The Meaning of Life (Full Essay) Essay Example for Free

The Meaning of Life (Full Essay) Essay Somebody knocks on door: Who is there? Police? What do you want? We want to talk. How many of you are there? Two. So talk with each other. There are two types of guests: the ones, who want to stay longer, and the ones, who want to go home asap. Strangely enough, these two types are normally found in married couples. Whats worse than eating an apple and finding a worm? Eating an apple and finding half a worm. Plants discuss: Broccoli: It seems to me that I am like a tree. Walnut: And Im like little brains. Mushroom: Ha, but I look like an umbrella. Banana: I do not like this conversation Men are having a good time in bar, just one sits sad. Peter, why are you so sad? My wife was diagnosed with AIDS Men, just kidding. Why all of you get so scared? A singer during his tour arrives to a small province town and asks for a pretty high fee: Everybody knows me – says he to the chairman of local culture office, trying to persuade him. Finally the concert takes place, but only three people came to it. You are a liar, you told me that everyone knows you, but only three man came to your concert, rebels the chairman. Of course, says the singer – only those three came, who didn’t know me. In a restaurant: What would you like to eat? I would prefer to read the menu first. If you want to read, go to the library. A guy comes into a bar and asks the barman to place 10 mugs and fill in with the beer. The bartender places mugs and starts filling them. The guy follows him and drink beer immediately. The bartender asks: -Why are you so in a hurry? -If you would have, what I have, you would be also in a hurry. The bartender steps back a little bit and asks: -And what do you have? -Somewhere around 70 cents. Funny jokes from daily life Imprisonment A mother writes a letter to her sun, who is in a prison. Dear sun, lifes so hard for me since they took you to a prison: nobody digs a vegetable garden, nobody plants potatos The sun writes back to her mother: Mom, please stay away from the garden. If you start digging it, the police may come and both take you to a prison and prolong mine imprisonment.. Mother writes back to her sun: Darling, together with your last letter police came. They digged all over the garden, but havent found anything. The left being extremely frustrated. Sun writes his mom: I helped as much, as I could with this. Please plant the potatos by yourself. Funny jokes from daily life A shot Doc, isnt it harmful to drink a shot before eating? No its not, if you dont eat too often Funny jokes from daily life Glasses Doc, I think I need to wear glasses Indeed you have to, you are in a bank. Funny jokes from daily life Concert The organizers of the concert complain to the conductor of a choir: You were supposed to bring a mixed choir, but I can see only men here. But it is a mixed choir – half of them know how to sing, and the other half- do not. Funny jokes from daily life Stupid Im sorry I hurt your feelings when I called you stupid. I really thought you already knew it. Funny jokes from daily life- Teeth VS Tongue Teeth says to tongue: if I just press a little, youll get cut. Tongue replies: if i misuse a single word, all 32 of you will come out. Funny jokes from daily life the Boss A boss took one of his employees to show his new sports car. That is amazing the employee was fascinated. That is true replied boss and if you set your new goals higher and work even harder I can get an even better car next year. Funny jokes from daily life Compliment I hate it when you offer someone a sincere compliment about their mustache, and suddenly she is not your friend anymore Funny jokes from daily life Driving Man returning with his wife from guests. Drunk man drives car better than his sober wife. But there is only one problem, how to explain that to the policeman? Funny jokes from daily life Vacation Where are you going for vacation this year? I checked my budget and decided that I didnt get tired. Funny jokes from daily life fat Its not the dress that makes you look fat. Its the fat. Funny jokes from daily life: Does laugh prolong life? Is it true that 5 minutes of laugh prolongs your life by 5 minutes? It depends who you are laughing at – it may as well shorten it Funny jokes from daily life Device At the Court discussion between judge and villager: So you was propeling surrogate alcohol? Me? No! What do you mean no? You have a device for that means propeled. Then please judge me also for rape So you have raped someone also? Well no but I have a device Funny jokes from daily life Old woman The old woman comes to a gynecologist. He inspects her and says with the surprice: An old woman, youre pregnant! How did you managed at your age? Oh, those teens. They always asks to tell them everything, then show and give to try Funny jokes from daily life A fool On a beach a man shouts at another man: Tell your son not to imitate me. A man to his son: Son, stop playing the fool. Funny jokes from daily life A high fives You know what I was thinking about right now? What it would be like to have six fingers. high fives would be different. Funny jokes from daily life Debtor The best way to make somebody remember you is to borrow money from them. Funny jokes from daily life Folk Our folk not only knows how to read between the lines but also how to leave a record between the eyes. Funny jokes from daily life At the shop Can I help you? No. I just waited in the line for 30 minutes to say Hi. Funny jokes from daily life A false image I may look calm, but in my mind I have killed you three times already. Funny jokes from daily life Riches Yes, money cannot buy happiness, but it is much more comfortable to cry in a new BMW than on a bike. Funny jokes from daily life Assurance I never make the same mistake twice. I make it 5-6 times, just to be sure. Funny jokes from daily life A fence Why is there a fence around the cemetery? Because people are dying to get in. Funny jokes from daily life 100 dollar bill A: Why are you late? B: There was a man who lost a hundred dollar bill. A: Thats nice. Were you helping him look for it? B: No, I was standing on it. Funny jokes from daily life Rolls A family bought an apartment and started interior decorations. Wife tells her husband: Honey, go to the neighbors and ask how many rolls of wallpapers they have bought when they were decorating their walls. The husband went to the neighbors and he was told: Twelve rolls. The family bought twelve rolls, started decorating but at the end six rolls were left unused. Angry husband goes to the neighbors: Hey you, shitty pigs, couldn’t you have told me the truth? We have six rolls left now. We have six rolls left as well, answered the neighbor. Funny jokes from daily life Claustrofobia What is Claustrophobia? This is a fear of closed space. For example, you go to a store for a beer and are afraid that it will be closed. Funny jokes from daily life Yard How many feet are in the yard? That depends on how many people are standing in it. Funny jokes from daily life Stupid passengers The policeman stops the driver and says: You won 500 dollars for wearing a safety belt. What will you do with the winning? I do not know, probably will pass the exam for a driving license Then his wife says: Do not listen! He always talk like that when he is drunk. Passenger from rear wakes up: I told you that we wont go far away with the stolen car! At the same time voice from the trunk: Have we already crossed the border? Funny jokes from daily life Smoking.

Background to HRM at General Motors Corporation Essay Example for Free

Background to HRM at General Motors Corporation Essay General Motors Corporation (NYE: GM) is the leading American automaker in the world with its operations spanning in 157 countries. The car manufacturer was established in 1908 in Michigan and today it is headquartered in Detroit, the United States of America. Besides the domestic industry of the United States of America, General Motors manufactures cars and trucks in other 30 countries around the world. Among its brand products are Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Hummer, Holden, Opel, Saab, Pontiac, Vauxhall, and Saturn. Besides these brands that are owned by the automaker, GMC also operates joint ventures in China and Japan. That is, Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile respectively. From its Website, General Motors Corporation is among the leading American employer with 204 000 employees distributed throughout its global markets. The employees include production engineers, financial auditors, marketers, and researchers among others. Before restructuring and retrenching that took place in 2008 following a harsh global financial crisis that resulted into a loss of $37.3billion by the automaker, General motors corporation was the leading American employer with 284 000 employees (GMC, 2008). Because of its large network of global presence in 31 countries, General Motors human resource management practices entail international practices that are designed in accordance to the international operation requirements and the organizational culture designed to reduce operational costs. Majority employees of the corporation’s subsidiaries in the 31 countries are drawn from the domestic pool of local labour markets and only a few expatriates are drawn from USA as back office managers due to their wide knowledge of its organization culture (Cappelli, 1999). The Board of directors which draws from the organization’s international market presence is charged with the responsibilities of making major decisions critical to the company’s operation. According to Gustin (2008), General Motors Corporation spent up to $103 million in settling healthcare insurance benefits of its retired employees in 2007. From this information, it is evident that the American automaker provides life insurance covers for its employees upon retirement. However, following restructurung, these benefits  were stripped off and only a few employees still enjoy them today. From January 1, 2010, pension scheme of retired hourly employees of General Motors Corporation was transferred to United Autoworkers; a third party insurance firms and all permanent employees who were hired after january 1, 1993 nolonger receive health care insirance benefit upon retirement(GMC,2008). The entry salary of the global automaker is dictated by the labour laws of each market of operation and thus varied with the United States of America being the highest irrespective by job categories ( Main et al., 2007). The organization has invested in a Human Resource Management system that allows close interraction of its global employees through technology such as e-mailing and enterprise resource Management (Azrul, 2010). Marketing strategy entails presentations by field marketers to the organization’s large distributors and online follow ups. Reccommended HRM practices for GMC From the above background analysis of General Motors corporation, it is clear that the organization requires international Human Resource Management practices that will integrate the cultural diversity of its employees.The catastrophic impact of the 2008 financial ciris that resulted into massive restructuring and retrenching of its human resources also underscores the organization’s poor human resource planning. The following recommendations are prescribed for the automaker on the basis of figure 1 below. The first recommendation, is Re-designing the business strategy to target the bottom line of the market. According to Azrul (2010), one of the main reasons for the $37.4 billion loss incured by the American automaker is external market forces from competitors like Honda and Hyundai that were producing far cheaper vehicles with high efficient engines and low fuel consumption rates as compared to Genereal Motors’ brands. In the heat of global financial crisis, the market shifted to consumption of cheaper and less fuel consumers produced by the competitors resulting in huge losses by the General Motors Corporation. The new business strategy should entail  designing cars and trucks with high eficent engines and electric cars that can survive an upsurge in oil prices. This will involve an investment in manufacturing technologies that ensures high quality at reduced costs such as electric engines that uses bateries.This will give the Amecan leading automaker a competitve advantage against the stiffening market competition. The second recommendation is outsourcing of labour from China and Japan. Many Corporations prefer to manufacture their products from China because of the availability of a relatively cheaper labour force when compared to western counterparts. General Motors corporation can either outsource its human resoure from China or undertake most of its production from its Japanese and Chinese Subsidiaries. The labour laws in the two countries are relatively flexible and firendly than in the United States of America. This will help the American Automator reduce huge operational costs incured in meeting the big payroll of over 200, 000 employees. The third recommendation is integration of employees’ training in high involvement work practices. According to Konrad (2006), engaging employees of an organization in job specific training improves their productivity by increasing their job-related skills, reducing propensity of committing costly errors, and increasing their job confidence. Training of General Motors’ employees on their job specifications will improve their productivity. Ofshore trainings in China and Japan are recommended. This will allow the corporation’s manufacturing engineers to learn new efficient production technologies of Japan and China in making cheaper and highly effiecient cars. Motivational incentives such as team building sessions, delegation of duties, self-managed leadership styles, and monetary rewards will boost their commitment to the organization. The combined effect of training and motivation will necesitate restructuring of a pay roll while leveraging on improved productivity of highly productive employees. The fourth recommendation is embracing technology in Human Resource Management system to enhance global cordination of its business. According to Dreher and Dougherty ( 2002), the use of technology such as centralised Enterprise Resource Management system to co-ordinate human resource  activities of General Motors will enhance quick sharing of ideas and consultation among the global employees of the company without barriers. This will allow the organization to carry out its marketing strategies efficiently and effectively without limitation by geographical distances. Effective Human Resource Management through streamlined sofware-based systems enhances fast communication and online training which gives an organization a higher competitive advantage. The fifth recommendation is integration of social benefits such as pension and health care schemes in the reward system. From the backround information above, it is evident that General Motors Corporation with-held social benefits for employees who were hired after January 1, 1993 and transferred the remaining ones to third pary insirance firms. The American automaker also stripped healthcare benefits for retired employees beyond 65 years. Acording to Konrad (2006), social rewards like health care insurance schemes make employees feel more valued by their organizations than monetary rewards in terms of bonuses and salary increments. Also pension schemes improve employees’ commitment to their employer because of future guarantees. This reduces employees’ turnover which is essential in retaining critical human resources for continuity of operation of General Motors. High staff retention improves an organization’s competitive advantage in a complex market of operati onal rivalry. The sixth recommendation is the implementation of employee productivity management and monitoring systems such as Balanced Score Card (BSC) and High Performance Work System (HPWS) (Rouse, 2000). The latter system refers collectively to open systems, autonomouas teams and teamworks, and performance-based pay (Azrul, 2010). The implementation of the two Human Resource Management systems will improve organizational performance by providing real time employees’ information storage database from which future managerial decisions, and rewards will be based. According to Konrad ( 2006), employees of an organization are more productive when they are aware that their performance is recorded for review in determining their future rewards. Effective implementation of the Human Resource Management systems will help General Motors Corporation in categorising employees  according to their productivity rates. This information is important in determining the relevance of job training and objective restructuring in the event of a crisis like that which befell it in 2008. In this case, only high productive employees will be retained. The seventh recommendation is the implementation of an integrative pay/ reward system to inculde performance-contingency pay scheme, skill-based pay, and seniority-based pay scheme. According to performance-contingency pay scheme, the employees’ reward will be based on the performance of their working teams. This will help the automaker in creating effective self-managed and motivated teams. Skill-based pay will ensure that employees’ pay schemes are based on their job skills. For instance, production engineers will be given high pay than marketers because of their technical skills required by the organization. Seniority-based pay scheme demands that those employees who have stayed longer in the organization will get a higher pay than new comers because of their cumulative salary increements along their carrier path. Seniority-based pay scheme promotes staff retention even when the entry salary is relatively lower than the market rates because employees know that there is a room for growth. In general, General Motors Corporation should ensure total compliance with the labour markets and legal environments of their respective countries of operations before implementation of the proposed recommendations. For instance, the employment laws regarding hourly wages, minimum wage policy, employment opportunities, labour regulations, and safety rules in China are different from those of the United States of America. Therefore it is imperative that the American automaker consider their implications in setting the minimum entry wage in each country of operation. Conclusion. In conclusion, General Motors Corporation can sustain its competitive strategy as a leading automaker by embracing the above prescribed Human Resource Mangement system that integrates staff training on job related skills, outsourcing, social reward scheme, technology, and  performance-contingency pay scheme among others as strategic competiencies in its operation. The implementation of Balanced Score Card and HPWS is critical in improving the productivity of the organization’s employees. The proposed system will enhance high staff retention, high staff productivity, and objective contingency planning in times of global crises like the 2008 global financial crisis that lead to massive retrenchment by the automaker. References Azrul, A. (2010). Human Resource Management General Motors. Monash University Publication, p.1-13.From: http://www.scribd.com/doc/14812855/Human-Resource-Management-General-Motors Main, B.G.,Jackson, C., Pymm, J., Wright, V. (2007). GMC:The Remuneration Committee and Strategic Human Resource Management. University of Edinburgh publications, p.1-49. Cappelli, P. (1999). Employment Practices and Business Strategy. Oxfford, ew York : Oxford University Press. General Motors Corporation. (2008). Restructuring Plan for Long-Term Viability: Submitted to Senate Banking Committee House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Detroit: General Motors Corporation. Rouse ,D. (2000). Manufacturing Sdvantage:Why High Performance Work Systems Pay off. Journal of Team Performance Management, vol 96(5) , p.1420. Dreher, G., Dougherty,T. (2002). Human resource strategy: A behavioral perspective for the general manager. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Gustin, L. R. (2008). Billy Durant: Creator of General Motors. Ann Arbor. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Konrad, A. M. (2006). Engaging Employees Through High-Involvement Work Practices. IVEY Business Journal , n.p.From:

Link Between Social Class and Health Inequalities

Link Between Social Class and Health Inequalities The Relationship Between Social Class and Health Inequalities Introduction The birth of the NHS in 1948 was greeted with considerable optimism. It was believed that a fully comprehensive welfare state where people had their needs taken care of from the cradle to the grave would bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots. Governments were optimistic that increasing social equity would lead to a healthy and long living population, it was not envisaged that demands on the health system would increase rather than decrease. Those who founded the NHS believed that a lot of people were ill because they could not afford to pay for healthcare. This group had got bigger over the years and it was believed that once the backlog had been dealt with then there would be a reduction in the number of people who needed health care (Moore, 2002). However, instead of decreasing the number of people using the NHS continued to grow, this was partly because the idea of what constitutes good health changes over time. People demanded better and higher standards of healthcar e and medical advancements meant that conditions that people would have died from could now be cured. All of this cost money, more money than the founders of the health system had ever envisaged and therefore the health service lurched from one financial crisis to the next with its biggest shake up occurring in 1990. During the last twenty years there have been significant changes in healthcare policy making and in the way in which the NHS operates. Most of these changes have occurred because of politician’s concerns over the rising cost of public health. In the 1980s Margaret Thatcher’s Government introduced marketing and business strategies into the NHS to control expenditure on healthcare and to change the health service. The most important factor here was that of the internal market. Rather than health professionals and patients it was now purchasers and providers of healthcare. This created a two tier system that created inequalities between hospitals and between patients. It split the NHS into competing NHS Trust organisations and parts of the health service were privatised. In 1990 the Community Care Act came into force and many people who were previously institutionalised were released into the community. Most of this type of care is undertaken by social services in conjunction with the health service and with voluntary organisations. The Act placed extra burdens on families to care for ageing or disabled relatives (Walsh et al, 2000). Opponents of the system argued that marketisation would lead to greater inequalities in healthcare provision and the poorer sections of society would be even worse off. It is arguably the case that the people most affected by these changes have been those in the lower classes of society. At the start of the 1970s the mortality rate for working men in the lowest social class was twice as high as for those in the highest, but by the late 1990s the figure was three times higher. This was mainly due to a decrease in the mortality rate for the most well off members where between 1970 and 1990 the rate fell by 30% but only by 10% for members of the lower class (Walsh et al, 2000). The Conservative Government’s failure to address the recommendations of the report commissioned by them to investigate the relationship between social class and health inequalities has meant that class inequalities in the standard mortality rate and the rate of morbidity continue to be matters of substantial concern, and thus, areas for continuing research. Epidemology Epidemology is the study of health across populations rather than in the individual. It studies diseases and their spread, and how to control them. Within the study of health and illness social class is associated with physical risk factors including birth weight and obesity. It is also associated with economic factors and standards of housing and with the social and familial structure.There are detectable patterns of morbidity or illness associated with social class and death or mortality rate statistics also vary widely depending on a person’s class. Those who belong to the higher (capitalist) classes tend to live longer than those who are members of the working class. There is also a strong relationship between a person’s occupation and their life expectancy.[1] Standard Mortality Rates Browne and Bottrill (1999) have identified some of the major inequalities in health and they contend that unskilled manual workers are twice as likely to die before the age of 65 as are white collar workers in the highest class. Analysis for life expectancy differences across England and Wales from 1972-1999 found that there had been a noticeable growth in inequality in this area. During 1997-1999 males in professional occupations tended to live 7.4 years longer than males in unskilled manual occupations. The differences for women in the same period and with respect to the same categories had risen to 5.7 years from 5.3 years in the period 1972-76 There are also regional differences, males born in Glasgow between 1999 and 2001 have a life expectancy of 69 years whereas males born in North Dorset may expect to live until they are 79. Cause of death also varies by social class the major areas of health which showed such differences were, Ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease , respiratory diseases andlung cancer. Semi-skilled and unskilled workers were five and half times more likely to die of respiratory diseases between the period 1986-1999 than were managerial and professional workers. Patterns of limiting illness are also affected by social factors such as class. Forty three percent of all men were long term unemployed or had never worked and this group were five times more likely to suffer from limiting illnesses than were the nine percent that consisted of males in professional and managerial positions. During the twentieth century, as a result of improved living conditions and availability of healthcare, infant mortality had fallen substantially this is a useful indicator of the state of the nation’s health. Nevertheless differences do exist based on the economic status of fathers, birthweight, and mother’s country of birth. There was a 16% overall fall in infant mortality between 1994 and 2002 for babies whose fathers were in managerial and professional occupations, the mortality rate was highest among those babies who were registered by single mothers, for babies registered by both parents but whose fathers were in routine occupations, this fall was only 5%. The different rates within a thousand births across England and Wales are shown in figure 1 below. The figures for the standard mortality rate, although lower than previous periods in the twentieth century, tend to show a noticeable increase during the late nineteen nineties. Morbidity Rates Asthana et al (no date given)[3] undertook secondary analysis of the 1991-97 Health Survey for England found that there is a strong relationship between class and morbidity rates, although this is sometimes overshadowed by the effects of age The researchers also looked at other studies undertaken between 1984 and 2002 and again found a strong relationship between social class and self-reported morbidity. The study found that health inequalities by social class were not usually not the same for men as for women and concluded that there needed to be a separate class analysis by gender. The relationship between class and health inequalities therefore will vary by sex and will vary significantly by age. The study focussed on 16+ with respect to age and class was determined by the occupation of the head of the household. The study found that the impact of class differences was lower for the lower age groups, particularly those between 16 and 25.[4] For every one professional man who suffe rs and later die from coronary heart disease there are three unskilled workers who suffer the same. Manual workers make up 42% of the workforce but account for 72% of work related accidents. Obesity is a killer and twice the number (28%) of women in unskilled work compared to 14% of professional women were obese, and suffered from related symptoms.[5] Stomach cancer also varied with 2.2% of professionals suffering from this and 3% of manual workers, the figures were the same for cancer of the oesophagus. However deaths from cancer (of the alimentary system) varied widely. McCormak et al (1995) found that there was a strong positive relationship between social class and incidences of musculoskeletal disease such as osteoporosis. People of the lower social class were also at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes (Ismail et al, 1999).Littlejohns and Macdonald (1993) identified a strong link between social class and respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, more unskilled workers tended to suffer in this way than did those from the professional classes. There is a strong relationship between class and angina between the 45-75 age group and this increases with age. The difference is less marked for women but tends to peak in the age band 45-54.[6] There is quite a significant class difference between women suffering from raised blood pressure, 17% of professional women reported this condition whereas in unskilled occupations 24% of women said they suffered from hypertension.[7] People from the higher social class may be healthier because they tend to use medical services more often and also because they are more likely to eat a healthy diet. Most studies tend to take the view that although reported morbidity appears to have increased across the population generally the relationship between morbidity and social class has tended to remain much the same for the last ten years. Strategies to Deal with Inequalities Between Social Groups There have been a number of strategies that the Government has introduced since 1998 to combat ill health. In 2005 the Government published a report entitled Tackling Health Inequalities in an attempt to deal with the inequalities evident between different social groups. The Public Service Agreement states that by 2010 the Government will publish a progress report on whether and in what ways the measures to tackle health inequalities have been successful. In 1998 the Government introduced Health Action Zones and twenty six of them were set up in 1999 in under-privileged areas, and where the health status of the population was particularly low. The notion behind the introduction of these zones was that tackling ill health and inequalities in health was not just a job for the NHS but should be tackled by different agencies such as social services, local housing departments and primary health trusts working together to combat inequalities and improve health. Health Action Zones work in two ways, firstly they try to reduce health inequalities by addressing the wider factors associated with ill health and secondly they attempt to improve the quality of health services and increase the access to them. There is, for example a strong link between asthma and cold, damp housing, one health action zone made improvements to heating systems, insulation and damp proofing in council and private homes where children had asthma. As a result of this th ere was a reduction of hospital admissions for children with asthma and they also had less time off school (Moore, 2002). The Government also introduced something called NHS Direct, a telephone based helpline which gives advice to people who are unsure what to do about a health problem. The line not only makes health advice more accessible but in the long run saves money on unnecessary doctor or hospital appointments. NHS walk in centres are located in shopping centres and supermarkets as well as by the side of AE Departments. They are staffed by nurses who give advice and treat minor health problems (Moore, 2002). In 2002 the Government set targets to reduce health outcome inequalities by 2010 with the standards of measurement being the infant mortality rate and the life expectancy rate overall. This standard was chosen because the long term trend in the gap in mortality between professional and manual workers evidenced the fact that it had increased by two and a half times since the period 1930-32. The latest figures on infant mortality and life expectancy show a continuing of widening inequality in t hose areas with the routine and manual work group being 19% higher than the total population in the period 2001-3. Certainly the Government are aware in this report that class inequalities are in health are a result of a number of inter-related factors including diet and housing. Government claim to have invested in the area of housing so that there are less people living in housing that is not suitable to positive health outcomes. They have also taken steps to ensure that vulnerable groups can afford to heat their homes properly in winter. In their 2005 Report the Government say that their efforts to reduce child poverty are showing signs of success and that this will also contribute to children from less well off families having better health. The report claims that the number of deaths from heart disease and strokes is falling, that health inequalities generally are being reduced, and that the gap between disadvantaged areas and the country as a whole has fallen by 22% over the last six years. The Government aims to develop its Healthy Schools Programme in the most deprived communities which are measured by the number of children in receipt of free school meals.[8] The introduction of Sure Start Centres and Healthy Living Centres provide pre-school education for nearly half a million children under four at over five hundred local centres and delivering health and social services to hard to reach groups. Government have increased their campaign to get people to give up smoking with massive advertising campaigns, smoki ng clinics and a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants comes into force in the summer of 2007. Community and school initiatives to back the five a day campaign for consumption of more fruit and vegetables shows that class five families are eating more than similar families in other areas. The report claims that all new policy proposals by government departments also have to take into account health impacts and also how that might have an effect on health inequalities. There are some indications to assume that the gap in health outcomes is beginning to narrow, teenage pregnancies are beginning to fall and there has been an increase in the take up of flue vaccine among vulnerable groups since 2002. Local exercise action plans have been set up in some disadvantaged areas to encourage people to take more exercise and Government have managed to provide intermediate care for more people. Government seem to be taking a much more integrated approach to the problem, an approach which rests on the findings of the Acheson Report. The Acheson Report The Acheson Report needs to be seen in its historical context. In 1978 the Tory Government commissioned the Black Report to investigate the health of the nation. The Report was published in 1980 its brief had been to examine the reasons behind inequalities in health between different groups of people so that policy could be tailored to meet health needs. The report found that there were significant and worrying differences in health outcomes between the social classes. Research has come up with a number of different explanations for the relationship between social class and health inequalities. These are: Artefact explanations The artefact explanation is based on the argument that the growing gap between the classes is the result of a misreading of the statistics and claims for any relationship between the two should be treated with suspicion. Social Selection explanations The social selection explanation is that people who are in poor health are more likely to be unemployed or in low paid work whereas those who are healthy are more likely to have better jobs and living conditions. Cultural explanations Cultural explanations identify consumption and lifestyle as the main causes of poor health. Thus the individual must take responsibility for the sake of their health. Certainly some government campaigns have planted the suggestion that a change in lifestyle can leader to better health and greater longevity (Walsh et al, 2000). Material explanations Materialist explanations regard the cause of health inequalities as the result of wider structures of power, poor working conditions, low pay and associated living standards such as bad diet and poor housing and lack of education. The Black Report concentrated heavily on materialist explanations of health inequality. It recommended that there was a need for a more effective anti-poverty strategy and for better education to combat such inequalities. Since that time there has been a considerable amount of subsequent research e.g. Macintyre (1997) that supported these recommendations, but Margaret Thatcher dismissed the findings on the basis that its recommendations were unworkable because of the amount of public expenditure that would be required to do this. The Conservative Government concentrated on cultural explanations and placed an emphasis on individual life style choices as being the result of inequalities in health. The Black Report was highly influential on later health research and its findings have been used extensively to measure inequalities. Almost twenty years later in 1997 the Labour Government commissioned a similar report, the Acheson Enquiry. The resultant Acheson Report, published in 1998, also recognised the wider factors that contributed to the relationship between class and inequalities in health. The Acheson Report reiterated the fact that materialist explanations of ill health recognise the wider context of material deprivation and inequalities can only be reduced by addressing its root causes. Thus the Report recommended that any attempt at policy making across government departments had to pay attention to any particular health impacts, particularly as they affected those who were disenfranchised, and to legislate in favour of the less well off. The Report argued that the Government take an approach that used what it called both ‘upstream’ and ‘downstreamâ⠂¬â„¢ approaches. Upstream work is characterised by initiatives such as Health Action Zones which attempts to improve health and reduce inequalities by working on the wider factors that contribute to poor health, such as insufficient income and poor standards of housing. There was a particular focus on the inequalities that faced young families and pensioners. There was a recommendation that an automatic Income Support top-up be paid to the poorest pensioners, i.e. those totally reliant on the state pension and who might not recognise their entitlement to further benefits. Such people are also at risk of what the report termed fuel poverty and they may feel unable to heat their homes properly. Government have now substantially increased winter fuel payments to all pensioners in an attempt to lessen inequality in this area. The Acheson Report recommended that there should be an increase in benefits for parents with young children, or a decent living wage for those in unskilled occupa tions, because bringing up a young child entailed more expense than when children got older. The Report also recommended that Government should address housing problems to ensure that people at the lower end of the social scale had decent living conditions. These recommendations were taken on board by the current government who have made inroads into addressing inadequate housing, have introduced a national minimum wage, and have restructured the tax and benefits system. Downstream work is connected with improvements in the NHS and easier access to health services, particularly in deprived areas. The Government has also made inroads in this are through the use of NHS Direct, Sure Start Centres, and Healthy Living Centres. There were recommendations that health inequalities should be monitored and should take account of those groups who were often ignored in policy making, those from ethnic groups and in particular women who for too long had been seen only in terms of their husbands class and occupation.[9] It was further recommended that Government improve conditions for pregnant mothers and for all women of child bearing age to reduce health inequalities and inequalities in infant mortality rates. Conclusion Medical researchers and social scientists investigate why people have poor health, what factors contribute to this and what might be necessary to improve people’s health. Social scientists in particular are interested in all aspects of social life and in the structures that govern society. They investigate why some people have better health than others, why we are a society of rich and poor stratified into classes, and what the wider social effects of the inequalities that result from stratification might be. This paper has looked at epidemiological evidence which indicates a strong and enduring relationship between class and health inequalities. It has found that when the aims of the welfare state for healthy nation and an end to inequity were not realised and Governments found the cost of providing healthcare for all was spiralling out of control. The answer has been, what some people describe as a gradual dismantling of the welfare state and of the health service. However, while such policies may have had adverse effects New Labour’s response to the recommendations of the Acheson Report offsets some of these effects and demonstrates an integrated attempt to reduce the inequalities in health outcomes that exist between social classes. Things are not yet on the decline but there is evidence to suggest that life expectancy and morbidity figures have remained much the same for the last ten years. With new policies coming into play, and Government promises to substantially reduce health inequalities by 2010 it might be said that there is some cause for optimism that the most worrying of these inequalities may, in the future, be satisfactorily addressed. References Acheson, D. 1998. Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health Report London, HMSO Asthana, S Gibson, A. Moon, G. Brigham, P and Dicker J (no date given accessed 18/3/06) The Demographic and Social Class Basis of Inequality in Self-Reported Morbidiity: An Exploration Using the Health Survey for England http://eprints.libr.port.ac.uk/archive/00000016/01/jechdiv3.pdf Black Report Inequalities in Health London, DOH 1980 Browne, K. and Bottrill, I. 1999. â€Å"Our unequal, unhealthy nation†, Sociology Review,9 Giddens, A. 2001 4th ed. Sociology, Cambridge, Polity Press. Ismail, A.A., Beeching, N.J., Gill, G.V. and Bellis, M.A. (1999) ‘Capture-recapture-adjusted prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes are related to social deprivation’,  QJM: Monthly Journal of the Association of Physicians, vol 92, no 12, pp 707-10. Littlejohns, P. and Macdonald, L.D. (1993) ‘The relationship between severe asthma  and social class’Respiratory Medicine, vol 87, pp 139-43. McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J. (1995) Morbidity statistics from general  practice: Fourth national study,1991-1992, London: HMSO. Macintyre, S. 1997. â€Å"The Black Report and beyond: What are the Issues?† Social Science and Medicine, 44 Moore, S. 2002 3rd ed. Social Welfare Alive Gloucestershire, Nelson Thornes Townsend, P. Davidson, N. and Whitehead, M. (eds) 1988 Inequalities in Health, the Black Report and the Health Divide Harmondsworth, Penguin Walsh, M. Stephens, P. and Moore, S. 2000 Social Policy and Welfare. Cheltenham, http://www.sochealth.co.uk/history/black.htm http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fosi2004/SocialInequalities_summary.pdf accessed 18/3/06 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fosi2004/Health.pdf ch. 6 p.4 accessed 18/3/06 http://eprints.libr.port.ac.uk/archive/00000016/01/jechdiv3.pdf accessed 19/3/06 http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:STDauFm9KtQJ:image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2002/11/20/TacklingHealthInequalities.pdf+class+inequalities+in+morbidityhl=engl=ukct=clnkcd=30 accessed 19/3/06 http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/ih/part1b.htm accessed 19/3/06 http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/76/98/04117698.pdf p.6 accessed 19/3/06 Tackling Health Inequalities 2005 http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/ih/part2a.htm part 2 no page number given accessed 19/3/06 1 [1] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fosi2004/SocialInequalities_summary.pdf [2] Source http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fosi2004/Health.pdf ch. 6 p.4 [3] http://eprints.libr.port.ac.uk/archive/00000016/01/jechdiv3.pdf [4] Ibid p,8 [5] http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:STDauFm9KtQJ:image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2002/11/20/TacklingHealthInequalities.pdf+class+inequalities+in+morbidityhl=engl=ukct=clnkcd=30 [6] Ibid p,8 [7] http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/ih/part1b.htm [8] http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/76/98/04117698.pdf p.6 accessed 19/3/06 [9] http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/ih/part2a.htm part 2 no page number given accessed 19/3/06

Bears :: essays research papers

Traveling in bear country can be quite thrilling. Coming face to face with a bear would be terrifying. Most bear attacks can be avoided, but there is always a chance of encountering a bear. Although nothing is one hundred percent guaranteed effective, here are a list of some tips that might prove to be useful in a bear encounter. Be Alert in Bear Country . Always have Bear Deterrent Pepper Spray in its holster ready for immediate use. Don\'t bury it in your pack. . Be alert where recent bear activity has been documented by park officials: Fish and Game, Forest Service, and other Public Service people. Some Common areas where bears like to roam are: avalanche chutes, stream beds, dense edge cover and, in late summer, berry patches. . Use extreme caution when traveling on trails at night or at either end of the day. . Be careful with food smells - never cook close to camp. Store all foods in plastic away from camp at night when camp is unattended. Store them at least 100 yards away from camp. Hang them at least 14 feet up a tree and hung 4 feet away from the trunk. . Watch for fresh bear scant or tracks on the trail or near possible camp sites. . If possible, make plenty of noise on the trail, especially on blind curves, in dense vegetation or areas with limited vision.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Be aware of the wind - bears have an excellent sense of smell. If the wind is at your back, the chances are a bear will smell you and leave well before you reach it. If the wind is blowing in your face, the chances of an encounter will greatly increase. In high wind situations or along creeks and streams, a bear might not hear you coming or you might not hear it. . Dead animal carcass - If you come upon a dead animal carcass, immediately leave the area. Bears will often feed on a carcass for days and also stay in the area to protect their food. . Bear cubs - If you see a bear cub, chances are the mother is not far away. Female bears will fiercely defend the young, so it is best you leave the area and find a different path. . Keep dogs under control - dogs can lead an angry bear back to you. . Do not travel alone in bear country. Invite a friend.

Computational Linguistics :: Essays Papers

Computational Linguistics Computational linguistics is a discipline between linguistics and computer science which is concerned with the computational aspects of the human language. This area of computer science overlaps with the field of Artificial Intelligence. Basically, computational linguistics is a series of programs that interprets human speech into words and actions. There are a couple of different areas of computational linguistics and those areas are theoretical computational linguistics and applied computational linguistics. Each one of those areas are divided up into more areas. Theoretical computational linguistics is composed of theoretical linguistics and cognitive science. This particular area deals with formal theories about the linguistic knowledge that a human needs for generating and understanding language. This area has advanced so much, and has become so complex that it can only be managed by using computers. With these computers computational linguists develop formal models simulating aspects of the human language and then incorporates that into programs. These programs that they write constitute the basis for the evaluation and further development of their theories. Along with these theories there is another part that plays a big role in theoretical computational linguistics and that part is cognitive sciences. What I mean by that is that part of these programs interprets what is being said and then it matches it up to what is in its programming. The other part of computational linguistics is called applied computational linguistics which focuses on the practical outcome of modeling human language use. The methods, techniques, tools, and applications in this area are often subsumed under the term language engineering or (human language technology. The current computational linguistic systems are far from achieving human ability of communicating they have numerous applications. The goal for this is to eventually have a computer program that will have the same communication skills as a human being. Once this is achieved it will open doors never thought possible in computing. After all the major problem today with computing is communication with the computer. Today’s computers don’t really understand our language and it is very difficult to learn computer language, plus computer language doesn’t correspond to the structure of human thought.

The Pearl Book Report Essay -- essays research papers

Subject: It ´s a story about good luck and bad luck in a poor fisherman ´s life. The setting of the story is located in the southernmost part of California , in Mexico , near the town La Paz. It is the story of a fisherman who found a pearl beyond price , the Pearl of the World. With the pearl, he hoped to buy peace and happiness for himself, his wife and their little son. Instead he found that peace and happiness are not to be purchased. They are, themselves, pearls beyond price. The most important persons:    Kino: a young fisherman and pearl diver, very poor, wanted to give his wife and child new clothes, good food, a new house etc. So he had to find a big pearl, a giant pearl. He had to find it soon. He was strong and his black hair hung over his brown forehead. His eyes were warm and fierce and bright and his moustache was thin and coarse. Juana: Kino ´s young wife.She had dark eyes and she was always looking at him when he awakened. She was a patient, fragile wife- but Kino often wondered at the iron will in his fragile wife. She was obedient, respectful, cheerful and patient, she could arch her back in child pain with hardly a cry. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself. In the canoe she was like a strong man. She always took Coyotito out of his hanging box and cleaned him and hammocked him in her shawl in a loop that placed him close to her breast. She sang softly an ancient song that had only three notes though endless variety of interval. Coyotito: their baby -son , slept in a hanging box , was stung by a scorpion one morning. Juan Toma's: Kino ´s brother Apolonia: His fat wife. They both had four children. The doctor: he never came to the cluster of brush houses. Why should he, when he had more than he could do to take care of the rich people who lived in the stone and plaster houses of the town. He was stout, his voice was hoarse with the fat that pressed on his throat. His eyes rested in puffy little hammocks of flesh and his mouth drooped with discontent. He had a red watered silk dressing gown that had come from Paris, a silver tray, a silver chocolate pot, etc. The furnitures in his room were heavy and dark and gloomy. He had religious pictures hanging in his house, and a photograph of his dead wife.    Plot synopsis: The fisherman Kino lived with his ... ...ana and Kino reached La Paz, all people were present. Kino took the pearl in his hand, drew back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might. They saw the little splash in the distance. When the pearl sank down to the bottom, the music of the pearl disappeared in Kino ´s head.    Ideas, opinions and comments: If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it. In the town of the fishermen they tell the story of the pearl, they tell of Kino,of his wife and of the baby, Coyotito. And because the story has been told so often, it has taken root in every man ´s mind. It ´s the story of a great pearl, how it was found and how it was lost again. All retold tales are in people ´s hearts, like this one. And there are only good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and there is no in-between anywhere. Being a pearl fisher in former days, was a hard and dangerous trade. Day after day, Kino went out in his boat, weighted himself around the waist with a big rock, and went down to the bottom of the sea, where the pearls were hidden. It was a trade which allowed a man only a few short years. The Pearl Book Report Essay -- essays research papers Subject: It ´s a story about good luck and bad luck in a poor fisherman ´s life. The setting of the story is located in the southernmost part of California , in Mexico , near the town La Paz. It is the story of a fisherman who found a pearl beyond price , the Pearl of the World. With the pearl, he hoped to buy peace and happiness for himself, his wife and their little son. Instead he found that peace and happiness are not to be purchased. They are, themselves, pearls beyond price. The most important persons:    Kino: a young fisherman and pearl diver, very poor, wanted to give his wife and child new clothes, good food, a new house etc. So he had to find a big pearl, a giant pearl. He had to find it soon. He was strong and his black hair hung over his brown forehead. His eyes were warm and fierce and bright and his moustache was thin and coarse. Juana: Kino ´s young wife.She had dark eyes and she was always looking at him when he awakened. She was a patient, fragile wife- but Kino often wondered at the iron will in his fragile wife. She was obedient, respectful, cheerful and patient, she could arch her back in child pain with hardly a cry. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself. In the canoe she was like a strong man. She always took Coyotito out of his hanging box and cleaned him and hammocked him in her shawl in a loop that placed him close to her breast. She sang softly an ancient song that had only three notes though endless variety of interval. Coyotito: their baby -son , slept in a hanging box , was stung by a scorpion one morning. Juan Toma's: Kino ´s brother Apolonia: His fat wife. They both had four children. The doctor: he never came to the cluster of brush houses. Why should he, when he had more than he could do to take care of the rich people who lived in the stone and plaster houses of the town. He was stout, his voice was hoarse with the fat that pressed on his throat. His eyes rested in puffy little hammocks of flesh and his mouth drooped with discontent. He had a red watered silk dressing gown that had come from Paris, a silver tray, a silver chocolate pot, etc. The furnitures in his room were heavy and dark and gloomy. He had religious pictures hanging in his house, and a photograph of his dead wife.    Plot synopsis: The fisherman Kino lived with his ... ...ana and Kino reached La Paz, all people were present. Kino took the pearl in his hand, drew back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might. They saw the little splash in the distance. When the pearl sank down to the bottom, the music of the pearl disappeared in Kino ´s head.    Ideas, opinions and comments: If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it. In the town of the fishermen they tell the story of the pearl, they tell of Kino,of his wife and of the baby, Coyotito. And because the story has been told so often, it has taken root in every man ´s mind. It ´s the story of a great pearl, how it was found and how it was lost again. All retold tales are in people ´s hearts, like this one. And there are only good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and there is no in-between anywhere. Being a pearl fisher in former days, was a hard and dangerous trade. Day after day, Kino went out in his boat, weighted himself around the waist with a big rock, and went down to the bottom of the sea, where the pearls were hidden. It was a trade which allowed a man only a few short years.

An Unfortunate Influence and Its Tragic Outcome Essay

In every person’s life there are many factors that occur throughout, both negative and positive influences that alter the path one chooses. In the world renowned play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the tragic outcome is brought about by the lovers’ trusted friend, Friar Lawrence. To begin with, Friar Lawrence is to blame for setting the events into motion by marrying Romeo and Juliet. Then, Friar Lawrence is responsible for Juliet receiving the potion that causes everyone to believe that she is truly dead. Finally, Friar Lawrence could have prevented the two deaths by simply making sure that Romeo gets the message as he assured Juliet he would. So ultimately, Friar Lawrence is responsible for the star crossed lovers’ demise, because they wrongly trust the Friar and his influence causes Romeo and Juliet to make all the wrong decisions thus bringing about their downfall. Before any tragic incidents actually occur in the play, Friar Lawrence sets the entire series of unfortunate events into motion by secretly marrying Romeo and Juliet. When Romeo first arrives at the Friar’s cell to declare the love he now feels for Juliet, Friar Lawrence immediately notes how foolish Romeo is being, for just the day before he had been so in love with Rosaline and devastated that she did not return that love. Friar Lawrence says, â€Å"Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, / So soon forsaken? †¦ And art thou chang’d? Pronounce this sentence then: / Women may fall, when there’s no strength in men† (2.3.66-80). Friar Lawrence right away states that it is ridiculous that Rosaline, with whom Romeo was borderline obsessed, has already been replaced with a girl in a matter of days. However, Friar Lawrence then blatantly turns around and contradicts what he says about Romeo behaving foolishly, by agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence agrees saying, â€Å"In one respect I’ll thy assistant be. / For this alliance may so happy prove, / To turn your households’ rancour to pure love† (2.3.90-92). Friar Lawrence agrees to secretly wed Romeo and Juliet despite what he says earlier about the proposal. Friar Lawrence could have easily prevented the tragedy if he had just gone with his first instincts. However, he sees the opportunity to stop the feuding between the Capulets and Montagues and jumps at it to become the big hero, therefore making him selfish and irresponsible as well as a bad influence. Friar Lawrence sets Romeo and Juliet’s deaths into motion the second he agrees to Romeo’s plan, and in doing so Friar Lawrence is to blame for the untimely deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Not only does Friar Lawrence trigger Romeo and Juliet’s demise, he also continues the chain of tragic decisions by giving Juliet the sleeping potion that leads Romeo to kill himself. When Juliet runs to Friar Lawrence’s cell in utter desperation, he should have taken the time to advise her against such drastic measures and help her make the responsible choice where Romeo is concerned. Instead, Friar Lawrence hands her a sleeping potion that will create the illusion of death for the drinker: Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilling liquor drink thou off,†¦ Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead (4.1.93-108). Friar Lawrence assures Juliet that everything will be okay and the potion will work in tricking her parents and Paris into believing she is truly dead. He places the vial in her hand and does not do anything to prevent Juliet from making this fatal decision. Friar Lawrence just continues to reassure Juliet by saying, â€Å"And hither shall he come, and he and I /Will watch thy waking, and that very night / Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua† (4.1.115-117). Friar Lawrence promises Juliet that word of their plans will reach Romeo and when she wakes from her sleep-like trance, Romeo will be there to run away with her to Mantua. Friar Lawrence just keeps on telling Juliet that it will all work out fine, without pausing to think about all the possible dangers and side effects that may come from drinking the vial. Again, Friar Lawrence is being irresponsible and rash, holding two teen’s lives in his hands. Friar Lawrence gets carried away and swept up in Romeo and Julietâ €™s twisted fantasy and helps Juliet make a foolish decision that helps bring about the lover’s demise. Therefore, Friar Lawrence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Even after all the irresponsible choices Friar Lawrence makes throughout the play, he still could prevent the tragic outcome by simply making sure that Romeo receives news of the Friar’s and Juliet’s plan. But alas, Friar Lawrence does not follow through and assure that the messenger arrives soundly in Mantua. One of the main reasons Juliet is able to take the potion without many concerns or worries is because she thinks that when she wakes in the monument, Romeo will be there to whisk her away with him. When Juliet is confused and in a highly vulnerable state, Friar Lawrence hands her the vial saying, â€Å"In the mean time, against thou shalt awake, / Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift† (4.1.113-114). Friar Lawrence tells Juliet that while they wait for her to awake, Romeo will receive a letter informing him of their plans. However, the messenger Friar Lawrence sends, Friar John, never makes it to Romeo and by the time Friar Lawrence actually finds out, h e knows that a great mistake has taken place and danger is going to ensue: Unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood, The letter was not nice but full of charge, Of dear import, and the neglecting it May do much danger (5.3.17-20). Friar Lawrence finally realizes the danger that Romeo and Juliet face. He understands that something terrible may happen because the information never reaches Romeo. However, it is too late by the time he arrives at the monument and Romeo, who received false information from Balthasar, is already lying dead beside his stirring wife. When Juliet does officially wake, she is devastated to see her loving Romeo dead, and desperate to be with him again. Instead of calming Juliet down and bringing her to safety, Friar Lawrence selfishly runs away when he hears the Watch coming. He leaves a desperate teenage girl there to stab herself and be with her Romeo for eternity. The incident with the letter leads Romeo to commit suicide and subsequently have Juliet kill herself to be with Romeo. The Friar does not make sure that the letter reaches Romeo and two premature deaths occur instead, conclusively leaving Friar Lawrence to blame. Friar Lawrence is a trusted friend and confident of Romeo and Juliet, yet he negatively influences the two lovers and guides them down a wrong path ending with a double suicide. Friar Lawrence triggers the start of the downfall by irrationally agreeing to wed Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence then gives Juliet bad counsel and advises her to make a catastrophic decision the second he places the vial of sleeping potion into her palm. Friar Lawrence still could evade the entire tragedy, but inadvertently breaks his promise to Juliet and never assures that the letter makes it to Romeo in Mantua. The star crossed lovers’ downfall is caused by the irresponsible and selfish Friar Lawrence because if Romeo and Juliet had not gone to Friar Lawrence for counsel and advice, they would not have been encouraged to follow through with their foolish fantasy and lived. The love between Romeo and Juliet was genuine, and the pain they felt when they heard of the other’s death was real. Kn owing that one person, especially someone as close to them as Friar Lawrence, is to blame for the tragic ending is horrible and tragic in itself, because if Friar Lawrence had just thought through his actions Romeo and Juliet might have lived a long and happy life together.