Information and computer security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information and computer security - Assignment Example e biometric user authentication system whereby the system is able to undertake automated authentication of users based on the biometric traits of their iris. The system particularly combines with use of cryptographic keys with the distinctive biometric traits of iris to develop authentication algorithms that can be used to provide individuals with access permission to an information system or data. As opposed to the use of the traditional passwords and PINs, crypto-biometric systems such as the iris based cryptographic keys are significantly more stable and less susceptible to attacks. For example, the public key infrastructure (PKI) method of generation may use the iris biometric features to enhance the security of Private Key and protect the user authentication systems against potential intruders (Bowyer, Hollingsworth, and Flynn, 2006). This is a significant improvement on the traditional cryptosystems where user authentication primarily relies on the possession of secrete keys wh ich may easily be forgotten, stolen or lost, and thus do not often provide nonrepudiation. Generally, the use of iris may provide a number of advantages and solutions to some of these challenges facing the traditional cryptosystems. For example, iris based key generation method for cryptography together with generation algorithms can be used to effectively bind cryptographic keys with the biometric template of a user in such a way that makes it significantly impossible to reveal the key without a successful biometric authentication. The process of using iris based key generation method for cryptography to develop a user authentication system usually involves a number of steps. Firstly, the biometric data of the iris of an individual is acquired using sensors and then the distinctive features are extracted before enrolling the user for biometric authentication. Next, the data is then used to generate cryptographic keys which can be released whenever an authorized user key presents

The Blessed Sacraments Of Catholic And Christian Religion

The Blessed Sacraments Of Catholic And Christian Religion The Blessed Sacraments each of them very vital to Catholics and Christians, either as an element of personal spiritual growth or in terms of their significance to the church as a whole, and a lane on the road to God. These sacraments are ceremonial and point to what is sacred, significant and vital for Christians. There are seven Sacraments according to the Roman Catholic Church Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance or Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony (Marriage) and Holy Orders; these were designed to reinforce an individuals connection with God. The word sacrament comes from the Latin word Sacramentum, which means a sign of the sacred, and can be translated as mystery. o Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist o Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation or Penance, and Anointing of the sick o Sacraments of Service of Communion: Matrimony and Holy Orders Baptism Baptism is the first sacrament a Catholic/Christian receives. It begins a lifelong voyage of commitment and discipleship. Under the three sacraments of initiation, Baptism is the first. Before one can receive other sacraments, one must be baptized. The sacrament can only be received once in terms of its power to convey forgiveness of all sins, and can be received at any age. Eucharist The Eucharist is the main building block in the faith. This sacrament occurs when Catholics in good standing accept the body and blood of Jesus Christ, considered both a sacrifice and a meal, to bring them closer to God. This sacrament was initiated by Jesus, during the Last Supper that he shared with his disciples. Catholics believe that the sacrament, which must be celebrated by an ordained priest, starts by turning the bread and wine, to the body and blood of Christ during the blessing and in the true presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. Confirmation Confirmation is the third sacrament under the initiation sacraments. Although one may already have the Holy Spirit inside them, this sacrament helps one to use the Spirit within them and recognize its presence. After one is confirmed they are considered a mature individual to the faith to the people of their faith and church. One has the responsibility to the faith and to their church. The sacrament of confirmation is normally administered by the Bishop; on the other hand due to certain conditions the Bishop could assign a priest to administer the confirmation services in his absents. Those being confirmed, t sacrament shows sharing of the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands. Penance This sacrament is called by three names, confession, reconciliation, and penance. Each of these reflect one element of the sacrament. This is called confession; since one must identify and confess ones sins. One must admit they have done something immoral and are willing to take penance for. This is also is called penance because one must do something to make up for their sins. It shows that they have owned up to ones sin and are ready to strive to do better. This is called reconciliation; since one must be willing to reconcile with God and those they have wronged. The third and last is the sacrament of Penance, which restores the gift of Gods grace to one. Matrimony The sacrament of matrimony (marriage), is when a man and woman take the vows of faithfulness for one another through marriage in the eyes of all Christians. The married couple shows their marriage as a way they can live out their Christian baptismal faith. Catholics and most Christian marriages comprise of three key characteristics: their everlasting obligation to one another, their unconditional love and care for one another, and intention to have and care for children. Holy Orders The sacrament of Holy Orders (Ordination) is when a Bishop, Priest, or Deacon is the ordained, and who vows to lead other Catholics or Christians by bringing them the sacraments, by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness (especially the Eucharist). The Holy Orders provides these individuals who are called upon to assist others the opportunity to do that with serving others onto their sacred journey. This provides them the power to execute certain sacraments and rituals in the Catholic faith. Anointing of the Sick Anointing of the Sick (formally known as the Last Rites) is the sacrament that gives individuals who are suffering help. This may heal them or provide them the grace and power they need to tolerate their illness and make penance with God. Under this sacrament, the priest uses his hands on the forehead, nostrils, cheeks, lips, breast, palms of both hands, and the back of the hands (known to some as motion of lying of the hands). Then the priest speaks the words from the prayer of the gospel for behalf of the sick along with the blessing of anointing with oil; to bring the sick closer to understanding their belief and journey at that present moment in time with God. Also, this sacrament celebrates the resurrection in several ways. This helps the person to be less scared on whats to happen or whats to come if they were to pass on. A sacrament gives grace of and by itself, by the power it possesses. Jesus attached grace to the outward sign, so that that outward sign and grace go together. The blessed sacraments are quite amazing: these are everyday signs of Gods personal work. Gods wisdom showed his grace in a noticeable way to provide all of us the quieting belief when one receives grace, when he provided it. And Christ gave us several wonderful gifts. And in his sacraments, he continues to supply those gifts to us, away from all measures, at any time we require them. The Orthodox and Anglican traditions also practice all seven sacraments. Other Christian denominations only celebrate baptism and communion.

Gladiator Essay -- Film Movie Gladiator Sports Essays

Gladiator There have been many sports movies made over the years. Some have been good, while others have been flops. Many sports movies have not been considered overall good movies simply because they were sports movies. I feel that one of the best and most overlooked sports movies of all time is the movie Gladiator. Gladiator is not only a good sports movie, but it is an all around good movie. Before we can call an all around movie a "good" movie, we must first define what a good movie is. A good movie can be defined as a movie that has many exceptional movie elements. The following are some major movie elements: plot, drama, special effects, theme, and character acting. For my review of the movie Gladiator, I will first explain what each one of the major movie elements needs to consist of to be considered good. I will then briefly describe the plot of the movie Gladiator. After that, I will compare the movie elements in Gladiator to the movie elements of a good movie. By doing this, I will explain how Gladiator is an all around good movie. Before a movie can be considered good, it must have a good plot. A good plot is a plot that tells a definite story and doesn’t focus on unimportant details. It moves from point to point and is never dull. A good plot also keeps the audience in suspense and has them wondering what will happen next. The most important part of a good plot is that it must give the audience something unexpected when it plays itself out. It should be surprising and the audience should not be able guess what will happen next. Drama is not a necessity of all movies, but it is a necessity of a good sports movie. A good sports movie should be full of drama. The audience should find themselves turning th... ...stic. James Marshall (Tommy) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (Lincoln) deliver Oscar worthy performances. Their acting is especially superb in their dramatic boxing match against each other. The way that Marshall and Gooding make you feel like you are actually in the arena through their actions is phenomenal. Marshall and Gooding both have the body structure and physical ability of great boxers. The casting for the movie is pure genius. The actors fit perfectly into their roles and perform like they were born to play them. It is my opinion that Gladiator is a movie of high value. It compares quite well to the major elements of a good movie in a lot of areas. A major reason that Gladiator is so fantastic is because although it has multiple themes, it is still very easy to follow and understand. It is an excellent sports movie, and perhaps one of the best movies of all time.

Fotajek

The organizational and financial structure of the Fojtasek companies had been in flux since the spring of 1994. By March 1995, three different financial transactions have been proposed to streamline and restructure the firm: an outright acquisition, a leveraged recapitalization, and a hybrid transaction called â€Å"Private IPO. † Heritage Partners is interested in taking a stake in the Fojtasek Companies by proposing aâ€Å"Private IPO† transaction.The paper will analyze the health of the Fojtasek companies and the economic benefits gained from Heritage Partners’ proposal. Through careful calculations, one would recommend the proposed transactions to take place between Heritage and the Fojtasek family. Founded in 1986, Heritage Partners has developed a business expertise in family companies. Their value-added can be seen in the General Partners, all of whom had successful track records in Private Equity.Of the three elements that distinguish them, the most impor tant is their development of the â€Å"Private IPO† structure. This financial strategy enables majority holding while reducing estate taxation for the founder and management. For the Fojtasek family, they had been seeking potential buyers to restructure their company. Unlike its other product and distribution channel, business in the Baloleum Division has been declining. Additionally, the founder Joe Fojtasek has decided to step down at the age of 73 and hand over his role to his sons.Thus, Fojtasek companies decided to take advantage of the opportunity to radically streamline its structure for future growth—buyout, leveraged recapitalization, or â€Å"Private IPO. † There are two common disadvantages with leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations: a higher credit and default risk that comes with having a high leverage, and a possible loss of majority control that can lead to conflicts of interest. From both Fojtasek’s and Heritage’s perspective, it would be optimal to have a hybrid transaction that would lower debt levels while retaining family control of operation.From Heritage’s perspective, the exchange of securities under a â€Å"Private IPO,† instead of a large cash payout, would not only leave out ambiguities concerning tax obligations but also make financing for the transaction feasible. Moral hazard of family members is essentially reduced as their equity is being tied to the firm. From Fostasek’s perspective, the ability to retain family control of the company makes certain that some or all of management would not be replaced. In this sense, the â€Å"Private IPO† transaction does address the information gap, making this hybrid strategy an optimal strategy in this context.

Mary Anne Bell Trasformation

The assertion, â€Å"people never change,† can be disproven as people change differently in various environments. The chapter â€Å"Sweet Heart of the Song Tra Bong† in, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, shows how Mary Anne Bell is affected by the tough conditions of war. Mark Fossie, the boyfriend of Mary Anne, tells her to fly out to Vietnam so that they can be together. Once she arrives, Mary Anne quickly reveals her curiosity by taking an interest in activities to help the squad such as cooking, caring for the injured, night patrolling, etc.Essentially, she starts to become one of the soldiers. O’Brien conveys how the violent and warlike atmosphere transforms Mary Anne physically and psychologically from a civilized and innocent girl to a barbaric and ruthless woman throughout her stay in Vietnam. At the beginning of her stay, O’Brien portrays Mary Anne as a civilized and innocent girl by describing her physical and psychological characte ristics.As Mary Anne makes her first appearance, O’Brien describes her as, â€Å"an attractive girl†¦ [who has] terrific legs (p.90)† suggesting that she is innocent has not experienced harsh conditions. O’Brien presents her as a sexual object in order to emphasize her innocence and unfamiliarity to war. Also, the description of her â€Å"bubbly personality† implies that she is only sees the positive in everyone which displays her naivety and innocence. O’Brien describes that Mary Anne â€Å"love[s] the thatched roofs and naked children, the wonderful simplicity of village life† implying that she is completely unaware of the hostile environment that she is in.Her unawareness and immaturity is shown because she is speaking positively about a place of violence and warfare. Towards the beginning of her stay with Mark Fossie and the rest of the crew members, Mary Anne is described as innocent and naive. but as she continues to learn more ab out the war, and she begins to transform into a barbaric and ruthless woman. O’Brien is suggesting that even though she is from the city and is a part of the higher class, she has respect for and supports those who are not as fortunate.As Mary Anne begins to learn the skills that allow her to be helpful with the war effort, the warlike environment begins to physically and psychologically transform from a civilized and innocent girl to a barbaric and ruthless woman. As the casualties begin to come in, it is discovered that â€Å"Mary Anne [isn’t] afraid to get her hands bloody† suggesting that she has a violent side and is not a typical city girl who gets easily disgusted by blood and wounds. Her openness to the gruesome and wounded bodies is surprising considering that she is a pretty, city-girl.She starts to adapt to the role of the soldier and it shows when she â€Å"stop[s] wearing jewelry (p. 94). † She abandons her fun and innocent personality and be gins to adapt the more stern personality in order to be more effective with the war effort. The war causes her to change her personality into someone that is much more serious. She eventually â€Å"cuts her hair short† showing that she really wants to get away from the helpless, weak-girl impression that she has left of herself; she wants to be taken seriously.The warlike setting forces Mary Anne to become more serious; it forces her to change her physical and psychological characteristics from the civilized and innocent girl she once was into a ruthless and barbaric woman because of the warlike atmosphere she is in. After her transformation fully takes place, Mary Anne physically and psychologically turns into a ruthless and barbaric woman due to the effects that the warlike environment has had on her.When she returns from her three-week disappearance, her eyes are â€Å"not blue†¦ but a bright glowing jungle green (p.  101)† showing the transformation of her e ye color. At the beginning, her eyes are described as blue, the eye color that is generally of attractive people, but now her eyes are green, those of a person who has been in the jungle. She has completed her transformation into this violent and ruthless woman and her eye color shows this. The smell in the room that she was sitting in is described â€Å"like an animal’s den, a mix of blood and scorched hair†¦ and the odor of moldering flesh† showing the filth that she is living in.Comparing her and her environment to that of an animal’s gives the effect that she is no longer the beautiful and clean girl that she once was; she has become a filthier and more barbaric woman. Her â€Å"necklace of human tongues† is the final factor in revealing that her transformation is complete. Most people would find it appalling, but Mary Anne wore it proudly conveying that she had become much more violent than she was before. When she returns, Mary Anne describes h ow she â€Å"feels close to [her] own body† when she is out in the field, suggesting that she enjoys being in the midst of warfare.Her barbaric nature is completely transparent at this point; most people would be scared to be in a place of war where they could lose their lives, but Mary Anne gets pleasure out of it. O’Brien implies that war makes a person fearless because it is a place where one has nothing to lose. She has completed her transformation from an innocent and civilized girl to a ruthless and barbaric woman. Mary Anne Bell, the sweet, innocent city-girl is transformed into a violent and barbaric woman throughout the chapter, â€Å"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong† due to the effects that war has on her.Towards the beginning she is portrayed as a very beautiful, attractive, blonde girl implying that she is not use to the rigorous work that the soldiers and paramedics do. However, she is very open to learning these things and she gets a joy from he lping in the war effort. She is almost forced to change because she will get hurt emotionally and physically if she is not tough. If she continues to live in Vietnam as an innocent and naive girl, she will be a burden on the group she is with. However, Mary Anne becomes tough; she becomes so tough that it is conveyed as violence and barbarism.

The Ambiguity of Afraid

The Ambiguity of Afraid The Ambiguity of Afraid The Ambiguity of Afraid By Maeve Maddox Jacqueline writes: I have a question about a †¦particular phrase, which can be read in two different ways†¦:I am afraid I am unable to meet your requirements. According to Jacqueline, the statement was interpreted by its recipient to mean the that the writer was taking the polite way to say they wanted to get out of their obligations, when in fact the writer wished to express the fear of something that this person did not want to have happen (meaning they were afraid that this was so, but did not want it to be the case) and also to convey a implicit request for help (please help me to overcome this fear.)    Jacqueline concludes that Had the statement been communicated orally†¦the meaning would have been communicated with inflection of the voice and other non verbal means. It is true that oral communication is aided by facial expression and inflection that does not exist in written expression. And it is true that the word afraid can be used with more than one meaning. The sentence in the question, for example can be construed to mean I am unable to meet your requirements (therefore, I wont be working with you). or Im uncertain as to whether or not I will be able to meet your requirements (so, tell me more). Either way, orally or in writing, if the person with whom the sentence originated was looking for a job, the thought should have been expressed more directly. Afraid is an adjective that comes from a verb, afray, meaning to frighten. Afraid derives from the past participle form. Until the late 16th century, Im afraid meant Im frightened. In the late 16th century, Im afraid came to mean I regret to say or I suspect, without any connotation of fear. Its ironic that, in a situation such as Jacqueline describes, if the speaker or writer actually has a sense of fear or misgiving, it is probably better to choose an expression other than Im afraid. I fear, or Im worried that might express the thought more clearly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business EmailsThe Possessive ApostropheHow to Write a Proposal

Practice Multiplication With Times Tables Worksheets

Practice Multiplication With Times Tables Worksheets Multiplication is one of the essential elements of mathematics, though it can be a challenge for some young learners because it requires memorization as well as practice. These worksheets help students practice their multiplication skills and commit the basics to memory.   Multiplication Tips Like any new skill, multiplication takes time and practice. It also requires memorization. Most teachers say that 10 to 15 minutes of practice time four or five times a week is necessary for children to commit the facts to memory. Here are some easy ways to help students remember their times tables: Multiplying by 2: Double the number that youre multiplying. For example, 2 x 4 8. Thats the same as 4 4.Multiplying by 4: Double the number youre multiplying, then double it again. For example, 4 x 4 16. Thats the same as 4 4 4 4.Multiplying by 5: Count the number of 5s youre multiplying and add them up. Use your fingers to help count if you need to. For instance: 5 x 3 15. Thats the same as 5 5 5.Multiplying by 10: This is super easy. Take the number youre multiplying and add a 0 to the end of it. For instance, 10 x 7 70.   For more practice, try using fun and easy  multiplication games  to reinforce the times tables. Worksheet Instructions These times tables (in PDF format) are designed to help students learn how to multiply numbers from 2 to 10. Youll also find advanced practice sheets to help reinforce the basics. Completing each of these sheets should only take about a minute. See how far your child can get in that amount of time, and dont worry if the student doesnt complete the exercise the first few times. Speed will come with proficiency. Work on the 2s, 5s, and 10s first, then the doubles (6 x 6, 7 x 7, 8 x 8). Next, move to each of the fact families: 3s, 4,s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 11s, and 12s. Do not let the student move to a different fact family without first mastering the previous one. Have the student do one of these each night and see how long it takes her to complete a page or how far she gets in a minute. 2 times tables3 times tables4 times tables5 times tables6 times tables7 times tables8 times tables9 times tables10 times tablesDoublesMixed facts to 10Mixed facts to 12Multiplication squares1 x 2 digits, 2 x 2 digits, and 3 x 2 digits times table worksheet galleryMultiplication word  problems Multiplication and Division Practice Once the student has mastered the basics of multiplication using single digits, she can advance to more challenging lessons, with two-digit multiplication as well as two- and three-digit division. You can also advance student learning by creating engaging lesson plans for two-digit multiplication, including homework suggestions and advice on helping students evaluate their work as well as their progress.

How to Complete a 1000-Word Essay

How to Complete a 1000-Word Essay How to Complete a 1000-Word Essay For some students, the number 1000 may seem quite frightening and impressive, and the assignment of a 1000-word essay can sound impossible to complete. However, we can assure you that there is nothing difficult and you can easily master the task simply by following a few rules. If you want to know more about such an essay, you should first know how much time you will need. Unfortunately, we don’t have a clear answer, as every topic and subject differs, and you may need a different amount of time and energy depending on your mood and aspirations. You may be so inspired that it will only take you a day to write a 1000-word essay on a topic you are interested in or you may require a month just to find necessary information. The main advice here is to always make one step further. Even if you feel like you are not in the mood or don’t know where to start, just keep going. You may need a bit more time to get started or to find necessary sources to start writing your essay. If you feel like you are about to drop everything, take a break, meet friends or grab a coffee to brighten your day and get fresh ideas. Useful tips on writing a 1000-word essay Select a proper topic. Most of the times, students should select a topic on their own and it is a big plus, as you can find the most suitable subject to discuss. However, you may find it challenging if you don’t know what your interests are. In such a case, you can select a topic, which has a lot of free materials and credible sources online. This will help you to collect the material and back your thoughts on academic data. However, try to choose a topic without an emotional involvement and subjectivity; Create an outline. Every paper should have a sort of a skeleton, which will make it much easier to write a 1000-word or any other essay. There are many websites and articles, which provide samples and outlines of such essays to give you a general idea about how to build your paper. Just follow their recommendations and you will find it very easy to complete a great essay; Don’t forget about the structure. As almost any other written assignment, your 1000-word essay should consist of such parts, as introduction, body and conclusions. The first section gives general information on the topic, catching interest of the audience and engaging the reader. The body paragraph is the biggest part of the whole paper and it states all your thoughts on the subject, backed with various arguments and facts. In conclusions you need to sum everything up, concentrating on the obtained results and making predictions for the future. Of course, this structure may differ depending on your topic, so you can search ‘100-word essay samples’ online and choose the one, which is similar to yours; Write an original essay. It may sound obvious but too many students neglect this simple rule, trying to download ready papers. On one hand, it may be a simple way out but it won’t contribute to your grades and definitely won’t help the future of the topic. Who knows, maybe your generated ideas will be so brilliant that they will change the industry? Believe in yourself and try to work on the subject on your own, avoiding temptation of downloading a ready paper. Once you have followed all these rules and created a proper structure, you will find it very simple to complete a 1000-word essay. The only question will be how to limit your original and fresh ideas to 1000 words.

Ratios report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ratios report - Essay Example This shows that the company has been aggressive in financing its growth through debts. Investors may be happy at this ratio because benefits of earnings are spread to the same number of stockholders and there is no need to add in new investors. However, analysts feels that a high debt financing may result to unstable earnings because of high interest that can be too much for the company to handle (Investopedia) The total debt to equity ratio of 115% shown in Table 1 is an analysis done by stock brokers that is higher than the sector average (Table 1 attached) A high ratio is generally accepted to capital intensive industry that tends to have a higher ratio, according to Investopedia 2. Financial analysis of the company’s published accounts over a five (5) year period (most recent) including profitability and liquidity ratios and analyzed with graph for each ratio are presented in annexed tables and charts. Gross Profit ratio. As of 2008, La Farge has a gross profit ratio of 27.86% which is slightly lower than 27.89% of 2007. Its gross profit ratio does not differ much in previous years’ performances as shown in Table 1 and Chart 1. (Reuters Financial Statement) Net profit ratio. The sales turnover of 2008 provided 8.40% net profit ratio for the company which is lower than its net profit ratio of 2007 that is 10.8% Table 2 and Chart 2 show Net Profit Ratio of the company for five years. Return on Shareholders. In 2008, La Farge gave the shareholders a return on their investment of 18%. This figure is very much lower than the 25.39% ROS in 2007. Table 3 and Chart 3 show fluctuating ROS, with 2007 as having the highest, followed by 2004. Share price of La Farge as of November 20, 2009 is â‚ ¬56.83. From the chart it showed significant upward movement from July to October. The share price movement is an indication of investors’ confidence to the company’s performance or a response to economic problems. Stock

Investment Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment Risks - Essay Example It is also important to note that the relative degree of risk against the return does not need to be in linear relation i.e. it is not necessary that the risk and return increase in same proportion however, if risk increases, it is necessary that the return must increase too in order to compensate the investors for taking increased risk. (Ante, 2009). The above graph therefore indicates that the investment four has the highest risk and highest return whereas investment 1 has the lowest risk and lowest return. This graph also indicate that the investors may be preferring different combinations of the investments i.e. the investment that is providing lowest returns may be made in the government treasury securities whereas investment providing highest returns may made in the stocks of a corporate as the stocks provide highest returns and also carry greatest risk among all instruments of investment. It is important to understand that the expected return is always calculated by multiplying the return with the probability and the resulting figure is called the expected return on any investment. Therefore the investment that provides highest expected return shall be chosen over other investment. The investor should choose an investment that pays a guaranteed return of 7% because given the overall probability of different returns, the investors will get the expected return of 5% with a probability of 0.5 whereas the investment providing 7% result has the probability of 1 that means the expected return will be 7% which is highest as compared to other investment. The higher the probability greater are the chances that the return will be guaranteed therefore an investment with a lower probability will yield lower expected returns whereas an investment with higher probability of getting the same return will yield higher expected returns. Therefore in this case, since the probability of getting 7% return is

Please analyze the following quotations the larger context of the Essay

Please analyze the following quotations the larger context of the novel Bless me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Your answer should b - Essay Example He concluded that the mind should not be dominated by beliefs of a single religion and should not remain blind to the realities of the world. Instead he was inspired by Ultima to integrate the forces of nature with the faith of Catholicism to formulate his own opinions of the world around him. â€Å"The tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart.† This actually symbolizes Antonio’s spiritual development that he should not only rely on an external omnipotent being but also look for happiness and inspiration inside his heart. And this is what Ultima guided him about. â€Å"Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you† (Anaya) Works Cited Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. Grand Central Publishing, 1994. Print.

Dissertation Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Dissertation Topic - Essay Example However, even with a large amount of research being directed at nursing homes’ quality of care, there is still scant research on the impacts of leadership style and organizational structure of nursing homes. This paper aims to propose two different research proposals in the areas mentioned above. Leadership has a tremendous impact on any organization being considered since organizational direction is settled by the senior management. The case of healthcare organizations is not very different. A number of different areas have been researched for quality of care in nursing homes but organizational leadership has not been investigated in detail (Pearson, Hocking, Mott, & Riggs, 1993). In this respect, the leadership style being practiced at the nursing home is of the paramount importance since it affects the patient’s well being and recovery directly. It is expected that the leadership style of the Director of Nursing as well as the leadership style of Director of Social Services have a large impact on the psycho-social well being of nursing home residents. Research in this area can provide valuable information that can be implemented in a number of different healthcare settings in order to improve the overall well being and recovery of nursing home residents. A change in the leadership style essentially points to large changes in organizational direction such as being more accommodating to patients and their families. Analogous to the research area proposed above, the organizational structure of any healthcare establishment is also of importance in determining the quality of care available to nursing home residents (Grabowski, Aschbrenner, Rome, & Bartels, 2010). Even with a large amount of research being pursued in relation to quality of care at nursing homes, there has been scant research in terms of the organizational structure and the underlying processes at nursing homes (Park, 2009) (Faulkner & Laschinger, 2008).

Should the government raise the driving age Essay

Should the government raise the driving age - Essay Example The only failure that the training institutes do not cover is how a driver can react to a situation that may determine the safety of the driver and other road users. The safety of the driver and the road users is thus dependent on the physical, emotional and psychological form of the driver. As a result, various factors have led to the occurrence of various accidents. The situations have caused the various governance bodies in the region to enact laws in an attempt to control the number of accidents that occur. One of the measures is the regulation of the generation that is suitable for issuing a license for driving. After many years, the federal government of the United States has given mandate to issue licenses to new drivers. The age limit is however national and is sixteen. The argument thus lies on what is the best age to give consent to with the aim of ensuring safety in the roads. There is a need to rise the age of driving from sixteen to a more mature age. (Heidi E. Nemme). Research has reveled that the teenage individuals who are at the tender age of sixteen do not possess the necessary capacity to deal with the risky situations that the roads pose. The teenagers tend to be immature in the dealing of critical situations. More studies show that the teenagers have a thrill with the speed and are more prone to over speed while driving. Most of the teenagers do not have an inherent knowledge to analyze the various dangers that the urge of over speeding can bring. Over speeding is dangerous and causes accidents numerous studies have revealed. Research shows that about seventy-seven percent of the accidents in the US include people who are miners who tend to be behind the wheel. Therefore, there is a serious urgency of rising the age to a more self-realistic age (Reports). The ideal age is above eighteen years since people of the age are mature in their consequen t decisions. The psychological wellbeing is also a key issue

Heated debate, Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Heated debate, - Article Example Rossi-Hansberg of Princeton University in their working paper are wondering whether there are ways of managing the impact of changing weather patterns by moving the location of economic activity. These writers note that about 90% of global production makes use of only 10% of the land available. When that 10% is threatened, activity may at least theoretically shift to bits of the 90% made more hospitable by climate change. Thus Messrs Desmet and Rossi-Hansberg created a model economy and battered it with various temperature rises to gauge its reaction. In this analysis, the two writers allow people to move around as they want in this response. In worst situations, freedom from movement does not make much difference since temperatures lead to a reduction of global agricultural productivity to almost zero, meaning â€Å"the end of human life on earth†. Nevertheless, in more moderate situations, rising global temperatures enhance agricultural productivity in northerly climes. Restrictions on movement on the other hand, dramatically increase the cost of welfare. This model is simplistic and suggests that limits on migration have a huge impact on the global warming costs. Mr. Mathew Kahn (University of California) claims that warming of the climate, will lead to vulnerable areas such as lower Manhattan to become less desirable in relation to rival centres such as New York’s suburbs, Manhattan and Chicago. It is therefore important that rational firms and workers to assess the dangers of floods or such and migrate, so as to raise the productivity of the destination locations as they appear. This move would come with its own costs and investors in places such as lower Manhattan property would for instance suffer big losses. Nevertheless Mr. Kahn argues that there may also be gains as activity shifts from ancient cities to more modernized areas. The conclusion of the article points to government involvement through such things as food flood insurance, for those living

Should the government raise the driving age Essay

Should the government raise the driving age - Essay Example The only failure that the training institutes do not cover is how a driver can react to a situation that may determine the safety of the driver and other road users. The safety of the driver and the road users is thus dependent on the physical, emotional and psychological form of the driver. As a result, various factors have led to the occurrence of various accidents. The situations have caused the various governance bodies in the region to enact laws in an attempt to control the number of accidents that occur. One of the measures is the regulation of the generation that is suitable for issuing a license for driving. After many years, the federal government of the United States has given mandate to issue licenses to new drivers. The age limit is however national and is sixteen. The argument thus lies on what is the best age to give consent to with the aim of ensuring safety in the roads. There is a need to rise the age of driving from sixteen to a more mature age. (Heidi E. Nemme). Research has reveled that the teenage individuals who are at the tender age of sixteen do not possess the necessary capacity to deal with the risky situations that the roads pose. The teenagers tend to be immature in the dealing of critical situations. More studies show that the teenagers have a thrill with the speed and are more prone to over speed while driving. Most of the teenagers do not have an inherent knowledge to analyze the various dangers that the urge of over speeding can bring. Over speeding is dangerous and causes accidents numerous studies have revealed. Research shows that about seventy-seven percent of the accidents in the US include people who are miners who tend to be behind the wheel. Therefore, there is a serious urgency of rising the age to a more self-realistic age (Reports). The ideal age is above eighteen years since people of the age are mature in their consequen t decisions. The psychological wellbeing is also a key issue

How Hersey Portrays the Event in Hiroshima Essay

How Hersey Portrays the Event in Hiroshima - Essay Example All of these individuals had no sense that their life would change few minutes after eight fifteen in the morning of 6 August 1945. As Hersey’s says in his book, Hiroshima, a noiseless flash was the only sign that each survivor would remember as they encounter a tragedy they would not forget in their life. Miss Sasaki was clerk at East Asia Tin when Dr. Masakazu was with his patient in a private hospital, Mrs. Nakamura stood in her kitchen looking outside through the window, and Father Kleinsorge was leading a magazine in his room. Reverend Tanimoto was another victim of the Hiroshima bombing; he as the other survivors was with a colleague pushing a handcart to the man’s house (Hersey 4-6). That day was like any other as Hersey’s records it was a still morning, and the town was pleasant and cool as always. Moreover, within a splash of second, a â€Å"tremendous flash† cut across from east heading west, and from that moment, the life of the people changed i n the city of Hiroshima (Hersey 4-6). Hersey note that the situation that people were just living their life, though terrified by threat of attack, it is worth to note that human being are, in equal measure the same and need to be treated with dignity. Hersey’s story displays the danger that surrounds human being in his action to make a living. In his analysis of the event after the Hiroshima bombing, Hersey displays the location of his six characters that he interviewed. In addition, the mere chance that they survived while many other died is by chance and their unconscious actions. There was spared from death and serious injuries. Hersey portrays a mysterious situation where so many people dies living other with only minor injuries. Hersey also portrays how fast thing can change in the matter of seconds. Before the attack with the atomic bomb, Hiroshima was used to warning of the possible attack. However, in the morning of 6 August 1945, no warning came to caution the peopl e of the attack, and the whole of Hiroshima changed from common to struggle and survival. The life of Hersey’s characters and the city would be different from what they were used to. As noted in the narration of the experiences, Hersey’s works portrays the abuse of human ethics, and the action of the American government. The attack of Hiroshima with something that caused unwarranted suffering is chocking and unbelievable. Such an act ought to be demonstrated to make people aware of what could happen in a situation of war with the kind of weapon such as an atomic bomb. What insight does the book give you into the Japanese perspective, and what do you think of that? In the experiences of the survivors, Hersey work tries to unfold the live after the atomic bomb. First, Mrs. Nakamura, one of the six characters interviewed by Hersey meets her sister in Hiroshima, and she is disappointed to hear from her that Japan has conceded defeat and that the war was done. She wishes Ja pan could win the war even after the attack in the city. Hersey paint a picture of dedicated people who no matter the devastation they had the courage to move on with their life. At time Mrs. Nakamura was meeting her sister, she had gone to the city to bring with her rice she had buried before the attack (50). In other instances, Hersey says that in September of 1945, radiation related ailment, had affected everyone. Father kleinsorge fell sick while going to deposit money in the city while Mrs. Nakamura daughter had fallen sick. Mr. Takimoto by this time had been bedridden (51-55). None of the challenge that the Japanese met deterred them from moving on with their live. Hersey also records that even in the city; Feverfew and Panic grass spring up in the city

The Study Of Female Deviance Criminology Essay

The Study Of Female Deviance Criminology Essay Living in a period which had totally ignored women and the study of female deviance (prior to 1960s), Professor Frances Heidensohn saw, as other criminologists, the immediate need for research and study on the deviant woman. As a pioneer of feminist perspectives in criminology, Heidensohns work provided the too much mans land of criminology and how women have been unfairly treated and neglected in previous studies. Heidensohn is considered to be a revolutionist in this field of criminology due to her pre-feminist work (Heidensohn 1968 and 1970) on the invisibleness and silence surrounding the female offender  [ii]  .Throughout her work and extensive research on a variety of different writers and criminologists, she stressed the lack of attention on gender dimensions and the tendency to over-sexualise women crimes. Clearly upset of this status quo, she pointed out also the necessity of taking into account autobiographical experiences of female offenders, who are the actual objects of this study. Frances Heidensohn; a professor in the Department of Sociology at London School of Economics, by her investigation on the study of gender in the context of crime, could be said to have set the foundations for next generations studies on feminist perspectives in criminology. Her biggest question mark was why the chapter of women and crime has been buried for such a long time and why there has been a failure to examine such an important issue. Most of her books and articles try to provide adequate aetiologies to all these question marks. Fortunately, things changed since the 1960s and feminism criminology was developed. As Heidensohn suggested in a metaphorical way, Like a wardrobe of new exciting clothes, a whole treasure generated in criminology. It offers us a great deal more to enrich our knowledge of women and crime. But there is much more on offer too.  [iii]  In other words, Professor Heidensohn held that even thought feminist criminology has been developed there are still many gaps and much more to be done. Thus, Heidensohn illuminated the path towards the understanding of female criminology. In the field of criminological study and most sociological research and writing, analyses of criminal women cannot be found before the 1960s. But even where they are considered, they are subject to marginalising and distorting treatment as Oakley noted in 1982  [iv]  or similarly as Klein suggested female criminality has often ended up as footnote to works on men that purport to be works on criminality in general  [v]  . This lack of interest was really surprising in Heidensohns eyes.  [vi]  As Frances Heidensohn noted in an important early article on deviance, virtually no serious scholarship has been undertaken to explain the dramatic difference between male and female lawbreaking.  [vii]  Hence, this status quo, which was much more due to male dominance, impelled her to start an extensive research on the subject to provide sufficient answers to all these questions raised. What was central to her work was the amnesia and neglect of women in previous studies in crimi nology and the fact that even where women were recognised, they were depicted in terms of stereotypes and based on their supposed biological and psychological nature  [viii]  . Her major argument which she highlights in all of her books, articles is the necessity of exploring gender in terms of understanding crime. Her discussion was concerned with personal experiences and autobiographies of women offenders in relation to the courts, the law and the police. She strongly stressed that at all levels women have been treated differently than men and in some cases harsher. Under the provisions of criminal law, women are theoretically equal to men. Conversely, she underlined that in many cases the laws on prostitution, for instance, prejudice against women and in general there is tendency to over-sexualise female crime. Frances Heidensohn objected this attitude towards female crime. Prostitution was seen only as sexual deviance and not as the rational choice for some women who need the financial support for themselves and their children (Heidensohn, 1968, p.168)  [ix]  . Klein also shared this opinion. Furthermore, criminal laws and lawyers tended to apply stereotype notions of what a proper woman is and does and dual assumptions such as virgin and whore were made when dealing with female offende rs. Yet, Heidensohn did not criticise that and she recognised that one cannot divorce the law and lawyer from the society in which they operate with its enormous cultural heritage and traditions  [x]  .Although she did argue about the too much mens world that existed, truly annoyed by the domination of men in administration as well as in the draft of legislation because of the implications that had on female offenders. Further, the courts even though women committed fewer and less serious crimes than men, were often harsher with women. According to Frances Heidensohn, there were several reasons that explained this stance by the courts. One of the strongest arguments that she made was that female criminals were considered to be doubly-deviant. Women criminals were very rare phenomena, a fact that biased the behaviour of the courts towards them. As Heidensohn had pointed out in one of her earliest presumptions, Women defendants therefore seem stranger and thus less comprehensible than men: they offend both against societys behavioural rules about property, drinking, or violence and also against the most fundamental norms which govern sex-role behaviour  [xi]  (Heidensohn, 1970, p.134). In other words, if they had been morally wrong, then they will be punished more; Courts and other agencies treat women as deviant twice over: they have broken criminal law and social expectations of proper female behaviour.  [xii]  In addition, the whole court procedure is something particularly bewildering, alien and unfair to female offenders.  [xiii]   While doing her research, Frances Heidensohn gave a great emphasis on the stereotype notions and the social standards that the society held for criminal women. In patriarchal societies, women were perceived as a source of disorder. Moral values and accepted social standards, especially in previous periods of time, rendered women subject to stricter rules. Moreover, the witch image as well as that of the whore seemed to be the key portrayals of the deviant women. The stereotype of witchcraft, which has always been linked to women, gave the idea of deviant women as especially evil, depraved and monstrous  [xiv]  . On the other hand, the tendency to sexualise the female offences portrayed them as whores. Professor Heidensohn argued that no such notions exist, equivalent to male deviants. On the contrary, male deviants either receive public approval-boys will be boys,- or are at least more positively portrayed  [xv]  . She continued her argument and she strongly criticized the ro le the media had overplayed in forming these ideas; male offenders in novels, films were presented as heroes, something that affected the public reaction and opinion. In reviewing traditional criminology and classical criminological writers, Heidensohn observed that female criminality was determined by their biology and psychology. Lombroso; the father of criminology, and Ferreros research, which focused on the meditation of the skulls, bones and appearance of female criminals, came to the conclusion that women deviants could be recognised by their physical appearance and they had very similar characteristics to male deviants. Women criminals like their masculine counterparts, had certain allegedly atavistic features, notably unfeminine features and built and dark masculine hair.  [xvi]  Additionally, they claimed that criminal women are abnormal. Following these lines, Professor Heidensohn found herself contrary to this presumption. She argued that his analysis of photographs of fallen women is as objective as adjudication in a beauty contest.  [xvii]  Furthermore, Lombroso and Ferreros theories did not provide us an adequate and precise understanding of female crime.What they did show us was the attempt to rationalise and justify the status quo, the existing position of women and the double standard of morals of their day.  [xviii]  Thus they did not draw away from the stereotype notions and the dual assumptions about women (good or bad, normal or abnormal). Deviant Womens experiences was a central method used by Frances Heidensohn and feminist writers towards the understanding of female delinquency; concentration on the researched and their experiences. Even though this methodology received much criticism (Ramazanoglu and Holland 2002)  [xix]  , Heidensohn and Gelsthorpe argued that close reading of feminist discussions ultimately reveal no fixed absolutes beyond the need for sensitivity in the research task, for personal reflexivity and commitment to make the research relevant to women.  [xx]  This methodology vested women the right to speak for themselves, their experiences, their feelings and thoughts. The technique of viewing the world through womens eyes was successful in making women visible in criminology and additionally created awomens world too. The concentration on womens experiences led to some crucial developments in female criminology and feminist contributions to criminology. Feminism standpoitism as Harding puts it (1987)  [xxi]  reflected the concept of viewing the world through womens eyes and encouraged both theoretical and personal reflexivity in relation to knowledge and the process of knowledge production through research.  [xxii]  However, the key aspect of focusing on the experiences of female criminals was that it rendered gender as the basis of understanding and interpreting crime and social conduct rather than simply as a statistical variable. As a synopsis of her study, Frances Heidensohn argued that what seems to be needed in the study of female deviance is a crash programme of research which telescopes decades of comparable studies of males.  [xxiii]  Also, she was consistent with what Mannheim recommended, who held that an objective and scientific approach should try to treat female crime as a topic in its own right.  [xxiv]  She therefore concluded in her book on Women and Crime that in order to gain understanding on women and crime other analyses such as family life, position and social control of women, male dominance should be taken into account. Arguably, she supported that this could not be achieved through feminist criminology or sociology of deviance.  [xxv]   Frances Heidensohns observations have not been subject to too much criticism as Lombrosos or other criminologists theories. However, some points that she did make were subject to debate and disapproval. Allison Morris was one of those who contravened with some of her presumptions. Her enantiosis was basically on the fact that the criminal justice system is a peculiarly alien an unfamiliar world  [xxvi]  only for women. Morrison focused on the belief that criminal law is sexist in the treatment of deviant girls and women and she went on to say that such factors as race, family circumstances and commitments, types of offence and previous record all clearly mediate the treatment of both female and male defendants and may be that some of those factors are as important as gender, if not more so.  [xxvii]  Indeed, Heidensohn relied on this assumption; that sex is the most crucial aspect and that it is not only women who are being deprived in the criminal justice system. However, wh at Morrison strongly argued was Heidensohns failure to identify other groups of people who could be treated unfairly under the criminal system or the court could be biased against them and to whom the whole process might be unfamiliar and alien. Such groups of people, as Morris suggests could be for young black and working -class men or minorities.  [xxviii]  Finally, she pointed out that it is wrong to present womens experiences in the criminal justice system as a unitary experience. We know that black women are over-represented in our prisons. We need to be able to account for this.  [xxix]  In my personal opinion Morrison made a full disclosure of the reality; that minorities or black people or people of different social standards, could also be treated unfairly in court or could be subject to discriminatory wrongs. She made a very strong argument which did take into account and tried to defend other social and powerless groups and not only women, something that Heidensoh n failed to do. Moreover, that could be the basis for other perceptions that Heidensohn provided. This is the one of economic rationality or that of stigma. Consequently it is not only women who can be motivated by the economic needs to commit a crime; people of a lower class can commit crimes as a result of poverty; or it is not only women who fear the idea of being stigmatised by their offences. Carlen Pat also argued at this part that this stance could cause race or class conflicts. Finally, in general Carlen suggested that no feminism theory could offer aetiologies to three major issues concerning female delinquency; that womens crimes are in the main, the crimes of the powerless; that women in prison are disproportionately from ethic minority groups; and that a majority of women in prison have been in poverty for the greater part of their lives.  [xxx]   Synoptically, Frances Heidensohns contribution to criminology was enormous in relation to female offenders. It could be said as having two sides of a coin. Her research in conjunction with that of other feminist criminologists illuminated the path towards the understanding of the female deviance. However, even though they shed some light on it there are still some dark aspects. As Frances Heidensohn pointed out, the study of female deviance has still a long way to go. The most crucial drawback that I can identify in her work was the lack of consideration of other factors that could play a valid role in the field of understanding crime such as race, class, nationality, age and other social characteristics rather than only focusing on gender dimensions and giving privileges only to women.

The Flat Tax :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Taxation has always been a major controversy. Just like any major corporation, the government is constantly looking to raise revenue. The easiest and fairest way to do this is by taxing the people. However, how the people will be taxed is always an issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The current tax system that the United States uses contains several flaws. First of all, it is very complex. It is comprised of many various variables that can create loopholes. These loopholes can cause two equal income families to be paying very different tax rates. In fact, there are 480 different types of tax forms (Website). The current tax system is also very unfair for the wealthy. Because it is a progressive tax, it is higher for people who have higher incomes. People should not be punished for being successful. If a flat tax policy were instituted, then it would simplify the complicated tax system, create fairness within the economy, and promote a desire to thrive financially.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The flat tax would simplify the tax system because instead of filling out a variety of complicated forms, a person would only need to tell the IRS how much money they make, then give the percent of that amount. This would dissolve all of the loopholes that exist within the current system. It would cut back on the opportunities for unethical people to cheat. If the flat tax system were taken, taxpayers would save 94% in compliance costs (Website).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The flat tax will make taxes fair for all people. No matter what race a person is, what social class a person is in, or who they’re friends with, they will end up paying the same rate. Every single taxpayer will have to sacrifice just as much of his or her life as the next person down the road. One of the three main reasons for taxes is to maintain fairness. This is most reasonable ways to maintain fairness. The wealthy will still be paying more money than the poor person, but they both have the same tax burden.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because all economic brackets are taxed equally under a flat tax, earning more money is no longer discouraged. Because there are no more marginal tax rates, people will have incentive to work more without worrying that the extra money they make will be taxed higher. It is said that the economy would grow by 5.

Cassio, the Lieutenant, in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Cassio, the Lieutenant, in Othello  Ã‚     Ã‚   Michael Cassio, the lieutenant who supposedly stole away Iago’s coveted promotion in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a strange sort of character. He shows great appreciation of other people; he is radiant with truth and honor; and yet he patronizes a prostitute, Bianca. This essay will delve into the character of Cassio.    Blanche Coles in Shakespeare’s Four Giants comments on the character of Cassio:    In a casual reading of Othello, it may seem that the character of Cassio is not sufficiently well drawn, because, for reasons connected with his portrayal of Iago, Shakespeare delays the full characterization of Cassio until almost the end of the play. However, we have a number of brief revelations of his personality that mark him distinctly – in his genuine anxiety for Othello’s safety, in his abstaining from taking part in the bold and suggestive comments of Iago to the two women as they wait for Othello’s ship and, a little later, in his sincere regret about the loss of his reputation after he has partaken of the wine which Iago has forced upon him. (85-86)    Cassio makes his first appearance in the play in Act 1 Scene 2, when he is conducting the official business of the duke of Venice, namely the request of the â€Å"haste-post-haste appearance / Even on the instant† of the general because of the Ottoman threat on Cyprus. Brabantio’s mob briefly delays matters, and then Cassio disappears from the stage until Act 2. He disembarks in Cyprus and graciously announces: â€Å"Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle, / That so approve the Moor!† After chatting with Montano and other gentlemen of the isle, he welcomes Desdemona, â€Å"our great captain’s captain,† ashore: â€Å"The ric... ...s corpse produces a letter which â€Å"imports the death of Cassio to be undertook / By Roderigo† – another emotional revelation for Michael Cassio. Finally, the ultimate emotional blow to the ex-officer comes when Othello stabs himself and dies: â€Å"This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon; / For he was great of heart.†    As â€Å"lord governor† of the island of Cyprus now, Michael Cassio has charge of the â€Å"censure of this hellish villain, / The time, the place, the torture.† Lodovico appeals to Cassio to let his justice, not his mercy prevail: â€Å"O, enforce it!†    WORKS CITED    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.   

Gattaca Viewing Essay

Gattaca Viewing Essay Themes in texts are what make them interesting and engaging. A text which has a number of intriguing themes is the feature film Gattaca, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, and released in 1997. One particular theme which is evident in Gattaca is the idea that the most important key to a person’s success is not their genetic material but their ambitions, drive and determination. This theme is explored in the film through the conventions of performance and characterisation, camera angles, camera shots and by music/sound.Early in the film Gattaca, Vincent undergoes a transformation. Prior to the transformation Vincent is seen as an unconfident person with bad body language, baggy clothing and glasses which all indicates that Vincent is inferior. Vincent wants to be able to work at Gattaca but he knows that he can’t make it in because of his genetic material (heart problem), so he meets German (broker) who helps Vincent undergo the transformation. When German asks Vincent how committed he is to the project; Vincent says â€Å"I’d give 100%,† to which German replies, â€Å"That’ll get you halfway there†.This shows you how much effort Vincent has to put in to get into Gattaca, but with drive and determination on Vincent’s side he not only gets into Gattaca but one of their elites. After Vincent’s transformation from a â€Å"borrowed ladder† to a valid his attitude and looks had changed completely. His posture and body language had become almost perfect and his attitude to life had also transformed completely; making him look like a professional. You can finally see the complete transformation when Vincent has his interview at Gattaca, when he looks into the mirror.You can see that Vincent is impressed with what he has transformed into. During the film Gattaca, the mission director at Gattaca was brutally murdered, in which Investigators took control of Gattaca and checked everyth ing, everywhere and everyone, gene to gene. When Vincent sees all of these people searching for clues and evidence he slightly loses faith and starts to rethink his whole dream. The investigators find a suspect, but no details are given except a picture (of Vincent) and the fact that the suspect is an invalid.There are many different scenes in which Vincent almost gets caught, but one of the tensest scenes was when Vincent went on the treadmill for his training. Prior to this scene we see Jerome clip a heart rate monitor onto himself and we see him ride his wheel chair so they can record his heartbeat, which we figure out that Vincent is going to end up using it. When Vincent goes onto the treadmill we see him quickly switch heart rate monitors and then we see him jogging. Then we see two investigator walk into the gym facility where everyone is getting there heart rate checked, including Vincent.While the investigators are talking to the doctors we, the viewers can hear Vincentâ₠¬â„¢s heart beat (non-diegetic), which slowly builds up the tension. Then when the investigators and the doctor are talking about Vincent, his Heart beat monitors recording finished early so we can hear his real heartbeat which is going really fast so he quickly unclipped his heart rate monitor and walked off. This shows you the risks and challenges that Vincent faces every day and the ways he deals with them.At the beginning of Gattaca Vincent and his brother Anton play a dangerous game called â€Å"Chicken†. Chicken involves Vincent and Anton battling against each other and against the great force of nature as they swim out into the ocean as far as they possibly can until one gives in or turns back. Both Anton and Vincent are presented through high angles to show their inferiority and insignificance compared to rough and wavy ocean. There are also scenes in which they are displayed through eye level shots to show that the conditions are equal to both of them.Later on in the film Vincent and Anton go back out into the ocean and have another game of Chicken in which Vincent, against all odds beats Anton. This is a significant part of the film because Vincent finally realises that he can achieve anything and he can finally travel into space. â€Å"It was the one moment in our lives that my brother was not as strong as he believed, and I was not as weak. It was the moment that made everything possible†. Camera angles help support the theme that the most important key to a person’s success is not their genetic material but their ambitions, drive and determination.At the end of Gattaca, Vincent was only moments away from achieving his goal to go to Gattaca. At the same time Jerome is preparing to end his life. These two scenes are intercut so we can see Vincent finally getting onto the rocket and achieving his goal while Jerome is stepping into the incinerator preparing to kill himself because he lived a miserable life, having perfect genetic material but a lack of determination and drive. This scene is extremely tense because we feel emotionally overwhelmed; happy for Vincent and sympathetic for Jerome.We also feel quite emotional because we know Jerome is going to die happy and we know that he was happy to be part of Vincent’s transformation: â€Å"I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body †¦ you lent me your dream†. This is the final scene of the film that completes the theme. Vincent made his dream come true, not because of his genetic material but because of his ambitions, drive and determination. It is evident in the feature film Gattaca, by Andrew Niccol that the key to a person’s success is not their genetic material but their ambitions, drive and determination.Gattaca is full of interesting ideas and themes which are explored throughout Vincent’s journey. The conventions of performance and characterisation, camera angles, camera shots and music/sound all help deve lop the theme. I believe that this would have to be one of my favourite movies because of all of the representations and because the story behind it inspired me to become a better person. I would also recommend this movie to anyone because it reaches out to a wide target audience and I would definitely rate it a 10 out of 10. By Anthony (hshs)

Cross cultural relations with film analysis

The movie â€Å"Boyz in the Hood† deals with issues of racism and cultural stereotyping. It also deals with issues of personal identification and ambition and the issue of equality in opportunity, regarding schools, money, jobs, and personal safety. The characters in â€Å"Boyz in the Hood† represent a diverse group of young African Americans who must find their way through a world of violence, poverty, gangs, drugs, and broken families.Throughout the movie, the audience is reminded that many of the problems facing the movie's main characters are not of their choosing or making but are issues and problems which they have been made to deal with simply because of the circumstances of their birth, their skin color, and their socio-economic standing in society. Early on in the film, the audience is able to see Tre, Ricky, and Darin (Doughboy) as fairly typical kids who want to play football and enjoy being with one another.But Tre has already seen his house broken into, the three friends have passed by crime scenes and an impoverished neighborhood, There doesn't seem to be anywhere they can go to just be regular boys. Instead, they are made to be a part of crime and suffering from a very early age. The part of the movie that isn't actually shown, but the audience can imagine as a contrats is neighborhoods were kids can play and have parks and baseball games and not worry about gunfire or police or gangs or drugs.This vision which is not in the film, of a normal life, is the opposite of what the characters in the film have to deal with and the only difference is their racial origin, being African American. The characters in the movie as they get older seem to want to be a part of this â€Å"other† world, the world of whites and even though they remain true to their own cultural identities and participate in the â€Å"hood† culture, each of the characters seems to either want or is actively looking for a way out of the â€Å"hood. â€Å" Doughboy is sent to prison and looks to be the one who is most likely to become a thug. Still, due to the early scene in the movie where he is beaten up by an older kid who takes Ricky's football, the audience knows that Doughboy had to get tough in order to survive in the hood. It is almost as though his own acceptance of being a thug in the hood helps protect his brother, Ricky, and Trey from the violence around them in the hood. Later in the story, Doughboy's â€Å"fatherly† personality will start the chain of conflict that results in his brothers' death and eventually his own.But until that crises happens, Doughboy is like the father of the other two friends and the audience understands that despite his rough exterior he is really a compassionate person who sees a lot of potential in his brother and wants good things to happen for his friends and family. Because the characters in Boyz in the Hood, the main ones, are good people, the tragedies that happen to them are viewe d as not being of their making. Tre is stopped by an African American police officer who shoves his gun in his face and threatens to kill him simply because he, the police officer, does not like African Americans.Even though this is a short scene, it is a very important scene. It shows how an African American (the police officer) can be so alienated from their own race, and so hateful toward them that they actually become a part of the oppressive system which causes African Americans to suffer in poverty and be thought of as criminals and dangers to society. In the long run, Tre cannot bring himself to become an avenger for Ricky's murder. This is a demonstration that not all African Americans are alike, they are not prone to violence or revenge or gangs or shooting their enemies.Tre decides his life is more important than revenge. When he does so, he is both embracing his culture and refusing the more negative aspects of it. He is an African American who wants to improve his life a nd his family and his neighborhood and not become a thug like Doughboy even if he understands the reasons for Doughboy's actions. In each case, with the main characters of â€Å"Boyz in the Hood† their actions and options seem to be somehow influenced by the â€Å"white world† that they never really see.they aspire to become a part of that society and make good of their lives. They long for another life, but their life is filled with gunfire, helicopters, thugs, prostitutes, drugs, and violence. The reason they have been placed in such terrible circumstances are based in racism. The backdrop to the story is that white money-makers want to bring the property values in the Hood down as low as possible so they can but cheap real-estate; whites sell guns and liquor and drugs to the people in the Hood, but they would never set foot in the place themselves.There is no real sense of justice in â€Å"Boyz in the Hood† the only thing which comes close is when Doughboy do es kill the gang-bangers who killed Ricky. But even this is sad because it is not true justice but vigilantism and everyone knows Doughboy will be killed himself, eventually. The message is: no-one in official capacity care bout what happens to the people in the hood. In order to survive, they must often â€Å"lower† themselves, despite their best efforts, to the level of stereotype which has been used against them in a racially motivated way in the first place.

Living In America During the Mid-to-Late 1800’s Essay

America was not a great place to be in the late 1800’s, especially if you were a Native American, immigrant, or African-American. The Native Americans’ homelands were brutally taken over, and they were forced to live on reservations. The immigrants had to deal with the terrible living conditions in the cities and the persecution against them because of their appearance. The African-Americans, despite being declared all the rights of a citizen, were segregated, and voting in the South was made nearly impossible. During this time, living in America would have been a negative experience. One of the things that made life in America hard for the Native Americans was the Dawes Act of 1887. The Dawes Act stated that the Native Americans would be given 160 acres of land per household, and that they had to farm it. The Act was a failure. The Native American people were not farmers, and couldn’t farm the land well. They also weren’t given the proper farming equipment. They were also not given the proper medical attention, and the teachers provided to them were poorly trained. The Dawes Act was a negative thing in Native American life. Many immigrants expected to find the streets paved with gold in America, but found that city conditions were terrible. Diseases the cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid were common. Tenements, which were cheap places to live, were extremely overcrowded and unsanitary. Crime flourished in the cities. The horrible living conditions in the cities made living in America a negative experience for immigrants. Life was especially difficult for Asian immigrants. Americans made fun of the Chinese hair and dress, and gave them the name ‘coolies’. Japanese immigrants were dubbed â€Å"The Yellow Peril†. Because the Chinese were good workers who were willing to work for less, American workers complained and the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to prevent Chinese immigration. The Alien Land Law was passed to prevent noncitizen Asians from owning land. Between the persecution from the American people and the American government, life in America for Asians was a very negative experience. Despite the rights they had just been given after the Civil War, African-Americans in this time found new unfair laws being passed. The Jim Crow laws required separation of African-Americans in schools, parks, hospitals, public buildings, water fountains, and other places. In the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that separate facilities for whites and African-Americans were allowed, as long as they were equal, but the facilities for African-Americans were always inferior to those of the whites. Being an African-American in America at this time was a negative experience. New laws designed to prevent African-Americans from voting were also passed in the late 1800’s. Despite being given the right to vote, many southern states required that African-Americans must own land and pay a poll tax in order to vote, which was very difficult for African-Americans to achieve during this time. Many southern states also required voters to take a literacy test, but the test given to African-Americans was a lot harder than the one given to whites. Just to make sure that no whites were being prevented from voting by these laws, a law was passed that anyone who could vote before the new laws were passed were exempt from them. These unfair laws ensured that African-Americans didn’t have a voice in government, which made life during this time a negative experience for them. Whether it was living conditions, unfair laws passed by the U.S. government, or racism by other American citizens, life during this time was made very difficult for African-Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants. The African-Americans and Native Americans were abused by the American government, while immigrants were being made fun of and taken advantage of by the American people. Life in this time for these people was a very negative experience.

Research #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research #2 - Essay Example This trend is relatively new and not all operating systems have completely embraced it totally, however this is slowly creeping into the field of medical science enabling more benefits for patient care. With introduction of the concept of online applications that are patented by the given operating systems, large number of Health care associated applications are available in the online market which entail the different domains of health care, such as diagnosis of numerous diseases, serving as a guide and manual, remedial actions suggestion, medical dictionaries, medicine names, nearby pharmacies and numerous other sources that facilitate the health care sector in a positive way. Certain pre requisites apply to the usage of health care applications on the medium of mobile phone. These entail the regulatory body instructions, the clients awareness level, establishing of policies for its promotion, the market promotion policies, their availability factor, language use factor and various other factors that must be taken into account while handling health care applications and promoting them. 6. Overview of the F.D.A role in terms of the present day rules in place and the future considerations, with mobile phones becoming part of nearly every individual’s life, regulations are needed to be brought into action. Numerous operating systems have launched applications for use in the health care. Apple Inc. is one of the leaders in this field. It launched this service couple of years ago. IMedicalApps is one sush endeavor undertaken by Apple Inc. and it has a number of applications under its belt that facilitate better health care knowledge and awareness. The Android Operating system is not far behind and it has introduced numerous applications for the same purpose. Apart from the mobile application provides, other PSTN enabled networks are also aiming to catch up fast on the applications. Verizon is one of them that has joined the bandwagon in recent times

Movie the Italian Job (2003) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movie the Italian Job (2003) - Essay Example The job was always successful without a drawback until one of the group member Steve (Edward Norton) gets greedy. He blows Bridger away, leaving the others for al fresco fish chow beneath an alpine lake. Only one person is more marked than Croker and that's the Bridger's daughter, safecracking specialist Stella (Charlize Theron). Still soggy, Croker and the lads return to LA where they enlist her services to take back the gold, and more importantly, stick it to Steve. According to Hamblin (2009), Charlie Crocker (Mark Wahlberg), and his group of thieves pulled off the crime of a lifetime by stealing a safe which was filled with gold bricks of thirty-five million dollars. But in this event, the thing that did not go according to his plan was the possibility of double cross by his own group members. And being cheated by his own group members his main aim was to take revenge of his mentor’s (Donald Sutherland) death. According to his review there are lots of similarities between the movies of 1969 and 2003. Both the characters Charlie Crocker and John Bridger are from the original movie of 1969. In a few cases the action scenes of this movie with three minis are same as the old one. There are similarities were in the moves used in the fights, such as traffic jams as well as in case of chases in a drain. (Hamblin, 2009, 290). The movie The Italian Job of 2003 is a smart funny movie with full of entertainment. Between the action scenes featuring wild boat rides through the canals of Venice, chase scenes involving the coolest little cars on wheels, and an intricately planned act of revenge lies a film filled with some great dialogue and smart acting by all the actors. According to Murray (nd), the movie starts off with a good and highly educated group of thieves pulling off the perfect heist, stealing huge amounts of gold from a strict guarded place in Venice. Till that point, everything was according to the plan, but one group pulls a double cross and therefo re taking out John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), and brains behind the entire group, forced to split up the group vows revenge on traitor Steve (Edward Norton). According to him the movie, takes off on a riotous ride over and under Downtown Los Angeles. The most important point associated with this film that stand out from the standard heist film of 1969, is mainly the attractive choice of casting of the movie, to match the character with actor for even the most minor player. â€Å"The Italian Job† works because all of the actors are totally believable. According to the report published in BBC by Stella Papmichael, the main difference with this movie and the original movie is adds wallop lacking in the original version. In the new movie the revenge adds wallop which is occasionally destabilized by Mark Wahlberg's cosmic anti-presence. In this new version of the movie, Charlize Theron is the key behind driving this movie forward , taking the wheel with quiet confidence. Accordi ng to Papmichael, It's just a shame the flirty cat-and-mouse game between Stella and Steve heads up a cul-de-sac to give way for Croker..The culminating 'big job', with a trio of Mini Coopers incongruously zipping through LA gridlock, has all the audacious mischief of its progenitor. The difference is you don't have to endure an hour of dull cockney banter

Latino dropouts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Latino dropouts - Essay Example In 2000, about 530,000 Hispanic 16- 19 year olds were classified as dropouts, a percentage of 21.1. However, many of these were recently arrived immigrants who had not been in the US education system. So the actual figure for drop out of the US schools is about 15%. In 2000 the Latino dropout rate was three times greater than for non-Hispanic whites. The percentage of Latinos completing higher education has also consistently lagged behind whites and African Americans. It is also important to consider that the rate of dropouts could change at any time since some students presently enrolled in high schools can drop out at any time, and some drop outs could obtain their GED at any time in the future. Several factors have been suggested to explain the high rate of dropouts. The major factor has been the language, but Adam (2003)2 describes how researcher Saenz breaks down the factors into â€Å"individual factors, family-related factors and the structural level†. The individual factors have to do with the student’s own academic expectations and performance, peer pressure, generational status and acculturation. But one big effect comes from lifestyle where they are forced to become adults too early in life either through early pregnancy or having to help with looking after younger siblings. The strongest family factor seems to be the socioeconomic status of the family since having the resources to navigate the system makes a difference to the success of the students. The economic context in which the students and the school reside can place a strain on the family to keep up. Also the connection between the family, school and culture is important. The language plays a big part in this connection. Other school practices such as tracking, grade retention and unequal treatment of minority students all are common causes of dropout. Jones and Bou-Waked (2007)3 add to the discussion of the part that language plays in the dropout crisis. They noted that about

Obamacare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Obamacare - Essay Example Ryn (2000) asserts that every generation has its governing intellectual and imaginative mind-set and matching design for doing things. The political setup of a country like the US offers a pattern of how a life dominant approach can present itself for the acting out of its possibilities. This depends on the type of expectations and underlying predispositions making up such a society. Obamacare is one such dominant approach enacted to address the pre-existing ailing American healthcare system. This healthcare policy reform was signed into the American law by President Barrack Obama in March 2010 to offer equality in accessing medical care services by reducing healthcare costs. Hence the Democratic Congressional leadership was charged with the responsibility of its implementation (Keller, 2015). They chose to address American healthcare needs by raising entitlement to medical services and controlling the insurance coverage. However, the policy continues to be criticized due to the natu re of the American politics surrounding its implementation. Goals of the ObamacareAccording to Tate (2013), the Obamacare policy seeks to fulfill four main goals. These are to ensure improved healthcare access which many Americans could not attain due to expensive health insurance. Hence they are able to enjoy affordable medical services and monetary assistance. Secondly, it aims at reducing the healthcare costs which had led to poor medical affordability thereby weakening the American economic system.

CHOOSING A DELIVERY CARE MODEL AND STAFFING PATTERN Essay

CHOOSING A DELIVERY CARE MODEL AND STAFFING PATTERN - Essay Example ealth care delivery is usually determined by a number of factors ranging from issues of economics to the beliefs of the organization leaders and even the power and ability to select and retain staffs.in addition, effectiveness of the care models in terms of offering quality and patient safety would also play a big role in decision making process. Ideally there are a number of care models that dominates the organization of the inpatient care nursing for example: functional and team care nursing which is a model that is task-oriented and it mainly rely on the usage of registered nurses (RNs) to provide the healthcare services (Nafarrate, Fowler, & Wu, 2009). Following the fact that this care model uses a mix of only licenced nursing personnel, it the most appropriate for the patients that are suffering from chronic diseases. This care model also does not exclusively pertains to only the organization of the nursing care or the inpatient setting but also take care of the examination of t he medical house staffs, social works and even pharmacy services. It is considered mainly for the ambulatory healthcare services, home care health services and nursing homes for the staffs (Towill & Christopher, 2005). This care model also work with the specific populations of the patients like the elderly patients and those patients that are under chronic health care conditions through the use of the disease management models that incorporates technology in its operations. Irrespective of the interest of the varied needs of the health care models, it is not very easy to discern the effective performance of the models. Both the traditional and non-traditional care units have been adversely affected by the limited number of the working staffs and even the essential health care resources (Noon, Hankins, Cote, & Lieb, 2003). To evaluate the effectiveness of the care models and to ensure that the patients return home with proper ability to do their daily activities when they are physically

Natures Impact Essay Example for Free

Natures Impact Essay The outdoors contains many wonders that a child explores throughout the early years of life; therefore, a person’s childhood tends to position his path for the future. As a result, occurrences seen on an average day sitting at school, exploring in the woods, or examining the stars have the potential to be life changing. An American Childhood (Dillard), â€Å"Two Views of a River† (Twain), and â€Å"Listening† (Welty) all allocate this thought, yet the works juxtapose each other with different morals. Annie Dillard writes of the expectations of her to return after completing college and settling in the same town in which she resides her entire life before attending college: â€Å"It crawled down the driveway toward Shadyside, one of the several sections of town where people like me were expected to settle after college, renting an apartment until they married one of the boys and bought a house† (2). Dillard feels essentially unpermitted to broaden her horizon of a future. She believes she had been restricted too early and therefore Dillard feels she is not allowed to live up to her possible potential. Mark Twain, on the other hand, writes of the river and its influence upon him: This sun means that we are going to have wind tomorrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody’s steamboat one of these nights if it keeps on stretching out like that [†¦]. (1) Within his piece, Twain wonders if he were to have noticed all the diminutive and revealing things of the river as a child, whether it would have foreshadowed the future from the perspective from which he sees the past now. Twain wishes he had respected the river further as a child rather than simply viewing it as an effortless beauty. Eudora Welty also writes of her childhood, explaining her love for the sky and all that dwells within it. She states, â€Å"I could see the full constellations in it and call their names; when I could read, I knew their myths† (Welty 1). Even with all the knowledge she had of the ominous unknown that seems endless and vague to the common child, it still takes Welty until she is already a published writer before she realizes the moon does not rise in the west. Learning of this alters her perspective. However, without believing that the moon rises in the west, less delight and excitement would have occurred within her childhood. Dillard, Twain, and Welty write of their upbringings and how certain changes, if varied, could have fashioned a different future. They outwardly realize the options they had, and the elements they would have distorted in the past to assist themselves in the future. Where Dillard, Twain, and Welty’s works mutually contain the reference to their childhoods, they contrast each other with the morals of their writings. Dillard’s extended metaphor places her in an equivalent situation as the Polyphemus moth whose overgrown wings span wider than the Mason jar that withholds it. The piece uses the bit about the moth to foreshadow her telling of her confinement to Shadyside. The moral of her piece is that one’s parents, friends, or even society’s restraints should not oppress one’s aspirations to what is simply considered to be correct: Conversely, Twain’s piece concludes one should not take life for granted because it can exceed so hastily, that a large quantity of imperative information and experiences can be neglected and missed: The world was new to me, and I had never seen anything like this at home. But as I have said, a day came when I began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the river’s face; another day came when I ceased altogether to note them. (1) Welty teaches in her piece that a child’s learning is made of specific moments in time and she shares her involvements with this learning: â€Å"There comes the moment, and I saw it then, when the moon goes from flat to round. For the first time it met my eyes as a globe. The word â€Å"moon† came into my mouth as though fed to me out of a silver spoon. Held in my mouth the mood became a word† (Welty 1). Eudora reveals that moments like this which seem miniscule can alter one’s personality and interests. Each instant of learning creates a change in one’s mental makeup. Dillard, Twain, and Welty are each eloquent and sophisticated writers. Their works are relatively alike in the fact that they each converse of their childhoods and what they would have altered within them; however, they juxtapose each other with diverse morals veiled within the pieces. Works Cited Dillard, Annie. An American Childhood. New York: Harper Row, 1988. Twain, Mark. â€Å"Two Views of a River. † Life on the Mississippi. New York: Harper, 1896. Welty, Eudora. â€Å"Listening. † Agents, Russell Volkening. Welty: 1984.

Factors of Acute Kidney Injury

Factors of Acute Kidney Injury 1. Introduction: Kidneys are the important two paired organs of our body that function normally under the physiological limits. Kidneys may lose its normal functioning under certain circumstances paving way to a disease state of kidney. These kidneys as termed filter units of the body function to excrete waste substances from the body. Similar to the other diseases of the body, kidney diseases result in life threatening dilemma of the society, with inclusive pathological causes and related social norms. In following section various aspects of acute kidney injury (failure) are discussed in detail. 2. Acute Kidney Injury: Studies related to ‘’acute kidney failure (ARF)’’ were jeopardized for over past decades due to the conflicting definitions and varied diagnostic criteria of the disease by different investigators, though, all reached to an agreement that a decline in renal function for over the time of hours to days is the distinct characteristic feature of ARF. In the year 2005, an initiative has been taken by Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative and the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) for replacing the term ‘’Acute Kidney Failure’’ to ’Acute kidney Injury (AKI)’’ (Mehta et al, 2007).However, this definition was further improved in the year 2007, which is mostly accredited to as the RIFLE criteria (Risk-Injury-Failure-Loss of function-End stage renal disease). Moreover, elevated serum creatinine level and deceased urine output are included in the diagnostic criteria. The first three stages of AKI including stage 1 – r isk, stage 2 – injury and stage 3 failure with diagnostic criteria are shown in the Figure 1 (Kellun et al, 2005). Acute renal failure (ARF) is defined as a rapid and reversible decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ranging from few hours to weeks,that can occur in the setting of previously normal renal function (‘classic’ ARF) or in a patient with pre-existing chronic renal disease (‘acute-on-chronic’ renal failure). Clinically, ARF is further subcategorized in two distinct types, firstly on the basis of being oliguric (urine output 500 ml/day), and secondly on being dialysis dependence (Schrier et al, 2004). Patients are classified in three categories depending on their risk of renal dysfunction, type of kidney injury, and the degree of kidney failure, which is further associated with two clinical outcomes: Loss and End-stage renal disease (RIFLE). ARF (Loss) is defined as the requirement of renal replacement therapy (RRT) for a period of more than 4 weeks, whereas end-stage renal disease is defined as dependence on dialysis for a period of more than 3 months. Patients with acute renal dysfunction without presenting a baseline measure of renal function are evaluated for the presence of chronic renal disease. The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula is used to predict ‘normal’ GFR is there is no evidence of chronic renal disease, which thus is helpful in assessing the severi ty of the ARF episode (Lameire et al, 2006). 2.1. Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury: Evaluation of theaccurateand factual epidemiological characteristics of ARF is hinderedby various reasons such as, lack of a generally accepted definition, gender disparity, issue of lacking consult with a doctor, financial issues in transplantation and treatment and delayed treatment, especially in developing countries, which all together contribute in hampering proper assessment of incidence of acute kidney injury (Cerdà ¡ et al, 2008). Furthermore, deviation in catchment populations and methods used for case ascertainment also result in difficulties for ARI evaluation. The rate of acute kidney injury holds difference in the general population, designated differently as three groups, community-acquired acute kidney injury, the hospitalized patients and critically ill patients of intensive care unit (ICU). 2.1.1. Community Acquired Acute Kidney Injury: Generally, ARF occurs rarely in community settings. After exclusion of those who suffered chronic renal failure, ARF was found developed in 172 adults per million people (pmp) per year in an unselected population(Singbartl et al., 2000).The incidence ranged between 17 pmp/year and 949 pmp/year for adults (less than 50 years of age) and those aged between 80 years and 89 years, respectively. Acute dialysis was administered to 22 pmp(Liano et al) and it was foundin a research study conducted for over a period of 9 months at 13 tertiary care hospitals in Madrid, Spain that the overall incidence of ARF is about 209 cases pmp. Moreover, it has been reported that community-acquired ARF in the US account for 1% of hospital admissions(Schnermann, 2003). Pre-renal ARF and acute-on-chronic renal failure have been reported to be associated with dehydration particularly in elderly people, use of drugs such as angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers in highrisk patients, and heart failure(Schnermann, 2003). Also, 0.69% of admissions of African Americans were accounted for de novo ARF. The incidence of community acquired ARF in this population was 3.5 times more than that of hospital-acquired ARF; with several patients having underlying medical conditions(Noiri et al., 2001).Disasters in particular earthquakes, many other causes of crush syndromes such as accidents, rhabdomyolysis resulting from infections, coma, and seizures, usage of drugs particularly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and vascular events such as thrombosis of vessels are associated with community-acquired ARF. Furthermore, hemolytic uremic syndrome secondary to infection with Escherichia coli or Shigella is a common cause of ARF, as is poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis in children. Diarrheal diseases, hemolysis, tropical and non-tropical infections, and snake bites are causative factors of ARF in tropical areas such as India and Africa. The overall incidence of obstet ric-related ARF has declined for over many years (Melnikov et al., 2001; Wang et al., 2003). Medicines that are prescribed by traditional healers which mostly comprise mixture of herbs and unidentified chemicals for oral administration or as enemas constitute a distinct class of nephrotoxins in Africa and Asia(Jha V and Chugh2003) 15. Venoms of sea snakes, viper snakes and stinging insects, and raw gallbladder and bile of carp and sheep are present in common animal-derived nephrotoxins. Moreover, common edible plants such as djenkol beans, and mushrooms and medicinal herbs including impila, as well as cat’s clawcomprise botanical nephrotoxins (Melnikov et al., 2001).Nephrotoxicity which is caused by different chemicals can be due to accidental exposure to chemical such as chromic acid in industrial work places or due to use of chemicals such as copper sulphate, ethylene dibromide or ethylene glycol with suicidal or homicidal intent. 2.1.2. Hospital-acquired: The incidence of hospital acquired ARF surpasses that of community-acquired ARF by 5–10 times, being 0.15–7.20% in hospitalized patients (Nash et al., 2002). Surveysthat are used for hospital-acquired ARF under estimate the true incidence, as cases that include terminal patients are not either referred for treatment for ARF or are not screened for ARF. Out of 311 unselected hospitalized patients with ARF, 22% were referred to a nephrologist in an assessment in unselected patients. Age and comorbidities of patients at presentation influenced the referral(Zuk et al., 2001) and by different referral patterns to the site of care including district general hospital, tertiary referral centre, general ICU, and cardiothoracic ICU. In a prospective hospital-based study of ARF, the estimated incidence with need for RRT was reported to be 203 pmp/year, having patients with acute-on-chronic renal failure inclusive (Metcalfe et al., 2002). A significant elevated level in the inciden ce of hospital-acquired ARF has been observed over the period of past decades. The US National Center for Health Statistics National Hospital Discharge Survey reported that the number of hospitalizations with a diagnosis of ARF has increased dramatically, from 35,000 in 1979 to more than 650,000 in 2002, depicting an yearly rate of increase of over 13% which may be due tovarious comorbidities of the hospitalized population, increasing age of the population, increased occurrence of risk factors for ARF including chronic kidney disease and diabetes, and furtherprevalent use of intravenous contrast agents for imaging and cardiovascular techniques. Ischemic and/or toxic acute tubular necrosis (ATN) are marked the main causes of hospital-acquired ARF. Most of the time, there involves multi factorial causes including, encompassing postsurgical ATN, chemotherapy-induced ARF, ARF secondary to sepsis, contrast agents or drugs such as antibiotics, allopurinol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories and proton-pump inhibitors, and ARF due to a clot or atheroembolism. In spite of the shift in the etiology of hospital-acquired ARF over last few decades, prerenal conditions having manifestationsuch as reduced rates of renal perfusion stays to be leading causative factor of ARF (about 40% of cases). The trend in developed countries towards an elevated incidence of ARF in hospitalized patients due to drugs, different infections and surgeries has been observed in China(Wang et al., 2005)as well as in India (Prakash et al., 2003). 2.1.3. ARF in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU Patients in ICU, exhibit ARF many times associated with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (JoannidisMetnitz, 2005). The findings of a multinational epidemiological study of ARF presented results that showed occurrence of ARF in 1,738 (5.7%) patients during their stay in ICU out of total sample size of 29,269 patients in ICUs of 54 study centers in 23 countries(Uchino et al., 2005), with period prevalence ranging from 1.4% to 25.9% in all study centers. 1,260 (4.2%) of the patients out of overall patients with ARF were treated with RRT. Many ICU patients were considered for ATN in the setting of multi-organ failure (Mehta et al., 2004). 2.2. Pathogenesis: The pathogenesis of acute kidney injury most importantly comprises two mechanisms that include loss of autoregulation and increased renal vasoconstriction. In experimental animals, acute ischemic injury is found associated with a considerable loss of renal autoregulation (Abuelo, 2007). Also, in case of decrease in renal perfusion pressure, there occurs normal autoregulatory renal vasodilation, evidence has been reported exhibiting renal vasoconstriction in case of ischemic kidney. Moreover, acute ischemic insult has been found associated with rise in the response to renal nerve stimulation (Abuelo, 2007). The increase vasoconstrictor response has been observed to the exogenous norepinephrine and endothelin, in the acute ischemic kidney (Basile, 2007). These vascular anomalies experienced during ischemic kidney are related to the resultant elevation of cytosolic calcium observed in the afferent arterioles of the glomerulus. The pathogenetic role of elevated cytosolic calcium concentr ation in the afferent arteriole of the ischemic kidney is supported by the observation that intrarenal calcium channel blockers can reverse the loss of autoregulation and the subsequent rise in sensitivity to renal nerve stimulation (Abuelo, 2007). The mitochondrial calcium build-up in the ischemic kidney is found to be reversed by calcium channel blockers administration (Starkov et al., 2004). Moreover, calcium channel blockers have been shown to lessen renal dysfunction and toxicity associated with the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine following cadaveric renal transplantation, when administrated prior to the ischemic insult (Starkov et al., 2004). 2.2.1. Outer medullary congestion: The outer medullary congestion of the kidney is yet one of the vascular hallmark of acute renal ischemia. Previous research studies have proposed that the outer medullary congestion of the kidney further worsens the relative hypoxia in the outer medulla and subsequently the hypoxic injury in the S3 segment of the proximal tubule and the thick ascending limb of the Henle loop (Heyman et al., 2010). Up-regulation of adhesion molecules termed related to outer medullary