Muay Thai

Muay Thai Muay Thai is well known as one of the most dangerous sports around the world. Coming from Thailand it has its roots from many ancient forms of Asian martial arts also similar to the style of kick boxing and strike force. Muay as local people call it has an old history full of great fighters. Due to the terrible economy in Thailand it never got too much attention. Instead, it has remained a national sport and part of the folklore. Muay Thai has similar rules to every non-weapon fight sport, but knees and  elbows are allowed.It is practiced in a ring. The brutality of the fights makes the sport sometimes have a critical end where fighters go out on a stretcher. Nowadays, Thailand is considered the capital of this sport, and famous fighters have moved there for long periods of time in order to perfect the techniquee. Thailand considers muay thai part of the folklore and the impact it has in society is big. Muay Thai has an old history has been known since 1700 when the Burme se troops surrounded a big group of Thais where kick boxers were and took them to Burma.The king of Burma, King Mangra, wanted to make a festival for Buddha’s religion where he included a lot of entertainment. At the end as a closing event king wanted to see who was the best between the Burmesses fighters and the Thai kick boxers. Nai Khanomtom was selected to fight against the best Burmesses fighters. At the end of the first fight, the Burmese fighter collapsed, so the king asked Khanomtom to fight the best nine fighters from Burma, beating all of them one after the other with no stopping. Muay Thai. †Ã‚  Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. . Thai Boxing is a very respectful and strict sport. The sport is linked to the Buddhist religion and the respect the fighters feel for their professors and superiors is shown by a kind of dance known as nak nmuay. This dance occurs just before the fight and it also has a sense of gratitude to their pro fessors, and what they have taught them. Since a very young age Thai ighters are playing around rings, and even though they do not know how to fight they play child games, and later on they get to know all the gear just by playing although they do not know what it is for. Nak muay, as Thai fighters are known for start training since childhood and as they grow  fights are set one after the other. Some families, dedicated to this spot, live inside the fight campus outside the city. The father, usually after being a champion, trains his child to fight and the money the child gains from winning is used to get food and pay for family things.The techniques they learned are combined with their own style, and that allows the fighters to create variations of the same kicks and punches. The ascension of king Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to the throne in 1868 ushered in a Golden Age not only for muay but the whole country. â€Å"Muay Thai. †Ã‚  Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. . Muay progressed greatly during the reign of Rama V as a direct result of the king’s personal interest in the art. The country was at peace and muay functioned as a mean of physical exercise, and recreation. â€Å"What Is Muay Thai. †Ã‚  WCK Muay Thai RSS. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. . ) . Nowadays there are remarkable fighters well known around the world as Yodsanklai who fights for Fairtex, the biggest company of muay Thai equipment. Buakaw Pranuk a promising fighter who held the title of K1 (Japanese tournament where the winner is named the best stand up fighter in the world) two times. Knee strikes are possibly the most deadly movements a Muay Thai practitioner has.Knees are often used in the clinch, where a boxer grabs the head of the other boxer and pulls his body down while the knee is thrown upward. A good knee strike delivered in the head can exert enough force to lift a car. Knees may also be thrown to the body, or in a flying knee s trike, where the boxer jumps and throws the knee at his opponent face. A flying knee strike, when landed, will almost certainly end a fight by knockout. (â€Å"Thread: Muay Thai Essay for School. †Ã‚  Muay Thai Essay for School. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. . ) In conclusion, this martial art is the perfect combination of every part of the body that could be used as a weapon. At the same time, it is also part of the history of Thailand. Muay Thai gyms can be found all around the world, full of fighters that believe that there is no limit between them and the sky. This martial art is finding its own path in many fighting professional leagues, as UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), K1, Strike force and others. I believe Muay Thai helps people not only to exercise, but to grow spiritually and mentally.

Brand Sense/Marketing: McDonald’s Hamburgers Essay

Figure 1 This figure illustrates how McDonald’s hamburger is presented to the public. The picture looks so appealing enough to make people crave to taste how it is like when combining the fresh and nutritious ingredients together. The picture alone tells that the food is very delicious by its look, that it produces enchanting smell; and when a person touches it, its soft and thick bread would be enough to satisfy his craving. Analyzing the ads in view of the senses presented in the diagram gives the brand manager the criteria in assessing how effective the ads is in arousing the interest and craving of the people towards the product. In the same way, this also guides him/her to determine a particular sensory activity he would employ in a particular product. Figure 2 Using the twelve components in the ‘Smash your Brand’ philosophy of Martin Lindstrom, McDonald’s hamburgers communicate the true personality of the company. This principle applies the idea of uniqueness that makes the product relevant to its customers. This uniqueness is applied in various components as discussed by Lindstrom. The M shape icon and the McDonald’s mascot that represent it appear so customer friendly while the combination of yellow and white and a little red gives relaxing mood. Actually the name McDonald is an American folksong that creates an image as ‘plain folk. ’ In my opinion, McDonald’s will survive smashing because it communicates goodwill and friendly customer service in many aspects of services. ‘Smash your Brand’ as another device through which a marketing scheme is being conceptualized, is holistic in approach. For a marketing plan, using this approach is quite mind-numbing and tedious because in the first place this particular approach is done by the organization as a whole to impose a change in the company. Once the initiative is from the upper level, marketing department will also follow and will create a plan based on the set corporate goals. Perhaps, what could be done is basically orchestrating what the company is and what the company does. This is what it means by â€Å"communicating a heart. † Thus, this diagram will become effective only when the company has the message and identity to tell the public. Figure 3 McDonald’s hamburger is authentic because of its drive to perfect its product by making it real in terms of quality represented by the product’s color, simplicity of the images, richness in ingredients, and values explained in text (McDonald’s). Perhaps this authenticity testing is utilized or suggested by Lindstrom because it aims to measure the impact of the ads to the intended audience. As an emotional testing, its authenticity will help to enhance the customers’ motivation to patronage the product. The device is helpful I guess in order to strengthen the impact of the advertisement. Figure 4 To realize that a product meets another level of customer’s satisfaction is a good indication that the ad as well as the product is really tempting and alluring. In case of McDonald’s hamburgers as shown in an internet ad, the food is really tempting by its look; however, it becomes more enticing because the nutrition content will satisfy ‘my’ body. The level of understanding regarding the benefit of the product will heighten the interest of the person to buy the product. The emotional profile therefore provides another avenue in the advertisement that will make it more effective and convincing. Application Lindstrom provides novel idea in making marketing truly relevant to the needs of the people. These diagrams and models are useful therefore in conceptualizing and figuring out marketing strategies and action that will be appealing enough to cultivate interest to a lot of people amidst many competitions. What brand managers understand is that marketing does not rely solely on advertisement. It involves concerted actions and effort that aim to promote and to sell the product. The primary end of the effort is to increase the sales. Lindstrom conceptualized those models, which for him will facilitate the planning stage of the brand managers. However, the models require a lot of work analysis and sometimes limit the creativity because it tends to bind the strategies on the models. What most marketing managers or brand managers are doing is looking through some ways that will make their product unique from the rest; they do not limit any possibility. Regarding this, it is important to realize that branding is different from marketing. Branding is â€Å"about performance†¦ is a tool for delivering your business objectives: a means to an end, not an end in itself† (Barlow & Stewart, p. 17). It is therefore aims to bring the customer close to the product and not the product to the customer; the latter is the marketing job. Branding and marketing require two different courses of actions. Secondly, the brand manager must conceptualize what could provide solution to the customers’ needs and problems. That is the key towards identifying effective branding strategies. The best way to do this is conducting researches that will identify those needs. The brand must in the first place dwell within the hearts and minds of the clients. Third, after the courses of action have been finalized, use Lindstrom’s models to analyze the weaknesses and strengths of the strategies. With this suggestion, planning will become systematic and that Lindstrom will become useful. Reference Barlow, J. & Stewart, P. (2004). Branded Customer Service. USA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Lindstrom, M. (2005). Brand Sense: How to Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Smell, Sight & Sound. USA: Kogan Page Publishers. McDonald’s. http://cep. mcdonalds. com/qualityfood/.

Immigration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Immigration Law - Essay Example (thomson 5) The first type is that of the skilled workers who come to UK under the official work permit scheme. These migrants make up about a third of the business and information services sector and a quarter of the healthcare sector. The second category of immigrants is composed of the relatives of British citizens coming to join them. These are frequently not economic migrants and do not contribute to the country with work. The third category is made of asylum seekers. Lastly, the fourth type is made up of illegal immigrants. The British Government has formulated policies that welcome the first type into its fold. But its policies regarding the other three are getting more and more stringent. As we will find out later in this paper that non-EEA immigrants who are not skilled are increasingly finding themselves excluded from the job market in the UK. (a) Non- EEA workers usually work under the work permit scheme. This scheme was formalized in 1980. In this scheme, the employer has to apply on behalf of a particular employee for a specific job. He has to show that there are no other resident workers available for the same job and with the requisite skills and experience. Work permits are then granted for work up to five years, and workers are then eligible to apply for 'indefinite leave to remain.' The employer has to support the application for it to be granted. (b) Under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme farmers and growers and students in full time education can take up work for a period of not exceeding three months. The government has increased the quota of workers under this scheme recently. (c) Another scheme is the Working Holidaymaker Scheme, which provides the young Commonwaealth citizens to holiday for 2 years in the UK and work alongside full-time for 50% of the time or work part-time for more than 50% of their stay. This provides a good avenue for work for migrants from non-EEA countries. (d) There is also a Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, under which highly talented and accomplished individuals are taken in as workers in UK. In this scheme, the application comes directly from the individuals, not the employers. They are assessed on a point system which covers qualifications, experience, to some extent age, etc. (e) Under the Innovators Scheme those individuals are allowed entry into the UK who have business ideas which will bring economic benefit to the UK but they are not qualified under any other scheme. (f) The last group of workers is Asylum seekers and refugees. The asylum seekers are normally not allowed to work while their applications are under consideration. However, if a decision has not come after six months, they can apply for permission to work. After they are granted refugee status, they can freely work and do not need to be granted permission from the Home Office to do so. 2. Policies governing Immigrants and Asylum seekers 2.1 The British Government has passed, over many years, several acts governing the issues related with immigrants and asylum seekers. These are: Immigration Act 1971, Immigration Act 1988, Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993, Asylum and Immig

History of Hong Kong Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History of Hong Kong - Research Paper Example A distinctive Hong Kong identity detached from that of the mainland China has remained intact, as Gordon Mathews affirms who is a professor and an anthropologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 94% of Hong Kong people are ethnic Chinese, but the unique aspect about Hong Kong people is that they do not feel a love for mainland China. 20 – 25% of Hong Kong people do, but the majority of them do not. They might utter â€Å"I love China, but it is the people I love and not the country†. Political organization Hong Kong is among the 2 specific administrative expanses of the Republic of China, the Macau being the other. It is a city-state located on the south coast of China and encircled by South China Sea and the River Pearl Delta. It is recognized for its expansive, deep natural harbor and skyline (Carroll, 2007). With a land mass reaching 1,104 (km2) and a 7 million population, Hong Kong remains one of the most densely populous areas in the world. The population of Hong Kong is 95% ethnic Chinese and 5% coming from other groups (Carroll, 2007). Hong Kong's Han Chinese mostly originates from the cities of Taishan and Guangzhou in the neighboring province of Guangdong (Carroll, 2007). Hong Kong got colonized by Britain after the 1st Opium War. Originally cramped into Hong Kong Island, the boundaries got extended to Kowloon Peninsula in stages in 1860 and later the New Territories in around 1898. It got occupied by Japan shortly after the start of the Pacific War, but the British Empire resumed control till 1997, when China took sovereignty (Carroll, 2007). The region adopted minimum government interposition under the code of positive non - interventionism on the colonial era. The period appreciably influenced the present Hong Kong culture, often called "East meets West", and an educational system that used to loosely monitor the system in England till reforms got implemented in 2009 (Carroll, 2007). Under the "one country with two systems" prin ciple, Hong Kong has a diverse political system from China. Independent judiciary of Hong Kong works under the common law structure. Hong Kong Basic Law remains constitutional document, which lays down that Hong Kong, shall possess "a high degree of autonomy" under all matters except military defense and foreign relations, which governs the political system (Carroll, 2007). Although it has a growing multi - party system, a trifling - circle electorate controls a half of its legal system. That is, the Hong Kong Chief Executive, head of government, gets chosen by an Electing Committee with 400 to 1,200 total members (Carroll, 2007). Socio - Cultural structure The Hong Kong culture can best be defined as a foundation that started with China, and developed being more influenced by British colonization. Despite the 1997 sovereignty transfer to the China Republic, Hong Kong continues to embrace an identity of its own culture. Given that the demographic preponderance of Hong Kong people, t hey are ethnically Chinese and naturally lean towards eastern type of culture, but with a dense western influence too. Majority of people in Hong Kong contemplate themselves as "Hong Konger" or "Hong Kongese" instead of "Chinese" for they feel like if they say they are Chinese, people would deliberate they are from central China, which, for many explanations, they do not like

Whats Holding Back Small Businesses Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whats Holding Back Small Businesses - Article Example The hardest hit is small businesses due to the small capital base as they are not able to invest in big research projects to propel the business entity forward and continue to maintain their market share or better still increase the market share (Shleifer, 2004). The major challenge according to the article is not related to overregulation or taxation but low demand for business products. Over thirty percent of American small businesses attributed their underperformance mainly to poor sales. However, the research carried out by the National Federation of Independent Business also attributed the underperformance to competition from large businesses, financing and interest rates, insurance cost and availability, red tape, government requirements, cost of labor and quality of labor among others. All these factors are mostly attributed to the global inflation facing the world economy. The debate in the recent past on how to improve growth of small businesses and encouraging hiring has concentrated on transforming the tax picture to be more business-friendly. However, from the research, small businesses attribute underperformance to other factors other than taxes. Only a small percentage, about 17-22%, of the businesses attribute underperformance to the amount of taxes paid to the government. Though the government has imposed hefty taxes on the businesses, the amount paid to the authority as tax has little impacts on the performance of the businesses. Businesses are just tax collection agencies to the government as the amount of money collected from the client is that which is paid as tax. Businesses transfer the tax burden to their clients and thus businesses do not pay taxes but collect tax from their clients on behalf of and later submit their collections to the government. The other factor holding down small businesses is the accessibility of loans to stimulate growth in operations.

Gender roles and Marriage Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender roles and Marriage - Thesis Example While sex refers to the biological classification into male and female categories, gender indicates social classification of the masculine and feminine attributes. On the other hand identity depends on ones self realization about his or her sexual category. In the paper two stories have been taken up for study – ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber and ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Kate Chopin. In the former work, Mr. Mitty tries to build his masculine identity through his regular daydreams and in the second work, Mrs. Mallard tries to gain freedom from the repressive bond of marriage and a kind of sexual freedom is experienced after she hears the news of her husband’s death. In fact both these characters of opposite gender tries to gain freedom in their own ways. Mr. Walter Mitty attempts to gain freedom from the influence of his dominating wife who apparently always has the last word. The institution of marriage can be repressive ow ing to the influence of gender roles. ‘The Story of An Hour’ by the American writer Kate Chopin talks about the central character Mrs. Mallard’s reaction and mental transformation on hearing the news of her husband’s death and the mix of emotions experienced by the frail woman. Widowhood does cause some sorrow but within minutes it brings forth a new opportunity and light to the journey of life. The transformation in thoughts and a feeling of some kind of freedom gradually replaces the initial feeling of loss. In this case the freedom enjoyed within shows how repressive the marriage could be. This is not really written to criticize the character of Mr. Mallard as a repressive husband but through the reactions of his wife, it mocks this supposedly happy union. The open window, the comfortable chair, ‘delicious breath of rain’ and the tops of the trees that were ‘all aquiver with the new spring life’, all indicate an underlying feeling of regeneration or rebirth and a m ind which is open to the change and the new life that will belong solely to her. The open window through which she stares at the sky represents a glance at life through the eye of freedom. Mrs. Mallard was ‘young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength’; this description has been used as a tool to highlight the change that was taking place within. She was gaining her strength from the expectation of a new life approaching her. These new oncoming years have been portrayed like â€Å"creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air†. (Chopin, 1894) Chopin’s story bears significance to The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman where the wife finally protests against her husband who does not want her to write and always asks her to rest and sleep like a sick woman. Again, there are sexual overtones in the story that cannot be overlooked. The initial ‘stor m of grief’ is almost indicative of a sexual urge or release, which goes hand in hand with the term ‘wild abandonment’. The quivering of the trees is analogous with the thighs that aquiver with sexual anticipation. The term ‘haunted’ signifies that she was craving for it from within and therefore this freedom meant physical or sexual freedom as well (Eggins, 2004, p.39) She also prays that her life may be long. This shows the immense joy experienced. The expression in her eye has also changed from a dull glare to a look of ‘feverish triumph’. As she came down the stairs into the living room, being supported by her sister, Mr.

BP Oil Spill Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BP Oil Spill - Research Paper Example The commissioners have shown their concern that if the oil washes up to the coast then the tourism industry will get destroyed and the city will have to suffer financial crisis. The Federal Government must introduce certain laws and policies that are in concern with the issue of oil spills. The company responsible for the oil spill must be held responsible of all the damage and destruction that has been resulted due to the oil spill. The financial loss that has been occurred due to the oil spill must be taken by the company who caused it. An oil spill cause a lot of damage to the marine and aquatic life and if this oil spill reaches the coast it destroys the beauty of the coast and causes great harm to the tourism industry of that country. The company should be made to pay the amount equal to the total loss that the country will have to suffer as a result of this. When an oil spill reaches the coast the fine sand, huts, other shops, malls, parks, walking tracks, etc. all are affected; this results in a great loss for the country. An oil spill does not instantly reach the coast; it takes almost a few days for an oil spill to spread out and reach the coast. However, the number of days it takes for the oil to reach the coast depends upon where the oil spillage has started. Once it comes to the knowledge of the city manager or commissioner that an oil spill is on its way to their coast they must take precautionary measures like vacate the beach, remove stalls and huts and those bodies that are not fixed so that they do not become the victim of oil spillage. The oil and gas company responsible for the spillage must be made responsible to pay the full cost of the spillage and for the restoration of the environment to its natural state. As well as the company would have to pay full compensation to those whose businesses have been affected by this disaster. A fine must also be imposed on the oil and

Procedures for the Release of Electronic Health Information Assignment - 1

Procedures for the Release of Electronic Health Information - Assignment Example Moreover, the burden of maintaining confidentiality lies with health care providers and staff that may have access to the medical record. The patient relies on the understanding of these laws well by the heath providers. The implementation of these laws without patients’ right violation is the main aim of the release of electronic health records. U.S. Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") was enacted by the US to help in the governance of the release of health records. It is important to note that although HIPAA Privacy Regulations may impose additional requirements on Maryland disclosure law, they do not replace Maryland state law unless the patient is provided less protection under the state law. Electronic health information is a digitized version of a patient’s record book; it contains a patient’s medical history, treatment plans, immunization dates, medications, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results. It also allows access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care. It also eases the service providers’ workflow since the whole system is automated. The EHR allows the sharing of information between several health care organizations in case of referrals. Such information could be very vital to a patient therefore the issuance of such information should be done carefully under regulations. It’s only fair the patient’s privacy rights be observed. This therefore has led to the need for a procedure in the release of medical records. Medical records are expected to be confidential, up to date and very accurate. These records are owned by the health care provider and are kept with the aim of benefiting the patient. Therefore, the service provider is tasked to guard this information against any illegal adjustments, loss, tamper, or unauthorized persons use. The

Decisions in Paradise Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decisions in Paradise Paper - Essay Example Issues Kava is an island located in the South Pacific. The country has certain social problems due to the fact that the region has a very diverse ethnic and cultural background. Diversity can lead to problems of segmentation between the populations. Another issue with the population of Kava is that the age composition is extremely low. In Kava over 50% of the population is under the age of 15. For business a population with such a low median age is bad because minors are not a part of the labor force of a nation. There are health concerns within the population of Kava. The country has been hit hard by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. If a lot of the employees are infected with the HIV virus this could have a negative impact on the company because the insurance costs are going to be high. Another issue with the population of Kava is that a large portion is indigenous. Indigenous cultures tend to have lower levels of formal education in comparison with urban cultures. A major business risk of do ing business in Kava is that the region is susceptible to multiple natural disasters scenarios including earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes. The Kava territory is also susceptible to terrorist threats from internal and external sources. Problem Statement Kava is a country that has had troubles attracting foreign investment due to the underdevelopment of the region and the high risk of natural disasters. There is nothing the people of Kava can do about the inherent business risk that nature poses to companies that penetrate this marketplace. Environmental Analysis Doing business in Kava is a high risk proposition for Starbucks Cafe. The country is susceptible to many kinds of natural disasters. To offset the risk of this proposition the company can invest in insurance, but the premiums are going to be high. Despite the country’s susceptibility to natural disasters the country has valuable strategic agricultural crops for Starbuck s Cafe including coffee and cocoa. Due to the high unemployment and necessity of the region Kava would be a perfect location to implement a fair trade coffee plantation. Stakeholders Perspective There are numerous stakeholders that must be considered in any expansion plan into Kava. As a company investing in a foreign market the firm must act in the best interest of the shareholders. The shareholders of Starbucks Cafe expect expansion projects to generate a profit. To accept the project its net present value (NPV) must be higher than cero (Besley & Brigham, 2000). A second stakeholder group that must be considered is the government of Kava. The government of Kava is looking for ways to decrease the unemployment rate and increase its tax revenues. The only way for the government to achieve those goals is by attracting foreign investment. A third stakeholders group that has to be considered is the population of Kava. There are a lot of children living in Kava. Employing the adult popu lation will enable the parents to be able to provide food, medicine, and shelter to the innocent children. A large portion of the population of Kava is composed of indigenous people. Protecting their unique culture and identity is important. The diversity of the population

Family seperation Essay Example for Free

Family seperation Essay Although in this scene they annoy the teacher Linda doesnt dream of swearing at the teacher and finds it hard to call the teacher a name, she stutters and comes out with you big worm but in Edwards scene in a polite manner he swears at the teacher have all the courage this is ironic. The problem of staging various locations: Me and my group acted out pg 47 which showed different locations. Mrs Johnstone begins with talking about children including her son she is narrating this. And then once she has finished the scene cuts and goes straight into Mrs Lyons teaching Edward to dance. Because these scenes where so close together as a group we decided that for this to be effective we would have the whole scene with a blackout with only a spotlight on Mrs Johnstone and Mickey first. Then After Mrs Johnstone and Mickey finish talking we would immediately change the spotlight to Mrs Lyons and Edward. By doing this make the scene a lot more effective than having to walk on and off stage moving props ect. The three scenes we chose where: In the hospital Where Mrs Johnstone has just had the two boys and Mrs Lyons takes one of them. Â  When Mickey is arrested. Mickey is told by Mrs Lyons about Linda and Edward. These scenes are essential because if these scenes didnt occur then the whole plot would never have happened. These scenes affect the main characters and are what the novel is about. The First scene: The scene begins with Mrs Johnstone holding her new born children, talking to a nurse that comes in this builds up. Mrs Lyons enters and takes one of the twin boys. If this scene didnt happen then the two boys would never had been separated and Mickey would never have been arrested and suffered from his depression. This scene is what makes the story and without it the story would have never happened and also the final scene which two is quite important. The second scene: This is the beginning of Mickeys reason for depression. The scene starts with Mickey and Sam committing a robbery and Mickey is arrested. He becomes mentally ill and is unable to do things for himself. He becomes addicted to his anti-depression tablets. After all this Linda cant cope and turns to Edward whom both seem to get very close, Mickey learns of this and the build up of the final scene. With out this scene the final scene would not have happened. The final scene: This scene is where Mrs Lyons tells Mickey of Linda and Edwardss betrayal, at first Mickey doesnt believe it but Mrs Lyons takes it a step further and proves it. This is a twist because in the play you see Mrs Lyons feelings towards her son and you think that they have a strong bond and a good mother and son relationship. But from this scene you can clearly see theres some kind of jealousy. Mickey cant take anymore and has suffered enough already so he takes the gun which the robbery had been committed and heads for the court room. This is where the final scene takes place. This is an extremely important because this is the final scene without this scene; the ending to the play would not be so effective because of what Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone where discussing about. The ending to the play is all to do with superstition. In this exercise we looked at the issues of unemployment, prison, betrayal, drug addiction and gun crime. These are just some of the things that the character of Mickey has to go through in the play nut in the role-plays/ narration we wanted to show the stories from the other peoples perspective. Unemployment: I learnt that by not having qualifications it is not so easy to get a job. Also as an individual I saw that people arent so sociable and forthcoming when it comes to jobs and unemployment, when acting this out the woman at the job centre was prejudice against them, she was very rude and conceited. If I was that person looking for a job, I would be very depressed and feel very useless because of the little options I had. In the play Mickey should show his depression through his body language, he should be walking backwards and forwards to show hes thinking and nervous. By doing a lot of movement shows thought and frustration. Always putting his hand on his face and leaning on things to show he needs support. His tone of voice should be slow to show depression. Prison: I learnt that most of the people that are in prison are all working class or lower class people. By this I could see that these people turn to crime in a desperate attempt to have some money, or to have some kind of food or clothing. Once the prisoner is let free they have a much lesser chance of earning money and the whole thing is just repeated. If I was the child of my mother and Father I know that they would feel embarrassed and ashamed of me and so I wouldnt be able to face them. I think that I would ashamed to. In this situation Mickey should feels scared and frightened and helpless. He would do this thought facial expressions, looking around a lot and perhaps crying too. Betrayal: In the play theres a number of times where Mickey is be trade. By this I learnt that betrayal is mostly lying and doing things behind peoples backs. In the play Mickey is be trade by Linda and Edward, and by his mother. If someone was betraying me I would feel very hurt and angry, I think I would also shout a lot. Mickeys movement and gestures would be very big and exaggerated. He should show his anger through facial expressions and movement. Drug addiction: I could see how easy drug addiction is. It revolves a lot around your past and comes from the issues Im talking about (unemployment, prison, betrayal, gun crime). Most people turn to drugs because they have nothing else to turn to and this also can be done through pier pressure. If I was a family member I would do all I can to help them through this. Mickeys movement should be slow, and not much movement at all. He should be still and day dream a lot. Gun Crime: From this I learnt that crime was committed by mostly males who where unable to cope and had money problems, they where also teens, and young adults and some middle aged. And a lot of the time the crime would be committed where there was a store of money. If I was the mother of my child who had committed a crime I would be irritated, and express myself through my tone I would do a lot of shouting too. I would feel that it was my fault in the way I had brought up my child. Mickey should be very nervous and walk around a lot, he should speak quickly and be very helpless and his voice should be slurred. I think blood brothers is a tragic comedy according to the definitions. I feel that it is a tragic comedy because both aspects exist. Theres a lot of comedy in the play like when the class room scene happens. Edward is very superior and the way he back chats the teacher is shocking yet amusing. Even though in Mickeys scene there lower class they still didnt dare swear at the teacher and the only thing Linda can come out with is you big worm. Also the scene where Mickey and Edward meet for the first time. There both very curious and the way they deal with it is funny. Even though their physical difference is very clear theres a lot that they dont realise they have in common they contrast greatly. The tragedy more or less comes at the end. And by the play being a tragic comedy is much more realistic and enjoyable to watch.

Policy Interventions for Healthcare Inequality

Policy Interventions for Healthcare Inequality Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to determine the disparities in access to health care and analyse the rationale of the types of policy intervention solutions globally to address the contemporary health issue in education and training, tax benefits and payments to caregivers, respite care, business regulations combining work and care giving, and financial support and provision of pension credits for care giving. The study was descriptive in nature. The data were analysed and interpreted. Introduction Having a broad variety factors that plays a role in health disparities, it is very demanding and challenging to clarify the determinants of health disparities. For individuals who are challenged with sociodemographic status, physical disabilities and affected by inevitable circumstances such as calamities or disasters are crucially to escalate likelihood of health disparities that may lead their later life to health-related problems. Given the fact that people under these situations are most unfavourable groups in society with regards to income, education, employment, living condition or occupation, health disparities is more anticipated to exist. In this instance, it is essential to obtain which factors bring about to the health disparities. This study is looking forward to initiate further interest in health disparities among policy makers. Particularly, this may help health care professionals better understand the present picture of health disparities and its causes. Correspondingly, the prevention and elimination of health disparities of the population and their outcome improved quality of life will be regarded. The purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of health disparities in health care access and to produce policy intervention solutions based on education and training, tax benefits and payments to caregivers, respite care, business regulations combining work and care giving and financial support and provision of credits for care giving. To achieve these purposes, the occurrence and determinants of the health disparities were investigated in these scopes: lack of insurance coverage, lack of financial resources, structural barriers, shortage of health care providers, linguistic barriers, health literacy, discrimination and age. Theory This study is anchored to the assumption that disparities in care can greatly affect the access of health care. This is explained in the diagram below: Figure 1. Theoretical Framework for Disparities in Access to Health Care According to Anderson (1995) in the behavioural model of health services operation, population characteristics feature three main components: (1) predisposing characteristics, (2) enabling resources, and (3) need. The predisposing characteristics embody the following elements: (a) demographic aspects, such as gender, age, or marital status, (b) social structure, such as race/ethnicity, education, religion, or occupation and (c) health benefits, such as knowledge about disease, values about health and illness, and attitude toward health services. The predisposing characteristics affect enabling resources in family, person and community. Personal or family enabling resources involved knowledge regarding access to and utilisation of health care and manner to access health care, while community enabling resources integrate available health facilities and personnel. The above-mentioned enabling resources have an effect on one’s perceived and evaluated health need. How people belief or think of their health status is referred to as perceived health need, while indication of professional judgment relevant to people’s health illnesses or conditions and their stand in need for medical treatment is referred as evaluated health need. The foregoing population characteristics – predisposing characteristics enabling resources, and health need will exert influence on one’s personal health practices; use of health services; and health behaviour. Lastly, one’s health behaviour impacts health outcomes: (perceived) health status and (evaluated) consumer satisfaction. In Andersen’s (1995) phase 4 of the behavioural model environmental factors –external environment and healthcare system – having been lately included, and these factors affect the population characteristics as well as health outcomes. The impact the disparities of access to health care would have on national and international healthcare policy. In the study, health disparities throughout different nations including New Zealand were analysed in access to health care. On top of that, the determinants and existence of such disparities have been focused on. It ought to indicate that access to health care itself affects one’s health needs, enabling resources and predisposing characteristics. Nevertheless, further attention is here centered on the direct impacts of the determinants on health care access. Considering the dynamic and intricate structure of health care access, social demographic characteristics are broadly addressed to determinants of access to health care. The association between access to health care and health status is examined in detailing the determinants. Based on Healthy People 2020 definition of health disparity is â€Å"a precise type of health difference that is intently associated with economic, social and/or environmental unfavourable circumstance. Health disparities unfavourable influence groups of people who have consistently undergo considerable obstacles to health stands on their ethnic or racial group; socioeconomic status; religion; age; gender; sensory, cognitive, physical disability; mental health; gender identity or sexual orientation; geographic location; or other characteristics typically connected to exclusion or discrimination. A range of sociodemographic characteristics, such as lack of insurance coverage, lack of financial resources, structural barriers, scarcity of providers, linguistic barriers, health literacy and age are involved in access to health care. These sociodemographic characteristics are correlated with not only one another notwithstanding further determinants in different area. Considering health insurance coverage and status issues play an important part in access to health care and these matters are similarly concomitant to other sociodemographic components, analysis on sociodemographic characteristics is frequently focus on health insurance issues. In the absence of health insurance, patients are most apparently to delay medical care; it appears to go without needed medical care, and probably to go in the absence of prescription medications. Despite the fact that the insufficiency of financial funds is a barricade to health care access for many nations, the influence on access become evident to be pronounced for minority populations. Structural barriers include excessive time spent in the waiting room, an inability to schedule appointments quickly or during convenient hours and poor transportation, each of which influence persons willingness and to acquire needed care. In rural areas, high cities and communities with great congregation of minority populations, access to medical care may be restricted because of the shortage of, specialists, primary care practitioners and diagnostic facilities. Furthermore, language differences (most especially those non-English proficient minorities) impede access to medical care. Health literacy is about patients having problems understanding, obtaining and processing basic health information. To give an instance, patients with a deficient comprehension of good health may not knowledgeable when it is needed to attempt to find care for definite symptoms. Although issues with health literacy are not confined to minority groups, the situation may further utter in these groups due to educational and socioeconomic factors. Age may as well be a determinant in health disparities for particular reasons. As numerous older individual draw breath on fixed incomes this can create paying for health care expenses burdensome. Besides, they unlikely encounter other hurdle such as lack of transportation or weaken mobility that makes accessing health care services difficult for them physically. Moreover, they cannot have the possibility to access health information through the internet over their age. This may place older individuals at an unfavourable position in terms of retrieving important information regarding their health and by means to protect it. Communication is vital for the delivery of effective and appropriate care and treatment, despite of a patient’s culture, and miscommunication may result to improper use of medications, incorrect diagnosis and failure to undergo follow-up medical care. The relationship of patient’s provider is reliant on the capacity of both individuals to efficiently communicate. Culture and language both involved in significant task in communication in the course of a medical consultation. Among the patient populace, minorities appears considerable amount of difficulty in conveying concerns and understanding with their physicians. In stand of the Health Care Quality Survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund (2001), American patients during interview responded that nineteen percent (19%) of the time they experience difficulty communicating with their health providers which included feeling doctor listened, understanding doctor, and had questions yet did not enquire. As oppose to the Hispanic population comprise the relatively large problem communicating with their health provider, thirty-three percent (33%) of the time. It is fact that communication is associated to health outcomes, as communication enhanced so certainly patient satisfaction which result to enhanced compliance and will progress health outcomes. The result of incapacity to communicate with care providers has influence the quality of care. Language takes significant role in communication and determined attempt need to take hold to make sure perfect communication involving patient and provider. Those non-English speakers that utter the need of an interpreter in the time of clinical visits proclaim having one. In the absence of interpreters in the course of clinical visit add up to the communication barrier. Moreover, incapacity of providers to convey information with deficient English proficient patients results to, more invasive procedures, over prescribing of medications and more diagnostic procedures. Poor communication is a factor to compliance of medical services and health outcomes. Heaps of health-related environments make available interpreter services for their deficient English proficient patients. It is indeed been helpful when health providers do not communicate the similar language as the patient. But, there is ascending affirmation that patients require communicating with a language concomitant physician to sustain the desirable medical care, be satisfied with the care experience and bond with the physician. Further communication difficulty upshot from a decrease or reduce of cultural proficiency by health providers. It is also a great value for health providers to be aware of patients’ health practices and beliefs unescorted judgments or reactions. Comprehending a patients’ perspective of health and disease is essential for treatment and diagnosis. So health providers required to assess patients’ health practices and beliefs to refine quality of care. The health decisions made by the patients can be influenced by cultural beliefs, sceptical Western medicine, and hierarchical and familial roles, every single one of these a white health provider may not be familiar with. Another disparity could be discrimination. This is where health care providers likewise consciously or unconsciously handle certain ethnic and racial patients distinctively from other patients. It may be because of stereotypes that health providers may have concerning racial/ethical groups. Physicians are more possibly to set down negative cultural stereotypes among their minority patients. It may happen despite of high regard for personality characteristics, income and education. Meanwhile the United States of America favour the term health disparity, some other countries more usually utilise such terms as health inequity or health inequality (Carter Pokras Baquet, 2002). Specifically, the word health inequalities are more commonly used in New Zealand, Europe and Great Britain. According to Harper Lynch (2005) health disparity includes elements of both health inequality and health inequity. Moreover, inequality is a difference that can be observable and measurable; on the other hand inequity encompasses an ethical judgment participate in resolution of the difference. Moreover, in relation to global health disparities discussed, three of the ten (10) facts about health inequalities in Aotearoa New Zealand based on New Zealand Medical Association and University of Otago prepared by Tony Blakely and Don Simmers (June, 2011) has similarly contribute to the access of health care. These include: (1) Almost all other countries, there is inclination of increasing mortality or exacerbating health right from one side of the affluent to deprived, socio-economic hierarchy, or from rich to poor and most educated to least educated. The socioeconomic differences have made mortality rates broadened in corresponding terms until year 2000, yet have inclined to be stable after all. A close basis of expanding disparity in life expectancy via income about 2000 is indeed apparent. Those people in the top-level of incomes have a 5-6 year satisfaction in life expectancy in contrast to the lowest. New Zealand is level at about average for rich countries in the realistic magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality. (2) An unequal division of social determinants such as housing conditions, employment, and income conditions is crucial to driving health inequalities. Unemployment and economic conditions ameliorate between 1994 and 1998, and there is a fall of child poverty. In distinction to, 1998-2004 rates diversified be conditional on the measure, afterwards with Working for Families child poverty momentum cut down from 2004-2007. (3) Behavioural predisposing factors and health services as well come up with inequalities of health. Tobacco is exceptionally significant, as to healthy eating. Health services is further substantial, primarily as the efficacy of supportive care and treatments to both decrease morbidity and mortality happen to be more effective and more great in number. Discuss and critically analyse the rationale or justifications for putting into place each of the below listed types of policy intervention solutions globally to address the contemporary health issue highlighted in disparities of access to health care Education and Training Institutions should consider conducting research to determine up-to-date and effective policy and program solutions to lessen or diminish health disparities. It is essential to conduct outreach to expand the diversity such as racial/ethnic, disability, income in health care and public-related health careers. They should put forward preventive services (such as vision, oral care, hearing screenings and mental health services) for all children and elderly, particularly those at risk. Lastly, they have to develop and carry out local plan of action to reduce psychosocial, environmental conditions and health that take hold of access to health care. Tax Benefits and Payments to Caregiver Increase tax benefits and refunds for those who have below minimum wage workers and use data to spot populations at greatest risk and partner with communities to implement government programs and policies on mitigations that addresses highest priority health needs. Government should allocate good payment, health benefits and remuneration to caregivers because they are the first line of health providers in terms of access to health services needed by the people. Respite Care This type of care should be available and accessible every time the concerned individual needed it such as caring for disabled individual and older clients. Expand the communication and cultural competence of health care providers in the respite care service. Train and hire further qualifies staff from marginalised ethnic and racial minorities and people with disabilities. Intensify care systematisation and quality of care like integrated care teams. Business Regulation combining Work and Care giving Health markets should comply with statutory policies and regulations concerning medical costs, availability of health services and health care professionals, equal treatment of patients especially those who belong to minority group and children, pregnant woman, chronic conditions or disabilities and elderly, and lastly, consider the community’s needs and demands of health care. Financial Support and Provision of Pension Credits for Care giving. Involved all professionals from a variety of sectors (such as labor, health, education, environment and transportation) with community representatives to make sure that community health needs are recognised and that needs and barriers are attended. Expand cheaper or affordable health services that will ameliorate favourable chances for health care coverage and access as component of efforts to lessen disparities among individuals who are deprived of health. Conclusion It is a fact that health is vital to human existence. A person cannot perform his activities of daily living without being on a state of wellness. In this study, there are numerous factors that brought about disparities of access to health care. The essential qualities of health disparities evaluated were lack of insurance coverage, lack of financial resources, structural barriers, shortage of health care providers, linguistic barriers, health literacy, discrimination and age. Most of the population affected by these circumstances are minority groups, children, pregnant woman, chronic conditions or disabilities and elderly. To deliver policies further productive and effective to eliminate and prevent health disparities, understanding of scientific facts in determinants of health disparities is vital. In addition, it highlights the prominence of factors outside the immediate authority of the health sectors particularly the social welfare, labour, housing, market sectors, local government and education, in shaping the health of the population. On the other note, accomplishment in alleviating disparities in health leads to positive results for the individual, society and economy.

ministers black veil :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Hooper is the minister of the town of Milford. One Sunday, Mr. Hooper decides to come to church wearing a black veil. He delivers his sermon while wearing the black veil even though his parishioners shy away from him and the veil adds an ominous touch to the service. After church he goes to mingle with the congregation outside, while continuing to wear the veil, and people act like they don’t know him, don’t walk beside him, and forget to invite him out to lunches that are a traditional part of Sundays there. That afternoon Mr. Hooper oversees a funeral. He still hasn’t taken off the veil, though it is a bit more appropriate in this setting to be wearing it. Then that evening he conducts a wedding with the veil still on, making it the gloomiest wedding of that time. The village people think he is losing his mind and want to talk to him and find out why his wearing the veil, but can’t seem to get the courage to do it. His wife also l eaves him because he refuses to take off the veil. Mr. Hooper doesn’t take off the veil as long as his lives, and even on his death bed refuses to take it off his earthly form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Hooper teaches a very good lesson with this veil. Everybody has a â€Å"black veil† that they hide something behind. It is not until that things are put in the open for everybody to see that they start shunning you. If you keep your secrets hidden inside you, people still associate with you because they don’t try to look past what is on the surface, in case they might find something that they don’t like or is out of the ordinary. I don’t like that people are superficial enough to let something as small as a veil get in the way of how they feel about the minister, because the veil doesn’t change who the minister is as a person.

Violence in Christianity Essay -- Violence Christianity Religion War E

Violence in Christianity Violence, it has been a main tool in the Christian arsenal since the middle ages. From the Crusades to the Inquisitions of Spain, violence is ever prevalent. Even in this day and age, intolerance and violence continue to be preached. But is this violence an instrument of God or man? Is violence an inherent part of this religion? Some would say that it is indeed built in to the very fabric of its being. The Old Testament is full of the smiting of infidels and those who defy God. The Book of Revelations tells of the violent and fiery demise of this entire planet. There are instances of mass genocide, the killing of innocent children, holy wars, you name a violent act and God has called for it. The story of Noah recounts how God killed off everyone in the world save one family. This violence, some speculate, is a result of man?s own doing. Perhaps God?s word was miss-interpreted or those in power sought to legitimize their own violent acts through the involvement of religion. Regar dless of whether it was God or man that made religion violent, it is now deeply a part of it. The very involvement of religion into a dispute can cause the dispute to escalate exponentionally. ?Limited mundane conflict may escalate into violence when the issues at stake are imbued with religious ultimacy. (Klausner 268)? Violence not only plays a strong role in both commandment and practice, it is part of the very core of this belief system. From the zeal and fervor of conversion to the conquest in the name of a deity, violence is ingrained into religion?s very being. ?Religion? engenders an energy that may be experienced as despair or as enthusiasm? Despair can feed an urge to rid the world of pollution and sin (Klausner 268).? Violence in the religious realm may serve several purposes. It can be an end unto itself, a means to accomplish a religious or religious/economic/political goal. It can be done to invoke terror and awe, as in ?witness the power of our God and tremble before his might.? However it is enacted and whatever its reasons, violence is now an inescapable inevitability in religion?s ongoing battle between Good and Evil. In attempting to prove this, I will be drawing on a body of information collected from the Bible; The Encyclopedia of Religion: Articles on: Violence, Crusades, Inquis ition; Ethics: Violence; Dictionary of Middle Age... ... Roman gods certainly seem to be human projections onto the divine; perhaps we as Christians just projected a human father figure onto a beard in the sky as a means of protection and justification for the wickedness of man. After all, if it is in the name of God, how can we be wrong? Bibliography Candelaria, Michael R. Ethics. Ed. John K. Roth. ?Violence.? Salem Press Inc.: 1994. Finucane, R.C. Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Mircea Eliade. ?Inquisition, The.? Macmilian Publishing Co.: 1986. Johnson, James Turner. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics. Ed. James F. Childress & John Macquarrie. ?Just War?. The Westminster Press: 1986 Klausner, Samuel Z. Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Mircea Eliade. ?Violence.? Macmilian Publishing Co.: 1986. Little, Donald P. Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Mircea Eliade. ?Crusades.? Macmilian Publishing Co.: 1986. New American Standard Bible. Russell, Frederick H. Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Ed. Joseph R. Strayer. ?Crusade, Concept of.? American Council of Learned Societies: 1984. Wakefield, Walter L. Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Ed. Joseph R. Strayer. ?Inquisition.? American Council of Learned Societies: 1984.

Regression Analysis :: essays research papers

Introduction Gunshot wounds; bullet caliber is increasing, a look of this increase from years 1998-2003. This data is derived from the use of larger caliber firearms in accidents, homicides and suicides. Data was collected from the measurements of bullets removed from trauma patients then submitted to a surgical pathology laboratory. This data was collected from the years of 1998 to 2002 with patient medical record number and the year obtained. Approximately 78 percent of all bullets were intact and sufficient for use in the study. Bullet fragments and pellets were excluded. â€Å"Among gun deaths in the United States, a very small fraction of all crimes are attributed to firearm accidents, firearm injuries of undetermined intent and legal intervention involving firearms. These deaths amount to 4.4 percent of the total numbers of gun deaths (25,663) in the United States during the most recent year (2000) such data are available. Of the remaining 95.6 percent of gun deaths, homicide accounted for 37.7 percent and suicide for 57.9 percent. This apparent increase in suicide by gun contrasts similar data from 1985, when homicide (44.1%) more closely paralleled suicide (51.8%) by gun.† (Caruso, RP, Swan, KG, 2003)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article in this paper suggest that †mortality does not increase and even seemingly decreases because care for the trauma victims has become so increasingly innovative, efficient, and comprehensive that the trauma victims, including patients injured by missiles from guns, who would have died from their wounds in the past are now survivors. † (Caruso, RP, Swan, KG, 2003)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caliber is defined as the diameter of a missile or of the barrel for the weapon (bore) through which the bullet passes. Caliber is expressed in hundredths (two digits) or thousandths (three digits) of an inch. Preceding â€Å"caliber† with a decimal point is actually incorrect because the decimal point is redundant. Caliber implies hundredths or thousandths of an inch. Caliber can also be expressed in millimeters, divided by 25.4 equals the caliber. Thus, 9 mm à · 25.4 = 35 caliber. Conversely, caliber times 25.4 equals diameter of bullet in millimeters. Thus, a 45 caliber bullet will measure 11.4 mm in diameter as will the bore or internal diameter of the barrel of the gun designed to fire the round or the cartridge containing the bullet. Bullet, plus powder, primer, casing, and so forth, constitutes the cartridge or round. Bullet, strictly speaking, consists only of the missile leaving the end of the weapons’ barrel.

Business Financing and the Capital Structure

Raising Business CapitalAs a financial advisor to this business there are two options to consider for raising business capital, equity financing and debt financing. The details, advantages, and disadvantages of both options will be provided. Also information about raising capital by selecting an investment banker will be discussed. To wrap up, the historical relationships between risk and return for common stocks versus corporate bonds will be examined. Equity FinancingIn terms of equity financing it is the process of raising capital through the sale of shares in an enterprise (National Federation of Independent Business, 2011). Equity financing is the sale of an ownership interest to raise funds for business purposes. â€Å"Equity financing spans a wide range of activities in scale and scope, from a few thousand dollars raised by an entrepreneur from friends and family, to giant initial public offerings (IPOs) running into the billions by household names such as Google and Facebook † (Kokemuller, 2013).The equity-financing process is governed by regulations imposed by local or national securities authority in most jurisdictions. The regulations are designed to protect the public from investing with unhonest operators who may raise funds from unsuspecting investors and disappear with the money. An equity financing is therefore generally accompanied by an offering memorandum or prospectus, which  contains a great deal of information that should help the investor make an informed decision about the merits of the financing (National Federation of Independent Business, 2011). Such information includes the company's activities, details on its officers and directors, use of financing proceeds, risk factors, financial statements and so on.AdvantagesThe main advantage of equity financing is that it doesn't have to be repaid. Plus, you share the risks and liabilities of company ownership with the new investors. Since you don't have to make debt payments, you can use the cash flow generated to further grow the company or to diversify into other areas. Maintaining a low debt-to-equity ratio also puts you in a better position to get a loan in the future when needed.DisadvantagesThere are tradeoffs with equity financing, the disadvantage of it is by taking on equity investment, you give up partial ownership and some level of decision-making authority over your business. Large equity investors often insist on placing representatives on company boards or in executive positions. If your business takes off, you have to share a portion of your earnings with the equity investor. Over time, distribution of profits to other owners may exceed what you would have repaid on a loan. Equity financing is different from debt financing, which refers to funds borrowed by a business.Debt FinancingsAccording to Investopedia, debt financing is when a firm raises money for working capital or capital expenditures by selling bonds, bills, or notes to individual and/ or institutional investors. In return for lending the money, the individuals or institutions become creditors and receive a promise that the principal and interest on the debt will be repaid (Investopedia, 2012).AdvantagesThe advantage of debt financing is it allows you to pay for new buildings, equipment and other assets used to grow your business before you earn the necessary funds. This can be a great way to pursue an aggressive growth strategy, especially if you have access to low interest rates. Compared to equity financing, businesses do not have to give up any ownership or control of the business with debt financing. After the loan is paid back the businesses relationship is completed. Other advantages of debt financing are the interest on the loan is tax deductible and if the loan is fixed rate the principal and interest can be planned in the budget (Kokemuller, 2013).DisadvantagesThe main disadvantage associated with debt financing is that you have to repay the loan, plus i nterest. If a company does not pay back the loan in the terms agreed upon the property and assets can be repossessed by the bank. Debt financing is also borrowing against future earnings. This means that instead of using all future profits to grow the business or to pay owners, you have to allocate a portion to debt payments. Overuse of debt can severely limit future cash flow and stifle growth. Is debt financing is not properly monitored and controlled it can hurt the business. If too much debt is carried the business and owner will be seen as â€Å"high risk† by potential investors and that will limit the ability to raise capital by equity financing in the future. Debt can also make it difficult for a business to grow if the cost of repaying the loan is high.Investment BankAnother option for raising capital is selecting an investment bank. They are financial institutions and individuals who assist companies in raising capital, often through a private placement or public off ering of company stock. Sometimes investment bankers are referred to as brokers or deal makers. Companies frequently use investment bankers to help identify available financing options and obtain introductions to funding sources (Growth Company Guide, 2000). Investment banks also provide up-to-date advice on the conditions of fundraising for private companies. Because investment bankers make a business of raising money for companies, they can often be quite helpful to a company in analyzing its funding needs, identifying the most likely or appropriate sources for raising money and executing a fundraising strategy (Growth Company Guide, 2000).An investment bank can help, but the quality of a company’s opportunity and the strength of its management team determines the amount of options open for a given fundraising. Investment bankers also vary in quality, resources, experience and contacts. Investment bankers who are experienced with the company’s industry and the type o f financing it needs, can often help a company raise funds. If they are unfamiliar with the company’s industry or the type of financing being sought, they may actually hinder a company’s financing efforts. Common Stocks versus Corporate BondsIt is commonly known and accepted among investors that the higher the returns on an investment, the higher the risks are. Safe investments carry low risk, but the returns are also lower. Different levels of risk apply to common and preferred stock, as well as to corporate bonds. Corporate bonds generally have the lowest level of risk of the three investment types, but also offer lower returns, even with regular dividend payments. Common stocks have the highest risk of the investments and the highest potential returns.Common StocksWhen you purchase stock in a company during a public offering, you become a shareholder in the company. Some companies pay dividends to shareholders based on the number of shares held, and this is one form of return on investment. Another is the profit realized by trading on the stock exchange, but one must sell the shares at a higher price than paid for. The risks of owning common stock include the possible loss of any projected profit, as well as the money paid for the shares, if the share price drops below the original priceCorporate BondsBonds issued by companies represent the largest of the bond markets, bigger than U.S. Treasury bonds, municipal bonds, or securities offered by federal agencies (Sandilands, T. 2013). The risk associated with corporate bonds depends on the financial stability and performance of the company issuing the bonds, because if the company goes bankrupt it may not be able to repay the value of the bond, or any return on investment. Assess the risk by checking the company’s credit rating with ratings agencies such as Moody's  and Standard & Poor's. Good ratings are not guarantees, however, as a company may show an excellent credit record until the day before filing for bankruptcy (Sandilands, T. 2013).RiskCorporate bonds hold the lowest risk of the two types of investments, provided you choose the right company in which to invest. The main reason for this is that in the event of bankruptcy, corporate bond holders have a stronger claim to payment than holders of common stocks. Bonds carry the risk of a lower return on investment, as the performance of stocks is generally better. Common stocks carry the highest risk, because holders are last to be paid in the event of bankruptcy.

Airline Distribution Systems in 2013 Essay

Web based commerce and internet technology have dramatically transformed the airline industry throughout the past thirteen years. The internet has enabled travelers to bypass the traditional distribution pattern of travel agencies and enabled airlines to sell more directly to passengers (European Commission, 2006). Since the mid-1990s there have been some major changes to the airline ticket distribution industry which were both a result of internet technologies (GAO, 2003). Major U. S. Airlines claimed a net operating loss of nearly $10 billion in 2002 and had paid over $7 billion to distribute tickets to consumers (GAO, 2013). These distribution expenses include booking fees to global distributions system to the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars (GAO, 2003). Airlines would receive a set booking fee each time an airline ticket was purchased through a travel agent by the global distribution system used by the travel agent (GAO, 2003). Due to most U. S. carriers being largely dependent on each of the global distribution systems for distributing tickets to different travel agent and consumers and consumers having to subscribe and pay fees to each, there are concerns that the global distributions systems may exercise market ower over them (GAO, 2013). Market power would allow global distribution systems to charge high, noncompetitive fees to airlines and in turn, these costs may be passed on to consumers (GAO, 2013). Environment Two major changes have occurred in the airline ticket distribution industry since the 1990s that have produced cost savings for some major U. S. airlines (GAO, 2013). The airlines have developed less expensive internet ticketing sites that bypass global distribution systems and their fees and encourage consumers to book directly rather than through travel agencies (GAO, 2013). Between the years 1999 and 2002 the average percentage of tickets booked on-line either from airlines or travel agencies grew from 7% to 30% (GAO, 2013). (See Appendix A). The next effort to reduce costs that airlines made was the cutting the amount of commissions they would pay to travel agencies (GAO, 2013). These attempts have still not eliminated the dependence airlines have on global distribution systems. In the report made by the U. S.  Government Accountability Office (GAO), they were unable to determine the exact relationship between global distribution system booking fees and related costs and were not able to reach any conclusions towards the potential exercise of market power by global distribution systems in the airline ticket distribution industry (GAO, 2013). Despite these reports there have still been numerous complaints from airlines that the companies who distribute airline flight and fare information are stifling competition and violating federal anti-trust laws (Koenig, 2011). Government reports help airlines because they investigate claims which are made that could possibly violate anti-trust laws and act as a middleman to solve disputes. Travelport and Sabre are two large global distribution systems which have had investigations against them (Koenig, 2011). A third company, Amadeus, is another global distribution system and the three of them make up for all of the distribution systems in the U. S. (Koenig, 2011). The justice department has clearly stepped into the mix by investigating claims of monopoly power and anti-trust. Only announcements of such investigations have taken place with no more real information being handed to the public. American and US Airways have both filed lawsuits against the global distribution giant, Sabre (Koenig, 2011). Sabre was actually created by American Airlines but later spun off as a separate company (Koenig, 2011). American also sued Travelport for using monopoly tactics and burying their flight information (Koenig, 2011). With Travelport accounting for nearly $2. billion of American’s ticket sales last year, it is hard to see where the complaint lies yet American is intent of wrongdoing and is asking for government assistance through lawsuits (Koenig, 2011). Government institutions try to protect consumers and smaller companies in tourism by imposing anti-discrimination and anti-trust regulation to ensure that real information is presented and competition levels remain satisfactory (Beatrice, Cezar, & Alexandra, 2013). Industry Airlines and independent travel agencies were amongst the first to take advantage of the marketing and sales opportunities the internet provided (Borenstein, & Rose, 2013). Airlines saw the internet as a way to bypass the traditional sales channel of travel agents in order to gain control of lower costing electronic ticketing methods (Borenstein, & Rose, 2013). The internet provided an alternative for airlines and lowered their fears of sales being blocked by ticketing agencies (Borenstein, & Rose, 2013). Domestic airlines in Mumbai, India are attempting to not follow the conventional fixed commission system (Cuckoo, 2005). The issue of commission reduction has caused a huge stand-off between travel agents and international airlines (Cuckoo, 2005). Legacy airlines let by flag carrier Air-India announced in May, 2005 that they would cut commissions from 9% to 5% (Cuckoo, 2005). British Airways joined in with this plan and other European and Southeast Asian carriers were expected to follow suit (Cuckoo, 2005). Travel agents are planning to fight the commission cuts through the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) (Cuckoo, 2005). Just as many U. S. Carriers have claimed fear of, agents in India announced a plan to boycott Air-India and to stop selling their airline tickets in the event of commissions being cut (Cuckoo, 2005). Low-cost carriers have an advantage to the internet because they can start off with new models of distribution whereas legacy carriers have been using agents for decades and it is hard for them to step out (Cuckoo, 2005). Air Decan is a low-cost airline in India that sells 35% of its tickets online and has been knowingly boycotted by agents because it offers a lower price, usually around 5% less, to consumers who book directly from them (Cuckoo, 2005). An International low-cost airline, Air-Arabia, will not pay any commissions to travel agents with its India flights (Cuckoo, 2005). Air-India’s low-cost subsidiary, Air-India Express will also have their passengers pay handling fees instead of the airlines (Cuckoo, 2005). Another Airline to consider is Frontier who makes their lowest fares available on both their own website and on the big online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Priceline and Expedia (Perkins, 2012). There is a difference however, when passengers purchase from any other site or agency other than Frontier, they only earn half of the amount of frequent flyer miles, do not get advanced seating, and will face higher fees for various changes (Perkins, 2012). Marketing Strategy and Situational Analysis Some may find it peculiar that companies are now battling other companies that they themselves created. The three major GDS systems that control most airline ticket distribution worldwide, Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport provide OTAs with fare information and transact sales (Perkins, 2012). OTAs are used by most airlines in order to sell their tickets along with their own websites. In addition to providing airfares OTAs also provide hotel accommodations, rental cars, and most other popular travel services (Perkins, 2012). Airlines now want to avoid fees which were once accumulated through the use of agents and GDSs charge them anywhere between $5 and $12 to book a flight while a transaction through their own system probably costs less than $1 (Perkins, 2012). Now that the internet source is available and extremely efficient the airlines want to gain control back of their customers in order to be able to sell them additional services (Perkins, 2012). On their own sites they could have the ability to present upgraded options such as a bundled no-fee fare packages and can provide passengers with the ability to book semi-premium economy seats (Perkins, 2012). Airlines also want to avoid the easiness of price comparisons passengers have with OTAs in order to maximize their profits once again. The problem, as stated earlier in this paper, is that GDSs account for more than half of their business and to cut them out of the transaction stream completely would be extremely difficult (Perkins, 2012). Airlines are also signed into long-term GDS contracts that require that they provide the same fares to GDS that they have available on their website (Perkins, 2012). A third problem is that large buyers and managers of business travel are extremely dependents on GDS for various reasons such as fare, price, and other information that is required to control travel costs (Perkins, 2012). Attempts to move completely from GDS systems by most airlines have been unsuccessful but many have been able to find ways to shun them. Southwest is one who has managed to have their own system entirely because if you want to fly Southwest, you have to go to Southwest (Perkins, 2012). Allegiant and Spirit also provide only limited participation with GDS (Perkins, 2012). Others get around the contractual agreement of having the same fares available by offering discount promotional codes for direct bookings (Perkins, 2012). With the advantages of control of ticket distribution for the airlines stated and the various strategies used by each airline along with their strengths discussed, let us now look at the weaknesses of these distribution systems. The main weakness is that with the amount of passengers that do use OTAs, there’s a chance they will not use airlines that are not on these sites due to their popularity. Passengers want to be able to compare prices and OTAs provide just that. Passengers may not be willing to research fares on their own and may only go to their preferred airline if OTAs aren’t available. Airlines win if they are the airline of choice but if they aren’t they could be losing potential customers. Commercial Websites This study will look at two individual airlines and their websites and discuss how successful they are. According to Google Trends, the internet is the number one source for both business and leisure travel and roughly 83% of personal travelers use it as well as 77% of business travelers (The Economist, 2009). The two airlines in this review will be United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Commercial websites need to consider what customers experience when searching for information, evaluating alternative products, and purchasing them (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). We will be reviewing these three basic areas of which web site designers should consider for each United and Continental Airlines. With information search, there needs to be ease of navigation, fast page downloads, effective search features, and frequent product updates (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). When evaluating alternatives, designers need to consider the ease of product comparisons, product descriptions, ease of contacting customer service representatives, and a status of the availability of items (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). With the purchase evaluation, designers need to consider security and privacy issues, the checkout process, payment options, delivery options, and the ordering instructions (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013). United Airlines makes navigation simple by placing their flight search table right on the home page. They also include a section for members to sign in, passengers to print their boarding pass, check a flight status, and to change or view reservations right on the home page. These are some of their most used services which are placed right in plain sight on their home page making the information users are looking for easily obtainable. When searching for a flight the speed of the page downloads is quite fast especially considering that a query is being made and information has to be sorted. The results of the search used for this study came back fast and with more information than even requested. The site included many additional options to narrow the search down and was very up to date. When a search for a flight is made the results make it easy to compare similar flights available and even points to the direction of which options could/would give passengers a lower fare. The descriptions are accurate, clear, and comprehensive enough for customers to make informed decisions when choosing a flight. Customer service can easily be reached by clicking on the top right corner of the screen no matter what page of the site you are on. When a search is made unavailable flights or booked flights are not even visible making it easy for customers to view the availability of their options. When considering the purchase made on a web site, it is clear that United has all of the issues covered from security and privacy issues to ordering instructions. United airlines guides customers from the start of their home page all the way to the end purchase with ease. The steps are clear and the purchase can be made in a reasonable amount of time. Customers have various payment options such as credit card, PayPal, or buy it now as well. Southwest Airlines uses a more simplified homepage yet still has the flight search on their home screen to allow for ease of navigation. On top of providing ease of navigation they also use their home page to advertise promotions. The speed of pages downloads is quick, the returned information was effective, and the flight schedules were all up to date on Southwest’s site. They also provided multiple flights to choose from that incorporated a variety of different prices. The promotions continued through the flight selection process as well going on to add discounts if a hotel were to be booked as well. Flight comparisons and descriptions were easy to compare and were accurate, clear, and comprehensive enough to allow consumers to make informed decisions. Something I was surprised to find about the site was that the customer service phone number was not extremely easy to locate. Customers have to click through about 3 pages before a number is given and that is after they find the tiny help icon at the top of the screen. The status of availability is done the same whereas unavailable seating or options are not even displayed to customers. Southwest covers issues of security and privacy all the way to ordering instructions. Southwest Airlines guides customers from the start of their home page all the way to the end purchase with ease. The steps are clear and the purchase can be made in a reasonable amount of time. Customers have various payment options such as credit card, PayPal, or buy it now as well. Comparing the two directly, Southwest’s homepage is more simple and easier for consumers to take in whereas United has an abundant amount of options to choose from. They are both however, very effective and successful commercial websites and follow all of the guidelines mentioned above from the text with the exception of a number for customer service being more difficult to find on Southwest’s website (Peter, & Donnelly, 2013).

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation Stroke, if survived, is the largest cause of long-term disabilities in the United States. Nearly 160,000 Americans have strokes every year, killing one of three individuals (reference? ). Due to our nation’s ageing population, the stroke epidemic is expected to increase nearly 25% by year 2030 (Brewer, 2012). These stroke-related disabilities impact the survivor’s quality of life and independence in everyday activities. Nearly 50% to 75% of all stroke survivors have residual cognitive or motor disabilities that prevent them from living independently (neuro-rehab reference).To determine a successful post-stroke rehabilitation for these survivors, therapists must decide on the best form of therapy, study cause and risk factors of stroke prevalence, and consider long-term effects of impairments (reference). The most recognized disability after a stroke is motor impairment. The main focus on recovery in survivors is to reduce their disability and to live independently again by participating in their normal everyday activities (Brewer, 2012). Clinical experiments have been done with robotic therapy in an attempt to find the best possible form of a successful functional recovery.It has been observed that robotic possibilities for establishing rehabilitation go beyond what a normal therapist can do. One component of this approach is the use of resistance in a direction opposite the movement. Interestingly, several researchers are still currently exploring robotic techniques that are not necessarily designed to imitate the therapeutic process, but actually probe new capabilities. For example, one possible technique that is being studied is to have the robot guide or pull the hand toward the desired trajectory and have the guidance transition to resistance as the client’s recovery progresses (Kovic, 2006).Robot- assisted therapy, in itself, has had the most success in functional recovery among these survivors. Therapists c an still use hands on approach with their clients, but are able to use robotic techniques until their patients are strong enough to not require any more assistance in learning everyday functions (Brewer, 2012). The whole purpose of therapy is to re-teach motor functions that the patients need to perform in their daily lives. Task-oriented skills in functional recovery should be key in therapy, rather it is by use of robotics or not. Another form of post-stroke rehabilitation is adaptive training. Brewer)Robotic techniques are most often used as adaptive training to facilitate motor recovery (Kovic, 2006). In JRRD#2, research was done to suggest that adaptive training was a promising novel approach to a post-stroke recovery. In their research, Patton, Kovic, and Mussa-Ivaldi used the natural adaptive tendencies of the nervous system to facilitate motor recovery. â€Å"Motor adaption studies have demonstrated that when people are repeatedly exposed to a force field that systematicall y disturbs arm motion, subjects learn to anticipate and cancel out the forces and recover their original kinematic patterns.After the disturbing force field is unexpectedly removed, the subjects make erroneous movements in directions opposite the perturbing effects. This technique has recently been shown to alter and hasten the learning process in nondisabled individuals (p644). The researchers conducted an initial pilot study to show how adaptive training might be useful for restoring arm movement. These stroke survivors showed less conspicuous results compared with nondisabled subjects exposed to the same technique.Basically, their results support the view that subjects can adapt by learning the appropriate internal model of the perturbation rather than learning a temporary sequence of muscle activations; however, adaptive training will only work if stroke patients can adapt. Their results concluded that motion is impaired because of an ineffective motor plan that can be changed t hrough structured adaptive training. (do I need reference here too? ) Risk factors increase a person’s chance of having a stroke. Those who smoke have a 50% more likely chance to have a stroke versus people who do not smoke.High blood pressure is probably the highest most common risk factor (Brockelbrink, 2011). Risk factors can be placed into either modifiable or non-modifiable groups. Many modifiable risk factors result from our individual lifestyle habits such as smoking or a diet high in fat, salt, and sugar and normally can be modified by specialists in the healthcare industry (Allen, 2008). Non-modifiable factors are related to heredity, natural processes due to our gender or age. Long-term effects with disabilities and impairments are different for each stroke victim.A number of qualified studies have shown that 50% to 75% of stroke victims cannot live independently at home (Boyd, 2009). Most long-term effects are not overcome by the older population. The younger the v ictim the more likely they are to experience a more positive post-stroke rehabilitation experience. Majority of long-term effects have been linked to the victim’s social status in life. The ones with higher education, higher wealth, more popularity, more involvement have shown the biggest increase in overcoming disabilities.Even so, families who show interaction and help in a positive way with rehabilitation of their loved ones have shown the biggest impact over everything. Strokes are estimated to become the largest cause of death globally by 2030 (Brewery, 2012). The advances of technology and medicine will have progress along in heart disease and cancer, leaving strokes as the biggest threat to our loved ones. References Brewer, L. , Hickey, A. , Horgan, F. , Williams, D. (2012) Stroke Rehabilitation: Recent Advances and Future Therapies.QJM, Ireland. Oxford University Press. Kovic, Mark. , Mussa-Ivaldi, F. A. , Patton, James. L. (2006) Custom-Designed Haptic Training for Restoring Reaching Ability to Individuals with Poststroke Hemiparesis. Chicago, IL. Northwestern University. Boyd, Lara A. , He, Jianghua. , Macko, Richard F. , Mayo, Matthew S. , McDowd, Joan M. , Quaney, Barbara M. (2009) Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognition and Motor Function PostStroke. Kansas City, Kansas. Kansas Medical Center. Fang, Jing. , George, Mary G. , Shaw, Kate M. 2012) Prevalence of Stroke-United States, 2006-2010. MMWR. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 61(20); 379-382. Bockelbrink, Angelina. , Muller-Nordhorn, Jacqueline. , Muller-Riemenschneider, Falk. , Norte, Christian H. , Stroebele, Nanette. , Willich, Stefan N. (2011) Knowledge of Risk Factors, and Warning Signs of Stroke: A Systematic Review From a Gender Perspective. Allen, Claire L. , Bayraktutan, Ulvi. (2008) Risk Factors for Ischaemic Stroke. International Journal of Stroke, 3: 105-116.

Hobby: Nutrition and Black Bean Curd

Hobby In the past ten years, cooking has become one of my favorite hobbies. I have had many experiences that are worth writing about. My husband and I love to eat, cook and dine out. We have enjoyed different cooking activities that have brought us a lot of pleasure, and up to this day we still engage in cooking. We love to explore different kinds of cooking styles because we love to eat different types of food. The most popular cuisines that we have cooked the most are Chinese, Italian and American food. Also, we experiment in different cooking styles and trying Japanese, French, Mexican, Thai, and Mediterranean food as well. My husband and his friends formed a gourmet club a few years ago. Each couple that joined the club loves to eat and cook. So every weekend, a couple will pick up a theme and invite their friends to their house to have a nice dinner. Usually I will cook Chinese food for our guests. China is a big country; there are about 56 regional styles of food in China. Each region has it own cuisine due to varying weather conditions, environment, tastes and products (web. ) For example, Cantonese food is well known in America; Cantonese food specialized in seafood and Dim Sun. If you go to a Cantonese style restaurant, you will see a big fish tank with live fish and seafood in every restaurant. Customers can select the fresh seafood and fish that they like on the spot. The chef will cook your selection in any style that you want. The most popular cooking styles for fresh seafood are: steaming, sauteing, stir-frying and boiling. Two other cooking styles that I want to introduce are those from the provinces of Si Chuang and Hu Nan. These cuisines feature very spicy, sour, sweet, and salty dishes. If you can’t handle the heat, please stay away. The most famous dishes from that region that American people are familiar with are: GongBao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu and Fish in Chili Bean sauce. One interesting idea that comes from cooking is that we can learn about different culture and history as we cook their cuisines. Since China’s history dates back 5000 years, so do the styles of cooking. Today’s Chinese cuisines are blending traditional and modern techniques representing that very long history. I love spicy food. One of the Chinese cuisines that I mentioned above comes rom the province of Si Chuan. Si Chuang province is the mountain district in the center of China and its food is famous for its hot and spicy dishes, and one of my favorites dishes is Ma Bo Tofu. Taste, color and smell are the three most distinctive features for Chinese cooking. My secret to cooking this dish is how to control the spices. First, I will separate all the spices in three levels: mild spicy, medium spicy and very spicy. My husband loves spicy but he does not like it when the hot spicy numbs his tongue because he wants to taste the food. Every time I cook my Si Chuang dishes, I have to be very careful with how much spice I should put in because I do not want him to â€Å"cry†. Secondly, I have to prepare several main ingredients: a piece of soft Tofu, few black bean curd, two sponge of hot chili and half pound of mince pork meat, and a little bit of green onions for the final touch. After I get all ready, I will start cooking my famous Si Chuang Dish, Ma Po Tofu. Cooking a delicious and testy Mo Po Tofu is not easy. I did learn some tricks from my mother. I start by putting some virgin olive oil in a hot pan. While the pan is getting hot, I mix hot chili sauce and mince pork together, and then I cut a piece of Tofu into a little tiny square shape. I have to do all these steps in a very short period of time because I do not want the oil to burn. At the same time, I have been soaking the black bean curd with warm water in a little serving bowl. After I finish all the preparations, it’s time to cook. I put the mixture of pork and chili sauce into the pan. First, saute them for just two minutes and takes them out very quickly and put on a serving plate. Meanwhile, I will warm up the pan with a little bit of olive oil again, put a little square tofu into the pan, and then cover it for 3 minutes. The reason I have to cover the Tofu while it’s cooking is because Tofu is a very delicate ingredient and I do not want to overcook it. The last step is to softly pour the hot chili mince meat on top of the Tofu, and then decorated with a few strips black bean curd with tiny chopped green onions. The whole process to cook this dish actually only takes six to seven minutes. It seems very easy to cook yet you have to be quick and know how. I assume that if a person loves spicy food, he will love my recommendation. Please do not forget that I just mentioned earlier, you can control how much spice you use to suit your taste. The beauty of this dish is that the Tofu will melt in your mouth while you are eating them, and it is both tasty and very healthy. Tofu contains lots of protein and it is the main source of protein for vegetarian diet. The final step is the presentation for this dish. A good dish contains smell, color coordination, taste and presentation. So I will use a beautiful China plate to present it. The first step, I will put a piece of green lettuce on the button of the plate, and then serve with some beautiful little squares of Tofu with red hot chili mince meat on the top. For the final touch the black bean curd and green onions are placed. At this point, you should be able to smell and taste my Ma Po Tofu now. Do you feel too spicy? To enjoy this dish you must use the sense of sight, touch, smell and taste. Cooking is my passion and also requires lots of knowledge. In recent years, eating health and cooking healthy food is a big topic for American society. American people love fast food. The fast food culture has been merging into the American society for a long period of time . That is why we have the biggest fast food industry in the world. On a recently television program it was stated that McDonald’s golden arch icon is a more popular symbol than the cross of Christian faith. The results of this unhealthy diet are many health problems. A lot of adults in America have high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and heart disease. These diseases can be direct traced back to their unhealthy diet and life style. The fast pace of life and work are so busy, parents no longer have the time to cook for their children or themselves. Fast food is taking up a large and large part of the family food budget due to convince. Now seems cooking as become a luxury because it takes so much time. Every night, parents will go to McDonald’s, Burger King, or Jack in the Box to buy some greasy chicken, burgers and fries for their family. What are the results? We have obese kids because junk food has become too large a percentage of their diet. It is so sad to see our kids suffer from the diseases of the obesity. So let’s go back to cooking for our families. I will say that if everybody pays lots of attention to their health, this is will help our society to change its vision of the fast food industry. Everyone wants to live longer and healthier. No one wants to suffer the diseases that obesity can cause. So be your family’s guard and teach your kids and their friends to eat healthy and nutritious food. You can also teach your kids how to cook, how to pick the good ingrains and create a health meal. At the same time, explain to your kids why foods are either healthy or unhealthy. So that, in the future they can evaluate for themselves and make the right decision in the future. Our effects now will pay off in the future for the health of our families. Cooking health meals for my family is relaxing, fun and an enjoyable activity for me. I love it. I want my family to eat healthy meals every day. Actually, my dream is to learn how to cook different types of cuisine. Especially learn how to cook Italian and French food. I think it will be a fun thing to do.