To his native shore. † The use of â€Å"gently, o’er a perfumed sea† is a strong use of imagery that leaves a clear picture in the readers mind allowing them to easily picture the tired, â€Å"way-worn wanderer† returning home.The description of the â€Å"weary, way-worn wanderer† in itself also drives the point home with the author’s use of alliteration. This heart warming imagery that fills the stanza is in itself a metaphor for the beauty of Helen whom is introduced in the first line of the poem. This opening stanza gives a very decis ive view on the subject of the rest of the poem and leaves the reader with a clear view of the woman in their mind. On desperate seas long wont to roam,† This beginning line sets up the structure of the stanza as the nameless narrator tells the listener how, even though they’re so accustomed (â€Å"wont†) to roaming the ocean the beauty of Helen brings them back home. The middle of the stanza is dedicated to describing the beauty that brought them home whereas the actual returning to home is explained in the last two lines. Also the continuation of the ocean in the poem, â€Å"On desperate seas† is a continuation of the imagery brought about in the first stanza by reference to the â€Å"barks† or small boats.This then brings across the imagery of the first stanza into the second stanza as the narrator identifies to the weary, way-worn wanderer. Also the identification of Helen of Troy in the poem is further enforced in the second stanza with lines s uch as â€Å"hyacinth hair, thy classic face† which were aspects of beauty that had a heavy weight in the ancient times of Greece and Rome. Also the mention of â€Å"To the glory that was Greece / And the grandeur that was Rome† Is a rather forward implication that all the possible connotation of Greek and Roman mythology in the poem are correct.The line, â€Å"Thy hyacinth hair,† is not only alliteration once again but it may be referring to another Greek myth. The myth is one in which Apollo takes a lover in the form of a stunning boy called Hyacinthus who is tragically slain in his youth. This again is a metaphor of Helens exquisiteness as Hyacinthus was known for his beauty in Greek mythology. However the comparison can yet again be interpreted in two ways as, although Hyacinthus was viewed as beautiful he also died tragically and at a young age.The poem therefore could also be referring to the fact that beauty is a tragedy as well as a gift – which c an then be further supported by the fact that the beautiful woman is/being compared to Helen of Troy who singlehandedly caused the Trojan War because she fell in love. It is more plausible however that the poem is simply comparing the beauty of Helen’s hair to that of Apollo’s lover. This can be deduced as most Greek mythology has tragedy weaved throughout it anyway so any reference to beauty would result in some tragedy or another. Thy classic face, / Thy Naiad airs have brought me home† This line refers again to the archetypal beauty of woman who lived in these ancient times again provoking imagery about the beauty of the mysterious Helen the poem is depicting. â€Å"Thy Naiad airs have brought me home† this line makes reference to the Naiads who were, in both Greek and Roman mythology, minor nature goddesses often referred to as nymphs who presided over mountains, rivers or forests. The Naiad airs would therefore be referring to a peaceful breeze.This s ymbolism of a Naiad airs provokes the reader to believe that the breeze is homebound and is sending the narrator towards their home. The fact that this breeze is from the narrators home is expanded upon in the last two closing lines; â€Å"To the glory that was Greece / And the grandeur that as Rome† This ties in with the previous line stating that the breeze is indeed sending the narrator towards their native shore. The descriptions given of both Greece and Rome are reminiscent of the wonders they once were and is highly symbolic of times long gone by.The imagery of ancient and untouchable beauties is apparent throughout the entirety of the poem. The ending lines wrap up the stanza rather neatly and complete the references to the ocean that appears in the first line of the stanza. â€Å"Lo! In yon brilliant window-niche / How statue-like I see thee stand! † This line once again opens up the stanza with a strong sense of imagery. It brings forth to the readers mind the classic silhouette of a woman against a window that is usually seen from a distance.Although possibly this cliched vision may not have been as used back then as it is today it still would’ve provoked an easily attainable vision for the reader to hold on to for the rest of the stanza. â€Å"How statue-like I see thee stand! † this line may be symbolic of the fact that the Greek’s had mastered the study of the human form in sculpture, sculptures that have lasted up till today and are still as stunning as they were when they were first chiselled from rock.This stone representation of Helen is highly symbolic of timeless beauty which is a theme strongly expanded upon throughout the poem. The line contributes to the imagery of the scene and the untouchable nature of the woman silhouetted in the â€Å"brilliant window-niche† who still appears to be untouchable even though the narrator is finally home. â€Å"The agate lamp within thy hand, / Ah! Psyche, from t he regions which / Are Holy Land! † The first two lines once again have heavy connotations with Greek mythology.The agate lamp and the mention of Psyche refers to one of the few Greek/Roman myth’s that does not end in tragedy. It is the myth of Cupid/Eros and Psyche in which Cupid is doing a favour for the goddess Aphrodite/Venus, whom is jealous of Psyche’s beauty. Aphrodite wanted Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man he could find however instead Cupid fell in love with Psyche. The two, through meddling parents and an oracle, end up meeting at the top of a mountain in a dark cave full of riches and finery – presumably placed there by Cupid in anticipation of Psyche’s arrival.Psyche and Cupid then become lovers under the condition that Psyche could never see Cupids face. One night however, due to pressure from her sisters, Psyche lights a lamp – this could be the agate lamp the poem mentions – and recognizes Cupid im mediately, waking him up in the process and causing him to flee. The story then goes on to show Psyche performing numerous impossible tasks for Aphrodite in order to find her lover – Cupid (Aphrodite’s son) – and be with him once again.One of these tasks included retrieving a box from the underworld which could possibly be referenced in the second and last lines of the poem â€Å"Ah! Psyche, from the regions which / Are Holy Land! † However Holy Land could also be referring to Greece and Rome. The reference to the myth of Psyche and Cupid in the poem is symbolic of the narrators and Helen’s love and possible it’s endurance. The connotations are that of a deeper relationship than that of admiring Helen’s beauty as their love may’ve undergone trials like the ones with which Psyche went through in order to be with Cupid.

Financial Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Reporting - Essay Example Also, there is the problem that no one individual or corporation has full ownership of the earth, so it would be very difficult to account for. Even if some accountants did factor use of the earth into the accounts, there would likely be many more that would not do this. Accountants do have the expertise required because they understand how assets depreciate and also how to balance the economic equation of assets equals liabilities plus equity. If such a system was put in place to allow accountants to value the earth, then it may be possible to do. The major problem is trying to get everyone to agree on what should be accounted for. The accounting profession is suited perfectly to control such measurement functions but the problem is deciding on what those functions are. Because they are many things that cannot be measured, it is very difficult for accountants to include such functions on the balance sheet. The difference between accounting for financial and physical objects is that one type can be measured on a scale while the other is more ambiguous. Financial objects have value because we give values that can be assigned to specific objects. For example, for an investment that loses money, it is easy to track that flow because we can compare the end result with the start value. The difficulty with accounting for physical objects is that often there is no ways to place value on them and also it may be hard to find a starting value in some instances. Activity 2 In this cartoon, the difference between the two companies could not be more remarkable. While Company A has three legs on its chair (social, financial, and environmental), Company B only has only leg (financial). This illustration shows perfectly why companies must be well-balanced when it comes to business operations. Company A understands that in order to be successful in the business world, there is more goals than just simply making a profit. I think that it is important to note that in this picture the financial leg of the chair is the middle one. In other words, it is the cornerstone of the company or the part that is the basis for everything else. The other two legs, social and environmental, provide solid support to the company, which is obviously very successful from a financial point of view. While success may be put down only to the financials, it cannot be understated the value of having good social and environmental responsibility for a firm. These measures often can't be valued, so it is difficult to try and judge success. I feel that it is also important to mention that the chair would not likely stand without the financial leg. All three legs are needed to support the chair, and this shows that companies must concentrate on many different facets of business in order to be successful over the long run. Company B only has one led, financial, and as a result the company is having difficulty maintaining balance. Although this leg is important for making the chair stand , there are no other supports. Company B has placed all of its eggs in the financial basket and has paid the price for doing so. By neglecting other aspects of business, such as social and environmental, the company is taking a huge risk. While it may be able to stay balanced initially, it is inevitable that the chair will take a fall because the company has focused all of its efforts on simple money making.

Legal Profession Ethics & Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Profession Ethics & Morality - Essay Example Thus, the legal profession has well-developed and strictly imposed codes of ethics and standards of professional practice. That means a lawyer who is acting in accordance with the standards automatically become ethical. Here one has to understand the fact that the legal profession has a number of basic paradoxes to face unlike other professions. First of all, lawyers are considered as officers of the court. Thus they possess the obligation to help the court in the administration of justice. Secondly, the lawyer has the responsibility to act in the best interests of his client. Thirdly, a lawyer is lured by the fact of his own financial gains. Evidently, it requires a lot of ethics to manage all these affairs to retain people’s faith in the system. In fact, in order to ensure smooth functioning of the judiciary, there are extensive ethical codes for the legal profession. They cover issues like conflicts of interest, acting for both parties, business relations with the clients, opposing a former client, and confidentiality of the information   From the discussion, it becomes evident that the legal profession is different from other professions in the fact that while all other professions have the primary aim of making pecuniary gain, the legal profession has earning only as a subservient function. Thus, one can also reach the conclusion that the profession deserves a higher regard due to these basic differences. Unlike many other professions, a lawyer is an asset to the whole society.

Cultural Diversity and a Crucial Aspect of the Contemporary World Research Paper

Cultural Diversity and a Crucial Aspect of the Contemporary World - Research Paper Example History has taken diverse and dynamic turns over time, leading to the realization of civilized states. After slavery times and embracement of human rights and freedoms, little is openly known about societies that have kept their customs and traditions. The living traditions in the 21st Century became the aiding factors in making my decision. While my decision appears abstract to friends and family, cultural diversity remains to be a rich source of cultural information. Even in the United States, Native Americans still hold to their historical customs and traditions, yet only a few Americans can tell who exactly is a Native American. On the same note, Chinese, Italians, Mexicans among other communities live in the United States and continue to observe their homeland cultures. Moreover, immigration has led to massive movement and interaction of international communities across local, regional and international borders. While has become a persistent practice, little is accounted for the underlying diversity. In this regard, deciding to embrace cultural diversity, and further dedicate my time and personality to learning more about other cultures and communities was an important decision in my life. This decision has basically taken an interest that most people do not, placing me at a better position to understand cultural differentials and the underlying diversity. My decision to embrace cultural diversity in terms of culture, race and ethnicity has further aided my understanding of cultural behaviours exhibited across borders. Customs, traditions and beliefs vary, and so are the views, opinions and reactions of people in these different cultures.

Online Discussion 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online Discussion 2 - Essay Example y part describes the expectation of linguistics learners to have simple languages so that they can easy apply their comprehension in literature (Shemshadsara, 2012). To that effect, the tutors compromise the standards of language proficiency in order to impress the learners. It shows teachers as being selective in developing their teaching programs instead of maintaining the prescribed schedule to develop critical and analytical skills in students (Cameron, 2001). The objective of the article is to first articulate the fact that linguistics is a challenging field of study. Secondly, it aims at developing constructive perception of teachers and students with regards to linguistics in order to develop skills that challenge the community beyond the classroom environment (Fairclough, 1995). This article demonstrates an understanding of the needs of sequential stages of learning, and suggests a low level proficiency requirement for elementary classes. The ultimate aim of the article is to trigger a paradigm shift for both the students and learners about languages by providing solution to the emerging challenges. The article addresses different categories of audience, with a variety of reasons. First, it exposes the attitude with which teachers discharge their duties. It focuses on pointing to teachers their real experiences in teaching with the hope that they can improve on their attitudes. The second target group is students. It focuses on developing a sense of proactive participation of students in the acquisition of linguistics and literature skills. The third target group is that of the authors of various literatures. It recommends the use of simplified languages for the low level literature and linguistics classes to develop relevant skills in a progressive manner. The strengths of the article is evident in its understanding of the linguistics and literature challenges. In the introductory section, Cots (2006) describes the tasks as problematic. Secondly, it

NMS105 Coursework 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

NMS105 1 - Coursework Example The paper concludes by looking into the Regulatory requirements and guidance such as ship registration. It specifically focuses on United Kingdom Ship registration and Small ship register, and Marine Notices. This is a United Nations’ specialized agency that is accountable for measures for improving the security and safety of global shipping and to thwart marine pollution by ships (Balkin, 2006). This agency serves several purposes while striving to safeguard marine shipping. First, it seeks to ensure cooperation among governments regarding all kinds of technical matters that affect shipping in global trade. The second function is it serves to encourage the overall adoption of the best practicable principles about navigation efficiency, maritime safety, and control and prevention of marine pollution. Thirdly, IMO serves to facilitate the removal of needless restrictions and discriminatory action by governments that take part in international trade, to uphold the accessibility of shipping services to international trade without discrimination (Oxman, 1995). Fourthly, this agency has a purpose to consider issues relating to unfair practices in shipping as well as any issues about sh ipping that may require the attention of the IMO by the UN organ. This is a United Kingdom agency that seeks to prevent loss of lives in marine transport at sea. It is responsible for the implementation of the international and the British maritime safety policy and law (Hetherington, Flin & Mearns, 2006). Its main roles are, to coordinate search and rescue in the sea with the help of her majesty’s coastguards, watching and preventing water pollution at the coastal sea. It also guarantees that ships meet the United Kingdom and the international safety standards, and issuing and testing merchant navy certificates of proficiency among the crew and ship’s officers. The

The Making of The Modern World Economy Coursework

The Making of The Modern World Economy - Coursework Example Commerce was revived with the expansion of specialization between its countryside’s and towns. Commerce and trade sprung in most parts of Western Europe especially in Venice and the Northern cities. During the time of exploration, the navigators discovered new paths to explore Asia and America. Commerce grew in these nations due to the establishment of financial companies and the merging of companies (Pomeranz, 2011). There was also the difference in coal availability between China and Europe. China had plenty of coal deposits which made it a huge potential to the West. During the industrial period, coke and coal were frequently used in the transportation. Coal was used to fire steam engines which turned out to be both cheaper and efficient in terms of use, as compared to charcoal. Even though China had used coal during the Ming and Song period, China later abandoned its use due to the Chinese industry shifting to the South. The shift caused the deposits to be far away due to the destructions of Jurchen and Mongol. The technological advancements made Europe to succeed in agriculture, trading, fuel and other resources (Pomeranz, 2011). Labor migration from the Chinese led to improved Agricultural systems in Europe. Most of the European land was idle and underdevelopment as compared with the Asian counterparts. Instead of Europe engaging in the expensive improvement of soil fertility, it embarked on the labor productivity. However due to the increased migration of people to the European nations, it caused food shortages. The problem was easily counteracted through the importation of fertilizers and appetite suppressants foods from America (Pomeranz, 2011). Europe’s success can also be contributed by aggressive persuasion of the imperialist and the mercantilist policies through which Europe used the military and protective methods to safeguard its industrialists based in China. The rise of Europe can

Human Development Essay Example for Free

Human Development Essay Taking a look at the Human Development Index map of Africa, which can be seen on (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) on the web; it shows that many of Africas countries are very underdeveloped.7 One of the obvious reasons for why countries is Africa are underachieving is because of how poor is the strength of their economy compared to others. As it is well known, Africa is very rich in mineral resources as many other states rely upon their, possessing most of the known minerals types of the world. Africas economy is more reliant on agriculture than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. Secondly, the economic development of virtually all African nations has been hindered by inadequate transportation systems. Most countries rely on road networks that are composed largely of dirt roads, which become impassable during the rainy seasons. Road networks tend to link the interior of a country to the coast; few road systems link adjacent countries.9 To show how poor and how bad economy crisis is in Africa, one ought to take a look at their food crisis and the growing volume of food imports. Whereas Africa imported an average volume of 1.96 million metric tons of agricultural products in the years 1961-63, by 1980-82 this figure had risen to 11.2 million metric tons at an annual value of over $6.8 billion (over one-seventh of the total value of Africas imports in 1982).Owing to foreign exchange constraints, most African countries have had to rely increasingly on food aid to meet their imported food requirements.10 The commercial sectors of most African states rely heavily on one or a few export commodities. The bulk of trade occurs with industrialized nations, which require raw materials and sell industrial and consumer goods. Trade between African states is limited by the competitive, rather than complementary, nature of their products and by trade barriers, such as tariffs, and the diversity of currencies. Looking at the economy of Europe, a sharp contrast in strength and influence can visibly be seen. Europe has long been a world leader in economic activities. As the birthplace of modern science and of the Industrial Revolution, Europe acquired technological superiority over the rest of the world, which gave it unquestioned dominance in the 19th Century. An important impetus for growth since the mid-20th Century has been the formation of supranational organisations such as the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unlike Africa, Europe has highly developed transport systems, which are densest in the central part of the continent. Many countries in Europe use well maintained transportation systems to transport important goods such as water transport which plays a major role in the European economy. Almost all European countries maintain national airlines, and several, such as Air France, British Airways, Swissair, Germany, and Netherlands are major worldwide carriers.13 Looking at both economies and trade, it is unquestionably obvious that Europe conducts substantial international trade compared to Africa. For Europe, much of its trade is intra-continental, especially among members of the European Union, but also engages in large-scale trade with countries of other continents. Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands are among the worlds greatest trading nations. A large portion of European inter-continental trade involves the exporting of manufactured goods and the importing o f raw materials. Europes agricultural sector is generally highly developed, especially in Western Europe. The agricultural sector in Europe is helped by the Common Agricultural Policy, which provides farmers with a minimal price for their products and subsidized their exports, which increases competitiveness for their products. This policy is highly controversial as it hampers free trade worldwide (protectionism sparks protectionism from other countries and trade blocs: the concept of trade wars) and is violating the concept of fair trade.15 Africas economy is more reliant on primary products (i.e, agricultural and mineral) than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. About three fifths of African farmers are subsistence farmers tilling small pots of land to feed their families, with only a minimal surplus that can be sold for other goods.16 However, there are significant number of large farms that grow cash crop such as coffee, cotton, cocoa, and rubber; these farms, normally operated by large corporations, cover tens of square kilometres and employ large number of labourers. Africas geography is unsuited to trade and thus hampers its economy. The centre of the continent, at least on the western side, is an almost impenetrable rainforest that greatly impedes the transit of people of goods. Some of the wealthiest parts of South Africa are blocked from the rest of Africa by the Kalahari Desert, while the Sahara creates an obvious barrier to trade. While Africa has a number of great river systems such as those of the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Zambezi, it is not nearly as well-linked rivers as are other areas such as Europe. Moreover, many of the rivers are blocked by rapids and cataracts that require vast development projects if they are to be bypassed. The wetness of the roads and tracks makes transport difficult and hazardous. In addition Africa is cut off from the sea to a greater extent than any other continent. To enforce even more problems to Africa; there is an increasing amount of desertification occurring in Africa where the deserts, especially the Sahara are becoming larger, enveloping area around them, leaving less space for land. This process is partly due to the deforestation of areas of forest; with no roots to hold soil in place, it blows away leaving an infertile desert. Europe has a well developed financial sector. Many European cities are financial centres with the City of London being the largest.19 The European financial sector is helped by the introduction of the euro as common currency. This has made it easier for European households and firms to invest in companies and deposit on banks in other European countries as exchange rate fluctuations are now non-existent in Europe. As mentioned above, Europes economy is superior to that of Africa, so what can Africa do to improve its economy or perhaps what can it take from the Europe economy as a model. Professor J A. van Ginkel held a conference on the Knowledge and Development in Africa; here he talked about ways to improve Africas economy however not only by getting the economic policies right.20 Prof van Ginkel mentions that there is now substantial evidence that institutional weakness in many African countries is a critical obstacle to economic performance.21 From the surveys he conducted on the obstacles to business in Africa it highlights the damage caused by: the unpredictability of changes in laws and policies, the unreliability of law enforcement, and the impact of corrupt bureaucracies.22 Unless governments eliminate these kinds of obstacles then it is unlikely that the economy whether it is just locally in certain parts of Africa or on a national front will flourish. An aspect of the Europe model that Africa can learn from is the aspect of knowledge. No commodity is more expensive than knowledge. An Africa without a sustainable, strong knowledge sector of its own will always remain in a dangerously dependent position. Research and training institutions on the continent can make a critical contribution in at least three ways: by making the most of existing indigenous knowledge; by accessing the vast reservoir of existing global knowledge, as well as the ongoing advances in understanding, and adapting them to suit specific local conditions; and by helping to find innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.23 In terms of human resources, it was highlighted in the Seminars of Anticipation that African developments suffers from a tragic paradox: on the one hand, elites trained in Western world are too many (and most of them stay in the US or in the EU because they cannot find well-paid qualified positions in Africa, or because their skills do not correspond to African needs); while on the other hand the well-trained intermediate executives required to manage a modern economy are cruelly missing in Africa (higher technical experts, management executives, civil administrators). To conclude, this essay has looked the economies of both Europe and Africa and compared and contrast both of them. It has also provided information about both economies in terms of trade and finance. A brief history was provided which looked at the relationship between Europe and Africa and to the days of colonisation. Reasons as to why both regions are on different levels economically were provided to show how dominant and rich Europe was and how poor and underdeveloped Africa was. The Africa food crisis was mentioned to give an account of how poor Africa was against other regions. In addition ways that Africa can improve their economy thus bringing it more power and strength so that it can compete with other regions was provided, for example making sure Africa had the aqeduate education so that it learn. Many Africans move to the west so that they can have higher education which is not available in Africa and tend to stay there once they have completed their studies. This is detrimental to Africas development and thus a solution to the problem would be to support the creation of a complete curriculum. This would lead to a massive contribution to the development of vocational and technical education in Africa thus improving Africas economy. So as it can seen, the economies for both Europe and Africa are at this present time in contrast to each other but there is hope for Africa to become more dominant and influential in world affairs if the correct adjustments and policies are introduced to improve them. References Fawcett, L., Hurrell, A., Regionalism in World Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995, pg 43Â  Ravenhill. J, Africa in economic crisis, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1986, pg 9Â  www.ciaonet.org/isa/rajo

Dont Judge A Book By Its Cover Essay Example for Free

Dont Judge A Book By Its Cover Essay He may be looking corny by wearing bulky goggles or a lab coat, but Dr.Horrible isn’t what he seems. Dr.Horrible is, for one, determined. He has set a plan on how to get himself into The Evil League of Evil by assembling his Freeze-Ray and defeating his nemesis, Captain Hammer. But before he is able to assemble the Freeze-Ray, he has to steal the final â€Å"ingredient†, the Wonderflonium. Which leads me to Dr.Horrible’s second characteristic, jealous. After bumping into Captain Hammer having to save Penny’s life, both his nemesis and love falls in love, which is the reason why he has the characteristic of being jealous. The end is where Dr.Horrible receives his final characteristic, evil. He not only defeated Captain Hammer, but he has killed Penny. Because of these acts, he is finally accepted in The Evil League of Evil. Dr.Horrible may look corny, but he definitely lives up to his name, horrible.

Socioeconomic Determinants Of Health

Socioeconomic Determinants Of Health 1.1 Explain the effects of socioeconomic influences on health Recent evidence suggests that the health of the population in the United Kingdom continues to improve. However, despite this many people will experience an inequality in terms of their health and the chance of living in good health is unequally distributed within society (House of Common Health Committee 2009). Socio-economic status is one of the most important determinants of health and the link between this and health is widely accepted (NPHS 2004). Differences in health by social class was examined by the Black Report (1980), which investigated the problem of health inequalities in the UK and found that people of lower economic status were far more likely to experience ill-health and premature death than those of higher socio-economic status. The report concluded that despite the improvement in the overall health of the population, the improvement had not been equal across the social classes and that the health gap between lower and higher social classes was widening. This was supported by the Health Divide (1987) and the Acheson Report (1998), which mirrored the findings of the Black Report. Report findings suggested there was a direct correlation between socio-economic class and health and the likelihood of developing health problems such as coronary heart disease, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases was far higher in the lower social classes. The aim of this essay is to discuss the unequal distribution of health within society; this will be achieved through the examination of the incidence of coronary heart disease within a lower socio-economic group. This subject has been chosen because it is of particular relevance within some of the most deprived areas of Wales and accounts for a large proportion of deaths. A further aim of the essay will be to identify and discuss the factors that influence health across a persons lifespan. Psycho-social influences on health will be discussed along with the direct and indirect influence they have on the health of a person. An analysis of pertinent social policy will be provided together with the relevant public health policies that have been developed to tackle the problem of health inequalities. Finally the role of the nurse and the multi-disciplinary team in improving health inequalities will be considered. In order to achieve these aims it is important to fully understand what is m eant by health and the term health inequality. The Biomedical model defines health as the absence of disease and focuses on the eradication of disease and illness through diagnosis and effective treatment. The state of health is determined by assessing whether or not a disease is present and is driven by the belief that cures for diseases need to be found in order for people to be considered healthy (Bury 2005). Despite often being considered to present a negative view of health it is the most prevalent model used in Western society. When people are feeling unwell it is the medical professions opinion that is sought and the primary concern of the is the treatment of disease and prevention of illness. Symptoms of illness are considered to have an underlying pathology in this model and this pathology can, although not always successfully be treated or restored thus leading to re-instated health (Morrison and Bennet 2009). However this model fails to recognise other factors that influence health. In contrast the social model of health defines health and illness from an individuals perspective and their functioning in society. Rather than merely considering biological or physiological changes, it regards disease as being a result of the interaction of biological, psychological and social conditions (Brannon and Feist 2007). It emphasises that changes can be made in both the individuals lifestyle and in wider society in order to improve health. In comparison with the World Health Organisations definition, health should not be viewed merely in terms of the presence or absence of disease but consideration must be given to the overall state of a persons physical, social and mental well-being (WHO 1948). The social model of health considers other important influences that impact on the individuals health and recognises that health does not only result from biological and genetic processes but that it is a state of positive well-being influenced by the wider social and economic cond itions in which we live (Farrell et al 2008). Consideration of other factors that influence and determine health allows for a better understanding of why some people have better health than others. It also provides a broader understanding of the determinants of health, which in turn allows for identification of the factors which influence health either in individuals or within particular groups in society and goes some way to explaining why inequalities in health persist. Health inequality was highlighted by the publication of the Black Report in 1980, showing that there was a direct correlation between socioeconomic status and health (Bartley 2004). It refers to the unequal distribution of health between social groups that is distinguished by the unequal structures of which the group is a part (Graham 2007). Health inequalities are random, perceived to be unfair and rather than being a result of biological processes are socially produced (Whithead and Dalgren 2006), generated by the social conditions in which people live (Farrell et al 2008) and refers to the systematic differences in the health of groups that occupy unequal positions in society (Graham 2007) and refer to a particular type of difference in health whereby disadvantaged groups experience worse health and greater risks to their health than less disadvantaged groups (Braveman 2006). Health inequalities are avoidable but are determined by the political, social and economic influences on the conditions in which people live, grow and work (CSDH 2008). They are a result of a wide range of complex influences and those people who are the most socio-economically deprived are the most likely to suffer ill health in all stages of life and premature death (Townsend Davidson 1988). An example of this can be seen in the incidence of coronary heart disease and the contributing factors which influence this disease particularly amongst those within the population who are the most socioeconomically deprived. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart. Coronary arteries become narrowed or blocked with deposits of fatty materials or cholesterol (atheroma), thus reducing the blood supply to the heart. This deprives the heart of oxygen, causes angina, arrhythmia and can lead to coronary thrombosis, heart failure, myocardial infarction and/or sudden death (National Assembly for Wales 2001). Despite it being a largely preventable illness and leading cause of death in the UK, it still accounts for over 6000 deaths per year in Wales (NPHS 2006). Although the incidence has been falling over the past few decades, figures show that Wales still has a higher incidence of the disease than England and that in areas of high deprivation such as the South Wales valleys the incidence of CHD is at least a third higher than in more affluent areas (Cardiac Disease NSF for Wales 2009). Mortality rates for CHD show that Wales has a higher rate than the UK average and that areas within Wales with the highest rates are mainly in the South Wales valleys, with Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil having rates significantly higher than the national average (NPHS 2006). Some of this may be linked to access to services, in particular angiograph and revascularisation. While the hospital admission rates for coronary heart disease is higher than the national average in areas of low socioeconomic status such as Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil, admissions for angiography and revascularisation is lower among these areas (NPHS 2006). There are many factors that contribute to the incidence of CHD, some of which cannot be changed such as increasing age and genetic disposition. However many social influences such as tobacco use, diet, physical activity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, use of alcohol and drugs, and stress which contribute to the disease can be modified. Incidence of CHD can also be linked to poverty, low educational status and poor mental health (depression) (WHO 2006b). Exposure to unequal health risks begins before conception and continues through all development stages through to adulthood and leaves the individual vulnerable to a range of disease that includes CHD. (Graham 2004). Environmental conditions such as work environment, income and housing in adulthood contribute to health inequalities and have as much of an impact in determining future health and premature death childhood disadvantage (Kuh et al 2003). Increased behavioural risks in adulthood contribute to CHD and as the incidenc e increases in the lower socioeconomic groups so do the associated risk factors. Those living in deprived areas are far more likely to smoke, eat a poor diet and take part in less than the recommended amount of physical exercise. These behaviours also increase the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stress, which are associated with the development of CHD (NPHS 2004) Tobacco use is a contributory factor in the development of CHD and the prevalence of smoking among the lowest socioeconomic groups in the UK is approximately 45% of men and 33% of women in the highest social class being smokers compared to 15% and 14% respectively in the lowest social class (Richardson and Crosier). In Wales is estimated that 17% of deaths from heart disease can be attributed to smoking (Cardiac Disease NSF for Wales 2009). Whilst the prevalence of smoking continues to decrease it is still a major problem, the 2008-09 Welsh Health Survey showed that 25% of men and 23% of women were smokers. However in areas with low socio economic status and high deprivation such as Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil the number of people who smoked was higher with the percentage of smokers being 30% and 31% respectively (Welsh Health Survey 2007-08). Another contributory factor in the development of CHD is nutrition; diet plays an important role in the development of heart disease with the consumption of fat being linked to coronary heart disease and high salt intake being linked to high blood pressure which is a contributory factor to CHD. While eating 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce the risk. Despite this intake of fats and salt is higher in Wales than is recommended (Cardiac Disease National Service Framework) and the number of people who consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables is only 36%. As with tobacco use these figures decreases in areas of low economic status; with 30% in Merthyr Tydfil and only 28% in Blaenau Gwent consuming the recommended daily amounts. (Welsh Health Survey 2007-08). As well as having a high intake of fats and salt people in low socio-economic groups are also far more likely to consume a diet with poor nutritional value which can result in individuals becoming overweight or obese. The highest proportions of people who are overweight or obese are again in areas of low socioeconomic status. As with other risk factors areas such as Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil the number of people who are overweight living in these areas is above the national average for Wales (NPHS 2006). While the national average was reported as being 54.1% in 2006 (NPHS2006), the more recent Welsh Health Survey 2007-08 shows that this figure has increased to 57%, with Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil being above the average with it being reported that 64% and 59% respectively being overweight or obese in these areas. Physical activity can contribute to an improvement in physical and psychological quality of life, whereas physical inactivity is a risk factor associated with coronary heart disease and high blood pressure (DoH 1993). The recommended guideline for exercise is 30 minutes of moderate intensity 5 days per week, however only 29% of the Welsh population reported that they achieved this. In areas of low socioeconomic status Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen reported lower than average figures, however Merthyr Tydfil was above the Welsh average. Physical inactivity in the female population is lower than that of males and this trend appears at an early age (NPHS 2006). Other factors such as high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, use of alcohol and drugs and stress all contribute to CHD and can be a result of factors such as poor diet, smoking and reduced levels of physical activity. While some individuals may be genetically predisposed to developing CHD for others personal will have a direct bearing on their future health. Individual personality and how much control they feel they have over their own health influence the choices made. Those people who belief they control outcomes (internal locus of control) are far more likely to be able to modify their behaviour to improve future health. Whereas those who beliefs health outcomes are firmly controlled by powerful others (external locus of control) are more likely to continue risk taking behaviour (Lefcourt 1982). Nurses can make an invaluable contribution to the reduction of health inequalities through their ability to work with the public to influence behaviour change within the scope of health promotion work. Health promotion allows the nurse opportunity to target vulnerable populations, to promote health in a positive way, to give clients the health information that allows them to make informed decisions about their health and prevention of illness, enhancing the individuals ability to play a key role in their own health (Webster and Finch 2002 in Scriven 2005).and is an area in which the nurse or healthcare professional plays a key role (WHO 1989). Health promotion work although being a key role for nurses does not lie solely within the domain of health and to achieve the ultimate aim of tackling inequalities there needs to be partnership work with a range of healthcare professionals such as health visitors and dieticians as well as other professionals working in related fields such as sm oking cessation. In order for it to be completely successful a multi-disciplinary approach is advocated with the need to tackle other health determinants simultaneously being paramount (RCN 2007). Health inequalities are often a consequence of lifestyle choices and behaviours, with development of illness and disease is the result of many factors. In order to make changes to the most socioeconomically deprived people in society, work needs to be focused on behaviour change and lifestyle choices (Welsh Assembly Government 2002). Publication of reports such as the Black Report, Health Divide and Acheson Report highlighted the severity of the problems facing the health of society and it is from here that government interventions and public health policies are produced. Publication of the Black Report highlighted the inequalities in health that were present in UK society. The report concluded that health was directly linked to social class and the chance of living a healthy life decreased in lower social classes. It showed that while the health service could play a part in reducing health inequalities measures to reduce socioeconomic differences in income, environment, poor housing, low education standards and unemployment should have a greater importance. It contained 37 recommendations concerned with improving the life of the poorest members of society, particularly children and those with disabilities (Acheson 1998). Recommendations focused on two main areas. It proposed the government should adopt a policy aimed at reducing child poverty in the UK and more money should be spent on health education and the prevention of illness (Townsend Davidson1988). However government at the time criticised the report, arguing that it did not explain health i nequalities and that increased expenditure on the health service would not make a difference to standards of health. Despite this the report was influential in public health debates and research and influenced the decision by the WHOs European region to agree a common health strategy in 1985 (Acheson 1998). Further reports in 1987 (The Health Divide) and 1998 (Acheson report) drew similar conclusions as the Black Report. The Health Divide argued that socio economic circumstances where a major factor in health inequalities and subsequent health and that the gap between health standards and social class had increased since the publication of the Black Report (Whitehead 1987). The 1997 new Labour government set up an inquiry into health inequalities, signalling that the alleviation of inequalities in health was of primary importance. (Marmot 2004).The result of this inquiry was the publication of the Acheson Report, which found that inequalities in health persisted and mirrored the findings of both the Black report and the Health Divide. It concluded that in order to improve health the gap between rich and poor must be reduced and that health inequalities begin before birth. It recommended that high priority should be given to policies aimed at improving health and reducing inequalities in health particularly in respect of children, women of child bearing age and expectant mothers and health policies that have a direct or indirect effect of health should be evaluated. Additionally the report made 37 further recommendations directed across all governmental departments and called for development of policies that sought to reduce inequalities in health (Acheson 1998). In the context of Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government has publicised a number of policies and documents seeking to address the issues of health inequalities. In 1998 Better Health; Better Wales highlighted and described health inequalities which exist in Wales and in 2001 it set out its long term plan to improve the nations health. Improving Health for Wales: a Plan for the NHS with its Partners (2001) set the scene for the NHS over a ten year period. Its main objectives were to make further improvements in health maintenance, provide a significant contribution to health improvements in the populations health and to tackle health inequalities. The Well-being in Wales consultation document in 2002 emphasised that health was the responsibility of everyone not only of the government. This idea of a shared responsibility was reinforced in the 2003 Review of Health and Social Care in Wales, which showed long-term demand for health and social care was unsustainable and there needed to be a greater emphasis on the prevention of ill health and individuals should be held responsible for their own health. This led to the development of Health Challenge Wales, which signposts members of the public to information and activities to improve their own health. In 2005 publication of Designed for Life, a 10 year commitment of creating world class health and social care in Wales built on the work which had been undertaken in 2001. One Wales (2007) upholds the Assembly Governments commitment to improving health and well-being in particular the poorest, most vulnerable members of society. The status of the health of the population varies considerably and the correlation between socioeconomic status and health has been proven in various reports. Health problems such as CHD that are more prevalent in low socioeconomic groups are further exacerbated by associated risk factors that are more prevalent in these groups. Various reports have highlighted these inequalities and concluded that despite being avoidable, inequalities in health exist and are a result of political, social and economic influences. The Welsh Assembly Government in its strategies has recognised the unsustainability of long term health and social care and that there is a need for individuals to take responsibility for their own health. Health promotion work undertaken by nurses is a key role in promoting health and providing the public with information that allows them to make positive lifestyle choices and change behaviour to improve future health. While this is an important area, health inequalities wi ll not be eradicated within the domain of health; it is vitally important that all government departments develop policies that aim to tackle the risk factors.

The Future of Marijuana in the United States Essay -- Drugs

American politicians are constantly finding themselves in a heated debate concerning the legalization of marijuana. Currently the no’s have it but the real question is how long will they be able to keep it that way. Since, "To the agriculturist, cannabis is a fiber crop; to the physician, it is an enigma; to the user, a euphoriant; to the police, a menace; to the trafficker, a source of profitable danger; to the convict or parolee and his family, a source of sorrow" (Mikuriya, 1969). Introduction The future of marijuana in the United States is uncertain. Whether it is truly on the path to legalization on a nationwide scale, no one knows. But one thing is for certain: marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. It has currently; the move towards legalization on a small scale has taken even further strides with Proposition 19 gaining approximately 44% of the California’s votes. One of the leading causes of the gradual tolerance of marijuana use has been the change in the perception of the substance among the older segment of our society. Since 2000, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of frequent marijuana users that are age 55 and above. This paper will seek to examine some of the major factors that have contributed to the significant rise in the prevalence of marijuana use among baby-boomers, the short-term effects of marijuana with an emphasis on how those effects would impact older individuals, the long-term effects of heavy mar ijuana use, and the potential political and social implications of extensive marijuana use amongst the United States’ older individuals. The first decade of the 21st century was a particularly eventful time in history. Recent studies have shown that ... ... Psycho geriatrics 20, 1081-1089. Hendrix, S. (2009). Boomers see views relaxing on marijuana. From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/15/AR2009111503007.html. Mikuriya, Tod H. (1969). Marijuana in Medicine: Past Present and Future. California Medicine 110(1), 34–40. Stack, P, Suddath, C. (2009). A Brief History of Medical Marijuana. Retrieved November 4, 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931247,00.html. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (December 29, 2009). The NSDUH Report: Illicit Drug Use among Older Adults. Rockville, MD. (Suggested Citation) Tashkin, D.P. (1999). Effects of marijuana on the lung and its defenses against infection and cancer. School Psychology International. Special Issue: Preventing marijuana use among youth 20 (1), 23-37. .

The moral cost of video games Essay -- Analysis, Matthew Devereux

With a huge projected screen replacing my perspective of the world around me, I jumped right into the immersive experience of playing one of the most realistic war games on the market: â€Å"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2†. Inside a fiery world of smoke, smog, and tall abandoned houses, adrenaline rushed through my brain and tensed my body with excitement as I followed a team of nine through a maze of doorways and alleys. I quickly lost track of them and I hid at the end of a small dead alley while I waited for something to move or make a sound. The sounds of action were in the distant; but this bunker, which seemed like an ideal hiding place, caught my attention. When I was going to run towards the bunker, movement to my right made me jump; and with a terribly aimed shot, I fired the majority of a round from my machine gun at my target until I eventually shot and killed it. â€Å"Headshot† huge words flashed for a second in the middle of the screen making me hungry fo r my next kill. A child having this same immersive experience would get used to destructing all these monsters, and will ruthlessly learn to put everyone else aside and focus on themselves winning (MC 10). Children would become selfish as they venture into a virtual world where accumulating grenades and throwing them into mobs of people actually builds up a higher score. â€Å"There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’–only success or failure† (MC 13). Because of the obscene immorality of video games, there should be a fresh genre of video games with unquestionable moral aspects. In Matthew Devereux’s essay â€Å"The moral cost of video games†, he describes this horrible game called â€Å"Manhunt 2† as a game where the player has to sneak up on innocent victims and use a garden spade to kill and deca... ...eract positively with other characters to accomplish a common goal can teach people values such as teamwork and positive interaction with others. Having a concept in a game where players selflessly work together to achieve a common goal is a much better construction of a game than the point hoarding of kills. Throughout the gaming community, a genre should be created that casts out immorality and replaces it with an integrity that fulfills the player’s immersive experience. With the terrible immorality of video games as a blame for the Littleton Shootings, children are being restricted from their media and entertainment. Instead of having mostly immoral games, game developers should create new and immersive games with ethical values. A new generation of games with undeniable ethics, including but not glamorizing violence, should overshadow the gaming industry.

Health Is More Important Than Wealth

Anonymous: Some people believed that health is more important than money, I also have the same concept as them. Money cannot buy health despite having the ability to acquire the best medical system however; money is earned through hard work. If our health is affected, how would we be able to concentrate on our work to bring back the bacon home? Therefore is it vital that we remain healthy so that we can focus on our work to put food on the table.Health can also bring joy in our life for an example, imagine that you were overseas doing all sort of crazy thing while you being healthy but all of the sudden you fell ill not being able to spend your last few day in this wonderful trip . Wealth is on the wish list for many people through out the world but having a healthy longevity is their top wish. To grow to a ripe old age to see your family tree grew is a memorable memory. Money is also known as the source of evil, it can cause dispute among family member when a sum of money is left be hind without a will.Unlike money, it can do quite the opposite effect when a love one is gravely ill family member instead of quarrelling over the asset instead show love, concern finally yet importantly Care. Our ancestor being able to live to 60 years old is consider a sage and above all better than being wealthy. Nowadays there a rapid growth of competition in the market as the world is constantly changing thus people are fighting to keep their jobs and solve their bread and butter issue forgetting how important their health in a stressful environment.Being Overworked can lead to health problem such as fatigue, increase chance of having hypertension and other health problems. But there are some health problem that is incurable take Human immunodeficiency Virus(HIV) despite nation pouring money into research it have yet find a cure. Money can be use for one personal lifestyle such as building a mansion with a swimming pool but if one is in poor health how would he be able to use i t? Therefore, I conclude that health is more important than money although money can bring joy to some people life but greed will one day overcome them turning them into a demon.

Ethics in Advertisement of United Colors of Benetton

As the students of MME (Economics and Management studies), we have chosen the topic, which involves our study program, which is the Marketing and Consumer behavior. Our topic is focused on the advertisement and the practices of United Colors of Benetton Company. Their way of marketing seems to be directed â€Å"another way† and it has been discussed several times whether their strategy is ethical or not in the past. First we would like to highlight the basics of the United colors of Benetton company and then all the classical kinds of moral reasoning theories will be described (Utilitarianism, Deontology) applied on the United Colors of Benetton advertising strategy. Virtue ethics is not going to be discussed as it is not a suitable approach for this case. Utilitarian and deontological approaches are going to serve as a mean for understanding whether it would be wise for Benetton to change its strategy or stick to its traditional way of marketing and ignore the voice of public opinion. The United Colors of Benetton strategy  United Colors of Benetton is an Italian company that thanks to its unusual way of advertising is dicussed all over the world. It is one of a few companies that does not insist on showing its products in the advertisements. Instead of the product controversial motives are used presenting different kinds of social issues (eg. rasism, terrorism, social tabus). â€Å"The Benetton United Colors campaign illustrates how modern advertising has been radicalized into an explicitly political forum. † (Tinic, 1997) Since United Colors of Benetton has started with this advertising strategy many critical reactions have occured. As a result of this negative publicity many Benetton? s adverts were banned in several countries. The criticized aspect is mostly the fact that Benetton is an organization trying to reach the profit and high level of awareness among consumers. Therefore its goal is similar to most of other businesses. However, Benetton? s representatives are trying to persuade the public about their concern in pointing at most dicussed issues in the world and increase general awareness about these problems. United Colors of Benetton uses shocking motives, in other words fear appeal, in its adverts. Fear appeal is used in eg. stop smoking, prevention against AIDS and drugs advertisements. Scary and eye-catching motives are used in the adverts to show what harmful consequences could a certain activity cause. Some of Benetton? s adverts also use fear appeal but the problem is that in regular commercials where fear appeal is presented, possible solution or prevention against the problem is presented in the message (eg. prevention against AIDS – use condoms). Benetton has been trying to call attention to actual social issues but they never provide any other information than the company’s trademark. Beyond complaints about individual Benetton advertisements, there appears to be an undercurrent of unease caused by the fact that social problems have been linked to the sale of designer clothing. † (Tinic, 1997) Therefore our paper is going to dicuss whether the advertisements of United Colors of Benetton are ethical or not based on the theoretical framework related to moral reasoning. The company? s philosophy is based on the conviction of Mr. Benetton who says that â€Å" communication should no be commissioned from outside the company, but it should be conceived from within its heart. The United Colors of Benetton (UCB) emphasizes that the communication should be no longer connected with the consumer but with the individual. â€Å"By entering the universe of values, the brand frees the product from the world of merchandise and manufacturing and makes it a social being of its own. By addressing an individual rather than a customer, the brand can identify its target on the basis not of age or income, but of a shared vision of what is important, starting from a set of common values. † ( Luciano Benetton) First idea of Benetton’s company was written in the early 60’s because their sweaters were marketed into the many different countries with different people’s skin tones. The â€Å"united† name became a metaphor pretty soon thus the name of Benetton’s company was changed to the United Colors of Benetton. One of their first add showing no racial differences saying â€Å"All the colors of the world† was the start of the new era of their many times controversial marketing strategy discussed all over the world. Three separate cycles of building Benetton’s value As it was mentioned above, the strategy of Benetton’s advertising campaign leads to many discussions and criticism and many of ads were prohibited in several countries. Their strategy is divided into 3 main cycles. The cycle of Difference The first and oldest cycle started in the 80’s and was concerning to the racial, religious and sexual conflicts and differences. All the conflicts are based on tabus and on a difference that separates rather than unites. The Benetton’s plan was to integrate opposites and to unite differences under a single flag – the Benetton’s logo. The ads were not so controversial. As in the following cycle – the cycle of the reality. The cycle of reality This cycle starts in the early 90’s as the answer to the Gulf War (the ad showing the war cemetery. This ad was refused to print it by several newspapers. This kind of ads showed the reality of the life – but paradoxly – the most censured campaign showing the newborn baby (as the eruption of real life) caused the biggest scandal. Another campaigns showing the real, high drama situation were censured too. There are pictures of some of them: The pictures of AIDS patient, the soldier and the Albanian emigrants were not taken for the ad campaign but were the agency photos used for conveying styles. They were showing the real world. The cycle of free speech and the right to express it Last and the most recent cycle campaign was actually created as the answer to the second cycle. The reaction to the real life photos was often violent and not accepted by the critics. Benetton has been fighting for having a free speech and right to express it by new kinds of campaigns (trying to highlight the AIDS issues, homosexuality, racism, etc. ) Utilitarianism approach Utilitarianism is the moral reasoning approach theory, which is answering the question, what is right and wrong in various situations. The effects and consequences determine the right or wrong action. The greatest good for the greatest number may be defined as a utilitarian approach. Pleasure and pain measurement is based on the Cost benefit analysis. The founder of utilitarianism was Jeremy Bentham. He was saying that ethics is more or less a mathematical equation (total happiness plus pleasure minus pain). The negative consequences would have a negative impact on the society and it would create the unhappiness. Everyone who would stick to the rule – the security would be given as well as predictability and certainty leading to the overall happiness. For a Benetton’s company the happiness may be described as the total way of the company’s philosophy. Their goal is not only increase their profits but also the social awareness of the real life problems concerning all of us. The pain involves those who protest against the Benetton’s adverts. The amount of those who protest against the Benetton’s adverts is rapidly decreasing and the Benetton’s strategy has been getting more and more accepted. This means that the Benefits (Happiness) outnumbers the Costs (Pain) thus according to the Utilitarian approach of moral reasoning – the Benetton’s campaign is ethical. â€Å"A utilitarian could condone or even prescribe an act of deception if the positive consequences outweighed the negative consequences. † (van den Belt, 2010) From the utilitarian point of view, even if Benetton? s advertisements are being criticized, it still brings a lot of positive results (eg. increased awareness about the brand). Both positive and negative evaluation enable the brand to be seen and perceived among consumers. Deontological approach Deontological approach as well as utilitarian approach are concerned about a practical solution of a problem more than a philosphical/abstract solution that is more typical for virtue ethics. The core principle of both deontological and utilitarian approach is finding the right thing to do in a certain situation. On the contrary, there is a dissimilarity between these two approaches as utilitarianism is more focused on consequences and deontological approach emphasizes side features of the actions (eg. ishonest or fraudulent behavior). In case of United Colors of Benetton , there is a question if it is correct and ethical to use social issues and catastrophical motives in their commercials. According to questions â€Å"What should I do? † or â€Å"What is the right thing to do? † the solution from the moral perspective would probably be elimination of controversial motives from Benetton? s advertisements. The reason why this solution would be chosen is calming of the situation – decrease of criticizm among the consumers. The public would be satisfied ith not being exposed to unpleasant images of Benetton? s adverts. On the other hand, from the business perspective, Benetton would lose its unique way of increasing awareness both about the social issues as well as about the brand. Based on deontological approach Benetton should change its strategy and use less controversial motives. The company should not only think about instrumental values but should also take into account tha fact that â€Å"human beings have moral dignity and possess intrinsic value† (van den Belt, 2010). Due to this reason the company should not only strive for the profit and increased awareness. Choice of less controversial motives or change of advertising strategy could be one of the solutions. â€Å"It is exclusively the good will of the acting person that renders his action morally appropriate, where one should act out of duty, not out of prudence. † (van den Belt, 2010) Moral issue related to this citation are in case of Benetton as follows: ? never injure anyone with your advert messages? but it does not necessarily exclude the fact that ? Benetton? s commercials should always please everyone?. The way Benetton does its advertisements is unique in the market. There have already been many trials of other companies to copy this strategy but they were never successful. Advertising strategy of Benetton is so distinct from others that losing such a competitive advantage in the market could cause harmful consequences for the company. That does not mean that opinions of the consumers should be ignored. The voice of public should definitely be taken into consideration.

About the Philippines Essay

The Philippines is located in the southeastern portion of Asia. Her neighbor on the north is the Republic of China (Taiwan or Formosa), while on the west is Communist Vietnam. Further west is Thailand. Immediately to the south of the Philippines is Indonesia and to the southwest are Malaysia and Singapore. The Philippines is separated from her nearby Asian neighbors by several bodies of water. They are the Pacific Ocean on the east, the South China Sea on the north and west, and the Celebes Sea and the coastal waters of Borneo on the south. I. LAND AND ITS PEOPLE The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands and islets. The biggest islands are Luzon, with a land area of 40,530 square miles (105,000 square kilometers); Mindanao, 36,670 square miles (95,000 square kilometers); Palawan, 5,749.86 square miles (14, 896 square kilometers); Negros, 5,278.55 square miles (13,675 square kilometers); and Samar, 5,183.59 square miles (13,429 square kilometers). She has a rugged land mass and, similarly, she has an irregular coastline, which is twice as long as that of the continental U.S.A. This irregularity has resulted in numerous fine harbors and landlocked straights that can accommodate large ships. They can also be a refuge of ships in distress during stormy weather. The land surface is 115,800 square miles (300,000 square kilometers). Land forms include hills, plains, valleys, and mountains. Her mountain ranges, which are volcanic in origin, are drained by small river systems. There are seven major mountain ranges. The largest and longest is Sierra Madre, which faces the Pacific Ocean on the eastern coast of Luzon. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay The highest peak is Mt. Apo, a volcano in Davao del Sur Province. It has an elevation of 9,691.60 feet (2,954 meters). Three Major Islands. The three major geographical groups in the country are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Luzon comprises the northern portion of the archipelago. The Visayan region has about 6,000 islands including Leyte, Cebu, Samar, and Bohol. Mindanao is the second largest land and encompasses about 400 small islands. These islands are divided into provinces, which are run like states in the United States. Each province is ruled by a governor, a vice governor, and members of the provincial board. Each province is composed of cities, towns, and barrios. Several â€Å"Pinatubos.† There are several volcanos in the Philippines. These have been one of the natural causes of destruction to life and property for centuries. At least 10 are considered active. The most famous are Iraya on Batanes Island; Taal in Batangas; Banahaw in Quezon; Mayon in Albay; and Hibok- Hibok on the Camiguin Islands; Makaturing in Lanao; Apo in Davao, and Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales. Mt. Pinatubo has gained notoriety as being the most destructive volcano in the world. It lay dormant before it erupted in June 1991. It directly and indirectly caused damage to public and private property in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, and Pampanga, including the Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City, Pampanga Province. Its ashes spread all over the world, causing global warming, damage to the ozone layer, and adverse effects on communications. After six years of eruption, the lahar deposits along the volcano still cascade down the slopes after heavy rains. They continue to take lives, destroy bridges and roads, and defy billion-peso dikes built to contain lahar flows. These lahar flows are expected to last for five or more years, according to volcanologists. The Philippines lies within the Pacific seimic belt, which is why she experiences severer earthquakes. Christian Groups. The people of the Philippines number about 73,265,584 (July 1995 estimate). There are several ethnic groups and more than 65 so-called cultural minorities in the Philippines, which speak their own dialects or languages. Among these ethnic groups are the Tagalog, the Ilocano, the Pangasinanian, the Pampangue?o, the Bicolano, the Cebuano, the Ilongo, and the Waray-Waray. They comprise more than 90 percent of all Filipinos and are the Christians. About 84 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholics. The Tagalogs live in Manila and in central and southern Luzon. Although they speak Tagalog, they have intonations of their own, as do the Batangue?os from Batangas Province. The Tagalogs mostly live in such provinces as Nueva Ecija (the Ilocanos also live in some towns in the northern part of the province), Bulacan, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon, Laguna, and Mindoro (Oriental and Occidental). The Tagalogs dominate the people in Manila. There are, however, many people in the city who have come from different parts of the country, including Luzon, to live in the big city. Many also have come from the Bicol region and the Visayan islands. The Ilocanos live in the Ilocos region in northern Luzon, particularly Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, but many of them have migrated in large numbers to central Luzon, and, of course, to the United States. Most of the oldtimers in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s came from the Ilocos region. The Ilongos live in western Negros, in southern Mindoro, and on the island of Panay. The Cebuanos predominate in Cebu, western Leyte, Bohol, eastern Negros, and in some coastal areas of Mindanao. The Bicolanos are in the southeastern Luzon and nearby islands, including the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, etc. The Pampangue?os or Kapampangans live in central Luzon, particularly in Pampanga Province. The Pangasinanians live in the Lingayen Gulf region of Luzon, including Pangasinan Province; however, many Pangasinanians have migrated into other towns in central Luzon. The Waray-Warays are in the provinces of Samar and eastern Leyte. Other Groups. Chinese and other groups also live in the Philippines. The Chinese comprise 1.5 percent of the population, and are active in business. Cultural Minorities. There are more than 65 cultural minorities, similar to the Indian tribes in th e United States, who live in reservations and in the mountains. They include the Muslim groups, which are comprised of the Maranao, the Samal, the Maguindanao, the Tausug, etc. They live in the Sulu Archipelago and southern Mindanao. There are also the so-called upland tribal groups who live in the mountain regions of the country, such as in the Mountain Province of Luzon. In northern Luzon, the other ethnic groups include the Bontoc, the Kalinga, the Ifugao, the Kankanay, the Ibaloi, the Isneg, the Ilongot, the Tinguian, and the Gadang. The Mangyan group lives in Mindanao and the Batak and the Tagbanua live in Palawan. In Mindanao there are groups known as the Tiruray, the T’Boli, the Bagobo, the Mandaya, the Bukidnon, the Subanun, and the Manobo. The Negritoes, popularly known as the Agta or the Aeta live in the mountainous areas of Luzon, Negros, Panay, and Mindanao. â€Å"I love You! Iniibig Kita!† Yes, â€Å"I love you† is said in about 87 dialects or languages in the Philippines. These include Tagalog, Kapampangan, Iloc ano, Cebuano, Pangasinanian, Bicolano, Hiligaynon, Chabacano, and the different dialects spoken by other ethnic groups such as Muslims and cultural minorities. The Filipino dialects belong to the so-called Malayo-Polynesian language family, which is said to be the largest language family throughout the world. Pilipino (not Filipino), which is based on Tagalog, is the national language in the Philippines, but both English and Pilipino, are the official languages in schools, in government, and in private institutions, especially in urban places. English serves as the official language used in communications and in business meetings, especially by Rotarians, Jaycees, and other organizations. That is, English and Pilipino both serve as the media of communications among the people who also speak their own dialects. It is common that when a Filipino in the Philippines and a Filipino in America write to each other, they communicate in English. But in daily conversation, English and Pilipino are combined, which is called Taglish (meaning Tagalog (Pilipino) and English. For instance, one may say, â€Å"Pupunta ako sa Maynila, to enroll at the University of the Philippines, (I’ll go to Manila to enroll at the†¦.) or â€Å"Okeng, okey ka, you’re so sweet!† (You’re o kay and you’re so sweet!†) So whenever you meet Filipinos in the United States, they may be speaking their own dialects when not speaking in English. However, these groups know Pilipino. So if you want to know a Filipino language, it should be Tagalog or Pilipino so that you’ll have more people whom you can converse with. Government.The Philippines has a democratic form of government, like that of the United States. The government is divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Have Pesos and Enjoy! If you have the dollar, you can have it changed to the Philippine peso. The dollar when this book was about to go to press was equivalent to forty pesos (P40.00). The Philippine currency consists of the peso (P) and the centavo. One hundred centavos equal P1. Coin denominations are 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavos, and P1, P2, and P5. Bill denominations consist of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 pesos. Foreign currency may be exchanged in banks, hotels, and most large department stores, which have authorized money-changing shops. Charge It! Charge It! Most large hotels, stores, restaurants, and resort areas accept major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. At hotels and other large stores, traveler’s checks are accepted, preferably American Express. How’s the Weather? The weather in the Philippines is tropical, the country having only two seasons, the dry and rainy seasons. It’s usually hot from April to July. The dry season is between November and June and the rainy season is between July and October. Filipinos consider December, January, and February as the cool months. But they may not be considered as winter without snow as in the United States; maybe it’s milder or like spring or fall. II. FLASHBACK: THE EARLY FILIPINOS The Philippines, scientists believe, once was a part of Mainland China. According to the scientists, during the Ice Age, the waters surrounding the Philippines dropped to about 156 feet below the present levels, exposing large bodies of land. These became land bridges connecting the Philippines to the Asian mainland. The Philippines, Out from the Bottom of the Sea? In February 1976, Dr. Fritjof Voss, a German scientist who studied the geology of the Philippines, questioned the validity of this theory of land bridges. He maintained that the Philippines was never part of mainland Asia. He claimed that it arose from the bottom of the sea and, as the thin Pacific crust moved below it, continued to rise. It continues to rise today. The country lies along great Earth faults that extend to deep undersea trenches. The resulting violent earthquakes caused what is now the land masses forming the Philippines to rise to the surface of the sea. Dr. Voss also pointed out that when scientific studies were done on the earth’s crust from 1964 to 1967, it was discovered that the 35-kilometer-thick crust underneath China does not reach the Philippines. Thus, the latter could not have been a land bridge to the Asian mainland. When They Came, How They Came. The traditional teaching of Philippine history in Filipino schools today has early Philippine habitants coming in waves. In 1962, it was concluded that about 250,000 years ago, primitive men came to the Philippines from the Asian mainland. Then about 25,000 years ago came the pygmies, the small, black-skinned, squat-nosed, thick-lipped, and kinky-haired people from the south over the still remaining land bridges. (They are considered the ancestors of the Negritoes, who are, in turn, regarded as the aborigines of the Philippines.) Around 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, another Negrito (or Aeta) migration occurred. They reached Luzon from Borneo over land bridges in Palawan and Mindoro. The submergence of the land bridges when the ice melted with the passing of time did not prevent other people from inhabiting the Philippines. 5,000 to 6,000 Years Ago? The first Indonesians arrived by boat from Southeast Asia some 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Much later, around 1500 B.C., a second wave of Indonesians arrived. Then came the Malays in two successive waves, the first between 800 and 500 B.C. and the second, between 300 and 200 B.C. From Borneo, they traveled by sailboats and settled in the three major islands of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Subsequent peoples who came from the start of Christianity until the present time include the Indians (Hindus), the Arabs, the Chinese, other Eastern Asians, the Europeans, and the Americans. Who Came First? The matter of who the first settlers were has not been really resolved. This is being disputed by anthropologists, as well as the theory of Professor H. Otley Beyer that the first inhabitants of the Philippines ca me from the Malay Peninsula. The Malays now constitute the largest portion of the populace and what Filipinos now have is a Malayan culture. Anthropologist F. Landa Jocano of the University of the Philippines contends that what fossil evidence of ancient men show is that they not only migrated to the Philippines, but also to New Guinea, Borneo, and Australia. He says that there is no way of determining if they were Negritoes at all. However, what is sure is that there is evidence the Philippines was inhabited as early as 21,000 or 22,000 years ago. In 1962, a skull cap and a portion of a jaw, presumed to be those of a human being, were found in a Tabon cave in Palawan Province. The discovery proved that man came earlier to the Philippines than to the Malay Peninsula; therefore, the first inhabitants of the former did not come from the latter. Jocano further believes that present Filipinos are products of the long process of evolutions and movements of people. This not only holds true for Filipinos, but for the Indonesians and the Malays of Malaysia, as well. No group among the three is culturally or racially dominant. Hence, Jocano says that it is not correct to attribute the Filipino culture as being Malay in orientation. According to Jocano’s findings, the peoples of the prehistoric islands of Southeast Asia were of the same population as the combination of human evolution that occurred in the islands of Southeast Asia about 1.9 million years ago. The proofs of this are fossil materials found in different parts of the region and the movements of other peoples from the Asian mainland during historic times. He states that these ancient men cannot be categorized under any of the historically identified ethnic groups (Malays, Indonesians, Filipinos) of today. Some Filipino ethnic groups were pagans while others were Muslims. The pagans were converted to Christianity by the Spaniards. The Americans later arrived and introduced further cultural changes, which made the Filipinos more and more different from the peoples of other Southeast Asian countries.

Poverty no longer exists in Britain today

There is an argument that poverty no longer exists in Britain today. Many people would say that the days when people died from lack of food, shelter or clean water ended, in this country, with the introduction of the welfare state (Chinn, 1995). Poverty, however, can be defined in two ways and depending on which definition one chooses to employ, it can be contested whether the balance of evidence shows that poverty actually does exist or not. In this piece of work it will be argued that poverty does affect many people in our society and the lack of resources of poorer people in society is at the root of inequalities in health. Furthermore it will be shown that the discrepancy between the standards of living that better off people in society enjoy and the standards of living that poorer people endure can be something that is very difficult to alter. In conclusion there will be a discussion on the role that social care professionals may play in trying to reduce the negative effects suffered by some people as a result of poverty. The first of the two identified forms of poverty is absolute or â€Å"subsistence level poverty† (Thompson and Priestly, 1996: 207). Income falls below a set level so that a person does not have the means to be able to secure the basic necessities for living, in terms of food, drink, shelter and clothing. Stephens et al (1998) argue that for some people in society, like rough sleepers, poverty in absolute terms is very real and that when older people die from hypothermia because they can't afford to heat their homes adequately it is as a result of absolute poverty. Poverty in this sense however has certainly diminished since the advent of the Welfare State. The second definition of poverty, relative poverty, is defined in terms of a ‘reasonable' standard of living generally expected by the society in which a person lives. It identifies ‘needs' as more than basic biological requirements, taking into account social and emotional needs. It is also about being excluded from taking part in activities which are widely undertaken by the rest of society. In terms of resources, relative poverty is a higher standard of living than absolute poverty but it could be argued that many things that are not strictly essential for life nevertheless could be deemed as necessities by society in general. Thus whether you adhere to an absolutist or relativist definition of it, it is clear that there are certain people in society who suffer from poverty. Modern research into poverty combines both classifications. Stevens et al (1988: 266) maintain: â€Å"it's important to capitalise on the advantages of both definitions†. There have been several pieces of well-documented research into health inequalities, both by successive governments and independent bodies, for example, The Black Report in 1980; Margaret Whitehead's ‘The health divide' in 1987 (Stephens et al, 1998) and most recently the Acheson Report in 1998. This research underlines the correlation between poverty and ill health and the disparity that exists, depending on social class. Measurements and comparisons are made in terms of morbidity and in terms of mortality. Research shows that if a person is born into poverty his/her chances of suffering ill health and a shortened life span are greater than if he/she was born into prosperity. Some of the most recent research has shown, for example that children in social class five (where five represents the least well off and one represents the most well off) are five times as likely to suffer accidental death than their peers from social class one (Roberts I. Power C, 1996). Further studies show that a baby boy from social class one can be expected to live for more than nine years longer than a baby boy from social class five (Office for National Statistics, 1998). The British Medical Journal (1999) states â€Å"Social class differences in health are seen at all ages, with lower socio-economic groups having the greater incidence of heart disease, stroke and some cancers†. The rate of pre-natal mortality is hi gher for women from lower socio-economic groups. A poorer person is more likely to die in infancy, more likely to suffer ill health, as a child and as an adult, and more likely to die prematurely than someone who has greater access to resources. It has been stated that â€Å"the most significant factor [affecting health] in poverty is†¦ the fact that poor people are denied access to possessions and services that are available to their better-off peers† (Moore, 1997). This could include: preventative medicine, early treatment when sick, a healthy diet, access to ‘keep fit' leisure activities. Other factors which could have a detrimental effect on poorer people could include things like poorly maintained housing, stress related illness and smoking, which is more prevalent among lower income groups (Office for National Statistics, 1998). Explanations for poverty tend to fall into two categories. There are individualistic explanations for poverty. That people who are in relative poverty are so because they are in some way lazy, irresponsible or ‘feckless' and they could help themselves to escape poverty if they really wanted to. Some people vocalise this way of thinking by, for example, telling the unemployed to ‘get on their bikes' and find work. This type of argument can, and often is, applied to any ‘inappropriate' or ‘wasteful' use of resources for example, by criticising people for wanting to dress their children in more expensive clothes, or by condemning women for the number of children they choose to have. Another common reaction when confronted with arguments about poverty is to be reproachful when someone chooses to smoke instead of ‘spending their money wisely'. These arguments however fail to take into account the way that society is structured and the effects that this has on people's life chances. There is an element of victim blaming and consideration is not given to the fact that some people have far more power than others to alter aspects of their lives. Structural, as opposed to individualistic, explanations focus on â€Å"the political, economic and material environment in which people find themselves† (Howe, 1997: 173). A person who is born into poverty is more likely to stay poor and their children are likely to be poor. In this way a life or poverty can be a self-perpetuating cycle of deprivation which people have very little power to change. This deprivation is exacerbated by the fact that it can be combined with other inequalities, such as those based on gender, ethnicity, and age. The fact that some people suffer from multiple disadvantages is attributable to structural inequality, which is inherent in our society. Anatole France wrote: â€Å"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. France (1894). Clearly there is no need for wealthier people ‘to sleep under bridges' whereas there may be a justification or even a necessity for a homeless person to do it. The concept of a society where everyone has the same opportunities and all are equal is a fallacy when viewed from a structural perspective. This does not however mean that people are absolutely powerless to help themselves and assumptions sho uld not be made that because someone is in poverty they will necessarily need the help of social care professionals. People can often make changes to make their lives better, to suggest otherwise would be to disempower people. Social care professionals should be aware of the effects of poverty and the relative powerlessness of some people but not to such an extent that the power imbalance is made greater by the workers inability to treat the client as an individual. Anti-oppressive practice is â€Å"a form of social work that addresses social divisions and structural inequalities †¦ by responding to people's needs regardless of their social states† Dominelli (1993). This argument is further developed by Dalrymple and Burke (1995) when they talk about giving the client access to records so that any information is shared. Ensuring inclusion and consultation can lessen the power imbalance between social care worker and client. Government policy is geared to combating inequalities, in light of the findings of the Acheson Report. In particular it recognises the needs of those who may have multiple disadvantages, for example women, children, people with disabilities, older people and people from ethnic minority groups. Social care workers should have an awareness of combined inequalities and should have a commitment to reduce them. â€Å"Many social workers invest considerable efforts to maximise the welfare benefits of their clients and search through charitable resources to alleviate some of their acute hardships† (Jones, 1997: 121). Social care workers can work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that they refer people to organisations who are able to help, when it is not within the social carer's remit. For example, referrals could be made to: agencies who advise on health matters, or work to increase benefits, or help people back into work, or give advice on housing matters. â€Å"The best way to get rid of poverty – absolute or relative – is to forge a more genuinely equal society† Stephens et al (1998: 258). This is something that is beyond the capabilities of any one profession. In conclusion, social care workers can help to reduce the negative effects of poverty to a certain extent but, for any major improvements to be made, there needs to be a radical change (through governmental policy) in the distribution of both power and wealth.